Fab Friday #153

It's only a few days away from Christmas, and I'm still making Christmas cards!! I took a break from working on the ones I am going to mail out to make one for our Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. I honestly haven't had as much time as I have wanted to have lately to make fun Christmas-y cards!! Dang!! And here we are almost at New Year's!!

A friend of mine stopped by earlier this evening and saw this card sitting on my table. I was told that this was his favorite card he had seen me do! Go figure ... I wasn't even trying to make anything spectacular!! Hahaha!! I sometimes surprise myself!!!

Don't ya just luuuuuuurve the texture on this embossing folder?? It's called Dot to Dot ... and it will be available in the Occasions Catalog as of January 3!! Doesn't that make you excited??!!??

Stamps: Making Christmas Bright
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Galvanized Metallic Paper
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Night of Navy, Wink of Stella
Accessories: 2 1/4" Circle Punch Suite Season Specialty Washi Tape, Dot to Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Basic Black Baker's Twine, Christmas Bulb Builder Punch

This is a really great layout!! I tweaked it a little bit, but that's what inspiration is all about, right???










Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

Wish me luck, my crafty friends!!! I still have a BUNCH of work to do to complete the 85 Christmas cards I need to mail out!!! Dang!!! I guess if they get to people by New Year's Eve it still counts, doesn't it??

Fab Friday #152

Fa-la-la-la-laaaaaaaaa-la-la-la-LA!!! Here is my card for this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. I hate to admit that I had to spend MOST of the day yesterday digging my craft room out from underneath the messes I have been making in it for the past few months (yes ... you read that RIGHT ... MONTHS!!)! I hate when I allow it to get out of control!!! YIKES!!

This color challenge was a CHALLENGE, baby!! No matter what I did, I couldn't figure out how to get the Shaded Spruce to fit in. It helped to walk away for a while and then come back to it ... FINALLY came up with something I kinda liked!! Take THAT you challenge you!

Stamps: Winter Woods, Itty Bitty Greetings
Paper: Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow, Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party, Crumb Cake
Ink: Mossy Meadow
Accessories: Trio Corner Punch, Gently Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Corrugated Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, In the Woods Framelits Dies, Festive Farmhouse Framelits Dies, Braided Trim

Here's the entire color combo ...







Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

I think I may actually get to start working on my own Christmas cards today!! It's been TWO YEARS since I have been able to do this, so I am VERY excited!!!

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Monday Montage #129

It's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas, my friends!!! And the Monday Montage girls are in full swing!!! Happy to report that I have put up my tree, decorated my porch and even did some online shopping. Getting closer every dang day!!

I did a little product "mashup" this go-round. I have a BUNCH of fun new things that I purchased as part of the Occasions/Sale-a-Bration preorder ... and I STILL have a BUNCH of Christmas stuff I haven't used. Hence, this card with Christmas-y butterflies!!

Stamps: Winter Woods
Paper: Very Vanilla, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Accessories: Trio Corner Punch, Subtle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Butterfly Beauty Framelits Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Striped Burlap Trim, Gold Thread, Gold Embossing Powder

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...



Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Snow is on the ground and Christmas music is playing. I was able to go with my son to a WONDERFUL Christmas concert down at BYU this past Saturday ... some of the BEST Christmas music I have heard in a long while. It TOTALLY got me in the mood for the holidays! I have been wearing EVERY sort of Christmas outfit I can ... AND I have starting going to choir practices after church on Sundays so I can sing with them for the Christmas program. I am REALLY feeling it now!!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... so much loveliness in BOTH directions!!

Home for the Holidays ... With the Freaks!

Three more days until Thanksgiving (here in the US, anyway!) ... and the Control Freaks are inviting y'all Home for the Holidays!!! Melissa Davies absolutely NAILED it, didn't she??? So inspired by what she does EVERY time!!

Black and white and red all over!!! I don't think you can EVER go wrong with this color combination ... especially around the holidays!!! I love the snowflakes and buffalo check together, don't you???

