It's like therapy...only better :)

LOL I've been trying to scrap more pages that have "meaning", that tell a "story". I love just putting a page together..."just because", as my creative outlet, but once in a while, I feel like there are certain stories that need to be told, certain things I want to remember and pass on.

When I saw my son's step mother post a page on sb.com with a picture of her and my son, I knew I wanted to scrap a page about that whole "relationship". I loved the way Lij looked in that pic and wanted it either way, but I also knew it would be a good pic to use on a page to put some feelings down on paper. She was kind enough to email me the pic and I printed it out myself. Everyone who knows me...well, who is close to me...knows the whole story behind this and how hard it has been for me...and Lij..and well, a lot of people involved. It doesn't have to be like this, but for whatever reason....it is what it is. It's still very hard for me when I know Lij is leaving to stay with his dad. I mean, I trust his dad...well, trying to trust him more. But her...I don't even know her..at all really. All I know of her is what I've heard from Lij or his dad and the little and I mean LITTLE amount of time I have personally communicated with her and that was NOT good! I know that things could be different. It would only make this a million times easier if things were different. Hopefully, in time, things will get better. Anyway....making this page was somewhat therapeutic....I got some feelings down on paper and I really like the way it turned out. This puts my LO count at 60 for the year! Wow! Only 40 to go and we are only halfway through the year!

This makes 59....

I'm at 59 LOs for this year...YAY!! The first one I did was for the second challenge of our Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop. Chon hosted this one and the challenge was to create a page using diecut papers...no 'square' pages. I love using shaped pages...I have alot of them!! I used some of my new MLS scalloped circle papers...I love the bright colors on those. Also used some of the MLS diecuts. And I cut the beautiful vines and flowers from a sheet of the MME Bloom & Grow collection. I really LOVE the way it turned out and it was all me...no lift :D The second is just a quick page I did using a LO from Chon's gallery. I think hers was a lift..not sure..and not sure from who. Used some of my MAMBI "A Kid Like Me" stuff. That's about it for today. Oh, Miguel has a new schedule. Since Monday, he has been going in at 9:00 a.m. and getting out at 6:00 p.m. None of this crazy 16+ hour days. He's not in charge of closing the warehouse anymore...strictly in office sales now. Even though it's only been two days, it is SO nice having him home while the sun is still out! We get to spend time together and Mikey gets to see him and play with him. It's great! Please pray that things keep going smoothly for the new people in charge of closing because I don't want him to go back to killing himself over that job. Our family is in desperate need of some TOGETHERness!! Good night :)

A Prayer

Miguel brought back this prayer with him from his weekend ACTS retreat and I just LOVED it! I want to share it with you all :)

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself and the fact that I think I am
following your will, does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore, I will trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me
to face my perils alone. Thomas Merton

Stop and Scrap...

Just a few things I got today from Stop and Scrap. Love buying from them. They have $5 flat rate shipping...can't beat that! Got some Pink Paislee alpha stickers...I can never have too many alphas! And some Jenni Bowlin. Also got this cool 8x8 MM pad. I don't have a Slice...just got it because it was 8x8 ledger paper...LOVE ledger paper! I was hoping to do some scrapping today, but didn't get to. Maybe this week. Night all :)

Don't Fight It....

It's pointless...to try to fight the urge to shop for scrappy goodies...I'm losing...badly! lol Chon and I had another one of our shopping days today, but I'm proud to say that I only spent $20. We both got this cool set of AL acrylic stamps at HL that were on clearance for $5 and change from $14.99. Then we went by M's, where all I got were three packages of stickers, two sets of notecards from the Dollar bins, and a set of 10 Craft Keepers that I got for $6.50 using a 50% off coupon Chon gave me...thanks :) I used those to put my scraps in. I had them in big Ziploc bags, but this is much neater.

After shopping, we came home and scrapped. Spent most of the time trying to print some pics out for Chon that I didn't even get to do because the computer was being FREAKY! I finally gave up and just worked on my page which was inspired by one of the Pencil Lines design team memebers, Tracie H. I really love the way it turned out! Love to use colors on a black background!

What else?? Miguel is on an ACTS retreat right now...won't be back until Sunday so we'll be spending the weekend at home. Chon took me to do our grocery shopping today so at least I got that out of the way. Hmm...what else? Not much else is going on. Oh yeah, I got some AWESOME stuff from Flowers To Flourishes. All this YUMMY Fancy Pants stuff for $20 including shipping! Felt, acrylic books and shapes, pins, buttons, rubons, and paper...oh my! lol Lots of stuff! Love it!

Okay, that's all for today..it's late and I am SLEEPY! Mikey took a late nap, but I'm putting him to bed in a bit anyway because I just can't hang anymore...night all!

Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop Mini Challenge - Guess What I Am

Okay ladies...here's a fun little game I came up with. The first person to correctly name all ten products will earn 20 extra points. If no one gets all the answers correct, the first person with the most correct answers wins! Please post your answers in the comment section of this post. Let's play! :)
UPDATED: Please try to be as specific as possible...such as brand name :)

Making Memories Chloe's Closet die cut paper

Chip Chatter Gellies
photo anchors
Sharpie markers
Magic Mesh
Prima flowers
Stickles
Heidi Swapp acrylic stamp
Coluzzle self healing mat
Cutterbees

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy....

