whose big idea was this anyway???

2008-10-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Girl vs. Wheel Barrow! And the winner is.....

A day in the ER and 22 stitches later...the winner was clear. Sigh... Someone just tagged me last week and asked what my greatest fear was. My answer - not being able to protect my children always. She did well through the stitches (6 inside, 16 outside). The worst part was the numbing process- involved being stuck with a needle more times than the stitching involved! The doc expects it to heal well though. Poor Baby! And she just finished healing up after taking a header off her bike! It's amazing we manage to survive to adulthood! Levi's had a concusion in football this year and was benched for 2.5 weeks. One more (this was his 2nd in as many years) and football is done, finito, caput! Each one he gets makes it easier to get another.
Tomorrow is another day!

Joy Journal: My girl is okay after all that! That a dear friend found out he has NON-Hodkins Lymphoma and is treatable! Thank you, God! And I'm thankful that Claire likes puzzles more than SpongeBob cartoons! Time to get one out, now!

2008-08-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

OMGoodness!!! Excited, Scared to Death, Can't Sleep... no, I'm not talking about trying out a new roller coaster, but rather a first day on a new job! I have been a stay-at-home mom/ part-time student and employee for many years now and I just started back to work, full-time, today. As if that wasn't scary, exciting and nerve-wracking enough, pretend your new job started in Spain and you only had Spanish in High School! Here is the scoop... I am working at the Indiana School for the Deaf. I took three semesters of sign language, and did well, but I swear to you, it may as well have been Greek! I truly feel completely inept as nearly everyone I met today is a native signer. ASL is their first language, whereas English is mine. Sigh...I know it will come and I will study my heart out until it does. But I will live in trepidation, for fear someone may actually ask me a question- for a few weeks anyway! :) Everyone was soooo patient and kind in their directions today, I just hope I don't exhaust their patience! I am a teacher's aide in a first grade classroom. Besides getting to know some wonderful people and more about the culture that will be a huge part of my daughter's life, I am reminded today of the wonderful feeling you get when you share in those educational "ah ha!" moments with your children. I enjoyed those when we were homeschooing the boys, when they would "get" a math concept or find an answer to a question they'd been struggling with. I got to help some little people with their math today and just so love seeing those big smiles when it suddenly makes sense to them.

I think I will really love this job, if I can wrap my head around and truly internalize the language! The only thing that would make it any better is if it came with health insurance benefits. Sigh... it doesn't. Perhaps in the future, that will change...saying a prayer as that is definitely a need with athletes in the family!

Another thing that happened today was that I got a much clearer picture of what it must have been like for Claire in a mainstream setting... She was surrounded by children and adults who used spoken English as their primary means of communication, while hers was American Sign Language. In one way, she never knew any different, but in another, she must have totally felt like a fish out of water a good deal of the time! The upside was that she wasn't with strangers. She was surrounded by people who really loved and cared about her, her education and her well-being. But there was no one else truly like her and I can only imagine what that must have felt like.

You know what they say about hindsight. We've made so many mistakes along this journey. I'm not sure I see mainstreaming Claire as a mistake, as she did very well in that setting. I just think her journey may have been a lot less frustrating for her had we done it differently. Sigh... But you know, our faith is very strong and we truly believe that God has directed our path. We have met some incredible folks on this journey and learned soooo much. Our lives have been blessed by every single one of them, so no, I don't think I regret it. Knowing what I know now, I might do things differently, but it was the best decision we could make at the time.

Totally just wrote in circles there, eh? Oh yeah..that's just how it goes some days.

2008-08-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Oh I have so much to catch up on and so many blog posts rolling around in my head. I know, they are supposed to be here, not there, right?! Well if I keep them short and sweet, I may actually be able to do a better job at regularly posting. I thought I might try to post a few recipes now and then also as I am going back into the working world full time after many years as a full-time mom and parttime working gal. So on the prowl for fabulous fast fare.

Anyway, check out this Bad Boy! This snapper was meandering across our yard, actually making a rather straight line for the koi pond! While it would have taken him awhile to get there, he would have made fastfood of it's oblivious inhabitants! So after some near-misses with his beak-snout-teeth-thing, we loaded him into the car for a trip to the creek down the road. He can dine to his hearts content there. And in the last photo, his tail is actually HAIRY! I never saw that before on a turtle! Interesting!

2008-07-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

WooHoo. We made it. The Slawta family is reunited in Indiana. There were supposed to be exclamation points after those three sentences, but for some strange reason, blogger is telling me I can't use them in my posts...bizarre. Heeee...actually, we have been here for about 2 weeks now. Still boxes and more boxes to unpack, but all the essentials have been put away, so the rest will be weeded through when we have the time. I am amazed at all the "stuff" we've managed to collect though. We sent van-loads to the mission in NY, and I have a perpetual Goodwill box going here and keep refilling it. Wherever did I find to room to pack it all away in NY? In a home with half the square footage?

We have met many of our neighbors and they are all wonderful. They have this awesome "open Door" policy when it comes to the kids. All are welcome, wherever, and everyone just politely sends them packing when it's time to go home or for meals. So there are often some extras here, or if mine are missing, they're really not as I know right where to find them. I thought I would miss the solitude and privacy we had in NY, but I am really enjoying the secure feeling of having caring neighbors nearby.

Okay, so I will try to post a few pics, one blog entry at a time, that I've neglected to upload. These butterfly cupcakes were sooooo easy to make and we did them for Claire's birthday in school. We just cut fruit-jelly slices in half, and then in half again for the wings (must rinse scissors every 10 slices or so as they get very sticky), and used chocolate-flavored Twizzlers for the butterfly body, and melted chocolate chips squeezed out the corner of a ziploc baggie for the antennae. Really, couldn't have been easier and they looked so festive...Girly enough for the feminine quotient of the class, and tasty enough for the boys. Oh yeah, I just noticed the toothpicks in the pics, they are solely there to keep the foil from doing damage in transit.

2008-06-06T04:08:00.000-07:00

So what good is insurance? Pay your premium on time. Trust. But then when you need them to come through, all bets are off. Heck, you're lucky if you can even get a live person on the phone to tell you in person that your policy does not cover acts of God...ie- weather related damage. Do I sound a little jaded? Yeah.

Brownsburg, IN hasn't had a tornado in twenty years. We get Steve moved in there over Memorial Day and they have two within the next week. Not kidding! We have half an inch of water in our basement- which is essentially our first floor as it is all living space... and all carpeted. The drainage ditch across the road isn't adequate to carry away the volume of water produced in extreme weather. So it backs up into our basement. We have your standard homeowners policy as well as a homeowners warranty. Both are denying the claim coverage. So the money we were hoping to get furniture with, now will go into new carpeting. I don't even want to buy new carpet unless the town fixes that ditch, but they aren't likely to do that since it's not a frequent issue. Gee, but it's okay for us to spend $5ooo on new carpet, as long as it's infrequently, right?

Seriously discouraged. We know know KNOW we're supposed to be making this move. God pointed us in the direction, even gave us the nudge, but I guess He didn't say it was going to be easy.

