A moment in time!

wow I am bad

2010-03-05T21:35:00.004-07:00

I am such a bad blogger. Humm July 2009, well since then I have turned another year older. Still working at the same job, wrecked my Honda. Brayden has celebrated his first Christmas and his first birthday! Birthday for Brayden was great. He is walking and on the move now.

I am in the process of studying for my LCPC exam and have been studying like crazy because I am hoping to get to take the test in May. Study, study study, that is my life now.

I will have to post some quilt tops I finished recently. I am trying to work on getting a bunch of old unfinished projects completed.

Summer

2009-07-16T22:15:00.002-06:00

Wow I haven't updated here in a long time. Brayden is getting so big, rolling over and jabbering away. Hard to believe he is already 5 1/2 months old. He is just over 20# already and growing like a weed.

Summer is in full swing and keeping busy with work. I am really enjoying the summer program, taking the kids to the park and pool. Really trying to teach them to use the social skills that we have been working on to learn to play with other kids. I am amazed how many kids just don't know how to play and interact with other children because they don't really do it anymore. They don't "play" together, but rather sit and watch each other do video games or watch tv when they are at home.

Hard to believe that school will be starting back up in just over a month. Summer has good really fast this year. Amanda, Brayden and I did a trip out to Wisconsin in June. In July, Sam, Jerad and I took a vacation down to Rapid City and Mt. Rushmore to watch the fireworks. So not a fun time as we had to hike about 3 miles from our vehicle up the hill to Mt. Rushmore, than wait in the grass sitting with thousands of other people for about 5 hours till it got dark enough. Just as it was time to light the fireworks off, the fog rolled in and we didn't even get to see anything except the fog turning differnt hues of the colors. So we had to hike down the road again to our car. The fireworks would have been spectacular if we had gotten to see them. The day was beautiful though, and our trip was great, relaxing and enjoyable just getting to hang out.

Holy Cow

2009-04-20T20:48:00.003-06:00

I am so bad about updating my blog. I have found facebook and am loving staying connected to my friends and family on a daily basis. Spring is in the air here in eastern Montana. I spent all last weekend working on my garden. Last year I just had a smaller garden and found I needed a bigger one this year. Sam helped me drag railroad ties around and set up a much bigger raised garden.

My neighbor has a tractor so he was nice enough to come over and dig up dirt and move it around. I got some of my cucumbers and squash planted. Sam helped me get some flower beds dug up and stuff moved around. I can't wait to have some nice weekends to get some stuff growing and planted. Too bad this coming weekend is supposed to be rainy and even a chance of snow.

So now for some Brayden news. He is growing like a weed. His eyes are still a vivid blue and this grandma is hoping they stay that way. Hard to believe he is over 2 months old already. He is so much fun to hang out with becuase he giggles and smiles about everything.

He is a month old already!

2009-03-06T22:05:00.003-07:00

I can't believe grandma's little guy is already a month old as of yesterday. He is growing and changing every day. I just can't believe how fast this first month has gone by. I am so thankful that they live here in town and I get to see him often.

He is 1 week old!

2009-02-14T14:28:00.003-07:00

You have to know that this blog is going to be all about Brayden for awhile! He is already a week old and adjusting to live. He gets to go in for his first Dr. visit on Monday and hopefully he is gaining weight. He doesn't like to suck on anything, he is really lazy and thinks someone else should do it for him or something.

More on Brayden

2009-02-07T08:06:00.002-07:00

Baby Brayden is hopefully being released from the hospital today. He wasn't sucking well enough yesterday to be released. Today he is sucking the bottle well enough to hopefully go home. He was born with a heart murmur, but Dr. is hoping that closes up by the time he is released or they will have to head to Miles City for an ultrasound to check the murmur.

Full details on Brayden Michael,
Born at 2:29 pm, weight 8# 14 oz., 21 1/2 inches long, 14 1/2 inche head. Amanada is doing good and getting excited to get released today.

He is here!!

2009-02-05T17:05:00.004-07:00

Brayden Michael Burley made his way into the world today. He was born at 2:29 pm weighing in at 8# 14 oz. He is just perfect and looks like his dad. Mom and baby are doing great!!

What a great day! It is very hard to watch your child go through the pain of labor, but it was so worth it in the end.

Baby Showers

2009-01-25T21:42:00.004-07:00

I am throwing a baby shower for Amanda next Saturday, January 31st. I did a lot of the prep work this weekend to get stuff ready since I work all week and than the party will be on Saturday afternoon. We are having it at the motel where she works so that will be great. I decided to make a diaper cake for her as a table decoration and than she will have diapers afterwards. I still have to get a little stuffed animal to sit on the top of it, but I think it turned out pretty dang cute. I also made these cute labels to go on top of bags of microwave popcorn. I mounted the labels on some colored cardstock and wrapped the popcorn with some scrapbook paper and some ribbon. I will take a picture of them completed next week when I post some shower pictures.

I am done!!

2009-01-18T07:44:00.002-07:00

I am so excited to finally be finished with the new quilt I made for our bed. The colors aren't really something I would have picked out normally, but when I walked into the quilting store these red and black colors just looked so cool together. Now that it is all together, I really love it. I am going to give my bedroom a paint makeover this summer, so wanted to have a new quilt to go with it.

This is the first time I have made a king size quilt and quilted it on my machine. Boy would it be nice to own a long arm sewing machine at times.

The other picture is yagger, he is Amanda's puppy she got for Christmas. He can't live in their apartment and has come to live with us until they are able to find a house to buy or rent. He is just a ball of fur and so fun with all his energy.

Well I am off to work on two more rag baby quilts today. Hopefully I will get at least one of them all finished and done today.

Quilting up a Storm.

2009-01-11T20:26:00.002-07:00

Well I am trying to finish up all the unfinished quilts I started years ago and never finished. I have several quilt tops and quilt kits that I purchased years ago and never finished so my goal is to work on them over the coming months.

I did start a new quilt for my bedroom. I went out on a limb and choose colors that weren't really my style but now that the top is together. I love it. The colors are red, black and silver. Very romantic. I love my quilt now that it is together. I am working on quilting it now and than I will take a picture of it once it is on my bed and post a picture.

Megan heads back to college tomorrow. It is hard to believe she has been home a whole month already. She probably won't be back home now till next month when Amanda has the baby. It is hard to believe that Amanda will be having her baby in just a few short weeks now.

New Year

2009-01-02T18:26:00.003-07:00

It is the beginning of a new year. New Years bring with it the new resolutions and goals that I would like to see come in the new year. My goal this year is to really work at getting fit. That goal includes loosing weight, which I hope comes a long with getting fit. My goal is to devote 45 minutes a day to exercising on my treadmill, glidder or just taking a long walk.

The Wii is in the house and Sam is addicted. We got the Wii fit and have been having fun trying to beat each others scores. Sam took the top skiing score and I just can't seem to beat him, but I have him on so many of the other balance games. I would have never guessed my husband would be addicted to a video game or even want to play one, but he has been having fun with the wii.

The new year will bring about a new stage in our lives as we will be welcoming in our first grandchild in just 4 short weeks. It has been different watching my own child go through the challenges of pregnancy. Her and Greg are getting ready for the baby at home. But to prepare they decided to welcome a new baby puppy into their home that Amanda got for Christmas from Greg. Yager (hummm Greg picked the name) is a brichon frise and is just a little tiny white fur ball. I think he looks like a snowball running around the house. He has been coming over and we house sit when they are at work.

It is hard to believe my two week vacation from work is over and I need to go back to work on Monday. I was just getting used to sleeping in and getting so many things done around the house. On this vacation I got these projects done and several others started. I finished the dark leaf quilt I had started about 10 years ago. I am so excited to FINALLY get it done. I also made a rag quilt for our living room and I made one for my neighbor who just had a baby.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T16:56:00.001-07:00

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas and the coming new year is filled with glad tidings. Christmas day here was laid way back this year. It was our first Christmas without all the children home as Amanda is in Great Falls with Greg's family. Hopefully next year they will be here for the baby's first Christmas. We ate turkey dinner, opened gifts and just hung out as a family today. It is still really cold and snowy outside.

Merry Christmas everyone.

GRRRRRR...................

2008-12-16T17:26:00.002-07:00

I am tired of getting sick just when I am suppose to have time off. The week before Thanksgiving I came down with a heck of sinus infection and spent the entire holiday and days off from school sleeping and coughing. Well low and behold we get out of school for 2 full weeks on Friday and I have come down with another sinus infection. I am so plugged and coughing again. I am so sick of being sick.

Christmas is next week and I could care less. I really need to find some mojo to get my shopping down. My tree is looking pretty bare right now because I just haven't gotten much stuff. I really need to figure out some shopping time. Maybe on Saturday, I will head to Dickenson for the day to do some shopping.

Craftshow

2008-11-09T17:08:00.005-07:00

Jill and I worked hard at the craft show this past weekend. It was a great succeess and worth all the effort. Here are some pictures from the show.
This is our booth and you can see a varity of the items we had.

Co-Ed 2008

2008-11-01T21:55:00.006-06:00

Tonight was Jerad's co-ed. His date was Naccona Frame. Here are a couple pictures from the evening!

Okay I didn't drop off the face of the earth!

2008-10-25T19:29:00.003-06:00

Update on some things: Amanda is suppose to be having a boy, but at her last two doctors appointments the dr. said that based on the low heartbeat he would think it was a girl if the ultrasound didn't show it was a boy. So we wait and see what she has. I am not counting either way until I see parts for myself!

Megan is busy at college with school work and tennis practice. I can't wait to go watch her play tennis in the spring. Hopefully tomorrow we get to drive up for the day to hang out and spend some time with her. She came home last weekend and we got to hang out with her.

Jerad just finished up his football season. His season was pretty low but hopefully it will be better next year. They ended the season at 1 win, 8 loses.

