Manders' Musings

So... it's been a while, huh?

2012-02-07T18:55:00.000-06:00

Since my last post in October, life continued to crash ahead at breakneck speed. I am proud to say that I successfully graduated nursing school - with an A my last semester, no less! This morning I took the board exam. Even though I won't know for sure until Thursday, I feel great about it. I could not have been any more prepared than I was, and I was calm and level-headed for the whole thing. It was an incredible blessing to have the texts and Facebook messages from friends who were praying for me. In all my years as a church-goer, I've never had a group of people who loved me like this little church of mine does.

I'm still searching for a job. I never dreamed that finding a job as a nurse would prove to be so difficult, given the constant hype about the supposed nursing shortage. I guess in my part of the country the "shortage" is somewhat fictional - or at least dependent more on finances than need for workers. I've had one interview so far, but didn't get the position. I do interview tomorrow and Thursday, and I am praying that there will be an offer for me soon. God is providing our needs, but there is no room to spare. Our grocery budget is minimal - $50 a week is the best I get, and that has to include all our toiletries and household items as well. I've learned to coupon, and in the month of January managed to save 45% off of the retail price on the things I purchased. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.

In all this, I've had to learn to lean on God. At times I have been so frustrated and angry; after all, I'm doing my best for Him, so why are we so broke? - but then I remember that His ways are not my ways, and that we are still eating! Yes, it may be Tuna Helper or spaghetti, but we aren't starving.

In October, we had an out-of-the-blue moment, and Jeff was offered a job with Hospice. This was an area he truly wanted to work, and it was almost a 40% pay increase. Had that not happened, we really would be starving now, and probably homeless, too.

Yes, God is good. I may not have a job yet, but I trust in Him and His provision. In the meantime, I am rejoicing in multiple blessings - from precious friends to an unbelievable spiritual growth spurt that has nearly knocked my socks off! Greater things are coming, and I can't wait to see what is in store.

My Church

2011-10-02T19:02:00.000-05:00

Jeff & I have been blessed to be a part of a church plant of Harvest Bible Chapel. Our lives were turned inside-out and upside-down in the process, and not in a bad way! I adore so much our little congregation. Everyone works hard to do their part, and in a few short months I have forged friendships unlike any I've had in years.

We officially launched three weeks ago. Here's a video of our launch weekend:

Harvest Bible Chapel Chattanooga Launch Service from Harvest Bible Chapel Chattanooga on Vimeo.

We are both proud and humbled to be a part of such a wonderful group of Christians. I can't get enough of it!

There are HBCs popping up all over the country (and the world!). If you live near one, or are visiting near one, I highly encourage you to check it out. Here is a list of all the existing and soon-to-be HBCs.

At Harvest, we have a saying - healthy things grow. Well, let me be the first to tell you that Harvest is practically exploding! God has blessed us over and over, and I totally believe He'll keep right on doing so.

I can't wait to see what's next!

No-Poo Do: An Update

2011-09-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

It's been a week now since I last used shampoo.

(It feels weird to say that. Like I'm rebelling against something!) This is what one week has gotten me:

Cons:
My hair just feels weird. I can't quite get used to the texture. It's not soft and silky, but not hard and gritty, either. Sunday I worked up quite a sweat, and it felt like I'd doused my hair in aqua net and then jumped in a swimming pool. Ew.

I miss the feel of lathering up shampoo.

I miss the scent of my shampoo. Baking soda and vinegar has no scent whatsoever once it is rinsed out of your hair.

Pros:
My straight, flat, shapeless hair actually has body. Even if I go two days without washing, it still has some life. It's not just my imagination, either - I've had several people comment that it looks fuller.

I can go a full 48 hours without washing and my hair doesn't look like a grease pit. It does start to get a little funky at the end of the second day, but it's nothing that a headband won't fix, and certainly not as bad as it was before.

It's cheap. I mixed up two cups of each a week ago and I still have some left.

Verdict:
I am defnitely going to keep at it. I suspect that I am still in the "breaking-in" phase, and my hair hasn't really adjusted yet. Although my hair looks much fuller, and it's masking to some degree the thinness on top, it's far too early to tell if it will really make a difference in how much hair I have.

Each time I wash it I spend a good 1-2 minutes just massaging my scalp, and I think that helps. Sunday, after I felt like I had helmet head, I wet my hair and just used the apple cider vinegar as a rinse. It felt smoother and softer, but it also was oily by the next morning.

At this point, the pros definitely outweight the cons, for much the same reasons as women wear heels - if it looks good, we are willing to endure a little pain/discomfort/irritation. I'm going to stick with it for a full month and see where I'm at then.

The Great No-Poo 'Do Experiment

2011-09-15T23:23:00.000-05:00

One interesting effect of Pinterest is that I am finding all sorts of alternatives to self-care and household products. One that keeps popping up is the idea of a no-shampoo hair care regimen. At first I was repulsed and ignored it completely. I mean, really - who wants to not wash her hair? It brought up all these images of nappy matted smelly hair. Gross. Plus my hair is really oily and the thought of not using shampoo was mildly terrifying.

But it just kept coming up, and the more I got to reading, the more curious I got. It seems the majority of folks going No-Poo were doing it because of the horrific effect of the gawsh-awful chemical in the shampoo.

I decided to give it a go, but my reasons are not nearly so altruistic. I'm cheap, and baking soda and vinegar (yes, you read correctly - baking soda and vinegar replace shampoo) are really cheap - especially when you consider that you dilute them in water.

The other reason is that my hair is falling out. My hair is as thin as the little old ladies in a nursing home. No joke. It's just on top, but of course that's what everyone sees. I'm terribly self-conscious about it. I recently chopped off a good 14 inches, which helped somewhat, but it's still really really thin.

I hate that.

So I decided to give it a whirl, since many people said their hair felt fuller and healthier. I'm up for that! Anything to make my mane a little healthier - and it doesn't hurt that it's so cheap!

I'm told there's a breaking-in phase, where you hair thinks you're punishing it and pours out all kinds of oil. It supposedly can last one week to several months. I washed my hair with the baking soda/vinegar combo yesterday morning, and while it felt sorta greasy all day today, it didn't really look greasy until tonight. We shall see how this progresses in the days to come.

Here's how I did the mixtures: one tablespoon baking soda to one cup water. The water will dissolve the baking soda and it won't settle. Just pour it over your head and massage gently into your scalp. It won't make any suds whatsoever, but the cool water actually feels pretty good, and after a bit of rubbing, my hair starts to feel smooth and even a little slick. I let that sit on my hair while I take care of other stuff (like my prickly legs), then rinse out.

The next step is a vinegar rinse. Strangely enough, the baking soda replaces the shampoo, and it's the acidic apple cider vinegar that replaces the conditioner. My feeble brain just cannot work that one out. How in the world something as acidic as vinegar can condition is beyond me.

But I digress. . . . I used the same one tablespoon to one cup water ratio for the ACV. Both concoctions are in bottles in my shower. I am buying spray bottles tomorrow to make it a little easier to apply. The vinegar should be applied to ends only (especially if you have oily hair - or so I'm told), and that's pretty hard to do when you have short hair and the vinegar-water just pours right through your fingertips. Anyway, I do the best I can to get it on the ends, and then rinse it out fairly quickly.

I don't dry my hair any more than absolutely necessary. I let it air dry most of the way, and then break out the dryer to keep it from being too flat.

So far, my hair doesn't really look or feel much different, though I suspect that will change over time.

I will keep you posted. :)

Life: Full Steam Ahead!

2011-09-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

If the day ever comes when I have absolutely nothing to do, I really will have no clue how to handle it! Life is crazy, and while it generally makes me crazy, too, I don't think I'd have it any other way.

School has started back. It's my last semester. In fact, I just had my board picture made yesterday - talk about exciting stuff! I was also asked if I wanted to serve as a tutor for my class and the new night class. Since this will provide a little extra moolah after my work-at-home job ends, I jumped on the chance.

And church - lemme tell you, church is some exciting stuff right now! We are involved in a church plant of a Harvest Bible Chapel, and our launch is the 18th! It's been an incredible trip - we started in right at the beginning, and have been blessed along the way to see our tiny little crew of four families grow to a group of about 35 adults and 40 kids. Words can't adequately describe how awesome it has been to see God working through the lives of the launch team.

I've been tasked with being the administrator for Fellowship One, the program we use to track everything from attendance to contributions to background checks for volunteers. Right now it's a big job, but once we get past launch, I don't think it will be quite so time-consuming. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to use my job skills to serve.

I've also been given the opportunity to use my creative abilities - by acting as the photographer for the church (at least until someone comes along who can do it better than I can, at which point I will gladly hand over the camera).

And - Jeff & I are greeters. Jeff heads up the greeter team, so I get to help him with some of the technical stuff, like setting up mailing lists and proofreading correspondence before it goes out.

Right now we are small, and everyone is doing a lot. It's a great blessing to be needed again. I truly haven't felt that in years. I adore our little congregation, and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

So, all these things, plus other craziness like baby showers and grocery shopping and errands and such are keeping me crazy busy.

But even in the sleep-deprived haze, I know I've got a lot to be thankful for.

Yeah. Life is good.

Rain ... Blessed Rain

2011-09-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

August was officially the driest month on record for Chattanooga, Tennessee ... ever. I believe the total "rainfall" was 0.01 inches - and I used quotes because that miniscule amount can hardly be called rainfall! In fact, we actually went over 31 days without so much as a drop of rain.

Enter Tropical Storm Lee.

Since late last night, we have been deluged with a steady, heavy rain. The last official numbers from the local news station showed us with 6.32 inches. The previous record for a 24-hour rainfall was 7.61 inches. I don't think there's any doubt we'll break that record today.

How's that for crazy? I suppose someone was praying for rain - in the span of 24 hours, we are going to break two records!

All that said, it is so pleasant where I am. We have an aluminum awning over the front porch, and the rain sounds positively heavenly. The air has cooled to the low 70s, and it is a welcome break from the miserable upper 90-degree heat wave that I thought would never end. Braeden has enjoyed it as well. It took some convincing, but I finally got him outside to play in the rain. He splashed in the mud puddles, creating some pretty impressive "waves."

All this gives me hope that fall might actually come to Tennessee this year. Bring it on - I am ready!

Plastic Bottle Tip

2011-08-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

Since we moved to an area that actually offers recycling, I've been building up quite a stash to take the local center. Since I've been on quite the repurposing kick lately, there have been some things that I wanted to keep for my own re-use.

I buy a lot of coffee syrup from DaVinci Gourmet. Usually I get the glass bottles, but sometimes I buy it at Sam's and get plastic instead. Although these bottles are recyclable, they are also pretty enough to use in other ways. . . if you can get the label off.

Today I had an epiphany. (I'm sorry, no pic - I tried but it just wouldn't photograph well.) I've never liked to get the label wet to remove it. I think that just makes it messier. But then I had the brilliant idea of putting water inside the bottle to loosen the glue, and it worked like a charm!

Just fill the bottle with the hottest water you can get from the tap. Let it sit for about five minutes, then the label will peel right off, glue and all. It may not come off in one piece, but it is still much easier to remove.

And if you've known this since the Dark Ages, humor me and pretend that this is news to you. :)

Make Your Own Coasters

2011-08-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

As if I needed something else to occupy my time, I have discovered Pinterest.

Oh. My. Word.

In case you haven't checked it out, you need to - it's a virtual idea board, filled with goodies from all corners of the web. I have found more things to make and cook than I ever could get done in my lifetime.

As an aside: you can "follow" people's feeds... follow me @ mandalee65. :)

Anyhoo, one pin that's been floating around lately is for homemade coasters, using floor tiles. This seemed like an easy and quick project, and since I've never actually had a set of coasters, I decided to try it. First, the result (forgive the somewhat fuzzy picture):

Since my living room is a combination of red, black, white(ish), and tan, I dug up some old B&W scrapbook papers for the project. It's super-easy - so much so that a kid could do it. Anyhow, here's a tutorial, in case you're too tired or impatient to go the trial-and-error route. :)

Supplies

4x4 floor tiles, the smoothest surface you can find
scrapbook paper, the heavier the better
Mod Podge
foam brushes
Mod Podge acrylic sealer
old credit or gift card
sandpaper
felt to match the paper

1. Clean the tiles, making sure to get rid of all the dust.

2. Trim scrapbook paper to size of the tile. It doesn't have to be perfect since you'll be sanding off the edges anyway.

3. Using a foam brush (soooo much easier than a paintbrush), spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the surface of the tile. Be sure to cover it evenly as possible.

4. Carefully lay paper on tile. You can sorta move it once it's down, but you risk tearing the paper. It's best to get as close as possible the first try.

5. Using the gift card as a squeegee, smooth out the paper onto the tile. This prevents bubbles and ensures a good stick.

6. Brush a coat of Mod Podge over the paper. Get it as smooth as you possibly can. Once the first layer is dry, use the sandpaper to smooth out the edges and make it fit the tile. Brush off any dust and apply another coat of Mod Podge.

7. Once both coats are completely dry, apply 2-3 coats of Mod Podge to the edges of the tile. This helps smooth out some of the roughness and just makes them feel nicer to hold.

8. When dry, spray with Mod Podge acrylic sealer. I did 3 coats.

9. Cut felt to fit the bottom of the tiles. (Note: they may say they are 4x4, but they're actually more like 3 3/4 x 3 3/4.) Adhesive-backed felt would be easiest, but I couldn't find any, so I used Scotch clear Scrapbooker's Glue to adhere the felt. It is holding quite nicely and didn't bleed through the felt, even though I used quite a bit.

There you have it - an easy-peasy project that would make really great hostess gifts or Christmas presents.

