Thinking Back

Remember when you were growing up and your mom said something like " I hope you have two just like you"?  Well, I never really thought about it until I did have two just like me.  My son has many qualities that I remember in myself before I became the person I am today.  He is sensative, caring and not very outgoing.  I look at him sometimes and see the thing I did not like about me, but I love him very dearly and would not want him any other way.  I know he will also break out of his shell and be a wonderful man and make some sweet girl a loving husband.  He loves deeply and never wants to hurt anyone's feelings. 

My daughter on the other hand is just like I once was when I thought I was invincible and no one could tell me I was wrong.  She is a very confident person, can be very sweet but also won't listen to a thing I tell her, she wants to know the who, what when, where and why.  We are currently going through some stuff that I have had to appologize to my own mother for.  Although I love my daughter dearly, this week has been really tough on me.  I only hope that she will not let someone break that confidence, or allow someone to abuse her.    She does not let anyone get close enough to know her deep feelings, which is just like me. All I can do is pray that I am making the proper decisions as a parent and that they will make the right decisions when I can't be with them. 

I have heard it said the toughest and best job you will ever have is being a parent.  Up until this point, I thought it was pretty simple, just trust your instincts, but now, I think that statement is pretty right on. 

In case my mom reads this: 

Mom I am very sorry for the heartache I put you through.  I probably would not change it.  I am glad for the relationship we have now because of it. I LOVE YOU.

Ripples in the lake of life

When I was a kids we used to go to the lake alot in the summer and I would always try to "skip" rocks. Problem was that I did not have very good technique and usually the rocks just went in with a plop and make little ripples.  Then it became a game to see how big of a rock I could throw in to make the ripples go the farthest.  Well, I think life is like that, only I am the rock that has been thrown.

Have you ever thought about the ripples you have made in your life?  To get an idea, look at your facebook page and see how many friends you have.  Most of these people you have touched in some way.  Maybe it was someone you were not very nice to and you need to make amends, maybe it was someone you were very close to but lost touch, maybe it was someone you barely knew but they really looked up to you.  When someone requests to be my friend on Facebook, I will send them a message to ask how they remember me and if it is only because I am friends with ten of their friends I usually will not add them.  If it is someone I am requesting to be their "friend" I will also send them a message with the request and tell them how I remember them, and then it is their choice to add me or not. 

Somehow I have made ripples in over 100 people's lives and I am not even sure what the ripple was.  Some of the people in my "friend list" have made a ripple in my life.  I want my "ripple" in life to be a positive one.  What about you?

Back at it

Well, it has been quite a while since I last blogged.  Can you say crazy busy?  Our office has been moving for the last few weeks, mother-in-law was in the hospital in ICU for two weeks, home and personal stuff going on.  UGGGHHHH.

The good news is mother-in-law out of the hospital entirely, office has physically moved and was able to get a little work done today, home  and personal stuff settling down. 

Working today and did not have computers operational until almost noon, how did the world ever survive without the use of computers?  There was lots of work that could have been completed without them but since we just physically move over the past weekend, everything was still packed away in boxes.  I think tomorrow will be a productive day, most everything has been unpacked and my desk is cleaned to the point I can actually get some work done.  I will try to remember to take my camera to work once everything has been unpacked and put the way I want it, and not the way the movers thought it should go so I can get photos of my "new" office. 

Luckily, this week is Spring Break for my kids so we don't have school stuff going on, because by the time I get home I am exhausted.  Happy Spring to everyone. 

A long week of learning

It has been a few weeks since I last posted anything to my blog.  I thought I would sit down and see if I could come up with anything.

Last Saturday, my mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital, the week following was completely full of ups and downs.  The ups and downs were not only with her health, but with her family as well.  We thought she had a medical power of attorney and had named me in the paperwork, however, once I found the paperwork, it had no names written in.  That was the first hurdle to overcome.  I stepped aside and allowed her children to take over.  In reality they did not want to do it, and the fighting started.  Currently, two of them are not speaking and one is terrified of another and what is going to happen. 

