So I’ve found that I’m really good at the personal assistant gig.  I’m talking about my job as Denny’s personal assistant.  Yeesh, I ran all over town today for him, scheduled his appointments, served his dinner and washed, folded and put away his clothes.  What kind of racket is that?!?! And I wonder why I don’t have time to scrapbook.

I was at Scrap Palace last night for this jewelry party.  Not the kind where you spend money, but the kind where you make it.  People came with old gold, (Pierina and Amy know TONS of people I swear), and they sell off their old stuff in exchange for cash.  At any rate, I swore I didn’t have anything as I don’t wear gold, but I found some stuff hiding here and there.  Well I made $76.00, so that was more than I started the day with, and I’m pretty happy with that.   I won’t tell you how much the rest of them made, but HOLY COW.  Shocking.  Just shocking.

Not much else really going on here.  I have a class I’m enrolled in right now with Pam Sandy at My Creative Classroom.  Its an acrylic thingy.  Class started Monday but I haven’t really had time to sit down and get moving on it.  I have the kit, lol, so thats one step in a positive direction I guess.  I’m planning to give it as a gift.  We’ll see.  I almost always do some kind of scrapbooking related gifts for the people I give gifts to.  I have no idea who gets what until I’m finished.  I have a rating system… how much will so and so appreciate the hours this took me… kind of rating system.  One year I did full albums for everyone.  Seriously, full albums.  I was still working on them Christmas day.  Anyway I gave one of them to someone we’ll call Mrs. X, (I’m using an alias to protect the names of the obnoxious).  She opens it and says to a related Mr. X, “Oh look, this is what Jennifer does all day!”  WHAT?!?!  All I could think was, :Seriously, did she just say that?”  From that day forward the rating system came into play.  For obvious reasons.

~j

I know, I know, it’s been ages since I’ve posted anything.  I feel pretty bad about it really.  Kinda therapeutic to post here.  Honest.  My excuse?  I’ve been busy.  I know I say that all the time, but it’s so true.

I had a card class this past Tuesday at Scrap Palace.  Then I had a card class and a canvas class start up yesterday at My Creative Classroom.  Then I have another card class the starts on the 3rd of December.  Then Friday night I had a craft show to do.  So all the prep for classes and packing up for the show, and those that needed kits at the last minute really wore me down to a giant stress ball. lol.  I’m here at Scrap Palace right now, relaxing.  I brought Ethan along with me and Michelle dropped her daughter off here earlier.  So I’ve got a good bunch here.

I’ve done 5 layouts today.  This is the first time I’ve scrapbooked since early October I think.  I’m not even sure really.  Sad isn’t it?  Anyway, I’m getting stuff done today, and that’s a step in the right direction!

Right now Amy and Pierina are in the other corner of the room slaving away on some laminate chip albums.  I taught them the steps earlier so now they are over there concentrating on their masterpieces.  LOL.  I love watching other people work and how the process evolves differently for everyone.  From concentration to the giggles.  Each and every person gets it done in a different way, with a different attitude and a different technique.  Seriously, I’ve taught so many people now, and you’d be amazed how many different ways I’ve seen people hold an E-Z Runner even.  All accomplishing the same end result, just a different way of getting the job done.

I’m going to post a new technique sometime this coming week on the tips & tricks page, so keep you’re eyes peeled.

I’m going to wrap it up now.  We are just starting what is supposed to be a decent sized winter storm, so I think I’ll go sit with Ethan and watch the snow fall!

Stay warm!
~j

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Wow time really flew by this weekend and I just can’t even fathom that Thanksgiving is just days away now.  Where did the time go?? 

I swear, sometimes I wake up, look at Ethan, and wonder if I’ve been asleep for a year.  Last week he had a Cub Scout meeting and wore his uniform.  Holy Cow!  He looks like a little man in that thing.  I’m proud and sad at the same time.  I mean I can remember those sleepless nights rocking him back and forth, and gads, the projectile vomiting that kid did.  YUCK!  I remember just telling myself, if I can just get through this it will be better tomorrow.  Ack, now I want some of that time in the rocking chair back.  The pukefest, uhh, I can do without that, but everything else, well, I’d give just about anything for a moment of it back.    Now he’s a little man… things just move so fast!  You blink and it’s gone.  I need to post of photo of him in the uniform and you’ll see what I mean.

