The end of June!

WOW! I can't believe that it is the end of June already! My birthday is in TWO days! I'm not sure that I want to be considered another year older..47 is not old but somedays I feel like I am 47 and old! LOL!
Today would be one of those days...

Yesterday morning, while cleaning out the cat liter box (yea...its nasty but somebody has to do it!) I moved the wrong way when I was getting up and did something to my back. I went to work and did my best to keep my mind on what I was suppose to be doing, not an easy task. This morning, I couldn't get up! I just could not get out of the bed! Thank goodness my DH was at home! I am feeling much better and my back is not hurting nearly as bad but it's time to go to bed again! Scarry thought!

I had a great day here at the house...Not often that I get to stay at home ( I am not the 'call in sick' type of person) on Friday and have a super long weekend! But I am on vacation for Monday and we are closed for the 4th. Anyway, I did quite a bit of work on the computer. I made a new digital scrapbook kit. Something I have been only dreaming about and finally decided that I needed to get that Dream into motion. I say new but it is actually the third one that I have made. I just did not go public with the first one and the second one I posted as a layout for the Inspiration Class that I was taking.

Well....my new kit will now be part of the June Mega kit at "Digi scrap Central". (Though I did give it to a few of my bestest friends tonight in the DSP chat room.) I am very excited about this! I can't believe that they are going to put it in the mega kit! AWESOME!!!

Designing? Like I said...something I have only dreamed of doing. Its possible! I mean anything is possible! I don't know that I could ever make some of the things that I have seen out there. Several designers come to mind...Lauren, Meryl, Theresa, Irene and Sandy ( did I mention that I am on their creative team?). But I guess everyone has their own specialty, I just need to find mine! I have thought about doing word art, but I could never be as good as Tina! She is Awesome!Ah, well, I'll find it...somewhere! I do have to thank Meg for the inspiration though. I would have never made a kit if I hadn't taken her class. Well, I guess I would have gotten around to it eventually but just not as soon as I have.
Meg is awesome! I admire her allot! Her class was really great and I truely hate that its over.

I am starting a new class on the 7th. Filters and Plugins over at Scrapgirls. I am looking forward to taking the class but I don't know those folks over there as well as I know the gals at DSP. Geeze...I hope I fit in! Tkaing classes was one of my goals when I started digital scrapbooking. I promised myself that I was going to learn my program and that I would take 1 class every month to do that. So far I have...which remind me...I told Meg I had taken 4 classes but I have taken 5. All of them at DSU. This one that I start on the 7th will be my first away from HOME! I know that sounds crazy, but I really do think of DSP as my home. DSP is where I learned to Digital Scrapbook! As a matter of fact, DSP is the reason that I purchased my PSE program! Anyway, I am not moving away, I actually have signed up to be a mentor at DSP. That starts tomorrow and I am sitting here wondering if I know my program well enough to be a mentor! I think so...I HOPE so!

Oh..yes.. The creative team! I am on the creative team of Sandy Drieschner and Irene O'Niell. This has been since the first of June. When I tried out for DET at DSP and did not make it, I decided to try ut for a Creative Team at 3Scrapateers. Made it! Sandy and Irene are great and the both have some awesome kits. I post layouts for them at pixel-expressions, 3S and at DSP. Irene just made a new kit last week and I really need to get busy making her second layout. Guess I will start on that tomorrow after I get my nails done....for my birthday ..... on Sunday!

Well, I did not expect to write a novel when I came to the blog, but that is what it has turned out to be!

Everyone out there in digi land have a safe and wonderful 4th of July.
Don't drink and Drive and be safe with the fire crackers!

Until next time.....

Friday, May 19th Prompt

When I was a kid living in Pennsylvania, I lived in the city and there was any number of kids to play with on my block but I remember several of us getting together on the front porch and setting up our Barbie Doll houses and playing for hours. I had a case that held my Barbie and all of her clothes. There were hangers and drawers and my doll was somewhat like me, she had PLENTY of shoes!!! My mother made all of my Barbie clothes on the sewing machine. I remember watching her carefully stitch them and she would ask me about personal choice of colors and fabric, which made it really great. I guess you could say that she was my personal seamstress for Barbie and myself! Mom was also my furniture department...she made my Barbie furniture! I never have figured out how she attached the fabric to the lid of that oatmeal box...?