New School

2011-08-09T19:14:00.000-05:00

As much as I have looked forward to moving, the prospect of putting B in a new school was nerve-wracking at best. ACE was a complete unknown - we assumed he would be going to the larger Red Bank Elementary, but it turned out we were zoned for this tiny little school tucked back into a subdivision that half the people in Hamilton County had never heard of. Before the summer was out, we'd had a few people tell us B would do well there, but still - I didn't know a darn thing about it.

Tonight we went to meet his teacher, and a lot of my concerns were laid to rest. This school year will be much different than his previous ones. JES always kept the same class with the same teacher all day long. This time, he'll spend his day with all three teachers. Instead of kids being lumped together without respect to ability, they will be divided into groups according to how well they do. I think this is ideal for Braeden. Based on last year's scores, I anticipate him being put into the higher level classes. The kid needs to be challenged, and I think this setup is ideal for that.

Other things I liked: each teacher is doing the same subject all day long. This means she can concentrate on one thing instead of struggling with a zillion different subjects. Also, AR awards are given out every ten points, and an emphasis is placed on them that I hope will encourage B to read more.

Best of all (don't laugh at me) ....

He can take peanut butter to school!!!

Yeah. JES didn't allow it, and I have the pickiest kid in the world - one who won't eat much of anything, but loves peanut butter. Packing lunches him for him at JES was frustrating and expensive, because about the only thing he'd eat was pizza lunchables. Now the pizza can be a treat, and I will feel better sending him a healthier natural PB & honey on wheat, anyway.

So all in all, I'm feeling pretty good about this. I still don't like that he has a dress code (ridiculous in elementary, if you ask me), but I can tolerate that so long as I think he's getting what he needs.

Yep. I'm feeling pretty thankful (and relieved) tonight.

From drab to (sort-of) fab!

2011-08-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

I've been on a repurposing kick lately. Remember this? (Of course you do; it's only one post down! lol)

Yuck, right?

So are you ready to see the final product? It ain't perfect, but I learned some things, and I still think it was a huge improvement!

After peeling off the "decoupage" - which actually turned out to be a huge cheap sticker - I was left with a lot of ooky glue on the edges. I sanded at it for all I was worth, but it didn't quite come off. I originally wanted to do a checkerboard design, but then I decided to try my hand at a harlequin pattern instead.

In the process, I learned a few things:

1) I will never do a large-scale harlequin pattern. It is a tremendous pain in the rear to get it lined up right. As you can see, one of my corner diamonds is a little wonky.

2) I finished it off with a satin Krylon finish, but it created this weird dust-like stuff that had to be wiped off after each coat. Not sure if I'll use that again or not.

3) For small projects like this, good old Scotch tape is wonderful for marking off edges! It lays down easily, removes easily without messing up the paint, and I didn't have one bit of bleed. Obviously, it won't work on a rough surface, but for a small project with a smooth surface, I do believe it is better than masking tape.

This took a while, but I'm pleased with the result. Now it's off to work on the weird grape/olive thing. :)

What I OUGHT to be doing...

2011-07-28T18:33:00.001-05:00

I really should be cleaning up the house. And working on a paper. And a project (both for school). And studying. And stuff like that.

So why have I spent a large chunk of the last couple of days dreaming about ways to redesign, repurpose, and reuse?

Seriously.... when the proverbial bee gets in my bonnet, I get in big trouble. I tend to have a rather obsessive personality anyway, and since my creativity has been more than a little stifled the last few months (24, to be exact), I'm practically bursting at the seams to make... something.

Actually, I have all sorts of brilliant plans, hopefully that don't involve destroying anything. For instance...

My hutch. It was an anonymous gift to us shortly after we were married, and the sturdiest piece of furniture I own that Dad didn't build. I've used it for dishes, Christmas decorations, books, and DVDs. I'm pretty sure the thing is indestructible. I actually really like it, but it's sadly dated and since I didn't know what to do with when we moved, it wound up in this sad corner in the basement.

I have a major storage problem in this house, and because of that, my scrapbook stuff is crammed under my bed and in any spare closet space I can find (which believe me, isn't much). The biggest issue facing me right now is my collection of scrapbook. It's too hot to put them in the attic, too humid to put them in the basement, and there's no room to put them anywhere else. Because most of my albums are 12x12, a standard cheapo shelf from Wal-Mart simply ain't gonna cut it.

But I had one of those lightbulb moments that I love so much. Why not rip out the shelf in the bottom of the hutch and put the books in there? Sure enough, after careful measuring, it's a safe bet that they will fit (Assuming, of course, that I can get that shelf out. It's going to require taking the back off the hutch, which admittedly makes me rather nervous.) Anyway, if I can make that part work, then I'm refinishing the entire thing in jet black. I think it will look pretty cool that way - definitely an update from the dark 70s-style wood staining.

Not only that, but I have ran into another issue here - it's dang near impossible to hang up anything. There is paneling under a layer of something (plaster? something else?), and I think the paneling has petrified. I may never get anything hung up in here. Having the shelves on the hutch available will let me display my photos, so I can still get a personal touch without killing myself trying to make holes in the wall.

Moving on...

I found this wicked-cool blog, Better After, with a bazillion ideas for repurposing and refinishing all manner of items, from the common kitchen re-do to turning old clarinets into lamps. (Yeah, someone actually did that, and I am so stealing the idea!!!) Anyway, it got the wheels turning, so today I found myself at Goodwill just hunting for something to fix up. First I found this disgusting, decoupaged tray with crackle paint. Seriously? Somebody just combined the two craft techniques I hate the most into one item! Ew!

Gag me now. Sanding off the decoupage is going to be a pain in the neck, but I am considering adding either a harlequin or checkerboard pattern in the bottom and painting the sides black - using the paint I bought for my "art"work. (ahem. Please don't send the art police after me for presuming to call that thing I did "art.")

As bad as that is, this is worse:

Um, what are those things? They sort of look like olives with the pimentos already stuffed in, but I'm pretty sure they don't grow that way in the wild... But the shape is usable, and I need something on my dresser to catch stray keys, jewelry, and the like. The problem is that I'm really tempted to paint an Autobot logo on the side, and that might look a little goofy. :)

Although, Jeff did give me the green light to spruce things up a little bit with my own funky touch...

Mwahahahahahaha!!!!

Ah, Creativity

2011-07-18T23:36:00.000-05:00

I am, and forever will be, a creative soul. Over the years it has taken different forms; sometimes I dabble in this and that, and sometimes I settle on a particular "art". Scrapbooking and photography seem to be the mainstays, but music, drawing, writing, and many other outlets have been also be tested. If there is anything that I have learned, it is that I truly need time to create - it doesn't matter what I am creating, just that I am creating. The most unfortunate side effect of nursing school is that I have little time to indulge my artist side (well, that - and the fact that most nursing students are hypochondriacs... but that's another post for another day). With the move this summer, I've had no time for such things, and sadly, no room, either. All of my scrapbooking supplies are piled in closets or shoved under the bed, likely to stay there until we move again. Thank goodness for digital scrapbooking! Today I was perusing one of my favorite sites, http://www.art.com/, and came across so much inspiration that I simply had to scrapbook something. In less than 15 minutes, this is what I had:

Oh, it felt so good to scrap!!!

Now, on to the reason I was seeking inspiration... this:

Ugly, huh? The owners of the house didn't want to take down the TV mount, thinking we'd want to use it. This is true, except that we don't have a flat-panel TV, and won't have one anytime soon. Other than the mount (and the rubbermaid containers in the corner full of scrapbooks awaiting a shelf), the living room looks pretty good. Jeff tasked me with figuring out something to hang over it until we get a TV. I decided I'd rather make my own art instead of buying something, so off I went to art.com in search of inspiration. Keeping in mind that I'm no painter, I figured abstract would be my best bet - if it looked messy, I could just tell everyone it was supposed to look that way! :)

I found several pieces I liked. This one was my favorite, but I wasn't sure I could duplicate it:

Green Petals by Jan Weiss

Then there were classics like Jackson Pollack and Piet Mondrian prints, but neither of those were the right style to fit in the living room.

Finally, I found this, and loved it:

Oxygen Stems

But the colors were wrong, and so was the orientation. I needed a wide painting, not a skinny one. Even so, I figured I could work with it, so off I went to Michaels in search of paint and canvas. The living room is that taupe-y brown color, but the dining room is a delicious brick red, and I wanted to bring that red into the living room. After a couple of hours, and a little advice from my friend, Aimee, here is what I wound up with:

It's far from perfect, but I think it will work. I am a little more confident now in my artistic abilities - or at least my ability to fake artistic abilities - and I'm already plotting future art pieces for the house. Canvases are great, because they are so lightweight that hanging them is ridiculously easy.

And finally, for no reason other than because I want to share, here is a picture of my sweet cat, Fritz, chilling in one of his favorite spots:

Tomorrow...

2011-06-15T10:18:00.000-05:00

We load up the UHaul tomorrow afternoon.

I'm going to miss this little house.

When we moved here a little over two years ago, I was thrilled beyond belief. Even though it's a little smaller than our first house, it is infinitely nicer. Being away from the parsonage (and the church building next to it) was such a relief. I didn't feel like my life was on display for the whole world anymore. The relief was tremendous. Probably more important was that the move represented a turning point in our lives - not just a change in address, but a change in our relationship as well. It seems like big events have always come every other year for us for some reason.

I've loved this little place, and I'm about it leave it all behind. We'll have even more anonymity in Chattanooga - it always amuses me to hear people call it a "small town" - try living in Jasper, Tennessee! If people don't know your business, they'll make something up! I relish the thought of people not feeling a need to use me a fodder for the rumor mill.

While I am going to miss Grannie & Peepop something terribly, there isn't much else here that I will miss, save the house itself. (The crazy neighbors? Not so much.) I'm looking forward to being so much closer to everything - Olive Garden? Less than ten minutes from my house. Sam's? Fifteen-minute drive. School? Instead of leaving myself an hour and a half (just in case traffic is bad), I can be there in ten minutes. Oh, and I won't be shelling out $800 in gas every month, either. What a relief! I'm excited about being near movie theaters, funky grocery stores, and whichever hospital I wind up working at. I'm looking forward to making new friends and being closer to my girlfriends from school.

And I'm really looking forward to the search for our own home - hopefully in the next couple of years or so. I'm stoked about the idea of having my house, that I can decorate the way I want. Very cool prospect, indeed.

Stuff Box, Tape, Repeat

2011-06-08T13:03:00.000-05:00

There is one constant in packing - the more you pack, the more you have left to pack! I think stuff seems to multiply itself. Weird how that works!

Still, progress is being made. Most of my scrapbook stuff is boxed or secured in its current container. The couch has been relegated to a sad spot on the patio, awaited a trip to the dump, because even though it still looks okay, the springs are completely shot. There is no hope, and Jeff doesn't want to move it. The kitchen is almost done, except for those few dishes that I simply must leave available. Even Braeden's room is mostly packed, although none of the boxes are sealed because we keep finding things to go in them...

What a chore this is, and yet I can't help thinking how blessed I am to have a houseful of things that I don't really need. I have been graciously allowed a lot of things that let me express my creativity, and for that I am so thankful. Sure, it's a pain to deal with dusty old boxes (and the sneezing that inevitably results), but each time I seal a box, I have to smile and say a quick prayer of thanks for my many, many, many material blessings.

Moving Makes Me Sneeze

2011-05-31T10:29:00.000-05:00

It really is unbelievable how much dust can accumulate in places that you wouldn't expect to see dust at all. For instance - how exactly does dust get underneath a stack of books laying flat on a bookshelf? Amazing. And every time I pack a box, I start sneezing. I'm actually considering digging out my N95 respirator mask (from nursing school) to keep the dust out of my nose and mouth. Lemme tell ya - that is a mark of desperation on my part!

So much to do, so little time. It's strange, though - I don't really dislike packing. There's a certain element of organization in the process that I find to be cathartic. Yeah, I know. I'm weird. In a month from now, we should be somewhat settled in our new place (Can't say "home" because we're just renting. Someday, though, we really will have a home we can call our own.) Then I'll have one more month and it will be time to start my last semester of school. It's so cliche, but my, how time flies!

The Need to Feel Wanted

2011-05-24T10:12:00.000-05:00

Have you ever just felt unnecessary? That your presence in a situation was no more than a waste of good air? Or worse - that you wanted to be necessary and relevant and wanted - but you were decidedly unwanted?

I'm struggling with that right now. I have a helping spirit - I crave the opportunity to work and help others. It's a large part of the reason I chose to suffer the torment of nursing school - so I had a good excuse to be there for somebody.

And yet... it seems like I am never quite wanted. Or like I don't know exactly where I fit. I feel like I have so much to offer, but nobody is interested. I volunteer, I beg, and I plead - please let me help! - but the pleas fall on deaf ears, it seems. Somebody else is already doing it. I have all the help I need. There's nothing for you to do. Okay, you can help - but then we're going to take it all away from you first chance we get. On second thought, never mind. We don't need you. We don't want you.

Unecessary.

I went in last week for my clinical evaluation, and my instructor told me something that surprised me. She says I have "great leadership potential" but that intimidate some of my classmates.

Huh?

Me? Intimidating? I just don't see that in myself. Most of the time I'm scared to death, and I just forge ahead to try to get the job done without showing everyone else how afraid I really am.

Intimidating? Is it because I talk a lot? Is it because I answer questions? Is it because I jump in when I see a need? Or do I come across as a bossy, loud, obnoxious know-it-all? (That is certainly not my intention.)

I'm trying to examine myself, to see if that's really true, and if it is - why? Is it something I can change? Is it something I should change?

