If it aint one thing.... its 20

Well don't this just stink! Im so mad right now which I know aint helpin' the situation none atall. I knew I felt "funny" last night and my eye was kinda twitchy but kept saying nahh its all in your head its not its not. well I woke up this morning and THEIR IS NO MISTAKING IT. I have flippin shingles again. IM in tears IM so angry. Not to mention it HURTTTTTS. Its all up in my ear down my neck and over to my bottom lip and my right eye is all ewey. Dr said probably the stress from everything my body is going through and the interferon (rebif) kills my immune system. ANy time my body freaks or gets the least bit of infection I break out in a heap of shingles. So not only is the shingles invading my body my blood pressure is out of control. The other meds are not helping but I figure it is because IT HURTS!
If you have ever had shingles... you understand. Chicken pox itch, shingles feel as if you are on fire and nothing will make it stop unless they knock you out. or give you meds that make you crazy (lyrica) and well I dont have a rubber room here at home. SO I refuse to take lyrica.
so Im goin back to bed and pray.
This is to the point of ridiculous. Whats the bad part? I can't go home to see my family this weekend for christmas. ITs been 2 years since I have seen them and their aint a blame thing I can do about it. but cry. AND THAT AINT HELPIN. I thought what about us just moving it to them coming here (I cant ride well in a car right now I get soooo sick because of the meds and add shingles (the meds for it) to that and it gets ughmm MESSY) But dr said that aint gonna work either. Defeats the purpose of keeping everything low key quiet and stress free, not alot of people around with germs and viruses (I still cant take flu shot because of interferon and shingles) so I am just sad. SO forgive me for being all mopey in this post. But ya know ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. When do you just draw the line.
we are at the point wise tales or whatever remedy their is we will do it to get rid of these blame things. I know it is a long shot to be well by Christmas but I can HOPE huh?
I have to give props to my dr and his staff they are so wonderful to me. I called told em what was up and man they were on it to get me the meds as quick as possible to try to keep me out the hospital. THey know what a rough time we have had with this crapp. so I thank them tremendously for all their help. They truly are good to us! AND MY neighbors (David and Diane) for helping with Taking and picking up Bella while John is working. Ok Im gonna go lay back down and put the pillow over my head because my OCD NEIGHBOR (not david and diane they arent anal crack heads) is Mowing his freakin lawn (HELLO IT IS FLIPPIN DECEMBER YOU HAVE NO GRASSSSSSSS) and blowing off his driveway. NOISE HURTS. so gotta figure away to block the noise. OR MOVE!

ya ya ya I havnt updated and stuff I know....

Hey Yall!Im still alive so far. Im actually graduating to the couch. I have laptop in lap and watching John play star wars on the x box (ohhhh ahhhhhh) HE is killing all sorts of things for my utter attention. Saving the galaxy and making me dizzy while he is tryin to figure out the functions of this game.

I have been surfing the internet looking for ideas for christmas presents. Being that the economy at the Jones household involves a list of medications, Santa is feelin the cringe this year and calling the reinforcements. Therefore if anyone is gettin crapp for christmas it will be Crapp I make. which means it is good crapp of course. I just have to get Blood pressure down to BELOW STROKE LEVEL and keep it their consistently so I can make said crapp.
IT AINT LOOKIN GOOD PEOPLE!

I started on a mini album last night for my neighbor today is her birthday (Happy Birthday Diane) She is a wonderful person and does so much for us. I wanted to do something special for her birthday. well.. I had this kit for this cute maze album from Jessica where I am on the creative team for WE SCRAP(thank you jessica) (yes that was a total pimp for the classes there so go click on them lit up words wont ya?) and it was relatively simple to do. I got halfway through though and took my bp... 129 over 104 ok that stinks. Why does scrapping raise my bp? I mean everything was precut and already done. All I had to do was put together. SIMPLE ENOUGH! but nooooooooooooooooo. Blood pressure doesn't listen to reason or care it is her birthday TODAY and I need to get this made. so. I have a half made album before nurse ratchet (aka hubby) reminds me ... "AREN'T you supposed to be in bed not SCRAP BOOKING?" hence the mini album still sits in its half finished state while birthday proceedings are still moving along. SIGH... this just sucks.


Since I have graduated to the couch I got the laptop and did some searching for fun christmas creations. I listed them all HERE at TREASURES TO SCRAP. in the forum.
Check em out for some Christmas creativity and if you know of some others please link me up I will keep listing them through this month.
In other news THAT daily album I was gonna do.. hahahahaha so funny you thought I forgot that huh? ya. so didnt happen. Unless u want photos of me laying in bed staring at the ceiling fan willing this bp going down. ya exciting whehhw.
so I will change it to week in the life instead of month and wait for this bp to go down and maybe a week when we are ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING worth putting in an album.
otherwise... it would actually be a good way to use up all my z's in my chipboard collection that are filling up my z tray.
hmmm thats a thought. Not sure id want an entire album on sleep though. I mean how many pages could I get with sleeping on left side anyway. ::insert eyeroll::

Bella did decorate our christmas tree. John put it up and she put up all the decor on it. We have to remember she is 5 and can only reach SO HIGH and well you guessed it. all the ornaments are in one big clump in the center and bottom. we only had one fatality and it was a cheap ornament and not my gail pittman one thank you god. I was a little nervous when I saw it on the tree. That thing is probly one of my prized ornaments that well... cost as much as the tree if I wanted to replace. NOOOOO I didn't buy it YOU KNOW me bettere than that I thought. I actually won it when I used to work at Bellsouth in a drawing. She was one of my customers and told me she was doing this christmas thing I won a serving tray and this gorgeous ornament.
My tree isnt like those fancy trees you see on some of the other blogs. Mine has lots of handmade by Bella ornaments on it from 2 3 and 4 k and sunday school projects. Also several handmade by me combined with sponge bob, dora, and cinderella and other various princess ornaments dangling from lit up limbs.
HEY thats what our tree is a big ol memory book. Each ornament MEANS something. Represents someone or something or a year past in the Jones household.
So their MARTHA~ we can be crafty!
I didn;t contribute much this year in the decorating spazz I mean chaos I mean ughhhhhh yeah. I had shot night the night before (friday) and since my bp is up I can no longer take my naproxen (it has sodium in it and sodium and bp dont dance together. actually they dont even go to the same parties)
SOOOO that means i get the full slam deal of the side effects from the interferon. which means I feel like i have a bad case of the flu. chills fever bone aches cant get warm everything including my hair hurts. YA dont cha wanna rush out and get some?
THis is supposed to extend my life though so gotta take it.

