I know I keep repeating this...but the outpouring of love &happy mail for Thing 2 still continued this week....Overwhelming but in a good way!   Kimmy J, Kris B, Caryn K, Angi Barrs (she sent mommy goodies too :)), Kirk & Tiff, Natalie G (Nat, I swear I took a picture and I can't find it now but I will soon!) -THANK YOU!  It's important to me to share the thanks AGAIN because for those of you who don't know us, with the exception of my nephew & his wife, (only my nephew lives in MD but not close by) we have NO family in Maryland!  So we had no family to rely on...so for the friends that sent mail and those that actually physically came by the house dropping off stuff, it was a HUGE DEAL to me. 

If you have a friend who is sick/shut in/ injured or had a situation like we had, don't give excuses, don't wait for the person to call you back (they got other things to juggle & worry about), don't wait for them to tell you what they need-figure it out!  Just go drop off something, anything -food, gift card, card, a handwritten note, flowers-even if you have to drop it off on the doorstep!!

*and for the update that many of asked for-we saw Dr. D-S on Friday and he's already given him the go ahead to resume 90% of all normal activity!  Brandon recouped from this surgery with flying colors!   Thanking & praising God! 

Tonight is the day that I have to get rid of the shaky nerves and put it all in GOD'S hands.  After a few days of serious insomnia (I'm getting ready to go crack some zzzzzs now), I finally got it in my head and heart  that HE's leading and we are following :)  Like Vanessa Bell Armstrong sings, " I have the faith to see the invisible, expect the incredible, receive the impossible; oh faith that can conquer any, anything."

And since I can't post without having a picture,  I did do another layout last week.....hoarder stash used!




Am gonna be taking a blog break until we get Thing 2's surgery under our belt and focus on him and his recovery...Keep praying for him and his surgeon & for a speedy recovery (well, as speedy as you can  after having the equivalent of brain surgery :)

This was the view from my airplane seat coming back home and I'll admit, after burying my niece, it WAS a beautiful site but a heartwrenching site too...I got all choked up and emotional on the plane...Something about the clouds and the view and the finality of it all...I think the lady sitting next to me probably thought I was crazy since I just couldn't stop the tears, but she was very kind and never said a word :):) and I thank her :)
I was a bit sick before I left and so now that I am back home, I am still feeling under the weather (I'm worn out-allergies plus who knows what else))  BUT, I am taking the time now to answer emails (but not phone calls yet)...I want to thank all of those who sent me a message here on the blog and also to my email accounts; it was heartwarming to know that many have experienced the same heartache...the outpouring of love, support and prayers for me and my family were so appreciated!!

DOMINIQUE ROSITA CARTER- LOVED AND ADORED

It is with an extremely heavy heart and many tears that I post...Death is not one of those subjects we all want to talk about or even blog about, BUT we got one of those dreaded calls early this morning letting me know that my young, vibrant, beautiful 30 year old niece was the victim of a senseless shooting and died early this morning ....30 years young, in the prime of her life....killed by unknown person (s) who sought to take her away from a family that loved her.    We have no answers, only heartbreak, sorrow and tears. 
 I'll never forget how excited I was to meet this girl and how happy I was when I graduated high school and got to go spend the summer with them and meet her for the first time!  She was the sweetest baby girl and god, I held her night and day to the point where she had to fall asleep in my arms :) much to my sister's dismay :):)

back in the day when I was changing her diapers

We bring our children up hoping to protect them and keep them safe from this crazy world....it's heartbreaking to know that today just wasn't one of those days; we weren't there to protect her...there is no "do-over."
  
Dominique was a wonderful, beautiful (her beauty was breathtaking), loving, carefree, intelligent, hardworking daughter, sister, niece, cousin, friend and also a mother.  I know we are all braver than we think we are in times of tragedy and only time will not let this be so painful...this post is for those who love her and for who she loved; her death and her life will impact many.  The strong, loving, happy memories we have of her will always be in our hearts and minds. 

 

well, we folks on the East Coast definitely didn't see this coming!  I mean, in the county I live in, it runs far west so on one side, we've got the hurricane rains and then to the west, some snow?? so far, we've just had about 12 hours of rain and its a bit chilly but I am so glad that we got the pumpkin patch outta the way before the storm came! I had procrastinated till the end....

We decided to try a new place this year and we went to Spring Meadow Farm in Upperco...and I hate to say it, but the pictures make it look better than it was...it was cheesy and definitely not worth the admission price!  I have a thing about picking my own pumpkins from out in the field and the website made it look like that was an option but it wasn't..at least if you want me to pick one from your store area, have a HUGE selection!  Not to mention their corn maze looked like shit. And their kiddie ride thingees smelled funny & stinky and are probably the reason why Thing 2 is sick today...call me picky...From now on, it's either Sharp's at Waterford or either Homestead Gardens....

SO anyway, we spent the day together and as long as Thing 2 was happy.....

We decided to go to our local farmer's market to buy our pumpkins:









the boy went traditional but the girl just HAD to be different and didn't want to use a template-she wanted to freestyle her own sugar skull- you see what happened!  I had to then "fix it" with toothpicks!  Mommy was the smart one and used a template from ZombiePumkins...Team IronMan in da house!!!


and here you go...

am finally getting around to scrapping my husbands side of the family...we don't have very many pictures of them for some odd reason so I work with what I got...it ain't much...maybe 10 pictures?

He doesn't remember how old he was exactly in this picture; he thinks maybe around age 16 or so...10th or 11th grade...hence the reason why we scrapbook!  So that when you are 50 and can't remember....LOL...but this is the hubs and his dad who we still miss terribly..you can see why my kids have that crazy metabolism and are all so dang tall ???? The Boddy side of the family is all vertically challenged!
I think I used tons of October Afternoon here....vintage rubons I'm gonna guess may be Cosmo Cricket...and of course I had to add my favorite supply- AFlair for Buttons typewriter button :):)

Just wanted to say congrats to my twin sis (see left) for starting a new job this week!  
30 minute layout with papers I had been hoarding for who knows how long??? And, just an FYI that  liquid pearls are my new addiction!  and just a reminder that you gotta scrap the imperfect photos too!   I was doing a self pic of us and when I looked, the setting was "IN YO FACE" close...she wanted to delete it but I liked it and so voila, untouched closeup...we are who we are......shame I'm so damn short though that she has to bend down in the pic-I'm vertically challenged as my dad told me earlier this week :):)

SAVE THE DATE!!
SENSORY FRIENDLY MOVIE EVENT - FRANKENWEENIE

Saturday, October 13, 2012, 10:00 a.m.
AMC Theaters Columbia Mall
The movie “Frankenweenie” will be the feature for this month’s presentation. During the showing the lights will be kept up and the volume will be kept down. Sensory breaks are encouraged.
** Doors open at 9:30a.m.  and the movie starts at 10:00 a.m. with no trailers. Sponsored by The Howard County Autism Society and AMC Theatres Columbia Mall. Tickets are $6 a person at the door. Open to all families of individuals with special needs.