My friend, Jeanie

I have a friend named Jeanie who holds a very special place in my heart. She nicknamed me "Scrappy" and we've worked together for the past seven years. She makes beautiful jewelry and she is always helping others, cheering people up, and she makes the world a better place because she's such a good person.

Why am I sharing all this? Because Jeanie can use some good wishes and lots of prayers, too! She has endured some tough times as a single mom and she has had some health issues as well. This past weekend, after going to the doctor because she got this weird numb sensation on the right side of her body, she ended up going to the hospital. They thought she had a stroke brought on by very high blood sugar. She was diagnosed as diabetic and today she was told she has Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

I know that Jeanie will be okay, but a lot has happened and she can use some prayers to help her regain her strength. If she manages her stress, takes care of herself, takes her medication and has faith, I know that she will be fine. It won't happen overnight, but I pray that she finds peace and serenity to get through this. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you!

The BEST night ever!!!

I am tired. I am sore. My voice is hoarse. We waited 2 1/2 hours outside the Bank Atlantic Center before the building was cleared of a bomb threat because some cowardly idiot felt he/she had to TRY and ruin every one's night. I'm happy to report that he/she did not succeed!!! Not even close. The stadium was sold out. There was not one empty seat in the house. This was just a frustrating inconvenience followed by the best night EVER!!!

I got to see BON JOVI in concert last night!!!! Whoohoo! Yippee!



My DH and I had floor seats and they were on the end so I got to see my men pretty well and I wouldn't want anything less. This was my third Bon Jovi concert and the best one yet!!! Jon, Richie and the boys just keep getting better with age. Sexier, more energetic and hotter than I can ever remember (even as a 7th grader!). Yes, I have followed this band and been a huge fan since Junior High. It's my biggest obsession... I just cannot get enough of them!

I got a few decent photos (thanks to my DH, who also brought me a pair of binoculars) with my little point and shoot digital camera. Funny enough, my camera was so slow at times that someone from the event staff actually came up to me and said, "That's not a video, is it?" No, it's just a very slow camera!



I had so much fun!!! I can't remember the last time that I had such a blast. I was a complete lunatic! I was yelling and screaming and jumping around and swinging my head and raising my arms. Whoa! It felt good :-) Afterwards I was completely giddy. I still am I guess. BON JOVI ROCKS!!!



What can I say? I love these guys!!! Oh, and did I mention that Chris Daughtry from American Idol fame opened up for them??? He was awesome! At one point, he got to come back and sing with Jon on stage. Wow!

I cannot wait till the next concert and maybe then I will splurge for a VIP pass. Sorry, honey, but I have to do this! LOL!!!

Heidi Swapp goodness and hopes for the future

Hi my scrappy friends!

My friend Damaris launched her scrapbook kit club this week and her first kit is full of the new Heidi Swapp Runway Collection and I LOVE it all! I can't wait to get my hands on it next week so I can play. At last count, she only had 8 of them left so visit her blog if you're interested. The photo above is a close up shot from Dayami's blog - thanks girlie! LOL!

Also, I have to share this with you all because I LOVE this idea. Trish from Work in Progress always comes up with very creative and heartwarming ideas and she never ceases to amaze me. She created this "I hope" album as a gift for loved ones and she shared the concept on her blog so check it out.

It's such a sweet and inspirational album idea. Something that I know I would cherish for years to come!!! I immediately thought of my Mom because I have this CD that my Aunt Mae gave me after my Mom passed away with Leann Womack's "I hope you dance," a song that I hold dear in my heart. Some of the lyrics to that song would be perfect to include in this type of "I hope" album... It's also a great concept for a best friend or other loved one... Hmm...



OK, it's late and I should go to bed... Thanks for stopping by!

Scrappy Saturday

Thanks to all of you wonderful ladies who left me sweet comments. I really appreciate all the love and it means even more to me when it's during the most difficult times in my life! :-)

On a much lighter note...

Last Saturday, I spent the day with my friend, Damaris, who owns Scrapbook Designs Unlimited. She hosted an early National Scrapbook Day and I had lots of fun with Ady, Margie, Bethsy, Alma, Dayami and the rest of Damaris's friends. I completed an entire birthday-themed acrylic album so it felt great to actually accomplish something at a crop! LOL! We laughed a lot and scrapped all day long! What could be better? Here are some pics...

Damaris, Ady and I (do we look tired or what???)



Margie and me having fun (don't be crossing my line, girlie! LOL!)



Fun, colorful goodie bags that Damaris filled up with Heidi Swapp and more...



The Diva herself at work...



I can't wait to keep scrapping... My creative juices are flowing and I have lots of projects in my head to create and way too many goodies to use up so now all I need is some free time...

Peace to all and happy scrapping!

I love you, Mom

It's been three years since my Mom passed away. It happened on April 20, 2005 and we will always remember this day.

I spent today with my wonderful, amazing, loving step dad, Jorge, and my family. We shared stories, we bonded and we celebrated my Mom's life even if we were feeling some pain ourselves. I really miss her and I wish we had more time together for me to say all the things I never said... to do all the things I never did with her...

You live and you learn. So, for all of you out there, even if you don't have the best relationship with your Mom, always remember that she loves you and that she deserves a chance. Don't allow yourself to have regrets later... And even if you have the best Mom-Daughter relationship ever, take a moment to call her, hug her and/or tell her you love her just because you can. :-)

We will be attending a mass in honor of my Mom tomorrow at the church where I was married... If you can, say a little prayer for Myriam (AKA Mimi).

Note: The layout above was a page I did over a year ago with a photo of my Mom and Jorge on their wedding day.

Hugs to all and good night!!!

Back home and ready to scrap!

