Nobody's hurtin', no one's afraid...no hungry children, Loved ones don't die...no sad farewells, there'll be no more goodbyes...

Hey guys, sorry I've been MIA, I wanted to drop in and tell you why. I won't be posting much, if at all this week because we're out of town.

First a bit of happy news...I am the Featured Stamper on Splitcoast this week! What a wonderful surprise this was!! I can't wait to have some time to go see and comment on all the fabulous creations. Thanks so much, Beth, for this honor!!

Now, on to what has been going on in my world.

Some of you who are new to my blog may not know the story of Julianna. If you don't, you can read it HERE. Eleven years ago this past July, I gave a baby girl up for adoption. We have an open adoption, which is wonderful. I have loved their family as my own from the very start, and they think of me as part of their family as well. A special part.

Julianna's mom, Becky, has been battling colon cancer for about 3 years. On Wednesday of last week, I found out that she was at home on hospice care. We are very, very close...she's like a second mom to me. We were told she had a couple of weeks left. So Josh & I made plans to bring the boys down and say goodbye and be with the family. We were to go on Tuesday (9/15). But on Friday afternoon, I got a call from Julianna's dad, Bobby. Becky passed away at 1:45 on Friday afternoon, surrounded by her family.

My heart was broken. I had so much that I wanted to tell her...how she changed my life, and helped me become the person I am today, with love, compassion, and understanding. She was the most loving and peaceful person I had ever met. My heart and life has been forever changed by knowing her. I know she is without pain and in peace at the feet of her Lord, where she has longed to be. But I will selfishly say that she left a hole here in this world that no one can fill.

I'm so sorry...I always try to keep this a happy and fun blog to read, so when I return, I'll do that. But I wanted to share with you what was happening so you didn't think I had run away and joined the circus. Tomorrow is her funeral, and although it's supposed to be a celebration, it will be a very hard day for this family. We would all appreciate your thoughts and prayers.


Worth it all by Rita Springer
I don't understand Your ways
Oh but I will give You my song
Give You all of my praise
You hold on to all my pain
With it You are pulling me closer
And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner
And up every mountain
I'm not looking for crowns
Or the water from fountains
I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing
That the sight of Your face
Is all that I need
I will say to You

It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it
It's gonna be worth it all
I believe this

You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it
You're gonna be worth it all
I believe this

The day I fall in love....

Happy 10th birthday, Julianna!

Where is the love.........

Here I am!!! I am back! Didja miss me? *grin*

This week was a killer....I was out of town all week for work, and then went to San Antonio on Friday for a little visit with Julianna. If you're new to my blog or don't remember, you can read this post to learn who she is and why she's important.

Here's a pic of us being silly.


She's looking at me like...what the HECK is wrong with her??? Seconds before the camera clicked, she was acting just as nuts as I was. It was really fun.

Anywho, it's time for another Sketch for You to Try, and I finally got my card done! WHEW! I colored a bunch of images last week before I left, so I used one of my new Bella Fairies, Betty Bombshell. I loveeeeee her!!

I don't know what I was thinking when I picked these colors, but luckily the Basic Grey Baby Boy papers matched her...YAY! I turned the sentiment from Verve's Great Expectations set into a one line instead of two so it would fit along the bottom of my horizontal strip. To do this, ink up the first line with markers, stamp, clean your stamp, then ink up the second line and line it up. Super easy!

Thanks for being patient and still coming to see me today! Make sure you check out Jen's blog for her and Dawn's creations, as well as my girls Amy, Carole, and Susan. If you decide to play with us this week, please use the keyword SFYTT so we can all check out your creations, k?

Have a great Saturday!

Where were you 9 years ago?

Nine years ago today, I was in the hospital. I was 19 years old, and had just delivered a beautiful baby girl at about 7:30 pm. In the delivery room was my mom, and the mom I chose for my baby. I've never really talked about it in depth here, but I am a birth mom. I was stunned when I found out I was pregnant, and after seeking much wise counsel and much prayer, I chose adoption for my unborn child.

I really wanted an open adoption, and didn't really know where to start. We just prayed. When I was 3 months pregnant, God brought a family to me. The day I met them, I knew I didn't need to meet anyone else. I was carrying their baby.

They were with me throughout my pregnancy, and I bonded with them to the point that we are now like family. I got the chance to go visit her a few weeks ago, and we had so much fun just hanging out. She knows I'm her birth mom, and she met my boys last summer. We're kind of like distant relatives.

I love to share my story because usually the only things people hear are the horrible ones. We're a good one. I am so proud of my decision to give my girl a home I could not have provided her, and I'm so proud of the lady she's growing to be. I'm blessed that I get to be around to see it.

So anyway, here's her birthday card. She loves pink and bling...like someone else you know. ;)

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Linen, Tinkabella, Magical Day
Cardstock: Regal Rose, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Paper Accents Pearlized White
Ink: Cool Caribbean, Colorbox Fluid Chalk Alabaster Ink, Palette Hybrid Noir
Accessories: May Arts Ribbon, Foam Mounting Tape, Stickles, Flower Bling, Corner Rounder, Paper Piercer, Ticket Corner Punch, Prismacolor Pencils & Odorless Mineral Spirits