The Day After Christmas

The day after Christmas we went to my Dad's house for Brunch and to exchange gifts.
Here is the page I created to remember the day.

Christmas Day

Here are the pages I made from photos taken Christmas Day.

Poppie on Christmas Eve

I found a little time to play yesterday, so I took some screen shots from the video's I took of Poppie on Christmas Eve and created this page for my scrapbook...  and for your listening enjoyment, here is Poppie playing the grand piano at the Michiana Health and Rehab Center. The piano is in despirate need of a tuning.

 

 

 

Before we went home so I could wrap gifts, we stopped by Jan's house... I already posted the photo's that Jan's Niece took, but this is the scrapbook page I made...

New job starts today...

FMA's layout is done and off to press... big sigh of relief! All in all, I would have to say that the issue was one of the easiest I have done. Mike made very few changes to to the pages after the ads were placed, of course we had some stragglers who kept making changes to their ads, and the classifieds and business directory always have to be done at the last minute, which is time consuming... but I was out of the office and home by 7pm.

I get to meet my new boss today for lunch, and my new job starts today. Jimmy lives in Tennessee, but he is visiting here for a week. I definitely have the "new job jitters" but it will be OK. I already know one of the salesmen I will be working with, and from the conversations I have had with Jimmy on the phone, he seems like a nice person. But I do have butterflies in my tummy!

I will stop and have a quick visit with Howard, after lunch, if they don't give me too many ads to design today.

I went and got my hair cut last night and then Scott and I went out for dinner. We had a really nice conversation, and it was nice to have a little "quality time" with my big brother.

Tonight, Jan and I are going to go shopping and spend our Kohl's Bucks! I think I will call Andi and see if she wants to go too. I am going to look and see if they have an electric blanket on sale. It is always so cold in the wintertime in our bedroom because we have cathedral ceilings, and it would be nice to get into a nice warm bed at night!

Well, I better get my day started, I hope you all have a wonderful day!

The Holidays are over...

The past few days seem a busy blur! Christmas Eve, I had to work until about 2pm, then I went shopping for last minute gifts, got home and wrapped gifts for a couple hours, then we went to visit with Howard.

We sat with Howard while he ate his dinner, then he played some music on the piano for us.


Then we stopped by my friend Jan's house. Her brother's Mike and Rick were there, and Don, (Bonnie's husband) was there. My brother Scott was there too. I had not seen Rick in years, and had only run into Mike at a store a couple years ago. It was so nice to see them again. It reminded me of Holiday's we spent together when we were all kids. (Jan, Rick and Mike are Bonnie's Children, Bonnie was my Mom's best friend.) We couldn't stay very long, but it was so nice to see them all!

Jeff, Matthew, Deb & Scott

Deb, Jan & Scott

Mike, Don, Jan & Rick

Mike, Jan & Rick

After that we came home and I finished wrapping gifts, then crashed for a few hours of sleep.

Christmas day was a little slower paced. Jeff, Matthew and I opened our gifts. Then I started making dinner, Jeff went to visit with his Dad. Scott came over and we exchanged gifts with him. Then we ate the Polish Sausage dinner I had made. Scott gave Matthew a quick hair cut. Then Matthew, Jeff and I went to visit Howard. We gave him a few gifts and then he played the piano for us. We called Gary on the cell phone while we were visiting with Howard so he could talk to his Dad.

Yesterday we went to my Dad's house for Brunch. It was a nice small gathering with just my Dad, Sharon, my sister Laura and her daughter Brooklyn, Scott, Matthew, Jeff and I. Laura loved the slide show I made for her. She said she was going to take it with her to her Mother's house so they could all see it. After brunch was over I had to go into the office and get started on the layout for FMA. I had interviewed four designers, and invited 2 of them to come and work with me on layout. Only one designer showed up, and she will be my replacement. I think she will be able to step in without too much trouble. She will be there again today to help get the publication off to press... then tomorrow, I start my new job!

It's time to get ready for work now... I hope you all had a  wonderful holiday! :)

Busy, busy, busy...

I NEED the clock to slow down a little bit! What is up with the days flying by like minutes! I have too much to do and not enough time!

