card layout #2

well, for the moment this has turned into my card blog! haha.
there's not much else i'm doing worth mentioning right now, i guess :P
but thank you for all your sweet comments and thoughts!
here's the next layout i tried from the card-making book! :)
this time i made 2...





i didn't intend this, but looking at the bottom picture - it almost looks like it's making a smiley face with the "hi" and the stamp underneath...hmm, maybe i should've put the flower as the nose! :) haha.

new card

well, for those that wanted to know - the card making book (see my last post) has lots of fun ideas! i used one of the layouts suggested tonight, (of course they all turn out differently depending on what you use) -- and here's how mine turned out:



i was pretty pleased with it, as it's different than the ones i seem to be making lately, which is what i was going for! :) let me know what you think.

nothin' exciting

just been hanging out.
mostly finished with my college class - i worked on it for a while today, and it's my goal to be all the way done this weekend! :)

been making lots of cards this week...
here are 2 i made tonight:




ben got me a neat card making book for my birthday, and i'm going to try to shake up my cards a bit - i've noticed i am in a rut! even though they are all different, they are all kind of the same :P

and other than that, nothing exciting going on here!
it's rained a lot since last week, although yesterday and today we had a bit of a break which was nice. my shoulder's been bugging me - super tight for some reason - so i went to get a little massage yesterday, which was also nice.

ben's working nights right now, so we have opposite schedules, (not so nice) but he's so good about finding a way to talk to me a little each night. he's such a sweetheart!

i'm trying to stay focused on the positive and in the word each day...
here's 2 verses i read today that really encouraged me:

psalm 92:1-2
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,

i'm so thankful for a faithful God. even when i'm feeling lonely, He is always there. His mercies are new each morning.
so... that's all from japan for now. :) just wanted to say "hi".

ladybug love

i made these cards using ladybug stickers that came from etsy.com!
i ordered a set from ladybug labels and they have been great additions to my cards!

i also was reminded of my ladybug bulletin board that i didn't ever get around to posting. the other kindergarten teacher gave me this set for christmas cause she found out i like ladybugs :)



to go along with it, i read my kids the "goodness guerillas" book from chicken soup for the kid's soul, and had them "catch" each other doing random acts of kindness. when they were "caught" we put their name on a ladybug and put it on the board. :) it was a great way to encourage kindness and it didn't take long for them all to be up there! they seemed to like it and i fully plan on doing it again next year. and to be even cuter, my mom sent me a ladybug bulletin board border! i'll have to take a picture of that when it's all done.

as far as things here, it's been a rough week, harder than even i thought it was going to be. :/ but i'm trying my best to hang in there. i have a headache and i sure do miss my husband, though. keep praying for us, and thanks in advance for doing so :)

trying...

to stay busy!
so far, in the 5 days since school's been out and ben's been gone, i've cleaned the house, gone to the gym, gone to the pool, called to make appointments, gotten the car worked on, made some cards, mailed a package, and watched some tv.

also, i finished a puzzle we started before he left...
here's a picture!


i still have a class to work on, but my "to-do" list is dropping much quicker than i thought, and i need more ideas of things to do!!!!!!! i'd love to make some money somehow this summer too, but i can't seem to think of a real good way to do that. anyone got any thoughts for me? :) help!?

school's out...

for summer!
yesterday was our last day with kids, today was spent cleaning/organizing/getting ready for next year, and at 3pm i left school until august!
i should be more excited, but ben is gone - all summer! :( so i'm kind of dreading long lonely days without 22 crazy kids to keep me distracted and busy! haha. i am praying that God will provide another friend as mine have all moved away, and most of the teachers head to the states for the summer... i am supposed to be having coffee with one of the moms of my kiddos, so hopefully that will work out, and i know that God provides. i just need to be faithful.

but back to my crazy cute fun kiddos... we did our play, and they did SO well, i was so proud of them :) after the dress rehearsal i wasn't so sure, but they pulled it out! here are a few pictures...







i am going to be making lots of cards this summer i think, so if anyone wants a pack - please let me know! :) praying this time goes quick - especially for ben as he is working so hard. he's studying so hard too, he's amazing.

thanks for your prayers and thoughts, friends...

been a while!

it's been almost a month since i posted! crazy!

life has been busy as school is winding down for me, and ben's been studying like crazy to get A+ certified (computer cert.). he took his 2 tests yesterday and passed them both!! i'm so proud of him, he's amazing. next week is my last week of school before summer break! the kids last day is thursday, and i have a teacher work day friday to clean up my room and then we're out til the end of august! :)
ben and i have been talking and talking and praying and praying about... our future. we are trying to see what the Lord wants us to do, and are leaning towards and working towards getting OUT of the navy this coming spring when our time in Japan is done. would you do us a favor and pray about it too? :) it's definitely what we want, but we want to make sure it's what the LORD wants as well.
it will be challenging in a whole different way and test our faith in different ways as well, but we're looking forward to the possibility of getting to be closer to family and friends and be done with this part of our journey.

my class is doing a musical tomorrow and friday called "the little red hen" and i hope to get a few pictures i can post... i have the songs going through my head at night because we've been listening to them every day for the past month to get the kids ready! haha. :) "hey little red little red little red hen... little red hen, what did you bake? hey little red hen smells like a cake...."

happy june! hope the weather's not too hot yet and you're enjoying the start of summer!