Our Barbie play would last hours at a time until my brother would come along when no one was looking and totally destroy the Barbie house. I have lived through hurricanes but poor Barbie!!!! Hurricane Danny was the worst!

After that, we would clean up the mess and get out our bikes. I loved to ride my bike. There were days when no one was around that I would take off on my bike and be gone for an hour or more. That would make my mother mad because she would be afraid that something had happened to me. (This was when I was 8 and 9) Kids can't do that now a days for simple fear that they will come up missing...and that's sad, thats so so sad!

Good night!

First Stop...Jamaica!!!

We arrived here on Wednesday, May 10th after two full days at sea. Jamaica is a small but beautiful mountainous country filled with Bananas, Mango and some of the most beautiful flowers you will ever see. I have a Bouglavelia plant that I keep in a hanging basket, here the Bouglavelia are not in hanging baskets, they are TREES and they bloom all year 'round. There are also millions of Hibiscus in every color under the sun! When we arived, we boarded a tour bus and headed out for our excursion of fun. It took two hours of riding to get where we were going, but along the way our tour guide pointed out all of the places of interest and we were able to see these plants and flowers in virtually every yard along the way! Fields of Banana trees...what can you do with that many bananas? Everything, they even boil them...no kidding...Kent bought a plate of boiled banana with cabbage and fish at the rest stop along the way. At any rate, the country was gorgeous. Next stop...Dunn's River Falls, Dolphin Cove and the Nature trail!

Dunn's River Falls

OK...This looks easy! Please do not be fooled! I have to admit that I thought we would take a few photos of the falls and be able to lounge around in the water and enjoy the scenery...NOT...as you can see by the postcard (yes, it's a postcard. We did not have a water proof camera with us) we actually climbed the falls. The part shown here was the easy part. When you get up a little farther, the falls get higher. We had to plant our feet onto the flat rocks and grasp the larger rocks to pull ourselves up. At times, it was very slick and I took a few falls (no pun intended!). Knocked my shin on the first one and thought I broke my bumm on the other but we made it to the top after about an hour of climbing! WOW...what a rush! It was great and even with the falls that I took, I would do it again! Yeamon, No Problem!

Dolphin Cove

Dolphin Cove was wonderful. We enjoyed a leisurly lunch of jerked chicken, rice and salad, then did a little shopping in a few of the shops there. These Dolphins are residence at the cove. If you would like to meet and greet them it cost a little extra but would be well worth it if you have never actually met a Dolphin! I think this one was trying to wave at me! There was also a small pool of Stingrays to photograph, but they were being very evasive. After a little while to relax from the climb up the falls, we hit the nature trail.

The Nature Trail

The nature trail at Dolphin Cove was wonderful. It wasn't very long but we met a friendly group of parrots along the way and stopped to get a photo with one of them. There were also Iguana, snakes and a few chickens. We took photos of the Iguana, but there was no way I was going to hold one of them! UMMMM....Yeamon, No problem!

What a wonderful vacation!

This is what I was doing Saturday night! Sitting on the balcony of my cabin aboard ship, watching the beautiful sunset before dinner. We were headed home from our vacation in Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel. This was taken somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico heading for Galveston. It was the most beautiful sunset by far and I could not resist getting at least 5 or 6 photos!

We had the absolute best time on our vacation and I have sooo many stories to tell that I don't know where to begin! So...in honor of the Monday journaling prompt and the weekend...I started at the end with this photo!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and to all of you moms...Happy belated Mothers Day!

