January is gone....

But still not done! I have made a little progress, not nearly as much as I would like to have made. You know how it is when life keeps you on your toes, don't you? I squeeze in a little here and a little there but cant seem to find the time to sit down and work for hours like I used to. I had a good time bezeling a rivoli for this months page. That is something I have never done and I liked doing it. Perhaps more rivolis in the future?? One never knows! In case you can't tell from the picture, I am doing this months piece in the January birthstone colors - Garnet. Do I sense a theme here? Maybe!

This past weekend we had Little Ethan's baptism! Mike and Jess then had a luncheon at their house afterward. We had great food and great company. I felt such pride in Jess and her hospitality and her cooking too!. She is such a special girl to me. You just couldn't ask for a better baby on such a busy day! Ethan actually smiled and "talked" to the pastor when he poured the holy water on his head! He is getting so big and is such a good baby! Mike and Jess are spoiled. He already sleeps around 8 hours a night at only 2 months of age!

Finally!!

Yes, I am alive! I am finally set on my plans for the 2010 BJP. It took me long enough, so long in fact, I am already behind! Well, as my Grandmother used to say, "Better late than never" haha! Anyway, I have really just gotten started with my plans. Here are some pictures showing you what my finished size will be. The entire circle is 13 inches in diameter with each section approximately 1" at the narrow end, 3.5 " at the wide end and 4.5" long. Of course, there are 12 sections representing each month! You probably already knew that though, huh? The center circle is approximately a 5" diameter circle, which will be the center medallion unrelated to the 12 months of BJP. Confused yet? This is all I am going to give away at this moment! Isnt the 27mm Czech button in the middle pretty? Its a black moonstone button with rhinestones. I thought it was a pretty addition the the center medallion. As soon as I get my HUGE bead order from Artbeads I will be able to proceed! If you haven't looked at their site, you are in for a treat! They have a customer appreciation sale going on right now, check it out! PS. I am no way affiliated with Artbeads, just a happy customer!

Out with 2009....

In with 2010! Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is safe, warm and happy wherever they are! I can only hope 2010 will bring happiness, health and prosperity for everyone. Watch in the next few days as I will reveal my plans for my 2010 BJP pages. Due to some serious health issues, I have had to make a decision on whether I will continue on this year, but I have decided to on a pared down version. I am still torn between 2 ideas which is shocking since 2 weeks ago I didn't have a clue! I am not sure which version I will choose, but as soon as I figure it out, I will share with you! Hugs to everyone. Be safe!

Christmas Give-Away

Oh how exciting! Kassie is having a Christmas Give-away on her blog. All you have to do is leave a comment and link it back to her blog and you could win a $25 gift certificate for Artbeads. You can also sign up at Artbeads to win a $100 gift Certificate! Happy Holidays! Thanks Kassie.

Out with the "Bun" name and in with Ethan!

He are a couple new pictures of Baby Ethan, who is now 5 days old! Funny how quickly his looks have changed already. He and Mommy are doing wonderfully. Ethan sees his pediatric urologist on Thursday to check his kidneys. Cross your fingers for him (and us) that all is well. He sure is beautiful. Then again, I am kind of prejudiced :)

Announcing.....

Ethan Michael! Weighing in at a nice 7lbs 15 ounces and 20" long. He has lots of dark brown hair under that cap. Jess did an amazing job bringing this little gift into the world at 5:48 am today! We kind of thought he wanted to be here for Thanksgiving and thankfully he is! Almost all day Monday Jess was having pretty regular cramping or mild contractions, but after hours of this they stopped and she went to work that night. Then Jess and Mike were at my house last night helping me cook for Thanksgiving, when about 8:15 Jess started what she thought was more cramping. By about 8:30 we knew this was the real deal. When she went to the hospital she was already 4cm dilated. She was already having contractions 1-2 minutes apart. I am so proud of how Jess and Mike handled themselves during the birth process. My heart is just bursting with love and admiration for Jess! I am so proud of you hon! You really worked hard bringing this beautiful baby boy into the world and adding yet another gift to be thankful for today and everyday.

UGGHHH......

I am so disappointed and frustrated. As some of you know, I have had several surgeries on my neck and back due to a work related injury (neck) and degenerative disc disease in my back. I thought my troubles were over with my neck until late summer this year. I started to have some troubling all too familiar symptoms such as tingling sensations into my fingers, electric pains in my right arm into my fingers etc. I had an MRI a week ago last Friday and finally got the results last Thursday. Not good, seems I have another full herniation of a disc at the C4-C5 level in my neck. So, now what do I do? Well for starters I have an appointment for steroid injections in my neck on December 9th. I will need a series of 3 each 2 weeks apart. If they don't work to calm the injured nerves down, I will need to see my neurosurgeon to find out what options I have. I know what that will mean, more surgery, but I am going to avoid that as long as I can safely. Yikes! I cannot even begin to tell you how devastated I am by this news. I am now wondering if I will be able to participate in the 2010 BJP. I am taking it one day at a time hoping the injections will give me some relief and that I can avoid yet another surgery. I feel I have missed out on so much of my life recovering from these surgeries. The thought of another 6 months in a neck brace is so depressing. I want to be able to be there for little bun and the rest of my family too. Speaking of Bun, hes still with his mommy. His actual due date is tomorrow the 24th. I think he wants to skip Thanksgiving and make his debut after that. Wish Jess luck for a safe and quick delivery. Wish me luck on these injections too! Hugs!