More surprises...

Tracy brought Amy & Haley over to wish me a happy birthday. They brought these great balloons & fabulous cards... (left)

***warning***

man in scrapbook room
I love my card this year...every once in a while Matt gets into my supplies & makes me a card (this time he made it while I was out with the girls the other night). Let's see it has a stamped & shaved ice cover, and also features Clearly Cut-Out candle stickers, stamping, a snap-together slide mount (sporting a picture of him he took of himself with my Polaroid izone), zig pen, a brad and my super jumbo silk flowers (he had to use a red decorative clip to hold it closed - the flower's soooo large). He was particularly pleased with himself, because since my room is in the midst of a reorganization he said he couldn't find any of the stuff he was going to use...

This is better than any store bought card I could ever hope for. Can you believe he has no crafting experience? Honey, I'm proud of your brave attempts - thanks for the awesome card!

One unwelcome surprise...my stepmom, Sharon, is in the hospital today with swollen something-or-other as a result of stomach-something-else...party postponed. Hope she gets better & "sprung from the joint" soon...

Happy Birthday to me....

Well, I'll be 35 in a little over an hour.

Matt, Mr. I'm-not-getting-you-a-present, just got me about the best present ever. You know you're 35 if "the best present ever" is a dishwasher...We're not hooked up for one & our cabinets aren't the standard height so after 3 years in our cute little house I had given up on the idea. We went to Lowe's tonight to just look around and this cadillac of portable dishwshers was on sale for almost half price - it was their last one and they will never carry them again (at that location anyway). So, presto-put-it-in-the-car-o, I got me a birthday present! I am blogging to the happy sound of the dishes doing themselves.

Swish, swish, aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...

A sidenote - Matt was reading the manual aloud when we were hooking it up & he said "only women can load this model of dishwasher" - I was so tired I just looked at him - "What?". He actually had me going there for a minute. He just died laughing he was so pleased with himself. I guess it was really funny...

A Really Grand Evening...

Well, I thought this was just a night out with the girls until the candle came out...my birthday is on Sunday & I guess we started celebrating early - what a wonderful surprise.

It was really nice to have a girls night out - especially with such a great group. Back row: Jen, me, Ashley & Pam. Front row: Tracy, Kate & Virginia.
We went to The Grand Lux Cafe* for dinner and drinks...the next thing I knew it was 4 hours later...good laughs, shared memories, gossip swapping - general drinking & sugar overdose - a good time had by all.
*menu note: when you order a mushroom burger at the Grand Lux it is actually made from compressed chopped mushrooms, not topped with them - thank God I adore mushrooms & it was great, but it was quite a surprise...guess I didn't read the description as well as I thought I did...

We had so much fun...can't wait to do it again!
Ash, thanks for dinner...
Jen, glad you could join the gang...
Pam, so glad you moved here...
Kate & Tracy, I miss you every day...
Virginia, I can't leave you out...um...thanks for picking me up ( and for being so freakin' cool)...
You guys are the best - this was my first girlie birthday "party" in years!

Facing my space...

I took "before" pictures of my scrapbook room to inspire me to do something - I let things get so out of control...actually I never even tried on that one corner...it caught all the junk from when we moved in three years ago...


see left: corner from hell
see right: corner dealt with

Well, I have been waiting for some chic solution to magically present itself, but I seem to find something wrong with each set of shelves I consider. I finally bit the bullet and put in these plain janes while I was waiting for inspiration. I am already glad I did - huge difference! I still have a lot of room to reorganize before NSD (I'm having a friend or two over to crop all day)... I'll keep you posted with pictures as I go!

The Big Winner....

And the winner is...Lisa Macomber with her guess of 428! A lot of you guessed birthdays...we have something in common because I picked my birthday (430) to be the winning number. These giveaways have been so much fun...I am on a cleaning kick at work & at home so check back...I intend to do more giveaways as I find more stuff.

This weekend enter the contest here...

If you loved it before, you'll love it again...host a workshop for you & your friends just in time for National Scrapbook Day!

I am giving away 7 more class kits (with 7 color instructions) from my retired CKU-A class, The Traveler! You'll also recieve a paper piercer, Heidi Swapp iron, a distress ink pad, paint brushes, scrappy tape, a manuscript stamp & a date stamp!

