Flip that Design!

Here are two recent layouts I created. I just turned the layout 90 degrees and created a completely different page. No need to reinvent the wheel. 

Happy Birthday To My Big Sis Linda! (aka Linny!)

Happy birthday to my Big Sis, Linny!!! (I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!)

So, so wish she didn't have to spend it in the hospital fighting leukemia!!! I can't change the situation other than praying to God that he will heal her. I realize that. But I just want her to know how much she is loved and how many people care for her. She already got her birthday gift a week or so ago. Mick and I went in with my mom and dad and got her an iPad for those times when she may not have visitors, but I still wanted to try to make her day special anyways. She's not really been feeling up for visitors as she has been losing her hair and has been fighting off a bad infection with ulcers in her throat that make it extremely difficult to talk, to swallow, to eat. Basic everyday tasks that all of us (myself included) take for granted.
I was thinking, it would be special for her to know there are "Cyberfriends" and family out there who are thinking of her,  wishing her well, and praying for her. If you would like to send a little "Cyberlove" her way, please post a comment here on my blog. I'll be sure she reads it. I think it would really make her day to know that there are all kinds of caring people out there, thinking of her and praying for her today.



Here are a few pics for our awesome family trip to Colorado in December. It was the first time in 10 years we three sisters had been together for Christmas. Special times indeed! We had just a little bit of fun! (And a whole lot of laughs!!) Most of these pics were with my point and shoot, so they are definitely lacking in quality!

Catching snowflakes!

Hanging out with the Blues Brothers!

"Charlie's Angels" Silly Pose

Thanks in advance for putting a little J.O.Y. in my sister's birthday! 

Have a J.O.Y.-filled day!

{Hugs}

Suz

FYI iPhone "No Sim" Error Message-Problem Fixed!

Hello peeps. Just a friendly little FYI if you are an iPhone user. I dropped my phone today on floor of garage (with it's heavy duty cover on it). It wasn't working and wouldn't allow me to make calls. It said "No Sim." So, I went to my "Settings" and turned on the "airplane" mode for about 20 seconds. Then I turned the "Airplane" mode off again and now my phone is up and running. Hallelujah and no expensive trip to the AT&T store!!! A 20 second fix and no service fee! Woot! Woot! Thought I'd share the knowledge and love and pay it forward! :)

March FreeHand Scraps Layouts Continued

Here is another layout I completed from the March FHS Kit. Sorry it is cropped wonky. This layout was inspired by the Win, Lose or Draw cards of which I used a side from each card as the title to my layout.

And a few close ups:

 More later! I still have a few more layouts to share from this kit!! It's the kit that keeps on going...and going... :)

Lucky Lady Today

My sweet, generous and thoughtful hubby surprised me on Valentine's Day (even though I wasn't really in the mood to go out to eat as that was the day my sister, Linda, was hospitalized with leukemia and I was still reeling from the news).

We were sitting at our favorite local Mexican restaurant and he passed me a card across our booth. Inside the beautiful card (which, BTW, has inspired a layout idea for me!) were the lyrics to a favorite song of mine, sung by a favorite group of mine. I read the card and noticed at the bottom, a handwritten arrow was drawn that said "over." So, I turned the page and as I did so, a DVD fell out. My sweet hubby had converted our wedding videos and a few other videos to DVD for me. I know it took hours as he and the boys had banned me from my scrapbook/media room/guest bedroom/schoolroom to make it. So, I kind of knew he was up to something like that. He had mentioned buying some software to convert old movies to DVDs a few weeks prior. Nonetheless, I was thrilled and thanked him for his thoughtfulness in the gift and card.

What I didn't realize and of which he quickly began to point out to me, was that I had missed...

...THE BIG SURPRISE.

Yes, that's right people, there was more!! SO MUCH MORE of a surprise to come!

He told me I had missed something and that I needed to look at my card again. I looked back to my card and turned the page. Adhered to the back of the card were two tickets!!!!! 

