Update...

This is long over due, I know. Life has a way of running away with me.... literally. I don't even know what I have been up to either. It has just been nuts! So, since I was last actively blogging, a few things have happened...

My Mimi was really sick in the hospital. She had Gaul stones, but never sought medical treatment for them, so by the time my Mom made her go to the doctor, she was very sick. She was shaking uncontrollably from the infection in her body. She is 85, so this is not to be taken lightly. She had Sun downers at night, which was the worst experience I have ever had... we got the call at 3:00am to come to the hospital... it was horrible. That lasted for a little over a week. I have never been so thankful for modern medicine. She is doing better now, at home and back at being Mimi.

I had laskic eye surgery. No more glasses! LOVE it!

The day after I had surgery, Matteo had Swine Flu! Yes, Swine Flu! That was not fun either. But he is okay. More cu does to modern medicine!

School is in the full swing of things... busy, busy, busy! I am still hoping for good news in the job department... but for now, I am grateful that I have a job. Times are tight around here... just like everywhere else. I know "they" are saying it is getting better, but "they" need to show me where! Here in Nevada, it is not getting better yet.

I did get to go to a crop for 2 days with my friend Amy at Green Tangerines. It was so much fun. It was so nice to get away from everything, stay in a hotel, and take as long as I need to get ready. I haven't done that in years! Two and a half to be precise.... Thanks Matteo ;)

Some good news may have come out of that crop though... I will keep you posted when I know for sure.

I also have some layouts to share with you. First, here are the layouts for the class that I taught at Scrapbooker Paradise in September... I know I am behind on this.

This first one is of Matteo in our crooked willow out front. It seems that he can't go in the front yard without climbing in this tree. He loves it in there. I think it is kinda like his own little fort.

I just love the foam Thickers because you can overlap them so easily. Since they are so pliable, it is easy to stack them up... great for a large title in a smaller space.

Oh crap, it looks like I forget to take a photo of the other one. I will try to get that one up this week.

I do however, have the layouts for October... Here they are.

These pictures are actually from Halloween last year, but they are so cute that I had to use them. Although, I can't wait too scrap this year's Halloween pictures. They are so cute too. Okay, I am totally biased! Ha.

This paper is by Best Creations, and I just loved all the glitter on the tree. I didn't actually glue it down everywhere, just on the trunk. I wanted to create the feeling of the tree growing right off the page. I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but the tree branches lift off the page.

This next one doesn't have the photos in it yet, because I haven't had time to print them. When I do, they will just be everyday photos of Matteo. The journaling for this layout is going to be all about my hopes and dreams for my son, and how I want him to shoot for his dreams, whatever they will be.

The journaling tag for this actually had little shoes on it. Totally cute, but not for this layout. I used the My Mind's Eye label at the bottom of the page to cover them up. Add a few brads, and Wa La, it is perfect for the page.

I am finishing up the layouts for November. I will try to have them posted by Saturday.

Here is a few that I made from photos that were taken during our Disneyland trip. The first one was taken while we were standing in line, waiting for a ride. I think it was the Toy Story II ride. We were trying to occupy Matteo.

They were knocking heads, goofing around. So funny. I really liked these papers, but they were so busy, so I cut them up and just used little pieces of them. I added dimension by popping up random squares in the clusters. You can see a little better in this photo.

This last one was also a Disney shot. This was one of my favorite changes in Disneyland since I had been there last.

Yes, that is a recycling can. I loved how they used Jimney Cricket to gently remind everyone to clean up and think about the environment. Here is a close up. Isn't he so cute?

Well the little one is up from his nap, so I will have to finish the layouts another time. Hopefully, things will return to normal around here, and I won't be MIA for so long. Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by.