Blog Mission Statement

I've started at least a dozen different blog posts the past few months.
I'd felt silly, since I doubt anyone ever reads my sparse posts. So I saved them as drafts.
Which got me questioning my motives for blogging?
It was once a venue for me to share my projects with the internet scrapbooking community. When I took a scrapbooking hiatus though, blogging became awkward.
But I do like going back and reading through my past posts. It is much like flipping through the pages of a scrapbook.
So now, my plan is simply to journal my days.
This is a place to periodically deposit a variety of my thoughts and disoveries.
I hope that if anyone reads my blog, they will walk away feeling entertained, or inspired to try something new, whether it be in the kitchen or the scraproom.
I am simply going to let my light shine, be myself, and share the lessons I'm learning along the way. Stay tuned.

A Prayer of Thanks.

Thank you, Lord, for Dad's scan results today.
Thank you for leading him to Sloan Kettering Hospital, because I now believe he is getting the best treatment available.
Thank you for giving him a few more months to feel strong enough to do the things he enjoys.
Thank you for the gift of time to spend together, because I now understand how fleeting it can be.

Happy New Year 2012

I'd planned a few posts leading into the new year, but another bout with bronchitis kept me on the couch and off the computer. Before time gets away from me, I wanted to publish these so I can refer back to them.

Resolutions:

This year I will...

1. Get real glasses. No more drugstore readers. Really, it's time.

2. Make time to be creative each week.

3. Blog more.

4. Finish organizing my coupons

5. Read during my lunch hours.

6. Finish helping the kids get their rooms organized.

7. Smile often, and look for ways to lift others up.

8. Take more pictures while learning more about photography.

9. Continue planning meals in advance.

10. Budget, budget, budget!

Best Moments of 2011:

1. Dad's clean scan results before the holidays
2. the power coming back on after the blizzard
3. camping over the summer
4. Going to church with my family
5. Landing my new job
6. Colin's graduation from SAS
7. Jimmy's First Communion

Wishing you a blessed and healthy 2012!

From Tween to Teen

Today is Brenna's 13th birthday. How can she be a teenager already?
Growing up before my eyes.
She looks more like a woman than a little girl.
She rolls her eyes and says,"whatever."
She has a boyfriend and went to her first dance last week.
She's into trendy clothes and wants to wear mascara.
Can be seen texting from any location.
She finds it "awkward" to have me take her picture, especially in front of her friends.
She's such a great kid.
Love you Miss B!

A Day on the Road

To Manhattan with Dad today.
Traffic was sketchy in the morning, but we made it in plenty of time and were called in to seethe doctor ahead of our appointment time.
The cycle of liver pump infusions is over for now - he was able to complete 3 of the 6. One more systemic chemo, and he will be officially "OFF" chemo for the first time since his diagnosis four and a half years ago. Dad was very excited about a break. He admitted today that he is really feel worn down lately, and the years of chemo have had a cummulative effect. He's looking forward to his hair growing back a bit, time to golf, and maybe even a getaway with Mom. I'm so happy for him.
Still, there is a quiet worry in my brain that maybe no chemo is a bad thing. After all, he's still here, beating the odds.
I decide to bury that worry and choose to embrace this moment of victory.
After all, happiness is a choice. Why not see the glass half full more often?

Letter to my Kids (Soundcheck #1)

Dear Kids,

Tap, tap, tap- is this thing on???
Some days I feel like I'm the person on a stage who is trying to get the crowd's attention, but my mike is cutting out and squealing.

When it feels like I'm crabbing at you, there's probably a lesson or value I hope you'll learn. Little things that will improve your life in the real world, when you venture away from home.

Tonight's lesson...

While I know you heard, "Blah, blah, this is why you should put your belt/shoes/papers/laundry away...yadda yadda, more mom mumbo-jumbo...", here is what I meant:

Being considerate, organized, and following routines are all things that are important to me.

Why?
It minimizes your stress and mine.
It shows the world you are capable and responsible,(this can open many doors for you!)
It shows you respect other people's time.

Just like you like to have time to chill out or play when you get home, so do I.

I don't like searching through your messy room to find socks to wash.
Spending an hour on my night off looking for missing belts and shoes isn't my idea of fun.
Telling you three times to just step away from the TV and video controllers gets old.

I know that you just want to kill one more zombie.
Or that this is the newest episode of Spongebob.

I'm so thankful to have you all in my lives. I prefer spending my time home with you doing things that are fun, such as, playing games, talking, and being silly.

Please try a little harder.
Thanks, Love Mom.

Still here...

Not too long ago, I read a quote that said, "Taking time to live life will only inspire your work." Not sure who said it, but I believe it to be true.
My computer had issues yet again, so I found other ways to fill random moments that I would have otherwise spent sitting at the keyboard. Lots of reorganizing and purging on my days off. My scrap studio is slowly shaping up, although I haven't done much creating.
Summer simply slipped away under my feet this year. Just as I was in the throes of enjoying it, it ended. We closed out summer with a weekend camping trip. It was so much fun, I wish it could have been longer.

After that, frantic shopping for back to school ensued, and suddenly I was preparing to send C off to high school. New sneakers, clothes and backpacks filled the house.
Then Hurricaine Irene came along. I worked through the weekend, and slept at the hospital to be sure I could work. Mike weathered the storm at home with the kids. Our roof leaked where the front porch roof meets the foyer, and we were without power for about 36 hours. I have an ugly brown stain on my ceiling to remind me of Irene. We're waiting to hear from our homeowner's insurance. It could have been much worse.
The kids started school after the storm pushed back the first day. We're all still getting used to the new schedules. R has football three or more evenings a week. B, R, J and T have begun soccer. The business can be hectic at times, but the return of routines is welcome.

I'm planning to return to scrapping soon, and hope the time I've spent the past several weeks will only inspire my work.