And perhaps more importantly, is it the reason no one wants me?

(Note: These are not rhetorical questions. I've got my big-girl panties on. Fire away at will if you see something in me that I don't see in myself.)

Instruments for Sale!

2011-05-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how much I hate to do this, but it must be done... There's no room in the new house for the piano, and I can't play my clarinet anymore, thanks to a root canal on my front tooth.

So....

Would you be interested in buying a 3-pedal Baldwin upright piano? It is about 20 years old. My parents bought it for me new when I was 13. It's in very good condition, although there are some external scuffs and a couple of water stains where coke cans (or something like it) were left on it for too long. The keys are all intact. One of them sticks slightly, but it's not a significant problem and could easily be fixed. It hasn't been tuned in many years, but there is no internal damage to it whatsoever. I will try to post a picture soon, but right now I can't get to it for all the boxes in the way!

Also for sale: a Yamaha wooden Bb clarinet, Model YCL72CS. This is a professional clarinet. I purchased it new in 1990. It is in excellent condition. Keys are silver plated, with very little sign of wear or tarnishing. There are no cracks in the wood, and the corks are completely intact. The pads are also in great condition; none of them stick and all are intact. It was never played outside; only indoors for concert season. I have two mouthpieces; the Yamaha one it came with and also a Vandoren 11.1 mouthpiece. Also included are Mitchell Lurie reeds, an extra ligature, and a hard-back case. It is a beautiful instrument.

I am willing to negotiate prices on both items. If you are interested, email me at mandalee65 at yahoo dot com.

These are two of my most treasured items; I would love very much for them to go to someone who will cherish them as much as I did.

Utter Disappointment

2011-05-06T08:27:00.000-05:00

Words don't adequately express how much is sucks to work your butt off, sacrificing any personal free time you might have otherwise had, just to get an A... and come up two points short.

Yeah. My final grade for the semester was 89.79. I have been up and down for two weeks, thinking I would have an A, then thinking I'd lost it.

Nothing like setting a goal and then utterly failing. Because the GPA doesn't show how close I was...

Frickin' sucks.

Cricut Cartridge Storage: Solved

2011-04-19T21:46:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago I posted about my limited-space-in-new-home dilemma. I can now mark off one item from the to-do list. Using the idea I got from YouTube, this is what I came up with:

First, the case. I originally thought it was a briefcase (I remember Dad having a similar one when I was a kid.) Turns out it was actually a cheap toolbox. I was at Lowe's looking for something and came across it by accident. It cost $21, plus tax, of course.

Inside is a flat thingie that I suppose was supposed to hold tools. I didn't want all these pockets, so I took a seam ripper to them. It looks ugly, so I used the other side, which was blank to start with.

I took round Velcro pieces and lined them up on the insert. I put the sticky side on the cartridge so that the fuzzy stuff wouldn't fall out into the Cricut and possibly mess it up. Here is the insert, mid-process.

I have 22 carts - not a lot, but more than some people, I suppose. (Mom probably has twice that many.) Anyway, as you can see, I still have room for five more on this side before I have to flip it over.

Here's the inside - not only do I have plenty of room for all the booklets, I also put in my tool kit and the paperwork that came with the Cricut. Niiiice. Even if I fill up the insert with cartridges, I won't run out of room for the booklets. Of course, some of that is because I have a lot of Solutions/Lite carts, which don't have booklets, but still. Somebody suggested tearing out all the pages from the booklet that were in languages I didn't need, and that helped considerably, especially with the older booklets.

Cool, huh? My next task is figuring out how to store my Sizzix & Cuttlebug stuff. That's going to be trickier, since the sizes are not uniform. Any thoughts?

Pending Storage Problem

2011-04-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Although I am looking forward to our move, the house we are moving into is much smaller than my current one - two tiny bedrooms, a tiny bathroom, a tiny living room, and a tiny dining room. (Thankfully, the kitchen is about the same size as what I have, otherwise I'd be in serious trouble!)

All these tiny rooms mean I will have to do some serious downsizing. I'm actually heading straight into panic mode, because I've always had an office/scraproom. Always. I've got tons of stuff - dozens of stamps, a Cuttlebug and a Sizzix Big Shot, four different plastic paper storage drawers, a big Cricut and several cartridges, and miscellaneous tools, embellishments, and idea books. Then there's my PC and laptop, two different printers, and a scanner. Oh, and my textbooks. I have no idea what to do with it all! I've invested far too much money into the die-cutters to get rid of them. I can weed out the paper and a lot of the embellishments, but that's about it.

To further complicate matters, Jeff thinks I should put it all in the basement - which is not insulated and will require at least one dehumidifier because it leaks on one side. I'm very hesitant to put my stuff down there, particularly the paper and electronics.

So... I need storage ideas - and cheap ones. Jeff doesn't want to look at it, whatever I wind up doing with it, so it's gotta store easily, neatly, and unobstrusively.

For the Cricut, I'm considering this really cool setup from a fellow Cricut junkie. It was originally intended for ribbon, but works beautifully for Cricut cartridges. And who would have thought of using plastic canvas to make dividers? Brilliant, I tell you!

I found another possibilty on YouTube. I love this idea, because the cartridges are completely out of sight.

Anybody have another suggestion? I figure I will focus on one problem at a time, starting with the most expensive stuff. lol

Help? Please....

Movin'

2011-04-03T23:09:00.000-05:00

God is pretty incredible. He has a knack for answering prayers 1) in a completely unexpected way; and 2) sometimes even before you knew you needed to pray for it!

Case in point: Friday we found out that we have two months to get out of our rent house, because the owners want to sell. It had been a pretty rotten week for me, and that was not exactly welcome news. We really had hoped to wait until I graduated to move - sometime in January. When Jeff called to tell me the news, I just sat there, kinda numb.

Five minutes later, he called me back. A friend/coworker of his had offered to let us rent her house back at the first of the year. She's getting married and heading to Nashville in a few months. We turned it down, because we weren't ready to move yet. The last we heard, she had several other possible renters.

Jeff called her right after he broke the news to me... and guess what? She still didn't have a renter, and was actually relieved that we still wanted it! Seriously, how awesome is that? Within hours of being told we had to move, we had a place to move to. Absolutely amazing. It was as if God was just holding it for us.

Oh, and did I mention the house is in Chattanooga? Yeah. We are getting out of Marion County. Finally.

Woot!

Rattled

2011-04-01T11:27:00.000-05:00

I'm utterly exhausted - emotionally, physically, mentally. Too much is coming at me at once.

If you are the praying type, I would appreciate it greatly if you'd offer up one for me.

2011-03-22T11:41:00.002-05:00

"Don't lose your sense of responsbility in the sea of God's sovereignty."

- James MacDonald

Letting Go

2011-03-20T23:30:00.000-05:00

In my lifetime, I have let go of many things... dreams, people, beliefs... but perhaps nothing so important letting go of as the things that have hurt me.

There's another word for that letting-go: it's forgiveness.

I've learned many valuable lessons about forgiveness in the last few years. First and foremost, no human can possibly forgive of his/her own accord. Without help from God, it just isn't happening. I've learned to pray to God to teach me how to forgive, and it was one of the best prayers that He answered. I also learned that bitterness and forgiveness are incompatible - the two won't coexist. You have one, or you have the other, but you never have both.

I have forgiven much; in many ways, I have forgiven more than I ever dreamed I would have to. But now I'm at a crossroads of sorts, and I realized today that I have more to forgive, more to let go.

(I know I am being unbearably vague here, so I apologize, but in the interest of not hurting others, ambiguity is going to have to suffice. Moving on...)

I have been holding in a great deal of hurt. It wasn't coming from any one person in particular (rather a large group of people), but it was more of an accumulation of years of keeping my mouth shut when I wanted - needed - to speak, of being brushed aside by others when I desperately needed a friend, of bearing the knowledge that I or my family was the source of someone's gossip session, of years of frustration over a situation that I just couldn't change. I was talking to a group of friends today, and it dawned on me that I am painfully bitter. Though I learned the lesson of forgiveness in a very real way a few years ago, I hadn't applied to other areas of my life, and the bitterness was eating away at my soul.

So I am making the decision today to let go. I still love the people involved (although I don't think the feeling is necessarily mutual, and that's okay), but it is time to let it all go. I choose to forgive. I choose not to wallow in the past, but to forge my way into the future without being weighed down by the hurt from a situation I couldn't improve. No more excuses. No more complaining. No more bitterness.

God is good. He has blessed me richly, starting with His forgiveness for me. How much more should I forgive others! I don't want to blindly pass His blessings because I am so focused on my own hurts.

I am letting go... and moving on.

Stuff, and other assorted random thoughts

2011-03-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

First, I am going to shamelessly plug my recipe blog. If you are one of my handful of followers here, and you also happen to enjoy cooking, check out Real Food - Real Folks. My updates are somewhat sporadic, I admit, but there is still lots of good stuff that that I feel somewhat guilty about keeping to myself. :)

Second, Braeden and I are on the way to recovery. He has, as usual, ran ahead of me down the road a bit, but I'm better, too. My biggest frustration now is my ears - I still feel like I have permenent earplugs and I am more than ready to be able to hear again!

Third, life is good. I feel exceptionally blessed right now, and thankful to God for all He's done for me.

Fourth, unfortunately, a blessed feeling does not get the studying done... and I have a test this week. So bye for now. Have a blessed week!

2011-03-17T14:09:00.000-05:00

"You'll please God with your attempts to show the respect that your husband, His beloved son, deserves - not because he does everything perfectly to deserve such reverence, but because he is divinely and uniquely created in his heavenly Father's image."

- Shannon Ethridge, Every Woman's Marriage: Igniting the Joy and Passion You Both Desire

What a Day...

2011-03-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

I get sinus infections from overblown allergy reactions at least 4 times a year - sometimes more. Usually it starts with icky nasal drip, and within a week has progressed to a full-blown, green snot, chest congestion, sinus headache mess. I generally try to avoid antibiotics because I get these infections so often that I don't want to become desensitized to the antibiotics; it's only when I am really desperate that I resort to going to the doctor for meds.

Today I got desperate.

I'm not the only one who is sick. Braeden has progressed with the same thing I have at about the same time. The reason I gave in and took us both to the walk-in clinic today is because in the wee hours of the morning, I woke to find two things: 1) Braeden was standing by my bed, bawling his eyes out because his ears hurt; and 2) I had no idea how long he'd been standing there, because my good ear hurt so much I could barely hear a thing. It took me several minutes to realize that Braeden hadn't had a bad dream; he had a raging earache. We spent the next two hours medicating with ibuprofen and heat pads to no avail. I eventually told him to play video games at 3:30am in a desperate attempt to distract him from the pain. That lasted about 30 minutes, then he came back with me. Finally I hit him with a heavy dose of Benadryl, which blessedly knocked him out.

By the time I woke up, both of my ears felt like someone had jammed plugs into them, and pain was radiating from my ears to my jaw to my neck. It hurt to chew, it hurt to stand up, it hurt to hiccup, and it hurt to blow my nose. Incidentally, I was also so incredibly congested that I could barely breathe through my mouth; thank goodness I have a prescription inhaler, or I'd have been in trouble.

So off to the doctor we went. At clinic #1, we waited 15 minutes because the desk lady was ignoring us, only to find out it's not a walk-in clinic until 4pm. So we drove halfway across to the county to the only other walk-in clinic available, where we waited three hours for a doc to tell us what I already knew - that we both had raging ear infections and I had a sinus infection to go with it.

I got in the car to leave... and it wouldn't start. No surprise there; it always does this to me at the worst possible time. I have to turn off all the electronics in the car, turn the key over as if I was starting it, and wait for ten minutes for the security system to reboot. It is a total and complete pain in butt. After the allotted ten minutes was up, I started the car, put it in gear - and it promptly died. Guess what? It wouldn't start again. So I got to wait another ten minutes, with a cranky kid in the background begging for something to eat or drink (by this point it was 1pm and neither of us had anything except a few sips of my coffee).

I finally get the car going and we head to Wal-Mart with the prescription. I dropped off the script and took B to Taco Bell. We came back to for the meds, only to find that 1) they still weren't ready; and 2) one of the scripts for B was out of stock.

By this point I was ready to throw something. My ears were hurting so much I was almost in tears. We went home with 2 of the 3 meds. Then I had to work for a couple of hours... I missed school tonight because Jeff is working and by the time I got finished with work, I wasn't going to make it anyway. I logged into eLearn to find that my last test score went from a B to a C because they dropped questions I got right.

Seriously... I'm halfway expecting the house to burn down. Given the day I've had, that would be about right.

However, I am also struggling to be more content and thankul, so after this (very long) ranting post, here is what I am thankful for:

1) my eardrum was not ruptured. Hopefully I won't experience any permanent damage (I've already lost a good bit of hearing and can't afford to lose more)

2) we were able to get antibiotics for me and B. The one I have to go back for is just a prescription combo med for B.

3) The car did eventually start

4) I got a nap and felt a little better

5) I also had to have a steroid shot, and now my jaw and neck don't hurt.

6) Being at home tonight instead of in school means I have time to work on my clinical stuff from Monday that has to be turned in

7) I have friends from school who are sending me notes and audio from class tonight.

8) I have Grannie & Peepop! They were ready to come all the way down the mountain just to bring B some food at the doctor's office (didn't, though, because we couldn't have food in there.)

Maybe tomorrow will be better, eh?

What if?

2011-03-06T21:37:00.000-06:00

What if... what if everything you ever believed, everything important that you ever held to be true - what if it all suddenly turned out to be wrong?

