Here it is!

A website that has all of the Black Friday ads!

For all of you BF shoppers, now you don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to make your game plans!

Scrappers - check out the Wal-mart ad for cheap Cricut stuff!

Expression is now in colors at Wal-mart and ChEaP!!

http://www.black-friday.net/

Ready ~ Set ~ Shop!

Here are the Michaels & Joann's ads for Thanksgiving Weekend shopping. Michaels has Cricut carts on sale for 27.99 and the newer ones will be 35.99

http://www.black-friday.net/michaels-ad-scan.html

http://www.black-friday.net/joann-ad-scan.html

Anyone do shopping on Black Friday? I've never done that, Friday is usually my Christmas decorating day.

I did it all by myself!

What to do when you don't have tools or anyone to read the directions and assemble something you bought? You buy a cool set of screwdrivers (in black n gold of course, go STEELERS) and you spread it all out and build it yourself! This was the first time I've bought something that came all flat in a box and I was determined to get it done! Gotta love IKEA for storage! Shelley has her stamps stored in built in cabinets similar to this. I L-O-V-E my new stamp cabinet but I think I might need another one... or sell some stamps sets! :D

ps: The directions were pictures only, now they don't have to print them in several different languages, every screw and part was used and EVERY HOLE WAS LINED UP PERFECTLY! GO IKEA!

Rookie crashed the Greyhound party!

Rookie crashed the Greyhound Rescue "Yappy Hour" on Saturday night. She was so well behaved I was shocked. Greyhounds are the perfect friends for her because they are so mellow. Not one bark or growl came from them. They were dressed up like "The King", Zoro , cowboys, etc and didn't care at all. I've never see such big dogs in Halloween costumes before!

Rookie was the hit of the party. Everyone came over to pet her, especially the guys! She is a guy magnet, not sure if it's because she is a hunting dog or what. A couple guys even kissed her!

Rookie & Harley.

Rookie, just one of the gang.

Diceman aka"The King" & Rookie

Shelley & Elsie

I want a red flashing light on my car

Tonight while driving behind a local Hillsborough County Deputy I noticed that he didn't obey any of the traffic laws, if he doesn't have to why do I?

He was driving in a 45 mph construction zone REALLY fast. And NO he wasn't on a call. He stopped at the next light in front of me. He was laughing and having a good time with his buddy in the car.

Stopped in 2 intersections at the light on the wrong side of the white line.

Changed lanes about 5 times, no turn signal

Made 3 turns, no turn signal

Just slowly rolled through a stop sign.

This is the reason I want a red flashing light on my car too!

Back yard wildlife

This morning while looking out of my bathroom window this is what I saw.

We have a reflective film on the windows so he was watching himself :)

My last post was July 2nd...continues

Mary Ann Cappo Vestrand

7/13/28 - 7/11/09

I just read my last post on July 2nd and it made me cry.

I so wish I could have my Mom back with me.

To continue from July 2nd, I was saying about my Mom not being happy at the Hospice home. I took her back home that day, the nurses told me she had too much spunk left in her to die anytime soon. But she continued to decline daily and on July 9th in the afternoon, we decided it was time for her to go back to the Hospice house. I stayed with her until 9pm and was giving her a hug goodbye, told her I was going home to sleep and I'd be back first thing in the morning. She said, Ok lets go! I tried to explain that she was staying there so the nurses could take care of her while I got some sleep. But she wouldn't let go, so I spent the night there in her room with her.



The next day she slept a lot. We all were there for her, when she opened her eyes we would try to get her to talk but she didn't say too much. That night I went home because she was sleeping so much and they called at 2:30 AM and said she was failing and that we should come right away. John, Stan and I threw on our clothes, rushed out, picked up Jessica and made it there by 3:15 and but she was already gone. We each got to see her though and say our last goodbyes.


She died on July 11th, 2 days before her 4-6 week diagnosis was up and 2 days before her 81st birthday.


Her funeral was in PA and everything went well. My Mom made the arrangements for her funeral when my dad died, all we had to do was a few last minute things. What a blessing that was, she had everything picked out down to her outfit.