I was so shocked and surprised and excited and overcome with emotion I didn't know how to contain it, but knew in some small back part of my mind I need to contain myself as I was in a public setting. So, I was sitting there in the booth with my head down, shaking my head in a spasmodic, uncontrolled manner while stomping my feet quickly and as quietly as possible. But, of course, while doing this, a few small barely contained squeals of delight spilled out. 

To say the least, I was quite the scene. This according to Mick. After nearly 16 years of marriage, I knew what he was thinking and maybe you are too:  A restaurant scene, a man, a woman...

...To the waitress, the man replies,

 "... I'll have what she's having." (From When Harry Met Sally)

 It was that kind of moment. Ok...not that kind of moment...but it definitely made Mick the "Dude" of the restaurant for making his wife so happy!

So anyone care to guess who we are going to have the JOY of listening to tonight? Those of you locally will know I'm sure. :-) 

Well...let me give you a clue that Ethan created for me just the other day (such a thoughtful kiddo like his daddy):

First make a guess and then scroll down for the clue/answer. :)

Oh yeah!!!!! Rascal Flatts BABY!!!!! I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT!!!!

Guess I need to go figure out what I am going to wear and get "prettified" as we so call it in this family of boys and a momma!

Oh...and the lyrics at the front of the card...none other than the lyrics that have come to be "Our Song"...

God Bless the Broken Road.

Melt a wife's heart. 

My guy is so good. 

I am so very blessed. 

Thank you God for the "Unanswered Prayers" and for leading me down the broken road to the man you fully intended for me to share my life with.

So, my Valentine's day was very bittersweet and filled with much emotion. Rascal Flatts is a favorite of my sister's as well, and I am really looking forward to the day that she is well and we can go to see them together, and belt out along with the band, the words to "God Bless the Broken Road." 

Have a J.O.Y.-filled day everyone! 

{Hugs,}

Suz

Update on My Sister Linda

Spoke with my sister yesterday and my mom today. My sister started losing her hair yesterday and developed terribly painful ulcers and swelling in her throat. She couldn't swallow or eat anything. Today it was worse, she acquired a fever and half her face and beneath her ear swelled up. The doctors believed her to have an infection in her bloodstream and gave her some "Big Gun" antibiotics to try to get rid of the infection and reduce her fever. The fever has dropped some, which was/is a good sign. On top of all of that, her bone marrow biopsy was today too. My mom said that the most painful thing (according to my sister) were the ulcers and the swelling. :( When I spoke with Linda briefly yesterday (can't believe she even answered!) her voice was barely discernible. It sounded like she was smothered under a pillow.


Breaks a sister's heart.
...So want to be there for her!

I'm glad I sent off a little care package out yesterday as she should receive it Sat. She was to have left the hospital today for a bit of a reprieve before heading back to the hospital next Wed. (her birthday) to begin her second round of chemo. Not exactly the birthday gift anyone would want-a trip to the oncology unit of a hospital and a nice round of chemo. Sigh.

Just wanted to update those of you who were wondering how she was doing. Hopefully the next update will have a more positive note to it!

Have a J.O.Y.-filled day!
Keeping the faith,
Suz

March Mini Tutorial

Hello everyone!
Suz here with a tutorial on a little mini album I made using the scraps from this month's kit! (And,  just as an aside-- there wasn't much left to scrap with given all of the "goodness" in the kit! I used up very nearly all of it!)

1. GATHER: The first thing I did was to gather up my scrap remnants from the kit along with a few trusty tools, adhesive, and my Instax camera. (Love it! A quick and easy way to knock out a mini album in short order).

PLEASE NOTE: Don't worry if you don't have this camera. You can get wallet sized prints ordered online, at your local developer, OR...you can just print out a collage sheet of small pics at home using a photo-editing program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. If there is enough interest, I might be able to put together a short tutorial of how to print out a collage of smaller prints that would fit this album.

