The 2 "DEAN'S" Meet . . .

This Christmas was extra special for me and my family.  We were blessed with our baby boy, Asa, but were also blessed to have had the opportunity to spend ONE more moment with cousin Dean.  Click {HERE} to see why this moment was so special for us.

Dean and his family flew to Hawai`i and it was definitely a surprise to us.  My hubby and I thought it would be the last time we would see Dean when he visited back in August.  You don't know how elated we were to see him last week!  More so because Asa and Dean finally got to meet in person.

Here are the 2 together for the first time . . .

Seeing Dean hold Asa brought tears to my eyes and to the eyes of all the family members who came over for dinner.  Dean physically looks great, but the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is rapidly taking away the Dean we all know.  At this moment, Dean smiles, laughs, but doesn't say much which is unlike him.  He doesn't address us by name which causes us to believe Dean has loss memory of who we are.  Dean lacks energy and has trouble doing/remembering how to do simple tasks that we all take for granted like brushing our teeth and using the restroom.   However, as you can see in this picture, one thing remains the same . . . Dean's vibrant smile!  This is DEAN!  He can always light up a room with his infectious smile.

Whenever we have gatherings for a meal, our family will hold hands in a large circle to pray over the food.  This time, we held hands and formed a circle around Dean and Asa who were seated on the couch.  I captured this photo while my MIL prayed.  Throughout the prayer, Dean held Asa ever so tightly in his arms and kissed him gently, over and over again.  OMWord, it just melted my heart!  That night, Dean hardly muttered a word to anyone, but each time he held or tried to interact with Asa, lullabies came out of his mouth and he would say, "Hey big guy!  It's okay big boy!"

This photo is of me saying my good-bye at our Christmas dinner.  It was very hard to say farewell as Dean and his family would travel back to Oregon the next day.  One thing is for certain, the Lord allowed us all one more moment with Dean.  The reason for his trip back to the islands was to be recognized at NIKE's Annual Executive Ceremony over on Lana`i (about 135 executives attended) and to receive NIKE's 2010 Just Do It Award.  The award was given to Dean for his excellence in serving NIKE for 15 years, his utmost integrity, his humbleness, his willingness to work hard, his dedication to the company, . . . in other words, Dean was a man of honor and was greatly respected by all who came into contact with him.  We are all reminded of Dean as a whole and how he lead his 46 years of life, not now living with CJD.   There is no denying, Dean is a perfect middle name for Asa.  Let this be a testimony of faith, hope, love,  & family. 

Thanks for letting me ramble and process all that's been going on.  Once again, from my family to yours . . . Happy Holidays & a Happy New Year!  

2011 2 Drawer Calendar Set . . .

I hope everyone has recovered somewhat from all the Christmas festivities.  I'm still not there yet . . . it was such a long day for me and my family on Christmas day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world when you can spend time with family!  We usually do breakfast here at the house with my in-laws and with my FIL's side of the family.  Then it's off to my parents/brother's house for lunch.  And finally, we head out to my MIL's side of the family for dinner.  I know it sounds crazy . . . family is very important to me!

How did you spend your Christmas?  I'd luv to hear some of your traditions on how you spent the day!

Anyways, I'd like to share this 2011 2 Drawer Calendar set that I made for Christmas.  I made around 36 of these to give away . . . every year my list gets longer with the amount I need to make.  I usually give them away to family and close friends as gifts. 

The idea of a 2 Drawer Calendar set came to be when I found a bunch of coasters laying around collecting dust!  Totally forgot that I had these . . . then the idea of using my Hello Kitty Peel and Stick Stamps would be perfect to incorporate into the calendar.  I like the interchanging images for each month.  I attached Velcro to the back of each image.  This calendar can be using all year long, every year!  

