Personal journey updated

For those of you following my husbands health, we had another change today.   He received his first dose of chemotherapy today.  This is a very new drug for the treatment of melanoma.  It is called Ipilimumab and he will receive 4 doses, 3 weeks apart.  We are optimists and are praying that this treatment has a good effect.  We'll just have to keep praying and hope for the best.

Remembering on Memorial Day

Today, I'm thinking of all our military members who have given their all so that we can be free.  I'm also thinking of our heroes currently serving to keep us free.

I have many family members who have served and are still serving in the military.  Currently serving are the grandsons that are on active duty.  My husband, 2 brothers, son, uncles and cousins have served in the military.

Remember to thank all of them for our freedom and always stand and put your had over your heart when you see the flag.  Many have fought hard for that flag and we need to respect it and them.

I've chosen this day to make hero cards to send to our deployed troops.

This sentiment is a digi from Operation Write Home.  The embossed stars are made with a Cuttlebug embossing folder.  The red strip was crimped with my Marvy Corro-gater.  The gold stars are Class A'Peels stickers.

Thank you, Hero

If you are here for the OWH bloghop,

please scroll down to yesterday's post.

This card was inspired by Cre8tive Girls blog on the OWH bloghop.  I embossed the blue background with a Starry Night embossing folder from Craft Concepts.  I ran the red strip of cardstock through my crimper.  I mounted them on gold cardstock and onto a white base card. 

The sentiment is a digi from Operation Write Home and is mounted on gold cardstock and popped with dimensional tape.  The stars are stickers by Class A'Peels.

OWH Memorial Day Bloghop

Welcome to Operation Write Home's Memorial Day Bloghop.  Hopefully, you arrived here from Sheila's blog, 2 Paw Prints.  This bloghop is the 2nd anniversary of my joining the Operation Write Home group of card makers.  It was the Memorial Day Bloghop in 2009 that got me started making cards for our deployed heroes.

There is always a great need for our deployed heroes to have 'missing you' cards to send to their loved ones at home.  I hope this one brings a smile to some faces.

The dachshund stamp is from Cowtown, the missing you stamp is from Lockhart Stamp Co. and the other sentiment is a clear stamp from Michaels.  Background paper is by Provo Craft.  I used Memories brown ink for the stamps.  It is a good match for my red smooth dachshund, Tex.

To continue the bloghop, hop on over to

Sherry's blog  Create With Me

Try a new technique

Our challenge this week on the Stars & Stamps blog is to try a new technique.    There was a tutorial in the same blog on April 5, 2011 and making a pinwheel card.  I never got around to trying it, so here's my first attempt.  I just used some leftover scraps and it turned out pretty good and patriotic.  I added the God Bless America sentiment and put miss you in the center of pinwheel.

Come back tomorrow morning for the Operation Write Home Memorial Day Bloghop.  All cards will be missing you cards.

Personal journey updated

Thank you to everyone for their prayers and good wishes.  I brought my husband home from the hospital last evening.  We both feel much better and got some sleep.  He's taking pain pills and resting, but feeling much stronger than yesterday.  He'll just take it easy until he sees the oncologist on Tuesday.

Personal journey

Yesterday was a long day.  My husband had a liver biopsy yesterday morning.  Things seemed to go well, until the pain started in the afternoon.  I called back to the doctor and was told to take him to emergency room, which I did.

After monitoring and tests, he was admitted to hospital for observation.  This morning, he has stabilized and will be returning home this afternoon.  He apparently had internal bleeding from the liver, but it has stopped and his pain is nearly gone.

We're still taking things one day at a time.

Loss of mojo

Once again, my personal life is interfering with my card making mojo.  It's just hard to create card designs when my thoughts are elsewhere.

Tomorrow, my husband is having his second liver biopsy.  The oncologist said the first one showed that it is cancer, but was not definitive in identifying type.  It looked like melanoma under microscope, but stain was inconclusive.  They need this second needle biopsy to confirm diagnosis so treatment can begin.  The prayers are all we have to guide us through this difficult time.

Great grandpa

Armed Forces Day

I made these cards this weekend in honor of both Armed Forces Day and the upcoming Memorial Day.  At these times, we reflect on our military and how they have done their best to preserve our freedom.  We cherish our freedom and are grateful for the service of many of our citizens who have given their lives in keeping us free.

We also thank those who are still serving today to help keep our country free.  We need you and salute you for your service.  You are truly our heroes.

Appreciate our blessings

I recently received this email and feel it is worth sharing.

A nice thought about appreciating our blessings!

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of  Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennnsylvania that was heading for Washington DC back on 9/11.

She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as
hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him. She's now the Mom of a beautiful little girl, Mary.

Lisa recalled this story:
"I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there.

With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, "Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves.   None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end.   It can be taken away at any moment."

Perhaps this is the powers way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day. Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, "So I would like you all to make me a promise.   From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice.

It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them.  For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted."   The class was completely quiet.

We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I try to appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see on your lunch hour today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do.

If you like this, please pass it on to a friend, if not just delete it and go on with your life! Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."
HAVE A GREAT DAY

This is what I saw today in my neighbor's yard:

Fun, Fun, Fun

I made this card from the corner of a 12 X 12 piece of scrapbook paper.  I used other parts of the same paper for my Cheeseburger cards.  Sentiment is an old unmounted rubber stamp, source unknown.

