Thankful Thursday

OK... yes.. I have shown up in blogdom as promised.  Lets see if I can write a post that actually makes some sense... feeling a little groggy and a little annoyed... not always a good combo.  BUT lets focus on good things for Thankful Thurs. right? 

How beautiful are the spring flowers?  Noticed my lilacs blooming today and thought a few mixed with the forsythia would be pretty in my living room and they smell SO good.  Not sure how the weather is in your neck of the woods but here in Southern IN, the temps are quite warm for this time of year and the spring flowers are a few weeks ahead.  My lilacs are actually on their way to being done blooming.  My hyacinth and crocuses are already done.  Irises are close to opening and we usually don't see those till later in April. 

We have also already had to mow! Well OK... "we" didn't mow... Darrel did but we are always a "we" so I think that counts. Ha!  I totally would have done the mowing.  I don't mind it except for some of the banks/hills which cause me to feel like I am on a roller coaster and not a mower.  I am NOT a coaster kind of girl and do not enjoy feeling like the lawn mower and I are going to tip over... I'll pass on that thank you very much. 

In other spring activities... YES.. the bunny has arrived.  He likes Darrel so he left him a little treat on the counter this morning.  He might have left a few other eggs around too... all filled with chocolate because that of course is the best kind of egg.  The um "Reester" bunny there is always my fav!  Apparently I am easily entertained because I think reeaster is too funny and it never fails to crack me up.

As you might remember from last year... the Bunny and I are NOT friends because I am told... by my parents... that when I was a little girl, the bunny took my bottle.  Apparently he thought it was time for a cup and so now I am forever scarred by the knowledge that the bunny who I thought loved me and brought me yummy stuff is a thief! Bwa ha ha ha... Perhaps the bottle stealing bunny was not the best thought out plan? 

Had a fairly decent day.  Woke up pretty groggy and tired, but the beautiful temps and sunshine called me outside for a walk and I made 2 miles!  Yay me.  I am going to get back to 4 miles... just you wait! Per my husbands instructions I am still on restriction... cause I've been pretty tired these past few weeks so I spent the rest of the day working on Proj. Life week 9 and guess what... done!  Well almost.  I have the back of an insert to finish.  So while I am sitting in my scrap room with the door open to the front yard/drive way... guess what happens.  A deer got into the highway in front of the house and got spooked.  She then ran up our driveway and apparently then felt trapped by my car.  She then tried to jump over the car... an attempt that failed.  She landed on the hood!  She then laid and kicked her legs at the windshield trying to get up and off the car. She finally succeeded and then ran away.  I did not hear or see any of this.  I did see some cars slow and pull off the road and people got out and were talking.  I wondered what was going on, but never saw anything.  When Darrel gets home from work, he notices the drivers side mirror on the car is laying on the ground.  While we are trying to figure out how that happened, the neighbor called Darrel over and told him the above story.  Actually he said, "hey come here I have to tell you something and you're not going to believe it!" He saw the whole thing.  One might think he was pulling their leg had their car not been covered in deer blood and hair... with a broken mirror on the ground.  I guess project life is quite engrossing if I missed all that commotion huh?  Would you believe with all that the mirror appears to be the only damage?  Thank you Jesus on that one!  That car has already been repaired once from an encounter with a deer... not needing to do that again!

And now... the all important, much anticipated thankful list... You were anticipating right? 

• date night last Friday!  We went to the drive in.  It was perfect weather.  We were first in line.  We had a yummy pizza and drive in popcorn.. and OK, there was chocolate.  We got to see The Hugner Game and One For The Money and both were good.  Perfect drive in kind of night!
• A mostly undamaged car after the deer tried to use it for a hurdle....
• being almost finished with The Hunger Games books!  I am more than midway thru book 3!
• Saturday pancakes
• singing at church
• finding fun family facts on ancestry.com
• getting more walking in... barely.. but I am progressing and am very thankful I still have the desire to walk after all this mono stuff has set me back
• a husband who cleans
• being tired from walking... its a good feeling I had kind of forgotten
• 4 books to read as a judge for IRCA (Inspirational Readers Choice Awards)
• a gift from a friend in the mail
• getting more work hours in
• a slowly improving pace when walking... I am soooo not where I was like 4 months ago
• 4 lbs lost this week
• summer shoes
• ankle bracelets
• still loving working in my newly organized scrap space!
• lots of fun scrapping goodies to play with!
• spring flowers
• did I mention how yummy the pizza was at the drive in? 
• things God has been teaching me during lent this week
• holding Darrel's hand
• my new phone and pretty pink case
• weekends
• compliments on days when you aren't feeling so cute
• answered prayers!
• ugg slippers... yes.. spring, winter, summer, fall... ugg slippers are fabulous!

Hoping to get some more rest this weekend.  Beginning to wonder if there will be a whole day when I am not tired... or if this is my new normal.. lets hope not!  Blessings!

Not PL Tues...

