Card & More

Today was our Stampin' Sister meeting.  I've been so bad about posting pictures of any of my cards so while I was thinking of it and had 2 seconds I thought I'd share the card I made for our swap.I actually like how it turned out.  I have to give Dawn kudos though since I CASE'd her card.  :-)

Not the  best picture but love the new Lucky Limeade paper and the Snow Much Fun stamp set

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This is the inside of the card.  See the tiny bit of dazzling diamonds there?

 I also want to share a few pictures of Emma since it's been awhile.  She's getting so big and is still the joy of my life.  :-)

4th of July

Playing in the sand at Myrtle Beach

Our beauty while at our condo at the beach

Just stuff

After going to pull on some of my pants over the weekend and them not fitting (or fitting how I liked) I decided I need to get more serious about getting back on track.  Boy, how easy it is to get off track and keep going.  However, I don't like how this feels.  I want my shorts and pants to feel like they did last summer right after I made goal.  So while I've been back to tracking again, yesterday was my first day in actually staying within my points.  Yes, it's great to track but when you're consistently 5-9 points over your target, it seemed kind of useless.  I also just got back from the gym.  I went and walked 2 miles on the treadmill and then did 2 miles on the stationary bike.  It feels good.
My stress level is off the charts these days.  I'm pretty sure Emma's Mom will be moving out at the end of July which means she'll be taking the joy of my life away.  Right now, I'm hurting so bad I can't even have a conversation with her.  I'm taking Emma every second I have and cherishing those moments but I find myself breaking into tears constantly when she's not here.  It will about kill me not to see and have her every day. I can't even express how much I love her.  She truly does bring so much joy to my life every day.  I'm angry beyond words with her parents.  More her Mom because I do see my son working on things and trying.  It seems no matter how much he does it's not enough.  I'm just literally sick over it all.
Just my thoughts as of late....hoping writing them might release some of the stress but honestly I doubt it.

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day.  I spent some time with my Mother in law and my own Mom however, I spent most of the day crying.  Today was the day my son, his girlfriend and the baby moved out and are sleeping in their own place.  Tonight it's eerily quiet and although I got kisses from Emma before they left, I miss peeking over and seeing that beautiful face.  I know it's all  for the best for them to be out on their own and they didn't move far, however, today my heart is just breaking with the thought of them not being here all the time.
Maybe some of you who have gone through this can share some words of wisdom.  Having spent the first 15 months of Emma's life seeing her about every day and having her 24/7 and now her not being here....a tough bit to swallow.  I think that even my son who always couldn't wait to move out has been having some thoughts of oh crap what have I done!  He asked Amy the other day why she was in such a hurry to move since it was going to be weird to not live with us.  *sob*
Time to try to sleep...........

Heart Ache

My heart aches to the point I won't be typing much today.  If you don't see posts from me for a while you will know why.  My kids are moving out in about a week.  While they aren't going far (2 houses and across the road) it's just the idea I won't see Emma all the time.  I also KNOW that it's for the best and they need to be on their own and I even agree...but my heart aches.  I can't talk or think about it without the tears pouring down my face and feeling like I'm going to start sobbing out of control.  It was also hubby's last day of work yesterday...30 years and moving on.  It was difficult for him...more than I think he would like to admit.  He went camping this weekend with Scouts which I think was for the best.  I've been working on baby shower favors and the invites tomorrow need addressed to go in the mail on Monday.  The shower is May 22nd but I need to have it all done since I don't know what is ahead.
My surgery is scheduled for the 20th and we'll see what that brings.
If you don't see me here, you know.

Happy 1st Birthday

Dear Emma,

It seems hard to admit that it's now been one year since your Mommy and Daddy brought you into the world.  From that first moment I saw you I fell deeply in love with you.  Every day I've been blessed to have you be part of my life so that I can watch you grow.  I'm constantly amazed at what you're doing at just one year old.  You are walking all over the place, climbing stairs and coming back down them, opening drawers and even the refrigerator.  You pretend play with your little kitchen with me and we eat "soup" as we play.  You even offer to share with me.  Although you don't say many words, you are finding a way to make your wants known.  You also have quite a little temper when you don't get what you want.  But as you grow hopefully you will understand that it's all out of the love I have for you to keep you always safe.
I love our snuggle time together and how your face lights up when you first see me each day.  I hope that never changes and we always have a close relationship.  I will always be here for you to come to no matter what it might be.  I hope that life has minimal bumps in it for you (yes, unfortunately, everyone has bumps) and that you'll always be our sweet little girl.  Your smile can light up a room and your giggles make us smile.  Your beauty shines no matter where we go.
Happy 1st Birthday, my dear Emma.  May you always be blessed and happy from the tip of your head down to those beautiful little piggies I so love.  You give my life new meaning and I can't imagine not having you and sharing your joy.
I LOVE YOU, EMMA MARIE!  Happy Birthday!
Grandma

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to you all!  I'm not going to talk much....just put pictures here.  Still have the zoo ones to add....will do that soon, I promise.

