A Cankle

Good morning! Sorry I haven't posted this week...it has been an interesting week so far!

If you can't tell from the photo I am showing you my nicely swollen left outside ankle. Yes, I have a tattoo, no I don't regret it, yes I would like another. I was doing my step-aerobics DVD on Monday and stepped off the side wrong twisting my ankle. Todd and a couple of friends thought that I should have it x-rayed so I did and...it is not broken. I went home with an air cast to keep my ankle from rolling (I'll wear this for a week or so) and crutches that I only needed to use Monday and yesterday. Today I'll start putting Arnica on it (don't know why I didn't do that on Monday!). It doesn't look super bruised in the photo but I just noticed bruising this morning.

Since I've had my ankle up for the last two days I haven't created much and what I have are design team commitments. Today is a busy day and tomorrow is Care Net BUT Friday is new release day for Doodle Pantry and I have two super fun cards to show you for that! Next week I will start my week off on Tuesday (if I don't post something on Monday) with a Sweet Peak from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. Then I will have two more Sweet Peaks for ya on Wednesday and Saturday too! So hang in there...don't leave me yet, this is just a bump in the road!

I hope your week has been a good one so far! See ya soon!

the perfect blend

Good morning friends! We had an absolutely wonderful time away for our anniversary Wed/Th! Scroll down for my favorite photo.

Today is another anniversary definitely worth celebrating. Today is my mom and dad's 44th wedding anniversary. I am blessed to have three sets of parents and this is the set of parents that I was given through marriage. I love Don and June so much and it has been an absolute privilege to have them be in my life. I adore the card that I sent to them but, honestly, it doesn't fit them all the well...they don't drink coffee. (The image and sentiment are from the A Muse Studio set called The Perfect Blend) What I love about this card is the sentiment 'the perfect blend'. Seriously how could you be married 44 years and not be the perfect blend? So Happy Anniversary you two!

Alright, I wanted to share my favorite photo from our anniversary trip. Todd and I had just had our dessert (I had strawberry shortcake...it was just like what my mom used to make!) and were enjoying the view from our balcony when Todd said...take a photo of this, plopped the glass on top of the railing and I took the photo. Isn't it just lovely? It was the perfect ending to an incredible day of hiking, good food, and my wonderful husband for company! If you were wondering about Cave B you can go check it out HERE.

Guess what is exciting about today? I get to meet my blogging friend, Danni! I can't wait until she is no longer a blogging friend and is a real life I've met her in person friend! I made her a fabulous little something so come back tomorrow to see it!

Have a wonderful Friday and make sure you wear RED today to remember everyone deployed!

Today is the day!

Good morning all! For those of you who only look at the photo and then go comment if you like it please know I did NOT make this card! There is a story behind it. If you want to know the story...keep reading!

So...today is the day! Today is my 10th wedding anniversary! I know that to some that may not seem like much but to a girl whose first marriage ended in divorce and was widowed from the second marriage, 10 years is a lot! It is incredible the plan that God saw when I couldn't see anything in my future. He knew that Todd was going to be the partner for me and I for him. Like most married couples things are not roses all the time but over the years we've steadily worked our way to a marriage that I think honors God and our vows...even when Todd is being a poopie head...lol!

Onto the card. I saw a card like this back in 2008 on my friend Sarah's blog. Over these last several years I have picked up the card, looked at it and decided not to use it yet so back into its storage place it went. I pulled it out the other day and decided it was perfect for our 10th anniversary. So, Sarah, thank you for making this card...I know Todd is going to LOVE it!

As you all know we have parented my three boys together over these last 10 years and again, I know we haven't been perfect but I think my boys are pretty amazing! My oldest is staying with Kyler today so we can go do another little hiking trail, have some dinner, and spend the night away from the house. I'm so looking forward to it! What I am not happy about is the "gift" that I ordered for us didn't arrive yesterday as promised so that means we won't have it before we leave. Yep, I'll be making a phone call today!

So...HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TODD! Thank you for the adventure of the first 10 years...here is to 30 more!

Sad Heart

It is with a sad heart that I inform you of the following losses in Afghanistan two days ago.

Fallen Heroes: Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Elwell, of Holland, Pa. and Pfc. Tyler Springman of Hartland, Maine who were killed Saturday by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. Seven other soldiers were wounded. The men were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

SFC Elwell was the acting 1st Sgt and had only been with the unit for about a month. He gave up his R&R leave to be with these men. PFC Springman was my Jon's friend. I believe the memorial service in Afghanistan was today. Seven other men were injured, a couple seriously. I am so sad for the families of these men, their friends, and their family in Afghanistan.

