I thank God....

This past month has been absolutely amazing for Garrett and I! I have so many things to be thankful for right now that I cant seem to stop praising God for them. So when I realized that I should sit down and do a blog for this week, I thought, what better to blog about than God's amazing blessings in my life :)

1) God's Grace- The weekend before Christmas '08, my Grandpa passed away. This was actually a huge wake up call for me... God used my Grandpa's passing to remind me of His saving grace. My grandpa was never a believer up until the summer before he passed away. I never knew that the man that always silently looked away as I mentioned that I would be praying for him, would eventually be telling me that HE was praying for ME! After many years of saying prayers for him, that he would come to a saving faith in Christ, God was faithful and worked in many ways to draw my Grandpa to him in the end. I am thankful that his passing was not just sad but joyful too! I am thankful for God's everlasting grace and mercy that He has on our souls... that He loves us even when we choose to live for ourselves instead of for Him. The song 'Amazing Grace' now has a new meaning for me and I love it!

2) Open Doors- For awhile now, Garrett and I have been struggling in our walks with God - not going to Church, not reading our Bibles, praying or really doing anything for God. However, through that we grew a hunger and desire for Him more and more. We were weak without Him and quite unhappy. After begging God for direction and help to renew our minds and hearts for Him, God started opening doors last summer that have grown into life changing experiences. Our Church started doing 'community groups' in order to better spread the gospel to our neighbors, as well as to get to know and fellowship with our neighbors that go to Church with us. (This can be a difficult task when you have around 5,000 people in attendance at your Church!) The pastor of our area invited us to join them for a gathering and we have been attending every Thursday since last Fall! Through this we have built some amazing relationships with other strong believers and have gotten more involved in serving those that go to our Church. We are now working to reach others from the Church in our area, as well as our unbelieving neighbors. Garrett and I both have been very challenged through all of this and it has really changed our marriage and lives!

3) My Parents- I know that it may be hard to believe that sweet little Amy was not the perfect daughter in the world, but it is true! I was a pretty strong-willed (and selfish/spoiled) little teenager. Amazingly enough, I can honestly tell you that my parents have always stuck by me and supported me 100% even despite all that I put them through. More than ever I can see God working in both my mom and dad's lives and I am excited to be able to say that I have a godly example directly from my parents, which is not something that everyone has. I am so proud of my dad for making it to his 2 year anniversary of being sober this year and I know that plays a huge role in what God is doing through him and my mom. He finally gave it all over to God to help him conquer his addiction and allow God to use him. It is great to see them both be active in their Church and in the lives of their family and friends. I am thankful that they are not only that example but also have an unconditional love for both Garrett and I-- it feels good.

4) My husband's desire - I have seen Garrett's desire grow, as well as my own, to read the Bible and to grow in our love for God. He has gone out of his way to help keep the house tidy, to help with my household stuff, to share what he is learning from his studies and to spend time listening to me. I believe this is a direct result of consistent prayer and lifting him up to God daily. I strongly encourage any wife to do this for their husband and trust that God is faithful to make him the best provider, lover, leader and godly example that he can be for you. (Love the book The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian, that I have read through countless times since we have been married for the last 2 1/2 years!) I praise God for his power and faithfulness :)

5. My Nephews- This weekend, Owen (3) and Seth (18 mos) spent the night in our tiny apartment! It was so much fun but tough at the same time. I have to say that I do not know how Tim and Kate do it! Especially Kate, since she is home with them all day! They are wonderful children and great listeners.... just a lot of work :) There are so many wonderful things about all three of them that I cant even begin to explain how much I love them. I just love them and thank God so much for the joy they bring into our lives!

Thanks for listening to my praises! I hope that these can also be an encouragement to you. Remember that God is in control, that He has your best interests in mind and that He loves you unconditionally with all grace and mercy. Have a great week!

Mammoth... here we come!

So for my mother in law's birthday we all went up to Mammoth for a three day snowy weekend! It was a great time... Garrett got some snowboarding in with his dad and I got some shopping and cooking in with the girls! It started snowing on Sunday and it was a total blast to play around in it with Holly and Jenna :)It is always a bummer that these weekends can not last much longer but it is always a great time no matter what.


The people that shared their cabin with us had a huge collection of books and it was just perfect for a quiet and snowy weekend. I picked out a book called "Auschwitz" (sorry, dont remember the author) which was about a man who was determined to withstand the torture that the Gestapo put him through simply to defeat them for a moment at a time. I only got to read four chapters one evening but it was an amazing read. You might think I am crazy for wanting to read about torture but I am fascinated by people and how they think and react in real-life situations. This man was able to observe the Gestapo and use it to his advantage... and to me, that is amazing. I may try to buy the book to finish it.

We took a lot of great photos but I dont want to overwhelm my blog... so below is the link to the online album that I created for you all so check em out if you so desire! Snow is simply beautiful. While I truly love the beach and am forever dedicated to it (haha) I loved being in the mountains and enjoyed the opposite experience that it gives...

http://amylizschultz.shutterfly.com/

Scrap Product Review: Glue Glider Pro by Glue Arts

GIRLS! You have to grab one of these, asap! I have been looking for an adhesive that not only works well but also last me a little bit longer. As I have been searching I have found some that are quite expensive and so I waited... SO glad that I did, because now I have the new Glue Glider Pro and I love it! Here is a photo of it with one of my latest projects (a binder to keep all of my bible study papers and prayer requests). I also included the super easy to remove and install refill cartridge for you to see :) More of the review and the best place to purchase is below!