2008-05-30T03:55:00.000-07:00

Well so much for my recording events on a daily or even weekly basis! Life has just been so full of top-speed changes these last few months! We moved Steve to Indy this past weekend. Several men from our church and a good friend from town came up to give us a hand packing the moving truck and making sure my car was up for the drive. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Mike, Floyd, Kurt, and Stuart. OMGoodness, we couldn't have done it without these guys! And my brother-in-law Dave, who helped us pack, drove a moving van, and helped unpack...there aren't words! We love you all!

We packed in 2 straight days of rain! Ugh! But at least it was beautiful when we got there for the unloading. My parents also went out and took with them all those odd boxes with crushable, fragile stuff. I think we lost one single teapot, that's it and that's pretty amazing! It did, however, take longer to make the trip with one drugged cat than with three kids! Poor thing was soooo uncomfortable! She sat on our laps and in her carrier between us and just meowed pathetically the entire trip! I don't think the medication helped much at all. But hopefully it was a one-time trip for her. That was tough.

But I think the toughest part was leaving Steve there! I reaaallllyyy miss him! Our 23rd anniversary is coming up on Monday and it will be the first we've ever spent apart! I sent him a little package yesterday containing a little sweetness and a little...well... never mind, just something to make him miss me :) . But one week down an a touch over four to go!

No luck selling the house yet. That is a major source of stress and totally prevents us from getting as excited as we want to be about the new home. But I just have to keep reminding myself to trust God to take care of it. He will.

2008-03-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

Super-Sized THANKS!

To Floyd and Clarissa...Floyd, thank you so much for giving so generously of your time and skills in helping us get the house ready to go on the market! And Clarissa, thank you for loaning us your one-and-only, Saturday after Saturday. It wouldn't be ready today if it weren't for you guys and knowing it's all done and done well is such a weight off our shoulders! We love you guys!

To Dick and Sue... Wow, talk about coming to our rescue! Heee...and I really do have to be careful what I post to my blog, don't I?! I posted that I was trying to win a vacuum as mine is reaching for that big dust bunny in the sky and we are moving from a home with mostly hardwood to one with mostly carpet. You two pulled out your almost new vacuum and just gave it to us! I feel bad that it's too heavy for Sue to use since her arm injury, but you could have sold it to get a lighter one! You guys are too much! Thank you thank you THANK YOU!

To Ernie...my talented and generous friend. The realtors have told us we should de-personalize our home a bit to help sell it, so potential buyers can imagine themselves living here, with their own pics on the walls instead of ours. Our walls were literally covered with my children's photos! I didn't have a lot of money to invest in new artwork, or the time to paint it, or the real skill to photograph anything but my children. But Ernie, bless her heart, had taken some WONDERFUL photos that she generously shared with me. After printing at Snapfish.com and mounting to bristol board and poster-frames, my living room looks substantially more buyer-friendly. My only regret is that I couldn't mount and frame them with better materials. Someday, they will be though, Ernie! You've got some serious skill, woman!

2008-02-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

A little sad, but it's temporary...I spent all of yesterday and today painting stair risers, restaining the treads, and painting crown moulding. It's tedious work, to be sure, but it looks beautiful! We just want to put our best foot forward for selling the house, want others to look around and think "I'd really like to live here!" The part that makes me sad is that I have to leave it, when it looks exactly the way I want it to! Sigh... But I get to go to Indy and do it all over again! The painting, trim work, decorating and accessorizing...I really am looking forward to that.

A story to read, if you have a few moments: http://www.wbtv.com/news/topstories/15951137.html
It's all about how the top administration at NC School for the Deaf does not know how to sign with the students. Sad that those making administratiove decisons cannot communicate with those they presumably work for. They had planned to protest but were shut down. This ciuld have also been such a learning experience, and exercise in civil disobedience, that oppression and diverse opinions can be expressed and should be expressed in a constructive manner. What better place to learn this than within the confines of a safe environment- their school! Disappointing, the way this is being handled.

2008-02-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey! Check it out! Here is a slide show of our home, the one we are selling. Email me Email Me EMAIL ME if you might know anyone who'd be interested! 18 acres, 30 x 60 pole barn with lights, heat and concrete floor and 4BR home.

Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow

2008-02-11T05:05:00.000-08:00

BIG NEWS!
We have negotiated our home purchase! We are sooo excited! Barring any complications with the inspection on Thursday, we will be closing in late March! The current owners will be renting back from us for two months as they aren't quite packed yet, and then we will begin moving our goodies out there in May. The kidsters will finish school here though, so we won't be fully moved until the end of June. We will be meeting with a realtor today and with another on Wed. We had planned o interviewing three, but one had such a snarky attitude when we called to set it up, that I didn't even make an appointment with him. Our home is probably the single largest financial investment we will make in our lifetime, and selling it means working closely with someone to help meet our needs. We need to find the realtor who is just the right fit! This fellow totally copped an attitude because we weren't choosing him straight from the yellow pages! Sheesh! Of the two ladies coming, one was recommended by friends who moved here, and the other, by our realtor in Indy. Both seem very nice, knowledgeable, and assertive and I'm sure both would do a fine job. It may boil down to the agent who seems the most internet savvy, with the broadest reach in the market.

Anyone want to buy a sweet home in the country with 18 gorgeous acres? Email me! :)

And now on to our scheduled commercial....hehehhe. I want to win a vacuum! If I don't win one, I am going to have to pony up and buy one! So after reading Jen's blog and clicking on a button inside it, I found 5MinutesforMoms.com and their offer to Win an Oreck. We are moving from a home with mostly hardwood floors and a few area rugs, to one with some hardwood, some ceramic tile, and mostly carpeting. My dept. store upright may not adjust to the move so well. So I am following instructions and linking you back to them. Now if I would just get a little savvier and figure out how to add the buttons to my side bar and gussy up this blog, I'd be all set! Have a great day!

2008-02-04T18:31:00.000-08:00

Game On!

And I don't mean the Super Bowl! Steve and I went to Indy this weekend and put a purchase offer on a home there. They countered today with another offer, which we will counter tomorrow. Hopefully, they will counter again...but we'll see. I know we offered less than they are hoping for, but we offered what we can reasonably manage and what it's worth to us. I hope it works out. It already has a great building on the premises for Steve's weld shop. It does have to be insulated and wired, but is great otherwise. I truly want the sellers to walk away happy, and hope they are able to with our offer. I just wish we could dispense with the game though...not my favorite part. I'm a cut-to-the-chase kind of girl.

2008-01-24T09:06:00.000-08:00

Harney & Sons Tea -Jasmine Fairy Maiden-
Have you ever seen a more beautiful, visually enchanting brew? I ordered a sample of this tea a year ago with a regular order I placed from the most wonderful tea company ever (you'll see more posts about them!). When they came, vacuum sealed, two in a pkg, they looked like compact grassy little pods. I tucked them away to try later and forgot about them. In the midst of the packing and purging we're doing, I found them again and decided it was time to relax and enjoy a cup. It was mesmerizing to watch these blooms unfold and stretch upwards. The taste and fragrance are softly sweet, totally delicious. They are more expensive than a regular cup of tea (although Harney Teas can hardly be called regular anyway- have I mentioned how exceptional they are???) but each little bundle is hand picked, dried and hand tied. They are truly a visual and epicurean delight and worthy of your special guests and well...you!