Or Ten on Tuesday or apparently anything else for that matter.... I don't know what is up with me but I just wanted to confirm that I have not in fact disappeared from the face of the earth despite the evidence my lack of blogging is to the contrary.  I am tired people.  Last week was too busy for mono girl and although I am doing better... I am still needing some time to recover.  I am woefully (woefully... that's a word right?) behind on Project Life.  I am behind on blogging.  I am behind at work.  I am behind at home.  I am behind on wedding plans.  I am behind on working out.... Are you seeing a theme.. or shall we say trend here?  Perhaps the fatigue and lack of progress on any of the aforementioned areas is finally messing with my foggy brain.. or I am just simply losing it.  Feeling a little blah and overwhelmed and confused about what to tackle first, when do I still need to rest and not push too much and when to push... Is there a manual for this stuff somewhere?  Can I get it on my Kindle?  So.. for today I am just here to let you know I am in fact alive in blogdom and I will get myself together here soon and be back with something interesting to share.. perhaps about mushrooms in the yard, or date night at the drive in, or something I've actually been able to accomplish... So.. please tune in tomorrow (maybe) or for sure on Thursday and I promise to keep our date!  Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

OK I don't even remember noticing the Forsythia Bush was budding.. and suddenly it is totally in full bloom.  When did that happen?  Isn't it the most gorgeous shade of yellow?  Love that!  Not the most fabulous picture because I took it with my phone.. but I had to share a picture.  I am like physically incapable of posting without a picture.  I do not know why.. probably part of some OCD sickness... I blame heredity.  :) 

How was your Thursday?  Mine was OK.  Could have been better.  It's been a hectic week.  Wednesday especially and it kind of bled into Thursday... which did not make me happy.  Been struggling with the fatigue a little worse again this week.  I came home from work a little early on Tuesday and like passed out for over 2 hours and never did get going the rest of the evening.  I think I already shared that.  Sorry.  Mono brain.  Wednesday by the time I got to work, I felt pretty much like I did when I left on Tuesday.  This was not a good thing for someone who had a good 8 hours of work to accomplish, plus I am worship leader this week so I had to do the planning, plus we had choir and a praise team rehearsal in the evening.  This did not make for happy Deanna.  This made for stressed, tired, someone should put Deanna down for her nap Deanna.  I managed to survive, but did not get all my office work done, which meant finishing at home so between getting home last night and this afternoon I put in another 5 hours from here.  Not so much for a normal days work I know.. but remember.. I'm not normal.. I'm mono girl.  I so just wanted to sleep and sleep some more and maybe scrap.  I did get to sleep in some but then worked from my chair and never did get around to the scrapping.  BUT I did get my work done and its finally off my back so yay me!   I wanted to walk too... but that idea is out when walking across the room makes you tired.  I am wondering if the first dose of the high dose vitamin D stuff kicked in after I took it and got me feeling better last weekend, but then by Tues., when it was almost time to take the 2nd dose (on Wed.) my winder had wound back down... Is this possible or does it only make sense to those with mono brain? 

So now.. before heading to bed to try and hold off the passing out while at work tomorrow... this week's thankful list...

• a newly fixed and working pretty pink laptop
• my smart husband who fixed the pretty pink laptop by installing the new under warranty hard drive
• that I was able to maintain my patience... remember I have that lack of patience thing and I am tired... while getting the new hard drive up and running and it kept NOT letting me into my blog.  This was because the newly working hard drive had to catch up on 3 years of updates.... another thing smart husband figured out.
• reading the Hunger Games books!  Book 1 and 2 completed and I totally wish I could stay up and finish book 3!  Although the story is a disturbing idea..quite... you get so drawn in to the characters and their plight and the hope, compassion, and love they are still able to find. 
• getting to go see The Hunger Games movie tomorrow!  yay! 
• Sophie and Sydney.  We got them a new cat toy which is basically a bunch of feathers tied together and then they hang from a wand so you can swing it around.  They love it and actually know when its play time and tonight Sophie was sniffing around and pawing at the drawer where we keep it.  Who knew she was so smart?
• warm weather
• wearing summer shoes
• a fresh pink pedi
• crop pants
• walking in warm weather
• a few days of feeling better
• Darrel's patience with me when I am in need of a nap.... you just don't even want to know
• diet pepsi
• starting a new Bible Study soon
• sparkly pink flip flops
• a husband that make tacos and nachos for dinner... finished the laundry and makes pretty pink computers work again
• project life
• spring trees and flowers
• an at home date night last week with yummy bdubbs carry out, DVR shows and Kinect bowling and volleyball... until mono girl had to sit down
• newly organized scrap space!  Love it!
• sitting on the bench outside and enjoying Zanders on Sunday
• my parents coming home from Texas

Goodnight for now!  Hope you have a fabulous Friday and weekend.  I hope to post again by Sunday.  I am sure I will have to talk about The Hunger Games Movie!  ha!  Blessings!

Project Life Week 8

OK... so they aren't the same pink shoes... but they are pink... and sparkly... which in my opinion should be what all shoes are required to look like!  ha!  Since it was an 80+ degree day, and sunny, and I have a fresh pink manicure, I figured we had to go with the pink sparkly flip flops.  Good choice right? 