WOW!!! What a crazy 6 days I've had. Spent 4 of them in airports and on planes, experiencing delays, watching folks get stranded or left on standby while others were assigned the same seats, saw one older man get pissed because he had to actually shift his suitcase around in order to help a woman fit her bag in the overhead compartment (he was telling people off!), sat at MIA as our plane's engine suddenly shut off on the runway (and the pilot said it happens occasionally on that aircraft), and all that good stuff. Never a dull moment. Visited 4 states in 3 days. From Florida to Georgia to Tennessee and back to Georgia... then from Florida to New York.

I'm exhausted.

First it was off to Atlanta for a builder's inspection of our rental property. Of course, what's a trip to Atlanta without a visit to our all-time favorite restaurant, McKinnon's? The food is delicious, the ambiance is tranquil and romantic and the owner is awesome. He always remembers us! :-)



My wonderful DH took me to an Archiver's in Marietta. OMG!!! What an awesome place! I picked up a few goodies, including a copy of Scrapbook Trends' April issue with Rita's layout on the cover. Gorgeous!



Here are a couple of pics of my DH and I in Chattanooga, TN. We went to Ruby Falls, the Incline Railway and Rock City Gardens. We took some amazing photos so I'm ready to do a little mini album...







Then it was off to NYC for business. After our meeting, one of my graphic designers took me on a walking tour of the city. We went to NBC News and Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Trump Plaza, down 5th Avenue and beyond... we also ate crisp, hot, melt-in-your-mouth, greasy NY-style pizza... YUM!! Unfortunately, this is as close as I got to Matt Lauer...





I'm glad I'm home now. I hope I get some rest before scrapping with Damaris and my BFF this coming Saturday... Damaris is hosting an early NSD event... I can't wait to get my creative juices flowing... I have tons to scrap!!!! Oh, and did I mention that my BFF is fulfilling her dream of getting pubbed??? She'll be featured in the Sept/Oct issue of Simple Scrapbooks so check out her Simple Scheme... CONGRATS girlie!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!! Peace to all and happy scrapping!!!

I'm off to Atlanta...

Thank you all for your emails and prayers for Natalie and Tommy and their little twins. My heart goes out to them. I was filling out a card this morning for them and it hit me. What do you say at a time like this? I just hope they are able to find some comfort knowing that God is with them...

Well, my friends, I am heading to Atlanta and then I'm off to New York City for a business meeting on Monday... That means that I will most likely not be blogging till I return on Tuesday... I'll miss you!

In the meantime, let me leave you with some eye candy that I will be receiving this month (I can't wait for that happy mail to arrive!) and some kits that are tempting me right now.

Some of this month's goodies from The Scarlet Lime...



Here's the April kit I will be receiving from Cocoa Daisy -- it's already sold out!



This is the delicious May Project kit from Work in Progress...



And a sneak peek at the main kit...



So many goodies out there and shameless enabling... I must try to resist all the temptation. LOL!!!

Peace and happy scrapping!

Please Pray for Tommy and Natalie

Today is a sad day.

My DH's cousin, Tommy, and his fiancee, Natalie, are amazing, beautiful people. They have been together for many years. He was a groomsman at our wedding, I helped her with wedding ideas, and they were pregnant with twin boys!!!

This past weekend, the twin boys they were expecting stopped moving. Both of the babies passed away and on Sunday Tommy and Natalie got to see their babies and say goodbye in the hospital in the hopes of providing them with some closure.

Natalie was seven months pregnant!!! They had the room already prepared and they were ecstatic about the upcoming birth. I cannot even imagine what they must be going through. I can only hope and pray that God will see them through this. The entire family has been affected by this in a big way.

Today they will be having a memorial service for the babies and I hope that you can take a little bit of time out of your crazy day to say a little prayer for them and for these little souls to rest in peace. Thank you!

Love to all,
Vanessa

Check me out!

I am so excited! Christy from The Scarlet Lime featured my "True Friends" layout in her newsletter! You can check it out here. All the ladies created beautiful projects so I am thrilled to have been included. Thank you, Christy!!! You made my day :-)

Yesterday I got to see my scrappy friends and we got to spend some nice girly time together. We also indulged ourselves with some yummy dessert at the Village Chalet in Cauley Square. There's nothing like good friendships! Thanks girls!!!

Till next time... Peace and happy scrapping!!!

Pencil Lines Sketch Layout

I'm still playing with my Scarlet Lime kit and I love it! This is the layout I created based on this week's Pencil Lines sketch. Nancy, my sweet friend from the Netherlands, is the guest designer and I was inspired by all the talended ladies that created beautiful layouts. Here's my take on the sketch. Hope you all like it! Wow, I did both Pencil Lines and the OLW challenges this week! :-)



We celebrated my honey bunny's 38th birthday on Wednesday night!!! Yeah! Here's a photo of the two of us! :-)



Have a great weekend! I know I will... On Saturday, we're going out to dinner with friends to celebrate Richard's birthday. Then on Sunday I get to see my scrappy pals all afternoon. So exciting!

Peace and happy scrapping!

Another Making Memories Layout...

Hi my friends! Here's another layout I made using my March Scarlet Lime kit. I am really enjoying playing with this kit! I love this photo I took of Natalia, my friend Anilu's little princess. This was taken at Metrozoo last month when we participated in the Walk to Cure Diabetes. Isn't she just adorable?



Oh, and I am loving my new MM Desktop Carousel! I bought this from my friend, Damaris, who sells lots of scrappy goodies. I didn't realize how big it was, so now I must fill it up with tools and adhesives galore. If you don't have one, you NEED one! Thank you, Damaris :-)



Peace and happy scrapping!