Worth the "fight?"...

I know, I know...I said I'd be back w/ another "inspirational" type post much sooner than life actually allowed for...LOL...truth be told...this is one of those posts where I think I will click "publish" and then go, OMG...overshare.   But...you guys know me...I'm not one to 'hold back'-so here is your disclaimer and you can choose whether or not to read, haha :)

Today I have a question for you, and I'll try not to make this sound like a Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy skit because I truly do, wonder what other people's train of thought is regarding this...I wonder if people think the way I do on this subject:

Have you ever wondered...does it EVEN matter?  What I mean is, all that we "fight for"...

I sat awake one night, not too long ago, thinking of something.  If you are a Christian, like I am-or actually, even if you're NOT-it seems to me that in MANY other faiths-most of us believe that when we die, we will hopefully 'pass on'-to an afterlife- go to Heaven-or SOME enlightened place-and even more than that-we will be made "perfect".  That we will ALL be TOGETHER one day, living in HARMONY.   Ashes to ashes-back to a life without sin or evil.   If you think about it...that being said...what is the POINT, then,  of shutting people we love-or even just those we are SUPPOSED to be nice to, out of our lives?  What is the point of wasting precious time that we could be spending together...ENJOYING each other...and LOVING each other, if ALL of us came to the realization that none of our 'earthly' battles MATTER.

Now of course, before you all start commenting-I KNOW.  There are people out there who have NO intention of letting their guards down enough to ever agree with this.   I 100% COMPLETELY and totally realize that this wouldn't be possible unless EVERY human being was on board.  Will it happen?  Probably not.  But it just makes me sad to think of the time that some people waste on earth...shutting people out, judging...ANALYZING...measuring and blaming..when in reality, if they believe what I believe, one day we will all walk hand in hand, laughing, hugging... LOVING.  PERFECT hearts and souls united.  How unfortunate then, that the world has made some people so jaded...so stubborn...that it will most likely be a RE-uniting in heaven...instead of before then.  Just seems a little pointless, doesn't it?  Such a waste of time here on Earth...

I recently read a story in the newspaper about a young boy who was declared dead for several minutes before doctors were able to revive him.  He told a story about how he was with his grandmother and his sister- a young girl in heaven.  This astonished his parents and family members because he did indeed have a sister-only she was a miscarried pregnancy that he never knew of.    Expert critics agreed that surely this must have been a slip-up and that he must have overheard his parents talking about it at one point or another...his parents go so far to even agree with that, because they are still convinced the boy did in fact, go to heaven.   His father claims that the boy knew of BOTH his parents whereabouts during the time he was declared dead and that there would be no way to know that unless this were true... there were numerous other little signs here and there that really make believers out of even the most skeptical of people.... Where am I going with this?

I am SO. NOT. perfect...soooo far from it, actually...I'm just a girl iscovering the work in progress that I am...and I am LOVING life for the most part.  I am so thankful for that.  I'm very happy.  But, I am also waiting and praying on others to make this same realization and to be blessed with the resolve decision making that it's not worth wasting earthly time over things that will be completely insignificant when the time comes.   I am just grateful that I'm in a place in my life where I would welcome these people back with loving, open arms as opposed to the less-mature, less enlightened outlook I may have had a few years ago.

It's one thing to say "life is too short".  That is SO true-and sooo much of the reason I choose happiness-every chance I GET.   Practice what  I preach in this regard?  You bet.  I've seen and heard about enough horrible things happening-that i try to live this way every day.  But BEYOND this life...when I hope to 'pass on'-there won't be any room for the reasons that we may have chosen to alienate each other today, right?  SO WHY BOTHER.   Again-I'm not saying it's possible-in this life- for everyone to do this, although I so wish it was.  It's just something I thought long and hard about and just had to share to 'put it out there' since you've always been respectful to me and I respect all of you,too.  Maybe this will help someone...maybe some of you will think "yes, I have wondered that myself!"