Well yes, here we have week 8.  Do I know its week 12?  Yes.  But lets pretend its not for right now OK?  It helps keep me in my happy place.  Well OK... I have had some trouble finding my happy place, but ignoring that I am several weeks behind at least keeps me in the vicinity of my happy place.  :)

Here is a closer shot of the 2 page spread.  (click on pics to see larger)  Having a newly organized scrapping space made putting together PL week 8 soooo much more fun.  Actually it made me want to keep right on going which is a good thing, and I am currently in the midst of week 9.  I had a few more 4x6 shots this week than I have in the past.  I was wondering if I would like that as much... and now I can pronounce that I did!  It was fun to just add stickers and titles and journaling right on to the photos. 

On my date block, I used an Elle's studio calendar and then layered on some bits and pieces I had laying around from scraps of other things pretty much.  Part of a Martha doily, some pink tickets, stamped on scraps of ledger paper... etc.  To the right of the date square is a sheet from work/church.  I was worship leader that week and this was my planning sheet for song/service.  Used some vintage goodies gifted to me by a friend this week.  The burrito tag and the background paper on "home" were vintage papers.  The home sticker is Jenni Bowlin, new stuff!  On the porch light pic I needed to trim my tag, so I decided to use a border punch to do it and then just tacked that strip on as well cause I liked it! The black vine on the swift key block is a 7 gypsies atc transparency. 

Right page is mainly Thurs-Sun I think.  The santa was a Godvia Santa candy wrapper.  I just ate it in February, ha! and thought the wrapper was too cute to toss.  Ignore the paper sticking out from behind the polka dot paper.  That is part of week 9 on the other side and I didn't realize it was there till after I took the pics.  Totally too lazy to do it over again.  You will notice another candy wrapper on the date night snacks card.  The whole "reaster" bunny thing (Reese's easter bunny) cracks me up so I had to keep that wrapper.  Used my Dear Lizzy jar stamp on the photo of Darrel putting a jar of fudge on a cake he baked.  Perfect for that right?  And so cute!  The stamp.. OK and Darrel.  :) 

Here are some closer shots.

And there you have it! 

I am linking up again to all the Project Life fun over at The Mom Creative!  Be sure to take a peek and check out all the great PL layouts. 

I need to go get some work done so I can survive the day tomorrow.  Mono is improving... but I had to come home a bit early today and passed out on the couch for 2 hours... Lets hope tomorrow is better because Mono girl has a lot to get done!  See you on Thursday.  Blessings!

Seven On Sunday

1) Here we have the post lunch self portrait.  I made it to church today.  We headed to La Carreta for lunch, and then afterwards.. a special treat.  We decided to hit Zanders for some ice cream, and not only that, we got to sit outside on a beautiful day and enjoy it!  It could have easily been late May temp wise rather than mid to late March. 

2) Just in case you were wondering.. the bathroom?  Still not 100% complete.  Seriously... This would be my sweet husband working on the thresholds for the bathroom floor yesterday.  Can you see a tiny peek of the dog's paws there to the left?  Yep.. once again laying nearby waiting for Darrel to finish.  To lay the tile, we had to have a certain amount of sub floor underneath.  This brought the bathroom floor higher than the other rooms so Darrel is making wooden thresholds (or wedges) that go in each doorway.  One day.. the bathroom will truly be 100% complete.  It could happen... right?

3) Here is a better look at some of the cool vintage goodies my friend Dawn sent me. This bag had all vintage game pieces.  LOVE the scrabble tiles.  Love the little playing card tiles.  SO going to use those on a layout and/or project life.  I put a few of the cards and papers into use already this weekend.  Tune in Tuesday to see!

4) Here they are... the fabulous Easter.. or should I say Resurrection Sunday shoes!  They are Fuchsia.  They are platforms.  They are Jessica Simpson.  They are perfect.  And... as I mentioned.. I got them for 50% off! My dress is a teal blue green color.  I will wear a white tank under it to cover some of the neckline.  Then I have a pink cardi to wear with my pink shoes.  Cute right?  Lets hope I don't look like an Easter Egg project gone wrong.  :)

5) And here we have the first spring Pedi of the season.  The weather was beautiful on Friday too and I had time between work and date night to head for the pedi place.  The girl who did my toes had this design in blue/green so I tried it out in my favorite pink (pompeii purple) and white.  The first pink I picked up?  Apparently the pedi girl did not approve because she told me I didn't want that one.  I was thinking perhaps I should have pointed out to her that I wouldn't pick out her blue green combo for my toes.... ha! 

6) My pretty pink computer?  I've mentioned its been annoying!!!! Well last night it got back at me for calling it names and promptly croaked.  The hard drive.  She died.  This did not make Deanna a happy girl.  That is the bad news.  The good news?  Darrel discovered that my 3yr old computer is still under service contract/warranty.  A new hard drive will be winging its way to us tomorrow and the existing contract even allowed for next day air and a tech to come put it in if we want.  Well I have my own cute tech so he is handling the installation.  Not to mention he has figured out how to retrieve my pictures and info that I feared were lost on the dead hard drive.  He is very handy to have around....

