a new pincushion

I finished creating a new milk chocolate with white chocolate swirl truffle today for allyegator. (She requested one similar to my avatar.) It's been a month or so since I created a new chocolate pincushion. I really enjoyed sitting down with my needle and thread to create it. Thanks allyegator! :)

I have three finished chocolate tops that are waiting to be made into magnets or bookmarks. I have to decide.... hmmm... maybe I'll do both! A chocolate bookmark and a pair of chocolate magnets. I'll have to look at them again and figure it out. I'm kind of dragging today so I suspect that they'll stay in their current state a little longer. I've been having more good days than bad, but those bad days sometimes just seem to creep up on you. I definitely feel the pressure from it this morning. My next doctor's appointment is on Friday, it will be nice to hear about the results from the test I had last week. In the meantime, today is one of those days that I think I'll need to take it a little easier.

devilish headband - september challenge

September's challenge for the CCCOE (California Crafters Club of Etsy) team is "Fall Traditions." This theme encompasses holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Rosh Hashanah. I think we'll see a very broad range of items in this theme! :)

My entry for this month's challenge is my "Feeling VERY Devlish... Headband." I first created this headband last year for Cami and her friend to wear to school for a special event near Halloween. I was so happy with how it turned out! Cami loved how comfortable it was to wear AND the fact that all her friends thought it was pretty cool! :) I was going through my box of extra items and came across my prototype. I hadn't written down any instructions so I went to work on recreating the headband... this time writing down how I made it! :) I also made one with white horns that turned out really cute too!

I really would like to add some other variations. (Another item to add to my future "project lists!") I made some cute pig ears headbands last year too... they were for Cami and two other girls who were in the school play as the three little pigs. They were so cute! Click here to see a picture of the pig ears headband.

You can check out the challenge participants here. Go to the last page of the thread to see the most current list of participants. The list of entries will continue to grow until the deadline, September 30th.

I LOVE blue!!!! ...and chocolate tags give away...

I LOVE blue... all shades of blue! (Even my car is blue!!) I decided it was time to make a Blossom Card that had a lovely blue flower. (It helped that it was also an EtsyBlogger carnival challenge to show your favorite color in your work as well! :) ) This aqua blue floral paper just grabbed me when I saw it at a store months ago and it's been patiently waiting in my stash for the perfect time to bloom. I really love how it "pops" against the orangey pink background paper. I just listed this Blossom Card in my shop as Blue Posies Blossom Card.

Now it's time for the September drawing announcement!!! This month's give away is for a set of 3 of my chocolate tags. Drawing will take place on Monday, September 22nd. (Comments counted until Noon, PST on 9/22/08. U.S. residents only, please.) So, leave a comment so I know you’d like to be entered in the drawing and tell me, what's YOUR favorite color! :)

UPDATED 09/22/08 @ 1:30 pm: Drum roll..... The winner of this month's give away is... Nathan!!! Congratulations!!! Thanks so much for commenting on my blog!

chocolates & radioactive scrambled eggs

I made these cute little chocolate candy tags for barneybetty today! It had been a little while since I had put together my little chocolates and I had fun cutting and pasting them into yummy candies. Thank you barneybetty for the order! :)

This morning I went to the hospital for the gastric emptying study. They had me eat some radioactive scrambled eggs (not yummy) so they could watch my digestion (or not). I had to lay still for an hour and a half in a confined space while the machine did it's job. I'm hoping that somehow I've gained some super hero trait through the radioactive eggs... at least maybe I could glow in the dark! :) I'll keep you posted! I'll get the results from this test next Friday when I see my gastroenterologist.

Hmmmm.... super hero traits... what would you choose as yours?

a featured item & new blossoms

I am so happy that my newly made Apple Felt Bookmark has made it into a treasury! Yippee! Thanks so much Katy of KisforCalligraphy for featuring my bookmark!

I've been hard at work today on two new Blossom Cards. This one is the Polka Dot Plum Blossom Card. I love how polka dots make things look so cheery!

This one is so fresh! Chains of daisies on a field of green polka dots!!! I guess I was in a polka dot mood today! I listed this one today as well, it's the Daisy Blossom Card.

