Some updates

I am working on an updated banner, and even playing with the idea of changing some color schemes on my blog, but I thought I would at least pop in and say hi and let you all in on the latest!

Court went really well on Monday. We went in, all the lawyers said their pieces, the judge made sure we aren't hardened criminals, and then he sent Jessica home with us for the initial five week visit. We return to court next month to finalize custody, and then she is all ours! We were all just really excited as we piled into the car and made arrangements to pick her stuff up, and then it hit me just how real this finally is. Jessica was coming home... so my eyes got all teary and I had to grab some tissue and dry up the waterworks. I can't tell you, though, just what it meant to finally get to bring her home. Ten years later, and she is sleeping in her bed, eating meals with her family, playing with her siblings, and spending hours and hours just talking with us. It overwhelms me still. The kids are loving having her home, and it has been a very smooth transition so far. She got all unpacked and filled her drawers, boxes, and shelves with her goodies and clothes, hung her stuff up on her walls, and took over the counters in the bathroom...which is perfect, because more than anything we wanted her to feel at home here.

Matt has been a youth leader for the cubscout camp this week and has really enjoyed it. He is killing me... seriously... all week all he can talk about is how he is growing his mustache. He doesn't want to cut his hair at all, so he looks like a Chia pet again. He is sprouting up, and thinning out, so nothing fits him. And he has a crush the size of Texas on a girl who isn't the least bit interested, but that hasn't deterred him at all. This teenage boy stuff is harder than I thought (and a lot funnier) it would be!

I took the kids to play in the park yesterday, and I was bitten by some nasty spider. I didn't actually see the culprit, who would have died if I had caught him, so I can't give a positive ID. I went to the ER today because it is very swollen, tender, and hot to the touch. (looks like someone planted a red-hot golf ball above my elbow.) The doctor gave me a shot of steroids to keep the swelling at bay, and started me on a course of antibiotics. The primary suspect is a brown recluse, but it could also be a severe allergic reaction to a bite, and I like the second option much better. I am allergic to a lot of other things, so I am jsut shooting for that option at that point. If the swelling doesn't subside by tomorrow I will go back. See, Mom, sometimes I am good and I do what the doctors tell me to do. I let them give me a shot in the hip, and although Kyle thought it was incredibly funny that he had to turn around while Mom "got shot in the butt" I was feeling a bit hesitant about the whole process! It is such an undignified way to receive medical care.

Tomorrow we have errands to run, and a very important skirt to go buy. Jessica has been wanting a gypsy type skirt like Faith loves to wear, and in my book a girl who wants a pretty skirt to dress up in should have one. The movie rental place has free rentals this weekend too, so we are going to take advantage of that offer while we are in town. Tonight I made a couple of beaded pieces, and tomorrow the girls and I are going to work together to make more... and you know what.... I just can't wait.

Take care, and I will be back soon. Hope you are enjoying the weekend as much as I am! Mom... I miss you... please come visit soon!

working in Chantilly

This weekend I am in Chantilly, Virginia, and then I have a few weeks off before the next show. Last night there was a huge thunderstorm that boomed all around us. I liked listening to it as I fell asleep, especially since I knew I was safe and sound inside! I brought some of my beads with me and bead-lifted (Katherine made us laugh with that one!) a really fun necklace Kara had made for herself. I need a black shirt to wear with it now.

We are heading to court on Monday. In fact, we are driving down there as soon as Jack picks me up on Sunday. It looks like Jessica gets to come home with us for thirty days, and then we do another court review to finalize custody if everything is going well.

I have to get ready to go to work today, so I need to log off. If you are coming to the GASC this weekend stop by the Deluxe Designs booth and say hi!

San Diego was so wonderful!!

I got home yesterday from San Diego, and it was a perfect balm for the last few troubled weeks! I worked with Kara and Ann, and Sharla and her hubby Chris this weekend, and we got to spend some time doing some really fun things. After set up on Thursday, Ann and Kara and I headed to my favorite bead store in SD, then we raced around Ikea (where I spent $5) and Target(where I only spent $7) on a couple of speed shopping sprees. It was just great... hours spent at places we all enjoyed!

