Umm hello anyone still out there?

Okay so the same old story..I mean to be here. I have so many things to share, I let time go by. Too much happens and I am not not willing to make you all go through a multi page post by me trying to catch you all up. So I will just go within the time constraints of the last3-4 weeks. Sound good. And if you are here and reading this..well thanks for coming around and being so faithful :)

So here it goes: My little Adam is now 7! Oh no, where does the time go? My baby is not a baby. He is still so cuddly,but a bit difficult to carry (ha!) Will I ever get over that need to have a sweet cuddly little one? I just don't know.

We celebrated his birthday on Feb. 28th. Adam is into science big time. Loves it! So for his birthday we hired Mad Science to come out and do a little hands on show. He loved it and so did all the other kids. I would highly recommend it for any boy's party. Here are a few pics:

Adam anxiously awaits for his guests to arrive

Guests enjoying Professor "whatshisname" Adam destoys an alien head
What was left..complete annihilation

What more....well Scrap it forward is on it's way..doing well and we are having fun. We have a new challenge supporting Project Cuddle. Come and check it out! There are some fun prizes as well.

The big news is that we have been published. Who would have thought! ? I am so excited about it! Scrapbook Business has published an article about us in their March/April magazine. Here is a little teaser :)

Went to Disney and Claifonia Adventure with kids an my mom and we had a blast. But I do have to say that I am not so much the Roller coaster kind of gal anymore. I went on California Screamin and have realized..that was a bit much...for me. Bummer. Anyway thanks to a special friend, we went to both parks and spent all day there. We had a blast and the boys were beyond thrilled. I even let them skip school. i know being a teacher, that surprises you ..right? Well I did it anyway..sometimes I can be a rebel (LOL).

And lastly my annual crop for Autism Speaks is coming up! Karen at Scrapbook Oasis will be hosting the crop. Thanks Karen again this year for your amazing generosity. Here is the Info:

Date: Sat. April 4th

Time: 10 - 6

Cost: $25

Place_ The Scrapbook Oasis in Irvine CA.

You can call and make your reservation now. The cost includes lunch, a goody bag, raffles, snacks etc. The donations this year are BIG! I have rec ieved donations from: Piggy Tales, Making Memories, Bam Pop, Creative options, Art Bin, Down Details, American Crafts, MAMBI, Cosmo Cricket, Best Creation, Quickutz, Bo Bunny, and many more!
Come join the fun ! It is for a great cause and the day will be a blast!

Come back in a few days to see a new post about a RAK..it will be big!

So Happy feeling warm and fuzzy inside

Well of course CHA was a BLAST. I always walk away with such a happy and uplifted feeling. I am so inspired in so many ways...creatively for one and for two, I am emotionally charged and inspired to move forward and focus on all the good that lies ahead.


At CHA, for those of you who haven't heard, I was Quickutz's lucky grand prize winner. I won the brand new Silhouette. This is of course is outstanding and I feel so very fortunate ! Thank you QK !!!



In other news, Jenn and I started a new blog called Scrap it Forward. It is based on "paying it forward" to our fellow man and being crafty while doing it! We of course wanted to combine 2 things that we are very passionate about..crafting and charity/community activeness. So...we found a way! You should definitely check us out! There are crafty challenges posted as well as prompts suggesting ways to "pay it forward".


CHA was so very inspiring and I am so touched that during these tough financial times, that there were still so many companies willing to sponsor us and commit to working on future projects with us. I am so thrilled and excited about it all ! Not to mention the fact that I have so many friends behind us on this. Illyse is desinging for us and we have a whole crew of followers already! Thank you so very much. This means the world to me !

Now I need to organize it all ! My house looks like some kind of "crafty bomb" went off in it! Back in awhile with more updates !

WINNER! Okay ladies today is the day to announce the winner..and here she is! IVON/DIVASCRAPPER you are the winner :) Yay for you! Now email me your addy And I will end your RAK out this week! Congrats to you and thanks to all who joined in on the class !

Hey Bloggy and crafty friends. Would you like to learn how to make a bouquet of posh paper petals like these? If the answer is yes, then go over to Making Memories For you where I will be teaching this class on Wed. January 21st. The class is FREE ! All you have to do is join the Making Memories For You Mesage board and VOILA....you can learn how to make this fun and easy bouquet yourself. Follow this link......

http://www.makingmemoriesforyou.org/viewtopic.php?f=143&t=9768 There you will find a needed supply list and other details :)

As an added bonus, I will be offering a RAK to one random winner who links this their blog and If you join the message board PM me and I will enter you twice! Please make sure to let me know that you have linked my in your comment! Winner will be announced on Thurs. Jan 22nd !

Ooh and lastly a blog candy..just for you..go check it out http://threecloversdesigns.blogspot.com/2009/01/blogoversary-blog-yummies.html

Bye for now friends :)

(((HUGS)))

Christine

A new challenge come and see !