Post a number between 1 & 1,000 as a comment on this thread and I will name a winner Monday, April 24th at 11 AM. Good luck!!!

Another week gone...

It's Friday...how did that happen? I've been so focused on the contests, I haven't blogged about my life. I've been overwhelmed & ecstatic about how many entries I've gotten - I need to do these all the time! Let's see, about this week - I remember really having clever things to say on Monday, or was it Tuesday? I have since forgotten...off to babysit tonight for a short stint then hopefully a weekend of sleeping in & digging my way out of a very, very messy scrap space!
Enough about me...I need to put up my final giveaway...

And the Retro fabulous winner is...

Chicmomma@gmail .com who guessed 500.
I picked 500 because "it was the number between 1 & 1,000" - lol.
Congratulations!

...and stay tuned...I'll do one more giveaway before the day's up...

Another Giveaway?? Even better...

Oh my goodness...that was too much fun! I never dreamed I'd have so many entries...let's do it again!

More Spring Cleaning: I have 8 class kits from my retired 2005 CKU-A class, Rules of Retro. Each kit includes the elements to build and decorate this fun 50's/60's style "star album" that can be fastened opened (see picture at left) or closed like a small journal.


The best bit is the handout. It has the history of design by decade for the last century - colors, trends, fonts, history and a formula for making the perfect retro page choices. I featured some of the information (on 60's and 70's design) on one of the episodes of DIY I did this season.

If you win this package you'll receive 8 class kits for you & your friends to enjoy! I will also send you 8 color handouts and 8 rolls of scrappy tape. Host a mini workshop of your own - have everybody bring old photos to share & compare...

OK - you're pros at this now. I've written down a number between 1 & 1,000. To enter, post a comment on this thread with your number and your email address. Please, one entry per person, no duplicate numbers, open to everyone, everywhere. You can enter until 11 AM CST, this Friday, April 21. Best of luck to you...and stay tuned I have at least one more giveaway planned after this!

AND THE WINNER IS...

Shell with a guess of 385.
The correct answer was 386.
congratulations!

stay tuned I'll be posting the next giveaway within the next 10 minutes!

Do I have a present for you...

Call it Spring cleaning...
Call it a super National Scrapbook Day giveaway...
Call it an opportunity for you to host a mini class in your house with your friends...
Call it my excuse to give stuff away...

I've been cleaning and I found some retired CKU class kits from 2005. The photo is of the finished project of one of my '05 CKU-A classes, The Traveler.

So I was thinking...why not give these away? I've written down a number between 1 and 1,000. Guess a number and the one who comes closest without going over will win 7 Traveler class kits with 7 sets of color instructions and one set of "class tools" to create it (a hero arts stamp, a distress ink pad by Tim Holtz, paint brushes for water, a Heidi Swapp iron, scrappy tape and a paper piercer).

To enter comment on this post your guess (remember between 1 & 1,000) and your email address so I can contact you when you win. I will be closing this contest in 48 hours at 4 PM CST Wednesday, April 19th. Check back to see who won...and I'm working on more NSD giveaways for later this week so stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Melt-away Easter...

Happy Easter!
We went to Sherman (to Matt's Aunt Fran & Uncle Derl's) today for lunch & the big egg hunt (this year 9 kids/800 eggs). Amy & Haley scored 65 eggs a piece in the pandemonium.

We spent the day outside and picniced in the shade...it broke the record today...95 degrees!!!!!!!!!

Amy was very enterprising and "sold" some of her egg trinkets, trading the prizes she got for cash in the other eggs...lol.

All in all it was a great, but way too hot Easter sunday...

Kate, Kate, Kate....

Kate, what am I going to do now...

I am genuinely happy (sob) for my friend (sob, sob), Kate Lynch who got a (sob, sob, sob) terriffic job (sob) and left Magic Scraps today.

She wrote me a note which I couldn't read until after she'd gone and after having a long cry I want to share some of my memories of her...

A million years ago (so it seems - actually 3 1/2) we took the plunge and joined Ashley in her relatively new venture, Magic Scraps...we both started in July 2002...


We had our desks next to each other, then shared an office, and later I still came to her office every day to compare ideas & brainstorm...

