My creative fix

So our main computer has been down for several months now- our main hard drive got overloaded (um ok so it was too many digi scrapping files, tee hee!) We were worried that we had lost some really important files but thanks to Vance's recovery program (sounds like we are addicts or something huh!) we are back up and running with very little file loss. I have gone with out my Photoshop for many moons and I was getting really desperate so I started traditional scrapping again. It was fun but there are just some things that are so much easier not to mention only possible when using Photoshop as opposed to traditional scrapping. So here is my first digi page in a long time! Hope you like it! As always I love to hear criticisms/comments.



Also this week: as mentioned before we have celebrated JJ's birthday this week. It seems like we celebrated it all week long. First with a family party on Monday, his actual birthday on Thursday and then today with a friend party mini golfing at Trafalga. Thursday night was also my turn to host Book Club. I decided to show the video of the book that we read - A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. We did dinner here and watched the movie - discussing throughout. I had forgotten how long the movie was - 5 hours! Yikes. Oh well we had fun. People trickled out when they needed to leave. Finally at midnight the movie wrapped up and it was just me and Jen. It was really a fun evening. A big thank you has to go out to everyone who came and especially those who helped with dinner. Also a big thank you to Lance who took the kids and hung out at Burger King for a really long time! He is always so willing to help with the kids when I want to hang out with the girls.

Just for laughs ... those with kids, anyway

Click on image for larger view

Seven Years

Seven years ago:

I was waiting on pins and needles.
I wondered if I would be a good mom.
I was scared to death!
I was so excited I could hardly stand it.
I dreamed of 10 perfect fingers and toes.
I wondered what he would look like.
I knew my life was about to change.

On Thursday JJ turns 7 years old. What a journey it has been for both him and me. We have struggled almost every day but the result for me is that I love him more than I ever thought I could. I still dream about the future but I want to try and enjoy him each day too. It breaks my heart to see him struggle but I know that that is what life is all about.

Seven things I love about JJ:

His strength of spirit. He doesn't back down from what he wants and is not easily dissuaded. This can be frusterating in a child but in a man it is a prized talent.

His love of creating. This is something that he and I always can agree on. I love working on art projects with him and seeing his imagination take off.

Speaking of imagination - I love how he can create a whole new universe in his mind and act it all out, give parts to his siblings and coach them in acting thier parts out. It is amazing to watch and listen to him.

I love his passion for things and people he loves. The world could use a bit more of that.

I love his desire to learn. He has an inquireing mind and he uses it to question the world around him.

I love his unfailing testimony and his unwaivering faith in God.

I love his ability to make new friends - this is a gift that I wish I had.


Even on the most difficult days I am grateful that God sent this precious soul to me. I feel the weight of responsibility of being his parent. I know that he has an amazing mission to fulfill in this life and in the next. I am grateful for all the things he has taught me and how he reminds me each and everyday that he and I are both children of God and should be valued as such.

Book Review: The Goose Girl

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
After reading this book I have decided that I have to go back and revise my review of "The Princess and the Hound". This is one of the best books I have read in a while. I already knew that I like Shannon Hale's style of writing and this book is in tough competition for my favorite of her books. In this book Shannon Hale retells the fairy tale of the goose girl. She weaves so much beautiful description throughout this story that it feels like I am inhabiting the city of Bayern. The characters are very well developed and feel like people I know in my own life. Even the supporting characters are not the cardboard standins of many "fairy tale" novels. The characters are flawed and change over the course of the book. The theme finding your place in the world resonates in this book. I loved the authors ability to weave in the values of humility, friendship, loyalty, and knowing who you are throughout a very interesting storyline. This is a recommended read for young adults and adults, guys and gals alike. This is not dumbed down at all. (p.s. there is some good sword fighting in this book for all the guys out there who are disuaded by the title of the book!)


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Road Work Ahead, Have a Nice Day!

