I'm very easily....

...pleased. I love when my husband and kids hand-make cards for me. I love being given an entire day to kreate. Love looking back at pictures I've taken of time with family and friends and reminiscing...the little things make me happy. So, when I got this unexpected yummy


in the mail , I was giddy! Something SOO small, right? But, I didn't pay for it and I had no idea it was coming...just a great surprise! And, it inspired me to kreate IMMEDIATELY!

I made this page as a tribute to God because he NEVER stops showing us that His way is BEST and that we don't have to understand...just have FAITH. Let me tell you why my husband and I are SOO great together on road trips: we have that "Just wanna GET THERE" mentality! We make as few stops as possible and we pack food so we can eat on the go. If it wasn't for my Mom getting sick a couple of years ago, we'd probably NEVER stop! (Mommy had a blood clot break free from her leg and travel to her lung during a road trip. The doctors have cleared her to take long rides again with the stipulation that she stop every two hours to avoid having more clots form) All of that will help you to understand how I felt when we left Orlando late recently. It's already a TEN HOUR ride and WE left late. THEN, we ended up going the wrong way...GRRRR!!!! My mind kept saying, "OK, THAT added another hour to the trip!" When we finally stopped for directions, the guy sent us on an unfamiliar course. It got us home but it took longer. Because he was a Florida native, he figured he would give us directions which didn't put us in the heart of traffic (it WAS Memorial Day!). I was FURIOUS!!! At the end of vacations, I'm SOOO ready to get HOME...don't add MORE time to my arrival time. Well, so that I don't blow a gasket, I have to talk to/encourage myself. I told myself that there was a reason we left late and had to take a different way home. I encouraged myself to know that, though I didn't understand, this was HIS will and that He knows best. That helped me calm down and I exhaled and decided to read. MAYBE ten minutes after I had my epiphany, we heard/felt a LOUD thud that made us all scream...well, all except Kea because he slept through it! John slows dramatically from the 80 m.p.h. we WERE doing to about 40 and pulls onto the shoulder from the left lane. When we discovered this

my knees LITERALLY got weak...I had to sit down. A HUGE piece of rubber popped off of the tire. Now, all of you SPEEDSTERS know that the rate of speed we were traveling REALLY should have caused the ENTIRE tire to blow and we REALLY should have flipped over. We REALLY should have caused a major pile up because of all the OTHER speedsters traveling 80 behind us. But, because GOD was in control.....there was NO CAR IN SIGHT ON EITHER SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY!!!! On Memorial Day??? REALLY??? I was SO humbled! I kreated the above page because I ALWAYS want to remember that the most IRRITATING things happen NOT to aggravate you but because they fit into His plan...can I get an AMEN???

WHEW!!! Now that I've taken y'all to CHU'CH up in here, I'll share another page I kreated with my Webster's Bloomers! My brother is a professional model but most of the time I look at him as JUST my baby brother...I used to change his diapers...what do you EXPECT??? But, there are times when I see him and he TRULY takes my breath away because he really IS beautiful. I checked his Facebook page recently and stole...ummm, scored some great shots
and I used my Bloomers to scap them. I have about two more projects in the works and then I'm just gonna hoard the rest (admitting you HAVE a problem is the first step, right...RIGHT???)

I recently had this project featured over on the Buzz and Bloom blog (yeah...you have to go THERE to see the entire thing!) We were asked to show the world our kreative process...LAUGHABLE!!! I NEVER do it the same way (ummm, we ARE talking about SCRAPPING, people!!!) Make sure to check out the other's girls' projects because NONE of us do it the same way!!!

So, have you visited KREATORVILLE recently? You HAVEN'T...WHAT??? Then, you MISSED The Husband's projects when he guest designed for June? AND you don't know that some of the older kits are being offered at 50% off of their original cost??? AND you're missing the fabulous Ms. Nat's Kreatorville week over at her blog??? PLUS, you're missing out on the opportunity to enter a project into this month's sketch contest??? I did this
page but of COURSE I can't win...ummm, what are you still doing HERE???? Get on over THERE!!!!

What is random?

Main Entry: ¹ran·dom

Pronunciation: \ˈran-dəm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, succession, surge, from Anglo-French randun, from Old French randir to run, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German rinnan to run — more at run

Date: 1561

: a haphazard course

— at random : without definite aim, direction, rule, or method at random>

REALLY???

Then, how is it that my Daddy, husband and me were all chosen to do jury duty...at the SAME TIME??? And my summons went to my parents' house...along with my Dad's! Random my BEHIND!!

You know...

