Show and Tell

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today is Tuesday, November 29, 2011 — our 31st wedding anniversary. Yay for us!

Today was also a chemotherapy day... my third. And I guess this time it just flat wore me out... because it's nearly 8:30 p.m. and I'm just now getting started on a blog post. And I'm not sure that I'll finish it in the usual format. We'll see. Last time I bounced back pretty well, so I'm thinking that after a good night's sleep I'll be fine to go to work tomorrow.

One cool thing today, I was in middle of my treatment and a man came in carrying a bunch of pink balloons and a beautiful pale pink orchid.

His wife was having her last treatment for breast cancer today. The effort that he had put into making it a special day by surprising her with balloons and flowers was pretty fun to see. And as the day went on the two of them were joined by friends and family... such a big celebration and so fun to observe from my little corner of the room.

 

Now for some scripture.

Psalm 119:145-147

"I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord! I will obey your decrees. I cry out to you; rescue me, that I may obey your laws. I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words."

And, since it's getting quite late, I'll refrain from adding any of my own comments. But, I think you can tell that I'm pretty drawn to verses that pray for rescue and healing.

 

Finally, it's time for me to share the anniversary card that I made for Ken and slipped into his brief case this morning so that he would find it when he started setting up for a long day in the infusion room. My mom and dad always wrote love notes on the outside of the envelope to each other when they gave cards, so this year I decided to carry on that tradition. And Ken must be in the running for the best husband in the world. He's become something that we never anticipated at this point — a caregiver. It kinda stinks, really, but he is so good at it. I'm so thankful and don't think there is a better husband out there... at least not for me. I'm very blessed! 

SHOW

It's pretty subtle and hard to see, but I used one of the images from Modern Wood Mats as a background image, repeating it to add a little bit of interest to the card.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Modern Wood Mats, Through the Trees, Little Labels); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White, Kraft); ink is Stampin' Up (More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip); twine is PTI (Rustic Jute); also used a PTI die (Jar Labels 2).

Whew! I finished the post before The Biggest Loser was over tonight... just barely. Hopefully my energy will be better tomorrow and I can do a more compete post.

Thanks so much for your prayers today and for the love that you continue to lavish on me and Ken. We're so appreciative! Love and hugs to you!! 

34

Today is Thursday, August 11. (I hope you don't mind me being redundant and putting the date into my post. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to lose track of time when you're basically staying in your house, sitting on your couch, not wearing a watch, having no schedule, watching DVRed TV shows or whatever.... Truly, I can't believe that we're coming up on the middle of the month of August already.)

So here is some scripture from this morning.

Psalm 31:19-21, 24

"How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. You hide them in the shelter of your presence, safe from those who conspire against them. You shelter them in your presence, far from accusing tongues. Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.... So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!"

When I'm reading scripture, I often put my own name into the passage, or do other things to make it personal and real to me. Like for this one, I may read it as... "How great is the goodness you have stored up for me because I love and respect you. You lavish your goodness on me because I come to you for protection. You bless me as the world watches [which can truly be happening through the wonders of the internet!]. You shelter me in your presence, keeping me safe. I praise you, Lord, for you have shown me the wonders of your unfailing love. You have kept me safe when my body was under attack. I'm strong and courageous because I hope in the Lord!" If you've never tried it, I highly encourage you to personalize passages of scripture like this for yourself. It will transform your life and totally lift your spirits!

Now, on to other things, Britt tells me that I need to tell you that I'll probably be posting at the end of the day — just in case you are checking in and wondering where I am. Don't want you getting overly concerned for no reason. :) Of course, since I never know what each day will bring (realistically, though, do any of us?), life may not go as planned. Both Ken & Britt know how to pop onto my Typepad account, though, so I'm fairly confident that, no matter what, at least a brief update from someone will appear here in the evening.

As I was lying awake in the middle of the night, I had all kinds of ideas about things to write about today. Of course, those ideas seem to have escaped my head now. :) Next time I'll try to scribble them down so that I remember what I want to tell you. I do, however, remember that I want to thank all of you again for the cards, emails, Facebook messages, food, replies on the blog, handstamped and handmade items... even a magazine with gorgeous photos and project ideas. I have never met many of you who have sent me things or who have been in touch with me and I'm so humbled by the love and concern you've shown for me and my family. It's undeserved and so appreciated!

