There Is A Plague on My House.

Two weeks ago the stomach flu swept through here and hit all four of us in the matter of about 5 days. It sucked but I did lose like 7-8 pounds so there was a high point. So, we had Easter after that and then Monday I was going to devote my time to creating my final comp for my website redesign. That DIDN'T happen! Stella developed a fever and Cohen refused to go to bed, threw up and his door knob broke but he was finally sacked out at 10:30. Now, that may not seem "late" to some of you out there, but this is the kid who usually can't stay up past 7pm and he's been known on more than one occasion to go to bed by 5:30.

Anywho, I didn't get much time today either to devote to it. Matt took the kids to the doctor and Stella has STREP. YIKES! I really hope I don't get this one, BUT, it could mean a few more pounds lost. lol I headed into class a couple hours early to finish mocking it up. While I was there, I found out that one of my clients, more of a friend really was in a very serious accident and he was finally found, but was unconscious, but they aren't sure how long he's been unconscious because they don't know when the accident occurred. So scary. I really hope he pulls through, he's a really amazing person. I'm praying for you Rob. :(

Here is what I have for the comp, I still have a lot of work to do, but my instructor did say my design was "Awesome!"

Sully & Marge?

Hello all my Easter Peeps! Dontcha love how I threw that out there? I'm not the biggest fans of that Easter confection, but I thought it fit the mood of the day. After the success of my baseball inspired boy baby shower invitation (found here), I talked with a friend at school and she has agree to help me try to launch an invitation design business. Obviously most of the beginning biz will come from word of mouth, but hopefully it will take off quickly. I really love doing invites and think it could be a fun and profitable venture. What do you think of the name Sully & Marge for it? I got the name from my children's middle names. Sully is short for Sullivan, Cohen's middle name and my MIL's maiden name and Marge is short for Marjorie, my beloved grandmothers name. So, no, it's not the monster from Monsters Inc. or the mom from the Simpson's.

In the mean time, I am thoroughly engrossed in my Dreamweaver final project, a website redesign and to see the monstrosity that I am undertaking, whew, you have no idea the task I've taken on, neither did I. Here it is. It really is a mess, but the people I'm doing it for, they are really nice art people, so it helps. At least they aren't bankers or real estate agents. I've dealt with those kind of folks before and OMG, they are the worst. No offense to any of you out there that are any of those things, sorry.

In addition to all this, I somehow managed to create a flyer for a new found friend. If your on Twitter or happen to be in one of the places hosting this event for the Kentucky Derby, do check here for further information. Thanks for the opportunity Chef, it was a fun little item to create. Until later all, have a very pleasant and enjoyable Easter!

Such A Good Night!!!

I hope you noticed that this posts title required not 1 but 3 exclamation points! I had my portfolio review at school tonight. I wasn't expecting much and had a few teachers in mind who I was less than thrilled to have in the case they would be the ones doing the review. However, when I got there, I was so excited to discover that I had my web design teacher, a woman Matt said was a great reviewer and another teacher I'd never met. I was nervous though, and my friend Nicole said, "it's because you care." She was right, aside from my immediate family, doing this work is the only thing I truly care about, it gives me purpose. I had their rapt attention the entire time, WITH mouths agape, literally, the teacher I didn't know sat there with his mouth open. :)

It couldn't have gone any better, they complimented my use of color, typography, structure, etc, it felt SO good. The teacher I really wanted feedback from told me I had the best student portfolio he'd seen in years. I was bouncing off the walls on the inside of my body. In his notes to me he said, "your skills dictate that you should be employed." Couldn't have said it better myself! When I left, the woman told me that it had been a pleasure to review my portfolio.

AMEN!

I had coffee with my friend and we talked for a couple hours about design about family, felt good to talk to someone new. She's young, doesn't have a family yet, but she is good listener and good for conversation. Awesome night!

Me, Cameron Crowe and Marvin Gaye?

Got some interesting and exciting news today. Don't even really know if I'm allowed to share it, but he won't find out, but let's try to keep it hush hush for now. A friend of mine is a painter, his name is Tony Roko. He is a self taught painter who currently works for Ford Automotive and for a long time he worked on the line, but now he's been asked to return to his duty of mural painting for them. However, this is not what I'm about to tell you. Tony was commissioned to created a work for Marvin Gaye as they were celebrating Marvin at the Motown Museum this year. Tony painted it and got some rave reviews about it. Now, writer and director Cameron Crowe, who's going to be doing a biopic on Marvin Gaye potentially wants Tony's painting in the movie! The cool part for moi is that I created postcards of Tony's work for his press kit and now some of my work is being emailed directly to Cameron Frickin' Crowe! My first and probably only ever brush with fame. I'm quite tickled.

