So Glad to be Home!

The trip to Nashville was wonderful, but I'm such a homebody that I was sooo glad to be at home last night! We didn't get too many pics of the family because as you can tell by this one, Clayton was on a "smiling for the camera" strike . . . he's getting independent like that!! But I did want to share it because after all, it is a moment in our lives captured forever, right? The hotel was absolutely beautiful, and I've got several pics of the garden conservatory that I'll be sharing soon. I was pretty proud of myself because with Brian's help I shot several things strictly on Av mode---slowly but surely I'm learning more and more about that camera and photography in general. But it takes so much practice, I really need to be shooting pictures every single day to actually get the hang of it.

So many of you are on me about sharing my projects so I'll share my favorite first. The class was taught be Vanessa Hudson and it's the one that I had my greatest AHA! moment in. She had one of those ideas that you just say to yourself "why didn't I think of that?" We used albums from Pioneer that are made to hold 4 x 6 photos. We basically made title pages for each section of photographs and then cut them in half so they would fit in the 4 x 6 slots! These particular albums have a spot on the left side of the photos for small journaling blurbs so you can still add commentary as you would on a layout. The photos we used were of just ordinary, everyday life, but she also showed us examples of other ways to use this idea. She had all of her Disney pics in an album with different sections, each one with it's own "scrapped" title page. She talked about how she still scraps certain pics, but she has all of them in one place for just regular viewing. Now I know what to do with all of these vacation pics that I don't necessarily want to scrap an entire layout for, but I do want to do something "cute" with them! And all the lake pictures too! Now, see? Aren't you kicking yourself for not thinking of this before now?? I love the idea simply because the pics are scrapbooked in a way (and even have some journaling), but I didn't have to do a whole mini-album of layouts to get the job done. Adding a little something more than just throwing them in an album by themselves if you know what I mean . . . and I know you other scrapbookers out there know what I mean!! We feel like we have to scrap every single picture from now until doomsday, and that it's some kind of scrapbook sin to put them in an album alone with no journaling or embellishments--this method allows for a combination of both!

So here's my album (Vanessa's design)--all the diecuts are from AccuCut (I'm thinking I NEEEEEED one of these!). I had all my pics printed in black and white because I wasn't sure how they would be used, but I'm thinking I'll slowly replace them with their color counterparts since I see the overall design now. I'm pretty darn proud of the little thing--I've already got it sitting on my coffee table!

Home: pictures of and around the house

Whatcha Up To?: random snapshots of the family doing what they do

What's For Dinner?: what we eat

On the Go: places we go

For the Love of Everything: things that I love! (gotta make it my scrapbook, right???)

Scrap Lightnin'!

Well, I said I was gonna get something done at this Event, and boy am I working my rear off living up to that! I feel like I've been speed scrapping all day--and I'm very glad my group had the night off so I could rest up for tomorrow! I normally scrap soooo slooooow, and I have to spread out everywhere--to all flat surfaces within reach. And here, we are crammed in on top of each other and racing to get major projects done in under two hours. New for me, but I'm lovin' the finished products! Can't wait to get them home to share with you all! I already have THREE, count 'em THREE, albums almost done!!!

Greetings from Nashville!

**Wasn't a fan of downtown Nashville--I think it was a combination of the cold and the less than user friendly parking!!

**Opryland is the swankiest place I've ever been!

**You eat a lot here, but you walk it off getting back to your room! The bellman said that the employees walk an average of 12 MILES a day. TWELVE MILES!

**The Grand Ole Opry was awesome! Our seats were on the fourth row and Martina McBride was the headliner. She was just as great as I had imagined!!

**Wish I could upload some of my pics but I can't figure it out on this laptop, so you'll have to wait!

**I'll check in later this week to give you news on the actual Scrap Etc. Event!

Triumph Soccer

So I talked to one of the P.T.'s at the clinic a while back and she told me all about a program a therapy student had started last year: Triumph Soccer. No matter your level of ability, you are welcome to play in this "league." They have four practices and one game! Today was the first practice and it was quite interesting to say the least! Each child is assigned a buddy (usually a therapist at the clinic or a therapy student), and in Clayton's case, he had THREE buddies! Of course he was loving the attention! He was in his walker while they played Simon Says and Red Light, Green Light, and then got in his chair for the "scrimmage." He did okay considering there were 100 mile an hour winds the whole time--it was freezing out there! He eventually kicked the ball on his own two or three times, so I'm hoping by gameday he'll have a better idea of what's going on! He was too darn worried about all the other kids and their walkers to pay attention to what he was supposed to be doing--which is the same problem he has at the clinic! And of course here are the pics. You should be able to click on them to enlarge them for better viewing.