 

OK — onto more crafty things.

Yesterday I think I mentioned that we had a couple of family events to celebrate at Britt & Kenneth's wedding rehearsal dinner. I told you about recognizing my mom's 80th birthday. The other occasion we needed to honor was the 34th wedding anniversary of Ken's sister, Kris, and her husband, Steve. Britt & Kenneth and Kris & Steve will share July 30th as their wedding anniversry. Sweet, huh? 

SHOW

I adhered two of these scallop-y circles back-to-back and slipped them over a skewer. A little tulle tied underneath added some pizzazz and the whole thing was stuck into a cupcake. Not expensive, not fancy, but hopefully a nice way to honor a special couple who have done what many people cannot do — keep a marriage together for 34 years.

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Tag-its #1, Tag-its #4, Library Ledger Year Additions, Banner Builder, Daily Designs Sentiments); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White); ink is Stampin' Up (Soft Sky, Cool Caribbean, Going Gray).

And I thought I'd share one more picture from the rehearsal dinner. It's not super clear and the coloring is a little off, but I love that it shows both Ken's mom and mine... that they're having fun... and that it includes Kenneth's parents, who have also had a long, successful marriage.

And, as you can probably tell, I — for one — think that long, successful marriages should be celebrated!

Well, that's probably more than enough for one day. Thanks so much for using a bit of your day to visit here with me!

 

We Make a Perfect Fit

Continuing my use of last year's Papertrey Ink anniversary set, Round & Round... this time I made an anniversary card that features part of a page from an old beginning reader. 

SHOW

 

The card uses only the anniversary sentiment and the butterflies from Round & Round. The other stamps you may recognize from Button Boutique. And since you're the observant type, I'll 'fess up... I originally stamped the butterflies directly onto the doily using Regal Rose ink, but the card needed more dimension. So I stamped two butterflies onto colored cardstock with Versamark and cut them out... and when I decided to add a third butterfly I, without thinking, stamped it in Regal Rose. Sigh. It was attached before I realized what I'd done, so it stayed. Maybe you remember my "no do-overs" motto. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Round & Round, Button Boutique); cardstock is PTI (Kraft, True Black, Hibiscus Burst); ink is Memento (Tuxedo Black), Stampin' Up (Regal Rose), Versamark; buttons are PTI (True Black); also used SU's scallop border punch, PTI dies (Banner Borders, Double-Ended Banners), a doily, and a picture from an old early reader.

On the what-was-Janelle's-day-like front, one of our classes had a special visitor today.

 
Can't see her in that picture?

How about this one?

 
Still not really? Try this one...

 
Yep, there she is... a pretty little bunny. And, yes, believe it or not, she survived. :)

After all, Easter is coming...  
she'll be busy. :)

[Um... a little clarification... while we do have egg hunts, our Christian school doesn't teach that there is a bunny that hides eggs for children to find... we just know that little kids like to find things and put them into boxes, bags, baskets, and such... the bunny visit was a coincidence... didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression due to my misleading photos and text... :) ]

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Tomorrow I plan to be back with another card using Round & Round, this time with some ledger paper added in. Hope you'll have a chance to stop by again!

And, if you haven't already, be sure to visit this post and leave a comment for the chance to win your own Round & Round set, some "vintage" papers (like pages from '60's early reader), and handmade flowers.

 
  

25 years

of marriage is certainly something to celebrate... and some friends of ours reached that milestone today.

SHOW

 
If you look carefully at the photo you can see that the vellum strip is scalloped on the bottom and embossed on the sides. Just a tiny little detail... subtle. And sometimes it's the subtle things that knock a project up a notch.

