I didn't realize that it had been that long!!

WOW! I didn't realize that it had been that long since I last posted! Man, life just kinda zooms by you if you aren't careful. I've been a busy little bee, though. My stamp group got together and we made a few things (that I will post later) and I gave my SIL a baby shower with the help of my other SIL, cousin, and aunt. Between making the invitations and her Thank You notes, along with prepping for my class, I haven't had much free time. Then I decided to make these cupcake bites from Bakerella's blog and that took up even more time. But boy was it worth it! Those little boogers were GOOD!!

Monday I woke up with a raging sinus infection that has had me in the bed until tonight. I think I fought it off so I wouldn't miss work and the shower. I finally gave in on Monday morning. That, or my husband gave it to me because he refuses to admit when he is sick and walks around like nothing is wrong and spreads his germs everywhere!! I love him, but I could strangle him sometimes.

Hopefully, I can get some stamping done tonight and have something to post tomorrow.

NOVEMBER 4th

GO VOTE!!!!
*just a friendly reminder from your neighborhood crafty lady!!

Season's Greetings...Christmas is around the corner!

It's been a while since I have been able to stamp and I thought I might have forgotten how. It almost felt weird sitting at my desk looking at all those inks and papers. Like I didn't even know where to start. Then I saw the eflt flowers from the mini and an idea popped in my head. This is what I came up with and I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with it. Not too busy, but not too plain. It's that happy medium that everyone is always talking about.
The base is Tan, I think. I found it in the back of my paper drawer and it was in an unmarked folder. I don't think it's Kraft because I have a folder for that. I'm sure that you could use Kraft and it would look great, but I was outta that and this just had to fill in for it. Anyway, I thought the colors of the snowflakes in the package looked so pretty together and decided to put it on a card. And there is something about snowflakes and scallops that just look great together. And can I just say that SU ROCKS when it comes to ribbon. They always hit the nail on the head with texture, color and size.

Supplies:
Snow Swirled
Tan, Whisper White, & Ridinghood Red cardstock
Whisper White craft ink
Ski Slope DSP
Ridinghood Red taffeta ribbon
Scallop punch
Felt Snowflakes

Hollis' Surgery

The day finally came. Hollis's surgery was on October 21st at Arkansas Childrens' Hospital in Little Rock. We packed up the car the day before and made the 6 and a half hour drive from Huntsville, Al. His surgery was on Tuesday morning at 10:30. The plan was to remove the hemangiomas (strawberry birthmarks) from his scalp, nose, and lip and maybe laser the one in his mouth. We had complete and total faith in Dr Buckmiller. She told us from day one what her plan was and we were finally happy to have a plan other than "wait and see, they might go away by the time he is 10".

We checked into the Ronald McDonald House and spent a long and sleepless night. I was so nervous and Hollis didn't want to sleep, so he kept me company. He couldn't have anything to eat after midnight and nothing but apple juice until 8:30a.m. It went better than expected considering this little boy loves food. That's how I know he's mine, I mean besides the whole birthing him thing. (Ignore the hair. I just spent 6 and half hours in the car. Thanks)

At the hospital they changed him into those fashionable pajamas and the socks that are about 2 sizes too small and we were told to wait. Luckily Hollis slept about like I did the night before, which mean "none" and he was pooped. He went right to sleep and slept for most of the one hour wait. They finally came and got him and took him off to surgery. It took about 3 hours so Damien and I went to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. I just couldn't eat anything in front of him that morning and I was starving!! Back in the waiting room is where all the action happened.

I keep my voting preference to myself. And this very loud lady kept asking people who they were voting for. She said she was voting for Obama. Another lady said that's who she was voting for, too. About then, the very loud lady got even louder shouting "OBAMA 2008, CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP!!!" I knew people were excited about the election, but I had no idea that they were this excited. Damien and I couldn't quit laughing.

Finally, they called us to the recovery room. Hollis was sitting up on his bed and looking around. No crying or fussing. I swear, he has got to be the most content child I have ever seen. I don't think I have ever been happier to see him, other than the day he was born. He was so thirsty and drank a whole cup of juice in about 5 seconds. He finally just let me hold him and he went to sleep.I won't show you a picture of the back of his head. It looked pretty bad after surgery. We have already been back to have his stitches removed and we got a great report. We shouldn't have anymore trips to Arkansas unless we want to go back. YAY!! He is doing great today and acts like nothing has happened. His swelling is going down and his nose and lip are looking great. The one on his scalp still has a little hemangiomas left because there wasn't enough skin to pull the incision back together if she removed all of it, but we're okay with that. I just want to thank everyone who sent up a little prayer for Hollis. There aren't enough Thank Yous in the world to express the gratitude that I feel!!

Birthday Invitations

I decided to get a jump start on Hollis' Birthday invitations. He party is almost a month away, but with all the other things that I have to make and our 2 trips to Arkansas Children's Hospital this month, I know that I am going to be short on time. This is what I have picked out as the party theme. Nothing real fancy, but I liked the colors and both Damien and I agreed on it. That's MAJOR! LOL The colors reminded me of Stamin Up's Kiwi Kiss, Riding hood Red, and Brocade Blue. I know it doesn't actually have a sail boat on it, but it's close enough.

I used the Big Deal Alpha and cut out the letters and used dimensionals to give it a little "pop". The sail boat comes from the Nursery Necessities set. I used the 3/4" circle punch to make the waves in the Brocade Blue paper. I used more dimensionals to add depth to the waves. The boat and sail are done in Kiwi Kiss, Riding hood Red, and Chocolate Chip ink. The card base is in Riding hood Red. There isn't a ton of difference in the Riding hood Red and the Ruby Red. I think the Riding hood Red is just a smidgen brighter than the other. I like them both, therefore, it's just another reason to make a purchase.

Now I just have to buy all the plates, napkins, and balloons. Have to figure out what sort of snacks I'm going to serve and I have to make his cake and cupcakes for the guests. I always seem to pull it off, I don't know how, but I do. I think it's because I have Damien and he loves to decorate cakes with me. I might just delegate and give him the task of the cake and cupcakes. Yeah, that's sounds pretty good to me.