April 27, 28,29 and 30

This week has been very Hectic! Usually my life is pretty laid back but when things start happening, everything seems to happen all at once. Like this week, back and forth to the hospital, my boss decided to move me to the office on the other side of the river so I had to pack my stuff and move office, Lunch with the boss on Friday(argh - but he's a nice guy), I have to go New Orleans on Tuesday to pick up my mom at the airport, pack for our Cruise, drive to Galveston on the 6th and be on the ship on the 7th, AND...all of this falls at the end of the month at work. I am very surprised that I am not a nervous wreck! COFFEE...where is my coffee cup? I should have plenty, Kent brought me back 3 from Maine and 2 from Atlanta this week! LOL!!

I believe in small miracles...I believe in the POWER of prayer...I believe that no more will be put any one person than they can handle... I believe in angels... and I believe in devine intervention.

With most of these things in mind, Kent and I went to the hospital to see Taylor on Saturday and spend most of the day with him. He is doing great and was so excited to see both of us! Maybe will get to go home on Monday, but Tiffany was not sure and would find out sometime this evening when the doctor came in for the weekend visit.

This is a photo of my little man that I took on Saturday. I haven't gotten around to doing a layout with it yet but intend to soon; Maybe inbetween all of the other things going on!

It can make you or break you...

This has been the most horrible week!!! ACK!!! There are soooo many stories to tell here and none of them are good stories at all. The one thing that really makes my day is my COFFEE in the morning and in the afternoon. It is totally not uncommon for me to drink two cups before I leave for work, fill a thermos to drink at work(nice place to be but don't drink the water), and fill a to-go cup to drink on the way. I LOVE COFFEE!! I am a COFFEE ADDICT!!!

This week, I have been getting up at 3:30 in the morning, going through the routine of getting ready for work, driving 26 miles to my sons apartment to be there by 5:15 so that I can take care of my Granddaughter so he can go to work. Get her up, dressed, breakfast, teeth brushed, hair brushed and then take her to the hospital to her mom who is staying there with my grandson and then try to get to work too! I take her to the hospital because the school system in Mississippi SUCKS and they (my son and daughter-in-law) have had my grandson in the hospital and haven't been able to get her in school in Alabama because they require a number of things that we can not get our hands on at the moment.

OK...deep breathe...with all of this ripping and snorting to get here and there and be at work too. My coffee has escaped me! My son does NOT have a COFFEE POT because HE does NOT drink it! Can you imagine that? Doesn't drink coffee? What's up with that!!!! Anyway, so by 10:00 my day is ruined because I am falling asleep at my desk for lack of JAVA JOE!!!! So there you have it...It can make you or break you!

Did I hear you ask why my grandson is in the hospital? Well, I won't give the details, but, he got burned on his foot and hand Sunday at my house(a freak accident) and had to go to the burn center in Mobile. They admitted him so that they could sedate him to clean the wounds and he has been there since Monday. This is not good for my HEART STRINGS PEOPLE. That little guy is the light of my life and this happened while he was in my care! So how much do you think I have cried this week?

There is a bright side to all of this..!!!!...He is doing fine, the burns were not deep so no skin graphs or anything like that and when I walked into the hospital yesterday morning, he had the biggest smile on his face and was sooo happy to see me. Needless to say, when he asked me to stay with him, I called in sick!

Where is my husband through all of this? His job sent him back to Maine on Monday! That's alright...he will be home tomorrow!

Goodnight all!

Let your light shine on...

"All that the father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out" John 6:37

I LOVE lighthouses. I can't explain it but there is just something about them that draws me in. My husband was kind enough to think of my love for them while on one of his trips to Maine a few weeks ago. Bringing these post cards home was the best gift he could have given to me from his trip. This layout is what became of them! I felt so inspired by the beauty of them and I can only hope that I have done them proud.

I used a sketch that I found in Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. One that I had torn out of an old book and was just waiting for the right opportunity to use it. Funny how we tend to hold onto things, sometimes for no real rhyme or reason. I remember almost throwing it away several times but something just told me to keep it a while longer. It turned out to be the perfect little sketch and now that I have used it, I just know I will use it again, soon.

