Busy, Busy, Busy

The only excuse I have for not blogging for so long is that I've been extremely busy. After losing my job at The Salvation Army store, I went back to work at the gym. I actually only work one 6 hour shift, Saturday mornings from 6:00 am til noon, but I'm also picking up shifts for other people as much as I can. Yep, I get up at 4:30 am every Saturday morning, drag my tired body into the shower, eat breakfast, blowdry my hair, attempt to put some make-up on to at least make it look like I'm awake enough since I took the time to put make-up on, lol, get dressed & go to work hours before the sun even thinks about rising. Yep, I'm officially nuts! But, believe it or not, we have some truly devoted (or nuts) members that come in every-single-Saturday-morning-at-6:00-AM!
In my spare time, hehe, I've been creating new classes for The Scrapbook Zone. The one shown here is called Gratitude Wall Decor & I'll be teaching this class on Thursday, November 5th.
Last night, I taught my Pink For A Purpose class & had an absolute blast! Although only 4 people signed up for the class (plus one of the ladies bought an extra kit for her friend), we had so much fun! And today, I got the sweetest email from one of the girls, telling me how much fun she had & that she will definitely be taking more of my classes :) Just the ego booster I needed ;)
I'll be super busy this weekend as well. As of right now, we'll be picking up our granddaughter on Friday & she'll be spending the weekend with us, going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. I can't wait! She's going to be a Ballerina :) I'll be sure to take lots & lots of pics.


Have a great & safe Halloween,
Benita

Frustrating

Last week has been beyond frustrating! On Monday, the 28th, I was really excited to be starting a new job at a Salvation Army Thrift Store.....I figured I like shopping there, so I might as well work there, right? I thought everything was going fine.....I worked 8 hours on Monday, but when I woke up on Tuesday, my feet were all swelled up from my Osteoarthritis. So when I went into work on Wednesday, I talked to my boss & asked him if I could just work 5-6 hour shifts as anything beyond that would make my feet swell up too much. He seemed fine with it & even rearranged my schedule for Friday & Saturday for me. Well, about 15 minutes before I was due to get off Saturday night, he called me up to the office & told me that he was going to 'let me go' since I can't work 8 hour shifts. He proceeded to tell me that everyone has to work 8 hour shifts, which is a lie! They have one girl that only works 5 hour shifts, Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm! I was so ticked! I loved that job! He wouldn't even give me a chance to try it or to let me work in the back pricing merchandise. He said that no one sits down back there either, which is another lie because on Thursday, I worked in the back pricing books, cds & videos & there were several workers sitting down while they were working! I am in the process of filing a complaint with the Department of Civil Rights for discrimination, but I'm not sure what good that's going to do.....we shall see.

On Friday, Shawn picked up my granddaughter & I was able to spend Saturday & Sunday night with her along with most of the day Monday (Toni let her 'skip school' so I could see her :). As you can see, she is still such a ham for the camera, lol.
Before I left the store on Saturday, I picked up this Barbie house for her for $8.00! It folds up & she absolutely loves it. See her peeking through the doorway :) She decided to keep it here so she has something to play with when she comes to visit me, plus Toni said she doesn't have room for it.

I do have another job interview tomorrow for a Potrait Studio, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the one if it's meant to be. I tell ya.....it's frustrating looking for a job! And even more frustrating getting fired for no reason :(

Hope you have a great weekend. I've got a busy one planned....interview tomorrow & then lots of errands to run, working at the gym on Saturday morning, playing cards Saturday night with some friends, church on Sunday & possibly going to see the Lions/Steelers game if I can get tickets.

Stay warm!
Benita

What The Heck Happened???

Where is the world did September go??? Seriously! Is it just me? Or did September seem non-existant? I don't know if it's the fact that I've been overly busy (which is why I've been a blog slacker) or the fact that when you get older, time just moves by so much faster! And don't even remind me that we have less than 3 months until Christmas is here. I haven't even begun to think about shopping yet! YIKES!