Jeff just left to go and visit Howard, he just wanted to go by himself tonight. I just got home, so I am kinda glad I can just hang at home for a little while. Andi and I went to the meat-market on the other side of South Bend and got some home Polish Sausage, I am going to make that for dinner on Christmas day. I am also going to try to find a recipe for the Polish Sweet and Sour Cabbage. I am going to make noodles and mashed potatoes, green beans and a salad. I think that will be plenty. Scott will come over Christmas Day for dinner, but that will probably be all the "company" we will have, unless my friend Jan and her Hubby Bill stop bye.

I was busy, busy, busy at FMA today. I interviewed one man (to take my place), and I have to interview another tomorrow morning, I am trying to get ready to do layout the day after Christmas, and every time I turn around, it seemed like something new was being added to my pile of things to do! This is going to be a VERY LONG two weeks!

(I used a quick page from my contribution to the Candid Camera Club Deco Kit)

Matthew and I played the Wii at the Rehab last night for a little while. I had never played it before. I got such a sharp pain in my shoulder at one point from trying to play the sword fight!  I think I saw stars! Jeff brought a deck of cards with us, and we played a little game of "go fish" with Howard. I think I need to look up the rules on how to play that game with 4 people... but we had fun anyway!

When you least expect it...

I have big news to tell you all tomorrow. I can't tell you just yet,
because there is someone I have to talk to first...
but I will tell you it's good news. :)

It's now almost 10pm, and I am ready to tell you all my big news. Yesterday, I got a phone call from a company I talked to a couple of months ago, and the owner offered me a job. After a sleepless night, and much consideration, I told the owner of the company I have been working for for the past five years that he has 2 weeks to find a replacement for me. I am taking the new job.

I am as excited as I can be right now about this new job, I am also fighting with fears, but I have weighed the pros and cons, and the fact that I will be able to work from home full-time is a major PLUS! So that is my good news. :)

Sunday in a Nutshell. :)

Finally went and got some Christmas Shopping done today. Jeff and I will go tomorrow night and shop for Matthew, but I got everyone else pretty much done today. I called my friend Jan, and she was heading out to shop too, so we met up and shopped together. It was really funny, because as soon as I got out of my car, she pulled into the space right next to me... we couldn't have had any more perfect of timing! Jan and I went out for lunch at the Olive Garden and had soup and salad. That was a nice break from our shopping. I didn't get home until after 5pm, but getting as much accomplished as I did today made me feel much better.

Jeff and Matthew went to visit Howard for a little while, and I have a pork loin roast in the oven, potatoes peeled and cut ready to boil for mashed potatoes, and we will have green beans for dinner when they get home. Jeff got the tree up, it's in the living room, we might decorate it tonight or maybe tomorrow after we get home from work and shopping.

I was going to go into FMA today and finish up the ad changes I had left in my box, but we are not having a meeting tomorrow, so I should be able to wrap them up by noon, so that Jennifer and Tara can get them emailed to the clients for approval. I am glad that Matthew doesn't have school this week, I can get an extra half hour or even an extra hour of sleep in the mornings! I love school vacations! :)

I called my brother Brian and talked to him for a little while this evening, then I called my Aunt Hope to see how she is doing. That is pretty much my Sunday in a nutshell. ;)

Our Christmas Tree

We found our Christmas Tree at the farm across the street from our house again this year, looks like this might be a family tradition in the making! I've got to stop standing in holes in the ground! You would think I was short or something! LOL!

Night Out....

Dinner last night at Tippecanoe Place for the WAM Christmas Party was "the bomb"! Of course, by the time they started putting food on the table, we were all so hungry, anything would have tasted great! We got there at about 6:45 pm and didn't get out of there until 10pm! I had a Fillet Mignon with three kinds of mushrooms, Jeff had the Prime Rib. We had our "Bad Santa" gift exchange. If you have never been to this kind of thing, everyone brings a gift, and you draw names to see who picks first. That person opens their gift and then draws another name. The next person can either steal your gift or choose another one to open. One gift can only be stolen twice. The gifts that people "stole" were beer and wine! Next year, if I am still doing work for them and am invited, I bet most of the gifts will simply be beer and wine! I gave a box of 4 wine glasses and the gift from Jeff was a soft blanket, pillow and candles that I got at Walmart. Jeff got a bottle of olives, and I picked some kind of "emergency cell phone charger"... I might be re-gifting that for Christmas! (I think my Husband, Dad, Brother or Brother-in-law could use one of those don't you!)  :)

I had to call Jan and tell her we would be able to make it to her party. I felt really bad, we wanted to go, but by the time we would have driven to their house, it would have been close to 11pm. Scott got sick last night. He called me and wanted me to come over before I went to the parties, and he would do my hair. As soon as I got there, he started feeling sick. He said he had to lay down on the couch for a few minutes, and that was it. Jeff and I stopped bye his apartment on our way home and I brought him some 7-Up. I could tell he had been sick as soon as I walked in the door. I hope he is feeling better today. I hope he doesn't have the flu... I really hope I don't get that, I have too much to do the next couple of weeks to be getting sick now!

