Leave The Light On Creations

2011 Christmas Card Designs Available

2011-10-26T22:39:00.003-04:00

Our new 2011 Christmas and Holiday card designs are now available! Check out our website!

Thank you to my wonderful customers....

2010-12-24T14:39:00.001-05:00

for a wonderful Christmas season, and an amazing year!!! 2010 was a great year for Leave The Light On Creations... and it is all because of my truly awesome customers. Thank you so much! I hope you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2010 Christmas and Holiday Card Designs!!

2010-10-20T23:18:00.000-04:00

Our 2010 Christmas and Holiday card designs are now available!
Check out our website!

WOW - Walk of Women Flat Notecards

2010-07-01T20:54:00.003-04:00

The first annual WOW - Walk of Women was a HUGE success! Over $6400 was raised for the SEGO-We Care Foundation! Thank you to everyone who contributed their time and support to this awesome cause!

We are excited to introduce our new WOW - Walk of Women Flat Notecards! One set contains 10 Flat Notecards and 10 Envelopes for $10.00. Each card is printed on 100# Linen Finish Cardstock and has nice rounded corners.

All proceeds go to the WOW - Walk of Women!

You can get more information at:
http://leavethelightoncreations.com/wownotecards.html

SHORT VACATION!!!

2010-05-26T14:45:00.000-04:00

Leave The Light On Creations will be taking a short vacation!

We will be closed May 24th to June 13th, 2010.

We WILL accept new orders during this time, but we will NOT be able to process any orders between May 24th and June 13th, 2010.

We also will NOT have access to email during this time.

Should you place an order during these dates, please note that we will contact you as soon as we return to work on June 14th, 2010.

We look forward to working with you as soon as we return!
Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
Thank You!!!

WOW Walk this weekend!!

2010-05-20T21:35:00.001-04:00

The WOW - Walk of Women is this weekend!

Saturday, May 22nd at 8:00 am!

Kenmar Medical Building parking lot in Marietta, GA!

Hope to see you there!

I'm really not that old... right?

2010-04-23T18:42:00.000-04:00

So a few days ago I had a birthday. 37 years old. Wow. That was really hard to type. Sure, some will say "You are just a baby!" And I DO understand that. I do get that I am still relatively young. But there is something hard about realizing you are only THREE YEARS AWAY FROM FORTY!!! FORTY!! Seriously? I am almost 40? How can that be? I certainly don't feel like someone about to turn 40. But there it is.... staring me in the face. Ugh.

It has really bothered me. Not in a "I am so devastated, I can't be old!" kind of way. And not in a way that will cause me to go out and have a mid-life crisis. No... it is different. It is like my mind cannot wrap itself around the fact that I am almost 40. You see.. in my head, I am still 24. I still think I am young and quick and wrinkle-free! But none of those are true. The wrinkles... definitely there. The quickness.... well I was never very quick to begin with. It is quite hard to realize that your BODY is aging... but your MIND is staying the same.

I find myself having the increased problem of not knowing someone's age. I am horrible at guessing ages! I see actresses/actors on shows all the time and think, "Oh, she is probably a few years older than me." Or "He is most definitely older than me." Then I find out that I am actually 4 or 5 years older than them!!! That is shocking to me! I think, "Do I really look that old?" The answer is a resounding YES! Just the other day, I met with a customer to deliver some cards. We got to chatting and realized we both went to the same college. Now, I was thinking, "Oh we must have been at school around the same time." So I ask her when she graduated. She said "2004". Wow. I graduated in 1995. Why is my age-radar so utterly wrong? And did she look at me and think "Wow... you are so old!" :)

Now... I don't mind getting older. In fact, I LOVE the gray hairs popping up on my hubby's head. They are SOOOOO handsome. I love watching him age and envisioning us as a little old couple sitting on the front porch having to start each other's rocking chairs when they stop. The problem I face is being so out of touch with how old I really am. I can't figure out if that is good or bad. I mean, is it good that I feel so much younger than I look... does it make me "young at heart?" Or I am just out of touch with reality? Should I be feeling older and wiser? Is it a sign that I am fun? Or is it a sign that I am immature? I don't know.