Where My Heads At

Since I've begun this cleansing ritual, I've realized that I'm also cutting off things I didn't mean to. Such as potential clients via some friends, friends who's emails I must obtain and those people who never did anything to me, but who will get swept under the rug because I have no way to contact them unless I break this vow of digital celibacy. Hmmm, what to do, a problem for another time I suppose. But, it has really put into perspective what I need to focus on. Not in any particular order other than brain dumping order: my health, my daughters health, my job search, my portfolio, my ability to learn and retain, the list could go on and on, but these you see are the highlights.

Was busy a couple weeks ago doing an invitation for my cousin's baby shower and I had to have them printed and buy envelopes for them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they turned out and it's for a boy so I wanted different envelopes and to match the theme, I purchased an earth friendly version. Love anything printed onto or just made from the same material as paper grocery bags and wouldn't ya know it, the envelopes were called "grocery bag" envelopes. I even found a cheap source that ships for free in the US! Yeah for my cheap ass and my unwillingness to pay too much. Plus, why should envelopes cost $8 and ship for $15? I mean, hello, I don't even think they weigh a pound and your charging me almost double the cost of the damn items themselves?

Something of note that's come out from all of this is I feel like I'm already having more meaningful conversations via email. Strange how a lack of lol's, emoticons and ......'s can change how you feel about the language.

I'll be pretty heads down the next few days getting my portfolio ready for a instructor review at school tomorrow night, working on a website redesign for my final project, creating a hat logo/flyer for a Kentucky Derby event and I'm sure more that Im forgetting at the moment. But, because I've missed you so much, I'll be back soon.

A Cleanse of Sorts.

I did it, and hopefully for good. I really started hating Facebook and to be honest, we had a rather abusive relationship. I would get angry, I would say things I meant and then take them back. Then I just wouldn't say anything for a while. Then of course the nasty messages were sent and posts deleted and the damage had been done. I'm hoping that this is a forever severed relationship, but if not, when I do decide to come back, it will be to a foreshortened list of friends and family who seem to get me. I never mean negativity or unkindness to anyone, but damn some folks just seem to ask for it don't they?

I think too that this will be better for my home and work life. I get so easily distracted by the games, message board etc that I often just sit and surf and come back to it in the hopes that something new and different has been posted, but really is it ever that ground-breaking or interesting? NO! Just like me, it is a lot of crap that you must filter through to get to the real meaningful stuff, but I figure if I'm off Facebook that means I can blog more often and get more done and spend more quality time with the people that surround.

OK, now back to life.

So Much Up In The Air.

As is everyone in life, all things in mine are up in the air. I am trying to surround myself with positive people, positive ideas, progress and such. I've attained potential new clients, thrust myself back into the life of digital scrapbook design and am trying my hardest currently to embrace my necessary schooling that will push me along the way. I don't know if any of you remember or even know that a long time ago I was a part of this great little group at KJOI Studios? I had to step away for a while because of work commitments and other things that ended up actually sidelining my life rather than helping it when I could have been make stuff and having a blast doing it all along. DOH! Well, I took that step and asked the lovely Kara if she'd have me back and she welcomed me with open arms. Thanks Kara, I'm thinking to you that in the future I will owe you my sanity because you may have just given me the place to call my own and hone my skills. I am really excited.

On another note, I met up with an old friend, who was actually a boss of mine in a former life while I worked at the Gap as a young 20-something and I am designing a business card for her and she has a few ideas up her sleeve as well for more and more clients. Oh how I love new clients, it's what keeps me alive. She also sells Aloette cosmetics. Any of you who know me, probably know that I am a no frills, low maintenance kinda gal, but I am 32 now and soon enough my skin won't be gettin' any more elasticy and so Jo turned me on to their line for us ladies who are veering on upward towards the middle part of our lives so that we may maintain our luxurious young elasticity and youthful glow and looking damn pretty to boot.

SO, I said well sign me up after a nice facial and moisture rich rebuff. I feel better, my skin looks better even after only one application too. You need these products, they are a must. Visit her website to order products from her, you won't be sorry.

What A Life!