Jeff just left to go pick up Shirley and take her to visit Howard. I am going to take home Matthew's friend (who spent the night last night with him and kept him company while Jeff and I were out), and then Matthew and I are going to go meet up with Jeff to have lunch with his Dad. After lunch, Jeff, Matthew and I are going to go find our Christmas Tree! At some point today I have to go into FMA and get caught up on ad changes, or maybe I will wait and go in tomorrow. I do need to do some Christmas shopping this weekend too. It was really nice to get away from all our worries last night and go to the party. I'm glad we were able to do that.

Busy day ahead...

Busy day today! Have to go into FMA and get the new ads designed that I didn't get done last night. I went back to the office last night after I visited Howard and got most of them done, but I still have a few, and some ad changes to do. At lunch time I am going to have to go and pick up gifts for the "Bad Santa" Gift Exchange at the WAM Christmas Party/Dinner we are going to tonight. If I have time, I am going to go over to Scott's apartment and get my hair cut, I was going to go the other night, but Jeff didn't want me to go. The WAM party is going to be held at Tippicanoe Place (The old Studebaker Mansion that was converted into a restaurant)... Here is a link... really cool place... http://www.tippe.com/

After the party, if it is not too late, we are going to stop over at Jan's House (My Mom's best friend Bonnie's Daughter) for a little get-together she is having. Scott is supposed to go too, and I think her brother Mike will be there, I have not seen him in ages.

It's getting late, I better go get ready! Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Black Ice...

Howard is at the Michiana Health & Rehabilitation Center (MH&RC). He was not real happy about it, but he seems to be accepting it. We are stressing to him that if he can get better, gain weight and strength that he can return to the Waterford, but he has to eat, and he has to do the therapy. I don't know if he will be able to, but I feel like he is in the right place. One day at a time... we just have to take it, one day at a time.


I went to leave from MH&RC and slipped and fell on "black ice". Thank goodness I landed on my rear-end, and this is one time I am glad I am blessed with "extra padding"! My pants were soaking wet, my shoulder hurt like I might have twisted it, but it seems to be ok now... it could have been worse! My pride wasn't hurt too badly, because no one saw me fall! When I told Jeff I had fallen, he got mad at me and told me that he told me to be careful! Duh! Like I did it on purpose!

I took my file for my Christmas Cards to Walgreens today and got it printed in their photo department. They really turned out neat! Now I just need to find time to address them and send them out.


I am going to call it a night. I am tired and need to get some sleep. Talk to you soon. :)

Where is Howard going?

It's been a very stressful day. The visits to the nursing homes was very emotional. Both of the facilities have approved Howard, so now Jeff has to make the decision. I know without a doubt which one I would choose. It is a brand new facility that just opened up a couple months ago. It is beautiful and rivals the Waterfront where Howard was living. I think he would really like it there. He will go into re-hab rather than long-term care at first and see if he can regain strength and weight. If he does recover, then he could go back to the Waterfront at some point. If he doesn't recover, both places would take him on for Long term care.

Here is the web site for the place I think Howard should go: Main Web Site and here is a link to
a photo gallery:

The nice thing about this place, as opposed to the other place we went to visit is that Howard can have a private room. At the other place, he could not. The other place only had a curtain for privacy in the room. It was so depressing there too. This new place has only been open for a couple of months. So they might have some growing pains, but one good thing is, well, you know when you first start a new job you are excited about it, and you like it? Well, the entire staff cannot have been there more than a couple of months, so I would think that is another benefit. Another plus is that they are "over-staffed" right now, there are only 20 patients, and I feel that Howard would get plenty of care and attention.

I know it is up to Jeff, but I am really trying to convince him that Howard should go to the Michiana Health & Rehabilitation Center. Howard will probably be released to one of the two places tomorrow evening. They don't give you much time to make up your mind.


I have a little bit of a stress-headache. I am going to go to my brother's apartment and have him give me a haircut after he gets off work, and then I am coming home and going to bed.

