So after weeks and weeks of not even picking up a piece of paper...I finally created a card for the Card Positioning Systems blog challenge this week using sketch 117. Now, I am not entirely thrilled with what I came up with but I AM THRILLED that I created something finally. Maybe this will be the start of my creative comeback. Here's crossing my fingers and toes on that one!!

We had a beautiful Memorial Day weekend. On Monday we went to the Allegheny State Park with mom and dad and our niece Margaret for a day of fishing, hiking (gone bad for the two girls!!) canoeing and eating. It was a beautiful albeit kind of chilly day and it was so nice to just relax and not do much of anything. Lots and lots of people were enjoying the park that day. Max caught two fish...more than anybody else. He wasn't so sure that he liked fishing before that though because he said you just stand here and can't move around at all. But after hooking that first fish of his I think he was "hooked" Yes, I know, bad pun but purely intended!! Grandpa also said that he was an expert paddler in the canoe...he was so cute!!

Tonight the baseball team is playing in the quaterfinals of the playoffs. On paper these boys should win without a hitch but sometimes they forget to bring their all when it comes down to these important games. I sure hope tonight is not one of those nights and they win so they can continue on. I guess I will be crossing my fingers and toes for this too and saying lots and lots of prayers.

Other than that things have been really quiet here. Just trying to get my plants planted and finish up things that I want to do outside for the summer months. We had so many days of beautiful weather that I became completely spoiled. Fortunately for our gardens though we did get a bit of rain the last couple of days and even a few nasty thunderstorms. I wasn't happy to be stuck inside but it was much needed so I am not complaining!!

Thanks for stopping by today and I am promising not to be so much of a stranger anymore!!

I love this weekend....yes because I believe that we should all take the time to remember, thank and pray for our military...both past, present and future. Because of them we are allowed so much that we have in our amazing country.

This weekend also is a special because it begins all of the fun summer time activities that I so long for after such a long and hard winter!! Planting gardens, spending time outdoors, bon fires and being with the family outside enjoying the beauty that God has provided!!

We have been busy here in NY....baseball is now into the playoffs...hopefully we will have many more games to play....as long as they win we keep on playing. Andrew and his friends Dan and BJ spent an amazing day in Cincinnati at the Bengals stadium last week for a football combine. They enjoyed themselves and had a chance to "strut their stuff" for their future college coaches. We have been getting many, many calls and letters from colleges all over the country interested in Andrew. It is exciting but overwhelming all at the same time. It makes me tear up just a bit knowing that next year is his last year here at home and after that....who knows but God what life will hold for him. I am excited and sad all at the same time!

Our weather has been just plain gorgeous here this past week and I have spent many hours outside in my gardens. Hoping to get out and buy some plants to put in today. But of course we are always busy and always on the go so I am not sure just how much I will be able to get done today.

I have not created in a long, long time...I did however print out a picture that I am mulling a layout over in my head. Hopefully I will be spurred to create...I can't explain the emptiness it causes me when I can't get myself create. I am sure it is much like a writer who isn't able to put words to paper. I sure hope it goes away soon!!

Have a great weekend and enjoy your time with family. Remember to hug a veteran and give them a big thank you!!

It has been a long time since I blogged last. Too long!! I just took a lot longer to recover from my incident then initially thought. Hopefully I am on the mend now and soon I can wake up without any sort of ailment!!

I don't know where to begin so I guess I will just start with Mother's Day. I had a wonderful day from start to finish....I woke up to my hubby's famous pancakes and went to sleep when the day was done with my son's awesome cheesecake in my tummy! And everything in between was wonderful too. I did have a moment of sadness while sitting in church and seeing a little girl in front of me with the most beautiful gingham dress on. It had adorable pink buttons and she had adorable black mary janes on. Why would this make me sad? Because it reminded me of all of the pretty little dresses that my mom would make the girls and it just made me miss her so terribly much! I can't even begin to count how many dresses she must have made. Each one was a little piece of artwork....she was an amazing seamstress!! I still have hanging in my closet the very last dress that she ever made...Abby's First Communion dress...I don't have the heart or the gumption to ever put it away...it is a reminder to me of my mom and what an awesome mom she was. Eventually when the time is right I will give this dress to Abby for her own daughter to wear but for now it is a piece of my mom that I can't bear to give away.

Okay, I guess I got a little sidetracked there....We went to the Olive Garden with Andrew's family for dinner. The great grand parents, the grand parents and Drew's aunt and uncle from California. The biggest and best surprise was that Maddie drove down from Rochester to eat with us. I didn't even have a clue that the boys called her to tell her about it. That was a wonderful Mother's Day surprise for me!! Then of course because we were in the "big city" I was allowed to go to some craft stores and of course buy some new goodies!! Hopefully these new items will get me out of my crafty slump and help me get my butt in gear once again!!

On that note...I have a tiny little bit of exciting news...I won a layout contest for an online scrapbooking magazine!! You can click here to see the article. So my layout above has been published!! How cool is that!! This is a favorite layout of mine and it just warmed my heart that it was chosen. Made my crappy month just a little bit less crappy!!

I am going to go and create now in my newly cleaned and organized scrap room. Hopefully (fingers and toes crossed) I will have something new to share with you tomorrow!! Thanks for stopping by!!

I have been terrible about posting since being back but I have a good excuse. I had not really felt well ever since being back from vacation...my sinus' were terrible and I was just not feeling like doing anything at all. Sunday my chin started swelling up and I had terrible pain in my mouth...of course I tried to treat these symptoms by myself because 1. I hate going to the doctor or dentist and 2. I hate being on antibiotics. Unfortunately though I was not very successful in curing my problem. I woke up Wednesday morning at 3am and my entire face from chin to ear was swollen, I had terrible cold sweats and just felt like my brain was not working well at all. I called my poor sister Lisa at 4am (don't ask me why I just didn't go upstairs and wake up Drew...cause I just don't know why I didn't) She came over and took one look at my face and marched upstairs to wake Drew up and have him take me to the emergency room. So off we go and...well...my sinus infection decided to take up residence in my gum area around a tooth that had been broken. The doctor decided that he needed to lance my gum to get the infection out...omg...I have never in all of my life seen anything so gross as the stuff that came out of my mouth!! But as gross as it was it was an immediate relief of pressure and pain. So he sent me home with some awesome pain pills and super strong antibiotics. I am starting to feel human again and I have learned that I need to not let a sinus infection go for as long as I did!! Scary, scary stuff!!

Consequently, I have not created in weeks and I have really not done much of anything except try to get through each day. We did celebrate Andrew Thomas' 17th birthday last week. Watched a bunch of baseball games for the boys...which their record is now 2 and 2 in t he league. And the weather last weekend was absolutely gorgeous here so we spent many hours outside working on the yard and the deck. I have to say that this is the first time we have ever been able to pressure wash and seal our deck in April!! Of course the weather since has been a bit dreary and rainy...little bit of sun but kind of cool temps. I just wish that summer would get here already!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking on me...have had lots of people wonder where I was and that kind of makes me feel pretty good!! Have a great May 1st!!