Simply Sundays Challenge: It's All About Choices plus little treat

You are....a-peel-ling! by K Andrew

Supplies: Food for Thought Stamp set (K Andrew Designs), From the Kitchen Cricut Cartridge (Provo Craft), Cardstock: Lil Monsters (Scrapcake at Flying Unicorn), Multicolored Twine: Celebrate It! (Michaels), Ink: Memento

UPDATE!! The winner for our Vintage Appeal Simply Sunday Challenge is......#11 DEE BURNS!!! Here is Dee's winning card:

Congratulations Dee--please contact me for your $20.00 gift certificate to Memory Miser and your guest design spot here at Getting Cricky!

I also FORGOT that I have the CUTEST pack of RED bling from Creative Charms for one of you who leaves me a comment today!!!

I just want to take a minute to talk with you about something that has really been on my mind. It is NOT my favorite subject, and I asked the Lord WHY do I have to deliver this message. I do not want to Lord...people might think I'm talking about someone in particular (which I'm not), being preachy, etc...but guess what? I said Lord if you REALLY want me to give this message--confirm it to me...make it real. WEll this morning....HE did. So....

BEING the APPLE of someone's eye. .............

 Loyalty. I see it coming up alot in the blogging realm lately. What does it really mean?

 Ruth 1:16-17

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”

Wouldn't we all LOVE a friend like Ruth who is loyal to the end? A friend who never falters, who trusts, defends, and is unbelievably loyal. I think many of us would love a friend like Ruth. Ruth not only likes Naomi, she loves her unconditionally.
I think that is the part that sets her apart completely. She loves unconditionally. There are no limits, conditions, or other issues that cause her to depart from Naomi. While all of us would love to have a friend like Ruth, how many times are we that friend?
I will admit, I try to be like Ruth...but I am not always. I try being open and loyal, but sometimes I trust too much and my loyalty is not returned. Does that hurt me? Oh yes, it does. Do I then back away from that person who is causing me pain? Yes...but I still think we will be friends....and I still try to puruse a friendship.
This is very hard for me to discuss this, because I've been hurt many times by those I believed were my true friends. Often I found, I was very open and honest, but that was immediately turned me on me the minute my "friend" wasn't getting things her way.
Often times people will befriend you to GET something. There is something you have that they want, and things are great, until they get what they want, or don't get what they want. It's a double-edged sword. However, a true friend will remain loyal and come to you with a problem. They will not go to someone else or the world.

Matthew 18:15

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

I think many problems could be solved between friends if they came to each other to immediately talk about a situation instead of running and telling others who will "see their side of the story". It puts the other person in a bad situation and does nothing good for either party. It ruins trust. It also allows another "person in the mix". Sometimes the other person can be a worm that ruins your relationship to the core. They can use your hurt or insecurity to ruin the relationship and make you think that THEY are the ones who are really your friend--and that you NEED them to be happy. All the while, turning your back on the other friend.
If you go to your friend and talk with them, and they can not be as open and honest with you and you are being with them...what do you do?

These are all HARD questions. It's always easier to see "our" side of the story, and to glorify our own actions. But is that really helpful? Does it help anyone? When you try to talk to someone and the only thing they can do is spew out hateful or malicious words--whose fault is that? Is it yours? Theirs?

Loyalty and Friendship are very delicate balances....and they are very hard when BOTH people are not in the same place and same agreement. If you are open and share everything, and then expect the other person to do the same...and they do not...it causes resentment. However, whose fault is that? Is it yours for being so trusting and open...or theirs for taking advantage of your open-ness?

It doesn't matter WHOSE side you are told--you only see one part of the picture and all it depends on ONE thing......... perspective!
What is perspective? It is how you PERCEIVE things. If you have a friend who tells you about this other horrible person who takes advantage of others, you might perceive it differently...... If you have been taken advantage of, you have a predisposition to siding with the friend who feels taken advantage of.

This is a hard subject and one that I do not have the answer to. It all lies in our perspective. If you feel today that someone has not been loyal to you....take a step back and think...were they ever loyal? Am I reading too much into this? Is this relationship worth the hurt? Am I making this more than what it should be? Often times that person wasn't a TRUE friend anyways, and although we can still be friends with them...we don't have to hang ourselves with worry and doubt. Choose instead to focus on feeling good, forgiving, and thinking maybe that person wasn't judging me--but themselves. Let it go...move on...open your heart to someone who deserves it.
Then ask yourself...is this relationship worth the stress it is causing me? If that person is a taker and not a giver...they have always taken, while you have given...then no it is probably not worth it. Does that mean you should take to the streets trashing this person? No. Nothing good can come of that. It's like a cord around your neck--CUT it off and move it on. Don't pick if up and keep dragging it around and asking others to feel sorry for your "load".

