DigiScrapFun

Be positive, be positive!

2011-08-31T18:34:00.001-04:00

OK, so I have had a rough time over the last couple weeks especially, but I am CHOOSING to be positive, and not dwell on the negative, or allow the negative thoughts to darken my doorway.

The facts (according to the doctor), are that I’m having (according to the last sleep study done in 2007) 22-28 breathing episodes within one hour. Those episodes could be anywhere from a little cough, me snoring (or as my friends will call it—sawing logs, lol), up to me temporarily stopping breathing while I’m sleeping. I don’t have a long enough break in between episodes to enter true REM sleep mode, and therefore never officially enter “dreamland”. I have been having a lot of issues with sleep, and according to the 3 hour long doctor visit, the lack of slep could be, and probably is the root cause of a ton of health problems that I have been having.

So…. if the sleep issue is the root of a lot of my health problems, I am CHOOSING to stay positive that the sleep study I am having to do this coming Friday will help to put an end to the sleep problems and get me healthier, by getting my CPAP adjusted and getting fitted for the correct mask. The CPAP has been ineffective up until now, because the respiratory therapist who originally set everything up didn’t do it appropriately.

There is more involved in this whole ordeal, but I’m really condensing it—mostly because I don’t want to bore you with details.

I guess the purpose of this post (I know, I haven’t posted in awhile—I need to work on that!) is to ask you all- those of you that believe in prayer—to agree with me that the sleep study will go well, and that the problems that I encounter on a typical night at home will reproduce there during the study as well, and “murphy’s law” won’t happen—so we can get the problems addressed and treated, and I can start sleeping better.

I may be choosing to think positive, but I am human! I am really nervous about this test. It isn’t a walk in the park, and I know—I’ve done it a few times now. There’s all kinds of electrodes and wires hooked up to you, and they expect you to sleep like that!! I’ll have to try to remember to take a picture of myself with all the wires on me, so that you get an idea. (and probably a good laugh! )I know I took one back in 2007--- I wonder if I still have it? Hmmmm….

Anyway, thanks for the thought and prayers. They are certainly appreciated!!!

Test

2011-07-10T04:18:00.001-04:00

I am attempting to blog from my phone. Wondering if it works....

Ahhhh….. Vacation!

2011-06-30T18:09:00.001-04:00

Get your coffee ready… this is a long post!

I must say, I am really enjoying my vacation here in Missouri. I’ve been here since Thursday, and I still have till Tuesday before I have to go back home!

This trip has been so good for me. I needed to step away from the everyday life for a little bit and take a breather. I feel more relaxed, and I think come Tuesday, I will be ready to face my everyday life again.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m visiting my dear friend Hummie. Prior to this trip, she and I had never met in person. But we have known each other for about three years, and I have been working for her for about a year and a half. I think that this time together has really strengthened our friendship.

So let’s see….. what have we done since I’ve been here….

Thursday- I arrived at the St Louis airport. She picked me up, and then we drove the 2 hours to her house. Then we hung out on the patio and chatted away!

Friday- She had to work during the day, but ended up having to come home early due to an injury that she incurred on her foot. Later, we went to her church to rehearse with the music director there. (they asked me to sing at their church). Then we wet up with her hubby, and they took me to this restaurant called BG’s… and it was the most AMAZING food! In fact, the potato skins there were the best EVER!! We had a lot of fun there.

Saturday- We started out our day with a live Digiscrap Map show. I never realized how much work actually went into one of these shows!! It was fun, though! Afterwards, we went to a winery…. my first time ever at a winery, in fact. They had an authentic brick oven.. and we had pizza…. it was sooooooo yummy! After dinner, we went out to the deck to listen to the music (it was vinyl record night), take in the scenery, and just talk. It was nice and relaxing. Then we walked (as Hummie hobbled- poor thing!) to the deck and took some pictures (I need to get those photos from her camera by the way!) and chatted some more.

Sunday- I sang at BOTH of the AM services at their church. Wanna see? Both of the versions of the song are on this video… but backwards. The second service is first. Haha…

Singing at Hummie’s church

After service, we went to the outdoor waterpark. Now THAT was a lot of fun! We both had waterproof cameras with us, so we used them and took photos and videos. Hummie and I put together a little montage of some of the highlights. The first few minutes during the photos, there is no sound, but when the videos start, be sure not to have your speakers up too loud, or you’ll get blasted lol!

Waterpark fun

Turns out, we both got a lot of sun and got ourselves burnt! lol

Oh.. and then after that, we went to one of my favorite places… Culver’s restaurant. They have the BEST frozen custard!!

Monday- I was really sore that morning from being burned! I spent the day just relaxing and working in the forum. Dinner here at the house- and then the most amazing POPCORN made by Hummie’s hubby. Seriously—I need to learn his secret to that popcorn!!!

Tuesday- This was so fun…. I got to see Hummie teach a digital scrapbooking class! It was really a treat for me to observe (and sometimes help) her teaching others, and laughing and enjoying all their A-HA! moments. It really brought it to “life” for me… we all just know her teaching from her videos…. it was so cool to see her teach LIVE!

It was a tiring day for us, so we took a couple hours and just hung out and relaxed, then later that night, we had our second digiscrap map show, and scrapped a layout together. It made for an interesting evening to say the least lol.

Wednesday- I spent the whole day (10a-5p) out on their patio with my laptop. I had a goal I wanted to achieve, which was to make sure that I have commented on every single layout in the gallery this year. I am happy to say that I have caught up with 2011! I have a little more that I have to do for 2010, but I’ll get to that eventually. Right now, I am happy!

When Hummie got home from work, we went out to dinner to Buckner’s for dinner. That was yummy, but the greatest part was the view of the riverfront. Sadly, the river is still really high, so the flood walls are closed, and we couldn’t get the full effect, but like I told her, it just gives me another reason to come back!

Hummie drove me around their quaint little downtown area, showing me some of the landmarks, then we headed home, grabbes our swimsuits, and headed for the gym. We got into the hot tub first. AHHHHHH!!! Talk about relaxation!!! Then she led the way to the sauna. I have never been in a sauna. It was quite an experience. We chatted and prayed together (nice place for that!!), then headed to the therapy pool, where there was already a game of water volleyball going on, so we joined them. So fun, but so tiring!! I learned fairly quickly that I’m way out of shape, but I was a trooper, and even had the ladies laughing. They got a kick out of the faces I was making apparently lol!

By the time we got back, I was completely wiped out!! We watched some TV, had some popcorn (I’m telling you, this stuff is amazing!!), and called it a night.

Which brings us to today. I’ve pretty much just hung out here at their house, kind of recouping from yesterday. Muscles I forgot I even had (haha) were screaming at me this morning! Now, Hummie should be home any minute, and I’ll have to come back and tell you what we ended up doing!!

If you read up to this point, you’re quite a trooper!! I’m proud of you! I will have to come back and share some photos with you all later when she and I have a chance to share photos with each other.

Until next time,

Getting more excited!!

2011-05-24T22:15:00.001-04:00

The one month countdown has begun... I even got an email today from Southwest Airlines reminding me that I'm going to St Louis in one month. I cannot begin to describe to you how excited I am that this is finally happening! I have wanted to meet Hummie live and in person for a long time now, and it's really going to happen! We have been planning on some things to do, one of which is to go to this restaurant where they throw rolls at you. Ha! I told her that she just wants to have a reason to get a blackmail picture lol! :p

But more than seeing anything, I am just really looking forward to hanging out with her and her family. They have a really nice patio, and I can see us having fun out there, just relaxing and talking. Oh... and I have to get some quality hot tub time in at her gym, too! Nice and relaxing.... ahhhhh.....

Speaking of relaxing, I have my massage therapy appointment tomorrow. Really looking forward to that, as my neck is all kinds of messed up right now. I am so thankful that I am able to get the massage therapy. My doctor even- without me having to ask- extended my visits so that I could keep going. I have an awesome doctor!

Wow, it's been awhile since I've updated you about health stuff. I'm still having some issues sleeping, but my doctor says it might have something to do with me not using my CPAP machine like I am supposed to. I had a sleep study done three years ago, and they diagnosed me with sleep apnea. I don't like using the CPAP, but I guess I need to get back in the habit of using it if I want to see if it will help me get a good nights sleep, huh?

I have been also seeing a pain management doctor for my Fibro. I have had joint injections twice now, and there is a possibility for a third set on my other side of my neck, since it seems like I haven't gotten any relief from the other injections. The TENS helps for the "right now" pain, but it's not really a long term solution. But hey-- I'll take what I can get, right?

Well, today has been a bittersweet day. I had to say goodbye to a couple of kids that I have come to love. They were foster kids of friends of mine, and today they were reunited with their birth mom permanently. I will miss them!

Well, on that note, I suppose I shall get ready for bed. Sorry this post seemed to go on a lot of tangents.... I guess I had a lot to cover lol!

But more than anything.... I can't wait till June 23rd!!!

Super Excited!!

2011-05-11T14:32:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to visit my dear friend Hummie for quite some time now, and now it’s actually going to happen! Yes, you read that right…. I’m going to Cape Girardeau to see Hummie! It’s official, cause I’ve got the flight booked!!!

We both were so excited, that we made videos!

Here’s mine:

Dawn is excited!

And here is Hummie’s:

Hummie is excited, too!