Thursday

**I'm so sick of the rain and storms! I need to get outside and enjoy some fresh air!

**Revival starts tomorrow, lasts all weekend. I'll go tomorrow night for praise team, but otherwise I'm getting ready for my trip.

**My hair is driving me crazy. I'm letting it grow out a bit and between that and the humid air, it's all over the place.

**My flower beds need to be remulched.

I think that's it for random thoughts today!

Almost Ready

I've spent the last couple of weeks scrambling to get ready for my big trip to Nashville for the Scrap Etc. Event. Monique has been emailing us homework since September, but of course I waited until the last minute to get all of mine done. I've taken a ton of pics and finally got them all in from scrapbookpictures.com just a couple of days ago. I'm bound and determined to leave with some finished projects this year. I usually go to these things without any pics and put the project together, bring it home, and never get the pics on, so they sit unfinished. Hopefully not this time!

Clayton is doing better--he has been on 1 1/2 liters for the last few days and sleeping on 2 liters. Still not his baseline, but definitely an improvement. Thank you so much for the prayers and concerns you've shared on his behalf!

Think Outside the Box

Well, now that the crisis has been averted and Clayton seems to already be doing better, I'll do my obligatory complaint post. I'm just totally irked that the pulmonologists were content to send Clayton home and told me to "keep doing what you're doing." It's like since nothing was wrong with his lungs, they were done with him. Something was obviously wrong with him, and what I was doing was obviously not helping, so why in the world would a doctor be content with that? The ER doctors were the same way. They just wanted to put the blame on Clayton's sleep and wanted Dr. Lyle to take care of the problem. I'm all for Dr. Lyle taking care of the problem, but why would you want to send a child home that was obviously in some kind of distress? And when I asked for prescriptions, the resident said they don't like to write prescriptions in the ER because they can't follow up on them. YOU CANNOT TELL ME that they don't ever write prescriptions in the ER! You know they do! Clayton is so far past those residents that they don't even want to touch trying to diagnose him. It's the same old thing we've dealt with for the last couple of years. The doctors/nurses/underlings are taught to think a certain way. And that way works fine for "normal" kids. But Clayton DOES NOT fit into the mold. He has to be looked at differently, and what affects most people one way affects him totally differently. Including a cold/allergy problem. He has always had trouble with colds simply because his upper airway gets congested easily and keeps oxygen from getting to his lungs. And if his lungs are clear and healthy, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that maybe his upper airway is the problem! Just because other kids aren't like this doesn't mean he isn't! So thank goodness for the Medical Home Clinic and Dr. Rob Lyle! They are completely dedicated to making a difference for these kids that have multiple problems. I'm so glad I have them to depend on--they never act bothered by my endless calls and they are just as anxious to get Clayton well as I am.

Dr. Lyle has become my go-to guy on just about everything (poor guy!). He has been there since the beginning, was there for both Clayton and Shawn. He doesn't mind listening to me and Brian ramble about our theories and takes our opinions to heart. Nice change from most of the medical staff we deal with!! He was totally ready to GET CLAYTON WELL yesterday. Started prescribing stuff and even called today to check on him. So THANK YOU, Dr. Lyle if you are reading this. I brag on you to everyone and I only hope the hosptial knows what kind of treasure they have in the dedicated doctor you are. Thank you for being willing to think outside the box when it comes to Clayton and all the other kids in "medical homes!"

The Past 24 Hours

**good day yesterday with Clayton's therapy.

**he went to sleep at my mom's last night and woke up not looking good.

**kinda blue when I brought him home, pasty at best.

**called doc, went to ER. stayed until 3 am. nothing wrong with his lungs that they can see.

**saw doc today and we have a new game plan because his lungs look "really healthy"----he has always had upper airway obstructions, so we're thinking with that plus all the mucus that this cold is producing is preventing oxygen from getting to his lungs. he's had this problem before, but not for a couple of years. he's even had some scar tissue and his uvala removed (the hangy down thingy in your throat) to give him more airway. Trying nosesprays and Zyrtec to see if he can get dried up.