2008-01-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

This love affair began at a baseball game when Claire was three. Grandma took her to the car to get a brownie and they came back with a kitten. Just try to tell a three year old that she has to give the kitten back.She was as stubborn as her Daddy and in the end, of course, she won. Cue kitty and Claire have a special bond. That cat rules the house like a queen and is for the most part, aloof like one, except with Claire.She is her baby. Cue sleeps with Claire and lets her carry her everywhere. She puts up with the rest of us.

Papers and elements from Shelleyrae Cusbert's Fairy Tale Romance kit. Page
design is a scraplift from Linda Paulson at SBG.
Font: Bradley Hand

I spent most of the day today, as I will many many more, painting trim and doors. Everything looks wonderful when it's finished, fresh, clean and new, but what a time killer! I'm just trying not to thing that the new owners will probably come through and repaint everything anyway. The house that was one of two on our short list for Indianapolis just got bumped to the bottom today. The owners have already moved to MN and want badly to sell it, which probably means more wiggle room for us on the price, and this weekend, they told the realtors that they would include their big screen tv. Now it really did have everything we could ever want...except good schools. The district it's in, the middle school has a 3 out of 10 rating and the high school has a sad 4 out of 10. That's too important to ignore just for bells and whistles and a big screen tv. Oh well.

The other house on the short list is in Brownsburg, IN. It's 23 minutes from Claire's school, which falls within the 30 minute limit we set (we don't want her to have to ride a bus for 45 minutes or longer on both ends of the day!), has more than enough bedrooms and a guest room and exercise room, and a building already in place for Steve to use as a weld shop! The only thing is that the owner hasn't posted interior pics yet, which makes me a wee bit nervous, but she said she would, so trying to be patient! We'll find the right one. Oh, this school has a 10 out of 10 rating!

2008-01-05T18:40:00.000-08:00

Clean Your Chimney! Last year we put in a coal stove to supplement the furnace and offset the fuel oil costs. It has nearly paid for itself in savings and the heat in the house is much steadier. But... yesterday and last night, the carbon monoxide alarm went off. Thanks the good Lord it did. Carbon Monoxide is odorless and invisible, but deadly and is released when fossil fuels are burned. Because we were new stove owners, cleaning the chimney just didn't occur to us. We didn't have a buildup of creosote, like you get with a wood stove, but Steve found 4 nested and very dead birds in there, plugging it up. It was an easy fix, but could have been deadly, had it not been for that alarm.

If you don't have one, I can't recommend getting one enough. And if you have smoke detectors, and you should have several, January is a great time to change the batteries. Really, don't put it off.

Here's a layout I did yesterday. I never would have thought I would be a gizmo junkie. Kitchen gadgets- absolutely! Pampered Chef parties are my idea of a happenin' Friday night! But electronic gizmos? I think the 3hrs a day I spend in the car did it to me. I listen to books on mp3 and cd and all kinds of music. You may think I've lost my mind if you happen to drive by and see me signing and or singing, but really, I'm just hooked up and plugged in!

2008-01-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Bringing in the New Year with The Leaning Tower of Chocolate Lumpage!
We had our dear friends, the Fullers, in today for lunch and the girls and made this cake for dessert. The boys dubbed it with the above title. I got the recipe online and it was called "Best Chocolate Cake Ever" from BH&G. I think the boys' name fit it better. The frosting was yummy though and we had fun making it. What else was on the menu? Ham & Cheese Chowder in Bread Bowls, a fruit platter with watermelon, fresh pineapple and oranges, a tossed salad with herbed feta, and peanut butter cup cookies that Clarissa brought. The best part of the afternoon was just hanging out with friends though.

2007-12-28T19:19:00.001-08:00

What was I thinking? First, I painted over old hardwood floors (GASP!). I know, I know...it was shameless. But here is why. 17 yrs ago, when we bought the house, we wanted a whitewashed finish on the floors. We vacated the premises for a week and let the refinisher guy do his thing. Well, he was new to the business, and you get what you pay for. We came home to dark cherry stained floors. He said they were too damaged to whitewash. I was disappointed, but they did look nice, and what were we gonna do? That was 3 kids ago. Fast forward through 3 toddlers, tonkas, 2 cats, airsoft b-b's, and a host of other hard knocks and we have floors in desperate need o refinishing again. Ugh. I talked to two fellas this summer, each with a different process, and both said I needed to get the paint off the floor before they would work on it because it would gum up their equipment. So that's what I am working on. This product goes on thick and is supposed to work miracles. For the price it should. It does not. It covers roughly half the area the can says it should, and dries out too fast. Then the amount of scraping required is unreal! I have been all day scraping and have only cleared about 30 sq ft of 144! I will never EVER paint a wood floor again, nor will I ever EVER try to strip one myself! What a nuisance! The second photo above isn't very clear, but shows how the floor bubbles up while the process is working.

My girl was in the newspaper yesterday with her interpreter, although they said she was in 2nd grade instead of 3rd- she was very quick to point out to me. It was a wonderful photo of her and an article about her interpreter. http://www.pressconnects.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/COLUMNISTS01/712270319/1022/COLUMNISTS

2007-12-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

OMGosh, is it possible that I've not blogged in almost a year? How sad is that???!!! Good Grief! Anyway, lots of things happening and changes coming up to blog about these days. First, I took leave from my DTM position at SBB. I had to focus on my kidsters, on learning sign language for Claire as she is rapidly out-pacing me, and on some health issues. I was hanging dangerously close to diabetes as my weight was out of control and had been for some time. My mom and sis already battle with it and why I wasn't yet was a miracle. I needed to get a handle on that. So, while it was a hard thing to do...I'd been a DTM I think for about 4 years!...I knew I was doing it for the right reasons and it needed to be done. Sadly, I haven't scrapped nearly enough since then as all those deadlines kept me on my toes, but, I hope to pick that up again.

And I have met some of those goals! I have lost about 80 lbs so far! An advantage to being tall is that I can carry more extra weight than people realize (that's also a huge disadvantage as it's easy to just ignore it creeping up up up!). Pffft....I guess telling you what I've lost gives you a fair clue as to how much extra I was carrying though, eh? :) I still have some more to lose, but it's coming off much more slowly now and that's okay. I'm 5'10 and wear a size 20 now, and feel a thousand times better. If I ever see a 12 or 14 again, fabulous, if not, I feel better and look better than I have in years and I'm good with that! And losing it will keep me around for my babies for a few years longer!

