Thank You Cards

I recently needed to make some Thank You Cards that were a little more sophisticaed and more clean lines, So, I kept it simple, but still feminine and cute, I think!  I used my Gypsy and Plantin Schoolbook to weld the circle inside the rectangle to the one on the left.  The other one on the right, I didn't use any Cricut.  The sentiment is embossed in white.  The blue frame on the left is popped, as well as the tan "thank you" square on the card on the right. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Remember this:

Ever since October 22, when our little Rose came into our world and even during the long crazy birthing process, I kept thinking “remember this.” 

As I would gaze at her in the hospital – remember this.

As I saw my husband talk to her for the first time, and stare at her – remember this.

The look on the family member’s faces, when they came into recovery and saw her for the first time – remember this.

The first time I nursed her. 

The first night with her – I admit, I slept with her on my chest.

The ride home from the hospital, I cried the whole way.

Those eyes as they were beginning to focus on things. 

The first time she looked at me.

Her first bath – how terrified I was I would hurt her!

Her umbilical cord fell off and she had a belly button.

The first smile, first sounds she made in an attempt to talk, first time she reached for something and grabbed it successfully.

The first night she slept all the way through and me waking up terrified that something happened.  She slept all night = Mama slept all night.





Even this:  Remember when she ate Nemo!



Remember this, Mary.  Remember this.

Even now, when I am feeding her, or simply changing her diaper, I tell myself that I need to remember these moments.  Almost take a mental snapshot of that moment that is happening before my eyes, and tuck it away in my memory because these moments are flying by.  She is already 5 months old, and time is already flying.  I know it will only go faster. 

These moments are so precious.  But, so are the not-so-happy moments.  Those are worth remembering too.

The pain from my c-section was beyond anything I could imagine, and the recovery period was long, but I made it.

The visit to her doctor to only realize I was starving her, and wasn’t producing milk.  I was devastated.

Her first diaper rash was a real doozie.  I remember crying with her.

All of these sad moments that I experienced with her, especially the not being able to nurse her as I so desperately wanted to do, I need to remember.  I need to remember the emotional pain I felt as a mother, and the disappointment I felt, because those moments contain true, raw, honest human emotion.  People always say you should forget the bad.  But the bad is what makes the good that much better.  The bad happens in life.  And looking back, it wasn’t necessarily bad. I can’t put it into words at the moment.  I am still trying to process some parts of the experience.  I am coming to terms with some of the bad, and completely and utterly overjoyed with the good.  All of it, as a whole, is good.

Love to Cook - Something Different!

I have always loved to cook.  My Mama raised us with home-cooked meals just about every night!  I appreciated the fact that she did that for us.  I hope to do the same for my daughter, my family.  All the while, teaching her the little tricks my Mama taught me.  I have been wanting to make something different.  I was tired of making, cooking, eating the same old things!  Do you ever get that way?  We all have the "go-to's" - the dinners you always have everything you need in house, and can usually whip up pretty quickly.  For us, it's Mexican.  We always have either chips, tortillas, or taco shells around, ground beef, or chicken, cheese, salsa, sour cream, beans (either black or refried - love black beans!) and rice.  It's an easy meal for a weeknight! 

On a Sunday afternoon I had an idea!  I had everything I needed to make a homemade chicken pot pie.  From scratch.  Crust and all.  So I made the filling with 2 packages of frozen vegetables, made some chicken broth, cubed and grilled the chicken, made the pie crust, etc...  I had decided after I added everythi9ng together in one skillet that it was enough for TWO chicken pot pies.  So, I made two!  And for extra eye candy, I added a pie bird to the top.  They turned out amazing!  I had never made one before, EVER!  The texture and consistancy was incredible, and it didn't run everywhere when we cut into it.  It held up so well! 

This is my first food entry!  Hopefully of many more to come! 

So, leave a comment of what your family's "go-to" meal is.  Do you ever get tired of it?  If so - try something different!  I am SO glad I did!

Thank you for looking!

Mary

Blue Eyes in the Sun

It was a Saturday afternoon.  My husband was out and it was just Rose, the furbabies and I at home.  I  thought that it was too beautiful to stay inside all day, so I packed up baby girl and we went for a walk.  A pretty long walk.  She slept most of the time, but when she was awake, she was oohing and ahhing, talking up a storm looking around and taking in the sights.  Then she was just was just watching me.  I had to take a picture.  She is amazing.  Those eyes just jump out at me.  My sweet little Rose.  She is now almost 5 months old - where has the time gone?

