Sunday Scrappin'

Sunday Scrappin' November 30, 2008

This has been a crazy week and although I had three days off work I didn't get a whole lot of crafting done. I am working on another plastic canvas tissue cover but it's not done. So, I am going to show some of my bead work. This is the link for my Etsy shop that I have been working on to list all the crystal jewelry I made awhile ago along with my beaded ornament covers.

My to-do's this week are the same things I have had on here the past couple of weeks:

1. The boxes still need to be emptied outside of my craft room. I did work on these a bit this week but they are far from done.
2. Possibly get some scrapbooking done? Either paper or digital will be fine.
3. I have a number of classes that I took online that I either didn't finish or never started (other than getting the instructions or materials). So, I would like to work on some classes. I have vowed not to take any more classes until I finish up some of the ones I have already taken.
4. Continue working on my tissue box cover.

I did not do any challenge this week. NEXT WEEK'S CHALLENGE: Complete a gift item for someone else (card, page, whatever) and share the pattern/ details with us along with your finished project, just in case we're inspired to try your project ourselves.

I am glad that today is day 30 of NaBloPoMo. I posted 29 out of 30 days!

Happy Sunday!

Saturday 11/29/08

This is a picture from Thanksgiving of my sister, my mom and I.

Yesterday I took Brent and Bailey to see Madagascar 2 and then to lunch at Miller's Ale House. I tried to get some nylon yarn to finish a project but neither JoAnn's or Micheal's had what I needed. I will try Wally World some time this weekend and hopefully find what I need.

Today I am going to work on getting some of my Christmas decorations out and put up. I took down all the Thanksgiving stuff yesterday.

Day 28 of 30 of NaBloPoMo.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins November 28, 2008

1. My stomach is too fluffy.

2. Turkey and sweet potato casserole is what I ate the most of on Thursday.

3. The yard is something I don't worry about since we have a lawn maintenance service.

4. Home is where I'd rather be at any given time.

5. The smell of L'Air de Temps reminds me of my Mom.

6. Some focus is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a nice, quite dinner at home with Dave, tomorrow my plans include taking Brent to a movie and doing some crafting and Sunday, I want to go to church and maybe organize the gifts I have bought for Christmas!

Day 27 of 28 for NaBloPoMo.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I am busy cooking and cleaning this morning. And looking forward to spending the day with my family eating good food!

Day 26 of 27 of NaBloPoMo.

I Forgot...

to post last night and messed up my run for NaBloPoMo. I got home from bowling and was just so tired I never even got on the computer. Oh well.

Today Brent had his psych eval and it was determined he will try a medication to see if it will help with his concentration. He was to see his counselor but she had a family emergency and we didn't get to see her today. We went and had breakfast and then come home. He is with the youth group on a hayride and a bonfire.

We are expecting big crowd for Thanksgiving tomorrow. My mom and dad are driving down and my sister and two of her kids will be here. Brandon invited his girlfriend and his best friend. I am looking forward to great company and great food.

Day 25 of 26 of NaBloPoMo.

Monday Stuff

Another Monday done. I really don't like Mondays, especially when I am working. I was so tired this morning but couldn't sleep past 5:30. We were really busy at work. Everyone trying to get things fixed before Thanksgiving. I am off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Brent has his psych eval and an appt with Ms Bonnie Wednesday morning, then we are going to lunch and the movies.

Dave gets home tomorrow evening. He has had a couple of rough days. I will be happy to have him home and have things back to normal.

Day 24 of NaBloPoMo.

Sunday Scrappin'

I wasn't sure I was going to get anything done this week for Sunday Scrappin'. With the new job, Dave's Mom passing away and my Mom being diagnosed with colon cancer I was sure I wouldn't get a thing done. But I took some time last night and worked on this:

This is an altered Crystal Light container (which I have many). I just covered it in snowflake paper, tied a ribbon around it and decorated the front and lid with some paper cut with my Nestabilities and a punched snowflake. Inside the container are 13 York peppermint patties decorated with the same snowflake decoration and two candy canes to fill in the empty space. I am making these for Brent's teachers. He has four teachers he wants to give gifts to it will be these and something else small. They are nothing fancy but fun to do.

