haPpY 17th babY...

wow! i can't believe that 17 years ago today at 5:46 a.m. i gave birth to mY babY (my oldest). i have so many wonderfuL memories of him and with him. he is such a blessiNg in mY life. he has touched mY life and it will never be the same. if you know austin or haven't had the chance to meet him or know him you are gReatly missing out. this young man will touch YOUR life and it will too never be the same. many of you out there know that austin is very special in so many ways. you may have seen the post i did awhile back on him and his dad. if not... i will briefly tell you. he is totally blind from birth, autistic and mentally challenged. he is... tall and handsome. his voice... is like angels singing. his smile...will lighten any dark room. his arms... so comforting and touching. his "i love you" will pierce your heart forever! this is mY young man, this is mY friend, this is mY angel, he will always be...mY baby! i love you austin!!! this is a song we would sing together before he would go to bed a night. we just sang it last sundaY. wow! he still remembered.

may the road rise to meet you
may the wind blow at your back
may the sun shine warmly on your face
may the rain fall softly on your fields
and until we meet again
until we meet again
may God hold you in the palm of his hand
amen

as you eNjoy this little video clip listen to the words of this song. i am truly honored to be this young man's mom!! i learn something new everyday from him and i am truly blessed.

lonely boxes...

i am still waiting on some mailing addresses from some of you lucKy ladies. i have lonely boxes sitting around here waiting to go home. please get me these as soon as possible. here is my e-mail address so you can privately send them to me... sccscrapbooking@hotmail.com. i really don't want to mention any names of who i am still waiting on but, if you think you haven't sent it shoot me an e-mail. i can't wait to feel completely de-cluttered. i know getting these boxes to their homes will help, lol. thaNks again for helping me clean out! *hugs* connie

thaNks for touching mY liFe...

i snagged this off of casey's blog. it struck me today. i thought it would be a good one for me to post and share with all of you. read, think and ponder and maybe even read again. i am thaNkfuL for all of YOU who touch mY liFe daily. *hugs*

the following is the philosophy of charles schultz, the creator of the "peanuts" comic strip. you don't have to actually answer the questions. just read the paragraphs straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

how did you do?

the point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. they are not second-rate achievers. they are the best in their fields, but the applause dies. awards tarnish. achievements are forgotten. accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

here's another quiz. see how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

easier?

the lesson: the people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. they are the ones who care.

haPpY thaNksGiviNg!!!

i hope you all had a wondeRful, blessed day with your familY and friends. thaNks for your lovE and support. because of YOU... i am trulY blessed. *hugs* connie

ceLebratioN....

you all know that tayrn was the big winnEr of the RAK but, i have a little secret. all the others that did not win...amanda, felicity, suellen, wendy, tammy, dianna, misty and christine, send me your mailing address through an e-mail and you will receive a fuN surprise. now you all can celebrate with me and have a good time. thanks for helping me clean out!! i feel so light and good. now tomorrow i can stuff myself and not feel guilty, lol. *hugs*

the WINNER is....

here are all the names written down...

here are the names in a hat...

here is mY third oldest, dallin drawing the name. i didn't want to do it. so if you don't win this is who you go after, lol.

drum roll please....

...and the winner is....

*******************************************************

TARYN!!! congratulations taryn. send me an e-mail with your mailing address and i will get your box in the mail. it's already to go, just waiting on YOU!

RAK picture...

here it is... this is what one lucKy WINNER will be receiving in the mail. are you all ready to find out who the winner is? let me check my blog and get all of the names written down and then i will have one of my boys pick out the winner. i will post it soon. hope you all are crossing your fingers. *hugs* connie

MIA...

i know, i have been missing in action lately. are you all dying? you are wanting to know who the winner is, right? well, i am not done. i know...i don't think i will ever be done for my liking. what i have decided is this...i am gonna take a picture of the goodies and tomorrow i will post them and (drum roll please)......announce the WINNER! so if you can wait one more day, i will give you an early thanksgiving blessing. i also have another little secret up mY sleeve. i will let you all in on it tomorrow. i have had a very busy and late few days and i seriously need to go to bed. *night*

faLL fuN...

