What is new!

New shoes! Yay! I was forever looking for shoes that were girly, fully covered my toes and still worked with my capri pants! You might not be able to see but they have a cute eylette pattern on them! Yay!
A new Shower head! Double yay! Our other shower head broke about 10 weeks ago. We asked the maintanance guys in our complex to come fix it. They kept saying that they'd get to it. It never happened. A lovely trip to Bed Bath and Beyond and now we have an amazing shower head! My old place had a shower handle and I really missed it, nice to have one back! The water pressure is amazing as well!


A 10X8 layout I did!

I took this picture after the pre-school graduation that I attended on Friday. There was a balloon release and this lovely red balloon was the last one! I snapped a quick picture! Doesn't it just remind you of being free?


Speaking of balloons! Michael and I went to see UP yesterday! It may be a kids movie, but it was very good! It had such a good story to it! It has those ups and downs that keep you interested. It wasn't overally cutesy. Just good! You should see it!

A Project for Work!

I really love my job! I get to be creative and silly! It's a perfect fit for me! Sometimes I feel like all the creativity is drained! It's ok! It comes back!

So this book is about a character called Silly-Sam! He's quite a guy! After I read this book

the "Real Silly Sam will come and visit the children! The book is really interactive! I can't wait to read it to the kiddos next week!

Sometimes the Tears just come

I am going to be honest here! I'm going to open up my feelings and struggles here! Not so easy, as I have been conditioned to always be "OK". So here I go!

I love my church! The people are amazing! I feel loved! I feel and see God's work in the church! Yet, this morning when I woke up, I DID NOT WANT TO GO TO CHURCH. I just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for a few more hours! Michael convinced me to go!

We arrived a bit early! We sat down! I noticed a lot of people with cameras. Hmmmm...Cameras at church...that means one thing ,BABY DEDICATIONS! Great! I already didn't want to be at church, and now I will have to watching smiling young couples holding their new babies. I poked Michael and hissed "Baby Dedications". He whispered back, "How do you know?". I hissed back "Cameras in Church".

I felt my eyes begin to water. I kept munching on the gum that I had grabbed before heading out the door! I did the counting thing that I normally do to stop myself for crying. It worked! I just kept my eyes closed and prayed for strength.

Then the Pastor started talking about how children are blessings! I agree fully! My life has been touched by all the children I've worked with during the last 11 years. Then the Pastor said, "Children are rewards!" Hmmmmmmm....That was like a twisting knife in the old heart. Rewards for what? Being good? Being faithful? Doing the right things? I had a really hard time with that stament. So I burst out with sobs, right in the middle of church. My cheeks flushed. I just could not hold back! So there I was in the middle of a baby dedication, which is suppose to be a happy and joyful occasion. Grandmas and Grandpas came! There I was the "crazy" lady near the front who was sobbing. I felt horrible. I could just not control it!

After the dedication the Pastor, whom I am sure saw/heard my sobs offered up prayers for couples who are unable to conceive. To grant us comfort! For God to open our wombs. While I appreciate the prayer, all I wanted to do was run out of there as quickly as possible.

Thank you for Michael who just hugged me and held my hand. I am so blessed! He puts up with me moods and all my crazy ideas!

I anticipated the end of the service so I could just retreat to the safety of the car. Oh no, God would not let me escape that quickly! A woman came over to give me a hug. She told me that she knew exactly how I was feeling. She told me she was a nurse and offered any help or encouragment. I just did a lot of nodding. I didn't know exactly what to say. I collected her e-mail and gave her another hug. Isn't it amazing how God places even total strangers in your life to help.

It feels good to let out my emotions. Yet, I don't quite know what the next step will be!

I am praying and trusting for comfort and well at least peace for this situation!

If you are the praying type, please say a prayer for me!

Thats all for now! Have a lovely evening!

Emily

PS: The picture above is me when I was two years old. Look at my adorable chubby toddler hands!

Place Cards, Flowers, BBQ, and Random Acts of Kindness

Place setting at the End of Year Scrapbooking club party! I made the place cards. The kids made the napkin holder! So sweet! We had fun! We ate cupcakes! Did a project and played a game! Fun! Fun! Fun! Yet, some of the younger children didn't understand that scrapbook club is over until September! They thought I should have made cupcakes for them anyway!

I haven't had fast-food since the day before Easter! I haven't had soda either! It's not that difficult really. I would like a Sierra Mist or a Sprite, but I don't NEED one!

Yet, fastfood is not what this picture is about. This picture is about Random Acts of Kindness! When I lived in Vermont and worked at St. Johnsbury Academy I was always doing Random Acts of Kindness! It was a regular part of my life. Since moving to the Cincinnati, I kind of got out of the practice! I have been feeling a bit out of sorts lately and I thought that doing some Random Kindness would boost me out of the gray! It worked!!!