The one thing the children did not want to handle was the fact that their oldest sibling is developmentally delayed, and the boys have never dealt with it well.  I stepped in and started being the person she could rely upon to assist her.  She is fairly independent for her disabilities, she works, and drives, but she does not cook, cannot pay the bills (she does not know how to simply add or subtract.   She knows routine, and right now her routine is completely out of sync.  She has to check in with some one knows what she is doing and what her plan is and so they can validate what she is doing is correct.  I have been trying very hard to not upset her by telling her I do not have the time to answer her phone calls every 5 minutes and she does not have to check in with me.  I now understand that this is how her brain works and she is just trying to make sure she is ok.

 I know that I will get through this, God will not give me more than I can handle.  I just need alot of prayer especially for strength to be able to allow my husband to lean on me and patience to deal with his sister.  I am really blessed to have the support system for me that I have, without the people, who allow me to lean on them, I do not think, I would be able to allow others to lean on me.  Karen, mom and Linda, thank you for being my strong pillars.  I hope that if the tables ever turn, I am able to be the strength for you.  I love you. 

Digital Scrapbooking

So tonight I went to a crop to learn more about digital scrapbooking, I learned a few really cool things, I can't wait until I get the pages printed so I can see what the final looks like without the computer.  I also got to talk with my friend Debbie and met some new people.  I may have to invest in a laptop soon so I can quit borrowing my mom's and work on my projects at home.  So tomorrow I will be cropping again and I really hope I can get a ton more pages done.  I think I like doing the digital scrapbooking better than regular scrapbooking, plus the stuff you have to take with you  for digital does not weigh near as much as the hundreds of pounds that I use to take with me in traditional scrapbooking and not use because I would only get maybe one or two pages done.  So tomorrow I put what I learned tonight to good use.

The promised creation for my mom

My mom had given me the arrangement in the first photo at Christmas time and asked me to fix it for her.  she hangs it outside her front door and since most of the time we use the garage to get in, we never saw it.  It was not at all worth saving, except for the metal heart which had weathered nicely.  So I went online and to see if I could get an idea of what to do with it.  I pulled it all apart and only saved the birdhouse and the heart. Mom loves birds.  The bottom one is what I "created"  it is not the exact copy of the one I found online, but my idea based on what I saw, I think she will like it, and it is not just for Christmas anymore. I will try to get a better picture of the finished project, lighting is not great in my basement. Let me know what you think.

Updated photos finished project

Today I felt like creating, and I needed a new wreath for my front door.  I truly enjoy creating something beautiful from scratch, and I have been told that it could sell these things. There are two reasons I have not attempted this.  First, I do not know where I could sell them and second, I do not even know how much I would charge.  I am still using the left over materials that my mother has had for years, and adding a few new materials as I go along.   Maybe one day someone will see something that I have made and ask me to make something for them, but until then, I guess I will continue to make these for family members and as gifts.  I still have one to "redo"  for my mom,  as soon as I complete it, I will post it on here before giving it back to her.  I do have an idea on what I would like to do.  Please feel free to leave a comment so I know what you think. 

Scrappin' with Scraps

So I asked Kayla to save gum wrappers for me because I wanted to make something with them.  She gave me her gum wrapper for that piece.  When she went to school and someone would ask her for a piece of gum, she would say, sure, but you have to save the wrapper for my mom.  Today she handed me an empty gum package, except it had gum wrappers in it from her friends who have been saving them for me.  High school students chew a lot of gum.   I got the chance to be creative this evening while watching Criminal Minds.  I told Kayla I would make a card for the kids who had been saving the wrappers, she said "no mom, stuff like that would just end up on the floor of their cars" She took a picture of the Football card to show them.  The Football card has gum wrappers with their school colors.  The other two are obviously Saint Patrick's Day cards. (One of my favorite holidays) Let me know what you think.  by the way, If I have your address, I will be making a card monthly and send it out randomly.

Long Hours are They Worth It

I have not posted for quite a while, since I have been working a major case and working long hours on it.  I really have not felt like jumping on the computer when I get home.  I thought I would post today before I went home as my 40 hours are completed and the county is not allowing any overtime.  Bummer I HAVE to go home early on a Friday.  I do not think I have seen the end of the long hours yet, so might as well grab the time while available.  I hope I will be able to blog about it later.  My boss asked me the other night as we were working longer hours if I enjoyed my job and if I thought I could like to stay in it another 5 years.  My answer was a resounding yes, especially when I am working on a case such as the one we are currently working on, it make what I do seem like I am making a difference.  Those of you who know what my job is might have asked yourself the same thing, but I do love my job and I do make a difference.  I don't know if that will be the case on the case I am currently working, but maybe I will have played a major part in putting away some bad guys. 

