ahh the lovely life of a 2 year old!

earlier today, i hear jayden coming upstairs and then come into my room. i saw her grab something, then go into the bathroom. suddenly it got really quiet, and so of course i investigate and this is how i found her:







she applied goops of medicated lip balm all over her face, everywhere but her lips :D LOL no chapped face for her! :D


in other news:

remember in my previous post i said how gorgeous it was outside today? well! the weather completely turned into another type of beauty all together! i still love it though! it's VERY windy and we have snow flurries:



enjoy!

happy customer! happy new year's

i'm on facebook and my friend alison had purchased this magnet to give as a gift for christmas. well she sent me this photo pf the very happy person who received it! thanks alison!
it's chilly today but otherwise really nice outside. i can hear dave and jayden playing in the yard. it's new year's eve and i'm having MS related stuff happening and waiting to hear from y neurologist on what to do.

here's my list for the moment :) i'm thankful for:
-telephones
-the mailman
-medication
-my laptop
-hearing my daughter being loud and happy outside
-the gorgeous day today
-coffee
-my books
-jayden LOVES her library books
-the PX and Commissary at Fort Dix


-

sunny days of mixed everthing

Hello and Good Afternoon!

today is a day of mixed emotions, but I am seeing the positive. if it weren't for certain events, then i would not have gone to our town library. i grew up in this town and the library has always been a sanctuary for me to relax and breathe in the scent of books and to be in a place that i not loud.

i took out a nora roberts book called angel's fall. so far so good, i'm on chapter 4 and i just started it over lunch. i reserved a copy of twilight, something i'm told by a few that i needed to read. i signed jayden up for a toddler's day next month, it includes sotries, crafts and another activity that i can't remember. i then signed up for a beginning knitting class. it's all free through our library. i need to get out more and i need to meet other mother's with toddlers.

here's where i was earlier:
in line at route 1 nj inspection station. normally we're lucky and we get in and out quickly. today....not so lucky.

the past few days have been rough, but like i said i need to focus on the positive. like many others around me, we all have things on our plates that make life much more "challenging".
here's my list for the day:

-i got a bunch of books for jayden at the library and know she's gong to be thrilled.
-iTunes
-the $15 in cash i had to put gas in my car
-it's just gorgeous outside, with the sun shining and the skies clear and not too cold.
-going to the library
-the peace i felt as i stepped inside.
-leftovers for lunch
-seagram's ginger ale
-heated car seats
-my love of books
-seeing my daughter first thing every morning and she is sooo happy to see me!
-hopeful that things will work out for the best for us all.
-hopefully dave will find full time work.
-hopefully i'll get clients
-we are hoping to make COBRA payments
-naptimes

Off Days and the MS Walk 2009

For the past few days, I have not been well. I think that I had some stomach "thing" and that throws me off for a few days. The fatigue, balance, etc.

For this I am thankful for:
-singing in my church choir
-in house plumbing
-tv
-water
-my daughter
-my family
-medication
-prayer

Today I have been in bed, but I have had my laptop with me to at least check my emails, get caught up and get the fundraising efforts under way for the MS Walk 2009!


Hey everyone!
It's that time of year again!
David & I would love for you to look over our site and please donate and /or join our team. If you cannot donate, then please, forward this to everyone that you know.

Last year Team Imagine combined forces with The M.O.M.S. Movement in 2008 raised over $20,000!!!!!

This year we are now living in New Jersey and we chose to walk at a family favorite spot, Ocean City, NJ.

For everyone who is local to us, JOIN UP! Those of us with kiddies, you can walk too! I walked, it's only 3 miles. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!

Those who are NOT local, support me anyway! LOL

Check out the images that I shot during the 2008 Walk on my Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbird72shoppe/sets/72157604488545892/

I volunteered my services and my work was also published. You can see the publication on my site too :)

Dave, Jayden & myself hope to hear from you all soon. If you work for a company that matches donations, get them into this too. It's a tax deduction for us all :) And this year, I'm working on getting corporate sponsors, so if you work for a company that would like to be a sponsor, contact me and I can give you the info :)

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. That's why I registered for the Walk MS Event and that's why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to helping create a World Free of MS, but they can't do it without our help. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this message. If you prefer, you can send your contribution to the address listed below.

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do.

Love,
Deirdre, Dave, Jayden & Canela


P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Walk MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit nationalmssociety.org.

you can visit the personal donation web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/PAEWalkEvents?px=1895558&pg=personal&fr_id=11025&et=LY95F0DDS0l5g6AsT1Y9gQ..&s_tafId=107374

you can visit the team web address:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Walk/PAEWalkEvents?team_id=144020&pg=team&fr_id=11025&et=j4xLyLGKpRdWMOWoi59Bgg..&s_tafId=107374

The above is my Dear Everyone letter to help raise money for this all-so-important cause that is all too close to home as I have MS.

It would be WONDERFUL if those reading my blog could donate to me for this event!
THANKS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's Christmas Eve and all is fairly calm around the house. Dave is sewing, Jayden is upstairs with my parent's, and I'm here updating my blog :)

Being Catholic(open minded Catholic), I sing in my church's adult choir. I'm an Alto, and my mom is a Soprano and tonight we're singing Midnight Mass. Here is St. Mary's Website

The weather is rainy and very mild, pretty warm actually. We're all waiting to see Santa Claus who comes through town on top of our local fire company's truck, throwing candy to the kids, siren and lights blazing and loud and taking photos with the local kids. It's a tradition that's done every single year and it's exciting every time!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

A great quote for today!

