My Weblog

sick, sick, sick

this will be short because i am sick.  I think I just might have pleurisy.  Pain when I breathe which is worse when I lie down, pain which is radiating into my right arm and shoulder.  I've only been out of bed for a couple of hours today, just long enough to have a client come to the door after I'd finished everything and delivered it to her and explained it to her yesterday.  So there I sat with my hair uncombed, my teeth unbrushed, and in my nightgown explaining it all to her again.  I swear, I really want to quit this tax thing.  She claims she called over and over and got a busy signal  Well, I don't know who she called, but it wasn't us.  That's still no excuse to show up at my front door without an appointment. 

Other than that I don't know much and I don't feel well enough to talk about it so you'll just have to wait patiently til I do. 

I'm exhausted!

Well, we had quite the day.  First, one of the creative teams I'm on has been challenged to a "scrap-off" by another team.  I've done my best.  In fact, last time I checked, of 20 layouts on the front page of my designer's gallery, I'd done 9.  I'd say that's a pretty good %--about 45% of the last 20 layouts scrapped and there are about 10 members on the team.  Where's everyone else?  I'm backing off now.  I refuse to continue to scrap at this pace in lieu of sleeping!  So, I posted one layout this AM and created another.  Then I finished off a fairly complicated tax return.  Then we got in the car and took off to something akin to heaven, in my opinion.

My son-in-law is difficult to buy for.  For Christmas, we got him tickets for the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Bellagio (tickets for him, Jen, and Will).  Unknown to me, Joe also got tickets for us.  So, a little after noon, we climbed in the car and headed to the Bellagio.  First we had lunch.  That was kind of a fiasco.  We were both really hungry, but having a grain of sense, I suggested we drive through McDonald's.  Joe decided we should go to the food court at the Bellagio.  Since I've never been inside the Bellagio before, that seemed reasonable to me.  Little did I know there IS no food court at the Bellagio.  We ended up opting for the buffet.  We both almost fell over when the price for the buffet was in the neighborhood of $25 each.  The food was good, but the price was exorbitant--basically only because this buffet was inside the Bellagio.

From there we went to the Conservatory.  This is a botanical garden, Vegas style.  It is not just a bunch of gorgeous flowers........it is also the manner in which they are displayed which is amazing.  I'm sure some of those photos will end up in layouts along the way.  It was really beautiful.  According to their website, they change out all the flowers 4 times a year.  There are different displays for spring, summer, fall and winter!  I've already advised Joe I want to go there again this summer.  There is also an area where there are lots of butterflies, but it was difficult getting photos there.......it's enclosed in glass so no getting up close, and no using the flash for fear of bounceback reflections off the glass.  I was not as impressed with the hotel/casino itself as I expected.  Though the Bellagio has a reputation as a very luxurious hotel, I think the Venetian is way more opulent.

By the time we covered every inch of the Conservatory, we were tired so we went and sat down and had a cup of coffee.  In the meantime, we were calling Jen on her cell phone.  We had arranged to meet the kids there and go through the Ansel Adams exhibit together.  Well, Jason had left his cell phone at the office and Jennifer didn't have hers either.  So, though we left 3 messages for her, she never got them.  In the meantime, they were using a pay phone, trying to call my cell phone which I didn't take with me because Joe had his.  But, Jennifer couldn't remember Joe's cell phone number......  So, it was a fiasco of missed communications.......  In the meantime, we decided to head on over to the exhibit.  The entrance to the exhibit is just opposite the entrance to the pool.  Just as we decided to stick our heads outside and look over the pool area, we heard someone call "Grandpa".  There was Will chasing after us.  They had already been through most of the exhibit.  Joe and I did get to walk through but I could have spent at least two more hours in there.  Without a doubt, Ansel Adams was a magician with a camera.  We did learn a few interesting facts about him--for example, he was an accomplished pianist and for a while, earned/supplemented his income playing piano.  I thought it was interesting that he developed all of his own photos.  Many of his famous photos were taken in our national parks, and, as an advocate for the national parks, he met with Presidents Ford, Carter, and Reagan.  I couldn't help myself--I drooled over his photos.........  Joe let me buy a "how to" photography book written for a course Adams taught at a University in Arizona which actually offers a program in photography.  I can't wait to read it.