**I feel much better because we are actually trying something new. The other was obviously not working, especially since the breathing treatments are meant to treat sick lungs, which he obviously doesn't have.


That is all. I'm going to eat something and take a nap.

A Couple of Ordinary Days

We've had a couple of uneventful days around here--which is good in my book! Yesterday was beautiful (a little windy, but that kept it from getting too hot). Clayton and I sat outside for a long time hoping we'd get some sun on our white legs. Don't think we had any luck! The dog is always interesting. She is constantly wanting to go outside and then when we actually go outside for a while, she stands by the door wanting to go in. What's up with that???

And in true Arkansas fashion, today was almost cold. We actually walked around the block and my hands were pretty darn chilled afterwards--don't worry, it was a short walk and I had Clayton bundled up. He didn't seem to mind at all because once we got back he talked for an hour about riding on the four wheeler. I'm not about to try that on my own, so I loaded him up in the van for a ride around town. I'm sure I raised a few eyebrows because I decided it would be a good time to get some pictures I need for my upcoming Scrap Etc. trip. We are supposed to take pics of "places we go," so I pulled up in front of several places and stuck my camera out the window to snap the picture. I even drove by our old apartment and snapped a pic there for a future scrapbook page. I'm sure some people were wondering why I was taking pics of their house or place of business. Oh well, maybe they'll think I was a private eye or something! There is one thing that this assignment made me realize--we don't GO very many places!! Just the same ones over and over!

Clayton is still the same--it's pretty weird because one of the nurses we deal with all the time called and said she had another mom call her today with the same "symptoms" or lack thereof . . . she was just like me, starting to wonder if the monitor was even right! Maybe this is just some weird strain of a virus that's going around. Who knows???

A Long Road

So until the beginning of this month, Clayton had been doing awesome on his oxygen sprints--he was up to five hours off during the day and probably could have gone more if I hadn't taken it slow. But then sickness hit. He started needing more oxygen around the first week of March and it's steadily gotten worse and worse. We've been doing lots of breathing treatments, and still haven't seen any change for the better. The crazy thing is he hasn't run fever or "acted" sick during all this time. I kept him home last week from therapy to see if that would help, and between staying in all week and the extra steroids, he almost drove me crazy! He had just a tad too much cabin fever! I finally let him go to therapy this week on "light duty" mainly for both of our sanitys, and he was soooo glad to see everyone at the clinic. But that didn't change the fact that he was still needing way too much oxygen. Finally took him to the doctor this morning, and guess what? Clear chest x-ray. Normal blood gas. SOOO, what the heck does that mean? Means he's not deathly ill for one thing, but that this cold he has is affecting him far worse than the rest of us. So we'll keep doing breathing treatments and pray that he slowly gets better. (Or quickly gets better!)

But this has opened my eyes to just what a long road we have to a completely "oxygen-free" life we have. I knew he would have to sleep with it for lots longer than he would need it during the day, but I guess I thought the days of colds (or a virus?) affecting him this much were behind us. As usual, I thought wrong.

Please say a prayer for Clayton's lungs tonight/today. Pray they will be strong enough to oxygenate better and that all the congestion clears up. THANK YOU!

Easter Photo

He Is Risen!

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain;

Then bursting forth in glorious day, up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory, sin's curse has lost its grip on me!

For I am His and He is mine—bought with the precious blood of Christ!

No guilt in life, no fear in death—This is the pow'r of Christ in me;

From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny!

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand.

Till He returns or calls me home—Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand!

Good Friday

**Beautiful day outside!

**Ran a couple of errands, now I think we'll ride over to the park and hope that everyone else didn't have that idea!

**Looking forward to Easter Sunday--we have a full day of plans!

Challenge Time

I'm hosting a sketch challenge on Noel's blog.

Come check it out!

Doing Better

I was able to turn Clayton's oxygen flow down a bit this morning, so I hope that means he's on the mend. It just takes so long for his lungs to recover even after he's germ-free. I'm still doing the breathing treatments because I'm determined he'll get over this as fast as possible, even if that means days . . .

In other news, I can't believe Easter is this Sunday. The weather certainly doesn't reflect it, but isn't that how it always is in Arkansas this time of year? No band practice this week again, but I have Bible Study and then Praise Team practice after that on Wednesday night. Plenty of music to keep me busy. I've basically just been holding and entertaining Clayton today. I'm thinking he may get to go to therapy later in the week, so we'll see. Hope everyone else's Monday is going well!