So — Happy Annniversary, Crawfords! And here's to at least 25 more! :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Damask Designs); cardstock is PTI (Stampers Select White), Stampin' Up (Vellum), and Creative Memories (Metallic Silver); patterned paper is SU (Springtime Vintage); ink is SU (Marina Mist, Certainly Celery); baker's twine is The Twinery (Peapod); also used SU's scallop border punch and Framed Tulips embossing folder and PTI's Banner Builder and By the Numbers dies.

Yesterday I ran out of steam and didn't have the energy to tell you about this...

 
Remember a couple weeks ago when I mentioned that I had hosted a Lia Sophia jewelry party? Well, the goods arrived. Can you believe that this big box was full of the jewelry that was ordered that night? And that I got all of this...

 
free? 4 necklaces. 4 bracelets. 4 pair of earrings. Wow. I have some great friends and neighbors who came by the party, ate some munchies, and ordered a piece or two of bling (or three or four or...). It was fun and far exceeded any expectations that I had... which, quite honestly, were very low. The funny thing is that I don't usually wear jewelry. But I go through these "self-improvement" periods where I decide that I'm going to do such and such... and now I must be on an "I'm going to finally start acting like a grown-up woman and wear sophisticated jewelry" kick. Haha!

Anyway, back to the munchies — when I showed a picture of the party food from that night, a few people asked for more details. So here's the first...

 
Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites. I found this recipe on Stephanie's Kitchen... here. They were so easy to make. And they were so tasty. The recipe is definitely a keeper. You may want to add it to your party food arsenal, too. :)

That's it for tonight. Thanks so much for stopping by — I appreciate your visits so much! See you again soon. 

30 Years of Good Times

Today is our 30th wedding anniversary. Wow. And life with Ken Hayes has been one amazing adventure. The adventures may not have been all fun and games, but our commitment to each other has stayed firm — even when throwing in the towel would've been the easier thing to do. I'm so glad we hung in there through the tough times because it has made this stage of life and the empty nest even sweeter.

SHOW

When designing this card, I knew that I wanted to use that dusty, ragged-looking little red heart on it. Because that heart has a story.

Back in January during a Valentine card making spree, that little red heart somehow must've traveled on my foot into our bathroom. It eventually made it from the floor up to the area between the two sinks. For awhile it was just shoved from his side of the vanity to mine, and back to his again, and so forth — kind of like, "I'm not throwing it away... you throw it away!" Then it gradually became a little wordless "I love you" message that we would hide for each other in plain sight around the bathroom — me hiding it on his side, him hiding it on mine. Kinda silly, I know.

Now, there are not that many hiding places in a bathroom — especially when the unspoken rule was that it should be out in the open, so we had to get pretty creative. People seem to think that I'm the creative one, but really Ken wins hands down when it comes to thoughtful creativity. He even overnighted the heart to my mom in Oregon this summer so that the first night when I went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, there it was on the counter between the sinks. Cracked me up! (And I think my mom and brother are still shaking there heads over that one... not really getting it. haha)

Really, though, finding the heart in unexpected places always made me smile. However, ten months of sliding the heart into little crevices, putting it atop various bottles and creams, partially sliding it under tissue boxes, etc. has worn me out. I'm out of places to hide it, so I'm giving it to Ken on his card. He's had my heart for 30 years anyway — now he can keep this one as a reminder of my long-standing love for him. :)

Oh, and here's the inside:

 Yep, we have had 30 good years... 30 years of good times. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Stampin' Up (Portfolio Collection II, Vintage Labels), Technique Tuesday (Ali Edwards' Loving Words), Papertrey Ink (Mini Scrapbook Series: Tabs); cardstock is PTI (Rustic White, Stampers Select White); ink is SU (Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Real Red), PTI (True Black); also used SU's Basic Black Stampin' Write marker and Curly Label punch and PTI's Double-Ended Banner die.

Ken brought me a dozen roses at work today. I told you he was thoughtful. And he gave me a card this morning. But tonight we're just going to stay home and play it low-key. We have some Thanksgiving leftovers that really have to be eaten and a Christmas tree to decorate. Plus, Hawaii Five-O comes on tonight, too. So — it'll just be a comfortable night in with my sweet husband... just the way I like it. 

