Wow this year is flying by!

It's already August 1st. It's so hard to believe that my little baby girl will be a full year old in a month. That makes me so sad. There will be no more after her, 3 is all I can handle! Tyler finally got to come and visit. It was so great to see him and spend time with him. He has changed so much in the 15 months since I last saw him. He has matured a lot (obviously) and it was sad to see how much he has grown up. I won't get to see him again until March. That seems so far away right now though. He was awesome while he was here though. He and I made a scrapbook for him to take home. It's full of older pictures of all of us and some newer pictures from this summer. He has lots of pictures of his sisters and mom now.

We have made a big change to our kits this month. Rather than having one large kit we'll be having two smaller kits. Each kit is $18 or you can buy them both for $35. Our altered kit for this month is up and shipping. Shannah did an amazing job putting this kit together. The 7 Gypsies paper is beautiful!

Ginger Rohlfs is going to be our guest designer for August and we're having a live chat with her on August 15th at 8:00 pm CST. I am so excited for this. We've set up a real time chat room so we can actually "chat" instead of posting messages and waiting for responses. We'll have lots of prizes to give away and probably even a few kits!

Post and a challenge!

I finally get my kiddos back this weekend! I'm so happy those 5 weeks are over. I have definitely missed my little chatterbox! And Tyler - oh my I haven't seen him in 15 MONTHS! I am so ready for Saturday to get here!

1. FIRST NAME? Laura
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Last night
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Oscar Meyer Smoked Ham
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes, 3 of them
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Absolutely - I'm so much fun!
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Yes, my blog!
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? With just about every sentence that comes out of my mouth.
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not a chance
13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically and mentally, yes. Emotionally, no.
15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Blue Bell Rocky Road
16. SHOE SIZE? 10
17. RED OR PINK? Pink
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? Physically, my baby gut. Emotionally, my inability to get upset without crying.
19. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My son Tyler
20. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? March 18, 1979
21. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? None - just got out of bed
22. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Just ate a bowl of Cheerios
23. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My daughter suck on her bottle
24 IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Gray
25. FAVORITE SMELL? Vanilla candles
26. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? My husband
27. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? If they have untamed facial hair
28. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?. Nope
29. FAVORITE DRINK? Water
30. FAVORITE SPORT? None
31. HAIR COLOR? Strawberry Blonde
32. EYE COLOR? I have one blue eye and one brown eye
33. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, glasses
34. FAVORITE FOOD? Chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden
35. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy Ending
36. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Raising Helen
37. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White cotten nightshirt
38. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter
39. HUGS OR KISSES? Kisses
40. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate Cake
41. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? None at the moment
42. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The quiet
44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Rolling Stones
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? 1300 miles when I went to Las Vegas
46. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD
THEY BE? George Bush and my son Tyler

What muppet are you?

You Are Kermit

Hi, ho! Lovable and friendly, you get along well with everyone you know. You're a big thinker, and sometimes you over think life's problems. Don't worry - everyone know's it's not easy being green. Just remember, time's fun when you're having flies!

The Muppet Personality Test

Advanced Global Personality Test Results Extraversion || 10% Stability |||||| 23% Orderliness |||||||||||||||| 63% Accommodation |||||||||||||||||| 76% Interdependence |||| 16% Intellectual || 10% Mystical || 10% Artistic || 10% Religious |||||||||| 36% Hedonism |||||||||||| 43% Materialism |||||||||||||||||| 76% Narcissism |||||||||||| 43% Adventurousness || 10% Work ethic |||||||||||||| 56% Self absorbed |||| 16% Conflict seeking || 10% Need to dominate || 10% Romantic |||||||||||| 50% Avoidant |||||||||||||||| 70% Anti-authority |||||| 23% Wealth || 10% Dependency || 10% Change averse |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Cautiousness |||||||||||||||||| 76% Individuality |||||||||||| 43% Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Peter pan complex || 10% Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Physical Fitness || 10% Histrionic |||||||||||||| 56% Paranoia |||||||||||||||||||| 83% Vanity || 10% Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||||||| 90% Female cliche |||||||||||||||| 70%

Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Lets talk about faith

Oh boy this is a hard one for me!

