I'm a homeschooling mom of 2 great kids. I've been married to my wonderful husband since 1997. I love to crochet, knit, and digi scrap. So, you never know what I might post about!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Well, just 2 days 'till Hayley's and my birthday! I'd thought about letting her invite church friends over for a party, but she'll be seeing them at church that morning and at Vision High that night! My parents and sister are coming over tomorrow, and we invited our RLG to come by. I don't think anyone from RLG will be here, except probably Nancy and Sarah. The one person I was hoping wouldn't come. Oh, well. There will be other people around to be a buffer.
So, I came up with this idea to do something for birthdays in our Sunday school class, but then couldn't come up with anything to do for them! I finally decided I'd use my digiscrapping skillz and make a birthday card for each kid with a birthday this month, and then we could pass them around the class for the other kids to sign them. I finished the 3 for this month (I didn't make one for myself LOL) and now I just need to print them out on cardstock! I used Digitreat's ABC kit on them. Hayley isn't into pink anymore, so I used Jump for her, Skip for girly-girl Dani, and Run for Garrett. Fonts are 2Peas Jana Banana, AL Young Crafter, and AL Handcrafted, respectively. For the girls, I used templates by Andrea Gold, and for Garrett, I used one from Sir Scrapalot.
Oh, and I found some of my missing pictures, including the ones of Nate and Sarah. Aren't they so cute??
I just checked to see if I have any new comments and I do! Thanks, Suz, for letting me know you're out there! I actually have a reader! LOL Well, that's about all from me for now. I need to get back to working on the heritage album I'm doing for my mil, and hope to be back soon (maybe even next week) to show you some LOs I've done for that! I think've completed about 50. So, I'll have a busy weekend, but will leave you with this passage:
Joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety-nine righteous men who have no need to repent. Luke 15:7
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sorry for my absence! After getting home from our Christmas/anniversary vacation, there was so much to do to settle back in, and so much to say that I kept putting it off. I didn't expect to put it off for 6 months, though!
We had a nice time on our Christmas vacation. For our anniversary (our 10th!) my parents took us to a Houston Rockets basketball game (I still need to scrap that!). Then we got a room in the hotel we were married in. We tried to go to the bar where we used to karaoke, but it was all closed up. There was another bar in the same hotel as the old karaoke bar, so we went there and had some drinks with people we didn't know. I guess it's true what they say...you can't go back home. It was nice anyway.
In January, Buddy turned 36. In March, Nate turned 2. The grandparents came up and Mom brought Logan over for cake and ice cream. Nathan bit Logan as soon as he saw him. I think Nate doesn't like other kids coming into his house. We haven't been to the coast since New Year's, so this is the only time I've seen my parents since we were down there, and it was the only time we'd seen Rodger & Joy until this past weekend.
This weekend was Buddy's family reunion. It was nice, and not nearly as hot as it usually is. I learned a lot about family history and genealogy, since I've been working on a heritage album using a bunch of pictures that Joy has. There were kids Nate's age (Maycee was there again, plus some others) and kids Hayley's age (Lillyan and Haylee were both there for the first time since they were babies, plus some others), so they both had playmates and I got to relax some. On Saturday, Nate didn't have a nap, and we went swimming in the lake in the late afternoon. We had bought him a floatie that he could sit in with his legs in the water, and when he finally got still, the waves started rocking him to sleep. It was too cute! Of course, since I was in the water, I didn't have my camera. We took the kids swimming next door yesterday, too. Well, Buddy took them while I went to get his Father's Day present, but they were still in the pool when I got back, so I got some pics there.
In April, we started getting more involved with our church. They had a notice in the bulletin one Sunday saying that they needed teachers for Children's Ministry and there was a sign-up sheet in the lobby, so I signed up and the very next day, a friend from our Bible study group asked if I could substitute for her the next 2 Sundays. She didn't even know I'd signed up! While I was subbing for her, Hayley's teacher asked if I would take over the other spot in their classroom so that her co-teacher could move to Children's Worship. So, except for this past weekend when we were out of town, I've taught Sunday School every week since the middle of April! And in May, we went to the Membership Seminar and will be introduced as new members on my birthday (as if we need an introduction, but it's nice anyway). We can transfer our membership to the new church they're planting in August when we get there. This Sunday we'll be doing the baby dedication ceremony with Nathan. Buddy and I are going to be rebaptised in September, even if we've already moved by then and have to drive down here to do it. I'm hoping to keep teaching at least until our new church starts up if we move before then. The facility for the new church doesn't seem to have any place for Children's or Student Ministry, so I don't know what they're going to do about that. Maybe I should email the pastor and let him know we'll be moving there soon and ask what's up with that. Buddy already knows one of the pastors and has been invited to a meeting party, so if I don't ask, I guess he can do so then.
