Fun in LV and some ramblin in the O.C.

Well we just got back from Las vegas last night and lots of good things have been going on. Here is a pic that I thought I would share of my kiddos with their cousin at Kung Fu Panda. The boys had a very nice time with their cousins. This time I really didn't get a pic of my sweet little niece Sofie (who is now almost 2) Shame on me !

Got to see my most favorite pal April while in LV. We have been friends since we were 11, and no didn't take a pic of us together either. We did go to dinner at Fado and had a few ciders with our meal..all yummy and well earned. Did I mention that school is out. Thank you oh thank you God. It was really time for a mental break.

On my way home I 'accidently' stopped at a scrapbook store that I have been itching to go to and check out for a few years now, Scrapbook Blvd., in Victorville. Have I mentioned how it is conveinently located directly off the freeway? I met Cheryl there and she was a sweetie. So my words to fellow scrappy friends are... go and give yourself a treat right before you lose all your $ in Vegas and stop by the store. It really has an fantastic selection and fresh baked cookies too. Could a girl ask for more ?

I am teaching a few more classes in the next couple of weeks at Screamin Susie's . Here they are..come take a peek or pay me a visit :)





What's in your Pocket ?
Mon. June 30th 7-9 p.m.

Look How you have Blossomed
Wed. July 9th 7-9 p.m.





We will also be having a Christmas in July theme next month:

Dear Santa
Thurs. July 10th
7-9 p.m.

Christmas is just around the block

Tues. July 15th

7-9 p.m.

In more news, my friend Tina K. will be teaching all around The O.C. and the inland Empire. She is a Designer for Best Creations and Cosmo Cricket. Tina is a wonderfully talented girl with a great big heart. Go take a class from her..you will not be disappointed.

Follow this link: http://www.tinakeyner.typepad.com/

Did ya hear about Inspiration Unlimited? If not, oh boy hop on the bus with us and let's go ! Illyse, Yenny and I are going to take classes with Layle Koncar, Teresa Collins and Janna Wilson in Oct. In my fabulous hometown of LV. I can't wait October cannot come soon enough..but for now I will just enjoy the summer :)

Last but not least I got my Canon photo printer delivered yesterday..oh goodie..so thrilled ! I just am so excited about it. Tomorrow is my day to play with it ! Thanks Lil' Miss Annie for enlightening me !

Ooh fun...other stuff and OUCH !

So we are completely packing up our classroom and as of right now my partner and I have packed 40 boxes and from doing so, my back hurts. :0( They are darn heavy ! Anyway despite all of that I am in a really good mood. :)

Last weekend I went to the Freckle Friends/MAMBI crop for autism speaks. It was incredible. Those ladies really know how to put on a fundraiser. I heart those gals ! They did a fantastic job and never missed a thing. We were greeted by Susan who showed us to our spots to crop and there waiting for us was a nice...very nice bag full of scrappy treats, we had yummy treats on the table to eat all day, there were 4 beautiful make and takes, a delicious lunch and an fantastico Italian dinner. Oh and did I mention the raffles. Raffles...rock. Everyone won something ! The grand prizes were a Cannon photo printer and a Tammy I trunk. VERY COOL !
There were also a bunch of wonderful auction items as well. We were spoiled all day. And you know what..I will ALWAYS attend their crops if my schedule allows. I can honestly say that if they have a crop...YOU NEED TO GO. You will not be disappointed !

And in other news... I had my first class at Screamin Susie's last night ! How fab is that? All the ladies who signed up were so gracious...they thanked me. Isn't that nice? They really made me feel good and I appreciated that. I was hoping that it would all go well. I brought some brownies to sweeten things up ;0) , we made our birthday in a box tin and card and then we topped it off with a teeny little raffle. They were great and made it all the more fun. I have to say that I do feel good, just because it was my first class and I am the newbie at the store. It was nice to get that little pat on the back.

I have a few more classes this month and I believe 3 more next month..so check the June and July class calendar out at Screamin Susie's if you are interested in paying me a visit. I would love to see any of you..old friends and new :)

Lastly.... 3 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL FOR ME. YAY! I cannot wait to be home for the summer. I need a break and I am definitely looking forward to it !!! More updates as soon as my summer officially starts !

(((BIG HUGS)))

Christine

Ellie Willaert

Sometimes I think things are meant to happen for a reason. The other night I was just goofing around and perusing on Etsy when I stumbled upon someone's shop. I was admiring her scrappy work and then noticed a message posted to all buyers. The shop owner had stated that she was closing her shop indefinitely. The reason being is that her Daughter,Ellie, had just been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor the month before. This of course made my mind go in a different direction. So I followed a link to her website to learn more about her situation, and this is what I read:


On April 29th Ellie joined a very small group of children in the U.S., in the world even. A few weeks before then Ellie began having vision and balance problems. She tilted her head to the side as if she were having trouble seeing. She took baby steps in unfamiliar places. She was reluctant to walk down steps she didn’t know. Her pediatrician recommended an MRI, which was quickly scheduled. On April 29th, Ellie’s results were in: she has a diffusely intrinsic brainstem glioma, a tumor in her brainstem. It is malignant, it is aggressive, and it is inoperable. The prognosis is serious, and the numbers are grim. The survival rate of this type of tumor is very low - between 5 and 10%. The average life expectancy post-diagnosis is between eight and ten months. This disease follows no hereditary or environmental patterns. It strikes like lightning for no reason the oncologists could give us.



You can read more about it here http://amiracleforellie.org/wp/ and here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/elliewillaert. On the first website listed there is a a link to the right where you can donate to the Willaert family.



This family are complete strangers to me,but I believe that God brought me to their site for a reason. Every little bit helps. I can't even begin to fathom what they are going trough. Ellie's mom just had a baby boy last week. They are surely are experiencing lot of ups and downs in their lives right now. Perhaps reaching out to her family will make everyday just a bit brighter and give them some hope. Please include them in your prayers...AND feel free to REPOST this ON YOUR BLOG.



Thanks for reading.

(((BIG HUGS)))

Christine