*Leave a comment here on the blog, if you are interested in a tutorial or if you'd like to see the rest of the album.*

2. FRONT COVER: For the cover of my album I used remnant pieces of the lightweight 6x6 wooden paper that comes with the March  12 x 12 paper kit. (Remember, there is also a "mini album" kit  option that contains an adorable Cosmo Cricket 4x6 black album. So for those of you who order that kit-you are already 
"good to go" on the foundation of your album! :)

I trimmed two pieces of the wooden paper to 2.5 x 4 inches. This allowed room to punch holes at the top (using my Crop-A-Dile Big Bite punch tool) and room to house my Instax pics.

3. MIST: I misted the front cover with a "peacock blue" color and added some patterned paper, stickers, and embellies.

     4. ASSEMBLE: I then cut out several pieces of patterned papers and glued them back to back, punching holes at the top of each. It helps to use the first page with punch holes as a guide for aligning up the next holes you punch, to ensure that they are all even and "stack up" nicely.

     5.  CAPTURE: Since I was making this album to commemorate "Twelve" of my eldest son's favorite things "At Twelve," I went around the house with my Instax camera and captured twelve different images that represented what my son is "into" at this time in his life. (Another idea: You could also take twelve pics on the twelfth day of the month and document images from that day in a mini album).

 6. ADHERE: I adhered my Instax pics down on each page and wrote a brief description on each with my Black fine point Sharpie. I embellished the album with leftover lovelies, some stitching, and threaded the dog tag chain through the holes to "bind" it all together. Other options for binding: Baker's twine, string from shipping tags, ribbon, yarn, etc.

      
         7.  BACK COVER: For the back cover (which really could've been the front-lol) I punched out several hearts using punches from my stash. I arranged them to my liking and then used them as a mask to mist over. For the pink heart at the bottom, I punched a heart from a sheet of paper and lined up the negative (punched out area) of the heart over the"original wood colored" heart. Making sure the rest of my back cover was completely covered with this paper (to protect the area already misted with the blue mist), I then misted with a red color. I  sprayed the originally white number "12" stickers to match the back cover as well. Misting is one way of stretching your kit(s) to the maximum. You can mist your white stickers to custom match them to your layouts and projects! Misting is tons of fun too! :)
Since I was making this for my near-teenage son,  I opted to use an "on-hand" masculine looking dog tag chain that I easily cut down to size to bind it all together.

And there you have it! One mini album completed in an hour or two. Near instant gratification and a great way to document the things and people that are important to your loved one at one moment in time!!

Check back here or over at Freehand Scraps later for more reveals, more tutorials, and more inspirational ideas for your kits.
Happy Scrapping!
Suz :)

March Freehand Scraps Kit is Now Available!

Head on over to Freehand Scraps and check out the new March kit, "Bingo!" It is chock full of scrapping loveliness and it is all around an a-w-e-s-o-m-e kit!

Click on any image to view larger.

 Oh, just want to mention for those of you who might not be aware of it, the patterned papers are two-sided. So, if you don't see the paper that I've used in my layouts in the kit (when you check out Freehand Scraps' website), the paper is really there! It's just that I've used the "flip" or the "B" side.
*I just mentioned that because I know I have a few blog readers who are  just getting started with scrapbooking.

Also, everything you see in my designs have been made with kit components aside from a very few, scant items; like mist, colored buttons, embroidery floss.

One example is the headband above: The floral ribbon is from my stash.
EnJ.O.Y. your day. Check back here throughout the week as I will be posting more about the kit here and have a tutorial or two to boot!  Feel free to post any questions by commenting. :)

Layout Complete

Here's my latest layout:

Had fun stitching with MS red and white Baker's twine.

Layout in Progress

It's not quite finished, but almost. Here's a sneak:

 (This layout I created just for fun. (Who am I kidding? It's all for fun! LOL) What I mean is it's not a part of my Freehand Scraps March kit submissions. However, the "full reveal" for that is quickly approaching-March 1st, I believe. Stay tuned on that.

