Ugh!!!

I'm sick... again.

I just finished a round of antibiotics last week for bronchitis. I haven't been feeling well ever since I got sick with that, but I thought I was on the mend. Then Friday, my left ear started hurting. By yesterday, I thought I had an ear infection. Even had the speech therapist at work look in my ear... she thought it looked a little red.

So, I made an appointment to see my doctor for today. By the time I left work (at my second PT job...), I had a splitting headache and a fever of 100.0. I came home and went to bed.

This morning, I wake up, and I have the worst sore throat.... and still a fever. So, I called work... no home health visits for me today. Then I looked at my throat. My right tonsil is truly the worst thing I have ever seen! My doctor was sure I had strep, but was shocked to see the negative test results! So, I *simply* have tosillitis... and I will be out of work for the rest of the week.

Working PRN, I don't make money unless I work. But, I reallly don't want to make my patients sick, either!

Woo Hoo!!!!

I have a free download of digital papers I have created over on Scrapncircle. The collection is called Mango Tango.

Take a peek, download, and create!!!!

Want to hear something crazy?

Well, anyone who knows me will eventually hear about my crazy dreams. I have some that come true... Some that are flat out wacky.... And I even had the same dream as my best friend at the time on the same night as her in high school!!!

Anyway, I had a dream a couple of months ago that I won a scrapbooking contest. Not just any contest, but one where a scrapping celeb came to my home and hand delivered a check for 10,000 dollars. I won't say which celeb it was....

When she got to my house, I realized she had some need for physical therapy, and I started discussing her needs with her! (that's just like me to want to help someone with their functional limitations....)

Anyway, I thought it was crazy to dream something like that because 1. The chances of me winning a contest of that nature are next to none, 2. I was truly worried that my dream meant that scrapbooking has really consumed me, and 3. No such contest exists....

UNTIL NOW!!!

http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/contests/files/contest.148.html

Why must I be tortured like this? LOL!!! I don't think I have enough energy to enter such a big contest again this year... but I will always wonder if that dream would come true!

If at first you don't succeed....

Try, try again!!!!

So, I must be a glutten for punishment, because I just submitted an entry to the 3 Bugs in a Rug DT. I took my time with the "proud" layout and clock, but whipped out the last one in one night. I like them all, though!!! Fun stuff with bright colors!

The photo in the "cute" layout was by my friend Tisha McCuiston!

The clock was from the Dollar Tree. It was completely flat, so I knew it would be fairly easy to alter. My inspiration for the center octagon was a patio umbrella (I had been browsing through a Crate and Barrell catalog!) It was the only way I could think of to get the "circle" in the middle as I had envisioned.

And I am stuck on handcut titles!!! The poor scrapper's die cut machine, if you will!!! But I have tons of fonts, can make the title exactly to size, and it's just fun to use my Honey Bee scissors!!!

Although I thought I'd lost the scissors for about a week.... they were buried under the chaos on my scrap desk!!! Guess it's time to organize again!!

SLEEP... NEED SLEEP!!!!

Ok, having an 8 month old is fun... except for her keeping me up at night!!! I was so tired last monday while reviewing some paperwork for my new job that my manager suggested we cut it short for the day!!! How embarrassing!!!

However, I think I found the culprit... one of my baby's top teeth just broke through this morning. I had given her Tylenol a few times, but it never seemed to help. Now I'm going to just give it to her around the clock to keep her pain under control. I hope it helps her!

I also think she is starting to have dreams at night. This is about the age that her big sister started having them.

Well, I hope I can get some sleep soon!!! I used to stay up late to scrapbook a couple of nights a week, and I just haven't had it in me. I have plenty of inspiration, it's just that I need the sleep so much!!!!

I started a new job yesterday!

I will be doing Home Health for the largest non-profit healthcare provider in my area. I will be working with one of my best friends in my field.

This week is all orientation, so, not too bad... just a bit on the ho-hum side. Wish me luck... tomorrow I must watch videos all day BY MYSELF!!! I hope I don't sleep through them!!

I'm kinda looking forward to home health. I have done rehab for so long, and it will really be nice to complete the big picture. I practice so many functional things with my patients in "perfect" settings (i.e., hospitals....) that this will really lend new light to what truly matters in rehab! I have performed many home evaluations prior to a patient returning home, but this will really stretch my creativity with problem solving. We all know I love to be creative!

It's amazing...

... how fast kids grow!!!

Just in this past week, my baby, who is 7 months old, has started to crawl on her hands and knees, pull to stand very well, and drink from a sippy cup without help. It's so funny to watch her pull to stand. She looks at me and squeals with delight!

