"Hi Aunt Sue"

Yep - did you guess it?! My friends will know ... at 6:47 p.m. I got a call from my sister Karen, who put my niece Jenn on the phone ... and Jen said, "Hi, Aunt Sue" to me!

Karen got back on the phone and confirmed that I heard her okay, confirmed she got her voice back today, admonished me for crying (hey, they're HAPPY tears!), and we kept it short and sweet. No doubt she's calling my brother and Mom and others in the family, LOL!

Thanks SO MUCH for your continued prayers, folkes!
Praise: Jenn got her voice back today!
Prayer: that she passes her swallowing tests so the peg/tube into her stomach can be removed, and that her voice continues to grow stronger

welcome, sweet one!

My buddies Kathleen, Kim, Pat, Eileen, and I are headed to our buddy Donna's daughter Sheila's baby shower tomorrow. We picked up a hamper and stuffed it with a receiving blanket, blanket, couple sheets, multiuse pads, and the cutest little winky white lamb toy ... not to mention wipes, shampoo, lotions, etc. I kept one of the sheets to scan to use for the accompanying onesie card. It's SO matchy-matchy, eh?! Kim took the rest of the booty home with her, and she and HER daughter Danielle will wrap it cutesy-like, and we'll add the sheet set tomorrow when meeting up at the restaurant where the shower will be held! SUCH teamwork! After the exhaustive shopping trip, we met at Ruggero's - where Kim and I split the BEST lasagna in town, IMHO!

I used my latest toy - MFT's Die-namics grosgrain texture embossing board - on the cuffs and bottom area which is meant to look like the reinforced area where I added eyelets for snaps. The grosgrain didn't show up all that great on these pics and is actually pretty subtle IRL ... maybe I'll have to add a shim next time. I added a bit of faux stitching around the solid card stock. I used 110# card stock - it's nice and firm, and a pretty good deal at Staples - 250 sheets for $15, compared to $37.50+ for a similar amount purchase at many papercraft stores. So far, I'm pleased with it, and I'd much rather spend my hard-earned cash on stamps!

... and speaking of stamps

stamps: SU's So Many Scallops; paper: Staples white card stock; ink: Ranger's black soot distress ink, SU's Close to Cocoa marker, PC-generated DP and solid card stock; accessories: eyelets from a share purchased many moons ago

The Crim

This is where MOST of the Blondin household is this Saturday morning (our youngest quit going with us when he hit the teen years - SO uncool hanging with the family, don't you know?! - and nothing's changed recently so I expect he's staying home again) ... and while the races don't start 'til the wheelers head out at 7:30 a.m., there's lots happening in downtown Flint as early as 6 a.m. with a pancake breakfast. Lots of frivolity afterward too!

We've picked out a nice location about mid-way thru the 10-mile road race route just off Miller Rd and Bradley where we usually spread out a blanket and enjoy breakfast and catch the first of the runners. Sometimes I participate in the 5k family walk, but I'm not this year. Just cooling it with my crew ...

This year, Kettering's bio-fuel truck will lead the acclaimed Crim Races. Staff from Graduate Studies will show off the alternative-energy vehicle during the 10-mile running race. Kim Raup will drive and Mary Sue Holmes and others will offer friendly waves to the thousands of runners and fans.

(more on the Crim Road Race here)

visit w Jenn Thurs

We stopped by to visit w Jenn Thursday and arrived when the afternoon shift was preparing her meds for the evening, and then a tech person came in, to flush some fluid into her and help her with a potty trip, so we went to the family waiting room for a bit. Karen had gone to Lowe’s for some lumber and cinder blocks so when she returned we helped build a 3-shelf bookcase unit across most of one wall where she put stuff that’s starting to accumulate in the room. I wish I’d taken a picture of the bookshelf now … pretty kewl idea my sister had!

Jenn’s cast was removed this past week – I’ve read that it’s common to have issues with “tone,” when the muscles of bed-ridden patients will atrophy a bit. They’d done collagen treatments recently and cast her right arm between the last few visits, so hopefully this will help her not curl the arm up but extend it easily.