I so want to post more pics from this weekend, as it was quite event-FULL and J.O.Y.-ful. I think that's going to have to wait until tomorrow as it's getting late.
Toodles!
Suz

The Best News Possible

...other than my sister NOT having leukemia at all.
The genetic test results came back today (early or late depending on which back post of mine you may have read). My sister Linda does not have the bad Philadelphia chromosomal abnormality nor the Burkitt type, so her prognosis just got much better, and they also said she would NOT need a bone marrow transplant. Thank you God. Prayers are being answered. Thanks to all of my friends out there in Blogland that have been with my family on this crazy ride. Thank you (to infinity and beyond) for your continued prayers, positive thoughts, and support.

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow, since I realize most of my posts of late have been heavy on the verbiage.

Strength in Numbers

as in...the number of times my sister walked with her forced pal, "Herbert" (her walking tower of medicine/IV bag) around her hospital floor. One day it was eleven times. Yesterday she reported she was still feeling great and that she worked out on the elliptical and lifted weights! HUH? Didn't she just finish her first round of chemo on Saturday? Um...yep... That's my sister. Short (as in like 5 feet tall) and stronger  than most people twice her size!!

Saying Goodnight...

...tonight with the boys proved a bit comical. I said "Goodnight," to my oldest, and he replied back,
"Goodnight Mom, I'll see you on Thursday morning."

"Really buddy? Not Friday morning?"
"Yeah."
"Ok buddy. Thursday morning it is."

I love messing with him when he's sleep talking. Hee hee!

The Joy of Being Vertically Challenged

So, on Monday, a new piece of furniture was delivered. A new place to eat, to drink, to play cards, to play board games, to chat and to do schoolwork. A new place to connect. A new addition to the "hub" of our home. We finally got a new kitchen table and chairs and we are really excited about the extra surface area and the sturdy chairs. (I did joke to Mick though, that my feet don't even touch the floor when I sit in a chair, BUT, I no longer have to sit ON my feet to be at a high enough level to eat properly. The JOY of being vertically challenged! :)

It's Up @FreeHand Scraps

Hi All!

Just wanted to let those of you know who are interested that my March Sneak Peeks are up over on the blog At FreeHand Scraps blog. Just click here: http://www.freehandscraps.com/blog/  

If you like what you see, you can become a fan over on Facebook and share in the scrapping love!
Thanks for stopping by...

...Catch ya on the flip side! (Old School!LOL)

Stylish Blogger Award-Whaaaa-attt?

So, last night I checked my blog and saw that my Cyberspace friend, Sally, had nominated me the Stylish Blogger Award. I hadn't heard of this award before, and I don't consider my blog stylish in any way...but what a thoughtful, J.O.Y.-ful thing for her to do for me! It really made my day.
So...thank you...so much Sal!!! :)

Now, part of this award evidently involves (and most certainly should) thanking the person who has nominated you. Hence, the comment above and the comment on her blog as well.

Then, one is to list 7 things I think some of you may not know about me. Hmm...

1. I am a truly blessed Child of God and I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
2. I am a little OCD (LOL)-I have to make the gas pump evenly on a $ or else I pump up to the next dollar.
3. I have a very soft heart for animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. Strays always seem to find their way into my yard or walking in front of my path. (We do live on the edge of town so I think that may have something to do with it!)
4. I am married to the man God meant for me to be married to. Truly. He is the calm to my storm. The balance to my imbalance. The patience to my impatience. I could go on but you get the picture.
5. I once was president of a university for a day. (I won a drawing where a student would exchange roles with the new president of the university).
6. I have a scar on my right wrist from being super competitive and running right through a glass storm door with my hands. It was the "base" for the game "Moonlight-Starlight." Needless to say, I remember that day well. So does my wrist! :)
7. I love scrapbooking, photography, tennis, reading, and spending time with my family and friends at the lake, at the beach, or skiing down the Rockies. (Oh wait, you probably already know that!)

