{good day}

Today was a good day...I took a vacation day from work so I had a 4 day weekend. :) Can't really talk about what happened this morning but hopefully I can share soon...not sure who might be reading this. ;) I had a really nice visit with my Grandma after having lunch with Mom and Dad. I had Dad take our photo and she smiled so sweetly which was a nice sight. She hasn't been one to smile in photos in her older age, but these past few weeks her softer side has come out. We're not sure how long we'll have her with us, but I'm going to enjoy the days we have left. While she isn't eating much at all and looking more jaundice, she isn't in any pain which is a blessing. Thanks to everyone who has said a prayer for her and our family.

xoxo

{bittersweet}

Well, the update on my Grandma isn't good. She took a trip to the hospital Saturday night and they did all sorts of tests. What we thought was possibly a blockage in her intestines turned out to be cancer. It is all over and the doctor said she has about 4 weeks. I feel pretty numb about it right now...it feels like my Grandpa all over again. I know that she is 93 and most people don't live to be that age, but it doesn't matter to me. The good thing is that she doesn't know and she is obliviously happy and content now at the nursing home. There really is no reason to tell her and her memory is really starting to go so she probably wouldn't remember. We went to visit her yesterday and she was in good spirits, although she seemed very tired from her late night at the hospital. We watched TV with her for awhile and I tried to take in every second. For all of the grief and stress she caused my Mom and Dad over the years, it is a blessing that she is so calm and easy going in her last few weeks. We really don't think she will be around for 4 more weeks because of her age and the fact that she isn't eating at all. I'm going to visit her again on Tuesday and I'm going to get in as many visits as I can before she passes on. I know she will be happy to be with Grandpa again and whatever pain she has been hiding her whole life will finally be a distant memory. Thanks to everyone who said a prayer for her...I truly appreciate it!

xoxo

{sad}

I'm feeling pretty down this morning. I talked to my Mom last night and my Grandma Orr isn't doing so well. We moved her to a nursing home about 2 months ago and since then she hasn't been eating well and they had to do some blood tests yesterday because she is looking jaundice. I'm praying that there isn't something horribly wrong, but she is 93 years old and we think her body is just giving out. She misses Grandpa (he passed away in September 2005) and I'm sure it has to be hard emotionally being in the nursing home. If you can take a minute, please say a prayer for my Grandma...I would appreciate it. :)

xoxo

{check it out!}

New stuff in the shop :)

{creative release}

It was a nice, relaxing weekend at the Ford house. A lot of sleeping was done, as well as scrapbooking (me), and poker playing (Dan). I feel like the house is really coming together as of late and it makes me smile.

Here are a couple pics of the house...newly rearranged living room, new dining set and freshly installed kitchen lighting. The dining table and bookshelf behind the couch belonged to my Grandparents so they are pretty special. We are so excited to finally be doing some of the changes to the kitchen. We are planning a total overhaul for this year...cabinets, floor, countertop, new paint, sink, faucet...everything!





I definitely felt the creativity flowing from me this weekend. I got quite a bit of scrapbooking done...6 pages! It felt so good to get out all of my supplies and go crazy. Here are a few of them that I managed to scan...its such a pain stitching the pages together, don't you agree fellow scrappers? Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

{a little bird told me...}

I have my new "Sweet Tweet" collection up in my Etsy shop! Check it out! :)

{catching up}

A lot has happened since the last time I blogged! Last Thursday, Dan and I went to a Red's game with his cousin Eric and girlfriend Erica. It was so much fun and the Red's won! Yay! It was super hot and sunny though, and we all got sunburned. Dan has enjoyed following Josh Hamilton's story, so here is a photo of him at bat (and of the couples) :)





On Friday, we got our new kitchen lighting installed and I love it...but I think we need to install a dimmer because at night it feels like we are under stadium lighting. LOL :) Did a lot of cleaning Friday and Saturday because I had a Mother's Day tea at the house on Sunday for my mom and mother-in-law, plus my sister. I had so much fun decorating for it, and was so glad to have my grandparent's dining table instead of our tiny dinette set...felt much more grown up. I had favors for each lady in pastel painted mini pails, filled with chocolate covered espresso beans, with a handmade (by me) button brooch attached to the handle. The moms received a basket filled with a teacup pincushion, lavendar sachet, scone mix, chocolates and a biscotti. We had lots of yummy finger foods and a variety of tea. I've discovered a new favorite...Celestial Seasonings apple cinnamon...mmmm :)






I'm working on some new stationery items for my Etsy store. I haven't had much success with Etsy yet, but I'm going to keep trying and see how it goes. I have bought quite a few things though...so much talent on that site!