Also, the last Thursday in May, I started keeping a little girl from church for an hour once a week. Her mom is in our Bible study group, so Nate gets to spend a couple of hours a week with her there, and now one more hour a week. Our Bible study group meets on Wednesday nights, and she's here on Thursday nights. I thought she was going to be in his Sunday school class, too, but she moved up to Preschool B at the same time that he moved up to Preschool A. Anyway, tonight is the night she'll be here, so we need to straighten the living room a little bit today. She gives me $5 for watching her. They have a $4 charge for childcare for our Bible Study group ($2/child), so I use what Nancy pays me to pay the RLG babysitter, and then I have $1 left over to tithe with on Sunday! I got some really cute pics of her and Nate last week...which seem to no longer be on my computer...hmmm. We bought Buddy a new laptop a couple of weeks ago with our economic stimulus check, and I inherited his old one, and I think some things got lost in the transition. I thought I saw those pics on this computer, though...like yesterday. Very strange. I'm missing the pictures from last year's reunion, too.
Meanwhile, in May, Buddy went for the WilCo job one last time. After much too much waiting, he finally got his rejection letter. So, we'll be moving soon. We can't stay here and keep paying $400/mo in gas. We're probably going to rent a house 'till we can save up a down payment on a more permanent place. Of course, I didn't want to move again ever after moving in here, and now we're talking about moving 2 more times in the next 2 or 3 years. Ugh. And now that we've started looking, it seems likely that we'll be going back to a duplex. At least the duplexes there are new construction, and not falling down like our last one was. The main question is whether we'll be able to sell the house we're currently in. We saved it from foreclosure just to lose it a week later to the job.
I talked to my uncle last night and found out my grandparents are on vacation. I noticed in May that I hadn't heard from Grandma in a while, so I sent her a Mother's Day card and called her on Mother's Day, but her phone just rang and rang, no one ever picked up. I expected her to call and say she got the card, but didn't hear from her, so I sent Popa a birthday card at the beginning of this month and wrote in it that I hadn't heard from them in a while, expecting one of them to call after they got that card, but still didn't hear from them. So, I called a few days ago and the phone still just rang and rang with no one picking up. I finally looked up my uncle's phone number yesterday and gave him a call, left a message for him to call me back on my cell phone, which he did a little after 9 last night, while we were leaving our Bible study group. I called him back when I got home and he told me where they were. He mentioned about Grandma getting senile (I've noticed it for the past few years) and said it was getting worse. He said that the doctor gave her medication for it, that Popa's supposed to be making sure she takes every day, but that he's getting forgetful, too, so my uncle's not sure how well that's going.
And one last bit of bad news before I post some LOs. Buddy is leaving, as I type, to go to the funeral for a paramedic that died a few days ago. She worked with him a while back, but was working for an air transport company at the time. She and her partner had just picked up a transport patient when the helicopter went down 6 minutes after take-off. The investigation is still ongoing. Her mother still works with Buddy, so Austin is covering their service area so everyone else can go to the funeral.
Ok, enough of that. Here are a couple of LOS from the way-back machine. LOL As I mentioned, in November, we got a puppy. She's 8 months old now, and a horse for Nathan, but these pics were taken when she was still brand new. This first one is Forever in Your Heart and I used it for both a quote challenge and a font challenge:
Credits: Wonderland kit by Jessica Alger; Buttoned Up template by Tracy Drane; January 2008 Word Art by Beckie Wallace; Font: Eat More Chocolate
This one is Little Abby:
Credits: Maia's Garden kit by Pillowgirl, Template 9 by Andrea Gold, Font: Eat More Chocolate
Ok, I'm sure that's way more than enough from me today. I'll leave you with this passage:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:4)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Hayley did GREAT in the play! She rattled off her line just like a pro and sang her heart out! It was her very first time being on stage or performing in front of people at all, ever! The whole play was just the cutest thing ever! Minimal rehearsals, kids from 5th grade down to preschoolers. It was perfectly imperfect and it was wonderful! And I caught the whole thing on tape.