The next step is to nominate 15 other blogs. Wow. That's difficult. So many wonderful blogs out there in cyberspace. Each unique because each blogger has their own unique story to tell. Some are full of visual eye candy, others are filled with literary sweets. All bring us a little closer to one another. As Martha says, "It's a good thing."

So here is my list below. In no particular order as they are all fab!
 {And as Sally wrote: "Please pay them a visit! Make a new friend. Share the love."}

1.  http://www.lexi-bridges.blogspot.com
2.  http://www.theteacherspett.blogspot.com
3.  http://www.kinseygirl.typepad.com
4.  http://www.kellicrowe.typepad.com
5.  http://www.eighteen25.blogspot.com
6.  http://www.jordankrogmanphotography.blogspot.com
7.  http://www.bigpictureclasses.com 
8.  http://www.crate.typepad.com
9.  http://www.freehandscraps.com
10. http://leanneallinson.blogspot.com
11. http://www.atthebluebarn.blogspot.com
12. http://girlsjustwannascrapbook.blogspot.com
13. http://heidistork.blogspot.com
14. http://emilypitts.blogspot.com
15. http://www.morepaperplease.blogspot.com

Chemo is Completed

Got a hold of my mom at the hospital today with my sister. They were hunkering down for an expected 12 more inches of snow!!!
My mom said my sis finished her chemo last night and was still in pretty good spirits, but thought the chemo was starting to take effect as Linda was more tired. She said my sister should probably start losing her hair on Tues. Crazy stuff! However, my aunt's sister's husband has Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and he never lost his hair after chemo. So, one can always hope, right? However, I'm sure my sis will happily lose her hair if it meant NOT losing her fight with this beast.

Then, my sis got on the phone briefly and we talked about her boyfriend, and how sweet he was taking care of her while he was there. She said he treated her like a princess. Be still my happy heart. Love that for her! She was worried about him driving home in the snowstorm. He had about a 4-5 hour drive home. (Actually probably longer due to the bad weather conditions). Good guy. Definitely want to keep the friends that are walking in when everyone else is walking out, KWIM?
(Not to say that has happened to my sis in this situation-her friends have been awesome! That is just my point-she has great friends who are very supportive and true blue.)

Hope your weekend was full of some joy and laughter. Looking forward to a quiet evening at home with my boys.

Hugs,
Suz

Reasons to Be Joyful

• listening to my sweet hubby playing Faithfully by Journey on the piano
• sun is shining
• my sister is in good spirits despite being diagnosed with leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy
• my boys are healthy
• my hubby is employed
• i love my home, my community, my neighbors and my friends (both near and far and in cyberspace!)
• my animals are playing as i type this; cat and dog in harmony
• God is good, He knows my needs, He knows my sister's needs and He will carry us when we are not able

What are you J.O.Y.-ful for today?

My sister, Linda and her daughter, Shelby. Picture taken Dec. 26.2010

I LOVE THIS QUOTE

Just came across this quote. Seems totally fitting given what my sis is going through right now. 

The Latest on Linda

I spoke directly with my sister Linda today. She actually started chemo today and not yesterday as I had previously stated. She will be receiving it every twelve hours for 4 days. All of her major organs are in great shape as well as her lymph nodes-which is all good news.

I have been thinking about what things I could do to help her. I feel so limited living so far away. I do plan to visit her, but it will have to wait until our spring break. I do have a surprise that my mom is in on though. Think she is really going to like it. Like really. I do think it will help her bide her time and the hours/minutes where she may find herself alone and in need of a distraction. Any guesses what it is? Please, please, don't let her know if you do because we really want it to be a surprise!
{Feel free to leave a comment with your guesses. It will be interesting to see what y'all think it is}.


In other news, my aunt's mother and two other grand parents in the family are in their last few days of life. All in their nineties. All dying from congestive heart failure. Despite the fact that all three have been blessed with very full lives, they are still going to be leaving loved ones who will miss them greatly. Please say an extra little prayer for them and for another little guy we love who is ill with a complete bowel obstruction. We all appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Sorry I've been heavy on the prayer requests lately, but that is just how life goes sometimes...