Supper arrived – Jenn’s recently been upgraded in her food consistency so she enjoyed a meal of nectar, shredded chicken and peas with gravy, rice, and peach yogurt … and had some chocolate pudding, banana, and orange juice for a snack for later. This has GOTTA be way nicer than the days of mashed potato were, eh?! And, did I mention that Jenn was feeding herself now?! Awesome!

While eating supper, PB, Karen and I were chit-chatting with each other and to Jenn and Karen was mentioning that she sometimes doesn’t know when she’s not doing enough or is doing too much, and Jenn mouthed “I love you, Mom” clear as a bell to her. It’s still tearing me today to repeat this, and I saw that PB was wow’d by it; to think just a couple months ago we were sitting next to an unconscious patient just praying that she’d open her eyes!

We got to visit for a bit with Mike too, when he stopped over just after supper. It was nice to hear him and PB chatting about golf. Always seems too quick a visit, but we left for home shortly afterwards.

I’m totally blown away by the progress we see between visits! No specific prayer request to forward from my sis’ so far today, but I’m praying that Jenn’s voice returns … it’s gotta be SO aggravating to not be able to voice things so everyone can understand you!

Thanx for your continued prayers!

women's equality day 2010

August 26 of each year is designated in the United States as Women's Equality Day. Instituted by Rep. Bella Abzug and first established in 1971, the date commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, the Woman Suffrage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave U.S. women full voting rights in 1920.

Women winning the right to vote was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York. In addition to celebrating the voting rights of American women, Women’s Equality Day also symbolizes the continued fight for equality, justice, peace, and development for women from various nationalities, ethnicities, cultures, religions, economic and political backgrounds.

Celebrate and reaffirm women’s right to vote – and honor the heroic suffrage movement that won that right for all women - by making sure you are registered to vote in your next election, and then by going out to vote!

the results are in!

The Salvation Army stopped by Kettering (insert shameless plug for my workplace here!) to pick up the school supplies and nearly $300 in funds raised for the Stuff A Bus school supplies collection. See a nice TV 12 story on Kettering’s efforts led by Cathy Weaver, Trent Sutherland, Dan Ludwigsen, Neil Sheridan, Robert Marias, Doug Melton and more!

I love these friendly competitions between students vs faculty and staff, especially when they yield these results, don't you?!

autumn is a second spring

Autumn is a second spring,
where every leaf's a flower.
~ Albert Camus

I love the sentiment and had almost forgotten that I had this stamp set. It's one of those "things I've found while looking for other things" sets. I was looking for one of my clear alphabet sets, but my clear stamp sets are all pretty much in one spot, where I was sorting them ... I'm starting to get my stamp sets a bit more organized, you see ... Wish me luck, eh?!

This one's clean and simple, using the CPS78 sketch challenge. I love cards that are white on white, cream on cream, etc., and this is a close one - methinks I'd consider it a monotone card! Hmmnn ... is that the word I'm searching for?! I sure don't mean to say it's monotonous! I used Versamark, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand, and Soft Suede (stamped off) to keep it soft and simple. I ended up using a blender pen and a touch of Sahara Sand and adding a line around the natural white card stock but went back in and made it more solid using Close to Cocoa marker ... sometimes it's hard to know when to quit! Oh, well ... I'm off to bed. G'nite and thanx for stopping by!

stamps: The Paper Co's Autumn Harvest; paper: SU's Bella Bleu DP, A1 Neenah Classic Natural White, SU's Kraft card stocks; ink: Versamark, SU's Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede; tools: slit punch, Ranger's distresser

CPS77 Eat, Drink, & Be Scary!

I'm still in my "green" phase, apparently, and used one of my fav color combos - black, white, and a punch of color - this time Kiwi Kiss topped off the Old Olive in the DP - in making the first of my Halloween cards of the year! I love the lovely and talented folkes at Card Patterns' blog, tho' I don't often make the time to play by their allotted deadline - and this week was no exception! This is from their CPS77 sketch challenge post.