By the time we finished in the gallery, we had been on our feet for most of 5 hours.  Jason offered to buy us dinner.  We weren't really hungry, but we agreed.  Mostly we agreed because everyone in the family but us seemed to be having a hard day.  Jason was apparently moody and hard to get along with.  Will was exhausted--poor little guy, the skin under his eyes turns almost a purple color when he's tired, and it was definitely purple today.  Jennifer was sunburnt because they'd been outside for a couple of hours before they came to the Bellagio.  She'd also had about all of motherhood she could take.  Only AJ was in a somewhat good mood.  Truth be told, we went to dinner with them mostly to try to make dinner go better for them.  And, it's a good thing we did as we did need get involved several times during dinner to ease things a bit. 

Today taught me that I am going to have to get on buying new shoes.  By the time we were walking to the car from the Bellagio, my right hip and my left knee were both causing problems and I'd already taken half a muscle relaxer for my back.  If there's any chance new shoes will help, it's time! 

Jason had a new MRI done and got the results the other day.  According to the doctor, the frontal lobes still show bruising from the attack 10 months ago.  At first, it seemed that was bad news.  And, Jason WAS depressed by it.  After I thought about it, though, I decided it was really good news.  That means that beyond faith, beyond the belief that God never healed anyone halfway, is the doctor's opinion that more healing will occur as time passes.  Had the brain appeared to be totally healed, that would mean there was minimal improvement still to be had.  So, the bad news is really good news on further consideration.

Okay, so that's all the news I have for now.  So, I'll post some pages and try to work on a tax return in spite of being very tired............

This photo was taken from an old Christmas Card found in the "box" that was discovered in a garage last week. It is Joe's older brother. I love that he is sitting in his little red wagon, opening presents. So cute. I used Mary Fran's High Elf Esteem for this.

























It was 1984 and we visited the petting zoo at Bonnie Springs, NV. I'd expected Jennifer to be a little stand-offish, but she marched right up to the animals and had a good time. I did this layout with Amanda Rockwell's new Daisy Doodle kit, on sale now for 25% off at Scrapbook Bytes. The bow is by Andrea Burns. I also used one of Nina's Ready to Scrap templates (available at NDISB) on this. The paint stroke is from Michelle Coleman.

























Another layout from the box of photos we received a couple of weeks ago. It was Graduation Day, or as they called it then, Commencement Day. Mary Alice Thornburg, DH's Mom, had a new dress to wear and she was VERY proud of it. After all, her mother spent many hours making the dress herself! Tassel is by Tamara Dantes, Flower and Journaling paper by Kim Hill. Everything else is from "Grandma's Shoebox" by Barb Speck, now available at NDISB.

























This is another photo from the box, the photo from the Christmas card sent in 1952. It was in 1952 that Mary Alice Thornburg died, leaving behind a very sad husband, Joe, and two precious boys, George and Joey. This was a hard page to scrap because Mary Alice was DH's mother..... I personally bought Anita Stergiou's new Christmas kit for its lack of bright colors. But, it's a VERY elegant kit, black, gold and white. (Would make scrumptious Christmas Cards!) The tree is from a kit by Misty Mareda, which I used as a clipping mask for Anita's beautiful gold paper. Everything else is from Anita's Little Black Christmas Dress, available at NDISB and Pickleberry Pop.

























Here I am scrapping another photo from the box of photos that was found recently in someone's garage. It's a treasure trove of DH's heritage. This is from a Christmas Card sent out in December, 1950. The little guy is my DH, many years ago. I used Mary Fran's Crooked Halos for this page. TFL, Marci

























Another picture from "the box". This is DH's grandfather, the man from whom DH gets his middle name. DH never knew his father's father, but his maternal grandfather lived just down the road for the first 13 or so years of DH's life and was a strong influence on him. I used Lara Payton's Amazing kit. The image of the old time camera is from a very old kit by Petra Losbichler.

























This photo was recently sent to us by my brother and sister-in-law. I think it's the first time I've ever seen a woman dressed up as Santa. I used a kit from last year by Kim Crothers called Fa-La-La. The polaroid frame is by Dani Mogstad.

