Hey to all the ladies out there! Check out my new blog devoted totally to stamping....www.itsastampthing.blogspot.com! This is going to take the place of my Stampin' Up! demo site. I'm just getting it started, so check back soon for more! ~Kristy
My youngest brother, Jordan, is officially engaged! He proposed to Camille in San Francisco this weekend. They were out in California for Jason's wedding....how romantic! I wouldn't have even known if it weren't for the Wiseners! They are so excited! Sis. Kimi was walking around telling everyone at church last night! I can tell she's really gonna have fun planning this wedding. I think my parents and Jordan are coming home from CA tonight, so I'm sure I'll hear more about it soon! Good Luck Jordan and Camille! P.S. I don't know what to think about a blonde in the family! :)
Hey ya'll... everyone stop a minute and take the new poll. See what superhero your personality is most like. I was Iron Man...(yesssss) And by-the-way, no one can see your answers!...Anthony
Congratulations to Jason and Heather! They are getting married this weekend out in California! Tons of people from our church are going to be there and I bet it will be lots of fun! Wish I could've gone, I bet it will be really pretty! Jason has been prophesied to several times in the past year or two, so I know God is about to do something great in their lives.
I have gotten some response on Elijah's condition in our comments. When we began this journey with Elijah having seizures we prayerfully and with our pastor's advice started him on an anti-seizure drug. We took this VERY seriously. We knew that starting him on this medicine meant that our child would have to daily take this drug. None of us are on any kind of regular medicine and we didn't like the idea. But, our pastor is a diabetic and we understood that sometimes God allows things like this for reasons we don't always understand. We got a comment here on our blog seeming to ask if we allowed treatment from doctors or if we were only using prayer. We believe that God sometimes uses doctors and drugs for healing, and sometimes it's miraculous and instantaneous. But either way without God the healing doesn't occur. I have personally had God intervene in my body to heal me. About 3 years ago I started having migraine headaches. For those of you that haven't had one, they are not just more intense regular headaches. It started during a time of great stress for me. One day, I lost my peripheral vision. I couldn't read. I recognized letters but no words made sense. I took a pile of different pills to get the pain to lessen, but got no relief. I could only bury my head under a pillow in a dark room and wait for it to pass. I thought I must have a brain tumor or something! I went and got scanned but they found nothing and told me it was a migraine. I continued to work and would feel one coming on. It would incapacitate me. After a couple weeks of these events, I was at church doing the sound on the platform and my pastor was coming up to the platform to preach. I had my back to him and had my hands lifted praising God. Bro. Wilbanks came up behind me and placed both hands on the sides of my head. I literally felt like I was struck by a lightning bolt! My wife said I spun around like a tornado and then went down. A few minutes later Bro. Wilbanks asked me if something happened to me. I said "OH YEAH". That was the last time I ever had a migraine. Also, I had been taking Prilosec for a stomach ulcer that went away the same moment. The ulcer had gotten so bad that I had even starting having blood in my stool. (sorry) He didn't even know about the ulcer. So with all that said, yes we do believe in both kinds of healing. Elijah has been on about 8 different kinds of medicine, and up to 5 of them at once. None of them stopped the seizures. He has had a pile of all kinds of tests to check for tumors or anything else, all coming back negative. The only relief he has gotten is when we started limiting his white sugar, white flour and dairy. Since then we have only looked forward to the time when God ends this. In one service, three different people came up to us and said that God told them the work was done. So we know God has healed him. And maybe this blog is a way that God can get the glory when this healing is manifested. So, I would like to tell all of you that I thank God for Elijah's healing. I haven't seen it in our time yet but I know in eternity "It is finished".....Anthony
I know that in the Old Testament memorials were made at significant times in peoples lives. As of right now, I haven't really studied it or anything, I just remember it from preaching, etc... That is going to be a goal of mine, though. The reason I am bringing this up is because a year and almost five months ago Elijah had his first seizure. It was probably the scariest thing in the world for me. I have been blessed to be a part of a pretty healthy family. I was always thankful that Madison had never even had an ear infection. For some reason that always meant a lot to me. Maybe it was because Bro. Wilbanks prayed for her health at her baby dedication. I know he prayed about other things, as well, but, that has always stood out in my mind. She did have a cold or two and strep a few times, but that was as bad as it got. Isn't God great! So, when Elijah came, I expected the same thing. On a few occasions, I even thought when I saw someone who's child had health problems, that I was so glad I didn't have to deal with that. I couldn't even imagine what it would be like as a mother to go through some of the things people are faced with. But now, I have a small taste of that feeling. In mid-September 2006, during that first seizure, I had no idea what to do. My mom and I were crying out to God, laying hands on him, and panicking all at the same time. There was even a space of time that I really thought I may be loosing a child. I was preparing myself, in my mind, all in about the space of a few seconds probably, and I knew in that moment that God was in control and He would help me through even the toughest of situations. Thankfully, it didn't come to that conclusion. Have you ever had a terrible fear that you would be put in a certain situation (you fill in the blank) and not react the way that God would want you to because of that fear or lack of knowledge? I am reminded of a sermon preached at our church by Bro. Mark Morgan. I think the message was titled "His Grace Is Sufficient For Thee." If that's not the title, it was one of his main points. In it he told the story of a missionary overseas that caught a bullet with his teeth when fired upon by a gunman. That is one of the main things I remember from his message because I felt like God was speaking to me and telling me that He will take care of me in the most difficult of times, not to worry about what lies ahead. God proved himself to me that day and many times over since then. Even in that instance when I thought Elijah might die, I knew God was there with me. I am very thankful that Elijah did not die, and in fact, I believe that we have a promise from God that everything is going to be all right. God is going to use Elijah in a very special way and for that I give Him all the praise! This is just the beginning of my story. I want to share other memorials with you soon. I believe God is allowing us to go through this trial for a reason. I also believe that He is bringing us to a certain place in Him that is beyond our wildest imagination. I can see a change in myself, my husband, and in my children. Our faith is increased, our trust in God is greater than it was before, and I am more hungry for Him than I have ever been. I am nowhere near where I need to be, but I am not satisfied with where I am, either. God is totally getting me out of my comfort zone! Sometimes it is scary, but I am really excited about where God is leading me!