I have another Blossom Card that I'm hoping I'll finish and be able to photograph tomorrow. It's always fun to see how the paper combinations turn out. I get a thrill every time I pull the ribbon to open the blossom. When it's fully open is when I can see if it came together like I imagined. Isn't it so fun to create?! I LOVE it! :)

an apple bookmark - august challenge

I am so happy to have finished this bookmark in time to have it submitted as part of the August Challenge for the CCCOE (California Crafter's Club of Etsy) Team. I recently joined this team and this is the first challenge I am participating in. The theme for this month was back-to-school. I immediately knew that I was going to have to make a bookmark! I drew up a couple sketch ideas and decided to stick with the good old apple. I love it framed against the black background!

I spent quite a bit of time hand embroidering this bookmark. The apple, leaf, and stem have all been hand cut and embroidered onto the bookmark. "Read" was also hand embroidered. I stabilized the pieces and sewed together the back and front of the bookmark. It's sure to cheerfully keep your place marked if you HAVE to put that book down for a little while! :)

This bookmark is number 4 in my felt bookmark series. I just listed it on etsy as, "Don't Forget to Read - Apple Felt Bookmark." I really enjoy making these bookmarks. They are little pieces of functional art!

NEW Amy Butler Blossom & treasury & shopping

YEAH! I'm featured in another treasury! Thanks so much localcolorist for including my Sushi - California Roll in your "Pincushions & Dolls" collection. You can check out the treasury here until 4 am Wednesday.

I had a chance to list the Amy Butler - Art Deco Lotus Blossom Card today... and it already sold. YEAH! (Thank you storybeader! Check out her shop for some BEAUTIFUL jewelry!!) I have one more in this pattern that I'll list tomorrow as well as a new pattern that should be ready to list in the morning.

Cami and I have been busy... We did her back to school shopping and I'm sad to say that she's graduated to the Juniors section. (She could still fit in the girls section but those long legs really work better in Juniors now... so she's a size 0 or 1! My spindly little thing!) She was sooo excited about getting some new jeans, shorts, and shirts. We also got her 3 new pairs of shoes... even her feet grew over night to a size 7!!! My 11 year old is definitely g-r-o-w-i-n-g! I can't believe that school will be starting in two short weeks.

All right.... I better get to packaging up the Blossom Card, it's traveling to it's new home in Oklahoma tomorrow! :)

cards getting ready to travel

Yeah!!! Seven cards from my shop are getting ready to head off to their new home in Australia!!! All the Blossom Cards I had listed as well as all the Dress Collection cards. (Thank you dajellybaby for your order!!!) I have had such a great day working on getting the cards all set to go. One reason I was particularly excited about this order is it's the first one where I'm trying out some new packaging for the Blossom Cards. I used to put them in a clear envelope and they looked good but NOW I'm putting them in a plastic case and they look GREAT! I was bothered by putting these cards that I put loads of time into, in something that didn't show them off to their best advantage as well as wasn't as sturdy as I'd like. Now I feel that the case is beautiful enough that the white envelope will never be needed. Just keep passing the card to the next recipient in the lovely clear case. I can't wait to hear some feedback on the new packaging! :) I took a photo trying to capture the side view of these containers too...

I don't have the order completely ready to go out yet... Tomorrow I'll finish packaging the dress collection and then I still need to put together my "extras." Boy! I sure do love putting orders together... It makes me VERY happy!

I do have one more Blossom Card available in the Pink n Chocolate Retro Style that I listed today. So for now it's the only blossom card available in my shop! I have 5 more paper patterns selected so I hope to have some of them made up to list by the end of the week!

I was excited to have one of the photos I posted on flickr yesterday featured in an article. I received an email asking if I would give permission for the photo to be used in an article called, 'The ever Growing Desert's of the World! The Earth is about to become Mars Like!' by Uwe Paschen. I was really happy to be asked to have it included. I love it when my photos are noticed! :)

What a lovely, productive day!

TWO treasuries

I'm featured in TWO treasuries today... YEAH!!! Both treasuries were put together by fellow EtsyBloggers team members. WOW! They're so supportive and I'm sooo proud to be part of the team! Thank you VERY much EcoKate for including my Sushi - California Roll in your treasury. I'm so happy to be included with such beautiful items!
Another "thanks" goes out to spottedcowsoaps.... Her treasury of red hot items is sure to please the eye! She included my Black & Red Blossom Card in this collection. Again... I am so honored to be included with such amazing artists!

Thank YOU so much EtsyBloggers! :)

in progress & volleyball recap

In progress... Those two words can really mean a lot! I have many projects "in progress", dinner is "in progress", my life is "in progress... see what I mean! :) It could make you crazy!

