Homeward Bound

Gavin is doing great!!!  First, thank you to everyone who has sent prayers.  Our family is so thankful.

As of 8/31/11 in the afternoon: My sister-in-law has been released from the hospital without Gavin.  However, they are not busy at all so she's being allowed to stay in their room until as late as 11 pm tonight so they can be with Gavin.  The doctors continue to be amazed at how well he's doing and he is actually scheduled to be released at 1pm tomorrow 9/1/11 to go home.  All he needs to do is maintain his numbers when he's on his back and get his last round of bacterial infection shots without change in his vitals and he'll be able to go home!!  Gavin was also able to actually breast feed today.  He did well and maintained all his vitals within normal range the entire time!

Thank you all again!  We are planning to go over for our first visit tomorrow evening and we will be able to see and hold him for the first time.  I'm making a massive home cooked dinner to bring in celebration.  :)  I'm sure I'll have plenty of pictures to post on my blog shortly after.

Gavin is breathing normally!!

My precious nephew is breathing all on his own and is all normal parameters.  His heart rate is normal and he has taken well to the infection medication he was given this afternoon.  He is now rooming in with mommy and daddy and can be held by them.  Yea!!!!!  We will be staying away this evening.  It's important that Gavin have as little stress as possible in the coming hours to stabilize his condition so he can go home with mommy tomorrow.  While I'm dying to give that little one a squeeze, I will happily stay away in the interest of my nephew's continued health.

Thank you & blessings to all of you who have been praying and keeping Gavin in your thoughts.

Patience is a Virtue...

...and I'm here to say that I don't have it yet....trying though!  Baby Gavin is still confined to the nursery.  He is off oxygen but is not breathing well enough yet.  He's also developed a bacterial infection that will need to be taken care of.  It's entirely possible at this point that Mindy will get discharged tomorrow without Gavin.  :(  Here's hoping that doesn't happen.  She's been waiting a long time to hold this little guy, and even though he's here, she can't.  She is doing well though and has no complications from the delivery.

Unfortunately, we were unable to see G at all this morning.  Not even through the window.  :(  I'm hoping for good news from the hospital maybe later tonight.  We were able to see a video on a phone of when Mike and Mindy were in the nursery with G.  He's ADORABLE!!  I'm also biased.  :)  He's very alert, mellow and sweet.  Hopefully, he'll be better soon.

Baby Gavin is Here!

At 10:35 last night, our family was so happy to welcome Gavin Glenn Church into our family!!!!  We finally got to see the happy parents and resting mommy about an hour afterward.  Baby Gavin has spent the night in the nursery under observation and oxygen.  He swallowed some fluid in utero and was not breathing very well on his own.  Doctors were optimistic that he would improve over night.  I'm waiting for an update this morning and will be heading down with Ben sometime so he can see the baby too.

UPDATE: He is 8lbs 6oz.  No height yet.  Heading down to see him soon.  :)

The staff was nice enough to open up a window shade so we could see him.

And of course, I was taking pictures of the new father taking pictures.  LOL!

Hoping that G will be off the oxygen and back with mommy and daddy today,

Almost an Auntie!

She's pushing!  So, provided there are no complications, there will be a new member of the family soon.  Thanks to all for prayers - the drugs worked and the baby is on the way!

Stuck...

She's stuck at 7 folks.  The hospital has stepped in with some drugs to help her move along.  Turns out that breaking her water for her didn't do a thing.  This little one just wants to stay put.  I'm home putting the little one to bed and we'll see if I return after my husband calls it quits down there to come home and sleep.  Might not be until tomorrow until I get up there and get to take some pics of the new baby.  Believe me, my camera is charged, blank disc in place and I'm hoping for lots of beautiful new baby pics.

Updates as I can...

The baby is coming!!

My brother-in-law just txted me to tell me that my sister-in-law is now at the hospital and is a 7.  She's getting an epidural soon and we'll be meeting the baby today!!

