The Invisible Mom (a must read for all moms!)...just got this in my email & wanted to share

Invisible Mother......




It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store.



Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'



Obviously, not.



No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.



I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?



Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'



I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!



One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England ..



Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in.



I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself.



I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'



It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe ..



I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:



'To My Dear Friend, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'



In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:



No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.



These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.



They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.



The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.



A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees'



I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place.



It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'



At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.



It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.



I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on.



The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.



When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're going to love it there.'



As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right.



And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.



Great Job, MOM!

My Christmas Card Workshop

All these cards use CTMH's Jingle Creative Basics paper set.

Template is from the Wishes card workshop.

Colors are Juniper, Tulip, & Creme Brulee.

I used multiple stamp sets--Holiday Trinkets, Santa's List, Holiday Warmth, Snow Friends, Card Chatter-Christmas, Jingle Borders, All Decked Out

Guests made 5 each of the 10 templates in the Wishes workshop.

I apologize for the unclear pictures--I took them quickly as I was putting them in the envelopes and didn't realize how blurry & dark a couple of them turned out.  Now they are in the envelopes, ready to be mailed, and I can't retake the pictures! 

Hurry! CTMH is having a Holiday HeyDey Clearance Sale!

Visit my website (lizjefferson.myctmh.com) to view exclusive Close to My Heart products at deep discounts...up to 50-80% off!  Click on "Shop Online" and then on "Clearance Sale."

Shop early for the best selection!

Hurry--sale ends Thursday 17 December or while supplies last!

A few recent projects...

This simple card uses the For Every Occasion stamp set (for the sentiment) & the Nature's Vein (leaf).  Techniques include scoring & sanding, & the "rock & roll" stamping method (on the leaf).

Colors are Bamboo, black, & cranberry.  Patterned paper is Silhouette.

The leaf is adhered w/ foam pop-dots for added dimension.

This card uses the Sweet Home paper, a big pinks paper flower, & a dyed paper flower.  Flowers are held on w/ a bigger brad.

Stamp set is from Say it in Style.

This lay-out design is from the Reflections book.

Paper is from the Twitterpated pack.

Leaves are from Nature's Vein stamp set & the journaling block is from Notice the Details (the Dec. 2009 stamp of the month...only available Dec. 1-31, 2009!)

Close-up of the left page

Close-up of the folded "paper ribbon"

held in place w/ a Colonial White edge anchor.

Close-up of the right page

Close-up of the journaling block, inspired by a fellow consultant (Shannon M.)

This card template is from the Wishes Card Confidence program

Paper is Twitterpated.

Stamp set is Thank You.

Accessories are Chocolate Mini-Medley Accents (tiny paper flowers & brads), chocolate eyelet, natural hemp & crystal blue waxy flax.

Stop the spread of H1N1 virus...

The wellness company I work with carries the only EPA-approved botanical disinfectant on the market...and it has just been released that their natural disinfectant kills the H1N1 (swine flu) virus!

Get proactive against the spread of this virus!

Scary...did you know...?

Pesticides found in Umbilical Cords


In one study, an average of 200 chemicals and pollutants, including a number of pesticides – many known to be carcinogens or developmental toxins – were found in the blood of umbilical cords.

( Ref: “Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns. Environmental Working Group” July 14, 2005. Available at http://www.ewg.org/)

Pretty scary!  As moms or moms-to-be, we want the best for our children--we want them to be safe & healthy.  I can help you make your home a healthier place for your family. 

Stampaganza!! Nov. 3-30 only!

Close to My Heart is offering "Buy 2, Get 1 FREE" on stamp sets from November 3-30 only! 

Buy any 2 A, B, C, D, or E-sized stamp sets & get any A, B, C, or D-sized set FREE!

(Free item will be of equal or lesser value). 

Check out my website for more details: lizjefferson.myctmh.com

Also, if you would like to see what stamp sets will be retiring on Dec. 31, 2009, go to my website & click on "Shop Online"--you will be able to view the stamp sets there.