The visit with my father and step-mother went well. she didn't annoy me hardly at all, and she bought the kids lots of clothes, took us out for dinner, and brought us breakfast. The presents they brought weren't all that great. Pierced earrings for Hayley. Linda didn't bother to ask if Hayley has pierced ears or not (she doesn't) or whether we have a Tonka dump truck (we have 2) or a Sit 'n Spin (we have 1). She also brought zodiac-type readouts for Hayley and me, but misspelled both of our middle names on them. At least we got new frames out of that.
Mom, Dad, Traci, Ray & Logan came over yesterday to exchange gifts. The kids got more clothes, Hayley got an mp3 player that looks like an ipod, but isn't really and Nate got a grandpa-made toy box with his name on it. When Mom was up here for Logan's birthday last month, she dropped off a 2-seater wagon for Nate, so he got that, too. Logan loved his books and I only bought 1 that they already had, Goodnight Moon. That was the one that I thought might be a duplicate while I was picking them out, but I decided to get it anyway. Oh, well. If they're like us, they'll go through at least 2 copies, anyway.
We'll be leaving on Saturday (and so will Mom & Dad) to go down to the coast. We'll be staying with my in-laws like we usually do. Our 10th wedding anniversary is coming up on the 31st (Monday), and our original plans fell through. We were planning on staying out at my grandparents' trailer on the lake, since grandma called me a few months ago specifically to offer use of the trailer anytime we wanted it. So, I called her a few weeks ago to let her know we'd like to take her up on the offer. She said that would be great, but I think I must have woken her up from a nap because at least 5 times during the conversation, she asked if there was anything we needed or wanted to have out there ready for us, and at least as many times she asked what day we were going to be down there. I know she wrote it down at least once while I was on the phone with her that time. We decided to go by and get the key from them, and they'd show us around the place on the 29th. Then a couple of weeks later, she called and said that there might be a conflict, that someone else was wanting to stay out there on Christmas Eve and asked when we would be down there. I told her again that it was the 29th and she wrote it down. I let her know that it was just going to be Buddy and me for our anniversary, she said that was great and that we could get the key at some point, but that they should be home on the 29th. Then, a few days ago, she called back again and said it's too cold for us to stay out there, that there have been a few freezes lately (it's frozen here for the last 3 or 4 nights, but I guess it has down there, too). So, now we have to figure out somewhere else to stay for the night. We were thinking of going to the Armadillo, too, since it's right across the street from the lake, but I pointed out that it's probably full of kids and people we don't know, and that it's not BYOB anymore, so we might as well go somewhere else.So, Buddy booked a room in the hotel we got married in and we're thinking of going to the karaoke bar we used to go to or do something with one of my old friends we haven't seen in years. Buddy has recruited his parents to watch the kids (and dogs) for us. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to find out that Nathan still doesn't sleep through the night and comes to our bed to nurse, and that the puppy isn't fully housebroken and cries, whines, barks and howls at night. So, the next time you hear from me, I'll have been married for 10 years and it will be 2008 (hah! I almost typed 2010! The kids are going crazy and I had to tell them to cut it out, and apparently lost my train of thought!)
Alright, on to scrapping business! Here are the latest LOs I've done with Pillowgirl's Beautiful Day kit. I love this kit! I LOVE blue & green, even better when they're together, plus this kit has so many elements I could probably make 50 LOs before I used them all! Anyway, here's Daddy's Boots:
I still haven't loaded the pics off the camera yet (the old camera or my brand new Sony Cybershot, either! So, when I finally do that, I'll have some cute Christmas play and Christmas Day pics for you. For now, I'd better go. Oh, but not before I give you one more link. I'm proud to announce the grand opening of my store on Etsy!! I'm selling some afghans that I made awhile back. I've been meaning to sell them for quite a while, but never have managed to get around to it. A few weeks ago, I finally put them on ebay and eventually sold 3 of them. There are 4 left, so I put them on Etsy. Please go have a look and buy them! LOL Oh, and I made a banner for my Etsy store using Pillowgirl's beautiful Day kit! Look!!