It has taken a lot for me to have faith in a higher power. I didn't grow up in a religious household. In fact, I have only been inside of a church a couple of times. With all of the crappy things that have happened in my life over the past few years it was really hard for me to believe that there is a higher power. I have realized over the past year that just because the things that you want to happen don't, doesn't mean that there isn't someone up there listening to you.

It's very hard to keep your faith when every time you turn around your slamming into some brick wall. I had my kids taken from me by their father. He had no right to take them, but he did just the same. Even though he did this, there was nothing I could do to get them back without going to court which was taking months. I had just gotten married to a man that I didn't love. He blamed me for what happened, I blamed myself. I was angry and hurt by all of the things that happened in that short amount of time. Why did God let this happen? Why did God take my kids from me? Why did God let me marry a man that I had no desire to be with? Why did God do this to me? Then all of a sudden I realized...God DIDN'T! I did all of these things to myself. I allowed my ex to come to my house and visit the kids. I allowed him to take them for dinner without even thinking twice about it...because I wanted a break from being a mommy. I am the one that married my husband even though I knew deep down that it was wrong. I am the one that did all of these things to me. God was just there waiting for me to realize the mistakes that I was making. Once I realized this, things have changed. I got my daughter back. No, I don't have both of my children right now, but I'm working on that. I have become pro-active in my childrens' life rather than sitting back and wishing I could be out having fun. And now I'm trying to get my marraige figured out. It's been three years now (in fact today is our anniversary). No, I still don't love him like a woman should love her husband. But, we have a daughter now and I am limited in my choices. I always told myself that once I got married I would stay married regardless. Wedding vows are important to me, but is it worth it to be unhappy for the rest of my life? Is it worth it for my children to grow up seeing me unhappy? Is it worth it for me to spend years and years wondering what my life could have been like "if only..."? I don't know? All I do know is that I pray about it every night. I pray that God will show me the direction that I'm supposed to go in. It may take weeks, it may take months, it may even take years; but I know that one day I will know the right answer. So even with all of the bad things that have happened, there has been even more good. I have a beautiful new baby girl, I have a brand new business doing what I love the most, I have my daughter back and am working hard on getting my son. I have a job, a home, a car.

So, in answer to the questions for this blog challenge:
What does faith mean to you? To me, faith is believing not only in yourself, but in the fact that God will never give you more than you can handle. It may seem like a lot and you may feel like you're losing your mind, but once you open your eyes and see that your life is what you make of it then the faith comes easily!
How has your faith grown over the years? It has grown by leaps and bounds. I have now developed a full faith in God. No, I don't have a "denomination" but I don't think that is necessary for faith. God knows what is in your heart and that is all that matters.
Are you a believer in a higher power? Absolutely! I don't know what shape, size, or color He is, but I know He is there!
Do you fully rely on God in your life? Or not? I can't say that I fully rely on him. I know I should but it's very difficult to just turn your life over to a higher power. I am working on it though!

We now have altered kits!

So we have finally got our altered kits up and available for purchase. These kits are super hot! This month we're doing a 12x12 picture frame for Fathers' Day. We used the new Spiffy papers from Fancy Pants. These just scream "man" to me! Red, green, and blue...perfect for Fathers' Day!

Our June kits are also up and available. These kits are just beautiful. We've mixed the new Restoration line with On the Dot from We R Memory Keepers. We found the new Artsy Doodle rubons from Maisy Mo and just knew
they had to be included! I have always been a fan of WRMK, but these are by far my favorite lines!

We've also added lots of new stuff to the store. We have the entire collection of Artsy Doodle rubons from Maisy Mo, the new doodle stamps from Sassafras Lass and lots more!

