A LO...

Title: A Golden End...

Credits:
Papers from Back To Basics - Monday Paper Pack by Princess Lala of Divine Digital.
Flower, button, and glitter splat from the Back To Basics - Bella Kit by Princess Lala of Divine Digital.
Doodles from Fantasy Swirls Pack by Princess Lala of Divine Digital.
Photo by me.
Fonts: CK Fable

:)

Some LOs...

Title: In My Daughter's Eyes

Credits:
Paper, pin with jewel, and flower with ribbon by Heather Manning of Digiscrapping.net from GDWI Grand Mega Collab.
Frame from I'm Worn Out Photo Edges by Heather Manning of Digiscrapping.net.
Lyrics by Martina McBride.
Photo by me.
Fonts: Heather Marie; GG Herb Script
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Title: Rough and Tumble

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Owl Love Boy Kit by Ilona Havenaar of 3Scrapateers.
Frame from I'm Worn Out Photo Edges by Heather Manning of Digiscrapping.net.
Photo by my dad.
Fonts: Thoughts; Tigger
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Title: August

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Look on the Bright Side Mini Kit by Connie Prince (aka DigiDiva Designs).
Template from 4x6 Monthly Brag Book Templates by Connie Prince (aka DigiDiva Designs).
Photos by me and my dad.
Fonts: CK Cosmopolitan
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Title: September

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Ahhhh Autumn! Kit by Connie Prince (aka DigiDiva Designs).
Template from 4x6 Monthly Brag Book Templates by Connie Prince (aka DigiDiva Designs).
Photos by me.
Fonts: CK Cosmopolitan
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I feel a little better... I got 1 LO done yesterday morning (see post below), 3 between dinner and bed, and another this morning. So now I only need to complete 8 more to catch up to all the goodies my designers have given me! LOL

Gotta' run! Be sure to stop by the Garden for the birthday fun and festivities! Thanks for stopping by my blog, and have a great day!

:)

A LO and a sale...

Title: Love You Thundercloud

Credits:
Edge on photo from I'm Worn Out Photo Edges by Heather Manning Designs of Digiscrapping.net. (Set at 67% opacity.)
Background paper from Paper Stash 2 by Vera Lim.Torn paper from Genuine Mini Kit by Vera Lim.
Title strip from the Calico Harvest Freebie by Nicole of Sugarplum Paperie.
Yellow paper from the Annabelle's Tearoom Freebie by Nicole of Sugarplum Paperie.
Green striped paper and "Love You" word strip from the Leap Frog Mini Kit by Nicole of Sugarplum Paperie.
Brown paper, butterfly, and reversed staple from the Caramel Pudding Kit by Flergs.
Template #34 by me.
Photo by me.
Fonts: Note This

LO completes Digi Dare #101.
________________________________

Kristine of WenchdGrafix has a GORGEOUS new kit called Enchanted in the store, and it's 30% off for 1 week only!!


Gotta' run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Birthday kickoff and a LO...

EVERYTHING in the store is 40% with 75% off select items!!!

We also have tons of fun and games so be sure to stop by the Parlor as well!
----------------------

Title: Caught in your Web

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Bright Star Kit by Michelle Pieters of Gotta Pixel.
Template #33 by me.
Photos by my dad.
Fonts: Witchcraft

Gotta run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Tomorrow's the big day...

DSG starts it's 1st Birthday Celebration!!

I have a sneak peek at some of the prizes...








I'm not sure what challenges/games these will be given for so I guess you'll just have to join us to find out! Digital Scrap Garden's 1st Birthday Party
------------------------------

For those looking for an update about yesterday's dr appt - the ANP at the endochronologist's office is very happy with my progress. I've brought my A1C down from 12.6 in July to 7.4 yesterday. I've also lost 6 lbs in the last 6 weeks according to their scale. (Mine says a little more, but you know how that goes...) She was happy enough that she's letting me wait 3 months to go back. But, I noticed this morning she only gave me 2 more refills on my Riomet which means I'll need to call for a refill before I see her again...

I have to go back to my PCP on Oct 8th for a pre-op clearance appt, and then the hospital has scheduled my pre-op screening for Oct 28th with surgery on Halloween. Yes, you read that right, Halloween. Which completely sucks because even the mall trick or treating is on Halloween this year (it's often the weekend before) so someone else will have to take the kids, and I'll have to hope I get some pictures. My youngest brother is trying to get a flight up on the 27th so he can stay through the 4th to help out.

Gotta' run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Some LOs...