This coming week I want to make some kind of Thanksgiving place card and/or favor. My guest list keeps growing - Brandon has invited both his girlfriend and his best friend. I also need to empty the boxes at the top of the stairs. They have been there quite a while and they need to disappear! I took Jessica Sprague's Stories in Hand class. My binder finally got here yesterday so I need to get all the pages cut and put in the binder. They are all printed out and ready.

The challenge for last week was to use a template. I did not use a template. This week's challenge is a unique one. Each of the participant's is to make a challenge for the next person. My challenge is to recycle - create something from a throw away item. Kind of like my Crystal Light container. I keep lots of different containers and stuff and would like to get some ideas on using them.

Happy Sunday! Day 23 of NaBloPoMo.

Saturday 11/22/08

This morning I took Brent to league and Brandon and I bowled three games. I don't think I am ever going to be a great bowler so I will just try to have fun. We went for breakfast at Waffle House afterwards and it was nice to spend some quality time with the boys. Brandon cleaned out his van and put the Christmas tree up for me after we got home. I am working on laundry and eBay and Etsy stuff. I want to get the tree decorated before Thursday since I would like to take some family pictures to include in my Christmas cards.

Tomorrow is going to be craft day. I haven't done much crafting lately and I have a couple of projects I would like to make for Christmas presents.

Dave has to run into work for an hour then he will be leaving for his flight to Michigan. He will be home on Tuesday and I will be glad to have him back here full time.

My mom went to the doctors on Thursday and in for a PET scan on Friday. Her surgery has been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd. She will be in the hospital for 5-7 days and recovery is 6-8 weeks. She is trying to get her Christmas shopping done before she has to go to the hospital. No word yet on chemo or radiation.

Day 22 of NaBloPoMo.

Friday Night Shopping

Dave and I went shopping tonight for some clothes for him to go back to Michigan with. We started at Goodwill, then went to Beall's, then finally to Wal-Mart. He got a pair of dress pants, a white long-sleeved oxford shirt, a pair of jeans and a sweater, all for $59. You can beat Wal-Mart.

I am tired after my first week back to work in a year. It was nice to get a paycheck even if it was for only three days and much less per hour than I am used to. I am hoping I can sleep in in the morning. I have been waking up at 4 a.m. having to go to the bathroom, then lay in bed half asleep until 5 or 5:30. At least getting up that early gives me time to do some eBay and Etsy listings.

I am off to bed. Day 21 of NaBloPoMo.

A Sad Morning

We got the call this morning a little before 1 a.m. Dave's mother has gone home to be with the Lord. As much as we knew this was happening it is a sad, sad day. A strong, caring woman has left this earth. Dave will be flying out again Saturday for the funeral on Monday.

Hump Day

Today is Dave's birthday. And he is traveling home as I write. His mom is not doing well at all. He is hoping that she doesn't go on his birthday. I am looking forward to him being home.

Day 19 of NaBloPoMo.

Tuesday News

I am one of those people that the busier I am the more I get done. Now that I have 50 daytime hours being spent outside the home I have to make better use the hours I do have at home. Now, I am not saying that I really like working but I do seem to better manage my time while I am working. I was up at 5 this morning. Did a load of laundry, listed items on eBay and Etsy, had a cup of coffee, fixed my lunch and left for work at 7:30. When I got done with work I went to the library to check out two books that were on hold for me. My bestest friend Wendy recommended The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond and True Evil by Greg Iles. She usually has the same reading style I do so I am excited to read these books. Right now I am reading the third in the Twilight series. I really like the first book - the rest not as much - but I feel I need to finish them. I have the fourth book requested at the library.

Dave is coming home tomorrow. Tomorrow is his birthday and he gets to spend the day traveling. He gets on the bus to take him to the airport at noon and his flight doesn't leave until 6. He gets home here sometime after 8:30. It will be a long day. I will be happy to have him at home. His mom is not doing well at all. She slept most of the day today and hardly said anything. Hospice nurses are coming in three times a day. I am glad he got to go and see her. He also got to spend some quality time with his daughter.

My mom is scheduled for her surgery December 1 which is the Monday after Thanksgiving. Her CAT scan didn't show any other problems. She is scheduled for a PET scan on Thursday and is seeing another Oncologist to see if she will need radiation or chemo after the surgery.

Brandon and I went to league tonight. I bowled really crappy but it probably has to do with the fact that I am so tired. He pretty much told me tonight that a decision that I had almost made was dumb. That I wasn't thinking things through and I needed to reconsider. He is such a good kid and really looks out for me. And it's nice that he is open enough to tell me what he feels.