I am also a college grad! WooHoo! It feels good to say that! Not that an AAS in Humanities/Communications with a concentration in ASL and Deaf Studies is going to get far in the jo market, but I did it for my daughter. And I think it will allow me to be a substitute teacher where we are moving (more on that below!). I was able to take some wonderful classes and learned soooooo much! I will still be making that horribly long drive 4 days a week for one last semester as this is the first time they will have offered ASL IV and I will be auditing that class. Why auditing and not for credit? Because I get to slack a it! Not really... I don't need the credits and I get to take the class withiut the pressure of exams, which totally works for me since I will have the pressure of getting my household ready to move at the same time!

Yes, we are moving! To Indianapolis!!!!!! We visited the NC school for the Deaf last year and seeing Claire communicate so easily and naturally with all of the children there, made us realize that she deserves that every single day. So we started looking into education at Deaf schools around the country. Thanks to my Deaf Culture class, an ASL class and research I needed to do for some projects, we looked in bilingual-bicultural programs. Indiana has one of the best in the country. Claire and I visited there last week and fell in love with it! What an opportunity for her! Steve and I have such a positive feeling about this, that we know it's the right thing to do and really feel it is God-directed. Levi is sure the girls must be cute there, so he is ready to go go go. Ben, my shy guy, is a little more reluctant, but totally okay with it. So now we wait and work for the other pieces to fall into place...getting our home ready to list, selling it, finding a home and jobs there....etc. I have always been fortunate enough to stay at home with my children and want to be home with them when they need me, so finding a job in one of their schools would be ideal. Hoping!

That's the update for now! Hoping to be more regular with this and journal all these upcoming changes! Thanks for bearing with me!

2007-01-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! This was the easiest EVER! An SBB member mentioned these purses recently in a chat I hosted, so I had to ceck them out. They are awesome! Roomy, lined, and well constructed. And they don't look like a lunchbox!
Tracy, from Paper Princess, is shipping two of these purses for me to give away in a contest for the April Ezine! Yay!

The hardest part about making the insert was deciding to use photos or not, to go fun, fresh, funky, shabby, retro or chic! I think I'll have to make about 12 inserts and just have fun changing them out to fit my mood!

Now....if they could come up with a customizable laptop bag, I would be in heaven! hint*wink*hint!

Papers here are all from Shelleyrae's Juliet Kit, availabke at SBB. The Template is Catch-a-Wave from Dianne Rigdon, available at ScrapArtist. Honestly, the whole thing took about 20 minutes to make! You do need a program that uses psd files for the template. I'm going to talk to Dianne and see if I can pull together a png version for folks if they want it.

2007-01-14T16:58:00.000-08:00

I was trying to figure out how I could come up with an artpiece for my 2007 word and just kept drawing a blank ...hee ... pun intended :) . Our pastor's message today was about something along the very same lines, and finding time to give up just 15 minutes a day of our hurried-ness, or our busy-ness. We are calling it Gap Time in our house because when you have teens, words like quiet time, or personal devotions only elicit monstrous sighs and eye rolling. But really, the first 5 minutes are for quietness, just quietness...BREATHING! Fits perfectly-eh?! The second five minutes are for devotional reading- that's it, only 5! I think they can take that in stride. And the final 5 are for giving the day and everyone we encounter in it to God. I really like the idea, and will try to find some good sites to hook the boys up to to keep them interested in devotions. But this is the artpiece I will make into a simple little fridge magnet and a card to keep in my car/purse as a gentle reminder. Lilacs...just reading the word and I can almost smell their sweetness, feel the Spring in the air.

2007-01-11T14:44:00.000-08:00

My word, my theme for 2007, is BREATHE. Life has been so insanely hectic since I started school three semesters ago, that time with my children and the man I love has become a premium, rather than part of my everyday. I was given the gift of perspective, if only for a brief moment, over Thanksgiving break. My family, home and God are THE most important things in my life. They came first and are the reason for everything else I do, not the end result.

I hope to be able to take the time to cuddle more, simply play board games more, go for walks more, and hug more. God has given us one go-around on this earth. We have on chance to love for all we're worth, with our love and His. Every moment counts. That doesn't mean race through your day and get everything out of it you can. To me, it means savor each moment of that day. BREATHE in the essence of each other. Breathe out the stresses, the non-important. Breathe in and let God's light and life fill you with hope and warmth. And Breathe that out on all those around you.

2006-12-20T16:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, I actually had a little time last night to scrap for my own challenge! I miss doing this! I have had to post my challnges but never got to actually complete them, it seems, because I have had so much homework. Tomorrow I will be taking the last of my final exams and I'm prepared for it, so took some time to do a layout. Heeee...should have ben wrapping presents, but alas...they'll be there tomorrow!

This LO is for the Calendar Crop tonight from 10-11pm et in the SBB chatroom. All papers and tags are from Dianne Rigdon at Shabby Elements, and ribbons are from Vera Lim at SBB. And the girl...well she is our gift from God! :)

2006-12-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

BEFORE THE MELTDOWN. Anyone raising a perfectionist child? Yikes! I keep trying to find ways to help her loosen up, but she is soooo afraid of making a mistake that it either traumatizes her to tears to try a project like this (making paper snowflakes) or she refuses to try (school work from time to time- in school and they have to call me because she refuses to proceed!). What is it about these children that makes them soooo hard on themselves? I have been researching and am not really finding answers, just strategies to model behavior that shows it's okay to make mistakes, that wrong turns can turn into grand adventures, that the most wonderful creations can come from things we thought were mistakes! I was one of these kids too, pressured myself to achieve, but I don't think I started this young! But I do remember when a B grade would set me off to crying for hours. And I've tried very hard to NOT model THIS behavior. I took me 3o years or so to stop sweating the small stuff! I hope I can help her do the same. Any insights would be grand!

So we only got 4 paper snowflakes made before the meltdown because the shape she cut wasn't perfect enough. But we'll try some more this afternoon, after a little snack and before she gets tired. And the tree looks better already- sorry crummy photo. Our basement flooded last year and we lost all the Christmas decorations (including the hats my children wore in the hospital because 2 were born at Christmas time so we hung them on the tree- sniffsniff) but it was just "stuff," so no biggie (now, was kind of a biggie when it happened!).

2006-11-29T12:12:00.000-08:00

It's All About Perspective...and keeping things in perspective. So this last week off from scool, I actually got a glimpse of my floor though the bottom of Mt. StLaundry! I got to really cook for my family, instead of just throwing hamburgers and toasted cheese sandwiches at them, and I remembered how much I enjoyed cooking for them! I was able to have guests over without being mortified at the condition my home was in. I have been known to actually lock the door and duck away from windows when an unexpected guest has arrived due to my embarrassment! I'm just kind of persnickety like that, dopey, I know. What all this did, was remind me of the reasons I went back to school in the first place, for my daugher, for our family. I did not go back for that degree, that little piece of paper, but for what learning the language could do for my Claire.