I have to say that I really LOVE Hummie’s video! It made me smile from ear to ear! And I think I’ve watched it now at least a dozen times! lol

This will be my first real vacation in a long time. The first one when I’m traveling alone anyway. I’ve gone with groups, and I will be taking a group trip in August, but this is extra special!

I downloaded an app on my phone so that I can blog from it, but I haven’t done so yet. I have tons of photos on my phone that I would love to show you! d

For now though, I’m going to go. I just wanted to share the good news, and hope that you will share in my excitement!!

Life as I know it

2011-04-01T20:52:00.001-04:00

I guess I should take a moment to update you on the goings-on with me health wise. It’s been a struggle, between physical therapy, massage therapy, PCP (primary care physician), neurology, and now the added pain management appointments.

Long story short, I have Fibromyalgia. And arthritis.

I am glad to finally have an answer for why I have been feeling the way I have been feeling, but at the same time, I just don’t want it. But then again, who wants to have health problems?

So- the plan of action as of right now is that I am going in to the pain care doctor to get facet joint injections- the first set of injections will be on April 8th (next Friday), and they will be injecting steroids into my lower back. Then, I go back on April 15th and do it all again- but in my neck this time. I am really nervous about it, because he made no bones about the fact that it is going to hurt. They will moderately sedate me- to help me relax, but it’s gonna hurt. Boo.

But with all that being said, I don’t want to be negative about this. I don’t want to focus on all the bad things about this. Though admittedly, with being in pain, it’s hard to think of anything positive about it.

I am looking ahead past the injections- to a life with less pain. Even if only temporary. I am looking forward to not being in what I have come to call a “fibro fog” (ask Hummie, she knows all about it, lol!).

This is life as I know it- but I am looking ahead to healing.

My awesome Nephew! :) (I have bragging rights lol!)

2011-03-18T19:15:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share with you some photos that I took today (and a few that was taken of he and I).

A little late, but I’m celebrating three years!

2011-03-08T21:31:00.001-05:00

I had intentions of blogging on Feb 28th or March 1st, but of course life has gotten in the way. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing!! I’ll explain in a moment.

First, I have to tell you that on February 29th, 2008, I made the discovery of digital scrapbooking, and made my first layout using Microsoft Picture It. Wow- have I come a long way since then! I even have the privilege of working with and for one of the BEST digi-scrap teachers out there!! That would of course be the amazingly awesome Hummie!! If I was at home and on my home computer, I’d share my very first layout ever with you…. maybe I will another time.

I bought myself a digi-birthday present, lol… a new external hard drive! I previously had a 350gb one, and it wasn’t huge in size, but big enough to make it hard to take with me. Here’s a pic of my old one:

That’s not too terribly huge, right? But I really wanted an ultra portable one, and more importantly, USB powered. And I wanted a larger amount of space, so I got this:

It is 1tb in size, so I think it is safe to say that I won’t be needing any more space for awhile!! I got it on Friday, and I’ve since gotten all my pictures, music, and documents from both my laptop and PC, and I’m slowly working on a project that I’ve put off for three years…. TAGGING and DELETING digi stuff that I know I won’t use!!!! on Saturday, I took some time to go through JUST my alphas. I went from like almost 10 gigs worth of alphas down to just a total of 17 alphas…. soon to be 18 when I get Hummie’s new alpha downloaded

OK, so now that I’ve shared my new toy with you…. I want to introduce you to the newest member of my family… my nephew Evan!

Isn’t he just ADORABLE!?!?!? Not that I’m partial or anything lol!!

He was born Tuesday, Feb 22nd at 4:44 pm. I am one proud Auntie!! He really is a sweet baby!

Yay for babies!!!!!

What a week!

2011-02-17T10:49:00.002-05:00

Hey there blogland! This last week has been a whirlwind for me. I've been crazy busy lately, but hey- it keeps me out of trouble, right? lol How was your Valentine's Day? Mine was ok-- Valentine's Day was my Grandpa's birthday, so I get a little sad during the first part of the day, but as the day goes on, I try to think of all the good memories and it helps me get through the day. I have photos of him up in the attic, but I can't get up there right now, or I'd share a couple with you. Maybe I will yet this week, who knows? I want to remind you all about the importance of backing up your files. Digi stash, photos, music, documents.... they are all important, and if something were to happen to your computers hard drive, I'd hate to hear that you've lost everything! I'm reminding you, because I had to remind myself last week when I thought my EHD crashed! That was soooooo scary! So, soon I will be purchasing a second hard drive. I thought about using an online sernice such as carbonite or mozy, but I have over 100gb in digi stash alone, and my transfer rate would only be 9gb a day at best, so for me, that's not a feasible option, as I don't leave my computer on 24/7. I just feel that it's not safe for your computer to leave it on all the time. How about you? What storage options do you utilize? I'd love to know!

Quick update

2011-01-28T10:33:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone!

First, sorry about the last post. I noticed that there were a lot of grammatical errors- that was actually typed from the qwerty keyboard on my phone! LOL.

I need to play cartch up in the forum today, but I just wanted to let you all know what's going on. I went to see a new Physical Therapist and a Neurologist yesterday. They both agreee with a preliminary diagnosis of Fibromyalsia. I am still working on comprehending what this is exactly, but Hummie did a wonderful thing and created a chatter thread (need to be a registered user of Hummie's World to view it) to discuss this disease. Through that, I will share how I'm doing and any news related to that. I will try to keep you informed here as well... but I don't want to be a downer blogger. I want to focus on positive things. I think I'll share more of the struggle part in that chatter thread, because there are others in the forum that also have this disease, and I will learn a lot from them, I think. I want to use this blog and the chatter box at Hummie's World for more positive things that my aches and pains. Ya know what I mean, jellybean?

So on that note, I think I will close for now, and get back to work! I have some catching up to do in the forum!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Trying again

2011-01-23T11:19:00.001-05:00

I have not dne a good job with keeping this blog up. I have, in fact, failed in many areas. I am human. Thats all i can say about it.
All i can do now is move forward. I am making the choice to leave what has been done and not done behind and look to today and days ahead.
So, i am not going to sit here and tell you that i am committng to do such and such a number of blog posts every day, every other day, or what have you. I am not going to again set myself up for failure.
Instead, i am going to say that I recognize that I am a bad blogger, and tell you that i will do the best i can in keeping up with this. Now, it may not b in any organized way. Some weeks i might blog every day, while others i may only blog once or twice... but either way, its gotta be better than what i am ding now.
So, dear blog readers, what do you want to see here on this blog. I woner if anyone even reads my blog. Ive probably lost a lot of people when i dropped the ball on the 30 days of gratitude.
So... if for no one else, i am doing this for me. Oh.. and by the way, im typing this from my phone! That accessbility alone should help me to blog more often. I love technology!!

Until next time.... be safe! Its cold and snowy here in Ohio!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

testing

2011-01-16T10:57:00.001-05:00

So i guess i failed at the 30 days of thanksgiving back in november. Im really disappointed in myself about that, but onward and upward!
I got a new phone last week, and it would seem that I can make posts from my phone. With having a qwerty keyboard now, im hoping that i will get to be more faithful in keeping up with this. I just yesterday had to renew my domain and hosting, so i need to make use of it.
Not much to say today yet. I mainly just wanted to test thi to make sure this app works. Heres hoping!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Gratitude day 9

2010-11-09T22:11:00.002-05:00

So, I'm doing better at keeping up with this! I guess it helps when my cell phone chirps a reminder at me ;) Today started out as a bad day. I won't get into specifics. At least not now. I'm trying to focus on the positives here and not dwell on the negatives. Today I'm thankful for my friend Linda. She is the secretary at our church, and every week she picks up lunch for me since I can't drive. Today she was such a help when I did an oopsie and spilled her Coke all over the carpet! She happened to have some carpet stain remover and so I dabbed, dabbed, dabbed at it, and praying I come back in the morning to the stain gone. Otherwise my pastor won't be so pleased with me!! Linda may not see this post, but I did tag her in my status on Facebook, so she'll know how appreciative I am of her!! See ya tomorrow!

Gratitude Day 8

2010-11-08T22:13:00.001-05:00

Sorry for another quickie post, but I'm just so doggone TIRED!!! Today I got surprised with a tub of pumpkin ice cream, so today I'm thankful for that!! Yummmm!! In case anyone is interested, it is Edy's brand. I really like the Kroger brand- it has pie crust and marshmallow in it! MMMMMMM!!!

Gratitude day 7

2010-11-07T19:11:00.001-05:00

Man, what a weekend!

I was babysitting for friends over the weekend. It was crazy! But all was forgotten when I got to church and I found out that my Windows 7 disc came in the mail!! So as soon as I got home, I got out my laptop and started the process of upgrading from Vista to 7. I have another license for my PC, but since that one is currently running XP, it is more of a process to get that one upgraded. It involves backing up everything and starting fresh pretty much. So, I’m not looking forward to the process, but I AM looking forward to having a new OS!

So today, I’m thankful for technology lol! Seriously- technology has taken the world by storm! I know I would be just fine without my gadgets, but it makes the humdrum of the daily grind so much FUN!

Gratitude day 6

2010-11-06T19:14:00.001-04:00

Man, what a crazy couple of days it has been! I’ve been over at a friends house babysitting their kids and foster kids overnight last night so they could have a getaway.