Use coupon code BLOGGER to receive 10% off your purchase (including KITS!)

So I had to do it!

I had to send Ciara to Arizona for the summer. I hated doing it and even stayed home in hopes of him not wanting her like he did last summer. But he did make the trip and when I wasn't there he called his attorney who in turn called mine. Ciara didn't want to go at all. It just kills me that he's doing this. I haven't seen Tyler in over a year and because he's missed the last 2 visits but the first time I do it I'm the bad guy. I just don't get it! He's got criminal charges pending right now, which is the reason I didn't want her to go but none of that matters apparantly. He's facing several years in jail but it's ok to let her go see him. It just breaks my heart to do this to her. His girlfriend called this afternoon to let me know they made it home but she wouldn't let me talk to my kids. One day this will all come back to bite him and I can't wait!

This brings me to the 2peas challenge for today! What emotion do I struggle with? That most definitely has to be anger! I hold a lot of anger in me for my ex and his girlfriend. I don't know how to get it out of me and just let it go. I know there's not a lot I can do about our situation right now. It takes money to fight it and I just simply don't have it right now. This much anger isn't good for anyone and I know that. I just wish I could find a way to let it all go, but I don'tk now how. I know one day everything he has done to my kids and me will come back to him but in the meantime my children have to suffer. My husband has been great most of the time in dealing with this. But he does have his limits and sometimes they just aren't what I want. He wants me to back off and let it all play out. But how do I do that when my children are in limbo? How do I just let it all go when I don't know when or if I'll see my son again? I don't know...but I wish I did!

My brother found me!

I can't believe it! My mom and dad divorced when I was five and he and my half-brother left...I haven't seen them since. He was 9 at the time. I got a letter in the mail from a private investigator last week saying that she was hired to find me. I called and she gave me his contact info. We've been on the phone every day since! It is amazing to be able to reconnect with him after all these years. He has told me a lot about our dad. He even sent me pictures. I have mixed feelings about our dad and don't know if I want to ever meet him. We'll see how that goes though. We're planning a get together this summer though. He's not married and has no kids so he'll be coming here to see me. I can hardly wait. It's been 22 years since we last saw each other. His birthday is coming up soon...but what do you get someone that you've never met? I've made him a card so far but I doubt I'll get him a gift. I just don't know what to get for him!!

Anyway...onto store news! We've put our May kit on sale this week. You can do a single kit purchase for $35, which is the 6 month subscription price. Look for new items to be added to the store this coming week from Maisy Mo (awesome rubons!!) and Sassafras Lass...those elusive stitch stamps!

I did it again!

I delayed in posting!

Anyway, there's been so much happen in the last few weeks. First, the bad news. I lost my jurisdiction hearing on Tylers' custody case. NOw if I want to do anything I have to go to Arizona and file to have them throw it out and then refile it all in Missouri. It's ridiculous! Both states say that as long as one participant remains in the original state, then that state retains jurisdiction. I just don't understand it. So of course now Michael wants to see Ciara in June. There's no way I'm letting her go. With the judge throwing it out, he could easily file something in Arizona to keep her there and I'm just not going to take that chance!

So the good news...my brother found me! My mom and dad divorced when I was 5 and I have a half-brother that I've seen only once in the past 22 years. He hired a private investigator to track me down and she succeeded! I just can't believe it! Of course my dad is upset about it. I guess he thinks I'm going to want something from him. I don't. I've never even thought twice about him my entire life. I'm just glad that my brother and I have reconnected...we have lots to catch up on!