Dreams

Lately, my sleep has been much disturbed by dreams.  I suppose it is the extra stress of tax season working its way to the surface, but this is not the time of year I need to awaken from nightmares!  I need all the sleep I can get.  Last night, in my dreams, I was back in St. Louis and back in time to many years ago.  It was the middle of winter and I was wearing my heavy coat.  But, somehow, the merchants seemed to be having a sidewalk sale!  And I was shopping and shoplifting!  I went to a little stall that had lots of beautful antique china and crystal items and managed to pick up 3 tiny things.  But, on my way leaving the area, someone bumped me and everything fell to the ground.  When I got back to work (I must have been shopping on my lunch hour), there was my old boss, standing in the lobby of the federal building glowering at me for being late.  I woke up pretty disturbed by that one.  Night before last, I dreamed I was living in Mexico.  My DD was small, about 6 or 7.  I came home to find my parents visiting and a dead body in my dining room.  I was in a total panic because I was sure the Policia would not take kindly to a US person killing someone on their turf and I was sure they would suspect me.  I left to think about what to do and when I returned the body was gone and my mother had cleaned the room as only my mother could do.  Every scrap of evidence had been washed up, vacuumed up, disposed of, so, if that missing body ever turned up and got somehow tied to me, there would be no stray hairs or fibers or fingerprints to show that someone besides me had done the crime.  That one kept me awake and upset for a very long time! 

It's turned cooler again here, with a stiff breeze blowing.  Yesterday we had dark clouds that kind of blew through the area and the day before actually got a very few drops of rain.  I came stumbling to the office in my bathrobe and slippers (thank God) about 7, not that long after sunrise, and Joe had both doors open.  I swear I heard the wind whistling through here.  On top of that he had a fan blowing!  It couldn't have been more than about 55 degrees outside and it was rapidly cooling to somewhere that temperature in here!  Honestly!  And this is the same guy that complains that the bedroom is too cold--you know, the bedroom where he's burrowed under the down comforter?  I thought I'd freeze......

Jen came over with the baby yesterday for a little while.  That was good because I was able to get some photos near his 3-month birthday.  I'd like to do that every month for at least the first year.  He is now able to grasp a rattle, though occasionally he bangs himself in the head with it!  Jen told me a funny story.  He is actually able to push her shirt out of the way now when he wants to nurse.  And, for her convenience, he sleeps with them.  (She says it's way easier than having to go into the other room, pick him up, take him to the livingroom, etc.)  Anyway, he'd rolled over to Jason's side of the bed and was pushing Jason's shirt up, with the idea that there might be some food there.  Apparently, Jason was pretty offput by that!  He immediately woke Jennifer!  He is able to creep a bit though it's still pretty uncontrolled.  And, he has quite the "vocabulary".  It's just a collection of coos and other noises he makes, but it's fun to listen to.

Jen called this AM.  She starts work Monday and is having trouble figuring out how to get everything done.  She called a few days ago and asked me to attend a play at Will's school on Monday morning because, just starting her new job, there's no way she can go and apparently Jason can't go either.  So, Grandma will be there.  Today's request was that Grandma pick Will up at school and drive him to Green Valley to the therapist.  It will take about 4  hours out of my day.  Gee, I wish I had a laptop........  I have to drive from the far west side to the far east side to pick Will up at school and then drive a good 20 miles south to take him for his appointment, then fight my way back through rush hour traffic.  Would someone please remind me to be sure I've had my blood pressure meds that day?

Well, first client of the day will arrive soon so i've got to get at it.  I have bills to pay stacked on my desk, I'm only half dressed, and am just generally NOT ready.  So, I'll post a few pages and get after it.  Not a great time to blog except that Joe is out running errands so the house is quiet.  Oh, blessed quietness!

On Sunday we received a priceless "gift". DH's son presented him with a box full of old pictures, newspaper clippings, cards, etc., that had been stored in DH's ex-in-laws garage (and forgotten) for more than 30 years. This is a picture of Joe's mom, a lady he has no memory of because she passed away when he was only two. I used a kit called Be Thankful by Kim Christensen. I also used a dried leaf from Sausan Designs, and Template #4 from pack 14 of Nina's Ready to Scrap Templates, available at NDISB.

























This is another page from the "tourist in our own home town" group, our visit to The Paris. The lobby of the Hotel is SO RICH it just takes your breath away. HAD to take pictures. I thought the richness of the papers from "Thankful" by KandA Kreations would stand up well to the opulence of the photos. This kit is available at NDISB. The Fleur de lys are from Montpelier by Lynn Grieveson. The swirls are by Taran Conyers, used as a clipping mask for papers from the "Thankful" kit. The photos are so over the top I didn't think the page needed a lot more.....

























We recently received a box of old photos that had been stashed in a box in a garage for more than 30 years. I found this picture of DH in it and thought it was so typically "boy" from the 50's. I used "Basically Boy" by Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed), available at ACOT. The kit is on sale today for $4.00. The stencil alpha is by Lisa Whitney, her Believe kit.

