Title: You're A Star



Credits:

Word art from Boys N Kids WA by April Staker of DigiApe Designs. (re-colored by me)
Paper and elements from the Almost Forks Kit by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Photos by me. (One set at 48% opacity over background.)
Fonts: FG Cheryl (date)
_____________________________


Title: Letter From Mom


Credits:
Papers and elements from the Sunset Dreams Kit by Ladybug Graphix of Digital Scrap Garden.
Photo by me.
Fonts: FG Cheryl
_____________________________


Title: Saranac Lake

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Back To Basics - Bella Kit by Princess Lala of Divine Digital.
Photo by me.
Fonts: VTKS Refused; Willing Race
_____________________________

Title: Little Man

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Owl Love Boy Kit by Ilona Havenaar of 3Scrapateers.
Photo by my dad.
Fonts: Thoughts

Thanks for stopping by!

:)

Friday night picnics...

So for the last two weeks we've had "picnics" in the livingroom on Friday night while watching a movie. We had been doing our grocery shopping on Thursdays, but since it generally took us 'til about 8 or 9pm to eat dinner and shop and get home we decided to move it to Friday night instead. That way at least Micaila doesn't have school the next day if she's up past her bedtime.

There are limited dinner options in the Super WalMart vicinity, and quite frankly - while I do love chinese - I can only eat at the buffet so many times a month before it annoys me. So last week I decided - what the heck! We had a dvd at home I wanted to watch, and special "treats" like a picnic always make the kids happier to cooperate. We picked up popcorn chicken, chicken tenders, and potato logs at the store deli hot section, and added some Cheetos puffed corn and ranch dressing to the menu when we got home. Brenden loved it so much he's been begging for a picnic every night this week! LOL So we did it again last night, and watched Nim's Island. It's a good movie - not great, but good. The kids behaved. We all snuggled on the floor after the food was put away. (And, every time I yipped because my hip hurt Brenden would pat my head and tell me, "It's ok, Mommy." LOL) Maybe we'll do this every Friday...

It helps that I have Netflix so we can have a different movie to watch every week. It also helps because we can generally get the shopping done and get home by 7 or 7:15 rather than after 8.
------------------------

I've finished my part of the Fall Splendor Blog Collab and sent off my preview and link to Kristine. If you haven't she needs them all by Wednesday!! Sept 25th is the deadline for previews and links so she can get them all loaded into the party blog. There's a sneak peek at part of mine in yesterday's post below. ;)

For those who aren't participating, but are interested we'll be posting our links on Oct 1st! Keep watching!
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Also, on the 25th... Digital Scrap Garden's 1st Birthday Party will be kicking off!! There's a little more info in yesterday's post, and a sneak peek at part of my contribution in the post prior to that. I'll have more info once I get a schedule of events so be sure to stop back for that info as well!


I currently have 3 giveaways for DSG and one for Connie Prince going on at DST! 2 end at 9pm EST tonight and 2 at 9pm EST tomorrow.

Ladybug Graphix's Purple Flavors
Magick Scraps' Holly & Hanna
Dancing Princess Designs' Gabby Closet Bold, Gabby's Closet Bright, & Gabby's Closet Soft
Connie's Slap Happy

Be sure to stop by for your chance to win!
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Gotta' run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Now I'm teasing! :P

These are part of my contribution to the HUMUNGOUS blog Party Collab Fall Splendor...



Be sure to stop back for updates on that! :)
-------------------------------

On to other things...

Digital Scrap Garden is about to celebrate it's 1st birthday!! Starting Wednesday, September 25th we're going to have chats, mini challenges, a blinkie contest, a QP Scavenger Hunt, a Mega Collab available with purchase, and tons of other fun! The doodles in the post below are part of my contribution to the mega collab. :)

Wanna' peek?



I've got some giveaways goin' on over at DST's Happy Place for some of these awesome designers! Be sure to stop by for your chance to win!
-----------------------------

On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings the moon was still showing at about 7am. On Wed morning Micaila comes to me, points out the window at the moon, and says, "Mommy, do you think that silly man in the moon is still sleeping?! He hasn't put the moon to bed yet!"

Gotta' run! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Opinions?

Would these be something you'd use?



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And, the Bad Mom of the Year Award...

Really it's not quite that bad, but I feel horrible. I really need to start listening to the radio in the morning...

We had hellacious winds last night with a smattering of rain. I'm guessing that's our gift from Ike. In any case I wasn't able to get to sleep until after 1 am because of the shifting of the house in the wind and the noise from the wind itself. At 12:30am I gave up, and moved down to the livingroom where at least I couldn't feel the house shifting... And, I do mean you could literally feel the house moving in the wind. Last time I felt a building moving that much was when I went up in the tower in Toronto with a school field trip. Made me want to vomit 'cause it felt like the building was swaying - while, of course, all the guys are outside on the deck hanging over to watch the Blue Jays play...

