i have purposed in my heart to follow my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

it has been way too long. greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. i have been away so long, i don't know what to share. so i'm going to start with my grandchildren. this year marked the 6th birthday for my oldest, Sam, his brother Peter turned 4 in september and just prior to that, on july 20th my 3rd grandson Andrew (affectionately called Andy) arrived. all three boys are my oldest son Simon and Mindy's beautiful children. and what a happy family, full of love, affection, fun and adventure. Peter is a pistol, he leaps without looking. he's so full of life, his smile can't be wiped off his face unless he gets an 'owie'. but soon it returns. he decided one outing with his pop and brothers at the golf course to just leap out of the golf cart before dad stopped and his left foot was run over by the cart. this was just before his 4th birthday. boy did he love telling the story. his little limp went on for about 2 weeks. Sam has always been the calm, sweet and loving child, caring for his brother(s) and comforting Pete in all his boo boos. now he has Andy to watch over too and so far Andy has the same sweet, happy spirit as Sam . he's such a good big brother.

anyway, i missed the last weekend crop (oct. '10) because i was in a funk. spiritually, physically and emotionally. i could not tell you specifics, i just knew i would be dead weight to my friends and i had no desire to mope away such a fun and entertaining and productive time. so, i am going to our next 2-12 hour crops in november and december and our retreat in january 2011!! signed up and paid for! i still don't know how to download pictures from this mac my son gave me 2 years ago and i am at the mercy of my 18 yr old daughter to help me, but she is always on the go. so, no more saying i will post until it actually happens. i will learn somehow, by taking copious notes and practice, practice. i have no school for a week during the thanksgiving break and then two weeks for the holidays of Christmas and new year's. i just put a big post it note on my computer monitor. i am really enjoying the spray mist products, the masking, grungeboard (actually i like everything tim holtz style) and then my usual paints, hand written journaling, making my embellishments, etc.

it's 12:45 am. i don't start my shift at school till 11 am, but i like to get up at 7:45 am and check the emails, facebook, blogs, etc., drink a couple cups of coffee, and go out to my studio to do something or look at what i did the night before. so, i will say aloha for now and with all good intentions, i shall post again soon. Mahalo to anyone who reads this and would like to post some helpful tips on how to get my pics from iphoto (MAC OS X program) to my blog page.

Stamp-n-Design: Just Believe Twisted Pyramid Card

Stamp-n-Design: Just Believe Twisted Pyramid Card

what a beautiful card and technique. i am going to give it a try. thank you!

summer races to an end.....

i don't like to see (feel) summer leaving. i enjoy the heat and outside so much. of course, we don't have the scortching heat and humidity like much of the country. what we have is 10 months of fall/cold winters and 2 months of summer. no real spring, lucky to have an indian summer every other year or less. BUT, this was an exciting summer for me. in july, i turned 60, and just 2 days later my third grandson was born into my oldest sons family. they now have 3 boys, sam is 6, pete is almost 4 and today andy is 5 weeks old. wow, how blessed is that! i didn't start my monthly journal for the month of july like i wanted to, i did not have any pictures printed like i wanted because i need to wait till school starts to get back to work, but when i do put the month in an album i will be ready because i make journaling notes, kept receipts and lots of epherma (i need a spell check). both the front and back yards are green again with a lawn (missing for 5 years :( - don't ask) and my daisies and black eyed susans have bloomed all summer. i have been to one crop retreat and two 12 hour crops this summer and i always take my scrapbooking or cardmaking supplies when i house-sit. so i have been productive. my new daughter had a fright and ultimate victory over melanoma cancer in july, my daughter is looking for full time work and wonderful, both my sons are very blessed with wonderful wives and so i just want to say, Praise the Lord!