My job is going great. I am loving it, keeps me really busy. Jill and I are busy getting ready for the craft show in a couple weeks. Hopefully we sell a lot of stuff and don't have a bunch of stuff left over. I will post some pictures before the show. We are both busy finishing up stuff these last couple weekends.

It's going to be a boy!!

2008-09-17T10:38:00.001-06:00

Amanda had her ultrasound today and she is going to be having a baby boy! I will have a grandson!! The name they have picked out is Brayden Michael. I can't wait till February!!

Back from Butte

2008-08-24T19:08:00.002-06:00

Well I spent a week in Butte where I was doing training for my new job with AltaCare. It seems like it will be a great company to work for. I am excited to get into the schools tomorrow and start working with the kids. I have a meeting right away in the morning to transfer some cases over to me from the middle school program. Than I will be busy setting up the therapy rooms and making phone calls to set up parent meetings. I am excited and nervous at the same time. This is probably the most challenging thing, I have ever done in my life. I am excited about working with the kids, hoping that my therapy with each of them makes a difference in their lives. I am nervous about all the paperwork and work that I need to do.

When I was in Butte it actually was snowing there! I am so not ready for winter yet. It is hard enough to believe it is already the end of August and school has started. Jerad has his first football game this coming Friday in Livingston. He is pretty excited about football and sports this year. Having that year off with his broken humerous was pretty hard on him. It really made him appreciate things he couldn't do during that time much more.

So next weekend, we take Megan to Billings for college. She is all packed and ready to go. She is pretty excited about it. I will post more about it next week after we get back from dropping her off next week.

Deep in Digi class layouts

2008-08-11T19:25:00.003-06:00

I am taking an advanced digital scrapbook class online. These are two of the layouts I made during that class!!

So do you have olympic fever? I am loving watching the olympics. The swimming has been awesome.

So I only have 2 more days before my job ends and I am busy getting ready for my new job. I have been spending the last couple weeks getting ready with lesson plans and stuff to be ready for the kids. Next week I am off to Butte for training all week.

:( Laptop

2008-08-09T21:20:00.002-06:00

Well my laptop has died. I took it into the computer shop and they said I might as well just buy a new one because it would cost more to repair than the cost of a new one. I am so bummed out because I use my lap top all the time. I love sitting and working on my digital layouts with it. I am lost with out it and probably will be picking up a new one next week. I don't know if I can make it without my laptop. I figured I would be using it all the time in my new job so I have my case files with me and I don't have to run back and forth between the two schools and can work on my files at home.

We got home from Billings earlier today. Just great to go up and spend the night taking in the fair there. We got up this morning to go to the farmers market. It was great. I got to eat a crepe. Hummmmm heaven. We did a little shopping and headed home.

The end of summer

2008-08-06T11:16:00.002-06:00

Wow it is hard to believe that I only have about a week and half before I start my new job. I am getting really excited about it. I did go to the schools this week to check out my "room". The one is going to be a big storage/old classroom in the basement. It will take some work to get it feeling bright and cherry to work with it. I am excited to see what I can do to turn it around and make it a fun place for the kids to hang out. The other school the room is really more like a closet that we will be in. It will have a table and chairs, but no real room for floor space to play or anything. I am going to have to be creative in figuring out what to do with the kids there because the space will be really tight.

I am looking forward to building the program and really hoping that it makes a difference in the lives of these young children. I am glad to see that some of my parents are pretty excited about the program and the good it can bring to their family.

This week I am done working, have to burn up some more of my vacation hours. We are off to Billings to the Fair! The kids have concert tickets to Puddle of Mud and while they are doing that, Sam and I will be sitting in the beer booth having some fun listening to the Bad Larry's. I can't wait to walk around the fair and just enjoy some time together as a family. The older the kids get the harder it gets to have that fun family time together. Hard to believe that Megan leaves for college in just over 3 weeks.

Anyway even though it is only Wednesday, it is going to be a great weekend. Well I am off to get some stuff done around the house and have some play time.

It's Here!!

2008-07-29T13:58:00.006-06:00

My New Kitchen Aid

I a so excited my new kitchen aid mixer is here. Amazon was having a one day sale last week and so I treated myself for my birthday and anniversay with this baby. I have wanted one my whole life. I have longed and dreamed about the day I would own one. Well today is that day and I sit here at work. It is all unpacked and sitting on my table just waiting for me to come home and play with it this afternoon. Oh man I can't wait.

I have been on a mission this year to really work on doing the majority of my cooking at home and from scratch. It has been going really great. I have taken to making bread at home now. Each weekend I make 2 loafs of bread. Since I work full-time during the week I do a lot of planning and even some mean prep on the weekend. If I can get somethings prepared and put in the fridge or freezer to pull out and throw in the over later in the week.

I really have enjoyed trying new recipes and getting creative with my menus. We are all eating healthier now that we aren't just opening boxes of hamburger helper. I can't say I notice a difference in my food bill because we just buy different foods. No more prepared food but more fruits, veggies and meats. I can say I have noticed a big drop in our costs for eating out. We just don't do it very often any more. We tend to enjoy grilling and cooking at home. I have taken up canning again and have been freezing and canning beets, and making jams.

I do have to say my favorite thing now that I am in the kitchen is having Sam there helping me cook. It is great when the two of us are working side by side preparing and cooking meals. So enjoyable!!

Madison

2008-07-26T16:45:00.002-06:00

This was a great 2 page layout I made with some pictures of Madison taken when i was in Wisconsin.

Cayden

2008-07-25T22:00:00.002-06:00

When I was in Green Bay a couple weeks ago, I got to hang out with my nephew's kids on the 4th of July. Debbie and I took them to the park for the afternoon. We had so much fun playing and taking pictures of them. This is just a fun layout I finished up tonight. I was taking Jessica Sprague's Now We Are Rockin' class. Of course I got behind and am just playing catch up but that layout was perfect for the pictures of Cayden.

Summer is flying buy

2008-07-24T15:24:00.002-06:00

Seriously where has the summer gone. I can't believe we are already into the end of July. Last week was party week at our house. I had my birthday on the 19th (ewwww 41) but the day was great. I got some stuff done around the house and than hubby took me over to Dickinson to eat dinner, do a little shopping and go watch the races at Southwest Speedway. It was a lot of fun and just a great evening.

Than on the 22nd we celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe we have been married 19 years already. Next year for our 20th we are going to take a trip together. We aren't sure where yet but we are kind of in the middle of starting a new chapter in our lives and it is just great getting to spend time together. For all of our marriage we have always had kids running around and traveling with us. Now we are about to be grandparents in February, our middle daughter will be leaving town in just a couple weeks to move off to college. Our youngest will be a junior in high school this year and really doesn't like to travel or do things with us. It is great just getting to hang out with Sam in the evenings when the kids are working. We usually eat dinner together and just visit and catch up on our days.

I already know I am going to enjoy this new chapter in my life. I love spending time with Sam and just enjoying the relaxed lifestyle of not having to run around after young children, being able to just head out of town together for an evening or weekend. I have to say through all the difficult years with little kids, jobs and everything else in a new marriage, I never imagined it would be this great after being married so long. I am loving it.

I am back!!

2008-07-12T22:08:00.002-06:00

I drove out to Wisconsin and have been spending time with my family for the last week and half. It was a great visit and I really needed the time with them. My dad had his surgery to remove his last leg. I didn't think I would get to see him before the surgery because it was scheduled for Wednesday, July 2nd but than it was postponed because his blood sugars were up over 550. So I drove out there and got there with several days to spend with my dad before he had his surgery. He was in the hospital while they worked to get his sugars down and under control but it was still great to get to visit with him before the surgery.

He had his surgery on Sunday, July 6th at 8:00 am. The surgery went really well. I am not sure if he realized what life would be like with no legs. I know he was just glad to have it gone so that the throbbing pain he was experiencing would stop. He seemed to be a little depressed after the surgery but was recovering pretty well. He ended up getting moved down to the rehab area so he could begin working to build his arm muscles up and progress in learning to care for himself and hopefully reach his goal of going home. On Wednesday evening he ended up having another stroke and being moved back to the hospital. He is still currently in the hospital and is slowly recovering. Hopefully in a couple more days he will be moved back to the rehab part of the hospital where he can work on learning his skills.

The ultimate goal is to have him able to take care of himself and able to go home by himself in a couple of months. His doctor thinks he will be able to have prosthetics for both legs and walk without having to be in a wheel chair. We ended up moving him out of his trailer because he would not be able to get into the bedroom or bathroom with a chair at all. So if he didn't have his legs on all the time he wouldn't be able to use the restroom. We discussed it with him and decided it would be best to look for an apartment once he is ready to come home.

While I was in Wisconsin it was great to spend time with my aunts and uncles, my sister and brother and my dad. I even got to meet my nephews 3 children and hang out with my niece.

Birthday Boy

2008-06-30T10:36:00.002-06:00

Hard to believe my little boy is 16 year old now. Wow it seems like just yesterday we were having little kids running around our house. Now I have a 21 year old, 18 year old and now my baby is 16. I just don't feel old enough to have kids that age. Jerad's birthday was a great relaxing Sunday. I made a bunch of cupcakes and decorated them for him instead of a cake. We seem to eat cupcakes up, but cakes tend to sit and go to waste. We went out shopping and got Jerad a new CD and he got to spend some money at Kmart. Than his dad made him his favorite dinner of baby back ribs that had marinated in bbq sauce all day and than cooked really slow on the grill for several hours. Oh they were melt in your mouth good. It was great to sit and have a family dinner today.

Amanda had her first ultrasound today. Her due date is set for Febraury 11, 2009. Almost 8 weeks along already.

I am heading off to my dad's house on Wednesday, they have moved his surgery up to Wednesday. I won't get to spend a couple days with him now before he has surgery, but I will be there to visit with him and hang out with my sister cleaning and organizing his house for him.

