Dawn On Me

My dream...

2009-11-09T20:49:00.000-08:00

November 3, 2009 2:04pm 9lbs 2oz - My love, my life...

More details when I can pull myself away from her for more than 5 minutes to type out all the details.

The Simple Woman's Day Book

2009-10-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

October 16th (http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/)

Outside my window... Sun starting to rise.

I am thinking... I have a busy day with the dog groomer, garage door man, and the doctor.

I am thankful for... Ryan. After only my 2nd breakdown throughout the pregnancy, he's now back at McDonald's getting me the correct order. The dogs are pleased with the error though. I'm also thankful that we'll get to meet Savannah soon and for catching up with friends who live so far away.

I am wearing... maternity tank and oversized pajama pants... capris? Originally pants, Ryan cut them to be shorter.

I am remembering... to attempt to stay calm and control these crazy emotions over the wrong style egg on a biscuit... really, Dawn? Really!?

I am going... to eat breakfast and then get cleaned up to start the day.

I am reading... just blogs. No good book recommendations lately and I've already read the Sookie Stackhouse books twice in the past month and I still can't pick up "Twilight" without seeing the stupid actors they hired to portray them in the shit-tastic movies.

I am hoping... that the doctor has some good news for us. Please, please, please.

On my mind... too much.

From the kitchen... with the weather heating up (are you freaking kidding me?) for the weekend, we have no plans to use the stove... again. *sigh*

Around the house... listening to the local news in the back while I await Ryan's return. The dogs are waiting by the garage door for him to arrive too, even though I've already shared some of the bad biscuits with them. Oh, and not to mention the garage door is broken and so he'll come through the front door anyway...

One of my favorite things... Savannah trying to make more room. I keep telling her that if she'd just come out, there's plenty of room out here for her. Clearly she has not listened to me... yet. :)

From my picture journal... nada...will take more pics!

36weeks 5 days...

2009-10-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is where we are based on my original estimated due date of November 6. According to my ultrasound technician today? We're both measuring 40+weeks and based on those measurements, I'd be due October 17th. That's this Saturday. You know? Only 3 days away! I can't say that I think she'll be here then by any means, but it still cracks me up. It also means the contractions I've been having off and on are being taken a little more seriously at this point.

I'll see my doctor on Friday morning and hopefully she'll shed a little more light on this whole thing. At the very least, we're having a big baby. We already had an idea this would happen from early on, but it was confirmed today. She weighs (give or take 1/2 a pound) 8lbs 12oz. I'm betting at least 9lbs when she's born.

I should also point out that my brother guessed October 16th as her due date while the rest of us say Halloween. He's ecstatic that he could be correct!

We'll see... I guess now I really, really need to do all of her laundry today. >.>

Hell has frozen over...

2009-09-17T06:15:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I had to agree with something that Obama said... Kanye West IS a jackass.

Seriously?

2009-09-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

So, when I was with the Old Doc, I was a good little girl and paid my "Delivery Fee" of $400 up front. I didn't go on a payment plan or make them call me for payments, I just paid it and that was that. This was also when I was probably not even 12 weeks along. One thing less to worry about, right?

Wrong.

Now that I'm with the New Doc, I had to pay another "Delivery Fee" of $100. (Didn't I say there was a huge difference in the charges to me??) When I had originally spoken to my insurance chick about swapping docs, I had asked her about this, and she had basically said that it was up to my Old Doc's office to refund me the money after they billed it out. Having no real idea what that meant, I let it go and chose not to worry about that until I even had a new doc.

Fast forward again to my New Doc appointment and I, again, paid the fee in full with my co-pay (Hello, $115 compared to $430?!). While I was still waiting to be called to the back I called the other office to find out about this "Delivery Fee". I'm still pretty new to all the insurance lingo since I've never broken anything, had surgery, etc. But, essentially, she tells me that because I swapped doctors, they are now billing my previous visits at a "new rate" and will be deducting that from my $400. Of course.

I really like how you can suck at your job, make people feel unwelcome, accept payment, and then refuse to try to refund any of that back so you can make even more money. Congratulations, jerk asses. I plan to do more research on this "new billing", but I doubt I'll find a leg to stand on with them.

Anyway! The good news is that Savannah's been doing great. She still has her "sleepy" (Thanks Stephanie!) times, but overall she's been pretty kickin. (hah, get it? Ok, I'm done.) I haven't noticed any real "patterns" of sleep that some books suggest, but I'm okay with that.