7) Got to take another walk on Saturday.  Just a mile and a 1/2.  It was warm.  It was sunny.  It felt SO good to be out there.  I totally wanted to go and go and go..... I felt like I could too.  BUT my husband was on a big no on that idea and made me promise to not go for longer than I had on Thursday.  His opinion would match up with that of my DR and my fellow former mono sufferers.  This mono stuff is tricky.  You can think hey I feel great and dive in and get stuff done... and then?  The fatigue catches up with you several hours or even a day later and throws you to the ground for 2 days.  So... despite my whining and huge temptation to keep walking I came home.  I still felt good.  I told Darrel I really thought I could go do another mile.  He was still on No.  He says I'm stubborn?  Guess what happened a a few hours later?  Totally achy, groggy and tired. Still tired today and yes... a wee bit crabby.  He was right... I was even nice and let him in on that secret.  Aren't I a good wife?  I listened to my husband and even uttered those words all husbands yearn to hear... you.  were.  right. 

Have a great Monday!  Tune in on Tuesday for Project Life!  Not only have I completed week 8... I started week 9.  Go me!  Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Well the very first thing to be thankful for today would be this awesome happy mail I received today.  My friend Dawn posted to me on Facebook and asked for my address and said she had been collecting vintage goodies for Scrapbooking with and wanted to share.  Well wasn't that a nice offer?  wow.  Little did I know how amazing the package was going to be when it came today!  Look at all the cool stuff!  There are old vintage Bingo cards, game pieces... including some very cool large scrabble tiles, order forms, index cards, tags, buttons (especially pink ones) still on the original card, and even a stack of vintage place cards she thought we might use in our vow renewal.  The kindness just about overwhelmed my sick discouraged slightly depressed self and wow.. .what a blessing!  She also included a fuchsia pink heart that is a post it note holder.  I love that thing.  Darrel almost bought me one a few weeks ago on date night... he had it in his hand and we decided we should behave ourselves budget wise.  Can't wait to play with my new toys and I am sure... many will be making an appearance in project life! 

Second thing to be thankful for?  A newly clean and organized well ...somewhat... scrapping room.  I've been wanting to rearrange this room for weeks but Mono girl just was not up to the task.  However every time I sat down to work on Project Life, the arrangement was driving me crazy!  I had the big drafting table with the short side coming off of the wall with the window on the right.  I then had a small folding table thingy with my trimmer on it.  This made it impossible to open drawers on the table and one was required to do all kinds of contortions to simply cut a piece of paper on the trimmer.  Also everything had to be shuffled around just to have space to work! So it occurs to me that maybe I can use the credenza (which was formerly behind the table) to make an L shape with more work space!  Great idea... big stinking job to move everything around.  Enter my sweet husband at this point.  We'd discussed the project several times and decided to save it till I had the energy to handle it.  Then we thought well maybe he could go ahead and move around the other side of the room and at least 1/2 would be done.  So, he did this while I was at a meeting Tuesday night.

He moved this other desk where I keep my sewing machine and swapped walls with my books and albums, and other stuff.  Well after he got that far, he decided to keep going and do the other side to surprise me.  I was so surprised he'd spend several hours moving around all my scraping stuff for me, and even vacuum and stuff while doing it.  Is he not the best?  I know we've established this but seriously... am I not supposed to mention it again now?

My space is in a room that used to be an outside front porch.  When this was my grandparents house they had it enclosed and my Mamaw used it for pretty much a storage room.  It had walls, window, door, but no a/c or electric or heat really.  When we decided it would work for a scrap room for me, Darrel hooked up a heat and a/c vent, added an outlet and got me set up.  Yes... I still have lovely old siding on the wall and wall studs where windows used to be as we SLOWLY remodel this house.. but its my space.. its got pink scrapping stuff.. and I am pretty stinkin' happy about it!  Especially now.  Here is shot of my main work surface...

Darrel got me that princess sign ages ago at Hobby Lobby.  I love love my trimmer and hope I can work with it now right on my table. I put all my most used stuff on the bottom shelf to my right when I am seated.  Darrel moved my little TV over and got it off the table for me too!  He even built a little pink shelf that it sits on.  :)  Did you catch a peek of my rug back in that first picture?  I love that thing too.  I saw it in someones scrap room in pictures she posted on scrapbook.com.  I got it from potterybarn teen, but I don't see it available anymore.    Someday I will have actual finished walls.. they will be painted pink.  I might also have some cabinets... or a counter and more pink.  Yes.. lots of pink.  Maybe even one of those cool pink chandeliers you see around sometimes. 

In case you are wondering I am completely aware it is no longer Thankful Thursday.  It is in blog land apparently.  I was more than 1/2 done with this post last night when the Internet picked that moment to go down.. taking most of my post and pictures with it.  This did not make me a happy mono girl.  Actually Mono girl is pretty regularly crabby because she is tired so things like blog post eating Internet moments... they don't go over so well.  I figured it was time to head to bed before I caused my computer an injury... you understand. 

