Lots of New Stampin Up Cards

Well I've been busy recovering from my stroke and a lot more interesting things have happened.  

My "real" job ended after 17 years with the company, my position with Target Corporation headquarters was eliminated in mid-June.  I've spent time in the last few months focusing on figuring out what my new journey should be and I've spent some great time in my craft room with paper therapy.  Below are some of the cards I've made over the last few months.

I'll try to continue with more frequent blog postings until I get another "real" job.

Thanks for stopping by!

Prayer Request

Hello All!  My second post today is a prayer request for my lovely Auntie Patty.  She's been diagnosed with extremely aggressive Pancreatic cancer.  She will start an extensive Chemo regimen tomorrow and then have surgery to attempt to remove the tumor.  Without treatment then give her 2-4 months to live, and with chemo and surgery, hopefully 22 months.  

I ask for prayers for strength and peace as for Auntie Patty, as well as the rest of the family and I ask for compassion, healing power and grace for the medical personnel.

I love you Auntie Patty and we'll be here with you during this journey! 

Exciting Update--New Stampin Up Demonstrator

Hello Everyone!  

I wanted to share an exciting personal and professional update with you.  After years of using and loving Stampin Up products, I've finally taken the leap and joined them as an Independent Demonstrator!    Don't get me wrong, I don't have exclusively Stampin Up product in my craft room, but a majority of my stamps, cardstock and supplies are from Stampin Up.  I love the quality, and the product, and I love sharing techniques, projects and tutorials with people, so after praying about it, I arrived at the decision to JUMmP!  Some of you are surprised that it took me this long to arrive at this decision, and some of you are shaking your heads at me.  :)  

I haven't decided how active I'd like to be in doing workshops, open houses, make-and-takes, etc. since I still have my full-time paying job, but I will figure it out as time and God reveals.  

If you are interested in hosting a workshop and would like me to help you and some friends make some fun projects together, I'd be happy to work with you to find a good time.  I'm also thinking about having a Christmas Make & Take / Stamp-A-Stack on Sunday, December 1, 2013 or Saturday, December 7, 2013.  I'll be hosting these sessions in my home, so space will be limited to 10 attendees. If any of you are interested, please let me know!

Here is one of the fun projects I'm thinking of having available for the Make & Take.

Boxed ornaments...

Personal Update: Ending of 2012 and Beginning of 2013

Hello All, I know that I have been missing in action for a few months.  Those of you who know me in the "real" world, know that I've had a very rough end to 2012 and a worse start to 2013.  As you may remember, my twin sister was gifted with a heart transplant two years ago (click the blue to read that post).  Things were very rocky the first week and the doctors did many things to save her life.  Well, one of the surgeries that was performed immediately after transplant actually caused the inferior vena cava (how the blood leaves the heart to be dispersed to the body) to become complete obstructed.  On December 14, 2012, the doctors had to completely replace that portion of the heart with a gortex tube.  The surgery took as long as the transplant, but I'm happy to say it was a complete success. Praise God!  I was also blessed with a new job (but with the same company I've been at for 14 years), and started that on December 11, 2012, so we ended the year with lots of excitement. 



Unfortunately, 2013 started out with a major event as well, but not a positive one.  With an extremely sad heart, I share with you that my husband and I had a beautiful baby girl, Constance Marie, stillborn on January, 4, 2013. She was approximately 30 weeks and was born into eternal life and is being well cared for by her grandparents and our Loving God.



My husband and I with Constance as our family priest blessed her.



The first time I held my precious daughter.



Many people have experienced the devastation of the loss of a child and I now have an understanding for their grief.  My husband and I were forever changed the day our daughter was born.  She made us mommy and daddy and will always be our first child.  We haven't decided yet if we will try to have more children, we are simply trying to heal emotionally, physically, and spiritually.  God has surrounded us with loving examples of His people.  They have been His hands and feet and have shown us many blessings through this loss.  We are keeping track of those blessings.  God is good, even when we don't understand His plan.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we heal.

Sad Beginning to the New Year

Hello everyone.  I'm sorry I've been away so long.  We unexpectedly lost my mother-in-law.  She passed away at home in her sleep.  We've been grieving, and trying to help my husbands siblings as well.  They are located all around the country, and this loss has made them realize that family is the most important thing.  Two of my husbands siblings are moving to be nearer to us, and will be moving in with us until they can get established.  While we've been discussing options, I've been focusing my energy where I've been most needed.  I'll return to my stamping and posting as soon as I can.  Thank you.



Personal Update

Good Morning everyone!  It's the day of our PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Walk.  I'll post once I'm home.  Our walk starts at 10am CST, so this afternoon I'll get to blogging my craft project.

My friend Norma and I were playing around with the Butterfly punch from Stampin Up, and some we followed some of the instructions from tutorials, and then made things up as we went along, but we cam up with something pretty cool and that's all I'm going to tell you about the project this afternoon.

