The talent of my mother amazes me still!

So... my house is lacking a lot of things- I've improvised window coverings thus far and it hasn't been good. Here is a pic of the front room (technically the dining room, but we use it for more of a formal living)... this is "before" my mom made roman shades for the entire first floor of our home.
This is another window in the same room (formal living). We currently have our computer in the opposite corner- and the glare through this window made it impossible to see in the day time. So this is a very crude, ill fit, awful looking sheet used to cut the glare... doesn't get any prettier than that! ... not. These are the new treatments in the formal living room... and no glare from the window on the right!
My eating area... I love these toppers! She's crazy tallented! I just need to "string" the backs of all the new window coverings and turn them into functioning roman shades... what a mom.

Here is a before of the family room (there were tan curtains over these light blocking shades.... but they'd already been taken down when i grabbed the camera... it hasn't looked this bad the whole time...)And now... freshly steamed (see the steamer in the corner?) Here are the new mom-made treatments!Last window on the main floor of the house- we will match this to the ones in the eating area- and paint the wall behind red... I'm loving this!

Mom~ thank you so much for all of the time, dreams, and hard work you put into this for me. I really appreciate all you do for me- i'm so blessed to be your daughter... you are the most talented lady i know and i love you!

Jocilyns hair cut and mom's new do!

So... finally here is a pic of what the front of the new do looks like... I've hacked at it here and there- decided to let it grow out just a bit because i'm notorious for being a "pen head" at work. What that means is that i store my pens in my hair... then i don't lose them as much. But to do this you must be able to pull the hair up because I have to slide them through... I'll take a pic sometime... it's unique.
Jocilyn was finally allowed to get her hair cut to her shoulders- and i must say, it is very cute on her!
I look a little tired here... probably because i am. In this pic I was about 3 days into a respiratory infection... now i'm a week and a half and it's not getting a whole lot better... today i stayed home from work and spiked a temp of 102... fun for me...

Look what a dork!

Lynn, this is a total compliment to you... but yours truly is an idiot! I like the top of your blog (see above if your confused)... so i saved it thinking i could use it... ummmm.... the name is not transferrable!!! and i can't modify it... as soon as i hit "save" i thought- "oh, good one, that SO won't work out!!!"

So, how do i find such cute things to put on my blog... with my name?

And did you see? I answered your question- i have read all 3 of Stephanie Mayers Twilight books... love you sister!

Okay, okay, alright, okay...!

Alrighty amigos y familia!!! here is an update-e-ooooh!!!



My baby went back to school... 1st grade... Here she is stepping off of the bus. Hunter Chesley is right in front of her- some of you should recognize this handsome kid... what's with all this growing up stuff? getting older? Who's getting older? only the kids, not this mama. Kenna helped me drop her off... ...i needed the support- 1st grade was harder for me than Kindergarten... yes, I was teary for at least a week leading up to it!



I cut my hair. It got past my shoulder blades- the longest my hair has ever been in my life- and now i'm back to the real me again.
Here is a pic of the back of it now, My face looked scary in all of the ones i've taken since the cut- i'll try another for you tomorrow when i'm ready for church- maybe i'll be able to pull off a decent look... but even from the back, you can tell, cute cut, no?


This week me and the girls have all been ill with whatever the respiratory bug dejour is... Monday and Tuesday Jocilyn stayed home from school, not to worry- she studied architectural engineering... my children are brilliant...



Sorry i haven't posted anything new in a long while. I know how disappointing that is. When i first started blogging I was insane about it. I felt like a geek, consciously limiting myself to only one post a day... and frustrated that all of my friends and family weren't posting as often as i was checking! .... and now look at me! ... pathetic, i'll try to improve... love you all!

marie's testy thingy

Apparently this is who i am.... enjoy!

You Are An INFP
The Idealist You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards.You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings.At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values.You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

Jeremy Lucas: The Memorial 13 Aug 2007

There should not be a "babyland" in a cemetery... this is going to be more of a photo tribute to Luke.... Because it is important. What a comfort to know that families CAN be together forever.
Julie (the mom) saying goodbye... from experience i can vouge for the difficulty of letting go of these little ones we had such dreams for... and never got to meet... there isn't a sorrow like it that i have experienced before or since, nor would i want to. Can you believe how small the casket is?
Jeremy (who is deaf, and also the father of Luke) was so great with Julie... here she is signing "help"... I'd like to believe that it is help from our Father that they know is available.
For Jeremy, and this is only my guesstimation, i imagine that the whole experience has been that much "darker" because of his deafness. When i arrived at the hospital on the 8th, Julie was delivering and there wasn't an interpreter for him... i can't imagine the lost feeling that must be. Here is your wife going through something so huge, and you losing a child... i just can't imagine it from his view.... But he's been really great with her. It is amazing how different all of these boys from the same family are.
What a comfort.... to have one another...



This is not all of the family. Julie is from a family of 13 children (all living) and Jeremy is the 2nd of 10 (all living)... there is a lot of support, what a blessing. Anyway- there was a "balloon ceremony" for Luke- where balloons were released into the sky for him as a way to say goodbye, and also, as Julie said, "to give him something to play with!
Just again, an idea of how tiny he was...

Those I'm lucky enough to have. My mother and father in law were very concerned about my feelings- and i appreciated that. It was much like picking at a scab.... if that makes sense... my losses became quite fresh once again.... but i know i will have them back, more children to raise in the hereafter! Busy, Busy!

Sunglasses were counted as a blessing... the smile... well, because what else do you do?


Heavenly father needed you back sooner than we were ready... but we will trust in him... and love you just the same... (the balloon ceremony referred to above)

Jeremy Lucas Gibbens, still born 8-8-07

Memorial 8-13-2007 at Hillcrest Cemetary, Caldwell, Idaho

New Job-ola, to make some cash-ola

Yep... you heard right!!! I started a new job- I'll be a nurse at a dialysis clinic in Nampa, ID (right across from my beloved Mercy Medical Center... gag) But first I have to learn the PCT (tech) portion.

I don't have time for a lot of detail because it is my bed time (yes i have one again). Work starts for me at 4:30... like i have to BE THERE then... so that is up at like 3am..... yikes.... but i thought I'd post a pic or two...
This is my boss, who wouldn't' pose, well she did, but i can't post it (lol) so i caught her unawares......I'm loving it so far (who knew you could love nursing again?), and my boss seems to like me... big change- I'm diggin' it... ?

Dana is the educator, also a tech- I love her laugh!!!! She's usually not looking as serious as this!

Here is my nazi trainer (just kidding) Jason's dutifully charting... what a good example!!!

I had the patients permission to take this photo, but still, I blurred him out. This is Malain getting his dialysis started ( I did it in B&W so that you squeamish blood folks didn't' freak out!!! There are very large needles and lots of blood involved) But this is what we do here. If you don't know what dialysis is, basically it is an artificial kidney and the machine cleans the blood that the body cannot.

This is Malain... she's an awesome tech who doesn't give herself enough credit- it also gives you an idea of what the treatment room looks

In the meantime, I have a lot of studying to do, here i am in the break room, headphones on, reading the curriculum.... like I'm back in school... so much to learn!!! The gal with the short hair is our dietitian who is awesome and came and visited me in my lonely study world!!! (If you want to see how the studying was going that day feel free to click on): http://www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getpix

When I'm finished, I can be a nurse like Amy!!! Look at her go!!!

And now I lay me down to sleep- more later... boy have i got some good stuff coming! keep checking and i love you all!