Sweet Shoppe Designs

Note to Self by KCB and Jenn
A Bit Worn by Val Wibbons
No. 1 Alpha by Amanda Heimann
Those Who Sing Alpha by Zoe Pearn
Reverse - Mirror your photos and text from one side of your layout to the other.
Inward - Use a frame to frame something other than a photo two times on your layout
Twisting - Use no less than 3 different curled or twisted ribbons
Armstand - At least 3 things must be “visibly” upside down on the layout (Butterfly, word art, hearts)
Journaling: I first met Nismah in 2006, the day she gave birth to Mei Mei. I had known her family for over a year, since they lived in the village where we were working. She told me how when she was 15, she started working in a Chinese coffee shop, and how one day one of her customers, a man 16 years older than her, came to her home to ask her dad for permission to marry her. Her dad set the bride price ridiculously high, but the man didn’t even flinch when he agreed to pay it. So at 15 years old, Nismah ended her relationship with her Tausug boyfriend and 30 days later married this Chinese man whose name she did not know. He couldn’t speak Tausug or even Malay, so she began learning Chinese. And they made it work. He was kind to hear, treated her well and helped her family financially whenever they needed it. She hated living so far away from her family, but she felt like the sacrifices she’d made were worth it, because her four children are Malaysian citizens who can go to school and have all the rights that she is denied.

I’ve never known that kind of sacrifice; she was willing to do what was best for her family without complaining about what it cost her. She found many things to be thankful for, and I often wonder what kind of blessings I miss out on and cause others to miss out on because of my selfishness. She is such an example to me. She has always been one who wants to know God, and I find that even though we don’t follow the same religion, we have so much in common. Saying good bye to her, knowing how lonely she’ll be after I’m gone, it broke my heart. I have so much regret. I regret that I didn’t go out there every week, that I didn’t teach Mei Mei to read and write, that I chose so many times to sit at home and scrapbook instead of driving out to see a dear and precious friend. I wish I had been as good a friend to her as she has always been to me. She always had a cold drink for me, even when I know it meant that she didn’t have enough money for dinner. I will miss her so much, and I can’t wait to see her again soon.