Thankful Oak

These cards were inspired by Terry (Terrore3), who is the Featured Stamper on SCS today and I was inspired by this card of hers. I kept her general color scheme and layout but changed the following:
1. masked off the middle and sponged the outside vs. the inside
2. changed flower to a tree
3. positioned main image in the middle
4. no paper piercing here
5. added a chord to the top
6. some swirls and the outside of the main image panel (which is popped up on dimensionals) are outlined in gold

I also need to credit Michelle Zindorf, who is one of my stampin' heroes, and whose tutorials I read religiously! She is an amazing artist; I can't get enough of her creations. She's gotten me addicted to sponging! I love it - inky fingers and all!

These are going to a couple of our elders that came and prayed over me a few weeks ago. It was such a sweet time of fellowship and I really appreciated them spending a couple of hours to come over, pray for me, and encourage me. It really impacted me and I want to thank them! I really love this layout and am considering using it for my Thanksgiving or Christmas cards.

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Swirl (by Rhonna Ferrar)
Paper: Bravo Burgandy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Tree stamped with Always Artichoke and for Sponging: Old Olive, Always Artichoke, Ruby Red, Bravo Burgandy
Accessories: gold cord, gold gel pen, gold paint pen

Happy stamping. I'm off to get ready for church!

Moose You

I made this for Dad & Kathy. I thought this moose was too cute and just had to have this Nature Calls set from My Favorite Things. I love all of the animals and of course the cute hiker chick! I still haven't used her yet, but I will soon.

I'm off to study. I've got to get busy...lots of reading to do!

Happy stamping!

Howly Jowly Owly

Today's Limited Supplies Challenge on SCS was to make a Christmas card using animal stamps, only embellishing with ribbon. It's been a while since I had played dress-up with Dudley, so I pulled him out and dressed him up as Santa. When I got him all dressed up, I realized that his beard just didn't fit, so he's staying cool without one. I drew the suit on him, complete with belt and buckle and used liquid applique for all the fuzzies.

Stamps: U R A Hoot (by CHF)
Paper: Real Red, White, Green Galore, Black Small Dots (by Making Memories)
Ink: Black Stazon, Real Red, Garden Green (sponged onto holly)
Accessories: CB snowflake folder, red satin ribbon, liquid applique, red & white bling (chrystal stickers), brown Kohinoor pencil & blending stump with baby oil, gold pen

Happy stamping!

Belated Birthdays

September snuck up on me so quickly and I was late getting these birthday cards out, but I guess better late than never!
Happy Belated Birthday, Shwa! (Mountain Man's cousin, Sept. 13) - This is a photo of Shwa soaring over a competitor during his ultimate frisbee tourney here in Washington. We had fun watching him play and his team did so well, placing 3rd! They are one of the top teams in the nation, so it was a real treat to watch them play.
Happy Belated Birthday, Ma! (My sweet mother-in-law, Sept. 16) - Jan, my sweet MIL, bought the beautiful 3-D alphabet stickers for me when I visited last time, so I wanted to use them for her. Matched with the expensive but oh-so-worth it Fabriano card, they're so sophisticated. A very simple but sweet thought.

Happy stamping! I'm off to make dinner and then head to class.

Happy Anniversary Dad & Kathy!

Very happy anniversary wishes to Dad & Kathy! I love you both and hope you have a wonderful day basking in your love! :)

And here's their card that they should receive today! I took this photo in Junction, Texas this year when we camped at the South Llano State Park. Can you believe the prickly pear cactus was shaped as a heart?! I thought it was so cute (for a cactus)! Also, did you notice the corners? I just got the corner punch from SU! and I LOVE it!


I'm off to do homework before heading off to school. It's been tough getting back in the swing of things, but I guess I'll make it!

TTFN!

Spa Day

I had a fun spa day with my good friend, Brooke, yesterday afternoon.

Brooke (Isn't she so cute?!)

We went to Hector's in downtown Kirkland for lunch (YUMMY!) and then on to the spa for some pampering. We had fun with the ladies there, who happened to be all sisters! We had the works - manicures and pedicures, complete with wax! It's definitely not something I can do regularly, but it was fun to have a girlie day. And for the first time ever, my fingernails were long enough to have a regular manicure. (I've always gotten acrylics put on.)

