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"When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul or brings joy,
care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life."
Jean Shinoda Bolen
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February 5, 2012

Scraps of My Life

I rarely do this type of post on my blog - a post with no pictures or a video, but I've been busy lately, both in my life and in my studio. 

First, I ask for your prayers for my husband - he spent the night at the VA hospital because he had a TIA, or mini stroke.  It made both of us sit up and pay attention!  We are both thankful that there was no permanent damage from this TIA.  There wasn't much they could do for him, as most of the meds he needed, he was already taking, so they added just one medication.  He has a small fear of being alone, and I have a small fear of not being there if his condition turns into a full blown stroke.  The doctor ordered him off work for a week, so he's in his "man cave" study room doing homework and studying for his on-line college classes.  He's doing well in his classes and I'm so proud of him for taking on this challenge!  (He's been keeping me busy proofing his papers, too!)

I've also been busy helping a dear stamping friend organize.  This is a major challenge in her life, and I am always teasing her about turning me loose and she'd be organized in no time!  I'll just call her "T" because I rarely mention names here on my blog.  Lately, "T" has been there for me through so much in my life.  "T" is so creative and I love spending time with her and helping her in any way I can.  She now has all her embossing folders in a nice box just like mine.  I made her an ATG gun cradle (from my pattern, hers is featured in the pattern!), so I decorated the lunch box (from Oriental Trading) to match her cradle.  I'm afraid she'll need another box if she buys any more embossing folders!  One thing that amuses me about "T" is that she'll buy something new and give it to me to either figure out or experiment with in my studio.  Currently, I have her CTMH Cricut Cartridge and matching stamp sets! (Can't wait to play!)

Cards?  I've made so many cards since the week before Christmas that I'm actually bored with card making!  I have all birthday cards and holiday cards through the end of June completed, plus I was playing with my embossing folders and Cricut and now I have my 2012 Christmas cards done (for the adults anyway)!  They were fun, with many steps involved and I thank my sister for the Bow-Easy she gave me for Christmas - 25 bows quick and easy to make!

My step-daughter called last night asking if I could make her two daughters new purses.  For Christmas each of our granddaughters (7 of them) got a purse made with the Forever Young Cricut cartridge with a little card and gift card inside (the 6 grandsons got pillow boxes).  Apparently, their little cousin damaged their purses and they were in tears.  Not a problem!  I got them done, too!  She also asked if I could send her all the pictures I have of her family as her laptop crashed and she lost all her pictures.  Now that will be a challenge as all our daughters take lots of pictures and forward them to us!

You all have been keeping me busy with your on line orders, too!  Thank you ever so much!  Selling patterns sure helps my budget for crafting!

Finally, my next class in Missoula is February 24th & 25th, so I'll be gearing up for that very soon.

Thanks for reading.  Sometimes I just have to write everything out to see how fortunate I am to have loved ones and friends, and be thankful for my life.  Always remember that family is not always about relatives - it's a matter of those in your heart, too!

Blessings to all of you!