I will attempt taking photos of our tree later. Bella is off with Diane (see above about birhday) today. She goes to church with them on sunday's. They needed kids for their Christmas Program and since I have one we offered to let them borrow her. Cause we are just nice that way. (and we love David and Diane and trust they will actually bring her back you know.. when she gets tired or hungry or needs new underwear)
SO far so good.

Hope you have a nice sunday and sorry I havent updated ya in a bit but ughmm been busy with the laying on left side thing. you know how complicated that can get.
Hope you have good sunday. Im off to watch My hubby save the universe.

back to square 1

dr has put me back in the bed till my bp goes down. It is staying at 154 over 117 on medication. when I lay down it will go down to bottom number of 100 and sometimes down in 90's so, they upped the meds and bck in the bed till it can stay at normal for 8 hours. (no fun but dont want to have a stroke)
So... I we will appreciate your prayers and thoughts right now. Thank you.

Check it out!

I have a couple of cool tutorials that will help you get your Christmas holiday Gifts made. HERE in Scrapbooking.com newsletter. Check it out!


I have another article In We Scrap's newsletter this month also.


I also want to issue a challenge to all of you. My friend Deb has it on her blog.
These are mini albums being made for children undergoing cancer treatments. IF everyone could make just one of these albums and send it to her. It would help alot of little kids going through a difficult time. for more information check it out HERE.

updates and some new scrappy stuff!

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. We did. LOTS OF YUMMMY FOOD! lots of left overs lol. It was so good to get to see everyone. My blood pressue was off the charts so I didnt really get to do alot plus I had shot night the night before Thanksgiving so, The Thanksgiving eating didn't go to well for me. I got about 8 bites into and ugh oh. Ya. didn't work too good.
BUT man when I DID FINALLY get to eat it was good. Later that night I did get to eat rolls and a little dressing. YUM! SO now I have been enjoying the leftovers. I did the cooking that John wanted me to do (some things that he just wanted me to make that are my sepcialty) on Wed. the day before. I knew after the shot that night I would be pretty worthless. Glad I got it done ahead of time! That is one thing I have learned! Make no plans for after shot. Never know if I will be sick or not. lovely rebif! YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY.. if the cure don't kill ya. I have looked into taking the other meds that are out their. BUT, My dr says because of the fact I have shingles and where my lesions are.. I NEEED to take an interferon. so This is the best one that will help me. WE got a second opinion and he agreed (UAB in BIRMINGHAM) I have to say it is alot better than it was though. I really wanted to take the IV once a week but he said it wasn't for me because I had shingles (on top of the M.S.) :( grrrr.
ALSO:
Our 10 year wedding anniversary was Friday.(yaaaaaaaaaaaY!) WE didnt really do anything for it this year. We were so thankful I was alive and able to be "UP" and not laying in bed Thanksgiving we didnt even focus on our anniversary this year. We were sooooooo exhausted. Even Bella I think was tired and ready for it to be over. Everyone left by Saturday lunch and the house is soooo quiet. We have had people here since Tuesday. I enjoy having company but man IM tired.
WORN SLAM OUT! My blood pressure is actually better today. First time in weeks! IT is actually at normal! HURRAY!!!! Thank you for those prayers. Keep em comin! No clue why it is going up so much except for pain and being tired. It has been around 140 to 150 over anywhere from 101 - 115 so ya my dr was kinda freakin. Told me I was a stroke waiting to happen.

They took me off the Topamax and added inderal.But now we think it wasnt the topamax doing it. It was still really high even off topamax and the topamax DID help the headache :( Was having major headaches like i have never had in my life. ANd so dizzy. Ya kinda hard to cook and stuff Better yet scrap when yout head is pounding and the world is tryin to throw you off.
Today I feel more like myself. SO MUCH SO THAT...

I actually got 2 things made with the December Kit from Scrapbook Obsessions.
I still ahve alot to do. Im sooo behind. I tell ya I will be so glad when they get my medicine situated and LEAVE IT ALONE figure out what works and then let me get used to it. Every time they mess with my medicine I get behind (always makes me end up sick)
I did these today actually I had started on the layout before Thanksgiving so I finished it up today.


Sorry it is kinda blurry my camera is acting strange...

I used lots of Stickles on this to make it glittery. I used the GIN X coaster alpha letters that you can get at Scrapbook obsessions. DONT THEY LOOK LIKE DECORATED SUGAR COOKIES??? I thought they were tooo precious.
I had to bling up the little christmas trees I cut out of the Patterned paper and pop dotted on their too.


Here is a close up of that:



I also made this ornament frame:

The little frame itself came from Hobby lobby. My mom had them in some of her stuff and brought them to me. I painted it and added stickles and cut the snowman out of the patterned paper. That is Love elsie ribbon I had in my stash. It matched perfectly with the little snowflakes. I may be making some of these as gifts for Bellas sunday school teachers.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. If I can figure out what the deal is with my camera I will get all my Thanksgiving photos loaded and show yall some out takes from our holiday.