Emma's 1st Halloween

Daddy and Emma carving his pumpkin

Daddy and Emma showing off his carved pumpkin

Mommy and Emma with their carved pumpkins

Our pumpkin fairy dressed up and ready to go trick or treating

Emma and Sydney ready to trick or treat....she's such a great big cousin!

Sydney, Allison, Emma after trick or treat

Aren't they beautiful?

Pumpkin Patch

We've been super busy lately.  Last Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch for Emma's first visit.  Today we visited the zoo.  I also finally went to the gym yesterday.  YAY!  Today with all the walking we did at the zoo, my legs are telling me they know I went to the gym.  The leg cramps aren't pretty though.
Here's some pictures:

Amy, Emma, Zach at Schramms for their first pumpkin patch visit as a family

what the heck are these things???

Hey!  They are pumpkins and are my size!

Grandma and Emma with the Penguin mascot...right?  lol

Aunt Kayla helps Emma sit on her 1st pumpkin

If Zach and Amy are Queen and King then it only goes to reason that Emma is our princess

....

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and she is!

From Blahs to AWESOME

Well, as life would have it, the stress of running back and forth to the hospital with being back to work and making sure Emma was also taken care of has all caught me.  I now have a cold, which I hate!  I have no patience for being sick.  My Dad stopped over tonight and told me my Mom is feeling the same way.  She wants to just pop up and do as she was used to, and her body isn't cooperating.  She will see the cardiologist on Thursday so hopefully she'll have a bit more freedom than she currently does. 
I didn't go to WW tonight.  I weighed in last week and was up point 2.   Not bad considering the week and weekend I'd had.  Tonight I just couldn't move off the couch to go.  I didn't sleep well last night and I'm tired.  It was a struggle even getting through the day.  Emma is in bed already so I'll be getting my clothes ready and putting on my pjs soon to just watch some tv.  I went to the gynecologist this morning and have to have some tests done once I schedule them.  If I just ignore the scripts think it will all just go away????  Nice try huh?
Just waiting on my Stampin' Up! order to come in so I can start my cards for the Baltimore Regional.  So I need to get better QUICK! 
Last, a special shout out to the awesome Kim!  Not only is she my fantastic upline, she's also on a roll with setting herself some healthy goals and exercising and eating right to be ahead of where she wanted to be.  You GO KIM!  I'm super proud of you.
How are YOU?

Home

We brought my Mom home on Saturday and she's doing well.  She's glad my sister from Indy is going home today and can't wait til my Dad leaves the house for a while cause they are driving her crazy, but she's doing well.  LOL  I had them and my youngest sister and her family over for dinner last night.  We had a really nice night.  Tonight I hope to make it to WW and weigh in.  It's been an extremely busy week and weekend and back to work I go this morning.
Thanks again for all the prayers.  They mean a lot to us.

Mom's Surgery

I spent the entire day yesterday at the hospital waiting for doctors to come in to give us answers only to walk away last night with not all of them.  We did find out that Mom does NOT have a major blockage in caratoid artery and will not need surgery on it.  However, she is in atrial fibrillation and has Brady Tach Syndrome where her heart beats too fast or way too slow actually pausing a few seconds.  So the cardiologist recommended that we do an electraphysiology test which would indicate if a pacemaker was necessary.  Called the nurses station first thing morning for no info and then 1/2 hr later am on phone with Mom and very quickly it comes through that she will have this surgery today but no idea what time to it's going to be around 10 am.  So Dad and I rushed up to the hospital to find they had already taken her.  She also needed another test where they go down the throat to see if there are any blood clots in the heart and to try to put the heart back into regular rhythm.  Well, Mom's heart paused 2-3 seconds indicating to them immediately that the pacemaker was necessary and she had one put in.  Surgery was around 2 hours long and then we waited probably another 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs to see her.  She's doing very well though and I was shocked at how good she looked.  Her arm is in a sling to remind her to not use it.  I think when I left, she was beginning to feel a little pain but she was using the pain medication.  We'd been told if she had the surgery she'd go home the next day but right now we are very unsure about that.  The nurse tonight told me that because she's started new medication they may keep her to make sure she doesn't have a reaction to it.  Mom did NOT like that news!
So Dad and I will head up in the morning to watch the videos with Mom about pacemakers and learn what needs done.  Then we'll go from there.
Thanks to those of you who have said prayers and left kind words.  It means a lot, especially right now when I'm pretty much exhausted.