Soar - Because you can!

Into a lot of positive messages lately.  So I made this card because I was inspired by the balloons.  The balloon paper is from My Minds Eye.  Thank you for looking!

Mary

Button Journal

Hi Everyone! 

This is also a recent project I made.  It's an 8x8 Journal, filled with lined paper.  The buttons were hand stitched into the paper, and then some knots tied with embroiddary floss to add a little fun!  I love this journal!  Trying to decide if I should keep it for myself or not.

Thank you for looking!

A Few Cards.... haven't posted any of these in a while!

Happy Birthday!

I made a "quilt" with scraps of paper.  Very simple, but I love it!



Thank You

A simple Thank You with some Baker's Twine added

Of Course It's All About the Cake!

A simple card!  Using tags and pre-done thickers, but time is limited!  I don't mind though!



Long Time Gone... and a birth story.

Long time no see!?!  It’s been over a year since I last posted.  I know I could offer every reason in the book as to why I haven’t posted.  I am sure all of my followers are gone, and that is fine.  Maybe some of you stuck around, and for that I am eternally grateful.  I am back.  However things have forever changed in my world, but for the better.  I am still creating, and have been, but just haven’t posted anything or even taken pictures of anything.  I am regretting that at the moment, but I know there will be many more things to post. 

So at the beginning of last year I turned 30.  I must admit, I was NOT happy about the milestone Birthday.  So many things that I said I wanted to accomplish by the time I was 30.  The list was long and daunting mentally at times.  Perhaps out of reach?  Maybe?  Sometimes I felt like I was setting goals and aspiring to be more than what I could actually accomplish in life.  I was a big dreamer.  I knew I was.  In being a big dreamer there are more opportunities for disappointment.  I lived a majority of my life disappointed.  Disappointed in choices I had made, and things I did, and even things I didn’t do.  I was never one to take chances, and that has hurt me in the long run.  So, yeah, am I getting all psychological now?  Yes, and in a moment you will know why I am writing all of this.  There is a reason for the background.  My creativity was an outlet.  It was my therapy.  My happy place.  Now my whole world is my happy place.

Along with this turning 30 funk, I had no motivation, no inspiration, and no want/need to create.  I went MONTHS without setting foot in my craft room.  I didn’t miss it.  I didn’t know at the time, but something was completely different with me, and might have been the reason that I didn’t create anything with paper.

I was creating something else.  I was pregnant.

I am not going into personal details.  I am not going to get into the exact description of things.  But I will say this.  I didn’t know I was pregnant.  I didn’t have any symptoms until July.  On July 27^th, I took a home pregnancy test and the results were positive.  On August 8^th, the doctor confirmed I was pregnant, and was due October 31^st.  Yes, due October 31^st.  That was 3 months away.  I was shocked, terrified, scared, worried… excited, thrilled, happy, crying, and holey moley we have A LOT to do!!!!

I had never wanted children.  My husband did.  I was worried about if I would be a good mother or not.  I was worried about financially supporting a child.  I was worried about everything!  I wasn’t always that way.  When I was little, and even in high school I said I wanted 4 kids!  But then the reality of adulthood sets in, and maybe… well… things aren’t always what they seem.  Looking back now, I will be honest, I don’t know if I truly never wanted kids, or if I talked/worried myself out of wanting them.  But God had a different plan in mind than I did.  I am glad He did. 

So, was pregnancy the reason I didn’t feel creative?  I don’t know.  But I do know one thing;  my creative juices are flowing like crazy, and now I don’t have the time to create what I want!  But that is ok.  For, I am abundantly happy, and never knew the reason why I was so unhappy was because I had not been a mother. 

Friday, October 19^th, I receive a phone call from my doctor.  He tells me the results of a test I had taken the previous day, and recommends that I go to the hospital on Sunday evening to start induction.  I finish packing my bag (which I had not finished), and try to not think too much about what is getting ready to happen.  Not the arrival of little one by any means, but the mere thought of childbirth, well, it scared the crud out of me to be honest.  Also due to the results of my test there was a 50/50 chance that I might have to have a c-section.  Needless to say, I was terrified. 