As I drove my mom home from her first meeting with the oncologist doctors. We saw an electric sign that blinked "Road Work Ahead, Have a Nice Day! and Please Drive Safely." It may seem strange but those words seemed put there expressly for us. Those three phrases some how seemed to fit so well with what the future holds for us. Mom and I both went into these two doctor appointments with great trepidation. We knew that we would find out the results of Mom's CT scan and bone scan. We visited with the radiation doctor first. He was very kind and personable. He told us that the tests were good - no signs of cancer anywhere else in her body - I wanted to shout for joy! I thought - Wow! we have won the game. I should have known not to celebrate to early. The next visit was with the chemo doctor. He took time to explain to us about the kind of cancer Mom has and how although it isn't showing up anywhere else in her body that it almost surely will within a short amount of time especially if left untreated. Even with the most invasive chemo treatment it will most likely return at some point. The simple fact that it was in 14 lymph nodes on her left side assures that. He showed us some computer models that showed her theoretical chances were she to choose different courses of chemo as apposed to nothing at all. None of the models give her a real good chance. Frankly it was really sad and depressing. Mom was really hoping to avoid having to do chemo at all. She is terrified of being so ill that she has to be in a care center. The doctor made it sound as if the chemo she would be doing wouldn't completely incapacitate her. She would loose her hair and be nauseated etc. She is also concerned about how chemo would affect her diabetes and blood pressure. We left the visit without her making a final decision on what course of action to take. I wish more than anything that I could take it all away but of course that is impossible. Needless to say I cried the whole way home. But back to the road signs I mentioned at the beginning of this rather depressing rant. As we were coming up Orem hill we saw that sign blinking at us and I commented that that is just what we have to do. -- We have to realize that there will be "road work" ahead so we should try to "drive safely" through the challenges that we are facing and that through it all we should try each day to "have a nice day!". Mom and I kinda laughed when I said that. It all comes down to how you look at things. I am simply praying that I can have a positive and eternal perspective on these trying times and that Mom can have a peaceful answer to what course of action she should take.

Boo to you too

Here is a picture heavy post of some of our Sunday fun. We decided to get the Halloween decorations out and to carve our pumpkins. This is the first year that Lance and I have felt brave enough to try and carve pumpkins with the kids. They did really well! Hannah designed her pumpkin face herself. She wouldn't do anything other than design the face and help cut out the face. She said "I don't want to get messy" and really I can't blame her. If I didn't have to get messy, as she put it, I wouldn't have done it either. But somebody had to get their hands dirty! Asher dug right in and scooped out guts, which besides being messy was really cold. JJ did most of his scooping and then I helped him. He did some of his cutting too. Lance was in charge of helping the kids cut out the designs. Asher's and JJ's designs we printed off the internet at http://www.jack-o-lantern.com .