The good thing is that strawberries are ready for picking and door county cherries might be ready by the time I am ready to come home. Oh yummy, I am hoping to bring home several gallons of cherries and strawberries to make some jam and jelly. Oh and I can't forget to bring home some cheese curds for the family. My kids can't wait and even my neighbor loves them. He is in his 80's and use to work in WI back in the 50's. He loves it when I bring home goodies!

:( day

2008-06-26T00:03:00.002-06:00

Well my dad still has his one leg, but only for about another week. He will be going in for surgery to remove the leg below the knee on July 6 or 7, it will depend on when they can schedule the surgery. He was going to have it removed last time he was in the hospital last week, but they ended up hearing a faint pulse right before they were going to do the operation. Of course my dad is such a smooth talker, he talked them into waiting to see if opening the vein even a little bit would save the leg. They now know that it wasn't enough to save the leg, but my dad now is to the point he knows they tried everything. He is resigned to the fact that he will be in a wheelchair now. I worry about depression after the surgery. He now talks like he will only be in the hospital a week, than in a rehab facility for a couple weeks than going home. This is so not realistic because my dad has steps to get into his house. He will have to learn to do everything without legs. I am just not sure he will even have the upper body strength to lift himself like he will need to.

I know I am probably on the opposite end of things that my dad, but I don't see him going home after the surgery. He has let himself become pretty lazy about his daily care and thus I think after this it will even become worse. Right now I am trying to figure out when the best time will be to go out and spend some time with him. I am not sure if I want to do it after the surgery or go before and than be there while he is in the hospital. I just don't know. I do know that if there is a chance he will go home we will need to do a lot of work in his house to get it organized so he will be able to get around in a wheelchair. I guess I will have to make a decision this week when I will be going out to Wisconsin.

Diabetes Stinks

2008-06-17T08:15:00.002-06:00

My dad has had type 2 diabeties since he was about 38 years old. He is now 70. He had his first leg amputated about 4 years ago after he dropped a log on his foot and it didn't heal and ended up gettin infected. Now his other leg is in really rough shape and isn't getting enough blood supply to keep it alive. This last Friday they did surgery to try and open some of the arteries in his leg. On Saturday, they were set to amputate the leg just below the knee. They ended up getting a pulse so one of the veins had been opened a little bit. The doctor decided to give it another week to see if that was enough to keep his foot alive enough to save it. This coming Monday the doctor will make the decision on if to amputate or not. Either way this is devastating for dad. He could manage with one leg, but now with loosing the other one it is just the end in his mind.

My sister and I struggle with what to do with him. With both legs gone he will be confined to a wheelchair. This will mean his home is no longer accessible for him. It was hard enough getting around in it with one leg and a cane, but having no legs and a wheelchair will just not work where he lives now. More than likely he will be going to a nursing home after the surgery at least temporary. It will depend on his will to rehabilitate and get on with his life. If he wants to be more functional in getting around it will be up to him to learn that process and move forward, or to give into the depression. We will just have to wait and see what he will decide to do for himself.

Hey Grandma!

2008-06-13T09:26:00.000-06:00

Okay I am not exactly ready to be a grandma, but I don't really get to pick the time I become one now do I? Well last night Amanda and Greg came over to the house to let us know they are having a baby! I don't feel old enough to have a grandbaby running around the house yet, but than my husband reminded me that when I was her age, I was married and pregnant with my second child. They are so excited. I am sure I will have ultrasound pictures soon! In just 7 short months I will be taking tons of pictures of baby toes and a my first grandchild. While I wish she would have waited a couple more years to enjoy each other a little longer, she has always wanted to be a mother. She will be a great mother I am sure.

On another note, it is suppose to finally warm up this weekend and be fairly nice. I got my rasberry plants and rhubarb in the ground the other day so hopefully they will start growing. I am hoping to get some windows cleaned and painted this weekend so I can get some layouts put in them for the craft show. I really need to spend some time in my scrapbook room this weekend getting some stuff done.

Rain Rain

2008-06-05T19:21:00.003-06:00

Go away. I am a little tired of all the rain. It seems to rain everyday here. I thougth we were suppose to be in a drought? I am sure come July I will be wishing for the rain, but right now enough already. It has been so cold and chilly most of the time, that my garden I planted back in April is still trying to breakground. I thought all my seeds were rotten, but it is slowly coming up! This weekend my rasberry plants will be here. I can't wait to get them planted and growing. Hopefully they will come back again next year.

Driver's education.... my youngest is in driver's ed. He got his permit last week on Friday and has been driving us crazy with wanting to go out driving around. He is still a little scary, but he is getting better. We have been having him learn to drive the stick shift pickup. He has been doing pretty good with it. He is saving up for a new vehicle, but hopefully we can talk him into waiting a couple years till he gets ready to head off to college to get it.

Yesterday, Megan and I finished up her application, dorm application and all her paperwork for college at MSU-Billings. It is really hitting me that she will be leaving in just 2 short months. I am so proud of her for taking such a big step and heading off to college. It is such a big step. I am realizing how un-prepared she is (or at least I think she is) because she has never driven in a bigger city at all. We might have to take a road trip this summer so she can get a little practice.

I posted another layout that I have been working on tonight. I am really loving the digi scrapbooking, but I tend to be running out of photos now that I can get several digital layouts done every night.

Megan

2008-06-04T09:28:00.002-06:00

I love this fun picture of my daughter and her friend Shain. They always have so much fun together. Sharing the love!! Of course I had to turn it into a layout to add to her album for her.

Megan has finally made up her mind to attend college in Billings. She will be playing tennis for MSU-Billings yellowjackets. That is the same college I received my BA degree from. I am so proud of her for making a decision to leave home and branch out on her own. Off into the big world. I am really nervous for her going off to college in the big city by herself, but I know she will do fine. It has really hit me that in just a couple months I will only have 1 of my 3 children living at home with us.

This summer she is working for the city, teaching tennis lessons and also working in the evenings at Frosty's (drive in dinner). She is saving money big time. I have to start saving to get her that laptop she will need for college.

Spring Cleaning Bug

2008-06-02T15:15:00.001-06:00

Well last night it hit me. I usually get the bug about the middle of March but this year with the cold rainy weather it has been delayed. I finally decided to dig out my capri's and start wearing them even though it is still pretty chilly here. But that led to the closet cleaning bug.

I ended up taking all the clothes out of my closet (well half the closet). Some of them I hadn't worn in ages and were covered in dust. I washed, folded and sorted. I got rid of a lot of clothes that I hadn't worn in awhile. I filled up 3 full bags that I will donate this week. It took me about 5 hours to get that half of the closest emptied and restocked with the clean clothes that I know I will wear. I even talked hubby into making me a hanging bar so I can hang all my work shirts up on it. Now that I have a job where I will be wearing dress clothes, I figured I better have a place where I can hang them up and keep them neat and ready to wear to work.

I have half a clean closet now. I will work on the other half tonight hopefully and get it all done. I am amazed at how old some of the clothes are that I have, time for them to go and new ones to take their place. It always feels so good to have stuff cleaned and organized. In my house, I need to do a lot more of it. With three children (well 2 still at home) it seems like for years we were just looking for places to store stuff, never organizing it.

My next project will be to clean off the freezer in the laundry room. The top of that thing seems to be the place that anything that doesn't have an assigned place goes. It is piled so high of stuff that hasn't been used for years. Time to organize and declutter the house. I love the feeling I get when I get a project done.

2008-05-31T23:13:00.000-06:00

Happy Saturday!

2008-05-31T20:18:00.002-06:00

WOW!! It is hard to believe that we are at the end of May. The weather is getting nice. We planted a new apple and cherry tree today. I saw my first snake yesterday. I am so terrified of snakes that now I can't even go down below the house without looking for them all the time.

I got my new job the other day. I actually found out about it a couple weeks ago when they called, but had to wait till the offer was signed and returned to make sure. I am always so nervous about jinking it if I put it out there too soon.

Graduation & State Qualifier

2008-05-19T15:40:00.001-06:00

Well Megan graduated from high school yesterday. It is so hard for me to believe that I have 2 children that have graduated already. Heck my oldest one will be turning 21 in just a few short weeks. Megan's graduation was great. Govenor Switzer spoke and it did a great job. He spoke about the best generation and the opportunity they have to be the greatest generation ever in defining the course this country takes in regards to technology and oil/gas exploration and dependence.

She looked great in her new dress, even though you couldn't see it under her graduation gown. But don't tell her that, she needed a new dress for the occasion. Last night they had the senior all nighter and she won an IPOD shuffle. She had a great time and came home very tired out this morning.

Tonight she has tennis practice than tomorrow they are off on the bus for POLSON. She took 2nd place in the Eastern "a" divisional tennis tournament and the top 4 players go on to State. She is so excited. She is coaching tennis lessons this summer and than will be starting college in the fall.

Sam and I will be leaving for Polson tomorrow. It is about a 10 hour drive and we are going to do it all in one day. So I will update next week with some pictures. I will try to get a graduation picture posted today.

Wow is it May Already

2008-05-03T20:54:00.002-06:00

So it is May already. We had snow just the other night and several inches of much needed rain. It has been busy around here getting ready for graduation. Hard to believe Megan will be graduating from High school in just another 2 weeks. She has been traveling so much for tennis. When Amanda graduated, we did the party and everything. Megan's graduation is going to much more laid back. She will be gone to the divisional tennis tournament for 4 days before graduation and will get home late the night before graduation. I am hoping to be up there to watch her at divisionals so won't have time to clean the house for a party or anything. So we aren't going to do anything for her as far as having a party. Right after graduation they are so excited and busy running with their friends and the last thing Megan wants is to have to be home for a party. The senior all nighter party is that night after graduation. We are really hoping that Megan will make it to State Tennis meet this year again and than we will be leaving the day after graduation for Polson Montana. It is clear over on the other side of the state, about 10 hours drive away.