Nursing Home tours...

I was very busy with work yesterday. I was at FMA until about 5:30pm, and then I got a new freelance client and worked on a couple projects for him until about 11pm.

Jeff went up to the hospital to see Howard yesterday. He said he was "a little more himself", but he also told Jeff not to forget to "let the dog out" when Jeff said he was going to stop at Howard's apartment. Howard hasn't had a dog in years. This morning, Jeff and I are going to two nursing homes for tours. I know that Howard is not going to be happy when he finds out he is not going back to the Waterford. It's so sad. I hate the fact that it is Christmas time and that he will have to go somewhere where he doesn't have his friends around him. But he needs constant care. He is so frail and weak.

I have to go get ready now... I'll touch base later. :)

A little Christmas shopping...

We talked with the social worker today about nursing homes for Howard. It seems so sad to have to put him in one, but we just can't take care of him here, and he can't go back to the Waterford. They gave us a list of about 20 Nursing Homes to look at and select from. I showed the list to my Dad, and he said to tell them we only want to select two of them. One of them is a very new facility right across the street from the hospital, and my Dad says that is where he should go, if we can get him admitted there. Howard had just returned from the throat - swallow test when we got to his room. He went to sleep shortly after we arrived. It is so hard to see him like this. I pray that if it is his time to go, that God takes him quickly, and that he doesn't have to suffer. He says he is not in any pain. But oh, he is so thin and weak, and so "out of it" so much of the time now. It breaks my heart.

I met my Dad up at the Mall and did a little Christmas Shopping for Matthew. I know that what I got is something that Matthew really wanted, so it was a nice little get-away from the troubles, and it was nice to spend a little time with my Dad. Then I ran back to the office and picked up several new ad specs that I have to design up ads from tonight and tomorrow. I'll try to get a couple done after dinner, but I am not going to over-due it. I am still fighting off this cold, and I need to go to bed early. Just waiting to hear from Jeff, and when he will be home so I can warm up left-over chicken.

Matthew's a happy guy!

I worked all morning, Matthew did get the day off school, and now Jeff and I are going to the hospital to talk with the Social Worker about Howard. I'll have to go back into the office and pick up work to do tonight at home when we get done at the hospital. I need a clone...

School tomorrow? or not?

Matthew, Jeff and I went up to the hospital to visit Howard. He is starting to get restless. He was obsessive about the blanket on the bed, and the way he wanted to fold it. I finally figured out what he wanted we got him situated the way he wanted things to be. Howard was very confused again tonight. The nurse said he did really well all day, and that it is not unusual for people in his condition to get "confused" as the day progressed. All the stress is really getting to Jeff. It wasn't a good day for him. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. They are going to do some kind of test on Howard tomorrow to see what is going on with his throat. Hopefully Jeff will also get to talk to the social worker tomorrow and figure out what to do once Howard is released from the hospital.

We got quite a bit of snow today, and I was hoping the school would post either the closing or delay notice before I go to bed, but it looks like they are going to wait until morning. I can't imagine they won't at the very least have a 2 hour delay. The roads were so icy and slick when we were out. I hate winter! How many more days until Spring? Jeff said it isn't even winter yet! Ha! Someone forgot to tell Jack Frost that!

It's a wonderful life...

Jeff and I spent several hours at Howard's apartment today, doing laundry and sorting papers, searching and not finding his denture. The hospital is giving him what they call "mechanically chopped foods", there isn't much more we can do at this point. You would think that the dentist would still have the mold's from making his teeth, I think it was less than a year ago that he had to have new one's made, but Jeff said when he called, they said he would have to take him there to make molds for the new denture. Howard is down to 107 lbs. He doesn't seem to know or remember for long where he is. But at least he is staying calm this time and not putting up a fight like he did last month when he was in the hospital. There is still so much work that needs to be done at his apartment, at least we made a bit of a dent in it this afternoon. I'll have to go back again tomorrow if the weather isn't too bad. They are forecasting really bad weather for the next couple of days.