Life, or something like it

Things are pretty much back to normal in our household today. That includes Asher making holes in the wall with his toy drill and hammer, JJ making star wars sound effects in the other room, and Hannah singing another made-up, nonsense song. My mom went home to her house yesterday after getting the second and final drain removed from her side. It was borderline as to whether she should really have it out but the doctor could see that she really wanted it out. It was more painful to remove than the other one. Since she has no drains to empty (and because Hannah has been complaining quite loudly about having to give up her room *insert sad face here*)she decided to go back to her house. Her recovery has been really good and she has most of her motion and ability in her left arm back. On the downside - she now has to face the next stage: more tests and new doctors. This is quite terrifying for her and she was quite depressed about it yesterday. She was commenting that she didn't want to continue on with any treatment. She has a great desire to see her grand and great-grand children's milestones such as baptism and marriage and that is what is helping her to face these next challenges. She was able to talk to one of her high school friends who went through this a few years back and I think it really helped her have hope that she can make it through this part and live to tell the tale. I vacillate between depression at all the things I know that she wanted to do but hasn't and all that she will likely miss and hope that this will give her the ability to live another 10 years. I am praying mainly for inspired, gentle, caring doctors and medical personnel who will not bully her and who will make this smooth a process as possible.
Hannah and JJ have Parent Teacher Conferences this week. Yesterday was Hannah's - her teacher tells us that she is very outgoing and friends with most of the kids. She is right on track with all that they have been testing the kids on. She can count to 50 and is getting good at her cutting skills. Tonight is JJ's conference so it will be very interesting to see what his teacher has to say. I think that he is doing well academically and could do better if he didn't always want to take the lazy way out. Behavior is always a question for him. I think that he has been trying harder, though. He has complained about another kid bullying him but I don't feel that I am getting the full story from him. It may very well be that he and this other kid just don't get along and that one kid is not being more mean than the other.
Can I just say how much I LOVE the Lehi Bakery on Main. I got the yummiest ghost cookies and butterflake rolls there this week. There is something I love about buying from local businesses especially ones that have been around so long that they are an institution in this town. That is one of the things that drew me to Lehi. There aren't too many left unfortunately. So if you are down this way be sure and stop by the Bakery for a yummy donut or cinnamon roll, your senses will thank you (even if your waistline does not)!
Tomorrow is my recharge the batteries day - I plan to lock myself in the basement and scrapbook all day (with only a small break to maybe visit Archivers with a friend). We shall see how well that works out, with three little hooligans determined to destroy all plans!

Another book review

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book is an interesting take on the typical fairy tale. Centered not around "the princess and the hound" but around young Prince George. I found the relationships in the book believable and interesting. The introduction of the concept of 'animal magic' is unique. The language is quite beautiful. It was a bit slow in parts but all in all a fun fantasy read. An excellent choice for anyone who likes books by Gail Carson Levine or Shannon Hale.


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Concrete and corn

This week, we have seen my mom get through major surgery and be so brave in the face of lot of pain. She is doing amazingly well. I am so grateful for all the prayers and support we have received. Through all the stress of this week we were able to accomplish some things and have some fun too. Today Lance, his dad and brother Vance poured concrete to extend our driveway. Later in the afternoon we took the kids to Cornbelly's. It tried to rain on us but we had a great time and got to see and do everything. Here are some photos:

Home

Mom came home to our house yesterday in the afternoon. They let her leave even though her blood pressure was even higher than before. I think that her blood pressure is really tied to her emotional state. She hated being "tied down" -- hooked up to the IV, oxygen, leg squeezers (technical term!). She was really ready to come home. Although the nurses were all nice and helpful but it was frusterating for her to not be on her schedule and to get food that wasn't something she felt she could eat (too salty or too much sugar/carbs). I stayed that first night after the surgery (wow now I feel bad about all the nights I asked Lance to stay with me at the hospital). Neither Mom or I got very much sleep. We would just about get into a sound sleep and the nurses would come in and flip on all the lights and fiddle with the IV or take Mom's blood pressure. She had a hard time getting up and down initially but things got better with time. My friend Jamie's surgery was yesterday with the same doctor as my mom had. I got to go out and visit with her husband and family a couple of times while we waited for my mom get the go ahead to go home. When we finally were able to get her ready to go home the nurses showed me how to take care of her bandages and drains. I was still kinda nervous about what I needed to do so later in the evening when we were home I called my good friend Valerie who is a nurse and she came over and gave me some pointers and rewrapped the bandages so that they were more comfortable for my mom. I have to say a BIG thanks to her and to my awesome friends who brought over a meal. It was such a blessing to not have to figure out a meal when we got home. Mom really enjoyed the food and so did the rest of the family. I can't say enough how much I appreciate Jake and Carolyn taking care of the kids so I could help my mom. We had a good night last night and today I took Mom home to her house where Ruth is staying to help her out. I was pretty proud of Ruth and I when we were able to redo her bandages after she had a shower. It was hard to leave her but I know that Ruth will take good care of her and she will be more comfortable in her own home. We will probably have her come back to our house next week. I think she is doing really well as far as her mobility and pain management. I know that our family has been greatly blessed by all the prayers that have been offered in our behalf.