Success...success. I actually made three cards last night and mailed them today! Yeah, today is MLK Day but I still put stamps on them and dropped them in the mail! I wrote a note to my Aunt who hasn't been feeling well, I sent out a thank you and a get well card to a bingo patron. So really, only one from my list but hey - I did it.

Last night when I was working on them, I had to keep telling my self to keep it simple, don't over think things. That has been my problem lately. I will start a project and want just the perfect font, just the perfect embellishments, pictures, etc. I need to step back take a breath and just scrapbook. I was looking back over my husbands book which I did years ago and was still pretty happy with the pages. They were cute, simple and original. I just need to relax when crafting and let it flow.

I might have to paint breathe on my walls. I already have discover, create, dream. Sounds like breathe should be up there too. Maybe along with K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid!).

I did it! Well, almost. I have attempted to get organized and started being more productive. I have actually ordered my daughters composite for the high school, ordered her senior pictures, emailed volunteers regarding bingo for the month and, called the specialist (who left a message 3 weeks ago) and scheduled an appointment for next month. Things are looking up. Of course, just as I've said that, I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I still have to: print off a couple tax forms, get started on my card making, write some thank-you notes, order Phil's scrapbook, email the cheer parents, prepare for parent night tomorrow night, go prom dress shopping tomorrow. Oh yeah - things are moving right along. Oh and least I forget, school starts Monday!!!

Wow - haven't visited here in quite awhile. Needless to say, got all the materials ready for Jessica's class but never got around to participating. I'm feeling guilty about that. I had good intentions but let things get away from me. Now that the new year has come and gone (11 days now) I have done alot of reflecting. I am not one for new years resolutions but this year, I want to try it out. I am making a resolution of reaching out to people. I am going to get crafty and make cards to send out to those I have been thinking about. None of this facebook, email stuff but a tangible object they can open up and read. I am sure, that some will think it is a little odd. But I have a number of people in my life that I haven't spoken to in years. I have all the classic excuses children, work, life in general but I really want to take hold of this idea and run with it. I have already begun making a list: Aunt Sharon, Aunt Juanita, Denny and Judy, Steve and Linda, Pat and Joyce. I think of them often, but never tell them. Going to do something about that.

I was also surprised that I had received a couple of comments from others on my blog. It felt good. I really never thought anyone but myself would be reading this and was really using it as a sounding board. Made me think I should become more accountable for myself. Not to display things for others, but to get down and face myself and work on some things.

Random thought: heard a song on the radio yesterday that I hadn't heard in awhile. Made me realize that in that area as well I had slipped (back to listening to The River and The Promise yesterday). anyway, I digress... "Empty me of me Lord so that I may be filled with you." My new mantra I believe....

My Family's Holiday Values

The values I grew up with are so totally different than the ones I hold now. Growing up it was all about presents. I'm sure I knew about baby Jesus being born but I am equally sure I did not know what that represented to mankind.

I like to think that my husband and I put Christ back into Christmas for our children. We always made it a point to do for others at Christmas and include the children in this as well. Their classes at school would adopt a family and money would be collected and presents bought for this family. We would take "mittens" off the tree at church and replace them with real socks and mittens for children that needed them. We even spent Christmas Day at an shelter serving food to the homeless. And as always, Christmas Eve was spent at church. I still like that. Christmas Eve the family goes to church. I wish I could say the whole family but, unfortunately my son no longer believes and doesn't attend with us. He has new girl in his life who does believe. Maybe this year if we ask him, they will both attend. Certainly worth a try.

Sitting at work in the dark. The local power company had to take most of the city I work in off-grid while they repaired damages to a sub-station thanks to thieves. My particular building however, still has limited power because of an emergency power source to keep our main frame from crashing unexpectedly. Everyone is walking around in the semi-darkness chatting and laughing. With all that has been going on in my life lately (running 100 mph non-stop), it's making me wish that I could take my life "off grid" for awhile. Everyone slow down, spend time together, enjoying each others' company. That is what is suppose to happen at Christmas but we find more and more often, we're running from place to place and always behind schedule.

I haven't looked at my Jessica Sprague classwork in over a week and we are suppose to be on Day 3. I want to take time to look it over and get caught up. I need to go home now and make 10 locker decorations for my daughters cheer squad. We have locker decorating on Sunday evening before Meet the Team and we have a game tomorrow night, a wrestling meet Saturday afternoon, another basketball game Saturday night and my husband and I will be at bingo on Sunday afternoon. Doesn't leave a lot of time for creativity so I need to get cracking.