Remember those? From old Saturday Night Live? They were hilarious! I don't know why that seemed fitting for my title. I've been up for a few hours now. After Miguel left early this morning, I couldn't go back to sleep. So instead of just laying in bed wasting time, I decided to get up and get as much of my chores done as I could without making too much noise and waking Mikey. I might regret it later, but maybe then I can get Mikey to nap with me :)
I was just sitting here thinking when I realized how quiet it was and how I could hear my own thoughts and just "be". I'm almost always surrounded by noise...compliments of Mikey...lol...I think this is what I need...or need more of..."me time" minus all the noise and "Mommy can I have"s...I know that when he goes off to school, I will miss him like CRAZY, but maybe I will also regain some of my sanity! I've been doing alot of thinking lately...well, I'm ALWAYS thinking...that's one of my faults and I have this "nagging feeling" that some big changes are long overdue. Sitting here in the quiet...where I can actually form a thought or a complete sentence in my head...some things become very clear. I think I have lost myself...in being a mother and sitting on the sidelines...and I think it's time I bring myself back into the foreground. I need to put myself first because God knows if I don't, no one else will. Anywho....just had to ramble on for a bit and put this stuff down....back to your regularly scheduled program....

June Color Challenge

Here's the page I did for Kimmi's color challenge over on sb.com. I really love the way it turned out and I love that pic of us! This puts my LO count at 56 for the year! TFL :)

There IS more to buy....

I forgot to post a few goodies I got last weekend at Super J's and my collection of Big Lots $2 Thickers :) I'd been wanting some of these KI lace papers and my sis told me they had them at the Super J's so after checking out a BL for Thickers, we went by there real quick and I picked up 3 sheets and these alpha stickers that I already have some of, but I just love. Oh, and another circle punch, but I forgot to put it in that pic with my stuff. Hopefully, I can get some scrapping done this week. We have our blog hop going on and I also joined Kimmi's color challenge again on sb.com. This month, the color combo is red/black/white/and teal or turquoise. I love that color combo!

So, we took Mikey to see the ped on Friday and he did confirm what we thought...that he has sleep apnea because of his enlarged tonsils. They weren't infected at all, but they are VERY large. So he gave us some meds to give him to try to "control" it until we can get him in to see the doc he referred us to and have him sheduled to get his tonsils out. He gave us a nose spray and some one a day Singulair and told us to continue the one a day Claritin and use a decongestant for a few days. I "have" noticed in the past couple of nights, that he is "gasping" for air or "choking" less and that he is still snoring, but not as loudly and there "are" short periods of time where he is breathing easy and NOT snoring. Last night, we slept on the bed for the first time in about a week and he did okay. I had been laying him on the couch propped up on a TON of pillows so he was pretty upright and I'd sleep on the other couch...which is not as comfortable as the bed. So good thing that we got to sleep on the bed. We must have been pretty tired from all this not sleeping because both Mikey and I didn't wake up until ELEVEN today! I know! But hopefully, we are on the road to some better nights. And thank you to all who have kept Mikey in your prayers :)

Miguel got home relatively early yesterday so we decided to make a last minute trip to Sea World and make good use of our season passes. Lij is still at his dad's so it was just the three of us. It was kind of hot, but we spent a good amount of time in Happy Harbor I think it's called...I kept cool by getting splashed when kids would run by me! I got a few good pics, but wouldn't you know, my darn camera batteries died!! It was a bit cloudly now and then so it wasn't so bad being out. We rode on a couple of rides with Mikey as well and looked at the fish in the aquarium and fed the dolphins. It was nice...we need more time like that.
Afterwards, we did our grocery shopping at our old neighborhood HEB and we drove by our old house. It's STILL empty! It's been almost a year and it hasn't sold! The grass looks so pretty there...nice and green. And the Hibiscus plant and some other bush/shrub Miguel had planted in the front by the door are HUGE! It was kind of bittersweet seeing it :( I miss that house! I LOVED the yard..and well, the house itself. But I sure hated being out there by myself like 95% of the time...didn't like that AT ALL. So I know that everything worked out the way it should have...I'm much happier here.
So, that's about it....I'm going to see if I can get some scrapping done. So, if I do...I'll post later :) Here's some pics to share :)

Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop

Welcome to all the sb.com neighbors who are joining us for our Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop!! I hope you are all excited to get this started because I sure am! This challenge will last the whole month of June and weekly challenges will be posted alternately here or on my sis's blog (shopgirlaudi). Mini challenges will be posted randomly once a week so be sure to check out both blogs daily. Don't forget to post and check in weekly, here on our blogs and on the sb.com thread for this challenge. If you have any questions about the challenge posted or any other questions or comments, please DO NOT post it here. Please ask on the sb.com thread. The comment section here should be used solely to check in and to post the link to your completed LO. With that being said....let the games begin :)


Mix It Up

There's a style of scrapping that I admire in alot of different artists and I like to call it "the everything but the kitchen sink" style of scrapping. This is where they pile on the product, mix up manufacturers...different patterned papers, lots of different, random embellies...things you wouldn't think would "go", but somehow, they make it work. So, this challenge will be fairly easy as there are no strict specifications on theme, colors, ect. The only requirement is that you "mix it up". This might be "out of the box" for some of you. It was for me at first, but now it's something I like to do alot. Here are the rules:

1. Your page must be NEW for this challenge and not entered in any other contest or challenge. You have until Sunday night to upload your finished LO (one or two pager) to the sb.com gallery and then link here in the comment section.

2. You MUST have at LEAST 4 different patterned papers from four different manufacturers represented on your LO. Be sure to list your manufacturers in your product list. Colors are your choice. You are free to add whatever embellishments you choose, but if you want to "mix that up" too... go right ahead! The more manufacturers on your page, the better!
Have fun with it! I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Don't forget to check back during the week for the mini challenge :)


Here's my page for the challenge. My four paper manufacturers are Fancy Pants Summer Soiree (the cut out clouds and sun), We R Memory Keepers Rainbow paper (stripes), Paper Studio (small dots), MAMBI (grid background paper). Can't wait to see the rest of the entries :)

Here's my sis's LO for the challenge. I think the papers she used were BG, We R Memory Keepers, Colorbok, Scenic Route.