To Hobe Sound, Florida I go ....

I decided I needed a break. Its been a few crummy weeks for me with Robin and all so I decided to go down to FL to see some of my old "girlfriends" down there. I have lots going on - hope to get up with Sherri, Betsey, Sherie, Dawn, Gerry and Caryn. I haven't seen these guys since January, which is the last time I was there. I will be without internet until Thursday night so please don't email me till I get back. I googled "Hobe Sound, FL" and this is a photo of the bridge that Sherri and I walk over when I am there. I definitely need the exercise!!! C-Ya!!

I made a few Christmas gift tags

Wanna See????

I am back from Robin's memorial and it was just beautiful.

This song was playing - she had picked this song out 2 years ago!! 2 years!!! I have always loved this song and now I will think of her when I hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRx2OtQy2rg I would say there were about 250 people there so the church was packed!! The family had a private graveside service this morning before the memorial. Listen to the song and get your kleenex's :). You may need them!!

10 Reasons to Buy Rubber Stamps ....this is cute!!!

http://www.littlebit.com/ideas_rs/10_reasons.htm

This is such a hard note to post but ....

my friend Robin lost her battle to cancer tonight. Her family called me about 9:15 pm and said she had just passed away just a few minutes earlier. I am so sad for her kids. They are 14 and 10. Robin has been so sick for so long. I remember when she got the phone call from her mammogram 6 years ago. She had found a lump on her own and went to the dr. The mammogram and ultrasound confirmed her worst fear - breast cancer. She had a masectomy soon after that and started chemotherapy and radiation shortly after. She was one of the unfortunate ones where it metasized to her hip and spine. She always was positive that she would beat it. It had been exactly 6 years to the month. The last month has been the hardest on all of us. She just wasn't able to fight anymore. It had gone to her liver several months ago. I will miss Robin so much. We've been friends since Emily & Shelby were in pre-school together and I liked her right away. When we moved to FL, I kept in touch with her, Mary and Lorraine. We would all go out to dinner when I would come back to visit which was twice a year. The 4 of us ... always went out. We sure had alot of laughs. Now it will be 3 of us... that will be so odd. I will miss Robin!!! PS Robin was ONLY 41 years old.

Saturday ... Nicholas scores goal!!

Nicholas is playing soccer with the Mount Pleasant Soccer Association. He hasn't played in 2 years so its great to see him back kicking the ball. Today we played a late game (5 pm) and it seemed like the boys (and 2 girls on his team) were already tired before they even got started!! Nicholas did manage to score a goal!! We did lose 4-2 but that's ok. They all had fun!!

Fall is officially tomorrow and it was almost 90 degrees here today. Tomorrow our high is 92. What the heck!?!? Come on cooler temps .... I want to see those 50's at night again.

Happy 40th Birthday to my "baby sister" Debbie!!!

September 21st is my sister's 40th birthday. For her special day, I surprised her with 40 purple birthday cards. Each card was purple and I even mailed them each in a purple envelope. I mailed 5 cards a day for 2 weeks and she got the last 40th card today!!! Along with her cards I got her purple crocs (can you guess her favorite color is PURPLE ??? ) I also got her some gag gifts to go with the crocs. I got her Oil of Old Age, a hot flash fan (which will definitely come in handy during the middle of the night), and a decision dial that she can just spin when she needs to make a decision :).

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE!!! I hope I am still your favorite sister! (just because I am your ONLY sister has nothing to do with it!) lol

If you would like to see all the cards I made for Debbie, just scroll down a little. If you want to see what the cards say on the inside, click once using your mouse and then I think you just have to scroll your mouse over each card and you can read the funny comments I made (even if she doesn't think they are too funny! I am still laughing out loud when i read them now!) HA HA

Debbie's 40 purple cards for Debbie's 40th birthday

Sunday we were hoping to have a relaxing Sunday ...

when all of a sudden we spotted 2 cows in our yard, next to our driveway, just eating grass like they lived here. So I called our neighbor who lives behind us and the husband was out all day and the woman had no idea how to get her cows back so I told her we would try and close our fence off and just keep them here till the husband got home. We set off in the "Gator" to do this. It was easier than I thought and here are some photos I took. Some turned out blurry but we were sort of chasing the cows up the hill. lol

Never a dull moment around here!!!

More photos to help you make this tote

You need to read the 2nd post of this first. After I posted these, I can't figure out how to have this post after the first post so read the whole thing and then look at the photos in order. I hope this helps :). I plan on making a few of these for Christmas gifts this year.