I'm not a fighter.  I used to be, kinda.  I'm not sure that I can even tell you why, other than the fact that I have always let my feelings and/or my intellect challenge things...myself.  Others.  Instead of just being content w/ what I knew or how I felt, I always went after the 'what if's" or the "yeah, but's".  Now, I'm just here for the ride.  I still enjoy the 'mastering' of things, the challenging-but I'm mostly of the mindset now that we never really 'master" anything because we are NOT MEANT TO.  Take stamping for instance.  If I thought i was the master stamper...master colorist...master paper-putter-together...would I have anything left to learn?  NO.  And that, in time-in fact, in a very SHORT time, would make me BORING.  outdated.  washed up.  In this same sense, I think that some people out there live their lives trying to 'master' people...whether it's for the sake of 'figuring them out', or 'analyzing their every move', or simply to feel 'smarter' than them... I'm not really sure why this is necessary.  Again-let's just enjoy the ride.   While I will never want to stop learning, or more importantly, IMPROVING,  I think once we condition ourselves that we are not "masters' at anything, that's when real knowledge and wisdom find us.   Truth finds us.  Truth is so good.

I think FULFILLMENT is another huge factor in why we feel the need to "fight" for something.  In fact, I know people who have gone their whole LIFE fighting for something, because at one point or another, they are sadly...desperately unfulfilled.  Granted, there are some severe injustices in this world...things worth fighting FOR.   But I know people who "fight" just because, for some reason, they aren't feeling fulfilled...whether it's physically...emotionally...financially...or even moreso, a feeling of entitlement.  Who are WE to say who's entitled to what and who's not again?  Oh, right.  We are not.  I know I'm not.

Speaking of fulfillment, this really struck a chord with me:

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. ~H. Jackson Browne  

While I believe in this 100%, ultimately, as I've been saying in this post-I also believe that all roads lead to the same place in the end....so why not start NOW? Why not spread MORE. love. NOW.  It's a challenging thought for an earthly being, but as I said-Christian or not, IF we believe in a heaven, an afterlife...how can we deny that perfect co-existence won't happen?  Wouldn't it be SO, SO nice to start know and live in that comfort?  Imagine the things that we could ALL put behind us.

Maybe by now,  I sound like I'm rambling... I'm just hoping that my post helps one person today...and if not, that's ok too-I just think the world would look a lot better if we all un-curled the fists we put up at times....you never know...we might just find this:

LIVE.

LOVE.

LAUGH.

SMILE.

Is there ANYTHING more important?...

love you guys...

I've been TAGGED....x3!!!

Alright folks, I've been TAGGED...times three!

Three of my favorite bloggin' buddies ALL tagged me today! How funny is that? My good friends Christie, Bonnie, and Charlene, who all happen to be from CANADA (I guess that's what happens when they're snowed in LOL!) tagged me in this fun little game...it's actually short and sweet so here goes:

1. Go to where you keep your pictures, select the 6th folder, and the 6th picture in that folder.

2. Then post it on your blog with an explanation of the story behind the picture.

3. Tag 6 other people to do the same, and make sure you let them know about it.

Ok, so here's my 6th pic from my 6th folder. I have to laugh at the pics of the other girls. At least this one is a chance to brag about my kiddos :) This is a pic from last year when we took a day trip to Springfield, IL. We went to breakfast at a place that DH actually saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives on the Food Network. I'm gonna say it was a dive, well, and a diner LOL! They are famous for this breakfast called a "shoe", AKA Heart attack on a plate. I'll try to find the episode online. Holy Moly Cholesterol but totally a fun experience. They also had an 18" pancake on the menu, and I think it cost about $20 for a family of 6 to eat.

Anyway, after that, we went to the Illinois State Capitol, the Governor's ( AKA Lego Man hair: don't even get me started) mansion, and then Lincoln's Home and tomb. It was a fun day. This photo is of my beautiful daughter (and the founder of our Twinkling Tuesday Team!) and adorable son who loves to make faces as you can see. This was standing over the Illinois State Senate...kinda cool when you think that Obama was still a Senator at the time. It was a nice day.

Alright, and now for the moment you've ALL been waiting for....my turn to tag y'all... You know, technically I COULD pick 18 of you b/c I was tagged three times...but I'll be gentle hee hee.

