Lauren Ferguson | There are no mistakes in art, just opportunites to embellish. (tm)

They are 3!!!

Well, I woke up this morning and realized that my boys were no longer babies. 

They are little men with an opinion.  YIKES!!!

We always wake up sing Happy Birthday and have a cupcake for breakfast.  I don't know why, probably a good way to start off the sugar coated morning. 

I have gotten all the food ready to go over to my mom's for a BBQ and then back to the grind.

I will post some photos later.

until we meet again,

Tomorrow the boys will be 3!!!

Can you believe that it has been three years since I have given birth to those boys. 

Yep, we are going to have a simply shin-dig at Mom's tomorrow and then we are going to have an all out blow out in a few weeks Dad has all these plans, so I figure why mess with his plan.

I love these little munchkins...

Ok, the picture is old but it is my men.  I just love them.

until we meet again,

What a way to wake up...

Y'all know that this has been such a process. 

I would love to tell you all the crazy that is going on in my life. 

But it would require more space on my Blog than I can actually afford.  But trust me when I say, the basement is just a distraction to the rest of my life.

Where do I start, the first three...  Money, Family, Sex, Children, House, Parents...  Opps that is six.

Well, last night was a cry night.  I was ready to go back to work, at Kroger.  Only kidding, but I was really ready to give up. 

I was ready to go back to what I know.  80 hour work weeks, the six figure salary and being MISERABLE DAY IN AND DAY OUT because I have once again missed some milestone that my kids have accomplished and I was once again at work. 

Oh and did I mention the stress factor and how I turn into this person that I don't like.  Needing to find one committee after the other in order to be published in the latest and greatest magazines. 

Well, you know that all decisions that lead toward happiness require a sacrifice.  I was doubting my decision.  I was ready to give in and not do what is best for me, my family and my soul. 

OK, that was huge DIGRESSION...  But now let me get back on track...

My husband walks down stairs and hands me the phone.  It a friend of his from Chicago, Shawn Perry.  I vaguely remember meeting her when we first moved to Atlanta.

Well, the first words out of her mouth are "Don't give up, God has a plan for you."  What a way to wake up in the morning.  She was such an encouragement.  She basically gave me that shot of hope that I thought I had lost last night. 

Apparently she Googled Ejimah to get his phone number and she found my blog.  She and the ladies at the job and her daughter JaLisa have been reading it for months. 

Ejimah was so surprised.  She was telling him about things that happened while he was in Africa.  He was so busy trying to tell her something new, she was like "I already know."

So let me just leave you with this little ray of sunshine.  It all looks different in the daylight.

I am moving forward and motivated.  I am ready to do what it takes to be HAPPY!!

I am not talking to be happy in the since of simplicity.  I am talking about the stuff that makes your heart sing.  When the bills are not paid, but you get a good night's sleep happy.  When faith in just being requires a hug from a three year old who says "Mama we had fun at the park today"...  HAPPY

until we meet again,

Some Progress is better than None!!!

Well, I still do not have a CO.  I still do not have counter tops.  I am still running up and down the stairs to go potty.  But, I will admit that I now have carpet.

I love the new space.  It is coming together.

So yes, I am getting closer.  I am hoping to have some more progress before I go to Huntsville, Alabama.

The kids came downstairs for the first time yesterday.  It was great.  They just ran around in circles for about 30 minutes.  They love it.  Of course, the first words out of Chi-Chi's mouth is "Mama when can I have a party down stairs?"  Gotta love my kids always thinking ahead.

until we meet again,

I'll admit it...

I joined a swap...   There I said it.  I joined a swap.

Well first let me try to justify my decision.  I joined a yahoo group.  And I was lurking for about 6 months.

Well they finally posted some of the mini books in the past swap and they actually looked good.  I was really surprised at how nice some of them were.

So I asked when they were doing another swap.  So I joined.

I did 10 mini Harlequin stitched books.

Nothing special.  I was able to use a bunch of scraps and I have since perfected the stitch.  I just need to just do some with beads added to the criss cross and I will be done with this stitch.

until we meet again,

Murphy's Basement Law...

Y'all NEVER EVER say that it can't get worse. 

Last night after Amy got home to Chattanooga and Teresa and I are sitting in the nice quite of the basement.

The kids are asleep.  My husband is out at a friend's only to return in about an hour or so.

Well, at first I hear a noise and I think it must be one of the kids sneaking around downstairs.  But then nothing.  OK, so they must have gone to bed.