One thing I have been doing is creating :) I'm going to be teaching some more classes at The Scrapbook Zone this next quarter & I couldn't be more excited! For October, I'm teaching a class called Pink For A Purpose since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. Here are the details:

When: Thursday, October 15 & Monday, October 26, 6pm – 8pm
Where: The Scrapbook Zone
Description: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month & to show our support, we will be making a Pink For A Purpose album. If you or someone you love has ever been touched by Breast Cancer, then this class is the answer. Besides making a wonderful album to document Breast Cancer Awareness, I will also be donating $5.00 from each class fee collected to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website. This class is truly close to my heart as my own sister was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer this year & is currently receiving chemo treatments. Please join us for the cure. Cost:$30.00

If I have any kits left over, I plan to sell them at the store, but I'm sure that if you're interested & don't live near the Zone, you could probably order them & have them shipped. Email me if you'd be interested in purchasing one & I can get more details.

Well, gonna make this a short update.....gotta get back to creating :)

Have a great one,

Benita

Happy Birthday Sis!

Today you would have been turning 57, but you were taken away from us way too soon! These 2 weeks, in between the day of the accident (August 29th, 2004), my birthday (September 5th) & your birthday (September 12th) are the hardest weeks of my life! I remember how you always used to kid around with me about my birthday being a week before yours, but I always got you back because I was still the youngest. You were 10 years minus 1 week older than me & I know we shared a really special bond because of our birthdays being so close together. Hey, do you think Mom & Dad planned it that way? ;)

Mom told me how you used to spoil me all the time. Since I was the baby in the family & you were 10 years old when I was born (ok, 10 years minus a week, lol), she said that you used to treat me like I was your own baby. You would always want to feed me & dress me. As I got older, I remember being so sad when you moved off to Montana....you were starting a life with your own kids, but I was selfish & didn't want you to go! We always kept in touch....through phone calls & then the wonderful WWW with emails, but it was still so hard to be so far away from you!

I remember the last time I got to see you....it was when this picture, above, was taken. I came home for a visit in July of 2003 & you drove down to see me as you lived 2 hours away from Mom. I love this picture of the 2 of us together (even though I look like crap in it!). We both knew that the bond we shared was special....something only sisters share!

And today, as you celebrate your birthday, I realize just how lucky I am to have you in my life....even though you aren't here in presence anymore, I know you're here in spirit! And that's what gets me through all of this.....knowing that you're my angel & you're watching over me every minute of every day!

I love you & miss you, Karen!

Until we meet again,

Benita

09-09-09

Shawn called me on my birthday to see if I was gonna be home....he said he had something for me. When he arrived, he had these gorgeous roses in his hands, along with a very, thought-provoking card. I couldn't believe it! My son not only remembered my birthday, but he got me roses! Yep, I truly believe that those 4 days in PA together has brought us closer than we've been in YEARS!

On Labor Day, Jim & I heading to 3 different Salvation Army stores to do some bargain shopping since they always have sales on holidays. I could hardly believe my eyes when I stumbled upon the item above! Long story: when I was a teenager (some 30+ years ago), my grandparents had given me one of these exactly like this one & I cherished it as it plays the song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", one of my all-time favorite songs. Fast forward to 1987.....I had lost almost everything I owned in an apartment fire, including the above musical figurine. I was devastated! It was on the top of our waterbed headboard & when I was able to go into the apartment to salvage what I could, this figurine was all charred & broken :( So when I saw this exact same figurine at the store, tears swelled into my eyes & I clutched onto it with dear life. The best part is....it works & plays the song I love so much :) Yes, it does have a chip in the umbrella, but I don't care! It's mine! I guess the saying one person's trash is another person's treasure definitely proves true here :)

I also found this really cool box that I think I'll be using to display my shot glass collection.....or maybe for something in my scraproom? Hmmm.