TAG, you're it: (I'm SORRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!)

Jen Pontow

Taylor Usry

Heather Schlatter

Janna Hull

Darla Wilson

Jacquie Peifer

Now you can all grrrrrrrr at me behind my back...Or to my face...I don't mind ;) hee hee! Hugs girlz :D

ONLY ONE MORE DAY!!!

Ok, this is a non-stamping post but in a way it SORT OF is b/c had it not been for my good friend and long time SU demo/enabler/supplier Darla I would never have stumbled upon the best book series ever...

TWILIGHT!

Yes, yes I am.

I am going to stand in line with a bunch of teenagers, with a bunch of my grown-up girlfriends, all of us probably acting like teenagers, clutching my ticket for the 7:45 show and for approximately two hours, go somewhere else...

I am going to sit back, big bucket o' popcorn in hand and dive right into remembering the thousands of pages I read this summer that I just couldn't put down...

I am going to oooh, ahhh, compare, critique, boo, applaud....you name it, the accuracy between movie and book and talk about it with my girlfriends for days....heck ,WEEKS to come....

I am going to see....

TWILIGHT....The MOVIE! Coming to a theatre near me tomorrow night!

Although I am not looking forward to competing with little teeny boppers for my moment in time with Edward, I guess when you go to opening night, that's par for the course... besides, REAL vampires prefer older, more sophisticated women, right? LOL.

I am going to go stamp now as it is ever apparent that I "don't get out much". Can you TELL?

Sometimes...when you think no one's looking...

...a child does the cutest, funniest, and most heart-melting little thing!

I decided that NO card could be cute enough to compete with what I found last night before I went to bed! So, I bring you today's post w/ a little bit of background info...

My little princess (who happens to be BFF's with our dog, Doc) turns 3 later this month. She is still sleeping in a crib and has had no real interest in a big girl bed. However, now that we've got the potty thing down, we thought we'd experiment with letting her sleep in a bed vs. crib.

Well, last night, when I was cleaning up the kitchen, she must have wanted to be nearer to where the action was so VERY quietly snuck into the living room. I did see this briefly, and told her that it was time to go back to sleep.

She obliged, only on the couch this time. I could only see her little feet from the kitchen, but I knew she'd stay put so I decided she could stay there for a few more minutes while I'd finish up my stuff and then bring her back to her bedroom....

About ten minutes later...THIS is what I found....
Yep, BOTH of them...sound asleep... NEITHER of them woke up for the 5 pictures I took of them either LOL! Aren't kids the greatest???

Potty Princess!

Hey all...Happy Sunday! We've had quite the busy week here! My latest "project" took a few days to complete (which is NO TIME in the grand scheme of things), and didn't involve ANY stamping....

Let me show you the beginnings of my little project:


Uh, NO, I didn't MAKE that! LOL. This is the (TOTALLY FAB) ridiculously cute potty "throne" that Grandma and Grandpa bought my DD last year for her 2nd Bday. She was SO excited, that she sat on it...ONCE. During the weeks that followed her 2nd bday, we'd give it a whirl every once in a while and she'd sit on it...ONCE. Absolutely NO interest.

Thankfully, my 5 years of experience working in Pediatrics and also many, many hours reading child development books (oh, and the "little" detail that I've done this 3 times before LOL...even w/ twin boys!) taught me not to push her....ESPECIALLY her...my strong willed wee one. I didn't want to make it a negative experience in any way. So, we waited a few months...NAH, not ready. Ok, no problem.

She will be 3 next month. My parents were starting to get nervous, and well, pull ups are $$$$! Still, I didn't sweat it. After all, she misses the school cut off so it's one more year before preschool anyway..when she'd HAVE to be potty-trained. I figured it would come long before then, anyway. I have faith in my lil' sweet pea :)

Well....this past Wednesday, she said "I think I want to go potty". OKAY!!! Soooo, we sat...for about an hour (she wanted to stay LOL)...nothing to report. We got up, and went about our day. After her nap, I noticed she was dry. I said "honey, you stayed dry during your nap! Do you think you need to go potty now?" She said "Sure, mom" (her exact words :) We sat...and VOILA! The tape recorder in my head will NEVER forget that smile. "I DID IT!"