haven't even started on the scrap room. i know, i know you all wanting to know who the winner will be. i promise i will get to it. trevor came in and told me he had tied a rope to our tree and sis was plaYing on it. i had to stop and get mY camera...for i knew i would want to capture this moment.

so as haleigh climbed the tree was she ever fuN to capture. here are some gReat shots i got of her. i have to reMembEr to capture these day to day moments. as one of my quotes i love so dearly states...enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things~robert brault i don't ever want to miss out on a moment. take a picture of your kids today doing whatever they are doing, unposed. eNjoY your moment and never forget that one day they will be all grown up. you can't ever go back unless you capture that moment in time. these pictures for mE... pRiceLess!!!

RAK update...

k, time for an update. i worked on my room from about 10 a.m. until 12:50 a.m. yes, i pulled an all day/niter. am i finished....define finished, lol. for me i did get a lot accomplished and this made me sooo very haPpY! here are some pics i took through out the day...
picture taken at 11:36 a.m. hey i can see the floor!

picture taken at 12:16 p.m.

picture taken at 6:40 p.m. i think you have to make a mess before you can dig out of all the clutter. not fun but, i am doing it.

picture taken at 12:29 a.m. headed off to bed shortly after this.

i am still not finished going through all of my rep items. i did however get them organized and out of the boxes. yes, all 12 of them, yee-haw! i now have 3 boxes (and counting) of product for my give-a-ways. boy, this RAK is gonna be a good one too. after i finish organizing i will put all of your names in a hat and pull out one lucky winner. when i announce the winner all you have to do is send me an e-mail with your mailing address and you will receive an eaRly christmas present from me. i hope you eNjoY it! i am hoping to be done today and i will post a picture of all the goodies to be won by one lucKy winner!!! are you all getting excited? i hope so cause i am! if you haven't posted yet you still have time. come on you know you want in on the fuN. you have until i day say the word... DONE!!! good-lucK. *hugs* connie

haPpy satuRdaY! make it a good one. i know i am. ;0)

digging in...YIKES!!

you are right christine. you say cookies or frEe scrapbook stuff and everyone leaves a comment, lol. so today is the big day. as soon as i drop kiddos off to school, the hair is going up in a pony and i am staying in my jammies. gotta start digging into that so called scrapbook room. i am hoping to stay aLive and not fall in and to never come out, hehe. it's a pretty big challenge!! i just have to do it though. just do it! it so needs to be done. i have to remember the saying...i think i can, i think i can, i think i can!! ok, so the count down begins...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4...

ps. keep posting those comments. when i am done with my challenge (the huge mountain) i will stop the postings. lets just prayer i finish todaY!

cLeaNing ouT RAK...

k, you all know what a RAK is, right? if not, it stands for random act of kindness. so tomorrow i am gonna clean out! i have 10+ boxes of nEw product that i have not even touched. it's time that i clean out the old and put in the new. with this being said i am going to give away some of my scrapbook supplies as my RAK. most of you know that i am a scrapbook sales rep for about 25 different companies. when new product is released we as reps receive it. i then show it to all of my stores and after that i put it in a box for goodies and give-a-ways for a store event. i have WAY too much. so this is how it is gonna work...for those who feel like posting a comment i will put your name in a hat. i will draw out one lucky winner who will win a box of scrapbook goodies. what perfect timing huh. you may choose to keep it for yourself, share with a friend or give it as a christmas present for someone. i am not sure what it will entitle yet as i have not started cleaning out. maybe tomorrow as i am cleaning i will stop and photo the goodies and post it. who knows i might have more than one RAK once i dig in. all you gotta do is leave me a comment. i will allow all to participate, that means you family members. so spread the word or not and leave me a comment of any sort. bribing me with a wonderfuL comment will not help your odds of winning, lol.

digiTal scRapbookiNg...

i'm so excited!! i finally feel comfortable enough to show some of mY digital scrapbook layouts. i love using memory mixer's digital scrapbooking program. it is so easy and fuN. i know i only have a few layouts but, i am smiLing. thanks for looking. eNjoY!

oops, it didn't happen...