Another thing that is SOOOO hard is that the older I get... the older my babies get. Sniff. This is the part that really gets to me. My twins will be 7 this summer. SEVEN?!?! That is "big boy" age. How can this be? It feels just like yesterday I was in labor and so excited to finally meet them! And my baby is going to be 4. It won't be long until he is too big to climb in my lap for a sweet cuddle. Then what will I do? How can I handle living a life with no little babies to hold in my arms? That has been a HUGE part of my life for so long now! I know they have to grow up. I know I have to let them... but is it wrong that I just want them to stay little and cuddle in my lap for a few more... DECADES? I totally understand why people have mid-life crisis babies. I want one too!!! :) (just kidding honey... don't freak out)

So what is a girl to do as she faces MIDDLE AGE? Ugh. The only thing I can think of is to embrace this creeping reality. Enjoy these years. Be thankful I have made it this far. And pray that God will help me to age gracefully. That I will continue to grow and mature. That I will continue to be a tool that He uses for his Kingdom. And that maybe just maybe.... my baby boys won't grow up too too fast and will climb in my lap for a few more years to cuddle with me.

WOW - Walk of Women!!

2010-02-22T17:02:00.006-05:00

I want to tell you about my friend Tina Adams. She is a wonderful and strong woman. She is a loving wife to her highschool sweetheart - Chris, an awesome mom to her two sweet baby girls - Abby (3) and Mackenzie (1), and one of the greatest friends a girl could ever ask for... loving, encouraging, supportive, very thoughtful and just down-right fun to be around!

On August 25, 2009 she was diagnosed with Cervical Cancer at 34 years of age. Since then, she has had a radical hysterectomy, and undergone radiation and chemotherapy treatments. She will complete her treatments in March 2010.

For many years, Tina was involved with the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk for Breast Cancer. During her own battle with cancer, she decided she wanted to give back to all of the awesome people and organizations that have helped her during her journey. So as she approaches the end of her treatment, she has decided to organize and host a Celebration and Charity Walk. It is called the WOW - Walk for Women.

I will now let Tina tell you the rest in her own words....

------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This walk symbolizes the hard road I and so many other women have traveled fighting cancer. So many friends and family have walked beside me on this journey, why stop now? We will walk 7 kilometers (4.34 miles) representing each month of my medical treatment."

"Throughout my journey, I received services from the SEGO-We Care Foundation. It is a not for profit organization assisting gynecologic cancer patients. I would like to give back to this organization by raising money and awareness for them."

"Please join me to celebrate life and raise money for a great cause. There is a minimum $25 registration fee. Each participant will receive a T-shirt, beverages, snacks, and lunch. Please complete a registration form by April 23, 2010."

"Please arrive by 8:30 a.m. on Saturday May 22, 2010 to sign in and stretch. We will start walking at 9:00 a.m. Maps with the route will be available on the morning of the walk. Rest breaks, bathrooms, water, Gatorade and lunch will be provided.A Kids Zone Area, with child care for children over 12 months old, will be available while you participate. A ‘sweep van’ will be driving around to sweep you off your feet if you cannot walk any further. Crew member positions are available for those not interested in the walk."

"All profits from the event will go to the SEGO-We Care Foundation. To read more about the SEGO-We Care Foundation and to donate online go to
www.sego-wecarefoundation.org"

"For questions, please contact me at tinanadams@comcast.net. Thank you for all your continued support!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leave The Light On Creations is a proud sponsor of the WOW - Walk for Women. Please join us in the Fight for Women's Cancers!

If you would like more information, or wish to register to participate or help out in the WOW - Walk for Women, please go to WOW - Walk for Women.

Vacation!

2010-01-21T23:31:00.002-05:00

Leave The Light On Creations is on VACATION!!

I will return on FEBRUARY 6th, 2010!