I also babysit another couple with foster kids, and when I lived in Nebraska, I had another family that I babysat for that had small foster children as well as teenage foster children.

It got me to thinking today. It really does take a special person/couple/family to take in children that are not your own. These are children that were removed from their own homes due to their parents inability to care for them, or in a lot of cases, abuse is a factor in their removal from their home.

So today I am thankful for all you foster families out there. You deserve so much more than a thank you. Thanks to you, children are not in an environment that is unsafe or unhealthy.

Gratitude Day 5

2010-11-05T21:39:00.001-04:00

So I’m trying to be better at keeping up with this. I’m babysitting for three kids under the age of three, so I’m going to be headed to bed here soon.

Today I am grateful for my mode of transportation. Being visually impaired, I depend on the public transit system to get around. More specifically, the para transit. This is a service that you must apply to receive, and it takes you everywhere the public bus goes, but instead of a fixed route, this is door to door service. I may have my issues with them, but what it all boils down to is that if I didn’t have this service available, I wouldn’t be getting anywhere!!!

So that’s what I’m grateful for today.

I also want to be able to put some pics on here from my day with my good friend Annette last Sunday, but I’ll have to do that sometime after I get home. To be honest, I’ve been so busy this week that I haven’t even downloaded them from my camera yet!! Yikes!!

Till tomorrow,

Day 3 and Day 4

2010-11-04T16:41:00.001-04:00

So I’m late posting again. I PROMISE that this won’t become a habit!!

For yesterday, I posted on facebook that I was grateful for my bed. If you look through the posts, you’ll know that I recently redecorated my room. This has been a rough week for me so far, and so I was very happy to sleep last night. And I slept in, too!

Today, I am grateful for my digi scrap friends. I have come to know a lot of you on a personal level, and you have become family to me. You know who you are!! Especially to Hummie, who is such a great person and very dear to me.

Speaking of Hummie, I need to get back to work!!!

Later!

Day 2.... a little late

2010-11-03T16:32:00.002-04:00

So I have already failed in my goal of blogging every day this month. I was helping deal with a sick child, and just couldn't find the time. So for yesterday-- I am thankful for all you momies out there.... especially those of you with multiple children 3 and under, and even more especially when said children are sick. I'm not a mom, but I do babysit, and I spent the last 2 days caring for 2 children under 14 months old who had fevers. I still pray that someday, I'll be a mommy. I'll be back later tonight with todays post :)

Gratitude

2010-11-01T23:29:00.002-04:00

What is gratitude? The dictionary defines it as: a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation. There is so much to be thankful for. I'm going to spend this month on focusing on the POSITIVES and not on the negative. So... let's begin! Today, I am thankful for such wonderful friends and family. I have a FANTASTIC support system, and I don't know where I would be without them. Today, I had to go to the hospital for a CT scan of my sinuses, and my wonderful friend Cindy took me to it so I didn't have to use TARPS. You ROCK, Cindy!!! What are you thankful for today?

My goal for November

2010-10-29T14:17:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone! I know, I know... I've neglected my blog again! I need to put this on my to-do list. I have a new app on my phone called Astrid. I'm still on the fence about it, though, cause I'm not sure if it syncs with anything on my PC.... I thought I saw something about syncing with google tasks, but I think you have to buy a plug in for it to have that functionality. I think it was 5 bucks or something like that... I'm looking into it. Anyway, Hummie has this cool idea on the sunject of gratitude, and I think I want to do something on my blog along those lines as well. If nothing else, it will keep me blogging reguarly- at least that is my goal! I was reading back into some of my previous posts, and other than the posts about my bedroom remodel, a lot of the posts have been negative. Bad health and the like. I don't want to be a person that focuses on the negative. Negativity only brings you down. Hummie has this cool book that she is reading (and a new class is soon forming around this book), and it is about Power Thoughts. If you think negatively, you're life is generally going to be going in a negative way. However, if you think positively and have a can-do attitude, your life will reflect that, and I want to be a positive person. So, I am going to make it a personal goal to every day blog something positive. Whether it be about my day, or about something in my life, I want to share positive things. Yeah, I know that it is inevitable that something will happen in my life that isn't so positive, and I may share some of those, but I want to be sure that in that same post, that I also share something positive, so that the whole post isn't something that is going to bring other people down. Yes, I also realize that I may slip up and forget to blog- after all, I am only human, but I am making it a goal. I also know that I may not have a lot of people reading my blog, but if for no one else, I am doing this for ME. So look for daily blog posts from me coming SOON!!

So sore…

2010-09-22T17:19:00.001-04:00

I am trying to make more of an effort in blogging. Like I said before, I don’t know who actually reads this, but if for no one else, I am doing this for me. It’s an outlet. I am able to write what I feel, and maybe after I will feel better! Who knows?

So yesterday morning I had my first massage therapy experience. My appointment was for 9am, and they asked me to come early to fill out new patient paperwork. I depend on para transit (for the elderly and disabled—a shared ride service called TARPS here in Toledo) to get around since I can’t drive. With it being a shared ride service, you can be on the bus for up to an hour (and sometimes longer!), so I scheduled my ride for 7:45. Now, you have to understand a little about how TARPS works to fully understand why I will sometimes get frustrated with them. Let me preface it by saying that I am VERY grateful for TARPS and the service that they provide. If it weren’t for them, I would never get to go anywhere. Not even to church, because since I moved, I live quite a ways from church.

So I scheduled for 7:45am. They have a half an hour window to show up at your door. So this means that I need to start watching for them at 7:30, and they have until 8am to get there. Sometimes they are later than the window, but you can’t call and inquire about the whereabouts of the driver until after the window has closed. This can be frustrating sometimes. It seems that whenever I want them to come later, they come early, and when you want them to come early, they’re late. And then, you may have someone else on the bus when they come to get you, and sometimes they have another pickup or drop off before you get taken where you need to go. That’s all part of the shared ride thing. Sometimes I will be really late to where I have to go, and sometimes I am way early. And then, sometimes, I am right on time. The point is—everything varies. There really is no constant.

The driver showed up right at 7:45. I scheduled it a little earlier than normal, because I generally don’t use TARPS early in the mornings on weekdays, and was unsure of how busy they would be. Well, as luck would have it, I had a direct route to the rehab center, where I would have my massages. I got there at 8:15. I got off the bus, and the driver left, assuming that I was going right inside. I tried the door. Locked. CRUD! I called the number, and listened to the recording say that on Tuesdays, the center does not open until 9am. Every other day they open at 7:30. Just my luck, huh? So I sat down and waited. Thankfully it was nice outside—not too hot or cold. At 8:45, someone came and unlocked the door. She felt bad that I had to wait, but like I said, it was nice out, so I didn’t mind.

Wendy, my massage therapist, showed up right at 9, and I got shown to a room. We went through some preliminaries, then she had me change into a gown, then got down to the massage. Can I just tell you how AWESOME that massage was!?!?! I enjoyed every single second of it! For the first session, I only got about a 15 minute massage, but it was a wonderful 15 minutes. I was really sad when she said that she was done. She told me that my shoulders were like speed bumps. They are all knotted up. She said it will take several sessions before that will start going away. She also said that next week (I will be going once a week) she will start with some heat first to help relax the muscles. She said that all the stress is building up right in my shoulders, and then shooting down my back. I am really glad that I asked my doctor about massage therapy. I am confident that it will be very beneficial in the long run. And I am so thankful that my insurance will cover it. It is a huge financial burden off my shoulders.

So, Wendy told me to be sure to drink a lot of liquids through the day, because the massage releases toxins in the body, and drinking fluids will help flush it out of my system. She also said that I might be sore the next day. WHOA!!! Oh yeah—I’m sore alright! I woke up this morning, and could barely move!! So I managed to get up, and take my medicine, including my muscle relaxer. It took a little while, but eventually the pain subsided, and I was able to get through my day. I just took my second muscle relaxer of the day, and I am hoping that it kicks in soon, because right now, my shoulders feel like they are on fire!

I am looking forward to going home tonight and going to sleep. But I am moreso looking forward to next Tuesday, when I get another massage! I have a feeling that I could get used to massages really quick!!! :)

Till next time,

Changes

2010-09-21T13:19:00.001-04:00

OK, so I am trying to be more faithful to my blog. Truth be told, sometimes it is just hard for me to sit and type a post. I don’t know why- I’m on the computer most of my day, so why not take a little time to blog? I am really going to try to make more of an effort. If no one else reads it, that’s fine—but I think that sometimes just getting out stuff is helpful. I may end up rambling at points as I get things typed out, so I apologize in advance if I go off track at points. I’m overly tired and sometimes I won’t make sense. Just a warning, lol

So—for better or for worse, here goes…

As you may or may not know, I struggle with my vision. I have had eye problems from birth, but I guess I really didn’t understand the extent of it until a couple years ago. I had to go to see a specialist in Ann Arbor Michigan, where I endured about 8 hours of extensive, painful testing. In that time, I only got a half hour break for lunch. From that experience, I was diagnosed with Progressive Optic Neuropathy. That is just one of the several eye diseases that I have. I really don’t feel like naming them all off right now and, besides, I don’t have them all right in front of me.