Bella's Thanksgiving program

Bella had her Thanksgiving program at school this morning. Here is ONE of the 3 videos of it that John taped for me since I didnt get to go. HE did this with my camera (WHO KNEW YOU COULD DO THAT!!! well we just learned not to long ago)

 

BELLA IS THE INDIAN IN THE MIDDLE ON BACK ROW. the three indians right their together. That is Bella in the middle. That is Mandalyn on her left and Brayden beside Mandalyn in the pilgrim hat. Ethan is the Indian on her right. This is the entire K classes doing this.


IF you cant get the video to work.. you can click HERE to see it also.


Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Birthday to my honey!

Yesterday was My honey's birthday. The day was all about him. Bella and I made him a card. We made him dinner and he wanted brownies instead of a cake. SO, that is what we did.
Here are some photos of my little scrapper. She did such a good job making this card for him. she wanted to show you all the sides of it. She did so good. She is becoming quite the crafty one. You may remember the scarecrow from the earlier post? well She won 3rd place. she was sooo happy. I was so proud of and for her! SHE DID SOOO GOOD!



SO she was tickled to get out of school early yesterday and get to make this for her daddy. She was sitting on edge waiting for him to come home.

She met him in the driveway all excited wanting to give him his card she made. Was so adorable.

Today she is gone to Eva Caroline's Birthday party. THey are doing one of those glamour girl things. I cant wait to hear all about it. We are cleaning and getting geared up for Thanksgiving. Not having a big crowd I can't do that with the meds I am on. But still got to get this house clean.
Hope you have a Happy Saturday.
I noticed the family channel has Christmas movies on already. AAAAAAHHHHHHCK! I can't think about it yet!

OHHHH BEFORE I FORGET! HERE you can totally indulge yourself and get all your holiday cards and gift ideas, and gifts made.
Treasures to Scrap sells her product at a discount EVERY DAY. So you don't have to wait for a sale. Just go look at the prices on these NEW ARRIVALS! (YA I CANT WAIT FOR THE NEW FAIREST OF THEM ALL I HAVE TO HAVE IT! well ALL OF THIS REALLY YOU KNOW How I LOVE Basic GREY!)

Daisy Bucket

Basic Grey granola

Basic Grey Urban Prairie


Stamps

Imaginisce stamps

Imaginisce Fairest of them all collection

KI Sheer Delights

Bazzill clear craft plastic

or maybe just hit this one to see it all at once...

New Products

I have created a monster Bella said she wants ALLL THOSE little stamps. AT 64 cents each IM thinking GREAT CHRISTMAS IDEA!! wouldnt that be cute to tie onto the bows of the packages? the princess ones for a little girl? how cute would that be?

Ok I have to go finish cleaning. Enjoy!

ITs beginning to look a lot like.....

OK OK I KNOW Its not even THANKSGIVING YET! BUT. I GOT THIS ADORABLE kit from SCRAPBOOK OBSESSIONS this month I have been playing. So I have Christmas on the brain. How cute is this?
I love this little acryllic album. I am having so much fun with it.
Here is one thing I have made already.

I used the clear Prima bucket that the flowers come in. I altered it to hold candy but you could put whatever you want in it. I thought it would be a cute gift idea for like Sunday School teacher or teacher gifts or neighbors or whom ever you wanted to give a little happy to. With money being so tight with everyone this year I know people are wanting to streth their dollars, but make the thought count. I thought this would be a cute way to incorporate this idea. You could personalize it and put their names on it... add additional snow people for family members (unless you have like that big huge family thats on tv with the 17 kids.. then you might wanna bigger bucket HA!) OK OK.. sorry my lame attempt at humor today.


Their are endless ideas of what you could put in these little buckets. You could use a paint can that you could pick up from home depot (YES they do sale the empty ones just be sure they give you the lid and also the handle) you can put together a goodie bucket with most anything from cookie making things, movie night, date night, feel better, stay warm with hot coa coa. I could go on for a while.

I hope I sparked your imagination today. This paper really made me smile.
I am off to go scrap some more. Hope you have a lovely day.

MY STAR STUDENT!!

Bella came BOUNCING in from school yesterday with this:

She is star student this week I asked her what does that mean? She said "It meansssssss I GET TO BE THE LINEEEEEEEE LEADERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!" (that is very important when your in k-5)

She is very excited about it. She said it lasts allllll week. So she is very thrilled about school this week.


I started off this post with that since that was good happy news and with that cute post of Bella, because we didn't really get any good news yesterday at my neurology visit. I kinda needed a day to soak all this in. I tried all day yesterday to call my mother and SHE STILLLLL hasn't called me back yet. (#$%^) If your not a friend or family you can skip this part you will just be bored... BUT, This will be easier than making 35 phone calls to family and explaining why we may or may not get to do as much with the holidays this year. I KNOW, and don't start. IM NOT happy about it. BUT, I can't do anything about it. IT IS UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW. we don't know. IT IS ALL depending on these next few weeks and how things go. They are switching my medications around. My blood pressure was at an OMG level. I wasn't sure if they were even gonna let me come home.
They took me off of one medication and as soon as I get off of it I will start on the new med. My MRI from February vs the recent one... showed no change with the MS meds. no progression... no improvement. which can be interpreted two ways THE POSITIVE, that means it isn't any worse!!!! which is good. Because it can get worse. The negative part and this is the part he kinda was really frowning is.. it wasnt really reacting yet on the interferon. I AM getting more used to the interferon WHICH IS GOOD (Interferon is REBIF) I asked him about some of these other medications. HE SAID NOT NO BUT NO WAY. NOT with me having shingles and the other problems I have he will not let me go there. so that ended that discussion. HE is concerned about the blood pressure being so high and said worse case scenario right now is shingle outbreak and or flu. Holidays are coming up... (you can see where he was going and the tears started rolling) HE STOPPED said well lets just see what happens with the blood pressure when we stop the medication. so that's where we are right now.
HE said that I am leaning towards not being in the RRMS which is a Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis which is what most people have. THAT IS what when you see these people that have a normal life work jobs, do normal things go on their merry way, that is what they have. They have flare ups every so many years and less problems not that I am making light of the disease for them I AM NOT. IT is still serious. He is moving me to Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis which is where what symptoms I have... this is it. Im stuck. THey wont go away. It pretty much isnt going to get better. You just have to learn to live with it and learn to cope. Kinda makes you wonder if I was diagnosed correctly 12 years ago... anyway. You can read more about that by clicking on the link. Maybe it can help you understand and see what we are talking about.
SO it was alot to swallow. ALOT. And Im really soaking it all in still.

