1st Christmas

Emotionally dad and I are not very good for each other, the second I walked into your house yesterday morning dad started crying and then so did I. He misses you so much and so do I. He did real good for the rest of the day. We all came here for dinner because dad asked if we could, as he decided it would be too much work for him, so they all came. It was good. I hope next year something different happens, because I know Todd won't be coming next year, as he has a family and he needs to start his own traditions. Maybe dad could go there, who knows, maybe a cruise. I really worry about him, there has been a lot of support for him from your friends.

Birthday

Well I made it through my first birthday without you. It was hard buy honestly I tried not to think about you so I wouldn't cry. We went to the new sports bar they opened at Desert Ridge. I don't think you would have liked it, it was rather loud and there were lots of t.v.'s with sports on. Not sure I like it either. You know I get sad because I cannot feel you and I thought as close as we were I would be able to. Maybe that will come later, here is a picture I took of the chairs you guys sat in at your party to send to Luon so she can make me another one, and look at the orb that is there by your chair, is that you watching us. Could you please take care of Canyon, he is having such a hard time staying out of trouble and being on the wrestling team. Could you help me understand him so I can work with him, He is hard mom.

And ignore the mess, that is where Canyon drops all his wresting gerar as he comes into the house.

Shopping with Dad

You needed a new love seat, so I went with dad to help him find one today. He really had no idea how expensive things had become, were were thinking of having a gray leather one made because it would have matched your purple couch, until the price came out and dad said there was no way he was paying that much for a couch. We found a nice leather beige colored one that will look nice in there and be comfortable for dad. Your headstone looks real nice.

I miss you,

Kimberley

CONCERT

Last night was Canyons Christmas concert. We saved a seat for you right next to dad. I know you were there in spirit. Who knew a year earlier you would not be around for the next one. Canyon did well. ,I love you, talk with you later,

Kimberley

Hi Mom

One holiday down, we did pretty good yesterday. It was the day before that thoughts of you would come out of no where and cause me to be sad. I really have to try hard not to think about you, otherwise I cannot stop crying. Dad is doing well. He came over for awhile yesterday, I don't think he has found his groove yet. I don't think it will be until after the holidays that that happens. Cayden has been really sick so I am calling the Doctors today to see if I can get him in. Poor little guy he is so sweet. I love you mom.

Angels

Cayden told me he made an angel today out of his blocks, I think these are for you. What a caring sole. Mom, dad is really going to need to feel you tomorrow. Todd and Kellie left today and Kathleen is leaving in the morning. Could you give him a hug so he knows you are around. He is scared mom and so am I. What are we going to do without you. I miss you so much, I cannot even imagine what dad must be going through. Just seeing him breaks my heart. Please take care of him mom. I am going to try, I gave him a card from our counselor maybe he will see her or someone else to help take the edge off. . I LOVE YOU

I LOVE YOU MOM

Have a safe trip to heaven. Already a sign you are with me my amaryllis poked through the dirt today. I will give them to dad as a sign you are still with us.

Air brush copic markers

since the first day of school we have already had fall break and are now into the third week of the second nine weeks. Funny how you look at a year when you are a teacher. Anyway over fall break I was the only one home during the day. Very strange Cayden had school, for the first time, I woud always keep him home with me on breaks since it was daycare, this time he was at school and I was at home. I loved being able to take him to school each day and be there like the other parents to pick him up after school. While I was home, I got out my airbrush and copic markers and created this bag and pencil or makeup holder. I don't carry makeup around with me but I have all kinds of drawing utensils in my purse I will use this bag to keep them all in.

1st Week of Kindergarten

Always a Battle

Flamingo

This is a Flamingo I purchased from http://jenniferajones.typepad.com/chasingthepesticidetruck/

Looks great in this frame.

What Was Inside the Bag

Here is a picture of the things I sent to my brother and sister in law, for the baby that is never going to get here.

15 years

It has been fifteen years since Canyon was born, hard to believe but even harder not to forget, we spent two weeks wondering if he would make it and if he would get to come home. It is very hard to have a baby and not be able to take him home. I remember like it was yesterday the nurse saying there was something wrong with baby Schuster, he was not breathing right, and for the next two weeks he stayed in intensive care while they tried to fight the spinal meningitis. Every day we went to the hospital at all hours to sit with him. To this day, I have to thank that nurse who was so well away of her job to notice that something was wrong with my son immediately and do something about it, before it was to late. I remember when he could first be taken out of his little incubator and be held my husband and I fought over who would get to be first, and for two weeks all we could do was look and talk to him. When they sent him home, he came with a plug in his head, so he could have injections three times a day. What a way to start a life. I am sure all the disabilities we see in him now stem from this hard start in life. But when you do not have a choice you do what you need to save a life and worry about the consequences later.

Stampotique Challenge

there is a whole lot more color on this card, it just does not show up, the background where the faces are is shaded in as are the faces, first time I have used our new printer. Does a vey sharp picture, just not sure about the color.

YuDu machine

I must confess ever since I bought that machine I have been rather afraid of it. The few times I used it I could not get a screen to burn, so I put it away in my Harry Potter room and have been tripping over it for the past year every time I go in and out of there. My daughter has been giving me grief about not using it, so I finally decided to get it out and see if it even worked any more. Now I am addicted. I have figured out the screen process, not hard just follow the directions, and have been using it non stop. It takes up a major part of the kitchen oh well, who needs dinner anyway.

Bag

Madet his bag for my brother and sister in law. they are having a baby, I am filling it with all kinds of baby stuff, will show a picture of all that I made and am sending next post.

Water bottles

And what do you do with the rest of the waterbottles? Why make flower of course!!!!