However... many other things to be thankful for this week.. .such as:

• a cooperating and working Internet today...
• another visit with the DR this week.  Lab girl actually listened to me and drew blood where I told her too and only had to stick me once.  I think lab girl and I have a new understanding... this is a good thing.
• DR finding I have a quite low vitamin D level and putting me on some high dose supplement to help with that and hopefully help with the fatigue.  He thinks I am on the "tail end" of the illness and should hopefully feel better "within a few weeks."  I'll take it.  A light at the end of the tunnel is a good thing.
• new fuchsia pink Easter shoes.  I need to show those to you!
• my first pretty pink pedicure of the year!
• getting in a mile and 1/2 outside walk in the pretty weather and getting home just about a half hour before a hail storm
• date night last week.  We had fun eating Italian Beef and wandering around the mall. 
• reading.  Just finished the Hunger Games which I quite enjoyed and am already well into Catching Fire
• chocolate pie.  Darrel and I made one together.  Well I guess he pretty much made it... except I made the pie crust that we pulled out of the freezer.  Does that count?
• vintage goodies from Dawn
• newly arranged scrap room
• the wireless FM receiver that Darrel found on clearance and brought home to me so I can play my ipod in the car.  yay!
• summer shoes and crop pants weather
• a groupon offer that made my Easter shoes 50% off!
• a new cat toy that Sophie and Sydney love that makes it very fun to play with them. 
• spring flowers.  My forsythia bush is blooming!
• bdubbs date night tonight
• Kinect!  When else can you bowl in your living room with your husband.
• Saturday pancakes
• good friends
• pretty weather
• my husband
• Jesus!

And now... we approach the weekend.  Hope to get in another walk which means not being too tired tomorrow to even try.  It could happen!  Need to break in the new scrapping space too and get some more Project Life done! 

Blessings!

Project Life Week 7

Yes- the famous... or not... pink shoe shot.  Believe it or not.. I already had them on and did not have to put them on just for the picture.  I mean if you had cute pink shiny shoes you'd wear them a lot too right? 

Look!  I managed to get another PL week completed.  Yay me.  This was for week 7, otherwise known as valentines week and my first chance to do an insert!  I used an 8-1/2 x 11 page protector to hold our valentines cards to each other, plus a note that Darrel left on my flowers!  Let me show you the rest of the pics... and then at the end.. .so as not to have to argue with blogger again about the spacing... cause trust me I am NOT up to that today... we will talk details!

So there you have a picture of left side, right side, and whole spread with each side of the insert showing and then without the insert. 

For the insert I just cut a piece of pat. paper to the size of the page protector and then stapled the cards to it so they could still be opened and read.  I also added a valentines playing card I had from Evalicious and a together transparency from my stash.  I love having a cool place to keep our cards and actually see them rather then stuffed in a box somewhere.  Now lets see if I can load some close ups without having to put blogger in a strangle hold for annoying me.... kidding.

OK... since all my text is at the end.. the whole blogger not being annoying idea?  Not so much... But rather than fight it and add stress to my day... which would not be a good thing... lets just go with it shall we? 

For the title block I used a sizzlets alpha called notebook.  The background paper was My Minds Eye, one of their 6x6 pads... something about "fun" was in the title of the paperline.. must look that up again.  The rose on the white cardstock was made using a sizzix embossing folder and then chalked.  Haven't done that in ages... very fun!  Also used a couple of Facebook posts, one about my Valentines flowers Darrel left on my desk and one about my new phone when I got the new case and got it to stop calling me Melanie... bwa ha ha ha... Still cracks me up! 

The jar was cut from Dear Lizzy new paper line and then punched the heart window with a Martha Stewart anywhere punch.  I backed it with a transparency and filled it with confetti and glitter.  This was Lisa Truesdell's idea.  She made the same thing on her PL and has been doing lots of cool stuff with confetti.  I used the EK success swiss cheese border punch to make the confetti.. .also like Lisa!

In the bottom photo, the love tag and 1/2 strip of photos is mounted on a bag that held our tortilla chips on date night.  Using a tortilla bag takes me right back to my scrapbooking roots when Darrel and I were dating and I pasted everything I could into my construction paper scrapbook.  Still love that thing! 

And there you have it. Week 7. I have started on week 8, but at least its a start right!  Hoping to go ahead and plan and print week 10 and at least keep getting the weeks into the pockets while I work on catching up the rest! 

I am off to bed.  Heading back to the DR in the morning so he can hopefully tell me I am not losing my mind with this stinkin' mono.... and that it somehow makes sense in mono land to be incredibly tired, yet have insomnia all at the same time... Apparently it is a known symptom that I am now getting to enjoy along with the rest of it. 