I am looking forward to warm weather this week. It is suppose to be in the 60's this week. I am hoping my rasberry plants come this week that I ordered several weeks ago. I want to get them in the ground and see if I can get them growing.

It was a party!!

2008-04-22T19:00:00.002-06:00

We had Sam's birthday earlier this month. It fell on Sunday, which is usually my cooking day. I have really gotten into cooking from scratch and trying new receipies. I love trying different things and experiementing with new foods. Up until a couple months ago I had never made homemade cream cheese frosting or fresh whipped cream. I am enjoying making bread each weekend. I ordered 2 1-1/2 pound loaf pans. I can't wait to make bread this weekend and bake it in my new pans. The bread is great because I make it myself and than slice it up for the week ahead.

Happy Tuesday

2008-04-22T10:02:00.002-06:00

Just when I thought spring was in the air last week, the weather changes and we are back in the teens at night and 30's and 40's during the day. Snow is in the air and winte is back. Megas has a tennis meet here this weekend and I am hoping the weather is much improved by Friday. I will settle for weather in the high 40's and 50's, don't want to be too greedy after all it is only the end of April. I can still be happy wearing a sweatshirt around. But I am really tired of frost and snow. I want to green grass and the smell of lilacs in the air really soon.

This layout is just a picture I had of my son at his baptism many years ago. Kind of fun scrapping old pictures. I just wish I could remember the dates or even the year it was taken. I am thinking 94 but it could have been 93, I am just not sure.

Genetics

2008-04-16T16:24:00.000-06:00

I love this layout. It explains the role of genetics and how powerful it is between me and my sister's lives. We tend to be more alike than me and other sisters.

Love

2008-04-16T13:23:00.003-06:00

This is a layout I worked on today. It is for a challenge I am participating in on two peas in a bucket. The challenge is to use a sketch from Pagemaps and create a layout based off the sketch.

In other news, I did get my garden tilled up this weekend and some stuff planted. I will work on getting the rest of it in the ground this coming weekend. I am really excited about doing my garden this year. I am hoping to get some canning in and some stuff in the freezer. With the economy, we are going to be cutting back on groceries and the things we are buying and making things more from scratch for sure. Heck it is pretty scary that gas is already at the $3.50 level. I remember being in a panic when it hit the $3 mark, now they are talking $4. I can't imagine what it will be like. Cutting back will be in our future for sure.

I have to say I have been trying to do a lot of cooking from scratch lately, and I have really been enjoying it.

April!!

2008-04-10T15:31:00.001-06:00

Okay just posting a digi layout I was playing around with. Sam had his birthday last Sunday. He had to work most of the day which was good because it gave me the whole day to plan out and cook a big birthday dinner for him. I made him ribs and coleslaw and for dessert I made his favorite a homemade Black Cherry Forest Cake with homemade whipped topping. It was so delicious. I will have to post pictures when I get them off my camera. It was just a great day.

Spring is in the air. It is cold and rainy today, but by the weekend it is suppose to be up to almost 70 degrees. I love it. I am so tired of being chilled because it hasn't been that warm. Boy when the sun comes out all I want to do is hang out side.

I placed my burpee order yesterday. I am going to give a shot at trying to get some rasberry plants growing in my back yard. I also ordered some seeds so I can get my garden planted. I did a small garden last year but this year I am hoping to make it a little bit bigger. I didn't do a garden for the last 3 or 4 years because I was so busy with school. Now that I am done with school it is nice to just have time to relax and enjoy being out in the yard. My perneial gardens are doing really well. I buy a couple more plants every year and this year I will buy some more and also hopefully can get a water fountain put in. I love just sitting and listening to the sound of water trickling. So relaxing.

Please keep our friend Bruce in your prayers this week. His mother passed away last week and her funeral was last week. Than on Monday he was having chest pains and ended up going to the ER where they flew him to Billings thinking he needed a stint put in. Well it turns out his four valves were almost 100% blocked so he quadruple bi-pass surgery last night. He was out of surgery and doing good last night. I just worry about him, and can't wait till he is home and feeling better.

I will try to get some pictures posted this week. Megan is off playing tennis in Billings and Jerad has a track meet. I should have my camera out.
Take care.

Digi

2008-03-22T19:55:00.002-06:00

Playing around with digital elements again. Just having fun learning the different techniques and things I can do with digital elements. This is one of my favorite pictures of my husband. Had a lot of fun putting together this simple but fun layout.

Happy Easter!! It will be a simple day around here. Not much going on. The kids are all off work so we rented a bunch of movies and will be spending the day laying around watching the movies and snacking.

Remembering Shelly

2008-02-28T12:54:00.001-07:00

I can't seem to come to grasps with Shelly's death. It has been several months now but it is still just such a shock that I can't believe it. She passed very suddenly of pneumonia at the age of 52. This is my favorite picture of her with Megan at Meg's first confirmation

2008-02-25T22:04:00.001-07:00

Loving this layout of the kids first day of school this past fall. Signed up for a beginning photoshop class that starts next month. I have worked on photoshop for awhile but nothing structured where I have learned how to use the program, just my own playing with the program. I am looking forward to learning a lot of new techinques to play with when digi scrapbooking.

2008-02-19T20:46:00.002-07:00

just playing around with some fun papers. Really enjoying getting the hang of playing with these layouts.

Nascar baby

2008-02-16T10:52:00.002-07:00

I am so excited Nascar starts tomorrow. I can't wait. By the end of the season I am always tired of it, but boy by the time April rolls around I am so excited for it to get started again. Usually because that means FOOTBALL is over and I don't have to spend my weekends listening to it on the tv and the hubby and son talking about it non-stop. I just can't wait to see how well my man JR. does with his new sponsor and team!!!

On a totally different note, I was all excited to sign up for netflix again because now they have it where I can watch movies on the computer anytime. I figured it would be a great way to lay in bed and watch some movies!! Well I got all signed up and have my first 2 movies coming in the mail to me, but I can't watch any movies on my tv. So I call their wonderful customer support and find out that basically my internet provider runs their IP addresses through Canada and thus I can't watch movies on the computer because I am blocked for living in Canada when I actually live in Montana, which happens to be in the US. So I have to get my internet provider to figure out how to stop running my ip through Canada or wait to see if netflix can find a way to approve my IP address. It could be weeks before I get the service that I really wanted in the first place. Bummer

I knitted my first full project today. I got a hat completed and it fits and everything. I am so excited. I can't believe I finished a project!!!

2008-02-15T19:30:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday

2008-02-15T16:31:00.001-07:00

Boy when I get started on something I forget how addicted I get to it. Here I am doing my digital. Who would have thought sitting around watching the evening news while working on layouts would be a good thing!!!

2008-02-14T22:53:00.001-07:00

Really loving the digital. Who would have thought it was this addicting. I bought my first digital kits tonight. I have been having lots of fun with the freebies, but wanted a little bit more.

2008-02-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

Going digital

2008-02-14T13:13:00.002-07:00

Okay I never thought I would ever enjoy digital scrapbooking. But the more I play with it the more fun I have with it. I am really enjoying spending some of my "free" time playing on the laptop playing with digital. I know I have a ton of stuff to learn but creating has been great.

Busy Busy Week

2008-02-13T11:31:00.002-07:00

Hard to believe it is only Wednesday. This week has been so busy for me. I have decided to sell off all my retired Stampin Up stamp sets on Ebay. I have been taking pictures and listing like crazy this week. It has been good for me because I am selling off tons of them. It will be so nice to finally eliminate so much of the stuff in my scrapbook room that I don't use anymore. It really has been suffocating my creativity.

In discussing it with Sam last night, I decided that the old days of just having a table in the corner to work at were the good old days and I want to go back to just having an office in the back room with the computer and a little desk in the corner for my scrapbooking stuff. I am going to purge and clean out so much stuff and get rid of it so I can eventually move back up there.

I have enjoyed having my own room in that I have collected so much stuff. But yet it takes me further away from my family. (The room is in the basement in the corner. I like being able to sit and scrapbook while being around them and listening to them. So my goal is to downsize and just get back to enjoying the hobby of perserving my memories rather than collecting tons of scrapbooking stuff.

2008-02-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just playing around with some free digi scrapbook stuff last night. Came up with this fun layout
for Jerad.

It is done!!

2008-02-10T20:35:00.001-07:00

I am so excited. I have been working for the last two years on an album of all my father in laws pictures and memorabilia from World War II. I have spent a lot of time researching information to get the details fo the pictures right. It has been really interesting working on this album. My father in law passed away in 1990 and non of his children wanted to keep the pictures, so I ended up with them. My husband loves having the album.

I went to a weekend crop this past weekend. It was great just hanging out with friends and scrapbooking all day and most of the night. It was great just working on my projects and getting caught up on my stuff.

Saying Goodbye to Moe :(

2008-01-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

We got a call yesterday afternoon that my husbands very dear friend Moe, had passed away. He was suppose to be coming to Glendive for a visit and hadn't showed up. A friend of our's got worried when he hadn't showed up and called his wife in Boise Idaho, who called someone in Dillion to go check on him. They figure he had a heart attack on Friday. I am so sad because Moe was such a great guy. He would have given his life for his friends if they had asked. He was just a big teddy bear of a guy that truly appreciated the value of friendship and enjoyed having a good time in life. He will be missed by our family for sure.

On a side note, I had my surgery on Friday. The joy of not eating or drinking anything after midnight because of surgery is not a lot of fun when you don't have surgery till 6:15 pm the next evening. If I had known it would have been so long I would have made sure I got up at 11:45 pm to get a drink or have something to eat. Boy by the time they took me into surgery, I could have ate my own arm off. The surgery was great, but I did end up having to spend the night in the hospital again. I am kind of sick of hospitals right now. Turns out that my incisions had erroded around my bladder and that I also have a staph infection that they had to cut away some of the tissues.