See you later!

Personal Update: Wedding Shower and 2011 PKD Walk

No card this morning.  I wanted to update you on the wedding shower I hosted for my sister on Saturday, and give a huge call out to my friends that helped me in the planning!  Thank you to NORMA for helping me make the thank you cards I gave as a gift, in addition to making some of the best door prizes ever!  Handmade necklaces, as well as beautiful applique hangers.  Thank you to TARA for bringing fresh salad and veges from her garden as well as for helping execute the shower!  Thank you to KATHY for helping wrap the gifts and keeping things on track!  You all helped me make the shower special for my sister and her guests seemed to have a really good time!  We're a month away from the wedding!  I can't believe the time is going so quickly!

Onto my second subject this morning.  The 2011 PKD Walk.  PKD is Poly cystic Kidney Disease.  It's a disease that has impacted my family back to my great-grandmother.  My mom had two kidney transplants before she passed away in 1999, and she struggled with complications of the disease from the time I was in grade school.  My whole family has been impacted, two of my mom's siblings have also had transplants, and only one of the five didn't have the disease.  most of my cousins also have PKD, and one cousin had a brain aneurysm rupture that can be attributed to it.  I have another aunt awaiting surgery for a brain aneurysm also because of this disease.  So in memory of my mom, and in support of the rest of my family still battling this disease, I'm walking in the PKD walk  next month.  To learn more and see my donation page, you can go to the link here.

I'll work on cards tonight and hopefully have new stuff for you tomorrow.  Thanks for stopping by!

Punched Flower Greeting Card and Personal Update

First of all, thank all of you for the prayers offered for my brother-in-law.  He's recovering and is very grateful for having gone to the hospital when he did.  The doctors told him that if he'd waited five more minutes he would have died since his major artery was 100% blocked.  If he continues recouping as he has been, they will discharge him today.

My wonderful friend Norma came over last night to have a stamping date since I was home by myself.  She brought a stamp set, punch and photo of a card using them for us to make.  the end result was this iris card.

 I stamped the petals and punched them out, and embossed the Daffodil Delight background with the Vintage Wallpaper folder (my new favorite!).  Norma did all the assembly.

 Here is a side view of the card.

Thanks for looking!

Personal Update: Prayers Requested

No card today.  Our serene Sunday morning was anything but.  My husband and I were waked by a phone call from my sister-in-law who is a traveling nurse and is located in Eau Claire, WI, about 2 hours from us.  She had just received a phone call that her husband in Tennessee (my husband's brother) had a heart attack this morning.  Stanley quickly packed a bag and drove to Eau Claire to drive with my sister-in-law to Tennessee to be with her husband.  I'm asking for prayers for quick healing and not linger effects of the damage done to the heart, and I'm asking for a safe drive for my my husband and sister-in-law.

They've put in a stint, and my brother-in-law has been able to talk to people throughout this incident.  He's be his usual, short-tempered self in hearing of the phone conversations he's been having, so I take that as a good sign that all will be good.

Thank you for your prayers.

Wedding Invitations Complete

Hello All!  It's been a week since I posted.  I apologize for being slow.  With the help of some GREAT people, I was able to finish my sister's wedding invitations.  The wedding is about 10 weeks away, and I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited for Jen and Paul.  I'm also REALLY excited to have finished their invitations. 

 Here are the outside of the invites with the belly band in place.

Here is the inside of the invitations with the belly band off to the side.

I have an exciting day and my paying job tomorrow.  We have meetings that we call Fast Fun and Friendly, and this month, I'll be doing a make and take of cards for the group.  All are new to stamping and card making, and only one of the 14 has scrapbooked before, so I will start them out slowly, and then see if they have interest to do more later.

I'll post photos tomorrow of the cards they are making.

Thanks for stopping by!

Personal Update: Heart Transplant

I decided to make a second post today.  This post is an update on my sister, and her journey after having her heart transplant in October 2010.  This month marks the 8 month anniversary of receiving the gift of life.  She is doing amazing and is able to participate in life like she wasn't able to before the transplant. 

As I shared with you earlier this month, she was able to participate in the American Heart Association Heart Walk this year.  It's is a 5K walk and is the second that Jen has been able to participate in since her transplant.  She wasn't able to walk more than a few feet without being short of breath, or needing to sit down to rest.  Those are events of the past!



Jen on left, her beautiful donor on right.



For the Heart Walk, Jen captained our team, Gift of Life.  As a group we raised $1595.00!  Jen walked for transplant donors and recipients, and the sister and brother-in-law of Jen's donor also walked with our group.  It was very special for us to have them participate in the event with us. 

It was a tragedy for them that brought them into our lives, and we grieve for their loss, but are so grateful and humbled for their gift.  I pray for their continued healing, and praise God for the progress and physical strength that my sister has been blessed with.