Thanks so much!
Suz

The Diagnosis for my Sister

ALL...Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Talked with my sis briefly this evening before her oncologist beeped in and she had to of course take his call. She was in pretty good spirits given her situation. Was telling me how her friend brought her McDonald's french fries and Jelly Bellys after she had completed the barrage of tests. Happy that she was able to eat what she wanted and enjoy a very small part of her day.

They have already put ports in and started chemo today according to my mom. We'll probably get more of the "game plan" tomorrow. I do know that her doctors have been in consultation with doctors at Mayo clinic and other reputable hospitals across the country.
Oh, and her lymph nodes weren't affected. Another positive. Got my running list of questions to get answered, but for those of you interested in learning more, I've been reading this: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/Leukemia-AcuteLymphocyticALLinAdults/DetailedGuide/leukemia-acute-lymphocytic-what-is-all. It answers a lot of questions some of you might have.
Thanks again for your continued prayers of support.
Suz

Update on My Sister Linda

The doctors are 99% sure my sister has leukemia. She underwent a MUGA heart scan today to determine how strong her heart is so they know what amount of chemotherapy she can tolerate. She will begin chemo today. Crazy how life changes on a dime. No word on specific diagnosis or prognosis yet, however, I've done my share of reading...please continue to pray for her and for her kiddos. Thank you. So much...

Sometimes Life Throws Us Curveballs...

...of the worst kind.
Just received a phone call from my dad this afternoon. He never calls in the middle of the day during the week. New the minute I saw the call something was wrong.

My sister, Linda, (the middle of us three sisters) was admitted to the hospital today. She is undergoing a bone marrow biopsy as I type this, to rule out or to confirm leukemia. She is not quite 49 years old, a single mom, with two precious kiddos; ages 16 and 11. Please pray for her and for her kiddos during this uncertain time. Pray for the bone marrow biopsy to be as painfree as possible. Pray for the best possible prognosis and diagnosis. Or just pray for God's will to be done. Thanks so very much!
Love,
Suz

The Joy in Loving

Last night I came home to a house stirring with a "Secret Project." I was instructed not to go into the "Everything Room" (also known as the classroom, the computer room, the guest bedroom, my scrapbook room-hence the name). Since,  I had just completed 6 tennis matches over the course of the weekend, three of which went to tiebreakers, I was perfectly content to shower up and rest my weary bod on the couch. Yes, that's right, I couch potatoed it. And it felt...good!
I am looking forward to finding out what this so called "Secret Project" is. I have a feeling it has something to do with love, 3 Blue-Eyed Boyz and a lot of joy.

Here's hoping you find a little love and a lot of J.O.Y. in your day! Happy Valentine's Day.
Thanks for stopping by...
Suz :)

FRI-DAY JOY

Sunshine...warmer day...brought many more smiles and joy to our day today. Not to mention "a little j.o.y. came in the mail today as well.

It came wrapped in this fun tissue paper and simple box:

 This is what the little box contained:

My One Little Word for 2011: J.O.Y. (Jesus, Others, Yourself). I'm hoping that this little necklace will be a constant reminder of how to prioritize my life each and every day.
I purchased this little charming necklace at Lisa Leonard Designs. She makes adorable customized jewelry and premade, handmade jewelry. I order this on Feb. 2 and already have it here with me on the 11th! Pretty awesome customer service if you ask me! Custom made and delivered despite the horrible weather conditions we have experienced across the US in  the past nine days. Awesome! (Kudos to the USPS as well in getting it here in a timely manner).


Gearing up for a tennis tourney this weekend and hopefully some scrapping, some family time, and some church time. Hoping my worlds don't coincide and I can get my tennis playing in and get to hear my Mick play at church on Sunday.

Have a J.O.Y.-filled weekend everyone! Catch up with you later! :)

Finding JOY in my "Inbox" -Again

I was mindlessly checking my emails and deleted junk when I came across one today that, on second glance, made my heart skip a beat...or two.