I am going to put my warm jammies, grab the dogs and another blanket and go to bed. It is supposed to be in the low 30's tomorrow morning with the wind chill. And for us Southwest Floridians that is COLD!

Day 18 of NaBloPoMo.

Monday Update

My mom got to spend 5 hours at the clinic today and she still doesn't know much more than she did when she went in. She had a CAT scan today and is scheduled for a PET scan. Her surgeon and her oncologist are going to decide if she will have chemo before or after the surgery.

My first day of work was fine. There is a lot to learn but I think it will be a job that keeps me busy.

I am going to find something decent to watch on tv and then I am sure I will be in bed early tonight.

Day 17 of NaBloPoMo.

Sunday Scrappin'

Sunday Scrappin' #53 November 16, 2008

My ta-da's this week are not scrapbook related. I finished a plastic canvas cover for a tissue box and my M & M curtains for my craft room. No paper or digital scrapbook pages this week at all. If you frequent my blog, you will know I have had a Worst Week this past week. My mom was diagonosed with colon cancer, my mother in law is on her deathbed, my father-in-law is in the hospital and I have had someone very close to me lie. I have also had some good things happen this week - I got a job (not that I wanted a job but if the mortgage payment is to be made I better be working) and both my son and I registered for college (not at the same one). Here's hoping for a better week.

I love that there is a different animal pattern on all four side of the tissue box.

And my M & M curtains are just a valance but I am so happy with it.

I am not making any promised for to-do's this week. With working full time for the first time in a year I don't think I will have too much excess energy to craft. I didn't get last week's challenge done to make something Thanksgiving but maybe I'll make some placecards for Thanksgiving dinner.

Day 16 of NaBloPoMo.

Blog Makeover

I haven't done any scrapbooking this week, not paper or digital. I thought I would try and do a makeover on my blog. Although I loved my old blog this one is really me. I love leopard print and pink with it is so Bailey.

I think Brent might be coming down with something. He has been sleeping for about three hours and he is just too tired to get up. It would be just my luck this week for him to be sick on Monday since that is my first day of work.

I am hoping I can find something decent to watch on tv tonight as I am whipped.

Saturday 11/15/08

My Mom's doctor called yesterday afternoon and the growth is malignant. As scary as this is, my Mom is holding up really, really well. I, on the other hand, am a basket case. I am usually the one who holds up well but I guess it is my turn to be the weepy one. She goes to see the surgeon Monday morning so I am sure I will have an update then.

Dave's stepdad was admitted to the hospital last night. On top of the problems he was having, he had a reaction to the dye they gave him for the CT scan and then was having chest pains. So, the admitted him. Dave and his brothers were going to the hospital to see him this morning. Rosemary is still holding on.

I was fortunate to be able to go and pick Bailey up last night. She is such a doll and brings a smile to her Grandma's face. We snacked on White Cheddar Cheez-its last night and then went to bed. She woke this morning with a smile on her face. What a blessing to have this baby that we adore and who adores us right back.

Brent has been working on a big project for school. He has to make a pyramid, a step pyramid, a sarcophogus and a sphinx. He made the step pyramid from sugar cubes and his sphinx from clay and they are both done. He has started his sarcophogus and it is made of wood. He needs to finish one side, add the lid and decorate and paint it. And he is making his pyramid from foam board and then covering it with sand. I am amazed with the projects these teachers come up with. I spent about $20 on all the supplies and have had to help him quite a bit. Crazy!

Well, I really need to work on getting this house straightened up. And I need to do some serious listing on eBay.

Day 15 of NaBloPoMo.

Finally Friday!

To say this has been a trying week would be an understatement! I kept thinking things couldn't get any worse but that hasn't been true. I just keep in mind that God won't give me more than I can handle.



Yesterday my Mom had a colonoscopy and they found a growth that will have to be surgically removed. She is at the doctor's right now and they may know if it is benign. She also had ulcers and the lining of her esophagus is inflammed. They have given her medication for the inflammation and hopefully we will know soon what is going on with the growth.



Dave had to take his Mom's husband to the ER. He is one of two caregivers for his Mom and now he thinks a hernia has ruptured.



On a positive note, I have a job. The place I interviewed at on Wednesday called me this morning and I accepted. I start Monday. I had another interview this morning but the pay there was even less than the job I took. I also got another call for an interview with Sam's Club so will call and see about that as possibly a second job.