This little guy was seated at the table next to us one day at breakfast. He was giggling and having a great time, pulling his shirt up over his face and then popping out, playing peek-a-boo with his dad. He was very happy until dad got his food and wanted to eat rather than play. We had such fun watching them. I used Amanda Rockwell's Funky kit from her Back In Black Collection, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. Stars and doodles are from the kit as well as doodles from DDE, Jenna Desai, and Linda GB.

























I've been wanting to do this layout for weeks. There was a challenge to scrap something that brings you comfort. Somehow, that led me to this....The paper I used is by Theresa Hernandez from the Eternal Hope charity kit. The doodle is by Linda GB. The flower is by Valerie Flowler, her Days of Eden kit.

























This is another photo from Joe's recently found box of photos. Right out of high school, his mom married a home town boy. He was sent overseas shortly thereafter and was killed. She was a widow as a very young woman..... The papers are from Velvet Visions by Microferk. The flowers are by Sausan Designs. Lace is by Dani. Ribbon by Lucy Hampton. Note: Lace is recolored. As I was reading Katie the Scrapbook Lady's December Amazing Month of Memories (available at ACOT), I realized Pearl Harbor Day is not far away. That accounts for the timing of this page.

























This photo was found in the box of stuff Joe received last week. This photo amazed me--it was a color photo, taken in 1944. I honestly had no idea there WERE color photos in 1944. It was badly faded and extremely PINK. It's better since I've played and played with it, but still not great. I also didn't realize that in those days, when you received flowers, it was common to have your picture taken with them and send the picture to the person who sent the flowers. It was a way of expressing your appreciation. The lovely "lady" is Joe's mom at age 20 (maybe her 21st birthday). I used papers from some older kits by Ali Folendore. The rose is by Lucy Hampton, the stickpin by Lianne Carper, and the tag by Andrea Burns.

That's all for today, folks.  Have a great day. 

Monday, Monday.......

Well, I guess, all in all, it was a pretty good day.  I didn't accomplish much in the house, but there were a few good things.  First, I noticed that there are three irises in bloom in our flower garden.  And, the roses all have buds on them.  Soon, that area should be a profusion of color and that will thrill my little heart!  I've been trying to spend a few minutes a day cleaning up that area, but I can't spend much time there.  Too much bending just is NOT good for the back.  But, a little at a time, it's getting better.

The backyard is a desert.  Joe wants to blame Punkin, and, truthfully, she is partly to blame.  She chews on sprinkler heads and risers.  But, he hasn't done a thing to repair what she's been messing with in months.  Finally, yesterday, he spent a couple of hours out there fixing sprinkler heads.  Eight of them were not functioning.  That has to be at least 50% of the total.  No wonder the yard is a desert.  What will grow there, once stuff starts to get watered, will probably be weeds, but at least it will be green. 

Joe worked a little on our storage shed.  There are a lot of documents out there that need to be put through the shredder.  He brought in two small boxes......well, I guess it's better than none!  We've pretty well shredded everything we can shred from the office filing cabinets.  This year we are not printing hard copies of client returns; I'm putting everything on CD.  I'm sick of filing, storing, sorting, and shredding old returns!  Takes up way too much space.  I have to maintain copies for 7 years and that takes up a lot of file drawers! 

Tax returns are still coming in via fax, mail, express mail, and being hand carried in by clients.  I'm grateful for the money being generated, but.......I'm starting to get tired of this gig!  27 days to go.........

Alright, some pages and then I'm out of here...... 

I tried scrapping this 23 year old picture a while back and stopped because I decided I hated the kit I'd selected and the page just wasn't working. The moment I saw this kit--Beachilicious--by Deb Fisher, I knew exactly what picture I would scrap with it. BTW, you can get Beachilicious at Pickleberry Pop.

























This was taken on November 21st. My poor DD is VERY pregnant for such a little person! I learned on Thanksgiving Day that the Doc has moved the due date back from 12/10 to 12/8. So, we're down to 13 days! Grandma is so excited! I used "Gabriel" by Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed), available at ACOT.

























When we arrived at Mission Santa Barbara, this was one of the first things we saw. We were amazed to learn that this was a life-sized statue. This tiny man was responsible for the Spanish settlement of California! I used "Boheme Chic" by Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed), available at ACOT. I also used a Ready to Scrap Template #1 from Set 6 by Nina, available at NDISB.

