What would you do? How would you react? Would it leave you devastated, or would you be glad to "see the light?"

Daleks & Geekery

2011-01-29T09:01:00.000-06:00

I am such a geek, and I am totally proud of it! Recently I started watching the newer Doctor Who series, and immediately fell in love. Today I ran across this video of inflatable Dalek toys, and I want one!!! Who cares if they are meant for preschoolers? I can squeeze in!

Dex

2011-01-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

I just realized I never posted any pics of my new baby! I am most definitely Dexter's person - he follows me everywhere I go. I love him very muchly! :)

Eh?

2011-01-14T21:49:00.001-06:00

Blog troubles... I tried to redesign but what you see is NOT what I put in.

Back to the drawing board...

Well, It Snowed

2011-01-14T10:16:00.000-06:00

Granted, we did not get the massive dumping of snow that the northeast has - but for this part of the world, one inch is a big deal, and a six to eight-inch snowfall will be talked about for years. The sub-freezing temps have kept it around for a week, and I must say I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Braeden had multiple "accidental" crash & burns.

I admit that the getup is a little goofy, but you can't exactly buy snowsuits in the South, so a little redneck improvisation is called for.

Snow cream! Never had it before, but made it this time. So good!

Sooooooo pretty!

Sizzle surprised me by hanging out with us for a while.

Jeff & B made several attempts at sledding without a real sled, and eventually gave up.

Snowman attempt. They quickly got bored with this, too.

Don't know if you can tell, but this kid had a seriously runny nose!

After failed attempts at sledding and snowmen, the boys decided to build a fort - which was, in my book, a seriously cool thing to do. They packed snow into a large Rubbermaid container to make the blocks.

There are always unexpected side effects to redneck improvisation. In this case, Jeff bought B a set of adult-size rain pants to keep his legs dry. The pants were way too long, so he rolled them up and used small bungee cords to hold them in place (yes, you read that correctly). The mesh lining on the underside of the pants collected a ton of snow, and the poor kid was carrying around about five extra pounds of white stuff on his ankles!

When it was all said and done, we had two very entertained boys. I wanted to be out there with them, but that's the thing about working from home - you don't really have an excuse not to show up when the weather gets bad.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-27T09:29:00.000-06:00

Jeff had to work Christmas Eve, which stunk, but I made up my mind that Braeden and I would have a rockin' good day, just the two of us. The night before, B helped me pick up the house so that I wouldn't spend all day Friday fretting over it. Just before bedtime, I put Mulled Cider in my brand-new slow cooker (thanks, Mom & Dad - the thing is fabulous!), so that we woke to a deliciously spicy aroma Christmas Eve morning.

We started the day with waffles and the Charlie Brown Christmas specials. Braeden was given the uber-important task of taping down the presents I wrapped for his cousins. We took turns playing video games on the XBox for a while, then I threw a casserole in the oven. While that cooked, Braeden helped me mix up a batch of Peanut Butter Cookies.

Next on the agenda was the highly anticipating Decorating of the Gingerbread Village. Santa kindly consented to let Braeden open this particular gift early so he could play with it Christmas Eve. We also made a special trip out to buy extra candy to make the village more colorful.

First, we laid out all the ingredients on saucers:

Then I mixed up the icing (such messy stuff, that!) and started to piece together the houses. Braeden's job was to decorate them however he pleased, and he did a wonderful job.

We wrapped up the evening with Jim Carrey's version of A Christmas Carol (a bit frightening at first, Braeden said - but I convinced him to watch it all with me, and thankfully he did not have nightmares!) I got so tickled at him - he was worried about the time. We kept up with NORAD's tracking of Santa off and on all evening, and Braeden feared that Santa wouldn't come if he didn't go to bed soon - but I couldn't get him to go to sleep once he went to bed! Finally I crawled in bed with him (fully clothed, with an alarm set in case I crashed myself), and waited for him to drift off into Sugarplum Land. The moment he quit fidgeting, he zonked, finally leaving me time to get presents under the tree and tidy up the house for Christmas Day.

To be continued...

Yeah.

2010-12-05T14:15:00.001-06:00

I'm still here. Still busy... still crazy. :)

Trick or Treating

2010-10-31T00:34:00.001-05:00

I hate being so busy that I miss the good stuff. :( I have a test Monday so I didn't get to take B trick-or-treating. Thankfully, Peepop stepped up and took over for me. Instead of buying two costumes (one for school and one for trick-or-treating), I insisted that Braeden choose a mask-less alter ego. Somehow we convinced him that a cop would be perfect (it helped that he already had the blue button-up and black pants), and all I had to do was find him accesssories. Of course, that warranted a trip to Toys R Us, which is always a plus in Bebo's book.

The school party was a hoot, too. I could not believe how much candy he came home with!

Note to self: Christmas bags should be filled with novelty items instead of candy!

Must get some sleep now. Happy Hallowe'en!

October Update

2010-10-02T23:30:00.001-05:00

I figured since it's been more than a month since my last post, I should maybe oughta give an update. All three of my readers are probably hanging on the edge of their seats. 0_o

School is the predominant insanity in my life, so I'll start there.

Holy crap.

I knew from watching Jeff go through this program that third semester would be tough... but I didn't know the sheer volume of work would leave me seriously considering some sort of anti-anxiety meds. No kidding. I'm such an anal-retentive overachiever that I think everything has to be perfect, and so nursing school is driving me nuts. I'm not perfect. I'm not even close. My clinical skills leave a lot to be desired, and I'm having to work so hard to keep my classroom grades up to what I think they should be. It's stress like nothing I've ever experienced before. That business degree was a cakewalk compared to nursing.

But ... (cue cheesy disco music) I ... I will survive ...

Moving on to lighter matters...

Braeden is flourishing. Excelling. Blossoming. Hmm... what other words can I use? We were so excited to hear such good things about his teacher, but I never dreamed he'd be doing this well. The school sent home a letter last week inviting him to be in what amounts to a Gifted & Talented program (though they don't call it that anymore; I suppose it's too politically incorrect a term). He was chomping at the bit to start, and Jeff & I were so pleased that he's been considered. So what if it turns out not to be a good fit for him? I know he's doing well and working hard and that's what matters.

It's not just this new program, though. Turns out he is also a very good reader. I wish you could hear him. He reads with such expression; it's just not common in 7-year-olds. (Yes, I'm biased. Everybody else says the same thing about him.) In fact, his teacher says that the kids in his class love to listen to him read, and even try to mimic his reading style. Tickles me to death - what could be better for him than a love of books?

Even better, his teacher told Jeff this past week that the kids adore Braeden. She said he's kind and sweet to everyone.

Be still, my beating heart.

Seriously, folks - that is the thing that we have tried to drill into his head about school. We want him to do his best and work hard, but what matters most is that he is honest, hard-working, and kind to others. I gotta admit - I was a goober growing up, and never won any popularity contests. To hear Bebo tell it, nobody ever plays with him. Turns out that's not exactly the case, and while I don't necessarily want him to be the coolest kid in school, I also would like to spare him the misery of being the un-coolest. If he grows up to be that person that everybody loves because he loves them right back - well, that's just fine with me.

One more piece of news. Buddy, our sweet old dog, never came home. We don't know what happened to him, but it's safe to assume by this point that he's gone on to doggy heaven. Oscar, our most recent canine acquisition, is not working out so well. He's too hyper to be loving and destroys everything he touches. I really don't know what we're going to do about him. Part of me thinks it's just a puppy phase that he'll eventually grow out of, but we've had a dog before that only got worse the older she got, so I'm not holding my breath.

Anyway... we have talked for some time about what kind of dog we would get when Buddy died. We had been leaning toward a golden retriever, but weren't sure we could handle the expense involved. Those dogs ain't cheap.

Enter Jeff's dad.

The man knows everybody in his town. Never met a stranger, ever. One day he ran into a lady who told him that she had a retriever that she couldn't really care for any longer and didn't know what to do with him. To make a long story short, Jeff is in West Virginia tonight, picking up our new dog. (That she gave to us. For free.)

Here's what I know about him. He's got papers (and still has his testicles, so we might do a little breeding). He's two years old, is a strawberry-blonde color, and is very, very affectionate. John picked him up and he rested his head on John's shoulder in the Jeep most of the way home. His name is Phoenix, though we're considering just calling him Nick for short. Jeff has reserved naming rights, since Braeden or I have named all our other pets.

I am so excited about this dog. I have missed Buddy terribly. He was the best dog I've ever had, and a near-constant companion for me. It seems lonely, not having him hanging out in the office with me while I work. I really hope Nick will be that companion for me. Besides, I think he'll be wonderful for Braeden.

Jeff is bringing him home tomorrow. I'll post pics soon. And since it's late and this post is plenty long enough, I'm going to sign off for now. 'Night!

Cards!

2010-08-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

More cards!

This one was quick & easy - I stamped with SU!'s Baroque Motif swirl, added the sentiment, and embossed. A quick punch with a Martha Stewart border punch and a ribbon and I was finished!

The color is bad on the next two, but they are basically the same concept. I used Basic Grey rubons and some paper from an ancient black-and-white paper pad. And I dragged out the Cuttlebug - again!

The only thing different here is the ribbon and the sentiment. I used SU!'s scallop oval punch and a paper piercer to gussy up the edge a bit.

I made this one for Jeff. Another CB embossing folder, more ribbon, a scrap of striped paper, a CB diecut, and SU!'s Birthday Wishes stamp, colored with the SU! markers was all I needed. It wasn't difficult, though I'm not sure how manly it was!

This last one did not photograph well at all - that's actually purple, and the black is not that washed out. The stamp is from SU!'s Twick or Tweet set. Are you surprised to see more embossing? lol Oh, I also used my Martha Stewart score board to add the embossed border on the edge of the card. That is quite possible the best $20 I have spent on scrapbooking supplies - the time it saves scoring cards, the "neatness" factor, and the ability to do some cool scoring lines like I did here make it totally worth the moolah!

One Stamp, Seven Ways (and Counting)

2010-08-23T15:29:00.000-05:00

Stampin' Up! makes this gorgeous background stamp called Bella Toile. I may not be the girliest person you will ever meet, but I looooove toile prints. They're so lovely and elegant, but dressed up right, they can be cute and fun, too. I decided to see how many different things I could do with the same background stamp. My office is a disaster to prove my efforts, too! Here's my first seven - and I'm sure there will be more to follow!

7th Birthday Letter & Scrapbook Page

2010-08-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

Every year I write Braeden a birthday letter. This year, I'm five months late. Oops.Can I be excused, given how wild the last year has been?

More Cards

2010-08-07T23:27:00.000-05:00

I've had great fun making cards lately. There is less of a mental block than when I try to paper scrap; perhaps it's because I don't have to worry about destroying a photo if I mess up. I really needed to be doing a million other things, but I can't seem to quit playing. :)

This is a card I made for my niece. I lurve it. Stamping, embossing, stickers, ribbon - mucho fun, this one. Plus it's nice to make a girly card every now and then.

This was for my nephew. I printed the dinosaur, did more embossing (lately I cannot get away from my Cuttlebug), a lot of distressing, and dragged out some letter stickers that I'd been hoarding for ages.

On to more serious stuff... I saw an interesting tutorial on making "patent leather" paper. It involved a whole lot of embossing powder and an embossing folder. It sorta worked... the lines were more cracked than raised, but I kind of like the look. Not sure I'll do it again, though. It's a lot of effort for a little bit of paper.

Last one... possibly my favorite. I was playing around with the Watercolor Trio stamp set from Stampin' Up. I wanted to use it for a card and had a complete mental block as to what to do with it. Tomorrow I'm going to mass produce some in a watercolor version for church, but I truly love this black-and-white one I made for my own use. Black-and-white can be so romantic and elegant and even sexy that I gravitate toward it quite often. (Notice I used another Cuttlebug folder. They just add so much subtle dimension!)

That's all the cards for now. Braeden and I went for the last round of school shopping. I bought him two pair of shoes and some clothes for the year. Gotta take advantage of Tennessee's tax-free weekend, you know. We had a good time; I let him pick his shoes and he chose these crazy Skechers that light up neon green. He loved them. "Mommy," he said, "I am going to be so cool in these shoes!" How could I have possibly said no to that? :)

Tomorrow is church, then Monday is Braeden's first day of school. As soon as I drop him off, I'm picking up a rental car and taking my car to the shop to get it fixed from its encounter with Grandma. Then I'm off to Chattanooga to run several errands before (hopefully) making it home in time to pick up B from school. Gonna be a busy day, and I am totally looking forward to it.

'Night, y'all.

End-of-Summer Project Rush

2010-08-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

Summer vacation is fast winding down, and I find myself scrambling to get everything done before the craziness of the school year begins. May I share?

First, my dad's birthday card. He turned 62 this year, and though I've never ever teased him about his age, I decided I would this time. The inside reads "Who knew the senior citizen discount could look so good?"

Second, I am trying to get as much of Braeden's 1st grade book done as possible. I'm literally a full year behind! His kindergarten album came in a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier with how nice it looks. As it turned out, the pages did not need to be complicated; in fact, with the 8x8 format, simple looked better. This is a good thing, because I don't have to give it too much thought. My color scheme is set with green and purple, and I'm using the same fonts and calendar elements as I did for the kindergarten album. Easy-peasy! And yes, I do scrap such mundane things as school supply lists. :)

Moving on to the second grade... Tuesday night we met his teacher, Mrs. Parsons. Every single person we have talked to has fallen all over themselves to tell us how wonderful she is. Jeff & I were so impressed with how organized she was; Braeden surprised us both by remembering almost everything she said about things that would happen this coming year. (He did get a few details wrong, though - she told us there would be homework everyday but Friday, and Bebo thought she meant only Friday. The look on his face was priceless when I explained that he was a little confused!) Anyhoo, the color scheme for this year is a sky blue and royal purple combo. I like it, and I'm crossing my fingers that I can manage to keep it up as the year progresses. With a little luck, I can print a book with both first and second grade pics sometime next summer. (By the way, purple is their school color, which is why I always use it. And if you're wondering, the fonts are Learning Curve and Print Clearly, both of which can be found at 1001fonts.com.)

