Well I am actually posting on my blog today! So much has happened in the past year. My best friend Barb passed away on July 17, she was only 56. I talked to her the day before her hubby took her to the hospital, I never dreamed it would be our last conversation. She had just finished a second round of chemo and she was soooo sick. I begged her to let me come down and take care of her (she lives in Houston) and she said, Oh Diane I love you but no it's ok. She told me she'd rather die than be that sick. I guess she got her wish because 9 days later she was gone.  I am lost without her. Even with the distance between us we were so close and I really stayed closely in touch with her the last couple years.  I just can't believe she is gone. I had my flight arranged to get down there and Brad called me the night before I left and said she was gone. 

this is my Barb in 1979. We had a getaway weekend together.  She was an awesome friend and I will miss her every day for the rest of my life.  Her memorial service is next weekend. God grant you a joyful heavenly life dear friend. I await the day we see each other again. 

Good morning-Maya Road alert!!

This post is to let you know about Maya Road's sneak peeks! All the new neat things they are coming out with-check them out-I really love Maya Road products! mayaroad.typepad.com

A Frigid Sunday!

It was a good Sunday to stay in and stay warm!!It snowed off and on all day today-the landscape on the farm is beautiful.

Before you love,
Learn to run through the snow
Leaving no footprint.

To run through the snow leaving no footprint is to touch something incredibly delicate without changing its true nature. Do I love the people in my life enough to touch their lives without changing their true nature? Have I loved them uncon...ditionally, allowing them to be the individuals they were born to be?(cath Edvalson)
this was on Moxie Fab Blog today and I thought it was very thought provoking and important to contemplate

It takes a long time to grow an old friend. -- John Leonard

It is so good to catch up with the "Platinum" friends in our lives, isn't it? I have friends in AZ-they moved away 19 yrs ago, saw them at Thanksgiving and the friendship is still as deep-so lucky you and lucky me-we have the kind of friendships few people ever know...
Two posts I made today-the first from Moxie Fab World that I put on my FB status-so very true and so very hard to do.  Have I run through the people I love's lives and not trampled them?? I know that I have `and I need to be more conscious of this fact.
I also have so very special "platinum" friends-even more precious that gold. I am so grateful for those people who grace my life with their love and companionship-even long distance companionship.
I hope to get some layouts done tomorrow-I have so many pictures I want to scrap!!

Happy New Year

My wish is for peace on earth this coming year-there is too much fighting  in the world and if only we could bring our sons and daughters home, we would be able to take care of this country and the problems we face.  Let's start using our wealth and resources to enrich the lives of our own citizens instead of trying to be the worlds policmen/fixers of everyone else's problems.  Enough is enough I say-lets just take care of the issues we face as a nation and get our own houses in order.  I pray that we remember what our nation was founded on and return to the guiding principles of our Founding Fathers (and MOTHERS) and use their wisdom to do good and care for each other.
I plan to spend a quiet evening at home with my hubby and at midnight shoot a hole in the sky for good luck to rain down on us in the new year; and also at midnight hang our three wisemen card over our entry door so the wisemen bring us what we need for the coming year. 
God bless us everyone and may there truly be peace on earth....

The day before the day before Christmas

Merry day before the day before Christmas! I hope you all got more done for Christmas than I did LOL!!! My intentions are always good but somehow the time slips by and most of my projects remain undone.  I know what one of my new year's resolutions is going to be.  Today I will probably finish wrapping and and get everything packed up for our quick trip to the grandchildren's for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  One year I would just like to have a quiet Christmas where we didn't have to run here and there.  But I guess that is what Christmas is all about...
I have a request to make if anyone reads this post. My daughter in law was diagnosed with a cystadenoma of the ovary yesterday-her doctor says there is only a small (15%) chance that it is cancerous. But it is very large (15 cm) and so she has to have surgery to have it removed.  Of course we are all very concerned and praying that it is NOT cancer and that everything goes well and that she does not have to have her other ovary removed.  So if you could say a little prayer today for her that the surgeons hands are skilled and that the biopsy shows no malignancy.
I will probably not be writing again till the beginning of next week, so

Merry Christmas  

and 

a joyous and peaceful

New Year!

God bless us all-please pray for our nation, and for our troops, that we may end all wars and bring our sons and daughters home.  Please pray for peace.

 

My Husbands surgery results

Just in case anyone who left me kind messages checks the blog- My hubby's surgery went really well-He had immediate relief of the back pain and slept the night after the surgery for the first time in a year.  It is now 6 months and there is still some residual problems-some pain down his right leg, but nothing like he was before.  He is now laid off-his plant shut down and he lost his job the end of September.  He is enjoying the time off after 39 years of working, but I think we are going to need him to work a little while longer.  But it is nice having him home-(after a period of adjustment LOL if you know what I mean!!) The laser surgery is definitely the way to go-1/4 inch incision as opposed to a  6 inch scar like I have!!

Haven't been here for a long time

I promise with the new year to start up my blog again-I would love to use it as a place to put my cards and layouts. And as my journal of sorts-though I keep a journal of my own. My blog has been neglected for many months. Life has a way of getting in the way!!
I have taken pics of the cards I made for two friends-so I can upload them to this page.  I just don't know how to put them on my blog but sure I can figure it out
Merry Christmas  and Happy New Year to all!

Die Cuts Are Us!! Great place to shop!

http://www.diecutsrus.com/ Use this link to shop at one of my favorite places!! Love the deals and supplies Claudia offers!!