My first tutorial ... how to make a 3x3 tote bag for 3x3 cards

This is super easy and you can make 1 of these little totes for your 3x3 cards in as little as 15 minutes. This is my very first tutorial so bare with me. LOL

Cut paper 8"x5 1/4". Score at 3 1/4" from bottom. Score at another 1 1/2". Then the other part should measure the same 3 1/4". Now score at 1" from sides. Cut with scissors at the bottom to make flaps that will go inside at the bottom. Glue at sides. Cut white cardstock for handle 3 1/4" wide x 8" long. Cover with patterned paper. Attach using brads at the top.

This should only take about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Emily wins as representative for 10th grade at homecoming game

WOW! What a night!! Last night was our homecoming game. We won 31-14. We haven't had rain in MONTHS and when I say months, I mean, MONTHS ... what does it do last night?! DOWN POUR!! But we still had a great time!!

While I was at the MOA Emily called to tell me she had been chosen as one of the 10 girls to be on the 10th grade homecoming court. A few days later, she said they narrowed it down to 4 girls. She was again "chosen". So as soon as I got back, we went searching for the perfect dress. She actually came home with not 1 dress, but 3 dresses!!! She finally decided on the teal dress so I will return the other 2 dresses. Last night during halftime all the girls were to walk up on the stage and wait to see if they were voted on. 9th grade had 3 picked, 10th grade had 4 picked, 11th grade had 4 picked and 12th grade had 4 picked plus the Senior Queen. We were all so excited when they called EMILY THACKER for 10th grade. They each got a dozen yellow roses and a crown. They will ride in the Christmas parade in late November. Hmmm, will I have to buy ANOTHER outfit for that to make sure she is warm enough? LOL

It was a great day for all of us! Enjoy the photos!!

Update on Robin 9/12/07

I went over to see Robin again today. Could only stay for about 20 minutes as she was in and out of sleep. She is heavily sedated on morphine but she is alert when she is awake. She knew who I was and even joked a little bit with me, but then would drift back to sleep. Hospice is coming in every other day and thank god she has her mom there to help also. Her mom and mother in law are taking turns being there all the time now. I started crying as soon as I saw her and her mom said "Now Sherri is being a bad girl Robin" and Robin said" Yes please don't cry" so then I started to laugh and then Robin tried to laugh. Its so sad seeing her like this!!

Back from Scrapfest and I think I need another "vacation" from my vacation. HA HA

All those late nights are catching up to me. When I left Minneapolis this morning, it was around 48 degrees. Landing in Charlotte, it was 98 degrees. I want cooler weather here!!! Is that too much to ask!?!? When is summer going to be over for us? We got absolutely no rain from that tropical storm that skirted by the outer banks yesterday so no cooler temps here. It will be here before too long right?

So we had the best time this weekend!! I met up with 15 other Shackie's from all over the US and Canada. Ellie came from Charlotte, Patty came from CT, Joanie and Lesa came from Cape Cod, Traci came from Ohio, Joanne came from TN, Barb came from Canada, Angie and her cute mom came from Utah, Tonii came from California, Chelsea came from Illinois, Chris, Robin and her sister came from Michigan, Cindy and her cute friend Tracy came from Iowa, Lidia came from right next door (she lives there!), and Renee came from Minnesota too. We stayed up each night stamping till about 1 am. The last night Barb and I BOTH got the giggles and could not stop. I don't even know what we were laughing at now. It was alot of fun and now its back to reality.

Came home to find out Emily has been elected to be on the homecoming court for 10th grade. She and 3 other girls made the final cut so we will have to go out and find her a cute dress - the homecoming game is this Friday and the announcement will be made then if she wins for 10th grade. No homecoming dance here at this school.

Update on Robin - she is resting peacefully at home. The doctors think she may develop a blood clot in her leg where she broke it so if she does, she will go peacefully. There is no pain with that. She is alert when she is awake but is sleeping the majority of the time. I hope to get over tomorrow or the next day. Please say a prayer for her that she is not in too much pain any longer.

Update on Robin ...

I have posted about my wonderful friend Robin several times - she is battling breast cancer. Now its in her bones, hip, and liver. On Monday, she fell and slipped in the shower and broke her femur bone in her leg. She has been in the hospital so I went to see her today and she gets to come home today. They really need to do surgery but her blood counts are so low, they are not able to do anything with her leg. They have it in a splint so she can't move it and they have her hooked up to a morphine drip. She calls it her Happy drug. She just has to push a button when she feels pain. She is sleeping alot now and will be confined to the hospital bed at her house. Its so sad to see her like this and I hope she doesn't have to suffer much longer. Hospice will now come in everyday to help her. Its so hard on the kids seeing her go downhill so fast. She has had the most amazing battle for 6 years. Almost 7 years now. Cancer just stinks!! There is no other way to say it!!

I haven't stamped anything in a few days but decided I want to bring

some "projects" with me to the MOA Stamping thing next weekend so I spent yesterday getting all ready to go. These are some cards I will be working on while there. I leave on Thursday bright and early!