Anyway, I go into all that to say that my peripheral vision has always been slim. It’s like looking through a tunnel. 2 weeks ago today, I went to my neuro-ophthalmologist, and discovered that my visual fields have severely become more constricted. So much so, that he cant explain it. We knew that this disease would eventually claim my vision totally, but according to the tests, it is progressing faster than anticipated. So—I go back to retest on the 5th of October. If the results are similar to that of 2 weeks ago, I will once again have to make the Ann Arbor trip. I am hoping that the previous test was just a fluke because of me being overly tired, so that I won’t have to go there again.

I went to my primary doctor last week. He has put me on some new meds; one for help to sleep, and one as a muscle relaxer. All together, I have about 8 medications in pill form; and more in eye drops, inhalers, etc… I started taking the new meds this weekend, and I just haven’t been myself. I have slept SO much since starting these meds, and people around me are starting to notice that I haven’t been myself lately. I did go to church Sunday, although the night before, I was certain that I wouldn’t be going. I forced myself to go, because it is something that I always do, and this week was our missions convention, and I really didn’t want to miss it.

I am trying really hard to resume life as normal. I love everything that I do. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I am thankful for dear friends. They are always there for me, willing to help whenever I need it. I have great online friends, who are also there for me. I can’t explain why I’ve been feeling odd lately other than the meds. It’s the only explanation I can come up with. I don’t feel depressed. I don’t feel like I want to hurt myself or anything like that. I just feel “off” Does that make sense?

This summer has been so busy for me. It seemed like I was always on the go. I would like to say that I have had fun. I worked hard as well. I was able to remodel my bedroom. I am thankful for that. At the same time, I feel like I have let people down, and that is never my intention. I am thankful that Autumn is here, mainly because I know that now I will be home more often, and won’t be as busy as I have been.

Hummie has been such a dear friend to me, and I am eternally grateful for our friendship, but I feel like I have let her down as well. I don’t think that I have been as good of an assistant as I started out to be. I hope she isn’t giving up on me, because I am not giving up on her. I am more determined than ever to be a good assistant and to give the very best of me. She deserves that. She is such an awesome lady, and I am looking forward to the day that we can finally meet face to face, and I think with as much as we seem to think alike, I think we’d have a lot of fun in the “real world”. :) I cannot even begin to tell you how much I appreciate her. She does so much for so many people, and yet she feels inadequate. I can relate to that, because I struggle with the same feelings from time to time. So Hummie- if you are reading this—you are AWESOME!!! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, or they’ll have to deal with me :)

So, I realized that I titled this blog entry ‘changes’. I am not really changing anything—but I guess in a way I am. I am trying to change my attitude and how I look at things. If I continue to look at my situations medically and emotionally as negative, then my outlook will be negative. I don’t want the negative. I want to focus on the positive. Today, I am thankful that I was able to get a massage. I think that it will help. I am thankful for my church family and friends, who have noticed a change in me and have become concerned. I would be more worried if they weren’t concerned, you know?

Well, I think I have typed way more than I intended to! I guess once you get going, you just can’t stop, huh? lol… I hope that you all have a wonderful day, and remember to think positively!!

Till next time,

Poor blog

2010-09-15T09:02:00.001-04:00

I have once again been neglecting my blog. I always have the intention of updating it,but something always comes up. I really need to start working on changing that. I’ve seen that Hummie has made the commitment to blog everyday. I need to take a page from her book!

To say that the summer has been busy would be a HUGE understatement. It has been CRAZY busy! I took a trip with my sisters to The Georgia/Florida border late last month to see our dad. Here’s a pic of the three of us at the ocean:

It was actually my very first time at the ocean! It was so much fun—even though we were there only 5 minutes. Here’s a few pictures of my experience at the ocean:

It really was a neat experience. I don’t think I will ever forget the sound of the crashing waves. In fact, I have a sound machine on my phone, and I purchased the beach theme, just so I could hear the sound of the ocean. I would certainly love to visit there again, and this time—actually swim in it! That to me would be amazing!

I just came back from a weekend trip to Logan, Ohio, where our church’s young adults group went to Hocking Hills, which is a state park. This is a yearly tradition, however this is the first time we actually stayed at a cabin. A couple from our church recently purchased this cabin, and generously allowed the 18 of us invade it for a weekend. I was unable to do the hikes, so I stayed at the cabin. Take a look at the accommodations:

Notice the wrap around porch? No? OK, try this pic:

My friend Annette and I stayed in the upstairs bedroom with John (one of the leaders)’s sister Lynne, who lives closer to the West Virginia border. She came to spend the weekend with us. She actually stayed at the cabin with me while everyone else hiked.

Annette loves the cold. She could keep her room at 65 and be happy year round. So—our room was the coldest in the cabin. Because of that, the three of us and our room became known as the Polar Bear club. Here we are, saying goodbye to Lynne. You may notice my shirt is on backwards. I had a… um…. blind moment. LOL

I guess I’ve caught you up a little bit on what’s been going on with me. I haven’t gone into my medical stuff, but I’m sure there will be another blog post for that. I know that I say this pretty much everytime, but I really am going to make more of an effort with this. Bear with me!

Till next time….

As promised…

2010-07-25T22:26:00.001-04:00

Did you think that I forgot about you? LOL

Here is the tag alpha freebie that I promised you. Sorry this is such a short post, but I am truly exhausted. I will write more later!

You can nab it here on a direct link

Oh, before I forget…

2010-07-21T14:30:00.001-04:00

I meant to tell you before, but I forgot!!

I have the new desk on order! It is HUGE!!! But, I am sacrificing my corner TV stand for it, and took out my dresser. I’m going to buy another storage unit, and stack it on the current one, and put the clothes in it.

I also got a new flat panel HDTV. My previous TV was a 19 inch, but it was an older one, and with getting the new stuff, there was no where to put it. I got a 32 inch flat screen, and it will fit nicely on the new desk. I can’t wait to show you!! I am hoping that the desk will be set up by the time I get home. My brother in law said he would build it for me. I am really hoping that it arrives and is built before I get home. That would be sooooooo nice!

OK, back to watching the kiddos!

Hello from Michigan!

2010-07-21T14:21:00.001-04:00

Hello blog readers!

I am currently visiting some friends in Grand Blanc, Michigan, which is about a half hour or so from Flint. I’m having a great time!

I have been quite busy as of late, which is why my blog posts have been few and far between. I apologize, and I plan on making it up to you! I made a tag alpha a couple months ago for a challenge at Hummie’s World, and since it is no longer being offered for that challenge, I have decided to also share it with you! So you can look for that sometime this weekend, or Monday at the latest.

I will be trying to create new things for you as well as I am able to- I recently purchased a lifetime commercial license from The Scrappin’ Cop. I have been wanting to sit down and take stock of all she has, and go on a downloading spree, but haven’t had the time to yet. It is on my to do list though, I promise!

OK, well it would seem that the kiddos are waking up, so I am going to jet, but like I said: Look for that freebie soon!!

Till next time,

New stuff at Hummie’s World!!

2010-06-26T23:59:00.002-04:00

I haven’t really blogged much lately about new stuff at Hummie’s World. I’ve been very bad in that area. I have tweeted about the new challenges I have put up, and I made a short blog post about it, but I haven’t gotten a chance to blog about the more recent stuff happening.

Hummie has started a new site: www.digiscrapmap.com. This is actually REALLY cool! What it is, is a place where EVERYONE in the digital scrapbooking community can get involved! The goal is to highlight designers and site owners, doing interviews with them, and just plugging everyone in to what is going on in the community as a whole. We are utilizing a site called ustream, and we can chat with you via webcam or just audio only. Viewers will join us in the chatroom right on the site, and will ask you questions live.

This won’t be limited to just certain sites or individuals, but to everyone. This is a great way for designers and site owners to market themselves and make themselves known. If you would like to participate, send Hummie a private message on Facebook(www.facebook.com/hummdingertub). OWNERS of sites with many designers will be invited to a private Facebook Group, but designers are welcome to contact her also.

A new course is starting July 5th!! It is for course 2. This course is for those that want to learn a lot of cool techniques. There are about 75 lessons in the course so far, and it continues to grow as Hummie learns new things to teach to us. If you are a subscriber, click here to sign up. If you're not yet a subscriber, it's a small subscription fee of $5.50 per month, and you get a LOT of bang for your buck! Click here for info on how to subscribe.

I made some slideshows last year- before I became her assistant- and I want to repost them here for you to see. I have been wanting to consolidate them into one slideshow, but I haven’t found the time to do that yet. I’ll get there yet!!!!! These are all the layouts that I have created using the lessons from course 2.

I know it would be more fun to watch in a different format- and maybe with some music behind it.

Set one:

Set two:

Set Three:

New challenges at Hummie’s World!

2010-06-20T19:15:00.001-04:00

I have not been a good assistant lately at Hummie’s World in regards to new content. I have been doing the best I can at keeping up with credits, but new challenges have been few and far between.

I have made attempts to change that tonight.

Are you following me on Twitter? You can find me there at www.twitter.com/digiscrapfun. There, I try to post my whereabouts, and new things I put up at the site.

Well, here’s a brief rundown of what I have done tonight.

There is a new Scrapping Goals challenge. It really isn’t a hard one. At least, I don’t think so!

