Wanna' win some Halloween Cupcake Picks?

Then check me out at The Hip Hostess blog:

http://www.thehiphostess.blogspot.com

Ashley is the sweetest person and I have loved working with her in the past!

After you comment on her blog, don't forget to vote for my cousin (see below post!)

Vote for My Cousin!!

She wants to have shot in the "Mad Men" casting call. Vote for Jennifer from Prospect, Kentucky.

http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/RB7PYP

You may have to copy and paste the link.

Thanks for helping her out!

** edited for a better link **

(Thanks for voting too!)

How cheesy. . . .

but fun to note I am included in this treasury on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=135170

How sad is it. . .

that it has almost been two months since I last posted? I don't, unfortunately, have any good reasons for being so behind in blogging. I will try to get better, I promise.

So, what has happened? Well, let's see:

1. I know we have been busy at work, but that is not really new. There used to be kind of an ebb and flow to how our work was assigned and now it is pretty much feast or famine. I seem to be staying on the feast side of things.

2. We had a horrible flood here locally the first of May. No one I know personally was hurt or suffered any damage thankfully. However, there were others that did. I was in a client's house the other day and she had suffered flood damage and was still driving a rental car due to hers being damaged in the flood.

3. Speaking of water, it has rained a LOT this year.

4. We kind of skipped over spring and went straight into summer heat. I will NEVER complain about the heat as I would rather it be hot than cold.

5. My Mom and Dad have an absolutely adorable new fur baby, a shihtzu, whose name is Bruiser. He is all of about 5 pounds right now and is just under 3 months old. He got his name because he is tremendously stubborn and does not back down which means he should fit in well with at least me and Dad! For example, he will get between Dad's shoes and, instead of backing up when he gets stuck, he just keeps butting them with his head until he moves them and he can get through. One of his favorite things to do is for Dad to pick him up and roll him, literally, like a bowling ball. He comes running back for me. Bruiser has a TON of energy, but he is a cutie!

6. Grandaddy is doing well. Dad has also recovered from all his ailments and is doing well too.

7. I got a promotion! Yeah for me!! I am excited about this new position and really want to make it something my peers want to take from me. The writers (which includes me) have not had anything to look forward to in years in the way of moving up in our organization. My new position is that of a Sentencing Guidelines Specialist. It is not management, but there are facets of it that are great training opportunities to advance to management. We have not had this position filled in our district for the past six years or so. I was glad to be selected. Of course, this will mean some extra work, but that is definitely ok with me!

8. I am headed to New Orleans soon for training for work. It is Guidelines Training which is held annually at different places, typically in the south somewhere. I am looking forward to this trip. It will be a short one, but I have a feeling it is going to be a lot of fun. Mom was going with me, but she bowed out due to having to take care of Bruiser. I think they are going to baby-sit my house for me while I am gone though! That ought to be interesting.

9. I have managed to maim my riding lawn mower and it is down for repairs. I almost completely push mowed my just over an acre lot last week. Now my neighbor is going to take care of my grass until I get my mower back. I am kind of liking the break!

And, really, not a lot else has gone on. I am trying desperately to be more crafty and make more stuff, but I just have not had the time I need to create what I want. I am hopeful that time will be available soon and I think it will.

Hope all is going well for those of you who may have remembered I actually do have a blog! Again, I will try to get better!

What would you do. . . .

if you were told you had six months to a year to live? How would you feel? How would you cope? How would you keep a positive attitude? How would you not be angry?

When I was growing up, I think it is fair to say I was a pretty active member of our church's youth group. We had a GREAT time. We always got together on Sunday nights after church, had a prayer group, and then, quite often, headed to Noble Romans for breadsticks! It was a great support group made up from a variety of kids from three different high schools and multiple backgrounds. Our youth leader was bigger than life to me. I truly thought the world of him. I went college and our youth group splintered as we all went different ways after high school. I thought often of our youth leader. I graduated from college, went on to grad school, and began working. Again, I thought often of that youth leader. I continued to do so as I went about my life and, at one point, either Mom or Dad ran into him somewhere and caught him up on what I was doing in my life. He was married when he was our youth leader and I don't want to slight his wife. She was (and is) very sweet, but she was also very quiet. They complimented each other. He was the "cool" youth minister, you know? You truly could talk to him about anything and know he would listen.