Today I worked on two items that are on my project list for this week. The embroidered clippie is on the left. The flowers are looking so cute... that's what made me think to take photos of it "in progress!" I have a few more flowers to add to this one before I start the next one.

The project on the right is "in progress" as well. I thought that it was pretty cool how the chocolates were looking three dimensional as they sat there on my desk. I actually cut them out (see all those tiny zig zag cuts!) of one of my chocolate truffle pincushion photos. I thought they would make super cute little chocolate bookmarks. I've made some chocolate bookmarks out of felt and I love how they look but I got a little bug in my head when I saw some cute little photo magnet bookmarks at the bookstore. I had to come up with my own! :) The next thing I'll do is make a base with my logo on it and then they'll be almost finished. I haven't decided yet whether I'll offer them in my shop or whether they'll be a cool little "extra" with a purchase. It did take me an awful long time to cut them out... (I know, I'm anal retentive and it had to be perfect... but look at them... I think it was worth it!)

Let's see... It's Wednesday! That means it's time for the Volleyball League update! (Hope you were able to find my blog Brian and Laurel!) All right... all I can say is that it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING team play tonight! Special mentions must be made though! First of all... OH MY GOSH! Brian was ON FIRE!!!!! Blocking like c-r-a-z-y AND hitting like it was nobody's business... I'd be waiting by the phone Brian, because I think that you might get a call about making a trip to China to play for the USA... Yes... it was THAT good! :) Another special mention... this is to.... (drum roll) ART!!! (You know it Art!) All I have to say is, JUMP serve! Your serve gave us a great start in the first game AND it brought us from behind and finished the game for us in the second game. Plus, I could talk about your defense, hitting, etc., etc. You know... you just might want to wait by the phone too! :) Now not to leave anybody out... I know how y'all like to see your names here... Brent! OK! WOW! Great cover, digs, and step-in setting! (Sorry I didn't get you many sets tonight... I don't know what was up with me!) Garrett! CONSISTENCY! You always know that you can count on Garrett in a clutch play! He did everything well! :) Dale! Talk about some smart shots and great hits! Even when I didn't get you an optimum set you made a play out of it! Some terrific defense too! ...And last but not least JULIE! She was all about hustle! Diving after those balls! Covering the blocks! She was everywhere! ..and the hands... like BUTTER! Team great job tonight! Super fun... I always love it when we play against Jared's team... and once again they gave us a run for our money! (We won two out of three.) Great competition!

I'm up late tonight. I had to eat a big meal at midnight. I had some ribs, chicken, half a sausage, mashed potatoes, and the rest of the fixings. (I was instructed to eat lots of protein.) It felt very odd to eat that late and it was really difficult for me. Now... I have to stay up a little longer, I'm hoping to avoid being sick. Why did I do this, you ask? Tomorrow morning is my EGD. We're trying to find out what's going on with my stomach. Hence, the big meal at midnight. The doctor wants to see if my food is digesting properly along with some other fun and not so exciting things. I just want to start feeling better. The medication the doctor put me on for the past few weeks has made a HUGE difference. The nausea has stopped and I have made it through the night without having to get up and be sick. I only have had one small episode since I began this acid reducing medication. I am so happy to not feel seasick anymore.

I've been feeling a little anxious and nervous about the procedure for the last couple of days. I don't think I'm as nervous about the anesthesia and actual procedure as I am hoping that they are able to pinpoint the issue. I had so many tests done a couple of years ago and it was frustrating when nothing could be determined exactly. It made me feel like I was making it all up or being a hypochondriac or something. That's one of the reasons I went so long without following up about it again. I also tried to pretend I had it under control by never eating late, going to a bland diet immediately upon feeling the discomfort begin, and ignoring it the best I could. It finally got to the point where my dear husband had to tell me... enough is enough. And he was right. I was really starting to become a little depressed to be feeling like that more and more often. Keep your fingers crossed for me... maybe this time they'll have an answer.

I guess you could say that my health is also "in progress"...

initial beauty

Initial Beauty... I like the sound of it! It's the new name for my initial/monogram cards. MommaB custom ordered this card to match the booties she purchased from me. It is going to be the card to go with the booties she's giving as a gift. She has inspired me to begin offering matching cards to go with some of my items... (I'm really excited about making a card to match the Skull Mary Jane Booties I have listed right now. I think that will be on next week's project list!) I hand cut, pierced, and embroidered the "j" on this card. It is mounted slightly above the card stock. The dimension really finished off the card nicely. YEAH! Initial Beauty! :)

I'm imagining lots of ways to play with initials... this is going to be FUN!

bride, blossom, & friends

I'm having one of those days where I feel like I'm getting things done, but there are still SOOO many things to do! I am glad that I was able to get a couple of things done for my shop and now I have to concentrate on getting everything set for Leila's birthday and Cami's elementary school graduation. They are both tomorrow! It will definitely be a day to celebrate in our house!

One of the items I finished was the custom order Bride Card. I think that the red and white polka dot background look amazing with the white dress! I edged the card with the same ribbon that I used on the dress. The shine from the ribbon added a very nice touch. It's a terrific combination! I think "MommaB" is really going to like it! (I hope!) :)

Yesterday I posted the new Amy Butler Magnolia Blossom Card. Cami chose this paper because she wanted me to make one for her ballet teacher. Now I'll have two more cards available in this combination. I love that she still asks me to "make" presents for her teachers... She's my biggest fan! :) The chocolate brown, pinks, and cream look wonderful. These patterned papers make beautiful blossoms!

She also chose another Amy Butler paper pattern that she wanted me to make into a blossom card for her school teacher. Here's a preview of what it looks like... I'll list that blossom card tomorrow. I adore how bright and cheerful this card looks with it's stripes and rainbow of colors. The inside blossom paper looks like it's alive with wildflowers. I LOVE it! The red ribbon tied it all together with such pizazz!

Let's see... I also packaged up some Amish Friendship Bread Starters for Cami to give to 3 of her friends tomorrow. She thought it would be fun (as did I) for her friends to be able to bake with their families and pass the wonderful "friendship bread" to other friends all summer long. (Click here for a Starter Recipe... pass on the goodness! Send me a comment if you'd like a copy of my "pass it on" instructions that you give along with the starter.)

I better get back to making Leila's and Cami's cards... tomorrow is sure to be a very special day...

ballet, tomato, chocolate!

Cami's BIG ballet recital is this weekend. Yesterday she had dress rehearsal at the civic arts plaza. She'll be performing on stage in front of 1,800 people! WOW! She is sooo excited! I'm upset because camera's aren't allowed, however, I was able to "sneak" in a couple of shots at the dress rehearsal yesterday! Look at her form! I am definitely the proud mama! :)

This morning I picked the first tomato from my garden. It had to have an official photo shoot... (I'll have one for the first yellow crookneck squash, cantaloupe, etc.) I felt such satisfaction holding that perfectly red, delicious and fresh smelling tomato in my hand. I'm planning on eating it up tomorrow. I haven't decided yet whether I'll eat it in a salad or just slice it and season it with a little salt... mmmm... yummy!

I listed "I ♥ Hugs" chocolate truffle pincushion today. I finally took the time to get the photos ready and list it. I now have a variety of the chocolate pincushions in my shop. I did start the embroidery for a new set of the chocolate candy magnets. Those sets have been sold out for a few weeks so it's time to add another set within the next couple of weeks.

I'm really glad I'm keeping track of things I need to do on my weekly "project list." I feel like I'm accomplishing something even when it is only a small thing. I may actually get through all the things on my MASTER list one day... (OK.. so I'm dreaming... I know I add more ideas for projects faster than I do them... That's what makes art so exciting!) :)

brownie cards

Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm.... here's a photo of the peanut butter with fudge brownies I made Norm for his birthday last month. They were delicious AND pretty! I had printed out a couple of the photos to make a set of cards with and I finally listed them today. As I was putting them together, however, I realized I had made an error on the final size... I still put them together (a big step for me!) and they look really nice, but not perfectly matted. I listed them at a REDUCED price because of this little mistake. (Oh my gosh... as I'm writing this I'm looking at the photo and I'm getting a MAJOR sweet tooth... look away...)

You know... I have my bakery etsy site all set to go. I reserved the name back in August! I just haven't had the courage to list anything there yet. Another problem is that I procrastinate (surprise!). I know I have a tendency to "over think" each step and this can really get in the way of progress! I think my major hang up has been figuring out the best way to package the cookies so that they arrive in great condition. I think I'm going to have to do some trial runs so that I can overcome this worry. Hmmmm, I might have to see if I can find some volunteers who are willing to pay for shipping and a nominal "material" cost. That way I could do some initial orders at my other shop, test out the shipping, AND get feedback! I'm going to have to come back to this idea another day... My brain is too tired to think this out completely right now!

Hey! I felt good again today!!! AND I was able to play volleyball tonight! YEAH! I had a great time although I did feel like I was a half step behind all night. Sorry team! Did I mention how much I love my current team?! So much fun AND great personalities! Even when we lose (which we did twice tonight - at least we won one) we have a good time and no one gets crazy. I'm going to miss playing on Wednesday's for a couple weeks. My team has a bye next week and then the following week we'll be on vacation! It's just around the corner. Summer is REALLY almost here... ahhhh...

ps... got a call from the surgery center... EGD is scheduled for July 10th.

all by ourselves

It was the last day of Cami's Spring Volleyball league today... The season always seems to go by soooo quickly. We had a fun bunch of kids and it was really great to see all the improvement that was made in the 10 week period. She wants to play again in the fall, as long as it doesn't interfere with her new schedule of dance classes! We won't know what that is though until late August or September. Hopefully the scheduling will work out all right. It worked perfectly this year!

Cami's sleeping over at a friend's house tonight. So, Norm and I went out to a FANCY dinner. I felt all grown up! We even got dressed up (!) and went to Mastro's Steakhouse. It was DELICIOUS! I think I brought home more food than they served! The prime rib serving was ENORMOUS! (Norm told me I had to add this photo he took with his phone... and this was AFTER I was done eating!) I can't even tell you how AMAZING the lobster mashed potatoes were... see... I'm drooling, just thinking about it AND I'm full! We really enjoyed ourselves! A nice celebration.

I finished another chocolate pincushion this afternoon! (It's been in progress for a while... going back and forth to volleyball so that I could work on it between games!) I had a little time while Cami was swimming with her friend and Norm played lifeguard, so I was able to complete the photo shoot too. I just listed it on etsy, so now that's done! I have another one to list that I photographed as well. I think I'll list it next week.

Time to go and hang out with my honey... we ARE alone after all! :)

don't stop til you get it right

I completed, photographed, re-worked, re-photographed, listed, AND SOLD my newest Blossom Card today! I'm preparing the sentiment for the new owner and then it will be off in the mail in the morning. I have one more Blossom Card in this color combination that I'll list tomorrow.

I am so pleased with how the colors and patterns complimented each other. I originally had a different color blossom center but I realized when I looked at the photos I had taken that it was WAY too busy... So I went back to the drawing board and selected the light green. It worked out perfectly! I retook the "open" photos of the card and listed it! I found it very interesting that I didn't see the "busy-ness" of the patterns until I was viewing the photos. I think I was so excited by all the bright colors and patterns of the Amy Butler papers (I really love her bold designs and colors), I was forcing myself to try and use only those papers. I am very happy I took the time to rework the card. It's now a combination that I feel really works! :)

The day flew by... I have 57 cards to put together tomorrow (my oompah loompah's refused to work today, something about unfair wages...).

bragging

I have to take a minute to bask in this moment... I blocked one of the best guys on the opposing team tonight. No, not a touch... a BLOCK!!!! The icing on the cake is this guy (kid) went to high school with my daughter and graduated the same year. Wow! The old lady has some hops (sometimes)! Oh... so there isn't any misunderstandings... also on men's net height! :) I don't go up to block very often. (I really injured my hand blocking a guy a few years ago, so I tend to let the guys do the blocking and I stick to defense below the block. I still have to tape 3 fingers every time I play as a result of that injury.) The reason I did go up was because I was setting and my team passed an over pass, right to Ahmad! There was no way I was going to give him a free hit without at least a little pressure... so wah-lah... a block! I think I deserve a little brag time for this! :) (Julie... I can't believe you missed this!!!!)

I didn't have time to go through the photos in my camera today!!! I'm anxious to see them... TOMORROW, tomorrow, tomorrow... I DID get another order out today! The last of the Plum Blossom paper combination card and my heart mosaic tag are on their way to Colorado. I would like to add the new Amy Butler Blossom Card tomorrow if I have a chance! I also printed out all the card stock I need to complete the big 57 card order. I guess I should work on that tomorrow... :) I also have to hem a couple of pairs of pants for Norm.... tomorrow!

One last note... CONGRATULATIONS to my sister, Heather, and her family!!! The offer they put on a new house was accepted! Oh my gosh... I am so excited for them! It is a SUPER beautiful home!

so much better

My stomach was much better today. No nausea... YEAH! Since I was feeling so much better today I didn't call the doctor to be put on a waiting list. I can always call if things change. It felt great to get some things done today that have been put on the back burner the last few days. I ran to the grocery store, did some organizing, got the MINI washed, changed the linens in the guest room (my sister, her daughter, Kavyn, and Kavyn's friend arrive tomorrow), took photos of the new Blossom Clippy and LISTED it, took Cami to volleyball practice, cleaned the bathrooms, dusted, finished reading the book I have to discuss in Cami's class tomorrow, AND now I'm blogging all the exciting details! (Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep...)

