Enough Already

It's a cloudy Saturday.  I love cloudy days.  This summer being an exception, they are very rare in these parts.  And even rarer still... it's not hot outside.  Very humid but definitely not hot.  That's pretty special.

Mom's coming home from the hospital today.  This wraps up her 8th stay in 18 months.  Still fighting that diabetic ankle wound, although the vein doctor gave us some hope for healing yesterday, thank God.  I made a simple page about all of mom's hospital visits lately and my feelings about her whole diabetes/health situation. The journaling is hidden behind the photo, and I kept the layout very under-embellished on purpose.  There's really nothing pretty about what's been going on, nothing to beautify, but it still felt right making this page.  If scrapbooking is about documenting real life, then this is real and honest. Life isn't always made up of birthday parties and visits to the beach, right?

Thanks.  I'm off to enjoy this lovely gray day - a donation drop off to Good Will, a hair appointment, and bringing mom home.

Last Day

Not that this has been a summer I'm sad to see end, but this is my last official day of vacation.  Tomorrow it's back to my classroom...arranging desks, hanging new posters, prepping for Open House, and laying out new, exciting lesson plans to begin the year.  I love the rhythm of school years. I've been in this groove all my life, first as a student and now as a teacher, and I still get that same thrill, that same quickening of the pulse, when I think about new school supplies and fresh white board markers :)  I guess I'm in the right line of work...

All this doesn't mean, however, that I don't love me some vacation.  Believe me, I savor these no-alarm mornings and pjs-on-the-couch afternoons.  And to celebrate this final summer day, I slept until 9, then proceeded to plop on my sofa in said pajamas and am now leisurely surfing the inspiring internet.  I found some cute crafting tape on a site called, well, cutetape.  They carry washi tape, other tapes, rubber stamps, stickers, and all your stationery needs.  I've fallen in love with this stamp set in particular.  Blame it on the doilies.

http://www.cutetape.com/shop/margaret-stamp-set-bird-cage-lace-key.html

And I discovered some new music from a group called The Temper Trap.  Kinda diggin it.  Hopefully the rest of my day with be just a lazy and enjoyable, and I wish you the same.  I'm thinking pedicure....

Favorite

So I never got back to the details on the baby banner.  Oh well... I'm over it :P  I've been scrapping like a mad woman; summer break is almost over and I'm feeling this push to cram in as much creative time as I can before going back to work. But today's layout is by far my favorite of the summer.

I've been feeling the love for my parents lately.  I mean, I feel it all the time, but sometimes all the care taking can get in the way of *loving* them, enjoying their company, having real conversations, laughing together.  I did a good job making today about the love. Feels good.

Baby Fever

Today was a lazy, crafty sort of day.  Gotta love those.  I spent the afternoon making a sweet little banner.  Since we can't really start the nursery yet (which is killin' me!), this was the next best thing.  These pics stink - I'll take better ones tomorrow when the sun is up  and post 'em along with all the deets on products. :)  But I love how it turned out so much I can't wait another second to share it!

Ssshhh

Nap time = scrap time.  Thanks for making it last almost 2 hours, Joel. :)

Whipped together a little Target love layout.  Forget time.. spending money heals all wounds.

Weather

There's thunder and lightning outside!  Actual weather besides skin-crisping, sole-melting heat!!  We're praying there will actually be rain that reaches the ground.  Keep your fingers crossed...

Speaking of weather, I created this mostly-October Afternoon layout today.  We took these pics in late December, after seeing countless snow play layouts on twopeas and other scrappy blogs.  I was jealous of all the snow angels and snowmen and other wintery delights, while we in Mesa, AZ  were experiencing our typical winter weather - 70 degrees and sunny.  Always sunny.... So Shanni had this great idea to build a "no-snow"man, scarf, carrot nose and all.  I had to snap these shots, and I finally got around to crafting a project with them today.  Too funny!

Our Second Glimpse

We had our third ultrasound last week, so I was able to scrap the printouts from our second at 9.5 weeks.  This little growing baby is the bright spot for both of us during one of the toughest summers ever.  We love you, Bean!

My Home

Do you ever stop and really think about the person or people who make your life whole?  The ones who love you no matter what, the ones who ground you when the winds of a shit storm are threatening to carry you away? When sadness and worry and frustration surround you, the one whose smile can fix it?  And even when those wicked winds rip and snort through everything, you still feel safe and warm and hopeful because that person is by your side?  I keep thinking about her today, so I made this.

No More Pain

Last night, I had a crazy dream.
A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything.
I didn't ask for money, or a mansion in Malibu,
I simply wished for one more day with you.


One more day, one more time,
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again I know what it would do,
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.


First thing I'd do is pray for time to crawl.
I'd unplug the telephone, keep the tv off.
I'd hold you every second, say a million 'I love you's'
That's what I'd do with one more day with you.


One more day, one more time,
One more sunset, maybe I'd be satisfied.
But then again I know what it would do,
Leave me wishing still for one more day with you.
 
                                                 -Diamond Rio

We will love and miss you forever, sweet black kitty.

Summer Stress

It's summertime, and I'm an elementary school teacher.  This is supposed to be the most wonderful time of *my* year.  But in reality, my summers always seem to suck.  Hard.  Two years ago, mom had her first bout with the MRSA and a pick line... 12 weeks of daily antibiotic infusions.  Last year, I flipped out and broke Shanni's heart... long recovery.  This year, Minerva was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma... healthy one day, terminal the next.  Right now she's doing ok... cuddly, social, but definitely not herself and needing lots of special care with feeding and the litterbox.  We'll see.  And I am nannying (is that a verb?) for my friends/neighbors across the street three days a week.  I adore their son, and when they asked me I didn't hesitate for a moment before signing up.  But it's 60 hours a week, including sleepless overnights.  It is exhausting and stressful and boring.  Don't get me wrong, we play and run errands and swim and wrestle and eat and stroll and generally have a great time together.  But when he's not awake, there's nothing really to do because I'm not at home (and he won't sleep here. Tried that.)   And at night, I can't sleep for anything... between the quiet buzz of the monitor, the worry that he's going to wake up, and the uncomfortable couch (which is somewhat less uncomfortable than the guest bed)... I am not sleeping at all.  Overall, not the summer I was hoping for.  But I should know better by now :P

Anyway...enough whining.  I've been trying to pack my Monday and Friday as full of creating as possible.  Here's what I've got this week. 

A pretty little Michael's frame I made to show off our ultrasound pictures.  They deserved something a little nicer than the front of the fridge. :)

A Zach and Kenzie layout.  They've been in Utah for the past 3 weeks and I'm missing them like crazy.  But they should be with us Friday. Hooray!

That's all for now.  I have a special Thursday off, thanks to a long holiday weekend, and I'm going to enjoy it!