Today I went to the funeral of a 17 month old little boy who was born with a rare brain dissorder.  I didn’t expect to stay long but I felt the need to stay and support my friends daughter, her sister and even her mother who I hadn’t spoken to in more years than I can remember.  Something like this really makes me thank God every moment of my life that I have 3 beautiful children who are happy and healthy.  As ornery as my 3 can be, I looked back today and hugged them in my heart as I saw that little boy lying in his tiny coffin.  I saw how much he had changed everyone’s lives around him and strenthened them in a way that no other person on earth could have ever done.  It also showed me how much it had influenced their faith in God and how much it made his Granmda reevaluate her life to make her a better person.  Not saying she wasn’t a good person… you know!  It also makes me think about the people in my life that I don’t spend enough time with, don’t do enough for and why some of the people in my life weren’t in it anymore.  I apologized to his Grandmother today for not being there through this whole thing and it pained my heart to know that I didn’t get to know Kaiden as well as I could have.  It was sad to know that I’d only seen him twice.   Shortly after he had come home from the hospital in Feb of 07 and today at his funeral.

Hold the ones you love close to you, love them with all of your heart no matter what, be there for those who need you and forget about the petty BS in your life as there is always someone out there with way more problems in their life than you.

Rest in the arms of Jesus little one.

Bethy

My newest layout was inspired by one of Jessica’s sketches.  She’s a member of Scraps-n-Such.com and has been drawing sketches for us as challenges.  You can see more of Jessica’s sketches and other scrapbooky things on here blog at Scrapbook Musings

So my best friend Erika and I have known each other for over 5 years now and it just hit me that it’s been THAT long.  Unfortunately we have never met in person and that really sucks.  Due to jobs, kids, hubby/boyfriend, money, we have yet to be able to go see each other.  Im thinking it’s about darn time.  I don’t know when and I don’t know how but it needs to happen ASAP!

Ove the 5+ years I’ve known Erika, she didn’t have a scanner or a decent digital camera. She had one that died and then her newer one just sucked.  It took crappy pics that were either an orange or a purple tone.  It just wasn’t right.  My other best friend Gina and I were talking last week and decided to buy Erika a new digital camera.  We’d love to see more pics of her and her scrapbooking projects and without a digital camera it just wasn’t possible.  We bought her a new Kodak Easy Share camera and it was due to arrive via UPS at Erika’s house in Georgia today.  She knew she was getting a UPS package today but had no idea what was in it.  When she finally said “Brown’s here” I jumped up and down like a little child knowing that Santa had arrived.

She was VERY surprised that it was a digital camera and I am so happy that I was able to do that for her.  She’s been my bestie through so much over the years and I felt that she deserved it.  Can’t wait to see pics.

Thanks Gina and Jessica for the donations towards Erika’s new digi cam!! hugs

Have fun Erika!

After my weeks vacation things have been insane.  I’ve been working my tail off, running to baseball games, running to volley ball practices, doing stuff around the house but yet, no time to scrap.  Oh such is life right?

Taylor got sick over the weekend and thank goodness it was NOT strep.  Last thing I needed here on 92F+ days was a housefull of sick kids.  Got lucky on that one and thank GOODNESS for cenral air.  Yea you heard me. Im a wuss, I to NOT like to be hot.  One perk of hubby working for a company that used to be associated with another company that makes central air units and we got a discount.  Heck ya!

Still waiting on my new carpet.  Home depot has really ticked me off.  Told us it would be 7-10 days for our new carpet to come in and it’s been like 18 not including weekends and Memorial day.  Very unhappy!!!  They were supposed to call today if it came in and guess what?  No phone call.  I think they should at least come install my carpet for FREE for having to wait THAT long.

Dryer’s done… better get to folding so I can throw another load in.

These gals are so  young and so much fun.  They make me feel old some days and others they make me feel younger.  Love these girls

 From front left to right, Erika, Me & Ashley and in the back Tess and Britney

We had such a good time on Memorial Day other than poor Tanner who has some sort of nasty flu but which means he spent most of his day inside either sleeping or playing Xbox.

I made up a Photo Remix of our day. Memorial Day 2008 Starring: Tim, Taylor, Tanner, Brandy, Bethy, Ashley, Ted, Barb, Karen, Chad, Ariel, Tannis & Kenai

A few of us playing Corn Hole. Never heard of this game until this year but it’s so much fun and interesting whilst drinking margaritas

And the two cutest things ever. My daughter Brandy and Karen’s son Kenai playing badmitton

I FINALLY GOT IT!  I finally got a week off. Not going on an actual vacation until July but I needed this really bad.  I was so burned out with work and the kids school activities and not seeing Tim.  Took me almost 2 months to get it but it’s official.  I AM ON VACATION!