Not really, just bidness as usual. Yesterday was my "day" to sleep in, that's how my hubs and I work it at home so that the same person isn't waking up at some god awful hour with the kids. Although it always seems that he is the one to have to get up when the kids decide, "ya know, I think 6am is a perfectly acceptable time to wake up on a Sunday morning!" Muwahhhhahahaha I say as I roll back over and stay in bed till 10. Mind you, the kids got up at 8:30 on my watch and I managed to bathe the baby then put him down for a nap, do the dishes and clean the house, all before hubs woke up. Not too shabby. But, poor Matt had a banner day yesterday. He was basically up by 5:30, officially with both kids at 7am. In that time, Cohen threw up twice, had a bath a short name and was generally boogery and crabby. Stella was demanding as usual and my restful sleep to be was constantly interrupted by bellows from below. When Matt doesn't get enough sleep, WATCH OUT! Then I got up, showered and was ready for the day, he was off to take his mother to Canada to buy her some things. As soon as he got back he was going to do laundry only to realize that my using the disposal after I hit the grocery store with both kids in tow then came home and cleaned out the fridge, put baby down for a nap, started our dinner of corned beef and cabbage and finally ate my lunch at 3pm, that my running the disposal had backed up in the wash tub in the basement. In a word, he was disgusted. Seething underneath, but swearing to me it was not my fault, YEAH RIGHT! After a few hours of trying to bail out and plunge, he went back to his moms to get her drain snake. It didn't work. Luckily he has a friend who is a plumber, but as you can see he is a man and refuses to admit defeat and waited until 8pm to call him. Needless to say, his friend was over tonight for a couple hours and cleaned out the drain like a champ, he is my new hero and the poor guy wouldn't take a dime from us.

Phew. I'm tired just from typing it and I was the one who lived it.

Today was spent trying to figure out ways to make extra buckage, not doing so well yet, but I'll keep trying. I'm so over with this struggling thing, but then I remind myself that I'm only 32 and my time is coming. Right?

I Have Been Published

The other day as I was going through my usual job search process I take nearly every single day, I stumbled upon something of interest. A job posting looking for designers with a lot of experience to write articles for a design website. I said "what the hell you can simultaneously conquer your fear of writing and make a few extra dollars in the process." I emailed the company and within less than 8 hours got the opportunity to try out. So, I searched the recesses of my tired mind and thought about what has been at the forefront of my brain these days and landed upon my idea. I would write an article about my struggles and successes with freelance work and the process as I see it. I sent the article off last night and didn't hear anything and after a long day with the kids, starting a new class tonight and coming home to more frustration with a client, I checked the website for the company whom I wrote the article for and tada!, here it is. I was even given credit for the article when I was told originally that I would start as a ghost writer. I'm so excited, I've never been published, and this is a dream come true. Thanks GrindSmart!

Like I said, I started my class tonight, Dreamweaver and I can't wait to get started. I have been designing for over ten years now and I am dying to break my way into web design. I feel like I am very skilled in print and design, and this lack of full web design knowledge is really cramping my style. So, here I am busting down these walls for myself and it feels pretty damn good when I look back and see how tough and what a struggle this last year has been. I've come a long way baby and it feels really damn good!

I Wear My Heart on My Sleeve.

If you already know me, you know that I am an emotional person. Just like everyone else, I feel sad, angry, happy, blah, etc. I however, maybe like some of you out there, let it rule me from time to time. I may be different from you, but since I can remember, this has shaped who I have become. I mean, in preschool I was voted most sympathetic. And, for me, my sympathy comes with a small price. If I've given you some sympathy, all I ask in return is that from time to time you let me be me around you. I won't apologize for being who I am, but if you don't like it, maybe you should reconsider the relationship we have. I would not ask you to stifle yourself and stop doing something that comes naturally to you, even if it rubbed me the wrong way. I would accept that it is just a part of your personality and leave it at that. I guess what I've learned is there are people who are in it with you 100% and others who are only maybe 75-90% and that's ok but don't make me feel less than.

Besides that, I like people who show their emotions, it lets me know that you are real and true. And it lets me know what things effect you in both positive and negative ways. Is that so wrong?

A Fun Project.