One more thing for now - my kitties. Jeff has taken to calling Sizz "Big Kitty," but the kittens are not so small anymore. It's actually time to get them neutered, at which point I expect them to explode in size and quickly catch up to Sizz. Incidentally, they are still trying to nurse poor old Sizzle! (You did know that Sizz is a dude, right? So are the kittens. Yeah. Who knew - cats have gender issues?)

And that, I suppose, is all for today. More to come soon, I hope. :)

Cricut Projects

2010-07-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

On my last trip to Mom's, I got an upgrade! Bye-bye, Baby Bug, hello, Cricut Expression! (My old Cricut only cut 6x12; the new one cuts up to 12x24. It's a die-cut machine. If you're confused, look it up. lol) Anyway, I've had fun playing with it and thought I'd post a few of my recent projects. (Okay, really I'm just posting because Mom said it's been too long since I added a new post.)

This is my latest project. I make cards for church, and they have to be pretty simple. I used the new-ish Preserves cartridge. It has so much potential! (Also, as a side note, it turns out that lightly inking the edges of the die cuts make a huge difference in the appearance.)

I made this for my friend Aimee's new baby. I didn't have an especially good excuse to buy the Robotz cartridge, but I also couldn't help myself. It's just that cute.

More Robotz. See what I mean about cute???

Speaking of cute, how is this for the squeeee factor? I think we are going to use these designs in the nursery at church - though I'm just going to pencil it on the wall and paint it in rather than cutting it out with the Cricut. They come from the Create A Critter cartridge. Complete preciousness.

And finally, a card that generated a lot of giggles with my friend Lauren. I didn't make it for any particular reason besides wanting to play with the new Sugar and Spice Cricut Lite cartridge. I was determined to use that bookplate, and the friendship rub-on was the only thing that fit. This prompted Lauren to ask if my friendship was like a fungus, to which I said yes, it is. Kind of like athlete's foot. You think you've gotten rid of it but it just keeps coming back. :)

Check It Out!!

2010-07-21T13:59:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Books, Part 2

2010-07-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

Continuing with yesterday's train of thought...

Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Yes. I read the entire series. It took about 3 days. (Jeff made fun of me for "inhaling" my books. I told him to stick it where the sun don't shine.) Ahem. Where was I? Oh. Percy Jackson. The books were touted on the cover as the "next Harry Potter." Not quite. Imagine plopping all the Greek and Roman deities in modern-day America. Now imagine that they all had kids with humans. Now imagine that these kids (known as "demigods") have their own special abilities and only they can truly save the world, blah blah blah. Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh. The series really is pretty enjoyable. It's nowhere near as enthralling as Harry Potter, but still worth a read. The real fun of the books is the modernizing of mythology - the "what if" factor is nicely done. Even Jeff is reading them - though it's taking him a lot longer than three days. :)
Score: 4 of 5

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
This was also recommended by my friend Lauren. She's one for two at this point. Can't say I enjoyed this all that much. The book consists of mostly true tales of Savannah, Georgia during the eighties. Technically, the tale revolves around a murder, but there are so many side stories that are not really related that it's distracting. I kept thinking that all of the side characters would eventually tie together, but that didn't happen at all. Why it landed on the bestseller list, I'm not quite sure. Why it stayed on the list for 216 weeks, I couldn't begin to tell you. Interestingly enough, the black drag queen in the story, Lady Chablis, actually portrayed herself in the 1997 movie. Not that I'll be rushing to Netflix to watch it, though.
Score: 1.5 of 5

Also on my list of reads is an array of crime/mystery novels my dad had collected from various airports on business trips. I won't even bother listing them - they weren't bad books, per se, so long as you were not interested in literary value and just needed mind-numbing entertainment for a while. I've also plowed through a few Christian romance-type novels, none of which got me all that excited, either. Don't write off the genre, though - there are some truly good ones out there.

Right now I'm reading The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I'll post a review on it later, but I will say that 50 pages in I am completely hooked.

That's all for now. Go read something!

Books

2010-07-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

I relish the opportunity to read. Since I am generally the type who can't put a book down once I start (though I really am working to get better about it), I don't read much when school is in session. One priority of the summer, among all the other things that I let go, was to read as much as possible.

I've done just that. I'm proud of myself, though, because I haven't read only thriller/mystery or romance novels. Yes, I've read a few of them, but I've tried to expand my horizons and read tomes that the "experts" consider "classic." (insert mild sarcasm here - such a categorization is rather subjective, don't you think?)

Here is a sampling of what I've read. Likely I've forgotten a few, and some I won't admit to reading. :)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
I was once assigned to read this book. I think it was for a scholarship application my senior year. I picked up the book from the library and never read it. Fifteen years later, I saw it on the cheap rack at the bookstore and decided to try again. I hadn't the slightest idea about the plot of the book, and was wildly surprised. Rand paints a picture of a world gone mad, but gone mad under the guise of the so-called "greater good." In an attempt to give equal opportunity to everyone, America and Europe manage to drive themselves into utter economic death. It's a fascinating book, and well worth the read. Given the current political climate, it is also a disturbing picture of where we are headed. There is, however, a great deal of foul language and sexual content that, while somewhat necessary to the plot, could have been toned down considerably. It made me glad I hadn't read it in high school. My parents would have been mortified.
Score: 4 of 5

1984 by Orson Wells
Another classic that I'd escaped reading in my high school and college years, this proved to be even more disturbing than Atlas. (Incidentally, I read them back-to-back and fretted for days afterward.) I was surprised to see how many of our catchphrases came from that book. Ever heard the term "thought police?" It came from 1984. While I can't say I enjoyed the book, I do consider it one that everyone should read. If we ever get to the point that intelligence and thinking for oneself is considered evil, then we have long passed the point of being in serious trouble. Though it's an older book, it is not hard to read. At times, though, it becomes tedious and even boring.
Score: 4 of 5

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
I can't say enough good things about this book. It was recommended to me by my friend, Lauren, and I am so glad I took her advice. It is the story of a mysterious but famous author nearing death who asks a young woman to write her biography. I have read few stories that were so cleverly crafted. The twists and turns keep you guessing with every page, and even the ending leaves you wondering exactly what happened. I don't want to reveal any more for the risk of spoiling it, but do read this book. It's easily one of the best I've ever read.
Score: 5 of 5

More reviews to come...

The Disastrous Effects of Sudden Increased Fiber Consumption on the Digestive System

2010-06-04T10:28:00.002-05:00

Ain't say nuttin' more 'bout than the title.

Moving on. :)

I grilled last night... made a marinade that had me prancing around the grill singing "I am the grill goddess! I am the grill goddess!"

Oh, yeah. It was that good!

And easy, too - just 2/3 c. lime juice, 1/4 c. honey, 2 tbsp. EVOO, and 1 tbsp. chipotle chili powder. Whisk it together. Use half the mixture to marinate (I did chicken, but I think pork would be yummy, too), a fourth to baste, and the remaining fourth can be used as a salad dressing or dipping sauce.

It is fabulous. Can't wait to dig into leftovers. (If you're interested, I also posted it on my food blog.

In other news, I find myself in desperate need of a nap. I am quite convinced that a conspiracy is afoot to keep me from sleeping at night - there's always a dog barking, or a strange noise, or a nightmare to wake me up. I am unbearably tired... but must keep going.... must keep going...

Speaking of dogs, our new mutt arrived. He's a lovely creature that I suspect to be an English Golden Retriever mix. He needs training, though. He's nearly big enough to put his paws on my shoulders when he jumps, and oh, does he love to jump! I called the vet today and discovered that they do a discount on vaccines for multiple animals, so I might get crazy and bring in both dogs, the cat, and our two kittens.

Then again, maybe not... that would probably qualify as a suicide mission. Can't imagine how I'd get them all in the car, much less out of it without losing one!

Back to work now. Have a lovely weekend!

Soccer

2010-06-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

Lately it seems like my house is a revolving door for critters. Early this year Lucy appeared. Sometime in April, we got Fritz and Spazz. Somewhere in between there, a pitiful stray that we named Hans (but never got a picture of) hung out for a while... until Lucy died, that is. Then he went on his way. Today, my friend Lauren gave us her precious retriever mix, Oscar. Her little girl always called him "Soccer," though, and Soccer may be what sticks.

He's gorgeous... from the neck down, he looks every inch the part of a golden retriever. In the face, though, he looks like Buddy's negative. Except that he's the only dog I've ever seen with eyelashes.

I like Oscar/Soccer. A lot. Since I'm not going to tether him down, I hope he stays. He's a sweetie.

Snow Day, Scrapped

2010-05-28T23:55:00.001-05:00

I know you didn't think I'd let a snow day go by without taking pictures and scrapping at least two pages about it! (You did know that, right?) So what if I'm four months late? :)

The Pastor's Ass

2010-05-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

I lifted this from a friend:

The Pastor entered his donkey in a race and it won. The Pastor was so pleased with the donkey that he entered it in the race again and it won again.

The local paper read: PASTOR'S ASS OUT FRONT.

The Bishop was so upset with this kind of publicity that he ordered the Pastor not to enter the donkey in another race.

The next day the local paper headline read: BISHOP SCRATCHES PASTOR'S ASS.

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Pastor to get rid of the donkey. The Pastor decided to give it to a Nun in a nearby convent.

The local paper, hearing of the news, posted the following headline the next day: NUN HAS BEST ASS IN TOWN.

The Bishop fainted. He informed the Nun that she would have to get rid of the donkey so she sold it to a farmer for $10.

The next day the paper read: NUN SELLS ASS FOR $10.

This was too much for the Bishop so he ordered the Nun to buy back the donkey and lead it to the plains where it could run wild.

The next day the headlines read: NUN ANNOUNCES HER ASS IS WILD AND FREE.

The Bishop was buried the next day.

The moral of the story is this: Being concerned about public opinion can bring you much grief and misery -- even shorten your life. So be yourself and enjoy life. Stop worrying about everyone else's ass and you'll be a lot happier and live longer!

Nostalgia

2010-05-27T09:28:00.001-05:00

A long time ago I observed that people who did not go to college had a tendency to drag out the styles of their high school years a little too long. In the late nineties, I saw it in the form of bangs teased six inches above the head and jeans that were pegged tight enough at the ankles to cut off circulation. Yes, I am willing to admit that I once did the same thing, but I also had enough sense to quit. (Though some part of me still wishes for big hair to come back in vogue - it looked good on me. I don't miss the amount of time it took to accomplish the look, though.)

I will also admit that I don't have much of a sense of style today, either. I mostly wear solid-colored short-sleeve shirts and jeans or capris. Boring, I know - but I digress. I'm not sure why college seemed to be the defining factor, but it seems that inevitably those who are holding on to long-buried fashion trends didn't make the journey into the hallowed halls of higher education.

Why do we tend to live in the past? It seems that lately I've been stuck in the nineties; reminiscing about high school and college days, thinking of old friends, big mistakes, and fun times. I've spent a few hours lately updating my playlist with songs that flood my head with random memories, and I'm not ashamed to admit I have thoroughly enjoyed it.

It seems that every song has its own memory attached; One Headlight reminds me of a particularly bad date during my college years. Shine brings back Friday and Saturday nights cruising the strip with the radio cranked up as loud as it would go. When I hear Whomp, There It Is, I inevitably remember a rainy day riding back from a band trip to Indianapolis (was it the state football championships?) with the entire band hollering along. Informer takes me back to the physics class spent outside shooting off model rockets; the teacher used mine for a demo, shot it straight into a power line, and I wound up losing points because it didn't go far enough. Some kid in a blue Iroc-Z drove by about that time, thumping out Informer from speakers that he obviously felt the need to show off.

I loved Color Me Badd, but didn't dare buy a CD because I knew my parents would throw it out since every other song title had the word "sex" in it. My college roommie and I would clean our dorm to Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill, cranked up loud enough to motivate us to actually do the work. I used to laugh hysterically to the line "pissing the night away" in Tubthumping, because at first I didn't know that "pissing" could mean also mean drinking. More Than Words was the anthem of my first summer at Bible camp. I think they must have played Brown-Eyed Girl at least a dozen times at our senior banquet.

Funny how music can take you back. Over the last few years, I've quit listening to the new stuff. It doesn't hold the same appeal that it used to. I'm just not a fan of the hip-hop, synthesized, unoriginal stuff. Granted, not all of my nineties stuff was much better, but today's music just doesn't do it for me anymore. I am much more likely to listen to talk radio, or the nineties station that I can only pick up for about ten minutes when I cross the Georgia state line on I-24.

Maybe it's because life was simpler then... or was it? I suppose I've really just traded one set of complications for another, and even though retrospect tells me that the problems of yesterday are far less serious than the ones I have today, it never seemed so at the time, not in my limited experience. Even so, when I find myself buried in bills and work and death and sorrow, I wish, just for a moment, I could backtrack to the days when homework and boyfriends were the biggest concern, and Def Leppard and Sheryl Crow strained from the radio.

Last Day of the First Grade

2010-05-24T23:03:00.003-05:00

I blinked and it had passed. One day he was trotting proudly into school, showing off his cool new "pack-pack" and clutching a box of Kleenex, the next he was loading up in my car, a sticky, sweaty mess from playing all, sans one front tooth.