blog hopping

i have been blog hopping with ippity this morning! what a fine group of very talented ladies, providing a wealth of ideas, using awesome products and giving much joy and fun inspiration to many! i could not have spent a better one hour doing anything else. but, alas, i must get ready for work. ugh! another day of doing dishes for the school district! don't mind the work, i love working by myself, but at my age it's backbreaking and painful on the hands. no whining here, just the facts. can't wait to get home, soak my hands in warm water, then start being creative too! thanks unity ipity chicks! i had a very relaxing and peaceful and inspiring morning!

crop weekend!

i am so looking forward to this weekend's crop. i have missed my scrapbooking buddies for a long while. or maybe is seems so long ago because winter will not go away!!!!! this weekend promises to be a beautiful one though, and i know, i am going to be indoors. but, i will be by a big picture window--with a view of a side street, a credit union and an athletic club. all complaining ceases now!

ok----i am giving myself some advice: don't read your own posts. golly me, they are depressing. i am not a doom and gloom person. i have a great outlook on life, live on the positive side of it all as much as possible and above all do not wish to be a complainer. so, that being said;

i love scrapbooking and some card making. i signed up for unity stamp company's kit of the month. they are a refreshing new company (2 years old now) with original and exciting stamps. they are deeply etched red rubber, cushion layer, and then a cling backing. red rubber has always been my favorite stamp of choice and with the introduction of cling backed red rubber stamps (maybe a decade or so ago) i can have my favorites and save on space as well. so i am anxiously awaiting May's kit to arrive, but i have february through april's kits to take with me to my crop.

another company i really adore is called scarlet lime scrapbooking kit club. their kits are not your ordinary boring, they are always bright and cheery. i love the variety of papers, ribbons, buttons, even fabric pieces to incorporate onto your layouts, and each month a new clear stamp for noting the date on your page is also included.

i am not a designer or otherwise for either above mentioned companies. i just wanted to share what i enjoy.

wow, my youngest turned 18 on april 23rd! yikes!!! my sons' are 36 and 25. i still don't feel or think i look like i do (when i see myself in a mirror for example), but reality is not forgiving. i am looking my 59 years and feeling all the aches and pains that go with RA, OA, FMS and thyroid problems. ick, so many abbreviations above. hahahahahahaha, i still love life to the fullest and find that the joy of the Lord is my strength!

i have told myself that i will learn how to post pictures of my hobbies, but haven't yet. so, after this weekend, i hope to learn and post pictures of my scrapbooking weekend. Aloha for now from Bend.

boring

i just returned to my blog, long absence, and read my postings. they are so boring! gosh, what was i thinking, well boring is my life. as much as i enjoy what i do, i am unable to express it with any enthusiasm at all. and my spelling and grammar, gee, they were my favorite subjects in school (even though that was 42 years ago)!i know the truth is always the best, so here it is. i have been separated from my husband of 27 years for 3 years now. because i cannot afford to move, cannot find a full time job (but cannot also work full time), i have moved into the back of the house. It used to be my craft room. it is large, has its own entrance and porch and a door separates it from the rest of the house. it does not, however, have its own bath and kitchen. so, i hole up (literally live in my room) when i know that he is home. since all the rage has subsided and he leaves me alone it is tolerable, but unhealthy. my friend today noticed and remarked how i look so troubled, even though i keep up the good front and we always have a good time laughing and sharing stories about work (we are lunch ladies at our local schools), my life is not right, not good for me. she was so sincere and i loved her for noticing. so we talked about what my plans are. my daughter is turning 18 on the 23rd of this month. after that time is when i plan on filing my divorce papers with the court. yes, i know, doing your own divorce is not beneficial in many ways, but i just must be free of this oppression in my life. i have lived with doom and gloom for so long i am so ready to be done with his dark cloud. my (our) 3 children want what's best for me and love me so much. he has never had a relationship with any of them (2 sons and 1 daughter) after the age of 5. that's when they were to grow up and start taking on some responsibilities. I'm not going there, not even knowing i am the only one reading this. i just don't want to think about it anymore. i loved my husband with all my heart and soul, knowing his flaws and willing to love him through it all. i raised my children to love their hardworking father, but as each of them reached the age of reason, they knew what kind of man he was, knew what they were missing, and each formed their own ways of coping. only my oldest son rebelled, my other two have been level headed and tried not to be confrontational. my oldest son has been married 10 years now, a loving wife, two adorable (of course) grandsons, almost 6 and 2-1/2 (with Andrew expected in mid-July). He has asked his dad to be a part of his children's lives and he is their only grandfather. his wife's father passed away before their firstborn. so far, he is being great with them. they love him, and i could not ask for any better. we only talk when necessary (thankfully for me) and i don't really believe he believes i am going through with filing for a divorce. he will react very badly, i will probably stay with friends until he leaves the house and then the whole process will begin. if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and happen upon this post, please pray for me and my daughter. we all know the difficulty our economy has created on so many families and so many people without work. i don't know how we will do, but i do know that my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ will sustain us. good night Jo Ann (me), good night Rebekah, aka becks, good night Ben and Heidi and good night Simon, Mindy, Sam and Peter. i love you all so very much!

