Saturday, January 29, 2011

Mason is my sweet sweet child...

...every once in awhile I am reminded that I really have great kids...and it's at those moments I just have to sit back a smile...Mason has been watching Camryn and I WORK WORK WORK over the last week on her Birthday Party...he hasn't said much about it but he can't miss the fact that something is going on...

This morning he walked down the stairs...and right up to his sissy and said, "Happy Birthday Camryn!" and gave her a hug...no one told him to do that...and she just looked up at him said..."it's not my Birthday..." He looked a little confused...I said, "awwhhh Mason, you are a good brother, it's actually not Camryn's Birthday until next Sunday, today we are just having her Birthday party..." he said, "I know!"

Thursday, January 27, 2011

**The Yellow Shirt**

...I really hate receiving these kinds of emails...because I hate having to send them out for fear that something bad might happen to me if I don't, but this one really touched me and I want to share...I have LOTS of friends...acquantiences and even strangers that read my blog so I am just going to share it with EVERYONE...

...you will LAUGH and CRY...I did!

{The Yellow Shirt}
The yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. �It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away.
'You're not taking that old thing, are you?' Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt...'I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!'
'It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class, Mom. Thanks!' I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object. The yellow shirt be came a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it.
After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.

The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois . But, that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 25 years earlier.
That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her 'real' gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again...
The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to pick up some furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt!
And so the pattern was set.
On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois . As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, 'So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up.'

I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the stained yellow shirt...Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.
Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.
Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet.
Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words 'I BELONG TO PAT.'
Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters.
Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, 'I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER.' But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington , VA. We enclosed an official looking letter from 'The Institute for the Destitute,' announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds...
I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.
Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers... After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy... I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in wedding paper, the yellow shirt.... Inside a pocket was a note: 'Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother.'
That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: 'I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me.'
The shirt was Mother's final gift. She had known for three months that she had terminal Lou Gehrig's disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.

I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.

...for many reasons this story was touching...but the most obvious one for me, is that my FIL also has Lou Gehrig's Disease...ALS is a disease that steals the person you LOVE away from you! There is no cure...

Monday, January 24, 2011

Oh what a fun day!

...started out with the announcement of a **NEW DESIGN TEAM** I was chosen to join a group of very talented ladies over at FortheLuvofArt...I am so honored to be joining all of them! I have worked with a couple on past Design Teams and so delighted to have the opportunity to be working with them again and also getting the chance to work with new inspiring and talented ladies as well!

...then my sister and I went and did our morning run up our local mountain! WOW what a workout!


...since today the kids got to stay home with me...the boys did {BOY things} and Camryn and I worked worked worked on the prep for her upcoming Birthday Party! We made a fun little garland...that I thought would go together quickly...which DO NOT...but it turned out super cute...and she's really excited that she will get to take it upstairs to her bedroom afterward...


...still lots of prep to get done before Saturday and since I'm working tomorrow...now I will be losing a day... {BOO :( ~ } ...I think me and littles will have to run to the store while Ben's at Steel Drums and try and get most everything we need...and there's one more thing I'd like to make before Saturday if I have enough time to make it. Always so much too do and not enough time to do it! Well keeping busy is good!!!

Friday, January 21, 2011

...a few cards to share...

I wanted to share these cards with you...these two were given to special friends!



...I love being able to make something special for someone...knowing it puts a smile on their face...and it feels good knowing they truly appreciate it. I am so very blessed to have such good friends in my life.

...so happy we're together...

...this is not made with my typical "color choice" or "style" for that matter but it may be one of my new favorites...I used Cosmo Cricket's {Delovely} digital kit & Danielle Thompson's {Thrift Shop Grab Bag} both AVAILABLE SOON at http://www.jessicasprague.com/

...and a special THANK YOU to Gina for taking our photo!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

...some digital LOs to share :)

...haven't shared in awhile...recently I made these digital LOs...and I wanted to share them before they get lost on my computer and I never get around to sharing them...


See Supply List {HERE}

...for my 2nd one I used Crystal Wilkerson's Inspired By Template Series #8 you can get it {HERE} It was inspired by Susan Weinroth's amazing paper LO...

...here's my take...and again this is really simple...sometimes a photo says it all...with just a few words...happy HAPPY happy...we will remember this moment...one of the few happy moments we had this last year!