I have big plans for tomorrow…  Class prep!  I’ll be kitting out the card classes I have coming up both here locally and online at MyCreativeClassroom.com.  I’d like to kick it all out in a day, but I don’t think thats going to happen.  Usually it takes a few days and that’s with my Mom offering to mass cut things or score if I need her to.  Cross your fingers and wish me luck.  Shelby is sick and CRABBY, so she isn’t getting along with anyone around here.  A crabby Shelby makes for a long and very loud day!!

Sadly, my Mom isn’t home and really I’m all around lost and lonely without her.  She went to Florida to see her Mother who just had surgery.  I don’t have a relationship with her, but I understand that my Mom needed to go.  Regardless, that doesn’t stop me from missing her terribly.  I swear I talk to her everyday maybe a bazillion times.  She lives less than a mile away and I probably see her everyday too.  It’s hard to go cold turkey, lol.  Anyway, I’m in a funk cuz I miss my Mommy!  She isn’t coming back until Thanksgiving evening so we aren’t doing Thanksgiving festivities this year with my family. 

Being my Mom won’t be here for the holiday, I guess we will be stopping at Denny’s parents for a bit (which I just found out about today) and then I’m going to spend the rest of my day with Michelle, being thankful for her friendship.

See how mushy and sappy I can be when given the chance???

~j

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I have three “craft shows” coming up this week.  I’m selling handmade cards, raffling off free seats in class, and representing Scrap Palace.  Pierina, one of the wonderful owners of Scrap Palace, is going to be with me at one, so I’ll have some fun company!  I’ve made just shy of 300 cards so far.  I had planned to be making cards all weekend and everyday really until the first show, but I had a little incident Sunday morning, lol.  After the “incident” I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. 

So I’m sure your wondering what happened…  Uhh, I fell down one of my flights of stairs.  The important lesson here: Hey kids, put your stuff away where it belongs!  I think on the second step I hit a train there that someone “forgot” to put away and everything after that is a painful blur.  At any rate I did something goofy to my knee, my poor bad knee, which seems to be the brunt of every bad thing that could ever happen.  Two surgeries later and now I’m just waiting for the day I’m eligible for a new one.  I told Denny yesterday I’d make a doctors appointment today.  Umm, I didn’t do it.  I decided against it.  I know what they will want to do, and I’m not willing to go down that road, so I figure why waste the copay.  *wink*  How do you like that logic?

I had mentioned a VersaMark technique a couple weeks ago and I had promised to share it here, so here it is.

What you’ll need:

•     VersaMark (small cube square… the small size is key here)
•     Cardstock (a solid color cardstock on the darker end of the spectrum works best)
•     Mask (you can use any mask on hand, or make your own using diecuts)
•     Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L E-Z Dots (to temporarily hold your mask in place)

First, you’ll need to select a mask and prep it for use.  For this technique I wouldn’t recommend a really ornate mask, so stick with designs with clear edges.  Coat the back of your mask with E-Z Dots and place on the cardstock.

Now using a VersaMark pad, “stomp” over the mask with the pad.  Expect to press hard to get the ink to transfer.  Go over the entire area of the mask.  Once you’ve covered the mask, peel it up, and move it to another spot on the cardstock and repeat the process until you’ve covered the cardstock.

It’s important to note that when switching your mask to another spot make sure you don’t stomp your VersaMark pad over an area that you’ve already done. 

Hopefully one of you will find that little tip useful.  Try making some masks for yourself to fit your project.  If you have a Cricut, this is a great use for it!

Watch the blog tomorrow… I’ll be giving away free cards!!!

~j

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Poor Denny.  I say that a lot.  That poor guy seems to always get himself into some kind of predicament.  The other night he was sitting with Shelby letting her play with the alarm clock.  I heard her turn the radio on and he was sitting right with her.  She fiddled with all the buttons and had a grand time.  Of course once she had all the buttons mastered she put it down and moved on…

Fast forward to early the next morning.  Denny’s alarm goes off at 4:30 am as usual.  He gets up, gets ready to go… out the door by 5am.  What he doesn’t know… Shelby has set the clock 2 hours fast.  HA HA!  I’m cracking up just sitting here thinking about it.  Denny actually left the house and got part way to work when he noticed the clock in the car said it was 3am instead of 5am.  He ended up coming home and going back to bed, just to start all over again in a couple hours.

You know what the best part of this story is?  This is the second time this happened.  Dilly did the same thing when he was about 2.   Great minds think alike apparently.

I’m pleased to say that the project I had to complete by Friday is now done!  Yippee on that.  Now I have to move on to making cards.  I have three craft shows next week that I need cards for.  Nothing like leaving it till the last minute huh?