Overly excited Aunt-to-be,

Artwork's a comin'

I know I've been posting far less artwork lately.  Sorry about that.  I'm knee deep in creations for the consultant Make It From Your Heart contest with CTMH.  The rules say I can't share anything before hand.  However, I've got some items that I've made that aren't going to get submitted...not up to my standards.  :)  And, I'll also have some swap cards to share soon.  Just need to get everything finished up and photographed.  Hopefully I'll have time this weekend.....hopefully.

Baby watch: No baby yet.  Seem's it's content to stay cozy in my SIL's belly.

See you with actual artwork next week!
Have a great weekend all,

31 Online Party

Hey all!  I'm currently having a 31 virtual party.  If anyone is interested, the instructions for getting your own adorable 31 bag are below.  For those who have never heard of 31, or don't know how well their stuff coordinates with scrapbooking supplies, read on.  :)

Thirty-One is a wonderful faith based company that encourages, rewards and supports women as they build a business of their own for the betterment of themselves, their families and their community.  Not to mention that they have a ton of adorable bags & purses to help you organize your home & life.

 This month, they are offering all customers 15% off their entire purchase!  That's right, 15% off everything...  I don't know about you all, but I'm doing some serious early Christmas shopping with this deal.  :)

Now, did you know they have super cute multi-pocket (Mini Organizer) that can hold all kinds of embellishments to take to your next crop?  Or a bag that perfectly holds all your papers and current projects (Cindy Tote) that can double as a large tote for busy days?  You can even personalize it!  Not into traditional personalization?  How about a cute phrase instead.....Cropaholic...Scrap Stash...CTMH (for you consultants)...Crop Queen...Bling Bag???  They're all so fun!  They even have bags for embellishment packs, and markers and more!  Plus, they are all in cute prints.  Check it out!  (Cosmetic Bag & Cindy Tote shown below)

To see the catalog and/or place an order, just head to http://www.mythirtyone.com/aphilo/.  View the full catalog using the button toward the top.  To order and see the 15% off prices, click on "my events" on the right side.  Then, my party is on the bottom of the list (Gloria Rogers catalog party) so just select "shop now" on the right hand side to start shopping.  If you are in the Grand Rapids area, you can choose to have your order delivered to me to save on shipping, or if you are elsewhere, just have it sent to yourself.

Hurry - the party closes Saturday, August 27th!
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask.
Thanks everyone!!

Random Administrativeness

Is that even a word???  Administrativeness.....well, it is to me now.  This is a quick post to thank, reply and shout out to folks who I need to reach.

Thank you very much to all those who posted such nice comments and sent messages about the Fall Wall Canvas.  You all are too sweet and it really brightened my day.  :)

For Karen, who inquired about my super mosquito bite fixer, this is what I buy on recommendation from our doctor.

However, since my mini man gets a lot on his head, I don't spray it on.  I take a q-tip and dip it in the liquid and then swab over and around the bite area.  If it has been scratched open, it will sting, but I just have B hold my hand and I blow on the bite until it stops.  Works every time!

To Corinna over at Ribbon Carousel...congrats again and thanks so much for the goodies!  If you've never shopped over at RC with her, you really should go take a look.  I LOVE her twine and that it comes in all colors.  Plus, the way she packages your purchase is so cute!!  See...

I'm seriously going to reuse that bow tie on the front!  When you open it, all of your wonderful goodies are inside...

No, I'm not getting anything special from her, I just like to show some love for a CTMH sister.  And, as mentioned, I LOVE the twine.  :)  hehe!

Last item: for those who are following the baby watch, it's T-minus 3 days and counting.  I saw her on Sunday to celebrate her birthday (Wed, the day before she's due) and she's doing great!  No signs that the little one is ready to come out yet, but I think the new mommy is ready.

