Thursday, March 31, 2011

Cards

As promised, a couple of quick cards!  I finally was able to get into my room to do something other than paint, unpack or organize and boy was it nice.  Baby steps, though.  A little bit at a time!  So, first up an Easter card.

As I said, no light in the studio yet so it is hard to take pics so I have to apologize for the poor quality of the photos. Hope you can get the idea.  The basket is made with the Papertrey Favor It die.  Stamped the eggs.  Ribbon trim is Making Memories.
Embossed the white with a Cuttlebug Folder, the patterned paper is Papertrey, as is the sentiment and the number dies, glitter is Martha Stewart. 
Next up is a little birthday card that I made for my niece.  She'll be ten on Monday.  I couldn't wait to play with the Papertry Cupcake die.  I just love it!  So cute. 

One last one that I have to share with you today.
This one is another one for Molly, but it's super special. Why? "Cause Bella made it!



She loves to play with paper and lately leaves a trail of paper in her wakes.  Little tiny bits of paper scraps from the cutting that she loves to do.  And when I am working in my room, she wants to be in there with me, right on top of me if possible!  So she made a card for her cousin.  She went through my stamps, picked one out, picked out paper and went to town.  Her favorite part by far was coloring with my markers.  A real treat!  Now she wants a stamp that says' Cards by Bella'.  Ha!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Quick Update

Just a quick update.  Had a great weekend!  Spent it celebrating the birthday of our dear friend Durinda.  She and Andy drov up from Willliamsburg on Friday and spent the weekend.  Friday I cooked dinner for all of us.  Bella had the day off of school because of the end of the semester and I had a rare day off of work so she helped me in the kitchen making a carrot cake with fresh pineapple filling and orange cream cheese frosting.  Yum! 
On Saturday Michelle and Isabella joined Shawn's family on a trip to the Eastern shore to visit some of his mother's side of the family, so we had a grown up day.  Durinda and I took a drive out to our local scrapbook store, which is abou 35 minutes away so we enjoyed the ride-chatting all the way.  Found lots of goodies when we got there.  Then did a little more shopping on the way back!  The guys had gone downtown to do so poking about into hisitory or something equally dull.  We all joined up later and then that evening we went out for a lovely dinner in downtown at a newer place called Olive's.  The food was great and the company was delightful!
Of course, Bella would think no weekend with the Anderson's was complete if we did not go to Cracker Barrel, so on Sunday we satisfied her desire for breakfast and shopping and went to that local eatery. 
It was such a nice visit and we so enjoyed having them stay with us.  It makes us realize just how much we miss having them so close.
Sunday afternoon I even spent some time in my craft room and made a couple of cards.  Hopefully I'll be able to take a couple of pictures and post them soon.  I know that I've been lax in that department lately.    It's been so long since I've done any crafting, but it felt so good!  Then I even started on a scrapbook page.  Can you stand it!  My room is nearly finished.  I had hoped to wait to post pictures after it was totally done, but I think I will have to do so before as I don't know when that will be.  The only thing really left is to find things for the walls and I am waiting to find the right things an I just haven't found anything yet, so as soon as the light is right I will take the pictures and post them.  (I don't have any lights either, another small detail. Ha!) 
Hope everyone is doing well.  TTFN!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Breaking My Silence

I know that I have been silent for a while now and for any of my loyal readers (both of you-ha!) I do apologize.  I'd like to tell you a little about what has been going on in my life as of late, though I hesitate to do so for fear of sounding like a whiner, but a this is my sounding board-here goes.

Where to begin?  Work.  Work has been very, very hectic!  I don't know if I had mentioned, but I have been in charge of a build out at work.  We occupy space in a three story building and we have had space on both the second and third floors and have needed more, so when space became available on the first floor, my company leased it and began a build out of it.  It was my responibility to work with the contracors, the landlords, and our team to make sure the space was built to specifications.  Further it became my responsibility to bid out furniture, work spaces, white boards, office equipment, etc. choose the vendors and supervise the installs of everything and then to hire movers to physically move the employees who would be moving from the 3rd floor to the 1st floor.  Oh, and did I mention that this was done in less than six weeks?  Yeah, it was fun.  Another thing I may have forgotten to mention is that I have no experience in that field!  What do I know about reading  blue prints and working with electricians and finding a vendor that sells white boards that will cover an entire room from floor to ceiling?  Six weeks ago, nothing-now, a lot more!  I worked long hard hours and came home totally exhausted!  So just as I have finished up this project and think that things will begin to settle into a normal routine again, I find out that we will be aquiring two more 'parcels' of square footage to build out within the building and I have 'inherited' another70 plus or minus files to work.  Gotta love job security! 

Another major issue in my life lately has been my health.  I really hesitate to talk about this because it is reallly difficult for a number of reasons.  Number one is that I don' like to complain.  I try very hard to keep a positve attitude, and most of the time I succeed.  But sometimes, I have to admit to giving in to the demon who wants to bring me down.  I struggle with him and don't want him to win.  I know that the Lord has a reason for all that He does and I know that I am So Blessed, I KNOW that.  So why do I allow Satan to bring me down? Because the pain just won't go away!  I know that and I accept that.  I live with it.  But sometimes, I'd like a vacation from it.  A chance to get away from myself for a bit and remember what it is like to be free from the shackles that bind me.  The pain that is myotonia that grips my muscles and pulls at them and refuses to let up. 
I visited with my doctor at Kennedy Kreiger on Friday and she asked how I was doing and she is so kind.  She has soft green eyes that look deep and I felt safe there.  Because she knew.  So I described it for her, and I this is what I said:  'The pain starts at about a 5 in the morning (on a scale of 1-10) and as the day goes on it gets worse.  By the time the night falls I can't stand it and I don't know what to do with it.  I want to scream, but I can't.  I sit in my chair and I want to rest all of my limbs in soft, fluffy pillows,  or put my body in traction, or float myself in a big pool of hot water.  Then I just want to lie down, so I go to bed, but it hurts in bed.  I can't get comfortable, everywhere the bed touches my body hurts.  So I get up feeling unrested.  It doesn't seem to end.'
And she understood.  She got it.  She has seen it before, there are others like me.  I knew that, because I chat with them on line though I have never actually met one.  But there is a strange kind of comfort in knowing that you're not on this journey alone.  That others have gone before you and others will go after you and what I am going through now may somehow help someone else.  Sound crazy?  I don't know, I fill out every survey and take part in every case study that I can on this disease to help in any way that I can.  Maybe that is why I was choosen, I don't know.  Anyway, bottom line new medcine protocol again.  Trying to mix it up a little.  Also going to try some physical therapy again, different this time.  Gentler, kinder, if we can fnd someone that can work with us.

So there you have it.  Ugly, I know.  I have to dump it all somewhere though.  I tell Jim, but it is hard for him.  He doesn't like to hear it, he listens but then tries to act like nothing is wrong.  I know it comes from a place of worry,  he doesn't want to admit that there is anything wrong, that I am less than his version of perfect.  But then he'll do a complete 360 and sugest that I pick up a new insurance at work that will pay for in home nursing care!  Like I want to talk about that or even think about it.  He's a pragmatist in many ways though and I, well I live for the day. 

I've needed some time to  be quite, to pray, to listen to God and to just be.  I'm getting better now, and growing stronger every day.  What a wonderful time to do that.  I go to church and listen to the hymns and the service and I am invigorated.  I am renewed in my faith and strengthened by God.  He is so good!

And if you have made it this far, I should reward you with a picture of my special girl.  This is  how Bella went to school on St. Patrick's Day!

Can you see the green hair? 
She was so excited!  Ha!