My 2013 Unplanned Holiday "Sabbatical"

I have been sort of MIA the last six weeks, and I apologize for not offering you much other than the bare minimum on my blog. I am just about all caught back up and able to get back into posting regularly. Almost. I will finally get to stamp again soon--for the first time since December 13th. Yeah, that Friday the 13th was NOT good to me...you'd think I'd have learned my lesson about that, but that's another story. I *will* be posting samples for you soon, but I also have several informational posts I need to share with you about MANY new promotions and products. I just wanted give you that warning so you don't get completely exasperated and think that I am only ever going to post ads. For this post, I want to share a little about what has been going on with me the past six weeks or so. I would love to hear what you've been up to, as well, so feel free to drop me an email if you have the chance :-)

I became very ill on the evening of December 13th--after it was all over, the symptoms all seemed to point to cyanide poisoning. It started quite suddenly after eating a burger, so I guess the meat must have been contaminated. The majority of the severe symptoms worked themselves out overnight, but the whole episode really took a toll on my body. It look a while to be able to be up and doing anything for even a few hours at a time, and that includes taking a shower, making and eating my meals, everything. So...not much other than daily necessities were happening. After a week or so, I could make it from 8am til noon or 1:00 before I had to lie down. Then, after another week, I could go til 3:00 or 4:00, but it was a stretch. By the end of the third week, I was making it to about 8pm, before my body screamed "SOFA, NOW!!!" My two college kids were home for most of this time, and they helped quite a bit.

However, right about at this point, it appeared an emergency was looming on the horizon. My 16 year old step-daughter could no longer live with her mother, and needed another option immediately. Her mother tried to lock her down at first, so we had no idea when the move might happen. But, there is just no holding a 16 year old kid who is ready to leave--it's not 'if', but 'when'. So, we figured we'd better clear out a room and get it ready for her. My kids helped me completely move about 3-4 rooms worth of stuff, then they had to go back to college. And my sweetie (step-d's dad) was already back to work. I was still not totally recovered, so all that physical labor was exhausting. Then, we still had to set up everything in the newly moved rooms. Really, the only one I've had time/energy to get done is the step-daughter's room so far. Doing that has required several shopping trips for furniture and organizational materials, but also for clothing. To give you an idea of the insanity she lived in, she came here with about 20 pairs of underwear, with approximately 14 of those being underwear we had bought her when she was living with us 6 YEARS AGO. Her mother claimed those panties "still fit", so she would not buy any new underwear. I'm going to let you take that perspective and extrapolate the condition of the rest of her clothing, belongings, and environment. Yeah. Not ideal, to say the least.

The step-daughter has also had to transfer schools, and because her mom dragged her feet for so long, the step-d missed the first week back at school after Winter Break. That put her behind in her classes, and she was already behind in class from last semester, because she just didn't have the support she needed at home, to get organized and get anything done on time. Plus, there were other complicating factors there that are too delicate to share publicly. The end result is that this very bright and talented young girl has essentially lived in chaos and stress, struggling to get her daily basic needs met. So, as you might imagine, her welfare has taken top priority at our house. And while there is still random fallout, as I expect there will be for quite some time for her, I think (hope?) we have worked through most of the "we have to drop everything and handle this right now" challenges of the transition. This means I can finally start stamping again--YAYYYY!!!

It seems kind of ironic that with all the focus we've put on organization and routine for the step-d, my stamp room is in shambles :-O So much for being a role model, eh? The piles on my desk honestly go back to December 13th. My plan for the rest of today is to get this all cleaned up, put away, and organized, so I can take you on a journey into the newly released Occasions Catalog, and a fun little promotion called Sale-a-Bration that has just started...stay tuned!

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~Kimberley Morris Colorado Springs, CO
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE 24/7!)
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