Too much!

I'm so tired. Just drained. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. So much has happened. I will start with the biggest news and work my way through mentioning everything else. On August 28, Grammie died. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer in July of 2011, discovered that it had also affected her brain in May of this year. She had been doing weekly chemo treatments and then went through aggressive radiation therapy as well. It completely destroyed her. The radiation really did some bad things to her. I felt helpless as I watched her suffer. She had always said that she didn't want to go that way...dwindling down to nothing and in a lot of pain. I hated watching her and knowing that she was so miserable. She started hospice care in mid July (while I was at Girls camp...that way stressful. Being three hours away and not able to go and help my mom help Gram while she started this). By her birthday (August 18), Kenny finally agreed to let Mom take her to live with her. I helped when I could, going over to help get Gram up and to the bathroom, bringing the kids over to visit, etc. On Saturday, August 25, my mom called and asked for Steve and my brother Jason to come give Grammie a blessing because she was unconscious and couldn't be woken up. I stayed with them that night, just in case something happened. After I helped get Gram ready in the morning, I went home and got the kids ready for church. I went over again on Monday morning to help. On Tuesday morning, I got ready and texted my mom to see if she wanted me to come before or after I went to the gym. She told me Grammie wasn;t up yet, so go ahead and go to the gym, then come over. I had been at the gym only about 15 minutes when she texted me to tell me that Grammie had died. Let me tell you...that was not the text I expected to see. I got there as fast as I could. I still wish I had gone there first instead of the gym. Mom had ended up getting her up and getting her to the bathroom, and all settled in. She left to go make breakfast for Grammie and when she came back, Grammie had died. If I had been there, I would have been by her bed, holding her hand and talking to her. My mom wouldn't have been alone and had to deal with it by herself for those few minutes. I feel awful about it. I wish I would have just gone over there first.
Her funeral was Sept. 1. It was really nice. Kind of overwhelming to get put together in only three days because they didn't decide on the date for it until Wednesday. Tuesday, Sept 4, we had her internment at Willamette National Cemetery. The kids started school the next day. Poor Rachie had kind of a crazy birthday since it was the day after Gram died. Our beach trip for that weekend got cancelled, and we didn't get to spend much time with Grandma Great Parker, who was in town. Life just got all topsy turvy.
I miss her so much. She was exactly the kind of person I want to be like someday.

Well, since it has been a million years since I have posted, I will start with my most recent layouts.  It's been challenging to keep up with the CT stuff while having the kids home from school.  I am hoping to get better about it once school starts and I have a bit more time to myself. 

Toothless Wonder by Missy's Bits

Bloomified kit by Missy's Bits, Dog Days of Summer template by Sugar Moon

Birthday Bash by Sugar Moon

Mommy's Helper by Sugar Moon

Sea Jewels by Sugar Moon

Wow.  Two months without a post.  That's probably a record.  Blogger looks WAY different than I remember...hope I can get used to the new look and way of doing things quickly.  I will be back in a day or two to update our blog with all the summer activities we've been enjoying.  I'm working on a big project today that should have been finished last week. Procrastination is my middle name!  :)  "See" you all soon!

Quick!  The computer is working for a few minutes!  I gotta get stuff on here!  :)  Here are the next batch of CT layouts I've done.  :)  I'm still having so much fun with them!  I want to apply for another CT that a friend of mine designs for, but I'm still chicken enough (and don't have a reliable enough computer) to wait.  Maybe once school starts up again I will see. 

These first two are from the "In My Pocket" collab kit by Missy's Bits and Barbara Ryan. 

Eek!  Just realized this one above has the wrong date. It should be 5/2005.  I don't know what happened there!

This one is "Sunny Side Up" by Sugar Moon Designs

"Vintage Tea Party" by Sugar Moon

"Superheroes and Monsters" by Sugar Moon

So, I've been busy making scrap pages.  :)  It's so much fun!  I am trying to find a good place (good quality and price) to print them out to use in the kids' scrapbooks. 

The family is doing well.  Kids are looking forward to summer break (13 more days of school!  Hooray!)  We got to go to the beach house on the Friday/Saturday before Mother's Day and spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa.  The weather was GORGEOUS and there was a kite festival in Rockaway, so we had a lot of fun.  I am looking forward to spending a week there at the end of August.  Rachie always loves going for her birthday.  Well, she thinks it's for her birthday anyway.  It's just a good time to go weather-wise and it's nice to get one more trip in before school starts up again. 