To spare you from further whining from my all day I'm tired and crabby and need to be put down for my nap kind of mood... ha ha... I shall sign off for now!  I am linking up again to all the fun over at the Mom Creative.  Be sure to check over there for more PL fun!  Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

On a beautiful almost 70 degree day last week I spotted blooming daffodils from my window.  The next day?  Cold and practically snowing.  Of course I waited till the cold day to get a picture but since it was supposed to actually do the snowing the following day I figured I better get a shot before the weather killed them! Doesn't God make the most beautiful shade of yellow?  The spring flowers make me smile and I begin to look forward to Capri pants... sandals... pedicures!  I am sooo in need of a good pedicure.  Me and the foot bath have been separated for far too long.  Do you go for pedi's in the winter?  I haven't.  I can never figure out how to leave without wearing flip flops and freezing to death on the way home and I am certain if I wear regular shoes.. well then I will have a messed up pedi by the time I get home.  This would not make me happy.

It has NOT been a fabulous Thursday.  Why? Because it was not a fabulous night.  I should have just decided to be my night owl self and scrapbook the night away.  Instead I was a good girl and went to bed to rest and had a horrible night.  Something from yesterday did not agree with me and I was up most of the night itching!  I would have like paid gold for just one 24 hour store nearby that would sell me some Benadryl!  Slept from 1-4... sort of.  Up during that time at least 3 times.  From 4 to 7?  No sleep.  Tried a shower... tried hydrocortisone.... tried an allergy pill... And then finally at 6AM Darrel ran to the local convenience store and Praise the Lord... they had some Benadryl.  Lets face it.. when you need Benadryl... you need Benadryl.  I will forevermore be stocked up on Benadryl at all times.. trust me.  By 7ish... the meds finally kicked in and I slept.  And slept.  And slept.  When one combines a sleepless night, Mono fatigue and 2 Benadryl?  One sleeps.  I slept till like 2:00 and I think I could have kept right on sleeping till Darrel got home from work.  Very thankful this was my day at home.  I had big project life scrap-a-thon kind of plans for the day.  Sadly.. that did not happen.  Maybe Saturday.  A girl can dream. 

Are you sick of hearing about the Mono?  Me too.  I thought I was going to be all better by now.  Joke is on me apparently.  I am doing better.  Yes.  I have improved.  But the fatigue?  Not so much.  Way at the beginning of the illness I read and heard from the DR that the fatigue could last 2-3 months.  I just thought that meant I'd be a little tired or wear out easily.  Now?  Now I would say I had no idea what fatigue was before because tired so does not describe it.  I still have to limit my activities.  If I do too much, or run a "normal" schedule?  Then I am down and out for 2 days while I recover.  I did walk 2 days this past week for which I am thankful but again... 2 days of recovery between walking days.  I am like tired of sleeping!  I want to do other stuff.  I've even tried... stupidly.. not to sleep when I know I need a nap and um.. doesn't work.  I practically pass out and sleep hard for 2-3 or more hours and then have the hardest time coming out of the grogginess to finish my day.  I've been doing some more research and reading lately and have read reports of recovery taking 10 weeks, and lingering fatigue for even 5-6 months!  A nurse told me yesterday that some people can have trouble for up to 2 years, especially with being susceptible for picking up other illnesses because of a struggling immune system.  It's all very confusing.  Having a hard time knowing what to do/not do.  Having a hard time knowing when its OK to push myself if at all.  Wishing I could have an instruction list that says do these things, don't do these things, OK to workout X number of days and you will feel all better by this date.  Anyone know where I can get one of those?  For now, I have limited my activities to work... church... and an occasional date night out.  For the most part these past 2-1/2 months even those have been at home.  Good thing I like being home huh?

Despite all of the mono confusion... still SO many things to be thankful for like:

• time to work on project life
• Benadryl!!  Do I hear an amen?
• freshly manicured pink nails
• beautiful weather
• Charlies Caramel Corn
• making it to church and Sunday School
• supportive and patient friends and co-workers
• my amazing, patient, takes such good care of me, husband
• prayer
• memorized Bible verses
• safety from the Tornadoes last week
• date night with Darrel
• 2 days of walking... better than none!
• lunch at La Carreta
• pretty snowfall on all the trees this week
• tax refunds
• an unexpected midweek dinner out
• phone call with my brother
• still loving my new phone and pretty pink case
• glitter nail polish
• all the other project life girls.  Love seeing every one's pages
• Sophie and Sydney
• reading
• Saturday morning pancakes
• naps... sometimes
• pink ugg boots
• OK.. and ugg slippers -best ever!
• Project Life and scrapbooking
• free cookie day at subway
• Tanner

Well... time to sleep again.  Let's hope its a more successful night than last night huh? Hope you have a fabulous weekend.  Blessings!

Ten on Tuesday... Not to be Confused with Project Life Tuesday...

1) Does it count as a self portrait if one cuts off half of their own face?  Does it make me weird if that angle of the picture actually makes me like it more?  Don't answer that.  Took this picture Saturday.  I walked... wait for it... TWO miles, actually almost 2.4 miles.  I did not die.  I did not need a ride back to the car.  It was COLD and I kept going and survived.  For one who has been sick with Mono like forstinkinever... yes.. that is a word... I consider this quite a feat! I had to go.  I had to see if I could do it still... and I had to of course take a picture... while moving.. to document the event for Project Life. 

