odds and ends

Originally, I was shooting for 100 complete layouts this year (one or two pages, I count it as one layout)--well, I hit that in July, so I doubled my goal for the year. As of yesterday morning, I was at 170. I was hit with the idea that if I did 1-2 simple layouts a day, I could get to my goal of 200 by the end of the year. So here's what I've done in the past couple of days--just simple lifted layouts, nothing too fancy, not a lot of technique, but they make me smile. Four layouts, and two more Christmas cards. (Connie and Susie, these went in the mail for you today, so...surprise, ha!)








I also finished a page 22 for my One Little Word album and did a back cover. It is now complete! How fun was this project?! It went promptly into a little storage gift bag on my scrappy shelf likely never to be seen again! (Isn't that what so often happens to our creations? We put all this time, effort, talent, and money into them, and then they sit on our shelves where no one eve sees them?)






And now for something completely different.

Finally went to the doctor today. (Anyone else scream like a little girl when you see your 'real' weight on the scale at the doctor's office?) Found out I sprained my hand and keep reinjuring it. I'm supposed to wear a wrist splint for 2-3 weeks and if it's still hurting at that time, I have a scrip for an xray. Joy. How am I supposed to strangle my kids, err, I mean scrapbook, err, I mean function with a wrist splint on? Oh well, I will deal. Hopefully his assumption is correct that I have not broken it.

And lastly, something for the grandmas out there. And anyone else with a heart.

The other night my son had a Scouts Pack meeting at the church at 6:30. Danny was working, so it was just me and the boys. Seeing as how these meetings usually go til 8:00 and my lil' ones go down at 7, I was not looking forward to going. So I decided to just drop Sean off (as many parents do) and pick him up later. I said I'd be back at 8, and to call me if I needed to come earlier or later than that.

Well I didn't get a call, so at 7:55 I headed down to the church, which is about 3.5 minutes away. The parking lot was pretty empty and there was no hint of any Scouts inside, so I figured someone had either brought him home or the scoutmaster had him. It was really cold and dark and it had just started to rain, so I quickly hurried home, hoping he wasn't standing waiting outside our front door.

At home, no Sean, no call, no note, so I called the Scoutmaster and she didn't have him either. (Is that what she's called? I might have the wrong lingo there. Julie, you know what I'm talking about.) Anyhoo, I just figured I'd get a call from a parent saying they had him soon enough.

Within a few minutes, he was home, so I asked him who brought him. He said, "No one, I walked."

"You walked?!"

"Yeah...the phone was broken at the church and I didn't know anyone that was left, so I just walked."

He was freezing and right on the verge of breaking into tears, I could tell. My nurturing instincts were on high alert as I hugged him and tried to warm his hands. The poor kid walked 1.5 miles in the dark, in the rain, without a jacket. All by himself. He had to cross a pretty busy street. And I didn't even know that he knew the way on his own! (Can you imagine? I must have passed him on the road coming and going.) A dozen different scenarios all with bad endings flooded my mind, considering what could have happened, but I was just so glad he was home and safe. I let him soak in the hot tub for an hour!

The next day, Dan was quizzing him about his walk.

"Were you afraid?"

"Yeah. It was really dark. So between street lights I ran."

"Did you cry?"

"Yeah, for about ten minutes I cried a little bit. Then I got lost and I wasn't sure where I was. So I said a prayer and at the end of the prayer I felt really good, and I realized where I was. So I came home."

*tear!*

Aren't you just bawling reading this? I am! I just wanted to snuggle him forever after hearing about that conversation. But I'm so glad that he remembered to pray when he needed help! What a testimony this will be for him, that Heavenly Father listens and knows us and answers our prayers.