giving credit

i want to give credit for the information leading me to this information came from the 'tip junkie'. creator Laurie Turk of the DFW, Texas great state! thanks laurie!!!

fabric flowers

just made my first fabric flower using tutorial from maizi in montana, thank you so much. i started with 2" width, am going to do a 1" width now. wheeeeeeee, this is fun!!!! i hope i have the right spelling for your name. i will correct if needed. mahalo! just want to correct my statement: maize in montana, website is maizehutton.com.

later, same day

i am enjoying ananyminity, but still not knowing what to write about. i could tell myself about all my favorite pattterned paper lines, stamp companies, etc. and it would be a reminder for me since i forget somethings almost as soon as i hear, read or see it. duh, what makes me think i'll go right here and write them down. hmmm, no biggie, i've learned to live this way, and always try to do better. loving this!

yipee!

i'm going to get the hang of it sooner than later. i mean, i will be learning how to add things to my blog from other's. i still haven't mastered the adding pictures thingie, i need my teenage, almost 18, daughter to help me and she is not home so much any more. anyway, thanks Joy's Life for allowing me to add you as a ??? to my blog. what's it called again. who cares, i love it. and i'm going to find my heat n bond and cut something on my cricut to put on my blah purse! aloha for now!!

time marches on........

it has been 2-1/2 weeks since Ben & Heidi's wedding. i'm still feeling so peaceful and happy for them. it was a beautiful ceremony, all moments of great love and joy between them and everyone there to share in their love.

my life since then has been an ongoing battle with buzzard breath (the devil). he is trying to steal, rob and destroy my joy in the Lord. every moment of every day this past week has been a trial and i am confident that the Lord is preparing me for new challenges, a work for the Kingdom of God. so, that's good. i am not helpless and especially not hopeless. (it just started to rain. i can hear it on the metal roof above me.) we may even have some snow in the next couple of days. we have had beautiful spring weather all week (beginning last thursday 3/18), but alas, this is central oregon. wait 10 minutes and the weather will change. a few more days left before returning to school.

there are not many things in my life that bring me despair, so i'm going out on a limb and mention one. i went to see my rheumatologist this week, my usual 4 month check-up. i asked if i could take away one of the meds that we had talked about 4 months previous, if my current status on the remicade and methotrexate continued to allow me more energy and freedom from pain. it has been 2 years now on this course of meds. she laughed and said that they usually don't take away any meds, in fact it is usually the case that they will add something else. i did not argue with her, but was insistent that she did mention that i could cut back of one of them and eventually stop it if my condition remained the same. so i am going to wean myself off of one of them and believe i will be able to discontinue it altogether within the 4 months it will take to do this. after being diagnosed 15 years ago, i am still the only one that knows me and my body the best, and in 5 years when medicade kicks in as my primary health insurance (which is a big "IF" right now), i won't be able to afford all the meds anyway, so i want to know now what i can do to become free of all these chemicals and 'live with it', 'it' being the pain. will i still be able to function, scrapbook and enjoy my grandkids and my family? i will trust in the Lord no matter what. i gave Him my life and i will always remind myself to stay the course, focus on Jesus, as He is the author and finisher of my life. Yikes, its 2:10 am. i wanted to be asleep by midnight. aloha for now.