Yes, I have decided to take a couple of weeks off to

get a little rest, and to spend some much needed quality time with

my hubby and adorable little munchkins. They were amazingly

supportive and helpful during my crazy Christmas rush... so I felt the

Lord leading me to take a breather and focus on my Four Men for a

bit. During these two weeks, I will not be taking any new orders.

I am very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. I hope you

can understand my wanting to take some time for my family.

I will still be checking my email from time to time. So if you have

any questions or need any information, please do not hesitate to

email me. I cannot promise that I will respond as quickly as I normally

do... but I DO PROMISE that you WILL hear back from me.

You can reach me at cara@leavethelightoncreations.com.

As always, thank you SO MUCH for your continued support. I have

the BEST customers on earth! I am so thankful for each and every one

of you! You mean the world to me, I am truly blessed!

I will return refreshed, relaxed and ready to work

on Saturday, February 6, 2010!!

Crinkle...

2009-12-20T21:49:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite holiday traditions is our little elf named Crinkle.

If you have not heard of the "Elf on the Shelf" phenomenon, here is a little backstory. Each November we have a little elf that travels all the way from the North Pole to visit us. He finds a place around the house to sit and watch the boys. Every night after the kids go to bed, the elf then magically (and very quickly I might add) flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa. He tells Santa whether the boys have been naughty or nice that day. Then he flies back to our home and sits in a new spot in the house to observe the boys during the next day. The boys LOVE to wake up every morning and run around the house looking for Crinkle - just to see what crazy place he may be that day. Crinkle has hung on our lights, hidden in the flowers, climbed on top the ceiling fan and even sat in our pantry with a bag of fruit snacks in his lap. A constant phrase we say this time of year is... "Crinkle is so Silly!" He is a really fun part of our Christmas tradition. The boys love when he visits - and they even count down the days until he arrives every Christmas. And Mommy and Daddy love the way Crinkle helps keep some order around the house.... because he reports to Santa you know. :) On Christmas night when Santa comes to deliver the toys, he takes Crinkle back to the North Pole with him. It is always so sweet to see the boys standing in front of Crinkle that last night telling him goodbye and they will miss him. Precious.

Well.. tonight we were talking about the 6th little member of our family and the boys started making up songs for Crinkle. My favorite was this one.... you sing it to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"...

Crinkle Crinkle, Little Elf
How did you get up on that Shelf?
Up above the Lights so HIGH!
Brightly shining in your EYE!
Crinkle Crinkle, Little Elf
Don't you fall off of that Shelf!

My cute little boys. They had Craig and I laughing so hard with their little song....so creative!

2009 Christmas and Holiday Designs

2009-11-09T13:29:00.004-05:00

12 Years of Wedded Bliss....

2009-11-01T21:28:00.002-05:00

Today is my 12th Wedding Anniversary. I cannot believe how fast the time has passed! It feels just like yesterday that I walked down the aisle to meet his smiling face. Yet, at the same time... it feels like a hundred years ago. So much has happened... some good and some bad. But through it all, I am so grateful that he is the man with whom I have shared it all.

We met while we were students at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. We were both in our Junior years. I was 20, he was 21. It was January 16, 1994 and I was working at one of my many part-time jobs I had while in college. I was at a home that I cleaned twice a week. He rang the doorbell... no one answered so I went to the door to let him in. He was coming over with a friend to meet with the homeowners about possibly selling Amway. :) I love to tease him about that. We chatted for a minute - then I returned to cleaning while he went to the meeting. I had seen him around campus before.. and I had always thought he was a cutie. But it was the first time we had ever talked. When it was time for him to leave, he came back through the kitchen to tell me goodbye. I was sitting on my knees with the homeowner's 3 year old and 10 month old babies - scrubbing the floor. I think it was the way I was so efficiently removing scuff marks that peaked his interest in me. :) I did not see him again until five days later when I ran into him a Buffalos - a local hangout. We talked all night....and that was it. We were inseparable from that moment on.