I then stumbled upon these.....corn cob dishes. I got 6 of them for 99 cents each :) I've been wanting some of these for years & was so happy when I found them. Best part is.....they're made by Pfaltzgraff & they're all in excellent condition.

I also got myself 2 shirts, both brand new with tags, a Tigger polo shirt for Jim, which was also new with tags, a brand new still in box charging valet by Brookstone & these:

2 Willow Tree Angels for a buck each! And they're in perfect condition. I definitely couldn't pass them up!

Tonight was the first night back to bowling for our league & I'm pretty pleased with the way I bowled, especially since I haven't touched my bowling balls in 5 months! My games were 160, 190 & 173 for a 523 series. The first game, it was hard for me to concentrate since I'm the league Treasurer this year & had to count the money & take care of all the pay envelopes. And the first week is always hectic getting everyone started. But hopefully things will calm down a little next week & I'll be able to concentrate more.....although, that may or may not be a good thing :)

Have a great week/weekend,
Benita

9-5-62

Happy Birthday.....to me :) It's official. I'm another year older. And still the baby of the family, hehe. While I was in PA, my sisters & I were all discussing our ages, trying to figure out how old we each were cause trust me, when you get as old as we are, you tend to start forgetting things like that. Linda thought I was going to be 49 (gee, thanks, Linda!). I just had to remind them all that I'm still the youngest ;)

So today, as I begin to celebrate my 47th year of life, I plan on takin' it easy, reminisce about what I've accomplished (or procrastinated to accomplish, lol) over the past year & just be grateful to be alive to enjoy this day! I have so many things that I still want to do with my life, but just for today, I'll be celebrating the day of my birth: September 5, 1962 @ exactly 8:00 a.m. Thank-you Mom & Dad for bringing me into this world :)

Benita Lynn

Pics From PA

Friday morning, after picking up Shawn, we headed to PA & arrived around 5:30 p.m. We actually made pretty good time & I wasn't even speeding.....that much ;) Heck, you couldn't speed in Ohio.....there were cops EVERYWHERE! I swear we saw over a dozen cops all along I-80. Thank goodness for my radar detector :)

On Saturday, Barb, Shawn, Dad, Linda, Dave & I drove up to visit the crash site & the grave. Donna didn't want to go.....again :( She claims that she hates going to graves. Well HELLO....we don't exactly like graves, either, but we do it out of respect for Karen & Jimmy! At the crash site, Barb redid the names & dates on the crosses & I added the flowers.....blue was Karen's favorite color & Jimmy liked red.

Here we are at the grave.....I love the mums that were planted. I added the blue bouquet here as well.

Love this pic that Barb took of Shawn & I.....it's not very often that him & I get our picture taken together.

Here I am with my Mom. I was so happy to see her & she smiled as soon as I walked into her room. Then she looked at Shawn & said "who's that?" She honestly didn't recognize him. In her defense, it's been probably 7-8 years since she saw him last.

Sunday, we went to the mall & then to the Legion for dinner & drinks while Barb was working & again, to visit my Mom. She was in the mood for shrimp, so I picked some up for her at Long John Silvers. Then we had to leave on Monday :( I wish we could have stayed longer! Heck, we didn't even get on the road until almost 1:00 p.m. because I didn't want to leave! Why do vacations go by so fast anyway??? Here's Barb working at the gas station sporting her new haircut. She's still not sure if she likes it, but I think it looks great on her! Speaking of Barb, today she starts her Chemo & she could really use some prayers. She just doesn't deserve any of this!

My Dad & I, right before I left to come back home. Yep, he's a Kasey fan, too :)

Dad, Barb & I.

Before we got on the road, I had to stop & see my Mom again. LOVE this picture that I took of her with Shawn.

And once again, I started crying :*( She told me to stop crying & that she was okay. I told her that I just hate seeing her in there & she replied saying that she doesn't have to do any housework, doesn't have to cut grass, doesn't have to cook & assured me that she's doing good. When I went to say goodbye to her, she said "don't say goodbye, say see you later."

