Just Give Me Stamps...

Hope to See You Again...

Good morning!  Because my kids didn't have school yesterday (the younger ones, anyway), today totally feels like Monday!  Yikes!  The week just started and I already feel behind a day!  LOL!  Our family has so much going on this week.  Along with the boys' bedroom remodel, we are planning two birthday parties.  Our youngest turns six tomorrow, and our oldest son turns 13 in a week and a half!  Time really does fly by!

I  know you probably came here for something crafty (and I will get to that, I promise) but I just feel the need to brag on my kiddos for a minute.  I hope you don't mind indulging me.  Some of you that have been long-time subscribers already know the journey my daughter has been on.  In 2009 she had a brain tumor removed and has worked relentlessly on therapy ever since (both physical and cognitive).  We home schooled her during the whole process, and while it wasn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, she was determined to not only gain back what she lost but to even excel.  Fast forward to this year.  She entered public school for the first time in her life as a sophomore in high school.  At parent teacher conferences last night, we were told by ALL of her teachers what an amazing and exceptionally bright student she is.  Her art teacher said that she is inspired by her, her english teacher said that she is a bright spot in his day, and her history teacher told us that she is one of the hardest working students he knows.  In fact, her history teacher wants her to bypass his class next year and go straight into AP History.  It was all DH and I could do to keep the tears at bay last night.  To top it all off, we received her report card.  She earned all A's and one B.  That B was in math, and that is where the majority of her cognitive loss was (so that B is actually higher than an A in our eyes).  We know first hand how hard Ali has worked for this, how many tears she has shed, how much pain she has endured (and still does), and how many prayers she has prayed.  We are so incredibly proud of her.

Thank you so much for sticking with me today!  Sometimes, my heart gets too full and I just have to let it out.  :-)

And now for something crafty...

This is something I whipped up using Kim's new Promenade set!  Speaking of Paper Smooches, did you see Kim's announcement HERE?  I am SO excited!  Her CHF images are what made me fall in love with her designs, so I cannot wait to see which ones she brings back!  Her first "Kismet Collection" set called Forest Whimsy has officially been released today!  I just received mine, and I have some me timed scheduled this afternoon where I plan to ink this CAUUUUTE set up!  :-)

Well, I have certainly been chatty today!  Thanks for listening!  Hugs, Laurie

Lots of things to share today...

Happy Saturday to you!  It is a beautiful and sunny day here (although it's not that warm...high is only going to be in the low 60's)!  I love it when the sun shines!  We have a lot of windows in our house and the sun just pours in bringing a whole bunch of happiness with it!  :-)

We've been so busy around here lately!  Lots of things going on around the ranch (which always means lots of stuff to be done LOL!).  I've also been super busy with the kiddos, but I rather like that kind of busy!  :-)  Oh, and I've been stamping!!  Lots and lots of stamping!  But I can't quite share any of that yet (soon though :-).

Anyway, since I haven't updated my blog with stampy things lately, I thought I would share some photos that I took around the ranch!  I always seem to share the snowy pictures, so get ready to see what it looks like here int he Spring!  (We had a very, very late Spring.)

(You can click on all the photos for a larger view.)  I just loved the pink tinted clouds!  Spring is so interesting here in Montana...one minute it could be sunny, warm, and without a cloud in the sky and then the next it could be hailing and thunderstorms!! 

I love this photo!  It's actually our neighbor's fence right across from our mailboxes (shown in the next photo).  I love this photo because it shows how I've grown as a photographer (very, very amateur as I may be)!  It all started when Mark & Julee (owners of Verve Stamps) came up for a visit!  Mark took photography in college and very patiently answered a lot of my questions (one being "How do you get the blurry thing going on in a photo?").  I now know that it's not called the "cool blurry thing" but depth of field!

Why a photo of mailboxes??  Well, these are the mailboxes that I drive 5 + miles (one way) to check almost daily!!  Do you see that brown box to the right??  That, my friends, is where our fabulous UPS guy leaves all my goodies for me!!  Woohooo!!!  (Oh, almost all of the actions I have been using on my photos are from The Coffee Shop Blog!  Not only do they have fabulous tutorials, but lots of fabulous free actions!!)

Well, with our long awaited Spring weather has come a LOT of water!!  Here are a few photos I took of our road (which is only passable with a truck)!

This is the road past our mailboxes (that leads to the Highway (if you can call it that LOL!).  It may not look like a lot of water, but the creeks (which now look like rivers) have been flowing so ferociously that it has washed out much of this road and these "puddles" are very deep!

See that fence above?  Yeah, that is the top of the fence sticking out of the water!!    Now you can see why it is only passable with a truck!