On that front, I did speak to my advisor and learned that they hired a Deaf man from Galludet to teach in January. He won't be up to full speed until fall 2007, so that is when I may go back for a class or two. Learning ASL from a native speaker would be a wonderful experience, I'm sure. So I will not be going back in January, and am looking forward to it more than you know. I need this break., The 3 hrs in the car per day was sucking the life out of me. Now just counting down the last few weeks of this semester, and trying not to lose my momentum!

2006-11-26T18:03:00.000-08:00

A little layout action! I have been taking my kidders school pics every since they started school, first, because we were homeschooling then. When they started public school I continued mostly because th school's pics were just ghastly expensive for...well..ghastly pictures! We've had varying degrees of success, and anyone who says the older they get, the easier it will get...well, they lie!:) This year's did come out pretty nicely though. And here is a layout done with Dianne Rigdon's Joyous Kit found at www.shabbyelements.com, and the sketch came from Layout Blueprints.

2006-11-25T06:28:00.000-08:00

I will be including this little banner in my blog for a couple of weeks as I get to host this chat! It should be fun and I know they are giving away several coies of the book as prizes, and I think everyone who comes will get a discount coupon for the book.

Here are two websites to tell you more about the product: www.bluemediapublications.com.; http://artisticawareness.blogspot.com/

2006-11-24T12:50:00.000-08:00

Grrrrrr, I thought I would save myself the madness of the 5am sales today by shopping online at Walmart.com. My boys both need some blue jeans and they had the Levi's on sale for $12/pr. I logged in at 5am, coffee in hand, curled up on the sofa with comforter, thinking what a wonderful way to snag those Black Friday Doorbusters. Apparently, a lot of other folks felt the same way (which is good thing, right?), but...Walmart was not prepared to handle the online barrage any more than they are ever prepared to handle it at the stores. I have been trying to checkout for more than 7 hours now.

Then, to make my day even better, I got a note from the college this morning saying they had miscalculated my credits, and that I will be two shy of graduating in Dcember. Unbelievable! But ya' know what, the class I really want to take isn't even being offered next semester- ASL IV. So I will not likely go back until it is. I a just so disgusted that they dissolved the courses in the program in which I was enrolled, that this is just the cherry on top.

Crab session over. Leftovers to look forward to tonight! And I do mean that! Thanksgiving dinner is even more wonderful the next day. And it was all the sweeter for me to cook it yesterday as I haven't really had the time to cook in a long time, the way I used to. And Levi helped me. He peeled potatoes and made an oreo cheesecake, and while he was only in the kitchen about 20-25 minutes with me, it ws nice to make that brief connection. And he seemed to really enjoy cooking! My boy is growing up too fast, so I'll relish each and every one of these moments!

2006-11-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

OMGoodness! Blogging only two days apart! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IT POSSIBLE! :) Probably the same person who thought they could teach me to typs, but hey, ya gotta keep trying! And while I hate to plagerize someone else's blog, my friend J. posted this on her's and it is HYSTERICAL!!!!

She also posted this unbelievably scrumptious recipe that I'd requested and I just HAVE to pass it on. One of these days, when I have the time to figre out how to link her in my sidebar, you'll be able to go read her funny antics for yourself. The girl should really write for a living! But seriously, try this recipe. It may look like an odd combination of ingredients, but it is AMAZINGLY DELISH!

Cranberry Cheese Spread

8 oz cream cheese, 1 Tbs orange juice, 1/3 cup pecans or walnuts. Mix these 3 ingredients together.

1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries coarsely chopped
4 green onions (scallions)
1 heaping Tbs canned jalepenos chopped
1-1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp ginger
3-4 Tbs fresh cilantro
Mix the second batch of ingredients together and refrigerate for 4 hours, THEN combine with the first set of ingredients.

Top with cranberries and cilantro, serve with crackers.

Thanks J! Hugs, Girlfriend!

2006-11-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

Hmmmm, my almost 14yo ds is learning the value of keeping his word. He had an airsoft party here last weekend and because of a serious slug streak he possesses, we made him sign a contract that went something like this: I (ds) will
help with the cleanup after the party without complaint, until it's finished and do so in a timely manner. In return, his dad and I agreed to pretty much just provide lots of food and stay out of the immediate vicinity, and not to make out in front of his friends :). All went well until today when we found garbage from the party- chip bags, pizza boxes, etc...blowing all over the yeard. He was supposed to have burned the trash and instead, stuck the bag behind the house and forgot about it, until the wind or furry critter ripped it open and scattered it for 1/2 a mile! Grrrr. So, he di not honor hispart of the bargain, and is spending Thanksgiving break grounded. Oh well, a parent's gotta do what a parent's gotta do!

Cheerier note: Check out Ali's new blog and some awesome digi-sales she's got happening: http://alifolendore.blogspot.com/

And Jen, I have been thinking about that amazing dip you made for the Mother-Daughter Tea a few years ago because I FINALLY found ciantro in my grocery store today! Post it on your blog, please? Pretty Please???? :) On my way there to beg now !

Thanks so much for your patience with this blog and me. Somehow the template seems to have altered itself- pulling the sidebar information to the bottom- just looks dopey. I was hoping that, by switching templates altogether, the info would be back in place where it should be, but seems it just plugged my old info into the new background. Hate messing with html! It's just a big old tech-hemmrhoid!

2006-11-16T02:31:00.000-08:00

Baaad Blogger strikes again! But I had to help spread the word about an awesome 24hr sale Maya is having : Her store is HERE.
Must go shopping after classes today, must go shopping must go shopping must go shoppng. Greeeaat that's what I'll be thinking about instead of studying! Heeee.

I am soooo counting down the days until the semester's end. I will be graduating in December. I'm sad to see it ending, but relieved as well. Spending 3 hrs a day behind the wheel is sucking the life out of me! My house looks pretty bad and my children have forgotten that mommy used to be a great cook once upon a time. Looking forward to January!

Anyway, check out Maya's sale today if you get a chance. You already know her designs are wonderful, not the prices are better than ever!

2006-09-26T18:26:00.000-07:00

Grrrr....still no word on this cough! Thanks for the prayers and
good thoughts though, maybe no news is good news. The ENT scoped
my nose and throat (that was fun-eww!) and said, "Wow, that sure
is red in there! (DER- coughing for 9 mos now!) But the good news
is, no pollyps." So that is good news although my kidders were
disappointed they aren't getting a 3-6 week break( the amount of
time I would have to be silent after removal of pollyps from what
I understand)from mom's haranging! But I have to have yet another
CT scan, this time of my sinuses. I am going to be positively
G-L-O-W-I-N-G, although green is not really my best color. He kept
asking if I had heartburn, and I said repeatedly that I did not.
Apparently acid reflux can cause a persistant and sever ough. But
I do not have heartburn. I only get that when preggers and THAT
is not the case. But enough of this cough chat. Boring and aggra-
vating.
Here are a few LO's going up at SBB this week, as seen in the
newsletter. These were done to help promote designs by Meredith
Fenwick and DaniB. I am sooo fortunae to work with such talentd
ladies and their designs are truly a pleasure to work with.