 Jeff and I watched "It's a wonderful life" on TV tonight after we got home from our visit with Howard at the hospital. I love that old movie. Watching that movie is one of my favorite traditions at Christmas time. The end of that movie just makes you feel so good, that everyone rallies around George Bailey. I just wish they would have figured out that "old man Potter" had the money! I mean really! Is it fair that he gets away with it and keeps the money? Or do you think it was better that way, because you can dream up your own fantasy of what would happen to the creep when they figured it out? I think I saw a Saturday Night Live skit where they added an "alternate ending" to the movie, where Uncle Billy remembers that the money was in the newspaper he handed to Potter! Of course, SNL takes things a little far... but Potter did have it coming! lol! :)

I really haven't gotten into the Christmas Spirit yet this year. The gift I made for my sister and her family is all I have done so far, oh, and I did create and print out our Christmas cards, but I have not sent them out yet! Hopefully I can find envelopes for them tomorrow so that I can get them out in the mail next week. Jeff and I talked about going across the street to the Christmas Tree farm and buying a tree earlier today, but we didn't have time. Hopefully the weather will co-operate, and we can get one tomorrow. If not, I guess it will wait until next weekend. I don't mind getting a tree late in the season because we keep it up until New Years Day.

It's almost mid-night, so I am going to call it a night. I hope you all had a wonderful day. :)

Waiting for answers...

I went to bed shortly after I posted last night. I am still fighting off this cold, and I was so tired.

Jeff is up at the hospital now with Howard. He is going to call me when he is ready to go over to Howard's apartment and we are going to do a major search for his lower denture, and grab some bags of papers to take home and sort out, and do some laundry for him. I hope we find his teeth, that would be one less thing to have to worry about, and he would be able to eat more food.

I do not think that Howard is going to be able to return to the Waterford. It is so sad, because there are times when Howard is very clear of mind, but he is not taking good care of himself, and in his weakened state, we are afraid that he is going to hurt himself, his family physician is also concerned. I think, at the least, he will have to go to an extended care facility for a while, hopefully he can recover and go back to the Waterford rather than have to make the next step to a nursing home. Jeff is going to meet with a social worker to see what our options are.

I know that Howard is going to want to go back to the Waterford, and he is going to put up a big fight, which is going to cause a ton for stress for Jeff. If Howard was "out-of-it", it would be a no-brainer as to what to do, but he is "in-between", he definitely needs constant care right now, and if he improves, he will need assisted living at the very least.

I guess I better go make lunch now... Thank you all for your kind words and keeping us in your thoughts, It means so much!

2nd Update

They admitted Howard to the hospital. He has a URI, and they are giving him an IV antibiotic. He's malnourished. Hopefully he will respond well to the meds and be feeling better again soon.

Update on Poppie...

Jeff called me at about 5pm and told me he was at the hospital E.R. with Poppie. He just called me again and said the doctor was with them now. They went to Howard's regular physician, and he told Jeff to take him to the E.R. and gave orders for tests. The hospital situation is so different now than it used to be. His doctor doesn't make hospital rounds, you get the "hospital doctor". It's so weird. I'm waiting to hear from Jeff now to find out if they are going to admit Howard or not. I know that he will not be able to go back to the Waterfront. So if they don't admit him, I guess Jeff will have to bring him here. But I think the whole point of taking him to the E.R. was to get him admitted to the hospital, so that he can then, after three days of hospitalization be transfered to an extended care facility. I'm leaving now to go to the E.R. ... Jeff is too stressed out. I'll update when I get home.

Forgotten Dinner...

Last night we were supposed to meet Matthew's Poppie for dinner at the Waterford. When we got there they told us he wasn't feeling well, and we would find him in the sitting area down the hall. When we got there, he was asleep in a chair. There was a physical therapist there, and she said she has taken his vitals and they were all good. Eventually, we ended up taking him back to his friend Shirley's apartment and letting him sleep on her sofa. Howard had forgotten that we were going to meet them for dinner and had eaten already, but at least we know he ate something.

 Jeff is going to go this morning and take Howard to either his doctor or an Urgent Care Facility today to get him checked out. At first, when Howard would not wake up, I felt like we should call an ambulance. It really scared me. But the visiting nurse showed up about an hour after we got there, and she felt like he was just tired and worn out, she thought maybe he was coming down with something. They checked Howard's throat, as he was complaining about it the few times we would get a little response from him. We stayed for three hours, and by the time we left, Howard was waking up and responding for a few minutes at a time, and then wanting to go back to sleep.

Howard is still not gaining much weight, he is so frail and thin. On top of everything else, he seems to have mis-placed his lower dentures, and now we have to figure out what to do about that, Hopefully Jeff will find them today when he goes to take him to the doctor. Getting the dentures replaced would mean 3 visits to the dentist in one or two days for Howard, and with all the snow and cold, getting him to and from will not be pleasant for him. But he has got to have teeth if he is going to gain any weight back.

