My baby Sprouse

I had to make the difficult decision this morning to lay my 16 year old kitty Sprouse down to rest in peace. She has had kidney stones for the last three years and it finally got the best of her. She was diagnosed with kidney failure this morning. Too old for surgery so I had to make the decision to let her go while she still had some dignity left.

We're all taking it pretty hard. This is the last pet we have that the girls grew up with. I saved Sprouse when Savannah was still in my tummy... I was eight months pregnant when I found her in 101 degree heat in a parking lot.

She has shared so much with all of us and we love her dearly. We will miss her so.

Just for fun!

I've seen this floating around the 'net and thought it looked like fun to participate. I'm not going to tag anyone.... if you choose to participate leave me a comment so I can go look at yours!

Here's the deal, it's a list of 100 things and everything that I have done is in bold:

1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (ask me Spring 2010!)
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (ask me Spring 2010!)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Have your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (ask me Spring 2010!)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Walked in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published in a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Bellaholics Home Page Contest

I don't think I've ever entered a paper crafting contest and I'm also fairly anti-Valentine's day, most likely due to being single for so long and not having a significant other to celebrate the "day of love" with. Yeah I know, I have two girls who love to receive Valentine's gifts from me but it's just not the same.

Anyways, to get me out of my anti-Valentine's funk the Bellaholics YahooGroup has a monthly home page card contest. This month is a Valentine's day theme. Since I have this darling KissieFace Tidly Inks, a line from StampingBella that I love, love, love I thought I'd give it a shot. Not only did it force me to make a Valentine's card but it also enabled me use my circle nestibilities, shimmerz and baubles. Gotta love using what you already have!

I'm an ass

Sometimes I say things that don't come out right or that come across just plain incorrectly. I'm currently feeling one of those times. While the recipient of this card has not said a peep to me about offending her, I feel that I owe her an apology. So, I'm sending her this card.

The stamp set is A 'Lil Behind from HandMStamps. When I saw this set I really fell for it and I scored during a huge sale they had the beginning of this month. I thought the images, along with the sentiments, were so stinkin' cute! Unfortunately the set didn't include the sentiment that I wanted to use with this card so I generated it on the computer. I'm not sold on the layout design and I don't think I should have used my scallop circle punch but I'm going to call it good. The recipient is not a papercrafter so I think she'll love it and it'll give her a chuckle.

I did use a couple of things that I've been wanting to do/use for a few months. I did use my rectangle nestibilities for the mat of the image (altho I can't seem to capture it on the shot) and I also used the "No copics? No problem!" technique shared by Julie Buhler. Oh, and I finally used my marker spritzer, too! So even tho the layout design has a bit to be desired, I did get to use some fun things I've not used for quite some time, if ever :)

Just a good thing to do

And it doesn't take much effort. Consider participating in this card drive that Jen DelMuro has on her blog. Lots of us have spare cards laying around. Let's consider making someone else's life a little brighter. These are the cards I'll be sending when postal service resumes tomorrow. One (the owl) I received from Mary in a swap and one I created long ago. I thought they were both appropriate for the cause.

My "broken child" layout :)

This layout is from 2001 when Paxton broke her arm falling off the uneven bars early on in her gymnastics career. When I scrapped April's photos for the Trading Faces swap on IdahoScrappers last year, I loved hers so much I was determined to do one for me. So this is my take on it. I wish I could have found a photo of her around that time by herself but I couldn't... that amazed me! So I had to dig one up of just her from the summer before the accident. It worked but it's not exactly what I wanted.

Scrappin' Cheer Photos

Between two cheerleaders in the house I have SO MANY cheer photos to scrap. These I ordered from a professional photograper that was offering photos at Savannah's cheer competition last year. I just ordered them in December so I decided since they weren't yet put away, I'd just get 'em scrapped!

The ribbon on the page is the ribbon that was part of the girls' cheer competition outfits. They were so big I teased them about them looking like Minnie Mouse bows :)

Who doesn't love a little bling!?

Ok, I'm not much of a blog candy follower but I do love the Shimmerz and their Blingz is even better so go check out their new colors and enter for some candy. Who doesn't love a chance to win some candy?

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS

Wow. Twenty-five years I have vested with the Federal Government (actually, twenty six... they're just a year late, lol). That is amazing. It makes me feel old, lol.