You're probably wondering where I had the time to make these since I just gave birth to my newborn son.  Well, I started these back in September!  I knew I wouldn't have time once baby got here so planning ahead was the only way.  Just glad I got them done!  I do hope that those that I sent them to enjoyed the calendar set as much as I enjoyed putting them together.  :) 

I still have to post my "special moment" here on the blog.  Also, want to share some CRAKS (Christmas RAKS) I received from special friends!  See ya laters!

Merry Christmas All!

Hey there!  Thought I'd share this with you . . . I created this gingerbread house for a very special friend.  Snowflake Fairies Nixie, Eira, and Neva are spreading their holiday cheer! 

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Yes, it's been quite a year and I so look forward to 2011.  Hoping my Baby Asa will give me some free time to visit y'all more often and to be able to create a card or 3D project here and there.  

{{I will be back to share a very special moment that happened for me, my hubby, and my precious Asa.  It's already bringing tears to my eyes so I'll end here and post later.}}   

3 Weeks today & some special gifts!

Wow, sorry . . . been aways for a while.  You know how it is, gotta take care of business!  The BOSS needs me FULL-TIME!  :)  My pay is LUV!

This is way long over due and I wanted to share some special gifts given from some very, very special friends. 

This first one is from Amy Young of A Thousand Sheets of Paper.  She sent Asa a box and we just luv all the goodness and the delicious fruit snacks!  Here is HOLDEN, the Pacific Northwest Bigfoot, laying along side Asa.  Looks like they're buddies . . . see the onesie he's wearing?  Amy made that too.  So clever!

Here's Holden and the card that Amy sent.  I luv all the details in the card and it matches Asa's onesie!  ;)  Click {HERE} to see a better photo on Amy's blog. 

'1LuvnBaby' was ironed on the bottom by Asa's bottom.  So cute!  Mahalo nui loa Amy!  Luv the personalized name!

This card was sent by my dear friend Kris, of K-Lusive Kreations.  Kris, too, welcomed a baby boy in August and I was fortunate to visit her and Keenan at the hospital.  I don't know how she manages everything and still be able to find time to craft.  Any tips Kris? 

I just luv the burp cloths and tanks Kris sent.  Thanks so much girl!  :)

And finally, my dear blogging "mother", Shirley, of Stampin For The Fun Of It, sent this precious gift.  All I have to say is . . . Wowza!  The details are phenomenal!  Click {HERE}.  Shirley took some close up pics of her Tissue Box cover!  Check it out!  ;)  Thank you so much Shirl . . . this gift is definitely a keepsake for Asa!

Ok, I know this is a long post . . . Thanks for sticking it out with me.  Who knows when I'll pop back in to post again.  Today Asa makes 3 weeks.  He is so luv'd by all, mostly us . . . his 1LuvnMama, 1LuvnDad, and his Big Brother and Big Sister!  Our Aunty had given the 3 kids these outfits and thought we should take some pics of the kids wearing them.  Can you tell how the older siblings are getting along with their new baby brother?  They adore him!  :)   We are definitely looking forward to celebrating this Christmas season with a new addition to our family.  We are also looking forward to seeing cousin Dean and his family.  They will be arriving in the islands in the next couple of weeks to spend time with family and friends.  If you didn't read my post about how we chose Asa's middle name, Dean, then click {HERE}.  I'll be sure to post some pics of the 2 "Dean's" together!  Ta-ta peeps!

Baby Favors and the "NAME" . . .

Me again . . . Just wanted to share some favors I made for those that came to visit Baby Asa in the hospital.  I used the Sizzix Pillow Box die.  Out of a 12 x 12 DP, I could get 4 boxes!  :)

The pillow box was the perfect size for the chocolate covered cookie.

Here's the end product . . . I added a band around the box and a little label introducing Baby's name. I blurred out the name because I added our last name to it.

I'm going to ramble here a bit.  If you don't want to read this, I won't feel hurt.  Just thought I'd explain how we chose Asa's name. 