I had forgotten I'd taken Kate out to lunch on her first day...she didn't & put it in her note - I think it's really special she remembered that.

When I think of Kate I think of: laughter, a tremendous sense of fun, a certain practicality that I really admire, endless energy, faith, Vanilla diet coke from Sonic, cherry diet coke in the fridge, flip flops vs. "fancy" shoes, and that I should watch the news more, read my bible more, go to the movies more & listen to more music to be able to stay up with the conversation... :)

It feels like we've been everywhere together...San Diego, Chicago, Anaheim, NYC, Vegas, Provo, Indianapolis, Seattle & Austin just to name a few. I remember trips Buca (everywhere it seemed), the margaritas by the yard in Vegas (ouch) & our trip to Pebbles, the night we let you get into that random car in Indianapolis (sorry, again), our day in NYC (the View, Macy's MAC makeovers, Serendipity & Gray's Papaya), that really cool dessert place at the Bellagio, speaking of which - Sugar in Chicago, and countless trips to Sonic at happy hour........

You visited me when I was sick & covered my teaching engagements when I wasn't able to do them myself...you came to my mom's funeral (you didn't have to do that - it really meant a lot to me). You talked me through greif, stress, fear and all of life's day to day insanities...

Kate...good luck. I know you'll be successful at whatever you do. You've touched my life & I feel like a better person for having spent so much time with you. Keep in touch....

Where are your favorite pictures when you really need them??? Pictures (the ones I could find) from top to bottom: Kate in Times Square (2003), Emily, Kate & Kayte in Times Square (2003), me, Pam, Kayte & Kate in the audience at the View (2003), Kate & Pam at the Inwood Lounge in Dallas (maybe 2002?), me, Penny & Kate in front of Paris in Vegas (2002), me, Kate, Tracy & Ashley (the "girls of Magic Scraps") today at lunch (2006).

Back to the land of the living....

I just finished Memoirs of a Geisha last night. I've done absolutely nothing else outside of work since I picked it up at 11 PM Monday night....it is a beautifully told story....

What a weekend...

This weekend was totally unexpected...Matt's uncle called & invited him up to Bonham for the weekend..they just hang out & do guy stuff. So all of a sudden I was on my own...

I called my cousins to see what they were doing & ended up tagging along to their other side cousin's concert. She is a soprano in the very impressive SMU Concert Choir. (Pictured above: Amy (my cousin, 16), me, Meg (cousin, 14), Sara (their cousin, 20), Matt (their cousin, 15). I spent the night so we could hang out on Saturday - we stayed up & talked and they introduced me to chocolate covered caramel popcorn (from Boy Scouts) - wow.

Saturday morning we all had breakfast & I took the girls to a noon showing of Take the Lead - which was a cute little movie and a great Antonio Banderas eye candy festival.

A big bonus about staying at my Aunt & Uncle's house is that my Aunt Carol is a fabulous cook. Saturday night she taught me how to fry chicken (which I'm going to try tonight) & gave me a recipe for broccoli rice casserole. Amy's boyfriend Zach brought over Memoirs of a Geisha & we all watched. I liked it so much I borrowed their copy of the book.

Early this morning Matt came home & we picked up our nieces (Pictured below: Amy (age 11), Haley (age 8)) to take them to Sonic for breakfast then strawberry picking. Gnismer farms was a blast! We plan to go back...you can request to be on their email list & they'll tell you when their new fruits & vegetables are in season for picking - they do lots more than just strawberries! (Gnismer@att.net)
I'm going to make one of the recipes I got from there today:
Strawberry Black Bottom Pie
1/4 c milk chocolate chips, Graham Cracker Crust, 12 oz cream cheese, 1/2 c vanilla frosting, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 15 - 20 strawberries
- melt chocolate chips and drizzle over pie crust
- blend cream cheese, icing & vanilla; sperad over crust
- top with sliced berries
- chill, slice & serve

Celebrating small towns, Texas-style...

We've been planning & have come up with some very fun things to do. I'm actually quite excited...Matt & I prefer to "unvacation" when we vacation - that means we like to pick small towns & stay at a b&b, go antiquing, picnic - no phone, no TV - you get the picture. Well, we haven't done it in about 2 years...here we go....

