Feel like my head is spinning....

Ever feel like time is on fast forward and you can't keep up with things?  Well that is exactly how I am feeling right now.  Life never slows down and I just keep hitting things head on lol.  I've been off work for 3 months now and enjoying every minute.  It has given me a little time to regroup and decompress work wise which was well needed I must say.  So what has me going all over the place?

 

Hmm lets see, where to begin.  Yes I am still around, just have been busy.

 

My DIL had to have surgery so had to help out with 2 of the grandbabies getting them to school and back and things handled around the house for her.  My youngest daughter has had a few mild complications with the pregnancy so have been with her having more test ran, on top of trying to get them handled to move in the next few weeks.  Good news is all the other test have come back normal so we are thanking the good Lord for that but her bloodpressure is still higher than they want so we're seeing what is going on with that and the next step.  In the meantime I am interviewing for a new job position so see, lots going on and I need a vacation lol. 

So what makes me slow down and relax????

Getting to see this precious gift...this is a picture of Carson Roe.  He is 28 weeks here and we can't wait to meet this little one.

 

I've been very busy getting crafts done for his nursery so that also helps me to relax.  Here are a few things I've already finished.  Carson will not have a typical nursery.  Both his parents love the outdoors, as I'm sure if you've been following me know from my past posts, so they want to have his nursery with the outdoors theme.  Problem is you can't find things very easily so yes, guess who gets to make them....yes Nana lol.

 

Here is one of his little wall hangings.

 

 

I made him this baby powder scent candle.

 

I actually made this shelf and am very proud of myself for it :)

 

 

Well I can't show you everything right now can I so you'll have to stay tuned to see more lol.  I think it is time to just settle down for the night, clear out my brain and try to relax and get ready for my interview tomorrow.  Pretty peaceful about it as I feel I'm going in and being myself and whatever happens, happens. 

 

Have a great night and happy crafting!!

 

xo ~ Laura

 

Is it Summer yet???

Howdy!  No I promise I haven't fallen off the face of the earth but things have been hitting us left and right around here.  I think our faith is being tested but we are standing firm :)  Oh where do I begin..... well I'll try to condense it as to not bore you out of your minds.

December 24th we received a call from my youngest that her Dad (my ex) had been taken to the hospital with severe chest pains and couldn't breath so I called my two other kids and let them know and off we went to the hospital ER.  They ended up admitting him and we found out that he would have to get a triple bypass so then the emotions started flowing so into "Mom mode" I went.  Christmas Eve is the time we have all the kids and grandbabies to the house and my ex (Ron) always is invited also.  So when our plans got thrown to the side my hubby and I told the kids no worries, whenever he is out of the hospital, we will have Christmas then.  We found out he would have to get surgery in January to we ended up getting to have our Christmas December 26th.  Everyone felt very blessed to have everyone together and OK.

January 10th I was up bright and early, and I do mean early (3:00 a.m.) so that I could get ready, get my coffee going and head over to his house to pick him and all 3 kids up.  The kids wanted to be with their Dad to spend time with him and make sure he wasn't alone the night before the surgery.  Got to the house at 4:00 a.m., got everyone situated and we all piled in the van for the 50 minute drive to Seattle at Swedish Hospital.  His surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. so the kids got to see him while they were prepping him and then off we went to the waiting lounges to receive updates for the average 4 hour surgery.  Things went well and they said he was the poster child so that was good but then the first visual of him after surgery was very hard for the kids.  I don't think anything you say can even begin to prep your kids what they will be seeing, especially when they've never seen their Dad go through anything like this ever.  Well I can say he was released on Saturday, January 14th along with his "heart pillow" and over to rehab to start to heal and learn how to function totally different for a few months.  Now mind you this picture is not of his Dr. or Ron, but you can see how the pillow really looks.  This is his new best friend.

So you are probably thinking, OK that is a lot to deal with, but why may this stress someone out, being divorced and stuff now?  Well I had myself been dealing with some health issues and went into the Urgent Care on the 14th after having some kidney issues and having a harder time breathing, thinking I was fighting a chest cold.  Did the Dr. listen to me??  Nope instantly said we are treating you for cardiac, hooking you up to a EKG, giving you Nitro, pushing an IV drip and transporting you by ambulance to the ER ASAP.  I'm thinking ARE YOU SERIOUS!!!!  Well to make a long story short, I didn't have any heart issues, not sure what was going on with my kidney and it was more of a chest infection so I am fine but was told I need to bring my stress level way down and put on "home" duty for work for 2 weeks.  I just finished my first week which was actually nice.  You see, yes more stress, work has been at an all time high of stress so am ready for a change lol.

So you think OK, so things will settle down now right?  Nope...then we got hit with the hardest snow storm that the Seattle area has encountered since 1986, and on top of that an ice storm right after it.  Stuck in the house, working from home and power through all of it but 1 hours, we made it through with flying colors.