... my family and I are supposed to be enjoying the last night of our vacation and I just finished bawling. I decided to check my emails and saw this Facebook update

Kendall told us at our reunion last May that the doctors had given him 11 months to live...that the brain tumor he had successfully fought as a child had aggressively returned. He vowed that he would fight but God decided that it was time for that fight to end. This guy graduated with me from high school...I called him my brother...and yet I didn't make it to the hospital to see him before we left home. I told John, "We need to visit Kendall before we leave" and even though he agreed, packing...paying bills...cleaning...EVERYTHING got in the way and time ran out. And I said to myself, "As SOON as we get home..." and now there is NO MORE TIME. DANG! WHY do I keep doing this to myself???? I know part of it is that I can't STAND to see someone in pain/dying. But, I HATE the guilt I feel after NOT seeing that person even more. I have a severe headache because I ache for his young wife and young son who have to continue on without their king. I cry because of the laugh I'll never hear again. And, I promise to never again get caught off guard by time. When my God and my mind are telling me to act NOW so time doesn't screw me again...I will. And I promise to use the time I have to love on the ones I care for. In your name, Kendall....because I love you.

I promise.

This was...

...dinner

Friday AND Saturday...
DOUSED in ketchup
and eaten on toast.




And you wonder why I'm 872 pounds?????




REALLY???

Let's see...

...I'm
1. packing kits
2. spring cleaning
3. getting ready for vacation
4. reporting to jury duty this morning for my schedule
5. finishing up this month's BUZZ AND BLOOM assignments
6. doing custom orders for the etsy shop
7. getting ready for Mahd's promotional ceremony
....and that's just today! I can't pray for life to slow down because I don't want God to stop blessing us! I just pray that I'll have a wonderful, relaxing vacation with my family where I can recharge.

Since I'm up at four-crack-o-dawn am, I decided to check out the BUZZ AND BLOOM blog...lo and behold, my page is featured...yay! We had to do a project based on the colors red, aqua and green. Go check out my page...pretty sweet, if I say so myself!

I thought I was gonna die.

This monster toothache started a few days ago. Just the regular achin' where Orajel relieves it. Within a matter of hours, it progressed to my face being swollen and my neck and head stiffening. I tried DRINKING Orajel (for those of you who don't know my sense of humor...that's a joke...but I thought about it!) I tried hot compresses, ice, hot tea...and still I suffered. Hubbs decided that we would just go to the dentist's office Friday morning. Dr. PJ took one look at me and told me he'd fit me right in! He had to drain the infection from around the tooth and he packed it with medication. I have to take antibiotics for about a week and then have more work done. Thanx for those of you who checked on me and were concerned but I'm better...and back to KREATING!
I got a little ambitious with the April Kreatorville kit and made TWO mini albums! Ahmad's promotional exercise is in a few weeks and I wanted to make an autograph book for him.
That Sassafras patterned paper was perfect for the cover because it SCREAMS guy to me! The vintage Making Memories brads were in the March kit and the mini wooden pencil is from my stash; everything else is part of the April kit.
I made an inside page with Mahd's Easter picture, which I laminated before gluing down. (After all the work I did, I'd HATE for one of his friends to decide that he would look CUTE with a green mustache. THEN, I'd have to cut somebody...THEN I'd be in jail...THEN would entertain you all???) Please excuse my binding work. I haven't used my Bind-It-All in a few months and it looks like I need to go back to BindItAllagarten because I SUCK at it now!!!! Anywho, the book is finished except for one special element: I plan to add a picture of Mahd with family members. So, when his Dad autographs his book, he'll sign on his special page
I also decided to use the April kit to house all of the food pictures we take. I don't know why but LOTS of times John and I cook meals that I look at and say, DANG! I have to take a picture of that! So, I already have this
ready to house them! The first page
has shots of the salads my husband made for dinner one night. And, they WERE just as good as they look! I can't WAIT to fill this book up! The pancakes are an example of the embellishments available in my etsy shop and the rolling pin and doily are stash; everything else is from the April kit!
The last project I kreated for April is a page

called "Two November Ladies". My sister friend and I both celebrate birthdays in November...as a matter of fact, we're two days apart. Last weekend, we had an impromptu photo shoot at the park. These colors are SOO perfect to scrap spring pix!!! I used a scrap of Jillibean paper to punch some of the butterflies but everything else is from the April kit!
Happy National Scrapbooking Day to you! We have some great challenges going on here, on Charity's blog and at Kreativity!!! ANYONE signing up to follow all three of the blogs will be in the running to win this
Charity is hosting a card challenge on her blog;the winner will receive
and the Kreatorville blog has a sketch challenge going on with a great prize involved...check it out!

PLEASE...

...watch this video I found on Gwen's blog...hiLArious!!!