Another Seizure

Clayton had another seizure on Saturday night. These wouldn't be bad except that the particular type of seizure he keeps having is totally effecting his breathing. As in he DOESN'T breathe. It's scary, scary, scary. Honestly he looks dead. His eyes are fixed and his chest is not moving. This lasted for at least 20 minutes the other night, probably more. He didn't start breathing until we were almost to the hospital. We were lucky that the EMS and paramedic units that responded were the exact same people that came a couple of months ago. I hope we don't get to know them too well.

He started seizure medicine today. They all have side effects, but this one has the least harmful--just behavioral side effects. Let's pray we see no changes. Other than that, he's his normal cheerful self. Flirting with the nurses and saying hey to everyone we pass during our wagon rides. We should go home tomorrow or Wednesday, I so hope we can get back to "normal" soon.

Thank you to everyone who is praying--please continue to pray for no side effects and no seizures. We appreciate all the love and support we receive.

Concert Tonight

Tonight, Brian and I are going to the Soul2Soul tour by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. I'm sure it will be great, but I'm not as big a fan of them as I used to be. It seems like the more famous they get, the more "Hollywood" they get. I don't know . . .I guess they have to lead a different life since they are so famous. I am excited as I'm mainly looking forward to a night out!

Exciting Stuff in the Making

But I can't tell yet! Just doing some research as of now--trying to get some information about doing something in Little Rock for scrapbookers in and around Arkansas. Lisa (from the LSS) called me this morning with the brainstorm, and of course my little mind has been working overtime ever since. We'll see what comes of it--I'm just putting my feelers out right now. For some reason she thinks I have connections in the scrapbooking world, but I've got her majorly fooled! Anyway, Clayton has the day off today and my student isn't coming for tutoring today, so we are just enjoying a lazy day. Very nice indeed.

Celebrating Nine Years of Marriage

Today is our ninth anniversary. Wow. Doesn't seem like we're old enough to be married nine years! I still can't believe that when I went to work in Yellowstone National Park, I would eventually bring home the man I would marry. Totally out there when compared to the conservative person that I've become today. God knew what he was doing when he gave me the guts to step out on my own.

Brian and I met on our first day of work in the park (May 25, 1996). We instantly became friends and ended up spending all of our time off together. All the guys made fun of Brian because he was spending so much time with me. He even called his mom and told her he had met someone and he was "going to win her heart." Aww. So sweet. By the end of the summer, we knew we were more than just friends. Fireworks went off the first time we kissed . . .I knew he was the one for me at that moment. He eventually came home with me to meet my parents and friends. We ended up flying back and forth from Arkansas to Florida for several months. On December 28, he asked me to marry him while sitting on the beach. He was nervous, and I was too because I could feel what was coming! Brian moved to Arkansas the next May and we got married July 25, 1997. Had to be the hottest day on record--we were all sweltering! That's all most people remember about our wedding! At any rate, it's been an eventful nine years and although we are as different as night and day, we make a good pair. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with him. :)

Wishlist from CHA

For scrapbookers, CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) shows are a lot like Christmas. We just can't wait to see all the new product and REALLY can't wait to get our hands on some of it! I'm really looking forward to getting some new Three Bugs in a Rug paper, some Maya Road chipboard, and some more Prima flowers. I've also eyed these particular products. The first is all of the papers from a new company, Cosmo Cricket. I really hope I can find this soon because I love the distressed look of these papers. And along those same lines, I'm still lovin' the Crate paper because it has the same look. And of course I'll have to get some more BasicGrey--can never have enough of that stuff. And because I'm an alphabet junky, I really NEED all of Heidi Swapp's new rubons. Let's hope some online stores get these products in soon--I'll be ready to buy!

Friday Night and I'm Blogging . . .

Yeah, I have no life. Oh well, I am getting some scrapping done while Brian entertains Clayton with the guitar. I thought I would finish up the blog challenge from Chelsea. Here are the other questions:

2. Tell me one person you admire as a scrapper/artist and why. Heidi Swapp. She was just a regular scrapper who worked her way up and eventually got her own products. Oh, to have my own product line . . . :)

3. What is one thing you've never tried on a layout or project that you'd like to try? painting directly on the page, maybe behind a title or as a border on a pic.

4. What is your favorite time of year to scrap and why? I like scrapping moments more than events. But if I had to pick an event, I would pick birthdays.

