More Erma

I couldn't resist posting this word art ... it's great for some Monday Erma Bombeck humor, even if it's past Monday when you grab it. I know it's rather "busy" but I hope you can use it anyway.

On another note, I want to thank the faithful few of you who post a message or a thanks when you download. It's very much appreciated, AND needed.

Hope your day/evening goes well.

Blessings,

Melanie

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font credits: Calligraphic 421BT, CB Vertical Swirls, Flash Cards JL, Century Gothic, 1942 Report, Crayon Alphabet

My single homage to the US football season...

...is a quotation from the legendary Dallas Cowboys football coach: the late, great Tom Landry. I had the privilege to meet him and his lovely wife, Alicia, a few years before he died. They were so humble and gracious, down-to-earth, and they truly lived life in a special way. He is still missed.

Blessings on your day,

Melanie

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Tears of Joy

You know about those times, when your eyes brim over because you cannot contain your joy? One of those occasions I remember with such fondness occurred about 10 years ago. My cousin from Brazil came for a visit. We had not seen her for 30 years, and my Dad was beside himself, he was so happy. Paula was the only daughter of his second brother (who had married a very special Brazilian native), and because he had lost all three of his brothers, any contact he had with their children was extremely special.

The last time we saw Paula was the night before she left for Houston, Texas, to have open heart surgery to repair a hole in her heart. She was one of the first heart surgery patients to benefit from the skills of the renowned Dr. Michael DeBakey, and what a success story she became! After her father died at an early age, Paula and her mother moved back to Rio de Janeiro to be with her mother's family.

Paula stayed with my parents for two weeks, and we had such a joyous time. It was hard to see her go.

One year later, my father passed away suddenly. It is wonderful to have such terrific memories of the times we had with our own father, and with the times we shared him with our cousins. I'm smiling through the tears today, reminiscing.

Another happy-through-tears moment came when we celebrated my sister's 50th birthday earlier this year. She has been plagued by a series of critical illnesses over the past four years, and we almost lost her twice. We greeted her 50th with a girls' weekend at my house. She has not only survived her ordeal, she is now thriving, enjoying her younger son's senior year in high school. And she is singing again.

I used various works of art* from Kim B to make this layout, celebrating the joy that is Melissa. I pulled them together in a different sort of way to add life to the layout, because that's what Melissa does with everyone who knows her. Brava, Melissa!

As for Miss Kim? That cutie-patootie shocked me speechless today when she gave me this distinctive award:

Thank you, Kim, for such an honor. I appreciate, always, your kind words and encouragement.

Hope you all have a day full of wonderful memories-in-the-making. Hope you can use this gift. DOWNLOAD

Blessings,

Melanie

*Credits: Kim B's Designs -- Starry-Edge1 overlay, Faded Flutters Purple, African Sunsets, Bowed Blooms, Odds & Sods, So Who,
Denim Flair; Fonts: Liorah, Lightfoot shadowed

Oops

Thanks for the notes and suggestion about the link not working for today's word art on 4Shared. I haven't got time to find a workable solution (Hilmarose's suggestion was a good one) to create a new version at the moment. If you want it quickly, send me your e-mail address. If not, I'll get a new "legal" according to 4Shared version done over the next day or so.

Thanks for your patience!

FILE HAS BEEN RENAMED AND RE-UPLOADED, THANKS TO HILMAROSE'S HELP.

Wisecracking

I had to laugh when KimB sent me this quotation. I loved it, and it sounded soooooo like something that she would use to describe herself. This one's for you, Kim!

Here it is, October 2nd, and I'm already feeling the end-of-the-year anxiety. It's one of the busiest times of the year for me at my job, but it's also one of the MOST FUN, in general. Thank goodness for the things that give me pleasure, like photography and scrapbooking, because they help me maintain peace in my head when I'm trying to juggle all the tasks, activities, events, etc. You gotta love it.

Guess I'm feeling a little "cracked," too!

Hope your day is seamless and blessed,
Melanie

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New Day, New Month

And a reminder to add some play to your day. :) Your comments are greatly appreciated and most welcome.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, don't you just love it when the right thing happens at the right time? I had just taken a series of photos of my mom, sisters and nieces -- our glamour shots for the year. Then, along comes Pamela's beautiful "Darling" kit. A photo of my niece, Rachel, found its home in a layout using Pamela's kit. I only added some word art using the TK Doodle font; everything else is in the kit.

Pamela has a wonderful sampler of this kit to download on her Digitreats blog, but the kit is chockfull of lovely goodies. I found it irresistible. You can get it at her shop at the fabulous Stone Accent Studios.

Have fun, and have a great Monday.

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Blessings,

Melanie

Great gifts come in all sizes

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