...I used the digital kit "felis" by Karla Dudley.
I have some cards to share...but will have to share another day...thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Winter's not over yet...

...we woke up this morning to a little bit of snow...not as much as they said we would...what's out there won't stop me from meeting a good friend this morning...and then another this afternoon...today will be a busy day catching up with good friends!

I wanted to share some paper LOs before I forgot all about them...these two are using the December kit from Piggy Tales Academy. (both are super simple in design...sometimes that's the only way to go) Though it wasn't part of the kit...I pulled out some Glimmer Mist in Candy Apple Red...I typically don't like to use this stort of thing...just because its messy...I make a big enough messy myself...I don't need to add messy paint to it, but since it's been laying around my scraproom now for quite awhile I thought I should give it a try...I like the effect it added to my layouts...but I didn't like that it curled my paper...and I had to let my paper dry out and then lay a bunch a stuff on the top of it to flatten it back out before I could finish up...it's really hard to see in the photos but the glittery effect is quite pretty :)




...well it's time to wake up my sleeping beauty's and let them know that it snowed! I know the snow won't hang around long...since it's supposed to start raining...so I hope the kids can enjoy it at recess today. Happy Wednesday and thanks for stopping by...

Monday, January 10, 2011

Happy happy HAPPY {NEWS}!!!


This morning I can finally share my happy news...I have been asked to join the SRM Stickers Design Team for the 2011 term! What a honor...I have to say that ever since I was a little girl I have LOVED stickers...I even had the biggest sticker collection growing up BUT this are the best stickers ever for crafting both scrapbooking and card making...and I just wanted to say "Thank You" to my sister Gina for introducing them to me...if it wasn't for her I would have never even known just how fabulous they are!

I'm looking forward to meeting to other DT Members...here's to a new adventure!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

"Family"

Other things may change us, but we start and end with... ...I've always really liked this quote but it wasn't until this last year that it really meant MUCH MORE to me than a quote that I just really liked...
"My Family" {the most important people in my life} ..even through our tough times...

See Supply List {HERE}

...as the new year begins...it's given us all a lot of time to reflect on the last year...we know that life is a very precious gift...and not to be taken for granted...it's almost been a year since my Dad's diagnosis with Stage 4 Brain Cancer...and his fight continues...all of our lives have been forever changed...I still spend a great deal of time sitting alone in deep thought...not able to express what I am feeling or thinking...but very thankful for my family who supports me and very blessed to have such caring and supporting friends too both near and far.

{The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3}

Sunday, January 2, 2011

On this 2nd day of January...

I would like to share a couple of new digital LOs...and this first one holds so much meaning...that of course a few tears were shed in the process of making it...I have tried to make this LO many times...and I just never could finish it...and the other day I just sat down and I got it done...so the other LOs I have that have been started I guess I can just throw away I won't be needing those...
... Yep this is one my "dad" LOs... I'm getting quite the collection of those...but believe me this form of therapy is WAY cheaper and actually kinda fun...and I'd rather be doing this then trying to cope in other ways...but this photo is of "MY FAMILY"...my parents and me and my sisters...it was taken at the Golf Benefit we put together for my dad literally in weeks for my dad at the golf course he is a member of and we raised enough money for him to go play at Pebble Beach this last summer...one if his life dreams...we did it so quickly because when his tumor came back we weren't sure how much time he would have...we are so thankful he is still here with us fighting every single day...The journaling is actually lyrics to a song...a song that I heard one day...many months ago that stopped me in my tracks and literally made me bawl...it just felt like it was written for us...THOUGH the actually meaning of this song is NOT the meaning my family hears when we listen to it...it's called "Lead Me".

See Supply List {HERE}

...In December, my little family of 5 went out for the evening and enjoyed a nice meal together...and for once...it felt like TIME STOOD STILL....even if it was only for that moment...I am happy we had that time and we got to remember what it felt like to enjoy each other and not think about what was going on with our dad's...it makes me very sad...that I have a hard time being happy because I feel so guilty...for the New Year...I am hoping to find {HAPPINESS} again...

See Supply List {HERE}

"May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy & peace." Romans 15:13

...thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!!!


I am not sure how it can already be the year 2011...it feels like we were just starting 2010 yesterday and then a closed my eyes and the year was over...so now as we start this wonderful New Year...some wonderful words of wisdom I would like to share with all of you...

Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
...Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.”

William Arthur Ward