My 4 year old has begun to draw pictures of real things, even with a story to go with the picture! AND she has learned to tie a knot! She is so proud of herself!!!!

Before I know it, they will be teenagers, I'm sure.

Have you seen these papers?

I recently discovered the patterned papers by Captured Elements. I really love their stuff!! Very artsy and different. You can find them at http://www.capturedelements.com/ .Check them out!

Another display board!

For Scrap Artz. This one uses papers and canvas from Trace Industries. Love how these colors complement this photo of my dh's grandfather, mother, aunt, and uncle in the 1940's! I was trying to create the feel of a quilt without being so obvious about it!

Exciting news!!!

I have just been asked to join the DT over at Scrappin Chicks. What a wonderful place!!! The girls on the MB are so friendly, and the store has all the latest and greatest stuff!!! http://www.scrappinchicks.com/

I also found these awesome stamps at Big Lots today. I nearly fainted when I saw the paisley one, because I just bought it in December for $12. They are made by PSX. I got 2 of the paisley ones as RAKS for some friends!

Ode to Pub Calls...

A Huge THANK YOU to the creators of Pub Calls. I so appreciate all of their hard work and dedication to helping the scrapping community keep updated with all of the latest calls and becoming my primary resource for this information.

If you haven't bookmarked this site yet, here's the link:
http://pubcalls.blogspot.com/

You guys ROCK!!!!

My first display board for Scrap Artz!!!!

Here is first board for the store. I love these Daisy D's papers!! They were so much fun to work with! Again, my friend Tisha provided a wonderful photo for me of my baby girl. I did one other one, but am not posting it since the photo is not of one of my babies! Thanks for looking!

A Trail of Paper...

As promised, here are my designs with this month's sponsor product for Scrapncircle.... A Trail of Paper by Holly Hooven!! Photo for the white layout by Tisha McCuiston Photography.

Whew....

What a month!!!

I had an emotional couple of weeks with the whole pregnancy issue... I really was pregnant, but ended up miscarrying about a week after the OB appointment. The test was negative in the office because the embryo was no longer viable... but I'm OK with it. It took me a while to get over the fatigue of the whole thing...

In other news, I decided to enter HOF after all. I know... I am a glutten for punishment! But I did it anyway! It was a valuable experience, whatever the outcome may be.

I also discovered a new scrapbook store just north of Richmond called ScrapArtz. http://www.scrapartzweb.com/ It's a wonderful place!!! And I am now on their DT! I'll be teaching classes as well beginning in March. I'm so excited for this opportunity!!

Also, my friend Holly has a new venture. She is creating papers, and they are wonderful!!! Check out her website: http://www.atrailofpaper.com/ Really great stuff!!! Can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve!!!

I get to work with her papers for Scrapncircle this month!!! I promise to post when I'm done!

Tag... I'm it!!!!

I was just thinking the other day that no one has ever "tagged" me before, so, Thanks, Tisha!!!!
Here goes....

Four jobs you have had in your life?
*Physical Therapist (I specialize in geriatric inpatient rehab)
*Retail sales
*Bank (operations support)
*TCBY yogurt goddess!! (ok, that may be stretching it a bit...)

Four Movies you would watch over and over:
*The Sound of Music
*When Harry Met Sally
*Pretty Woman
*That Thing You Do

Four Places You've Lived:
*Newport News, VA
*Farmville, VA
*Richmond, VA
(Wow... am I boring or what? I've only lived in 3 places!)

Four TV Shows you love to watch:
*ER
*American Idol
*Anything Rachel Ray
*the Today Show

Four sites I visit daily:
www.scrapncircle.com
Twopeas in a bucket
Pink Martini Designs
That's about it!

Four of my favorite foods:
*French toast
*Feta cheese (American feta, though!)
*ice cream
*Coke!

Four places I would rather be right now:
OBX, NC
St. John, USVI
NYC
San Francisco

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Ummm... I'll have to edit this later....

Well, I guess it wasn't meant to be after all....

I went to see my OB on Friday, and, lo and behold, I am not pregnant. I was upset for a couple of days that I was pregnant so soon after having my last baby, but was getting used to the idea. It took me about a day to get over NOT being pregnant!!!

I am relieved now, but I was a little sad at first and VERY confused. How can you have a home test that is so positive, but have a negative office and blood test. It's a mystery to me! Unless I had a true false positive, which is extremely rare, the best explaination I could come up with based on internet research is that I had a "chemical pregnancy." You can conceive and produce HcG, but actually miscarry before any development actually happens. I was certainly feeling sick enough to be pregnant!!! (and that was prior to finding out that I was.)

So, life is back to normal.