My Mom

Yesterday I had just put the baby down for a nap when my Dad popped in to tell me my Mom passed out at work and he was taking her to the hospital.  After texting all 3 of my sisters, and getting my youngest sister set out to find them...we both ended up at the hospital at the same time and spent the evening at the ER as they ran tests on Mom.  Her blood work and CAT scan were OK but they wanted her to stay for observation.  So we convinced her she was staying.  She had a bunch more tests run today to which turned out her carotid artery is 70-99% blocked (they can't tell until in there) and the doctor will be in in the morning to talk to her.  Then tonight her pulse rate went very low so a cardiology consult was called in so they will stop in tomorrow.  Talking to the nurse tonight (she was GREAT!)  she told us that if the doctor sees her tomorrow almost always he does surgery the next day.  My Dad had him for his surgery (both sides eventually) and we liked him a lot.  So now we wait until tomorrow to see what happens.  Trying to keep everyone informed and also adjust to being back to work and I'm losing the battle in sleep.
So no WW this week.  Will hopefully weigh in next week for the beginning of the month.  Last I checked I was doing good.
Please say a prayer for my Mom.  I do appreciate it deeply!

Sign Up and No Weigh In

Last night I went to Kim's and signed up to be a SU demonstrator.  YAY!  Except right now I'm only planning on doing as a hobby demo which means for myself.  That can always change in the future which is part of what I love....the flexibility of the company to grow and change as you do.  Being with the Stampin' Sisters on Saturday really inspired me.  I've found that even though I've been incredibly busy the last few days, stamping is constantly on my mind.  Kim's a HUGE inspiration also and goodness am I fortunate that she's come into my life.  Not only because she's so willing to share her talent but because she's an awesome person!
Our WW mtg. was canceled this week since the church where it's held had a function.  I originally planned on attending another meeting tonight but woke up with swelled feet, on very little sleep and a need to spend some time at home.  Only problem was it didn't work out that way.  Found out my cousin and her husband are visiting from VA Beach so I headed out to one aunt's to visit with them.  I took Emma who was a bit clingy and fussy because she had shots today. (Poor baby!)  We sat on my aunt's deck outside and had a great visit.  (Sending a big WOOHOO out to Jackie since I heard you've joined the WW family)  I LOVE my family time.  It was worth being tired again tomorrow cause I'm running on empty.  Well, OK, if I'd sleep some it would help....darn arm!
Emma weighed 14.3 pounds and is a bit over 24 inches long.  Such a sweetheart!
I'm heading to my one sisters this Friday to see my nephew graduate on Saturday.  Go Bryan!  LONG trip for a very short visit since we'll have to head home on Sunday since Zach has 2 parades on Monday morning.
Did I mention I'm SO ready for summer!

Birthday Boy

Today is my son's 19th birthday.  Happy birthday, Zach!  I love you more than words could ever say even when we fight tooth and nail because we're so alike.
We've had a very good day.  It's been an incredibly busy weekend.  Lots of shopping topped off with dinner out tonight and then family over for cake and ice cream.
One of the real highlights for me though was attending a SU demo meeting to see what it was like and if I had enough interest to join.  I was incredibly nervous about our card swap but wasn't there long and gave some of the girls a peek for them to all like what I'd done.  WHEW! LOL  I enjoyed the meeting immensely.  A lot of the other girls are all new so I felt it would be super place to also be learning.  The girls are so supportive of one another and give each other tons of positive feedback.  Just thinking about it again now brings a smile to my face.   They also are extremely willing to share business tips with one another.   So I've decided to go ahead and sign up as a hobby demo.  Tuesday is the day :-)
I'll have to get my camera out and take a picture of my card.  I'm thinking of starting a new blog just for all my Stampin' Up stuff so keep an eye out for that.
No Tuesday meeting for Weight Watchers this week.  The church has a function so we can't meet.  Am planning on attending a different mtg. on Wed. but we'll see how the week goes. LOTS to do this week as we get ready to leave Friday for a trip to Indy.  My nephew graduates from high school on Saturday morning and we will be there!  Staying only until Sunday since Zach has 2 parades Monday with the band.
Whew! I'm getting tired and haven't even started the week yet.  Thank goodness my house is clean and that's one less worry.
But it all works out and is all good.  Life is good.  VERY good!