I am trying to get my blog updated, Teresa is sorting metal embellishments for me.  We are both in our own zone.   AND THEN WITHOUT WARNING....

CRASH BAMMMMMMMMM  BOOOOMMMMM   CRACK.

The floating shelves that I put on the wall come crashing to the floor.  I mean it literally fell off the wall.

NO I DID NOT KNOW THAT I HAD TO PUT IT IN THE STUDS!!!  I THOUGHT THAT IF I JUST USED MOLLIES IT WOULD HOLD UP!!!

Well after call my Dad, I went over to the local man store and got some Toggle Bolts and put it back up on the all.  Outside of the big huge gash in the floor molding, you would never know that it fell off the wall.

And i just thought that I would tell you I took the other shelves down before they fell over and used the toggle bolts on them too.

Oh and here is a picture of Teresa.  She has not moved out of this chair all day.  She has sorted her fingers to the bone all day.

Did I say that I love my friends.

until we meet again,

I got goosed...

Y'all my friends punk'd me at my own house.  Right in my driveway.

Y'all know that Teresa was coming to help me get my stuff under control.  Amy, from Chattanooga, said that she wanted to come, but she had decided that since I had been given so many set backs that it made more sense to come out after the carpet was down and after they had at least gotten the work done.

Well Teresa is on her way to the big ATL at 9:15 am.  She calls me as she is passing through Chattanooga and off she is to ATL.

The next time I hear from Teresa is when she is at Target.  Now I am on the phone with my friend Amy, who is SUPPOSE to be at Lowe's picking up some stuff for her husband and son to do the manly man thing on a Sunday.

Well, I am on a conference with Amy and Teresa while on my way to the Mall of Georgia.  Now I hang up with Amy and talk with Teresa to let her know that I am on my way.

Of course she immediately tells me that she did not stop to go potty.  And apparently she must go and take care of her business.

Oh let me digress..while I know that this is another story for another time.  Let me just say this... you are not allowed to go potty when you are with my friend AMY from Chattanooga.  And don't let her drive because she will tell you to hold it...

So now back to my story...  So I finally get to Target, which is all of 5 minutes away.  Teresa meets me at the dollar spot.  Well then we go down the mall to Archivers.

Teresa from the front of the store sees the signs that say CLEARANCE all the way in the back of the store by the restrooms.  Off she goes to search through all the bins to find the perfect deal.  While she is searching for the never ending perfect deal, I am walking around the store trying to kill time. 

Now, we have two Archivers in the state of Georgia.  So since they live in Tennessee and don't have one, I try to give them as much time as I can possibly stand.  Now y'all know I worked their in the very beginning of my scrapbooking days. 

Now mind you Teresa has not eaten all day and she is hungry.  So I call in her order to the local Chinese Food Take Out joint. 

Well they say that it will be ready in 15 minutes so I am thinking that this is an in and out thing.  She will find that perfect deal and then she will be ready to go because her stomach is going to speak louder than her pocketbook.

Not my friend Teresa.  Teresa decides that she is going to look through ALL of the paper that is 50 to 75% off.  See Teresa is a paper ho.  Yes, she is addicted to paper.  She is even more addicted to the paper deal.  If she can get it for less, she is getting it. 

Teresa will call me up from AC Moore and tell me about the deal and we will try to figure out if we can get it wholesale cheaper even after shipping.  I mean she can even do the tax in her head that is how good she is about the deal.

So finally due to the large amounts of PEER PRESSURE, I caved in and start looking through the paper. 

Well as I am looking through the paper, I am thinking to myself that I only have 7.00 cash in my pocket.  Do I want to spend it all on paper?  Do I need the paper?  I will not have any money to my name until Monday afternoon.  What should I do?

So, Let me tell you have about 20 seconds of guilt and one look at the old Daisy D papers, I said to hell with it and stood next to my friend and picked through the paper. 

I felt like a Paper Ho in training. 

I did not realize how much paper you could collect and NEVER USE. 

This is the true definition of a Paper Ho: A SCRAPBOOKER who loves paper more than embellishments.  She has at least two sheets of each paper in case there is a need for the two page spread.  She does not use certain papers because she is waiting for the perfect picture for the paper.  There is a little bit of Paper Ho in all of us.

Well finally after much nagging, I get her to register, pay for her stuff and off we go to pick up her food that has now been waiting for over 40 minutes.

We finally get to my driveway I pull up to put the car in the garage.  Teresa drives right past my house.  I go running down the driveway screaming "TERESA!!! TERESA!!!" My arms are flailing and next thing I see another very familiar car with the window down and a blonde head hanging out.