Thanks for sharing part of this journey with us.

Personal Update: American Heart Association Walk

Tomorrow is the American Heart Association 5Kwalk.  I'm happy to say that my sister will be walking as well as the sister of her heart donor.  In honor of Jennifer and in memory of Kandyce, I'm proud to participate and walk along side some very special people.  I'm hoping the weather is beautiful, but if not, I know the day will still be touching.

I'll get back to scrapping and paper crafting sometime this weekend, but I'm sure you all understand that this walk is taking priority.

HUGS!

Personal Update

Many of you have followed the journey that my sister and my family have had while we waited for and received the amazing gift of a new heart for her.  She received her new heart on 10/25/2010 and our lives have been completely altered.  She's living life with a zest I've never seen in her before, and she's happy.  She doesn't have to wait in fear anymore.  She has a wonderful gift that enables her to truly live and enjoy life.

Today I met the donor family for the first time, and I wish it had been under different circumstances.  God's plan for our lives often takes roads we don't understand, but having been raised by amazing parents, I believe that He has a plan for everything and He can bring good from bad.  I met this amazing family at the sentencing of the young man who took the life of their loved one.  I can't fathom the grief they have experienced for the last 6 months, but one thing that I'm sure of is that God was with them today.  They had the strength to stand before the judge and the young man responsible for their loss and express their feelings. 

I can't find the words to describe my sympathy for them.  Had they not experienced this incredible loss, my sister wouldn't still be here today.  They were able to look beyond their grief to give the gift of life to another.  My sister was able to walk the 5K Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure yesterday, and had she not received the gift of a new heart, I don't believe she would have been able to do that.  I will forever be grateful for their gift of life.

I pray for healing for our donor family and their friends.  I also pray for the young man who will have to live with the mistake he made that ended a precious life. It was extremely emotional to listen to the stories of the people impacted by one poor decision.  I pray that the family can eventually forgive this young man and find true peace in knowing that they precious loved one has continued giving even in her death.  She is now enjoying the rewards of heaven and her beauty continues to grow.

Heart Transplant Update

You haven't heard from me in a while, and I promised I would keep you all updated so here is the latest.

God is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good! Our family was blessed with my sister's new heart on Monday, October 25, 2010. We send prayers of thanksgiving and comfort for the family who lost their loved one and chose to give the gift of life. We have been told that the heart came from Minnesota, and was a young, strong heart that had a trauma at death. I pray that the donor did not suffer any pain and that the Lord made her passing peaceful. Our family has been blessed with this generous gift because the young lady who passed on was an organ donor and let her loved ones know that wish. We know because of this gift, my sister will be able to fulfill the plans God has made for her life.

Our journey since the 25th has certainly been tumultuous. She started her surgery with two allergic reactions in the operating room that they couldn't determine the cause of. They started the surgery around 6:45pm. and we were able to finally see her at around 2:00 am on Tuesday, the 26th. She actually had color to her face. I've never seen her with pink cheeks! It was extremely emotional for me. Later in the day on Tuesday things started to turn bad. They were unable to get the volume of the heart to the levels they needed it to, so they continued pushing fluids, but that wasn't working and only succeeded in causing the rest of the cells to fill with fluid. by Tuesday night the new heart was in distress and they made the decision to go back into OR to reopen her chest to relieve some of the pressure the heart had from all the excess fluid and from the small chest cavity which didn't offer much space. They saw improvement so left the chest open and sent us back to ICU.

By Wednesday, the 27th, the new heart was failing and my sister was in liver and renal failure. They decided that there was a need to bring her back to surgery and put her on a heart and lung bypass machine called ECMO to try to let the new heart rest. They thought is was failing due to all of the excess fluid and if they could let it rest it would begin to work properly. Things continued to get worse and my sister became unresponsive (they had her sedated to ensure she didn't have pain, but they would wake her up to check brain activity and she would respond appropriately when asked to squeeze a hand or wiggle a toe). The were not getting the responses they needed from the new heart function and the liver and kidney function continued to decline. They were talking about the need for dialysis. They were trying to hold off to let her body have time to work though this, but it wasn't figuring it out.

On Thursday, the 28th, they found there was a problem in the cannula that drained the heart into the bypass machine. The also suspected that there was a problem with the connection of her body to the new heart, so back to the OR they went. The surgeons confirmed the obstructions of the heart at both areas they suspected. They were able to adjust the connections and immediately the cardiac output (the heart's function) doubled! This proved to be the most stressful and the most relieving of the days after the transplant. By Halloween there was enough improvement in the function of the heart and the rest of her bodies functions that they removed her from the heart/lung bypass and with the fifth and final surgery, closed everything up. She's been making steady progress every since.