Thanks for coming by today,

Baby Hat

We had 2 or so days of cooler weather.  It made me haul out the hook and make this:

 For the new baby of course.  It's not here yet, but she's due shortly.  :)

If need be, it's just as cute with the edge folded up.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Attack of the Mosquito

First, I realized I've never posted an actual photo of me before on my blog, so w/o further ado, here's me.

Yes, no foolin, my hair really is as long as the girl on my blog.  But this post is not about hair.  It's about the gigantic mosquito that attacked me the other night.  Here's the story.

Turns out (it was on the news!) that there are two kinds of mosquitoes in Michigan.  The regular kind and one that is also native to Michigan that is very large.  Think like 3-4 times the size of a regular mosquito.  Plus, they can bite right through all kinds of clothing.  It was on the news because there was no late frost this year to kill most of them off like normal I guess.  Plus, we all need to buy bug spray that can be put on clothes so you don't blow up your dryer.  Anywho, I digress.  The other night we were playing at a local school's playground and took a little rest.  Just as Ben sat on my lap, this bug landed by my eye and I swatted it away thinking it was a crazed fly or something.  I swear to you, it wasn't on me but a second.  Then it started to itch...and itch...and itch.  Thank goodness it was almost time to go home.  Because 15 minutes after it landed on me, this is what it looked like.

That would be my "what the heck" face.  Yes, not large, but it was pushing on my eye and being annoying.  I have an allergy of sorts to bites that makes them continue to swell over 24 hours.  If left alone, this one could swell my eye shut by morning.  So, like a good little girl, I swabbed this one with the special stuff in my cupboard and it was tiny again by morning.  Unfortunately, I have passed this allergy on to my son.  We didn't know until he got a bite above his eyebrow.  The next day, he couldn't see.  After a quick doctor's visit, he has what I have, and we're hoping he outgrows it as most children do.

Here's to no more bites this year!

Fall Wall Canvas

I've been noodling this one around in my head for a while and after a few mishaps, this is what I came up with.  I should have started with the tree to begin with - Fall is my favorite season.

Every last thing (well nearly) is cut with the new CTMH Art Philosophy cartridge.  I used Elemental papers, Colonial White and Cocoa cardstock.  I added one of the new pin clips, mocha gems and a tad bit of hemp and twill ribbon.  The frame is popped with foam so you can slide a 4x6 photo in behind it.  All of the leaves are dry embossed to give them shape and some are popped with foam.

I plan to stick a photo from this year's annual trip to the farm in here.  Oh, I also used honey, sunset and cranberry ink.  Nearly forgot that.

So, here's what I learned...Do not ink directly onto a blank canvas from M's.  I used cocoa ink in some lovely flourishes and then when they didn't dry, tried what any seasoned stamper would do....heated them.  HUGE MISTAKE.  It turned the ink lime green.  I kid you not my friends.  I wish I had pictures.  Then I was going for some sideways branch thing with flowers...the spiral ones....sigh....love the flowers but was not loving the sideways thing.  It was a spacial nightmare trying to fit everything on.  Back to the drawing board again.  I was serious when I said I should have started with the tree.  Finally, after fiddling virtually on my gypsy, I found this layout and ran to my desk to create it.  Much much better.  :)

On a personal note - I got a new camera - YEA!  So, I should no longer have the weird lighting issues I was having.  I don't think my old camera really wanted to focus in any more.

Thanks for stopping,

Crop Day!

Just a quick post this morning to let you know that if you're in the Grand Rapids, MI area, I've got an all day crop this Saturday, August 20th from 10a-9p at Party Creations in Grandville.  Everyone gets a huge space to crop and it's just $10.  Email me to sign up or for more information!

Hope to see you soon,

Baby on it's way!

My sweet sister-in-law is due with the latest addition to the family in less than two weeks!  We are all getting very excited to meet this precious little one.  He or she is truly a blessing.  Ben has said it will be a girl but often changes his mind to say it will be a boy, like him.  I had always thought girl, until she started really popping out and looking more and more like a woman with a gigantic basketball under her shirt.  Joe says it's going to be a girl.  It's just a few short weeks until we'll all know.  Waa Hoo!!