Does He Look Sick to You?

Nope, didn't think so . . . but apparently he is because for the last three days he's been needing more and more oxygen. I slowly started doing C.P.T. (chest physiotherapy) in the beginning of the week and upping his inhalers. That's what they would do if we took him to the hosptial (believe me, we have plenty of experience!) I finally called Dr. Lyle's nurse this morning because even though he hasn't been "acting" sick, he does cough some and has lots of mucus in his nose that I'm constantly suctioning out. He's even asking me to suction him which is something totally new since that machine is so loud it even scares me sometimes! Anyway, the nurse talked it over with Dr. Lyle and he's pretty much sure it's RSV. Oh, JOY! Since he's not running fever and doesn't act like he feels bad, he's almost certain that's what it is. All that mucus is keeping his lungs from properly ventilating. Nothing really to do except let it run it's course and step up the breathing treatments big time. We'll only go to the hospital if it gets to a point where we can't give him the amout of oxygen he needs. Other than that, we'll hang out here and do the breathing treatments ourselves. And it sounds like Clayton won't be participating in the Easter egg hunt tomorrow or even getting to carry his little palm branch on Sunday for Palm Sunday. Bummer. Hopefully he'll be all better by Easter (he has a habit of getting sick around holidays for some reason). I am glad he is still wanting to play and not running fever. That fever throws him for such a loop--so there is a praise in all this rambling!

Face With the Name

I talk about Noel and her store all the time, so I thought I'd share our picture from the California trip. It was great to finally meet her in person because I think we've probably had at least a thousand emails pass between the two of us over the past year!! And besides being taller than I imagined, she was exactly as I thought she would be (all in a good way!).

And with that being said, I wanted to mention she is having a spring cleaning sale, so be sure and check it out!!

Snow Much Fun

{WHILE IT LASTED}

Snowstorm?

NOT QUITE!! But we'll take what we can get I suppose! It's still snowing, but it's not near cold enough to actually call it a winter storm in my opinion. I think Clayton liked it but I was worn out (and so was Sherman, our neighbor) after holding him for just a few minutes. If it had been super deep and fluffy snow, I would have just laid him down in it and let him play . . . but instead it's wet and dirty Arkansas snow, so I avoided sitting him down in it. We got a few good snapshots--love that the snow is actually falling in them. Maybe we'll get some more later when Brian gets home.

Hmmmm . . .

This past weekend--short sleeve weather, sunny on Saturday

Monday--pouring rain ALL DAY LONG

Tuesday morning--at least an inch of snow on the ground

Tuesday afternoon--no snow, lots of sunshine

Wednesday--beautiful day, no need for a jacket, riding with the windows down

Thursday--forecast: storms

Friday--forecast: six inches of snow

Just when I had given up on an actual winter and started looking forward to warm weather, we get crazy weather like this! Definitely the life in Arkansas!

Long Week

It's been a long week. I haven't felt good at all and I'm still not up to par. I'm not running fever, just mainly coughing my head off! That can wear a person out real fast . . . I got a few things done around the house yesterday. Even made time to scrapbook a bit. And wouldn't you know it, I actually got to do some girly pages! Noel's new kit is all about pink, green, and blues--lots of girly and Easter looking product, so I decided to use some of Nicole's pics of the girls for my layouts:

The top one was hard to photograph because of the contrast in colors and the second one was hard to photograph because of the shape of the paper, but I'm sure you get the idea . . . Taylor is growing up so fast, I can't believe how the time flies!!

I am so ready for warm weather! I'm ready for the ground to dry up and the blooms to start budding. Maybe we'll have some sort of spring around here instead of skipping straight into summer. Which reminds me, I still haven't trimmed my crepe myrtles! Better get on that!

I'm Back!!!!!!!

I'm home safe and sound after a trip to "sunny" and "warm" California (those terms are used very loosely considering it was raining and freezing the entire weekend!). I had an awesome time with these ladies. Patti is the ultimate hostess--she spoiled us Friday night with a ton of great food and Saturday with even more. She has a great store that I spent *way* too much money in!! I scrapped a little--mainly just moved my pictures and stuff around while talking and laughing! I actually got to work on my very first acrylic album and I'm probably going to use pics from the crop in it. I'll post it when it's all done. We stayed at Cheri's house (yes, almost ALL of us were in one house!). It was the ultimate sleepover party! Loved every minute of the bonding I got to do with everyone. And two nights was the perfect amount of time to be gone. I didn't get homesick and Brian didn't get overwhelmed here at home. I didn't get sick at all on the planes, so that made it even one step better . . .I think I've finally found the right combination of drugs that keep me from getting sick!

