NOTE: SORRY this is WAYYYYYY late :C My brother and his girlfriend bought a car! YEAH! So I had to drive them to get it, and all that blah blah blah, so YES! That cut into my stamp stuff.

Today is my father’s birthday.

We are meeting up with him to take him out for dinner.

Doesn’t sound like a big deal, but I haven’t seen my dad in 3 years. Dinner is a HUGE deal. Haven’t seen him since the Christmas before Alexa got sick. He hasn’t seen her ONCE. That is a long time. He always worries about his bar room friends dying, but never cared enough to see his own granddaughter when she got sick. I can’t forgive that. I still have his Christmas gifts wrapped for all the past holidays. My dad is much older than my mom by 15 years. We aren’t as close as we should be. He is getting up there, and I don’t want to keep letting the years pass, until the next time I see him I’m planning his funeral.

My dad was IS an alcoholic, and continuously chooses that life over one with our family. It’s hard to explain. I’m the only one who chooses to distance myself from that. That also means I’m the only one less affected by his disease. I won’t get into all the drama that living with an alcoholic can do to a person. If you have been there then you already know. He was just never there for me- ever. Lots of broken promises. Who knows, by the time everyone reads this there may even be another “excuse” to NOT meet. I almost expect that! Sad isn’t it?

My dad’s years are catching up with him. He has no relationship with my children either. I don’t think he even really cares about that. I have a lot of anxiety about our meeting today. I want to see him, but his life makes me so sad sometimes. Mainly because he chose the bottle over us my entire life. He likes his life. I wish he at least regretted everything, but he doesn’t. Holidays come & go and he has all kinds of plans with his bar friends. He is happy that way. A loner of sorts.

It is his many mistakes as a parent that make me strive to be a “super mom”. My mom was and is super mom. She always “did it all”. I always knew I could count on her. I think she was forever trying to make up for what my dad didn’t do, or lacked. I knew if my dad DID show up somewhere, Id most likely end up getting embarrassed. My mom was married to him for so many years, yet she was alone. She never even realized it. That is just so sad to me.

Anyway, I hope it goes well. I want to get some photos. I don’t have any really.

SO here is my card for his Birthday, and the Sketch for today

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One person

I ALWAYS go to Father Knows Best for my guy cards. Its perfect. I had to add the little wise owl in the tree.  I used some of my dad’s favorite colors. This is dark chocolate, Kraft, vellum, and teal. The “leaves ‘ are cut & colored bridal confetti. So pretty.

This sentiment, to me was what I wanted to convey to him. No matter what, he matters to me and my family. I think he feels like a failure at times, that his life didn’t go as planned. In the end it doesn’t matter, you need to try to pull together with family.

Anyway, my sentiment is from a favorite set of mine-Out on a Limb sent. set . I love how the flourish from Silent night draws your eye to it.

Thats it for now. I’ll share photos of our dinner tomorrow, and the card I made for my brother to give to my dad.

Thank you all for coming here to visit me. Sorry to be such a downer today. I never know when this stuff gets dredged up! YIKES! Oh well, feels good to get it out there.

I hope you get a chance to play and check in on the Sketch Team!

Till tomorrow 😀

OK so I have another PEEK for you!

C.C. Designs is releasing a set called Glam Girls III on the 10th! It’s pretty cute 😀

There are 3 main images, and some super sentiments in it.

First up I will use my favorite image from the set-

I have had this Scenic Route paper for a while and have been DYING for the perfect card to use it. I LOVE my star nestabilities, and they were a nice addition to my card 😀

Given her ROCK STAR status lots of BLING was in order 😀

Next up its PARTY TIME!

She just looks so “chill” celebrating for her party doesn’t she?

I adore these colors together, and I made my own “patterned paper” using my dotted circle border from JustRite’s Sonnet Stamper Kit, inking in various colors, and overlapping them, then popping out with different size circle punches for a funky look.

To continue the “dotted” theme, I pierced a border.

Easy Peasy.

Release party will be–> HERE <–November 10th! Be sure to check the ATS blog DAILY to enter the give-aways!

Here is the list of what is left of several sets being released from C.C. Designs, and the days they pre-viewed

4th- Brandon & Sadie Soccer

5th-Christmas Around the World

6th-Cupcake Occasions

7th-Forrest Friends

8th  Glam Girls III

and 9th-North Pole

Stay tuned for more 😀

Later!