and the winner is...

Thank you all for your posts and your patience. Little Jeff picked 30 as a the winning number so the 30th poster, aka lucky winner is...

Theresa V!

OK, I have to pick another one because she is a dear friend of mine and she lives here in town. She can just come over and take her pick o' crap. You got that girlie? Come over already!  Jeez! :)

OK, so we picked another number--20. The 20th poster aka lucky winner is...

deedee from Guam!

Ok, Dee Dee from Guam. Please send me your address and I will send some scraps your way! :)

want some scraps?

Generally, cleaning is a cathartic activity for me and sometimes it is the only thing I can control. So today, this family of three finally put away the last of the Christmas stuff. The 2 Jeffs cleaned out the garage. I cleaned the kitchen and did 95% of the laundry. It feels good to get this stuff out of the way and it helps me to clarify what else needs to be done with the house.

It has spilled over to the studio. I think.  It's really good to see my workspace again. In any case, I think it's time to let go of some of my beloved scraps. Is anyone interested in getting them? I hate to throw them out even though this pack rat can't part with them. But it's time to let them go. My life is already too cluttered. My scrap space does not need any more stuff to add onto the baggage. If you are interested in getting a package from me (my trash may be another's treasure), please post here and I will select a lucky winner! :)

it all caught up with me.

Went home early from work today. I felt like my head was going to explode from my body and I needed a nap. I suppose I haven't been sleeping well this week. I am thinking that it's stress. Junior (aka Little Jeff) coming home to us, budget proposals due, customer service issues with families, new grad panel interviews. It just finally got to me. I've not gone home sick once since I've worked in this hospital. I suppose I am due for this now.

Junior was homesick the first night he got here. He breaks my heart when he says he misses his mom. It is completely understandable. Of course, he misses his mom. He has lived with her for 10 years. But I was beginning to doubt our decision to bring him to us. Are we insane? Why did we take him out of his comfort zone? Why don't we just hang  us by our nipples to a tree? Idiots idiots idiots. Are we so arrogant that we could think he could have a better life with us? What makes us so great? We eat too much junk, we watch too much TV, we are too sarcastic, we curse way too much. Idiots idiots idiots.

Sigh. One day at a time, peeps. One day at a time...

today is the first day of the rest of our lives.

Little Jeff will be arriving in Vegas permanently in a couple of hours. I am excited and scared at the same time. Happy and terrified. Peeing in my pants while tightening my butt cheeks.

Oh, Lord, please don't let me eff up this child you've given in my care. Let me not lose sight of the fact that he and I are human and that we are bound to butt heads at one point. And when that happens, Lord, please help us to realize that underneath it all, we love each other. Let me remember that he needs me in addition to his father. Please help us through the transition of building a new life. Allow me to take care of myself and my husband. Let us strengthen our relationships with each other and remember that we are a family through thick and thin.

Amen.

valentine's day cards.

I just finished these this morning for Abby's class for Valentine's Day.

Supplies:
Marvy Uchida scalloped circle
Marvy Uchida circle
Cricut All Mixed Up cartridge
Hampton Art stamp
Costco cardstock

i've given birth to a 14 year old boy.

My stepson, Jeff Jr. is now of legal age to choose where he can live and guess what. He chose to live with us. :) This is a sad and happy time for me and my hubby because we WANT him to live with us, but that means he leaves behind his little sister. :( She is only 10 years old and is not old enough to legally choose where she may live. I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get there. 4 more years...

I find it funny that he chose to live with us knowing full well that:

1. he will not have his own computer. He will share a public computer like the rest of us and we'll be able to see exactly where he goes on line. His Myspace activities will be monitored more and he won't  be spending unnecessary time on the computer (unlike his step mom, who will fight to get on scrapping sites and blogs whenever she gets a chance). Practice what we preach, not as we do, I say. Ha!
2. he will not have his own TV (unlike his father and step mom, TV junkies, who own a TV bigger than their home). Like I said, practice what we preach.
3. he will have to do chores. We now have cheap labor. I know this because my parents had 5 kids not because they wanted a big family, but because they didn't have to worry about hiring a housekeeper.
4. he will have to participate in Family Night even though he is too cool for frivolous things like that. Go Scrabble and Monopoly!
5. he will have to spend lots of time with Dad because he needs to learn how to be a man and how to treat a woman.
6. he will have to put up with Step mom's obsession with scrapbooking.
7. he will have to tolerate karaoke on a regular basis.
8. he will see all of his aunts and uncles and grandparents more often.
9. he will go to Church every week.
10. he will be accountable for his actions. There will be consequences for good behavior as well as not so good behavior.

Little Jeff will be attending the last semester of 8th grade here to make the transition of high school a little more bearable. I know that we will survive and I know that Little Jeff will thrive with us, but it's going to be a long, hard road. So. Please say a prayer for this  little family.

finding my groove again.

This weekend, I got to scrap, spend some time with my husband, clean the house a little, baked some banana bread, and made more time for card making. I am finding that I can sneak in some creative time on Saturdays while Sundays are devoted to Church, baking, and accomplishing some odds and ends and errands. If I am not on call, weekends are for me. Yay! For while there I thought I would have to give up my scrapbooking. That would have been such a shame since I have so much CRAP.

Here are some cards I made with Stampin' Up! stamps and paper scraps.

cupcake.

Hallelujah! I scrapped again! I still have Christmas decorations adorning our home but I made sure that I found the time to get in the studio and get to scrappin', dammit. :) At least the wreaths on our front doors are taken down so that we give the illusion of being caught up with taking down Christmas stuff. :)

Supplies:
Yellowstone Kit
Cricut Plantin Schoolbook cartridge
Pink.Sugar.Pop cupcake stamp
Stampin' Up! Whisper White Craft ink
Stampin' Up! Typeset Alphabet stamps
Paper Shapers heart punch
Marvy circle and scallop punches
button unknown

happy new year.

Hope all your wishes and dreams come true in the coming year! :)