Several years ago, I think it was not long after I got married, Sis. Kim Biscotto introduced Stampin' Up! to all of us! She signed up and started parties and I immediately loved it. (For those of you who don't know, Stampin' Up! is a direct sales company similar to Home Interior, Pampered Chef, and Avon. They sell rubber stamps and all paper and accessories to go with it for making scrapbook pages, cards, and all kinds of other projects! It's so much fun! Check it out at stampinup.com!) Now here we are in 2008 and I am have been a demo for two and a half years, and I really enjoy it! It's like coloring and crafts for grown-ups! HaHa! I know Anthony thinks I'm crazy, but he has his video games! Well, for the last couple of years we have had a little club going and everyone takes their turn at getting some free stuff and it's been lots of fun. I also started doing Stamp Classes lately (for a small fee) and they come and do a 2-pg layout and a card. I've done it twice now and both times have went well. One of the ladies that attended my first class called and asked if I would come do the same thing at a hotel tomorrow where her and seven or eight friends are getting together to scrapbook all day! Doesn't that sound fun?! So, I am really excited to do this. I think they will really like the page we are going to do too! I will probably post a picture of it later. The one I am doing tomorrow is the same as the one I did with my class last weekend, I am just going to change the colors, because I ran out of the color of paper we used last week. I'll talk more about it when I post the pics, though :). The scrapbook page featured here is one that Morgan (my sis-in-law) and I did together a while back. It is just the one page, for now, but I do have an idea for a second page to go along with it....Just keep checking back...and I hope you enjoy it!! ~Kristy
Hey Everyone! I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. I have several things I want to talk about still so keep coming back! Were any of you out there ever Brownies, Girl Scouts, or Boy Scouts? I know I was for a short time. I don't remember everything, but I do have a few fond memories of it. I remember going to meetings and getting pins and badges for my accomplishments and there was some ceremony where we had to walk over a bridge and graduate from Brownies to Girl Scouts. I also remember that we always had some fun activity to do and one in particular was also a contest. We had to get these little plastic dolls and make an outfit for them. Whoever had the best/most creative outfit won the prize. My mom, who sewed a lot back then, made this cute little frilly dress with different colors of pastel lace and I knew for sure I was going to win. I was so disappointed when they announced that the doll with the dress made of leaves was the winner. How could they think that was better than frilly ruffles?! Well, I guess I got over it pretty quickly! I don't even remember who owned the doll with the leaf dress. I think programs like that are fun for kids and teach them skills and they also get a sense of accomplishment when they earn their badges. Sis. Kimi Wisener has started up a similar group with the kids at our church. She actually did this with her oldest daughter, Camille, several years ago and is now continuing it with her other children, as well. She has been kind enough to let all of us join in and be apart of it too! I have had lots of fun and I know Madison has too! She loves getting a new badge or pin. We call it Keepers and Contenders. The girls are Keepers of the Home and the Boys are Contenders of the Faith. Bro. Grant has begun teaching the boys and you can tell they really enjoy that. Like I said before, this is really similar to Girl/Boy Scouts, only it is more focused on biblical principles as well as learning life skills. I don't pay as close attention to the boys as I have the girls because I am usually over helping with the girls and it's so much fun! I do know the boys have collected different types of leaves, an experiment with electricity and tying knots with rope! The girls have learned some sewing skills, rubber stamping, candle making, stenciling, letter writing, and last night we did watercolor painting! Those are just what come to mind right now. I'm sure there's more... Anyway, I enjoy it just as much as Madison does and we get to be together a little bit without the boys :) It's good mommy/daughter time. Well, if any of you out there have any Girl/Boy Scout memories give us a holler! It would be fun to hear them! ~Kristy