2006-09-24T18:14:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been awhile. I think after my last post with the catscan, I was kind of afraid to post again...kind of "if I don't write it, nothing bad can happen." I know, hokey.
Tomorrow is my appt with the ENT guy. No clue what he will say ir do. Cough is the same, no better or worse. I'm reallllly wondering about an allergy. It has been an incredibly wet couple of years in our area, with flooding 3 times in two years. While we haven't had a problem because we're on high ground, ourbasement is damp. This is the first year (after living here for 16 yrs) I've ever battled mold in the bathroom. And grrrr...we just renovated the bath last year and the contractor guarranteed this caulk to never mold- bunk! But What got me thinking about that is waking up with my head on Steve's chest and hearing a ery similar rattle there! Hey- that's not normal! He said he's had it a few months, just hadn't shaken a cold. Sorry, you're only 45, Dude! Colds shouldn't hang on for 3 months! And the cat spends her day on our bed or sleeping on our jeans shelf. She is short-haired and sheds more than any longhaired we EVER had! So I don't know...just tossing around ideas in my head, and trying to find any explanation other than that catscan.

Rona, the scraping diva ronagavino, tagged me! The little dickens! But while it's only one question, it was a tough one to answer! here is the tag:

"List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to."

So here are mine:
1. Mountain of God by ThirdDay
2 Amazin Love by Bebo Norman
3. Above All by Michael W.
4. Healing Rain by Michael W. Smith
5. Once in a Lifetime by Keith Urban
6. Shhh/Peaceful by Miles Davis
7. PickYourself Up by Dianna Krall

I like Christian Contemporary, Jazz and alternative - I like music to help me work, not distract me from it!

So I am tagging:
Jen
Crystal & Thad
Amy
Holly
Raechel
Kari
Vanessa
And Dianne, I was going to tag you, but it look slike you have more than enough on your plate :). So I won't hunt anyone down, if you happen to find this, have fun and play along! I know how busy everyone is, so no obligation- just jump in if you like!

2006-08-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

CT SCAN. Been there, done that. And looks like I will need to do it again in Jan. This is a picture of what a ct scan on the lungs looks like- very thin slices or the lungs, from what I understand. When I went to the pulminologist, she did a chest xray, found a shadowy looking area, did a CT scan. She looked at it, and said- and I quote, "Oh it's nothing to write home about, no worries." I breathed a sign of relief and on we went, looking to ferret out the cause of this cough. Well, had to go back this week again and she briefly whizzed through this statement and on into the conversation: "You had the ct scan last week and the radiologist has a few concerns and wants to repeat it in January." and on to other things she moved. WAIT A MINUTE!!!!!!! It took me a bit to process- she talks very fast and it wasn't until that evening that I actually thought about that statement, chewed and worried on it all night and called her the next day. "What do you mean he had some concerns?" I asked.
"I told you it was a shadow, possibly some scar tissue."
"No, you said it was nothing to write home about and moved on. Why am I coming back in Jan for this?"
"I told you, it was a shadow, possiby some scar tissue, and the radiologist wants to look at it again in January."
"No, your exact words were-"It's Nothing To Write Home About!" What concerns- if it's scar tissue, it's not dangerous and not growing, right?"
"Most likely. He just wants to repeat the test in January."
"Repeat it now and get rid of it if it's concern-causing."
"We will wait till January."

Yeah, and exactly what are YOU waiting on? I'm the one waiting and worrying! I'm the one with three children to plan for. I'm the one hacking up a lung and waking up with a stress cold sore! Darn it all anyway! I loved this doctor until this very moment. It's easy to be cavalier with someone else's life!

I have to give this to God, because I am not dealing with it very well on my own. It might well be nothing, but ya know, I would rather have not known about it than have it niggle and eat at me and intrude on my thoughts. Say a prayer, would ya? I've a feeling they will be much more helpful and reassuring than the medical proffesion at large.
Thanks!!!

2006-08-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

AAACCCKKK! My Boys Are Making Me CRAZY!!!! Holy Cow! They fight and tattle from the moment they get up until their heads hit the pillow! "That's what little kids do," you say, right? Okay, I agree! But mine are 13 and 11!!!!! By the time Steve gets home I am ready to just hand them over and leave till bedtime! Testosterone Overload!!!! Ya' think I could sneak some Womens' Formula Vitamins or something into their ice tea and it might make a difference? I am ready to duct tape them together- arm to arm and leg to leg on one side. It'll either kill 'em or cure 'em! Eyeyiyi!!!

So I went back to the docs last week for this chronic cough I've had since Jan, and said the 2nd round of antibiotic and inhaler was again, making no difference. She made an appointment with a pulminologist for Sept 6th (yes, another month to wait!). I called back and asked them to put me on the cancellation list. Well they called Tues when I was already headed to town for groceries so I skipped the food and went there for 3 hours! Nothing definitive yet, but I feel like we are taking a much more proactive approach and will get to the bottom of it. And now I can be there when my children get off the bus after their first day of school! Yay!

2006-08-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

A Slice of Summer!!!Chose this yellow watermelon at the local produce stand yesterday, just on a lark. It was just for fun and had two strikes against it to start with- it was very small and not seedless. Hey, I have two teen boys, a daughter and Steve and watermelon is my personal fave, so they usually need to be pretty big!And seeds- well, we've just gotten spoiled with the seedless varieties. But OMGosh! This watermelon was sooooo sweet and wonderful!!!! Probably sweeter than any red I've ever had! It was WONDERFUL! ANd the color was just so pretty on the plates. So if you get the chance to try a yellow watermelon, don't pass it up!

2006-07-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hehehehehhe, so am I the worst blogger ever, or what?! ALl good intentions, I would just rather read about other folks lives than write about my own. I LOVE my life, just that it's probably not too exciting for anyone other than me!

I recently made the aquaintance of Nicole Hinrichs, a very talented digital artist whose galleries I could spend hours gazing at! She will be interviewed as well in an upcoming ezine, what a fun job I have! But Nicole's work inspired me to explore some of my other creative leanings, maybe a little less than conventional. This is when I need to remember that art is something I create for myself and those I love, not necessarily for the approval of others.

Saturday afteroon, Levi and Ben had like 8 friends here to run through the fields shooting air-soft guns. They had lots of fun. I was trying to figure out how to feed all of them economically so I didn't break my grocery budget for the month. Thought about spaghetti, big hit, but big mess with that many. Ended up with the old stand-by, pizza. Surprisingly, only came to like $25 for two sheets, so it really was a bargain when you factor in how many we were feeding!

2006-06-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

My dd turned 7 last week and we decided it was time for her first tea party! The whole thing was inspired by some of Dianne’s gorgeous papers, right down to choosing the tea pot and cups! I know, probaly a bit backwards in my approach, but it worked!:) First, I used the Loving Hands Petalcards for the invitations, complete with vellm inserts, then the Little Man papers and Simply Marvy Alpha for the napkin rings/placeholders, and the Pursonally Yours template for the favors. These came out sooo cute! They were real little purses with velcro closures under the buttons, and jeweled headbands for the straps. They held “princess” buttos, candies and lipgloss for the little ladies. The girls had choc-dipped strawberries, croissants with strawberry cream cheese, and iced cookies in the shapes of a dress, hat, purse, high-heeled shoe, teapot and teacups! Total Fun!