I don't get to see the doctor this Friday, but my Mother in Law will be in town to spend the holiday weekend with us. It'll be the first time she's seen me since early February. This is her first grand baby, too, so she's thrilled. ^.^

I'm not one to be big on visitors, especially with as cramped as we already are, but I think it'll be a nice weekend. And let's not forget she's also purchasing the stroller/car seat combo for us! (the one major piece I've been drooling over...) This would have been the weekend of my baby shower, if I was having one. I still have mixed feelings about that, but no big.

At least we're finally in September so maybe some of this heat will let up for the remaining 2ish months... not likely to happen until October though. Stupid Las Vegas.

New Doctor

2009-08-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

When I decided to try to change my doctor this late in the pregnancy, I wasn't sure if A) anybody would accept me B)if it would be a smooth transition and C)we would like the new doctor.

I let the cards fall where they may and decided early on that if I was able to be approved by the new doctor, everything would be just fine and dandy. And I'm soooo glad to say I was right!

Ryan immediately loved the new waiting room. For one, there isn't a tv playing Oprah (ugh!) or "The Pacifier" on replay while you wait for 2 hours. Second, it seems like the... caliber(?) of patient is better, so you're no longer worried about what possible disease you might contract from the "lady" sitting next to you. Third, it's rather large and more "modernized" to Ryan's liking. So, he read his "Sport's Illustrated" while I filled out a new medical thing they needed on file for me.

I would also like to point out that they don't charge you a co-pay prior to you being let behind "The Door", they have you sign in and then call you back and you pay after your services are rendered. It's a small thing and adds a little additional wait time to the end of the process, but I really think we like it better.

The staff was very friendly and then we met our new doctor. We immediately loved her! She was personable, friendly, smiled, and did not make me feel rushed at all. She took her time to ask me important questions and then listened when I had concerns. She was also rather impressed that we already were set to register at the hospital, had a pediatrician, and were in the process of getting our "big" baby items like crib and stroller in the near future. I'm organized that way.

She said we will have another ultrasound in about 5-6 weeks just to see how big Savannah is and we'd have another appointment in 2 weeks. WOO HOO!! After a couple more 2 week appointments, we get to have weekly appointments! Hurray! We made it through the awful, awful 4 week appointment phase.

I made sure to thank her for accepting us as patients this late in the pregnancy and Ryan and I were just beaming when we left to go to the "check out". We waited on the couch to be called to pay and had our appointments set up for us through the end of October. Apparently my Doctor will be on vacation the entire last week in October... Of course, that makes me feel even more like Savannah will be here that week as I've been telling Ryan for the past few months.

We'll see! I'm not worried about the possibility of delivering her without my doctor because there are a ton of doctors in that office and connected with that office and based off the staff I've been dealing with, it'll be great either way.

So, we go back in 2 weeks on September 11th and as long as I don't go into pre-term labor or something, we should be good to go!

I hate days like this...

2009-08-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

I realize a lot of women deal with shitty things during their pregnancies, ie: morning sickness, having to work full time, being single, craptastic friends, etc, but am I seriously the only woman who worries non-stop about this baby? The few women I know (IRL) who have recently had babies just think I'm crazy for worrying in my third trimester (my husband agrees with them) and the ones on the message boards (Yeah, I know, draaaammmaaaa) are worried about having gained 5 lbs on their little 110lb figures or that they won't be good Moms.

We've already touched on my weight gain - not that I really care about it at this point - and I know I'll be an awesome Mom... I just hate days like this when Savannah is lazy. I'm sure "lazy" isn't the best way to describe it, but come on! You're all crazy jumpin around for 3 days in a row and then you take it easy for a day or two. Totally freaks me out. every. single. time. Today was her slow day. And while I do have the fetal heart doppler thing, it just seems silly at this point to have to use it. And "sugary" drinks do not work. The old doc said to try that... my little girl doesn't care. She's as stubborn as her Mama. ^.^

Oh to only be worried because I put on a ghastly 5 lbs in a 4 week period when I was already under weight to begin with... Seriously?

Less than 90 days to go... I hope she has more bursts of energy in the coming days so her Mother doesn't go completely bonkers.

Glucose Test - 0 Dawn & Savannah - 1

2009-08-10T16:15:00.001-07:00

It only took a couple of phone calls and one returned call to let me know the results. It was the only test that people had been warning me about since I found out I was pregnant. It was also the only test that the phlebotomist had said I should alter my diet for ahead of time. ie: less starches & sugars.