We called Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa and they were all thrilled. I couldn't imagine it'd be so easy the next time, but about an hour later, she had NO problems telling me it was time again. That night? DRY! The NEXT night? DRY! It's so funny how these kids just decide to do it and they DO IT. No accidents, no night time stuff...just DONE!

Proud Mommy moments like these make me happier than anything else :)

Daddy, too! He went out and bought her this "Baby Alive" doll (creepy!) that pees, too! She even comes w/ her own potty LOL. It's a little scary to me, the way she opens her eyes "blinks", and talks (not to mention goes to the bathroom?), but, my sweet pea has been seeing this on TV and telling us she wants it for a while and well...have I MENTIONED she's a bit wrapped around our fingers? Daddy's twice ;)

Well, I'll be back tomorrow with a project that involves PAPER! I have a lot coming up this week and can't wait to share it with you! Thanks for reading and hope your Sunday is fantastic! Hugs, Jess :)

The TRUE meaning of Mother's Day...

Cost of a box of kleenex to wipe your two sick boys' noses? $2.99

Cost of Chinese take-out from Heng Wing (my fave. chinese place) since we were all staying in but Mom got to choose dinner? $43.80

Staying home from your parents' house and away from Grandma to avoid getting my OWN Mother sick on Mother's day? PRICELESS. :)

Boy, do I wish I'd have had makeup on for this picture, but this is how it is, baby. Everyone in their pj's, me in my sweats and hanging out on the couch, reading stories and watching a little tv before bedtime... just a typical day in the life, I suppose!

This was the first Mother's Day that we didn't do something "big"...and well, I must admit there was much disappointment when I realized there would be no family shin-dig (yeah, if you know me then you know we are ALL about the family gatherings!) yesterday. Admittedly, there is also nothing funnier than hearing a boy say to you "I'm not sick" as he takes his hand to wipe his nose all over his sick little face...

This was of course, after I was presented with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in my bed at about 9am. YEP...NINE A.M.!!! There is definitely something to be said for gloomy, rainy days that make it dark in the kids' rooms later. We all got to sleep in, and we all needed it. Any sleep I get after 7 am makes me feel like a whole new person, ya know...

So yes, I LOVED my bowl brimming over the edge being presented to me by my twin 6 yr old boys with the biggest smile on their faces. I will admit wondering what my kitchen looked like during and after this process, but I let it go b/c it was so sweet of them. So, I ate and we all snuggled for a while and then they all "whispered" to my oldest about when it would be appropriate to give me my cards. They all scattered, then came back with them. I wish I could post them they were so cute and appropriate but I didn't think to take pics of them...

After I opened my assortment of cards and handmade gifts (LOVE those!!!), we hung out and I did a little stamping even for some orders I have coming up this week. I wish I could say I "worked" yesterday, but we all know that stamping is what I love, so this was ok with me...we just won't let that little secret out.

I called my Mom...broke the news about the petri dish of germ-infested goodies we had going on over here...and she gladly accepted my cancellation LOL. We were all so disappointed...I think for me, not getting to be with HER was the worst part since I had my kids with me eitherway. Also disappointing was not getting to meet my sister's new boyfriend at dinner...oh well...she dodged a bullet for the meantime!

Then I decided that Mommy (me-mommy) deserved to treat herself to Starbucks. Their new Pike Place coffee rocks my world, so we got in the car and drove there, the boys both reluctant. In fact, I even caught one saying to the other "I know, I don't want to go either but it's mudders day so we HAVE to go". I thought this was cute although I wondered if this was the end of the complaining. For some reason they just don't like to go there. I get to hear about how often I go and how many cups of coffee I "alweddy" drank at home LOL...keeps me in check, I guess!