Thought it might be fun to create a project as a gift for Stella's teacher. Fun because Stella and I could do this together. Some background on me. I am a perfectionist, if it's to be done right, it's to be done by me and me alone, period! Obviously once Stella got old enough, that mentality had to go out the window, but my attitude did not. I can remember putting a project together with her when she was about 3 for Halloween and finally she looks at me with her little face and says, "I know momma, you do it yourself." What a horrible mother I was. I've gotten a little better since then, at least now I let her do more and then I try to "fix" it when she is in bed, then she is none the wiser.

I was cruising around in bloggy land and stumbled upon this little gem. It is only the coolest site I've seen in some time and was the source of this amazing and oh so simple project that we created TOGETHER for her teacher. I also went to Starbucks and purchased some cinnamon something almonds and a special gift card for the girl who is giving Stella some extra help in class. Tomorrow is the big party and this is the big gift. Have a great night!

Changes Are Coming.

With the new year only about 2 weeks away, I thought I'd start to make small changes beforehand and get a jump on all that new year, new your mumbo jumbo. One of them is with this blog. I've toyed with letting it go altogether, but realize that there are often times that I need this blog, so on it will continue. However, it's focus is going to shift a bit, but only a bit. I've decided to try to really focus on more creative pursuits and maybe a little less bitching, but we'll see about that. I've been dealing with difficulties with Stella both with her attitude and her learning curve at school, so I need to find strength to overcome my frustrations with her and hopefully this can be a place I'll seek solace, confidence and friends who've been through it before. So, I look to you bloggy and real friends for your support and advice.

I will be taking this Thursday morning off work to attend Stella's kindergarten Christmas party. I'll be spending the entire time with approximately 24 five year olds, yes I am crazy! A friends mother suggested that, for reasons of bonding, I take Stella to the Bulk Food store and buy some candy and treat bags so she could make a few gifts. I thought it was a great idea and, why not just do it for the party. She had a good time buying the candy and then packing each of the bags. I pretty much let her do it all, which is a big BIG step for this neurotic momma.

So, here they are in all their glory, 29 beautifully stuffed treat bags! She will have so much fun Thursday and all with her loving mommy.

Yeah For Winners!

I've been absent but ever busy. School and my schedule is kickin' my butt. Alas I will persevere. On to the winner of the 250 business cards, sorry Richard, but Mary is the winner as Stella liked her usage of the word "fabulous," she loves the big words. Mary, you will get 250 of the best quality, fastest delivered and in general best customer serviced business card via Uprinting! I only use them now, as I had a bad experience with a competitor and when I realized I would not be receiving my order in time for my event, promptly cancelled that order and reordered them from Uprinting and received said item today just in time for my event tomorrow evening. Let me know if you need help with your cards, I'm glad to be here for you! I'm hoping to giveaway something amazing next, be on the lookout for the next one.

Halloween was cold but fun. We had our friends the Guthrie's over and my parents. Stella was a cute little bee and she even wore a cute black and yellow tutu which I made with my own little hands. Mr. Cohen was a pirate for all of maybe 10 minutes, but cute nonetheless.

As for school, I honestly don't know if I'd be making it through without the help of my amazing hubby, he knows his stuff and I can't wait until next semester is over and he finds a job he truly loves with web design. Strange, but every now and then I have this glimmer that we'll start a business for ourselves, who knows but I'm open to the possibilities. Aren't we all?

You Could Win 250 Business Cards Totally Free!!

Finally back and offering some freebies. If you don't know about Uprinting yet, you'd better get on board. I can't sing their praises enough! They are the only place I go to print my clients business cards and I have yet to have a dissatisfied customer. This particular freebie is from Uprinting and you can get 250 business cards absolutely free including free shipping. Now, who can beat that? And, you're not limited to standard sizes. They also have 2"x3", 2"x2" the square card and my new personal favorite, the 1.5"x3.5" all the cool kids are doing it skinny card. And, you also have a choice between glossy, matte and uncoated. And, even better, full color on both sides. That's crazy you say, NOPE, this is how Uprinting rolls.

In order to enter and win, tell me how you'd use 250 FREE business cards and I'll let Stella pick the winner according to what she thinks is the best idea. :) My contest ends this Friday at midnight, good luck everyone.

A Blog is A Blog of Course, of Course...