This was my son's platoon and had he been there he would have been involved with this incident but please know that God protected him as Jon had been sent somewhere else for about a week (I even got to Skype with him!) and was NOT involved in this incident. I praise God for his provision of safety! I'm also completely stunned at the imminent danger that my son is in. I knew he was in danger I guess I refused to let myself see how much.

Rest In Peace SFC Elwell and PFC Springman. God will comfort and give your family strength during this time. You will not be forgotten!

Photo Heavy Post Today! :)

Good morning friends. Just a warning that this is a photo heavy post and pretty long. Today I'm just sharing some personal photos. First, of Pike Place Market...we were there on Wednesday for a history of the market type of tour. While the tour underwhelmed us we did learn a couple of interesting facts that I'll tell ya about. Second, I want to show you the Blue Star Wall hanging that my friend, Lori, made for me. Ready?
First, I want to show you my favorite part of Pike Place Market...flower row. The scents and colors in that area are just amazing! I wish we didn't live so far away so I could take some of those flowers home! Next time we are in Seattle, though, we are going to take a vase so we can put them in water on the way home! Yay!

I wanted to share a photo of the Public Market sign, too. This is one of the better photos I've gotten so I'm upset about the date in the corner. That prompted me to turn off the date feature on my camera. Todd is really good about remembering dates so he can always help me out if I forget. Oh, and see the corner of the building up there by the Public Market sign. Yeah, that is a building that has condos in it. Want to move there? It will only cost you $1,000,000 to purchase one of those condos. It is all about the view as on the other side is a gorgeous view of Elliott Bay.
So, the above sign is the original Starbucks logo. It has gone through many renovations as you can tell. What was interesting about this was that when Starbucks wanted to go in there they were originally told no. It was eventually agreed that they could put a shop there but it had to be just original...no updates to what the original Starbucks would have served/looked like so you will not find pastries and the like in this store. Interesting, huh?

The last photo of Pike Place Market is of the gum wall in one of the alleys. I can't remember when the guide told us it started but apparently sometime ago the theater (that is still there by the way) was having problems with gum under the seat so they put a sign up...please leave your gum outside...so people did. The wall had to be cleaned off one time years ago but people still come just to put their gum on the wall. All I can say is...ewwww!

And the final photo (thanks for being patient): This is the Blue Star quilt that my friend, Lori, made for me. I still need to find the perfect quilt hanger but it will have a prominent place to hang in our house. Thanks Lori!

On another topic, stop back tomorrow to see a cute card made with THIS image! Have a wonderful Friday everyone!

Congrats and Happy Birthday!

Good morning all! I will get to the Happy Birthday in a second here first to show you the Grad Hat Card.

This is another SVG (and I have another to show you on Saturday) that I got from My Scrap Chick. If you have a Cricut (or other cutting machine) and SCAL or MTC you should either follow My Scrap Chick's blog or subscribe to her newsletter as each week you get a free SVG from her and this grad hat card was one of them. I think it was from about a month ago. In all honesty I own quite a few of her SVG's. I don't use as many as I own but I do love them all and find them to be a great value! I made three of these hats this year...one red with black (it is actually not that red, more crimson) and two black with red. It is interesting but I find using my Cricut really fun recently so I think you'll be seeing more made with at least some elements cut from my Cricut.

What about the birthday? Well, today is not only Flag Day, if you have a flag it should be flying today unless it is raining, it is the Army's 236th Birthday! From THIS website...

Two hundred and thirty-six years ago, the United States Army was established to defend our Nation. From the Revolutionary War to the current operations taking place around the world, our Soldiers remain Army Strong with a deep commitment to our core values and beliefs. This 236th birthday commemorates America’s Army – Soldiers, Families and Civilians – who are achieving a level of excellence that is truly Army Strong. Being Army Strong goes beyond physical endurance and mental preparedness. It encompasses an indomitable spirit, and high ethical and moral values. These are not only desirable traits in a person, but in a Nation that wishes to live up to the ideals and vision of its founders. We are “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation."

Happy Birthday Army!

Keep swimming AND Graduation

Hello! Yes, I'm here a bit later than normal but I thought you'd all want to see a picture of the graduate so I waited to post until I had one ready for ya!

First, though I wanted to show you a card that I decided to make in a clean and simple style. That is kinda hard for me to do but sometimes it is just what is needed. I used the super cute fish and sentiment from the Happy Ocean Friends set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps just adding a little color with my Copics and the paper (Summer Days by Echo Park...find it HERE). I felt it needed just a bit of bling so I added a twinkle at the beginning of the sentiment. I gotta tell ya...I love this card!

