One long post, and a very sad update

Talk about taking forever to post huh?!  Ugh, it has just been one thing after another... and not the good variety unfortunately.  We've gone from minor things to MAJOR things and it just keeps getting worse it seems.  Hopefully things will calm down soon.  I feel so frazzled, and I can't get a grip on anything.  I have about 50 projects started and nothing completed to show for it it feels.   I'm STILL friggin sick, I can't kick it.  Then Izzy had fevers and ear aches (which is NOT normal for him at all!) at the beginning of the week and couldn't go to school until Thursday this week!  I feel so bad for him.  He loves to go, gets in the routine of it, then gets sick again.  Then it's hard to get him to want to go again when he's better.  He needs a good routine for a few weeks without it changing.  He'll be such a happy skwerl tonight though, because today is "Male Involvement Day" and Daddy is spending the day in class with him!  Last week they hosted a "Milk and Cookies with Dad" event and Daddy went in for that.  It was the end of the day though and he didn't get to spend as much time there.  Apparently Daddy read stories and played the whole time though instead of snacking on his cookies and milk, so the kids loved him. He also said they have named him "Big Daddy" BWHAHAHAHA!!!  SO FUNNY!  He said all of the kids call him that and they all dog pile him and hug him now when he takes Izzy in on the mornings he takes him LOL!!!   Well, actually part of the reality to the story of him playing instead of snacking, is that Izzy was 100% pissed off because instead of cookies they offered donuts!  LOL, he kept whispering to Mark saying "I wanted a cookie, NOT a donut!" and man he griped about it all night long LOL.  Yep, that's my kid.  Pissed over baked goods bad enough it ruins your day!  We were lucky to even get up and get things rolling today so they could get there in time.  Mark did what is turning out to be a habit and driving me crazy again.  The alarm goes off in the morning, and he JUMPS up and turns it off... then goes in the other room to sit and "wake up".  Which means he falls asleep in a chair in front of the TV, meanwhile the kids and I are still sleeping because he turned the alarm off on the first beep!  His defense?  "I didn't want it to wake you guys up."  Umm... yeah.  Isn't that why I set it?????  I NEED it to wake us all up!  LOLOL!  I love how stoooooopid he is when he first wakes up, PRICELESS!  So anyway, I've started setting alarms on my cell phone and keeping that on the headboard so if he does this, at least I have a backup alarm.  Derp!  I shouldn't tease him for being tired though.  One of the things that's been really bad lately is that his Grandma is in the hospital again.  Last Friday they called and told us she wasn't going to make it through the day and to get there fast.  We're really close with her and that whole side of his family.  So naturally we were hysterical, and I stayed home with the kids while he went to see her.  Luckily she stabilized and though she didn't improve, she at least stayed the same all week.  Well then last night while he was at school I got another call from his sister saying he should get to the hospital asap again.  I waited until he got home and told him... then he went back to the hospital to spend some time with her.  He was a wreck, and it's breaking my heart that I can't go with him to see her or even support the rest of the family.  It was too late last night and the kids were already in bed.  So I stayed home with them again and he promised me he'd tell her how much I love her and wanted to be there as well.   When he came home he told me there was still a chance she'd pull through but they wouldn't know until morning, and that's if she even made it until morning.  So sad.  So far today there has been no change.  She is still here though and fighting as hard as she can.  It's so hard to be so sad about something but not show it to the kids.  I don't just mean about that, but everything that has been going on... it lands right in between Izzy and Reagan's birthdays.  Our timing for bad times always sucks.  I've been trying so hard not to let them see how bad things are, and to still stay pumped up and excited about their birthdays with them.  In all honestly I'd love to be able to hide or sleep until the beginning of next year or something LOL.  So Tuesday when things were really gloomy feeling in here, we decided to get them out of the house and play play play at the park.  We had such a good time as always, it's such great therapy LOL.  My favorite part of the day was when Goo noticed her shadow on the ground, and then chased it in circles like a dog or cat does to their tail LOLOL!  OMG I had the biggest laugh attack!!  I only got 2 pics of it though, then the batteries went dead... but it was so cute.  This was right when she started to notice it was moving with her.