On Christmas Day, December 1996 he proposed to me. He had a huge box for me beside the tree. When I opened it, it had "Fast Track" written across it. A piece of workout equipment!!! I was not too excited to open that box. But then, there was a smaller box inside... Okay...this was better. At least I was not going to have to whack him upside the head with my workout machine. :) Then a smaller box... and another....and another. Finally, I found a small box with a tiny bear in it. He explained to me that this was the only stuffed animal he could find from his childhood. And around the bear's neck was an engagement ring.

Okay...he was forgiven.

On November 1, 1997 - after changing our wedding date TWELVE times...

...yes, twelve times. Due to other friends weddings.....bridal party members having other obligations.....and hunting season....yes, I had to postpone my wedding because it landed on the opening day of hunting season...

....we finally walked down the aisle. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony in downtown Marietta. It was perfect.

Six years later, we welcomed our identical twin baby boys - Riley and Conner. Another amazing day in our lives together. They were beautiful and healthy. What more could we ask for? We found out 3 years later when we welcomed our third baby boy, Owen. Three little blessings in three years. God was so awesome!

In the three years since welcoming Owen, we have had our ups and downs. There have been many hardships..... the collapse of Craig's development company, TWO job losses in 12 months, living many days just moments away from filing bankruptcy, 11 months and 15 days of not having a full-time job, 8 part-time jobs between the two of us to keep things going, tears, frustration....fear. But through it all, we have clung to one another. Through it all God has shown us that if we rest in Him, if we trust in Him, He WILL take care of us. It might not be the way we want or planned.... but it is still provision. And He shows us his amazing grace and love and peace through it all.

And I am so thankful for each moment we have had together. Good and bad. Because each one has brought us that much closer together. Each one has molded us into the people and the couple we are today. I think back to the day I met Craig - and I cannot believe how amazing my life has been with him. How madly and deeply I love him. How happy he makes me. I think back to that day almost 16 years ago and realize how God worked so hard to bring us together.... and I am so thankful.

I am married to my very best friend. Noone makes me laugh the way Craig does. Noone makes me smile the way he does. Noone makes me this happy. Then I look at our three little boys... three little examples of our love walking around on this earth. It all takes my breath away.

Thank you for the last 12 years of our marriage, Craig... and the last 15+ years of our lives together. You make everyday worth waking up for.... I love you.

2009 Christmas Cards!!

2009-10-17T02:00:00.004-04:00

I have finally completed my 2009 Christmas Card designs. Yay! I was pretty excited with the way they turned out. You can view them on my website... but here are a few samples.

Cute little "Laney" bug....

2009-10-10T11:07:00.001-04:00

One of my sweet friends has a little girl that is turning three this month. Her name is Laney, but they have always called her their "laneybug". She is the cutest little girl with a head full of beautiful blond curls. And you can't help but love her... she is so adorable. She always gives me a big huge hug everytime I see her -and since I have all boys - she totally has me wrapped around her little fingers. I had the distinct honor of making her birthday invitations. I thought the ladybug theme turned out SO cute! Happy Birthday Laney! You are VERY loved!

I need a 12 step program...

2009-10-09T22:01:00.003-04:00

For some strange reason, I am addicted to the smell of Kirkland brand laundry detergent. The institutional super concentrate strength. The one you can buy at Costco in the big plastic tub. 200 loads for $13.99 - not too shabby!

Why do I love the smell?
I have no idea.

Does it have some extra special smell that outranks all other detergents?
No.

Is it one of those new pretty floral scents that all the detergents are moving to?
Uh...no. It is just your standard lemon.

Does it make my clothes smell fantastically great?
Actually....they do not smell at all when they come out of the wash.

So why I am addicted to this smell?
I have NO clue.

But it smells SO GOOD!! It puts a huge smile on my face when I get a whiff.

Sometimes, I just HAVE to walk into the laundry room, remove the top of the tub and sniff real hard.

SNIFF! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

Something is seriously wrong with me...