2) As you might have noticed, this does not appear to be your normal Project Life Tuesday.  I wish it was.  I so wish it was because being behind is making me a little nuts!  I did work on it this week.  I managed to plan layouts and print all the pictures for the 3 weeks I need to get done (wks 7,8 and 9).  Be very impressed... I was getting quite confused going thru 3 weeks of notes and trying to remember where all my pictures were... some were stored on my computer.. some on the pretty pink camera... some on the Nikon camera... some on the phone... Too many places!  I was hoping to at least complete week 7 for posting before today.. but alas, the mono fatigue has once again wrestled me to the ground and didn't seem to care one bit what my plans were.  Apparently although I can complete a 2 mile walk, I then have at least 2 days where I am only capable of small amounts of activity before passing out again.  Incredible as it may sound, this is actually better than it was a few weeks ago... so actually progress is being made.  Someone alert the media. 

3) It is frustrating to have all those PL plans and ideas and not to be able to stay awake long enough to complete them! I also have an idea for a layout for a contest on 2peas right now... and would love to get that on paper as well.  I must admit that sometimes when I get too overwhelmed and too behind, rather than dive in and get things done... I want to run and hide and just have it all go away.  This concerns me about PL because I was... am... enjoying it so much and I don't want to lose that so I can keep going and complete the year.  It all fits with life in general right now.  Behind and overwhelmed with all the things needing done that I can't do.  I feel like there is a light in the distance with an end to being stuck in the sleepy place all the time so I just need to hang in there and handle one thing at a time and remember the reasons I wanted to do these things in the first place right? 

4) Among things I am behind on and stressing excited about... would be our vow renewal.  Remember me mentioning our vow renewal like a year or more ago and how great it was going to be to have all this time to plan?  Um yeah.. what happened to that?  I have no idea where a year went.  I wasn't so  panicked though because I figured I was going to get going with that late December or definitely Jan. 1st and still have plenty of time.  Yeah... that was also before the mono and Jan. and Feb. disappearing.  So now it's March.  I have 3-1/2 months and I am trying not to TOTALLY. FREAK. OUT.  So... this week... we have contacted a photographer and may have something worked out for that (still pinning down details).  I have started checking on a cake.  This is the one we like.  Simple, chocolate, PINK and kind of elegant don't you think?  I'd be quite happy if it looks exactly like this.  If I could get 4-5 specific things pinned down before this month is over... I may retain my sanity and actually pull this off.  My sister has been a HUGE help.  She's been finding dress and flower ideas on the Internet and seems to have a knack for finding things I like! 

5) Should I ever get back to cooking regularly again... I am thinking I have to try this recipe.  Does that not look SO yummy?  Saw that on pinterest. I have never made a dumpling but this makes me think it could actually happen in my very kitchen. 

6) Do you follow Amy Tangerine's blog?  I love her PL stuff and I am always intrigued at seeing her work area.  In this post she mentions cleaning up her area... and while doing so creating 3 layouts.  Three.  While cleaning up?  How is this possible? I think its fabulous, but my OCDish self is having a hard time picturing how this is possible.  Maybe because as soon as one layout is completed... I cannot help myself from cleaning up immediately.  It doesn't matter if I am going to work on a 2nd layout... must clean up first.  It's a sickness.  Amy however made that fabulous reading/tree layout.  I am very impressed. 

7) Speaking of that layout.. she mentions using her silhouette cameo... I am sooooo tempted to get one of those things.  Well first I am going to need to learn how to spell silhouette... cause if I am going to use and talk about one... the constant how the heck do you spell that word ... that goes thru my head is going to make me nuts.. But second.. they seem pretty awesome.  I know my friend Lisa loves hers and so many PLifers seem to love and use them too and then.. Lisa had to show me Kerri Bradford's blog and all the cool things she sells that you can cut with the silhouette.. and I am just about sold.  The only problem now would be the price tag... Just a small issue.. huh?

8) Guess what happens one week from Friday?  The Drive In opens for the season!  They are opening 2 weeks early!!  Last year, we went on opening day and ended up being the first customer.  Sadly.. there was no prize involved.  I thought we should at last get free popcorn.  Maybe they will be more excited to see us this year.

9) Did I give you the date night report?  No?  Well.. once again Deanna was TIRED and needed a nap after work so we ended up at home.  This was not a bad thing because when Deanna woke up her handsome husband was home with her favorite pizza and breadsticks.  We cuddled up on the couch and enjoyed our dinner and watched several episodes of Top Shot season 2 on Netflix.  We sort of found that show accidentally a few months ago and have been enjoying watching it together.  We like Colby because we watched him when he was on Survivor.  Darrel also used to be on a competitive shooting team, and is good at it, so its fun to watch the shooting competitions on the show.  We might have also enjoyed some Charlie's carmel corn and turtles for a date night treat.  No date night is complete without treats don't you think?

10) Do you have an Android phone, but wish you could use the Siri assistant like on the iphone?  Well Darrel heard about an Android App called Skyvi that is similar.  I downloaded it yesterday and so far... very cool.  I asked her about the weather, where to find the closest Chinese Food, pizza.. and even La Carreta.  She had all the right answers.  She even listens when I tell her to "text husband" and takes down my message and sends it for me.  Love it!  I wish she would understand and cooperate when I tell her to "clean house"  Maybe that version is coming...