So behind...so, so behind

The past four days are a blur. I spent all of Friday either running to the hospital or running to someone elses' house from the hospital. The good news is - everyone is home, healthy and recuperating. The bad news at times, I had no idea what day or time it was. By the time I made my last ambulatory run (taking my mom home) and picking up her pain medication, it was 5:50 p.m. and I was suppose to be waiting in line at the movie theater with my sister to see New Moon in a city 30 minutes away from where I was. Wasn't happening. We were late getting to the theater but in time to not miss the movie. The movie for the most part was good. I'm not a big movie goer -- prefer watching from my comfy couch. But must admit, seeing Taylor and Robert 25' tall was an experience. Anyways - enjoyed the time with my sister and niece.

Saturday went by just as quickly. Wanted to finish my daughter's scrapbook for Sunday. Cait, my daughter, came to me around 5 p.m. and told me she wanted to make squash books for her three best friends (Andrew, Josh and Brandon) to give them at the football banquet. Okay - 3 scrapbooks--24 hours--not pictures or supplies ready. I can do that. Then, her boyfriend called and invited her to dinner with him and his mom. Love the kid but a little planning please! Cait didn't want to go by herself so she asked me to come along. Okay - who can turn down Olive Garden. Three hours later and a quick run through Target (to pickup our Shutterfly order) and Walmart to pick up goodie bag items for Phil and Jake and we were back home and scrapbooking. Cait worked so hard. She is by far not my craftiest child but she did a really good job and was so proud when she finished the last one up at 3:00 a.m.! Yes, we were going until 3 and fell into bed knowing we had a full day on Sunday.

Sunday flew by with bingo activities (a whole other story!). Before we knew it, it was football banquet time. All the mothers were gathered around sharing their scrapbooks they did for their children. It was so much fun. Speeches were a little long (but aren't they always), awards were quick and before we knew it, all the seniors were lined up to receive their scrapbooks. It was a little nostalgic, we were attending our last football banquet.

Monday came bright and early and even though I am off this week I still needed to go in to the office to get some things done. We have a candidate coming in next Monday and a slew of work to finish before he gets here. Needless to say, it was just a few short minutes ago that I even logged into Jessica Sprague to see what I have missed. Everyone has been so busy. The projects look great. I read all the notes from Jessica and stopped short of reading todays' class because I really want to get into all of the downloads she provided to us Friday and Saturday. So, that being said, I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Okay - so I haven't even read the assignment for today. Been so far behind. Had to take my mom to the hospital today for outpatient surgery. The surgeon was running 4 hours behind so instead of having surgery at 10:30 a.m. surgery finally took place at 2:30. Everything went well but she has to stay the night. That introduced a whole new set of complications because that meant my father was going to have to stay at home alone all night. NOT a good idea. I called my mom's brother to come and stay with him -- don't necessarily think that was the best option, but I am afraid to stay over and my husband can't because of work. I just tried to call my dad and see how things were but he has somehow recorded over the message on their answering machine and all you hear is him fumbling with the phone and cursing at my uncle. Oh boy - another thing to add to my list for tomorrow. Record a new message for my parents tomorrow. My uncle just called from the hospital, they can't find my mothers glasses or clothes she came in with. Oh boy. Better stop by their house tomorrow and pick up a change of clothes for her to come home in.

So as you can see, I am a little burnt out right now. Too tired to think. I did manage to purchase a scrapbook for my daughter tonight. A project I have spent the last 5 months on will be wrapping up soon. My daughter is a varsity cheerleader and our football awards is Sunday evening. All seniors (my daughter included) will be called to the floor and their parents will go down and give them a scrapbook of their "year". Because she is a cheerleader, I actually included not just senior year but all four years of high school. It ended up being 57 pages. I will continue it through basketball season to include her entire senior year. Our boys team is suppose to do fairly well this season, so I may be looking at another 8-10 pages. We'll have to see how things pan out. I'm really quite pleased with it thus far. I have one page to complete before Sunday night and it is actually a page that will contain a shutterfly photo book i did for Senior Week. I knew that to cover all the events of senior week it would take another 7-8 pages so I made a cute little 6x8 book that included all the events and a few special messages for her. It's really quite darling, I just need to create a page to include the book....hmmmm. Need to think on this. Well, until tomorrow.