And no one is talking to my blog it seems. That's why I haven't been posting. Although I am guilty of the same behavior, so slap my hand. Things are still busy around here and while I'd like to think I'm getting used to the schedule, I think I still have a while before I learn to wake up early like a grown up should. I struggle with it because I stay up way too late and then find it hard to get up when I need to. Stella isn't late, but I on the other hand always am. You wouldn't know that I was raised by a man that thinks you are late to work if you only show up 5 minutes early. :)

Creatively, things are flowing like never before. It's amazing to me how a few years of bad jobs can really throw off your game, and while working where I do is NOT ideal, it does free me up to take on other ventures. My Vegas client even said that by the second or third quarter of next year, he's hoping to offer me a full time job working remotely to Vegas from Michigan. Again, not my ideal job, but it would definitely make life around here a bit easier to stomach. I also have a new company I am working with and things are going well there too. I do have one client that it won't surprise me if he lets me go, but if I'm to be honest, it wouldn't hurt my feelings. I may be able to create something from nothing, but I'm no psychic. I can't hear what you don't say and I don't read minds. He is the nicest man, but asks me to do things like I know what he's asking for. For example, what if someone came to you and said we want to do a Coke ad??????? OK? What do you want it to say? What is the important info? Do you have text? So incredibly frustrating. :( And then, he'll criticize (nicely) what the outcome is, my fragile ego can't take that sometimes. I'm sensitive. 

Halloween is starting to creep it's way into our home and we've even started buying items to make costumes. Stella wants to be a bumble bee and Cohen will be an ice cream "Cohen," french vanilla of course. I have a few projects in mind for the holiday so if I get to them, I'll take some pics. Enjoy your day, I know I will because I'm working from home today!! Yeah for little white lies. ;)

Busy Busy Days

Been a busy girl adapting to my new schedule. Stella started kindergarten on Friday and Matt was called back to work for the day after Labor Day. Getting him back in the mind set was no picnic I will tell you, but I am thankful at least for the moment that he is back. It means more money and health insurance for all of us. I will tell you, getting him back there created quite the fight between us, but that is for another day. :)

But, since Matt is no longer home, I am the one who does everything during the day. Let me just tell you my schedule is hellacious. I spend about 4 hours a day in the car three days a week and I only drive to Livonia for work. I am taking 2 classes, on Monday and Tuesday mornings. Luckily my friend Kelly is willing and able to pick Stella up from school at 11:34am on those days as I am still in school at that time. I don't know how you ladies do it. The whole working and taking kids to and from or even simply just the to and from. She doesn't even have any extracirriculars and I'm already done. Off to do more work, later.

Coming Out of The Fog.

I'm feeling better today and that's surprising for a rainy Monday. Here is my short list of reasons to be happy today:
1. A tough client phoned me yesterday to say that the job we have been working on for about 2 months is done and he is approving the proofs to be printed!! (My lord, this is the one project that I just feel like I gave birth too, sans epidural.)
2. I applied to a part time teaching position at a local community college and I hope they call me, I would love the chance to see what it's like to teach college before I actually go out to get my Masters. Fingers and all bits (as Jenn would say) are crossed.
3. My birthday is Saturday!!
4. I updated my portfolio for the first time since March!!
5. We had to rearrange our kitchen due to some water/heat damage, not too bad, probably wouldn't even notice it if I didn't point it out to you, but I noticed it. I know you shouldn't typically be happy about home repairs, but I love a project and look at it as the how little can I spend on this kitchen challenge??

Explanations:
1. This client is a friend and while it's been stressful for both of us, he is happy, I am happy and he and his wife want to do dinner with Matt and I as a way of acknowledging that this project is finally finished. Amen.
2. Even though I only have my Bachelors degree, I am allowed to teach a college level course in graphic design because it is a technical skill. The position pays quite well, so it would really benefit us in more ways than one. Maybe it could even tie itself into completing task #5 (kitchen problem) too.
3. Don't you just love birthdays? Even though we most likely won't be able to do anything fancy, it's still my day.
4. I desperately needed to rejuvenate my portfolio lastnight for this morning just in case the people from the College I applied to even consider looking into giving me a shot. Wish me luck.
5. OK, who puts Pergo flooring in a place where both heat and water are a given??? Anyway, our thoughts are that while the rest of the house is hardwood anyway, the ugly Pergo like flooring looked stupid butted up against the other flooring. So, we think we're going to go with a black and white checkerboard pattern!! Yeah, great idea Matt! And, then we'll probably paint, not sure what colors yet and then maybe even make curtains and paint our kitchen table chairs, they so don't match now. We had to store our old larger table because we had to move the fridge into the area where our table is. I feel so ghetto now! Oh well, gotta do whatch gotta do.
Keep on keepin' on!