We've been doing some yard work...cut down the overgrown, ugly cherry tree in the backyard because it was killing our grass and choking out all the other trees around it.  Plus, did I mention that it was UGLY?  We put up an 18 ft. round pool in it's place and the kids are so excited about that.  :)  Last week, we had a big windstorm and it took down several branches from the neighbor's birch trees that run along the property line.  We helped him pay to have them removed.  They were ridiculously tall, at least 40 feet, and should have been removed years ago.  I won't miss the leaves and branches that were constantly in our yard from those trees, or the way they were ruining our roof, but I will miss the shade they provided, as well as the privacy.  I also loved hearing the leaves whisper in the wind.   One thing we've noticed since all the trees have been removed, is an abundance of really pretty birds that we have never seen before.  We're thinking they must have lived in the trees that came down.  I hope they stick around.  There are several varieties that are so pretty and fun to watch.  We have plans to clean up the backyard and hopefully get some problem spots taken care of this year.  I finally got the starts put in the garden last week.  I'm not doing as much this year as I normally do.  I just have tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, and zucchini in the garden this year.  Oh, and Rachie planted her pumpkin from school.  We have some sunflowers that we are working on in the house and as soon as they get big enough to transplant, we will do that.  Rachie especially loves how big and tall the get.  :)

Hannah had her 2nd birthday and I can't believe how grown up she is.  She has really started talking a lot in the past several weeks and is a big tease, like her daddy and siblings.  :)  I hope to get her bday pictures up here sometime in the next week or so.  I'm so far behind on everything. 

Anyway, we are doing well and hope that you are great also!  Have a happy day!

More layouts

Wow, I am neglectful!  My P365 blog is being ignored as well.  I will hopefully get both updated today.  I also need to put my recent crafty projects on my craft blog.  So much fun has been happening in the crafty dept!

Here are my most recent CT layouts.  I am loving being on the Scrapping Artistry Creative Team.  It's tons of fun!!!

The first two are made using the Sk8r Punx kit by Missy's Bits.  I saw this kit and immediately thought of the awesome pics that Kerry took of Bryce on his skateboard last summer.  She graciously let me use them (and Afton gave her ok as well).  I even got a special mention for this layout at www.scrappingartistry.com. Thanks Bryce, Kerry and Afton for being so awesome!!!

 For each kit I get, I am required to make at least 2 layouts using it to post in several online galleries in order to promote the designer's product.  I really struggled with an idea for my second layout, especially after the first one came so easily.  I found this pic of Jake from when we were on the jet boats on the Rogue River.  The colors worked with the kit, so I went for it.  He was in the middle of freaking out because we were trying to put a life jacket on him.  Everyone else on the boat (like 20 people) already had theirs on and were sitting there, waiting until we got one on Jake so we could continue our ride.  It was so embarrassing and humiliating to have an ornery two year old fighting and refusing to put on the life jacket.  We finally got it on him, but not before I got this picture of him.  Looking at that sweet face, you'd never know what a stink he was being!

 This next kit will be available near the end of the month for sale.  It's being used as a "download a day" right now at 3 scrapateers.  I love everything in it!  It's a collab between Missy's Bits and Sugar Moon Designs (together, they are Scrapping Artistry).  It's called "Shamrocks and Sunshine." 
*ETA* You can buy it at MyMemories now!

 Again, I struggled A LOT with the second layout.  I am not happy with this one at all, and I hope to get back to it eventually and redo it. 

 I have been dying to get this next kit since I first saw it.  It is called Mint Plum and it's by Missy's Bits.  I knew this picture would be perfect with the colors!

 This page actually turned out similar to what I was hoping.  I've never done the picture as a blended background before, and have always wanted to try it out.  I finally decided to be brave, and I am pretty happy with the reults.  My sweet Rachie!!

The next kit  requested is going to be fabulous with come pictures I have in mind.  I can't wait!!

Project: Organization

Way back in January, I decided to de-junk and de-clutter the house.  I did a good job for the first little while, but have slacked off lately.  Yesterday I tackled the grils' room.  It isn't finished, but it really wasn't my job to begin with, so they get to finish.  I am just frustrated because I washed all the clothes in the kids' hamper a few days ago and now, because of all the clothes all over their bedroom floor, the hamper is overflowing again.  I hate that!  I want to go get my bedroom taken care of.  It is a disaster right now...bins all over full of kid/baby clothes, stuff on the floor.  Steve and I are both bad about leaving stuff all over, so I feel like I'm single handedly fighting a losing battle all the time.  Why won't my family just pick up after themselves?  My life would be so much easier if I could convince them to do that.  I'm working on it, slowly, but surely.  :)

Five Little Monkeys

Two of my latest CT layouts.  This kit is Five Little Monkeys by Sugar Moon Designs.  I love it!  The minute I saw it, I knew that the picture of Mr. Man with his broken foot was perfect for it!  The bright colors and cute elements make me so happy!!  When I made the second LO, I didn't include any journaling because sometimes a picture just needs no words, and that's how I felt about this one.  :)