Okay, when I saw this I laughed SO hard!!!  This is the sign our County Road Dept. put up before all of the flooded parts on the road!!  LOL!!!  Normally, they do an excellent job of taking care of problems (such as our 2-3 foot ice build up on the road last winter) but I think they are just not sure what can be done about this as there is SO much water!!  Our neighbor was unaware of how deep the water really was and ruined her car (it quit right in the middle of the water).  We now have a sign that says Water on Road!  :-)

Thanks for letting me share a little of our life with you!  I promise to be back to share LOTS of new stampy things with you soon!!  Hugs, Laurie

Seriously...

Okay...I'm still in the midst of getting the kids going strong on school, but when I saw the weather forecast this morning I just had to share.  Ugh!  I mean, I know we live in Montana and all...but seriously!!   

 

So jealous of those of you wearing flip-flops!!

~Laurie

 

(Oh, and yeah...we're above 6000 feet.  Sigh...)

 

   

Updated: 6:02 am MDT on May 5, 2010
Winter Storm Warning in effect from 4 PM this afternoon to noon MDT Thursday for elevations above 6000 feet... Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 4 PM this afternoon to noon MDT Thursday for elevations below 6000 feet...
	Today A chance of snow showers in the morning...then rain and snow showers likely in the afternoon. Snow accumulation up to 2 inches. Highs 30 to 40. Southeast winds up to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent. » ZIP Code Detail
	Tonight Snow. Snow accumulation 4 to 7 inches. Total snow accumulation 4 to 10 inches. Lows 15 to 25. North winds 5 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph after midnight. Chance of snow near 100 percent.
	Thursday Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow showers in the morning...then a chance of rain and snow showers in the afternoon. Highs 30 to 40. Northwest winds up to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent. » ZIP Code Detail
	Thursday Night Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 15 to 20. West winds up to 10 mph.
	Friday Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Highs 35 to 45. Southwest winds up to 5 mph. » ZIP Code Detail
	Friday Night Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 20 to 25.
	Saturday Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow showers. Highs 40 to 50.
	Saturday Night Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 25 to 30.
	Sunday Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow showers. Highs 40 to 50.
	Sunday Night Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 25 to 30.
	Monday Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain and snow showers. Highs 40 to 50.
	Monday Night Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of snow showers. Lows 25 to 30.
	Tuesday

Extreme Blog Makeover!!

Wooohooo!!  Check out my new "digs"!!  I am over the moon excited...I just love it!  I still have a little rearranging to do...and I plan on "finally" updating my blog roll, but I couldn't be happier with how this all turned out! 

A HUGE thank you to Veronica (from VK Deisign Company) for all her hard work!  She is extremely talented, so fun to work with, and I think she might be part mind reader!!  LOL!  Seriously, I wasn't able to articulate very well what I wanted but had vague ideas.  Not only did she give me exactly what I wanted, but did it in record time!  Thank you SO much, Veronica!!

I emailed her the below photo of a coffee cup (one I picked up in Seattle - LOVE that place :-) and told her that I didn't necessarily want the image on the cup (even though it IS gorgeous), but I wanted more the "feel" the cup has!  I know, I know...could I be any more specific?!!?  LOL!! 

Anyway, I just wanted to share how excited I am!!  :-)  ~Laurie

Spring in Montana...

Happy Wednesday!  I don't usually post non-stamping related posts...but I just had to share the following pictures!  I have a soft Spring card to share with you in a post right after this, so make sure you refresh your page!

 

Our boys got up early this morning...just so they could run around in the snow before school!  It's not unusual for us to get snow in the Spring...but not this much (not to mention it sticking around for as long as it has)!

 

Going "potty"...a necessary event made much more difficult by the deep snow!  It's tough to be a small dog in Montana!  LOL!  (This is Cody...my daughter's Puggle (Beagle/Pug cross).

 

Maggie was playing it smart...hanging out with me on the porch!  LOL!

I hope you all have better weather!!  Hugs, Laurie

Back Home...

Hi!  I just wanted to post a quick note here thanking everyone for the supportive emails!  We are now home from Seattle!  Ali did SO well through the surgery and recovery, and is glad to have that part behind her!  From the second day post-op her head pain was considerably less than it has been for the last couple of months!!  We are definitely celebrating with her on that!!! 

Unfortunately, on our way out of the hospital the surgeon came in to Ali's room and told us that the pathology report is not normal.  Not only did that bit of news extend our stay in Seattle, but it has reopened a door we thought was now closed.  We still don't have any answers...except that it's not cancer (and we are SO thankful for that!).  So, we will continue to have follow up tests and doctor visits.  Up until now, Ali has had an amazing attitude...so strong and brave...but this latest news has been tough for her (and us).  We are trying just to focus on what we have to be thankful for...and it seems that list grows all the time!  One thing in particular that has blessed us is the support and friendship that seems to be poured out on us!  You see, my DH couldn't come with us to Seattle this time (for many reasons...but one of the main reasons was that our oldest son Jared (who's 10) got a kidney infection and was pretty sick).  When my friend Tosh heard that Ali and I would be by ourselves, she hopped on a plane and met us in Seattle...so I wouldn't be alone while Ali was in surgery!  Just typing this brings tears to my eyes...  My DH called me many times as well...just to tell me about all the support (meals, and help with the boys) that our community was pouring out us!  As you can see, in the midst of one of the toughest trials we have been through...we are being richly blessed!