And just for my parents who probably won't believe that my nails could actually get this long, here are my fingernails before:

Thanks for a fun day, my friend!

Go Bearcats!

I went with the McPhetridges last night to watch Megs play volleyball. Wow, is her team good! Megs is a home-schooled junior but she plays with the Monroe Bearcats. She's even a starter! Let me tell you, she is one fantastic player! She can pass, hit, serve, dig, block - she can do it all!

Watching high school volleyball sure brought back old memories! Those were fun times. I was a setter/hitter and played on the varsity team from my sophomore year on. It's so strange to see how so many rules have changed since then. I really enjoyed being there and watching them play (especially Megs). It was a quick night; they won very easily in 3 straight games. I'm looking forward to seeing her play some more. She's also in a very competitive club volleyball team that starts up soon, so I'm hoping to see some of those games. They play all over the country, so I might not make very many of those, but they're much more competitive and I've heard more exciting to watch.

These pictures aren't great. The gym lighting was terrible and most of the time, I used my bigger lens (without a tripod), so most didn't turn out that great. Here are a few that I salvaged. (She's the beautiful blonde, number 8!)

Megs passing

Megs serving
Megs blocking
Passing again

And this little princess is her sister

Hope your weekend is fabulous! We've got a busy one with Heidelfest all day tomorrow and a fun Sunday planned with Brooke.

Thank you, Momma!

Just a quick shout out to my mom thanking her for the beautiful earrings she sent me! I LOVE happy mail! What a fun surprise! Thank you, Momma. You made my Monday and I haven't taken them off since I got them! I even (accidentally) slept in them!

Wanna see them?

Ever Grateful

I have admired Michelle Zindorf's creations for a while now and attempted one a while back, but knew I needed a lot of practice. I'm still practicing, but I've done away with my brayer for a while and moved on to sponges. I really like the look I get with the sponges. I made this card for the SC194 challenge on SCS today. This will probably go to our Pastor and his family for hosting our church's 2nd annual Heidelfest this weekend. This is a big fall celebration where we have arts and crafts, games, and LOTS of food. This is one way we reach out to our community and just enjoy having fun!

Stamps: A Greeting for All Reasons, So Many Sayings, Rhonna Farrar Scroll, swirl, and sunflower,

Paper: Watercolor, Night of Navy, transparency

Ink: Black Staz-On, White Craft, and all of the following for Sponging: Perfect Plum, Eggplant Envy, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Barely Banana Summer Sun, More Mustard, Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Not Quite Navy

Accessories: dimensionals, beads, A Muse heart stickers, white gel pen, yellow twine, clear EP

Techniques: Brayered/Sponged Sky

Happy stamping!

The River

It was another hot day, so Bex and I headed to the river. We went on a different trail today to get away from some kiddoes that were splashing about. He wanted to play with them so badly, but they were scared of him, so we found our own piece of the current to play in. Just a few pics from our day.

Happy day to you!

Honoring Lazylizard

Lazylizard was the featured stamper on Sunday on SCS and I finally got into the stamp studio and got some stuff done! I must say her gallery reflects her actual lack of laziness! She stamps a lot! I've had fun this weekend and will share all the goodies after they've been received!

Today, I can share Rochelle's card. Her birthday was Friday. (Happy late birthday, sweet friend!) I did call her on her birthday, but just made her card today. This one was inspired by Lazylizard's card here.

Supplies:

Stamps: Rejoice by CHF (on inside)

Paper: White, DCWV Far East Fire Blossom dp, very old red dp (no idea of manufacturer but it's pre-embossed)

Ink: Ruby red (for inside stamping)

Accessories: Basic Grey rub-ons, pearl stickers, misc. beads, white sheer ribbon, paper flower

Have a marvelous Monday!

Mt. Pilchuck Hike

Click on photo for gallery.

Yesterday was a beautiful day for hike! The sun was smiling, Bex was happy to be hiking, Mountain Man was back at home in the mountains (if only for a brief time) and the world was good. Mountain Man and Bexar drove up to Mt. Pilchuck and went for a day hike. It was so clear, that he could literally see for miles, with Ranier and Baker in full view.

Hope your weather is just as beautiful! It's another gorgeous day in the Great Northwest!

KitchenAid Mixer!