Stamps: Hearts Come Home, Buffalo Check
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Silver Foil
Ink: Basic Black 
Accessories: Snowfall Thinlits, Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Pretty Label Punch, Metallic Pearls

More of the same color scheme ... and more Merry and Bright!!! I really need to work on my own Christmas cards ... but this color combo is really inspiring me (and YES ... I DO realize that I need to get busy!!)!

Stamps: NONE
Paper: Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Basic Black, Silver Foil, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: NONE
Accessories: In the Woods Framelits Dies, Merry Christmas Thinlits Dies, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon


Next up???  ... the other end of my "Melissa Sandwich" ... Melissa Stout!!

Monday Montage #127

It was 75 degrees Sunday afternoon ... SERIOUSLY??!!? Our weather has been ALL OVER THE MAP, I tell ya!! I guess that's what you call fall?? MAYBE?? I can't seem to know WHAT to wear when I get up in the morning. I keep thinking it's going to be COLD, or even CHILLY. NOPE! I took my puppy for a walk and realized too late that I was wearing WAY too many layers! Then I came home and made a card for this little Monday Montage hop. I was hoping that a "Christmas-y" card would cool me off. No luck, but at least I got to play with some paper!

In my head I knew where I was going with this card ... and then I started to try to get the image from my head to the paper. Why is it that somehow the image gets lost in between??? I still like the finished product well enough, but I had a hard time finishing it off. The gold thread came to the rescue (finally!)!

Stamps: Farmhouse Christmas
Paper: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, White Velvet DSP, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Early Espresso, Gray Granite, Basic Gray
Accessories: Farmhouse Framelits Dies, Snowfall Thinlits Dies, Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Gold Thread

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

Can't believe I was in DisneyLAND two short weeks ago and that I will be in DisneyWORLD in less than two weeks. I certainly have been blessed this year with opportunities to do fun things. Next year may seem boring in comparison!

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... I get to see BOTH of these amazing women in about 10 days and I canNOT wait!!

Fab Friday #149

Welcome to Fab Friday #149! I'm really glad we had a sketch challenge to do this week ... I haven't stamped for several days and I needed to get my mojo in gear. I also needed to do some cleaning in my craft room (let's be honest, don't we ALL??). So I was able to do a little crafting and a little cleaning!

This candy cane combo got me rolling. I think I mentioned how much I LOVE the snowflakes thinlits the last time I posted. I am SERIOUS, you guys!!! You NEEEEED these in your life. They are just THAT GOOD!!! And the white velvet DSP??? Oh. My. Word. It embosses SOOOOO beautifully! I luuuuuuurrrve it!!

Stamps: Snow is Glistening
Paper: Whisper White, Santa's Workshop Specialty DSP, White Velvet DSP, Red Glimmer Paper
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Swirls & Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits, Snowfall Thinlits, Trio Corner Punch, Clear Epoxy Droplets, Whisper White 1/8" Sheer Ribbon

You don't have to copy the layout EXACTLY ... it's just a point of inspiration! I came pretty close, but added a sentiment panel ...










Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

Today is the great Halloween Carnival!!! I've been doing these for over 20 years ... Halloween IS my favorite holiday, after all!!! And getting a chance to dress up and play games with kids in our neighborhood is THE BEST!!!

Happy Fall from the Freaks!

I got home Thursday night ... or should I saw Friday MORNING after having spent three days at The Happiest Place On Earth ... aka DISNEYLAND ... with my BFF Cheryl. We laughed, we ate, we rode rides, we talked to little kids about their day ... it was a SUPER good time! And to be honest, I'm WIPED OUT! Did you check out what my incredibly talented friend, Dawn Olchefske made to help you feel the FALL???!! She always inspires me!

I was out of town, I received a lovely box of pretty things to play with from Stampin' Up. Have y'all SEEN the Snowflake Sentiments Bundle that is on it's way to being offered to you??!!?? NOVEMBER, my friends ... NOVEMBER!!! You are gonna NEEED this in your life. The Snowfall Thinlits dies also pair BEAUTIFULLY with the Happiness Surrounds stamp set (also available with this limited release). SERIOUSLY??!!??? I am IN LOVE!

I decided to make my backdrop look like a barn door ... too much fun!