We started the decent on this medicine yesterday so hopefully the dizziness and bp will start to go down and that will fix it. (please?)
Thats what Im praying for anyway.

Ok so enough of all that boring medical crapp.

THE OTHER FUNNNNNNN COOL THING IS. I DID get my kit yesterday so I have been playing with that. and ughmm I have a tip for you...
IF your ughmmm gonna make an acryllic album.... and your gonna heat emboss.. remember that acryllic is plastic and it will melt (ya I had a REAL EINSTEIN MOMENT THEIR DIDN'T I?!) geesh!
IT's still cute though. I fixed it thats all Im gonna say about that!

I got the cutest RAK (randon act of kindness) in the mail today. I had won a blog Rak from Scrapbook and Cards today magazine's Blog a while back for some awesome BO BUNNY dotted cardstock. WELLL to my surprise they had some of THEIR CHRISTMAS PAPERS IN THEIR TOOOO OMGOSH> they are sooooo awesome. I cannot wait to play with them.
They ARE SOOOO PRETTY I almost dont want to cut them. THey are so dreamy and magical (to quote Bella) she said Mama "Those need glitter!" She is sooooooo my kid!!!

This ones my punkin!

(THE ONE IN THE HAT!)


While watching the Alabama game(s) yesterday (and cleaning up off and on) ok more off than on... I decided I would rather get my scrap going than organize scrap stuff anyway. (hey If use it I don't have to put it up right?)

This page went together quickly. I distressed the edges with my Making memories edge distresser.
Inked all of the edges and made hidden Journaling. I used the Basic Grey Ambrosia line from this months kit from SCRAPBOOK OBSESSIONS. I added some rope that I un twined for the pull string and made a small pull tag. (behind the photo)
I love this Picture of Bella. It is when she was not quite 3. We were at the Nicholas-Boyd Pumpkin Patch back in Mississippi. We had so much fun that day.


It turned off cold down here. We are not used to it being this cold. We are used to the tropical weather. NOW it is starting to finally feel like November.

A big congrats and "ROLL TIDE" to Bama yesterday. We enjoyed watching the games yesterday. Really wished Auburn could have pulled it off. MAN that last 6 seconds ughhhhh. Talk about making my heart switch sides GEEEEEEEESH! Think they are tryin to get my blood pressure up. Yall Make a fat girl sweat! That's dangerous people!

I found this today interesting. New research and information found out by the MS foundation of America. I pray in my lifetime a cure is found for this awful stuff!
Well I am off here to finish the errr ughmm Cleaning (scrapping) yeah thats it the cleaning I was doing yesterday. Yall have a good one.

SWOOOON S,E,I, SIGH

MORE SEI GOODIES to show you. TO say that I Like SEI is to say Bella kinda likes Hannah Montana (just A little bit.) yah kinda an understatement dont ya think?
I could fill up this blog a FEW TIMES with pages of layouts through the last 5 years of Bella's life that I have done with SEI. I don't thing there has been many lines I have not used. I LOVE IT. EVEN The boy lines I have used with my Daughters photos. ya I do not joke! Everyone talks about their 3 favorite go to company's well my most definite all time favorite line ever is SEI. My scrap room is done after SEI Winnies Walls. NEED I SAY MORE?

SO when Tracey said that they were the sponser this month for Treasures to Scrap you can Imagine my Excitement! (YIPEEE) That is one company ID loveeee to work for!
I THOUGHT I would show you another project I did with the AWESOME BLACK ORCHID provided by SEI. (THIS PAPER IS SO YUMMMY)

This is a band-aid tin I altered. And what better to go in a band-aid tin than some words of wisdom to help when you need some guidance.



I cut chipboard into tag shapes and covered it with the patterened paper.



I used my ellison tag along die cutt machine and various dies to make accents out of the patterned paper. As well as cutting elements from the patterned paper.





There is a contest this month at Treasures to Scrap I hope you will check it out. THERE ARE SOME AWESOME PRIZES TO BE GIVEN AWAY lots of SEI YUMMMIES. COME HAVE FUN and join in on your chance to win some awesome SEI PRODUCTS! (JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS!!) FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONTEST CHECK IT OUT RIGHT HEREE!

WE need your help and some scrappy goodness

Like many Lupus patients it took a long time to get a diagnosis. My journey for finding out what in the world was making all these weird symptoms was long.
For 12 years I was treated for lupus SLE. They have not long ago decided that I don't (thankfully) have lupus but in fact it was the entire time Multiple Sclerosis. SO many patients go through this. Being passed around to many dr's trying to figure out whats wrong. I guess that is why I am still a strong advocate and want to fight for research for these auto immune disease research fundings. THere is so much to be learned on how these things happen and what causes it. So many things to know on what to look for in the cause and treatment. DID YOU KNOW that there has not been a new drug for lupus in the last 50 years? Yeah I was astonished. Read more about that HERE and what can be done to help. If you have lupus, we need your help. Tell your story. You can find more information by clicking that link. I have alot of friends that suffer from many different forms of autoimmune disease family members as well. Take a moment if you would to read what you can do. Knowledge is power.