WWYWW

I am entering a contest on the Stamping Ground blog-so here are my pics

This is the first contest I have ever entered!! I hope I did this right-if not I would appreciate some input! Have a great day!

waiting gets hard

the surgery we expected to happen tomorrow has been cancelled-then rescheduled for next Friday-we were on the road when we got the call last eve-the drs. contract with the hospital had been dropped effective immediately. They reconsidered today and allowed the doctor to do the surgeries already scheduled. Otherwise they were going to fly us to Dallas to the main center. So we have a little longer to wait.
I was hoping to get hopping on getting this blog set up for my creations soon-but I just don't have the time or the energy to figure out how to get the colors and pretty thing on here like all the other blogs so I am just going to wit till my head is in a better place.

Tuesday morning

On my way to Dayton Ohio to take my husband to the Spine Institute for laser surgery. He is in tremendous pain and I can't wait for him to have this procedure so he can get some relief.  We are traveling today partway instead of trying to drive the 5+ hours all in one day and make his appointment by 3 tomorrow afternoon. So we will take off after lunch and drive and stop frequently for him to get out of the car.  We will find a hotel later on and get some rest for the rest of the trip Wed morning. When this is all over I will be dedicated to making my blog a card and scrap place-and maybe even enter some contests! I will be back Friday evening --- till then I wish everyone a peaceful day...

Friday Musings

I am looking out the window at the rain-it seems as if May has become April, if you know what I mean...I wanted to work on the yard and pull some weeds from the back flower bed, so I'll have to see now what the rest of the day looks like. At least it feels a little warmer outside-it has been so cold this week!  We are getting company tonight, it seems weird to say that because we never get company! Anyway I am going to make a batch of buns and hopefully we will be able to roast hot dogs over the fire tonight. I put together a couple pages that I will post as soon as my hubby brings my camera home(it's in the car he has at work!!).
Miles surgery is next Thursday and it can't come too soon...he is having a harder and harder time just getting through the day-and I feel so helpless that I can't do anything for him. More later on today-I WILL post my layouts and a couple cards-I am excited to try to do this as I have never done it before!!

Another giveaway!!

Here's the link http://prettypinkposh.blogspot.com/2010/05/50-gift-certificate-giveaway.html  Its a $50 gift certificate!! Pretty Pink Posh has 200 followers!! yippee!! check out her site-lots of great inspiration...

http://priscillastyles.blogspot.com/2010/05/blogiversary-jackpot-candy.html?
This is a great prize package from Priscillastyles!!She has a great site and great jackpot to give away!! Check it out!!

Thursday thoughts

Waking up to a beautiful morning after a night of thunderstorms. I love storms at night when one is laying in bed listening to the sounds of the thunder and listening to the rain taping on the window-the smell of a spring shower is like nothing else!! I have to take my mom in law to her appointment this afternoon. I don't know what the orthopedic dr is going to do for her back-I have a bad feeling nothing can be done-her pain is pretty intense, and of course she really has no pain pills and probably doesn't want any either. I planted the pansies yesterday and cleaned up the shade garden bed and the sunny garden bed. I have to still do the bulb bed and the herb bed (and get some more herbs as they were all destroyed last year putting in the new drain pipe :o(  Last eve we put the 24 cabbage plants in the ground and the creeping phlox, so everything got a nice drink overnight.  I also made a page last night during the night so I am yawning right now. Whats sleep when you can scrap LOL!! I'll be back later...

Trying to win a Cricut!!

I added the link to the Cricut blog-check it out!! There are so many entries I probably don't have a chance to win but one can hope!! I would LOVE to own a cricut-they are the MOST AWESOME machine for diecutting and all sorts of things.. I have been dreaming of one for a long time!!

It's a beautiful day!!

I promise I will be more faithful to this blog as I am going to begin posting my creations! I have to get a dedicated card so I can upload the pictures of my stuff as I create-I am excited as I have just gotten some new stuff on its way to me.  It's a beautiful day today and I am headed outside to hang laundry. I am also getting ready to make a batch of buns!! Later

Sunday sunday

So I found out yesterday that I won a card kit from http://www.kimrose.typepad.com/.  It is a great blog and Kim runs http://www.expressthemoment.com/ It's a great online store with terrific kits and great sales too!!
Thanks to Kim !!  It's finally a rainy day here in western PA. April has been very dry-not a good omen for the coming garden season-we have a little of the garden planted-not much because my planter(hubby)is still in pain with his back, but hopefully by Monday we will hear about his surgery date and he will get some relief and life will be back to normal(whatever normal is!!) Craig's funeral is today so we are going to have a very sad day ahead-May God bless his children and his mom and give them peace.

National Scrapbook Day and a Memorial for a Friend

It's a special day for all of us who love to work with paper, pens, pictures, and glue!! There are so many sites to visit for this very special scrapbook day-hope you take the time to check out all the blogs and companies that are offering special ideas and treats for this celebration!!
I am hoping to complete a page about myself today as the beginning of the story of Me.  I really want to get a special album together for my girls to have when I am no longer with them. I know I may sound morbid, but in the past couple weeks I lost my mom and then my husband lost his best friend on Thursday.  Craig was only 53-too young to be taken home, but God had other ideas.  Craig was a kind and honorable man.  He was the first person to welcome me into the community when I first met my husband to be in 2002; his real grace came from his ability to make you feel like  were important to him.  He never minced words and he told you straight up how it was-blunt and honest and you always knew where you stood with him.  Craig worked hard, played hard and in everything he did he gave his all.And he left this life as I am sure he would have wanted-standing tall and walking into the unknown with his head up and his shoulders squared to the task.  God welcomed a strong and brave and true angel into his heavenly home on April 29 at 10 am.  I will miss shooting the apples from the tops of the cans on the front porch with you Craig.  You are one of  the special ones that only come to this earth once in a while-you will be remembered always by your friends Tom and Diane. We love you....