This weekend we're taking our nieces, Amy & Haley, to a strawberry Patch (Gnismer Farms) in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. I mentioned it to my cousins & they want to go with us before the end of the season (May 15th).

This summer we've decided to go to the Avery Tomato Festival. This city of 462 will host 10,000 people from across the country on July 1st. They'll have a parade complete with a tomato queen, a craft fair, food contests, a farmer's market, live music, petting zoo, fireworks - and here's the real reason we're going - the US Lawn Mower Racing Nationals which will be covered by ESPN2. Matt's a true mower racing enthusiast (and no he will not be bringing his own mower.

We're taking my cousins Amy & Meg - who are excited about traveling without parents for a change. We're going to stay in nearby Paris (yes, Paris, Texas) & take pictures with their eiffel tower on Sunday... Isn't that classy? It's 65 feet tall and has a cowboy hat on it...sw-eeeeeet.

So, I know I'm going to have to wait 'til July for this exotic getaway, but I just booked the hotel & talked to the girls (and their parents) today...so consider me in countdown mode...

...and think of the pictures I'll get...

Emily's adventures (i.e. - a real day off)...

I took the day off. Not in a hospital; not to be sick; a day for me. When was the last time that happened? Matt's on vacation & he ran around with me all day...

I had my CRT in the morning & it took a couple of hours. Highlights: my heart functon has doubled since the pacemaker went in (my e.f. is up to a 42-45); my kidneys are almost to normal functioning levels (they halved my diuretics again); and apparently my heart has been super responsive to the device - they say it's because I'm so young...so I go back in 3 months for a check up & 6 months for another CRT session. OH - and I got it in writing that I have no travel restrictions & my lifting limit has been raised from 20 lbs. to 50 lbs - sweet. Matt was surprised to see my heart on the monitors during the procedure - I had a special kind of echo cardiogram (like a color sonogram).

After that we went to IKEA for lunch (right around the corner from the doc) & some intended shopping. BTW - the dining room chairs I picked out are very uncomfortable, so we bought light bulbs, a floor mat & some spice jars...

Talked to Ginger today. The baby is doing great & Ginger's a little tired, but fine. When I asked her what I should send her for a baby gift....she came up with this bright idea (for the woman who has everything) since she can't buy them in Cincinnati...what a riot!

Then straight to our CPA to do our taxes...who's a riot...he's in his eighties & he felt up my pacemaker. We went over all the paperwork & he said he was too busy to do them today (it was 4 & he wanted to eat his lunch before a dinner he had to go to at 5). So verdict tomorrow...

Home for a great 1 hour nap 5:30 - 6:30.

Since we saved so much money not buying chairs, we had dinner at Pappasito's and split our favorite the Plato Del Mar with beef instead of chicken - aaaaaaaaaaaaaah.... now it's couch & cable...this is the best...

Sneak a peek at GASC...

I created the project I'll be teaching at GASC Arlington today. The class goes online on Friday - check it out! It's called Birthday Bash - this year is GASC's 10th birthday & I thought it would be a fun theme. If you're in the DFW area, come on down - this is my only local gig this year.

Every once in a while I step outside just to enjoy the weather...times like this are my favorite...in the low 80's but with a nice strong breeze, in between cool and warm. I really, really have spring fever.

Living in SciFi...

cyborg n. a person whose physiological functioning is aided by or dependent upon a mechanical or electronic device.
wow.
I'm a cyborg.
I was supposed to go in for CRT today (cardiac resynchronization therapy - btw the animation on the link is pretty cool) - they calibrate my pacemaker to get all four chambers working together (timing the artificial beats with the natural ones and tweaking the pacemaker speed to an optimal level). After that I should be feeling even better - hard to imagine. Then they had to postpone...no such excitement til Wednesday.

What else? I cropped with my friends Ginny & Bernie on Saturday night and had a cry fest watching TNT movies all weekend...Matt's on vacation this week so I'm working from home tomorrow. I will be designing the class project for GASC Arlington which I'll be teaching at in June. Kate & Ashley are home from CKU Chicago - and they told me all about it. I can't wait to be back on the road teaching again!!! (soon, soon) I'll keep you posted...