I got a package in the mail the other day. It was beautiful Tinsel Town and Cupcake Pink Paislee Papers. Stacey From All Moments Remembered Asked me to make her some samples with these lines to hang in her store. These will be mailed out next week. I thought I would give you a peek at them here though, Are these papers not just delicious???





The cupcake line was the other line she sent. Here is a page I made with that.





The photo doesn't do it justice. The cupcake has stickles for the icing and is just so sparkly glittery cute.

where have I been?

ya, That says it all huh?

IT stinks that these medications I take end up the side effects cause sometimes more problems than what ya got in the first place wrong with ya! Guess it goes back to the old sayin' "if the cure don't kill ya?"
SO I have been on some pretty powerful stuffs. Finally got them out and feel so much better.

Bella bug is out of school for Veterans day. I told her about her papa being in the service and she kinda looked at me really strange. later on she asked me if he ate alot of soup. I couldn't figure out what she meant. I told her I was not sure if he ate alot of soup or not, I kinda wondered where that came from but didn't think much of it. The day rocked on she was stamping and coloring I was getting some things done when just randomly while singing she pauses very complacently looks at me at me with this seriousness.

She furrows her brow and you could just see those wheels turning that this is something that has just been buggin her. She was looking for the words and in her cute little five year old voice says: "SooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooo, if todayyyyyyy, Is veggieableturns day for papa, Den When are we gonna have a fruit day for nana?" and then just looks at me like what cha gonna do about it ma?

I just looked at her



.speechless....

Trying really hard to hold my composure and not laugh because she was every bit just sooooooooo serious. and I KNEW she would be so so angry with me if I just started laughing. so I thought and thought and said well lets seee errr ughhhh
uuuuuuuuughmmm



"Well,I'm thinkin you have this confused How about this?, How about lets start over. So I explained VETERANS DAY and what it was (how it wasn't one of the four basic food groups) and pulled up some things on the computer. (She is my child ya know so visuals help!) Nothing TOO detailed but, told her about how we say the pledge you know the one she says every day at school. (and also at the top of her lungs in the bathtub every night)I told her about how these VETERANS, helped keep our country the way it is and our freedom possible. That her papa worked with those people.Of course she took that literally and wanted to know if he knowed dat man and dat man and dat one. so I had to get really specific. (this is why IM NOT a school teacher and I don't home school also dont flame me folks I admire you people that do it totally it just aint for me)

SO ANYWHO Her papa was in the service and he is a veteran. SO now I THINK SHE GETS IT. she doesn't think papa is a veggie (and nana needs a day of fruit). Im sure Thanksgiving I woulda had lots of splainin' involved if we had not clarified that one! SO amazing how their little brains work.





SEI is sponsoring the design team at TREASURES TO SCRAP this month. They are also sponsoring a contest where you can win some free SEI product! for more information check it out here.
also to see more cool SEI goodness check out the Gallery and leave em some lovin!
That's it for me today. I feel still halfway decent so Im gonna go clean something.(and then scrap)
Hope you have a wonderful day.

Bella gets crafty...

So Bella's teacher sends home a scarecrow picture and a note last week, wants the entire family to work on this. She gives us creative license to work on it. hehehe.
Bella was soooo excited. She knew just what she wanted to do. John said she pounced into the car talking 90 mph saying what she wanted to do. He had no idea what she was talking about. She ran in the house straight to my deak and pointed to my paper pieced scare crow I had that is about 3 inches tall that looks kinda like a puppet. Im thinking OH yeah right. A little much for K5. SHe insisted. We kinda scaled it down but did it similar. She was soooooo excited.
I think she is probably the only kid there that has Basic Grey buttons and Stickles on their scare crow but she didn't care. She said hers WAS "FANCY!"

Hope you had fun last night too!

I gave up trying to rescue the Hannah Montana wig Bella has yesterday. I dont think there is enough conditioner in the world to get the knots out of that thing. SO I just Beauty Queened Bella up and Put her Hannah Hair Band one of the gramma's got her or maybe Aunt Liz I can't remember. (its cute anyway) she looked adorable. Her hair didnt stay fixed long It was kinda humid. (lots of fog machines going too)

You know I can't take photos of Bella without her monkey shining for at least one!

We went To Greg and Tara's. This is Bella's Boy (Yall are familiar with Brayden from my blog Posts) without his mask on.
She went and made the rounds with him.
There is his mask. Bella said WHAT ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE?????? hahaha.


I will probly get beat for this but here is GREG Im not real sure what he is sup to be except RED.hehehe, I think maybe his true colors coming out a little. It was halloween ya know.

I was gonna say something really clever like Tara was gonna wear a costume but she she misplaced it at the last second so she didn't but it was just too easy. and well SHE just looked so darn cute! SO I will give her a break. The eyelashes were too funny! I wished I could have stayed longer last night.