He made such incredible strides this year - from not reading much of anything to starting his first chapter book tonight, from counting to adding two-digit numbers, and from not spelling anything to not missing a single word - ever. I somewhat wish his confidence level had gone up a bit more than it did, but I'm still quite proud of how much he's been able to do.

It's been a tough year. The first semester all three of us were in school and money was really tight. Between lack of time and lack of funds, I felt like a rotten mama. Then when Jeff graduated and I shifted into second semester with its tougher classes and my workload at my job suddenly pushed me into fifty-hour workweeks, I thought I'd lose my mind. At one point Braeden asked why I didn't have time to play with him anymore. It broke my heart.

I got out of school two weeks ago, only to get very, very sick - sick enough to finally spend most of Thursday night in the emergency room with a ridiculously fast heartbeat, high blood pressure, and complete inability to catch my breath. Two breathing treatments, a shot of an antibiotic, a couple of pills, and goodness knows how many dollar later, I went home. Oh, and my car's been broken down since I got out of school - just got it back Friday. So between being sick enough to be unable to walk across the house without gasping for air and not having a car to go anywhere, it's been a miserable two weeks. Not how I wanted to spend my first two weeks out of school.

Thankfully, today I felt a little better. And since Jeff was working, I decided (rather spontaneously) when I picked up Braeden that we would have a night out together. We went home for a quick potty break, then headed out to Chattanooga to see Shrek Ever After and get dinner. I figured I could handle walking through the parking lot if I got to sit down for an hour and a half to rest. :) The movie was pretty good, and I tolerated the 3D glasses without a monstrous headache. Then I took Braeden to Kanpai, where he oohed and aahed and clapped with delight at the show our very good chef put on for us. I figured since I was two-for-oh, we might as well go to the bookstore. I picked up 1984, Atlas Shrugged, Wicked, and a couple of books for Braeden, then plopped myself in one of the leather chairs to rest (again) while Bebo played at the train table.

It was a good day. I'm feeling better, even though it'll be a few more days before I'm totally back to normal. School is out for all of us, at least for a couple of months. And I thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with my little man, watching him giggle at the movie, cheer on our waiter, and read the first two chapters out of his new book on the way home.

Yup. Life is pretty good.

R.I.P.

2010-05-21T23:39:00.002-05:00

A couple of months ago I posted about the sweet Husky mix who adopted us. Sadly, we came home from a trip to Mom's to find that she had died. I miss her terribly. She wrapped us around her little paw so quickly. Thankfully, Jeff found her around the back of the house, so Braeden didn't have to see her swollen body. I can't get the image out of my head, and I'm so grateful that he doesn't have to worry about it.

It was all confusing to Bebo. He'd been exposed to death, but not the death of someone close. Every day he used to tell me "I love you and Daddy and Spazz and Fritz and Sizz and Buddy and Lucy more than anything else in this world." Now my sweet girl - the only other female DNA in our household - has left us.

I still halfway expect her to run up to me when I come home. Maybe, as Bebo asked, our pets really will go to heaven with us. I think I'd like that.

Q&A

2010-05-13T15:07:00.004-05:00

Yay! I scrapped! I've been trying for several days, but I guess it's been so long that I nearly forgot how. Hopefully this is a good start...

And for the story behind the pictureless page - ever answer those silly surveys that meander through Facebook, Myspace, or email? I thought it would make for a fun random snapshot of me today, and since I rather enjoy doing pages without pictures, it seemed like a good idea. :)

Bucket List

2010-05-10T14:17:00.002-05:00

After seeing two posts on Facebook regarding wish lists/bucket lists, it occurred to me that I don't really have one. I need to fix that, but I also need to give it some thought. Stay tuned...

Summer... finally. :)

2010-05-07T14:22:00.002-05:00

Nope. It's not the heat I'm excited about - not even remotely. What's got me all excited is simply this:

School is out. I am done with mandatory studying for a while. Yes, I have some review to do, but no more assignments to turn in, no more projects to, er, create, no more late night classes, and no more nights with barely four hours of sleep.

I can scrapbook, I can clean my house, I can do whatever I want. Mostly.

Yeah... I haven't looked forward to summertime this much since I was a senior in high school!

One more thing - admittedly, it was by the skin of my teeth, but I managed to hold that 4.0 again. :)

Kitties in Action

2010-04-24T20:58:00.002-05:00

For your viewing pleasure... please ignore the messy house.

New Kids in Town

2010-04-22T14:14:00.005-05:00

I've already introduced you to Lucy, the husky-mix who mysteriously appeared a few weeks ago. She's completely endeared herself to all of us.

But apparently my little household is trying to expand into a zoo, because we've added two more members to the family. I haven't picked names yet, but I couldn't stand to wait to share the pics with you. :)

Note: I would have preferred not to use the flash, but the rambunctious little critters simply won't hold still long enough!

The Newest Member of the Family (I think)

2010-03-23T15:45:00.004-05:00

A week ago Monday, I took Braeden to school and came home to find this pretty little lady in my driveway. It startled me, because Buddy is quite territorial and I was shocked that he had let her get so close to the house. But then he came bounding around the house and the two of them took off the yard like they been the best of friends since birth!

I really thought she wouldn't stay for long, and that maybe one of the neighbors had a new pet. A week later, I've finally come to the conclusion that someone dropped her off here. Jeff has refused to let me feed her, but something tells me she's getting plenty to eat anyway (and he's warmed up to her quite a bit, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a vet trip in her future). She never lets Buddy get out of her sight, and she is really good with Braeden. It's obvious she's got Husky in her - which is cool, because I've always thought Huskies were sweet, lovely dogs. She's very playful, but also slightly cautious around us. Thankfully, she's never so much as growled or snapped at anyone, and now that I think about it, I don't believe I've heard her bark a single time.

I decided she needed a name, so I picked Lucy. Jeff said that entirely too overused, but Braeden really liked it, so Lucy it is. :) We have no idea how old she is, but I would guess she's still got a bit of puppy left in her. Buddy's getting old, and I think she'll be good for him.

Lucy isn't the only new addition, though. In a few weeks, we'll also be adding a gray-and-white kitten! Sizz is a great cat, but because he's indoor/outdoor, I can't pet him without breaking out into hives - and of course he wants up in my face at all times. Our friends have a new litter of kittens, and Jeff actually gave me permission to get one for my own (indoor) cat. I'm so excited!

So... meet Lucy, and in a while I'll hopefully have some kitty pictures for you, too!

Hairy Situation

2010-03-15T20:00:00.003-05:00

We've let Braeden have long hair. Jeff & I didn't care what anyone said; it looked cute on Bebo. He liked it, too - until today. One of his buddies from kindergarten said he looked like a girl. :(

I hate mean kids. I'm glad Bebo isn't one of them. However, it broke my heart to hear him say he didn't like being embarrassed, and so we plopped him down outside to buzz it all off.

:(

Here's before and after. I really hope he grows it back out soon. I will miss his long locks. But I guess if it keeps him from being embarrassed, I'll go with it. It's sad... hopefully someday he won't care what anyone else says and he'll just do his own thing. In the meantime, I'm going to have to get used to this super-short haircut!

A Scrapbook Page, a Picture (or Two) and a Rundown

2010-02-23T14:04:00.007-06:00

I've been a little MIA lately... no excuse, except undeniable busy-ness. In an attempt to giving it to you in a nutshell, here goes:

- We totally enjoyed the snow! (see below for what happens to poor old Thomas)

- Jeff finally got his NCLEX scheduled for March 29. I never dreamed one person could have so many things go wrong in trying to get a two-year degree! (Okay, so the night program is 2 1/2 years, but who's counting?) In the meantime, he's doing sixteen weeks of training at Memorial. Tonight he goes back to the night shift, and I can't say he's disappointed about not getting up at 4am to go to work. :)

- Speaking of school... I'm in full-blown basketcase mode. I enjoy being back in the classroom, but juggling school, work and family is a lot harder than I'd dreamed. I don't get much "me time," but I did decide today to throw together a quick scrapbook layout. I've used the design several times now, and I think I will make an entire book out of it - it's quick, easy, and looks pretty nice (even if it was my idea!). :)

- Braeden is, at the ripe old age of almost-seven, burned out on school. It's frustrating to me, because I was the little nerd who absolutely loved school. . . but really, I think they're just pushing too much too soon. He is still doing pretty well - all A's & B's - though I think if he really tried, he'd be a straight-A student.

- Braeden will be seven in a little over a month... I can't fathom where the time has gone. Jeff & I are seriously considering getting him a Wii for his birthday, though in reality it would be for the whole family. I also procured tickets for a fifth visit to see Thomas at the railroad museum later this spring.

- Also coming up... it's time for the annual mother-daughter weekend with Mom. We'll be going to Gatlinburg, renting a condo, and mostly just chilling for the weekend. We're both too tired to get very excited about shopping. lol I'm very much looking forward to the break, and crossing my fingers that the weather warms up considerably in the next two weeks.

I suppose that's all. Jeff will go to work soon and I want to spend some time with him before he goes. Hopefully it won't be two more months before I post again.

My Apologies

2010-01-22T13:31:00.002-06:00

I know I don't exactly have a huge readership, but I have been somewhat inundated with an increasing amout of spam comments lately. To combat that, I've switched to approving comments and requiring word verification.

I'm sorry - I know it's obnoxious.

2010-01-16T11:46:00.002-06:00

Lately I've found myself with the urge to make cards - not for the church, for once, but just for myself. Of course, I have to pretend I don't know how notoriously bad I am about forgetting special occasions... :)

Anyway, here are two I've recently made. The first is a Valentine's card for my nieces & nephews, the second is my Christmas thank-you (which, obviously, I still need to send out. Note to self: add this to today's to-do list!)

I am still trying to make some for church, but I am restricted somewhat in my creative license, since the cards have to be totally flat. I can't put a lot of stuff on them, or it becomes difficult for people to sign their names to the cards. Sometimes it is fun to simply do whatever I want, and not worry so much about bulk.

But alas! - no card making for now - I have housework and homework, and the shower is seductively whispering my name. :)

2010 Calendar

2009-12-30T12:25:00.002-06:00

It's been so long since I scrapbooked... long enough that I'm even desiring to get glue on my fingers and little scraps of paper in my hair. Since Christmas with the in-laws didn't pan out for me (long story - Jeff & Braeden went and I stayed here), I'd thought that I would have a chance to do a little catching up, but - well, let's just say there have been complications.

I did, however, get started on Mom's yearly calendar. Yes, I know it's late. I think I'll just start the dang thing with February, if Shutterfly will let me do that. This year I opted to keep the design very simple, and I think I like the results so far. At least having a somewhat cohesive theme makes the actual scrap work much faster, right?

So... here ya go. June, May, and July (in that order).

Oh, and Mom already knows, so it's no surprise. In fact, I was so busy at the end of last semester that I barely had time to make her an IOU!

Joy to the World

2009-12-21T08:24:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Decor

2009-12-07T11:21:00.002-06:00

I've had the best time decorating this year. :) I love the turquoise-red-white combo, and since it works so well with my multitude of snowmen, I went with it!

The centerpiece on our table

A wreath I made using a styrofoam base, ribbon, and my Sixxiz Big Shot and Cricut (Winter Wonderland & When It's Cold Outiside carts)

Another view of the wreath

My many Snow Buddies - sadly, they are now discontinued. :(

More snowmen

Puppy Chow! YUM!

A music box... Frosty skates around the pond. Braeden will sit and stare at it forever!

Bummed

2009-11-25T07:46:00.002-06:00

*sigh*

I am trying to be thankful. Really I am.

Unfortunately, I am doing a rotten job.

My Thanksgiving plans are a bust. Every year I go to Mom's. We have our big T-giving dinner, and on Black Friday Mom & I load up and hit the craft stores for the latest & greatest. It's one of my favorite things to do all year - and Mom, Gabe & Katie are all sick. Worse, Jeff is working two 12-hour shifts that day. Oh yes, 'tis true - he'll work 7a-7p at Grandview and 7p-7a at Memorial. So it's just me and Bebo, with no time to get & thaw a turkey (something else I was really looking forward to). I have no idea what we will do.

Worse... it looks like our time in this little house is limited. Our landlords want to sell and there's not a snowball's chance in you-know-where that we will qualify for a loan to buy it ourselves. Guess we should have signed a lease. I'm just heartbroken. I love this little place. We were so lucky to get it, and now we'll likely have to move into some crappy little duplex or apartment because that's about all there is in this county.

I just want to cry. :(

Rip-Roarin' Good News

2009-11-17T11:05:00.003-06:00

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

JEFF PASSED NURSING SCHOOL!!!!!

AND HE HAS A JOB WAITING FOR HIM IN CARDIAC ICU!

Can you tell I'm excited? :)

Leap of Faith?

2009-11-03T23:20:00.002-06:00

I freely admit that I am not good at discerning God's will for me. Jeff tells me that it's silly to even try, because God can work with whatever direction I choose. On the other hand, I read verses like Jeremiah 29:11, which make me think that my husband might be off base a little. Whatever the case, I am at one of those crossroads... but it isn't necessarily an either/or situation. I could theoretically choose Path A, Path B, or both.

Before I lose your interest, allow me to explain...

It's not secret that I love photography. I've been dabbling in it for a few years now, but with my recent purchase, I've taken that dabbling to a much higher level. I truly love taking pictures, and with each shot I take, I get a little better. My parents are encouraging me to pursue it - so much so that Dad even suggested I drop out of nursing school and start my own photog business! I brushed it off... for a while.

