Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Scrappy and Lady waiting with goodies for our lil' visitors this year :)

Its one of my favorite days of the year.  Creepy decorations, scary ghouls around the corner.  The cool crisp air and all the kids dress as their favorite characters going door to door saying "Trick or Treat" for some yummy candy. 

Unlike most years, decorations were not hung around the house but I'm staying in the Halloween spirit just the same with some classic horror movies (my favorite genra):  It, The Shining and others since this weekend.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Waiting for 2012 to be over...

I am hoping to get back into the groove of regular blogging to help clear my mind.  This year so far has defintily been a challenge and a struggle.  I am thankful for my friends and family that  have been by my side through all of the ups and many downs that 2012 has thrown in my path.  I can honestly say you guys are the reason why I can be where I am today, stay strong (even if its a struggle) and live each day without regrets and look forward to the future.

A short recap of why I have been greatly absent on my page here and why I feel its best for me to carve out some time back on here for reflection.

Pats's motorcycle accident recovery/surgeries into this year have kept us busy but I am ecstatic to say that he is doing amazing-his attitude and view on life has greatly impacted me and how I look towards the future.  He has been so strong through all of this, very determined to get better and move past this horrible event and get back to "normal". 

Back in the middle of May my mother was diagnosed with renal failure, and spent many weeks in and out of the hospital.  At the end of June she came to live with me so that she could start regular kidney dialysis.  Things began to improve and I saw my mother once again enjoy life and nature around her--in the backyard and strawberry picking at a local farm.  Things did not always remain great and she often had to be hospitalized.  This took a toll on her as well as me, being her caregiver-it was difficult to watch my mother deteriorate and be in constant pain.  On September 25 my mother passed away in the hospital due to heart complications.  May she rest in peace, it helps knowing that I was by her side (as difficult as that experience was) and that she is no longer in pain.  The support from family and friends during this very difficult time has been my inspiration to stay strong and help me get through this. 

Pat and I recently purchased our first rental unit and we are in the process of remodeling the apartments and getting them ready for future tenants.  This has been a great undertaking that has kept him up late into the night mudding and painting walls.  It has been a learning experience and a true test of my patience with all of the small details that go into remodeling run down apartments, but I look forward to the finished project.

My scrapping and crafting has taken a backseat for most of this year.  I have been able to get out and scrap with friends and attend the big scrapbook expo in St. Charles.  I look forward to organizing my scrappy room soon and get back into my crafts.  I have a couple of new projects that I want to start first thing in January to help me to hopefully stay on track with my scrapbooking and memory keeping.

I'm not usually one to say I can't wait for something to be over, but with all of the chaos of 2012 I truely look forward to the end of this year and the fresh start of 2013.