5. List 2 other people's scrappy blogs that you enjoy reading and post a link to them!! Monique McLean and Heidi Swapp

Step Up Your Scrapbooking with Chipboard

My class was a success last night. WAY better than the last one! I felt so good when I left . . .I had a great group--many of my friends, and they were excited about learning something new. Since we focused on chipboard, we completed three layouts with chipboard accents. I used the Ellison to cut these shapes out of chipboard--VERY cheap--VERY FREE!! The first layout we did was very simple--simply painting the balloons and attaching them to the page.

The second layout we did was a little more involved. We painted the chipboard letters and stars. Then we sanded and inked them for a rougher look.

For the last layout, we covered the big chipboard flowers with patterned papaer and then sanded and inked the edges. I used the title "Summer Fun" simply because I couldn't think of anything else. They chose the title they wanted and stamped it on the page, then outlined it to help it pop off the page. I kept the page pretty simple as I wanted to keep the focus on the chipboard.

I was just so glad it went better than last time. I approached it totally different--I did it MY way instead of copying someone else's method. I had kits for each student already made up, including step by step directions. We worked together, but they were able to work ahead if they wanted. (The other teacher lets them gather supplies and basically work on their own). I think I found my nitch. Next time I'll focus on using ribbon . . .I just have to figure out what were going to do with it!!

Origin of I NEVER IMAGINED

As part of a blog challenge from my friend Chelsea at CMK, I will fill you in on where the name of my blog came from. It comes from the name of the album I did for the BasicGrey Be Bold Album Contest. I created my "boldest album yet" and title it I Never Imagined. This is the intro page and if you would like to see the rest, you can visit my gallery at ScrapJazz and look for the pages that are labeled "Be Bold." It's kind of weird in the gallery, the pages are actually listed backwards, but they are clearly labeled if you want to read them in order. You will have to scroll down to the bottom of each page to read the journaling.

I wish I could get a better looking banner for my blog, but I'm waiting for just the right photo of me, Clayton and Brian. Until then, I suppose the blog thing is still just a work in progress.

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I spent the evening getting everything ready for my class. I think I finally got everything together except for the handout, which I will work on tomorrow while Clayton's therapists are here. I'll post the pages we will be working on tomorrow. See ya then . . . .

Band Performance and Other Stuff

Well, after LOTS of soap opera stuff going on in our band, one member officially quit for good today. We had to sing at church tonight and after a quick practice before the service, I have to say that we did pretty dang good. :) I think that we are finally going to be able to move on and work harder now that some things have been settled. I think we all felt better after we did so well tonight, at least I know I did.

Meanwhile, things are quiet on the homefront. We've had a pretty uneventful weekend. I've been working my tail off trying to get ready for my class Tuesday night. Some of my friends are coming, so I want it to be good. I still have to wait until tomorrow to get their kits ready, so I'm kind of in a holding position until I know exactly how many people signed up. I'll have to run to the LSS in between Clayton's therapy and my tutoring session and I'm hoping I don't run out of time--it will be a race to try and get everything accomplished before my student gets here. I'll be checking back in after that. Have a great Monday everyone!

More Swimming Pics

I never pass up a chance to show off my little guy, so I just had to post these pics from our swimming trip today. He absolutely loves the water!

And although I usually don't post pics of my friends' kids, I couldn't help but share this one of Larson giving Clayton a hug. Larson is always all over Clayton and Clayton just doesn't know what to think! I think it's so cute!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Grab a Tissue, or Maybe the Whole Box

One of Clayton's therapists sent me this. You will definitely need a kleenex or two. Read the story first, then watch the video. Talk about inspiring . . .

We Needed a Professional

Thursday is my Grandfather's birthday, so we got together yesterday for a little potluck dinner in his honor. My Granddad wanted me to take pictures of each family and then get one of the whole family. Can I just say that WE NEEDED A PROFESSIONAL! I had originally wanted to do all the pictures outside, but it was raining. Granddad suggested in front of the fireplace, but we've had our pictures taken there about a gazillion times, so I wanted a change of scenery. I ended up taking each family's pic on the staircase and then for the big group pic, their neighbor came over to help out. None of the pics were completely in focus and as you can see we didn't have cooperative children. This pic was the best we could get. I so wish that we could get some "real" pics done, where we are all dressed nice and in complementary clothing--but for now, I suppose this will have to do.