Here's a picture of Alison and Jared together...taken at their last piano recital.

I really want to thank you for your prayers and emails/cards of encouragement!  I show them all to Ali and they have meant so much to all of us!  Thank you all so much!!

Oh...speaking of Tosh, she is giving aways some INCREDIBLE blog candy on her blog Stamp Talk With Tosh!!  You will not want to miss out on it!!    ~Hugs, Laurie

Lots of New Retired Stamps Listed For Sale!!

I have just spent the last several hours (yes, I have THAT many stamps...LOL!!!) updating and listing new Stampin' Up! retired stamps that I have for sale!  Almost ALL of the sets are at least 50% off the original price...and many even more than that!!  I will be responding to emails on a first come, first serve basis.  Also, I will do my best to keep the list updated as much as possible!  If you have any questions, please let me know!! 

OH...the link to the page where the stamps are listed is in the sidebar to the left under "For Sale".  Also..HERE is the direct link.

Thanks!  ~Laurie

So Grateful...

First, I want to thank you all so much for your caring emails!  And those of you that have sent/are sending cards...THANK YOU sooo much!!!  I am so deeply touched by the love and concern you have shown us!!  We have just recently returned from Seattle and are so grateful to be home!  I apologize for not returning all of your emails yet...I am working on it though!  Many of you have asked if I am o.k. as it is not "like me" to not post for so long.  Again, I can't tell you how amazing you all are...thank you so much for your concern!  I have to tell you...my DH is absolutely AMAZED that people we haven't even met have shown so much support and care...I just keep telling him that stampers really are just wonderful people!!!

A couple of weeks ago, Alison's (our 12 year old daughter) pediatrician found a mass in her brain that they first believed to be a tumor.  We were sent to Seattle Children's hospital where a team of Neurosurgeons  (they call them the Pediatric Tumor Team) ran more tests and determined that the mass they saw was blood.  After even more tests (what they call "brain mapping"), they were able to rule out some of the really dangerous stuff...but weren't able to see what was behind/caused the blood.  They believe that there is either a small, slow-growing tumor or a cluster of abnormal blood vessels that is cause of all of this, but cannot be sure until the swelling/blood goes down.  We were able to come home for a while...and will go back in January for more tests.  There is still a chance that she could hemorrhage again...but the risks of immediate surgery were greater than the risk of her bleeding again.  Although it is a bit nerve wracking being so far away from the doctors, we are grateful to be able to spend the Holidays at home!

We believe so strongly in the power of prayer, and have experienced God's loving hand upon us.  Thank you all SO much for your prayers, love, and concern!

I will be taking pictures of the beautiful cards we have received, and posting some each day (and I will even probably have something that I made to share with you as well...because there isn't any better therapy than stampin!!). 

Hugs,                                                                                                                                       Laurie

Enabler Alert, Enabler Alert!!

Michelle (owner of Stamper's Dream Store) is giving away a FREE JustRite C-45 Monogram Stamper Kit!!  Check out her blogfor all the details!  Also, the Stamper's Dream Design Team will each be sharing a JustRite project this week (see below for the schedule).

Monday 9/8 - Amy Westerman

Tuesday 9/9 - Carolyn King

Wednesday 9/10 - Charmaine Ikach

Thursday 9/11 - Kurtis Admundson

Friday 9/12 - Me :-)

Saturday 9-13 - Tosha Leyendekker

I, for one, cannot wait to see what everyone comes up with!!  I'm always on the lookout for some awesome Christmas projects/presents...and I think the JustRite Monogram stamps will be great for those!!  ~Laurie

Fishers of Men...

 Happy Sunday!!  We don't have any big plans today...as DH is still healing up...but we will try and sneak out for a picnic or something (somewhere close).  Our weather has finally started to warm up, so we are all anxious to get out and enjoy it!  :-)  I've shared so many pictures of snow...that I thought I would share a picture that we took this afternoon (see the bottom of this post).

Today is the release date of two brand new sets form Our Daily Bread Designs(Sing to the Lord & Fishers of Men)!  For my card, I also used some of the cardstock that Kelley (owner of Our Daily Bread) sent the Design Team for June's Color Challenge.

I had such a hard time getting a decent picture of this card!  I apologize for the poor quality, but after retaking the picture a half dozen times I decided that this would have to do.  :-)

Have a blessed day!

Recipe   Stamps: Fishers of Men (Our Daily Bread), Sanded   Paper:Papertrey White, Suede Light Brown, Suede Dark Brown, Mystic Dark (Prism Papers)   Ink: Adirondack Pitch Black, Chocolate Chip craft ink, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa   Other:Clear e.p., Photo Corner punch, Copic markers, May Arts net ribbon, Linen Thread, Decorative brad, Paper piercer