My Big Huge Fat Long Post

And it's fitting since this is my 250th post! I'm going to start off with thank yous first. I want to thank all the gals that have emailed me and commented on my blog with support, it really helped to see that! I've barely been on the computer and the only two things I've done this week on it are speed check my emails and search for cars. Yes, I said cars and you'll find out why later on in the post. I want to give special thanks to Jenn, who sent me this RAK along with a touching heartfelt message in the card.

I want to also give another special thanks to Sparkle for sending me this other very sweet package! I got both these RAKs yesterday evening and it was so uplifting! Thank you so much ladies!!

Now I did a bit of crafting despite everything that has been happening, so I'll just go down the line starting with Tuesday night and post/journal what's been going on. I'm warning you now, just like the title says this is going to be a huge fat long post.

TUESDAY:

Caitie and I spent Tuesday night putting this little basket together. Remember last week when Caitie was sick? Well she missed that entire week of school, which just so happened to be teacher appreciation week. The PTA had come up with some fun easy ideas for us to show how much we and our kids appreciated the teachers and had the classes pass them out the week before so we had clues on what to do. Well, since she missed the Teacher appreciation week I still wanted to do something special. So Cait, Audrey and I went out shopping. The girls picked the flowers, Audrey tried to overload the cart with tons of pencils and pens, and overall they had a really fun time getting little things for Caitie's teacher and her two aides. Caitie colored in the owls and I put together the cards. Inside I wrote a note to the teacher and each aide then let Caitie draw a picture and sign her name. I also found out the next day when we delivered the basket that Caitie has progressed so much these past 5 months she's been in school that she doesn't have to go to summer school. I'm so proud of her!

WEDNESDAY:

Wednesday I was in a scrappin' mood. This was the first layout I did. I had actually bought two sheets of different paper to use specifically with these pics, but they didn't look quite right with the pictures. So I ended up doing this and love the results!! Usually I like lots of color on my layouts but every once in a while I get in the mood to do clean layouts like this with lots of white. This was a very fun layout to make and I didn't even use a sketch. Paper from CTMH, Prima and CTMH flowers, CTMH clear buttons and bigger brads, and ribbon from my stash.

This layout I just adore. Uses an April '08 Page Maps layout. I saw these papers at Pebbles the other day and picked them up having no idea what I would use them with since they seemed a little more boyish as far as the colors went, but I loved them anyway. I found these bath photos and thought they would be perfect since I'm always trying to find new ways to do bath photos because I have so many, lol.

THURSDAY:

This was the day when it began. The car had been getting fixed at one shop then was going to be taken to another shop for the body work. Well, it turns out the body work would cost more than the car was worth. So late that morning we found out our car was deemed as a 'total loss'. The payout though was more than we could ever get on a trade in so we thought that wouldn't be so bad. Until we tried looking for a loan. I won't go into the nitty gritty details but it wasn't looking good at all since our chapter 13 had discharged only last year Feb. not to mention we still hadn't received the car title after the discharge but that is a whole other story that I don't want to get into the details with either. We had been denied twice and were extremely worried we wouldn't be able to get a loan. Now our car was 12 years old so the payout wasn't much. But it would be enough to help with a down payment.... if we could get a loan. Anyway, all day Thursday we stressed and we prayed and we had Mich baby sit while we spent over 5 hours car and loan shopping. By the end of the day we still had nothing and were really worried. We spent a lot of time praying and talking to friend's and family for support and advice. Even after all that, once the girls were in bed I thought I need to just do something to take my mind off this. So I pulled out my new barbella and made this card for the bella #28 sketch and color challenges.

That helped lift my spirits for the short while I made it. Then it was back to worrying and Paul and I spent more time praying again.

FRIDAY:

We started the day with another prayer and had Mich come and baby sit again while we got a head start on car/loan shopping again and working things over with the insurance. Now why do I keep stressing that we prayed a lot? Well, it plays a huge part in my mind over what happened. All day yesterday I felt almost sick at every car lot we visited. The cars the dealers had us sit in I didn't feel right in and I had wondered if it was just because I was worried about having a car payment after almost 2 years of not having one. Well we got to the last dealer we were suggested to check out and I just felt better. We got out of the car and I didn't feel sick about anything there, I actually felt alright. The salesman was nice and compliant, nothing felt wrong about him and when we saw the car.... well I knew. I felt that calm sense of right and peace when you know you're making the right decision, when you know you're following the path God has planned out for you. Car shopping isn't probably something you think would strengthen your faith but you know what they say, God works in mysterious ways. I would never have thought that Mich's accident would have turned out to help us. I wouldn't have thought we could ever get a payment as low as we did with our credit and the newer car we picked, a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with only 25,000 miles. The car is perfect for our family really. It has the best of both what Paul and I wanted and it gets better gas mileage than our old car did! So we bought the car. And the best part was my stomach finally unwound as I felt God's hand helping us through our trial.

I made this card that night and was disappointed when Paul came in later and said the car smelt like cigarette smoke suddenly. The smell wasn't there when we test drove and there was none of that smell in the AC but after having it parked in the sun it was definitely there. Well sad to say I was sick all night with worry that we were going to have to take it back and try to find another car. I prayed, we prayed together, and throughout the night I would feel calm when I asked God to help comfort me and then after I would suddenly get worried again then would pray and the cycle would repeat itself. I didn't get much sleep. Anyway, when we took it back in the next morning they said they would clean it out with 'the bomb', lol. I won't go into all the details except that when our salesman told me this I instantly felt the weight lift off my shoulders and felt a 'see I told you it would be alright' feeling. Then to confirm that even, Chris called and had talked to Paul. His truck had been owned by a smoker too. I've been in his truck and haven't smelled any smoke. Mich's car also had been owned by a smoker too and her car doesn't smell either. It's hard to explain when I'm just explaining it, but I truly felt that it is true that 'with God all things are possible' and that He lifts our burdens. The saying 'If He brings you to it, He will bring your through it' is the best phrase I can think of to sum up what has been happening these past few weeks. Now we just have the insurance part to finish up, another stress, but I know things will work out. I know He has a plan for us.

SATURDAY:

Saturday after we took the car in we came home and Mich came over to hang out for a bit. The girls of course have been loving having their dear Aunt around so much. Later we took the girls to a different waterpark.

Audrey and Paul, it was a little windy but the heat more than made up for it.

Caitie finally holding still so I can take a quick close up pick of her. I used my 10X zoom a lot and got some really fun pics of them playing too. Then we went to Nana's right after the water park. It was so nice to just relax and chat there. We got home and it was the girls bedtime so we did a quick dinner then sent them off to sleep and Paul finally brought in the mail which was when I got the RAKs at the beginning of the post. I didn't make anything yet though, as I was too tuckered and totally ready for bed, lol. The heat here really gets to you! And well after two days and three nights of emotional distress I think I was just mentally pooped too. So that was my week. I'll probably be trying to get up some blog candy too since this was my 250th post. I keep telling myself I need to do that every once in a while for fun but keep forgetting, lol. Anyway, keep a lookout this next week for the blog candy and thanks again for all your support ladies, it went a long way to helping me feel cared for and more positive that things would turn out!