hey mom and dad...i know you have been dying to see your 3 oldest wrestle so here you go. it takes quite a bit to upload the video so i think i will only post a couple. i was so excited to see such an improvement in him within two weeks. it was a site to see... though very smelly and hot, lol. eNjoY!!! i am still not feeling so well so i am heading to bed early. night

ps. it took way to long to try and upload the first video so i decided against it. i will try and e-mail them to you. sorry to get your hopes up. love and miss you. *hugs*

nope, not a haPppy campeR...

i am not feeling well today. thought it was just my allergies but, i don't think that it is just that. gonna go to bed now. sorry i didn't have more exciting things to say. overwhelmed and not feeling good will do that to ya. not very inspired lately either. i think i am going through something and i can't dig myself out of it. i have lost mY mojo... hElp!!! i need some uplifting thoughts of encouragement. come on dianna...where are you when i need you? night

{bEautifuL}

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.

Difficult moments, seek God.

Quiet moments, worship God.

Painful moments, trust God.

Every moment, thank God.

This is a Thomas Kinkade painting. It's rumored to carry a miracle! They say if you pass this on, you will receive a miracle. I am passing this on because I love thomas kinkade and i believe in miracles!!! who couldn't use a miracle?! thanks lhindah... i truly needed this. <3

i'm still aLive...

it's been awhile since i have blogged. lots going on here. i was looking at my counter and was gonna do a big RAK when it hit 1957. HOLY COW!! when i last looked it was in the 1800 now it is past my number. i guess i had some lurkers wondering where i have been. i know i have been gone but, i didn't think anyone really looked at my blog that much. i think maybe i will have to just choose another number or just do a drawing with comments. not sure but when i figure it out i will be sure to let you know. anyways...i just wanted to write a few lines and let everyone know that trevor is doing remarkable! i am truly touched by all the kindness we have been shown by our family and friends. we are truly blessed. thank you from the bottom of my heart!! i also wanted to let you all know that i am still alive. i have been very busy these last 4 days. i hope to try and catch up tomorrow. for now i must turn in for i am berry seepy (yes i said seepy not sleepy and berry not very). thanks again for thinking of me and my family through all of this. i am honored to be blessed with family and friends who love me. night *hugs* connie

inspiRed...

i just had to blog again. i have been a week behind in reading angela's journal on her heart transplant. so i took some time to read and catch up www.caringbridge.org/visit/angelamoore reading her journal entries have been very good for me this evening. we worry about our lives and yet what we are going through right now seem so small compared to a heart transplant. reminds me of the carrie underwood song, so small. you have to see the video it will bring ya to tears. at least it does for me. i am again tearing up at the thought of all of my blessings in this life. for all of my trials i have, me fears, my pain and heartache, my joy, my laughter, my kids, my family, my friends and my loves! i am a blessed child of God! night

hmmm...

i feel like these last few days didn't really happen. were they just a blur? was i dreaming? was it deja vu? then i look at my son and the pictures and realize...it was reaL. i think when something like this happens it is meant for a reason. not saying i am glad it happened. just that it is an eye opener. for me it was. a have had a flood of emotions lately. some good, some bad. ones that i am grateful for and ones that make me do a lot of questioning. one thing i realized through all of this is...we do have guardian angels. how ever you want to think of them is up to you. it might have been a family member who has passed on, a sick relative on their way home to heaven, a family or fRiend thinking of you at that very moment or God himself. i was again reminded that these angels are always with us. we also have the Holy Ghost with us at all times as well. it all depends on what we are doing, what choices we are making for them to seem more present in our daily lives. i am reminded that i am not telling my kids i love them daily. i am reminded that i am not saying my prayers faithfully. i am reminded that my family NEEDS to come first. that i need to stop being selfish and put my needs aside for a bit. i am still trying to wrap my finger around all of this. still trying to not ask the question "why". as i sit here typing with tears filling my eyes, i am truly bleSsed and gRateful. for all the prayers. for all of my family members and extended family members. for all of my friends. for all of the people who touch my life on a daily bases. for my life! at times i get so overloaded, so overwhelmed that i can't function. that i feel like i am gonna go over the deep end. then this still small voice reminds me that i have a purpose. i may not know what it is all the time but, i know i am needed. i know that somewhere out there in this crazy world someone needs me. thanks for listening to me babble. i think i just needed a good cry. k, i'm over it and moving on. have a great night. *hugs*

update...

