I Can't Believe it...

I can't believe it!

My youngest sister is to be married in less than 2 months.

This past saturday we hosted a bridal shower for her at one of her closest friends' parents house with nearly 40 people in attendance. We had an enjoyable time with family and friends :)

SOO many snapshots to choose from..and SOO many good ones left out.

* The Bride-To -Be*

Mothers of the bride-to-be and groom-to-be!
Mom with her girls:)

Ashley's bridal party

Ash & the Martin sisters

Ash LOVES candy.. ALL sorts of candy.. so we decided to incooporate an assortment of candies into our favor boxes..M&Ms, gummy bears, starbursts, and sixlets. These are some of her favorites. With the favor boxes set behind... we allowed everyone to fill their own!

Some decorations that I did...

Cousins :)

Cousins..

these cuties will be the flower girls in the wedding!

More family..

Who can create a wedding dress out of toilet paper? We were split into teams.. and this is what each team created.. Rachel was Ashhley's winning choice!

All in all, a good time..

Thanks to each of you that came !!!

Progress & Debates

I have been extremely excited to finally have some end tables and a coffee table

to call my own.. Looks may be a bit decieving, as this weighs a TON- each and every piece.

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Bought these, but all the while doubted how they'd look with my decor.

I just cant figure out how to tweak it enough to look right.. so I've about decided to.........


....and take them back for my in store credit :( !

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Hmm... look familiar...?

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And, for curtains... Im confused as ever! I cant find "right " shades of colors.. or find there's too much of patterns in something with very similar colors. It's not just colors, but styles.. looking for the RIGHT style.

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So, thats my glimpse Im sharing...:) Im sooo far from done, but every little bit counts.

It's amazing how time passes...

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I cannot believe its been nearly 5 months since I've moved out on my own. What a journey to experience! I've learned so much about independance, managing finances, coordinating meals, organizing amd maintaining a place to call home, as much as "there is NO place like home," decorating, hosting for groups of people, etc. I truly feel that I have grown as an individual.

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This week, I have been blessed to have several days off from work, well unplanned days off, due to the decrease in census. I especially love when they are in a row.. as it was this week. I have had several projects Ive been wanting, attempting at times, to start or complete... and have been able to develop some of these during my time off. It truly has been a busy week, but well worth the time and effort.

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I've thought about giving some "under construction" sneak peeks.. but have decided to keep my snap shots to myself for now, as its hard to present something that is sooo far from done. Now, now... dont get some big ideas that Im transforming my place into something major, because thats just not the case. Im just attempting to find the perfect accents for the perfect angle and spot! Im debating some added color to walls, furniature, etc. too!

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...This is truly fun... but it all takes time.

*Liberty Ridge Farm*

Every once in a while, our CDCF group will get together and go on an outing, and tonight was to a corn maze with other activities included. We invited people from outside the group to join, all carpooling from different locations and meeting there prior to 6pm. We were told if no one was there by 6, they would be closing for the night ( especially during the week hours... as fewer people seem to show ) There are 2 corn mazes, one of which on weekends is haunted, while the other one isnt. It seems that as much as the one wouldnt be haunted, you would hear enough screams etc echoing throughout the maze regardless. Luckily, I didnt have to deal with all that..

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The corn maze was actually fairly large in size, and found that we got turned around MANY times.

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Throughout the maze you would find numbers 1 - 10 ( even though we somehow skipped over several) and at that point were given a question to answer. Depending on what was answered, depended on which direction the paper told you to go... even still with the RIGHT answer... we seems to get turned around !

Here was part of my group... attempting to read the question to determine an answer.

We all had a great time..all 12 of us, I believe.

Cider donuts, drinks, and fellowship to follow.

Happy Birthday Mom

Thank you for being the Mother that you are to your girls.. We all have different names for you - La Madre, Mother MooShoo, and Mamma Bugg, but just the same, we all love you and appreciate everything that you have ever done. Life would not be the same without your love.

:)

Building cubes

What we do to organize our scrapbook accessories...

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I have been watching these "create your own" storage cubes for all my scrapbooking items for a LONG time now, but havent wanted to spend the money, especially when I didnt have room to fully create everything I was dreaming up :) Since moving, this has been one of the projects on my mental list to check off, seeing I had more space & just the fact that all my scrapbooking items are still boxed up and anytime I need something, I get to plow through them. I knew that by doing that one too many times would motivate me to do something about the boxes.

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I made a trip to Michael's Craft Store for ANOTHER project I was working on.. and low and behold.. I see a SALE on these cubes. Several minutes of debating, and then found myself cashing in my basket for a cart to lug these in. The appearance of these boxes gives no hints to their weights, and this was what I was dreading the most... making 4 trips up and down 1 1/2 flights of stairs. Sales ignite my potential plans.. and I decided this would be a start my project.