Really hoping this surgery took, because she said if it doesn't they will have to go in and do a pretty extensive surgery to take out all the bladder sling and do reconstruction on it. She said Dr. Rauh has never had that happen before, but hey in all his years of practice he hasn't had but one other erroding scar like mine, so my body is freaky.

Happy Friday :)

2008-01-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well here I sit waiting. I have been sick for about a week and half. This last Wednesday I finally gave in and called my doctor up because the antibiotics she had given me last Friday didn't seem to be working that well. Anyway after a flying trip to the doctor that afternoon she has decided that my scar from my bladder surgery in November is erroding and that is causing me to be so sick. Needless to say she scheduled surgery today. Well because it was so last minute, I am the last one on the table today, probably having surgery around 2 or 3 pm. I have been without anything to eat or drink since midnight and I don't even have to be at the hospital till noon, and that is only if things are going as planned. I have to call in at 10:30 to see if they are on schedule or behind.

It is funny how water isn't that important until you can't have it. I am so craving a cold drink of water right now. Oh man what I wouldn't give to have some water. So this time I am packing an overnight bag to take to the hospital to be prepared. My doctor said she didn't expect me to have to spend the night, but she also said that last time I ended up being there with no supplies, nothing like leaving the hospital without being able to brush your teeth or comb your hair. So this time I am prepared.

Oh other exciting news, I finally got myself a new IPOD touch and am loving it.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

I know that I am a little bit late, but I was down for the count sick in bed, thinking I was going to die there for a while. So cut me some slack. Things are on the mend and life is in full swing again. So it is 2008! What is scary is that it really seems like last year everyone was freaking out about their computers or technology not working when we went from 1999 to 2000 and here we are 8 years later already. Boy when they say time speeds up the older you get they weren't kidding. I am thinking by the time I hit 80, it will be making me a little dizzy since it goes so fast already at 40!

Hope you all celebrated and took in the new year, made some resolutions, maybe even already broke some. I know mine is to get healthier this year, but that started off with a bang because I ended up in bed out of my mind sick for 4 days. So getting healthier from that didn't take but a call to the doctor to get on some antibiotics for my infection.

This year will bring with it some exciting changes in our lives.

Megan will graduate from high school, and go off to college in the fall.
Hopefully, Amanda, our oldest will move back out of the house and get her life figured out, and back on track. Funny how kids think they can move out and just party and not pay bills or take responsibility for anything, than boom, life catches up with them.
This year Jerad will hopefully stay healthy, no broken bones, and can play baseball and football.
The amazing thing will be that this year, Valentines Day will be when Sam and I moved in together and have been a family ever since. It is going to be a great new year!

Holiday Rush

2007-12-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Humm the holidays are here. It feels like Christmas because we have snow on the ground and the temperature is hoovering in the mid teens most of the time. I love winter when it is snowy and the temps are in the high 30's to mid 40's. Snowman building weather is great out. But we always seem to have the snow and the cold COLD temperatures.

So getting ready for the holidays. Humm I have done most of my shopping already this year or at least have a list of what I am getting people. I just need to make the road trip out of town to buy stuff. The kids are pretty much taken care of. Sam is done and under the tree. The tree is up and decorated. I really struggle to get the holiday spirit. I think it comes from being raised with the belief that Christmas is wrong. Now as an adult, it seems like such a political holiday that I really struggle to just keep it about family and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I don't like getting all wrapped in the buying of gifts and the holiday about money and giving the perfect gift. To me the perfect gift would be an evening at home with my family playing board games and snacking. Just spending time together hanging out. I try to make the holidays about my family time.

Lately we have really been into hanging out. A couple weeks ago I put down a big piece of cardboard on the living room floor and started a jigsaw puzzle. It didn't take long for all 5 of us to gather around and spend time putting it together. Now we have had a different puzzle on the board all the time. We also got out the old backgammon game. Sam and I use to play it a lot when we were dating back 20 years ago. But lately we have all been having fun just sitting on the floor playing games together. Now that is the perfect holiday season.

Hope everyone has a great Holiday Season. Megan has been invited to play in the Junior Masters Cup Tennis tournament. They invite 8 girls in the 18 year old division to come to Kalispell and play in the tournament. It is such a great opportunity that we felt we couldn't pass it up. So we will be leaving for Kalispell on the 26th and returning home very late Sunday night the 30th.

Just catching up and posting some layouts today.

2007-12-01T14:22:00.001-07:00

Brrrrr.... Winter is on it's way!!

2007-10-27T21:06:00.000-06:00

Boy fall is long gone and the cold days of winter are upon us here in Montana. I am not sure I am ready for the days when it is dark when I leave work and the COLD. Brrrrrr.

In other news. I have been really busy working on crafts for the craft show. Just getting different things ready is taking forever. I am sure this will be our last year of doing the craft show. This year has been a lot of work.

Megan did really good at the State A cross country meet last weekend. She placed 38th out of 142 girls. I was really proud of her, but she was a little disappointed in her time as it wasn't her seasons best.

If you are a baseball fan like I am, it is GO ROCKIES!!!!! I was really rooting for the Red Soxs to beat the Cleaveland Indians, but I would love to see the ROCKIES win the world series this year.

Amanda moved back home today. It will take some getting use to since she was so eager to move out at 18 and not have to follow our rules. Now she is 20 and willing to follow the rules to save some money! Well off to watch the end of the game and than head to bed.

So what do you think of the new blog banner? I have been playing around and working on it.

Thursday wanderings!

2007-10-18T09:43:00.000-06:00

Well it is Thursday, October 18th. My youngest daughter turned 18 yesterday!! I am still finding it hard to believe that she is 18 years old. It seems like just not that long ago I was the one that was 18 years old. I was foot loose and fancy free back than enjoying life. Boy would it slap in the face really fast and wake me up that foot loose and fancy free isn't something that lasts very long. But a good life it has been never the less!! We had cake and had fun last night. She is so much fun to be around because she is so out going. Her big excitment was that she went and bought lottery tickets. In the scratch tickets she was excited because she spent $4 and won $2 back. There is that right of passage in turning 18. I have to say she has been such a great kid! I would have thought she would have been the one that would have given me so much trouble as a teenager. She didn't at all. She followed the rules and never has really been one to want to go out and do the whole party hang out with her friends. She would rather have her friends over to the house and that is fine with me!!

So today Megan is off to the State Cross Country meet in Helena!! They are leaving this afternoon for the 8 hour bus ride up there! She made cupcakes for everyone on the bus to celebrate her birthday!!
Good luck MEGAN!!!

Family and Religion

2007-10-09T08:40:00.000-06:00

Wow my family is nuts or at least half of them are. Well my mom finally did it, she tore our family apart totally. My mother became a Jehovah's Witness shortly after I was born. I had known the JW religion my whole life. As I was growing up in a home that was very dysfunctional. My father had two children prior to meeting my mother than he began having an affair with my mother who also had a son from a previous relationship. When they were married I was the oldest, than had two younger sisters. We never got to see my dad's oldest children until I was in high school. Anyway the family was very dysfunctional with my dad drinking all the time, my mother was always spending and fighting with my dad. I grew up thinking we were a very poor family (didn't qualify for free lunch at school because my parents made too much, but we didn't get lunch at all.) I actually had friends whose parents would pack me a lunch when I was in middle school and send it with their daughter.

So my dysfunctional family was being raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. My mom's son was always in trouble. He was into drugs and drinking and would steal all the time. We were always in trouble for things he did. To make the family dynamics worse because he was not my dad's son he was very hard on him. Which made it worse because my mother gave him everything he wanted to make up for it. I never got a long with my mother, truly couldn't stand her from almost as long as I could remember. She was so mean to me (I think because my dad and I spent so much time together). Anyway I remember my mom telling me and my younger sister that if we were baptised than she would buy us each a car. So we both got baptised, only to my surprise I never got a car from my mom. But low and behold my sister did. That was when I was 15. When I was 16, I got in a major fight with my mom and she slapped me and I slapped her. That was the end for me. I left home and moved in with a friend and her family. (they were not JW's.) Needless to say I was disfellowshipped when I was 17 years old. I never really had a relationship with my mother again for a couple years. She was mad that I was living on my own, working evenings and going to high school during the day. I was determined to graduate high school. My mother was not really involved in my life at the time.

I had my daughter Amanda and ended my relationship with her father only to meet Sam that fall when Amanda was 3 months old. Amanda and I moved to live with Sam and we were married and had a daughter. My mother and father didn't come to my wedding even though I had it outside in a park so they couldn't use the excuse it was in a church. My mother didn't know her two granddaughters. She had seen Amanda a little bit before we moved, but hadn't seen Megan at all. It wasn't until I was pregnant with Jerad that I began speaking to my mother again. I had always talked to my dad off and on, but it was difficult to talk to me without having to deal with my mom afterward. So my sisters and mom came to visit shortly after Jerad was born. My mom and I never had a close relationship, but she made it clear during my children's young lives that my sisters children were her favorites. She would always try to push her religion on them. She because very upset when myself and my children were baptised in the catholic church and I was confirmed.

We talk periodically during the years. It wasn't until the separation of my parents that the trouble really began. My mom had called my husband up and asked him to write her statements falsifying information for her divorce saying my dad had given him things that were worth month and she was entitled to half that money. My husband told her where to go and she let loose on him about choosing sides. Needless to say my husband didn't care if she ever came to our house again. We still had contact off and on during the years since.

Now it has been 25 years since I have been disfellowshiped, I have had contact with my mom and my sisters. They have come to visit and my two girls both had flown up to spend the summers with them. Than boom all heck breaks loose the other day. My sister has been in Montana for about 3 weeks now with her kids. They haven't called or anything to come visit or have us drive up to see them. Well on Sunday my mom calls to say they won't be coming to see me at all because I am disfellowshipped and they can't speak to me anymore. So I let her have it. I am so sick of her games. But than she hangs up the phone and calls my oldest daughter and asks her if she wants to get together with them. She doens't call my other children at all. She tells my oldest not to tell me or her siblings about seeing them. What a crock of crap to try to cause trouble in my family like that. I explained to my oldest daughter what my mom had said to me. Needless to say my daughter was pissed because she has been hurt by my mom over the last 20 years. So she calls them back to tell them they won't be seeing her. Than my mom has the nerve to call me up and tell me I am making her grandchildren hate her and that she has a right to see them if she wants.