I will make a long story short.  I began induction around 8pm on Sunday evening.  At 2am on Monday I began actively having contractions.  I held out until 1pm on Monday for the epidural (I was very proud of that!).  After waiting all day, at 10:30 that evening, they decided that baby needed to come out.  I was going to have a c-section. 

At that moment I was scared.  I was confused.  I was wondering why it had to happen this way.  But ultimately, I knew I wanted my baby, our baby, to be safe and healthy.  I knew that it wasn’t about me.  It was about this baby that we were bringing into the world.  It was time to meet the little guy or girl.  We didn’t know what the gender of our baby was prior to birth, so that we could have the ultimate surprise at the end!  I do remember throughout the day hearing cries of babies down the hall, and getting upset that our baby didn’t wanting to come out into this world yet.  I longed to meet the little one, and wondering if I did something wrong.  I guess that goes along with being a mother, and I was about to become one.

I remember the frenzy of nurses swarming around me, and it all happened so quickly!  I remember my husband, who never left my side that whole time reassuring me that everything would be fine.  I remember him looking at me teary eyed knowing I was scared, and yet trying to be brave himself.  I remember my Mama, who had been in the hospital room all day with us, was scared, but yet trying to be brave.  I remember her lips quivering when she gave me a kiss before they wheeled me off to surgery.  I remember my husbands’ lips doing the same.  I remember telling myself that this was it, and that I had to be brave and calm, and all would be well.  I remember watching my husband put on scrubs, and a surgical mask, and that’s when it hit me.  I began shaking.  I remember thinking – don’t show your fear.  You can do this.  You can do this for your baby.  I get to meet my child.  I get to meet this little person that has been kicking me and had the hiccups (a lot).  I get to witness a miracle.

As they were wheeling me down the hallways past the rooms where every other woman’s baby came into this world already, I began to panic.  I was never so scared as I was during those moments.  When I saw the operating room, I closed my eyes, I said an Our Father, followed by a Hail Mary.  Then I remember asking my Daddy, who died when I was 6, to give me some of his strength.  I was freezing cold, shaking profusely.  They laid a warm blanket across my chest.  I remember asking where my husband was, for he was not in the room with me yet.  He was waiting outside per his orders.  I needed him there with me.  He was my solid rock that I needed.  I needed to gaze into his eyes to know that everything was going to be ok.  I remember feeling sick.  I remember… “are we ready?  OK we are starting.”  Dear God, Please be with me.

I don’t remember much of what was next.  I told my husband that he needed to talk to me.  He asked about what, and I said “anything.”  The two doctors were talking about a trip to Nashville.  You are cutting me open and you are talking about Nashville!?!?  Since it was after hours, my doctor wasn’t performing the c-section, his associate was.  I remember hearing a suction noise, and then he said “we have a baby!”  My husband and I looked at each other, and I said “what is it?”  Then there was a pause, “it’s definitely a girl! Happy Birthday!  Congratulations!”  Then I heard a sound that I will never forget.  It was the sound of my new daughter crying for the first time.  She made her first mark on the world, and it was the sweetest sound my ears ever heard.  I have a daughter.  I have become a mother.

“Look to your left, Mom, and you will see your new daughter.”  She was wiggling, and crying, pink in color.  She was perfect.  She was mine.  She was ours.  She was healthy.  She was here.  My heart was full.

Joanna Rose was born at 11:06 pm on October 22, 2012.  She weighed 7lbs. 6oz., and was 19.5 inches long. 

My husband wanted to stay by my side.  But I kept saying – “go, go! Take pictures!”  He disappeared for a bit.  His job was to capture the moments that I could not see from the curtain that my head was above.  I heard the nurses call out the weight and length and time.  I remember it felt like an eternity and then that moment came.  My husband came around the curtain.  He had in his arms a camera, and a little bundle of white blanket with blue and pink stripes and a little pink hat.  He had tears in his eyes, and a grin from ear to ear.  I could tell he was proud.  I asked him to turn her towards me so I could see her face.  That image is burned in my memory forever.  A perfect little face, perfect little nose, perfect little eyes, ears, and a full head of dark hair and a perfectly rounded head..  I cried.  I couldn’t believe it.  I met my daughter.  I met my beautiful little Rose. 

More to come on this story later.