So you might ask what are you going to do with your extra time today.  Well, I have an answer to that, straighten my house and spend some qualitytime with my family. They too have become neglected from my long hours at work. 

Craft area progress

On January 17, 2011, this is what my "crafting area" looked like.

This is the exact area tonight.  At least now I have a space to work on cards and scrapbooks, and I do not have to worry about waiting until dinner is done, or setting up in the middle of the living room. Plus I can see the TV from this spot if I want to.  I may however set up a small DVD player in here so I can watch the movies I want to watch while I craft.

In the background of this photo you can see the paper tray has paper just shoved where ever it would fit.

Same place, only now I can actually find a color that I am looking for and know when I am out of a color. (Which I do not think will be in the near future)

 I still have a few more things I want to organize in here, but, I am quite proud of the work I have accomplished in this small area of my home, let the organization continue.  But first let's make some cards!!! 

So, I was watching TV with my son while he was home with a sore knee yesterday and someone on the show came up with a "Murtaugh List".  Now, you might ask what is a "Murtaugh" list.  It is a list of things you are "too damn old for this" from the character Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) from the shows Lethal Weapon. So, I started thinking, what is on my "Murtaugh List". 

First, staying up late at night (1-2 am) and getting up at 7:00 am
Then there is people who want to compete with me for the friendship of another person.  We are adults here.
Jumping on Trampolines

I am sure I can come up with more, but will end this post and let you think about what is on your "Murtaugh List"

Conviction

For the last week, God has been working on me to the point I could feel it.  I have prayed about  a situation that had to be dealt with for over a week  today, opportunity arose, I could feel His presence with me telling me it would be ok and afterward, I really felt at peace. 

You see, I have been placed in a position to be a manager over people and I have been a push over to the core.  I get that from my dad.  One of the people I manage has had poor attendance to the point it has been detrimental to the work getting done.  Instead of dealing with it when it first started happening, I tried to dismiss it, true to my nature, but the situation did not go away and eventually got worse.  Today, after lots of praying, I confronted the situation.  I learned something about myself during the process, I will continue to pray on the work God is trying to do within me, but I know that the situation was put before me to deal with to help me grow.

Everything will eventually work itself out, maybe not to my liking, but what ever happens in the end, I know God has had His hand in it. 

Organization continues

Today is a holiday for me, and I true form I have decided to continue with my 2011 organization goal. Today I am going to attempt to tackle my crafting area, I will take photos if I can stand the embarrassment of posting the before pics.  Let's see what treasures can be uncovered... more post later.

Blogging and creative inspiration

My sister actually inspired me to start blogging, she comes up with such cute ideas for cards and other papercrafting things.  When I ask her where she got the idea she will either say You Tube (her favorite), or "this blog I found".  So today while talking to her on the phone about why am I not following her blog, she got me "blog hopping", which not only wasted a few more hours on the computer but inspired me to start following a few of the card sketch blogs I have in my favorites when I need a quick idea for a card.  Thanks Karen

2011 Organization

So for some reason I have really had the urge to purge and organize this year.  Maybe because I have so much stuff and can't appreciate it, maybe because I am tired of walking around things, maybe just because. It is still early in the year and for those of you who know me well, this may be a fleeing urge.  I started with my Cricut cartridges I needed a way that did not take up too much space that would still be portable for taking my "bug" to crops. I had looked online for something I thought would work, and this is what I came up with.

This is what I started with

This is what I purchased to "organize"

This is the finished project with room to grow

First Blog Post

This is my first blog post.  I have been thinking about staring one of these for a while.  My daughter Kayla helped me to design my blog and come up with the name. Since I am unsure whether I want a photo blog or a journal blog this one will be a mixture of both.  Hence, Messy Thoughts of the Day.  Some days may be ramblings, others may just be a photo that provked a thought or wonderful memory, either way I hope you enjoy if you decide to follow.