Hardly an hour goes by that I don't think about her and wish I still had just a little more time to spend with her. But the 6 weeks that she lived with us was wonderful. I spent the majority of my time with her, we talked about everything, went through all of the old pictures, etc. The kids were here a lot too. We all knew our time was limited and we wanted to spend as much time with her as we could.

My Mom requested that a dove release be done after her burial. I never heard of this before but I must say, it was THE most beautiful experience. Wind beneath my wings was playing and the gentleman with the doves let us all pet the beautiful white dove first. There wasn't a dry eye there. It was so wonderful to take the time to let everyone pet her and be involved. Before he was going to set her free he asked Jessica and I if we wanted a feather. He gave us one and then handed the dove to me release. Jessica helped me throw it up into the air and he released others at the same time.

My wonderful children, I don't know what I would do without them.

My beautiful family!

Jeremy, Jessica, Jason & Justin,

Watching Mom Sleep

Watching my Mom sleep is something I'm not getting tired of. I keep watching her wondering how many more days I will be able to just sit, hold her hand and love looking at her.

On Tuesday we passed 4 weeks already since her diagnosis of only having 4-6 weeks left. She has been steadily declining. It's really hard to see this strong muscular women shrivel down to just skin and bones. Last year at this time she was carrying bags of mulch and planting flowers in her yard. Of course I didn't allow her to do this, but she would sneak over to Lowes and do it anyway. "Stubborn" has always been my Mom's middle name, no matter what you told her she couldn't do, it made her want to do it more than ever!

Yesterday we moved Mom over to the Hospice House in Sun City. She was getting up at night to go to the bathroom and falling. We had it worked out that she would call my cell phone when she needed to go and I would wake and take her. But the last few days she didn't have enough strength to even press the 2 numbers on the phone so "Stubborn" as she still is, she would just try and get up on her own and we would find her on the floor. The last time she hit the foot board on the bed and bruised herself up.

The next day the visiting nurse she said it was time to move her over to the Hospice House. When my Mom was first put under Hospice care 4 weeks ago, I discussed with her nurse that I didn't want my Mom to pass away at home. But I wanted to keep her home with me as long as possible. She told me she would monitor her and let me know when it was time to move her. When she told me yesterday it was time for the move I was so upset but they made everything very easy and moved her by non-emergency ambulance.

This morning I decided to go to work at ECHO since I haven't been able to get there for awhile. On my way at 8:30am Hospice called me and said my Mom was being very combative and wouldn't eat, drink or take her medications until I came and took her home. So I turned around and went straight there. Yes my Mom was living up to her middle name again! But I got her to calm down and take the meds, etc. We've had someone with her all day and she slept pretty much the whole time. I'm sitting here now wondering if I should go home or spend the night here with her. I don't want her to get upset in the morning again. Who knows, maybe if she is "stubborn" enough she might just be coming back home with me tomorrow.

Young Love

I'm sure hearts are breaking all over the world today as Ace Young announces his engagement to Allison Fischer.

I'm so happy that they found each other at Rydell High ... the cutest guys always get the cheerleaders! :)

Congrats to you both, I hope you have lots of happy years together! {{hugs}}

And Ace, we will all be expecting you to release some new beautiful love songs! ;-)

Mom Update

May 30th we received the news that my Mom has incurable small cell lung and liver cancer. Her oncologist explained that this was a fast spreading cancer and it had already entered her bloodstream. He also said she only had 4-6 weeks left unless she did chemo, then she would probably make it about 9 months. After much discussion, her changing her mind several times, she decided she didn't want the chemo and wanted God to take her when it was time.

When she left the hospital she moved in with us. She has been getting weaker and skinner by the day. On Tuesday it will be 3 weeks. I'm doing my best to care for her with the help of Jessica and John. The Hospice nurse comes out twice a week however they are available 24/7 for questions or if we need anything.

Eventually we'll move her to the Hospice House to spend her last days, but until then I'll continue to care for her and spend as much time with her as I can.

