Sad Heart

It is with a sad heart that I inform you of the following losses in Afghanistan two days ago.

Fallen Heroes: Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Elwell, of Holland, Pa. and Pfc. Tyler Springman of Hartland, Maine who were killed Saturday by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. Seven other soldiers were wounded. The men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

SFC Elwell was the acting 1st Sgt and had only been with the unit for about a month. He gave up his R&R leave to be with these men. PFC Springman was my Jon's friend. I believe the memorial service in Afghanistan was today. Seven other men were injured, a couple seriously. I am so sad for the families of these men, their friends, and their family in Afghanistan.

This was my son's platoon and had he been there he would have been involved with this incident but please know that God protected him as Jon had been sent somewhere else for about a week (I even got to Skype with him!) and was NOT involved in this incident. I praise God for his provision of safety! I'm also completely stunned at the imminent danger that my son is in. I knew he was in danger I guess I refused to let myself see how much.

Rest In Peace SFC Elwell and PFC Springman. God will comfort and give your family strength during this time. You will not be forgotten!

Happy 4th!

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Congrats and Happy Birthday!

Good morning all! I will get to the Happy Birthday in a second here first to show you the Grad Hat Card.

This is another SVG (and I have another to show you on Saturday) that I got from My Scrap Chick. If you have a Cricut (or other cutting machine) and SCAL or MTC you should either follow My Scrap Chick's blog or subscribe to her newsletter as each week you get a free SVG from her and this grad hat card was one of them. I think it was from about a month ago. In all honesty I own quite a few of her SVG's. I don't use as many as I own but I do love them all and find them to be a great value! I made three of these hats this year...one red with black (it is actually not that red, more crimson) and two black with red. It is interesting but I find using my Cricut really fun recently so I think you'll be seeing more made with at least some elements cut from my Cricut.

What about the birthday? Well, today is not only Flag Day, if you have a flag it should be flying today unless it is raining, it is the Army's 236th Birthday! From THIS website...

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 236th birthday commemorates America’s Army – Soldiers, Families and Civilians – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders. We are “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation."

Happy Birthday Army!

Our freedom was not free...

Morning friends. While not a lot better today is a better day with my sinuses than yesterday was (I've only been up for a 1/2 hour though) so I thought I'd get this posted while I felt okay.

Some of you have heard me say that my boys are little pieces of my heart walking around outside my body. I imagine that to be true for most moms. (I said most...I know some relationships are difficult) When I heard of the deaths of some of the soldiers in the brigade that Jon belongs to I decided that I would make sympathy cards for each soldier's family. It has been more difficult than I thought and easy to put to the side and say 'I don't have enough time today'. Frankly, thinking about what those families are going through hurts me and is not a place I like to go BUT I want to follow through. There are now four families that I must send cards too. I used Doodle Pantry's Patriotic Eagle image along with a sentiment from the set that Laurie (owner of Doodle Pantry) so graciously re-worked for me so I could make a banner.

Inside I typed up my favorite sympathy sentiment (that sounds strange doesn't it?). In this case I think the sentiment on the front enhances the sentiment inside. (Noticed the typo just before I was to seal and send out a couple of the cards...why did no one tell me?)

I really wanted this card to be simple and clean for both the fact that I want the sentiment to be the thing that really stands out and for duplication purposes. The layout is from CPS this week. I've also entered this into the Paper Sundaes challenge which is to use a sentiment.

Alright, I'm off to go to Kyler's school for a little while. Have a wonderful day, hug the ones you love, and thank a soldier!

Sweet Peek Cocoa

Good morning everyone! After an additional day off it is always hard to remember that it is Tuesday instead of Monday, huh? I hope you had a fabulous Memorial Day. We enjoyed hosting our friends for a wonderful BBQ to honor all of our service members.

Today is the last Sweet Peek before the new release at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps tomorrow. There will be a fun beach themed new release party tonight at the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Connection from 8pm to 10 pm (EST). I hope you can join us. Just click here to head over to the connection. If you aren't already a member sign up is super easy!

Alright, so...my card today peeks a new set to the store called Patriotic Cocoa. There are 2 images (including the one used on my card) and 11 sentiments that are perfect for any patriotic type of card you'd like to make from a 'thank you' to 'Happy 4th'. If you love all things patriotic, like me, than this will be the perfect set for you! I believe it will retail at just $11! My card also uses this week's Sweet Stop Sketch.

So there you have it! I hope you'll join us for the new release party tonight! Have a wonderful day!

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day comes each year with good and bad. The good...we get an extra day off work to shop, BBQ, spend time with friends and family. The bad...many military men and women won't get that opportunity today as they gave up their lives so that not only can we enjoy our freedom but to try and bring some sense of peace and saneness into another country/persons life.

Memorial Day 2011

Remember our brothers and sisters who fell
so we could have freedom, they all went through hell
our cookouts and sales are all very nice
but many in uniform paid a great price

defending our country takes more than big talk
you honored us all by taking the walk
our forefathers founded this country we love
and included God both within and above

Our children have fallen all over the earth
because we believed that in all men there’s worth
we’ve come to the aid of the downtrodden man
because independence and choice must and can

be for all people; a God given right
it’s said in our song that our flag was in sight
it stood through the day and the night as we fought
to keep ourselves free; we will never be bought

John Breska 05/2011
44th Scout Dog Platoon
Viet Nam 69-70

Armed Forces Day 2011

ARMED FORCES DAY
"UNITED IN STRENGTH"
MAY 21, 2011

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.

