God and Google Saved My Marriage.

Anyone familiar with me knows that I don't listen to messages on the home phone daily.  My sister talks about me SOO badly that I've really tried to do better....so I've been listening to them every OTHER day.  A couple of days ago I was listening to the voicemail, pen in hand, when I got a huge shock.  A special investigator called and said there had been a complaint filed against my husband.  This man recited the complaint number and a phone number that John needed to call in order to respond to the complaint within 48 hours.  And by the way, the message went on to say, there's a restraining order against you associated with the claim.  I won't lie...my initial response was to flip OUT.  That lasted for about three minutes.  I took a deep breath and started thinking.  My husband is just NOT THE TYPE.  We've NEVER had this kind of drama (just BABY MAMA drama!!!;P)  He really doesn't go anywhere without me and/or the kids...when would he have had TIME to harass anyone?  ANOTHER deep breath.  I called John (who was at a play with Ahmad) and HE flipped out.  I tried to calm him down and told him that I would listen to the message again and write down the information.  Before I did that, I knelt by the sofa and told God that I knew He would make it turn out right.  God in return told me to research the number that the "investigator" left online.  This is what I found:

This individual isn't real.  This call...which could have brought on HUGE problems in my marriage if I hadn't had the foresight to investigate is a scam.  I'm SOO angry right now that these people, these GREEDY B@$!@&*$ caused us even TWO MINUTES of anguish.  I'm trying to convince my husband to call the police or at least the local news team...see how THEY like being investigated!

About a month ago, I was talking to Princess. She asked if I knew that there's a Fleur de Lis Cuttlebug embossing folder.  Princess knows that I'm a New Orleans girl and I BLEED Fleur de Lis!  I told her that I don't own a Cuttlebug and that was the end of it...I THOUGHT!  Yesterday I got this in the mail

 

The stickers on the left are metal...GORGEOUS!  I couldn't ( AND DIDN'T!) wait to use them

That's not the end of her generosity, though.  I also received this

I didn't fan the entire stack out for the picture but it's ENORMOUS!  I PROMISE YOU there must be about THIRTY sheets of this yumminess

Can you IMAGINE how long it took her to emboss all those sheets???   I'll be using these lovelies for a LOOONG time!  I'm SOO appreciative for people who do things like this JUST to be nice!  Thanx, Princess!  I love you, Mama!!!  OH!  And check out the CA-UTE card I got with my package

Hawt Mama in the red and white...SOOO me in 20 years!!!  Have a great weekend!

My truck...

...goes into the shop this morning for an at LEAST $500 repair.

My son made a D on a quiz I BEGGED him to get help with.

My old friend insomnia has been visiting me QUITE a bit this week.

Does anyone have an extra umbrella because OBVIOUSLY the storm

HAS ARRIVED. I'm off to pray!

Do you ever awaken...

...with God speaking in your ear?  This morning, my first thought was a message from God: how can I bless you with more when you're not properly caring for what I've already given you?"  So, I've been catapulted into action.  I've been praying for a long time for Him to help me with my procrastinatin' ways...and that ONE QUESTION did it!  I don't know if it's permanent but it was enough for me to dub this week "Hump Week"...we're GETTIN' IT DONE up in hure this week!  From my husband to my littlest, we're getting as much done as possible from this day to next Sunday...but, with a break tomorrow.  School has started and the majority of our energy has been dedicated to the big boy.  Driving him to and from school, tryouts for a school play, getting the 750 supplies that WEREN'T on the initial lists...it's been about him.  My husband has been really great about taking a backseat but I have a surprise for him tomorrow.  I've asked my parents to keep the two littlest boys for a few hours.  I'm gonna take the Husband to dinner and then have him for dessert (did I say that aloud???)  He deserves it...and he's overdo!  When you have as many kids as we do...time for two is almost nonexistent!  For obvious reasons, there won't be pix!  Be back soon!

THIS is what...

...life is all about!  All the times we struggle to do our best, to be a blessing to others with no recognition...I've had a week where I KNOW God is pleased with me because I've received SEVERAL blessings!  I mean, in ADDITION to waking each day under my OWN roof with food and running water...SPECIAL blessings!  


I was asked this week to participate in TWO awesome scrappy projects...which I can't share yet!  I'll tell you about one in about a month but the other will be in the works for a LEETLE longer!  The first made me squeal like a school girl...they like me...they REALLY like me!  But, the second is SUCH a unique opportunity...something I've NEVER seen explored before...MIND BLOWING!  I can't wait to share!


A scrappy pal of mine made two pages for me...just because.  I didn't ask her to and I didn't BRIBE her.  She saw some pictures that inspired her and decided to kreate this:

I love them SOO much but I mentioned them for another reason.  You NEVER know when your SEEMINGLY small act of kindness is gonna have a HUGE impact on a person.  Pam didn't know how these pages would lighten my SOUL when she made them.  There's a lesson here: be nice to people.  You can't imagine what it may mean.  I have a DAUNTING week ahead of me...something I've been constantly praying for God to successfully see me through.  But today...I remember that I'm an inspiration to someone.








And I'm glad.

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!!!!

Dear God...

...would you find it in your merciful heart to give me a break for a while? It's bad enough that we buried my Grandmother Friday and I vomited and had a KILLER headache all that evening. When we decided to check on my OTHER Grandmother Saturday, we found out that an aunt on my MOM'S side died WHILE WE WERE BURYING Grandma. Lord, I'm strong and my faith in You is strong. But, I'm only human and I don't know how much more suffering I can endure. So, if you could allow me a few months to heal before springing something else on me...I would be SOO appreciative! I ask this in Jesus' name.
AMEN.