Now, maybe, if the test had been during any other month, it might have been possible to "fool" the test. (Not that that really makes sense since it checks for possible diabetes and things that could mess with Savannah and I during our last 3 months before she makes her grand entrance... but anyway.) But, the fact that this test fell at the end of July means it just wasn't happening. First, there was the Hawaii trip early in the month and while we didn't go "crazy" on desserts, the Hawaiian shave ice did not help. Then there's the fact that my birthday fell exactly one week before the test.

I'm a big fan of birthdays, especially mine. So we had red velvet with chocolate chip bundt cake w/cream cheese frosting and Ray's current GF brought over a cheesecake with fresh strawberries. And I certainly had help eating all of them, but I certainly did not have a paper thin slice of either. And they were good and we were both happy. Savannah's been craving sweets, so not completely my fault, right? Right.

Well, even with my love for starchy goodness and cakes, we won!

I was *not* looking forward to the possible 3 hour test. Not only is it 8 hours of fasting ahead of time, it is then another sugary drink (which didn't really bother me) and 3 blood tests to follow an hour apart... so Dawn & Savannah with NO FOOD, having our blood drawn multiple times, AND a doctor's office waiting room for just over 3 hours? Any person who would have had to see/deal with me during that period should also thank their stars that we're so awesome at processing sugar. I know the husband is really, really glad. He heard 8 hours without food and then another 3 in the doctor's office and went white. He learned quickly not to starve me. 100 times worse when it's me and my child.

I would bet that this is directly related to all of the sweet tea I've ingested over the last 20+ years... it was all just practice. ; )

New Doctor!

2009-08-06T14:34:00.001-07:00

The new doctor confirmed that she would start seeing me as a patient! I'm officially out of that other place and have my first appointment on August 28th at 10:40am, which was the same day of my next scheduled appointment at the old office. I wish I would get to see her sooner, but that's more because I'm a spazz than anything.

I also set up for Ryan & I to meet the pediatrician that was recommended to us (he's in the same building as my new doctor). I hope he blows us out of the water, because I'm already having 2nd thoughts based on some of his other patients. The very last thing I want is a pediatrician who is okay with a new mom and dad bringing their 3 day old baby to a bar... because I know that's what the couple did, but have no idea if the doctor knows. I would assume he would be as sickened as I am by it, but there are a lot of crazy people around here... A. LOT.

If he doesn't float my boat then, hopefully, my new doctor will have a recommendation. Mom & I noticed another pediatrician's office while we were walking around the hospital the other day, so I won't have to go very far.

Looks like we are back on track with everything and should be able to register with my hospital after I see the doctor on the 28th. That will also give me a chance to show Ryan the inside of the hospital... not that he actually cares as long as I'm happy. We've already scoped out the food & drink places nearby in case I'm in L&D for a long time, so we'll be all set come September it looks like!

Now if somebody could just make the next 3 weeks fly by for me, that would be great. Thank you!

Changing direction. (sorta)

2009-08-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

During one of the 50 times I was awake last night for no reason, it occured to me that I should be documenting some of this time. I've written some of the other key moments down (the day we found out, first dr visit, and finding out the sex), but nothing else really. Maybe this will help with the huge amounts of anxiety I feel at times about Savannah and if she's doing okay in there.

I asked Ryan to purchase me an ultrasound machine, but apparently that's not in our budget. :) So, sometimes I just kinda poke around to see if I can get her to move... It doesn't always work, but it's glorious when it does. Which reminds me how she nearly kicked Ryan in the head the other day when he was leaning down to speak to her. Clearly I'm teaching her well at an early age.

The reason for the anxiety? Well. I guess I still find it strange that after wanting this little girl for sooooo long, she's finally on her way. I just have this feeling that she'll be taken away from me. I imagine that having to wait 4 weeks between doctors visits doesn't help, especially when my current doctor seems to just rush through people. I don't need to be coddled, but a little more interest in me and my child doesn't seem like too much.

Hence the search for a new doctor when I'm 26.5 weeks pregnant. Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I guess the final straw was this past Friday when a number of things were all screwy.