The doctors and nurses that worked with her have told us and her how her recovery has been a miracle. We were very close to losing her and God's faithfulness to the prayers of those around us brought her to the place we are today. She's doing really well. She stays at the transplant house near the hospital and will until the end of January or beginning of February. She make great progress every day. She has lost all of the 60 pounds of fluid that she gained from the numerous liters they filled her system with, and she is up to 35 minutes on the treadmill for cardiac rehab. She feels good, and she is so happy.

God has surrounded us with an amazing support unit in our family, friends and those we haven't met. Our Thanksgiving was one celebrated with a different and truer understanding of the day. I look forward to the upcoming Christmas holiday and the celebration with my sister, family and friends. I am blessed to be a part of this journey and I am so proud of my courageous, and strong sister.

God Bless!

Updates

Hello everyone.

I've been MIA for a few months and I've missed my blog time. We've had some exciting news on the home front. My twin sister has been on the heart transplant list for a number of years now, and at the end of July her condition got much worse. The transplant team at Mayo Clinic here in Minnesota moved her into "active" status on the list and they feel she will have a new heart by Thanksgiving! We are all excited about this new step in the journey with the exception of my sister. As you can imaging, there are a lots of emotions someone has to go through with this process.

I'm hopeful that everything will work out, and I'm also remembering that I have to take time for me as well. Our extended family has been wonderful in taking turns driving her to appointments at staying with her in the hospital when needed so that the burden doesn't fall completely on my shoulders. My wonderful husband is also being amazing. He hasn't been working since February, so he's taking the role I would normally have in attending appointments, etc., which has also been very helpful.

Through this whole adventure over the last few months, I've learned that God's timing is truly perfect, and He has a plan for everything. I was completely humbled and overwhelmed by the response to this situation from family and friends. God is good!

I hope to be back on track with my blogging now that sissy is more stable, but I know you'll all understand if you don't see from me at times. I will also make a commitment to try and blog a minimum of once a week. I will also keep you updated on my sister through the blog for those of you that are interested.

*hugs*

New Scrapbook Room

Well, I was able to snap some quick pictures with my cell phone to at least share a little of what my new scrapbooking/stamping space is like for anyone interested. I haven't gotten creative juices flowing to make anything yet, but I'm excited to get started and will certainly be stamping tonight once I'm done posting this message.

Here the room view from the hallway. There are double doors into the room. You can see that Cocoa is clearly comfortable in my new space!

This is the view to the immediate left upon entering the room. Cricut, Sewing Machine and Computer.

This is the first side of the closet moving left to right in the room.

This is the second side of the closet. I love all the varied shelving! It keeps everything easy access.

This is the view of my actual desk.

If anyone has any suggestions on how to better utlize the space (without a lot of cost) I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

Unpacking

Well, I got all my scrap/stamping supplies unpacked and the room is ready to go! I will take pictures tonight and either post tonight or tomorrow depending on when our internet connection is stable (This is another story all by itself!).

While unpacking, I realized that I have way TOO much! I know, you are all shocked by that! My husband's response to that realization was "Duh". We had a good laugh!

In order to ensure that I use teh stamps and supplies that I have I'll be weeding through everything and creating my first ever BLOG CANDY! I'll include paper, stamps, embellishments, and more! Everything except the stamps will be brand new. Some of the stamps may be as well, but most of them will be previously loved. I'll be certain to start another post with the title BLOG CANDY. I have to figure out how to link to the random number generator and figure that all out as well as how much shipping will cost. So stay tuned for more information and fun candy!

Moved

Hello All!

Well, we moved over the weekend. It was a LOT of work. I'm excited about my new scrapbook room and am slowly working on getting everything just where I want it. I picked up 5 matching Ikea tables at a garage sale and they look so nice! I had multiple workspaces in my room before, but none of them matched. I haven't decided what color to paint the walls, and right now most of my supplies are still in boxes on the awesome shelving that my hubby installed in the closet. I will post photos once I get everything where I want it and functional again--I'm hoping over this long holiday weekend I'll tackle that project. The rest of the house is mostly unpacked thanks to some wonderful friends! We're excited and it's starting to feel like "home" the dogs seem to be adjusting well.

Back to it! I hope to post more by next week. Stay tuned :0)

Memorial Day Weekend

Well all, as usual, my everyday life has taken over my time. I got back from Tennessee, and head right for a wonderful retreat. Now I've been back to "real" life since last Tuesday, and the chaos has jumped into full swing!

Yesterday we planted some fruit and veggie plants to grow in pots on our patio. We'll see how they do and if it was worth the work and expense to grow our own :)

I'm working on the MAY Challenge for my eBay scrapbook group SMIC. Out theme this month is "Memories" or "in Memory of"... I need to get my items made and listed so that they end by 5/31. Does anyone have a suggestion for a theme for our June challenge?

I apologize that I haven't put pictures in the last two posts. I'll work on that for the next one!