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I still wont have a dream room designated to scrapbooking and such, but I have some extra closet space, that when opened... will hopefully look nice and organized.

Relay For Life

September 18th, 2010 represents another year in which I've had the priviledge to be a part of the "Relay for Life" in Lake Placid, NY. It has been my honor to represent family and friends who have fought the good fight and are here to represent that, and those that have unfortunately lost their battle. To one in particular, Uncle Earl... you were strong, and determined.. and were thought a lot about as my lap numbers increased, but I am reminded that God had another plan to take you home. You will never be forgotten and forever missed.

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* The start of the Relay with all the survivors*

To honor Auntie..

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I have several other photos, not near as many as previous years.. but just thought for right now, that Id post a few to represent the event.

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This was a well worth attended day spent with family !

It was nice to see ALL of you.

A day off to enjoy some fun..

Fall weather is about here, so Ange and I decided to take in a afternoon for a little hike, while the weather wasnt too brisk just yet. :)

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Following the red trail...
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Roots are the foundation of something very strong, and Ange represents this type of individual !

...And for lunch we tried a new place...Ive had their desserts, but not their meals..

This evening, our Bible study decided to have a little outing. Mind you, this would be the 3rd time attempting to mini golf this year... as they have conveniently closed after we arrived or prior to, in Scotia. We got word this week that Scotia wouldnt be open again for tonight's event, so we headed to Latham... to an indoor glow in the dark mini golf and then grabbed some ice cream afterwards. :)

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*Team pictures here*

Dan, Ange, Joy and myself.

And.. Jon, Trish, Julie and Don

Thanks for some good times :)

A Warmed Heart

Sometimes we wonder just what exactly people see in us...

We know what we want them to see, but is it what they actually see?

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Life throws a LOT of curve balls, and we have to be on our toes each moment of the day in order to be in control of each situation. It's truly amazing how you can go about your day, like any other day...with minimal differences in what you do, but find that a particular day sheds more challenges, whether mentally, physically or spiritually. It baffles my mind how some moments can be anticipated to happen, while others appear out of the blue. Life is full of emotion... and you ask, what is emotion...? what does it feel like? What does happiness feel like, or hurtful statements? I dont believe there is one direct answer, as we all have been molded to feel emotion differently. Some poeple handle emotion well, while others not so much...

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During the calm of life and even in the storm, I want people to see who I percieve myself to be!

I want to be that stonghold for someone to lean on, when life is wearing thin.

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Within my nursing career, one observes much emotion within their patients. Sometimes, their very life dreams are shattered and taken from them within a moment, while others just temporily. Either way, life has to be attacked with a different approach. We ask ourselves, why has this happened to someone that had so much going for them, where is their support group, and what other challenges will they continue to have to face?

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Nursing is all about filling in the gaps for those that feel like they have lost themselves... We help them fight the fight to reach goals, lend that hand when others cannot, and be that encouagement when they need just a bit more. We are their stronghold... and for that Im truly honored.

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Today, was one of those days where I have struggled a bit. I woke up feeling a bit on the blue side and have wondered exactly what is it that people see in me?! I feel like I have a heart for others, willing to reach out when in need, compassionate, etc... and honestly, just have felt like I wanted to be needed and have an impact on someone's life!

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Then, I went to work.... and my heart was warmed. This green gingham bag was laying in the medication room where I spend a lot of my time during my shift, with my name on it. I decided to open it then and found a thank you card with this box inside. Within the box, was a little Angel pin and stated within the card was "You are an Angel."

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This reminds me just how much people really need someone especially during some lonesome, scary times when facing the unknown. They watch your every move, and see you for who you really are. You never know who is watching, and what they are percieving you to be...
unless they tell you. Even if you never know, hold your head up high..and be that stronghold for someone. You can make a world of difference in someone's life today.

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Someone needs you !!

***My Happy 80th Birthday Cake***

(A bit confused, read previous post)

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Don't get me wrong, Im not oblivious to the fact that there are professional cake decoraters out there. Far from my intentions... as this is very basic compared to all those. Mind you, this excels anything I ever thought I was capable of doing.. silly, I know. My luck just isnt always the best when it comes to things like this - flipping layers of cake, and hoping you can get them semi straight, balanced, and centered.

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I got to thinking after I had decided to take on this little surprise project, that I really dont know if Ive ever made a cake like this before, let alone a cake. My dear sister usually is the one to show her creativity when it comes to desserts... and I sit back and enjoy them.

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(For those curious, this is my own "make it up as you go" mint oreo crumb center cake) :)