So please, if you pray, keep us in your prayers.

A BIG thank you to all who have called, emailed and helped me cope with everything going on in my life.

Love ya all!!

As most of you know my Mom is a 34yr Breast Cancer survivor.

Unfortunately we received news today that we didn't want to hear. My Mom has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer. We have a meeting on Monday with her Doctors to see what our options are but it will only prolong her life, not cure her cancer.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Scrapbooking is a sport!

Wow it seems I start out almost ever post by saying I'm sorry it's been so long since I blogged. I just looked and it's been 3 weeks since my last blog.

Life has thrown me a few curve balls, however hopefully things will start to get better and I'll be able to blog and share more with everyone.

Today is National Scrapbooking Day! I want to make sure I finish a page today, I think last year I worked on cards. But I started a page the other night and was just waiting on some cutter files from Chris and it will hopefully be done today. When I make something I try to include one of her files since I'm on her design team + I LOVE HER FILES! Have you checked out her website yet? She also has a great forum going too. Here is a link to her store: http://www.visualdesignsbychris.com/store/home.php

So according to the above picture, Scrapbookin' is now a sport! Wonder when it will show up in the Olympics?

Hope all of my crafty friends get time today to cut and glue something :)

Sign sign everywhere a sign...

But can you read them?

Every Thursday when I arrive at ECHO I find this in the parking lot! What is wrong with people? Are they trying to donate that crap? I'm going to forward these pictures to the Tampa Tribune to see if they will do a story about it. It's a shame that ECHO has to pay someone to haul this garbage to the dump every week.

Ace Young and Terry Fator in Vegas!

American Idol Season 5 semifinalist Ace Young was called up onstage by singing ventriloquist Terry Fator at his show in The Mirage. Ace had such a great time that he decided to stay and perform the rest of the week. Ace sang “Father Figure” and “Dream On,” and Terry, who duplicated Ace’s voice after a couple of nights, insisted that Ace join him after each show for autograph and photo sessions with the audience.

Way to go Ace! I'm so proud of you!!

Who doesn't love Stickles?

I

L-O-V-E

Stickles

There, I said it! Seems every page or card I make has to have that extra little shimmer. So my collection has been growing! (I know you find that hard to believe). I've been keeping them in a drawer, however I noticed when I stored one upside down it was easier to use, I didn't have to shake it a bunch of times to get the glitters to come out. I read a few blogs about Stickles storage and none of them were right for me.

So I forced myself to go shopping (sounds good right?) to find a storage solution for them so they were hanging upside down.

Yesterday at Wal-mart I found the perfect thing and it was only $4! Here is a picture of all of my Stickles happy in their new home. Looks like I need to buy more though, look at all of those empty spaces ha ha

Craig's List, ya never know what you'll find!

I was looking around Craigs list tonight and found an area that I never saw before. It's called " Missed Connections" under the personals section. Here are some examples of what crazy people post:

GIB TOWN WALMART - m4w - 19 (gibsonton)saw a cute girl at walmart. by the soda machine and then at the gas station.. but you saw me. and i saw you.

PUBLIX IN WESTCHASE - m4w (westchase) we made eye contact and smiled as we were leaving publix. You had just gotten off the scale...I was on the phone

Man walking at Madiera beach - m4m - 38 (largo)You were walking on Madiera beach one day this week. YOu were wearing a speedo. You are 50 + sexy , nice legs. I am 6ft 225 muscular. Moved here recently. If this is you or describes an interest ..hit me back. Nothing sexier than a daddy in a speedo on the beach.

Dominos Delivery Guy - m4m (Clearwater)You delivered a pizza to my apartment. Around 7:20pm tonight. Just wanted to say you were hot and well worth the tip.