One just does not expect to see snow in a place where the high for about 3 months in the summer is 100+ degrees. And when snow comes, it is magical. And part of the magic is that it melts off within hours! All the beauty and magic of snow, but no shoveling and no slipping. Love it! I used Lynn Grieveson's new kit, Baby It's Cold for this page. It's available at Designer Digitals.

























All along, Jennifer has not wanted to have any "belly shots" done. I've been so disappointed.....but on Thanksgiving Day, she asked me to take this photo. Can you imagine my smile? Love DGS giving his soon-to-arrive baby brother a kiss. I used paper by Deb Fisher (recolored), bow and ribbon by Mo Jackson, swirl by Jodie Patterson.

























My soon-to-arrive grandson will, by default have his room decorated with TRUCKS! Why trucks? Because he will be sharing a room with his big brother and big brother's room is already decorated with TRUCKS! Love the cute crib set DD found. Everything here is from Amanda Rockwell's Back in Black Collection, the "Fun" kit, at Sweet Shoppe Designs. I also used a template by Nina--from her Ready to Scrap templates, set #10, at NDISB.

























Like a zillion other kids, DGS was Harry Potter for Halloween. I used Amanda Rockwell's "Fun" kit from her Back in Black Collection, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs. In the original kit, where you see purple, Amanda designed blue so I've got some color altering going on. The brads are from a kit designed by Deb Fisher. I used a Ready to Scrap Template, #3 from Set 13, by Nina, available at NDISB.

It's been a while....

Well, if today goes like so many of the days before it, the best part of the day is behind me.  That is the part where I sit in a hot tub of water and soak the soreness out of my back.  I have been dealing with back stuff for weeks and it's no fun.  I cannot get through the day without lying down for some part of it, even with muscle relaxers.  It doesn't seem as though I have a major muscle spasm going on, just a "mini" one that never stops.  I did figure out that I had switched running shoes a while back and had failed to move my orthotic.  I know that after a few months, running/walking shoes that are worn every day tend to lose their cushioning action.  So, when all this started and wouldn't stop, I thought it might be my shoes.  Besides, I'd had that knee episode around the first of February, so that seemed another indicator that it was time for different shoes.  I had a pair I'd bought and didn't like much, so, since they had very few miles on them, I pulled them out and started wearing them, expecting things to get better.  Though there's been no further problem with my knees, my back has been like one continuous toothache for weeks.  So, upon really thinking about it, I went and pulled the orthotic out of the old shoes and put it in the new.  It seems to help.  Yesterday was about the best day I've had in a while.  Of course, I'm taking mini doses of muscle relaxers--can't take a whole one or I'll be doing no work til it wears off.

I took the first dose of my Mexican generic blood pressure meds last night.  I'm very pleased.  I checked my BP about an hour ago and it was much better than it's been on the much touted US meds.  At 100 pills for $17 as compared to 60 for $44 (the US price with our disgusting insurance), I'm thrilled they are working!  And, working so well!

Financially, we are limping along.  We're having to be very careful about costs.  Joe's side of the office has picked up in volume, but they are mostly little California deals so his commissions are limited by California state laws.  He does several loan signings a week, but there are weeks when that money wouldn't even be enough to pay for groceries.  Mostly, we've existed on my tax money for the past month and a half.  I'm grateful for the money, but it comes in in small amounts and isn't enough to get us ahead of the game.  I have raised prices again, but I'm still WAY under market.  But, my clients are used to these prices and they'd fall over and need to be resuscitated if I raised my rates to market rates.  For example, I picked up a new client.  He paid $605 last year for a return that basically required the preparer to make entries on 3 forms.  There were more than 3 forms, but I know the tax program by heart and entries on those forms are made automatically.  At my rates, even the NEW and IMPROVED rates, I think the bill will be around $150.........

Talked to Jen the other day.....actually got to babysit for a little while.  She is reporting that if Jason gets enough sleep and doesn't have too much stress at work and stays away from the caffeine, the good days are starting to outnumber the bad.  Phew!  I'm so thrilled to hear that.  I have felt so bad for her and all the stuff she's had to deal with the past 10 months.  But, when God brings a man out of the hospital in 23 days who's "supposed" (according to the docs) to be there for 12-16 weeks, you just have to believe He's at work.  And, He doesn't do anything halfway.  So, the process is getting through the time from now til a completed healing is realized.  It's easy to say "just go one day at a time", but it's really hard to live that.

