Graphic 45 Halloween Box

I am still working on getting settled into our new home. In the midst of unpacking and setting up the craft room... I took a break to make this mess... six hours well spent... :)

 Wanna see what it was I made? Here's the top...

Here's one of the sides... I used purple printed paper and solid card stock on the inside. I stamped images of  a spider from one of my many Raisin Boat stamp sets. I love their stamps! Have I told you that before? ;) lol I used the spider from Eerie Nights.

The bottom of the box and the inside of the lid were of the same designed paper. I sealed it with Mod Podge and I like the nice smooth finish it was left with. :) This is the other side. I pulled back so you could see the paper on the sides of the box. It didn't photograph well but I kinda meant for purple to be a predominant color. I think the orange stole the show! ;) lol

This is the final product. I think it came out cute! :) I could criticize it left and right and down the middle but my friend Jo Miller Gress told me to stop being so hard on myself and ... I thought about it ... she's so right! :) So I am not gonna! :) lol Instead I will point out that I love the Graphic 45 Happy Haunting paper. I love the orange ribbon! I thought I was pretty darn clever to remember I had black flocking! ;) lol I dressed the spider punch outs in the same and added beads for eyes! :)

Here's a close up of the spider. Can you see the flocking? It's a hairy little beast! lol ;)

For those of you who read my posts and don't just look at the pictures ... I have a FRIEND confess that is what she does ... JUST LOOKS AT THE PICTURES! ... :-\ she says I can get long-winded ... at times ;) ... I have an update ... I am working a seasonal job doing something completely different from what I normally do ... I am a scaler! haha ... now don't be impressed with the job title ... it isn't as glamorous as it sounds! ;) lol I am working at the cotton weigh station during cotton season on the grave yard shift. NO PHONES! :) I will work with a 28 yo kid, Cory ... isn't it funny that I consider 28 a kid! ... on Monday and Tuesday nights. On the other three nights I will work with Mike, a male somewhere between 45 and 55 I am guessing. I am not very good at that but the only reason I know that Cory is 28 is because it came up in conversation. During training, two things were harped on ... no cell phones ... if you're caught, you will get three warnings and fired on the fourth. The other thing ... don't fall asleep! Cause for IMMEDIATE dismissal! :-\ I thought to myself, well, then, why not cell phones? ;) lol Anyway, pays $5 less than I use to earn, but it's stress free and I cannot put a price on that! Can you? Oh, funny story, when we received our schedules, Mike sauntered over to me and tells me "I hope they don't catch us sleeping together." HA! Riot!! The only down side ... it's mostly standing kind of work. I've never done that ... this is COMPLETELY different and foreign to me ... it's OK though ... cause that is what I wanted ... also ... maybe this will stop my butt from spreading ... ;) lol

Other thing ... last year, I planned to return to school and was very ambitious. I planned to enter nursing school. Well, those of you who have been with me all this time, know that I was diagnosed with CML ... school wasn't looking as a possibility even before then. Horrid supervisor I had back then was not willing to work with my class schedule. So I withdrew and as it turned out ... the day I was released from the hospital was the first day of classes.

Over the past year I realized ... I didn't want to do what I was doing anymore but really didn't feel like I had an option. I needed the health insurance. :-\ My hand was forced and I have discovered ... I qualify for some aid that will help with the overwhelming medical expenses I was drowning in and can receive health care at a more affordable cost at the university hospital. Sure ... I will see a different student doctor each time but all these students are backed by top notch REAL doctors. :) I didn't want to stop seeing Dr. Cruz ... he's transferring to a practice in San Antonio in January ... I will have to switch doctors anyway! My $200 meds ... that was my co pay ... can you imagine what the full price is? ... I can and have applied for three, maybe four, different programs for assistance. I can pay some ... I cannot pay all. I received my COBRA info. To keep the medical insurance is $388, dental is $38 and life insurance ... I haven't been informed what the premium is yet but apparently former employer provided a very good life insurance policy. I was insured at $30K and it has cash value. I can use that cash value to pay the premiums until used and then I can take over the premiums. Needless to say ... I am keeping the life insurance. :-\ Dental too! Financial aid does not cover dental! :-\

I realized yesterday ... I can go back to school now! No work schedule to interfere with classes! Woohoo! It is too late for this semester but I can do the scaler job being that it is a seasonal job and will end in January or February at the latest. Obviously, for me it will end when classes start! :) In the mean time, it is a very good company to work for as well. After 60 days, we get paid holidays! So we will be paid for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Easy work ... all I have to do is stay awake! lol I received a Monday through Friday schedule. Weekends the weigh station is covered by one person. Company does not allow females to work weekends alone. :)

Then ... I cannot explain why ... a couple of weeks ago ... I applied to a job that is at the university hospital ... grave yard shift ... weekends only ... I have an interview on the 16th. :) I don't know WHAT made me apply for it ... but they called me ... I feel I have to follow through with it ... Jay can cover our living expenses with the exception of the truck insurance and gasoline. Expenses that maybe ... a part time job could cover ... what do you think? :)

So I am going back to school. The plan is to go into nursing school. I am a caretaker at heart. :) I hope to get to work with babies. I love babies ... :) As a student ... I get free / lower cost access to a lot of medical resources at our university hospital. Nursing school takes two years. It will take one year to finish up my basics. I have all the English, history, psychology and government courses needed ... but I lack three science courses, a family and behavioral course as well as nutrition. There's another one ... cause I thought I remember there were six courses ... but I cannot think of it right now ... SHOCKER! I know! Then I can apply and hope I get accepted into the nursing school. After the two years, I have to go to school for some classes in order to get the BSN but that can be done while I work and I have a year. Also, I am looking at a hospital nursing school and they have a program that helps with tuition in exchange for staying to work with them for a couple of years ... hello?!? Job security!!! :) I'm good with that! Don't forget ... we just bought a home!!

I cannot help but feel that the Lord has His hand in my life right now ... I am in remission ... I am at peace at a time that most people would probably be freaking out ... it's all good ... the glass IS half full ... :)

Thanks for reading! :)