Matthew and I eventually went to the dining room and ate a quick dinner, and then brought Jeff his in a to-go container. Nothing like eating Prime Rib out of a styrofoam box.

Ever have one of those days.... ?

It's been one of those days where I have accomplished allot of nothing! The things I had left waiting for me at the office to do first thing in the morning are still not done, because so many other things needed to be done first. I was busy all day, and didn't goof around, but I feel like nothing really got accomplished. Probably because the owner gave me back almost all of the ads I had designed for him the day before with "changes" he wants made to them. My "stack of things to do" doesn't seem to be getting any smaller! Ahhhhh... the joys of Graphic Design! It's kind of like cleaning the kitchen... you do all the dishes, wipe down the counter tops, disinfect the stove top, clean the table, last but not least, time to clean out the sink, and then SOMEONE brings a dirty dish from another room and plops it down on the counter next to the sink! Run! You better RUN! I tell you!

Happy Holidays...

I'm in a rush, but I have to share this link with you. It was so beautiful, it actually made me cry! What a beautiful Christmas gift! I hope you all enjoy it... Click here to watch the video on UTube.

Busy day today. I went worked at the office until almost 5pm, then I came home for about 15 minutes to see how Matthew was doing, and find out how his day went. He was pretty happy this morning because he had a 2 hour delay for school due to the snow we got last night. Then I went to Hacienda and met my dear friend Jan for dinner. My Mom had a best friend named Bonnie, Jan is one of Bonnie's Daughters. We have been trying to get together at least once a month lately. Jan and I are very much alike, and I enjoy her company very much. She is like the "big sister" I never had. We've known each other since  we were kids, so we have a lot of "history". After dinner we went to the local Cole's store, because Jan had to pick up some little gifts for some people that work for her. It was fun shopping with her.

I have not even started Christmas Shopping yet. We are going to have to cut WAY down this year. Money is just so tight right now. I'm glad I was able to make a gift for my sister, I think she will like it better than any sweater or scarf I could buy her. I hope so any way. I still have to make the "cover" for the CD. Since the layout will be small, I should be able to use the low res. photo.

I have had the opportunity to meet with two friends this week! Carol Rupley called me yesterday, and we met for a quick lunch. I enjoy her company so much. Carol is so creative, and she has become a very good friend! She's been busy with work and family. She looks great, and we had a very nice lunch.

Well, it's almost mid-night, so I better go to bed before I turn into a pumpkin! See ya all tomorrow. I hope you had a wonderful day! :)

Sunshine & Spring Flowers!

I've had enough snow for one day... so I dug out some photos from last spring to play with tonight! Here again I was playing with the Give it a Glow Technique from a tutorial I watched by Jan Walker over at Digital Scrapper Premier. The composition was inspired by Jean's Long Ago at Niagara Falls page, which you can see at her blog here. I used the kit 4 Seasons by Micheline Martin for the page. All elements and papers are from her kit. I love the totally different look I got out of the photo when I applied the glow technique to it. It just made me feel warm and bright... I hope we get some sunshine tomorrow. :)

More ATC's

Here is another new ATC (Artist Trading Card) I designed last night using my other New Christmas kit... (which I could really use some name suggestions for)... And some of the other cards I have designed in the past.

Christmas Artist Trading Card

Here is a Christmas Artist Trading Card I made for you all if you want it.
I used Brooklyn's Christmas kit. I hope you like it. :)

It's a Stay at Home Kinda Day.

Jeff is happy as a lark, he's got football games to watch on TV, and there will be chili for dinner! What else could a man ask for? I was a little disappointed that the weatherman was right, and we are getting the dreaded lake effect snow they predicted, but what-a-ya-gonna-do! It is winter! Might as well scrap-it!

One of my favorite authors is Flavia, and I thought her quote would be a perfect addition to my page for today. I love her artwork. I have one of her posters hanging on the wall here in my home office, and I love her book, Across the Porch from God - Reflections of Gratitude. I used my Family Tree kit for this page. I really like the way the lace looks as though I wrapped it around the paper three times. I hope you all have some wonderful shared moments and simple pleasures today!

Clean up!