Hope to be back soon... this week... with some PL goodies so please stay tuned.  Otherwise I'll be here for Thankful Thursday.  Have a great Wednesday!  Blessings!

Thankful Thursday

Yes.  I completed an actual layout.  I can now retain my status as an actual scrapbooker.  Yes?  It's March 1st!  This is the first layout I've made this year and lets not talk about how long ago it was last year.  However... I did work  a lot on my Christmas Smash Book in Nov/Dec. and I have been doing Project Life.  Both of those things make vast improvement over my scrapping pace from earlier in 2011 so I am saying yay me!  You are cheering too right?  I knew I heard you...

Did this layout to complete 2 challenges over at The Scrapping Spot.  First challenge was for layout tag.  I had to scraplift the person before me (I used her color scheme and mixed titling) and fulfill her personal challenge to me which was: No pink... I don't know why she'd think that would be hard?  ha! .... No more than 3 flowers (there is only 1 tiny one) and use a wood grain or corrugated texture.  I used some wood grain patterned paper on the hexagons and several spots of wood grain Washi tape!  How cool is that right?  The second challenge was to use hexagons on a layout.  I had this honeycomb stamp I purchased from Cocoa Daisy and a hexagon punch I got from CM (literally years ago) and I wondered how they would look together.  I like the result! At first I was thinking they wouldn't work together with being 2 different sizes, but I think that actually ended up being a plus.  Also used lots of other Washi tapes around the photo and in the upper left corner.  Found I had these cool Amy Tangerine pieces so I added a few of those and decided I am quickly becoming an Amy Tangerine fan!  Very cute stuff!  Scrapping.  I think I like it.  I shall now pencil in on my calendar... Do. More. Scrapping. 

And here we have the new phone case.  Yes.  That would be case #2! It is way cuter than case #1 don't you think?  I think I like it... the pink is a little dark.. and leaning a smidgen to the purple side... but I think its a keeper.  It's growing on me at least.  I mean I think if you just saw it laying there you'd say.. hmm that looks like Deanna's phone.  Am I right? 

Pretty much had to take another rest day today.  Cannot seem to kick this tiredness.  It's not just normal tired.  It's I feel like someone weighted me down, I feel achy and need to lay down kind of tired.  It's a tired that you feel within hours of getting out of bed after getting plenty of sleep.  It's I can take a 2-4 hour nap and still sleep 8+ hours that night kind of tired.  Will it ever go away?  I want to work out.  I need to workout.  I can't seem to muster up enough energy to do that.  It's making me a little crazy and OK yes... the length of this illness might be making me just a wee bit emotional.. touchy... crabby... kind of like 24/7 PMS.  Who wants to come live with me now?  You are currently feeling sorry for my husband aren't you.  Poor guy.  Good thing God gave him an extra dose or three of patience.  ha!

Other randomness from today.... I saw the new Jenni Bowlin kit on Lisa D's blog and then of course... had to order it.  A pair of sandals arrived that I got from a QVC TSV the other day and it took me about 5 minutes... maybe less... to decide they are going back.  They are NOT comfy, and they are supposed to be and they totally look vinyl.  Not liking that.  I pondered growing my hair out longer again.  It used to be way long... like practically to my waist long... I should find a picture somewhere to show you.  In like 2003??? I got it cut to my shoulders.  It is currently as long as its been since then and I'm thinking I'd like to go with it.  I saw a few styles online I like.  Very similar to what I have just longer.  Like this one...this one or this one.  Other than when I was a child, I don't think I've ever had long hair that wasn't permed either.  Can you believe it?  Do people still get perms or am I showing my age? Don't answer that.  For me... So not going back to perms.  I like those styles because I think they are similar to the style I have, unpermed... ha.. but just longer layers.  Darrel is very on board with this idea.  He always liked long hair and never quite seemed to understand why I would want to cut it.  Isn't he the cutest? 

Lots to be thankful for...as always... God is so good!  Thankful for:

• The beginning of Focus 40 which is our church's version of lent
• scrapbooking again
• Project Life
• cuties... still loving those
• Dinner cooked by my husband
• new pink phone case
• date night
• caramel corn from the best place in town
• subway lunch
• dinner brought to us by friends this week.  That was so awesome.
• getting to visit with our niece when she drove over to our house by herself for the first time.
• praise team
• a husband who bakes when we have to take a cake to church and some of us are still sleepy all the time.
• Reester Bunnies.... have you had those?
• La Carreta dinner on date night
• being able to work longer hours
• nice weather
• talking with my husband
• Sophie and Sydney
• swiftkeyX app
• my new phone
• fossil watches ... I have a thing for them.  I own um... four.  :)
• safety and shelter from the storms that passed thru this week
• my job
• Darrel's job.  He works for such a good company
• being married
• naked turtles... from the caramel corn place.  Who knew a turtle without chocolate could be a good thing? 

Have a great Friday!  I am looking forward to date night! Blessings!