Photo Inspiration @ Stamp Fairy

Good afternoon, my crafty friends!  I wanted to pop on and share my latest find with you!  I found a new digital stamp company called Stamp Fairy...the owner's name is Gerda and she has some of the cutest little bears ever!  I fell in love when I spotted Lenny!  I am joining in their current challenge at Stamp Fairy Challenge with this card.

I used the digi called Lenny Flowers 2 to go along with this week's photo inspiration.  I colored him in with Copics, of course!  I hope you like it!  :O)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Lots of love to ya!

Prayers and Help for the Payne Family

A post from Summer's Blog...if you can help in any way at all...

"My heart feels heavy for a mother out there that I met 9 years ago. Her name is Joy Payne. I always thought it was funny that her name was an oxymoron. But at this time, she does not feel the joy, only the pain. One of my dear friends (who is best friends with Joy) wrote this:

"Our best friends Tom and Joy Payne just had their 3rd child, Easton, who is now 3 months old. He was born with dwarfism, a mild case of Pierre Robin syndrome (where the lower jaw is too small and the tongue blocks the throat), and a cleft soft palette (which also causes airway obstruction). This baby has a tracheostomy and a feeding tube in his stomach. They feed him every 3 hours around the clock and must suction out the tracheostomy when he spits up—which is almost constantly. You can imagine that with this challenge, they get zero sleep. They are up around the clock managing him. At the time he was born they also had two other children to take care of.

This, of course, turned their lives upside down. They have been working with the state to be approved for 24-hour nursing care. This will not take effect until the middle of November, they are told.

However, to add to the trial that they are facing, when Easton was 11 weeks old, their 3-year old son Jaxon drowned.

They now face the overwhelming costs associated with her hospitalization from the pre-term birth of Easton, his immense medical bills, AND the ambulance, life-flight, hospital and burial costs from Jaxon’s death. …Along with the horrible pain, grief and guilt that comes with losing a child this way…

Their insurance covers no nursing costs. 4 days after the funeral of Jaxon, they woke in the night ready for one of Easton’s feedings as his emergency alarms started sounding. He was not breathing and had no pulse—Tom, his father had to revive him by doing infant chest compressions and CPR into the hole in his throat.

They cannot keep living this way until the red tape clears for their nursing care to kick in. Being this physically exhausted is extremely detrimental to their emotional healing and they are terrified that “another child will die on our watch”.

We’re asking for any donations you can give so that this family can pay for a night nurse for the next month until the state care begins. Prices can range from $3,000-5,000. We’d also like to help them cover all the other medical and funeral bills that are piling up. Please give whatever you can to this amazing family. They have been through so much hardship, and it tears us up to not be able to give them whatever money they need. PLEASE HELP US LIFT THEIR BURDEN SLIGHTLY AND GIVE THEM HOPE. Thank you."

I cannot imagine losing a son, and simultaneously trying to care for a newborn with such health concerns. I just cannot imagine the pain. It is tiresome enough to have a newborn. I am at a loss. So, I decided to throw together a quick kit called "Easton" in hopes of raising some money to help this amazing family. Please say prayers for them. And if you feel that you can donate some money, please feel free to do so using my donate button. I will accept donations until one week from now (Sunday, October 17th). When you donate through PayPal, please leave a note that says "Easton" so that I know that's what it's for.   Thank you!"

Visit Summer's Blog to donate and download her free digital scrapbook kit.

Here is a picture of sweet Easton:


And here is a picture of Joy and her family. The little boy, Jaxon, is the one who they lost from the drowning:


Summer's Free Digi Kit...

I'm Unscripted! & Remember...

 Good morning everyone!  I hope your weekend has started out well...mine has been okay.  LOL!  I woke up to the dog pouncing on me with her sharp little toenails and plopping down right next to my head...effectively smothering me with all that hair (it doesn't matter that she weighs less than 5 pounds)!  I'm up!  Then I see how my dear son "rinsed" the bowls from chili last night.  Ewwwww!  First thing this morning, even before my first drink of Diet Coke, I was scrubbing down the kitchen and doing the dishes, etc.  Joy!  I finished that up and brought a candle down here with me...it's a candle type of day what with the dreary day.  I went to light it and obviously didn't have the lighter positioned correctly and I burned the crap out of my thumb...NO, I didn't get the candle lit either!  Heh!  On to better news...

I was chosen to be a part of the Unscripted Sketches Design Team!  

 You know I love me a sketch, so this is totally exciting for me!  Every Saturday we have a new sketch for you to try out...use it and link up your creation so we can see it!  Today is Sketch #72...I made a layout of my above mentioned son.  This was his first day back to school.  I used a new digi collection from Summertime Designs called Dryer Lint at Tiffany's...funny story, that name!  I love her kits!

I managed to get the HUGE team all linked up on my sidebar, so please visit them and see what fabulousness they have in store for you!

On another note, I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone to fly their American flags today.  Do it for all the innocent people who died that infamous Tuesday and the following days.  For the servicemen and women who did all they could to help.  Show the world that WE WILL NEVER FORGET!

I still remember where I was and what I was doing when I found out what was happening...it gives me goosebumps to even think of it.  Do you remember what you were doing when the news came in?  Did you spend hours glued to the TV watching the destruction like I did?  One of my good friends, Cathy, lives in New York and I didn't know if she was okay...lord knows you couldn't get through on the phone.  She turned out to be safe and sound, but her cousin, Terry Farrell, died that day. 

 He was brave and always did what was right...even if that meant putting himself in harm's way.  Terry was a decorated member of the FDNY and chief of the volunteer Fire Dept in Dix Hills.  In memory of Terry and he other 342 of his brothers who died the Terry Farrell Firefighters Fund was established.  Stop by and read about it...give a little something if you have it to give.

Beware of...Spooky Sweets!

Good morning all!  Can you believe we're a week into September already?  Next thing you know it'll be Halloween!  Luckily for us The Digi Shack has released some uber cute Halloween images by Brian Lock! 

I used both the cat and the bat on my layout today.  The layout features photos of some of my Spooky Sweets...the "Once Bitten" cuppies are always a huge hit!  Muahahahaha!

Be sure to head over to TDS for some Halloween images of your own!  Check out the rest of the DT's blogs to see what they have up their sleeves as well...links are on my sidebar!

Proud to be an American!

Hello all and Happy Sunday!  I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend!  It's time for another challenge at Doodle Dragon Studios Challenge Blog!  This one is all about being patriotic!  Show us your red, white and blue, stars and stripes, fireworks, etc.  You must use a DDS image to qualify, but there are a million freebies over on Dustin's Blog.  :O)

I made a digital layout for this one...I used Dudley from the set Dragon for All Seasons.  The digi kit is by Summertime Designs.

I hope everyone likes my layout and will join in with this challenge!  You have until July 10th.  Be sure to see what the other DT members have come up with too...links are on my sidebar!