Our theme this month is "Happy Fall" ... so I had a GREAT time putting together things that make me feel like fall. The colors and these dies and stamps are A-MAZ-ING!!!

Stamps: Happiness Surrounds
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Merry Merlot, Festive Farmhouse DSP
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Mossy Meadow
Accessories: Snowfall Thinlits, Crumb Cake Classic Weave Ribbon, Stamp Punch (retired ... sorry ... I couldn't resist it!)

Using the same dies and stamps, I created another card! I can see myself playing with this suite of things a LOT!!! Since fall is my most favorite time of the year, I'm going to have a really good time!

Stamps: Happiness Surrounds, Burlap
Paper: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Pear Pizzazz, Wood Texture DSP
Ink: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies, Corrugated Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Galvanized Clip


Next up???  ... super Connie Babbert!! Her projects are DIIIIIVIIIINE!!

Fab Friday #148

The inside of my house is decked out ... the outside of my house is decked out ... so I guess I have officially given in to Halloween/Spooky season!!! Honestly, this is my favorite month of the year. I absolutely LOVE Halloween ... and fall ... and costumes ... and decorating!!! The Fab Friday folks are playing around this week with a color challenge ... and it just SCREAMED Halloween at me, so I just went with that!

Isn't this little witchy hat just the CUTEST??? The brim is made with two circle punches (or framelits), and the pointy part is made with the old (retired) Tree Punch. You can just as easily make the pointy part from a rectangle and trim down the sides ... I just went with the easier approach!

Stamps: Trick or Tweet, Gallery Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Gorgeous Grape, Pumpkin Pie Glimmer Paper (retired), Basic Black Glimmer Paper (retired)
Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Pumpin Pie, Basic Black
Accessories: 5/8" Burlap Ribbon, Black/Pumpkin Bakers Twine (retired), Basic Black Bakers Twine, Faceted Dots, Classic Label Punch

See what I mean???? PERFECT Halloween combo!










Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

I have had a VERY busy week ... and will have a VERY busy weekend! Sometimes I need to be cloned ... at least some of the things I'm doing this weekend are going to be FUN (we're meeting some friends for breakfast tomorrow morning, which will start the weekend off GREAT!)!!

Monday Montage #125

How on EARTH can it already be OCTOBER 2018??!!?? I'm both happy and blown away by that!!! I LOVE Fall ... and Halloween is my very most FAVORITE holiday ... and I freakin' can't believe that it seems like we should only be in FEBRUARY!!! Thank GOODNESS for the Monday Montage girls and the excuse it gives me to get crafty!!

I nearly named our new puppy Aspen ... because she is brown and white ... and because I love Aspen trees. They remind me of the many, many hours I have spent hiking hither and yon. Aspens are BEAUTIFUL. So I had fun stamping some on my card!! The name of my puppy was overwritten by Juniper ... aka JuneBug ... aka Junie ... aka sweet puppy!!

Stamps: Winter Woods, Itty Bitty Greetings, Gallery Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Wood Textures DSP
Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Folder, In the Woods Framelits Dies, Crumb Cake Bakers Twine

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

My hubby and I are starting the Whole 30 meal plan this month as well. We spent a bunch of time this weekend pre-prepping food so that we would have things to eat and NOT to be tempted to eat the things that aren't really on the plan! I figure that ANY "diet" that includes the ability to eat BACON is going to be a very, very GOOD thing!!! I'm not quite sure how my three-day adventure in Disneyland in a couple of weeks is going to fit into this plan, but one day at a time, right???

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... all the crafty goodness you will see in one place with minimal effort!!

Fab Friday #147

Sooooo ... life with a puppy is ANYthing but BORING!! Juniper has been so much fun and amazingly easy to handle ... for a puppy, that is!!! The only "complaint" I can say I have about her is that she LOVES my 13-year-old toy poodle, Daisy, a little too much!!! We have resorted to a spray bottle to squirt her if she gets a little too enthusiastic whilst around Daisy!!! And she wants to help me stamp in the WORST way!!! She is particularly interested in paper bits, spools of ribbon and thinlits/framelits dies!!! It's hard to get mad at her when so is SOOOOOO stinkin' cute!!