And my WINNER for the most desperate person in Florida is (pictures included):

I SAW YOU AT THE SPRING HILL GOODWILL TUESDAY YOUR DARK AND HANDSOME - 42 (SPRINGHILL) YOU WERE WEARING BLACK SHORTS WITH A BLACK AND WHITE STRIPED SHIRT, AROUND 2 IN THE AFTERNOON, LOOKED AT YOU A COUPLE OF TIMES BUT I WAS TOO SHY TO SAY ANYTHING, WOULD HAVE LOVED TO DROP TO MY KNEES AND SERVICE YOU RIGHT THERE IF I COULD HAVE......WANNA HAVE SOME FUN PLEASE?

Life on the Lake

St Patty's day isn't a happy day for my Mom. My brother passed away 3 years ago at the age of 52 on this day and she really has never recovered from losing her son. So I tried to keep her involved in some outdoor life today. We watched birds feeding their young ones, White Pelicans coming in for landings and hunting for dinner and just enjoying the nature around us.

My Mom was hospitalized on Jan 18th with pneumonia and spent 17 days there. She was been staying with us since then, she is still not up to going home and living by herself yet. She lost all of her muscle and fat in the last 4 months and is down to 100lbs. But she hasn't given up. She does her rehab exercises everyday and has been eating well. But she isn't getting any stronger. We have another dr visit on Thursday. She is also on oxygen 24/7 which makes it hard too.

Here are few pictures I thought I would share of the beautiful White Pelicans and some pics I just took from across the lake.

Hope everyone gets a chance to have a green beer today!

Challenge #2 ~ Music page layouts!

Well the winner is... WAIT... no one entered so there is not a winner. I thought this would be a fun challenge since most of my friends are involved in someway with the love of music and concerts. So what can we do for the next challenge that everyone will like? Send me your ideas!

Got The Digital Camera Battery Blues?

What kind of batteries last the longest? Well I found out not the most expensive kind that you get at the camera stores!! I was buying those for my camera because I was convinced by the sales guy they were SO MUCH BETTER.... NOT! I ran out of batteries and actually used the FREE batteries that came with camera. These were Panasonic LR6-AA Industrial Alkaline batteries. I figured they would get me through the pinch until I could get back to the camera store. Well...let me tell you THESE WERE THE LONGEST LASTING BATTERIES I've ever used! Printed on the side is not for retail trade. Why? Because they last too long?

See Ace on TV for 10 Weeks!

http://www.foxreality.com/aie/

Yes you heard it right! Ace Young will be co-hosting the Fox Reality show Idol Extra! So starting March 26th, you will be up close and personal with Ace interviewing the Idol contestant that is voted off. Set your DVR's now so you don't miss an episode!

Ok... who is ready for another challenge?

This weeks challenge will be for scrapbook pages, sorry card makers... but I know you have the ability to make a scrapbook page too so just get workin' on it!

I'm challenging everyone to make either a single or double page design of a music concert you've seen or one that you were in yourself. That is the only rule... music concert. It can be any size or colors and you won't get preferred voting status for using pictures of Ace ;-)

I know everyone has been to something... a rock show, country show, high school band, chorus, etc. Just has to be music related.

Deadline is Monday morning March 9th.

Ok, run and get your paper and scissors and knock my socks off with awesome designs!

We Have a Winner!

A BIG Congratulations to Linda from NY!

My Mom had a hard time choosing a winner too but she kept going back to the box saying she liked it a lot. So Linda your prize box will be mailed out on Monday!

YELLOW BONUS

And since it was hard to pick a winner, I'm going to send each contestant a little thanks for participating in my first challenge!

You guys ROCK!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

Finally all of the "yellow" challenge designs have been submitted. A few more are still working on it however I've already extended the deadline by 2 days so they will have to miss this chance at a prize. But I will post their designs for all to see when I get them.

I'm going to let my Mom pick her favorite. She will enjoy looking at them and since she doesn't know who submitted them, I thought that would be fair. I'm glad I'm not judging because I love them all!

THE BEAUTIFUL YELLOW CREATIONS

Card by Monica/FL

Double Scrapbook page by Christy/FL

Scrapbook page by Bridget/PA

Fold out card in a gift box by Linda/NY

Tag card by Linda/NY