Lovebug Blog Hop Time...Woohoo!!!!!!!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! This is the first
of 12 months of inspiration, each to take place on the last Saturday of
every month. Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the ispiration from our members.......or the prizes

Our theme for January is "Love is In The Air".

Now let me premise this by saying that I have known about this for weeks and it totally slipped my mind to do a project, and so I did what any resourceful mother who has 3 kids home today as it was a PD day for them...I put them to work.
Carly spent the afternoon downstairs in my scraproom with me and helped create these adorable little cards from my scraps. She did most of the work herself, with me doing the cutting for her and helping her out a bit along the way. I think she did a great job.


Her second project was this little coupon book she put together, not sure who she is giving it to. We simply cut the patterned paper down to size, punch a few holes and threaded ribbon through to hold them together. The coupons were created at DLTK's site, which is full of great little crafts and printables for the whole family, and they are free, so be sure to check them out.


So leave me a comment and I'll enter your name in a draw for a lovely rak, and don't forget to send your friends along too. If your friend leaves me a comment and tells me you sent them, I'll enter both of you in the draw twice. How cool is that, huh?


This blog hop will run from today, January 30th until February 6th. There will be a prize drawing on February 7th. Check the Lovebug Blog for more details!

> Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is to one of my favourite gals in the world, the most talented Margo. So head on over and prepare to be amazed.

Happy Birthday Dad, we miss you

It is my dad's birthday today and as you now he passed away in July. Today I am not sad though, I am spending my day watching home videos, looking at photos and remembering all the good times.
Logan of course turned 13 on the 23rd of this month and he and Gramps shared a cake every year. This year Logan didn't want a cake on his birthday. He chose instead to have his cake today, on Gramps' birthday instead. And so, we will have family over for dinner tonight and have birthday cake, and raise our forks to my Dad to let him know we are thinking of him and most importantly to show him that we are doing okay, we miss him terribly but are doing as he would wish and celebrating instead of commiserating.
That boy of mine, he is something else. These are all pictures from 2004 of Dad and Logan sharing their cake.

Happy Birthday to my boy Logan!~

Thirteen years ago today, this precious boy was welcomed in to our family, things have never been the same and I couldn't be prouder of him.

Logan is an intelligent, handsome, funny and all around amazing young man and I am thrilled that I get to be his Mom. He is as tall as I am now and takes great pleasure in informing me that he is still growing and will tower over me soon LOL

I have been telling him for months that he wasn't allowed to be a teenager since I am much too young for that, I told him he would forevermore be referred to as "not 12", but alas I find that I must let him be 13, I must let him grow up to be the person he is going to be, and I know that that person is going to be absolutely amazing! I love you Logan, and happy birthday my darling son.

Today I am thinking -

- about old friends, the kind who you don't have to see everyday but even if months have gone by and you see them it is just like it was yesterday. Some friends of mine who fit this category are going through some of the toughest times of their lives these days. Job less, health issues with all of them. My heart is breaking and I am feeling that feeling you get when you want to help so badly and there is nothing within your power to do...except tell them you love them and send out prayers. That is what I am doing today.

- the fact that I am going to be the Mom of a teenager in less than a week. How did that happen? I'm not sure I'm ready. The last year or so has given me some hints to what it will be like, and if I can just find my way through the minefield of emotions he is bouncing around in then I know we will be fine. I am trying to give him enough space to not feel crowded but not so much space that he thinks he is alone. Wow, what a fine line that is. All I can do I guess is trust that we have done the best we could for him and shown him the right path and then pray to God that he follows it.

- that I really have to start taking better care of myself. I am back to not eating regularly, smoking too much and drinking way too much coffee. None of these things are good for me, they make me feel like crap and then my mood turns to crap and I am stuck in this weird and destructive little vortex of my own making. Time for changes...and quickly.

- that I am more blessed than I think and I need to make a conscious effort to remember that. I need to remind myself that each and every day is a gift and I can't squander it.

- that it is time for me to get off this computer and get some laundry and dishes done, and then I will get to play some.

Have a great day everyone and I'll catch you on the flip side.

How about a few pics?

Not enough coffee yet this morning but want to post before I get busy, I'm on a mission to post everyday if I can.
Now, how is THIS for a coffee cup? LOL


Here's a family photo (we only seem to get them when my cousin Bill comes to visit)
this was taken just a few days before Christmas. Geesh, I really need to start wearing makeup or something before I start scaring small children and animals.


And here is a fun one of my three kids and the two "kids of my heart".

I hate email chain letters...

but I love the thought behind so many of them, so instead of spamming my friends, I'll just share this one I received today.


I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!

MAY YOU ALWAYS HAVE A RAINBOW OF SMILES ON YOUR FACE AND IN YOUR HEART FOREVER AND EVER! FRIENDS FOREVER!

New Year and Fresh Start

Okay, I knew it had been awhile since I posted, but August? Really??????

I won't even attempt to catch everyone up then, suffice to say that life goes on and it's been the same general lunacy as usual.

How about some scrappy news? We are blasting off into the New Year at Lovebug with an online crop January 22 - 24th, come and check it out. 2010: A Lovebug Odyssey There are going to be challenges, games and of course prizes, bring a friend along, the more the merrier.

Also the Lovebug 60 Page Club is starting again, bigger and better than ever, so be sure to check that out too.

On the home front, I am heavily in denial that I will be the mother of teenager in another week. I have decided that Logan is NOT going to be thirteen. He will forever more be referred to as One Three, or my personal favorite "not twelve". I am totally not prepared to be the mother of teen..where did the time go???

And many of my dear friends are going through tough times right now and without giving too much detail, if everyone could send out some extra positive thoughts and prayers on behalf of Heidi and on behalf of Jeff and Nancy and family I would be eternally grateful.

That's all for now I think, but I will promise to try to be back. (There you go Jillian *wink*)