The Focus on Photos: Give it a Glow Lesson by Jan Walker in the December 2010 Digital Scrapper Premier was just perfect to clean up the mess in the back of this photo of my Niece eating her Birthday Cake last week. I think it's a great way to clean up a distracting background! This is a page I made to remind me where to find the tutorial next time I want to use it. :)

Here is the one I am going to send to her Mother. :)

Link for movie...

Here is the link to download Brooklyn's movie.
It's a really big file. (138 MB) You will need QuickTime or something that plays .MOV files. I have QuickTime, and when I tested the link it opened in a browser... it seems to take a while to load the file... so just let it sit for a few minutes... I have a cable connection, so not sure how long it would take on a slower connection. But I don't think it took 5 minutes for mine to start playing...

Can't wait to hear what you all think...
Download Here

I'd Rather Be On a Nice Warm Beach...

The photo in the background is mine, small photo in bottom corner I found on the internet. I was waiting in a line of a drive-thru to get a diet coke a couple weeks ago, and this beach grass was planted next to the building right next to the spot where I was waiting. It caught my eye... I keep my camera in my purse for just such occasions. :)

I don't know what the big deal is with planting beach grass all over the place these days, but I see it quite often. Maybe the people who plant it are saying they would rather be at the beach? We are supposed to get lake-effect snow tonight, up to a foot of it or more, so I guess I can understand wanting to be on a nice warm beach somewhere! I hope the weather man is wrong!

This page also includes my Quote for the day. I don't know if you all know who Robert Fulgham is, he wrote several books that I really enjoyed reading. Here is a short list... I remember actually laughing out loud while reading his books. Pretty funny guy. You can find out more about him at: http://www.robertfulghum.com/

• It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It
• Uh-Oh: Some Observations from Both Sides of the Refrigerator Door
• Maybe (Maybe Not)
• All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

I'm so excited!

I finished up the slide-show "movie" tonight of Brooklynn's photos, and played it on the DVD player on the TV... I wish I had had high-res. images to work with, The images are not as sharp as I would like them to be, but it's not horrible. I sent an email to Laj to ask her how I can convert the files into something I can share with you here... right now it only plays off the DVD, or opens in the program I created it with. Hopefully Laj will know what to do. :)

More of Brooklynn's Pages

Got another page done for Brooklynn's slide-show... several in fact. I made 10 different pages and I am going to use each format twice for the slide-show. Now to go figure out how in the world this program works!

Brand New Day!

I took this photo at the park one day last month on my lunch break. The sunshine was so bright and warm. I had to capture it with my camera, and I love the way this photo came out. I love this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. It reminds me that every day is a new beginning. Yes, yesterday, I made mistakes, and I would take things back that I have done or said, but in the long run, it's all just old nonsense. I'm not perfect. I don't have to be perfect. I choose to leave the nonsense in the past and concentrate on what is in front of me. It's going to be a great day! Wishing you all the best! :)

Page 2 for Brooklyn

Here is the page I created this morning for Brooklyn's Album. I think it turned out cute!

I'm going to have to get more pages done in a day if I am going to have this done in time for Christmas! I have an idea for another layout planned already ... I have to go to a meeting, but hopefully will have time this afternoon to work on some more pages.

Here are a couple more pages...

Positive Energy

With Thanksgiving having just passed, I thought this quote by Oprah Winfrey was a great thought to base this new day on. When I concentrate on the good things in my life, and all that I have been blessed with, it just puts me in a much better frame of mind. I feel better, and good things happen.

I think we attract more of what we are feeling to ourselves, we are like magnets that pull in energy, if our base energy for the day is positive, then we pull in good things... That is my goal for the day. I read a fantastic book, several times now, called Excuse Me, You Life is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn. I think it is time for me to get the book out again... :)

I created the quote page with my Clairvoyant Kit. Font is John Handy LET

Quote For the Day

There is something about an inspirational quote that get's my day off to a good start. I think I am going to try to post something here on a daily basis to remind myself that most people are as happy as they make up their minds to be. I may not always create an image for the quote, but today I am going to share my note to self...

Snow Happens!

Well... the correct expression is that "Sh*t Happens", and that's the way I felt this morning when I opened the door for Matthew to go out and catch the bus for school, and saw all the white "sh*t" on the ground! Of course, it was only yesterday I made the comment that we didn't HAVE any snow on the ground right now... that's what I get for opening my big fat mouth!

This is the view from my home office window. Now that you have seen it, I am going to close the blinds, turn some music on, and pretend it's 80 Degrees outside! :)