when i started downloading the pictures i took yesterday and today i saw this one. galen caught a picture of trevor and i that i thought was priceless. i knew i was tired but, didn't realize how tired. i fell asleep rubbing trevor's head. i have a few of these pictures with my children that mean the world to me. i am usually the one behind the camera. i am blessed to have my children. the last couple of days and this experience has reminded me of it. what a honor it is. what a trial it can be. what an experience. what a blessing!



we went to the dentist today and he too was amaZed at the sight of trevor. he is a true walking miracle! he broke his front tooth and cracked the other. dr. birtcher took x-rays and found that there was no nerve damage. he then built trevor's tooth. he said we will need to still watch it for nerve damage. if there is, then the tooth will die and we will have to deal with that. trevor will be staying home again tomorrow and we will see how he is for thursday. again we all want to thank you for all of your prayers. they have been felt and heard. we are grateful for trevor and the importance he is in this life, in our family and to others. he is here to serve a purpose and it wasn't his time. THANK YOU GOD! love to all. *hugs* connie

a blessed ER visit...

many of you know (and some don't) that we spent yesterday afternoon and into the late evening in the er with our 2nd oldest. trevor was riding his bike home from school and was hit by a car going 25 mph just around the corner from our home. let me tell you that when i received the call from my husband at work i about lost it. he received a call from the neighbor who witnessed it and they called him. he then called me and i flew out of work like you wouldn't believe. i was filling in for a co-worker who just had a biopsied done. so as we both were driving trevor's route to come home we were a mess. galen got there before i did. we both were warned by the police officer and ambulance to slow down. we both said "that's our son". when i got there the police and ambulance were there with a lot of on-lookers. trevor was a mess. i was a mess. i was trying to keep myself together for him. i gently hugged him and told him i loved him. this is the most scariest feeling i have ever felt. the thought of possibly loosing a child. i was then listening to everyone trying to find out the story of what happened. lets just say everything is still kinda a blur. i think i am still trying to recover. we refused the ambulance but they phoned the er and they were waiting for us. before we could leave trevor begged me to go tell the driver (she attends his high school) he was ok. my son...thinking of others before himself. he is sooo known for this. so off to the er we headed but, not before trevor was given a blessing. we also had to get all of the other kids squared away. when we got to the er they were waiting for us and took this very seriously. they treated him as a trauma patient and got him on a board, neck collar and strapped him in. trevor was so good. i guess he was crying at the scene but, i wasn't there yet. then he didn't cry again until they cut his clothes off. he did choke up quit a bit when he thought about this weekend. his high school marching band made state. trevor plays the trumpet. it has been over 17+ years and they have all worked so hard to get to state. he said "i'm going". we said "doesn't look good trev". after he thought about it he said "maybe just to go and watch and support". all i could say is "we'll see". the er doc comes in and does all the major checking of him and asked if he was wearing a helmet. of course he wasn't. he said "you will from now on, right"? lets just say trevor had his guardian angels with him. i think his namesake and great-grandparents were with him. he was truly watched over and blessed! after many long hours in the er trevor was released from the hospital with lots of bumps and bruises, a broken tooth a messed up face and 6-10 stitches in his chin. he did cry when they did this. (for those of you who get queasy you may not want to read this next part) first they numbed him and came in 3 times to scrub out the pavement from his face. then the doc came in to stitch him up and was using a scalpel to still get gravel out. he was digging in his chin back and forth (ya, i was not looking). he then had to cut away some more skin and continued to dig into his chin to try and place the insides back together. he was able to now stitch him up the best he could. he stated it will be his hollywood scar. we heard many stories of this same incident while at the hospital from docs, nurses and firefighters that did not have good endings. trevor on the other hand... blessed and lucky. i have always called him my miracle baby since birth...he still is! we are going to the dentist today. his face and mouth is pretty messed up. this looks like where he took the brunt of the accident. i will post later. he is pretty doped up and resting so i think i am gonna try and get some stuff done. thanks for all your prayers and calls. we know that they were heard. we are truly grateful! we know that this could have been very tragic. this er visit...we were truly blessed.