Ok, I'm going now, but I'll leave you with this passage:
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:7
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Wow, what a busy week! For Hayley, anyway. Well, let's see, let's start with last week. We had our Bible study meeting on Wed, then Buddy went to work on Thurs and didn't get off 'till Mon morning. So, we didn't go to church on Sunday, but that's the only thing we missed. Then he went back to work Tues & Wed. The kids and I went to Bible study Wed night (potluck), then Buddy was home Thurs, so we skipped school and ran errands instead. Hayley had rehearsal for the Christmas play on Friday night, but we completely forgot about it 'till her ride showed up. We had our makeup day today (quiz day, so we couldn't skip it altogether), and tonight she's gone to a Christmas party at her Sunday school teacher's house. Buddy also happens to be at a Christmas party at work (he's on duty) so it's just Nathan, the dogs, and me here tonight. Maybe some day I'll get to go to a Christmas party. I went to one once when I was a kid, but it was Mom's office party...not really all that kid-friendly. On Tues night there's a Christmas party (potluck) at a church member's house and 3 different Bible study groups are invited, but I can't go to that one, either. Buddy will be at work, so the kids and I would have to bum a ride...again. Plus my step-mother, Linda, called yesterday and said she and my father are going to come visit on Tues and Wed. Hmmm...when was the last time I heard from them? Oh, yeah, it was nearly 2 years ago when I called to let them know they had a new grandson and they came to see us a few days later. Before that, about 5 years. She said they have Christmas & b-day presents for us. Oh, joy. Ok, enough complaining. I forgave her for all the crap she put me through as a kid. Now I need to give her a chance.
Anyway, Hayley's in the Christmas play at church this year. This is still the church's first year of existence, and our first year as churchgoers, so I think that's pretty cool! It's awesome to see God working in our lives! She's playing an angel. Yes, it's a stretch! LOL She gets to say the line about "For unto you this day is born a Savior who is Christ the Lord; and this shall be your sign: you shall find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothing and lying in a manger." And she gets to sing a solo. Well, really it's a duet, but the other girl sings the first verse alone and then Hayley sings the 2nd verse alone. I haven't been to any of the rehearsals, so I'm excited to see the whole thing all put together. I'm planning on taking my still camera to the dress rehearsal and my video camera to the actual performance. Both will be on Christmas Eve, dress rehearsal at 4 and the performance at 6.
This past week for our Bible study group, we finished reading The Purpose Driven Life and we were supposed to evangelize to unbelievers that we know. The assignment was 1 or 2 people each. I chose our neighbor, Everett, since 1) he was the only person I could think of and 2) I was wanting to clear the air with him. His house had been for sale for a while now, so I thought I should do it before he moved. Well, I didn't get around to it before Wed, and when Buddy was here on Friday, we saw that his house was empty and Buddy said that he'd seen a moving van over there loading stuff up. Today there was a U-Haul and 2 pickups over there. I don't know if they were moving things in or out, but Everett doesn't own a pickup. So, I guess I was too late. Oh, well, Maybe we'll get off on a better foot with whoever moves in there. And maybe I'll have a chance to invite them to church or evangelize to them. At least I won't have to go over there already knowing they don't like me.
Wow, I've got a lot to say today! Ok, so on to scrapping! So, I mentioned I'm on Pillowgirl's CT. I'm sporting these nifty blinkies around digiscrapping sites. For some reason I can't get them to be side-by-side here on blogger, so here they are, stacked.
So far, I've done these LOs with her Glitter for Christmas kit:
Let's see...anymore LOs I've done but haven't shared? Ah, yes, there's one! I just realized I went from telling you we didn't have a puppy yet to telling you "Nell has gotten out of the backyard 3 times!" The day after Thanksgiving, we went and got our puppy! It went about as well as the rest of the communication with the breeder went, but we did finally get her and brought her home. We finally finished fixing the fence the other day. It took a few trips to Lowe's to get it done because as soon as we'd board up one hole, she'd find another. This time, Buddy bought one extra board just in case we still missed a hole. I can see a place where he might have to use it, but she's growing so fast she might not end up fitting through it. She can put her nose through, but I don't guess she can fit her head through or the rest of her would be able to follow. It wouldn't take much digging to get it done if she wanted to, though, I don't think. Anyway, here's the first Nell LO I've done.