I just unloaded on her and told her that she will probably never see them again because it was her choice. I told her and my children that their relationship was up to them and I wouldn't stand in the way if they wanted to see their grandma. Needless to say my mother also called my brother and told him that he can't contact me anymore or my mother wounldn't speak to him. Gee he left the church way before me and did way worse things, but because he wasn't baptised it was okay!! That religion is such a cult.

Going digital baby

2007-08-26T20:11:00.000-06:00

Okay I am really interested in the hybrid scrapbooking but figured I would try to make an all digital layout. So tonight I was playing around with some free kits on line and just getting in some practice. So here it is my first ever fully digital layout.

THey are off and running

2007-08-24T23:24:00.000-06:00

Well the kids started school this past week on Wednesday. It was kind of a weird day for me. Megan started her senior year. It really didn't bother me when Amanda was in her senior year, but with Meg's maybe it is that she is my youngest daughter, but it really bothered me to think I would only have one child left at home next year at this time. Jerad is a sophmore this year.

We went in and got his schedule all arranged and changed around because he can't participate in PE for the first quarter due to his broken humerous (upper arm) and he couldn't do his weights class till at least January, so he just dropped that. He is a little bummed watchiing all his classmates go off to football practice and games this year, but he is resolved to just keep working and safe up money so he can have fun next year!!

Well Megan has her first cross country meet of the season tomorrow morning here at home. I get to help be a timer!! I am looking forward to watching her, amazing how much she loves her sports!

Beartooth Highway

2007-08-13T07:47:00.001-06:00

Oh I love it every year when we get in the car and take our weekend drive up over the Beartooth Highway between Red Lodge and Cooke City, Montana. It is always my favorite way into Yellowstone Park because it is the most BEAUTIFUL place in the world. There is nothing better than the drive up the switchbacks of the mountain and crossing over the top and than winding down the other side. I love stopping to look at all the beautiful scenery along the way and the low valleys filled with ice cold water from the moutain snow. We were all disappointed because there was no snow low enough to get to this year for a snowball fight. Last year it was perfect to have a snowball fight. It is amazing how hot (about 90 degrees) it is at the bottom of the hill and by the time you get to the top we are all grabing sweatshirts and blankets to cover up our legs because it is probably in the low 40's up on top.

What a great weekend to just be with nature.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2007-08-10T09:02:00.000-06:00

Boy it seems like summer is suppose to be a time of fun and relaxation. At my house lately it seems like it is just busy all the time. This week we drove over to Bismarck and spent the night. Nothing like a great fix at Hobby Lobby. I don't get often, but I sure do some damage when I am there.

I was excited because I also purchased our backpacks for Megan and my trip to Europe next summer. When we started planning this trip to Europe I thought I would just fill my suitcase, plan our all the things we wanted to see and do. The further we got in to the planning the more I started realizing what all it would mean. The last couple weeks I was pretty freaked out realizing that we had to pack all our luggage with us through the streets and on the trains to all the different locations. So I bought our backpacks yesterday that hold 3100 cu inches so we are pretty set there, we will have to pack pretty conservative, but I think it will be okay.

I am still pretty freaked about the language, but I have been working on my books and cd's and I have our travel translations books so I am hoping there will be some great English speaking individuals that will take pitty on us if we really are in a bind.

This weekend we are off to Billings to the Chris Daughtry concert and just having a little fun. I can't wait, it will be great. I also get to hit Michaels!!!!! Till next week.

Thankful

2007-07-26T08:38:00.000-06:00

I turned 40 last week and while the age part doesn't bother me, the things it represents bother me more. It it a mark in life, halfway. I would like to think I have accomplished so much in my lifetime. I know I have achieved way more than I ever thought I would in life. I would have never guessed I would be 40 years old, have a masters degree (heck when I graduated from high school even going to college was unthinkable.) I have been married for 18 years to the most wonderful man. I am truly so thankful for him each and every day. Don't get me wrong we have our differences, but every day he does the littlest things that me make love him more each day. We have three great children, they will always be children to me even though they think they are adults. I have experienced life, and truly feel like I have been blessed.

Turning 40 got me to thinking of things I still want to do in life. I want to travel more, explore more, and appreciate life in general more. My daughter and I are planning a trip to Europe next summer for 2 weeks when she graduates from high school. We are both looking forward to it, I actually thought in the beginning that 2 weeks would be so long to be away from home, but as we plan I am thinking we are not going to have near enough time to enjoy the things we both want to see. I never thought my husband would ever travel out of the USA, because he just doesn't like traveling long distances. But the more we plan the more he is realizing the things he is missing out on. He even mentioned he would love to do some traveling to German and Italy with me for our 20th anniversary in a couple years. I can't wait.

Life is good.

The tennis star

2007-06-18T13:21:00.000-06:00

Megan and I went to Billings, Montana last weekend so she could play in a tennis tournament. She entered into the 18 year old girls singles and the Women's open catagories. She worked her but off and came out the champion in both events. She was so great. She played some of the best matches ever. I was really impressed with her. I loved just getting to spend three days, sitting in a lawn chair under a shade tree watching her play and reading my book. Just a great weekend. The end of this month we are off to Cody Wyoming so she can play in another tournament.

Sam is on vacation for the next 18 days and really looking forward to having so much time off work. I am still going to work, but take off a couple days when we go to Cody.

Great News -- prayer's answered

2007-06-13T07:28:00.000-06:00

Well today marks one month since my son broke his humerous just below his shoulder sliding into home plate during his baseball game. He got to experience a lot of firsts that day. His first real ride in an ambulance (don't think he want's to experience that again, it wasn't as great as they make it look in the movies.) His first real extensive broken bone and his first major injury that required extensive time in the ER. Well Monday was the magical day because we had another doctor appoinment. The great news was there is new bone growth and his arm is healing on his own so there will not be any surgery. When he first broke it and we went to the orthopedic surgeon there were 2 options: 1) do surgery right away, setting the break and putting in rods and plates to hold the bone or 2) just wait it out and see if the bone moves into place setting itself with gravity and new bone will begin to grow healing the break (if after a month they would do the surgery than if this didn't happen.) He said there was about a 20% chance he wouldn't need to do surgery but once he did the surgery his arm would forever be weak and many of the activities he enjoys such as baseball and football would be out. Well we figured since he was only 14 and that he had his whole life ahead of him, we would go with option 2 and pray like crazy that he doesn't need the surgery. Well Monday those prayers were answered. The bone is healing all on his own.... no surgery!! Jerad will still be in his cast for another 8 weeks and than begin physical therapy to regain some strength and motion he has lost with his arm tied to his body but all is good.

I worked on a couple layouts last night for a word challenge "go" and "stop". Tomorrow Megan and I are off for a tennis tournament in Billings!!

Happy June

2007-06-01T07:52:00.000-06:00

Boy does it feel like June weather, it is cloudy and rainy here again today. I love the smell of rain, but don't so much like when it comes and stays for a week. It is great though because we are actually at about normal percipitation for the year right now which hasn't happened in years. Maybe not near as many forest fires this year.

Glad things for the day:
It is FRIDAY!
I have a crop tonight (love some time with friends).
Mike has a race this weekend over in Dickinson!!
Hubby changed the water in the Hot Tub last night so it is clean and smells so good!!
A weekend of scrapbooking planned!!
And my kit from Scrap in Style will hopefully be here!!

The window is one I altered to hang on my wall. I love it!! I got a bunch of old windows when they remodeled the fair grounds and wasn't sure what to to with them, I just knew I would use them for the craft show this fall. Anyway this is what I came up with. I made it so I can insert new pictures into the layouts. I am also making layouts in the christmas theme so that I can put them in during the holiday season with pictures of past holidays.

Happy Friday, all.

State Tennis

2007-05-26T20:33:00.000-06:00

Wow I have to say I was really impressed at the State Tennis meet this week. Megan lost her first match and than won her second, but lost out on the third round. It was amazing how hard those kids played. They gave it their all. I am so proud of her for even making it to state.

Today we were working on some senior pictures today. Here is one of my favorites from today.

Happy Thursday

2007-05-24T08:22:00.000-06:00

I just stopped in at work to catch up on a few things before heading off to see my daughter at the State Tennis meet. Jerad is sporting a new (holy cow 268.00) piece of plastic on his arm. I had to laugh because the cast sounds so funny "functioning humerous". I had to laugh at him yesterday when the doctor was talking to him and he pipes up and tells the doctor he doesn't know why anyone would name the bone the humerous because there is nothing funny about it. That is so my wise son, who questions everything.

I am so glad that he got the new cast and things are good. I am a little leary about changing the cast because it has a cloth compression sleeve that goes under the plastic that has to be changed every couple of days. So basically hubby and I have to take the cast off change the sleeve while holding his arm where it broke with out moving it. I am such a worrier that the thought of being the one responsible for moving his arm scares me to death. I told him I hope it doesn't start stinking for about a week, so I have some time to get my nerve up to change it.

Off to watch tennis today!! Hope everyone is having a great day.

State Qualifiers in Tennis

2007-05-23T07:16:00.000-06:00

Well here they are, our small town State Tennis Qualifiers. Left to Right
Justin Duke and Addie Lordemann, Assistant coaches, Rich Lindgren, DCHS tennis coach
Bethany Orcutt and Ashlea Duke (2nd place doubles), Mariah Linn (2nd place singles), Alex Tsomaya (3rd place singles), Blake Anderson (4th place singles), and Megan Geiger (4th place singles).