I've got to get back into the swing of things quickly. Band practice tonight, Bible Study tomorrow, DT work to get done ASAP, and a pile of laundry that keeps growing. Off to get started!

So Little Time . . .

And still so much to do! Tonight is Bible Study and tomorrow I'll spend all day getting ready for my trip to CALI! (For those who don't know, I'm heading to Sacramento for a ScrapJazz get together!) I'm so excited, but I get so overwhelmed getting everything together. I'm also getting pretty anxious about the plane ride. I get SO SICK on planes and I just dread the flights everytime--I just spend the whole time praying that I will get through without throwing up (and yes, I've done it on more than one occassion--YUCK!!). I used to take a bottled water as a sort of security item but I don't even think you can take anything like that on planes anymore. It's so frustrating because it's the middle of the flight by the time you get a refreshment and I'm already dying by then!

My flight leaves at 7:35 am Friday morning--don't you know it'll be fun getting there extra early with Clayton in tow?! Not exactly looking forward to that stress either! I have to get an instruction sheet made out for Brian as well. I'm just hoping he'll actually remember to look at it . . .

Once I get there, it will all be worth it, it's the preparation and the flying that I have to suffer through. I'll be back Sunday night late and then Clayton has two doctors' appointments on Monday at ACH. Still contemplating on cancelling those. I know I'll be dead tired Monday morning and a day at ACH won't make it any better!

I NEED THIS MOMMY TIME SO BAD! It's amazing how just a night away from Clayton makes me feel so refreshed, so a whole weekend ought to carry me for a long time!

Took Me Four Hours

to finish this layout Saturday. I'm sooo slow and there's always at least a dozen distractions when I'm trying to scrap! I have no idea how some people get twenty layouts in one day completed!

The horn was a Christmas gift from my uncle and Clayton loves to announce his coming and going these days!

Better Late . . .

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

(created this card with Noel's Devoted kit)

It's the Little Things

Ms. Cara let Clayton wear her watch during pool therapy today--you would have thought it was a gold coin for how excited he was! The amazing thing is, he was willing to use his left hand the rest of the session--no begging or prying it open. He was hapy to use it just so he could see the watch! She let him use it in P.T. with Hannah as well and he told everyone about it, even telling people what time it was! (According to him it was five o'clock!) So I guess I need to get myself to the store and buy him a little watch to wear so he'll use that left hand even more! Whatever works, right?

Playing Catch Up

I got some scrapbooking done over the weekend. I basically played catch up on the Scripture Challenge and on the pages from my Bible Study. I wanted to do more, but I went through my latest photos and none of them were "speaking" to me--I just didn't have any fresh ideas for any of them. Guess I'll have to wait until some creativity strikes! But for now I'll share these:

(6x6)

"Wait" was easy--I have this verse framed on my dresser. I read it almost everyday and it was my reminder of God's faithfulness during the days after the boys were born.

(6x6)

"Change" was a little harder for me--I had to do some searching in the Bible for just the right verse. I know a lot of people were choosing to just focus on the unchanging nature of God. I ended up choosing this passage from Ecclesiastes because I like how it contrasts the everchanging nature of the world versus the steady being of our Lord.

(9x9)

For last week, we did an overview of the Holy Spirit, so this page is pretty simple in nature.

(9x9) Double page layout
This week was our first study of a fruit of the Spirit: love. Definitely a page for photos of my three guys!! Journaling: "Agape" love. The love of the Father. The ultimate proof of the Spirit living within me. And while I do not have the capacity to love as the Father, I can certainly change my actions and reactions so that I can move towards a more pure, "agape" love for others. I only hope I can become better at showing my family, friends, and even my not-so-friends this supernatural love. I could never do it on my own--only through the Father's Holy Spirit is it possible! And so may I always remember: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perserveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13: 4-8)

(When I read that passage, I realize I've got A LOT of work to do!!!)

Video Time!