But we will be celebrating in style in just a few weeks. After school's out, and before Christmas, we're flying up to New York City for a few days. We've made some plans and have tickets to a couple of shows — and a growing list of must-do's given to us by others (more like must-eat's, really...). If you have any favorite NYC places, let me know and I'll add them to our list. Restaurants. Museums. (Craft stores...) If you've been (or if you live in that area), I'd love to hear what you love about the Big Apple.

Well, time to start pulling out leftovers. I think I'll light a candle on the table, too — just to dress things up a bit. :)

Hope you have a great evening as well — doing whatever you love to do on Monday nights. Thank so much for stopping by!

70 Years...

is a very long time to be married. What an accomplishment!

SHOW

 
That's how long some sweet and special friends of Ken's family have been together — 70 years tomorrow. And tomorrow this card will be winging its way to Michigan to wish them a happy anniversary. Yes, once again, my card will be late — but I'll be giving someone reason to extend their celebration. :)

AND TELL:  stamps are from Papertrey Ink (Damask Designs, Vintage Labels, Turning a New Leaf); cardstock is PTI (white) and Stampin' Up (Almost Amethyst); ink is SU (Almost Amethyst, Perfect Plum) and VersaMark; 2-1/2" glittered chipboard numbers are from K & Company (Twinkle Type); ribbon is reused from a gift I received; also used SU's Square Lattice embossing folder, Spellbinder's Labels One die, and PTI's Woodgrain impression plate.

So — you may be disappointed in my off-road excursion that I mentioned yesterday. But, it was a bit of a surprise to me. And, yes, I may have trust issues regarding my brother being in charge of a moving vehicle — stemming from the time when we were kids on a bicycle-built-for-two. Him in front... steering, pedaling hard, and laughing maniacally. Me in back... screaming. Factor in a big hill and curbs. Maybe you understand. So, back to the car — I mean, one minute we're on the nice paved road driving through a campground in my mom's big sedan and the next minute my brother takes a hard right into a grassy non-road area between trees,

 
drives a bit and ends up here —

with this tree in front of us.

It's a memorial tree — planted in memory of my dad —

who loved people and loved rv camping and loved Oregon and was able to combine all those loves as the State Director of the Oregon Good Sam Club.

He was not just an inspriration to others, but an inspiration to his family, as well. We sure do miss him!

And, that's it for now. Tomorrow is our first day of preschool. Back to the grind. :)

Thanks for visiting! See you again soon...

Loving Life

Edited: I forgot to mention that I used Sketch 16 from the Get Sketchy blog when making this card. The sketch is perfect for a long sentiment like the one I had already chosen to use. Since I also wanted to showcase the embossed and stamped background, especially the one solid red heart, I adjusted the card size and the position of the components to make more of the card base visible. 

SHOW

 
29 years ago today, Ken and I were married. We've had a great life together and I look forward to many more years of love and laughter. He's such a great guy and I'm so fortunate to be living life with him by my side!

AND TELL:  stamps are from Technique Tuesday (Ali Edwards' Loving Words); cardstock is Papertrey Ink (Kraft) and Stampin' Up (Confetti Cream, Riding Hood Red, Certainly Celery); ink is Stampin' Up (Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red); button and twine are from PTI (Scarlet Jewel; Rustic Jute); also used Stampin' Up's Spiral Punch and Sizzix Textured Impressions embossing folder Argyle #2, Large, from the Hello Friend Set. 

  

Did I tell you that Ken cooks our Thanksgiving meal? He always has. I've never cooked a turkey and wouldn't know where to begin. He loved it this year when his cousin's daughter's daughter (would that be his first cousin twice removed?) wanted to see what he was doing when the turkey came out of the oven. (She wanted to see what he was doing, but she didn't want me to take a picture of her seeing what he was doing!) 

We tease him about his spread sheets and timelines, but we always eat when he says we're going to and all the food is always hot. I love that he's organized and time-conscious. Those are definitely not strengths of mine! 

What a blessing he has been to me. My love for him grows with each passing year and I'm thankful to the Lord for putting us together.

So glad you were able to stop by here for a little visit today. Have a great one!