Aloha!

My second son's wedding is only 7 days away. I just learned yesterday that my third grandson (from my oldest son) is a boy, his name is Andrew (due to arrive in July)! Wow, am I one happy and blessed mom and Tutu (Hawaiian for Grandmother). I am slowly and painstakingly learning how to upload photos to my blog and a new group I just signed up with, "My Unity Place" with Unity Stamp Company. Will be adding favorite blogs to follow later. Need to make a list. As much as I would like to portray a simpler and happier time in my life, it just would not be true. I am nearing the end of another decade of my life (the fifties) with many uncertainties, i.e. marriage, health issues, and an economy that will not allow me to support myself. Yet I do not feel burdened or sad because I know from whom my strength comes, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is for me ever present in so many times of need. And, I will not succumb to self-pity and depression. Well, that said, I am working on my second son's and fiance's 'dating' album. They have supplied me with excellent material in photos--they are so much fun, goofy, laughing, everyday stuff that makes they grow in their knowledge of each others' strengths and shortcomings and working through all the issues that need to be dealt with before and after they are married. They are both meant for each other, God has prepared each of them for each other. They are and always will be a work in progress, with the wisdom to know that communication is a #1 priority. OK, enough for today. I can't seem to get off the topics of my kids, so tomorrow I am going to try uploading a few scrapbook pages of those two love birds before they actually get married. Hopefully it won't take 8 days to figure out! Aloha for now.

Another year or so .....

Another large segment of time has flown by. Whooosh!!!! But I have the greatest news to share. My son Benjamin is getting married on March 5th, 2010 to a beautiful lady named Heidi Miller. They will remain here in Bend after they are married. Yipee!!!! I am expecting my third grandchild from my oldest son Simon and wife Mindy, in July of this year. (my grammar may be off there, ???) I am no longer a Stampin Up hobbyist, but would like to return to that sometime soon. I miss their great products. I have been faithfully scrapbooking, my favorite hobby and reading material subject. I drive my family nuts with this, but so we are. The super information highway has left me in the dust and I am glad. I don't need high tech in any part of my life. I love paper, ribbon, metal gadgets and my Cricut die cutting machine. Needless to say, I have not learned how to download pictures of my pages, but am always hopeful my daughter will be patient with me again and show me how. Today I attended the last Tea that my wonderful friend Janice May has done for so many years past. She and her husband Dennis are going to be caretakers for a Bible Camp on the other side of the mountain from here, somewhere around Medford. We went to family camp with them two years ago, and yes we had a great time. But I will miss my dear friends. For the last year we have had dinner and a movie night every week. It was our way of staying connected. It is so easy to get caught up in the work 'vortex' (comment from a friend this week who I have not seen in years) and not stay connected with friends. I am still a lunch lady, now at a Middle School (what happened to Junior High) because it is only 10 miles from home and not 20, so I am very blessed with the move in January. I hate to say my life is boring, because I don't think it is, but it is pretty much one sided. I have been separated from my husband for 3 years now and it is just my daughter and I. She will be 18 in April. Gladly, she and her friend Anna (her parents are the ones leaving town) will be setting up their apartment in part of my studio (a separate building which used to be my salsa commercial kitchen) until they find full time work and can afford an apartment. I am glad they will be close to me. (funny, it's only a hop, skip and a jump out the back door) Bekah will be able to keep her dog and Anna's parents will be relieved to know that their daughter will be with close friends.
Aloha for now..............must go find the fabric I want to use for my dress to wear to Ben & Heidi's wedding!!