The email was a request for publication of a card I had created recently! It is to be in the July 2011 Issue of Scrapbook Trends magazine. I was so completely shocked and excited all wrapped up into one little mound of JOY. Serious happy. Serious joy. Come to find out, my dear and uber-talented friend, Lexi, is also going to be published in that issue as well!

In other less exciting news, we had yet another snow day and have a "late start" tomorrow. So ready for winter to be over. I'm sure I am not the only one across this great nation of ours that thinks this, no?


This morning, despite school being canceled, I went over to what used to be Ethan's school and helped set up the book fair. Only the two chairpersons showed up. I guess people figured no school in session, no set up. I can understand that, but no matter what the fair is open tomorrow, so it needed to get done and since I've been the chariperson there for several years now, I figured I go help out.
I came home and baked Valentine's funfetti cupcakes and made red beans + rice with sausage for lunch. Strange combo I know, but all of my boys loved it.
Came down with a massive headache but managed to work some more on the curtains I have been sewing for our basement anyways. They are nearly done. I just need to buy more grommets for the second panel and have my sweet "Tall Boy" Mick help me hang the rods and then I'll post some pics.
Crossing my fingers that they lay correctly and the patterns match up! Had a lot of helpful phone conversations with my awesome MIL regarding the construction of the curtains, so feeling pretty positive!

Gotta get the boys to bed...more later friends!
Stay warm!

Ali's Post

Ali E's post today got me thinking about report card day here in our household. Ian brought home his tentative report card yesterday. It was all A's. One would think that a momma like me would be thrilled to have him bring this card home. And, please, stay with me here...I am happy he's is doing so well. But, the truth is...that even though he's in every honors class available--he's not being challenged. Most of his classes he's at 100%. While I don't expect him to be perfect, I do expect him to always do his best. But what really is HIS BEST? If a child is never challenged to find his ceiling, will he/she ever really know what he/she is capable of? What would our world be missing out on? What great invention? Great leader? Great teacher? Great physicist, engineer, you name it.

A woman, named Nancy, posted, these remarks on Ali's  blog today, and it resonated with me:

Sometimes “handicaps” are actually just the opposite. There may be a “standard” to which one is expected to adhere too. I wish more of education was targeted toward helping an individual be challenged at their level.
Think of the child who easily gets all A’s… it is easlily; check, check, check… and it’s all good. All the while failing to actually see the child.
I have children on both ends of the spectrum. One of my boys could read when he was 4… anything you put in front of him. Everything was easy for him on “grade” level. Children get little notice or challenge to be the best they can personally be, in a way very overlooked.
It may seem strange to be saying this, lucky kid, How dare one “complain”. However my heart aches for this boy. It was all just so easy for him. “HE” was seriously lost in it all. No, "work on this, strive for this..." etc. It took little effort and felt so meaningless to him.


Self esteem comes from being the best self YOU can be, not from some standard.
He has never found this.
I wonder what he could do if he had found that challenge. The “person” is developed in striving to be the best you can be. True self esteem. It is only when you have to apply yourself to acheive something that it strengthens you and helps you grow. Every child should have this in the education system, regardless of where they fall in the spectrum!


Here here, Ms. Nancy! Thanks for writing it for all of us out there struggling with "Standards."

Me | At The Moment

listening: to my boys doodling on the piano
eating: Pringles - left over from last night's Superbowl festivities --WAY to GO PACK!)
drinking: Diet Pepsi...of course!
wearing: orange Hollister hoodie and black Nike warm up pants
feeling: crafty ;-)
weather: overcast and blustery
wanting: my Studio Calico order to arrive on my doorstep!
needing: more time in my days to get everything accomplished that I want to get accomplished
thinking: I hope I sleep better tonight
enjoying: listening to my youngest singing "You're Cooler than Me"
wondering: if we will have yet another Snow Day this week! (I hope not!)