Now, onto graduation! It could not have been a nicer day outside today! Beautiful sunshine with a hint of wind (we don't have breezes here) to cool it down when the sun got to hot. The ceremony started promptly at 9:30 and was a good two hours long. This is the first college graduation I've ever attended and while I am SO proud of my son...it was boring after we got to see Scott walk to get his diploma holder. I'm so bad aren't I? Scott is one of the first members of his family (both my side and his dads) to graduate from college (I'm tearing up right now) so it was just such an amazing day! I cried when the ROTC presented the Colors and the National Anthem was sung, I cried when I realized that so many of my family members weren't there to see it, and I cried when I got to hug Scott. What a ball of tears, huh?

Alright, enough sentimental stuff for today. Thanks for visiting today! Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day!

Doodle Pantry Berry Pie

Hello bloggy friends! Sorry for the delay in posting! My DH and I were gone this weekend when I realized I wanted to post this fun little card for ya and now I have a lovely (NOT!) sinus "thing" going on so it is hard to concentrate on too much.

The card I have to share with you today is using an image from one of the FREE sets you can receive from Doodle Pantry when you make a purchase of any amount! The set is called Berry Pie and has both blueberry and huckleberry colored pies as well as several digi papers (which I've used on my card) AND the black outlines so that you can make any type of pie you'd like. Pretty fun, huh?

I thought I'd share with you a picture of the view we had at lunch on Saturday. We went on a wine hike through our favorite winery and ended up on this gorgeous hilltop for lunch. Click on the photo to see a larger picture if you'd like.

Anyway, hop on over to Doodle Pantry to see all the new sets and also head on over to the Doodle Pantry BLOG to see the challenges that are going on right now!

Have a wonderful rest of your day!

Mom's Battle

I don't normally listen to rap nor do I care for the swear words but other than that...I think you'll appreciate the heart of this song which is...a military mom's heart.

He Is Risen!

Good Friday

He Shall Be Named Jesus

Going Grey with Scrap- Creations

Morning everyone. Today at Going Grey with Scrap-Creations challenge we have the challenge to make a tag and this week we have a sponsor, The Character Cafe.

The gave us some really cute images to work with including the snowman you see here. I'm not very good at making tags but I tried. This one is 5"x3" and the snowflake embossed portion is shimmery white as well as the snowman. I was impressed with how well shimmery white took the Copic marker color. I just added a grommet at the top and some coordinating ribbon. I thought that I would just use a sharpie type marker to write the to/from on the tag. Again, I have to apologize for the dark photo...I can't get a good photo for anything right now.

Please be sure to check out the rest of the design team. Kris, Kim, Kristen, Marie, Jacki, Mary, and Peggy.

And, now I need to ask for prayers again. I need to ask for prayers for our friend Nancy. Nancy and her husband Al were one of the first couples to introduce themselves to us at church when we were new there about nine years ago. That introduction encouraged us to stay at the church and more than that it encouraged a friendship that turned into Todd and I asking Al and Nancy to be fill in grandparents for our boys since our own parents live so far away. They did not hesitate to fill that roll for the boys and they have been attending concerts, taking the boys to birthday breakfasts, and loving on us since then. We received the very sad news, this morning, that Papa Al has passed away. It was quite sudden and we are extremely sad. We were just at their house on Tuesday night celebrating "the boys" birthdays...Todd and Al whom have birthdays just a day apart. Kyler spoke with Papa Al at church on Sunday. I'm just asking you to pray for the Moss family and for the boys (okay all of us) as we deal with the loss of this wonderful man. We love you Papa Al and will see you at our joyous reunion in heaven!

New Bible Study

I just thought I'd share with my blogging friends a video of the study I'm going to be doing with some friends comes this January. Maybe this is something you'd be interested in doing with your church or group of friends. Check it out!

It's a birthday!

Warning...this is a non-stamping related post! Since I've talked on and on about Jon and Kyler I thought that I should give equal time to my oldest son, Scott, too and what better day then his birthday?

Today, 23 years ago I gave birth to my first son. I know...can you believe it? 23 years (it is also how I keep track of how long I've been out of high school...lol! Ahh...lessons learned)! I wanted to show you a photo of him as a baby but those photos are not on my computer so this photo of him on what I believe was his first day of college will have to do. Besides I think a baby photo might have been a bit embarrassing for him.

My Scott has an incredible sense of humor, love for his family and friends, and dedication to his country...among other things. He is currently finishing up a double major in Poly Sci and History and he'd like to work somewhere in the political arena. Unlike most of us he has enjoyed this last political season and frankly I called him to ask him what the heck a couple of things meant when trying to figure out who/what to vote for. I respect his opinion and knowledge and love talking with him.

So, with that I want to wish Scott a . We'll see ya tonight for dinner!

Ups and Downs *long post*

Hello friends! I'm sure you could tell by the absence of activity on my blog that I've been gone for a little while. This will be a post of happiness and sorrow. It will also have lots of photos and long narrative...just so you know.