Well, I desperately need a shower before we go to church in the morning and I'd love to take it as soon as possible, so I'm going to go put this little boy in his bed, put the little dog in her bed, and hit the showers, then put myself to bed. Before I go, I'll leave you with this passage:
Yahweh has heard my plea; Yahweh will receive my prayer. Psalm 6:9
Sunday, December 02, 2007
First, just some odds and ends. Thanksgiving went well. All the company and food was great! Mom, Dad, Ray & Logan were here. Here is the LO I made for the Thanksgiving-themed progressive challenge. I used Jessica Alger's Indian Summer kit and the Vintage font.
Nell has gotten out of our fence 3 times now, so we went to Lowe's and bought some boards to close up some gaps, but the 3rd time she got out was after we did that, so we're going to have to go back on Wed and buy one more board for the last gap. We've been lucky that every time she's gotten out someone has been there and brought her back. So, we'll have to keep a close eye on her when she's in the back yard 'till we can finish fixing the fence.
Oh, and about all the excitement, I applied to pillowgirl's CT call a few days ago. I dunno why I didn't mention it here...too busy to blog, probably. Anyway, I just got an email from her saying that there's a position open for me if I still want it and to reply ASAP!! *Doing the dork dance* This was my first time applying for a CT and I got it! And with the awesomely talented pillowgirl no less!! How COOL is that?! I've had 2 awful, horrible days in a row...mainly my own fault for just being in a really rotten mood...and now at the end of the second day, I get this news! I'm so jazzed!
So, that's what I'm all excited about! I also listed 7 afghans to eBay today, but I'll have to post links next time 'cause it's time for me to put this little boy in bed and go get in bed with the big boy who's waiting for me in the other room! So, I'll leave you with this passage:
For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost. Luke 19:10
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
So, I found out Sunday night that I'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner! Nothing like short notice, huh? LOL This will be my first time hosting any holiday get together. It's not really a big deal, though. It's just going to be the people in my household, plus my parents and my brother-in-law. Oh, and my nephew who just turned 1 year old a week ago. So, the big thing is where everyone will sit. We can fit 5 people at our dining table, and there will be 5 adults. Hayley can fend for herself and eat in the living room, but I don't know what we're going to do about the babies. We don't have a high chair,'cause Nathan sits in my lap to eat most of the time. If we give him a bowl of turkey, we could have him eat in the living room, too, but I don't know about Logan. Ah, well, I guess we'll figure it out.
Well, we still don't have a puppy, but the possibility is still there. The lady has apparently been too busy to shoot off an email because her husband has been out of town. Not too busy to sell 2 of the puppies to other people, but too busy to get back to me within a week or two of me emailing her. Anyway, Buddy finally called them on Monday and left a message (too busy to answer the phone, too) and the husband called him back yesterday and they have 1 female puppy left (we want a female), so we're going to go out and have a look on Friday morning. I have a feeling we'll be bringing her home regardless, but I just hope she's what we're looking for.
Elaine has started Progressive Challenge 4 (I wonder how many of them I'll keep count of) over at GDS. The theme this time is, of course, Thanksgiving, or what you're thankful for. She's already posted the guidelines for Step 2, which is to use 3 photos. I've never taken pictures at Thanksgiving, but I guess my first time hosting would be a good time to take some! But I'll have to wait 'till Friday to finish this step of the challenge! Maybe Thursday night I can find some time to upload the pics and work on it. That reminds me that I need to take pics of the afghans that I need to sell and get them on ebay! Anyway, here's my first step of the PC.
The papers are from Jessica Alger's Indian Summer kit.
Well, that's all I've got for you today, so I'll leave you with this passage:
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. Luke 10:21
Saturday, November 17, 2007
I made a kit for the NovMember Roundup over at MIS. I don't have much to say right now 'cause it's dinnertime, but I just wanted to let you in on my latest freebie! Here's the preview:
