Prayers are needed & a favor!

 This is "our" sweet Lanie who has worked for us the last 3 1/2 years. Lanie recently moved to Chicago (in March) to be closer to her boyfriend. Of which we kind of sported her on but didn't want to loose her... but knew her heart was already in Chicago so off she went. She found a job working for another husband wife team that have a small business and she of course was a perfect fit for them. Scott (the boyfriend) and Lanie's relationship only strengthen   and they grew closer and decided to move in together. They aren't kids anymore, they are in their early 30's and know what they want.  So we were happy for her and looking forward to meeting Scott soon.

Lanie started having some back issue and started seeing a doctor. Then many other different symptoms started popping up. One of which were some some lumps and strange unexplained bruises. So to make a long story short she went and got an MRI, ultrasound and mammogram all in one day only to find out later in the day she had 20  tumors throughout her body. Lanie then went in for biopsies soon after finding this out.  She found out Wednesday they are malignant melanoma. She has cancer. Lanie is looking into some clinical trials for treatment. We, Dan and I, are broken hearted. We wish we could take this away but we can't. All we can do is just be here for her. We are planning a trip to visit her in Chicago very soon. I'm ready to wrap my arms around her!

If you'd like to follow her journey she has a website that she has already started telling her story and by the way she is a great writer. This is her website: http://blondsinboots.com. If you decide to read her story be sure and start with "And I thought the move to Chicago was big milestone (Part 1)" (you will have to scroll down) then "part ll" and she should be updating her latest entry today, about her visit to the doctor.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers, she will need them. 

Below are a few pictures of our last 3 years together at work and play. 

Working at Winter CHA 2010....

 

I love these pics of Lanie at work taking a coffee break with the pups! Of course my dogs are on Lanie and poor Lola, Lanie's pup, can't even get a spot on her momma!

Here is her sweet Lola asleep on our couch with her pretty pink jacket on! 

Being silly and getting ready for another CHA....

                         Lanie's Birthday... 

Having a little b-day cake in the "break room" (aka the kitchen) at work!

 Lanie all dressed up for Dan's Birthday party at work!

At CHA with Susan Dupre and Dan, visiting in our hotel lobby.

 Visiting with Julie Tucker-Wolek after a long day at CHA!
                                   Then flying home.

  



Sweet Lola! Being all silly at work!
(In the backyard.)



CHA with Lanie, Heather and I! 

 Lanie and Nico hard at work...

 

Lanie very proud of her "make-n-take" at CHA! (Lanie's not a scrapbooker but  she is crafty!)  The opposite picture is of her and Alfred at a work meeting in the backyard! (We actually did do a lot of work outside in the backyard, brainstorming, conspiring and talking out the day's events.) 

Working hard at yet another CHA, Summer 2010, I think. 

This picture pretty much sums up Lanie and Dan's relationship!

These pictures were for a photo shot for a magazine cover and feature story about the company. 

 We had so much fun! 

(We may have laughed more than the photographer would've liked!!)

Getting ready for Day 2 at Summer CHA 2011!

Oops... we got caught in the booth next to us (North Ridge Media)!

(Hey we needed some comfy chairs from standing days on end! We couldn't keep our eyes off these chairs all week!)

 I couldn't have made it these past few years without Lanie, seriously she learned how to "handle" me like a pro! Thank you Lanie for everything! 

We love you and support you and are here for you! Sniff Sniff...

-Nikki and Dan

Now for the "Favor" part:

I actually want to do 2 things (you can choose from one or do both)...

1. Make a few "thank you" cards (with coordinating envelopes) for her and her family to have on hand to send out as she will be getting, and is getting a lot flowers, food etc.. I'd like her to not have to buy a single card for anything. (I'm going to buy her a roll of stamps so she doesn't have to do anything but put them in the mail box!)

2. I want to send her a card every single day to let her know how much she is loved and thought of daily! 

So... if you wouldn't mind creating a few thank you cards and or a few cards to send to her personally then mail me all of them and I'll get them to her. 

I'll mail the thank you cards in batches and then save the daily cards for well everyday. The "everyday" cards can be from you personally or if you aren't comfortable with that then blank is fine (although I know she'd like to hear from you even if you didn't know her personally) but I will write in it where it came from an a little note if you'd rather leave it blank!  I'll shuffle them up and send them out one by one. 

She needs this. We have to keep her spirits up!!! I want to bombard her with love!! 

Thanks so much and please keep her in your prayers, she will need it. 

Please send cards to..

Nikki Sivils

c/o Lanie

2263 S Oakbrook Ave

Springfield, Mo 65809

Not sure where to begin...

Hi everyone! Hope you all are having a great week!