Yep, I'm spoiled and Mountain Man got his banana nut bread tonight. :) Ain't she a beauty? I LOVE her! Time to get my bake-on!

Weekend In-law Fun

Mountain Man's parents came in for a quick visit this past weekend and we had such a fun time "chillaxin." Our weekend in pictures:

Games on the patio

A treat for Bex to keep him busy
Mountain Man and his dad cut down a leaning tree (more of an eye-sore really), which opened up the back patio view.
Went out for a nice dinner in the harbor, with Seattle in the background during sunset
Spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the river
They were such troopers!
And we even saw a small eagle
On Sunday, Jan cooked a scrumptious meal of brisket, potato salad, and butternut squash. She topped off the brisket with some carmelized Walla Walla onions from my very own (tiny) garden!

It was such a fun weekend and we loved having them. In fact, we gladly welcome all family and friends! Please holler if you'll be in the area or want to make a trip and need a tour guide or just a nice, warm bed!

Crazy ITP Days

These last couple of weeks have been somewhat crazy.

I have had a blood disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) that goes in and out of remission on a whim for about 14 years. I have been in remission for about 3 years, but about two weeks ago, I noticed some petechiae (small pin-point bruises that appear as tiny red dots) on my legs. I also began bruising very easily all over my body. These are signs that the disorder is coming out of remission. With the Labor Day weekend, I had to wait a few days to get into the doctor, but I got a blood test on the 2nd at my PCP and found out that my platelet count was at 11K (11,000). A healthy person's count is around 250-400K. Not good. On the 4th, I was able to get into the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and see some specialists. My platelet count had dropped to 9K that day. I had a wonderful experience at the SCCA and highly recommend it for anyone needing a hematologist/oncologist! My doctor put me on a very high dose of prednisone and has been monitoring my platelet count since then. After only 3 doses of prednisone, on Saturday the 6th, my platelet count had soared to 65K and by Monday they had skyrocketed to 145K!

The good news is that this time God has heard my prayers and answered them quickly. I have not had to have the traditional (for me) ivIG treatment, which boosts the platelet count to a less dangerous level. I am VERY thankful for this seemingly small blessing! The doctors readily admit that they have no idea what causes the ITP nor do they know how the medications work, but by trial and error, they have seen some results. They do know that any medications that work are successful by tricking the immune system. For now, I'm glad this seemed to be a pretty simple treatment. The prednisone is awful (don't get me wrong). My body feels like it's running a marathon on the inside while I'm physically exhausted on the outside. But with the platelets going up, my energy seems to be returning, and I'm feeling much better. I've got the munchies and insomnia (very bad) but I'm doing great otherwise. :)

Many thanks for all of those who are fervently praying. With our prayers of thanksgiving, we can ask that the prednisone be tapered (very soon) and for the platelets to stay up during the tapering.

Now I'm hoping to hit the stamp studio to do some creating.

Season of Change

The seasons are changing. Summer is fading as the air becomes crisper and the rain more frequent. The leaves aren't quite changing yet, but they should begin in a few short weeks.

This season brings quite a bit of change for me. I'll soon be spending my weekdays poring over books, and filling my brain with loads of information that I will hopefully be able to recall when needed, in hopes of becoming a bean counter. I begin Cascadia Community College on September 22 and will hopefully finish up next summer in time to attend the University of Washington in the Fall.

God has blessed Vefficient, my business, this summer with lots of work and I’m hoping it will pick back up after I get into the swing of things at school.

I have recently noticed the return of petechiae, pin-point bruises, up and down my legs, which indicate that my ITP (Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura) has come out of remission. I have had this blood disorder for many years, with it coming and going out of remission and was hoping and believing that I was completely healed, but alas, it has returned. You may click on the links above for more information on ITP. I will be going to the doctor soon, this week if possible, to find out what my platelet count is and discuss a new game plan. There is an incredible ITP researcher here in Seattle, so I'm hoping to meet with her soon. Please pray for my healing and wisdom as we make treatment decisions.

And last but certainly not least, we have begun the process of adoption! Our paperwork is in and we’re waiting for the next step, which is the interview process. I’ll hopefully hear more this week.

With these changes comes thankfulness for what God has already done in our lives, hope for the future, and faith that He is sovereign and reigns over all.

Love to all.