I was presented this certificate this week. When I take the time to remember where I've been, what I've experienced and what I've learned over this timeframe, it's been a pretty amazing time. Many different positions held and several agencies. I started at the very bottom and while I haven't worked myself up the very top of the ladder, I certainly have reached above the middle. I'm very fortunate. While I may dislike going to work every day I thank my lucky stars that I'm employed and have job security. The Government has provided a good life for me and it was total luck of the draw. For having limited education post-high school, it's not been a bad road at all.

My Quote for Today

Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along.
This applies to play as well as work.
A day merely survived is no cause for celebration.
You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work.
No more hiding from success.
Leave time, leave space, to grow.
Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

Og Mandino

Shelby's Bookmark

This is a tiny project I've been meaning to do for MONTHS. There's this darling little girl who is the granddaughter of a coworker that comes to visit at our office on occassion. She's probably in the second grade. For some reason this child LOVES me. I just simply chat with her, let her draw on my white board (but so does Grandma), and she writes me little notes with post-its. She was telling me how she loves to read and talks about what she's reading at the time. I told her I probably had a couple of book at home that my girls had grown out of and I'd pass on to her. Well, I've had a book set out for MONTHS but I wanted to make her a cute bookmark to go with it. And she has not forgotten, lol (about the book, not the bookmark - she has no clue about that). So, here it is... finally! Why did it take me so long to make this I have no clue. I spent more time online trying to find one to CASE than I did actually making the danged thing (and I didn't CASE at all, lol). I'll be happy to send this home with her grandma on Monday.

Paxton's Planner

Read the post below first and you'll get the jist of what this is :) For some reason blogger changed the order of these posts and I can't fix it!

Paxton wanted to make one, too, for her cheer coach. She did it by herself and I think she did a pretty danged good job!

Christmas Gifts

This year I needed to make a few gifts for family members and a couple of friends. I wanted something I could easily mail (that wouldn't cost me a fortune), that wouldn't take a ton of effort and time. My friend Tara showed me planners that she got at the dollar store and told me how she planned to alter them. BANG! That was it. They were perfect for what requirements I had. Thank you, Tara! You're awesome :) I actually made four of them but forgot to take a photo of one.

I'm not so good at blogging and "Cards For the Troops Effort" update

Yeah, that's a no-brainer. It's been MONTHS since I've used this blog. See that banner over to the side that mentions blogging without obligation? That'd be me :) But now I'm feeling a bit differently about it. I am thinking more along the lines of journaling our history. So yeah, I'm gonna try to do better.

I belong to a scrapbooking yahoo group, IdahoScrappers. For the last several years we have combined efforts for charity and put on a "Charity Crop" for our members. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to a voted-upon charity. We have pulled in some big numbers for our little group - usually about 35 people participate. This year we didn't do the "big" event. Instead we made holiday cards to send to troops overseas so they could send them home. Our goal was 500 to send to three different military services (Army, Navy and Marines). Much to our glee we ended up with just over NINE HUNDRED cards to send out. Just about 30 people participated.

Unfortunately, the box that I sent to the Marines came back undeliverable. By then it was mid-November. I was in a pickle: shall I try to find someplace to send them so they would get them in time or should I keep them until next year. Holding them until next year wasn't really an option for me. I really didn't want to do that. So, my friend Alex and I searched the 'net to try and find someplace to send them quickly. I hopped on SplitCoastStampers because I know there are ladies there that send cards overseas regularly. I posted for some information. A charming lady responded, told me that if I sent them in the next couple of days she could get them to men preparing to depart on deployment. So that's what I did. She is in the military herself and she really pulled it off for us. Every single card was taken by folks headed out for deployment. It really worked out and I was thrilled.

We received a nice letter from the Airforce folks and one from the Navy folks. On Christmas Eve I received a package from someone I didn't recognize. When I opened it I found a few things, one of which was a really nice handmade card from the woman I found on SCS thanking IdahoScrappers for making the day a brighter one for the deploying troops. In addition I found other things in the box.


The plaque put me over the edge. I was alone and sat down and cried. And cried some more. I was so touched. I will display the plaque and bear proudly in my room. I gave Alex the T-Shirt (she's much smaller than I and looks much better in red, lol) because she helped me through the little crisis I had when I got the box of cards returned. IdahoScrappers should be so proud of yourselves. And those that aren't IdahoScrappers that still participated in one way or another. I thank you!