I dunno whether my DH would agree with me or not, but I CAN be frugal in my stamp collecting! This witches' hat is from a SU demo used stamp set and it's teamed with a dollar stamp set from Joann's, of all places! I really like the shape of the spider stamp - that part and the oct. 31 stamps are from a ki memories stamp set that was originally priced inexpensively, at $4.99, but clearanced at 97¢ when I spotted 'em, so I snatched 'em up. I'm a sucker for bare trees, and this set has a terrifically spooky one in it, too. And, sigh, this must be one of those "beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" examples in the stamp world, 'cuz I can't imagine parting with this SU Halloween set but I'm glad someone else didn't feel that way!

stamps: ki memories' Halloween Icons, SU's Eat, Drink & Be Scary; paper: SU's Cast-A-Spell DP, Paper Reflections' black and Staples' 110# white card stocks; ink: Ranger's Black Soot distress ink; tools: circle and round tab (used on inside) punches

one day at a time

My sister and I share a love of all things purple, and I LOVE the purple and green color combo. Here's one of my latest stamps, an unknown used one that I'm not sure of the vendor was used for the three panels for the button flowers. I originally tore a vellum card stock piece to mat those 3 panels on, but didn't like the outcome, so this afternoon I switched that out by cutting the vellum to a rectangle and making a double mat from Lovely Lilac, and popped that whole piece up. OK, now me likey ...

stamps: unknown "vine" trio, Technique Tuesday's Loving Words by Ali Edwards (love her script!); paper: unknown white, and SU's Lovely Lilac, Old Olive, Vellum card stocks; ink: SU's Old Olive, Ranger's black soot distress ink; accessories: Doodlebug Design's flower-shaped and Rusty Pickle's purple buttons

I'm enabling again ...

Here's a picture of some blog candy that Jacque of Joie de Vivre blog fame is offering thru Friday August 20th! A quick post ... so much to do and too little time, as usual, today!


And here's a picture of some blog candy that Mindy of Stampin' Mindy blog fame is offering thru Friday, August 27th - she's on the same DT as Jacque, above. Looking for great deals on ribbon? Or other blog candy posts? She's got another available 'til the 20th too!

u r what u eat

Sweets for the sweet! I brought this card with me while visiting my niece on Friday after work, then remembered that I hadn't taken a picture of it yet, so left it in my car to mail from home. And, true to the wonky connection my sister and I have, she picked Friday of all days to talk to me about how she and Jenn had been looking thru the cards Jenn's received to date, and noting that another sender had me beat in number of cards by one! Now, I take this as a personal challenge; wouldn't ANYone?! grins ...

I can't take credit for this idea. It's the product of a once monthly class I take with the lovely and talented Angie Jarman. And Angie and I had both seen samples of this on splitcoaststampers, tho' I'd not jotted down the makers.

Shouldn't this sentiment read, "If you are what you eat, eat something sweet!"? I'm just sayin' ...

No deets today!

Flashback Friday / Jenn update

I follow Allison Fillo's blog (doesn't everyone?!) and am catching up today on blog trolling ... ANYWAY, she posted that Amy of Tsuruta Designs blog fame encouraged folkes to post their first blog card picture again. So ... without further ado, here's mine - from back on July 21, 2007!

Methinks I'd been scanning cards for the pictures back then. I've since updated my (then) broken camera, tho' my youngest son was grossed out that I selected an automatic. My past one was manual and I DID love it. This new one is a point-and-shoot but has some override capability ... that I haven't really played with much yet. Oh, the things I'll have the time to do when I'm retired, I think ...

Thru the marvels of modern technology (tee hee!) I'm post-dating to Friday, when, rather than playing at home making cards, I was visiting my niece Jenn and sister Karen at St Joe's Mercy Hospital where she's recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash on June 28th.