I've had my 8:30am appt scheduled for weeks and weeks but on the way there I receive a call saying she was in an emergency delivery and I would need to come in at 12:45 instead. Okay... no problem. We head over there anyway so I can take my first glucose screening test. The phlebotomist was not my "normal" girl and not very nice. Not that this is the fault of the doctor's office, it just happens. I can deal with that, even if she did leave me sore and bruised for no reason. Idiot.

Anyway, we arrive at 12:30 and I sign in. The waiting room starts clearing out and then people who showed up after me are called back. This is the norm at this office. I've waited 2 hours to get called to the back for my scheduled appointment, only to be held back there for another 20-30 minutes until I was finally able to see the doctor. I also notice that I have not been called up to pay my co-pay, per normal, and have no idea if they even know that I'm there.

At about 1:20 I go up there and she tells me that I'm next and I asked her about my co-pay (much to my husband's dismay) and she acts completely dumbfounded. "You have a co-pay?" "I have every other time I've come here for the past 5 months..." "Oh, ok, just pay me when you're finished." So, we are called back about 5 minutes later.

Get on the scale. (moan) Go to my little room and get my blood pressure taken and the tech asks me if I have any questions or if I've been feeling any pressure. No pressure, list of questions written down for the doctor. She says the doctor will be right in, but we know otherwise.

About 15 minutes later we get to see the doctor. She measures my stomach and then asks me about my questions. Being the good patient that I am, I am trying to explain in detail (but quickly) the weird feelings I've been having in my stomach and back and trying to avoid her somewhat blank stare.

Her response is that it's all normal. That's it. Normal. More info plz thx? She also says that I can do whatever movements I want, so not to worry about that. I kept reading that I should be bending at the knees, avoiding bending at the waist, etc. Apparently not.

I can see Ryan is clearly not happy. He attempts to tell her how I worry all the time and it's blown off while she looks at my chart. "You've put on 12 lbs in the past month, that will add to your discomfort." Okay... when I had similar results last month nothing was said. "Oh, I see last month you put on 11 lbs, you need to watch that. Try to avoid sugars and starches." So, any sort of food that is good and makes me not want to eat 5 minutes later? K, thanks. Then she leaves.

So, in the time we were there, I got to see my doctor and get information about my baby for all of 5 minutes. Neat.

So, in my attempt to find another doctor this far into the pregnancy I contacted my insurance company to speak with a rep there. They were super friendly when I called them when I was 6 weeks along and provided me with way more info than I needed at the time, but now that we're nearing the delivery, it seemed important.

I get another lovely lady on the phone who suggests the current facility I'm trying to get into. Not only is it closer to my house, highly recommended by the insurance lady & other staff there, and right next to my choice for hospital - it's going to be much cheaper for me in the long run. Price hasn't been my main concern, because I feel as long as I'm happy, it's not a big deal. But, let's face it, I haven't been happy with that doctor's office for a long time.

However, due to the fact that I am so far along, I could end up being stuck with my current doctor. So, we'll see.

Mom & I went over to the possible new doctor's office this afternoon to drop off a packet of information and the Office Manager said that rather than putting me in the system as a patient and dropping all of my current appointments with my current doctor, she would just request my medical records and have the doctor review them and let me know if she'll accept me before screwing everything else up... which was our main concern. Thank you Office Manager Lady!

Not only is the new doctor's office "near" my hospital, it's connected. So, we took a little (okay, really long) stroll over to the hospital. It's still very new and smells lovely. They have a cafe for visitors, a smallish gift shop, and tons of comfortable seating. Not sure what else you could ask for... except a Starbucks, but that's just right down the street.

We also visited the "Women's Center" which is code for "Labor & Delivery" and were greeted by a very friendly lady named Theresa, who happens to be the Charge Nurse. According to the website we should have scheduled an appointment for a tour, but she was all about getting us in there to brag about her area. The "Delivery Suite" is larger than my bedroom and has pretty pictures on the wall. They have it set up so the baby (unless there are issues) will always be in the room with you and a comfy chair for the husband to roll out on.

There was no big glass window to see all the new babies. =( I asked and she said that there weren't any new babies in there for her to show me, they were with their Moms. Damn it. There goes smelling babies... I'll just have to wait.

They have afternoon tea, a "celebration" dinner, and a "mommy massage" if you want it after delivery. After my last massage, I'm not sure I'll want that.

Overall, we were really impressed with the staff, the facility, and their security. Definitely where I want Savannah to be born. Hurray!

Now to wait on Vickie (OM) to call me back with whether or not I'll be swapping doctors. I know it will all work out, but I will be glad to have this part behind me!