Fast forward to the past year. I joined the Facebook crowd and one day found him there! I was SO excited and thrilled. We "friended" each other. I fired off a long e-mail to him and, to my disappointment, I did not hear back from him. To be honest, I was a little upset. To be truthful, I didn't know where he had gone with his life and I don't know that I ever truly expressed to him what an influence he was on me. When I read his blog and saw where he was at and what he was doing, I understood why I did not get a response and I am completely ok with that. I know it was not a slight or anything because I know he was doing far more important things. I was still happy we could keep up with one another via Facebook.

Fast forward to this past December. He had been feeling ill and learned he had a brain tumor. He had surgery on Christmas Eve. Somewhere around this same time, he published a book he had written.

Fast forward to this past week. His wife posted on his blog that his cancer was aggressive and he had been told he would live six months to a year. What a shock. I knew it was serious in December, but I also just knew he could beat it, you know? He is strong in his faith and is not afraid of dying. In fact, his wife said she feels as if he is dealing with it much better than she is (which you can understand). She said he went through a period of depression, but is fighting for each day and is, thankfully, in no pain. She said she tries to be there for his every need. He does get upset because he doesn't want his life to be over at 53 years.

It is just a shock to me. I know people deal with this daily. I just can't imagine. He has SO much more to offer to SO, SO many people. I am still reeling somewhat from his news and I have not talked to him in years. His death, which is inevitable, will be difficult.

Add to this, my room mate in grad school has been diagnosed with tongue and oral cancer. She recently had a feeding tube inserted and is going through radiation and chemotherapy now. I am hoping for the best for her as she has a hard struggle ahead of her. Her cancer is beatable, but, from what I understand, it will be a difficult and ugly fight. I worry about her each day. She is only a year younger than me. She is trying to keep everyone up to date via Facebook too, but you can tell it is getting harder for her.

So, tell those people close to you how you feel about them. Don't be afraid to live or care. My life is better because of each of these people. Tell someone they make a difference. I don't what to sound like I am on a soap box, but both of these persons have weighed heavily on my mind since I learned what each was going through or dealing with. It certainly makes you put life in a different perspective. It certainly makes you appreciate things.

WOW - we need to crop more often!

I had a great time this weekend. Believe me, it was some relaxing, stress free time I know I sorely needed. Great to see everyone who was there. We had great food as always! Sorry, some of you could not make it this weekend, but I have a feeling you all still had a good time too!

For those of you who were there, first thank you for eating my food and not spitting it out while choking uncontrollably. As you all are well aware, the kitchen and I have sort of a love-hate relationship, so me making even the littlest thing to eat is a major undertaking! Since you all survived, I am taking the leftovers to my unsuspecting coworkers tomorrow. There is far more left than I can eat. Although I will say I had it as a topping for a baked potato for lunch and is was pretty darn good.

Second, for those of you who were there, you might remember the ornaments above. I listed five sets of this earlier today and they have already sold out. I only had two more sets of four and one set of three, so I have them listed now. If they keep selling like this, I may have to make a trip back up the interstate and get some more of that paper! That just made me happy, so I had to share. I am going to try to get the rest of what I made listed today and . . . . . well, I am thinking I may just push aside all the stuff and create a bigger mess making more new things!

I hope we all have a good start to March! March is good - beginning of spring, March madness, flowers, the smell of freshly cut grass - gotta' love the weather that is coming!!!

Happy Sunday!

Today has been a nice day

FINALLY! We got to enjoy warmer weather after somewhat overwhelmed by wintry muck, cold, and snow. I think the weather really got to me for the first time. Seriously.

My year has been off to a crazy start. About mid-January Dad was hospitalized and, to turn a long story into a short one, he had an aortic stent put in due to an anuerysm near his kidney/liver. There were several tests, several scares until the final diagnosis, and then there has been the recovery period. He is doing fine now which is a blessing.

Grandaddy is doing well also. During the same time Dad's health was all up in the hair, the assisted living home where Grandaddy resides was placed on quarantine due to the flu. I am sure he loved being restricted to his room. He did not have the flu, but to be safe, when they are quarantined, they have everyone just remain in their respective rooms to keep any germs from spreading.

Work is still work. Not a lot I can say since I can't be all that positive about it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job. My issues are not there at all, but rather with how some of the management issues are handled. I will just keep plugging away.

I am desperately trying to get organized and it should not be this hard! I am working on my scrapbook room today and realized it had been almost TWO months since I blogged. GASP! So, I thought I had better check in with the few who still may be reading and give you a very quick snapshot of what has been going on. I will try to do better in the future!