There is a new designer color challenge. I did a lot of looking around to find some colors, and this is what I came up with:

There is a new ScanIt! Challenge. We want to know what interesting thing you have in your purse!

And finally, there is a new UseIt! Challenge. I made a torn, rusted photo corner. You can check it out in the forum.

OK, that about does it for me tonight! I hope you all will enjoy these new challenges, and look for more to come soon!

The promised blog post about my bedroom

2010-06-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

I have been remodeling my bedroom over the last couple weeks. I have been wanting to do this FOREVER, but I’m just now getting to it. Better late than never, huh? I had a twin bed. Way too small for me, but I bought it back when I was living in a mobile home, and needed something small. But when we moved into the first house, my bedroom was HUGE and my bed looked like a little toy bed! LOL!

Then we moved again to our current house, and though my room is considerably smaller, I still wanted a bigger bed. Things just worked out so well! One of the pastors at my church had a headboard, frame, and full sized box spring that his daughter used to use. So I just needed to get a top mattress. Well, while I looked for that, I went looking for mattress pad. I really wanted a memory foam one, because I have heard so many good things about them, but they aren’t cheap. In fact, the only sale I could find was at JC Penny. It was a 1 1/2 inch for $120. OUCH!! Well, that just wouldn’t do, so I went to Ebay looking for one, and I found one for $66 bucks!! And it was 3 inches thick! SOLD!! I ordered it real quick! I mean c’mon… twice the thickness for half the price? Why would you NOT do it!?!?!

The next thing I needed was a bed-in-a-bag set. I found JUST the one I wanted, too! The sheet set that came with it is 600 thread count, Egyptian cotton sateen deep pocket, but the store wanted nearly three hundred dollars for a 12 piece set!!!! I loved it, but not THAT much!! Still, I really wanted it, so I went looking online for it, and found it for $229. That was still really pricey for me, so I went back to my good friend Ebay to see if I could find it there. Get this- the SAME company that wanted $229 for it, also had an Ebay store, and I found it there for $137!! SOLD!!! I got a queen sized one, because I figured that after the pad was on, the full sheets may not fit.

While I was waiting on those to ship, I was talking to my sister, and she said that she had a mattress that she could loan to me until I saved enough to get one. A week later, she and her boyfriend bring a mattress… but it was a QUEEN!!! Um, ok…. so I’m getting a FULL sized box spring. That would look ridiculous to have a queen mattress on a full box spring! Her response was “so I suppose I’ll have to go home and bring you the box spring, huh?” My response… “Um, YEAH!!!” lol!

Here is the area in my room where my old bed was:

That was on a Saturday. I was still waiting for the stuff from my pastor to be brought over, so I ended up sleeping with the mattresses on the floor (I gave my twin bed to my mom). Pastor Ted said that he could bring me the frame, but the headboard would not fit into his van. On Wednesday morning, I was at the church office, and I got a call from my mom, saying that she was getting a ride home from work from someone who had a truck, and who was willing to pickup the stuff for me. So, Pastor Ted met her at his house, and loaded the stuff up. Well, it just so happened that while I was at the office that day, all my stuff was delivered at home! The mattress pad from Fed Ex and the bed-in-a-bag from UPS! Mom asked permission to open them (so she could wash the sheets), and when I came home, I was surprised to see my bed all put together and made! Oh, my it looks so great!!! Here’ take a look!

The next thing I needed to get was room darkening shades. I had no idea what I was in for. These things are EXPENSIVE!! But, because I am so light sensitive, I really needed room darkening ones. I ended up getting ones that block out the heat and cold from the windows….. they’d better at 50 bucks apiece! Here’s a pic of one of the shades next to my bed:

Then yesterday, I got a 9 cubical storage unit, and fabric totes to put in it. I brought it home, only to discover that the tools that we needed to put it together were missing! Go figure! Mom ended up borrowing what we needed from our neighbor, then we set off to work on building it. It was challenging, cause we kept using the wrong boards! LOL! But, it’s all put together now, and I must say, it is REALLY nice! Take a look:

The next thing on my bedroom to-do list is a new desk. I have one in mind, but I’ll have to save up for it, cause it’s kinda pricey! It’s really hard to find a desk to match the decor of a room!!!

It will all come together eventually. I’m going to have to rearrange my room to get everything to fit. I also have a friend of mine that is going to paint something on my wall. I’m not gonna tell you about that just yet…. I gotta have something to blog about later! LOL!

Till next time…

Hummie is a genius!

2010-06-11T08:24:00.001-04:00

This will be a short blog post, because I DO plan on getting that other one finished today! This morning, I woke up with some crazy hiccups. I tried to get rid of them using all the traditional methods that I could think of. Drink a glass of water, hold my breath…. Kinda hard to scare myself, so that didn’t work….

I mentioned it to Hummie, and she instantly says “eat a spoonful of sugar...has worked 100% of the time for me for hiccups...but swallow without dissolving...it's the granuals that work.” So I went off to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon, and ate a spoonful of sugar. They were gone almost immediately!!

Hummie…. my hero!!!! :-)

Bad blogger!!

2010-06-09T11:42:00.001-04:00

Wow, has it really been almost a month since I last blogged? That is terrible! I do have a post I have been working on to show off my new room, but I haven’t gotten the pics uploaded to the post yet. Bear with me- it’s coming, I promise!

I had an alpha that I made for the gallery hide and seek game, but since I only had two participants, I decided to give it again for the speed scrap I hosted last Saturday, but I only gave it again to three people…. so stay tuned in the next week or so, cause I’m going to give it as a blog freebie! I worked hard on it, so I want it to be available to people! Hummie calls me the alpha lady, cause I seem to make a lot of alphas….. I blame her, cause she' taught me how to make them… you created a monster, Hummie!! lol!!!

I still do want to learn to design other things. I have learned to better make papers… maybe I will come up with a paper pack or something… would you like that?

In other news, I recently obtained PSE 8, and though I haven’t had the chance to play around with it much, I really do like it! The guides will be a HUGE help to me.

I’ve got a busy rest of the week this week, but I will get that alpha to you early next week, and maybe… just maybe, I’ll get that other post on here too!

Till next time,

Comments

2010-05-10T09:17:00.003-04:00

Hey guys! I know I've been a bad blogger recently, but in my defense, I have been UBER busy! I had a great birthday on Friday- thanks to all of you that left me comments on facebook or on the Hummie's World forum! I appreciate you guys! I just wanted to quickly let you know that I have changed the comment moderation on here to make it where I have to approve comments. Some people have been leaving crude comments for me, and I don't want that seen by everyone. Some people just have no taste and have to be jerks, so it makes me have to take action. Ugh... Anyway, I'll see how it goes from here, and adjust it if needed. I'm off to start another crazy week!

Lots of things going on at Hummie’s World!!

2010-05-01T10:45:00.001-04:00

Hey scrapland!!

Wow- today is {inter}national Scrapbooking Day!! How cool is that!?!?! Hope you guys are all getting out there and getting all those cool sales!

I have a couple things to share with you all about the goings-on at Hummie’s World. First of all, we have a new class for course 2 starting on May 15th! If you want to have some serious fun, come join us! www.hummiesworld.com

I took a hiatus last month from doing the hide and seek game, but it is back and in full swing as of this morning! I made this months prize! Check out the preview: Clicking on the image will take you to the forum thread.

That alpha took me a lot of trial and error to get right. I sure hope you like it! So… it is a freebie, but you have to do a little work to get it. It is all explained in the forum thread. I do hope you will join us!

The next thing I want to share with you has to do with our weekly themes. Hummie had this great idea to do a weekly theme. We all change our avatars, and make layouts to go along with the theme. I’m not going to give away this weeks theme, but here’s a clue: I just uploaded my avatar…. take a look:

OK, that does it for now…. now go get to those sales and spend some money!!! LOL

SS Friday night (4/30)

2010-04-27T19:09:00.000-04:00

I've been sick over the weekend. I'll tell you all about that mess later, but for now, I wanted to tell you that Shel is hosting a speed scrap Friday night at Stuff to Scrap. Check out the flyer below for more information or head to the forum. And look at her cool participation prize:

It’s back!!

2010-04-22T10:14:00.001-04:00

Guess I posted about Hummie’s being down a little too soon! It’s back up! Yeah!!!!

Allergy Induced Asthma and how to get a custom blog!!

2010-04-22T10:06:00.002-04:00

Interesting blog title, huh? lol. First, let me tell ya about my last couple days.

Tuesday was a great day for me. It was a beautiful day, and I was enjoying every minute of it! I decided to take a short walk around my neighborhood to get out and enjoy the weather, but what I didn’t think about doing beforehand was getting some allergy meds in me. To be honest, it didn’t cross my mind, since I was doubtful that there was anything on the short walk around the block that would irritate my allergies. Well- I was wrong!

I felt fine up until I got on the platform at church to sing. I was ok for a little while, but at one point, I felt like there was something in my throat. It was all kinds of irritated. I had my water bottle with me, so I was drinking that, but it was not helping. Then the coughing fits came. I tried to cough up whatever it was that was stuck in my throat, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

Long story short, it wasn’t anything in my throat. It was my airway closing up. So, I hightailed it off the platform, and went into my purse to get my inhaler. I finally got some relief. That had never happened to me before and it totally freaked me out!! I called my Dr yesterday, and he said it was an allergy induced asthma attack, and I’d be smart to take my allergy meds every day, even if I don’t plan on going outdoors. Great.

