Dental Delights

Today was implant day. Two of them, in my lower jaw. I'm happy I had it done. I should have had it done a few years ago. I still find it amazing the way surgeons work with bone and metal "findings" for a lack of a better word. Drilling into bone and inserting hardware just seems odd. But maybe that's just me. I did well. Sat still, was compliant, didn't cry or make a fuss. I'm glad because he's a very nice doctor and I didn't want to cause him any grief.

Anyway, these implants were not cheap. Of course dental insurance won't cover any part of them since that would make too much sense, and certainly would not be cost effective for them. Do you ever wonder why there is medical insurance AND dental insurance? Last time I checked the mouth was a part of the body.

These days I equate money with the amount of craft supplies it can buy. A nice dinner out loses its appeal when I consider how many Martha punches I could have purchased with that money. Dinners out are fleeting. Martha punches are forever.

A Cob Story

My mom and I were very close. We talked a lot, and shared a lot. She would always ask, "Do you have any Cob stories?" Being a long-distance grandmother, she got her information via phone calls and emails. Well, tonight I have a beautiful Cob story and I am praying somehow she will get to hear it.

Cob returned from the grocery store and said to me, "Mom, tonight I got to do something I've always wanted to do." He was excited to tell me, but not in a bragging or boastful way. He said, "I was walking in the parking lot and I saw an old man with a cane. He was a veteran. So I went up to him and shook his hand. I said thank you for your service and told him I appreciated all he had done." I asked how he knew the man was a veteran, and he told me he was wearing a hat which said so, and had medals on it.

Then I asked Cob what the man's reaction was. He told me, "He said it meant a lot to him to hear that. I told him to have a good evening, and God Bless you."

I managed to hold back my tears until Jacob left the room. I am so proud of this kid, and so blessed to be his mother.

Miniature Masterpieces

Major cuteness alert here!! This oil painting is done on canvas and measures 3 inches by 3 inches. It comes with the easel, and is for sale in my eBay store (along with several other mini masterpieces).

Cause I Can

I am posting a Halloween-ish type image.....yep, because I can. I'm deep in thought about the mini I will make for my SSS (Super Special Swap...lol).

I took Jacob to the dentist for his check-up. Usually, he is one of those "look ma, no cavities" type kids. He was also born with arrow straight teeth, which he never shows when he smiles, and that irks me. I am SO thankful he didn't inherit my dental history, which I inherited from my mother. Both she and I had congenitally missing lateral incisors (the teeth on either side of your front teeth). My sister got my father's good dental DNA, but come to find out that congenitally missing teeth gene reared its ugly head, and her son was born with the condition, on the lower. That just fascinates me, how heredity and genes work. But I digress, big time.

Jacob has two cavities in...get this...his front teeth! Jeez Louise, lazy much? How do you get cavities on the two easiest teeth to reach? He also has a cavity in each of his lower third molars (aka wisdom teeth). Not great news, but easier to understand. He really does not have room for those molars, so they will be extracted very shortly. The uppers are way, way up there and seem to be heading straight. We'll just leave those puppies alone for now. They haven't even erupted.

I feel sorry for him already, because he's never really known pain before. Never had any illness worse than a bad cold, never broken a bone or had a surgery. He does give blood and considers that a major procedure. Poor guy.

A New Old Mini Album

Well, I coulda had two-thirds of a baby in the time it took to finish this mini. The funny thing is whenever I think I can do a project quickly, easy peasy, etc., it always turns out that the opposite is true. This book is for an eight year old girl named Kamaria.

The paper collection is DCWV Garden Party. The circle pages are six inches in diameter. Note to self: circle chipboard is a pain.

I broke out my Cricut for the flower and dragonfly tags. It's really an amazing machine and I need to use it more.

This is one of those pages where you keep changing things, trying to find something that works. I used the petal card die to make three envelopes, then stacked them and made little tags. I don't have any tab punches so I used my scallop punch and folded the paper in half.

Kmae is her nickname. Those are Thickers. Love Thickers. This page is very busy. Very, very busy. It's too busy but I am not going to redo it. I made a little booklet which was supposed to attach to the top with a binder clip. No room for it though, with all the flowers.

Here is the page without the busyness of the tags. My little booklet wouldn't go in the pocket since it had embellishments around the bottom. Note to self: plan your album before you start making it.

A simple page for a photo. I may go back and add something to the upper left corner. Not sure why I left it unadorned.

This is my favorite page. The butterfly was originally silver and I used two different alcohol inks to color it. It is only adhered on one side. I have butterfly, scallop frame and bird tags which tuck under the wing.

Second favorite page. Lovin' the chocolate brown and aqua color combo. The little book opens up and cascades down with two places for photos and two places for journaling. It is held closed by the tiniest little magnet. I have opened and closed the flap more times than I want to admit. It's just so cool to hear that little "snap" sound when it closes.

Last page. Can ya tell I was out of inspiration? I just wanted to be done with this mini album. Trying to give the impression of water with the rick-rack and velvet ribbon. I was going to adhere some sand to the front of that pocket, until I reminded myself I had fussed enough. Used the Cricut again to make the flip-flop tags. I think Kamaria will think they're cute.

The blue and pink flower at the top is actually a Tim Holtz binder clip. It was supposed to hold the aforementioned little booklet. I think I'll attach the booklet to the back of the mini. Why not right?

This concludes my girly scrappy projects for a while. It's back to vintage with some grunge, in Tim Holtz land. In other words, back to where I belong. And, I am doing a Halloween mini swap with my YouTube idol, Tracy (TracysTreasures24 is her channel name). She is a sweetheart and I am blessed to call her my friend.

