Crop layouts from last night

I know I hardly ever post my layouts which is what you all probably want to see the most. Last night at K2's crop I completed 5 pages. I think that may be my record. It was a full crop and we all had lots of fun. I was really happy that I challenged myself to use some embellishments I had had for years! See if you can pick them out!

Busy Christmas

We had an incredibly busy weekend. We started the weekend off at Disney to celebrate Andrews 9th Birthday then Saturday we slept in and did a little last minute shopping, Jeff and I got to have a date night on Saturday and then we were up really early and at Target by 8 am to try and get a Nintendo DS. Sunday I went over to Amy's and Megan came and we baked cookies. We had the Graces over on Sunday for dinner and dominos. Monday morning I was up early again on the hunt for the DS. We made our usual trip to Sarasota Memorial's NICU on Christmas Eve to give the NICU babies a gift and saw our favorite nurse Barb. Then off to Venice for Christmas Eve with Jeffs family. This morning we headed over the Lawsons for Christmas breakfast and play time then back home and we actually cleaned the entire garage! I waited 5 years to clean the garage with Jeff. We could have filled a dumpster. It looks amazing. Then later I did the playroom with Andrew. Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Andrew's 9th Birthday

The day started with donuts and hot chocolate for Andrew's class and then after school we went to Disney to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party with Andrew's best friend Sienna. Wow, there is nothing like Disney at the Holiday time. It was so magical. The event was sold out but it didn't feel croweded. We entered the park at around 5:30 and stayed til it closed at midnight. The castle was unbelieveable it looked like it was covered in icesickles. We went many rides with little to no wait and had hot chocolate and cookes. We met Buzz and Bullseye, Snow White and Prince Charming, pin traded, saw the parade and partied til the park closed.

Hard to believe that my baby is 9 already!

Jeff is a CPA!!!

I awoke this morning to Jeff walking in the bedroom with a piece of paper, I knew exactly what it was...his final test score on part 4 of the CPA exam and he passed. We started screaming of great joy and Andrew came in and we had a huge family hug. I am so proud of him. This has been a 6 year goal of Jeffs. He worked so hard to go back to school and then study for the past year to take and pass each of the 4 parts. Tomorrow we are off to Disney World for Andrews birthday and we will be celebrating!! Way to go Jeff. You Rock! I am so proud of you.

My name is Jocelyn Stevens and my husband is a CPA. I told him I was going to say that from now on.

A Cheery Blog entry

I had a request from Karen and Cathy to update my blog and make it cheerful! Acutally I am quite cheerful. I have been busy scrapping at night. Basic Grey is an awesome company, my favorite tool, my magnetic mat was injured and they sent me a brand new one yesterday. If you have not tried this awesome tool, go to K2 Scrapbook Studio and buy one, you won't regret it.

I can hardly believe my baby will be 9 on Friday! Wow, where does 9 years go? We are taking his best friend Sienna to Disney to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party on Friday night and I don't know who is more excited, him or me.

We should find out on Friday if Jeff passed the final part of the CPA exam, my fingers and toes are crossed. I know he passed.

Yesterday in the mail was my new Poppy Ink kit! Love, Poppy Ink, their design gallery is awesome.

I am off a couple of days next week and I have 2 big projects in mind, the garage and Andrews playroom closet. Sounds like fun, right? I am actually looking forward to getting rid of stuff. Jeff is right the garage is a dumping ground. Once it goes in there it seldom comes back into the house.

Hard to believe the holidays are upon us, this year went super fast! I am blessed with an awesome family and amazing friends. Happy Holidays.

My Sweet Fern

My best friend Fern lost her mother early Tuesday morning after a long illness. When Fern called me early on Tuesday morning and told me her mother had passed it took me back to last July when I called her to say my dad had died. Fern and David were over in minutes.
As I made them soup and dessert for dinner and drove to Fern's house I saw a magnificent sunset and thought about Fern and how deep the pain is right now. I remember thinking when my dad died that people came to sit shiva with us and they were sad with us and for us, but when they left the house, they went back to their lives, work, family, their daily lives. I couldn't go back to daily life, I was frozen in incredible sadness, I was jealous they got to go back to life as it was before and my life was never going to be the same again. Last night was my turn to go and be sad but I left and went back to my life and Fern and her families life will never be the same.
Death is sad, the pain is so deep and lasts so long. Fern called me everyday after my dad died and still does. I told her on Tuesday how much that meant to me and how she helped me to get through each day of my life without my dad. Now I will return the favor. I told her our mothers taught us well. Rest in peace Marcia. I love you Fern.

Aunt Paula

Six short years ago tonight on December 5 my sweet Aunt Paula passed away after an almost 3 year battle with ovarian cancer. My Aunt was my mothers sister and was there for my brother and sister and I for our whole lives. My Aunt loved to travel and thru her career with the airlines traveled the world. She never had any children and because of that she loved us more, if you know what I mean. My aunt had a tough life, never really had any breaks, had a lot of sorrow and disapointments but the last time I ever saw her in Miami in her hospital bed 2 weeks before she died, I asked her what was the happiest day of you life and she looked at me and said, I had to many to pick one. She said the day I was born, the day Jon was born, and the day Shari was born, the day we each got married and the day we each had our children. Here was a woman who was dying, her tumor so big she couldn't move and she was sad and didn't complain. I remember her everyday. I remember her good nature, her kindness, her love, her attention, her devotion. I can hardly believe it has been 6 years already. Andrew was almost 3 now he is almost 9. I remember her holding him when he was small and she was crying, she knew she would never see him grow up.

I remember you today Aunt Paula, I remember you everyday of my life. I miss you. I remember being so relieved when she died, she suffered so much and for so long. Her dying wish was that I would have my ovaries out, which I did less than 2 weeks after she died.

On Oprah today she had the author of Tuesdays with Morrie, and asked the question if you could go back to one day in your life who would you be with. Most people said a grandparent but I am young and have buried so many people I love including both parents I would choose my dad. Perhaps because his loss is still so fresh. My mom has been gone so long, I would need more than a day to catch up with her. But my dad I could spend a day with. We would sit in a booth at The White House in Atlantic City and I would just talk and touch him, smell his cologne and look at his happy smiling face.

Today was just not an ordinary day, it was Aunt Paula's day.

Busy Weekend

What a busy week. It feels like I was thru a wirlwind of activities this past week. On Friday night I had the honor of attending a very special Shabbat Dinner with some incredibly interesting women, 3 lawyers, 2 therapists, one of the founders of NOW, a journalist, a professor, a masters in human resources and so much more. We laughed, we ate, we celebrated our jewishness and our feminist side. Saturday was the annual Girlfriends Tea and how incredibly special it was to celebrate with amazing women who shape my daily life and enrich my world. Back home to change to go with Jeff (who by the way took the last of the CPA exam on Friday) to LaBarge to enjoy a sunset cruise in honor of my friend Edda's 50th Birthday. Then Jeff and I went to Barnes and Noble and then to dinner all by ourselves, thank you Melissa. Today I stayed in my PJ's all day and nursed my cold.

This week is Hanukkah, Bunco, Hanukkah dinner and all day scrapbooking on Sunday!