Alrighty here I am! I came back in a few days..just like I said that I would. Shocker eh ? Well I am here with a challenge from Scrapbook Supplies Direct. I found these cute little ol' birdhouses at the Dollar Tree. Cute eh? Well I bet that you would like one to alter of your own, no?

If the answer is yes..then come on over to Scrapbook Supplies Direct and see my challenge. The winner will get a birdhouse, paper, embellies and a cute little birdie to put on the birdhouse. The challenge lasts until Friday Jan. 23rd. Hurry up and come over and see us at SSD !

Blog Candy alert !

Hey Everything Paper Crafts is giving away a sizely RAK that you should go check out! Hurry, It ends tomorrow ! Go here

Some new things to share :)

Hi all in blogland. Well how was your holiday, your New Year? We took it really easy and had a family night on New Years eve. It was good and well needed. It seems that we spent so much time rushing around before and after Christmas, that it was a well needed break.

We took our annual Vegas trip to visit family which was so very nice. Here is a pic of me with my little niece. She is just the cutest thing and full of tons of personality. She reminds me so much of my brother as a kid.

Well in the scrappy part of my life a few things are going on. My run at Tally scrapper DT has come to an end. Love those gals so much and it is still a special place to me. I will forever be a part of the board. The new DT is already doing a fantastic job :) In other news I have had the pleasure and honor of being published in this months Making Memories for you ezine. Yay ! check out this link. Everyone has been quite warm and welcoming on their board. Go and pay them a visit. There is also a call for the FEB. ezine too !

LASTLY are you in the mood for a sale..a great sale?! Well if the answer is YES...go visit Scrapbook supplies direct. They have a store wide sale going on. Here is the info:

Store-wide Clearance SALE!! - SALE!! - SALE!! Take 40% OFF ALL PAPER & CARDSTOCK*

Take 40% OFF ALL DISCONTINUED SIZZIX DIES

Take 20% OFF ALL CRICUT DIE CUTTER MACHINE & ACCESSORIES

Take 20% OFF ALL PHOTOBOOK MAKER SUPPLIES
*PLUS, We still have our "Buy 10 (sheets) Get 1 Free", which equals [another] 10% OFF of every ten sheets purchased!

OH gosh the countdown for CHA is drawing near. Is it killing you? I just can't wait! It will be so fabulous to sale all the new product that comes out of it. Any special faves this year for you ? I can't decide myself. Too much to choose from. Patience..I know I know !

Well,I am off for now..but I will be back in a few days to post a new challenge for SSD !

((Big hugs)))

Christine

Happy Holidays to all my family and Friends

Happy Holidays to all of you, friends and family that I am so blessed to have in my life. A Friend sent me this poem. It is perfectly befitting to all of you who I love and care for so dearly, so I thought that I would share it with you:

My Friends, My Angels

I believe in angels

Those helpers who are near

Exactly when they're needed most,

Then seem to disappear.

I know them when I see them

Whatever their disguise

They're patient and encouraging

Resourceful, kind, and wise

Yes, I believe in angels

The kind that heaven sends

And I'm surrounded every day

By angels I call friends.

God gave me someone special

When He gave me

A special friend like you

Have a Blessed Christmas (and Hanukkah too)
and happiness the whole year through!

~Author- Unknown~

If you are reading this and want to "lift" this poem for someone else...please do.

I had a wonderful Christmas day with my family. I hope that your holiday season is filled with many blessings.

*P.S. If you are looking for some scrappy fun. Go to tally scrapper now! Everyday until new years I will be giving out some Tally love (prizes). So come on by and join the fun! Look for the thread called "going out with a Bang !"

**P.S.S - If you are acquainted with "ms. Cheryl" who won the RAK on my blog this last week..please send her my way. She won the RAK, her link doesn't work and I would love to send her goodies. Thanks !

With much love,

Christine

For those last minute gals at heart

EDIT: WE HAVE A WINNER ! THE LUCKY GAL IS MS. CHERYL!! PLEASE CONTACT ME WITH YOUR MAILING INFO; Thanks to all who played. I am going to add just a little bit more of a bonus in the RAK. Cheryl I am waiting for you :) Iam really touched by all the sweet comments :) Thanks for all participating !

So I have been meaning to do this..it is a small little thank you/Happy Holidays Rak for my bloggy friends and/or readers. Tell me what you want fo Christmas and I will randomly select a winner on Sunday evening. It surely won't get there by Christmas,but defintely in time for you to scrap some Christmas goodness shortly after !

If you link this giveaway to your blog, let me know and I will enter you twice ! :)

And..Happy Birthday to my Friend's Illyse and Susan ! Today is your special day..you rock !

Love you all !

