Black Belt Scrapping

Ties and Unties

Recently, an online friend of mine experienced a terrible loss. She and her husband lost their precious little eight week old baby, Ian, to an aggressive brain tumor.

 

I have never met Tricia in person. We were both part of a group of moms on an old AOL parenting message board. Those boards are gone, but a core group of us still remain as friends who are now connected on Facebook. While we could discuss the merits of "electronic relationships", I can say with certainty that a good handful of people that I initially met in an online environment have enriched my life tremendously and I truly love and care for them, and I know that they care for me. 

 

Our online group was both shocked and saddened to hear of Tricia and her husband Brandon's loss. One of the pitfalls of the online world is not being available to really help in a time of need, and I know I speak for many of us, we all felt helpless and really wanted to be able to do something to help Tricia. I never get political here on my blog, but it's always been my mindset that we the people should be doing more to help each other than expecting somebody else (hello...the government) to take care of our fellow citizens for us. 

 

This is my attempt to help Tricia and Brandon. I can't imagine the pain that these people and their family must be going through. If you're reading this today, you're part of my online community of friends and today I'm asking you to help me help Tricia and Brandon. 

 

Tricia has started a blog about her experience and the unusual path that this journey has taken her. I really hope that you'll read her story and maybe even contribute a dollar of two. If you can't do that, then please just leave her a comment and some positive thoughts. 

Here is Tricia's blog and story:  Want To Be Untied  It is truly a story of love, loss, and a chance to move forward.

I truly believe that the kindness of people combined with the power of the internet can make miracles happen. Please help me help Tricia.  Thank you for reading and thank you for being my online friend. 

Photos courtesy of Tricia Vlasek.

Digi Dares are Back!

Hello, hello.....is anybody out there?  Probably not, which means that I'm now talking to myself, but that's okay. I'll post about that later. Right now I'm struggling with whether to come back from my hiatus. I really have mixed feelings about it, but my advertisers are giving me the big poke to get rolling, so I know I have to make a decision. I'll do that soon...probably this weekend, I promise (and I will keep you posted either way!).

And speaking of coming back from hiatus, The Digi Dares team has been on holiday for about a month, but we're back again starting today. Come check out our new look, our new sponsors, and our new dares, of course.  Here's the link:  The Digi Dares  This week's dare has a multi photo theme, and here's my layout:

Isn't that group shot just a hoot?  I'm glad I wasn't the photographer trying to position over 130 people at one time!

A Somber Anniversary

One year ago, things were a lot different. I was looking for a job, I was getting ready for shoulder surgery. Eight years ago, I had just taken Shannon to her first day at preschool.

For me, every September 11th is unique and different, but from now on, it'll always feel the same. I wrote about it last year.

The Day My Blood Ran Cold

God Bless America! Don't ever forget.

Recipe Tuesday - Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus

While I was away on blog vacation, I got a few great new ideas for Tuesday recipes, so get ready for a lot of new treats!

Here's an appetizer that's both simple and delicious, Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus. It's very simple, but takes patience to make, as prosciutto is so delicate. It's worth it, however. A friend who tried it said that he generally hates asparagus, but he loved this! I was glad he was willing to try it.

Prosciutto-wrapped Asparagus

1 bunch of fresh asparagus

1 brick of reduced fat cream cheese

8 oz prosciutto ham

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap off the woody tips of the asparagus. Smear the asparagus with cream cheese and wrap 1/2 slice of prosciutto (on the diagonal) as tightly as possible around the spear. Place the spears on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes until the prosciutto is crispy.  

Mmmmm, delish!

See you again tomorrow, and thanks for coming back!

Christine and Steve - Sneak Peek

It's Labor Day weekend and I'm back!  And really, could there be a better reason to come back from Blog Vacation two days early than to post some sneak peeks of my friends Christine and Steve, who got engaged this past spring?  No, I don't think so either. 

Christine works with me at ACME, and it was in my office that she made the big announcement that Steve had popped the question at the overlook at Ault Park the evening before. And so it was Ault Part that we returned to take advantage of the beautiful vistas and the lovely weather last week. 

I got so many good shots, it was hard to choose. Then again, when you're in love and planning your wedding, it's hard to not let it shine through! 

So without further ado, here are my faves... Christine and Steve, there are PLENTY more great ones, but these are just some of my personal favorites. I hope you like them. 

If you look closely at this one, you'll see that somebody drew little lights around the column with chalk. Charming!

This last one is my favorite. I know that her eyes are closed, 

but you can't deny how happy they both look!  I just love it!

Christine and Steve, thanks for letting me be a part of such a special time in your life! 

Happy Labor Day weekend, everybody!

It's My Dare!

Popping in from my blog break to let you know that it's my week to host the Digi Dares this week. My pal Karah helped me out, but it's my dare. I'd love it if you would pop over to the Digi Dares Blog and check it out and it would be even better if you'd play along! 

And here's my layout:

Thanks for playing along, and I'll see you again really soon!