It's about time...

Well, I haven't been too up to creating much art lately. With so much on my plate, I have been overwhelmed and ready for bed when the boys are finally down for the night. So, it was about time that I get some art up her for ya'll. Here is a darlin' card I made for my Mother-in-Law tonight. I should have another to post tomorrow, because I have to make one for my Momma.
I had a super fun day today with my oldest sis. We attended a photography class taught by Eric Kessler. He was an amazing instructor and taught me an a lot today. Some of the pictures are worth posting. There is a glitch though, I shot in RAW mode and don't know quite how to get my computer to read it yet. Here is a tidbit: JPEG is a lossy format, this means that every time you open up your file and resave it, you lose information. Open and save enough times and poof, you find yourself with a corrupt file. When you are going to edit your photos, be sure to make copies and move from there. Eric, recommended that we always save a copy in TIFF format, a non-lossy file. When I can figure out how to upload and edit my new "RAW" images, I'll be sure to share them.

A big thank you to...

my sweet readers that sent me such touching comments on my post about my Dad's funeral. I'll tell you, it makes me feel really special to have you take the time out of your busy days to send well wishes. I truly appreciate you and your comments!

We did it!

Today we met with the lender with the best numbers and put down our earnest money. Now comes the waiting for approval. We are cutting it tight with the loan amount based on Brian's income alone. As long as they approve us, our time to start building is very short. The word is that it could take 3 to 4 weeks. Unbelievable that we are so very close!

I have a bit more work to do before we would be ready for final lending approval, but I promise that I'll be sharing more artwork very soon.

What an emotionally draining day...

Today was the memorial for my biological Dad. You may wonder why I say "biological." It is not because I am adopted, it is simple because he chose years ago to step out of my life. My Step-Dad took up the role of Father and has always loved me as if I was his own flesh and blood. I attended the memorial with great hesitation, but strove for graciousness all day. My Dad missed out on so much in life, three wonderful daughters (four counting our half sister - I do not know how much he was in her life), the fantastic husbands and beautiful grand babies. Yet, I sat watching a video of all his world travels and a mansion (no, kidding) he built the in Phillipines. The memorial left me feeling sad, I can only wonder if he ever feel like he was missing out on anything. By all appearances, he continued on with life after my parents divorce, easily walking away from his children. It is unkind to hope that from time to time, he felt a pang of guilt and sadness for not being in our lives?

It was nice to see so much of my family (his side) that I have not seen in years. And my (half) sister has a stunning two month old little girl, who made my entire day! We enjoyed several hours of feasting on amazing food (including Lumpia - something so wonderful) and catching up with distant family.

There is much work for me to complete, my Close To My Heart newsletter with some amazing specials, the finishing touches on a new video tutorial, college class assignments and oh, the list goes on. But bed is calling early and I am going to go pop on a movie and escape from the happenings of today.

I wish you all close and special relationships with those in your life! The end comes far too fast and unexpectedly...don't wait for tomorrow, make your amends today.

Thank you...

Lately when I go out with the boys, I find myself extremely frustrated by the lack of common courtesy. People will see that I have two little ones and cut in front of me, push around or stand and watch me struggle to open a door. On the other hand, my husband and I will go out of our way to help others and make their day a bit easier.

Recently, I have ran in to a couple of people that I'd like to thank...even though they may never read this blog:

Gentleman at McD's yesterday - Thank you for assisting me with my baby into the play area. I appreciate that you saw me struggling to carry a baby carrier with a chubby Blake in it, keep Conner under control and balance a tray with a soda on it AND came over to help however you could!

Sweet Lady at Target (a couple of month's ago) - Thank you for assisting me in getting a box into my cart while I try to keep a pacifier in Blake's mouth to keep him from screaming at the top of his lungs. She actually saw me from 5 aisles away, she was even heading the opposite direction and still she ran over to help me out.

The things may appear so very minor, but I'll tell you. I am still thinking about them and smiling. I challenge you to offer assistance to someone that looks like they could use a hand. Make someone else's day nicer!