The most upsetting thing to me about how our lives would change with having another baby so soon is that I would lose the chance to really bond with the middle child. She certainly deserves as much one on one attention as I can give her....... and I would have really missed that.

Can it be?

I'm in shock. Total shock. And maybe a little bit panicked.... I don't know what made me decide to take the test, but I have not been feeling well this week. And there you have it. I'm nursing AND on the pill, and my little one is only 5 months old. It took us one year of trying to finally conceive my younger dd. And, well, we definitely weren't trying for this one!

I thought I was done having children. My dh wanted another one and has been bugging me to let him try a third time to have a boy. So, after I took the test, I kinda tossed it to him where he was sitting on the couch, and told him that his dream came true! I guess God had other plans for me and our family. Now I hope God has blessed us with a boy!

I am so afraid of what this will do to my body. My last pregnancy was so rough on me.... so many complications and way too much trouble with asthma!!! Not to mention the fact that I have treated 2 patients in the past 2 weeks with active shingles... a big no-no while pregnant!!!

I have no idea how far along I am. I'll find out next week.

I need lots of hugs and prayers right now!!!!

I had a c-section with Anna, who was born in July. I will have to have another for this one, I'm sure, since there was no time really for my body to heal. I guess I will have to deliver at a different hospital so I can have a tubal ligation done at the same time. I think 3 is my limit on kids!!!! I love my kids, but I don't know if my body can handle this pregnancy!

Botox, anyone?

I had a procedure done today to fix my lazy eye, also known as strabismus. I have had it my whole life, and it has been a hugely embarrassing thing to deal with. I was teased as a child relentlessly for my crossed eyes. I have people now ask me if I am looking at them or someone else!!! I have developed strategies for hiding my condition, but at times I am too tired to control it.

The biggest issue for me is cosmetic, obviously, but there are also other problems. I can't see 3-D movies because my eyes don't work together well. (I see either the red or blue side of the glasses). I have very poor depth perception (which makes playing any game that involves a moving object REALLY tough!! PE class was a nighmare in elementary school!!!). And I have double vision in close range.

So, I sought the help of a specialist in town. He actually pioneered a technique to fix the muscle imbalance with Botox. They numbed my eyes, then injected the Botox toxin right into my eyeball. Let me tell you, it was strange watching the needle go into my eye!!!

There was some left over.... I asked Dr. McNeer if he could go ahead and take care of my wrikles, too!!!

I should start to see some changes in about 4-5 days, with the full effect taking about a month to complete. This whole procedure was so simple that I wish I had done it years ago!!!! It would have saved so much stress in my life!!

Oh, well...

The sad news is that I didn't make the Junkitz DT or get an HM. The good news is that I was in the top 34!!! Stacey Panassidi (http://www.junkitz.com/designers/blogger.cfm?UserName=spanassidi&View=Blogz) was so kind to post that list!!! I had no idea my name was on it until my friend Tabitha called!! So, I was pleased to get lots further than I ever anticipated!

Now I can start biting my nails about the QK DT.

I only try out for manufacturers whose products I truly love, and both Junkitz and QK are products I LOVE!!! So, we'll see...

I also tried out for the Scrapbook Answers DT. Since they are the only magazine that has pub'd my work so far, I figured it was worth a shot!! I love their magazine. They have such a wonderful, fresh approach to this industry. Their focus on design and technique is fabulous, and the fact that they rate new products is great!!!

So, I hope to accomplish another goal this year: to get on to a manufacturer's or magazine's DT!!!

In other news, I may have a new job. In my "real life," I am a physical therapist. I specialize in geriatric rehab. I love what I do. My career is hugely satisfying because I get to help people regain their functional independence every day. On a whim, I went to a job fair hosted by Sheltering Arms, a major rehab provider in Richmond. They have a beautiful, new rehab hospital in town, and are looking for therapists. I ended up interviewing for 2 hours! I went to school with one of the managers. I have been working in long term care for almost 3 years PRN (on call), but working about 20 hours a week. I have proposed a 25 hour work week to Sheltering Arms in a permanant part time postition. We'll see what happens.... they are supposed to get back to me this week!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

We went to the Grand Illumination in Downtown Richmond last night. It was fun, as usual. This is our third year going. Kendall had a ball riding the carousel and looking at the model trains. I do have photos, of course, and will post some later....

And I pulled out my favorite Christmas CD yesterday morning... Handel's Messiah. I am one of those freaks that enjoys classical music! My parents are to blame for this love! I grew up with it, and it's what we sang in church choir. So if you see me on the road this Christmas season, and I'm rockin' out in my car, I'm most likely singing to my Messiah CD!!!