One Year Ago Today....

I remember June 27th, 2011 so vividly.... It was by far the hardest day of my entire life.  Leaving your child as they cry for you, laying on a huge operating table getting hooked up to iv's and machines that will sustain his life.... nothing prepares you.  Nothing.

But, the day was also the best day of my life, because Dr. Rebeyka and his amazing team, fixed Braydens little heart.  His life has changed drastically, he has become such a ball of fire it amazes me and everyone around us.  The energy that this child has, that he just simply didn't have before, is astounding.

This child that a year ago couldn't go through the day without having up to 6 hours worth of naps some days, and was still in bed at 7pm, wasn't able to eat because he had no energy or appetite and couldn't gain weight, and couldn't breathe properly because his lungs were compromised.... the little angel that was in congestive heart failure and nobody caught it.  This child has done a complete 180 degrees and eats like a horse (and eats EVERYTHING), only has one nap a day, has almost NO down time the entire time he's awake because he's running everywhere and climbing everything...  He has gained close to 10lbs and grown inches....  This child is my heart warrior, my hero....

This experience isn't over, because we don't know what the future holds.  We don't know if or when another surgery will happen.  For now, we keep him on his medications, watch for signs, and just enjoy every single moment watching him grow and thrive.  But looking at what has happened over the last year, I know that he will be fine.  No matter what happens or how many trips to the hospital we end up making.  He will be fine.

Lost Treasure!

I’ve mentioned before how hard it sometimes is to find something in this little town suitable to alter… so when I happen to find something in my own home that I have forgotten about, and nobody wants it anymore… it’s pretty exciting. LOL!

This little chessboard/gameboard measures about 9″ square, has a removable lid, and had dividers inside for other game pieces. Nobody has every played with it, some of the pieces were missing, so I put it into the ‘Chelsea Pile’ to see what I could do with it.

I brought home some of the ‘This & That Graceful’ line from Echo Park (by Lori Whitlock) because I really fell in love with it while at the store for the Grand Reopening weekend. I thought I would try and turn it into a little pretty keepsake box for Makenna to put into her bedroom for all of the little notes she brings home from school from her friends.

Items Used: Bingo Paper, Dots Paper, Lace Paper, Quilt Paper, Element Stickers, Alpha Stickers and then some glue, some popdots, some scissors, and some ribbon…. that’s all it took, and I love the end result.

She absolutely loves it.  Her favorite part is the little sticker die cut in the corner, because I have sung ‘You are my sunshine’ to all of my kiddos while they are growing up.

Congratulations to LIITD!!

I just returned from a wonderful trip down south to Winkler, MB!  I packed up and headed down kind of last minute when plans allowed me to go, and was there for the weekend of the Grand Opening of the new LIITD store! 

When I walked into the store on Friday when I got there, I was blown away.  I couldn't get over the fact that it was in reality, a REAL storefront, and everything was so spacious and bright, nicely spaced out and organized.  

What got to me the most, were the little touches.  The DETAILS.  Lori has a thing for details, and they make the store totally and completely HER.  You don't feel like you are walking into WalMart to the scrapbook section.  You feel like you are walking into her second home, full of knick knacks and personal items.... it's amazing.

Here are some pics that I took before it opened for the day!! :)

 This is the room where you can sit and scrapbook for small crops, so nice to have it right in the building!!

Thank you for letting me a part of the big day!!!

You can read Lori's blog post about it HERE!

Get Fussy!

Good Saturday Morning!

Well, I am going to try and get my mojo back....

now if they can put an extra few hours in the day I would be thrilled!

I issued a challenge at Love is in the Details yesterday,

and my challenge was called

It's OK To Be Fussy!!!

Cutting out flowers, butterflies, hearts, different shapes... from various patterned papers is one of my weaknesses.  Doesn't matter how long it takes for me, I love the end result so much that it makes it all worth the time and effort.  You can end up with embellishments that you never would have found otherwise!!

So take the time to get fussy today...

it's ok, really...

I give you permission.

:)

Now I'm sitting down at my scrap table in hopes of getting some more stuff done!!!  Have a great weekend!!!