ANYWAY…. Let’s have something fun and awesome to talk about, huh? :)

I’ve mentioned before that I hired Amber of Stolen Moments Designs to create a custom blog for me. I was more than willing to pay her for it, because I don’t have time to mess with it. Besides, I don’t have a clue what I am doing!!!! I hope that you agree with me that my blog looks AWESOME!!!! So, I wanted to share with you how you can get Amber to make a custom blog for you!!

She has a couple different packages. Here’s the first one (image linked to store). This one is 10 dollars, and you install it yourself.

The second one is the one that I went with. I was more than willing to pay the extra 5 bucks to have her deal with installing it! I am techy, but not about websites or blogs LOL! Check it out! (Image linked to store):

Believe me, you will NOT be disappointed! She does amazing work!!

I haven’t had a whole lot of time to do any scrapping, but I have managed to make a couple pages since the last time I blogged last week. By the way, have you noticed that I have been blogging more?!?!? :) Both layouts are from the photo shoot I had at the beginning of the month. The first layout I did using one of Hummie’s templates. But it is also using the same kit as what is here on my blog. If you like it, info on where to get it is on the lower right sidebar.

The second layout was done with the newest kit from Shel Belle, and the kit is called Lilac Love. You can see how to get that one on my previous post :) This one talks about my allergies and nose irritation issues. Ugh.

As per usual, you can visit my gallery at Hummie’s World for credit info. Oh, in case you do go there, I should tell you that at the moment the site is down, so keep trying to get back on. It’s on the server end, so we’re hoping and praying that it will be back up and running SOON!!!

I may not be able to blog much this weekend. I’m singing at a wedding on Saturday, and singing at church on Sunday, and lots of things in between, but I promise to give you an update soon! Oh, and I am going to start working on a freebie alpha idea that I had. The idea in my head may not turn out the way I want to in reality, but we shall see what happens!!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

Lilac Sale

2010-04-16T22:09:00.000-04:00

Shel is having a Lilac Sale!! Come check it out!! "

tough past couple days

2010-04-16T07:03:00.001-04:00

The past couple days have been pretty hard. I mentioned in my last blog post that my great Aunt Rosie passed away last Sunday.

Mom and I left Tuesday mid morning to go to Indiana. It was a long trip. We got there shortly before 6. I have a friend that lives in the area, so we met up for dinner. That was really nice.

OK, so I haven’t seen this side of the family in YEARS. When I got back to Aunt Rosie’s house, mom wasn’t there. I walked in the door, and other that Aunt Betty, whom I had gotten reacquainted with when we arrived, I didn’t know anyone else that was in the house!! Needless to say, I was a tad uncomfortable.

Mom and I shared Aunt Rosie’s bed. That first night was rough!!! My mother…. hehe…. she kicks in her sleep!!! OWWWWW!!!!! Well, I know that I snore…. I have sleep apnea, and I did not bring my CPAP machine with me. I just plain ol forgot it. Well, several times through the night, she was waking me up and telling me to … well… shut up!! When morning came, I was very drowsy. I slept terribly.

We got through the funeral. It was fairly small. Some family came from out of town, but a lot could not come. The pastor who officiated did not know the family, so there was not that personal touch. He obviously did not talk to the family at all beforehand, because it was really kind of generic. He pronounced names wrong. He stammered a lot. Anyway… I won’t go further than that.

I will say that this was my first time at a funeral that the funeral home was IN the cemetery. And this was my first time seeing a casket put into a vault, or tomb I guess… Not buried. Again, not going to get into details about it..

Anyway, we go back to Aunt Rosie’s house for a luncheon, and after I ate, I told mom that I could no longer keep my eyes open. I needed to lay down. I told her I wouldn’t be longer than an hour to an hour and a half. That was at around 3:45ish. Well, I woke up at about 5 minutes to 10. PM!!! I slept a long time!! I woke up, and mom and Aunt Betty teased me a bit. Apparently there was a lot of noise going on when everyone was there, and they checked on me several times. Mom said that she would lift my arm up, and drop it, and I didn’t budge. I think she had a little too much fun with that, LOL!!

So I got up, used to restroom, ate a little bit, and went back to bed. I slept till about 6am! Phew!!!

We left Indiana around 1:30. We stopped at a candle place called Warm Glow. Really cute candle shop! Lots to smells in there…. and for a person with a sensitive nose, it isn’t really a good thing!! But even I found a couple things!! I have a thing for pomegranate. I got a large candle, and a fragrance lamp, along with some pomegranate melt away wax to melt in the lamp. I have one melting right now, in fact!! I’ll have to get some pictures for you later!

So now that I am home, I notice that I have a lot of work to catch on in the forum at Hummie’s World!!! Whoo boy!! I’d better stop blogging and get to work!!

But hey—you have to admit that I’m being more regular with blogging now, right? :) LOL

Glad last week is done

2010-04-12T08:04:00.001-04:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Normally, I wouldn’t get so excited about a Monday, but this week, I’m just really glad that last week is over. Don’t get me wrong- I’m happy to help wherever I can, but last week was UBER busy, and sleep was kind of hard to come by. I didn’t get as much work done at Hummie’s World, and now I need to play catch up. But- notice that I am keeping my word about blogging more. :-)

I do have some sad news to share with you. My great Aunt Rosemary died yesterday morning. Aunt Rosie and my mom were extremely close. They spoke on the phone everyday, if not several times a day. Aunt Rosie was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer only 3 weeks ago. She had been on dialysis for quite some time now, as well. My mom is taking it very hard. I don’t have a photo of her to share with you, as most of the old photos are out in the garage, but I do want to get out there eventually and dig them out, and make a layout for mom.

Mom and I, along with my sister, or perhaps both of them, will be heading to Indiana to attend the funeral. The arrangements are being made today, so I will know more about that later.

In other news, I did make my first layout using Amber’s kit “Tenderly”, which is the kit used to make my blog design. It is lighthearted, and hopefully, you can detect my humor in it :-)

I haven’t uploaded it to my gallery at Hummie’s yet, so you, my dear blog readers, are the first to see it!

So—I am wondering…. is anyone reading my blog? I’m sure I lost a lot of you when I stopped posting. Some come back just for the freebies, but I haven’t really had anything to share in that aspect, either. In the next few days, I will show you some things I have made for challenges at Hummie’s, and tell you how you can get them.

For now though, I think I will take off and get some work done. I’ve been so busy this last week, that I’ve gotten behind in my work at the site.

My Spring Photo Shoot!

2010-04-09T22:41:00.001-04:00

I don’t get too many pictures of myself, but I have been making an effort to try to at least get some seasonal ones, and my friend Melissa and I went to the Toledo Botanical Garden to get some pics. This was my first visit to the gardens, and with my allergies, I was a little nervous, but I made sure I had all my meds in me before I left home.

The first set of pictures I want to show you were taken from the log cabin that is in the Garden. Here’s some info about the garden taken from the website:

“The Pioneer Garden is a small area dedicated to northwest Ohio’s first settlers. It boasts a log cabin that once belonged to Peter Navarre, a well-known scout and frontiersman who is thought to be of Toledo’s first residents. It has been told that Johnny Appleseed himself planted the massive apple tree standing near the cabin. If true, the tree would be nearly 200 years old! Several native plants grow under its branches. An old Rosa Rugosa ‘Father Hugo’s Rose’ can be found on the north side of the cabin.”

Here’s a few more random ones for your viewing pleasure.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed seeing these photos. I sure had fun posing for them!

New look, new blog!

2010-04-09T18:59:00.002-04:00

So, I have a new look to my blog! How do you like it? I’d like to give a HUGE thanks to Amber of Stolen Moments Design for creating it for me! She really went above and beyond what I ever imagined for the look of this blog! Amber, thank you so much!!

I do plan on making the most of the new look, and you WILL be seeing a lot more of me! Hey- I know what you’re thinking! “Oh, Dawn has said this before, so I’m not gonna hold my breath”. Well to that, I say, HOLD YOUR BREATH!!!! You’re gonna see me so much that you may tire of me LOL!!

You’ll see a lot of things around here about Hummie’s World. As most of you know, I was hired as her site assistant back in December. I love my job!! Hummie is just a doll!! She is the absolute best!! And I am NOT just saying that because she pays me! Anyone who is a regular around the site knows this!

OK, I’m gonna jet for now, but stay tuned for tomorrow, when I share some photos with you from my recent photo shoot! Can’t wait for you to see them!!

Until next time!

I Have News!! BIG NEWS!!

2009-12-04T20:42:00.002-05:00

Hey there blogland! So the cat is out of the bag, and I can fill you in. It is no secret that I consider Hummie's World my home away from home in digiland. Well, Hummie has decided to hire me as her site assistant. I'll be helping out in many areas, and I am just SO EXITED about it! You can read more about all of this by checking out Hummie's Blog Thank you, Hummie, for this awesome opportunity!!

Third set ready to go!

2009-12-03T09:28:00.003-05:00

Wow- It is amazing what you can accomplish when you set some goals for yourself! I have a to do list, and an accountability partner, and that is helping me to keep on task! So, here is the third set of courses, which now has me up to date! Be sure to see my previous post about where I am taking my lessons at... oh, I'll just tell you haha... go to www.hummiesworld.com to subscribe for a mere $5.50 a month to have access to all this and MORE! Come on, guys... I just showed you 60 lessons that I have completed... and that's a LOT for just such a small fee! What are you waiting for??