I was going to just hand there let the kids go trick or treating Gregg was harrassing kids, I mean passing out candy, Tara's mom and her husband were hanging out with him on the porch so we were just gonna hang till time to go home and take my shot. Well ughmm, WRONG. Stupid medicine or MS or some of all of it who knows. No warning. probably mix of flashing lights kids sounds and meds but the porceline Gods called. So The soup that was so good earlier wasnt so good and we had to make a quick exit. Bella had already been trick or treating so She didnt miss out. I just hate we had to cut it short.
We got home and John took her to the couple few houses of People we knew here. Actually the street here was packed you could hardly drive so many people.
about 30 minutes later we heard this LOUD LOUD BANG that was almost like a gun shot firework slam sound. John came back to see if I fell or something. He looked out and all kinda lights were popping on and he heard tires squealing.
SOME dude. In an S -10 turned around in our neighbor across the streets driveway and BACKED OVER our bricked in concreted in the ground mailbox. THIS THING IS 3 feet tall HOW DO YOU MISS IT (it has reflectors on it too) I AM SOOOO happy no kids were hurt I just keep thinking omgosh if it had been 30 minutes earlier. when all those kids were there. We are in a 300 home subdivision you can barely drive down our street halloween. so you can imagine. THEY didnt stop. They didn't even slack up THey sped away. SO, The neighbor Mr. Tuck helped John get the bricks up out of the road and most of it though was still in one big piece THANK GOD. and they moved it over into the grass. So no one would damage a vehicle or themselves. GEESH. Suposedly some others were done so we wonder if it was an accident. I have to think it was. why woudl someone intentionally dent up the back of their vehicle?
Today John went out to see what could be done. A guy stopped that was just driving by said the same thing had happened to theirs. (CRAZY PEOPLE OUT LAST NIGHT I TELL YOU) Their was a haunted houses on our street so lots of kids, so maybe that was it? so anyway, HE KNEW kinda how to fix it So he HELPED HIM put it back. IT is not that stable and if someone hits it again will fall again but... HEY ITS NOT IN 5 Pieces all over the road now!! IM sure that dude's truck is IN MUCH WORSE SHAPE! I just am so happy no children were hurt!!!! That terrifies me!

So anyway we are watching AUBURN PLAY BALL TODAY. Bella is playing and counting through her halloween candy. We are trying to make her ration it!
SO now we start getting ready for Thanks
giving. The whole next month will be about house cleaning for us haha.
Hope everyone had a safe and fun time last night.

Seward Farms Corn Maize

The trip we have been waiting on all year. The one we have been crossing the days off the calendar. "How many more days till we go to the corn maize mommy" We got rained out when we were originally to go. SO today was the day. Yesterday I spoke with my Dr. I know you all are aware of what all our medical Drama consists of. I am on interferon injections because I have MS and take prednisone and other meds for chronic shingles that and kindergartners on field trips don't mix. When I asked them about going on the field trip (I was talking to the nurse) I heard my dr's reply "Is she serious? Has she lost her mind?" guess that was my answer. She told me "He said it wasnt a good idea." I told her t"hank you for being tactful" lol.
She did go on to explain though and it makes sense. With us having a cool snap every other child will have crud nose and viruses running ramped in 10 days. she said this is the norm. When you are on these types of meds, you cant (or not recommended to) take the flu shot (I was told not to because of my history) so I was to steer clear. SO we had to make adjustments.
Well next came the hard part. Breaking the news to Bella that Mommy wasn't going which means I was SENDING her on the field trip. I knew she was going to be upset.She was crushed. I knew it was unfair to her and I got really upset. Mostly at things that no one can control like MS and stuff. So unfair to the little ones.

John didn't know his schedule if he would be able to go. I did talk to her teacher (Mrs Gloria)last night and made sure everything was arranged, and she would make sure everything was taken care of, if for some reason John did get a call. But, I still felt like "mother of the year" if you know what I mean, I have always been the parent that went to everything and did everything and this year I have been el suck o mom.
Bella was understandably bummed, I made VERY LIGHT OF IT in front of her, Because I KNEW as soon as she got OUT THAT DOOR OH she would have SOOO MUCH FUN. HER face would light up and she would love it. THAT IS ALL I WANTED FOR HER. HER TO HAVE THAT. She has been talking about this people for MONTHSSSSSSSS!!!! WELL FOLKS. WE WERE RIGHT! SHE DID. SHE LOVED IT!
so on with the fun part THE PICTURES! OMGOSH John did such a fabulous job taking pictures so I could see what they did and Bella and he narrated and told me everything so I am passing it along to you all what they did and how much fun they had so Gramma and nana and aunts and uncles, friends Romans countrymen lend me your ears and eyes, yall all can see what Bella and John did today with the JACKSON CREEK CHRISTIAN ACADEMY KINDERGARTEN class at the Seward farm corn maize.
There is a short little video at the end of the post its a pig race you can click on. (yeah I didnt know my camera could do this!!! WHo knew guess if I READ THE ENTIREEEEEEEE instruction booklet!) anyway.


Entrance sign. (that is the ball cap aunt Diane got her at the gospel singing at church she had to wear it cause it was a farm hat she said ??? dont ask)


The corn Maize was set up where they give you this little leaflet. They called it your "passport" it had questions on it.
You answer The questions correctly and turn the direction. ok example; if you want to choose a) for your answer go right. b) go left c) go left. well the correct answer is the correct direction. So that is how you get through the maize. If you choose all B answers and the answers are all C you may end up sittin in the middle of a corn field with this next chick for a while. (BUT All the questions were related to corn. and I think they would help ya out some hehe)
REALLY CUTEEEE!!!


and they had these you know in case their were any unruly ughmmm corn cobbers?
maizers? or to help out wrong answers maybe... not sure what you would call em but I love the shirt hehe.


A necessity for every corn maize!

How cute is this tractor?


I think this was one of Bella's favorite things. She talked about this (really loud mind you) she said "he was slaaaangin us alll over da place" John said he was goin rather fast but the kids were howling and loving it. There was one child on there well. I will let you see...

ya.. didn't quite get it. but she traded and it all worked out. I have pictures of her ridin' right along with them. This lady I tell you is so much fun. We are SOOOOOO FORTUNATE AND GOD BLESSED to have her as Bella's teacher again this year (wondering if she teaches first graders hmmmm) Just love her to pieces. We have adopted them all into our family.
They had all the little free standing charachitures like they had at the Nicholas Boyd pumpkin patch back home. Bella seemed to like this cow lol.