Off Work

Didn't have school yesterday or today. Now they are calling for 6-15 more inches of snow today into tomorrow. Hasn't started yet, but if it does as predicted I won't be going to weigh in tonight at WW. I'm on a double dose of steroids for my hurt arm (went to dr on Friday and she thinks I have tendinitis) and since weight gain is a side effect, every day I've been jumping on the scale hoping not to have gained. UGH...just went and checked since I hadn't today and I am up today! The snow has also begun! BLAH!
So instead here is my favorite princess. :-)

Daddy and Emma taking a nap :-)

Amy's family came to visit on Sunday. Pappy is holding her with Grammy also on the couch. Uncle Zach is there on the corner. He still won't hold her.

Emma getting her 1st bottle ever (was Mommy's milk since Grandma and Pap were babysitting)

Mommy, Daddy and Emma after they arrived home from celebrating their 1st anniversary.

Pictures

LOVE this bright outfit. She's in her rocker chair...quite content :-)

Mommy and Emma adoring one another. Amy is a very good Mom

The Naturally Sweet Emma...even her shirt says so :-)

Buddy shoveling ...he loves snow! BLECH!

That "bubble" is Zach's car. Our front hedges are almost even with the snow.

I know our pool is under there! And no, it's not an inground one

The deck for the pool. Look how the snow is higher than the swing.

From our back porch. I've looking at our neighbors tree.
Can't read the penguin to see how much snow we have.

We've got probably close to 24 inches of snow and are in a state of emergency. Here's some pics I took a bit ago...and of course, of our sweet Emma also. :-)

Emma's 1st week

I thought I'd share some pictures of Emma and her 1st week. She's a VERY good baby who is only fussy when she wants to eat. She's a real joy!

Great great Grandma Rose and Emma


Daddy, Emma and Mommy enjoying being home

Pap and Emma looking at a balloon from Aunt Kayla
Emma enjoying her boopy chair in her cute frog outfit


Mommy and Emma on the day Emma saw the doctor for the first time. She went from 8.4 when she left the hospital on Friday to 8.11 on Monday. :-)

More Tubing

Tubing

Last night I missed my WW meeting (if you read here you know I don't do that) to go tubing with my family and friends at 7Springs resort. We take the kids every year at Christmas when my sister from Indy comes in. Luckily the past 2 years my brother in law can also join us.

In losing 150 pounds, there are MANY things I find I am more willing to do. We've been going tubing for 5 or 6 years and yet I'd never do it because I was afraid to get my butt stuck in the tube and I'd be embarrassed. Well, last night, I DID IT! My hubby even taped it using our Flip Video and maybe I'll have to figure that out later for posting.

Here are some pics of our whole group. After tubing we always go over to the lodge and have a late dinner, and then go out on the patio to watch the skiers. It was SO cold last night though, we didn't last long out there. It was a FABULOUS time and I can't wait to do it again!

Pictures

Gordon, the cat....there's a mouse in here that he LOVED

Buddy with one of his new BluRay DVD's

Amy with her I love Mommy outfit and Zach with his I love Daddy outfit for the baby

Amy and Zach coming down the steps Christmas morning

Late Night

I have to work tomorrow and have gotten so used to staying up extremely late that I'm going to be dragging tomorrow since I should be in bed.

Just as I was about to go to bed our phone rang. You know it can't be good news when it rings at 12:39. It was my Mother in law. Her youngest brother Billy passed away. He'd been diagnosed with cancer which had recently spread to his brain. He was in his early 60's. The last 2 months have been very difficult for him and although it's hard to think we won't see his smile or him trying to get a joke over on us, we know we didn't want him to suffer on this Earth anymore. Hopefully now he will be at peace. Please pray for his wife Marianne and his son Sean. He and Marianne have only been married for a few years but knew true happiness and love with one another. Looking at them you could just see it.

So many things, so many scrambled thoughts. Lost 1 pound this past week but that seems to just not be important right now. Comforting our loved ones is.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers.