hitting the road again

Ashlyn and I are taking another road trip to Seattle this week. She is going to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy on Wednesday. The poor girl. The timing is not the best as Kara graduates on Saturday, but I am thankful that she is finally getting this done. Everything just runs right through her and all I can do is keep her hydrated for now. She has lost more weight and looks worse than ever (I didn't think that was possible). I pray that I can leave Seattle with some answers.

I do have a layout to share. I follwed the Scrappy Formula on CMK and even though I struggled with it a bit, I like the end result. I am in a rut and this sketch really got me out of my box. :)

My oldest "baby" graduates in less than a week. *sniff* I will be back next week to blog about that. lol

Take care and have a great week!

more waiting...

Nothing scrappy to post, but I have another update on my sweet Ashlyn. We met with the GI Doc. and I finally think that we are going to get some answers. Of course, nothing is easy and everything takes time so now we sit and wait some more. They did do more blood work on her and had to give stool samples for the labs to test (the poor girl is beyond tired of being poked and prodded). We should know the results of those sometime mid-week next week and then what is next. She was also placed on a super-restrictive diet, which has not been fun for her. I won't go into the whole list, but she can only drink water or Crystal Light. No gum. She cannot have chocolate or anything with caffeine. Nothing with high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, or artificial sugars. And what's left has to contain at least 2g of fiber per serving. I have been reading labels like mad as well as teaching the girls what to look for. It's not easy, but we are doing OK. Thankfully some of her favorite things are OK for her to eat like popcorn, Triscuts, and Fiber One Shredded Wheat.
Hopefully we'll have answers soon. We return to Seattle in about a month, unless they need to run additional tests and I have to take her back sooner.
The saddest thing for me about all this is that she has seemed to have given up. She has lost her spirit bit by bit, but now it's just gone. She doesn't want to do anything but sleep and lie around. She just stares into space. Even her Porsche cars don't inspire her. She is constantly angry and is short with everyone. I don't know what to do. I just pray that something is found out soon so she will come back to life.

I have been working out in the yard. The weather is gorgeous and I feel good working with my hands. Bit by bit things are looking better and it's helping to lift my spirits a bit. Soon there will be beautiful flowers everywhere and that always makes me happy. :)
Take care.

Card Patterns sketch 15

It's been beautiful here the past few days and is going to continue to be for the next several days. Our maple trees are filling up with leaves quickly now and creating a wonderful area for shade. Our lilacs are blooming and soon that sweet scent will float along the gentle breezes and fill the air. A few flowers are popping up here and there and the lawns are green and color has returned. Barbeques are lit and friends and family gather outside to enjoy life. The sound of children playing override the muffled sound of the lawnmowers. I always seem to forget what I like about Spring until this time of year when I can see all the new life in bloom. I seem to notice something new each day and it lifts my heart.

I created 2 cards for Card Patterns this week. One using the awesome sketch and another using a fun image from Digi Shack, a digital stamp site. There are some really cute images there! I really like this adorable elephant image and I had my idea as soon as I saw her, so I decided to make a card just showcasing her. I first printed the image on white cs, then again on grey. I cut out the grey and adhered it onto the white bg. I then printed her one more time on white and cut out the tutu and flowers, then adhered them on top of the grey. I used colored pencils, puff paint and Stickles. It didn't take long to create, just a while for everything to dry.

Once again, the CPDT blew me away with their talent. Gosh these girls are amazing!

I will post an update on Ashlyn upon my return home. I pray to have something uplifting to share because it's a challenge to be cheerful when she looks and feels so awful.

Take care :)

going to Seattle next week

Ashlyn and I will be going to Seattle on Monday. She finally has an appt. with a pedicatric GI specialist. It's amazing what a few phone calls from an oncologist can do... she wasn't going to get in at Children's Hospital of Seattle until the end of June, but Swedish got her in asap, which I am so thankful for.