This was on the hay ride. Bella LOVEEEEES Mandalynn (she is the one that has Bella and Sierra in the death grip hahahaa. HOW CUTE ARE THEY.
And check out this little bundle of preciousness. I prolly shoulda called Beth to warn her I was gonna plaster her doll baby on my blog but omg yall could you not just cover this kid with smooches?

she has such attitude and personality and the expressions she makes with her face are so hysterical. she cracks me up so much. AND HER MOM OMG she is with sewing like I AM with scrapbooking so ugh hello yeah. I officially want to hate her but I cant cause she is just too dang awesome. TOOO PRECIOUS! BEth I have lots more pics of Isabella at full resolution I will email you some better ones than this.

They said they also had pig races set up and you get to pick which color to cheer for. (you can tell when you click on the second image and look at the little clip they really got into the cheering)



Here is the clip:

 

That last pig looks like it has been there done that knows the drill ain't in no hurry huh?

ANyway.. That was the HUGE FIELD TRIP OF THE YEAR. They have been waiting since before school started for this.NO it doesn't seem like a big deal to alot of people but to these kids It is. IT has been talked about and planned for and Bella has been so excited. IM SOOOOO GLAD she got to go. It wasn't lookin' good yesterday for a bit there. so IM so proud for her. I am so excited that John got to go and get these photos for me. NOW I can sit up and scrap. NOW... I have to figure out what to do about halloweeen. ughhhh. still debating if Im going or not. or just gonna let Bella and John, and then we implemented the pinesol/backdoor scrub down routine again. wash your hands before entering the house. TIS THE SEASON PEOPLE.
Hope you have a great DAY.

I KNOW SOMEONE

IN THIS MAGAZINE


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on page 62.
You may know her.
I am positive you do.
You may have seen her before on this blog.
You will recognize her.
Him too.


That is my nephew Greyson.
Actually John's nephew, I call him MY nephew too though. I claim him.
Hey Greyson. ::waving:: I know your blushing. Your probably rolling your eyes too. I know you secretly are proud though. Your internationally famous now.
Bella is grinning. Especially because she is in the picture with you. Especially because it is THIS layout. HER FAVORITE cousin Greyson. This layout is true. YOU ARE her star. Im very proud of you. NOW I KNOWWW your probably holding your gut and wretching so I will stop haha!
Sorry I am just proud of him and her.
I can't help it!

HAVE YOU EVER SEEEEN THE AUSSIES MAGAZINES???? OMG THEY ARE AAAMMMAAAZING so much better than what we have here in the us! (so much more expensive too) but so much more worth it. Maybe santa will get me a subscript for christmas. The only way I can afford this mag is when I get published in it. It is a BEAUTIFUL magazine though and is more MY STYLE of scrapping. SO UP My ally. They put lots of stuff on their pages and lots of frill and pretty things. just like I like! I AM NOT a simple scrapper. I am not into white space and clean lines much. THAT is so hard for me. I guess because my hands shake and it is hard for me to get lines so symetrical. its easier for me to do the shabby chick look lol.
Thanks to ms for that huh.
Hope you have a good day and IF YOU SEE SCRAPBOOKING MEMORIES VOLUME 10 NO 7 pick it up thumb through HECK break down and pay the 10 bucks for it, BELLA and Greyson are IN IT! so it will be worth it hahaha!

BLOG CHALLENGE

My friend Tara aka Thynner from WeScrap posted a Blog Challenge today. IF you would like to participate feel free to join in. just send me the prize if you win bwahahahaha! just kidding.

The challenge is to talk about your greatest fear. and a bonus if you use it on a layout. Well I have actually had my greatest fear happen and I have scrapped it alot... (we had a big temp drop and I haven't felt real good and took my pain meds. I dont feel real good but IM going to try to do this. If It doesn't make sense Im sorry and will redo it. but It needs to be posted today. so here goes lol)
My biggest fear was always the thought of losing my daddy. I have always been a daddys girl. I was the youngest. I came along later and kinda "grew up" when my daddy grew up. I could talk to him. He "got me" He would let me drink some of his beer, He wouldn't get mad if I said pissed, or Bullsh*t (mama still gets mad about that!)I had just said it (that The worst thing that could happen to me was losing my daddy) too not 2 weeks before it actually happened. So I make a habit now to not put things out there in the universe. I think you can suggest things to the devil as your weakness.
I will never forget it either I was standing, up at the trailer talking to Todd Ellis and he asked me what was I gonna do. I was 23 years old going through a divorce from a GREAT BIG mean as a snake ex deputy sheriff that threatened to put my face through a wall if left. I told him that my daddy wouldnt let that happen. That I wasn't scared He said well your daddy cant protect you 24 hours a day. I said well that is my fear what would I do if something ever happened to my daddy and he couldnt be there. 2 weeks later to the day. My daddy (a Deputy Sheriff) pulled over a stolen vehicle and the kid that was driving it stabbed him to death.(You can read the article HERE) It was premeditated (not against my dad personally but to whomever got in his way he would do what he had to do to get away) who knows. what would have happened. so many scenarios go through my head of what coulda happened. what if daddy had not pulled behind him and the guy ran back to his truck. what if daddy had gotten his hands on that gun and shot that kid? Man I have replayed the trial and every situation so many times. I have the transcripts from the 911 call the trial transcripts, the tapes. the newspapers cards letters even a letter from the piece of crapps family asking us to PLEASE drop the charges against him cuz he had a "hard life" ya. seriously.
You dont wanna know what my reply was to them. Not sure if anyone even knows that I did reply to them, but I did. They know what I THINK of it. (I think I even said bullsh*t a time or too also if you wanna know the truth just for dad! probly a gth too!) They know the entire story of what kinda hard life my dad went through and all of us and that I am NOT sorry and I have no pity for him. I did NOT speak for everyone I spoke FOR ME. I said though what I figured MY daddy would have. That he was just gonna try to help him. That he didn't have to do that. What he took from me. What he did. And that NO, I dont drop any charge and NO even IF I COULD I wouldn't. He deserved MORE than what he got. HE gave my dad the WORSE. Not a day goes by I don't miss that man. and all because of Neal Joesph Kircher. Because he was on drugs and had the nerve to escape a drug rehab and stab my father to death and make MY BIGGEST FEAR a reality. so yeah that was my fear and it came true.

so now my fear is to state my fears out loud. I see it too often, Someone scraps a fear and it happens, someone says a fear... it happens. I dont like that kinda stuff. I have the layout about my dad Here it is.

