scrumptious paper

I just love webster's pages patterned papers. So I was pretty excited to find a contest giving some away! Visit http://terriconraddesigns.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/04/feather-your-ne.html?cid=112608816#comment-112608816 for your chance to win too!

Life or something like it...

Saturday, April 19, I went to this awesome class taught by Karen Russell. It was all about interactive scrapbooking, and it was really fun and I learned a lot. These are the 2 layouts that I made in the class:

DH has been home since April 16 so that's why I've been MIA. He's leaving again on April 28. We went out on one last date today, to Claim Jumper's, where we had a scrumptious meal. The waitress took our picture for us, it's a wee bit blurry but I really like how it turned out. (DH likes to play with the Sepia setting on my camera)

Finally, here is one layout that I tweaked around with some to make it better.

And here is one new layout that I had embroidered on, hand cut the felt flowers with my cuttlebug, embroidered on the flowers and then layered them and sewed a button on the middle of them. It was kind of fun and whimsical.

I've gotten some new stamps lately, so I'm going to be playing around with them, I think. Also, I need to catch up on the journaling on the past few layouts that I've done. I have to sit down and write it out first, then I have to think about how I want it to be put on the layout. Handwritten? Typed up on my computer and then printed on patterned paper or journaling sheets? Hmmm...

A Scrappy Slumber Party

Well, we had a super duper fun time! Kaydrenth, Tigardlilly, Melonscraps, and Melegs came over and we scrapped the night away. We munched, scrapped, watched a movie, scrapped, munched, chatted a ton, scrapped, slept, woke up, and scrapped some more!!! I still miss the Bubby like crazy, but at least all the fun times are keeping me busy!

This morning when I woke up I felt ok for the first time since Jesse left. And I have felt that way all day. I met with my mentor tonight for dinner, she is a wonderful middle-aged woman from church. We are reading "Discipline: The Glad Surrender" by Elisabeth Elliot. The chapter we had studied was on "The Discipline of Time" and I was trying to finish it up today before we met and it really applied to my life right now. (Go figure). It was about how our times are in God's hands. Elisabeth Elliot wrote: "His timing is always perfect, though it seldom seems so to me, for my temperment longs for previews of coming attractions." She then quoted the verse, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong, take courage, and wait for the Lord."

This just really makes me take comfort in the fact that even though this situation seems like it has gone wildly out of control to me, it doesn't seem that way at all to God. He knows exactly what He is doing in our lives, and He meant for it to happen RIGHT at this exact place in time. It is happening for a reason.

This helps me to be calm and peaceful and just turn to the Lord. I've been spending more time in prayer and reading the Word. God is drawing me nearer to Him in my sadness, and lots of wonderful people are really reaching out to me with love. I feel very taken care of, even though Jesse isn't here. Thank you Lord!!!

Weekend Creativity

A lo of precious memories with my grandparents, who are in their 80's, and not so healthy these days...

A lo just for the sake of playing. Why not???

I still have to do the journalling for these.

Last night was such a blast. I scrapped until 4 am with melonscraps, tigardlilly, and kaydrenth. I could've kept going. I seriously think we should pull a scrapping all-nighter one of these weekends. We can have it at my house while dh is out of town!!!

I'm starting to feel just a bit more chipper. I am staying very busy though which helps a lot!

Beauty for Ashes!

I feel like somebody cut off a really huge limb of my body. I talked to DH tonight and he said the same thing. Our hearts are broken and we DO NOT like to be separated. I thought maybe I would try and scrap the journalling that I wrote yesterday morning. I think I am going to try and journal every day that he is gone. Well, by the end of this layout I felt much happier, calmer, more balanced. Art is truly fantastic medicine. I still miss DH, that won't lessen, but at least I can bear it a little more now. This lo is mostly Cosmo Cricket Fleuriste, with some random flowers and a lil noteworthy page!!!

Drama!!! (I HATE GOODBYES!!!)

Goodbye: Self Portrait

So my husband has finally had to submit to the inevitable-he left today for Texas as an Over The Road (OTR) driver. We have tried so hard to avoid this for the past few years, but it finally happened. He will be gone for 21 days, home for 4, and that will be his long-term schedule. I am heartbroken but I know he is trying to be a good provider and I really respect him for it. So I will probably be on the message boards more often now, to fight loneliness, etc!

Always Trying to Make Me Laugh.

Our foster son is also leaving, on thursday, so I will truly be living alone for the first time in 8 years. Wow! I am totally freaked out. I am sure that I will get used to it, but it will take me some time.

If you see a big orange Schneider Truck out there on the Highways of the USA, give a wave because it could very well be my dear darling Bubby.

This is where he will sleep.

This morning before he left, I wrote the following:

Life can change so fast. Was this course of changes inevitable, or did we cause it to be? A year ago we were so happy, everything was fine. Now we will be separated for so much of the time. How can we possibly stay close and in love? I feel responsible somehow. Was it scrapbooking? Or my failure to get a good job, which may or may not have really been my fault? I don’t think it is Jesse’s fault, his job didn’t give him enough hours and he was really sick of dump trucking anyway, and there haven’t been any other open doors except this one. So does that mean that everything will be ok? I worry the most for Jesse, his health, his happiness, his spirituality. Will he take care of himself without me around? I must commit to pray for him constantly. I really feel how much I love this man now that he is leaving me alone for 3 weeks.