She's so funny.  I got stopped by 2 different moms that day asking how old she is.  They both freaked out that she's as tall as she is.  People just keep freaking out about it LOL.  I know she's tall and all, but she's not like sideshow freak tall is she?!  Of course all of those 24mos and 2T feety jammies I stocked up on last winter are too small before she even had a chance to wear them :(  Ok, she's tall, I admit it!  I still can't believe she's going to be 2 on Sunday :(  So big so fast!  I've been scrapping her like crazy on the days I've actually had any time to scrap.  I've even gone back to baby pics to reminisce.  I have a ton to show you too!  OMG they have kept me busy!  Now where to start!?!

I think we'll start with Megs since I've had these LOs done the longest, which means I have left the pimpin' hanging for her the longest LOL.  Did you hear that she's one of the designers participating in Christina Renee's Block Party 2008?  Super squeee!  We're in the second week already, that's how far behind I am with my blogging.  The first release she had was a gorgeous kit called Sweet Pea.  Here's a preview for you:

Oh I loved this one!  It went perfectly with a new pair of jammies Goo has for the chillier nights we have been having.  Here are a few LOs I whipped up with it!

 

One of the other issues I've had lately is that my EHD fried when a transformer blew in town.  The power came on and took that out with it when I plugged it in.  I was greeted with a giant blue spark.  Ugh, I lost everything.  I didn't  have it all backed up yet (procrastinator!)  So I was sad the night it happened, mainly because it was ALL of my scrap stuff, AND personal photos of my kids/family!!! :(  BUT I do believe Goo sensed it because in that bottom LO I used a pic that was from THE BEST photo shoot she has ever given me LOL.  She posed and SMILED and left her eyes open!!!  WOO HOO!  Losing everything just may have been worth it!

So the second week for the block party Megs has released another killer kit... this one is a blast!  It's called Fairytale and it made my extraction senses tingle LOL! Check this baby out!

Look at that dragon!!!  OHHHH and she made this adorable freebie to go along with it too!!!!

Just click on the pic to go and snag her!  It will also take you to her newest new blog LOL.  Yes she did just start a new one not long ago, BUT she just switched to Word Press, so this is a new NEW blog!  Here are some LOs that I've made with Fairytale...

LOL I love the little Izzy running for his life in that last one!  Credit goes to "Moonica" (that's that little cows name too!) for that idea.  At first she insisted that I put a tiny Mark and I running from her... Ok, good idea but after 3 big Goo's, I was done with extracting on this LO!  LOL.  She then insisted that it HAD to at least have an Izzy running from her.  That idea was too funny to pass up on LOLOLOL.  I still laugh like mad when I see him!  When I first turned in the Sleeping Beauty LO (first LO)   to Megs, she said she liked it but was sad that I hadn't turned Izzy into a princess on it.  I said I had one better for her and offered to scrap "Nipples" for her. Nipples is a guy (if you want to call him that LOL) from the Adam Sandler movie  Little Nicky.  One of the funniest parts of the entire movie if you ask me.  Megs has always agreed, and the two of us call each other Nipples on occasion to be smartasses.  Anyway, she might have thought I was kidding and said it'd be great as long as I titled it with his best quote in the movie.  I doubt she thought I was kidding though, she does know me pretty damn well now and knows what a goof I am.  So, I needed a laugh that night and with her blessing I put aside my projects I SHOULD have been working on for a half hour or so and made her this...

I wonder if she'll kick my ass for posting it LOL.  I told her I should upload it... it'd totally sell the kit don'tcha think?  LOLOL... damn Nipples is hot!

Ok so those were 2 new kits from Megs, can you believe she even released another new one since I posted last!  Speedy talented skwerl!!!  She is so fast I haven't even finished a page with it!  In my defense though, I had started a cool one of Izzy on his bike with it but... you guessed it, it was on my EHD and is now gone :(  I will definitely be recreating it though, it was awesome.  The kit I'm referring to is the sequel to one of my favorites Dusk till Dawn.  It's Dawn till Dusk, a kit on the reverse side... all about the morning and morning colors!  Here's a peek at the preview...

Isn't it beautiful?!  I can't wait to get back into that baby!  This is another kit she has an amazing freebie on her new blog for.  Look at this beauty...