I have never been so proud of my daughter to watch her struggle in 90 plus degree weather with exhaustion because her match was already going on 3 1/2 hours to take state qualifing position. There were 16 people in her group and to come out in one of the top 4 spots is truly amazing, especially for a Junior in high school.

Random Thoughts

2007-05-22T08:44:00.000-06:00

I am really starting to get nervous about tomorrow. My worry is that Jerad will have to have surgery to place the rods and pins in his upper arm where he broke it. I worry the bone hasn't moved into position on it's own over the last week and half and that he will need the surgery. I worry that they will try to set it tomorrow and he will be in pain. I just worry what tomorrow will bring for him.

Last night I started working on some "layouts" to hang on the window of the tennis bus taking the state qualifiers to their tennis meet. I just took a 12x12 sheet of paper that has a ball going over the tennis net. I put everyone's name at the top in large letters and than on the white top of the net, I am putting the words Red Devil Tennis. I am hoping to have a picture of each of the state qualifiers to add to the layout when I tape them up on the bus windows. Than when they take them home they can hang them up there.

Blue

2007-05-21T09:31:00.000-06:00

Took this from my friend Becca's blog post. It was amazing how accurate this is to how I truly am.

BLUE

You give your love and friendship unconditionally. You enjoy long, thoughtful conversations rich in philosophy and spirituality. You are very loyal and intuitive.

Find out your color at QuizMeme.com!

Happy Monday all, I am feeling very grateful today. It is a cloudy rainy day here but that is a great thing. We need the rain and I am loving being inside. It will make me appreciate the sun later this week when I can be outside enjoying it. I just am so thankful today for all the things I have in my life and how greatful I am to be able to enjoy them. Guess in a strange way I am just really appreciating everything that is right in my life today!! Hope you all have a great Monday!

Lego Land

2007-05-20T18:25:00.001-06:00

Just working on some layouts today. Here is one I did of Jerad and Freddie-Leigh at the Mall of America!

Going to State Baby

2007-05-18T15:12:00.000-06:00

I am so excited right now. My daughter, Megan, is going to State Tennis next weekend. She is a junior and this will be her first year at state!! I am not sure if she is going in ranked 3rd or 4th in the division in singles yet because she still has another match, but she is so going!!

She just played the marathon match of her life. She took the court at 11:15 and finished her last set at 3:00. 3 hours and 45 minuted in 90 plus weather. It was the most awesome match of the whole year!! She won the first set in a tie-breaker, lost the 2nd set in a tie-breaker and won the third set in a tie-breaker. My daughter was so excited, but I was so disappointed in the other girl because she threw her rachet down and walked off the court, not shaking hands or anything. Megan gathered her stuff and went to shake hands with the girl, but she wouldn't shake her hand. Megan is a true sportsman, she does get down on herself, but she gives it 100% to everything she does. I am so proud of her.

Friday!!

2007-05-18T09:17:00.000-06:00

I love the fact that it is Friday today. I am feeling much better about my son. He doesn't seem to be in as much pain. I found away to wash around his cast yesterday and got him some spray on deoderant and he felt like a new man last night. He really is improving slowly but surely. Yesterday afternoon we went to clean out his gym locker and also his school locker as he hasn't been to school all week. Hopefully he can go back next Monday and Tuesday for a couple hours each day. The hard thing is when he takes his pain medication it just seems to knock him out totally for a couple hours.

Okay it is Friday and this is going to be an upbeat post. Exciting news this week, is that on my 40th birthday I will be in Chicago at CHA!! Oh my gosh I am so excited about this because it will be my first time at CHA. What a way to celebrate turning 40, with my best friend and the two other wonderful people that have given me great teaching opportunitiies at the LSS. I can't wait. The other great thing about going to CHA is that my wonderful husband is also so excited for me to go. He totally understands me wanting to go and how much it means for me to get to go!!

Helpless

2007-05-17T10:25:00.000-06:00

That one simple word, HELPLESS, so describes how I am feeling right now. I woke up this morning and took one look at Jerad and just started crying. I feel so helpless because he is just so exhausted from having to spend every moment sitting up in a chair. He is still in considerable pain. He is so strong and tough and so for him to even rub his arm lets me know just how much pain he is in. He doesn't like being out of it on the pain medication or the way it makes him want to sleep all the time.

I just feel so helpless in trying to make him comfortable right now. I just want to call the doctor and say we can't wait another week for his arm to position itself on it's own. I am trying hard to have faith in the doctor, but honestly I have never hear of someone breaking their humerous and than the doctor just saying we will leave it for 10 days to see if it moves it sets its self in position because of gravity. I just don't feeling like I am not able to help him in anyway.

I know the poor kid hates that he is soon to be 15 years old and having to ask his mom to help him with everything. I just wish there was more I could do for him.

Okay pitty party over for me today. I think I need to go shopping and get him something cool to entertain himself with.

The Orthopedic Surgeons visit

2007-05-14T16:06:00.000-06:00

I was able to get Jerad into the orthopedic surgeon this morning in Dickinson. Nothing like calling in and them giving me 1 1/2 to drive over there. We made it just in time. Anyway the doctor decided to wait and see. So he left Jerads arm in the splint half wrap thing it is currently in till next Wednesday. Than he will see if the bone has aligned itself back into position, or if he needs to go in and set it. If he sets it he will also put in rods, a plate and some pins at that time. If it is in position, he will wait another three weeks to see if the bone begins to grow and heal itself, if not he will go in and do surgery than with the pins, plate and rods. The doctor said that where it broke is difficult to heal and that is his worry now. But like he said it isn't going to matter if we wait the 4 weeks to see if it does it on its own. He is probably out of sports and everything for about a year.

Jerad is really bummed because he was really looking forward to drivers ed this year. Now he can't take driver's ed till next year when they offer it again. What a bummer. Good news no school this week and only 1/2 days next week if he feels up to it.

Megan is going into tennis divisionals this week. I am really hoping she makes it to state this year. So Thursday and Friday, we are off to divisionals.

What a day!

2007-05-14T07:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day. I blogged about how great it was and everything, well than it happened. Jerad had a basball game at 3:15 against AIM. They were up 8 to 1 bottom of the 7th. Jerad stole home and came sliding into the plate face down. I knew the way he laid there that something was terribly wrong. He didn't even move or try to get up. Thank god there was an EMT there watching his newphew. He got the ambulance called right away and we got Jerad's head propped up out of the dirt. Jerad said he knew it was bad when he went to grab his upper arm and thought he was touching it but his fingers were still about 6 inches from his arm. The ambulance came and they got him rolled over onto a back board and loaded up. Oh man every little bump was so painful for him on that short ride to the hospital. It was so rough ridding for me, it was the first time I saw an ambulance go supper slow to the hospital because he litterally screamed after every bump jarred his arm which was tapped to his body at that point.

At the hospital they druged him up and took x-rays. Turned out he broke his humerous (the upper bone between the shoulder and elbow. The PA on staff called around to different towns that have orthopedic surgeons and they decided that setting it was not an emergency because he could move his thumb which meant his nerves were still in tack. Since none of the orthopedic surgeons would do surgery that night to set it into place (gotta love doctors that don't want to fix people on Sunday evenings, god forbid they might miss desperate housewives). Well the PA sedated him and moved his arm around to splint it and tape it to his body really good so it wouldn't move. Than sent us home with some major pain pills. With orders to call the doctors offices right away in the morning to schedule an appointment to get the arm casted hopefully today or tomorrow. What a joke having to schedule your appointments to get your broken arm set and casted after and emergency. Nothing like living in rural America. So now here I sit waiting till 8 or 9 when the doctor's offices open to see if I can get him in today than we will head off to wherever.

Mother's Day

2007-05-13T06:45:00.000-06:00

Wow it is such a beautiful day out. Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's. My day is already great just because it is a Sunday, I am off work, there is a nascar race today, and my son has a baseball game, oh and one last thing, the sun in out and it is so warm and sunny for a early May day!!

My 20 layouts class went really well last night and than afterwards we discussed going to Chicago for CHA the end of July!! Wow, I am just in awe, that will be so awesome!!!

20 layouts in a day class

2007-05-11T20:27:00.000-06:00

I am teaching this at my LSS tomorrow. I am really excited about this class. I have enjoyed putting it together.

Crunch time

2007-04-26T09:34:00.000-06:00

Well tomorrow morning I am off to Fargo to sit for the CRC exam. (certified Rehabilitation Counselor) I am very nervous about the exam. I don't do well with tests and the panic is already setting in. I have studied non-stop for the last 2.5 months and figure I have a good understanding on everything. The funny thing is there are two ladies that are in my university classes and the one admitted last night she studied for the first time for the test for .5 hour. OMG .5 hour of studying??? I have studied at least 1 to 2 hours most days for this dang test. I wish I really had her self-confidence about passing. I don't want to be negative, but I am prepared to take it again in the fall if I absolutely have to. I just feel like I have not worked in the field directly like others have and while everything I have learned has been mostly book learning along with the little bit of time I have spent in my practicum and internship, it doesn't make up for the hands on knowledge of someone that has held a rehabilitation counselor job for several years before taking the test.

Grrrrr I am so nervous and scared about the test. I leave tomorrow, get to Fargo, figure out where the test is given at than find a hotel. I am going to be studying all evening. Than when I get home on Sundy, I turn around and leave for Helena for trainings at work till Wednesday night. I do have to say the pressure of knowing that this test will be totally off my shoulders for the next couple months till I find out if I pass or not will feel so great!! I just don't know what I am going to do with all my time, I have been in college non-stop for the last three years. I have a list a mile long of things that need to be done, starting with my house. It has had the very basics in cleaning the last three years that it is screaming for a deep cleaning and paint job.

Well I am off, I will post again when I get back from Helena.