Welcome to the world Little Max...

2009-09-23T00:02:00.002-04:00

I just finished working on these sweet announcements for a customer. I had such a great time creating them! I thought they turned out SO CUTE! Little Max is quite adorable. And his big brother looks so proud! Truly precious. I learned as I was setting up a delivery time that the Daddy's Grandmother is very sick and passing away. They were busy packing up to fly out first thing tomorrow. My heart and thoughts go out to this sweet little family. Sending you many many prayers for safe travels, and that you will have many special moments with your Grandmother these next few days. (BIG HUG)

Rain Rain Go Away...

2009-09-21T18:12:00.010-04:00

I live in the metro Atlanta area and for the past few days we have been absolutely pummeled by rain storms. I read reports that we have received over 20 inches of rain in 5 days. TWENTY inches!!! That is crazy. Well the bottom truly fell out today. There is massive flooding everywhere you look. Roads are closed, bridges are out and many people have homes that are completely underwater. I took some pictures of our yard, road and neighbors yards to demonstrate just how much damage has been done.

We were very fortunate to not suffer any damage to our house....but there are many out there who were not so lucky. My heart goes out to these families. Many many prayers are being sent your way....

Ready.....set......CHEESE!!!

2009-09-20T22:56:00.004-04:00

I had the sweetest moment with my three little guys tonight.

We were riding in the car, and it was raining pretty hard. All of the sudden it started thundering and lightening. Now, I have to admit. I am a big ole scaredy cat when it comes to thunder and lightening. I do NOT like it. I turn into a petrified 3 year old every time a big storm comes rolling through. It truly makes my heart race and my blood pressure spike. I am sure this has something to do with the fact that a big bolt of lightening struck the transformer right outside of my childhood home when I was in my teens. The whole house shook. The pictures fell off the wall. And I ran the fastest I have ever run in my whole life straight to my sister's bed - which is quite a feat as I am VERY slow. Just ask my mom...my dad...my hubby..... and basically all of my softball teammates from college.

As my mom used to say....when they would time how fast I could run to first base, they used a calendar. :)

But it is not just that I am scared of the lightening or the lightening hitting a tree and making it come through my roof or that it will hit my house and cause it to burn to the ground in a split second like it always does on the cartoons. No...for some reason ALL of my fears come out. I lie in bed wide awake waiting for the big boogie man - you know the one that ONLY comes out during the scariest of storms - to come and get me. And when each lightening bolt brightens my dark room...I scan it quickly to see that "Whew! The boogie man was not there that time."

I mean seriously....do you hear me? I am 36 years old! And this is what goes through my mind.

So....the thunder and lightening are getting worse and I am getting a bit nervous. I am already thinking "Oh no! I will never sleep tonight if it does not let up!" And if you read my post from earlier this morning....you will understand that I REALLY NEED to sleep tonight. I am exhausted!

Well....my boys have inherited my fear of storms. Like me...they are okay with the rain. But as soon as the thunder and lightening start - they begin asking me if they can sleep in my bed. And unbeknownst to them.....I am VERY tempted to say yes. I mean it only makes sense....5 people in a bed are MUCH safer than 2. Right? Surely the 'boogie man that only comes out in horrid storms' would never touch a bed full of 5 people! So I want to scream "YES! YES! You must sleep in my bed and protect me!"

But of course I cannot do that. Because that will only feed their fears.

So I find any rational means possible to explain it away and make them feel better. To let them know that there is NO reason at all to be scared.

Well....once I got this email....you know one of those little emails where you hear a nice little story and it makes you smile. But you know someone completely made it up while eating a greasy burrito during their lunch break?!? Anyway...I got one of those emails... and it talked about a little girl who said that lightening is really God taking your picture.

I liked that. So one day when my boys were really scared during a pretty big storm - I told them the same thing.