2006-06-07T20:37:00.000-07:00

Haven't posted in a bit. My father-in-law passed away on the 30th of May. He had been really struggling with Parkinsons, so I'm glad he is not fighting that anymore and has been reunited with his wife of over 40 years and his Saviour. It's been about 2 yrs since I've seen him as he lived out of state and we just didn't have the funds to travel with all the kids and Steve didn't have vaca time built up yet, but he went down to see him about a year ago. It was a difficult visit for Steve as his dad no longer recognized him, or did so only intermittantly, and they were very close when Dad lived here. But he knows it can happen to any of us. I am trying to do some LO's of my fil before the memorial service on Friday, and trying to find a good balance of individual pics of him as well as a couple of him with the boys. There will be other family and friends bringing photos for the memory boards as well, and I want them to have lots of room for their photos.

2006-05-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

UGH! I exercised yesterday and today, for the first time in probably 6 years. I know. Sad. But in my defense, during that time, my dh lost his leg in a serious accident, and I had a daughter born profoundly deaf, who had a bazillion doctors' appointments, therapists and surgery. I was also homeschooling my two boys and woring parttime. And this last Sept. I went back to college. So life was more than a little full. But, during that time, I went back to my old habits of eating for comfort as it seemed the only thing in my life I could control, and totally blew off exercising. I know, what exactly was I in control of? Not a thing. My weight went up, up, up- I won't even type the number here because I'll want chocolate to ease the pain.
So, feelin crappy, in one kind of pain or another most of the time, hating what I see in the mirror, and the knowledge that I am the only one within 20 miles that my daughter can fully communicate with via ASL, other than her interpreters, has pushed me to getting a little more serious about getting a grip. And we are planning a short trip later in the year and how mortifying it would be to have to ask the stewardess for a seatbelt extension!
Yesterday, I dug out my old sneakers, dusted them off, laced them up and joined Amy for a rather ambitious walk up a killer hill. And today's walk was longer and worse. The weather was awesome, but the hill long and steady. I was out of breath in the first 200 steps, panting heavily and red-faced, but having someone else with you forces you to not give up out of sheer embarrassment! So on I trudged-er-powerwalked! Not sure how long it was yesterday, but today was about 3.5 miles. Not bad! But, I have three blisters to show for it- two on my achilles tendons and one on an arch. Bandaids helping and going to do it again tomorrow. GottaGottaGotta! My new mantra. GottaGottaGotta! Ibuprofen is my friend. GottaGottaGotta.

2006-05-24T04:49:00.000-07:00

This is a total BRAG log today! I am so pleased- I logged into the campus website and found out I got an A in all of my classes this semester! Yay! GPA is 3.89 because I had one B+ in there from last semester. Grrr...oh well, whatcha gonna do? I only ranted about that for a little while- after all, I am a grownup now- or cleverly disguised as one.

But the thing I am most thrilled about that I had to post here is that My 11yo son Ben earned his Brown Belt in TaeKwonDo last night! WooHoo Ben This is not a scaled down belt for kidders, but he has to go through the same tests and learn the same forms as the adults, and spars with adults! He is awesome and has worked sooo hard to get here! We were on the same level until this last semester when I stopped because I was just too busy with school, but he kept going, and pushed though! Ben- you Rock, Baby!

2006-05-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

My ASLII class has ended for the semester, just need to finish workig on a video conversation with my partner for a final grade. The children's book I was working on is done and ready to be handed in tomorrow- will post pics of that tomorrow. aone final examleft for this semester and that is next Wed. The end is in sight! I want to get working on ArtsyMama's challenges but haven't dared really start because I know how I am with projects- it's all or nothing. I will fall into it, headfirst and won't surface for air until it is completed, so NEED to make sure I have all my fonal projects for classes done first.
Someone send me a maid for my b-day, pplllleeeaaassee??? My ouse looks like a bomb went off! Clutter has run wild since I went back to school. Guess I know what I'll be doing for a week or two after classes end! Can I add on to my maid request? A dumpster would be a very nice accompaniment!

2006-04-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! I am very excited! I am going to participate in a new challenge, kind of a cross between an art journal and scrap album,and you can find it here. ArtsyMama is the host and has a wealth of information at her blog. And it will gve me the needed break from studying and help me keep up better with my sadly neglected blog here! :) A..N..D.. it's yet anothr great excuse to not start the daunting task of decluttering my house! Hey, all this clutter is fodder for my pages, right? hehehhe

2006-04-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

So last night, Steve and I coached our first t-ball practice! What fun! Steve has coached Little League for several years now, but Levi started right off in LL, not in t-ball. Claire wanted to play, and of course we want her to know she can do anything the boys can, and anything a hearing child can. The clinchers to the deal were - hehehehhe - the hot pink batting helmet and glove we found at Dick's. Too cute. Those kids were sooooo adorable! We had them practice hitting, throwing and running the bases. Running the bases took a few times as they kind of ran to wherever they saw their mom, dad or grandma standing, rather than to 1st, 2nd and 3rd, but they got there eventually. It was really funny, and just plain fun! Nice to play again for the love of it instead of to win! And right now, they just want to have fun, Winnning? ...Everybody wins!

2006-04-13T13:02:00.000-07:00

Week 1 Top 10 List - 10 worst habit or things I would change about me...
Top 10 Challenges found weekly here:http://digitopten.blogspot.com/
Keely's list read like it could have been mine!
1. I am ALWAYS late! Not so much with tasks and commitments, just in arriving anywhere everywhere! Smeone once told me it was selfishness- NOT- and I thought thay were being very judgemental. I am just not organized with my time! which brings me to
2. I am NOT organized. Not with my stuff, clothed, scheduling, anything.
3. I am obsessive with being perfect at the tasks I do take on (althgouh obviously not with my typing!).
4. I hate the way I feel about my body- BLECHT!
5. I wish I could stick with a diet and exercise routine, might have an effect on #4
6. I am not patient enough with my children. Sometimes I feel like I teat strangers better than my own family and I hate that because I love them so much!
7. Can't seem to stick with a devotional schedule. Have always wanted to, but doesn't last long, no matter how many times I restart it! But I keep trying.
8. I wish my brain absorbed and assimilated sign language much faster than it is! I want to know it NOW! Forwards and Backwards!
9. I wish I could let go for good of some things that have happened in the past. I think I have forgiven the parties, but is it really forgiving if it stll haunts me?
10.I get motion sickness REALLY easily! Even reading the sides of tractor trailers that pass us on the highway can trigger nausea- NOT fun!
Your Turn!