If you need a closer view, you can view it in my gallery at DSP here:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=90953&cat=500&ppuser=38829

A daughter is a gift of love

This is one of the layouts that I have been working on this morning. I started out just rummaging through some old photos I have in a shoe box trying to get some inspiration going and this is what I ended up with. Greg and Alana at this time of the year about 4 years ago.

I haven't shared this layout with anyone. I have become so critical of my own work that I am actually afraid to post it at DSP. I guess everyone has their good days and their bad days but it seems that when I enter a contest or challenge, my work stinks (well, at least I think it does). The only time I feel like I truely do anything worth sharing is when I just sit down and do it for no reason at all except self satisfaction.

Poor Alana!!!

Ok...time for me to vent...My son and the whole family have been living with me for the past 2 years. Two weeks ago, they moved into an apartment. Yesterday, the school that my grand daughter had been attending Kindergarten at kicked her out of school!!!! She cannot finish the school year there(only 6 more weeks) because she no longer lives in the school district!! I am fumming!!!!!! They packed up all of her things and sent them home with her. She was sooooo
upset! My son and daughter in law are in total shock that they would do this without even a phone call. Well...what to do? Guess we will have to make a call to the new school that she will be attending to see if she is required to finish the 6 weeks there. I am soooooo angry that I just don't know what to say or do at this point. What kind of an impression is this going to make on my sweet, sweet 6 year old baby girl? But.....life goes on! ARGH!!!!!

My Grandparents

This is another of my special layouts. When I was a child, I only saw my mothers parents once a year on vacation, so the time I did spend with them became very special to me. After we moved from Pennsylvania to the Mississippi Coast, I was able to see them more often but it never seemed enough. Both of my grandparents passed in 1977 just 6months apart. Many times I have thought how I would love to be able to tell them of all of things that have gone on in my life, but then, I am sure they already know.

My Sweet Mother

This is one of the layouts that I completed for a class I am taking at DSP.
I am so very proud of my mother. She has been through quite a bit over the past years. With all that has happened, she has never lost her sense of humor or her love for life. I could not have chosen a better mother or friend. I am thankful every day for the love and warmth that she shares with me and my brother; I also thank God for what he has given me through her.

The Carla Funnies!!!

Sunday afternoon my GD asked if the cat could join her in the back yard. What could it hurt? The cat loves to go out into the yard. So away they went. A little while later, my GD came running in the door yelling for me. "Mawmaw, the cat climbed the tree and he can't get down!"
So, here I go, out the back door to see what I can do to get the cat out of the tree. I ended up climbing halfway up the tree to get the cat...consider that I am 47 and climbing a tree. The whole time my GD and GS are standing on the ground with eyes as big as moons and my GS is in total awe that Mawmaw is climbing a tree. Mawmaw's just don't do things like that! Well, I grabbed the cat and told my GD to go into the house and get her dad (my intention was to hand the cat to him so that I could climb back down without the cat clinging to me like a scardy CAT!)
She goes running to the house yelling, "Daddy!! Mawmaw climbed the tree and can't get down!"


My GD is sitting on the couch pouting over something that she wants to do but knows that she can't. Whine, Whine, Whine...anyone with children can relate...my GS walks into the kitchen with the fly swatter in his hand and says to me, "Mawmaw, you need to give her a good swattin' cause I don't want to listen to that!" My GS is three.

Easter Dinner

Since I was a child, Easter Dinner has always been very special to me. After Church on Easter Sunday, My mother would always make the most fantastic dinner for everyone. Ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, peas, rolls, coleslaw. The whole house would be smelling so wonderful! AHH..Well, mom doesn't cook Easter Dinner much any mor, but I have made it a tradition in my family that we have the same Easter Dinner as I had when I was a kid and Mom is always there. Except for this year, Mom decided to visit her sister in Florida this year and she will not be here with us for Easter. I will still cook the Ham and all of the fixings, and the kids will hunt easter eggs in the yard, but mom won't be here and my heart is sad. Guess I'll have to give her a call to chat awhile and see if she can smell tha Ham cooking!