(((HUGS)))

Christine

December fun..December...RUSH

Gosh again guilty as charged. I am so behind on things. This past moth I have been sick on and off and it has really taken a toll. I am behind. Hopefully my excuse for next month won't be the same ! So much has happened and there is not enough time to share it all.

Let me start off by saying thank you to Jeanne at Scrapbook Supplies Direct for submitting out work to Cosmo Cricket ...and Thank you Cosmo Cricket for sending us so many goodies. I just got mine in the mail on Sat. and I can't wait to play with it ! Also I need to say thanks to Quickutz... May I just say it...YOU ROCK ! I have had some trouble with my Silhouette. I met up with a wonderful rep from QK and talked to him about it and guess what..VOILA...they are sending me a new one! Just like that ! So thank you...just in time for Christmas. Gotta love you guys !

In other news, since Thanksgiving...we have started singing... All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...in regards to Adam that is. So cute...he is missing booth his front teeth and he thinks that it is cool. Like he is some kind of big kid now.

Adam was a Sheppard in The Christmas play in religious ed. He was the first kiddo to start the play...he maintained an very serious exterior..but was very excited about it all.

Nicholas participated in a jeopardy like program called "a walk through California" in school last week. His teem won..so that made his day :) Here he is on the "expert seat".

Last night we took the kiddos to see the Christmas Lights in nearby Brea. It was a lot of fun. They enjoyed themselves as well as we did ! We took a bunch of pics..but most came out kind of blurry. However this one..which was kind of a mistake..is my favorite because it shows them in their true colors......

I am feverishly trying to get a few Christmas presents made and the rest shopped for. I am a little more than half way there. Also got to get those Christmas cards out. Watch your mail !

AND...there is some Scrappy goodness...here: There is a fabulous Christmas giveaway @ papermonkey. Follow this link ! http://blog.papermonkey.org/index/2008/12/happy-hauladays-my-biggest-giveaway-ever-.html

Lastly, my dear goofy friend, Illyse is turning 40 on the 18th ! Can you believe it... If you love her like I do, why don't you go on over to her blog and wish her well :)

Be back in a few days with some more things to share....REALLY I MEAN IT !

(((BIG HUGS)))

Christine

Time to catch up and share some goodies :)

HI all my friends out there who are s very faithful. It has been awhile since my last post so I will get to it right now !

First of all to do something that I haven't had the chance to get to..til now. I've been tagged by my friend Susan from Scrappydoo2u. Here's how it works:

Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
Answer the five sets of five (this is the easy part)
Tag 5 people in the last section by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Now for my answers..the truth shall be revealed !

Things I love
Scrapbooking & Papercrafting
My very boyish boys
My husband and family.
All my dear friends

80's music

Things I don't love
Narrow minded people

The horrific financial cuts from education

The war "that isn't over..but we did win it ya know"
Prop 8

Cleaning the bathroom

Songs on your iPod/Playlist
Duran Duran - New Religion

Franz Ferdinand- take me out

English Beat- Mirror in the Bathroom

Ok Go !- Here it goes again

U2- Pride

Favorite Foods/Drinks
Diet Pepsi with lime
Starbucks Passion Fruit Iced tea/no Sweetner
Pizza

Pasta

Salad

People I am tagging...
Yenny of Papel y tijeras
Alicia of Alicia Delano designs

Nancy of Life as a scrappin' engineer mom

Shirley of Standing on the edge

Tina K of A Handmade Tale

And in other news the new kit at Tally Scrapper is available TODAY ! It always sells out..so check it out and get on there! HURRY..you won't be sorry !

Here are a few things that I made with the kit.

If you go on the site you can see what the other talented design team members have created !

Family news: Nicholas and Adam got their report cards yesterday and did FANTASTIC. I have been saving them a special and little bit bigger of a treat than usual for a special occasion. Well this was the occasion..all A's and B's. They both seem to really enjoy reading and are reading above grade level. Good boys! I am so proud of them. SO.... I gave them Wii Fit. We all have been playing it since last night. Now I am going to see if I can use it a lose a bit of weight and build some strength myself. :)

Umm let's see what else....

*my mom just left today from a little visit. We had a very nice time. The boys are already missing her. :(

*Joe is biking as always...but today the winds are very strong about 30 mph at times...he is going to be wrecked !

*Today is Adam's last soccer game....woohoo. (oops did I say that out loud?) It happens.

* Last weekend Nicholas went to a birthday party...the boys were taken in an SUV-LIMO. Livin' large eh? They went out for Pizza and video games and then dessert at The Melting Pot, a fondue place. Anybody ever what happened to the birthday parties with ice cream and cake, and pin the tail on the donkey ?

* I am enjoying my term on both my design teams. I find it rewarding and a lot of fun. Okay that is it for now !

(((Big Hugs)))

Christine