Today ask God to reveal to you how to be loyal and to be a good friend. If you have made mistakes, don't worry over them. Move on, but open your heart and think of how you would want someone to treat you. If someone is doing and doing for you, being open and trusting-- and if you can't do the same thing for them, let them know right away--you do not want to ever take advantage of a friend. Don't be the person who sits back and plans behind someone's back. That never ever helps--anyone but you. Does it really help you?
Also do not be a worm-tongue. Don't talk out of both sides of your mouth...it only causes strife and confusion. Do you really want to the one who is causing strife?

Try to be loyal--don't take advantage of another person and look ONLY at what they can do for you. If they are doing for you--do for them. If they are being open with you--be open with them. Oh and the most important part? Never take the other person for granted.

So instead of running to someone else to gossip about someone who hurt you--stop and think. Do I want to drag this cord around, or do I want to cut it free...and continue to live with an open and loving heart? If you continue to drag it around, you will close up your heart, and become bitter. It will eventually drown your spirit. Your spirit is not worth that. CUT the cord, so you can keep your heart open, instead of your eye open. Forgive...move on.
Not my favorite thoughts to pass on this Sunday! lol! Sometimes saying what I feel has been placed on my heart is SO not a fun task! lol!
Love to you all this wonderful Sunday....now onto the project at hand!

Another Simply Sunday Challenge and this challenge is YOUR CHOICE--anything goes! I wanted to work with my newest stamp set Food for Thought....so I created some sweeet little notes that I can tuck into a lunchbox for my sweet ones! This is my first one....
Come back each day this week because ME and a few of my DT members will be showing off a project each day with the newest line of stamps! We will be having a BIG blog hop and Ustream this Friday night at 6pm pacific, 7pm mountian, 8pm central, and 9pm eastern! GUESS what? I will be showing off TWO new stamp sets that are not yet released to the public!
NOW thru WEDNESDAY is the last day for preorders with FREE shipping! I've almost sold out of all my preorders on sets 1-4--so make sure you hurry over to the store to grab those with free shipping and be the first ones to get yours!

Just visit me at www.kandrewdesigns.com

Now on to see the fabulous projects from my amazing GETTING CRICKY DESIGN TEAM!!! Please make sure to click over and leave them each a comment. They would so appreciate it and so would I; plus you will get to know them each a bit more and see more of their fabulous projects!!!

Darlene S. our Special Guest Designer

Visit  Darlene's Blog Here

Goodies "Shoe"

Visit Brenda's Blog here

Buttons Tin

Visit Jess' Blog here

Soldier Prayer Card

See Amy's Blog here

Birthday Card

See Brynn's Blog here

 Card

Lunchbox Note 

 See Rebecca G's Blog here (Link coming soon)

12 x 12 Canvas

Visit Kathy T.'s Blog here

 Personalized Vinyl

Visit Rebecca H.'s Blog here

Purse-onality

Visit Kathy P.'s Blog here

Okay now we are ready to see YOUR amazing project!!

Challenge Details:
1. Post your vintage appeal project by Saturday June 18th midnight via the inlink tool.

NOTE:
You will need to type your blog post up first and include a link to my blog in your post or photo serving description for inlinkz to recognize it. Lnk to http://www.gettingcricky.com/
*Make sure to copy your exact blog post link
(If you do not link back to me or put in your exact blog post link--you will NOT be able to link up)

2. Pop up my Blinkie on your blog please and I'd love it if you subscribe/follow my blog.

3. Winner receives a CUPCAKE cricut cartridge!

4. Come back on the 19th of June to see who wins!

5. Have fun and spread the word!

NOTE: Please consider turning off WORD verification. You can still moderate your comments, but leaving on word verification takes alot of extra time for people leaving you comments, and may cause some people to not leave comments. I have mine set to no word verifcation, but moderate.

PRIZES for the Winner of the Simply Sunday Challenge:

Designer's Choice

CUPCAKE CRICUT CARTRIDGE!!!!
&
GUEST DESIGN SPOT HERE AT GETTING CRICKY!

Thanks SO much for joining us and I can't wait to see your amazing
Designer's Choice (anything goes!)
projects--open to your interpretation!

Don't forget to join us Friday June 17'th for our Big Ustream and Blog Hop to launch our NEW stamp line and design team!