My poor maple tree.  Fortunately it made it and I didn't lose any limps, almost but got it knocked off before that happened.  I can't say some of our neighbors were as fortunately :(

A shot of our vehicles that are encased in a 1" layer of ice with snow on top of it, and another layer of ice on top of the snow.  Not fun let me tell you. 

But with all the above happening, I am feeling good and ready for some "normal" to come back into my life.  My crafting has been pretty much none this past month, other than working on a project a little and I'm almost done so hoping to have that posted soon.

So what have I learned through all this?  Be thankful for all that is around you and don't things for granite.  Enjoy your life, keep the stress level down and stay healthy.

So with that, have a wonderful rest of the weekend and happy crafting!  I'm excited to get back to reading the blogs and see what cha all are up too :)

xo ~ Laura

Sometimes you just need to step back

Howdy!!

Things have been so hectic all the way around here and I sometimes wonder why and how much more can one person take.  I had received a heartbreaking phone call last Sunday from my Mom and my stupid brother (and trust me I'm being nice) destroyed my Dad's pickup that he had promised to my son, had hit her in the head because he was angry (and drunk) and then stole her car after the cops brought him home!!  The truck is older so it doesn't take much to total it and it only had liability on it so no help there to get it fixed.  It is the sentimental part you can't replace :(  Can you tell me why they didn't arrest him????  Arggggg!!!

So working fulltime, I then come home and have to make sure my Mom is OK.  I went down to where she lives at the house on Monday and we filed a no contact order on him so she is safe for now and we go to court on the 19th.  It makes it hard when she is 2 hours away and will not move out of the house again.  I mean seriously....on the 1 year mark of losing Dad he has to pull this crap too?  I'm exhausted ...... so on a happier note, my youngest daughter said Mom we are going to go out, have fun and have a wonderful lunch and maybe a glass of wine to get you away from all this and to get you to relax.  That was the BEST idea yet so I will take you on our little journey out today which helped me all the way around :)

First stop, the Premium Outlet Mall.  Wow... I haven't been there in so many years and let me tell you, we went into everyone store that was there lol!!



I have found many new favorite stores now.  Yup got some shopping done today and even got the boys some Christmas treats with white chocolate lol.

But then if I brought these home, the hubby would say hey!!!  What about me???  Why do they get chocolate and I don't?  So of course the loving wife that I am got him this.  Get ready...this is so yummy!!  A German Chocolate Caramel Apple :)

Next stop, off to Snoqualmie Falls.  This has a very special meaning to me.  It is a beautiful place and although the weather wasn't the greatest today, I didn't care.  Here is the picture I took when going into the lodge.

 This is the lodge itself.  There is a wonderful gift shop inside with so many fun things to look at, a warm fireplace as you entered and it is all decorated in Christmas decor.  So warm and inviting!!  So you may wonder well why is this place so important to me???  Well the lodge itself has been around for a long long time and they expanded and built an entire new portion to the lodge while also remodeling the old lodge.  So you may be thinking OK????  Well this was one of the last jobs that my Dad actually worked on before he retired so it was like I was being surrounded by him today. 

 The beautiful decorations outside :)

Carissa and I had the best lunch.  We ate in "The Attic" and were sitting right next to this....

And we had lots and lots of laughs, memories of Dad and just plain bonding time.

We had the most amazing appetizer.....dungeness crab and articoke dip with freshly made foccasia bread....amazing!!!!

And Carissa had a pulled pork sandwich and I had the signature bacon cheeseburger!

So good times, a lot of stress release while making more special memories.  We got home and the hubby was happy too as he got the benefits of leftovers lol....oh plus his apple. 

Sometimes I just need to be reminded to stop and take a step back and breath.  Things will work out as they should and I am blessed to have such wonderful friends and family who are always there to help remind me.  Love you all :)

So obviously I haven't had a lot of time to work on crafts but wanted to let you know I am alive and kicking and I will be working on some soon.

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend and happy crafting!!

Hugs......Laura

Memory Exploding Box

First off, I would like to say we are taking the day remembering all those that lost their lives 10 years ago today during the attack on the United States.  My heart and prayers still go out to all the family and loved ones who lost someone that day.   Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all those that serve and have served to protect us from such evil.  God bless all of you!

I hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend and taking the time to spend with family and friends, making memories and enjoying the freedom that we have.  I have been working on some very special gifts to our friends that just lost their sweet baby boy a few days ago.  I wanted to do something special to help them to be able to look at memories that they did get to cherish in his short 3 months here on earth so I decided to do an exploding photo box for them.

I am working on a few more special gifts for some of the other family members.  I know how important it was to me to have something to look at, touch and remember with when losing Dad and am hoping that this brings them some comfort. 

Have a wonderful day and happy crafting!

xo ~ Laura

Still having issues with my computer :(

Hello!  Just thought I would post something quick as I am still having some major issues with my home computer but the hubby is coming to the rescue today to get it all better this weekend!  We need it done as we are taking it on our vacation which we are leaving on Thursday for to warm and sunny Indio, CA!  I can't wait as it looks like our weather here will start getting much cooler by the time we leave.  Thank goodness I have my work computer though or I'd be jonesin lol.