ps. so much more happened but, you get the important part of it...he is alive and safe! no head trauma, broken bones or internal damage as of now. to many details to write about, not enough time.

having some much needed fuN...

it has been a pretty fuN day today. i am spending the day, evening and night with rhonda and joann. i am so excited to just have some much needed girl time. we are working on christmas crafts, scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, watching movies and just having some great girl time. it is so what i needed!!! well, i am gonna get back to my fuN. i will try and write more tomorrow. night

{must get sleep}

not feeling so good. i have had a headache all day and running a slight fever. so i have been hanging on the down low today. stayed in my pj's, laid on the couch with my blankey. just wish my phone was broken. forgot to turn them off and all they did was ring today. didn't have enough energy to talk with anyone. so i am sorry if i didn't return your call or pick up the phone when you rang. my head was and still is killing! i am hoping to go to bed real soon and get a much needed good night sleep. sorry this is so blah but, that is how i am feeling right now. hope to be better tomorrow. night

got mY quick fix for comfort todaY...

can anyone tell me why food is so comforting? i know that food is a bad source of comfort but, it is comforting. i guess you need to look at it and take it in moderation. todaY was not that daY for moderation. i sat down after work and ate 2 shredded beef tacos, an entire bag of homemade chips with homemade salsa and my cherry pepsi. all of this from our local mexican food place. can i just say YuMmY!!! so i probably gained my 6 pounds that i lost last week back but, it feLt GOOD!!! it was much needed too. i know i will be hating myself later. gotta run to a benefit dinner/auction for a young man who is a senior at the boys' high school. he was diagnosed with cancer and it is already at stage 3. please keep sonny and the romney family in your prayers. *hugs* to all.

weLcomE novEmbeR?

i can't believe it is november! where has the year gone? first of all, i am trying to not feel like a failure. why? i have not blogged everyday like i wanted too (i said try not, you guys). you know who you are when i say that. i won't mention any names. i can just hear it in your voices now as you read this and the uhhhh sound you just made. i didn't realize what a difference my life would be like having a job outside of the home. i love my job, i do. it's just makes getting everything accomplished that needs to get accomplished each day harder. second, i can't believe how many orders i have done for my scrapbook stores. october is usually a slow month but, overall my stores have kept me really busy. last night i was trying to finish orders up before midnight for a special that one of our companies was doing. so i stayed up waaaaayyyyy to late to get them all done. why am i blogging so early? i woke up before my 6:30 alarm FREAKING out! i though i forgot to send in the order that needed to be in by midninght. so i grabbed my phone (which is my alarm) and came straight out to the family room, turned both computers on to see if i did what i needed to or if i was dreaming. wouldn't you know it my laptop is giving me tRoubLe! i need to see if that order is placed! why is it doing this to me? doesn't it now i am already freaKing out. so i sit here and try to type this blog on my desktop waiting for my laptop to think. why must they do this to us? they must have a brain to know when a time is so important to us to NOT WORK! anywho i will get off of my tangent now. november...WOW! i just received an e-mail from a good friend oh so kindly reminding me that christmas is only 55 days away. thanks lhindah, no stress, right...NOT! just another reminder that...no picture is taken for our christmas cards, no christmas letter is written, no christmas cards are done, no shopping for christmas has even been started, my oldest will be 17 this month YIKES, my second son can get his driver's permit YIKES times 2, thanksgiving is around the corner, all the birthdays yet to come this month and next, taking down halloween decorations to put up thanksgiving ones then christmas ones and the list goes on. so THANKS lhindah, really THANKS for STRESSING ME OUT!!!!! breathe....ok in and out, in through the nose, out through the mouth. JANNA, how come it's not working? maybe i need to listen to mY breathe music as i finish this up?! awe.....better. well my laptop still won't do what i need it to do. i will have to call later to my work company to see if they got the order. i need to get in shower and get ready for the day. i will have to call this good for now. welcomE novEmbeR...