Yes, I live!
Hi!! Yes, I'm alive! Barely it feels, but hey! Heh.
So, what have I been up to? (about 5'5 if I leave my platform sneaks on.. but seriously..)
I came home from the hospital, stopped by the store on the way home to pick up some diapers for my new son and a boppy pillow so I could feed him. When I got home, my dear brother (bless his heart, no really, bless it, cause I'm gonna kill'm one day!! ;) ) had managed to keep the girls alive, but the house looked half dead. So, (mind you, I'm just coming home from the hospital) I make the girls dinner, empty the dishwasher (that I had filled up the day before I went into the hospital) fill it back up, start the load of dishes, go upstairs, start a load of laundry and unpack a box, all while my husband was finding the portable crib for the baby and then set it up in our room after clearing out some of the boxes.
I did all of that, the DAY I came home from the hospital. The next day, I was making the girls all sorts of meals, did two loads of dishes, three loads of laundry, and swept and mopped the floor.
Day after that, I did two more loads of laundry, and got another box unpacked.. are you sensing a trend here? I was freakin' SUPER MOM!!!
Then.. the fourth day.. I couldn't move. .... wth? I was exhausted (you'll note the third day I didn't do as much as I had been..) and moving my arms hurt this muscle in my underarms. Weird, so I go to the doctor cause I realize that muscle isn't a muscle, but a HUGE bruise like feeling. Turns out I had a breast infection. Oi! He puts me on anti-biotics tells me I'll be exhausted. Great.
So I get through most of that, the pain eases, I'm sitting around more than ever.. and trying to just stay awake and deal with the three kids when my poor husband has to go to work. (He's been AMAZING with his support and help..)
I start to feel better.. start trying to get back into being super mom cause man, that felt SO good.. and uh.. I get REALLY worn out again.. and I'm talking like I feel drugged type of tired and my stitches are bothering me. Then I start losing a lot of blood. BACK to the doctors. Turns out I had an infection in my uterus lining!! Ugh! More antibiotics, more "you need to rest"'s with three children and your husband having deadlines at work type thing. Riiiight.
As if all this wasn't enough, Jace had an infection possibility on his belly button that they put silver nitrate to help with, Bell and Haeley have mono (we possibly too, but don't know for sure, and I really hope not for Jace's sake) my husband came down with the flu and I have seen the doctor more than I have that afforementioned husband!!
We literally have been to the doctors over 11 times between us all in the past three weeks. Thank God for health insurance!!
So that's pretty much where I stand right now. Two kiddos with mono, (Friday was when we found that out) a husband and brother who are out of town, and a cranky baby with bad gas.
Now.. on the GOOD hand.. emotionally wise I'm doing okay. :)
I start filling out a few CT calls from some designers that I really like.. got turned down for all of them of course, except for Amanda Heimann who took pity on me, and I'll be a guest CT for a month for her (YAY!) in August so I'm way excited about that, and then I got accepted as a Challenge Host at PinkPoodle Studios.
On top of all that, my husband had been very carefully setting aside some money for ME! Just for me so I could scrap!! How very sweet is that?!?! So he helped me enter into the Stand Up and Scrap, contest (there's No way I'll win, but I Looove the challenge and the push to be better!!) and then I got to purchase a few goodies as well.
Some of the things I picked up were these flower bling things I've been drooling over for a bit from Christine Smith in her online store called Scrapquick.com.
Flowers: 
Then I got some masks and borders from her blog here:
and:
They're grungy and distressed! You guys know I have a weakness for that! She's got some inked and sanded overlays and then some inked rectangles I've been eyeing as well as some really cool color your own flowers and then this alpha, and last but not least on my drool list: color your own twill!!! How freaking cool is this?!
(this is what I have to do while the boys are out.. go window shopping. Hee.
I'll be posting some layouts soon with those. :) I'll have to show you guys the layouts from the contest afterwards since we're all anonymous right now.
Speaking of window shopping, my Girl Bren is back in business over at Scrapbookgraphics.com.
I'm completely in love with her In Dreams kit: 
and Blissful kit: 
And last and definitely NOT least: Check this out!
My dearest Maryse has that gorgeous kit that can be found here!
Other than being sick, the family is doing pretty well. Out of three weeks of school, Haeley's only gone like a week and a half thanks to being so sick. They're going to test her again, apparently the California school said she could go to regular classes, but she can't. Well, she -can- just can't go fully, she still needs intervention and speech therapy and whatnot. Bleh.
Bell's being a helpful little mama with Jace(Haeley's helpful too with BOTH kids, don't get me wrong) but Bell's tried picking him up to comfort him and gives him his pacifier when he's upset, and covers him up (also steals his blankets, but hey..) and has even tried to help me change him!! (Don't worry, that layout is coming REAL quick.)
My husband and brother are supportive as always, I'm SO lucky. Totally appreciate you guys as well and all the wonderful comments and support, you guys rock hardcore!!
And, for getting through all this, if you'd like a freebie (keep in mind I'm STILL not a designer, but for my Pink Poodle Studios challenge, I had to do something..) then you can pick it up here.
Preview!