Hummie's course 2 second set

2009-12-03T06:36:00.002-05:00

OK, so I didn't get this up the next day, but you have to admit, you're seeing more of me now, right? That will only continue to get better! So, here are my next set of layouts from course 2, lessons 21-40. Are you getting inspired? I do hope that you will consider becoming a subscriber at Hummie's World. You have access to so many things, and for only $5.50 a month! What an awesome deal! Here is the next slideshow. Remember, you can hover over a layout to pause the slideshow, or you can even click on it to see them in a bigger size. All the titles tell what lesson was used. Enjoy!

My journey so far at Hummies

2009-11-30T17:40:00.005-05:00

Hello blogland!

Long time no see!

I wanted to share with you my journey so far through course 2 at Hummie’s World. Right now, I am at lesson 60, so I have a lot of catching up to do, huh? I want to share with you the layouts I have completed so far. So, I thought the best way to get caught up is to share a slideshow with you.

Let me just stress again how much of a blessing Hummie is! She is a great teacher- I have learned a lot from her! You can learn all sorts of things, and can take the course by becoming a subscriber for the low low price of $5.50 a month!!

If you put the mouse over the layout image, it will tell you which lesson I was following. In a couple instances, I utilized more than one lesson in a layout.

I'll be back tomorrow or sometime this week with the next set of 20 for you :)

Hummies Designerr class

2009-11-16T06:29:00.002-05:00

Hello scrapland!! I'm such a slacker! I have neglected this poor blog!! That will soon be changing though, cause with this designer class I am in, you will be reaping the rewards!! We have just started making our first element, but I'm not gonna tell you about that yet!! (hehe) I just wanted to let you know that I added a blogroll to the right side of the page that lists all the new designers in the class. You can go visit all of their blogs and get their goodies as they become available. Stay tuned!!

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T00:09:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Easter!

A QP for you!

2009-04-10T20:18:00.001-04:00

So, I decided that I would give you guys a quick page based on my layout that I posted earlier this morning. Here’s a preview of it…. go ahead and click on the preview to be taken to my mediafire account and get download happy :)

Testing out Windows Live Writer

2009-04-10T08:54:00.001-04:00

I am going to attempt to start trying windows live, and this will be my first post from there.

I wanted to take a moment and show you a new layout I made last night using Shannon and Stacy’s Jitterbug kit. Let me know if you like it, and if so… would you want it as a quick page?

Something else I forgot to mention before is that the quickpages are only available for a limited time. After they are removed from the freebie listing, they will be in a quickpage album that will be given away as a free gift with the purchase of the kit they coincide with.

Anyway, I’m off to go babysit a friends son, so I will catch you all later :)

Here’s my new layout:

exciting news PART TWO!!

2009-04-06T13:13:00.005-04:00

Woohoo I am sooooooo uber excited to reveal part 2 of the news!!

I have also been accepted to Shannon's Creative Team!!!

I have had sooooo much fun getting to know Shannon, and I am honored that she responded so quickly to my email!!

Here is her newest kit, Jitterbug:

So, I have been itching to show you what I made with this kit....

And yes.... there IS a freebie for you :)

Here ya go!

I don't know why my previews are so small :( That makes me sad :(

But here is your download link: http://www.mediafire.com/?cnnu2cj4mj2

Exciting news PART ONE

2009-04-06T00:32:00.003-04:00

OK, so here is part of the news:

I have been accepted on LBCreations' CT team!! WAHOOOOOOO!!! I am SO exited!!

She has a new kit out that I just LOVED playing with called "Goofy Monsters"

Here's a preview:

Includes:01 Full alpha (Upper, Lower, Numbers, & Symbols)

18 Papers (10 patterned, 8 texture/color only)

08 Rik Raks

06 Stickers

02 Tags

02 Tag Strings

02 Tape Pieces

01 String with glued down charms

02 Ribbon Badges (one left blank)

02 Ribbons

02 Metal Prongs

03 Cut Out & Glitter Mats

01 Cardboard Cluster Star Frame

01 Doodle Frame

05 Buttons (3 patterned, 2 Fabric)

05 Different Button threads

01 Metal Brad

02 Bows

01 Cut Out Paper Star Border Edge

01 Belt GOOFY MONSTERS is S4H/O with NO additional licensing fee. The amazing kit is on sale (20% off) for an introductory period of 5 days - but to make this deal even MORE special ... buy GOOFY MONSTERS this week and you'll also receive the the Quick Page album absolutely FREE!

You can purchase this adorable kit w/the free QP Album for only $5.60 at these wonderful stores:

DigiScrap Warehouse

Divine Digital

Scrappity-Doo-Dah

And here is my layout using this kit:

I will have a freebie QP for you soon, so be on the lookout!!

MORE NEW STILL TO COME :)

Oh, and I want to say a HUGE thank you to all that have emailed me or left comments about Jose. I don't have any update on his condition- the hospital will not release any information to me because I am not immediate family :( That is heartbreaking to me that I don't have a clue what is going on. I am just so torn up about it :(

Anyway, thank you for all your prayers, I appreciate it!

DSO Color challenge- my first one!!

2009-04-04T12:54:00.001-04:00

This is my first time EVER designing ANYTHING for DSO's color challenge, and I really hope you like what I have to offer!! I have 2 complete alphas, including uppercase, lowercase, numbers AND symbols- and a knot to go with each of them! PHEW!! I also included a png file of all the numbers and symbols, in case you want to put a ' on a s tile, or put two numbers on the same tile. Trying to make things easier on you lol Anyway, here is a preview... I hope you like it!

I have been told that many people are still leary about 4shared, so I am offering this up via medifire. You can't leave comments there, so PLEASE leave comments here on my blog.

download here

MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

really sad.....

2009-04-03T20:50:00.002-04:00

OK, this may turn out to be a long post, but right now this is theraputic for me, so please just humor me.. 5 years ago, I was living in Nebraska, where it also borders Iowa and South Dakota, and was working for a woman, helping her with her in home daycare. Her and her husband were also foster parents at the time. She (my boss) had 2 younger boys, and the mother was pregnant again, and DHS asked Mickey (my boss) if she would take the baby. At first,. she said no, because she felt that she had passed that phase of life of caring for a newborn and didn't care to go back to the late nights and such. (she was 48 at the time) Well, I finally talked her into taking the baby, but she had the stipulation that I would help as much as possible. I readily agreed. In october 2005, Jose' was born. He was in the hospital for the first 2 weeks of his life, but then DHS brought him to Mickeys house. Well... that little boy and I had a very special bond right from the start. I took him home probably 4-5 nights out of the week. I would say it is safe to say that I helped raise that little boy. I saw him through teething, first stes, first words, and all the other milestones that come along with babies. When he was a year and a half old, the court system decided that the mother should regain coustody of the three boys. (she was by this time, pregnant again) I do know that not long after that, the kids were once again removed, but this time they were split up into different foster homes. Suffice it to say, they were in and out of the system for a couple years, until the mother finally took them out of the county. I have not heard anything on Jose or the other children since he was 2 1/2 years old. Fast forward to yesterday. I received a call from Mickey saying that something happened to Jose. I can't even get my fingers to type the horrific things that has happened to him, so I am just going to link you to the story. http://www.dglobe.com/articles/index.cfm?id=20660&section=News Please- keep him in your prayers. He so desperatly needs them. And please pray for me. I am struggling with the fact that I am no longer in Nebraska/Iowa, and I can't see him. It breaks my heart. Also, I have already been having trouble with sleep- but last night, every time I closed my eyes, I imagined in my mind the events that transpired, and then I see him lying in that hospital bed. I am sickened- just SICKENED that people can do something like this to a child!!!OK, here is the link to the article. If you have me on facebook, I have posted some pictures of him. Who could ever hurt a sweet little face like that!?!?!?! Thanks for the prayers. I appreciate it more than you know

Some shout outs for my friend Babette

2009-04-01T22:46:00.004-04:00

OK, so here is some awesome info for you guys! (this is not the "exciting news" that I referred to in my previous post- that news I am still sitting on until I get the green light to tell you- but this is JUST AS exciting!!)

Babette has got a sale running at DSW ... it's just 24 hours for the $2 Thursday Sale.

It's that time again ... $2 Thursday at DSW!

She's got 5 CU products on sale for only $2 a piece! These prices are valid for only 24 hours - hurry before they are gone! Products go on sale at midnight, 04/02/09. Remember, all of her commercial use products are also S4H-O friendly with no additional licensing fees - and she never requires credit, although it's always appreciated. *smiles*

GO SHOPPING!!!

and.... She's got a new CU Grab Bag out!

I think this is an awesome bag! Designers and Scrappers will love it! Need to be convinced? Here's a look at what you'll find inside! Texture Overlays

Bits & Pieces of Torn Cardboard & Paper

border edge overlays

Layered .PSD files as well as PNGs included.