Which brings me to the card I made for this week's Fab Friday Stampin' Challenge. I dropped my thinlits a couple of times ... and Juniper was on them like white on rice!!! It's a good thing I was paying attention, or they may have been bent beyond recognition (she doesn't really have much more than little puppy teeth, so she couldn't chew holes in them!)!

Stamps: Detailed With Love
Paper: Whisper White, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Gold Foil
Ink: Early Espresso, Soft Suede
Accessories: Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Tin Tile Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Stitched Labels Framelits Dies, Pretty Pines Thinlits Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Sequins (which I snatched from an old Project Life kit!)

You could also turn this layout horizontally ... it would be cute both ways!










Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Heather Heroldt
Brian King
Amy Koenders
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Jan Tinklenberg

I am going to join my friend, Bree, on the Whole 30 Challenge starting on October 1st. Which is only a few days away ... I'm kind of excited yet kind of nervous to do it!! I guess I should try to plan out a menu and get some shopping done this weekend so that I will be ready!!

Happy Freakin' Holidays 2018!

I have caved in ... It is only September and I am already making CHRISTMAS cards!! Thanks to my fellow Control Freaks, we are highlighting things from the new Holiday Catalog! And BOY OH BOY are the projects on this blog tour are AMAZING!!! You should just have come from the block of the crafty, clever and creative Kelly Acheson!! You ARE getting in a holiday mood, aren't you???

This go 'round I decided to focus on the Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. It can be interpreted a lot of different ways, but I chose to do one more along the "elegant" lines, and one that is more "whimsical". I'm a sucker for classic Christmas colors ... red, green, white ... and GOLD!!! So that's what you got with this card (and I used my ever-favorite Trio Corner Punch!)!

Stamps: Merry Christmas to All
Paper: Whisper White, Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Trio Corner Punch, Sprig Punch, 5/8" Striped Burlap Trim, Gold Thread, Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

The dies that go with the Santa's Workshop Specialty Paper are SPOT ON, you guys!!! I mean, you don't even have to stamp or color if you don't want to or don't have time!! This card came together really quickly ... because I used a die to cut the Mrs. Santa image from the DSP ... easy peasy!!! And I LOVE it!!

Stamps: Signs of Santa
Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Silver Foil, Santa's Workshop Speciality DSP
Ink: Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies,  Swirls and Curls Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Linen Thread, Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, Santa's Signpost Framelits Dies


Next up???  ... super Cindy Elam!! I just LOVE her style!!!

Are We THERE Yet??!!??

This week has seemed REAAALLLY long ... and it's only Wednesday!!! It is taking me a little longer than I had hoped to recover from last weekend!! Between the half-marathon-that-never-seemed-to-end to my bout with a spider bite run amok, I'm just draggin' my wagon!!! At least I have Thursday and Friday of this week OFF, so that will be VERY appreciated!

My hubby and I have gotten into watching the series "Longmire" on Netflix. I started it and was WAAAYY ahead of my hubby when he started to watch ... then he passed me up (which is kind of a BIG deal, since he is not much of a television watcher ... except for sports!). I finally caught back up to where he was and now we have been spending our evenings watching an episode or two together. It's been kind of fun ... because we watch on our larger television in the basement, which is where my craft room is! So I have been getting in some crafty time whilst spending time with him, so it's a WIN-WIN!! This is the card I made with the Tropical Chic stamp set that I FINALLY caved in and had to have ... and it was TOTALLY worth the wait!!

I stamped the flowers in Mango Melody (my new VERY FAVE color!), and then used sponge daubers to add a little Poppy Parade around the centers ... I then added a little Wink of Stella (which you can't really see as clearly in the photo). So much fun!

Stamps: Tropical Chic
Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Mango Melody
Ink:  Night of Navy, Mango Melody, Poppy Parade, Wink of Stella
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits, Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder,  Tropical Thinlits Dies, Night of Navy 1/2" Gingham Ribbon, Galvanized Clip

I already need a nap and it's only 9:00am ... and I have to be at work soon ... so I guess I will have to wait until later!! I'll probably fall asleep watching Longmire tonight!