So back to tonight. We are riding in the truck and it is raining and lightening. And my boys start talking about how God is taking their pictures. They are so excited that they forget to be scared. And it starts rubbing off on me. So we are all trying to guess when the next "picture" will happen when Conner asks "Mommy...if lightening is when God is taking your picture....then what is thunder?" We all get really quiet and Riley replies "Conner....that is God clapping because he thought you took such a really good picture!"

Aww....that was pretty darn sweet.

So the next thing Conner says is "Mommy...I think God wants us to give him a family picture! So how about we all smile and say "CHEESE" so God can get a really good picture of our family!"

I thought that was a splendid idea.

So we all say "Ready....Set....CHEESE!!!!"

And we all sit there with these HUGE grins on our faces waiting for God to take our picture.

But nothing happens.

So after a few moments, Conner says "I know what we need to do! We need to pray to God and tell him that we really want to give him a good family picture. Then he will know we are ready and he can take it!"

So I glance back to the back seat to see all of my SWEET, ADORABLE little boys sitting in their carseats with their hands clasped together in front of their tiny, cute faces and their eyes shut tight - praying so very hard so God will hear them..... And Conner says "Dear God. We want you to take a picture of our family so you can have it with you in Heaven. But you don't know we are ready. So I wanted to tell you that we are going to smile and say 'cheese' and then you will know to take the picture. Okay? Okay God? So I am going to say 'Ready...set....CHEESE!' and then you take a picture. Okay God....can you hear me? You will take the picture when I say 'Ready....set....CHEESE.' I love you God..Amen."

Then Conner opens his eyes and says "Okay...God is ready and knows to take our picture so everyone smile real big....Okay....so lets say it..."

And we all say..."Ready....Set.....CHEESE!" and we smile the biggest, hugest smiles...

And BAM!!! The biggest brightest lightening bolt all night hit.....and God took our pictures.

Then....a HUGE roll of thunder passed through....

And then Riley said "See! God LOVED our picture! He thinks it is the best family picture!"

What a sweet lesson from my adorable little boys...

My sweet Lord.....you are so amazing......I am in awe of you.....

Why am I still awake?

2009-09-20T05:37:00.003-04:00

I am such a nightowl. I have no idea why. When the rest of the world is sleeping...I am usually up working on designs or playing on the computer. I truly wish it were not this way. I WANT to sleep like a normal person...I just can't. I have tried to wake up earlier in the morning to make sure I can go to bed before 11 pm that night. But it never fails...around 9:30 pm I will get my second wind. And then I feel WIDE AWAKE! It is like I just ran a marathon or drank a gallon of coffee!! I am just energized and ready to go - no matter how little sleep I got the night before. I am sure this is not good for my body. For instance....it is 5:39 am here. And I am still awake. There are quite a few people in this world waking up for the day....and I have yet to go to sleep. My mom told me that as we women get older, it is harder for us to sleep. G.R.E.A.T. That means I have even LESS sleep to look forward to in my future. I would like to say that all of this lack of sleep has caused me to be quite productive.....but that is definitely not true. Just ask the laundry monster camping out in my house. He would tell you that I have not given him the proper attention he deserves. Poor thing....I rarely spend time with him at all. At least I can look at the bright side..... in about an hour and a half all three of my kiddos will be awake to keep me company! :)

BACK TO SCHOOL SALE!!!

2009-08-12T00:08:00.002-04:00

Welcome to Our New Blog!

2009-08-11T23:42:00.003-04:00

Hi! First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Cara, and I am a stay-at-home mom to three adorable little boys. I have identical twins who just turned 6 - and started Kindergarten yesterday. (sniff...sniff...) My baby turned 3 in June, but is completely convinced that he is just as big as his brothers. :)

I love all things paper, and I love to create! I started my little company - Leave The Light On Creations - from my home almost 2 years ago. God has truly blessed it, and I continue to marvel daily at his amazing provision.

When I am not busy chasing my rambunctious little guys around the house, I hope to use this blog to share with you some of my favorite orders, designs and other fun little finds.

Please stay tuned and check back often for specials and random give-aways!