Well, Amy tagged me on her blog the other day, but I'm thinking a video of Clayton would be much more fun! (Sorry, Amy!)

I think he's finally starting to get over his stagefright, although he still has a long way to go. This is video is a step up from most that I get of him--at least he isn't just looking at me saying "my picture Momma!"

YEAH!

We actually got to go outside today! The weather was beautiful--a little chilly--but still beautiful! It was nice to get out of the house, even for just a bit. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

What's Up With Me?

I can't believe it's taken me this long to blog again! I haven't really been doing one thing in particular, but it seems like I'm just a busy bee running around in circles. So here are the highlights for those who are interested:

**Spending lots of time on my Bible Study (the teacher has to be ready!)

**The band is looking for a new drummer and still trying to play/practice at the same time.

**Sang a solo at church Sunday--the song was at the top of my range and my throat/voice is still not normal from all this congestion I'm still fighting. Praise the Lord I made it through without totally ruining the song!

**Clayton spent the night with Granny and Pop Friday night and as usual kept them up all night. Talk about sleep issues--that boy's got 'em!

**Brian and I worked at Upward Saturday morning and man is it hard for me to get out of bed for that! I am glad once I get there that I volunteered, but I am so not a morning person.

**Clayton is definitely becoming a little rebellious four year old. He has decided that not only will he hit himself and others out of frustration, he now also pulls at his button (feeding tube) and the gauze around it in rebellion. Drives me insane! And yes, he is getting disciplined, and no he doesn't care. His speech therapist had to put him in "timeout" the other day because he wouldn't stop pinching her after she had asked him to stop several times. He thinks it's a game but he should have stopped when she asked him to. I was a little worried about what timeout actually meant for him, but she said she just wheeled him around to face the opposite direction and it didn't even last a minute. I'm so hoping he doesn't become one of "those" kids!!!!

That's everything I can think of at the moment. Hope everyone has a good week!

Weekend Challenge!

I'm hosting a card challenge this weekend on Noel's blog. Hope you check it out!

Two More

Here's two more layouts to add to my latest. The first is this week's scripture challenge (6x6). And the second is my layout for this week's Bible Study topic (9x9).

There were several topics that were covered in this week's Bible Study because it was an overview of Galations. I chose to focus on my found freedom in God's forgiveness. Thank you so much to Patti for sending this picture she took of me in Texas--this is the second layout I've used it on, so I'm glad she sent it!

Journaling: Growing up I wasn't a rebellious child. I generally obeyed my parents and God. But there are a few things I did that haunt me. Outright sin! I've been very burdened by those transgressions, and I constantly ask for forgiveness. Thinking of those sins makes me physically ill! And it wasn't until recently that I realized the DEVIL is burdening me! GOD has forgiven me and is ready for me to look forward. I've denied God's forgiveness and given Satan power over me, and in turn not helped my witnessing power. NO MORE! I now accept God's forgiveness and vow to leave my past in the past where it belongs.

Latest Creations

Well there's one thing I can say about a new year with new challenges (namely the scripture challenge Patter is hosting), and that is I've got the scrapping bug again. I spent the last few months of 2007 in a creative rut, just not finding my groove, but I've really enjoyed the last few things I've done even when they aren't totally "perfect" in my view. The mini album was created for Noel's next challenge--everyone should do one of these for themselves simply because as scrappers we are usually focused on pictures/stories of everyone else and we tend to forget to tell our own story. It's nice to create something that's just about you. And I've really got the card bug right now too. My cards aren't near what I wish they were, but I'm really lovin' the fact that I can use my scraps and extras to create a beautiful card that may just make someone's day. I'm hoping I'll get around to doing some more layouts soon, but for now I've shared my current favorite at the bottom of this post. I love it because it's another layout celebrating just how special Clayton is!

JOURNALING: Chris Reeve has nothing on you, Clayton! You’ve been through so many battles and struggles in your short life that you definitely qualify as the REAL SUPERMAN!

Week Two

The word for this week's scripture challenge was kindness. A little tougher than faith. I had to delve into my Bible to find a verse that really spoke to me on the topic. There are many references to God's kindness to us, but I was looking more for His directions for us to be kind. Finally found it in Galations:

(6x6)

Don't Forget

Noel's Holiday Kits are on sale right now!