ASA:  (ay-sah) . . . Azariah was the original Hebrew name of Abednego, who along with Shadrach and Meshach, was thrown into a burning furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar (see the book of Daniel 3 in the Bible).  The 3 men never wavered in their faith.  They emerged unscathed from the furnace.   

My husband and I wanted a shorter version of Azariah, but didn't like naming our son Aza (a-zah), thus changing the "z" to an "s".  Asa is also a Biblical name meaning "healer or physician".  We like them both.

Now, on to the middle name, DEAN.  My eldest son and daughter both have Hawaiian middle names.  My son took my husband's middle name and my daughter has my sister-in-laws middle name.  Click {HERE} to see my post about her.   Well, it just seems that in our case, when there is a new life, there is death.  I realize the whole cycle of life happening, but there is so much joy and yet so much tragedy.  I really wanted to carry on having a Hawaiian middle name for Asa, however, it was not the case here. 

Asa is named after my husband's cousin, Dean.  Dean (age: 46) is the first cousin out of 19 on my hubby's side of the family (hubby is #3).  They've always been close and share similar passions.  We also have a side business together renting out our condo on the Big Island.  In August, we found out that Dean has been diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD).  If you google CJD, you can find out more about this rare disease.  Here is a short version . . .

~ This is a disease that is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in the United States there are about 200 cases per year. CJD usually appears in later life and runs a rapid course. Typically, onset of symptoms occurs about age 65, and about 90 percent of individuals die within 1 year.

Dean's wife, Kathi, has been there right at his side making sure Dean gets the best care and making sure Dean continues to live life the way he's always lived life . . . enjoying family, friends, and all the things he loved doing when he was well.

Here is an article from the Oregonian on one of Dean Harvey's "many things to do" list.  Click {HERE}.

We are very honored and thrilled to have Asa carry Dean's name.  Dean is an amazing, giving, humble, and selfless person and we will have lots of stories to share with Asa about him. 

Thank you so much for sticking through this long post.  Have yourselves a Happy Thanksgiving!  Enjoy the time with your family and friends!  Also, stay safe if you're one of those that mob the malls for those great deals!  :) 

Sharing My Most Precious Creation This Year!

Well, he's finally here!  I know, I know . . . it's been a week ago today that my little "BOSS" made his way into this world!  Meet . . .

~ ASA ~

Middle name:  Dean

**THIS IS THE STORY OF THE DELIVERY**

Skip if you like, but just thought I'd share my experience.

He was born on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 weighing in at 6 lbs. 2.2 oz. and measured 19 inches.  He was the smallest compared to my other 2 kids.  Oh boy, his arrival was quite eventful.  I've been waiting weeks for him to show up, but he kept still, right in my tummy, so content and happy.  That Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment in the morning to see if I progressed in my dilation (I was at 2 cm for nearly 2 weeks).  I was nearly 3 cm.  Well, the doctor managed to stretch out the membranes to help speed up the process.  By 3pm, I started feeling some pain with the contractions.  I couldn't tell whether the pain was from the stretching of the membranes or the real thing, LABOR.  So . . . I waited.  By 5p-5:30p, the pain did not subside and the contractions were 7 minutes apart.  By 7p, it got to 5 minutes apart.  I called the hospital to let them know we were on our way.  We left the house just before 8p and headed to the hospital; on the ride there, my contractions were now 4 minutes apart.  My husband decided to drop me off at the front entrance so that I could be wheeled or walked up to L&D and he would park our van.  I walked up to the front entrance and it was CLOSED!  WHAT?  The hospital closes the front entrance at 8pm so now I had to walk myself around the building by the ER to get inside the hospital.  I reach the elevator and now I'm feeling it, PAIN!!!  I arrive at the L&D and told the nurse my name and that the baby is coming.  When the nurse checked me, she said, "I feel a little lip on the cervix.  You'll be pushing in a bit."  I said to her, "Can I get the epidural?"  The nurse chuckled, "Sorry, it's too late.  You can do this!"  OMG!!!  I turned to my husband and with fear in my voice, I said, "I'm so scared!  We never took the Lamaze class so I don't know how to breathe!"  I believe I got situated in the L&D room around 8:20p.  By 9p, I was ready to push.  Asa was born at 9:06p with just 4 pushes.  I've never, ever experienced anything like it.  With my other 2 kids, I had the epidural so pain was not an issue.  This time around, I've felt pain like I've never felt before.  Hats off to the women who want to do it all natural!  Well, we are just thrilled that Asa is finally here and is healthy and thriving! 

