Hi everyone 😀

I have so much to report upon my return to reality! So if you have a minute I’ll catch up with you here.

Well first and foremost any stamp set orders put in while I was away will be shipped tomorrow 😀 If you were waiting to order, then go ahead 😀 Also I am all caught up on any/all customer service emails.

I thought I’d share a quick card I made right before I left for vacation. It was my favorite from this past release.

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The earth laughs in flowers

This is a simple layout with MANY possibilities. I wanted to keep it simple.

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For this I used the flower shilouette from the Killer Curves set, and the Tending the Garden set from the July Release. I used a singlo white gel pen to add to the details.

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The butterfly was actually colored using some pigment inks and a Fantastix stick.

Now onto the “other” stuff.

While I was away on vacation I left for part of the day on Thursday to meet my mother at court. We had to have a hearing to see if her husband would be released from jail until his actual trial.

 If you haven’t read the story-view it here

 The short version: it was determined by the court, based on all the evidence (as I said there is a lot you all DON’T know) and attorney arguments, that he is definitely too dangerous to be out of jail! He will be staying there until his actual trial.

I cannot tell you what a relief this was to me. I’ve lost much sleep over this, especially before this actual date, as it was vital to my mother’s safety and well being. Now I know my mother will be safe for a while.

 We still have his trial to go through but given the various charges we know he will serve some sort of sentence in jail, and hopefully when his sentence is completed they will deport him back to Portugal.

My mom is experiencing a wide range of emotions from this.  She would be terrified if he was out, but at the same time still sees the man she loved. My heart breaks for her but the man she thought she knew really never was.  I am very proud of my mom, that she has stuck through his insanely draining process and despite her heartache has continued to fight. I hope my mom continues to be strong and moves forward.

I found a frame for her that I found so profound. It read ” When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” -Helen Keller

I just want her to know she WILL be happy again. She can and will move forward. She is stronger than she thinks, she just needs to dig deep.

OK on a lighter note…..

The DAY before we left for vacation Amber decided Alexa’s bangs could use a TRIM! So she would be her hairdresser and fix them. So, off we begin our vacation with Alexa having bangs a 1/2 inch long!

My family and I had a wonderful vacation at Point Sebago Resort in Casco Maine. What a WONDERFUL place to go for families 😀 We will certainly be returning there soon. They offer so many wonderful things for families to do, and plenty of “camps” for the kids to attend.

We were able to spend time with the kids and even have a few much need “date time”!

We went to the beach daily, participated in Arts & Crafts where I tried my hand at ceramic painting, we went to shows, used the paddle boats, Jay & I went Kayaking for the first time, and really just enjoyed literally every second there.

While we were there Alexa SHOCKED us the first night by getting into the middle of the Welcome Party by dancing in the middle of the crowded dance floor! Given that she is VERY shy we were in awe! When she was done she got an standing ovation from several tables, telling her what a great job she did, and I thought she would run off the floor, once she realized what was going on, but instead she took a bow! LOL! VERY unlike her so it was such an amazing thing to see.She even followed the choreography for a line dance!!  I seriously couldn’t believe she was picking it all up. I was certainly flooded with emotions when I recalled her early days of leukemia when she could walk for 3 months, and every step was painful. She had to re-learn to walk all over again, and stairs weren’t even an option. Here she is 3 years in remission, and line dancing! God is good.

In the fall she wants to start taking dance lessons again here in town. I think she is definitely ready again 😀

One of the camps for her age group had morning dance classes given by the trained dancers they had there for various shows from NY. Alexa attended each one and REALLY enjoyed herself. The Camp staff was awesome at making some accommodations for Alexa when certain activities would be a little too much for her, especially in the heat! I couldn’t say enough about them all.

I could go on for hours about all our adventures.

While we were there we were also able to check out Camp Sunshine! This is a “camp” for families of children with life threatening diseases. It offers families like ours, an AMAZING experience, and this camp was developed by the owners of Point Sebago! So I was obviously pleasantly surprised to find all this out upon our arrival. What better place to support. I love supporting a place that so openly uses its funds to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Long story short it was a wonderful place for our family to take a vacation, and we were sad to return home to reality. We are already planning of returning year after year as it was THAT amazing, and not too far from home 😀

I’m too tired and have way to much to do upon my return, so I have yet to edit/share photos. I will this week ( I hope 😀 )