I'm off to crochet yet another newborn/baby hat.  I keep getting cute ideas and my yarn stash is starting to call my name since we've had some cooler weather.  I promise to post pics.

I'll also have some projects soon of things I've been making with the new CTMH papers.  Most of what's been made so far is headed for the contest, so I can't post it.  However, there are a few things that aren't contest qualified that I hope to wrap up soon.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Club Night Cards

This Friday, my club girls will be creating these three cards.

Members of my club get to create a project each month for free.  Guests are always welcome to come and create the projects too for just $5.00 or for free with a $25.00 minimum order.

On the home front, we've been hard at work finally enjoying the break in weather.  It's been ridiculously hot around here.  Now that we can go outside and not collapse again, we painted!

I had some 12x12 canvases in the craft room so we grabbed them and got to work.  :)  He created a beautiful masterpiece that we will hang in the hall once I make a frame for it.

Thanks for stopping by,

Autumn/Winter Classes & Events

Just a quick post to let you know I've got the full Autumn/Winter classes and events schedule up with class descriptions.  So, if you're in the West Michigan area, I'd love to see you at a class or a crop!  Just click on the Classes/Events tab above to check it out.

Have a great day,

Whirlwind Week

Seems I've barely had time to breathe this past week.  The new book is out and of course I'm creating like mad for the contest month that's on right now so pardon the lack of artwork....I'm also making samples for upcoming classes which you'll be able to see shortly and some things that won't be headed for the contest.

In my "scheduled posting" absence, I received a wonderful surprise!  The fabulous Becky B. gave me a blog award.  It's "The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award" but I think that Becky's the one who's sweet.  Thanks so very much!!

By accepting this award, I have to share 7 things about myself and pass it along to 7 other bloggers.  Well, the 7 things are no problem.  However, the 7 bloggers will have to wait a couple days until I'm back to reality over here.  LOL!  Here we go...

1. I've just discovered the most irresistible chocolate chunk cookies at the local discount grocery store in our area.  They're so delicious I'll openly admit I ate 5 yesterday....oye!
2. Last week I cut my index finger with my micro tip scissors.  OUCH!  They are sharp, so please be careful when crafting.
3. I LOVE the new CTMH Idea Book and am sure I'll go broke by Christmas.  LOL!
4. I am working my way through watching Star Trek, The Next Generation for the very first time.  I've never seen it before, but my husband is a fan.  Now that it's streaming on Netflix, I'm watching.  In fact, I just finished Season 4 Episode 12.  It's a great show that still holds up!
5. I think I've mentioned before that I also sew.  My latest project was a curtain for our kitchen window and I don't know why I didn't do that sooner.
6. I just purchased a dining table off Craig's List last week.  This will be the 5th table I've owned in the last 5 years.  Seriously.  And yes, it drives my husband crazy.  I have a thing - I've been searching for the perfect one and refuse to pay through the nose for what I want.  (obnoxious Pottery Barn priced type thing)  It's mostly about the chairs.  :)  This one is perfect!  Well, it's a ridiculous orange wood color, but that just means I've got another project for later.
7. I yearn to blog consistently.  It just seems that I always get sidetracked by life or something comes up that takes me away....generally that something's name is Ben.  :)  Maybe when he's in school it will get a little better - until then, thanks for reading when I can post!

I'll get the blog awards up and out toward the end of the week.
Thanks for stopping today,

Inspired by Ana

I had scraps and leftover wood from the chair project....I can't leave scraps to just sit there and they can't be thrown out!  So, I built a step stool.

 This time it got stained before I put it together....now to putty, sand, and touch up the stain from countersinking the screws...

I love that B loves his new furniture!  Makes a mommy proud.  :)

Now, on to the molding and through-way decorative surround....