On The Road Again.

Been neglectful of the old blog here, but I've been super busy yet again. Trying to get a job printed right for a client who can be a tad bit picky. It will get done, maybe not exactly to their specifications, but it will still look great. One more day of stuff that I've obligated myself to do and we're off on a short vacation. Garden City is having it's first annual Downtown Days celebration and I am a part of that. I created a logo for them, Matt completed the design of a new website for them just in time and we even volunteered at the kickoff event. Tomorrow from 4-8pm I will be helping to head up a kids craft tent behind Albert's On The Alley. Should be fun, but when I get home I have to bake cookies, bake brownies and pack my stuff and the kids stuff. 

Saturday morning about 7am, we're heading off to Chicago for a family reunion. No, we're all from Michigan, but my aunt and uncle live there and thought it was a good excuse for everyone to travel. Thankfully for me I had work come in and pay at the right time and here we are preparing to head off. It should be a nice time for all of us and I've promised Stella, absolutely NO COMPUTER for me and she is thrilled. I borrowed a friends portable DVD player and bought the Coraline DVD, we should be good to go. 

It's 1am, I have a long day ahead of me, good night all.

Oh yes and to those of you on Facebook who wondered why I defriended my SIL, this is why. Matt and I work very hard to do what little we can do with our kids at the moment, but yes we owe his mom and my mom a small some of money. The other day Matt let his mom know we were going this weekend and she tried to make him feel guilty by saying "well we never went anywhere, why should you!!" I have not gone anywhere fun since February 2003 before I got pregnant with Stella and damnit, we NEED a vacation and I'll be damned, it's a family reunion. So on Facebook the other day, I vented and said that just once I'd like to be able to do something without the least bit of guilt. VOILA, that's all it took, my SIL basically tattled on me, telling her mom and leaving me no choice but to defriend. I felt invaded and stabbed in the back. She doesn't work, sleeps all day and basically has nothing to do all day but worry about what other people are saying, I'M DONE feeling guilty and if she wants to have an honest and frank discussion about our situation, she's invited over to discuss, but I can't live like this anymore. I am tired of being judged for what I think, what I say and what I do. I like to say what's on my mind, I'm often mildly inappropriate and don't take too well to criticism. There, I said it, I AM HUMAN and damnit, don't treat me like a piece of shit. Does that tell you anything?

I'm Not Gone.

Just in case you were wondering, not abandoning this blog for the new blog, just adding a new one. I wanted a place to track my progression because I think it's going to be a worthwhile journey to document. Things have been pretty normal on the home front with a BBQ with my in-laws on the 4th. They came over, weird as they are, I know they mean well. Matt's sister just doesn't really understand that I think she stresses Stella out. It's like when they are over here, Stella is supposed to stop being 5 years old and wanting to play with her friends and only hang out with family. She just got to the point on the 4th where she ran in the house crying and I had to follow her in and let her know that we are the bosses around here, not Aunt Sarah. Sarah even got all riled up when I invited my friend Julie, who's on bed rest and having her baby on July 21st, and her husband over to watch our fireworks. And, she got bent out of shaped when the little kids in the neighborhood came over with there chairs to hang out too. Eventually she loosened up and went with the flow, but every time they come over we have to start over. It's stressful for me too. Oh well, it's my cross to bare. Cohen is rolling over all the time now and stands pretty well when you hold him up. It's only a matter of time before he's crawling and pulling himself up. 

Lately I've really been itching to scrapbook. So, I ordered some prints from as many places as I could find that offered a bunch of free and cheap prices. I have so far ordered from 4 different places for a total of about 500 pictures and only spent $45. I sorted through all my patterned papers to find ones to give Julie and then I'm going to pick up a boy album for her. Since she's on bed rest she's been wanting to get ready to scrapbook the photos of her baby to be. We talked lastnight and I offered to get her an album and the next thing I know they're offering us a television. After Cohen was born our hand me down tv died and all we had was a small 12" one. Well, this is beyond generous at 27" and instead of being a standard screen, it's flat. We have been blessed in so many small ways this year, maybe instead of lamenting the bad things, I need to stitch together all the wonderful little things.

Follow Me.

If you are interested at all in all the ins and outs and steps and such for me on my journey to receiving my MFA, I have started a new blog. It can be found at Destination: MFA and will also contain all things that inspire me along the way. Thanks for all your reading. It doesn't look pretty yet, but it will.

Brooke