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

xoxo

{we're in love}

and his name is Gavin Skyler. :)

He was born today around 12 pm and he is just adorable. He is Dan's cousin's son, but since they are more like brothers than cousins, it feels like we have a new nephew. It was so fun holding him at the hospital, even when he started crying...definitely wound up the hands on my biological clock a little bit more! ;) Doesn't Dan look so cute holding him?!

Until we have one of our own, we'll enjoy spending time with this little guy.

{empty nestle's quick containers}

Yesterday was a day filled with a lot of memories...mostly happy...some sad. Dan and I went with Mom and Dad to Akron to go through all of Grandma and Grandpa's things before the house closing. I had a difficult time with it at first...felt like I was an intruder going through their dresser drawers and closets, looking for something to take home with me. After a few tears (finding Grandpa's hats opened up the water works), I was able to come to terms with what we had to do and actually had fun going through the house, finding treasure after treasure.

Like a lot of people their age (Grandma is 93), they saved EVERYTHING. While going through their pantry in the basement, we found boxes full of empty boxes, boxes full of empty peanut butter jars (cleaned and labels removed) and a box full of empty Nestle's Quick containers (once again, cleaned and labels removed). Some of the NQC's even had smaller NQC's nestled inside! It was rather humorous.

Not everything they saved was garbage can-bound though. I found a great box full of old metal microfilm containers, tons of vintage linens and hankerchiefs, old kitchen utensils, decorative glass vases, a milkglass lamp and most importantly a new dining room table. Dad let Dan take Grandpa's red tool box and I had to bring home one of Grandpa's hats...such a great keepsake. I'm so excited to have all of these treasures to use in our home. I will think of them everytime we eat dinner at our new table.

While we were there, we also made stops at two of our favorite traditional places...Swenson's drive-in for cheeseburgers and onion rings (the best burgers *EVER*), and Strickland's for a yummy waffle cone. Here are some pics from the day...

We had to take a few last pics in front of the house...so strange to think of someone else living there, but I guess that's one of life's inevitable changes, right? Hope everyone is having a great Monday!

xoxo

{mandy needs}

I saw this on Amber's blog so thought I would give it a go...soooo funny! (type in your name and "needs" in google and see what you get)

Mandy needs-->

Mandy needs little introduction, having established herself as one of the funniest and most frequently pregnant comics in the local area.

Mandy needs a 6 ft fence as she can sail over 4 ft fences.

Mandy needs help. cause she's looking less like a young hottie and more like a fugly librarian.

Mandy needs help in ways I cannot comprehend. (I obvously need A LOT of help! LOL :)

Mandy needs to brush her hair, that "windblown" look is just frizzy and nappy.

So, apparently, I am a frequently pregnant comedian who jumps over fences, needs a lot of help, and looks like a fugly librarian who needs to brush her nappy hair.

LMAO!

{relaxed}

Today was a great day...beautiful weather and work has calmed down quite a bit. It was so pretty out that I decided to eat my lunch on the front porch and enjoy the new issue of Domino that was in the mailbox. A good salad and a magazine...can't beat that! Tonight I actually got some scrapbooking done. I've had this layout in my head for a few days now and finally got it finished. I'm so happy with how it turned out...isn't the new Rhonna paper delicious?!



I also finally made a banner for my humble blog...whatcha think? I'm pretty proud. :)

xoxo

{new shoes and brownies}

Today was a nice day...beautiful weather, lunch with Dan at our favorite local pizza place, and a homemade dinner of tilapia, rice and veggies. I also got my first goodies from Jenny Bowlin today and I'm so in love. I got some paper, stickers and journaling tags...can't wait to use them!

I decided to finally make the box of brownies that Dan has been talking about for at least a week. The domestic cooking thing doesn't hit me on a daily basis, and I don't enjoy spending much time in our kitchen so that is a huge factor. Once we get it remodeled this summer it will probably be my favorite room. Anyway...here are the brownie *before* pics...don't you just love to lick the batter off of the spoon?! That's the BEST part!

Oh, and here are pics of my new shoes from Payless. The flats are super cute and fairly comfortable. I think I just need to wear them a few times to stretch them out. The flips flops remind me of scrapbook paper, so of course I had to buy them...plus it was BOGO so I had to get a 2nd item! LOL :)

Right now I'm watching John and Kate Plus 8 on TLC...I'm amazed at how that family handles 8 children and has so much fun in the process.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday evening! xoxo

{before and after}

I've been a bit over zealous with my blogging these past few days, but I think everyone goes through spurts, right?! Anyway, I had to share the before and after pics of our house. We have done quite a bit to the front of the house and the yard since we moved in 3 years ago. We still have to put a final coat of paint on the railing, and plan on painting the door a shade of sagey green.

Before...



And after!

{tagged}

I've seen this challenge all over blog-dom and I was finally tagged by Jen...so here goes--->

7 random things about me:

1. I hate touching dirt, or anything dirty. I wash dishes with a handled sponge, pull weeds with gloves, basically use whatever I have to so that I don't have to touch anything dirty. I hardly ever walk around barefoot and when I was a child I would scream if there was a speck of anything in my bath water {sorry Mom}.