I spent a couple of hours with Brandon at the University at his orientation. He is registering for classes now. He is very excited and I am excited for him.



I am praying that next week is less hectic.



Day 14 of NaBloPoMo.

Thursday Stuff

I can hardly believe how fast this week has flown by. I have gotten nothing done around the house this week. Yesterday I took Nicole to pay her traffic ticket and get her license. She had gotten a $220 ticket, couldn't afford to pay for it and then her license got suspended. Well, she can't get to work without a license so her dad stepped up and gave her the money to pay her ticket and get her license. We didn't have to wait too long either place so I did a good deed and got to spend time with my daugher and granddaughter.



My interview went well last night. They said they would be making a decision by Friday. The job would start Monday.



Please keep both my Mom and Dave in your prayers. Dave left last night for Michigan. His mom is not doing well and she has really been wanting to see him. She was given two weeks to live a month ago so she is really on borrowed time. Her passing will be very hard on Dave as he talks to his mom nearly every day.



My Mom is going in this moring for a colonoscopy. She has been having stomach problems for a few months now and it was getting too bad to deal with at home. There is a history of stomach problems in her family so hopefully it will be something she can control with diet.



Day 13 of NaBloPoMo.

Wednesday News

I have a job interview tonight at 6 p.m. It sounds like a perfect position for me. Pay is a bit lower than I am used to but something is better than nothing. Wish me luck.

Day 12 of NaBloPoMo.

It hurts...

Just a quick post and a quick statement. It hurts when the people who are the closest to you are not honest with you.

Day 11 of NaBloPoMo.

A Birthday Celebration

Can you tell Bailey and Papa love each other? And yes, you can see her curls at the base of her neck. Yeah, finally,some hair! Her mom had very little hair until she was about four.

We celebrated Dave's birthday on Sunday. His birthday is not until the 19th but my Mom was here and I invited my kids and my sister to join us. I will take him out to dinner on his real birthday. We had beef stroganoff over noodles, mixed vegetables and carrot salad. Dave had to go and buy his own birthday cake. I wanted to get an ice cream cake but the Wal-Mart I went to didn't have any so I had to send Dave. Funny! He even had Carvel write Happy Birthday Dave on the cake.

My Mom and I went shopping again today. She had to pick up a prescription for my Dad so we went a couple of places. I was able to find the dollhouse I wanted to get for Bailey for Christmas and I picked up a few other things. I also stopped at Home Depot and got some wallpaper border paste. My Mom and I started putting up the wallpaper border in the master bedroom but I needed a different kind of paste. I am anxious to finish the border but will need to get someone to help me as my Mom went home this afternoon.

Day 10 of NaBloPoMo.

Sunday Scrappin'

Sunday Scrappin #52 November 9, 2008

I looked over my list of to-do's from last week to see if any were ta-da's for this week. I did make some progress.

1. I emptied one of the two boxes upstairs.


2. My Mom and I finished her Christmas cards.


3. I designed and finished my Christmas cards. You can see our Christmas cards here as well as the Christmas Planner we both made.


4. I also completed quite a few digital layouts:
   
   

   My to-do's for this week include:

   
   
   
   
   1. Work on emptying boxes upstairs.
   
   
   2. I am aiming to have my 2006 photos all scrapbooked by the end of the year. I think most of the rest of the photos I have I want to paper scrapbook so I need to get in my room and scrapbook.
   
   
   3. I have an idea for altering a Crystal Light container into teacher gifts. I will let you know how that turns out.
   
   

   Last week's challenge was to use a sketches posted online. I use sketches quite frequently in both paper and digital scrapbooking. This week I used digital templates from Chris Greiser. I am amazed that there are so many ladies willing to share their talents and put digital freebies out there.

   
   

   This week's challenge is to something related to Thanksgiving. A perfect excuse to get my cards made. Now if I just send them. I made Halloween cards but never mailed them.
   

   
   
   
   
   
   

Saturday 11/08/08

Today Brandon, Mom and I went bowling. Brandon is trying to teach me to throw a curve ball but it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. But we had fun and that is all that matters.

After bowling, we went to Wal-Mart again. I needed to get groceries for our get together tomorrow. I still need to get a cake for Dave's birthday. I couldn't believe Wal-Mart did not have any ice cream cakes. I will have to stop at either Publix or Sweetbay sometime tomorrow to get that.