Ozark, on Etsy posted this in a forum on positive thinking:

"Some days there won't be a song in your heart. Sing anyway."

~Emory Austin

This is a great quote to help remind us of what we have AND what we may not have...but try and see the positive! And I think the one thing that we often do NOT remember is that THIS day, no matter what comes of it, is the only time we'll have to live it. It should be looked at as a gift and opened carefully, savored fully, and smiled upon. Today is very special....no matter what circumstance your in, what your financial situation is, what your health may be like, or whether your "successful" or not. Today is TODAY and it will not come again....be positive, take today in, do something for someone else today, make the most of it...Be positive and have a great day!

Ozark

Go check out her Shoppe!

Save Family Businesses!

trying some new things here on my blog

and one of them is:
SCOUTLE
it's an online way to use your blog to it's fullest and i'm still figuring it out.

you may have noticed that i am also selling on 1000 Markets. this is very exciting to me as it's juried like Trunkt and it's really a gorgeous site:

come by and see what i have here :) i'll be adding more and more items to this shoppe. some of the images are not available on my etsy site :)

the holidays

it's rainy here in bordentown, nj and cooler than yesterday. today, dave is out a freelance gig in north jersey. my mom and i are doing our xmas cards and hopefully get some cookie baking done.

i'm currently printing out photos of my daughter sitting on santa's lap. with our money being extremely tight this year, we unfortunately cannot afford the postage and cards to send out as we have in the past. those who don't get a card in the mail will get an e-card of my design in their email :)

things have been tough for everyone all around with the economy as it is. our holiday wish is for those affected to stay positive and hope and pray that things will get better for everyone. i know that i have been very down lately, so this is why i haven't been here as much as i want to.

we are very worried about where the money is going to come to pay the bills, health insurance, and other life nessisities. i am working everyday just about trying to get photo and graphic design clients. i did get a return client and one i'm hoping that they will contact me very soon to let me know how to proceed further with their web design.

this proves that there are certain things that are just beyond our control and while we can remind people, sometimes all we can do is wait. i have 2 other photo clients i'm waiting on to see which prints they want from their photo shoots :)

but i am here now and that's what counts. here is my list for the day and i hope that it inspires you as well:

-my daughter
-my husband
-my family
-my friends
-iTunes
-Jack Johnson
-a warm, clean and safe place to live
-food on the table
-being in the church choir
-getting items for the food pantry at my church
-playing outside with my daughter yesterday
-having my friend michelle and her beloved, nate, visit us and treating us to dinner
-coffee with french vanilla non-dairy creamer
-being inspired by seeing others everyday
-my medication
-being able to walk
-being able to talk
-medication to help with my chronic pain
-my naps
-knitting
-a possiblity with a local funeral home
-knowing that being honest and following through will bring clients back again
-being reminded of the above by a funeral home owner
-my faith in God

times like these

at this moment i've got jack johnson in my head. i listened to him a lot while hooked up to an IV and during my step down treatments, since i was too sick to move around much.



here are the lyrics:

In times like these
In times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes on and on...
On and on it goes

And there has always been laughing, crying, birth, and dying
Boys and girls with hearts that take and give and break
And heal and grow and recreate and raise and nurture
But then hurt from time to time like these
And times like those
And what will be will be And so it goes

And there will always be stop and go and fast and slow
Action,Reaction, sticks and stones and broken bones
Those for peace and those for war
And god bless these ones, not those ones
But these ones made times like these And times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes on and on...
On and on it goes

But somehow I know it won't be the same
Somehow I know it will never be the same.

it's raining, and i'm listening to jack johnson, and i'm working on 2 websites :)

here's my list:
-it's raining
-dave is working today, freelance
-he's working tomorrow, freelance
-i'm listening to jack johnson, perfect for a day like today while working
-my family
-my friends
-my abilities and skills
-knowing that dave had a GREAT job interview last week
-we hope he gets that job
-a warm place to live with food on the table and love

evoking my potentials

at least thats how i see it ;)

today i have a 2.5 hour test called Evoked Potentials. here is the article:
Evoked potential test for multiple sclerosis

so i get to hang out at my neuro's office for a bit as they check out how i do. its been a while since i've had this done and the last time it sent my body into a nervous fit almost. made my body feel like it had ants crawling all over me and my hands went numb. but it was all normal results at that time. however my MRI's show MS. this test helps to define other "hidden" stuff i guess.

i know that i should be chatting about my thanksgiving holiday etc. but my eyes have been achy for a while and i just want to get through this day. it's also dave's 37th birthday!

so let me give thanks:
-my daughter
-my family
-our friends
-dave getting some freelance here and there
-hoping that dave will land a full time position soon or make a ton of moola freelancing to afford health insurance.
-travelling safely this past weekend and every day.
-our dog
-pain medication
-getting a grant to pay for our COBRA for 2 more months
-my Copaxone
-my sale yesterday on etsy.