Another card for another special lady

I made this card for the birthday of a lovely lady that recently sent me a box of cardstock.  The papers I used for this card were from that box.  Thank you so much.

On a personal note:

My husband saw his oncologist today.  The results of the liver biopsy are not certain.  Under microscope, it looks like melanoma, but stain did not confirm that.  He has ordered another liver biopsy to verify the diagnosis before he can begin treatment.  We're waiting for a call to give us the schedule.  I appreciate all the prayers and positive thoughts.

Wishing you sunny days...

I made another cheeseburger - added pickles, onions & a sentiment.

Another Cheeseburger

I made another cheeseburger, but changed a couple things from earlier post.  I used the other corner of the scrapbook paper with ants.  I also left off the onion and made the lettuce a darker green.  Perhaps you could even take a bite of this one.

Cheeseburger card

Today's tutorial on the Stars & Stripes blog is for a cheeseburger card.  This is my first attempt.

I made the top bun with an long oval Nestibility and the bottom bun is just a rectangle with corners rounded.  I added some ketchup to bottom bun with Marvy marker, then onion ring, buger is embossed with Cuttlebug folder, cheese is cut with drippy goo punch, lettuce is cut with deckle scissors and embossed in Cuttlebug folder, tomato is just a strip of red paper with dimensional tape in middle.

The tablecloth with ants is from a large sheet of scrapbook paper.  I used gold Liquid Pearls for sesame seeds.  I haven't decided on a sentiment yet.  I need to try to make the next one a bit smaller, so you could actually take a bite.

Graduation Card

Front

Inside message

This graduation card is for a granddaughter who is graduating from high school.  School colors are blue and silver, so I made the base card from silver cardstock.  The Scroll is an old Sizzix original die, cut from white parchment paper.   The cap, gown & diploma are Recollections stickers and the 2011 is Sticko stickers.  The Congratulations is an unmounted stamp and embossed in silver.  Inside message is a Verses rubber stamp.

Special card for special lady

I made this birthday card for a very special lady.  I used the dimensional ruffles technique with  Basic Gray paper.  I used a Martha Stewart border punch.  Sentiment ribbon slider by Spellbinders and the sentiment is a sticker by Starform.

Today is a very big day for Operation Write Home.  The millionth card was mailed today to our deployed heroes.  Check the Homefront Blog for all the details.  You can also go to You Tube to watch our celebration video.

Tie cards

I finally finished 10 Dad's cards with shirt and tie.  I made a slightly smaller tie on the last few and folded the tie better.  I also stamped Dad on the shirts and slanted the shoulders more.  Need to get these mailed to Operation Write Home.

More shirt & tie cards

I made 4 more of the shirt and tie cards.  I'm trying to decide if they need a sentiment or if they can go as they are.  Any opinions?

Necktie card

Today's tutorial on the Stars & Stamps blog is on folding this necktie and shirt for a card.  This is my first attempt.  I want to try this with other papers.  It isn't difficult, but will take some practice to make it the way I would like it to look.  This will make some more cards for Dad.

More cards for Dad

 
OWH is still in need of Dad's day cards, so I'm trying.  I used some leftover scraps for these.

On a personal note:  We still don't have the results on my husband's liver biopsy and I'm having trouble concentrating on making cards.  No mojo for that at this time.

Patriotic Thanks

I was looking through my punches today and spotted this Thanks border punch by Martha Stewart.  I decided it would work on one of the dimensional ruffles cards.  I also used the Stars chain punch by EK Success and some dimensional stars stickers by EK Success.  I'll have to play with this idea again when I have more time.  It will make a nice Any Hero card for Operation Write Home.

Another Dimensional Ruffles card

This is the only card I have made this week.  I just used more of the scraps from my previous dimensional ruffles card.  This are fun to make and I'll probably make others in the future.

On a personal note:
My life changed very rapidly in the last week.  My husband had melanoma 4 years ago, which was removed and he's been followed up regularly by several doctors.  He has an annual Pet Scan to check for any recurrance.  This year, it showed several 'hot spots'.  He now has several more doctors added to the list.

Yesterday, a needle biopsy of his liver was done.  We'll have a few days to wait for the final diagnosis.  On Monday, he will see his oncologist and have an MRI of the brain.  The family have arrived from other areas of the country and we're enjoying spending time with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

I may not be too active in keeping up my blog for a while.  I appreciate any prayers and good thoughts that help us through this difficult time.  I'll be back, but I'm not sure when or in what capacity.

Dad Dimensional Ruffles



For this card, I chose a border punch from EK Success.  They have always been dependable for me.  This paper is from a Basic Gray Recess pad that was a gift from a very generous online friend.  It works well for masculine cards.  That top paper isn't really pink, but a rust color.  Photos can really distort colors.

The border punches that broke yesterday were old ones made by Fiskars.  They have a good warranty policy and usually replace broken products.  I took a photo and sent it to them with the warranty form from their website.  I've heard only good reports about this company.  Since it's the weekend, I don't expect to hear from them until next week.