Good ol Daddy's day

I went simple and cheap frugal for Father's day this year.  I was having a difficult time getting my brain in the mood to celebrate after our horrendous mother's day, but I wanted to do something.  I have the worlds best hubby and we both have pretty great dads too, so I had to let them know how thankful we are that we have them in our lives.  I found the tags for the Padre's mugs on a linky over at Tatertots and Jello on a weekend wrap up party, but can't seem to find them again.  If anyone finds them please let me know so I can give credit where it is due!  They were too cute! 

This was my first time trying glass etching, so it was a new experience that I now am addicted to.  (The hubby thanks you Michael's for supplying us with yet another addiction!) ;)

The mugs I got at the dollar store, they are super strong and sturdy.  Try saying that 3 times fast!  It is hard to see the writing, so I will tell you what it says.  For Clayton's dad I put "Grandpa" with a picture of an elk since he is an avid hunter.  For my dad it says "K7BSU" with a heart since he is an avid Ham radio guy.  I am sure that is the technical term for that too lol. Also my dad is right handed, and the father in law is left, so I tried to put the vinyl on accordingly.  Of course, the vinyl was cut using my Silhouette to make the stencil. I filled them up with Reese's pieces to go with the tags of course.  I think they turned out pretty stinkin cute!

Putting the kidlets to work!

Ok, parents, its that time of year again!  Summer break... sometimes fun, sometimes frustrating, and all to often a little bit boring!  At least it gets that way at my house.  I don't know why they are so bored, but I am tired of hearing those dreaded words: "there is nothing to do!"  So in comes my summer plan to beat the boredom and make my kids my slaves have a clean house doing it!
My hubby came up with the idea of a chore chart with a small incentive.  I have never been one to believe that kids should be paid an allowance for doing chores.  They live here too, so why should they get paid is my philosophy.  It was time to cave give in and give it a try at least.  It isn't much, just a quarter a day for getting their chores done, and if they do it on all 6 mandatory days a whopping $2!  (they are still young so it works for us).  Clayton suggested something simple, something easy, something boring.  But I had big plans and was going to put Chloe to work to make it happen.  Chloe is what I named my Silhouette by the way, so she was going to get it done!  I wish I could say that I stuck with the extravagant, adorable ideas I came up with, but I didn't.  I went easy and cheap because I already had everything on hand for this one!  I love when that happens!  So, it may be simple, but I am loving it!

I took a piece of foamboard I bought months ago at the dollar store, some ribbon, hot glue, vinyl, clothes pins, scrapbook paper, mod podge, distressing ink (which I may or may not have gone a little crazy with) and most important, Chloe.

The foam board was huge and since I only have 3 kidlets, I cut a piece off.  I would say it was about a third. 

Its pretty self explanatory by the pics, but I have to point out that everything was cut using my Silhouette.  I measured my clothes pins, and created a sheet of rectangles that size for the cover for them and them just mod podged them on.  So simple! The circles were also cut by the Silhouette.  I  just put the sheet of them through the Silhouette with the ink pen in and my chosen font because my hand writing is not so cute.  I have to say that I love it.  It is simple, but gets the job done and is easy for the kids to understand also.  Now lets hope that their enthusiasm lasts longer than a couple days!

Mother's day... finally!

When I saw the saying for this craft, I knew it was the one! It couldn't fit anyone better than my sweet mother in law! My mother's day was spent in the hospital, as was the couple of weeks leading up to it, so my gift for my amazing mother in law was way late.  (Sorry again Marie)  I made the vinyl on my beloved Silhouette (her name is Chloe) and put it on a piece of beadboard I had laying around (I love ReStore).  So this project was free... well, sort of, the Silhouette was bought by the hubby for Christmas and the beadboard I bought a while back for another project.  Anyway, I am counting it as free. Oh, I also hung it with a piece of red ribbon that I also had on hand!

Why I have been MIA

Mom and two of my babies

I am still here!  I am not sure if anyone has even been stopping by, but thought I would put this dreaded update on here.  I have been thinking about it for at least a week, I thought it might be good therapy, but I am still not sure if I have the strength to do it yet.  So, bear with me!
On Mother's Day I lost my wonderful, beautiful mom.  She had scerosis of the liver (crazy since she had never had a drink) that was caused by auto immune diseases that fought her liver and won.  She went to the hospital with excrutiating pain, and we discovered that she had an obstructed bowel.  They were hesitant to do surgery because her liver was so bad.  I never realized how much our liver is responsible for.  She was retaining fluid, not just a little either, they drained out 13 lbs from her abdomen, and left at least the same amount in (apparently there is some law about how much fluid can be removed from a person), not once but three times in the two weeks she was in the hospital.  That is a crazy amt of fluid, and was so uncomfortable for her as well. 

Mom and I when I was a baby

The bowel obstruction is a pretty easy fix for a normal person, but we were told her chances of surviving the surgery were only 50%,  They figured that when they made the incision all the fluid she was retaining would gush out and that would cause her to crash.  There was also the concern about her body processing the drugs they would have to give her with her minimal liver function.  Anyway, they tried every other treatment available and eventually it was 100% chance of death without the surgery.  Not good odds either way, but at least we stood a chance with the surgery!  She did great during the surgery, everything went better than expected.  Unfortunatley, the anesthesia finished off her little bit of liver function she had.  Everything we put in our bodies goes through our liver, I didn't realize that.  Her liver didn't have the strength it needed, which put the stress on her kidneys, which also shut down.  The meds essentially put her into a coma from which she never woke up.  That was so difficult to watch, and so hard that we couldn't fix it.
  She was, unarguably, my best friend next to my husband.  The woman was amazing, and I adored her.  We talked every day on the phone, and I took her closeness for granted.  I can't tell you how many times I have picked up the phone to share some silly story, some exciting tidbit, or, just to hear her voice.  Clayton has always given me a hard time that I called her for advice, even if he had already given me the same advice, that I took it more to heart if I heard it from my mom.  He wasn't completley right, but I did almost always ask her what she thought about anything I was concerned about. 
I am greatful that I at least got to say goodbye.  She was in the hospital for two weeks and I spent as much of that time as I could with her.  Even when she first went in and we didn't know what was wrong, I had this feeling that I wasn't going to have her for long.  I am still in shock I think.  This is one of those things that happens to other people, not me!  How horrible is that thought?  It just doesn't seem possible, she was only 63.  I am so thankful for the knowledge that I will see her again.  I am so greatful to know that she is out of pain and happy now.  I love the fact that families can be together, and I am going to do everything in my power to be sure that I am worthy to see her again. 
I miss her so badly, it is hard to get through the day most days.  I keep thinking that should be letting up some.  That life should be getting back to normal sometime soon, but I feel like the opposite is happening.  I have been told by friends that have lost their moms that it doesn't really ever get easier, just more bearable.  I know it sort of seems like that is the same thing, but for the first time in my life I get it.  I wish I didn't have to, but I do understand what that means. 

So, if anyone is still reading this, sorry for the depressing entry!  I just felt that maybe if I expressed it on here it would help me feel better.  Well... turns out, not so much.  It doesn't take the reality away.  It doesn't bring my Mommy back.  It doesn't help me fall asleep.  It is still there, the harsh truth.  I guess I have to work through it, and I am just not there yet.  So for now, good night and I promise that my next entry will be fun, happy, and full of craftiness!

Isn't she stunning?  This was her engagment picture