Third installment

Here is the third installment of Toy Story Three. When we won our four free tickets, I was told we were the grand prize winner and would receive free merchandise. I figured it would be some cheesy toys. The box arrived and it was full of some very expensive toys. I was surprised. I mean we never win anything. There were two Potato heads, one dressed as Buzz Lighyear and the other one dressed as Woody. There was a Buzz Lighyear Operation Game, and the all time favorite to shoot us with is some sort of gun that shoots discs. Cayden was thrilled to get a box in the mail, it came while he was swimming.

I Think He Liked The Movie

Toy Story 3

We won 4 free passes to a screening of this movie.

Caitlins Birthday

This is what Caitlin woke up to this morning. Her friend decorated her car for her birthday.

Notebook covers

I made these notebook covers for all the secretaries at our school. Unfortunately we have christmas colors. Learned how to make this in my sewing class, and wanted to practice more so I made them each one.

Hello Kitty

A t-shirt I embroidered for my neice.

Drownings

I do not understand what is wrong with people in this town, I cannot listen to the news anymore, every day there is another story of a child in critical condition because they fell in the pool. Don't people watch their children. I keep hearing on the news they were in the water at least 20 minutes, how as a parent can you not know where you child is every second. If you can't watch your child then don't have a pool, better yet don' have children.

When Cayden was born we did not have a fence around our pool,we had a nice yard and I did not want to ruin it with a fence,mobile,not only did I feel a fence with a self closing and locking gate was not enough, we put a self sliding back door in, and I am thinking we need to fence the top so he does not climb over. I know where he is every minute. Parents who let this happen should not be parents. Accidents happen but these are our children and we need to take care of them.

Stampotique Girly Girl challenge

Copic Markers

I took a class her in town offered by the makers of Copic Markers to learn to use them, the class was for store owners, and then opened up to others if there was space left, I was an other, and I was allowed in. The person here in the picture is Maryanne, she used to be an art teacher, and I wish she would have run the whole class as I learned more from her one demo. then the other teacher all day.

Water bottle wreath tutorial

The bottom of these water bottles remind me of flowers, so I cut the bottom off of several, using first a kitchen knife, and then scissors to trim the edges.

Once all the pieces were cut out, I painted the inside and the outside, it took a few layers of paint to get a good coating.

Using a strafoam wreath from the craft store, and a glue gun, I glued down each piece, The heat from the glue melted some of the plastic to give it a unique feel.

Meeting

We met with the advocate for Canyon to help us navigate the high school system to get him on the right track so he can be successful in school. What a knowledgeable person she is. She read his evaluation and had a lot of suggestions for us, and is going to recommend some more testing for him, at the schools expense. Oh boy wait until we show up at the school with her. We cannot move forward until we get a copy of his current IEP, after spring break is over. The one thing that really stuck out in my mind that there is a reason Canyon does what he does, he may not be able to verbalize it to us. Like not using soap, because he is so tactile and everything bothers him, it could be the fact that he cannot stand the feel of soap on him. It really helped having a stranger read the situation and give us some possible suggestions, and know that there is someone else out there to help us with this battle.

Stampotique Challenge #3

Next time I will take a picture and upload it, the scanner just does not do a very good job with the color. Maybe it is time for a new scanner.

School

This week is my Spring Break, or I thought it was. I have spent most of the time on the phone learning about the Special Education Process. We had my sons' IEP meeting at school on Tuesday, Doug and I had a list of all the things we wanted to cover because of all the problems my son is having in school. When we left there we were shaking our heads as to what happened. We were kind of steam rolled over. They went over his goals, which I could give a ____ about. I am concerned about his accommodations, which I found out there were not following from his IEP that he brought with him from the junior high. I have been on the phone with the Arizona Center for Disabilities, they gave me a ton of things I can be doing, and gave me the names of a rep. in our area who can help us wade through this mess to get the help my son needs to get through high school successfully. Why does it have to be like this. Why cant teachers who have special needs students in there classes have a little bit of humanism in them to make them feel like the rest. Being a teacher, I certainly don't single out the special needs students, and I give all students reminder about assignments and homework, I don't think to many freshmen in high school are responsible disabilities or not, and could always use some reminders. What is so hard about that, as they years progress the students will mature and hopefully become more responsible. Any way back on track, the next step is to request a meeting with the Director of Special Education, they have 15 days to respond to our request if they do not then we file a complaint with the department of education. Why is having an education for my son so complicated?

Stampotique Challenge # 2

This challenge was very hard, first because I have never made cards before except for the one I did for challenge 1, all my supplies are kept in the Harry Potter room(the room under the stairs.) and anywhere else I can stash stuff. By the time I have everything rounded up it is usually time for dinner or homework or one of another million things that need to be done. Well guess what besides dinner nothing else got done. Laundry still not put away. Tomorrow, and finally this was a hard challenge because of the color scheme. These are very mellow colors for me. I am quite embarrassed to say I have quite a few Stampotique Original stamps, I dug them all out of where they were stashed about the house to see what I would use, and I did not realize I had as many as I did. I guess it is a good thing there store is no longer on my way home from work, having to order on line does slow you down a bit.

Stampotique Originals

Kids

Heres what happens when you turn the kids loose in the kitchen aside from the fact the cupcakes are pink the mess is everywhere.

Tonia Davenport

Last saturday Molly and I took a class from Tonia, we made the pencil necklace, I had to take the photo from her blog, as I could not get a decent picture of the necklace, the plexiglass made it foggy. A new medium I have not tried,and I like it, not exactly like fabric, but it can be cut, died, drilled, stenciled, and scratched if you are not careful.

Peace