Doodle Frame Brushes & PNGs Included

How fun is this bag? For sure you'll be coming back to this one time & time again. This bag is a $32 value ... for only $5! That's a 84% savings!! It's only available thru 04-05-09 - don't miss out! Where can you get this amazing deal? Available at:

Divine Digital Scrappity Doo Dah

Commercial Use

An upcoming announcement

2009-03-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

Stay Tuned! Some exciting news coming!! WOOHOO!!!

New download link

2009-03-23T08:45:00.001-04:00

OK, I promised I would fix the problem first thing, and I did. I will go back and fix the links in the original posts, but here is the new link for the QP's. I combined them into one file for your convienience. http://www.4shared.com/file/94482581/2070464/DSF_SDQP1-2.html

quick page problems

2009-03-22T21:30:00.001-04:00

I have gotten a few comments about the quick pages not being available for download. I just got home, and I am exhausted, but I promise I will look into it first thing in the morning. Thanks for your patience!

Another new alpha for you!

2009-03-21T12:50:00.002-04:00

I am in love with making alphas LOL!! Now that I know how to do them!! OK, this alpha will be my last alpha offered for the Spring Delight Kit. I think that now I want to start participating in color challenges and offering up alphas for that. I am hoping that I can move into making my own kits, but I am taking it one step at a time :) OK, so here is your freebie for today. I am so glad that I can start giving things to you!! I am so excited to see what you all think of them! The drop shadows on the preview are for just that- preview only. They are not on the actual alpha. I also used the same background as the one on the alpha so that you can see that it can still be used on it and is quite visible :) Enjoy! Download here

my tou

2009-03-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

Well, since I have officially have created my first real digital product, I thought I'd better get a tou together. The file will now be included with anything I offer as a freebie to you. So, I thought I would post it here also just so you can see it. If there is ever a question, please ask!

*****************************************************

DigiScrapFun - Terms of Use All copyrights to anything within this zip file is retained by Dawn Miller of DigiScrapFun.Please credit Dawn Miller of DigiScrapFun when you post layouts with my products when it is in an online gallery or to be published. I would love to see your layouts and comment on them! Send me an email with a link to your layout at dawn5778@gmail.com my products can be used for your own personal use only. Please contact me if you are interested in using these elements for commercial use. Please do not alter these DSF products and call them your own.You can recolor or resize these elements, but please always remember to give credit where credit is due. You may submit your scrapbook layouts using portions of or entire piecesof this zip file to online or print publications so long as credit a is given to Dawn Miller of DigiScrapFun. This also includes any graphics that have been altered. You may print a hardcopy of content to be used in your personal scrapbooking/art projects ONLY. You may not claim graphics or altered graphics as your own.You may not use any graphics, original or altered, or any portion thereof in any commercial work without permission by the creator Dawn Miller DigiScrapFun, who can be reached at dawn5778@gmail.com You may not incorporate these graphics into any commercial projectsi.e.: web design/sites, templates, or any projects which will produce income.You are not allowed to resell, sublicense or otherwise makeavailable the graphic(s) for use or distribution separately or in a format designed or intended for permanent storage or re-use by others. If you have any questions contact me at dawn5778@gmail.comblog http://digiscrapfun.blogspot.com/ Thank You! Dawn MillerDigiScrapFun

My VERY FIRST alpha and some brag book pages!

2009-03-19T20:02:00.003-04:00

WOW!!! I can't believe I did it!!!!! I made my very FIRST alpha! I didn't use any actions, or anything- just a couple of filters that are built into PSE7. I really hope that you like this! Anyway, I want to thank Debbie for letting me play with this kit, "Spring Delight". This kit is SO MUCH fun to work with!!! This isnt gonna be a long post- I am really tired. I tried yoga for the first time today and I am worn out LOL Here is my make-shift preview (I need to learn how to make those LOL) and below that are the links to the brag book page and alpha! download the brag book pages here download my first ever alpha here here is a close-upview of the alpha:

Please let me know how you like the alpha. It is a learning process for me!! Tootles!

QP #2

2009-03-17T12:07:00.004-04:00

Here is the second quickpage to go with Debbie's Spring Delight kit. I don't have a layout to show you yet, but I wanted to give you the QP as soon as I could. I also have an alpha in the works, so be sure to check back within the next couple days or so. Please leave some love if you download. You can get this QP here **Link has been updated to include both of my QP's for this kit. Sorry to those who were unable to download before!**

New stuff!!!

2009-03-15T20:24:00.009-04:00

OK, so back in October, I applied to be on a CT for the lovely Miss Debbie of Beckmoores Scrapalittle. Well, she took a chance on me and accepted me!! But since then, she had some computer issues. Guess what!?!?! She's BAAAAAAAACK!!! And she has a new kit in her store called "Spring Delight" (Congratulations to Puzzle by the way on being the winner of the 'name that kit' contest!!) I have had a LOT of fun playing with this kit! Lemme tell ya-- the preview does NOT do this kit justice- the kit is AMAZINGLY beautiful!! So I have two offerings for you on this kit, both of which are quickpages. I want to spread my wings a bit and try to make my own alpha, but I am not quite sure yet about how to go about doing it. Anyway, enough of my babbling LOL... Here is the kit preview. The image is clickable to take you to Debbies store, where you can pick it up for just $5 bucks!! Here is the first layout I did with it. I haven't really done a lot with clusters, and I hope you like the way this turned out, because I made it into a Quick Page for you!! This is my friend Penny and her hubby. And here is the quickpage to go along with it. Please leave me a comment if you download and let me know what you think!

You can download the QP here **Link has been updated to include both of my QP's for this kit. Sorry to those who were unable to download before!**

I will have the next QP for you in a couple days. I have a lot going on tomorrow, so I may not be able to get to it.

just a quick note

2009-03-13T16:37:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, Sorry I haven't been around much. I am sick... yet again! I think it may have something to do with the change of weather here in Ohio. I have been coughing so much that my eyes are now bloodshot. Not a pretty sight, lemme tell ya! I do have some goodies coming your way soon though, so stay tuned! I am hoping to get better- and soon!!!

Ohmigosh I got an AWARD!!!

2009-03-07T13:20:00.003-05:00

The WONDERFUL JanaRae awarded me with Angel Award. She is such a wonderful lady! She is the one who helped me to get this blog set up. She was so patient with me!! Thanks girl!

So I am supposed to pass this on to three others..... hmmm..... so many to choose from!! This is HARD!!!!

OK, here goes...

1. To Linda of Bonscrapitit Designs-- She seems to be like wonder woman LOL! She's been under so much stress with the crash of her computer and all the headaches that go along with it, yet she still manages to blog reguarly and freebies abound! MUAH Linda!!

2. To Bethany of Elegant Word Art-- wow what can I say?? I read your blog ALL the time and I feel like a part of your family by just reading your blog! And there is no one else I know that shrink wraps their trailor for a move. You go girl!! hehe

3. OK, this last one goes to HollyAnn of freebie vault. I know that she has been going through a lot, and I feel like a terrible friend for not doing a better job with keeping in touch. She truly is an angel for all that she sacrifices for her family!

Alright, so there ya go. JanaRae, so sorry that it took me so long to notice that you did that! I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since Feb 13th!

Thanks again!

Andrea has a new kit!!

2009-03-06T14:07:00.003-05:00

Andrea has a new kit for you called "Picking Up The Pieces", and she has asked me to seperate the alpha for you all. Of course I said yes!!! So, here is the preview for the kit, and the alpha previews are below, each alpha image is clickable to the download. Please leave some love if you download!!

making some changes

2009-02-22T11:32:00.001-05:00

Hey gang! If you are looking for the seperated alpha, look below this post to find it. I just wanted to let you know that I added yahoo messengers Pingbox to my blog so you can chat with me in real time if I am online So... I'll be chattin' with ya!!!

Andrea has a new kit!

2009-02-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

And with a new kit comes a new alpha that I have separated into individual alphas for you! This alpha is super cute and I can already see that you will have lots of use out of it!! Click the prieview to be taken to Andreas blog to get the kit, and below the preview will be the link to my 4shared account where you can get the alpha.

You can get the seperated alpha here

Enjoy!!

Hanging in there

2009-02-12T11:15:00.000-05:00

OK, so I am not sure if anyone will actually be reading this since I haven't made it public knowledge that I have changed my blog, but just in case.... I am going to be gone for a bit. I am going on a youth retreat as an adult leader from Saturday-Monday. When I get home Monday afternoon, I am literally coming home, unpacking, repacking, and leaving again that same day! This time I will be gone for a whole week! So, in case you wonder where I ran off to, that's where! I have promised myself that I will do better in keeping up with this blog. It is my hope that I can finally have some QP's for you from Holly's kits, and any more alphas that Andrea needs seperated, and anything else interesting that I make along the way I will be sure to share with you guys! I will try to post tomorrow before I leave, but for now, I need to get packing!!!

testing sig

2009-02-11T12:02:00.001-05:00

Just doing a test to see if my sig will work... Let's hope so!

New blog!

2009-02-10T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hey digi-scrappers! So this is my new blog! Special thanks to Janarae for her help in making my blog layout! The kit I used (with permission of course) is Nicole's "Love Notes" kit. Thanks Nicole! The first thing I have to show you is my result of my first ever speed scrap! Hummie hosted it, and it was so much fun!

OK, well that's all for now! Time for me to go to bed and try to catch some zzzz's! (I havent ben doing well in that department as of late! Till next time,