Monday Montage #124

What a difference a day makes ... or a week ... or two weeks!!! Back home again and time for another Monday Montage Blog Hop!! I have had an eventful two weeks, and a SUPER eventful (in an odd sorta way) weekend! More on that later! For now, it's time to share what I have created with you!

Yep-yep!!! The Buffalo Check background stamp is the BEST STAMP EVER!!! I have a feeling I am going to end up using it ALL THE DANG TIME!!! I borrowed Bree's when I was in Walla Walla a couple of weeks ago. Ended up ordering one for myself, and it FINALLY came last Friday. Woot! Woot!! It will be fabulous in ANY season!!

And I can't decide if this card looks more Christmas-y than it does Fall-ish!! What do y'all think?? Like I said, I think I'm gonna love this stamp until it is pried from my cold, dead fingers!!


Stamps: Picked for You, Buffalo Check Background Stamp, Gallery Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Watercolor
Ink: Poppy Parade, Flirty Flamingo, Cherry Cobbler, So Saffron, Soft Suede
Accessories: Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Folder, Seasonal Layers Thinlits Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Braided Linen Trim

Here's a blog roll just in case you get "stuck" trying to hop around ...

Monday Montage Hoppers
Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts
Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma
Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs
Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner
Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots
Julie Warnick - Julie Warnick Stampin' Up! Blog - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Kaitlyn Zumbach - Create with Kaitlyn - NOT PARTICIPATING THIS WEEK
Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc
Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations - YOU'RE ALREADY HERE!!

So ... about my weekend ... it did NOT turn out how I had anticipated it to!!! I got up EXTREMELY EARLY to take a bus up to the start point for the Revel Big Cottonwood Half Marathon. When I first woke up, I wasn't feeling so hot. But being the stubborn sort of person that I am, I decided that I would probably feel better once I got up and moving ... (did I mention that "getting up early" means 3:30am???). Whilst waiting in the 55-degree temperature for nearly 90 minutes for the race to start ... wrapped up in a little space blanket ... I knew I was really in trouble. I was feeling really nauseous and achy ... and STILL decided I was going to tough it out. BAAAAAD IDEA!!! Not even halfway into the first mile I KNEW I was in DEEP DOODOO!! Subsequently, I turned in my VERY WORST half marathon finishing time EVER ... I ended up walking the last two miles! I noticed my heart rate was elevated into the 130's during that two-mile walk ... which is WAY too high for me at a walking pace.

A little back story. I was bit by SOMEthing Monday night on my inner right thigh. LIIIITTLE TEENY TINY mosquito kind of bite. Didn't think much of it ... until it started turning larger ... and angrier ... and more uncomfy! Apparently, it had turned into cellulitis (unbeknownst to me) ... and that is how I "ran" the race ... with a nasty infection on my leg. Fever, chills, body aches, nausea ... I was absolute TOAST by the time I got home. Didn't even shower ... just collapsed on my bed and went out!! When I woke again, I checked the bite ... NO BUENO!! It had gotten bigger, uglier, more inflamed and painful!! I KNEW I had a fever and elevated heart rate. I chucked myself out of bed and headed up to the UrgentCare. Although they did rule out a tick bite (and lyme disease), the doc said I had a nasty case of cellulitis and was dehydrated (hence, the elevated heart rate). Send home with antibiotics and anti-nausea meds. To make a long story shorter ... I ended up BACK at the Urgent Care on Sunday afternoon. It had spread even more and it was hurting and itching like the dickens!! Soooo ... I am on NEW antibiotics, am elevating and icing my leg, have it wrapped in a compression bandage, and am taking benadryl as often as is safe. I need a VACATION!!

So, I'm sitting propped in bed, TRYING to find a semi-comfortable position to be in that (a) keeps my leg elevated, (b) allows me to be propped up whilst keep said leg elevated, and (c) positioning the ice pack for my leg in a place where it will stay put, all whilst allowing me to lay on a heated corn bag for the aches in my bag from the infection!! Ta-DAAAAA! I have been semi-successful most of the day ... but it's wearing thin!

Moving on ...

Click "Back" for Melissa Stout and "Next" for Amy O'Neill ... all the crafty goodness you will see in one place with minimal effort!!