How has my son and daughter adjusted to having a new sibling?  My son was happy and at first, my daughter was overwhelmed and ignored him upon her first meeting.  When my husband and I got home from the hospital, she was able to spend some alone time with Asa by herself.  That really helped so that she could bond on her own terms.  Later that day, my son came home from school and was able to get in his alone time with the baby.  Now, they can't keep their hands off of him and is always smothering Asa.  So far, so good!  Asa is a good eater and he is a great sleeper too!  Here are some pictures.

Sorry for the partial nudity.  My kids luv to run around the house in comfort . . . only in their underwear.  :)

I apologize for the long post, but I've been silent too long and had to release!  Anyways, I have lots to share with you . . . I received some really sweet gifts from some very sweet blogging friends.  I'll be sharing those soon.   Thanks for stoppin' in!  :)

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

This is a Haunted House that I put together using the Gingerbread House Sizzix Die.  I just cut out the heart and stamped a window in its place.  I also cut off the handles.  The stamped images are from an old Stampin' Up set & Penny Black Trick or Treat set. 

Just wanted to wish y'all a Happy Halloween and have a safe and fun one with family and friends!

A Short Term Farewell and a Votive . . .

Hey Gang!  Don't let the title of this post scare you.  Although this is my last post for La-La Land Crafts Blog, I'll be back at some point.  My farewell is for a short time since I'm awaiting the arrival of my little guy.  Like I said, I wanted to go out with a BANG with this post.  I hope you'll stick with me because I have lots of photo shots to share with you!

For my project, I made a Votive Card using a tea light.  I saw this on Splitcoaststampers some time ago and thought I'd give it a try.  I made this Votive Card two-sided . . . one in a Halloween theme and the other in a Christmas theme.

Here's the  Halloween theme featuring Pumpkin Marci and Witch Marci. 

Got Candy? 

Witch Marci is just flying by to say "HI"!

Now here's the Christmas themed side featuring Santa Marci, Caroling Luka, and Winter Marci.

Ho, Ho, Ho . . . Merry Christmas!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland!

This is the top view looking down on the tea light.

I wanted to show what the Votive Card looks like with the lights dimmed and the tea light on. 

How did I make this card?  Here's the dimensions . . .

I cut a piece of CS at 8-1/2" x 12".  On the 8-1/2" side, I scored the CS in half at 4-1/4".  Turn the CS around to the 12" side and score at 3", 6", and 9".  Using an Exacto knife, cut on the score line from the 3" mark to 9" mark.  This will give you an opening for the tea light.  Decorate as you wish and adhere the two ends shut.  You can make the dimensions any size you want, it's totally up to you.  I hope my directions make sense . . . I'm not good at tutorials.  You can actually fold up this Votive Card and tie a ribbon around it to give as a gift. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I enjoyed making it.  I know I'll keep this out in the next couple of months.  Be sure to visit the Online Store to get your Marci & Luka stamps.  They are perfect for the upcoming holidays!  Thanks again for all your support and I'll definitely keep you updated on the "boss"!

A Virtual Party Favor & More Treat Bags . . .

Hey all!  I just wanted to share a favor I received from Joy of The Joy of Crafting.  She recently celebrated her 1 year Blogaversary and invited us to her Virtual Party!  What do you know?  All the Virtual Party players received a favor from her and this is what I got in the mail!