I've been working on some projects but haven't loaded my pictures until my home computer gets fixed so you'll have to wait for those :)  Also have been busy with work and trying to get the house in order before Carissa and Brandon come over while we're gone to stay here and watch the dogs.  So much to do, so little time lol.

I do have some very sad news that I am passing on as I have posted a few times about my friends baby.  Unfortunately little Gavin passed away on 9/8 after his little battle with his heart.  We are all heart broken as he had made such progress and Shannon and Shaun had actually gotten to take him home on August 30th.  His little heart just couldn't hold out until they got him a transplant.  I would ask one more time that you keep the family in your prayers as they are just distraught about losing this precious angel :(

 Sweet Macie with her little brother.

 Precious angel himself, Gavin Jack Parthemer

Shannon, Macie, Shaun and Gavin.  A family picture they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

Rest in peace our little precious angel,

Gavin Jack Parthemer

6/14/2011 - 9/8/2011

Such a short time here on earth but touched so many hearts and lifes.  We will miss you and you will forever be in our hearts.

xo ~ Laura

The little things that matter in life

Can't believe it is Monday again already!!  There must be something in the air as everyone keeps asking me what I am taking because I have been in a great mood lately!!  I said just taking things in and enjoying life.  Even to the smallest details and that is what matters in life.  There are so many tiny miracles that surround us everyday that sometimes we forget to stop and take a look around.  You know what.....it is contagious!!  :)  Well our vacation is coming up in 17 days also so that may have something to do with it too ;-)

Anywho....wasn't able to do much today as I had to work and it was my middle granddaughter's birthday and also my SIL so went home to let the dogs out and get them fed, then off to the party.  I did get a few things done this evening though so I will share.  Remember.....it is the little things ;-)

I found these cute storage containers at the Dollar Store and could not pass them up.  I always need little containers for so many things and I love that some of these have slots too!  They come flat and very easy to put together so now I will have to figure out where I am going to use them at.

Put up a little saying on our backdoor....the picture turned out strange as the door looks curved to me but I swear it isn't and it is straight lol.

Stopped to take a look up in the sky as occasionally that is my real quiet time and especially when I am missing Dad.  The weather was strange today.  It got up to 87 degrees and was sunny for awhile, then clouds rolled in but still the same temp.  Strangest weather I've seen in all my 50+ years lol.

 These are some pencil pouches I picked up and wanted to personalize for the grandbabies.  I still have 2 more to pick up but they didn't have the colors I wanted but all 6 of the kids will have their own this year, all fit to their personalities and color likes :)

 Birthday present wrapped and all pretty for the birthday girl and the last touch to her present are the cutest lollipops I've seen in awhile :)

Think it was a productive day all the way around :)  Have a wonderful evening and happy crafting!!

xo ~ Laura

Merry Go Rounds

Happy Humpday!!  Whew....do you ever feel like you're on a merry go round and things just don't stop but you want to get off?????  Well that is exactly how I feel right now lol.  It has been crazy at work and the stress levels are off the charts due to a lot of changes going on.  How long will this continue????  It may end sooner than later due to these changes but we'll see so in the meantime I decided I wanted to get off and slow down some.  So what did I decide to do???  Well I'll give you a quick hint lol.

Yup.....I decided to surprise my hubby for our 12th anniversary in September and we're flying off to Indio California!!!  This is one of our timeshares and we'll be spending 4 nights here in warmth and sunshine and couldn't be more excited!!  After all that has been happening this past year I decided no more putting off traveling so this is the start to rejuvinating again :)

So other than being busy at work, I have been doing a few small projects when I get home to unwind a little.  This was something very special to me that I found when I was down at Mom and Dad's house a few weeks ago getting the house back in order for Mom.  I found my Dad's and Grandpa's Army papers!!  So I wanted to bring them home and frame them and will also put Dad's Veteran's flag with them.  These are very special and I cherish them.  I know it may not be very exciting for you but during Dad's last 6 month's of life, we had many many chats about his army days and what all he did.  With seeing the actual certified military papers with his signatures, his memories of our chats mean even more :)

I will be framing them and finding a special place in the house for all of these.  Oh man I miss him so much.  On August 4th, he would have turned 84 so my goal is to have this done by then in honor of him.  I can't believe it has been 8 months already since he passed.  I don't think that void will ever be filled in my heart.

I found a temporary fix for my cleaning supplies in our master bathroom.  This at least makes them blend in more with some of my new items lol.  I had this crate and it was actually red and sitting outside on my porch so I decided to give it a few coats of paint, let the red bleed through some to give it the older look at it turned out pretty good :)

What's next on my agenda???  Another redo lol.  Stay tuned!!

Have a wonderful evening and rest of the week!!  Happy Crafting :)

xo ~ Laura