Living Beyond Yourself

Tonight is the first night of my "Scrapbooking Your Faith" class. We will be using Beth Moore's "Living Beyond Yourself" as our study guide. This particular study focuses on the Fruits of the Spirit. Tonight will basically be an introductory night--we'll work on the title page of our album and discuss the upcoming classes. I'm also going to share the Scripture Challenge with them so they can participate in that if they want. I have twelve people signed up--I'm hoping they all stick with it, because I really feel like they'll love having what they learned in an album when we're done.

(9x9)

I won't go into all the trouble we've had getting books . . . apparently this is the most popular study going right now and they ARE NO BOOKS in this state until Thursday! I ended up making copies of the first week's stuff for everyone. I'm just a stickler for making my plan work once I've got it down. I could have waited a week, but I planned to get started tonight, so by goodness, I'm starting tonight! How's that for obsessive?!

A Tribute

I had to say goodbye to an old friend this weekend.

My parents got Maggie when I was in college and I really didn't live with her for that many years, but she was definitely a part of my life, and a part of my parents' home. She had been struggling for a long time with her hip problems, so it was definitely time to ease her pain. I'm thinking these pictures were taken in 1997 or 1998--not really sure, but it was in the prime of her life. Maggie was a typical lab--only satisfied if she was touching someone. Always needing some more lovin'! My favorite memory will always be how Brian described her as "emotional." As soon as you walked in my parents' door, she would cry and wag her tail like she hadn't seen you in years! Definitely another lab trait I'm thinking. One of the best things about Maggie was you didn't have to worry about anyone or any animal hurting you if she was around. She could love, but she could be fierce if need be. Her bark and growl would scare even the bravest attacker, be it man or beast! And most recently, I think of Clayton and Maggie. She never really paid him any mind, and in his lifetime she'd basically be content to lay around and sleep. But Clayton would rather talk about her over our own dog who pesters him more than Maggie ever has! It's interesting that he's always mentioning Maggie in any conversation.

So goodbye, Maggie. We will miss your companionship and your protection. And more HUGE ((((((HUGS)))))))) to my parents who are definitely feeling the loss.

Week One

Late as usual, I decided at the last minute to participate in Patter's 2008 Scripture Challenge. I'm doing a little 6x6 book--and I can't wait to see the finished product--52 weeks worth of scripture to reference and look back on! I just pray I have the endurance to see it through!

I picked this verse because I always think of it in reference to faith. I learned it as a child in Sunday School and it made a huge impression on me because our teacher gave us all a little mustard seed to put in our Bibles. (Great idea she had--bet she never knew it how well it would help me remember that verse!)

A Case of the Lazies

I have been worthless since Christmas! I basically just want to sit and scrap or find a good movie on t.v. and sit and stare at it for a few hours. I have plenty to do around here--a mother's work is never done, right? But still I put things off, procrastinating as usual. I've also got some errands to run and places to go, but can't get fired up about getting myself presentable for the world. I'm hoping I'll get a spurt of energy later today, but it's looking doubtful!

Been Scrapping

I'm finally getting the scrapping bug again! I kinda lost my mojo there for a while, but I can feel it creeping back in. :) Here's a few layouts that I've done lately. The first one is kind of a tribute layout to Clayton's speech therapist. After three and a half years, she had to quit seeing Clayton due to scheduling conflicts, and I hated to see her go. And although he still has speech therapy, she brought him a long way during her three years with him.

These next Christmas layouts were all made with Noel Mignon's Holiday Kits.

I made this last one for a cool KISS challenge that Noel has going right now. This pic was taken in the NICU and I can't believe how much Clayton looks like a little doll! He was so tiny at that point and that was after he had grown a bunch!

Good Intentions

Long before Christmas, I had a great idea for Clayton's therapists' gifts. I would have gotten started on them then if I had known how long it would take to get them put together! I have them ready, I just want to get them framed and it looks like they'll be Valentine's Day gifts by the time they get them! They are 5 x 5, so I bought 5 x 5 frames, which makes total sense, right? Wrong. In those frames, you can't see the whole design that my friend Christina made for me. So I decided to go back up to Hobby Lobby yesterday to see if they could custom frame them for me. She recommended I come back next week when custom framing is half off (no problem there) and then she said that it will take about two weeks to actually get the frames in! So these special little gifts probably won't be so special when they finally open them. Kind of anticlimatic in a way, but I'm willing to wait in order to get them how I originally pictured them in my head!