Super cute yeah her French Fry Box Owl!  Let me tell you, all the candies are nearly gone (shared them with the "boss")!  Joy's so sweet ~ she added a clear stamp, Christmas sticky notes, and a gift card.  Thanks Joy and congrats on your Blogaversary again!

Here are some treat bags I put together.  I made a total of 6.  Click {HERE} for a tutorial on how to make a Box in a Bag.  I just altered the dimensions and added ribbon for handles.

My hubby asked me to make treat bags for the secretaries at the Fire Bureau.  If I didn't mention it before, he got promoted a couple of months ago and is now working at the the Headquarters in the Fire Prevention section.  He no longer is at the fire station, but hopes to get back to driving the firetruck in about a year. 

That's it . . . I'll be back tomorrow to share my last project for La-La Land Crafts before I take a maternity leave!

Thank You Gift Card Holder

This Gift Card Holder was another project on my To-Do List.  I made around a dozen of them.  My special friends and fellow Creative Team members threw me a SURPRISE BABY SHOWER earlier this month.  I'm not one for suprises, but they did a darn good job in keeping this event hush-hush from me.  Even my mother-in-law knew!  Anyway, I had so much fun and I so appreciated what they did for me!  I know a simple gift card cannot express my sincere gratitude.

Here's the gift card holder.  See that little guy?  He is a digi image from Bugaboo Stamps.

I created a slide out card to write my thank you.

In true "Mama" fashion, I purposely hid part of his face.  See, even he prefers to be anonymous!  :) 

And this is the inside . . . the sentiment was typed up on my computer.

I hope the girls will or did enjoy a treat on me to Yogurtland!  :)  Thanks so much ladies!  You are the BEST!!!!

Halloween Treat Bags

These Halloween Treat Bags were made for my son's classmates.  I only made 20 of these, enough for his class.  I didn't make bags for the other classmates that he shares a classroom with . . . why?  I only had 20 bags.  I purchased these already cut boxes & ready to assemble from Joy of Tamiko's.  I bought them while attending  the Island Girls Social #2 back in August.  See . . . I'm always try to plan ahead and make life easier for myself.  Sometimes it doesn't happen that way, but I try.

I stamped and colored the pumpkin and printed the sentiment on my computer.  The goody bag is pretty big and tall measuring around 3 x 6-1/2 inches.

Here's the side view of the treat bag . . .

Anyway, that's it for today.  I'll share with you a gift card holder that I made for some really sweet and special friends.  What?  Sharing again?  LOL!  :) I know, I know.  What the heck is the matter with me?  It's all been building up and I'm unleashing!  Hee, hee!  I suppose I'll be sharing a lot in the days to come so come back now!

Haunted House - Part 2

As promised . . . here are the other 2 Haunted Houses that I made recently.  This time I used my Penny Black Trick or Treat set and added some spiderweb to the rooftop.

Top view . . .

Side view . . .

Here is the second house in orange . . . instead of pumpkins wrapped around the house, I used my MS grass punch.  There are different windows on this one too!

Here's the house with the lid off.  It's pretty roomy inside for lots of goodies!  :)

I don't get the privilege of keeping these Haunted Houses, but at least I have pictures of them.  The houses were made for my son's teacher and another teacher that shares the same room.  Yes, 2 teachers . . . 40 students.  Anyway, I made some goody bags for my son's classmates and I'll share them with you in another post. 

You're all probably wondering, "How in the world?"  I have so many different projects going on right now & I'm trying my best to finish them before my baby arrives.  I'm a planner so planning ahead really helped.   My Christmas project that I do every year to give to my family and close friends are almost completed.  I started that back in September.  My Halloween projects I can check off now.  My baby favors that I usually give out at the hospital are done . . . check!  And my last DT project is done . . . check!  Phew . . . maybe now I can relax a bit and twiddle my thumbs in anticipation.  :)  Ok, thanks for coming by!