Today is Memorial Day so we are all home.  The weather is fantastic at the moment.  75F and sunny.  Love it!  Possible random thunderstorms predicted for our area but we made up a ditty this morning and hope it worked.

Rain rain go away come again some other day.  We’re going to drink and we’re going to play so please don’t ruin our Memorial Day.  lol Craziness I know.

Other plans for the week: 

-SCRAPPING!!  I am going to scrap till my fingers either hurt or I glue them together with adhesive and can’t scrap no more. 

-A photo shoot.  Haven’t done one of the kids since last spring.  They grow so much in a year.  Also give me more scrapping material.

-Lunch with Ashley on Wednesday.  She has the day off so we’re going to head up to Cafe Capri.  Tim and I went there for dinner Friday night.  WOW was that good.  The daquiris were the tastiest I’ve ever had.  The fried Calamari was to DIE for and our dinners were just YUMMO!  Can’t wait to go back and I can’t believe we waited this long to go there.

-Going out to my grandma Rose’s one any of the other days that happens to be sunny to get some Irises and other random garden flowers she wants to give me and then spending either that afternoon or another sunny day gardening.

-Spring cleaning.  Yea ok it’s almost June but who has the energy to spring clean when all you do is work eat and sleep?  Windows especially AND since my new carpet will be put in later this week.  I want the house perfectly clean and dusted.  YAY!

Off to get brownies baked, BBQ sauce made, hang the garden lights and get ready for all of our friends that are coming over this afternoon for our Memorial Day BBQ!

Have a safe and wonderful day.

My friend Karen and I had met over a year ago on Scrapbook.com and after her move to Lisbon and along wait we finally did it. Funny things happened though. I was waiting at the Diner and it was getting later and I thought “Oh no she changed her mind” and I had forgot to put her # in my cell so I was getting ready to call 411 to see if they had a listed number and my server comes over and said I had a phone call. Poor Karen had run out of gas 1/2 way into town. So I went out to her house to pick her up, I pull in her driveway and she was looking for a gas can in her garage to take with her and there she was sniffing the gas can. She wanted to make sure it wasn’t for like the weed whacker or something like that that takes an oil gas mix and the silly girl sniffed it. I was busting up laughing. We hugged and laughed and she said “Oh great first impression. You seeing me sniffing a gas can” What a hoot.

We went back to the Diner, had lunch, talked quite a bit and then we headed back here. I showed her my house and my scrap room and we oohed and ahhed and looked at stuff. Then Tim and the kids came home so she got to meet my whole crew. Then I took her out to her car with a can of gas and her husband came. We talked some more and decided to go to her house since it was just up the road. She showed me her house and her gorgeous PINK AND BROWN scrap room. SO CUTE! I met all 3 of her kids and her (as she calls it) zoo full of pets. We sat on her back patio and talked until about 8pm.

Such a great time hanging out, talking, meeting families etc. They’re all coming here Monday for our Memorial Day cookout and it’s so nice that her daughter Ariel and Taylor were already friends from school. Such a nice family.

Here we are outside the Steel Trolley Diner in downtown Lisbon. Lighting was weird, I look so pale but here we are.

If you click the link up on the upper right hand corner of my blog that says LAYOUTS it’ll take you to another page of this blog with a slide show featuring some of my favorite layouts.  Thanks for stopping by.  Add me to your blog roll and be sure to tell me you did so I can check yours out too!

I also added one of the family under About Bethy!

For the first time since the end of February when I busted a hump to finish about 20 challenges, I scrapped today.  Life has been so busy with my job, the kids, school, cooking, cleaning and now mowing and gardening, when was I supposed to find time to scrap?  I barely get time to cook most days but that’s usually what I get done.  Eat, sleep, clean, cook, work.

Anyway enough of my whining.  Here’s my page I did today.  I am just so happy!!  I used an older set from Piggy Tales called Gretel that I had never opened! :O Oh shocking isn’t it.  Well I wanted pink but I ended up with a pink and black layout because of Brandys Pink Ohio State outfit she was wearing that day.  Didn’t expect to end up using these colors but I think it really pops!

I wanted to thank my friend Angel who’s work inspires me and she told me the other day to just let loose and try new things.  Well, I did and I doodled and I love it.  Thank you Angel!

Comments welcome!