Anyway, back to the story... I didn't wake up 'til 6:30, and the kids didn't wake up 'til about 7am which is at least a half hour late for all of us. I got Micaila going, got Brenden dressed and sort of fed (he insisted he wasn't actually hungry AFTER the bagel he'd requested was made), put a load in the washer, got the garbage together & outside, did a load of dishes, tested my blood, and realized it was 8:50 so I downed my meds quick with some milk and a banana, and out the door Micaila and I went. It's about 9am now mind you so I'm feeling guilty 'cause Micaila's gonna be close to late, but as I'm approaching the school a bus pulls out of the drive so I figure not too bad. I went to the door, and opened it for her, and then told her I loved her and would see her later - go right to your classroom. As I'm pulling out of the drive I realize there are only 3 vehicles in the entire parking lot which seemed REALLY odd so I called Dad quick to have him check the school calendar on the wall, and it doesn't say anything about there not being school today so I just warned him why I called and that he may get another from the school...

Off to work. Do you see where this is going???

I get to work, and am sweeping the black walnuts out of the drive when the boss pulls up on his bike. He asks how bad my drive was... I said not bad at all - I only saw one tree blown over, and it was in a yard. To which I get the response, "Oh really?" That got my attention so I asked why, and he said there's a no unneccesary travel advisory out and almost every school in the county has a 2 hour delay!!! OMG... Do I feel like doodoo now... So I called Dad, and let him know. He picked Micaila back up for the 2 hours. But, here's the best part - there were at least 6 other kids there and the school hadn't bothered to call any of the parents or emergency contacts!!!

The school custodian who was there said he knew the girl looked familar, but wasn't sure why. [insert rolling eyes smilie] He's a good friend of Dad's, and used to be the maintainence man for our apartment complex...
------------------------

Title: Generations

Credits:
Paper and elements from theRemarkable Kit by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Paisley from Posh Paisleys by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Photos by my dad.
Fonts: CK Heritage

--

Getting on a roll again...

Well, Micaila LOVES school. We're working with her at home with "sight" words - words that are either fundamental (ie - the, a, and) or building blocks (ie - an, or), and are working on reading Level 1 Reading books. I'm hoping to have her up to Level 2 by her birthday, but that depends on her! About once a month while we're out we pick up a new one at WalMart with one of her favorite characters - as well as one for Brenden who wouldn't want to be left out!

Little man isn't so little! His check-up on Thursday had him weighing in at 58lbs 10oz, and 43 1/8 inches!! Micaila's still bouncin' between 38 and 40 lbs... And, largely thanks to the LMax he not only knows his alphabet, but will sound out 3-4 letter words! He can tell you how to spell fox, pig, bird, and ant! (See a theme there?! LOL) The kids have Word Factory, Letter Factory, and Letters on the Loose for the LMax, and I have to say that this is a large part of why he can do this. I just wish he'd spend a little less time playing them! LOL

After work yesterday we picked up lunch at McDonalds (which now has Batman Lego toys), and headed home. Dad told me Mom has taken her last week of vacation time for the year to head back up north because there are some issues. Let's just say the accident might NOT have been such an accident, and it may involve family/extended family... We ate lunch with the kids watching Barbie Fairytopia, and then I did dishes, gave Miss Kitty a thorough combing with a undercoat comb (she's suddenly having some NASTY hairball issues), cleaned off my computer desk (although I'm sure Mike would still think it's a mess), scanned a bunch of the kids' artwork, scanned some doodles for the Fall Splendor Blog Collab, made and ate dinner, created a template for the collab, and created a LO from the template. Then I decided to go to bed as my eyes felt like they were falling out of my head! LOL

All right... so, on the docket for today (orange is done):
- do the dishes (Ya' know I REALLY should have created those edible ones I thought of back in 9th grade...)
- a load of laundry?
- dinner in crockpot
- clean up doodle scans
- package collab pieces
- send links/previews to Kris
- breakfast for kids
- test blood
- breakfast for me
- vaccuum
- general clean/straighten of the house
- plant iris bulbs (if the rain lets up for more than 5 minutes)
- give cat a flea bath (should be TONS of fun)
- get gas in van
- blog
- work on a LO or 2
- create another template? (I have a request for a crossword one from a crazy Double D)
-----------------------

Title: Inseperable

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Latte Morning Kit by Julie Kelley Designs of Scrapbook Elements.
Photo by my dad.
Fonts: FG Cheryl
___________________

Title: Adirondack Scenes

Credits:
Papers from the Sunsets Kit by Designs by Kristine of WenchdGrafix.
Template #31 by me.
Photos by me.
Fonts: Type-Ra

Well,... I have to go get to work on that list! Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

Digi Dare #100

Title: First Day of School

Credits:
Paper and flower from the Remarkable Kit by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Frame from Frame Me01 by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Word Art from the Boys N Kids WA Pack by April Staker of DigiApe Designs.
Available at http://www.digiapedesigns.com/

Jewel (center of flower)from Buttons O' Bling by Kristine of WenchdGrafix.
Photo by me.
Fonts: Grease; GraytonSSK

LO completes Digi Dare #100.
Poster for inspiration: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Rocky-Posters_i153070_.htm

:)

So the news... and a Digi Dare LO...