On Friday night we all 5 explored some of the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, ate some Thai food and Rocky Mountain chocolates, and tried to take pictures of the Hari Krishnas who were singing on a corner.

On Friday morning my friend Mette surprised me by showing up for my class, and she invited us to a bonfire party her family and friends were having on Saturday night. After tear down Ann and Kara and I headed up to Escondido to enjoy the evening on the beach and had a blast. We got there too late to get really awesome beach photos, but that didn't stop us from trying to snap a few as we played in the surf for a little while.

I got home on Sunday afternoon, and we all went to dinner at the Cracker Barrel for Father's Day.

Today was a much busier day than I was planning on. The caseworker came out to finish the home inspection, which went really well. Then we went to meet a new realtor and look at some houses. We found another one that will work for our family, and it is a third less expensive than the last one we made an offer on. We ended up making an offer and then heading to the bank to begin the loan process, and now we will just see how it goes. It is good to see things happening, but I will not get excited about it again until the papers are signed this time!

here are some pics from the weekend. I am heading to Chantilly on Wednesday, and I am looking forward to that trip a lot. Then I have a couple of weeks off, and I am really excited about that! We go back to court next Monday, and if all goes well we will get to bring Jessica home for the first summer visit we have had in over a decade! I'll let you know how it all goes!

Chet and Faith in front of Cracker Barrel

















Ann, Kara, and I trying to take our group photo on the beach














our feet in the sand and surf













love this shot of Ann





















Mette and I













Kara and Mette in front of the fire














Kara and Ann with one of the cops who kicked us off the beach at 10pm!






















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Chipboard adoration

I am just copying this from Katherine's blog, and I know that a lot of you are going to want to check into this!!


Hey, want to win some chipboard?!?!??
Check out Two Peas Message board for this:
We are thankful for all the great things peas have been saying about our new "Plain Janes" Chipboard Shapes that we have decided to give away 12 sets of our new line! There are 26 different packs and each winner will receive all 26! Please post below if you would like to enter! We will end the drawing on Sunday night at Midnight Pacific Time (6/18/06). We will print up the thread, cut all the posts into strips and randomly select 12 winners! We'll post the winners pea names on Monday 6/19/06 and will ask you to pea mail me your real names and physical addresses. It's that easy! Good Luck and thanks again! Jolleen Deluxe Designs

I used the swirls and diamond on the top layout, and a mix of swirls and paisleys for the frame on the bottom page.

My plans to spend Monday evening scrapping were completely thwarted when the DHS worker called to say she would like to come do the home inspection on Tuesday instead of next week. I spent Monday finishing up all the unpacking, detailing the housework, and then was up till 3am assembling the girls' beds. The inspection went well, and last night after the kids went to bed I just had to pull some things out to make a couple of pages with the new chipboard pieces from Deluxe Designs. I want to try some other techniques with the other pieces, but last night I was too tired to do much more than paint and doodle them. It makes me happy just looking at them!

I am in San Diego this weekend, and when I get home on Sunday Jack and the kids will be picking me up. I am looking forward to all of us being home together and just enjoying being in a house that is all put together!

Back again

I must say, I really love the ladies at the shows when we go to Texas. They are always so friendly there!

This weekend we released our new chipboard shapes, and I am so excited to get a chance to finally play with these pieces! Check out Katherine's blog for a sneak peek, and check back here in the next day or two because I fully intend to pull out some scrap supplies tonight and start playing!

It was pretty late by the time I got the kids and then the dogs home last night, got some grocery shopping done, and got the car unpacked. I did manage to hang some of my framed photos and art pieces, and the house is starting to feel like a home. Today I am going to attempt to get the girls' beds assembled, and paint the bathrooms. Then tonight and tomorrow are mine to scrap, scrap, scrap. I picked up a humongous piece of cardstock at Recollections that I plan on using to create a large piece for the hallway. Jack is calling the cable guys to come get the cable and internet installed in the house, and then it will really feel normal. I feel so at odds without my computer available whenever I need it!