Just click on it to head on over to her new blog to get it!  I used one of the papers from this as my background on that "Goo and the Beanstalk" LO above!  LOVE all of this stuff, she is just amazing!!!!

 

Wow, so that was all just Studio Flergs stuff!  This is going to be the longest post in history.  It's what I get for waiting for so long to post.  I have so much to update on links and everything too!  For example, Monica started a new blog too!  I have to change where I link to her!!!  She can now be found at  http://www.mglscraps.com/blog/  You should go check it out!  Don't forget to subscribe to her new newsletter too!!  She's had a few awesome new releases too, in fact she's also so fast I couldn't keep up with her!  Part of that is to blame on the EHD failure again... other part to blame is (YES MON I'M STILL BITCHING ABOUT IT!) that she didn't tell me the products went into the store LOL!  So here I sat with almost finished and finished LOs just waiting on her... and then I come across forum posts at DST talking about her new grab bag... and others talking about her new Halloween collab and I got all GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!  on her LOL.  She does it on purpose I think.  I think she LOVES to get yelled at, especially in public.  So my Grab bag LO isn't done... but I can still hook you up with it LOL.  If you click on the image, it will take you to the product in store... which will also give you the option to click through product images and get an early reveal before you buy!  She's such a sneaky skwerl! 

This bag is HUGE as always in true Monica form.  There's even a FULL kit inside.  The color swatch along the bottom there is the palette for it!  Gorgeous!  I'll post my LO when I finish to show you!

She also just released what I think is the BEST Halloween collab ever!  It's with Franziska Altmann so you know it has to be hot!  Feast your eyes on this baby!

It's so fun!!!  It's not all sickly cutesy and crap either!!!  YAY!  I dove into this before Ziska even had a chance to make her part I think... so this LO is all Monica.  Unfortunately the one I made that was mostly Ziska's stuff was on the EHD too :(  It was awesome too, boy it really bums me out.  Anyway I will get that recreated as well and show you when I do.  It was all newborn pics of Goo, since she was born in October I have a bunch of Halloweenie newborn pics :D.    I did a scaredy cat LO of her with my first LO, luckily the day I saved this one I was lazy and it ended up on my C drive LOL.  I had a lazy habit of doing that sometimes... so I still have a few LO PSD's laying around!!! 

Hi, my name is Jeannette... and I have an extraction problem.  LOLOL OK!  I admit it!  but I love it!  I see pics like the one above and I think of all kinds of funky places I can put them!  This was a pic of her playing in her play pen.  I stood above her and took the shot.  That's why her hair looks so weird LOL.  It was in a high pony tail up on her head.  I admit that it really doesn't make any sense... but I loved it and it was fun to make!  Plus Teh Monzorz got a kick out of it too so hey bonus!  Good to keep your keeper happy ;)

So a few weeks ago on Nicole's CT forum one of the girls asked her if she'd be planning a Halloween kit.  She replied that she'd been considering a color palette that was Halloweenish in color... but definitely not a theme kit.  She then posted a color palette that made my knees weak!!!  OMG I loved it.  I whined and whined for it too LOL.  So this week I had my wishes granted and was handed this GORGEOUS kit to play with.  I give you Midnight Garden Party!

WOWZA!!!  Love it love it love it love it I LOVE IT!  Here's a page of Daddy and Goo that I made immediately with it :D

THEN... she had to go and make a Pumpkin Patch freebie to go with it!!!

FREEBIE!!!  Click on pic to go get yours!  So... after seeing this I had to jump back in and make another LO!!  I remembered these awesome pics my friend Marci took of Maelle last year in a pumkin patch.  She was sitting on bright orange pumpkins... and she was wearing a cream sweater that had buttons on it that match perfectly with the other half of the kit!  I'm so freakin anal, everything HAS to match when I scrap LOLOL!  Here's the LO, but shhhh I haven't mailed it to Marci yet and she'll beat my ass for not showing her first LOL!  (If you see this before I do, I swear I'm doing it!)

OOOh I wub her!  Love looking at the pics from last year.  I can't believe our girls are 2 already :(  Maelle turned 2 at the end of September, and Reagan is 2 Sunday!!!!  2!  HOW did that happen so fast?!  Man... so big!