Here is the Product description given by the company:

"Our new Glue Glider Pro allows you to apply a neat ¼” strip of adhesive exactly where you want it. The easy glide-on dispensing action, allows you to apply a small controlled amount or a continuous line of the best performing and most permanent adhesive ever offered. Our easy slip-in, disposable cartridges eliminate the worry of having to reload in the middle of a project. No mess, no fuss."

I can not argue anything in that description... all is true.

Other things to note:
--There are three different types of adhesives you can use with the Glue Glider Pro... I have tried them all and personally love the PermaTac & Repositional the best right now. It seems to hold the best (but beware! its not easy to fix mistakes -- so place lightly at first!)
-- It is larger than what we are used to but it feels very comfortable and has a great grip.
-- the colors are cute... perfect for cute scrappers!
-- Each adhesive comes with a different length (Perma Tac is 40 ft. , Repositional is 65 ft and High Tac is 40ft)
-- To remove or install a refill cartridge simply pull it out straight out or slide it straight in and start scrappin! SO EASY!

I got a great deal... so I thought I should share where you can get this great deal too! Here is the link that will take you directly to the order site. If you scroll all the way down you will see the "Introductory Bundle Package" which gives you the Glue Glider Pro that comes with a Perma Tac insert and one each of the different refills so that you can decide which works best for you! 20% OFF, Yay!

http://www.thegluestore.com/gluegliderpro.asp

It only took one week to get to me, so that was a huge plus as well :) If you get one, please let me know what you think :) I guarantee you will love yours!

An Update: On Life

Gare and I are still looking at houses, but it is exhausting so we tend to take a week or two as breaks in between. It helps us to continue trusting in God's timing and just refresh our minds of what is going on with the market and the economy. Man, you should see some of the crazy homes we have seen -- really shows how odd people are! Thankfully, the prices are still going down... but a new problem arises...

I was informed that some serious changes are to take place at my job (MD Ford Warranty). We are downsizing our office as well as the staff and I can tell that if car sales keep going the way they are, we may have to make more changes to survive -- I know that means that I would lose my job. They asked me to cut back my hours, but we will see how bad it gets. Please pray that God will guide me to where He needs me. I know that He will provide for us. I just cant imagine having to spend any of our savings and risk our chances at buying a house due to this situation.

Gare and I have been diving into community with a group from our church. As a church we are seeking to reach out to our neighbors with the gospel, but the process has only just begun. It is similar to a missionary process. You can not just go in and share the gospel with people... you have to build a relationship with them, love them and live with them. At this point we are being 'trained up' to understand what God's Word has to say about the importance of this. We are enjoying the new friendships and being involved with the church again.

Happy Monday tomorrow!!!

Valentine's Day at the Schultz Home <3

Since Valentine's Day was on a weekend this year, we initially had wanted to go on a small trip to celebrate it (yes! An excuse to get away!). However, we decided to postpone it since rain was predicted for the weekend... So we chose to stay in and have a relax day and just treat each other like true Valentines.

We slept in, Gare made me dinner (Steak, cheesie mashed potatoes and green beans), I made him some yummy heart-shaped cookies and we saw a movie. It was truly a relaxing day which we hadnt felt we had had in quite awhile, so very well worth it.







Also, the week of Valentine's I really just felt like creating! I was in love with all of the cards and other special gifts I had seen made in magazines and online forums, so I broke out my new stamps and papers (that just so happened to be Valentine colors!) and started creating. I made some mini 4x4 Valentine's for Jackie to give to her small group girls and then a card for each of our Mothers. I was pretty excited about the outcome so here they are!

Point Loma Sangria Recipe!

I made this for a girls night and it was amazing! Gare and I will definitely be using this recipe again :) Maybe you will be lucky enough to join us when we do! Do try it though and let us know what you think!


1 750 ml. Bottle White Whine of Choice
2 1/2 cups Apple Juice
1 cup Triple Sec
2 Tbs Granulated Sugar
1 Medium Orange, thinly sliced
1/2 Medium Lemon, thinly sliced
1 Medium Lime, thinly sliced
1 cup Raspberries, fresh or frozen

1. Combine wine, apple juice, Triple Sec, sugar, fruit slices and raspberries in a large pitcher and press the fruit against the side and bottom of the pitcher to release the juices.

2. Chill, covered, until serving time. 8 Hours or Overnight -- The flavor of the sangria is enhanced the longer the wine is allowed to chill.

3. Add ice just before serving. For large parties or groups, double the fruit and use in an ice ring to float in a punch bowl.

Baby Noah!

We got a chance to go visit Jenn and Manny's (our cousin on Garrett's side) new little baby boy, NOAH!

He is such a cute little baby duckling -- yes, I think he has lil duck lips! He is such a good little boy and Jenn is such a brave and strong mommy! I admire how good of a mom she is already and how she is just so comfortable with the baby; I can only hope I am that strong!

It will be so great to watch him grow up into a cute little Manny (that's a scary thought! haha jk, Manny you know I love you!)