The thought has been niggling at me ever since. Now I'm questioning whether I'm doing the right thing in continuing school. I love photography, but I don't know if I can make a serious living at it, especially if something was to happen to Jeff and it was up to me to support Braeden alone.

Then there's the question of whether or not I am really truly good enough. I'm getting better all the time, and I'm on the verge of saying "Yes!" - but it's a scary jump to make. I am my own worst critic, you know.

The most logical choice seems to be to pursue both. However, I can't quit my day job just yet, so that means juggling a budding business, nursing school, and work. Can I realistically do that? I just don't know.

For now, I am taking it one day at a time. I'm putting myself out there, waiting patiently to see if God nudges people my direction. In this small town, word-of-mouth could be my greatest advertising. It's just a waiting game now. Perhaps someday I can quit my other job and spend more time taking pictures. For now, though, I have a test to study for. Pray for me, please? I'm really not sure what to do...

Creative Therapy

2009-10-29T13:02:00.003-05:00

Yay! I actually scrapbooked something!!!

Okay... so it was a digital page and didn't use my new goodies, but still... I was in serious need of some creative therapy. :)

Should you be bored enough, you might want to peek at my photo blog. I've uploaded some new pics there from the weekend.

Oh, and guess what? I have my first paying photo session Saturday! woot!

Today... 10/27/09

2009-10-27T07:42:00.002-05:00

I've sat here five minutes at least, arms crossed, debating whether to gripe, update, or attempt to say something funny. Alas.... I'm not feeling especially comical this morning.

I'm tired. And grumpy. And I don't feel good, either. I have an incredible amount of stuff to do, and not enough time to get it all done.

Tonight I have clinical at a nursing home, and I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you that I am not especially thrilled at the prospect. Nothing against the elderly - but nursing homes weird me out just a little. I can remember as a little kid being flat-out afraid of them. Perhaps it is the poor care that seems to be standard in such places, but the overwhelming smell of stale urine and the awkwardness of attempting to converse with someone when I really can't understand a word that is spoken puts me in a serious state of uncomfortable. My great-aunt had MS, and while I always felt pity for her, I felt so uncomfortable - I knew she was trying to communicate but I didn't see her often enough to distinguish her words into something I could respond to. All that to say this - I'm nervous about tonight. We are just taking vital signs (probably including a rectal temp or two... ew), and maybe changing a tube feeding... but still.

It doesn't help that I am losing my hearing. I've known for years (since I was in first grade or so) that my ability to distinguish sounds was less than perfect, but until now, it hasn't interfered with daily living. Now I'm in the search for an amplified stethoscope because I simply cannot hear a pulse or respiration. I find myself having to say "What? Could you repeat that?" entirely too often. After the first of the year, I think it's time for an appointment with an ENT specialist... and maybe even a hearing aid. *sigh*

Last night I totally busted my tail picking up the house, but it finally got done. Well, except for the mopping and bathrooms. I only had time to do so much, but the laundry is caught up, rugs vacuumed, beds made, etc.

I also put together the cutest treat bags for Bebo's class. Should've taken a picture... didn't have time. But I think I will steal Mom's Sizzix die for the bags for Christmas. I have some brilliantly cute ideas for party favors. :)

Gotta go...

Update

2009-10-21T06:32:00.003-05:00

There's not much (new) to tell... I run around most days like a chicken with its head cut off. :) I'd love to scrapbook, but can't fathom finding the time right now. "Fall break" was this week, but there was no real break involved - instead, we got slapped with even more work than usual.

However...

I'm going to Mom's this weekend to take family pictures. She has lots of goodies waiting for me - some Estee Lauder makeup freebies, a Stampin' Up order with lots of Halloween goodness, a new Cricut cartridge, and some new Sizzix dies - to go with the Big Shot she got for me! Woot! I have no idea when I'll get to play, but I sure hope I can find time somewhere!!!

Welcome Back, Autumn!

2009-09-30T09:40:00.002-05:00

Words cannot express how thrilled I am that autumn has finally showed her beautiful face! The sky is crisp and clear for the first time in a month, the air is clean and cool, and the breeze is positively delightful. I can wear winter clothes again (I love sweatshirt weather!), and it's not unbearable to simply be outdoors. The windows are open - well, at least until the skunk visited last night - and I can hear the birds and the wind and I am just plain happy.

Some people experience depression when the cold air returns. Not me - I thrive on it. I feel lighter and happier and alive.

So far it's been a good week. I turned down fast food and made generally good choices (though I need to work a little harder at getting enough water). I've stayed entirely too busy to exercise, though, between class, a project, studying for a test, and year-end inventory at work. Lots of overtime and long, late nights are the norm this week. Saturday I'm having a yard sale (if the weather continues to cooperate). One entire room of the old house is packed with junk to get rid of. Here's to hoping someone finds treasure in my trash!

Hellooooooooooooo, fall!

Just because I'm not a Democrat...

2009-09-29T09:27:00.002-05:00

...it does not mean that I am illiterate.

Neither am I uneducated. I hold a bachelor's degree in business and am working toward a nursing degree. I know many more who think like me and hold doctorate degrees in a variety of fields.

I am not a racist because I disagree with the President. I do not care that he is biracial - that makes no difference in my opinion of his time in office.

Owning guns does not make me a violent person.

Just because I express my opinion - sometimes emphatically - it does not mean I am a hate-mongering, un-American, riotous person who does not deserve to be a citizen.

I watch Glenn Beck's show on FOX. That does not make me one of the "sheeple." I am inundated with liberal media everywhere I go - media that shows only one side of the story. To be entirely fair in my assessment, I need both sides of the issue.

I do not believe global warming is the issue the media has made it out to be. That does not mean that I am careless with my resources or that I am unwilling to treat the planet and its inhabitants responsibly.

I believe the best way to "fix" the ails of our society is for government to get its nose out of every single aspect of our lives. This includes health care reform - if you want to improve it, keep the government out. This does not mean I am above caring that people do not have insurance.

I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman. That does not mean I am homophobic.

I am tired of being singled out by the media and other liberal Democrats. I am tired of being called illiterate, inconsiderate, un-American, ultra-right-wing, and terroristic. I am tired of constantly being accosted for daring to speak up in favor of less government and a closer adherence the Constitution.

Enough is enough! If you can't find anything better to do than call me names, then shut up! For eight years I have listened to the media and Democrats rant and rave about how awful President Bush was. Yes, he made mistakes. No, I did not agree with everything he did. But he was never afforded the respect his office demanded. Now the tables have turned, and President Obama can apparently do no wrong. To dare to call him out is be deemed a racist pig. When conservatives stand up and refute the ideas and laws and bills that are being shoved down our throats, the best the liberal media can do is call us names and make fun of us! There is no honest debate; no refutation of our arguments. It's nothing more than belittlement and name-calling.

And I'm sick of it.

Just Gotta Share

2009-09-14T23:21:00.002-05:00

I gave my friends the files for the photos from the engagement shoot... and they had trouble getting them printed. Wal-Mart said the pictures looked professional and thought they had scanned them or something.

Hee hee... they thought the pictures looked professional!

Weekend Recap

2009-09-14T06:18:00.002-05:00

I wanna scrapbook!!!

No time. Must do homework. :) This weekend was soooo busy! Both of the photo sessions went beautifully. Pics of the first are already up on my photo blog, but it will be a couple of days before I get to start processing the second session. I also baked cookies (yum!), and managed to get most of the data for the medical interview entered into the form. A few finishing touches and it will be ready to turn in - five days early, I might add! lol

Tonight is my first clinical skills test. I have to prove I can wash my hands. It's not difficult, but it definitely isn't as obvious as you might think. Pretty sure I can pass, though. (wink, wink)

Gotta go now. It's time to wake up my boys for the day. Maybe I'll get to scrapbook later this week. Cross your fingers for me!

Thirsty Cat

2009-09-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

Some things are oh-so-tempting....

It's here, it's here!!

2009-09-11T12:36:00.002-05:00

I have a new camera... woot!

Check out my photo blog for some pics: First Photos. We're going to the fair tonight, and I'm looking forward to playing there, too. (Assuming, of course, that it does not rain.)

Itchy, Excited, and a Wee Bit Tired

2009-09-07T20:05:00.004-05:00

Ever had a bug bite the inside of your nose? Seriously... how do you politely scratch that?

...

The weekend wasn't terrible, though the kids fought a good bit and were, on schedule, up at the very crack of dawn each morning. Gabe & Katie were beside themselves with excitement that their Aunt Amanda was coming for a visit. I let them wear their pajamas all day Saturday, which won me the Cool Aunt of the Year award. (Or is that big sister?)

While I was there, my scrapbook order from Scrapbook Pictures came in. They are hands-down the best developer on the web. I'd been accumulating digital pages for more than a year, b/c I usually wait for a sale to place an order. Mom usually likes duplicates of anything with Gabe & Katie, so I just had the order shipped to her house. Right on cue, it arrived Saturday afternoon. I love seeing my pages printed... it's so different from looking at them on the computer.

Oh, and guess what? Jeff & I got an early Christmas present - a really nice Brinkmann gas grill! Woot! It's one of those things we have been putting off for years... at the beginning of every summer, we swear we'll get one, but there never seems to be money for it. Since Mom & Dad are coming to my house for Christmas this year, and it would not be Christmas without grilled filet mignon, they just had to get us a grill that would do the steak justice. :)

Got lots done today - worked at the old house for a while, got grocery shopping done, and am slowly catching up on laundry. Going to try to pick up this evening before bedtime.

One more guess what? - Thursday I get my new Nikon D90!!!! WOOOT!!!! And - I have an engagement photo shoot on Saturday and a family shoot on Sunday. (I might be the slightest bit crazy for doing those with a camera I've had for 24 hours, but I'm crossing my fingers there time Friday to practice with it.) I am really excited at the prospect of taking pictures again. I've missed having the camera be a permanent extension of my right arm. :)

Okay, gotta go. Much left to do before bedtime. Hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend!

Seriously Questioning My Sanity

2009-09-03T06:48:00.002-05:00

I. Am. So. Tired.

Class days absolutely wear me out! My workday starts at 6am, and I have to rush from here straight to class. It's 10:30 or later before I get home, and I still have to do my nightly posting before I can go to bed. That much thinking is utterly exhausting!

This weekend, instead of resting, what am I doing? I'm going to watch my niece/sister & nephew/brother so my parents can have a break. Thing is, those two heathens are up at the butt-crack of dawn - and worse, they're an hour ahead of me! So instead of sleeping in, I can look forward to being out of bed by 5am my time.

There is no rest in sight for today, either. I have assignments to turn in (since internet access is iffy at Mom's), grocery shopping, laundry, and packing - not to mention that Jeff will almost certainly ask me to clean the house before I leave.

I'm so tired I can't keep my eyes open!!!

Okay... enough complaining. I have my coffee, after all. [insert weak smile here]

School is interesting. I am not as socially challenged as I thought I might be. I like the instructors, and there are several of my classmates I find quite agreeable. So far the homework isn't difficult, just time-consuming. The amount of reading required in a 48-hour period is almost unbelievable, and so far the topics are not overwhelmingly fascinating - but give it time and I think it will be. I really enjoy seeing Jeff during my breaks, even if it is just briefly.

Braeden seems to be adjusting well to school and the new routine. I do think we are going to have to correct some attitude problems, though. He was a bit of a monster when I talked to him on the phone last night. I'm not sure what's going on with him, exactly, but it's going to have to be curbed quickly!

I must go now. It's shaping up to be a horrendous day of work, and I have much to do.

Unbiased Media

2009-08-27T11:34:00.002-05:00

Right....

Check out this article:

McCain Battles Angry Crowd

Folks, I watched the entire thing on TV yesterday.... Yes, the crowd was angry, but the vast majority of it was not angry with McCain, but the people who are trying to force this bill through!

In fact, I listened to one woman who practically begged Senator McCain to tell her how the crowd of people could help him fight this bill!

Good grief, I am sick to death of the spin the media is putting on this stupid thing!

It Begins...

2009-08-24T14:28:00.002-05:00

Here I am, in class... more than an hour early. Am I a goober or what? Jeff & I came over early so he could do skills practice and I could run some errands at the student center.

I like that I'm not the oldest person in the classroom... in fact, I'd say I'm pretty average, age-wise. I sorta expect this to be a bit boring - lots of paperwork and stuff, some of which I'm already familiar with by virtue of watching Jeff go through the program.

Anyhoo... wish me luck. I sure do hope I'm cut out for this!

August 22

2009-08-23T23:00:00.001-05:00

No explanation needed. Just read the page. :)

It's Friday

2009-08-21T10:17:00.003-05:00

Well...

Today is the last regular weekday before school starts. The last remnant of semi-calm before the craziness truly begins. I'm tired - no, make that frazzled - and it hasn't officially begun yet.

Makes me just a tad bit nervous.

But... it's okay. I'll be fine. I have (most) everything I need. Financial aid will roll in soon so I can buy the remaining textbooks, and I have all the techno stuff I need (laptop, retractable mouse, etc.)

Monday. It all begins on Monday. I'm nervous, and a tad bit worried - what if it's not for me? What if I hate it? What if, what if, what if.

Pbbttt.

I'm just being silly. I'll do fine, and I'll see it through to the end no matter what, cause that's just the kind of person I am. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy my weekend with my family, do a little cooking, and maybe a little scrapping. We'll hit the bookstore and shoe stores tomorrow and maybe even catch a matinee.

And I'll leave you with a "regular" page that I did yesterday. Mostly I've been doing school album pages and cards. Kinda nice to have no set parameters to work in.

Good day to you!