My Heart is Full

This morning my son Jacob flew to Southern California, to attend a combination martial arts training event and 75th birthday party for Soke Karl Marx, the founder of Cajun Karate. The photo of Jacob was taken at the karate studio (doe-joe and no I can't spell it), with Karl's son, Victor Marx. Victor runs the place, and is a 7th degree Black Belt, which from what I hear, is really advanced.

Victor is also the founder of All Things Possible Ministries and is well known, for many things, in a variety of circles. Victor's main outreach is to youth who are in juvenile facilities. He has overcome a horrendous childhood of abuse, and is able to relate to the kids in these facilities. He is the author of a book called "The Victor Marx Story, With God, All Things Are Possible."

At the time of her death, my mother (Donna Ferguson) was working with Victor's organization, on the re-publishing of her first book, "The Someday Kid." Like Victor, my mother had overcome terrible tragedy and used her experiences to reach out to others. She had a heart for women and teens who had been abused and were now incarcerated.

My mother would speak of spiritual DNA. Strange concept and at first I didn't even want to try to understand it. I still don't, but I do know it exists, because Jacob is so much like this grandmother in more ways than I could possibly list. He feels called to become a Pastor, and thinks working with youth is where God will use him.

I have reached the point in my life where I'm not afraid to tell my "God Stories." They are spectacular and I figure, if someone thinks my hamster is running but the wheel isn't turning, so be it. So....I told you all that, to tell you all this:

In the minutes following her death, I stood at the foot of my mother's bed. I was still and I was silent. I felt tremendous peace, because I knew she was finally where she wanted to be. Then I saw something out of the corner of my right eye, something very bright. I looked over and it was a small diamond shaped object, bright white with gold sparkles. It was maybe two to three inches tall, floating in the air, about shoulder level to me in height. It floated slowly over to me, and I felt it enter the right side of my chest, across from my heart. When I say I felt it enter my body, what I felt was a warm sensation, followed by the sense it was dispersing itself inside me. None of this was alarming or uncomfortable. Serene is the word to describe it. And then my mind was filled with thoughts of how this glowing object was representative of my mother's work here on earth. The torch had been passed and now I must keep her ministry alive.

I will never be her, nor do I want to be her. But I can do things to show others God is real, and putting your trust in Him is the only true security we have. I can use my testimony of how God picked me up out of the gutter I was living in, and made me a new person. I can pray for others. I can try each day to be a better person. And I can listen, when I feel led to be sure Jacob and Victor meet and develop a friendship because God will use that friendship to do great things.

My heart is full. I love you Mama.

Tiny Tree, Oral Surgeons & A Haul

Here is my jeweled tree. I know this is a love it or hate it type creation. I think it's gorgeous and will definitely be making more of these trees. I already have two new designs in mind. The tree is 3-1/2 inches tall and is covered with costume jewelry, vintage buttons, vintage rhinestones, and a trimming of black velvet rick-rack around the bottom. It is currently for sale on eBay, where it isn't getting any views. They don't really have a category that fits this tree. I will move it to Etsy soon.

I saw the oral surgeon today and will be having two lower implants placed at the end of the month, or, as soon as I figure out how to pay for it, whichever comes first. He is a wonderful and compassionate man, who is also a physician. I have some major "issues" in the dental chair. NOT because I'm afraid of dentistry, or needles, or the noises and smells. Because from birth to age 27 my father was my dentist. I had problem teeth. In fact, to this day I cannot walk into a dental office and not hear the word "complicated" used in relation to my mouth. My father was an excellent dentist and had many wonderful qualities. He was also extremely critical and I could never please him.

All of the above comes to the surface the minute I sit in that chair, and I cry big crocodile tears, and shake a bit, and generally feel like a total idiot. God has been so good to bring caring, patient dentists into my life. Do you notice that when a person is especially kind, it can make you cry even more? Just because it's so touching.

After my appointment I went to Craft Warehouse. CW is the closest thing to a LSS in the podunk town I live in. Since I had no where to be, I took my time and looked at everything. For some reason it's shocking to me to see all the papers I drool at online, at a brick and mortar store. I spent close to two hours just browsing. They had all their Spring themed Studio G clear stamps on sale for a dime. Yep, 10 for $10. I stared at the sign for a long time to be sure I was reading it right.

I have been wanting a Corner Chomper, the original one, for quite some time. It was $14.99, so of course I grabbed it. I got a Martha Stewart punch around the page set in Holly Leaves. It was half off but for some reason I always feel guilty when I buy MS punches. I can't believe how expensive punches are in general. I got a flower punch too. I know you pay for the Martha name. EK Success makes her punches, as well as Stampin' Up's punches, and EK Success is owned by Wilton (you know, the cake folks) OR, perhaps Wilton is owned by EK Success. In any event they are all connected.

I also picked up a few May Arts ribbons in black, for Halloween minis. I stayed away from the paper, amazing but true :).

Kitchen Things

Got me a new Cricut cartridge to add to my collection. My VAST collection of.....drumroll please....five. Stunning I know. I wish I had gotten the SCAL program. I heard it's no longer available.

Then....we got a new stove. The old one finally bit the dust. The new one looks just like this, but it's not stainless. We got it at Home Depot. The saleswoman kept calling us "kids." She said, "Okay kids, when do you want to pick it up?" She called me "sister" several times. It was odd. I like to use unusual words/names when speaking to people too. I will call a woman "punkin" and a man "studly." I have others, but those are the two that come to mind. Oh, the new stove makes the rest of the kitchen look shabby, and I don't mean as in chic.

I have been working on a new project. A tiny tree decorated with pieces of costume jewelry. It is my first tree and I'm so happy with how it's turning out. Will share photos soon.