August 28, 1995 12:18 pm
rings through my memory
like a freight train. The day
that changed all of our lives
forever. This kid that was
hard up for a fix escaped
A drug rehab and stole a
vehicle. You happened to
be the first one to spot the
vehicle. When you pulled
over he stabbed you till
your death. That road now
Has your blood on it, but
It also now bears your name.
So much was taken from
Us that day ,From the world,
our family Our community. The
Sheriff’s Department lost a
deputy, many lost a friend,
many Lost an uncle, a grand
father A brother, a husband,
and a Daddy.
You were so much to so many
people.
It is easy to see that that day,
when you died. Part of me
died with you. I had no idea
the road that lay ahead of us.
How much things would change.
You truly were the glue that held
us all together. We all seemed
lost and unsure what to do after
that. SO many would say
Oh I know how you feel I lost
My dad or brother or whatever
they had cancer or heart failure.
It’s not the same. We went through
A trial, a long trial, waiting years
for justice to be served. We
fought the drug rehabs for better
security and more chaperones
For stiffer penalties for drug related
Crimes. We succeeded on a few.
We have endured the fact it happened
3 miles from our home we all loved.
I eventually would move because
It is just too painful. Some ONE
took your life. Killed you. Not
Only did that kid kill my
Daddy that day. He took
Away my sense of security
And yeah He took my GLUE.
Its been 11 years now.
People want to move on
But how can we move on
When we don’t want to forget

What we love so much.

Fall Festival

Today was the Fall Festival at Jackson Creek Christian Academy. OMGOSH it was soooooo much fun! It was bigger I think than last year. I know their were more people there. I could NOT keep up with Bella. AT ALL. John tried. Mama tried. Thank GOD it is a small place. We know most everyone. David and Diane our neighbors came so they helped us out too keep locating her. I have come to a lot of Realizations too. Things I have never noticed. Or maybe I am just getting old. (SHUT UP WINDALE. I know he is going I BEEN TELLING YOU THAT!!! yeah yeah yeah.) but man everything is SO LOUD. (maybe its this medication.) but OMGOSH. Loud is like louder than it used to be! and makes me cranky. haha.
and ANOTHER THING, when your in a wheelchair you are at BUTT LEVEL. THIS IS NOT pleasant. now if we were say in east Texas lookin at alot of hot guys in wranglers... nother story. anyway what was I talking about?
OH yeah. SO anyway. People don't pay attention. They walk right in front of you. trippin over you, back into you, its not like i can just step out of the way! MAN people are rude!
I would be trying to take photos of Bella playing a game, walk RIGHT IN front of me so I have sooooooo many pictures that look like this:

That was my chief complaint. Drove me nuts. I was trying to watch the karate demonstration. I was on the side of the little booth where the country store was (in the shade so I wouldn't die from heat stroke.. every time I would move, this chick would move right in front of me. I would have to unlock the wheels move the chair up then back and forth and over, then.. she moves again back over. so I unlock my wheels move back.. SHE MOVES AGAIN. I finally say screw it. so frustrating. Ya know.. I used to be the SAME WAY I never thought about it till now though and I know they don't either. its actually pretty funny. No one notices these things until it is them. You also don't realize how unwheelchair friendly places are either. but, That is a whole nuther post.
so here are my NOT SO GREAT because they are all from wheelchair angle photos..
JOhn did take some of them so he did get some better ones. I will try to explain them as we go.
Bella and her boy Brayden doing the cake walk.

Mama, Tara, Brayden and Bella doing cake walk (note NONE OF US won cakes rofl. We could have bought a cake for as many times as they did cake walk and none of us won a cake it was kinda funny)

Mama and Bella cake walkin'


some of the jellys and things in the country store.

auctioneer.

THis was the dude catchin the bids at the auction OMGOSH it was sooooo funny. He was keepin um goin buddy. We had people bidding that didnt know they were bidding. These people that were talking they talk with their hands. THey dont know it but they bid twice on a basket and helped up it a substantial amount hahahaha!

He was really good with that auction. IT was soooo much fun! The ALABAMA (Bama roll tide) Basket SOLD FOR 295.00 The Auburn Basket sold for right at 100.00 They also auctioned off some day passes to disney for 400.00!


Barbie the pony was there again. Again Bella wouldnt ride her. She was all pumped and wanted to ride and then when she got back there chickened out. I dunno what it is about this pony that she wont ride her. She rode the other horse before. I just do not understand it.

Bella and Grandmama rode the hay ride


she spun the pickle wheel.

popped a balloon.

And went fishing.

David and Diane (our neighbors) Met us there for lunch. In time for the auction.


We were all plum tuckered by the time we left.

I believe the school raised a nice sum of money, everyone had fun and fall has DEFINITELY been celebrated. Bella had a great time, SHe came home with a TON OF STUFF! (so did mama haha) John decided he would just make us a cake he gave up on tryin to win one in the cake walk hahahaha!
Hope you all have a great weekend.