IT IS AMY.  She is suppose to be in the local man store getting some things for her husband and son to male bond over. 

NOPE, I was punk'd. 

They were at exit 109 when I was trying to push Teresa out of Archivers.  Teresa was trying, not successfully, but trying to get me to stay in the store so that Amy could punk me in public at the Archivers.

Well after all was said and done, I put them to work on my Craft Room, we had dinner and Amy went back to Chattanooga in time to get to work today.

I figured since I would have to tell the world that they got me on the first try, I would put them to work.

They scraped my windows clean and then hung a blind for me.  Gotta love my friends.

until we meet again,

And Just when you thought that it could not get any worse...

Well, I would cry, but my tear ducts are empty...

I just found out this afternoon that they "LOST" my counter tops.

Now, in all reality, I do not think that they lost them.  I think that either they sold them to another customer or someone STOLE them.

Either way, the tops are now on back order and I will not see them until next week Wednesday.  So now when I thought that I would need to move my stuff for the second time, that torture will not happen until a week from this coming Monday.

There is not enough money on the planet to make this better.

So all I want to know is who am I suppose to hit.  Because I believe that I should be able to hit someone.  I am not really particular about it.

You know, this feeling reminds me of the movie Steel Magnolias when Sally Field is in the cemetery and she is so mad that she wants to hit someone.  And they offer up Weeser.

I need a Weeser right about now.

OK, so I have not lost my sense of humor. 

until we meet again,

If it is not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all.

Well, the fact of the matter is that come or hell water, I have to move out of my craft room.

I am a week too early.  I have not been given the Certificate of Occupancy.  The inspectors have to be able to come into the space in order to give me a piece of paper that says that I can put my stuff in the room.

SO I HAVE TO TAKE MY STUFF OUT OF THE ROOM. 

DID I MENTION THAT I HAVE TO TAKE ALL OF MY STUFF OUT OF THE ROOM.

Apparently, I am not able to OCCUPY my own basement.  Yep, that's right.

I have been told that occupancy in Gwinett County is anything that is put on the floor.

Tables, Bookcases, Chairs....  If it is on the floor then it is occupied.

SO now, I have done it all, I have hollered, cried, pitched a fit and basically, it does not matter.  I even sicked my Dad on them and they told him that I have to bottom line get my stuff out of the room until next week Wednesday.

ALL OF IT. 

Well, this means that there is an inspection tomorrow morning.  Nothing on the floor and nothing covering the electrical outlets. 

I can POSSIBLY leave the stuff on the floating shelves assuming that the guy who comes tomorrow does not pitch a fit and tell me that all that stuff needs to be moved. 

If that needs to be moved, then I have to put it back upstairs until Wednesday next week for the "Final Delivery of the Certificate Occupancy".

Now, I know y'all are saying what fool moves into a space and does not ask.

YOU KNOW I ASKED.  I ASKED TWICE.  THEY TOLD ME THAT I COULD START MOVING MY STUFF DOWN.

I think that the problem is they did not realize how much stuff I had and could not believe that all of this was in my dining room under the table and in that space.

Oh, did I mention that I am suppose to teach in Nashville this weekend.  I am suppose to leave at 9am to get there on time.  Well that is not happening.  I

just called Michelle Luther at Timeless Reflections and we sat on the phone and she listened to me cry and moan about my basement.

I love my friends.  She says, in her most Pennsylvania Southern twang, "Well just do what you have to do and we can all come and let you tell us the story of how the basement saga went from beginning to end".  Now that is a friend.

I figure is she is willing to come and craft in my new basement and listen to my woes of the basement, I am willing to box this stuff up and get it MOVED BACK UPSTAIRS.

I need to call over to Paper Candy but the store is closed now and let them know my plight.  I am really upset about this store, because it is my first time teaching in the store. 

One consolation is that it should not be too hard to put back since I now know where everything goes.

until we meet again,

I'm on the net from my basement!!!!

Y'all, I have gotten all my stuff to the basement and I have gotten my tables down. 

I am on the net from the basement. 

It is like having a whole new house being down here.  I am in love.

OK, I have some emails to respond to and I have some photos to send out to people and I needed to get my stuff together. 

I am so fired up I can just S*IT.

Get your mind out of the gutter...  SPIT y'all SPIT.

I will blog again after I have had a chance to work out all of the details of the mess in my room.  I am so loving the new hook up.

WATCH OUT WORLD, LAUREN IS ON THE MOVE!!!

until we meet again,