Why God Made People

2009-08-19T10:23:00.004-05:00

Conversation with Bebo:

B: Mommy, before God and Jesus made people, who did they talk to?

Me: I guess the angels or the animals.

B: Do angels talk too?

Me: I think so. They aren't like us, but I think they probably talk.

B: Was God and Jesus lonely before they made people?

Me: (stalling, not sure how to answer the question)

B: You know what? God and Jesus made people so they'd have someone to talk to. That way they wouldn't be lonely.

Sometimes I am amazed at how intuitive that little boy can be!

First Week of the First Grade (Recap)

2009-08-15T16:21:00.003-05:00

We survived the first week of school, and I didn't cry once. Yup, first grade is definitely easier than kindergarten.

Braeden had one slightly unhappy incident, but other than that, he seemed to enjoy himself. On Friday he brought home a folder with all his work for the week - writing the days of the week, months of the year, colors, and, of course, the alphabet; several color-by-number worksheets, and a categorizing worksheet. I have a feeling the teacher spent the week feeling out the kids to see what they could do.

Naturally, the best part of school is recess, and he is quite proud to be playing on first & second grade playground - it's a promotion from the kindergarten playground, which was a pretty cool setup in and of itself. He gets to play with all the first grade, so he sees his kindergarten buddies - none of which are in his class.

When I asked him what the best part of first grade is, he said "I like to play outside in my new playground." Asked what he learned, he replied, " ...." (No answer.... blank stare.)

In other news -

Mom and Dad told the kids about the adoption, and that they would be changing their last names. Katie wanted to change her name to "Princess." :)

Jeff & I went on Wednesday to pick up our syllabus for the fall, and he gave me the "grand tour" of campus. Took all of five minutes to do that. LOL The Allied Health department is getting a new building, but it's not quite finished yet. Should be interesting to see if we start the semester in it or if we have to move midstream.

I'm getting excited... one week from Monday I start school. Granted, the first few days are going to be boring - orientation, paperwork, etc. But I'm looking forward to it anyway, and I freely admit that I am more than a little bit nervous. I keep wondering if I'm too old for this, if I'm going to handle this new way of thinking that Jeff keeps telling me about, and if I'll make some new friends in the process or just run everyone off.

Nerve-wracking stuff, that. But I am up for the challenge, and like my enthusiastic little first-grader, I plan on charging right into the fray.

First Day of the First Grade

2009-08-12T11:51:00.002-05:00

First grade was so much easier than kindergarten - at least for me! I don't think Bebo noticed the difference. I didn't think we'd ever get him to sleep Sunday night. He was in bed at 8:30, but didn't doze off until after 11 - and I spent all day doing my best to totally exhaust him. Three days in, he's sleeping a little better, thank goodness.

Naturally, he was a little slow waking up. One of the nice things about Jeff working night shift is that he can go with me to school stuff for Bebo. Once we got him ready for school, he was raring to go. I did the obligatory first day pictures (for which he was completely uncooperative), and we loaded up the truck and headed off.

He was such a little pro! :) He waltzed right into the school, stopping to brag about his new "packpack" to the principal, then marching straight to his classroom (but his backpack was so heavy he was slowing down by the time we got to the other end of the school). We were the first ones there, and he couldn't wait pull out his supplies for his teacher.

He's six, and he's a boy, which means that details are not exactly his Thing. So I had to pry out every little tidbit of info about his first day. He said they wrote a little, and colored a page. He was tickled to play with his kindergarten buddies at recess, and he enjoyed pizza in the cafeteria. Other than that, your guess is as good as mine as to how his day went!

Who, Me?

2009-08-10T22:55:00.002-05:00

Because sometimes, it's just fun to play with a wide-angle lens. :)

On Heaven & Subways

2009-08-07T23:23:00.001-05:00

Another Bebo conversation:

"Mommy, before I was born, when I was in heaven and was still being made, I looked down here, and guess what I saw?"

"Tell me!"

"Well, I just saw dis earth (waving arms around), and right there was a subway train! It was really nice."

Ah, yes... gotta love the imagination of a 6-year-old!

I have a new brother & sister!!

2009-08-06T08:34:00.002-05:00

I have not said a great deal about this, but for the last two years, my parents have had custody of my sister's two youngest kids. She has made a lot of bad decisions and could not / would not take care of her children. (The oldest lives with his dad, her ex-husband.) Mom & Dad recently decided that it was time to pursue adoption, and on Monday they went to the lawyer to begin the process... and in a mind-numbing twist, my sister & her husband just gave up and signed the kids over for adoption. Today they took the papers to the judge, and by 8am, I had a new brother and sister!

WOOT! God is so good! It's been hard to be patient, as this has dragged on for more than two years, but His timing is perfect, and when it finally came together, it happened faster than any of us expected. I feel pity for my sister, and I can only pray that maybe this is what is needed to wake her up.

For now, though - I am praising God for his blessings!

Orienting

2009-08-04T11:59:00.004-05:00

It has started... we went last night for orientation and to meet B's new teacher. Once again, we have a "newbie" - this is her first year teaching at JES. (Last year was his teacher's first year in a kindergarten class). Grannie & Peepop went with us, since they will be keeping Braeden about half the first semester while Jeff & I are in class.

Just like last year, it was a complete zoo. I am often surprised at how rude people can be - during the assembly, the adult would not shut up. No wonder kids are so misbehaved!

Anyway, his teacher is Mrs. (Ms? Miss?) Wilson. Braeden thanked God for her in his prayers last night, and I think he is already smitten! She seems very nice. His classroom is enormous - more than twice the size of his room last year. Only one girl from his kindergarten class is in his room this year, but I don't think it will be the end of the world for Braeden. The kid has never met a stranger. :) He found his seat and immediately took his place, and when it was time to go, he asked if he could stay all night!

I loved school just as much when I was that age. He is definitely a child after my own heart!

The Mantra of My Life

2009-08-03T06:15:00.002-05:00

It seems to me that I am always exhausted. Always tired, never getting in bed early enough, and not sleeping once I finally do lay down.

Today is worse.

I don't have milk for my coffee (cannot drink it black), can't stomach Mt Dew this early in the morning, and I'm fried. The weekend has taken its toll. Death - church - visitation - bachelorette party - funeral - wedding - devo at my house.... From one emotion to the other, from one event to the next... I'm just on the verge of insanity. Can't think straight to save my life. I have forgotten so many silly things - like leaving the keys in the front door!

And it's not me at the center of everything - I'm just on the fringe!

Yesterday I let my girls in Sunday school just talk through some of their grief. They hadn't really had a chance to do that, especially not with each other, and I knew they would need it. Then it was off to the races. We had to get the house ready for the teen devo after evening services, which meant cleaning (inside and out), shopping, and raiding the church pantry for stuff we needed.

Tonight we go to the elementary school to fight the mob and meet Bebo's teacher. Grannie & Peepop are both going with us, so it is going to be quite the family affair. :)

Oh, and in the midst of all this, my car broke down Wednesday and is still sitting in the Taco Bell parking lot. I am completely stranded, and I promise that we do not have money to fix it until the end of the month.

I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

The Fuss Keeper

2009-07-31T16:38:00.002-05:00

Between the funeral, a wedding tomorrow, and a broken-down car, it’s an understatement to say that emotions are running pretty high. We were headed home after the graveside service and a futile attempt to get the car to start, and Jeff & I started arguing about what we were going to do to get the car fixed. (It was nowhere near the high intensity that our fights can get, but we were both definitely tense.) Braeden looked from one of us to the other, then suddenly threw his arms out to the sides to grab our attention.

“Mommy, Daddy. You just better quit arguing right now! That’s not good.” Of course, it put the damper on our anger right away, and we apologized to him and to each other. Then he said, “I’m good at stopping arguments. I’m the Fuss Keeper. I make you quit fussing.” We laughed a little, and agreed, then he said “I don’t like it when you fuss. I just want you to listen to God."

That brought me to tears all over again!

Saying Good-Bye

2009-07-31T16:34:00.002-05:00

Today we buried Hannah Newton - one of the spunkiest, sweetest kids I've ever known. Dear one, I hope you are enjoying heaven, and I hope you also know that the rest of us can't wait to meet you there.

A Wedding & a Funeral

2009-07-30T06:20:00.002-05:00

What a strange week this is turning out to be. Tonight I go first to the visitation at the funeral home, and then to a bachelorette party for one of my other "kids." Tomorrow afternoon is the funeral, and then wedding preparations start. I offered to help, since the funeral and wedding are at church, and they will be really crunched for time to get everything decorated.

The mix of emotions could prove to be disastrous... please keep all of us - the preacher who has to shift gears so quickly, the youth group who just lost one of their leaders, and all the rest of us who love both these girls and will be torn between being heartbroken for one and joyful for the other.

Please Pray

2009-07-29T08:18:00.001-05:00

One of "our kids," a girl in the youth group at church, was killed last night in a car accident. She had just graduated high school and was about to go to college.

Please keep the Newton family in your prayers.

Conversation about the Future

2009-07-28T20:00:00.004-05:00

(The following discussion occurred this evening, and I was typing as fast as I possibly could, which is pretty dang fast, so I got most of it word-for-word.)

"Mommy, when I'm an adult, I'm going to have a daughter."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have lots of kids. A daughter and a son. Guess what?"

"What?"

"They're going to live with you!"

(smothering a laugh) "Is that so? Where will you live?"

"Oh, I'll live with you, too. I'm gonna be kind to them. You and Daddy are going to be kind to them, too."

Jeff pipes in with "Tell Mommy what their names will be."

"Atomica. That's a boy's name. And Sassafras - that's the girl's name. When we live here, we're going to have a big family, and you will have three babies then! You can name their last names. You have to choose before they come. They will be upset if you don't."

"Why don't we make their last name McCain?"

"Oh, yeah. Good idea."

"What job are you going to have?"

"What job? Oh, I'm going to work Dad's job, too, okay? He makes pizza, so I'm going to do his job, too." (nodding vehemently)

"That's not his only job. He makes sick people feel better, too."

"Oh, yeah. I'll have to go to school, too, when I'm a grown-up so I can learn that."

"What kinds of things will you teach your kids?"

(pausing to think about it) "How to learn to color and write. I'm going to teach them to draw pictures, and uh, I'm going to teach them to be good friends - yeah, that, too!"

"Will you take them to church?"

"Yeah, I will."

"What if they misbehave?"

"If they misbehave, I'll put them in their beds and tell them to think about it and do what your father says. I'm going to be their father, and I'm going to be good. They won't get what they want always. Not everybody always gets what they want. I'll say no, but if I get more money, then they can get a toy - but it can't be expensive. It can be a little toy, though, okay?"

"Will you have a wife?"

"I will."

"Who will it be?"

"It will be... I suppose... the kid's mom."

(smothering a laugh... again) "That's true. Who do you think their mom will be?"

"The same name yours is, okay?"

"So you're going to marry somebody with my name?"

"Yeah. I will. And don't forget, you have to bring me those flowers before the wedding. They're for the wife, okay? Then I'm going to get the flowers for the wife, and you can help me. You know what? I think I want to have a different name, okay? Like, uh, Daddy? That would be better. When I'm a grown-up, that will be my new name. I'll still have my old name, too."

"What will be the best part about being grown-up?"

"Um, being a daddy. Yeah, that will be the best!"

(Jeff came back in the room about this time.)

"I'm going to be just like you, Daddy."

(Jeff melts.... completely)

"Dad, you can help me take control of the kids, you know? Yeah, you could. If they don't like the food that they eat, we're going to give them anyway, cause it's good food. That way they will grow legs and arms (giving thumbs up sign), and so they have to have healthy food. They have to eat their food right instead of slobbering all over the place - that way they'll have legs. You can help me control them."

*sigh* I love my little boy!

The Problem with Marion County Schools

2009-07-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

I just read an article in the local paper that said two of our county schools (a middle & a high school) have just been removed from the High Priority list for No Child Left Behind. One of the other high schools is still on the list - incidentally, it is the school Bebo would attend if we are still here.

Now I understand that you have to take NCLB with a grain of salt, but it is still a measure of how well the schools are doing - and it only serves to confirm my very strong feelings that I will not, under any circumstances, put Bebo in the public school system here past elementary. He deserves better than that. If it means I have to home school him, so be it. If it means we spend every penny we have putting him in private schools, so be it.

I'm pleased with the elementary school to this point, and since Jeff & I are in school ourselves, it makes sense to leave him where he is. But after the fourth grade, he is going to school somewhere else.

End of discussion.

I'm Moving

2009-07-27T11:22:00.001-05:00

Well, at least Braeden thinks we should. Today he told us, "I want to move to a bigger town. This one is too small. Let's move somewhere big . . . like New Mexico."

More Cards

2009-07-24T23:57:00.003-05:00

This first one probably is better suited for a wedding, but it was easy enough to crank out a mass amount, so I'm not going to worry about it. I used a Cuttlebug folder, Offray ribbon, and a Stampin' Up sentiment.

I LOVE this one - one 12x12 piece of American Craft paper and half a sheet of cardstock got me a dozen cards. I also used Stampin' Up punches and stamps.

Thanks for checking them out!

Lingerie Shower Card

2009-07-23T13:20:00.005-05:00

Tee-hee. This was more fun than it ought to be! I lifted the idea from a card I saw on 2peas. I have to say that I almost quit before I finished it - the card just looked goofy until I added the trim. (And I can't tell you how tempted I was to add nipples! LOL)

Now if I can just find lingerie that cute for the shower!

Supplies: Paper - Basic Grey Two Scoops; Trim - Modern Romance & Offray; Gold vellum & kraft cardstock; Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder
If you would like the pattern, I'll be happy to email it to you.