Right after we got into Michigan, I was just too tired to drive any longer, so I asked Shawn if he wanted to drive. Yep, can you believe it.....I let him drive my Charger?!? Am I nuts or what? LOL NO ONE drives my Charger but me.....not even Jim! LOL Actually, Jim hates driving it, so that's why he doesn't drive it very often. Shawn, OTOH, loved driving it! He was impressed with how well it handled & liked the power ;)

We arrived in Detroit around 8:00 p.m. to drop Shawn off & then I got home right around 9:00. It's been hard adjusting to being home again. Tuesday, I was really depressed & just sat around the house most of the day :( If I could move back home, I would in a heartbeat! I hate being so far away from my family! It sucks! It really sucks!

Benita

5 Years

5 years ago today, August 29, 2004, was the absolute worst day of my life! A day that I wish I could forget ever happened! A day of sadness, lots & LOTS of tears, lots of pain, lots of questions. It's so hard to believe that it's been 5 years! When I think about how my life has changed over the past 5 years, I know that I've become more aware of things, more careful, more alert to my surroundings & more scared.
Not a single day goes by that I don't think about Karen & Jimmy.....not one! And I'll admit, it's been very hard for me to go on, living my life, knowing that they aren't with us any longer. They say that grieving gets easier as time passes.....I think they're wrong! It's been 5 years ago & still feels like just yesterday! I miss them! And always will!

As you're reading this, I'm in Pennsylvania visiting my family & the grave. I'm staying at Barb's house since most of the hotels were booked for Little League World Series & the ones there weren't, were over $200 a night! I'll be posting lots of pics when I return.

Benita

Thank-you!

Thank-you all so much for the prayers for my sister Barb! They worked! She made it through the surgery just fine, although she was very sore. She now has her drains out & was able to return to work yesterday, a mere 2 weeks after her surgery! She is definitely a trooper! She's not sure when she starts chemo yet, but the other day, she went to get her hair cut & donated her hair to Locks Of Love. How awesome is that!!! I'm SO proud of her & her strength!

The other day, I decided to stroll into Michaels just to see if they had anything new & I almost cried when I saw this on an endcap. And Xyron is donating 50 cents from each purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. So yep, you guessed it.....I had to bring this little ribbon home :)

Isn't she adorable?!? Yeah, I already had the original Xyron X, but I just couldn't resist this one. Now, I only wish I had to money to buy the new PINK Cricut Expressions Machine! Darn, darn, DARN! I want that thing SO BAD! But I just cannot justify buying it since my Cricut isn't even a year old. WHY do they do these things after you already buy them.....WHY???

Thanks again for all the prayers.....I knew I could count on my friends!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Benita

Prayer Request

My dear blog readers & friends,

Today I have a prayer request. Today, my sister Barb (pictured above with her 17 year old son Kyle) will be undergoing a double Mastectomy. Less than 2 months ago, she went in for her annual mammogram & it was then that they found some lumps. After having several biopsies done, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She is proof that Breast Cancer can happen to anyone at any time! It doesn't run in our family, no other woman in our family has ever had breast cancer before & she didn't have any warning signs at all! It just happened that fast! So please, if you don't do self exams or haven't had a mammogram, do it NOW! TODAY! Not tomorrow! Not next week! NOW!

Barb, being the comedian that she is, has been keeping her spirits up & has been trying to make us all laugh about it. I just talked to her on the phone last night & she said that she's always wanted new boobs & this time, she wants smaller ones.....she's sick of carrying those big things around (her quote, not mine). She was also joking around with Mom & told her that not only is she getting new boobs, but she'll also be getting a new stomach out of it, too. Yep, I love my sister & her sense of humor!

I, on the other hand, have been crying almost all day! I'm a nervous wreck! I just CANNOT lose another sister! I can't! So that is why I'm asking you for your prayers. Please keep Barb in your thoughts & prayers today that she makes it through this surgery without any complications & that they can get the cancer out of her completely!

Thank-you.

Benita