We'll start with the fact that the appt was for 3pm. I was completely registered and sitting in the waiting room by 2:50pm, and in an exam room by 3:10pm. From there is devolves...

The nurse and her trainee proceeded to ask me almost every question that was in the packet of paperwork I had been asked to fill out prior to the appt. (What was the point if they were going to ask it all again??) They left with a comment that the doctor would be with me shortly...

The resident/assistant doctor finally walked into the exam room at about 4:20pm. (Approximately 1 HOUR after they left - that's shortly????) He had me do a bunch of facial movements to prove my nerve was still functioning normally at this time and asked the normal questions - how long had it been there? was there any pain? etc. He said they were still waiting for the cd files to open so they could revue the CT scan, but he and Dr. Kellman would be back in a few moments.

About 10 minutes later they both walked in. Dr. Kellman took one look, and said something along the lines of "whoa!" He then took out a measurement tool, put it along side my face where the tumor is, and stated "About 6 cm - that's about as big as they get." He then ran through all the possible issues which I all ready knew between internet research and Dr. Hillerman. The big difference was both the internet and Dr. Hillerman had made the worst possible outcome sound like more of a possibility than a probability - Dr. Kellman said the opposite. He doesn't hold much faith that I'll retain much if any use of the left side of my face after they remove the tumor due to the size of it. (Keep in mind as far as I can tell it has been this size for AT LEAST the last 4 yrs.)

Apparently, when growing the tumor tends to stretch the nerve that runs through the middle of the parotid gland. Nerves don't have much elasticity, and this type of nerve also doesn't have a very high regenerative ability. During the surgery they normally have to stretch the nerve a little to remove the tumor, and he's afraid that with the size of my tumor that may snap the nerve (or a part of it) causing weakness and/or paralysis.

While it's difficult to look at this large lump on the side of my face every day I have to imagine it's a sight easier than looking at half a functioning face. However, this is also one of the rare tumors that even if benign originally will eventually turn malignant if not taken care of. I asked to put the surgery off 'til late Oct or early Nov if possible due to work schedule, and the only way he'd agree to that was if I had another FNA biopsy done. They wanted to schedule me to come back for that... I asked if it would be at all possible to get it done now as the drive requires me to take an entire day off of work. Dr. Kellman checked his watch, and said probably not but they'd check as that dept normally closed right now. (It is 4:45pm at this time folks...)

They managed to get a doctor in the FNA dept who said he'd come down and do it for me when he heard I was driving from north of Watertown. I thanked him for be willing to stay as it saved me taking another day off work, and he said it was not a problem. He understands it's a long drive for something like that. The only problem was they used no local anesthetic, and it felt like they were scraping my jaw bone with the needle!! I kid you not my vision started to get dark at the edges and I was naseous for at least 20 minutes when they finished. The pain - not ache - pain didn't go away for at least an hour. Good news is it still came back as benign so they are willing to put the surgery off 'til sometime in Oct. It took another 20 minutes for someone to come back to the exam room to tell me they'll call to let me know when...

--------------------



Title: the Good, the Bad, the Ugly



Credits:
Papers and elements from the Enchanted By You Kit by Connie Prince (aka DigiDiva Designs).
Capital letters from the Watterlogged Alpha by Heather Manning Designs of Digiscrapping.net.
Lowercase letters from the Summer Sky Alpha by Heather Manning Designs of Digiscrapping.net.
"the" from the Who Ate My Alpha Alpha by Heather Manning Designs of Digiscrapping.net. (recolored)
Photos by me.
Fonts: Hypewriter

LO completes Digi Dare #99.
------------------

Gotta' run to get Micaila to school as Mike had to take Brenden to his 4-yr well child checkup. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

:)

I don't feel much like talking this morning...

...so I'm just gonna' share 2 LOs...

Title: Ready or Not...

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Peace Kit by Michelle Pieters of Gotta Pixel.
Template #28 by me.
Photos by me.
Fonts: CK Dandy
___________________________

Title: Serenity

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Peace Kit by Michelle Pieters of Gotta Pixel.
Photo by my dad.
Fonts: Note This
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Gotta' run early this morning to go see my primary care physician... Thanks for stopping by, and have a great day!

--