On the way there (oh, it's a FIVE minute drive for those who don't know), there were two blanket fights, a seat-kicking incident (HATE that!), one insult uttered from the girl to a boy, a crying two year old due to the fact that someone took HER blanket to initiate it into the fight as well, and a phone call from a friend wishing me a happy mother's day. I laughed knowing she could hear all the chaos...and said "you know, this is what it's ALL about, isn't it?" Just sort of ironic, almost poetic although not in the prettiest of ways.

I was SO completely annoyed by the time I pulled up to order my freaking Grande with cream and two raw sugars. Oh, and then we got to play the drive-through game. You guys all know that one, right? Where the minute the mad kid pulls into the drive through the yelling gets louder, kind of like a dying seagull? Oh, and this time we got to hear mock McDonald's orders too just to confuse the drive-thru lady and piss me off. It was awesome...NOT. We finally drove through, as i was wished a Happy Mother's day and the girl laughed as we drove off and I thanked her.

The next few minutes home were spent explaining what they had done wrong and threatening that if there weren't immediate apologies and repentences that they'd spend the rest of the afternoon in their rooms, etc...you ALL know the drill. Wow...that was fun, I said. Then it got quiet. A few apologies were made from sister to brother, brother to sister, children to mom. We got out of the car and into the house and I thought "now what?" . I was so annoyed but at the same time, all the sudden a wave of laughter came over me. I didn't think anyone noticed, but minutes later, the boys started giggling even though they had no idea why I was. Well, once they start it's contagious-they have the BEST giggle...Pretty soon, the five of us were sitting at the kitchen table (where i had plopped myself down in exhaustion to sip my freaking cup of coffee) just cracking up. I had tears in my eyes i was laughing so hard, all the while just thinking to myself "yep, this is it. THIS is what it's all about."

Not ONE word was exchanged about why Mommy lost her marbles and started cracking up at the table. The rest of the day we just hung out...I myself had a scratchy throat so we just watched some movies, did some crafts while the kids colored, ate some yummy Chinese and then later I was presented another gift...my mini "photo studio in a box" that I've been wanting for my business to showcase my cards/journals on an all white background (that is what the "deflector" is in the picture above).

It kinda dawned on me that Mother's Day is everyday. I mean, ok that's cliche and i've always really KNOWN that, but still...They should just call that one Sunday in May "Mom gets to drive to Starbucks alone day" or some crap, right? LOL... I have everything I could ever want in those four rascals. Don't get me wrong, having the new Canon Digital Rebel (yep! I got it last week YEAH BABY!!!) to capture them and moments like the one above makes life all the sweeter...but no matter what, I couldn't be more blessed with those kids and with my own Mother. My only regret about yesterday is not getting to hang with my own Mom...but I will definitely make up for that as soon as we are not all infested with germs! Yeah, I know...good luck w/ that :D

Blessed-Martina McBride

"I get kissed by the sun each morning, put my feet on a hardwood floor

I get to hear my children laughing down the hall through the bedroom door

Sometimes I sit on my front porch just soaking up the day

I think to myself, I think to myself this world is a beautiful place....

I have been blessed and I feel like I've found my way

I thank God for all I've been given at the end of every day

I have been blessed with so much more than I deserve...to be here with the ones that love me,

To love them so much it hurts...I have been Blessed."

COUNTDOWN TO CHARLESTON!

I am so excited about this upcoming trip, that I've decided to take a break from all things card-and-journal making and blah-blah-blog about my upcoming trip! Although on one exciting card note, my ATC Cupcake swap is full, so i'm excited about that! This time I will make sure to highlight some memorable ATC's and post them on my blog page for everyone to see.

Anyway, back to my beloved, Charleston, SC. I just found out that my husband has yet-again impeccable timing and has chosen his vaca. week during the Annual Home & Garden festival, which means I will be able to stroll the Battery once again and actually be able to GO inside these gorgeous homes! Yeah me! It's like that show Cribs, only in REAL LIFE! ha ha ha

Anyway, I will TRY to update the blog more regularly now that the new website is up and running. With that in mind, I am just beat! It's been a long few weeks, so let the countdown begin!!! T-10..... Love to all y'all... :)Jess