While she's still got a long road ahead of her, they recently removed Jenn's trachea tube, and she's now breathing, swallowing, and coughing on her own. During OT/PT she's started periods of sitting and is able to hold her head up while sitting pretty darn well. She's working daily on a standing machine, and stood for 10 minutes straight this past week. AND she's responded to questions requiring one-word answers appropriately - so far by mouthing the words. She's not found her voice yet but that's my current prayer request! She's started to eat solid foods - starting with mashed potato and applesauce and ice chips. I'd like yogurt added to her diet as she's had c-diff infection 2x and recently a yeast infection. These too shall pass. Too much information? Sorry 'bout that, folkes! Thanx for your continued prayers!

happy b'day Kathleen

A co-worker and lunch buddy's birthday is this week, but I don't seem to get around to making cards during the week much lately - I've been in a reading spurt - so this one's ready early! I hope Kathleen doesn't think I'm being morbid by sending her a black birthday card, but one of my fav color combos is black, white, and a punch of color, and these, plus lime and soft yellow, were the colors used in a color challenge over on Sharon Johnson's blog recently - see her July 29th ssnotime150 post for her cool inspiration photo. It was all about circle patterns in bold colors. The card's also based on a sketch challenge at Claire's Waltzing Mouse Sketch Challenge blog - see her August 7th WMSC9 post for deets. This one was all about flowers and circles and buttons, so I combined them into a two-fer card today!

stamps: SU's Always, Full of Life (inside sentiment - May every part of your BIRTHDAY have happy in it!), Simple Shapes, and Sweet Serendipity; paper: SU's Barely Banana and Basic Black, unknown white card stock; ink: s-e-i's lime, Ranter's black soot distress ink; tools: ek success, family treasures, and marvy flower punches, and dimensionals

Thanx for visiting!

white on white

Sigh ... I love white on white, and ivory on ivory, and ... well, you get the drift. This is slightly altered from today's make-'n-take from the lovely and talented Karen of Karen's Creative Stamping in Burton MI. We (me 'n my stamping buds, Pat and Kim) took a baby flip book class (more on that later) Friday evening, and I called ahead to see if we might be able to also do our Saturday morning make-'n-take. Karen had offered that option to us the LAST time we took a Friday evening class.

Anywho, I'm a fan of the CAS lines. This card was meant to have a rectangle-cut piece of DP in the center of the card front, but I chose to eliminate that step, and trimmed my cake on platter image to be a bit more rectangle-y. I love that we used a clear stickles in the impressions of the popped up image, too. Sweet in more ways than one, eh?!

low on deets today - I'm lovin' this cake image and methinks I MAY have that one in my stash of Cuttlebug embossing folders, tho' ... yep, just back from a quick search and I DO - it's Cuttlebug's Wedding Marriage set of 4 folders (hey, this is the first time that I've noticed that they had a typo in their packaging ... they called that set their "Wedding Mariage" set (w one "r")!). Otherwise, deets include unknown white card stock, unknown embossing folder, unknown ribbon, and unknown stickles

IF you're curious, the other 3 plates to that embossing folder set include a cute wedding couple, a pair of champagne glasses, and wedding bells. I'll be bringing 'em in to work so that I can have show-'n-tell w Danielle, Kim's daughter, so that she can see whether she'd like to borrow any of them when she starts working on her wedding invites. You can see a sample of 'em here.

Thanx for stopping by!

soakin' up the rays

Today's is a CAS card I made for Natasha's CAS102 sketch challenge using colors from last week's Curtain Call 41 color challenge. I don't have all the latest SU colors so substituted Brocade Blue for the Marina Mist and Ranger's Antique Linen distress ink for Kraft. A quick post tonight; I made a few bit-more-than-inchies and popped them up using dimensionals and it's late so I'm turning over control of the PC to my DH, who's chomping at the bit to play a few games before hitting the hay ...

stamps: Clear & Simple's sunshine, Inkadinkado's Beach; paper: unknown white card stock; ink: SU's Brocade Blue and Night of Navy, Ranger's Antique Linen and Black Soot distress inks; tools: Paper Shapers' 1-1/8" square punch