Thankful Thoughts

Yesterday I thought I would be in NJ right now writing this but plans have been changed and we're still in TN!!

DH and I left yesterday morning to head back to Jersey for a visit, got about two hours into the trip when suddenly our truck engine started making horrible noises and it started chugging along slowly. We were able to get to a gas station, DH added a couple quarts of oil and we decided to turn around and go back home. After driving about a mile, the noise started again and the chugging was worse. Thank the Lord we were near an exit. We got off and just as we got off the exit, the truck completely stopped. Again, thankfully, we were at a spot where we could just coast off the road onto the side to be out of the traffic.

DH called our roadside assistance and after some difficulty was able to get a promise of help. I say difficulty because though we are in America with an American roadside assistance company, the call for help went to India. Needless to say, we will be changing companies provided we can find one that actually has people who work here in the U.S. and we can understand them and they can understand us when we talk.

In the meantime, he woke our SIL up to tell him we needed help! After quite awhile, he was able to find a friend who had a truck with a hitch in order to get our trailer back home. The roadside assistance didn't tow trailers, just vehicles.

To make a long story short, I came home with the tow truck driver and our truck while DH waited for our DD to arrive with the borrowed truck to get the trailer. We're thankful for all the trouble she and her DH went through to help us.

It was a long day and by the time DH got home, we could have actually been in NJ.

Despite our predictament, the Lord was good and there was much to be thankful for...we were able to get off the road, we weren't any further from home, we had cell phones that worked, our roadside assistance was still active (we weren't sure), our family had a friend who let them use their truck, the weather was beautiful, despite the truck being dead we were actually able to put the windows down, several people stopped to help, and on a personal note, I'm really thankful we had a trailer because I had to go to the bathroom and there was no place around to go!!

Stars & Stamps Sketch Challenge # 11

I woke up at 1 a.m. this morning and couldn't go back to sleep. Finally, about 3 I got up and thought about making a birthday card for a friend of ours or some Operation Write Home cards. Then, I saw the sketch for this week's challenge over at the Stars & Stamps blog on OWH and figured I'd work on it.




This is my idea for this sketch.

The "Happy Birthday" is a Hero Arts stamp which was stamped using Stampin' Up ink. The 5 1/2 x 2 1/2 paper is some I've had for a couple years but haven't used until today. It's made using a technique that my daughter, Dawn over at The Chatty Stamper discovered which uses shaving cream and ink.

It's very easy to make. Just put shaving cream in a pan, add a few drops of whatever ink colors you like, swirl it around a bit, put your paper down on the shaving cream (we used heavier weight paper), pull it up, wipe off excess shaving cream, let it dry and there you have it!! We had fun using this technique because no two papers come out the same.

It's Official!!

DH and I went on Tuesday and got our TN driver's licenses and tags for the vehicles. So, I guess that makes us officially Tennesseans!!

I felt kinda weird when the woman handed me my driver's license. Though I wasn't born in NJ, I've lived there all but three years of my life. I'm a Jersey Girl!! I almost felt like I was giving up my citizenship or something.

"Watchable Wildlife" was the tag I chose for my car. DH just went with the generic tag. This may sound strange, too, but since they only use one tag here, the front of the car looks bare without a tag! I told DH I should get one that says "Jersey Girls don't pump gas"!! :-) But, I guess that's not such a good idea!

I must say that everyone we've encountered has been very nice and welcoming when they learn we have moved here. It's neat when you drive down the road and strangers who pass by in cars or who are standing near the road wave at ya; not in the cities but in the country they do.

I'm getting familiar with the roads and of course, I have my GPS if I need. This is a cute story....the other day my gd and I were driving back home and when we got to the P.O. in our town, she said I could turn off the GPS and she would be my GPS. I did and continued driving. I wasn't paying much attention because I was waiting for her to tell me when to turn. All of a sudden she says we passed the road where we were suppose to turn!! We turned around and went back. When we got home I told DH that my GPS didn't tell me to turn and we had missed the road!! He was a little confused until I told him about my human GPS!

Oh, I forgot! We also got our library cards!! Now that makes us official!

Stars & Stamps Sketch Challenge # 10

Due to our moving, unpacking and getting things organized, I have missed the past couple Stars & Stamps Sketch Challenges from Operation Write Home.

This is the sketch we were to use:

The card I made has slightly different dimensions to it because the stamps I wanted to use were too big for the size mentioned.

The penquin stamps are from Memory Box, the sentiment is Studio G. I did the coloring using Marvy markers and the ink used was Stampin' Up.

If you haven't tried the S & S Sketches, you should. It's lots of fun! It's good for those of you who may be like me - creatively challenged!! I have a hard time coming up with my own ideas. Most of the time I use sketches or ideas from others' cards. Join in the fun today!