Jen took AJ to the doctor.  She's reached the conclusion that the little guy has a "ginormous" head.  Well, according to the doc, kind of.......  Seems he's in the 60th percentile on head size, 50th percentile on weight, and 20th percentile on height.  So, his head isn't really "ginormous"; it's just that he's short!  She keeps telling me that he looks like Jason and she sees nothing of herself in him.  Well, then, there's the "short" thing.........  In spite of all the "tall" genes in her family, she's never made it to 5'3".  And, while Jason is not a small man, he's not 6'4" either.  So, "short" seems to be the way of it, at least for now.  Atticus got his polio shot while he was at the doc's; didn't even cry!  Weird.  He's a pretty mellow baby which is a good thing.

Well, the only other thing I can think to talk about is our broken treadmill.  I am so sad about this.  I finally got my BP down to where I wouldn't be afraid to get on there, and it's about done in.  It runs for a little while, then just shuts itself off.  There's no such thing as a cool down with this treadmill......We had a repairman in to take a look at it; they wanted over $400 to put a new walking board and belt on it and then couldn't promise that would fix it.  Yeah, like we're going to do that!  Of course, this baby cost over $3000 new but we were fortunate enough to have it given to us.  Anyway, I sure am missing it.  I think, if it worked, it just might help loosen up these cranky back muscles.  And, Joe is gaining weight again which is NOT a good thing.  Lord, I need a treadmill! 

We are still enjoying the new van.  I really need to scrap a page about that--it's a really big deal in our lives--we're the folks that were both driving 10+ year old cars before this.  But we keep it garaged when Joe isn't driving it, so it's hard to get a decent photo. 

Well, I'm going to wind this down for now.  Joe went to church and is due home with all the attendant commotion that generates and I won't be able to think any more anyway.  I'll post some pages and be on my way. 

I saw this little guy when we were at the Pumpkin Patch and, fortunately, his mom didn't mind me snapping a few pictures. Isn't he a cutie? I used "Thankful", a new kit by KandA Kreations, available at NDISB. I also used a template by Nina, from set #9 of her Ready to Scrap Templates, also available at NDISB.

























DH and I have been playing tourist in our own home town. It's a great town to be a tourist--Vegas. I felt, for a little while, as if I were walking the streets of a city in Paris, even though we were really at The Paris Hotel and Casino. I used papers from the Summer Sensations mega kit by Digiscrapz. The journaling stamp is by Theresa Ferguson; the red flowers are by Deb Fisher.

























A photo of Will on the bungie jump/trampoline thingie. Is there an official name for that thing? Anyway, it's the highlight of his trip to the Pumpkin Patch each year. The guy helping the kids this year worked so hard helping Will go really high that he broke a sweat! I wasn't fast enough to catch him at the top, but DH did! Everything here is from the Adventurous Spirit Page kit by Lynn Grieveson (available TODAY at Designer Digitals) except the frame on the photo which was a freebie by Katie Pertiet. The bi-plane, pulling the banner, is by Andrea Burns. Fonts are Architext and Arial.

























Joe has been gaining weight and, despite all my nagging, would NOT workout. Finally, I shut up and started praying about it. Recently he had to put on a dress shirt and realized it was nearly impossible to button the collar around his double chins. Woohoo......He's been on the treadmill almost every morning for weeks! Who says prayer doesn't change things! Everything here is from Amanda Rockwell's new Back in Black Collection, the "Fab" kit, available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

























A photo from a couple of Christmases ago......Grandpa was burning with excitement over his role as "Santa" and Will was all heated up over his role as "Santa's helper" and his gifts. Until the bubble burst, and both collapsed into Grandpa's recliner. I used Bella Gypsy Designs (Tabatha Reed) new kit, Need a Little Christmas, available at ACOT. The doodle is by Bannerwoman.

























Will, who usually picks at his food, ate very well--I think because he was totally distracted by the rodeo, visible on the TV in the bar not far away. He was fascinated! Everything here is from Amanda Rockwell's new kit, Fresh, from her Back in Black Collection at Sweet Shoppe Designs. The photo corner is by Kim Christensen.

























I was pressed into service to take DGS to school yesterday morning. But, before we left, he HAD to show me his new bubble machine! I snapped a quick picture (you can actually see the bubbles--love that)with someone else's camera. I used Amanda Rockwell's Fresh kit from her new Back in Black Collection. The Alpha is by Paula Duncan. The ric rak (color altered) is by Michelle Bradley.