I am very excited about how these little Blossom Clippys are turning out. I love how the flower is NOT flat. I actually shaped it like a little flower with the "petals" rising up from the center of the bloom. I tried to show this shaping in this photo... it doesn't quite do it justice. I cut out lots of various sizes and colors, they are sitting in a pile waiting for me to begin transforming them. I'll add another color combination soon. (Project list for next week!)

Let's see... as I wasn't feeling well yesterday I didn't give the Wednesday volleyball update. I'm sure I have some "players" anxiously awaiting to see their name in this recap, so here goes!

Our team won 2 out of 3 last night! Hooray! We played a VERY good team and I have to give a shout out to JARED who is an AMAZING player (so fun to watch) and is definitely the catalyst on that team to keep them excited and fired up! What a great team player!

Our team recap:
1. ART - MVP for the night! Great serves, hits, digs (DEFENSE!), etc., etc. :)
2. DALE - So glad he's back! (He's been fighting a sore knee.) It made such a difference to have his great defense and smart play. He's not allowed to miss any more games!
3. JULIE - My gosh... she had some UNBELIEVABLE hustle to get some difficult balls... to top it off she was doing all this WITH an injury! (Dale... not everyone rests when they're hurt... I'm just sayin' :) ....) Julie also gets the "team spirit" award for the night. She's so great at keeping all of us on track and focused. That's a pretty difficult job! :)
4. BRENT - Very solid passing, serving, and setting!
5. BRIAN - Hit some great 2's! Super nice passing and defense too!
6. TOM - SUPER substitute for the night! Great all around play! (Garrett, where were you?)

No wonder we won two out of three last night! All three games were very competitive and it was a very satisfying match. Great job team! :)

Time for me to shut down... my visitors should arrive before lunch and we have a full day planned!

purse listed

I listed the purse today! I finally decided to stop procrastinating (at least on one thing!)... I had hoped to accomplish more than I did today. I had an order from last night to package up, and I can't believe how long it took me to get it ready. I am definitely not feeling well... I can't concentrate and I feel VERY nauseous.

Tomorrow I will call the new doctor to see if they will put me on a list to come in earlier if they have a cancellation...

f r u s t r a t i o n

I've been having trouble with my stomach again... I had another episode (this means vomiting... I know, YUCK!) in the middle of the night Sunday and I've been feeling kind of nauseous with my upper abdomen area kind of tender ever since. It's time to actually follow up and get to a specialist. I thought I was keeping it "under control" but the reality is I'm not. I've had a couple episodes in the past two weeks and it worries me.

A year and a half ago I had multiple tests done and it was very frustrating to not have specific answers... the only thing we knew for sure was that my lipase levels were high for a few days so my doctor thought that my pancreas must be involved somehow, possibly pancreatitis. So I was put on a "bland diet" for a couple of weeks and then my levels evened out and I began to feel better. Every time I see this doctor (general practitioner) he has me do lots of blood work but I don't see how this has helped as I'm not always feeling the discomfort when I see him so then the blood work results are in the normal range. I'm tired of paying more than $500 to have blood work that isn't really telling us what's going on. I'm not going to mess around with my family doctor on this anymore. I became so discouraged because I had an ultrasound and other tests done, and there were no real findings... he made me feel like I was dreaming it up. Very depressing.

So... today I decided it was just time to make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. I have an appointment scheduled for June 9th. I feel a little better that I've taken some action toward trying to figure out why this keeps recurring. I guess the thing that I'm afraid of is that I'll go through a battery of new tests and still not know what's going on. Not to mention the cost... (sigh) I feel like crying.

OK... I have to think of something good now... Let's see... I worked on a couple of projects today! :) I cut out a new Blossom Card using some of the Amy Butler paper I bought over the weekend. I also made a new Blossom Clippy that should be ready for it's photo shoot and possible listing tomorrow.

I am ending the night on a good note... Paisley Skulls Blossom Card sold! I'll get it ready to mail to it's new home tomorrow in Glenside, PA! I love the message they are requesting... "hello sunshine"... It will be the perfect thing for me to start my day off with tomorrow... for now, goodnight moon.