2006-04-13T11:43:00.000-07:00

So I was so excited to finally have my header on top of this baby, that I actually posted my blog addy at SBB and put it into my siggy at AllyScraps! Not that you will find anything but my extraordinarily bad typing and day to day rambling here, but fun to know it's out there.Just watched FlightPlan last night with Jodi Foster- Good movie- very suspenseful! Signed on to Netflicks yesterday as the VCR side of our DVD/VCR player up and died. And living in the sticks, we get no- and I mean NO tv reception! But the downside is that we have about 300 video tapes! Buuuutttt, I just had an epiphany- I don't ever have to watch another John Wayne Movie! YESSSS! Oh wait- they come in dvd to? I won't tell m dh and son if you don't! And if you do, I WILL FIND YOU! :)

So I was tagged this week! Heeee, it's like getting a little party invitation! But it's a tough tag! I am supposed to tell you about a person I admire and 4 reasons why I admire that person. There are too many people I admire to pick just one! Can I pick 4 (or maybe 40) and list 1 trait of each? heee, so who exactly am I expecting to answer that question- the Tag Police?
Let's see, I admire Keely, because of the obstacles and prejudice she has overcome and her amazing victorious spirit!
Amy Edwards, because she runs this amazing and HUGE business and because she is simply a dear friend and knows when I need a hug.
Ronalyn Barut and her awesome photography skills.
Sonya Johnston, Zee Helmick and Raechel Knight, ad Helen O'Daniel for their generous spirits in sharing their time and talents with me.
Dianne Rigdon who manages to design and homeschool and be a great wife and mom all at the same time!
Marie Brooks who has weathered more storms and risen like cream to the top!
And the list just goes on and on and on!
So Tag Police...catch me if you can, but not before I tag...Raechel!

Okay, so anyone know if there is Spell Check for blogs because my typing is horrid! But I am not likely to go back and fix stuff, so I gess y'all will have to put up with me and my typos or read elsewhere!

2006-04-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

WooHoo! Rachel Knight, aka knightsgal, is one fab chica! She helped me gussy up this baby! For the life of me, I couldn't find where to insert the url into the html to get my header in the right place! But she made it look like a cake walk. Some folks just have the knack, and are sweet enough to share it. Thank you Raechel!

Made this today using papers from Dianne Rigdon and ele's from Dani Brath. It was for a scraplift challenge at AllyScaps.com. This is a friend of ours at the baseball field with his new son. I just loved the masculinity and the delicacy of the dad and new babe in the photo.

Well it's after midnght, and I sooo need to go to bed! Kids have off tomorrow so you can bet, I'm gonna need my strength :). Hopefully will get to do my tag and Top 10.

I was all set to whine, but....

2006-04-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

Keely tagged me!!!! I was feeling all kinds of cruddy about my weekend that was supposed to be fabulous, and then Keely (http://sm52804.blogspot.com/) wrote the sweetest things and tagged me! So as soon as I get the lowdown on how t tag others, I will do that. Thanks Keely!

So my fabulous weekend with Steve at a B&B...in the loo-seriously! We went and had one wonderful eve on Friday- hot tub, fireplace, and no inerruptions- BLISS! Then Saturday morning, I woke up with some kind of serious stomach flu- spent the entire day on the sofa at our little getaway, barfing! Same thing Sunday when we came home and found out from the sitter that two of my three kidders had started barfing in the middle of the night as well! So not only do I have three hurling chunks, but a totally trashed house (male babysitters are fab with kids, but definitly don't think to keep the house in the same condition he found it in- to his credit though, e did dump the barf bowls and make sure the kids had showered), and not a clean blanket, sheet, pillow or towel in sight! AARRGGH! And then I findout that the mom who was supposed to cover the baseball carpool for me Friday eve totally forgot she had agreed to do it and was tee'd off at me and the other mom for not bringing her son home! Hello! We covered this! ......So Keely, you REALLY did brighten my day!

Did a very fun scraplift challenge today at SBB and gave me the perfect opportunity to sue this photo of my subversive son's Note Passing Pen. I picked it up to write with it, and discovered why it wouldn't write- because it had notes rolled up inside! Heeee..consoling myself that he is preparing for work in the CIA or FBI. Yeah, that's it!

Make it count!

2006-04-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Make every day count! Hug your babies, your hubby, your cat! Heard it all before? Do it anyway! I just heard yesterday that a very sweet 19yo girl from one of my sign language classes is in critical condition. Her water bottle rolled forward and got jammed under the break pedal of her car, causing a very serious car accident. This girl is one in a million. And so are you. Please, buckle up, don't leave things unsaid, hug those you care about, and just smile sweetly at everyone else. Yours may be the last one they see.
Sorry, had to get that in, not that anyone reads this as I haven't posted the addy anywhere, but just in the off chance that you happen to see it, there it is.
I found a very sweet little paper-scrapping site the other day called www.AllyScraps.com. The ladies there are awesome and here was this forum for digital scrappers that not a soul had posted to it! Well you know me, I just couldn't pass it up without saying howdy to those nice ladies, and offering to field any questions they might have on digital scrapping. So I did. And they even had a digital gallery. So I popped in a few layouts. I have to say, I sure love looking at paper-scrapped projects, not that I am considering switching, but I find them very inspiring! I adore digital, it just works for my personality, lifestyle, lack of storage and work space, and pocketbook, and my home away from home is www.Scrapbook-Bytes.com. But these ladies have some wonderful layouts in there and altered projects. I hope I can help inspire them as much!
And along the scrapping avenue, Darn! I wanted to look at Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Month of Memories e-book but it looks like her site is undergoing a revamp, o can't access the store. Whiiiining here!
On a personal note, Steve and I are going to a B&B this weekend. He is taking 1/2 a day off from work and meeting me after my last class, and off we go! am sooooo excited, I can't even tell you! We ve been to this one before, and it is just wonderful. Steve, me, hottub and fireplace, and satellite radio for a little mood music. What could be better than that??!!! I am having the hardest time ever concentrating on my classes just knowing that is waiting at week's end. Lots to do before then though as I have a major exam Friday morning, the house to get in order for the sitter, casseroles to prepare for them, permission slips to draft for emergency medical treatment for the kidders, and on and on and on the list goes. But it will sooooo be worth it to have a little R&R with my honey!

I wanna know!

2006-04-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Osmosis! Someone with html knowlege lay your hands on your monitor and send me html vibes, will ya? Please? :) I want to jazz this baby into this decade, but have no clue how. Of course I only want to spend 30 minutes doing it, and that isn't too likely, is it. One of these days, maybe I'll work through the Help section and figure it out. Yep, I will, when I'm done with college, have learned ASL forward and backwards, my children are no longer demanding that I cook, clean launder and run to sports practices and events. Yep, that's when I'll do it! Until then...think, "Sending Laurie html vibes...html vibes...html vibes..."

So who's big idea was this?

2006-04-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Miss Keely, that's who!!! Okay Keely, I now have a blog. Whether or not I'll actually remember to write in it is beyond me, but here she is. I wold love to figure out how to customize this uppy before I share the addy with anyone, and maybe I'll look like I actually have a clue to my techno-wizard brothers! Now that WOULD be fun!
Off to find tutorials on how to do this!