 

Ok so there's a few LO updates!  I have finally gotten some of those caught up.  I've left Kim hanging though... but unfortunately there she had an EHD failure right before I did too, she she totally understands!!!  She graciously handed me anything I want to get my stash back though.  I just haven't gotten a chance to download anything yet.  So I haven't scrapped with her designs lately :(  I hate that I haven't, I love her so much LOL.  As soon as I get some things back in my stash (limited room sucks, I miss my EHD :(!!!! )  I will make some pages for her to share with you!  I was starting to feel in over my head with LOs lately, so I took on a new role at SUN to ease up on that a bit.  I started to do the quality checking there on products in store.  I for some reason LOVE to do that LOL.  I love it so much that after taking SUN on I joined up with Amy Sumrall's CT and Moon Scraps CT to be their quality checker too!  Wheeee!  The downside of it is that since I've joined on we've had so many personal issues I've been as MIA from them as I have been from my blog and everything else.  Plus it's had to QC something that was deleted from your EHD!!!  Sick of hearing me whine about that yet?  I think I'm sick of saying it LOL.   Seriously though, I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful all of my designers are!!!  They really are the most supportive and generous women I've ever met in my entire life!  Mon went immediately to SUN and reset all of my links so I could re download what I needed to get back.  All of the girls pretty much handed me their stores on a platter (Nicole called it a "Sugarplum Buffet" LOLOL!  I wont tell you what Megs called me though!!  Hee hee!   I felt like such a schmuck though, almost like I was stealing... even though it was stuff I already had!  I just don't ever want to make them think I'm the "gimme gimme, and gimme free" type.  Bleh, that just makes me sick when people are like that to designers.  I don't think the people like that have the first clue how hard they really work.  They're amazing.  Most of the stores that I have purchased from in the past I emailed to see if I could get my links reset.  I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful they were too!!!  Tracy Ann (TADA) seriously went above and beyond to help me.  She even re uploaded past Lucky Dips to her server just for me.  I feel so guilty that my stupid mistake is putting so much more work on her back though :(  With her owning the store herself, she's the only one to do it all... that has to be so hard and so time consuming!  So sweet of her and I can't thank her enough!  Oh and Sherrie Piegdon aka Pixel Gypsy is awesome too!!!  She keeps your links active FOREVER!  They never expire!  I didn't have to do anything to get all that I've bought from her back... WOO HOO!!  How awesome is that?  Almost as awesome as her designs LOL!  I had to contact so many stores, and all but a few emailed me back and we're so amazing and helpful it just meant the world to me!  I was surprised that they contacted me so fast, so awesome!  There are a few that shocked me because they didn't even reply to my emails.  I get it if they can't reset the links, I totally understand... I mean all of this was my own STUPID STUPID fault and they don't owe me a thing.  I just think it's kind of sad they can't even email a customer back and say they can't or wont.  It's not like it's only been a day and I'm impatient.  A lot have been well over a week, and that just really surprises me!  O-well, my fault like  I said!  Now I know to back up immediately... and also who to keep shopping and buying from LOLOL!

 

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Ok, so I started this post on Friday afternoon, but didn't finish it until now (Saturday).   I  was typing when Mark and Izzy came home from school, and then the phone rang.  We got another bad call from the hospital, this time the worst.  They told Mark if he wanted to say goodbye to Nani that he needed to come down there right away because they were going to take her off of life support.  He told me they said she was already brain dead and it was her time to go.  So he rushed out the door and hurried to the hospital.  He called me after about a half hour to let me know he got to talk to her and say goodbye for both of us.  About another half hour later he called me back to let me know she was gone.  She passed away around 5:50pm on Friday.  I hate that I wasn't able to say goodbye to her myself.  I love her so much, she was the most amazing person.  She has always made me feel like I belong here and like I was part of the family from the moment I met her.  She's had a few rough years now, and I'm so thankful that she's not suffering and in pain anymore... but she is leaving behind so many of us that are just beyond heart broken.  She definitely changed my life and I will miss her more than I can say. 

I really want to say thank you to all of you who have been so supportive while she's been in the hospital and for all of your prayers and wishes.  I can't thank you enough, and I appreciate your kind words and shoulders to lean on so much.  Well that's about all the puter time I can handle for now.  I think I need a little time away.  I will be back soon and until then, have fun!  Thank you all again.