Shhhh....Here is what I did! I payed for the meal for the person who drove up behind me at the Wendy's drive through! I also bought some flowers and handed them out to people in the Sam's club parking lot! People don't expect other people to be nice without some kind of "catch". It was wonderful to be kind with no strings attached! No "catch"

A beautiful flower on a tree in the Mother of God neighborhood of Covington, Kentucky

Father and Son! Michael's Dad came for a visit! We went to Mai Fest! What a beautiful day!

Michael eating German Sausage! Mmmmmm! I just wanted the SauerKraut!

The only two people dressed up in German gear! Where was the guy playing a tuba? How can you have a German festival without a guy playing a tuba?
During a street show! Something was funny!

We went to Famous Dave's BBQ.Mmmm!! Really good BBQ!

Michael gave blood!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!!!!

We had the Mother's Day parties at school on Friday! As per usual I ran around with the camera and stuck it in people's faces! He,He! One Mom even said, "Why do you always have your camera with you?" I said, "Because kids are only small for so long and its fun to document it."

Anyway...I wish I could put some of the adorable pictures of the Moms and their kiddos, but you'll have to settle for these!

I love this one because it is completely random!

I'll play along too! Here is what is Special about some of Mother's in my family!

I can't believe I said "Caring" three time! Yet it is so true!

Happy Mother's Day!

Gray as the Sky

I feel about as grey as the sky right now! Just in a funk! I am letting stupid small things bother me. The internet didn't work yesterday and this morning and I was very upset because I had work to do. People cutting me off in traffic and not letting me merge has been extremly bothersome to me. I don't have any reason to be so down. I have an awesome husband! I have family! I have food and clothes! I am sooooo blessed! Just in a grey funk!

I am stressed out about work! Not the actual work, but all the politics and stuff. Enough said.

I'm back to reading again!

This book is by the author of the Yada Yada Prayer Group books that I enjoyed a couple of years ago! I am looking forward to getting into this one!
I finished this book last weekend! Whoa what a story! The Faith that both families exibited during this difficult time was just amazing! I don't know how well I would have handled such circumstances.

Ciao for now!
Em

I was going through my old e-mail and I found this article that I was sent to me back in 2003! I never opened the e-mail! It was from back when I worked at a High School! Man, I miss those days alot :D Reading this article cheered me up! It reminded me of all the fun and whimsey I had while working with High Schoolers! It reminds me that I need to get back to being the person I was back then. I've become quiet and introverted. While that silly, creative, and caring person is on the inside not much is coming out!

National Donut Day
By Ashley Luneau
Daily News
The day may have started out like any other Wednesday in November. You wake up at 6:30, get dressed, make your bed, drive to school, and go to your locker. Well, this morning was different. Student's entering the main floor of Streeter Hall were greeted by Miss Whitehill yielding a box of Mini Donuts. With her usual smile and good cheer she offered up complementary donuts!
According to Miss Whitehill, November 5th is "National Donut Day"! When asked why she decided to celebrate this unique holiday she responded with, "Everyday is a day to celebrate! Why not celebrate a silly holiday?"
I talked to several students about today's events. Junior Tyler C. commented, "Miss Whitehill is always up to something fun. I work at Dunkin' Donuts, I thought I could help out!" Junior Tim L.told me, " Today was a good day to celebrate! I didn't eat breakfast this morning, it was good to have a snack when I got to school."
I asked Miss Whitehill where she found out about "National Donut Day". I was surprised to learn that she got the information off a website for preschool teachers. She noted that yesterday was "Peanut Butter Lover's Day" and tomorrow is "I LOVE NACHOS DAY"
"National Donut Day" was not the first silly holiday that Miss Whitehill has celebrated here at the Academy. She sites "National Crazy Day" that coincidentally coincided with the LI Weekend festivities and "National Flower Day" as among her favorites so far, with more to come during the year.
" I love to make people smile."

Kim's Closet Casting Call

I've loved "Reality TV". I watched Real World from Season 1 through Season 11. I love Amazing Race! Extreme Makeover Home Edition is one of my Top 4 shows! "Reality" shows are just so entertaining! So anyway, I was watching TV last week and I heard about a casting call for a makeover show! So I thought, "What the heck?! I'll go." So I did! I am so glad that I didn't talk myself out of going! It was quite a fun experience! Even if I don't get the makeover, and I really want one, I will still be happy to have had the experience of a casting call!

The buttons are from the Kevin and Amada Spring Mini-Kit

This is my Mom and Dad on their wedding day! They were soooooooooo young!

All elements are from the Kevin and Amanda Spring Mini-Kit

The Patterned Papers are by Shabby Princess the Holiday Sampler Collection

The Ribbon and the Flowers are b y Shabby Princess the Happy Go-Lucky Kit

This is another page from my Growing Up Album. This Digital scrappin' this is a lot of fun!

The paper, flower, ribbon, and swirl are all from the Shabby Princess Happy Go Lucky Kit.

The Journaling Block is from Jessica Sprague Thank you Kindly Kit

All elements from this page are from The Shabby Princess Happy Go Lucky Kit