I forgot to update you all with what happened in court. Our house inspection is in two weeks, and then we go back to court at the end of the month to finalize custody arrangements. Jessica will get to come spend weekends or weeks at a time with us until the end of the summer, and then she is supposed to be home with us for good before the school year starts. Such happy news!

Matt had a wonderful time at scout camp, and earned lots of merit badges. He needs to attend a city council meeting to finish earning one more. He lost ten pounds over the week while hiking to all his classes, and is feeling really good about that. He made some nice friends, and his leaders really like him. I am going to take his camera down to get it developed for him tomorrow.

I woke up to a blanket of muggy clouds this morning. The heat part isn't so bad (at least not yet I am told) and I love the way the moister air is making my skin feel. I am a much softer lizard now.

I love today's quote, so I had to add it here for later:

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

I need to log off now and get back home to take care of life there. I will be back tomorrow to post anything I end up making tonight!

Arlington, TX

I flew into Arlington last night to work the GASC show. I had booked a flight for Jack to get back to Vegas for work, and it turns out we got to fly to Dallas together. It was nice having an extra hour to just cuddle a bit before we spend a few weeks apart. I feel bad for him because he hates flying, and we were on one of those little jets where tall men feel like they are flying on a Lilliputian plane!

I just got done calling and talking to the kids. We have never left them with anybody but my mom or my brother, so this has been a long day, but it sounds like everything is going well.


It took a while to set up the booth today, but we moved it all around and tried something new, and it looks really nice. If you are coming to the show swing by the aqua blue Deluxe Designs booth and see the brand new stuff we have out... it is so cool!

I have some more work to get done tonight before I go to bed to get some rest before my 8am class tomorrow. If I remembered my card reader (which isn't likely since I forgot things like some of my clothes and shampoo, etc) I will try to post some pics before I go home. The internet should be installed in the new house after I get back, and then I can get back to posting regularly! I might even scrap on my next couple of days off once the house is completely done and I am done setting all my scrap stuff up.

Have a good weekend!

Surviving

The last 24 hours have been something. I don't even want to type it all out to save it for posterity... but when my mom got on the phone last night and said "I love you" I broke into tears and sobbed. Like a baby. I was ready to cry "Uncle" and throw my hands up in despair. I got most of it worked out today, though, and the rest of it is other people's problems to deal with, not mine.

Jack got on the road today and I am so glad we will all have a couple of days together before we both have to leave again. He should be here tomorrow night, and it can't come soon enough. I don't like this single mom gig at all, but more importantly we are all missing him like crazy. He had a telephone interview yesterday, and will have a face to face interview Tuesday morning before he flies back to go to work again, so please say a little prayer that they hurry up and push his transfer through!


In spite of the issues that keep coming up that I was completely unprepared for, I am still trying to make it all come together nicely, and there have been some really pleasant moments as well. I got most of the boxed stuff we need for the next few months into the house today, and Portia, Ed, and Johanna helped me get the beds all moved in. I bought all of the kids new bedding, and I am spending tomorrow unpacking most of it and cleaning the bathrooms really well. When Jack gets here with the truck we will finish getting the furniture in, and it should be mostly done. The really nice thing is that I have a perfect garage for photo shoots, so as soon as I can I will get everyone out there to take some updated group shots! I am holding off on altering one of the window panes I found so I can use a picture of all seven of the kids together when Jessica gets here.

I lost my cell phone a couple of days ago, but it was turned into the police department today. My poor mom got a call today from the Berryville PD looking for her daughter. I wonder if they called my dad too, since he was on my list of numbers as well.

A bird built a nest in one of my scrapbook boxes. It is so cute, and I don't want to disturb it, so I think I will leave that box there and see what it looks like to see baby birds hatching on a bed of embellishments. If anything shows up in the nest I will post pictures to share!

Anyway... I am done babbling tonight. Sleep well.