Holy Cow it has been awhile

2007-04-05T11:18:00.000-06:00

Wow it has been awhile since my last post. I have been one busy person this spring. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am planning to break through the end of this month. I am finishing up my Master's degree this semester. I thought this would be an easy semster because I just had to work on my internship and one Psychology class I am taking for my counselors license in Montana. Low and behold, I didn't realize how much time I would spend studying for my exams. I take my comprehensive exam for the college next week on Friday the 13th. That exam I am not so worried about as I am the CRC (certified Rehabilitation Counselor) exam I travel to Fargo, ND and take on the 28th of this month. That exam I am worried about because of several reasons. One being that it is 300 questions, and you must get at least an 80% to pass and get your license, and two because if I don't pass it, I will have to fork out another $385 and take it again next fall in November. I am spending ever spare moement studying right now.

Boy do I have plans once I am done with everything at the end of this month. I plan on really cleaning and painting my house. The last three years have been so hard on my poor house. My family has really picked up the slack and done some major cleaning, but not the deep cleaning it really needs. I am also planning to spend a lot of my free time scrapbooking and working on some projects. I will be teaching a 20 layouts in a day class on May 12 and need to be working on that. I am looking forward to having so much free time. Okay back to the books for now.

2007-01-27T15:31:00.000-07:00

Just another one from today showing Amanda (my now 20 year old wearing her floating arm bands around the house wondering when she can go swimming.

2007-01-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Just 2!!!

2007-01-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Jsut 2 layouts a day. That is my goal. Here is one from yesterday. I figure I should be taking the time to scan and post them.

2007-01-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

I amm taking a class at Big Picture Scrapbooking from Heidi Swapp. We had to come up with a goal. This year I have several goals. To finish school (graduate in May), pass my CRC exam in April (hummm maybe that means I need to study, (Certified Rehabilitation Counselor exam)), and my biggest goal is to scrapbook 2 layouts a day. This has been an eye opening experience for me because I thought I would be down in my room for hours each night working on it. This goal has actually set me free from so much. I use to spend hours finding paper, embellishments, pictures, basically everything I needed to do the layout, than I would spend even more hours trying to figure it out to get it just right. God forbid I attach anything till I was 100% sure that was how I wanted the layout. I am free now. I am not even really thinking about it. I am grabbing paper (even using up tons of those scraps in the pile) and embellishments and attaching them. I just started building on the layout as I go instead of moving it all around. I figure once it is down, I will have to make it work. Layouts seriously use to take me 2 to 3 hours to get done. Now I might spend 1/2 an hour on one max. I am getting 3 to 4 done in the evenings now. I am loving it. At this rate I will be done with all 40 years of pictures I have sitting in boxes by the end of the year. It just feels so good to know that I have already done a full album this year and starting a new one. Here are my two from yesterday, I figured to stick to my goal maybe I should be scanning and posting them.

2007-01-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just trying to empty out some old photo albums. I really want to get some of these old photos scrapped and journaled about. Here is a really oldie. The girls playing in the balls at McDonalds in December 1991. These pictures crack me up because Ashly now has a son this age, and Amanda is going to be 20 soon. Ohhh I feel so old.

Mini Album #1

2007-01-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I am teaching make and takes at a local LSS in my area. Every week it is hard to come up with ideas for new things to teach. This month I am focusing on a different mini album each week. At the make and take they just get to assemble the basic album, not decorate it. They are sent a list of supplies and can bring them to stay and decorate their albums. This is the one I am doing this week. I love spending time with the different people that come on Tuesday nights.

My goals for the coming year!

2006-12-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Do you make resolutions? I heard today on the news that only 14% of people are sticking with their resolutions after only 3 weeks. Wow!! I decided I don't need to make a resolution, that odds are I am not going to be sticing with in 3 weeks. I did decide that I am going to list my goals that I hope to accomplish this year.

School related:
1. Graduate in May!!
2. Study and pass my CRC exam on April 28. (This one scares me to death.)

Family:
Take a summer vacation, school has been a bugger the last couple years and we have put off major family trips. Okay gas prices didn't help either.

Spend more time, just enjoying them. Taking walks, riding bike doing whatever, just enjoying the time I have left with each of them. (Heck Megs will be a senior next year and Jerad right behind her as a Sophmore.)

Craft Related: (this will be long)
Get ORGANIZED, I really need to do this in my scrapbooking and quilting areas. Figure out what I have and get it all organized.

Do Mike's WWII scrapbook. I already sorted the pictures, but really want to get the entire album done documenting that time in history.

Scrapbook all my old photos. Get them all put into albums and done so that I can scrapbook in a proactive way rather than reactive way. I sorted all the photos into groups the last couple days, and now I just need to get tons of pages done.

Quilting, I want to get Megan's quilt done (started it last week), do a quilt for Jerad and one for Sam and I.

Those are my basic goals. Oppss forgot the most important one.......ME!!! I want to really work on becoming healtier, I am not going to say loose weight because I think by becoming healthier that will be part of it. I really want to just enjoy life more and become healthier. I really worry about Sam's health and so maybe by the two of us working together we can do it.

Okay they kind of sound like resolutions, but they really are my goals for the year.

Merry Christmas to all!!

2006-12-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas. Ours is very mellow, just the way we like it around here. We do most of the cooking on Christmas Eve, so we can spend today just munching and hanging out together. We splept in, opened all our presents and are just hanging out playing with them. The kids are playing with the new ipods, and Jerad is jamming to his Guitar hero PS2 game.

Sam is watching football, I am scrapbooking and just trying to go through some old pictures. I am working on a heritage album from the Marman/Geiger history. Here are two layouts I have done today.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe it is already December 20th. On this day I take a moment to think of what life would have been like had Jesse grown up. She would have turned 21 in October. Oh wow the drinking and partying. She only lived just over 2 short years. She was killed in a car accident on icy roads. My friend Ellen was driving that day. She had her girls in their seatbelts and Jesse in her car seat, but when she hit ice there was not much she could do. Ellen and Jesse both lost their lives that day, and Maria went through some major surgeries and has come out an amazing woman because of it. Beth was not seriously hurt that day. Jess and Ellen will forever be in my prayers.

Saddness is such a powerful thing, I try to understand it but not wallow in it too long because it could suck one into a deep dark hole. So movin on to happier thoughts. There are only 5 more days till Christmas? WHAT?? Say it isn't so. What ever am I going to do. I have most of my presents purchased, but I am still working hard on finishing Amanda's present. I decided to whip out my sewing machine that hasn't been used in probably 3 or 4 years and put it to work. I am making her a quilt. The amazing thing is besides buying the batting for the lining, I am using material that I have had for the last 4 or5 years sitting in boxes. I moved the family room around and set up myself a little sewing place in the corner in the back. It is kind of nice because I can sit and watch tv in there and just hang out with my family while I am working on her quilt. I have the top almost done and than I will be busy putting it all together in the coming days. I am going to really work hard to get a lot of it done tonight.

Seeing Red

2006-12-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

This was a fun layout I did this mornig of Sam. He use to have these one piece long john pajamas that he would put on and we would all get a chuckle out of how he looked in them. Seriously if he had a santa hat and beard he could pass for him. I had to srap them in a funny way because when I look at the pictures I still laugh.

Love

2006-12-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is a layout I did of Sam and I with a picture that the kids took a couple years ago. It is one of my favorite pictures of us.

Simple Pleasures

2006-11-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Okay here is a fun layout I was working on tonight. I am going to try to get better about posting my layouts here. The last week or so, I have really been pushing myself to get a lot of layouts done and just try to get caught up on some of my old pictures. I have so many of them laying around I need to get them scrapped and out of the boxes. I am also on a mission to redo my scrapbook room so it is modern and up to date. I want to take full advantage of my storage and redo my paper storage system. I have started investing in the target cubes but I am going to also try to get my husband to build me some boxes to hold the cropper hopper verticle storage so I can get it all together.

Oh the holiday fun.

2006-11-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving is over. I loved having a 4 day weekend. It was so relaxing just hanging out with the family on Thanksgiving. Gotta love Sam, he cooked dinner and had it all in the oven going when I finally decided to emerge from the bedroom a little after 10 am. I never use to be one to sleep in, must be my getting older that makes it easier for me to sleep in lately, or the fact I didn't go to bed till almost 2 am that morning. I get downstairs in my scrapbook room and I just don't want to leave. Good thing I don't stay home, I would be a hermit in that room.

So anyway we had a nice meal, Amanda came over and we all visited and played games. The kids dug out all the holiday decorations and set the tree up and got it all decorated. One of my favorite things about putting up our tree is watching them dig out their ornaments from over the years and put them on the tree. They love telling about where it came from or when they made it. We always laugh and have fun. Whenever we use to travel to someplace I would pick up ornaments, like yellowstone park or glacier. It was kind of the fun part of the trip to look for an ornament on our summer vacation. We also have kept some that the kids made when they were little. Just fun time for all of us. They usually end up fighting over whose turn it was to put on the star on top, but this year their dad tricked them and had them looking for something while he put it on.

Thanksgiving afternoon, we decided to drive to Billings and get a hotel room so we could all swim and relax in a hot tub. Was kind of nice just being away from home. I had to laugh because late that night we decided to go to Walmart in hopes no one would be there since it was night and a holiday to boot. No one was there (best time to shop) but across the street at the closed Best Buy we had to laugh at all the people already camped out around the outside of the store for the sale on Friday morning. People are seriously nuts.

The rest of the weekend I spent in my scrapbook room. I got tons of layouts completed and things done and ready for the holidays. I am on a mission to get most of my old pictures scrapbooked and into albums.

Happy Turkey Day

2006-11-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah tomorrow is Thanksgiving and in this new job that I am so loving I get Friday off as a paid holiday also. We are having dinner tomorrow at home. Just a quiet family meal with the kids. Friday we are all going to Billings to go shopping and have some fun. Maybe get a motel and do some swimming if we want. Nothing like a relaxing weekend with the family.
Happy Thanksgiving all.