She will be scoped with biopsies taken, along with several other tests. I am really nervous, but relieved that hopefully we'll get some answers soon. She doesn't even talk anymore, it's all yelling because she is in constant pain. I try very hard to hold my temper because I know she doesn't mean to, this is just how she is dealing with the pain and frustration of it all. It's not fun around here, especially when she is angry. lol I pray that we can get her on the mend soon because it's breaking her spirit. Even Skye told me last night that she cannot wait for the "old" Ashlyn to come back.

I do have 2 layouts to share. 'Say What' is for my challenge this week at Ally Scraps. I challenge everyone to create a layout using only 1 MF, with a bonus entry for making it a circular layout. I used Making Memories to create my page.

'Apple Picking' is just one I made for fun using some of the wonderful MLS papers and some of the cute Kraft Kuts from Fancy Pants Designs. The tree trunk is nearly identical on both.

It's going to be a gorgeous weekend here! I plan to get out and enjoy the nice weather and decompress before Ashlyn's testing. Have a great weekend and take care. :)

plenty of scrappy stuff

I've got several projects to share that I created for Ally Scraps. First is a layout I made for my crop challenge; 'ride baby ride'. It's a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown challenge. I used 5 different MF, 4 photos and journaling strips, a 3 word title, 2 butterflies and 1 piece of ribbon. It was a huge challenge to limit myself, but I really like how this layout turned out. I need to step out of my comfort zone and mix and match patterns and MF more often.

The 'Sweet Moves' layout was my first take on the challenge, but it didn't work out so I used it for one of my monthly assignments. I just love these fun pics of Skye... she's such a funny girl! Each time I see these photos I smile.

I made this tussy-mussy for Purrfect Projects #9. The prompt was flowers this time and the girls created such stunning pieces! I love how each is so different. I used some gorgeous papers from My Little Shoebox along with plenty of bling and tulle. I handcut the flowers, and then inked and heat embossed them for some dimension.

I also have 2 cards for Card Patterns: 'life delights in life' uses sketch 13, and 'thank you' uses this weeks sketch. There is also a DT call going on now. Michelle is wonderful to work with and the sketches are super! I encourage you to apply. :)

Take care!

Ally Scraps Crop and an update on Ashlyn

We'd love to have you!

Here's an update on Ashlyn:
it's not a cancer, thank God! She does have an autoimmune disease though, and which one exactly is still a mystery. It is more than likely going to be a digestive autoimmune disease such as Crohn's disease/ulcerative colitis since most of her problems are with her digestive system. She will be seeing a ped. GI doctor soon and having a whole slew of testing done to confirm this as well as seeking any other potential issues. Hopefully in a short time we will have a diagnosis and begin to treat it. For now she suffers and we wait. I want to thank everyone for their kind words, thoughts and prayers. I truly appreciate it.
Take care.

Just Add H20- May's Artz de Scrap project

May already. A bittersweet time for me. I am getting closer to answers for Ashlyn, but it also means that it's closer to my big baby girl graduating. *sniff* Tonight she is going to G. prep's prom and is going to have a wonderful time. She has been looking forward to this for months. She is going with a big group of 16 I think. Most of them are just going as friends. They are going to a nice restaurant, have all chipped in to get a limo for the night, and have all the little details worked out. Her and I had a great talk the other day and it's beautiful to see how much she has grown, but it's heartbreaking to see how much she has grown at the same time. I want her to be my baby again. I hope this night is everything she has dreamed it would be.

The May challenge on Artz de Scrap was for us to create a mini album using 8 acetate sheers, preferably with a Summer theme. I really struggled with this album at first because I didn't have a chunk of time to sit down and work on this. It took several days of a few minutes here and there, but it came together and I really the end result. I ran two sheets through my Cuttlebug for some added texture. For the cover I used microbeads in the embossed areas on the underside to give it some extra oomph. It looks so cool irl. The water drops were all traced and cut out, then i applied Stickles to add some shimmer.

Be sure to take a peek at the albums the other fabulous designers posted... you will love theirs!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a beautiful weekend. :)

Take care