26.5 weeks along... almost in our third trimester! Almost time, hang in there Savannah.

Buy 2 Get 1 Free Sale & Giveaway

2009-04-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Please be sure to check out her fantastic artwork. : ) I, personally, *really* want that Baby book and have put it on my "list" of gifts for Ryan or Mom to snag for me for Mother's Day and/or Anniversary and/or Birthday!

http://vol25.typepad.com/vol25/2009/04/buy-2-get-1-free-sale-and-a-giveaway.html

Check it out!

XOXO,

Oh Baby!

2009-04-08T16:32:00.000-07:00

Within the past 18 months or so there seems to have been a HUGE baby boom. Now, this could just be me since you always notice certain things a bit more when you are trying to conceive or know somebody who is pregnant. Regardless, I've seen babies EVERYWHERE.

Now that I have my own bundle of joy due in November, the baby craze is continuing (thankfully) into my favorite past time.

The top picture is the new "Oh Baby" stamp set and these are the sentiments that go along with them. There are two more sets, but these are my favs.

You can win these by visiting: http://starvingartistamps.blogspot.com/2009/04/oh-baby-youre-super.html

XOXO,

30 is the new 20

2009-01-20T08:47:00.001-08:00

Or so they say. This card was created for my friend Judah (who also designed my blog banner). He will be the big 3-0 on Saturday. While I don't think 30 is that big of a deal right now, he surely does. So, I thought by giving him the key to life, he would make it through that day a little easier.

30, after all, is just another number.

I probably purchased more Tim Holtz items in the past 3 weeks than absolutely "necessary", but definitely worth it (in my opinion) once everything was said and done. I'm definitely addicted to his stuff.

Happy Birthday, Judah~! Sorry I'll miss out on this momentous occasion.

XOXO,

Happy 22nd

2009-01-16T16:57:00.001-08:00

This is for a friend of mine who will be turning 22 at the end of the month. I wasn't entirely sure what to do for her, but she's convinced she's getting "old", so the little charm says "Embrace". This is also another gift card holder, so there is a gift card for Olive Garden in the center for her. I hope she'll enjoy it.

Here's another view of the 22, I'm really digging my grungeboard. ^_^

XOXO,

New year... new phone

2009-01-08T19:17:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for a purple cell phone FOREVER. Ryan & I are with Sprint and my contract just happens to be up in March and Best Buy just happens to carry this color exclusively... and it just happens to be free with a contract extension. Some sort of loophole allowed me to renew my contract on January 1st and get this puppy for free! We also renewed Ryan's line (same plan, different contracts? So weird.) and he got a green Rumor.

I adore my new phone and bought it a clear case to keep it protected. I have yet to customize it with sparklies or stamping or rub-ons... I'm so tempted, but so torn due to the fact that the color is just amazing.

Anyway. After my previous post, we did not receive anymore snow. In fact, by the next morning you would have had no idea it snowed at all (other than flight delays) if you hadn't seen it with your very own eyes.

OH! My banner is also new for the new year. My BFF made it for me and it's absolutely fantabulous! I hope to update more frequently, unfortunately the project I've been working on can not be posted until after the person I'm making it for receives it... at the end of the month. Hopefully I'll have some new Valenetinesy stuff going. ^_^ Normally, I hate V-day... no real reason, just not a "hearts & love" kinda girl... but I'm really getting into it this year.

New year's resolution? I try not to make them, but I have to say that I'm really focusing on my happiness. #1 on that list is Savannah... we'll see how that goes.

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... in Las Vegas

2008-12-17T16:48:00.001-08:00

That's what my house looked like 2 hours ago and the snow is STILL coming down!! It's not expected to stop until tomorrow around 11AM or something. The strip (lowest altitude in Las Vegas) is supposed to get 3-6 inches of snow, which is a first since 1979. The airport isn't letting anybody in or out and some roads are closed! I'll take another picture tomorrow to compare, but I'm really torn between wanting A LOT of snow and a little. Mom's stranded in California right now and Ray comes into town on Friday from Ft. Leonard Wood, the snow isn't helping that. BUT it's soooo pretty!!!

Stay warm!!

XOXO,

12 Days of Christmas Pink Poison Style

2008-12-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

The challenge was to complete 12 Christmas cards in 12 days... and I'm happy to report I completed them all just in time!

