1Silly1

Well, to begin with, I used to be registered and get the daily newsletter everyday & I LOVED that! Also LOVED the boutique and especially the ScrapSimple Tools & Photo Actions! Unfortunately, just as I was getting to know who was who, my computer totally crashed and died.

Everyone was always so friendly & the newsletter was something I looked forward to, so here I am.

A little about me and our family:

My name is Missy (34) and my husband FRank (43) and I have been together for nearly 18 years but just celebrated our 13th wedding aniv. Dec. 28th.

I am open about the fact that I have OCD/ADHD and have battled depression since a teenager. I have an addictive personality that led to problems (along with my other issues) after a period during 2000-2002 when I underwent four surgeries and became dependent on pain medication. I sought out treatment which was successful.

On top of that, a lamp purchased from a flea market caused an electric fire which quickly destroyed our house and ALL of our belongings. I was one to take crazy amounts of pictures and each child had 3 baby books since I journalized every thing they did. Our house was full of professional pics also-so the loss of those things really hit me hard. It's been 4 years and it still hurts to remember. Sorry if this seems like too much info, I just try to be as forthcoming as I can because it's all part of who I am today (and who our kids are since they,too have their own anxieties)

I write and read constantly and I want to someday be a published author. With my personality, I found myself with too much energy and racing thoughts, even with having my disorders controlled I had a lot of pent up...stuff & nothing constructive to to with it.

I entered a sort of period where it causes a lot of anxiety being out in public and I believe digital (and paper) scrapbooking saved many parts of my life. One bright spot came from the fact that I did take so many pictures; I had given our family & friends tons over the years, always giving gramma and papa an 8x10 or larger. Everyone was nice enough to then give back many of the precious photos I lost in that fire!

NOW, I have spent time and what little we could spare to build up my paper-scrap supplies, was able to purchase PSE 7 and I am hard at work trying to learn to create my own elements to save some $.

As I said though, I battle this anxiety, especially with this stack of maybe 250 photos (and as many digital images) and I seem to get totally stuck, stage fright when it comes to committing them to a layout! It may seem silly (hence my name) and I feel silly, knowing I can copy them and always change anything..but still. So I am hoping to get a little nudge (KICK IN THE PANTS) from your challenges and gain some confidence and GET Some Layouts Done! ::Whew!::

Frank is the best, most understanding & supportive, hard working man ever. He became deathly ill right after the fire and I found him unconscious about a half hour after he got home from work. He was admitted to ICU and didn't fully wake up for three days & his vision was nearly gone. We discovered he had Type 2 insulin resistant Diabetes and that his blood glucose level was 1250 when I got him to the hospital (normal is 80-120 and diabetic coma can occur at or above 400). Thankfully, his vision returned and while his health is a constant concern, we still have him. He works full time & runs side jobs and supports all of my creative passions. He loves to hunt and just spend time with us.

We have five children all-told:

Megan (was 2 months old when Frank & I met) is almost 18..and {Grrr}...'fell in..um something' with her boyfriend at 15 and, Long story short= we have two {beautiful but too soon} grandchildren. Ayden is almost 2 & baby Raya was just born last October, only two days later I lost my beloved Grandfather. Megan attends school online which she will soon earn her HS diploma then seamlessly move onto working toward a degree. She wants to work with and create custom cars & trucks.

Samantha is from Frank's previous relationship and was also a baby when we met. She is almost 18 and attends high school and also loves auto mechanics (her fave class) and wants to work in that field. '

Franklin III is 13 1/2 and is very close to Dad. He's gone from a kid to a young man so quickly this past year. He loves to hunt and get online, play Xbox and sticks close to home. I took him to the Archiver's ScrapShop with me and I was so surprised how much he liked it. I was only getting a few items but he insisted we hang out and use the scrap area and he loved the huge supply of die-cuts. He churned out two layouts about hunting with dad in no time!

Tyler is 12 1/2 and is really close with me. He loves Skateboarding (stitches/scars to prove it!) and hopes to be professional. He also has the creative streak and loves PSE and is interested in design. He adores music, friends and of course, xbox.

Savannah is 9 and she is beautiful, bright..and a total whirlwind. She is very sensitive to what other's say and feel, she talks 24/7 and has kind of a built in fear that something will happen to me. She checks on where I am, what my plans are, where I will be...so on. It's a little overwhelming at times but there's no one more open and loving than her.

So, that's (a lot) about me and mine! Feel free to say Hi anytime!