I know I told you that Jon was graduating from basic training/AIT and that is where we went. It was really a neat experience for me and when you add in that my son is one of the less than 1% of the people in the US that are part of the military my heart just swells with pride! He has truly followed the path he believes God has set out for him during this time in his life.

While I so enjoyed the trip and the things we got to do I did receive the news that my beloved grandpa passed away while we were gone. My dad called early last Saturday morning and I knew that was what the call was for. While my brain is so relieved that grandpa isn't hurting anymore my heart breaks for the loss of the wonderful man my grandpa was. I will be holding tight to the memories that I have of my grandpa and the legacy of love, acceptance, hard work and humor that he has left. I look forward to the day I get to see him and the other loved ones that have gone before me once again.

I have a couple of photos to share with you. The description of what they are will be beneath the photo.

This is, quite literally my last photo and memory of my grandpa. It was taken as we drove away from his house this summer. The trip was a wonderful one and only adds to my wonderful memories of him. And now, we take care of his wife, Fern.

Here is my boy, 2nd from the left closest to me, during the pass and review. I guess it is a tradition of some sort but honestly, I wasn't listening I was trying to find him to take this photo!

And here is another photo of tradition. When a man (did I just type that?) graduates from Infantry Basic Training he earns the blue braided cord for his uniform. The cord signifies to all that he is Infantry and that they are the best in the world. Okay, that isn't what they said but you get the idea! Oh, this ceremony was called Turning Blue.

Finally, is a photo of Jon and I that someone was nice enough to take for me. Good Lord, I look old! Anyway, I had a horrible time finding him in the mass of people and soldiers that are all wearing the same uniform and look the same 'til you are up close. It could also have had something to do with the fact that I thought he was 2nd platoon and he was actually 3rd. Duh, for mom!

Alright, that is it for today. If you've made it this for congrats and thank you for hanging in there. I will pass any comments made about Jon's graduation onto him. I should be back tomorrow with my Clearing the Clutter challenge project. See you then!

Hmmm...what's good about 41?

Yep, that's right...today is my birthday! Birthday's have always been special to me. As you know I'm very close to my grandparents and they used to come up to our house (4 1/2 hour drive) for my birthday. We'd have a bon fire, a birthday meal, and some cake. This went on well into my 20's although as I got older (and my grandparents got older) they weren't able to come every single year.

Several years ago, I had a major thing happen in my life and became a widow the day after my 30th birthday...yeah, it was horrible. I thought that day would overshadow everything that had been good about my birthday and for several years it did but God is good and gave me an incredible family to help me work through that and an even more incredible, patient, and loving husband that celebrates my birthdays with me now!

Mostly, what is good about 41 is that God has blessed me with an amazing life. Have there been hard times...absolutely but He has been with me through every single one of them and because of Him, I know I will get to see my family and friends in heaven when my Father calls me home. It is an incredible promise that I wish all could know and accept. If you have questions about my faith or any faith please e-mail me or leave a message here (or call me if you have my number).

And, today...thank you to my very sweet husband and boys who will make my day (and really this entire last week) so special for me!

Where have I been?

Morning everyone! I'm not sure if you noticed or not but I was gone for 9 days and just arrived home on Wednesday. It was a long trip of 3944 miles in the car but the reason for it is shown in my first photo. I'll tell you about our trip in the photos below. The photos are quite large...sorry it took so long to load them!

We went to Iowa this summer so that we could visit with my grandpa. Not sure if you know it or not but he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 6 weeks ago and has chosen not to take treatments for it. I wanted to be able to visit with him before he got too sick. My grandpa means the world to me and is my mom's dad.

This is my grandpa and his wife, Fern. My grandma died in 1996 and grandpa was blessed to have found a wonderful wife in Fern. It was a match suggested and blessed by my grandma before she died!

This is grandpa and my oldest son Scott and is a photo of something we did a lot of in Iowa, eat. My goodness Fern is an excellent cook and we just couldn't not taste everything now could we?

While in Iowa Fern asked me to help make the memory board for grandpa's celebration of life. I was honored to do it. I couldn't do all of it though as they didn't have all the photos they wanted to use but above is the photo of the section I did that showed details about his Honor Tour.

And it wasn't all just driving, we made a couple of stops along the way, Mt. Rushmore being one of them. I have been there four times now and the beauty astonishes me every time. Kyler didn't remember our last trip to Mt. Rushmore so we had to stop this time. Also, we met one of the original drillers that worked on Mt. Rushmore in the late 1930's. We took a photo with him and had him sign the book he wrote...very cool addition to this stop!

So, there you have it...what I've been up to. Thank you for visiting today and looking at the photos. This trip was very special and I loved every moment but it was a very sad goodbye the day we left.

I doubt I'll be back before Monday so I hope you have an absolutely wonderful weekend!