The last two are actually gift card holders (thanks to Gina K's instructions) and my favorite. : )

All of the main images are from Pink Poison and can be purchased Here.

Merry Christmas!!

Doing my part to Spread the Sweetness

2008-10-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet seen the new line of SASI stamps, head on over to this blog: http://www.tayloredexpressions.blogspot.com/ !

And, if you do your part to help Spread the Sweetness, you will be entered to win some blog candy!!

Sweet stamps and a sweet prize, what could be better?!

XOXO,

Pink Poison Pirates (and Blog Candy)

2008-10-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Say that three times fast! I am *in love* with this stamp set from Pink Poison!! I mean, who doesn't love pirates?

This card took me forever to design... I just wanted it to be my best. I started out with just the Kraft Cardstock, Sparkly Pink Doodlebug Paper and my stamp image. The ribbon holder (or whatever you call it) at the bottom is actually paper that was cut with a Spellbinder die and then embossed with silver. I even went so far as to have the card completely put together and then yanked it all apart (carefully!) so I could ink the edges of the black cardstock with some silver.

I was so happy with my "re-construction" after tearing it apart that I'm having Ryan bring home his Anniversary Card so I can re-do some of it... it's been killing me that it wasn't all that great.

I hope to be able to participate in a challenge or two today but I have some school stuff to take care of AND we're going to Six Flags tomorrow!!!! If you haven't gone during their "Fright Fest", you should put it on your list of "Things To Do"! I don't want to give anything away, but once the sun sets, it's a free for all!

BLOG CANDY ALERT!!

Head over to the Pink Poison Blog for your chance to win one of the new stamps sets before it's released!

XOXO,

Ingredients: Pink Poison Stamps; Versafine, PTI, SU! and Colorbox Ink; PTI, DCWV and Doodlebug CS/DP; Copics and Prismacolor Pencils; random black brads; Taylored Expressions Pink Twill ribbon; Me & My Big Ideas bling.

Nurse Anya

2008-10-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

If I were a nurse (a brave nurse), this is what I would want to look like as I was giving out my meds. Even though I know that nurses don't wear the "traditional" garb seen in this picture, this would be my ideal nurse-y self, complete with little purple shoes & purple bangs. Maybe for Halloween...

For anybody who adores this nurse as much as I do, you can find her (and many others) at Pink Poison. There are only three Anya's available right now, but if you search through the mini catalog on the Pink Poison Blog, you can view the FOUR new Anya's coming out later this month along with many other stamp sets now available. I, personally, can't wait to receive the newest Anya's and the opportunity to scoop up her boyfriend, Ian. He's sooo cute. /swoon

XOXO,

Ingredients: Stamps: Pink Poison "Nurse Anya" and "stars", Sentiment: Papertrey Ink; Paper: Papertrey Ink; Ink: Papertrey Ink and Versafine; Nestabilities Scallop Circles; Cuttlebug "Swiss Dots" Embossing Folder; Stitching is Bazzill; Colored with Copic Markers.

One Year Ago...

2008-10-12T20:19:00.001-07:00

... I stood before my closest friends and family, in a white dress with my Grandmother's pearls and sparkly purple shoes, and said my wedding vows before all of those witnesses with Ryan, while he promised the same.

The "traditional" first year anniversary gift is paper... so this is Ryan's card/paper item. I could not think of anything super creative for the "main" gift, so he got a new bowling bag and Dallas Cowboys towel to match. :) I, on the other hand, received many paper items! It seems slightly easier when the other person really loves paper! Not only did I receive a ton of cardstock and patterned paper, I also received two tickets to see Hinder on October 30th! He did pretty good!

This card isn't necessarily my best work... I've been in a small rut, but I'm pretty happy with it. I'm sure that by our 10th or 15th Anniversary his cards will be amazing! ; )

Here's a picture of my shoes & cupcakes by the end of the reception. Have you ever seen prettier wedding shoes?

XOXO,

Ingredients: Stamps: "Sir Silimus" from Doodlefactory (Starvingartistamps), Heart from Autumn Leaves "Love Grows", Sentiment from Cloud 9 "Simple Thoughts-Wedding" ; Paper/CS: PTI & Chatterbox; Ink: Versafine & Colorbox; Ribbon: Taylored Expressions & Random from Scrapbook convention; "R": Cuttlebug Die and heart shape: Bazzill Basics Chipboard Ribbon slider

Squish a boob - Save a life

2008-10-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Get in the habit of feeling yourself up once a month so you're familiar enough with your body to be able to notice if there's a change - such as a lump. Early detection is so important, so please take the time.