Dinner and dessert are in the oven and Mom and I chatting.

Day 8 of NaBloPoMo.

Friday Fill-Ins

Friday Fill-Ins #97

1. My blueprint for success includes having a plan and working the plan.
2. Payday was the last candy I ate.
3. The best facial moisturizer I've ever used is Arbonne RE9.
4. Crafting can be good therapy.
5. I'd like to tell you about my granddaughter, Bailey.
6. Honesty is my strongest characteristic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Dave coming home, tomorrow my plans include bowling and Sunday, I want to have the family over to celebrate Dave's birthday!

Day 7 of NaBloPoMo.

Marathon Shopping

One of the things that my Mom wanted to do while she was here was Christmas shopping. Well today was that day. I am happy to say that I completed well over half of my shopping today. We had three shopping carts full at Wal-Mart. I am done with all three of the kids and Dave. I really only have my Mom and Dad to finish. Hard to shop for your Mom when she is with you. And I am extremely happy about this because I HATE to shop. I usually have Dave do the grocery shopping and I only go to the craft stores.

Day 6 of NaBloPoMo.

Wednesday Fun

I usually go and check out everyone's link at Sunday Scrappin' and this week I saw this cool Holiday Planner on Krista's blog. Mom and I were at Micheal's and saw these cute notebooks in their $1 bin and promptly purchased two. Can you say CUTE? I love the way these turned out. We used Close to My Heart paper and rubbber stamps, stamping the titles and embossing them. Love it! We are already planning our planners for next year.

I promised pictures of the cards my mom and I made. The Christmas tree card is my card. I used my Cuttlebug and ran fuzzy green paper and my brass tree stencil through it. I then added the gold brad and star brad, mounted on gold paper and added a gold bow. Then the whole thing was mounted on a dark green card. I like the way these turned out.
My mom's card are eight years in the making. We planned these eight years ago and we just this year got them done. We used stamps from Close to My Heart, stamping the holly leaf and berries on fuzzy paper and cut them out, highlighted with gold and mounted them on cream colored cardstock stamped with the argyle background. Strips of red accent the sides of the cream cardstock and them whole thing is mounted on green cardstock. Then a green and a gold ribbon is knotted on the side of card. We then stamped a mini holly leaf and berry on the corner of the envelope.

Mom and I went thrift store shopping today. I got some books, some blue and yellow ceramic items for the kitchen, a bunch of stuff for Bailey and some other goodies. We had a hot brown for lunch and met up with Nicole and took Bailey for the rest of the afternoon. She is still sleeping but I think I will go and wake her. We are having steak salad (with french fries) for dinner. I have to run to the grocery store and McDonald's (for the fries).

Looking over my last few posts it seems I can't count. Today is day 5 of 30 for NaBloPoMo. Duh!

Tuesday News

Today my Mom and I decided to stay home and craft. We finished both her and my Christmas cards. They both turned out really nice. I will either scan or photograph them and post them tomorrow. We also altered a $1 spiral bound notebook into a Christmas 2008 planner. They were fun to do and will be very useful for the holiday season. I will also post them tomorrow.

We went to league tonight. I haven't bowled in two weeks so my scores weren't great but we had fun. My Mom and I are planning to bowl some time this week.

Tomorrow Mom and I are heading to the thrift stores. I haven't been in ages so am looking forward to what I might find.

Off to watch and see who our new president will be.

Day 3 of 3 of NaBloPoMo.

Can You Say "Bad Daughter"?

Ok, so my Mom is here. And we had a birthday celebration for her birthday that was in August. AND I FORGOT TO TAKE PICTURES. Bad daughter! We had a yummy dinner of Italian Baked Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, spinach and cottage cheese. And we had an awesome Chocolate Turtle ice cream cake and we had presents. BUT WE HAD NO PICTURES. I think I will make her sit in front of her presents and take her picture just so I have a picture to scrapbook.

I think we are going to work on Christmas Cards today. I have decided on a design. A few years ago I found a really cute card that I was going to duplicate. The past two years I haven't been able to round up all the supplies needed to complete that design. Now that I have all the supplies, I can't find them! Oh well, hopefully they will turn up and I can do them for next year. I just have too many unorganized boxes of craft supplies.

Day 3 of 3 on NaBloPoMo