~j

I really like my UPS guy.  He’s just all around nice and I like that he brings the heavy stuff inside, lol.  Yesterday he brought be a box from Arctic Frog.  Sadly they are closing up shop and had their products on clearance.  So… of course I ordered a bunch of paper.  I’m sad to see them go, but not too sad to pass up a good sale.

In other UPS news, today I got a box from Denna at Traditions Studios.  She sent me some items to use for some upcoming publications.  I was pretty excited to see the box because I really love all their products.  If you haven’t used any of them you’ve been missing out.  All of them make great gifts.  I’m not big on Christmas, that’s no secret, but I like to give handmade gifts, so Traditions Studio is right up my alley.  One of my favorite products in their line up is the Lighted Compact Mirror.  Why?  Uhh, it’s just too cute!!

Now tell me you don’t want one of those????

Just a heads up.  Tomorrow My Creative Classroom will be sending out a newsletter.  In that newsletter there is going to be a contest running that will get you a free seat in class and some other great prizes.  I can’t give out any more specifics, but if you haven’t signed up, get a move on and get on the newsletter list!!  You don’t want to miss this!

I have to get working… I have a deadline this Friday and being the product just came today I have to get moving!

~j

What makes a good photo?  I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks now and I think the general scrapbooking population, (and plenty of other people for that matter), think its the perfect shot, the perfect smile, the best background, etc.  Take a minute to think out of the box.  I mostly scrap my kids.  You and I both know that it isn’t always smiles, giggles and grins.  Sometimes I take them somewhere and they are just plain crabby.  It happens, it’s who they are.  Isn’t capturing who they are everyday the perfect photo?

A few weeks ago I was at Scrap Palace and Amy was looking at a layout I did of Shelby last year sitting on a very big pumpkin.  Shelby wasn’t thrilled.  She wasn’t screaming, but I couldn’t get a smile out of her to save my life.  (The things we do to our kids, lol.)  Anyway, all I could get was this seriously disgruntled look.  So I had a bunch of shots of Shelby with no smiles.  Amy said, “Now I would never have thought to use those photos.”  Well, to me those photos are just fine.  They captured a moment, a REAL moment.  Maybe that thinking will save someone else’s candid crabby shots from the trash can.

At any rate, here is the layout…

Card class went well last night, and I think everyone had a good time.  We did 13 cards and finished right on time.  I have no idea how that happens, finishing on time I mean.  I don’t plan it and I don’t time myself when I prep for it.  It must be luck.    I also got a nice little gift last night from Mary, one of my students.  She gave me this little baggie of Halloween treats.  MMM.  I have to take a photo of one of the things she made.  It held a pack of gum and had a Velcro enclosure.  Super cute!  I think I ate all the candy before I left.  *wink*  I love Halloween.  (Thank you again Mary, you are the cats meow!!)

Enrollment has started at My Creative Classroom and it’s been going well.  I’m thrilled with how things are going thus far.  It really was a lot of work and a lot of LEARNING to get the classrooms all set up and ready to go.  I’m excited to see how things progress.  If I haven’t told you already you can visit the website, MyCreativeClassroom.com and sign up for the newsletter.  Doing so will get you a free week of classes in January.  Also as a side note on the classes I have posted there thus far…. The card classes will be DIFFERENT cards from those that I have covered in past classes.  Each month I do something different and this venture at MCC is no different.  Sample posted are samples of my work for reference only.  Hopefully that clears up any mystery in that department.

Ok I have a Halloween parade to go to in a few minutes and then two class parties to attend.  I really love the days where I have to be at two different schools at the same time.  Yeesh, time for my super mommy suit.

Happy Halloween…
~j

I know it’s been a long time since I posted anything, sorry. I’ve been swamped with life. Really, it’s been pretty busy here and I don’t have a dull spot planned until Halloween. If taking the kids counts as downtime, then that’s the soonest I have some in my plans.

I’ve been prepping for card class since late in the day on Saturday. I’m pleased to day that I finished this evening around 6pm. They are all packed and ready to go. If you ordered a kit they will go out either tomorrow or Wednesday morning. I need to take the card photos for the print outs and I’d prefer to do it in natural light for the best results. So, that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Halloween is quickly approaching and I’ve been so busy that I just about forgot about pumpkin carving. It obviously wasn’t going to get done tonight, so that moves it to tomorrow. Being I have a class I’m thinking I’m going to miss it, unless we start the moment Denny gets home. That makes me sad, but it’s my own fault for letting the time get away from me. It should have been scheduled in before now. (How sad is it when you have to schedule time to carve pumpkins??)