XOXO,

Swedish Collage Challenge

2008-09-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

Starving Aristamps is having an awesome challenge! Here's a quote from the link:

There are several key points which regularly appear in swedish collage style
stamping...

the shape of the card is SQUARE

a bold mix of PATTERN PAPERS is used

CHIPBOARD titles (in any language!), BUTTONS and/or STAPLES are often
incorporated into the design

COLOR COLOR COLOR the more color the better!
(this is not your regular vintage style collage frequently done in the states!
Ban the brown!)

Think you are up to the challenge? Here is how you can participate. From now until October 1st email us a link to your blog showing your version of the swedish collage style challenge card. Please include your name in your email. We will post links to your blogs here and in the gallery.

There have already been some submissions, so don't forget!! As soon as my ATG
gun is done drying, I'm going to start on mine!

Enjoy your day!

XOXO,

Prayers Requested...

2008-09-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already seen these two blogs, I urge you to read them (tissues in hand). The first one that I started following was: http://blog.cjanerun.com/ after reading from another blog about the horrible tragedy that fell upon their family. Jane updates her blog regularly on the status of her sister and brother-in-law's conditions. She posted today with a link to this family: http://sccsdecker.blogspot.com/ who has also been dealing with their tragedy. Both families are in dire need of thoughts, prayers, and donations. Scott & Carol have medical bills over $2 million and that does not include the therapy that will also be required in the coming days.

I can't imagine going through what either family has been dealing with so bravely.

XOXO,

I vant to suck your blood!

2008-09-14T10:53:00.001-07:00

Here's my latest submission for Taylor's Cupcake Challenge #33. I actually made another card first, but it didn't quite come out like I had it in my head... partially because I do that A LOT and partially because I simply do not have enough Copics to do everything I "need" to do.

However, this little beauty was "born" whilst I was cutting out my new Doodlefactory Stamps from Starving Artistamps! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I now own *all* of the Doodlefactory stamps that are currently available. The only issue now is I still need tons of jewel cases to store all of my stamps, so I had to re-arrange a few stamp sets that I don't/haven't used yet so I could cut up my new Halloween stamps and not risk losing any.

OH! There's more to this card! See the little ribbon tab thingie to the left of Vincenzo? You just pull it up and to the left and *POOF* he's a bat! Or, as I like to think of it, he's his alter ego "Boaz".
This card also allowed me the opportunity to use my newest paper from Taylor's Halloween Collection that I received with my Cupcake Shipment last week.

It took me a lot longer than it should have because I broke my embossing gun. I have no idea how... one second it was working and the next something was jiggling around inside of it and it wouldn't blow hot air! Ryan attempted to "fix" it last night but just ended up shocking himself because he failed to remember to unplug the gun after he took it apart and tested it again. It wasn't that funny right when it happened, but it is *really* funny now since he's not injured. Well, maybe his pride, but not enough to warrant a hospital visit. *snicker*

I was already going to Michael's today to get some stuff for the cork boards where I'm volunteering (DL) so I'll have to pick up another gun too. I'd attempt to return it or exchange it, but that receipt is loooong gone.

I went to the Rubberstamp & Scrapbook Convention yesterday and found some really great items. It has definitely sized down since 6 months ago, but I was still able to find items that I had to have. I ended up with a few stamps, punches, and TONS of ribbon. Only one vendor was selling ribbon and so I just starting taking down pieces (they were pre-cut into 1/2 yard strips) and holding on while I searched for the hidden pieces. I had a handful of these strips along with a few other things and went up to the register. I had not counted while I was pulling (not on purpose, but sometimes I'd grab 2-5 at a time of one kind) and so rather than hold up the line they said I had 36 strips. I was fine with that, especially since it was only 35 cents per strip and it was buy 5 get 1 free. So, a handful of ribbon for about $10.50. Well, Mama decided to count it while I was in line at another vendor (got my Scor-Pal Mat!!) and I ended up having *drum roll* 92 pieces of ribbon!!!! I obviously ended up with a fantastic deal!! I was already happy with it, so it doesn't necessarily matter, but it makes it a little bit sweeter. =)

Well, off to Michael's!!

XOXO,

Ingredients: SU! & TE CS, Doodlefactory Stamps, Twinkling H20s, TE & random ribbon, and Copic Markers