2peas challenge...
Blog about your favorites...
Fave coffee - Don't drink it! (water all the way!)
Fave tea - Don't drink it! (again...water!)
Fave jam - Strawberry
Fave peanut butter - JIF creamy
Fave sandwhich - Ham and Cheese with mustard
Fave fast food item - Popeyes chicken
Fave appetizer - Fried ravioli from Olive Garden
Fave summertime drink - Water!
Fave fruit - Strawberries
Fave vegetable - Carrots
Fave indulgence - Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting

Store news!
We had a great sale for NSD. 40% off everything in the store including past kits. We sold out of just about everything! Time to go restock. Our May kit is up and available. There is one item included that isn't pictured...a pack of Gin-X express-ons in White. These are fabulous rubons! Tons of letter and doodles. This month we have our 3 and 6 month prepay options on special. Each is $30 a kit, so 3 months for $90 and 6 months for $180...super deal! June is going to be the Restoration and On the Go lines from We R Memory Keepers! It's going to be fabulous!

2 peas challenge!

Ok so I haven't done a challenge in a while so here goes!

1. My current favorite song - "Becase he cheats" by Carrie Underwood
2. The last book I read - King of Torts by John Grisham (I think he wrote it!)
3. What am I wearing right now - jeans and a t-shirt from work
4. The last CD I bought - Some Hearts by Carrie Underwood
5. The last gift I bought for someone - I just bought my husband a new cell phone just cuz I love him!

So I couldn't wait any longer to put the May kit up in the store. This kit is so full of bright and fun paper! We chose the Color Me Silly line from Basic Grey (12 sheets) and paired it with 5 colors of Bazzill cardstock (2 of each color). We added some of the new Bazzill Really Big Paperclips too! These things are too cool! And a full box of new Express-ons from Gin-X. I can't say enough about this kit. I think it's my favorite so far!

We decided to do some mini kits this month with the new Crate papers. We used Kate, New Garden, and Hampton. These kits are in the store right now!

We have a bunch of new stuff in the store this week. Maya Road chipboard sets, Basic Grey rubons, Gin-X raw photo corners, plus more!

We are running a special on our 3 and 6 month prepays. You can get 3 months for $90 and 6 months for $180. That makes each kit only $30 plus you get free shipping each month.

Come check out what our newest DT member, Brandy Logan, comes up with! She'll be doing an article for the newsletter and it promises to be great! We have so much fun stuff planned for the next few months...you won't want to miss out!

Coming in May...Scraptivity Stamps, Queen & Company Colour Collection, Sassafras Lass stamps, and so much more!

May peek!

We have a new Design Team Member! I'm so excited about this. Brandy Logan has joined out Design Team and believe me...she rawks! She has been published so many times I can't even count! She has been on the Design Team for many other stores and kit clubs so she has the experience to know what's up! Her latest accomplishment is to be the main artist for the Michael's 2006 Wedding Book! WOW! That is an amazing acheivement. We are all thrilled to have her join our team!

So onto the kits...I have *almost* everything needed to complete the May kit. I'm lacking one small item and it will be done. We're using Basic Grey's Color Me Silly and it is sooo colorful! I was never a Basic Grey fun until now. This line has so many bright and fun colors, it's just amazing! I've added some of the brand spankin' new Really Big Paperclips from Bazzil and they are super fun to use. The new Gin-X rubons are awesome too. Two sheets of each is included plus doodles...and we all know how hot those are right now! These kits will be available for purchase starting May 1st so don't forget to come back and get yourself one!

We only have 2 April kits left! I can't believe how quick these babies flew out the door. I guess mixing lines in kits is *in* right now. I kind of like it. You get more variety in your kits and can do more layouts without them all looking the same...gotta love that! We've decided to do this again in July. We're mixing We R Memory Keepers "Restoration" and "On the Go" lines with lots of Heidi Swapp! It's looking to be a beautiful kit!

We put together some mini kits for May using Crate Papers Hampton, Kate, and New Garden lines. These are beautiful papers. I love them! I really don't want to cut them...just hold them and look at them!

We still have our 25% off sale going on until the end of April. Stuff is going fast! In May we'll be putting our 6 month prepay on special. You can sign up for 6 months for $180...that equals to be only $30 a kit, plus shipping is free for all prepays! You can't beat that. Our kits always have a MSRP value of $43-$45 so at $30 a pop, how can you go wrong?