At any rate, this is my father's side of the family. My grandparents in the middle back row, my dad and mom on the right and my uncle and his wife on the left. My brother and his wife behind me and Brian, and my cousins and their spouses on the left. And the great-grandkids are scattered about. I wish we could have been better at placement, but that's just the budding photographer in me. My grandparents will probably love it just because they love all of us!

Today Was a Good Day

I had a really good day today. And it started out good last night--I happened to check ScrapJazz after midnight last night and was VERY surprised to see that my layout Sweet Baby Girl had been chosen for Layout of the Day. Since I got LOTD not too long ago, I never dreamed another layout would be chosen so soon or even at all. And the really weird thing about that layout was it was a complete redo! I had originally done it using Imagination Project papers, but it just didn't look right to me. I had been saving those Wild Asparagus papers for something special, so I decided those photos of Whitney were just perfect. Turns out I was right. :)

So the day got even better when we went swimming at our friends' house. Last year Clayton enjoyed the water so much, but we never could get him to kick or splash--he was always as stiff as a board. But today was different--he kicked so much that he was able to move his little floatie all by himself. Finally self-propelled!!!!! I so hope he will transfer that skill to the walker and start taking more steps on dry ground. Here are a few snapshots from the day:

In the last two, he was completely pooped out. I love the last one especially because this is what he does instead of sucking his thumb. He just holds his hand to his mouth and sucks on his tounge as if he had a pacifier (he gags on actual pacifiers).

He's got a little red nose now--so cute because he could use some color (just like his Momma in that area)!! Definitely can't complain about such a good day.

Mommy Time

Clayton has been unusually whiney lately. And for once, he wants me over Daddy! I just guess with all the festivities of the holiday weekend, he was a little over stimulated and missed out on a lot of Mommy Time. He spent the night with my parents Friday night and spent most of the day Saturday with them. Then on Sunday, Brian and Clayton went to a birthday get together for my cousin and his son while I went to choir practice and church. So by Monday he was already feeling it--he cried when his OT got here. First time he's cried for me (MOMMA!) in a long time. He actually ended up throwing a pretty big fit. Couldn't help but smile as he usually saves those for Daddy. We spent almost all day Tuesday at my parents with their company, so he didn't really get in good quality time with me then either. So by Tuesday night, he was just one big whiney booboo! And he was that way all day yesterday too. He just wanted to sit and stare at me. Even last night he was all about me instead of Daddy--major change there! I'm definitely going to soak it up while it lasts, because I'm sure he'll be back to his old self soon enough.

Mom's Cookin'

Okay, if you've read this blog for very long, you probably know by now that I love to eat at my Mom's. She's knows I'm a picky eater, yet I always seem to find something I like at her house. And everyone finds it amazing that I grew up in her house and I still don't know how to cook well. The lessons just never took--and it all comes back to the picky thing. I just can't stand looking at certain foods while cooking them! (Especially raw meat--YUCK!)

So yesterday's menu had several things that were right up my alley. It was just a good ole' American meal to help us celebrate the Fourth of July. Here's what we had:

Smoked chicken (my dad's contribution)

Fresh purple hull peas

Fresh corn

Scalloped potatoes

Fresh cucumbers

Fresh tomatoes

Fresh peppers wrapped in cheese and bacon

Yummy cornbread

Garlic bread

Blueberry/Strawberry cake

Chocolate Brownies

It was so good and we were all FULL when we left the table. I stuck with my favorites, and Brian had to pull the chicken off the bone for me. Yes, that's one of those quirks I have: no eating meat off the bone . . . .issues I know.

Of course after we ate, we all had to find a place for a short nap. I'm tellin' ya, we throw quite the party!

Feels Good to be Free

As we celebrate Independence Day, I wanted to say how blessed I feel to have been born in the United States of America. It feels so good to know that I can worship my God freely and without risk of persecution. I am also so thankful that I have never witnessed war in my own backyard. Thank you to all the military families {past and present} who make this way of life possible for us. I can't imagine the sacrifices and stresses you have had to endure. I am so grateful for all the men and women who have fought and fight now for this country.

Have a wonderful holiday everyone! It's going to be an EXTRA hot one here--we plan to enjoy a cookout at my parents' house and maybe do some swimming at some friends' of ours. Happy Fourth of July!

(The photo is courtesy of my friend Yolanda Williams. She took this while we were doing some shopping in the Birmingham Mall).