2. We will have a Starbucks in our town in a few months and I will not be a customer. We have a locally owned coffee shop that is soooo much better and I would much rather support a local shop than a huge corporation.

3. I love the smell of my cats' fur behind their ears...not sure why or how to describe it but I love it. :)

4. I obsess over the weight around my stomach. If my pants feel too tight one day it bugs the crap out of me and I feel bad if I eat anything unhealthy.

5. I can't have caffeine...*GASP* I'm sure the thought of a caffeine-free life scares many of you, but after a month-long fight with a bacterial infection, I'm willing to give up anything to not have acid reflux and/or a stomach ache. I also haven't had soda since December for the same reasons.

6. I have a big band-aid shaped brown birthmark on my left foot. I refused to wear sandals until late in high school because I was embarrased by it.

7. I'm very cynical when it comes to friendships...I find it very hard to trust people and tend to shelter myself from the possibility of being hurt by not getting close to people. I think that gives a lot of people I meet the impression that I'm snobby or stuck-up, which is so far from the truth.

OK...7 very random things about me. :)

So who should I tag now???? Let's see.....

Jenessa
Tracy
Delaney
Melissa
Nikki
Valerie
and...
Jenn

Happy Sunday Everyone!! xoxo

{heading out the door}

for a fun day of shopping in Indianapolis! Dan's birthday *big 27* is on Wednesday, so we are celebrating early. The highlights of the day will be dinner at On the Border and a trip to Archiver's *this one is my highlight obviously*.

I added some more fun brooches to my Etsy shop today and am wearing one of my faves today. I made it for the shop but loved it too much so I'll have to make another one to sell. :)

I also got some cute new summer shoes at Payless yesterday--->

These photos are from their website, obviously. I'll have to post some better pics of them on my feet. :)

Well, DH is getting restless so I think that means its time to head out...hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday!

xoxo

[somebody's got a case of the Mondays}

Today reminds me of that quote from Office Space...I definitely have a strong case of the Mondays today. Not feeling so hot...stomach ache, tired, headache. Maybe it is because I did so much yesterday. I got one of those rushes of energy and felt like cleaning and organizing. I cleaned up our bedroom and found places for all the junk that was in random places, cleaned up the kitchen, put together stuff for Goodwill, finished painting the repaired plaster in the living room, boxed up my swap goodies for my Cottage Living pal (including some handmade cards that I put together), made some new "art" for the living room from some pretty scrapbook papers and a vintage hankerchief....I *think* that's it....phew!

One little bright spot in my day...I received this tea cup pincushion from Etsy in the mail-->


It is part of my mother-in-law's Mother's Day gift along with this pretty sachet (also from Etsy)

I just love that site...I can search through it daily and always find something new to put on my favorites list. There is just something so great about being able to buy a unique item that was made with someone's two hands in their craft room. :)

Hope everyone else isn't having a bad case of the Mondays!

xoxo

{lots of fun stuff}

I've had a busy past few days. Been spending a lot of time being creative. I made some felt and button brooches for my Etsy store and I really hope someone decides they just can't live without them. :) They are really fun to make and I have a few more in the works.

I also made a really fun invitation for a Mother's Day tea that I'm having for my Mom and my Mother-in-Law this year. I used clip art for the tea cup and adhered the paper to chipboard to make it more substantial. The lace inside the cup is from a doily I cut up (also used on the brooch above.) I printed the inside using a free font I found online.

I've been Etsy crazy lately...finding all sorts of treasures to make my own. This is one of my favorite purchases...it is made from vintage hankerchiefs and can be used as a sachet or to store a variety of small items. I'm still trying to find the perfect spot for it in the house.

Not sure what tomorrow holds for us, but we have a ton of things to do around the house...painting, cleaning, yard work. Hopefully the weather will be as beautiful as it was today!

xoxo

{random update}

Here's a new layout and some random pics from the past week. I participated in a swap on the Cottage Living Community message board and got some wonderful goodies from my partner. She really spoiled me! Here's a scrapbook page I did a few weeks ago...I haven't been in much of a scrapping mood lately but I love how this one turned out.

Yesterday was a really fun day. I had lunch with Liz and Jamie...Liz coooked a yummy lunch for us and we played a fun game - Imagine If - I'm going to have to buy this one! Faith's baby shower was yesterday evening and it was so much fun seeing all of the cute baby stuff she received. She is due in a few weeks and I can't wait to meet little Gavin Skyler. If my baby fever wasn't already in high gear, being around all that baby talk didn't help! Dan was teasing me about it all night. :)

Not much going on today. I need to do some cleaning and painting...hope everyone is having a relaxing Sunday!

xoxo