I've so loved working only part-time these last 4 months. I've gotten to spend time with my wonderful family (the 4-legged ones too)! We've done a little traveling in our 5th wheel and spent a few weekends in Branson, Mo to just do... well nothing! So its getting close to the time when I need to decide if I'm going to design for the Winter CHA Show or not. I just don't know if I have it in me. I can't imagine not designing but can't imagine it either. I'm stuck. I kinda feel like I need more time to play and my favorite time of the year is coming up (Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas)! I want to decorate (using all that fab stuff you see on Pinterest) and cook and have some awesome Holiday parties!

I've told my design team girls that I need to make up my mind but until then its not fair to keep them hanging on so I told them all goodbye for now. Sniff Sniff... Two of them have been with me from day one of starting the business, Deana Boston and Julie Tucker-Wolek. I can not tell you what it means to me to have such loyal designers on my team! They are more than designers to me, they are my friends and I will miss them dearly!! Also Sarah Eclavea who has done so much for NSS, you will be missed. Katrina Hunt has been with me since the beginning too, just not on the team, we live in the same city and have been friends for years! When I picked her to lead my team I knew she'd be great I just didn't realize how great!!

Thanks to all my past DT girls for your support and helping put NSS on the map!
Also to all my loyal followers and supporters THANK YOU!

So...until I figure out what I'm going to do, it will just be me blogging here for awhile!

Here are some pictures from my fun Summer!

 I did a lot of babysitting of this little one!
Miss Taylor!
We picked plums in my backyard and set up a slip and slide too!

I became a peach farmer, for about 3 weeks all I did was pick peaches, can them or made peach jelly and pie! So very yummy!

 I took my niece, Ellie and my nephew, Cade to see a couple of movies this Summer and had lunch together too! Then chilled out at Aunt Nikki's house.

 Took Savannah, Nico, and Bella all to the lake to swim!
They loved it!

 Camping with the pups...

Hung out with Henry and his girlfriend, Sophie!

 Had a few family BBQ's...

 Re-decorated my back porch!

 

 Took Henry to the Big Cat Rescue in Branson.
This is such an awesome place to visit, all the big cats have been rescued from some horrible condition they lived in before coming to their new home!

 Did a lot of dog grooming... Alfred my old fella was a bit hard to groom because he won't or can't stand for too long!

 Dan and I had our 8 yr anniversary in July. This is our wedding picture, with Henry and Willie-B (when he was our only pup). We had an island themed wedding in our home with just our families! It was wonderful!!

 I had coffee every morning and sat on my back porch and got this picture of Nico enjoying his yard too!

I also did some indoor decorating (thanks so Pinterest).
The above pic is the "before" picture.

I made Alfred (my old fella) his very own area in the kitchen. I never used this as a desk so I wanted to do something fun with it!

 I loved how it turned out! And I think Alfred did too!

 
I also pained this huge wall that is the entryway from my garage into the house.
(I'm really into chalkboard paint right now, if you can't tell.)

 Had lunch dates with these two off an on all summer, my nephews, Jacob and Noah!

 Went to Salt Lake City, Utah...

to visit our good friends Kristen an Carson!

Hiked the Utah mountains with Nico everyday!

 Played with Beckham, our good friends youngest baby! He came to visit us in our 5th wheel and he really liked Dan, a lot!!

 These are just a few pictures of my big boy, Nico in our 5th Wheel this summer. I love the picture above with just his ears, nose and paws sticking out!!
And... yes, he is spoiled ROTTEN!!

 Love this pic of my two boys, Dan and Nico at a campground in Kansas trying to cool off from the heat.

 My cutie-pie, Alfred...

 Scrap-a-palozza with Katrina!

More babysitting... this cutie, Jacob!

I injured my back, my L5/S1 disc is herniated and I'm pretty much flat on my back resting it daily! Which anyone that knows me knows this is SO FRUSTRATING!! I hate being held back or sitting still! I actually just found this out yesterday but have been nursing it for weeks and weeks! Of which my dogs love as you can see. While I ice my back and lay on the floor they have to be right by me or on me!! 

 Bella became really ill last month but is recovering nicely. You can see how sick she is in the picture below waiting for the vet hospital to open early one morning.

 Dan chilling out with a couple of the pups! I love this picture but he'd kill me if he knew this was on my blog! (And Nico doesn't sleep with us by the way.)

 I cut about 5 inches off my hair and added bangs too!

 I had dinner with snow white (aka.. my niece, Mollie)!

 To end my pictures of summer I have one last one of my sweet nephew, Noah, who steals my heart every time I see him.

Thanks for sharing my Summer with me and I hope you all will stay on my journey with me while I figure out what the heck I'm going to do!!
Have a great week!