On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense.

See more information about Armed Forces Day HERE. If weather permits be sure to get your flag our and flying today!

SURPRISE!

Happy Friday! Here we are at the end of a busy week once again but today I have something fun to share with you...a special New Release from Doodle Pantry!

The owner of Doodle Pantry, Laurie, decided she would release this super cute set called Quirky Dog just for you all today! How much do you love this super cute bulldog (I think)? You just know that I had to use his red, white, and blue self to make a card with for Jon right? And the 'ruff day?' sentiment...who doesn't have ruff days in Afghanistan so I thought would work perfectly! AND, the entire set of line images, colored images, and digital patterned papers (can I just say that I'm growing to LOVE digi papers?!?) are only $3! Can you believe it? Only $3! I love that!

Today is the Stock the Pantry challenge over at the Doodle Pantry blog too so make sure you hop on over there to see what that is all about!

You know what? I love this set so much that I'm going to give away a set to one of my readers! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post about what our troops mean to you. If you do not comment on what the troops mean to you then you are not in the drawing! I do not allow anonymous comments anymore so if you need to comment anonymously just send me an e-mail instead and I'll put you in the drawing! You will have until Sunday night at 5 p.m. PST to comment. While there is only one entry per person I would appreciate it if you'd tell your friends about this drawing so send 'em right over!

So...go, comment on this post, tell your friends about it and then have a wonderful Friday!

Mom's Battle

I don't normally listen to rap nor do I care for the swear words but other than that...I think you'll appreciate the heart of this song which is...a military mom's heart.

Home of the Brave

What a fun way to start your day...with a smile! I hope it will last you all day through!

Today, I'm sharing a card that I had originally thought I was making for Jon but at the end I can't send it to him...it has glitter on it. In addition to that possibly being a bit embarrassing to him it could also compromise safety when it gets on him. Anyway, I was thinking of sending it to the rear detachment of his company. We shall see.

As you can tell this is a super patriotic card. I had a hard time deciding on the sentiment as the Cricut cartridge that I used (stand and salute) had several that would work. I finally decided on 'Home of the Brave'. Fitting for the military don't you think? The fireworks at the bottom are also from the same Cricut cartridge and then glittered up on the ends. I used this week's sketch by Carly for my layout and lots of WeRMemory Keepers for the papers, both patterned and cardstock.

I have to tell you guys about a great, FREE, Cricut resource. You will find it at Above Rubies Studio. It is called the Cricut Cutting Guide. It lists LOTS of cardstock/patterned paper manufacturers and what settings you should cut the paper on with your Cricut. I tried cutting that sentiment above SIX times before I just used the guide...the first cut at the suggested pressure, depth, and speed in the guide was perfect! If you own a Cricut and have problems cutting sometimes you should definitely check out that resource!

Well, that is it for me today! I hope your day is filled with lots of SMILES!

You're My Hero

Good Wednesday morning everyone! Are you all happy that it is the middle of the week?

Today I am so excited to show you the card I made with one of the brand new releases from Doodle Pantry called Super Birdie. When I saw that one of the sentiments was 'you're my hero' I had to make this card with a patriotic theme and send it to Jon as his deployment card. I'm sure you agree that all members of the military are heroes but this one is just for my son.

The patterned papers that you see on this card are all from the Super Birdie set, too. I LOVE that Laurie will give us papers to match...it makes it SO easy to create with. The little stars on the blue strip are from the punched out border and although he is a boy I used some bling stars in the corners of my card.

The sketch for this card is from Carly's Sketch Challenge blog and while the sketch challenge has expired you need to hop on over there to see what the new sketch is as she always has great ones!

Alright there you have my card! Now hurry on over to the store (linked above and in my side board) to purchase your favorites and to see what my other DT sisters have made!

Red Shirt Friday

Hey there friends! Happy Friday! Just want to share with you about a new tradition that is going around and it is Red Shirt Friday.

What is Red Shirt Friday about? Well, it is just a way to support our deployed troops by wearing red on, you guessed it, Friday. It doesn't have to be a fancy red t-shirt like ours (I got ours from Soldier's Angels) and while a red shirt would be great I think that wearing anything red on Friday would show support for our troops.

So...whatcha got in your closet?

Celebrate Freedom!

Welcome to Tuesday everyone! Remember I told you yesterday that I was going to work on getting my office at work all cleaned up and ready to move? Well...with the help of my husband I got it all done! In a couple of weeks I'll be able to move into an office on the main floor (I've been in the loft) where I'll be more accessible to parents and kids alike. I'm very excited about this move! Thank you, Todd, for your help...you 'da bomb!

Okay, onto new release day with Doodle Pantry! Today Doodle Pantry is releasing two brand new sets, two previously released sets and a set of beautiful digi papers. How is that for exciting? When I first saw the Firecracker Bugs set I knew I'd have to be making my card for the new release with it. Go figure, right? Anyway, the card is made not only with one of the super cute images from the set but also with both of the digi papers from the set. I've also posted the entire set so you can see what you'll be getting when you purchase it. My card layout is from Crazy 4 Challenges this week.

Can you stand some more excitement? Well, Doodle Pantry is turning one this week and there are specials to be had. From April 5th - April 10th all product purchases (excludes gift certificates) will be 40% off! Just use the coupon code HBDP4U. Click HERE to find out more. Make sure you go to the Doodle Pantry Blog to see all the new releases and what my very talented design team sisters have made!

Alright...have a wonderful day everyone! See you Thursday!