Enrollment is starting at My Creative Classroom tomorrow. I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my classroom today. I have a few more things I’d like to add, but it is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I’m beat! Anyway, if you haven’t been by there yet be sure to check it out. There are a ton of instructors there and they are all offering some fantastic classes!

Alright, well I’m off to vegetate now in front of the television. Jon and Kate, Plus 8. Nothing like making a mom of three feel better… watching a couple with 8 children (including a set of 6 kids that are 3 years old) go through life, day to day. Really, it makes everything that happens around here look like a walk in the park.

*wink*

~j

First let me tell you that this is probably going to be a long post, but something I think is very important that everyone know.  So bear with me!

I see different doctors for different things, as I suspect just about all of us do, for what I think are fairly obvious reasons.  I think seeing a “specialist” is very important, and I want to know the person I’m trusting my health to is an “expert” in the area I need the best attention paid to.  So assuming you have a network of doctors, and like I said I think both of us do, I’m imploring you, I’m begging you in fact, to always make it a rule to get your very own copy of all your medical test results!!!  After all, they are yours, and the hold an obscene amount of key information about you.  Why is it that we shred all of our personal information before throwing it out, but we go through life, most of us anyway, letting some medical office hold the copies of all our body information?  Generally we never even lay our eyes on those results personally.  They tell us what they say and then we move on.  That has to stop and I’ll tell you why…

In April of 2007 I had a routine visit with my Neurologist regarding my migraines.  Routine blood work was done and that was the end of it.  I left, never got a call back about it and didn’t expect to.  It wasn’t until I’d guess July that I even thought about those tests again.  I had gotten notice that my Neurologist was moving to Ann Arbor to work with U 0f M.  I was given the opportunity to request my records to take to a new doctor.  I requested them and waited.

My records arrived sometime in August, and honestly I’m not even sure when exactly it was.  I had no idea that what was mailed to me in that envelope was really a ticking time bomb.  As I fumbled through all the notes and such, I ran across the results from the blood draw in April.  Right there in front of me were several numbers circled and noted as high and some low.  I wondered about it and set it aside, intending to investigate further.  I figured it was probably nothing as I never got a call from the doctor that initally did the tests.  So really, what was the difference right?

So September comes and I’m feeling all around pretty awful, tired, shaky, etc.  I’ve had this before, for a long time it seems, but I have three children, I’m probably supposed to feel like this.  Well on the 18th of September I had finally had enough and headed to my family doctor.  I took those mysterious tests with me, just so I could kill two birds with one stone and ask about them.  Well it turns out what was on that paper was indeed very important.  According to those tests there was a problem with my thyroid.  A problem in fact that certainly wasn’t likely to just resolve itself and that could have very well been responsible for the way I had been feeling for a long time.  So more blood was run and it again came back showing my thyroid to be totally out of control.

Sadly it had taken until today, this morning in fact, for a specialist to sit me down and tell me that I have Hypothyroidism.  I’m now on a medication for that and another medication to get my heart back under control.  The other sad part, my symptoms sat undiagnosed and worsening to the point that they have before I could get any help.  Had I insisted from day one that I get my results I would have known in April and had this treated before it got so far out of hand.  I’m told now that it will be at least a week before the medication to control that pesky thyroid kicks in and makes a noticeable difference, but I’m on my way.  Thank goodness for that.

Things have really gone downhill over even just the last two weeks.  I have moments, sometimes hours, where it seems mostly impossible to catch my breath, uncontrollable sweats… hot flashes for lack of a better term, complete sense of weakness, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, substantial weight loss, (which I’m not technically complaining about *wink*), and most recently my hair has started to fall out.  That is the short list.  It has gotten that bad before it was even at a point where it could get better.

I know what you are thinking, and I thought it too… “What am I going to do with test results?  I don’t know what any of that means.”  Well I’ll tell you what, after seeing mine, 99% of them are marked by the lab ad High, Low, or in range.  Not only that, but they list what the normal range is and some of them even give a possible full DIAGNOSIS on the bottom.  A cheat sheet or suggestion list I guess you could call it.  So put yourself in the know!!  Get a copy!!  Keep the copy!!  READ the copy!!

For me it had to get to this point before I saw how important it really was for me to take charge of my medical records.  For me I had to get increasingly worse to get any better.  Now I’m on my way to better, but I’d hope that not everyone has to learn the lesson the way I did.  The hard way really isn’t always the best way!