What's New ?

I've have been really lazy about updating my blog and I can see that some of my faithful friends in blogland have been checking up on me. We have..I have, been busy, taking on projects at home, going here and there and basically I just haven't gotten myself in gear. So here I am !

I just finished reading this book.

And I would have to say that not only is it a good read, but it is very eye opening. As a mother of a child with Asperger's I found this book something that I could really relate to in many ways. The "Aspie" mind is really complex and amazing at the same time. John Elder Robison, The author, is a highly gifted individual and right now I think that I may be his #1 fan. He is humorous in his aspergian way,which I have learned to appreciate. I think that anyone who is curious and wants to know more about how the AS child or even adult for that matter, works and thinks, should read this book. It helps the reader to understand how an Asperger's individual thinks, relates to social issues and struggles for things that we all take for granted on a daily basis. The book has a lot of up and down moments, but then has you laughing 5 minutes later. J. E. R. is the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, the author of ,Running with Scissors. Read the book...you will be enlightened.

Speaking of the Asperger's Child..hmm. Well my son, Adam, quirky, intelligent and secretive has decided to let me in on a little secret.....umm HE CAN READ ! I don't mean sight words I mean books, pages, short paragraphs. He apparently has decided that it was time to reveal that he could read the other day. If you know Adam, then you know that he does not allow himself to make mistakes and does not take risks in front of others. He must be infallible (according to him). So being that he just finished Kindergarten, I would expect him to be an emergent reader. When school ended he was reading short word lists. And perhaps sentences like "The dog sat". But the other day he decided to suddenly reveal to us that he could in fact read more...a lot more. He read 9 pages of a Curious George book. He read the word suddenly, heard (which you can't sound out) etc. That little stinker ! I guess he had to reveal himself once he knew that he was "ready".

Took the boys to Legoland the other day and had a blast. It was perfect because we went in the middle of the week and got there as soon as it opened. We spent from open til just about close there and got to do EVERYTHING that we wanted to. The boys enjoyed themselves, lines were never too long and the Roller Coasters there are quite doable for me. I just can't hack the big stuff anymore.

Been scrappin' here and there. And I have been having fun doing so. Celebrated my b-day and Jennifer's scrapbooking with the girls. Janet, Illyse, Jennifer and I had a great time and Susie's. Here are a few layouts that make me happy.

My sweet niece, Sofie

Nicholas at art camp

My 38th birthday

And Lastly... I will be teaching a few classes in August. So come and see me at Screamin' Susie's.

Just Tinkering/Girl Time
Mon. Aug. 11th
7-9 p.m.



• You're all wet !

• Thurs. Aug. 14th

• 7-9 p.m.




• 'Love to you' Botanical gift card set

• Mon. August 18th

• 7-9 p.m.
  
  

  So I guess that I am off for now. Drop in and leave me a comment..I see you there, so come and say hello :)

(((Big hugs)))

Christine

Happy Birthday to me

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

Nancy Scraps, Jenna Lee and Mama in Pajamas :) Sorry for the late post girls and thanks for playing ! Please email me your snail mail info !

July is a good month, it is my birthday month,


we celebrate Independence day, we are well into summer vacation, new products are released at CHA , I love the sunshine, going to the beach and I just generally feel good. To make the month even better I have had a bit of a lucky streak too ! I was published in scrapnart (yippee..they rock). I got a surprise b-day gift in the mail from my sweet Alicia, my twin sister separated at birth, (Dilly as some of you know her). I won a RAK..cute little clay buttons..yay ! From Inkster :) Not to mention that two sweeties I know, Dawn and Jenn gave me a blog brillante premio award....AND BOY DOES IT FEEL GREAT !

So first let me nominate a few new bloggy brillante premio friends....

1. JennaLee for always having a gentle disposition, being incredibly artful and creative (yes I made up the word artful).

2. Michelle for always being honest with me, for always being a lot of fun, for always being a sensitive and caring gal and for having the courage to take on new challenges and diving in headfirst ! YOU GO GIRL !

3. For Ms Tina K. for being a giving and caring person. For being extremely talented and supportive.

4. Stephanie for being a sweet girl that has got the whole world ahead of her and for always greeting me with a smile.

5. Leah C. because she is creative, talented, giving and sure of herself and I like that !

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST.....

Illyse and Jennifer who of course have already been nominated because the are so ever worthy of this award. I cannot go without mentioning my girls! You rock and you know it chicas ! No need to tag me back ladies...you don't need to go through the moitons.l.just know that you are loved !
Now here are the rules to follow if you have been nominated: 1) Put the logo on your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you -Click on Jennifer and/or Dawn's name.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on yours
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs




So now that I am completely a wind bag (tee hee) I wanted to say, since I have been doing all the receiving...it is time for me to do a bit of giving..PAY It Forward...know what I mean? So here's a little RAK . Please leave a post on my Blog and 3 lucky winners will receive a set of Basic Grey Romani Monograms. Not bad eh ? I will draw on Monday July 21st :)...so check back !

Thanks you to all those friends who have made the last few weeks grand. Sometimes we all need a little lift.

I will be posting a few new classes in the next few days, so check back !

Lastly ALOHA to my friend in Hawaii ;0) Who knew that I would get a visit from there. Ain't sitemeter grand !? It is so much fun to see where all my visits come from !

Take care all !

(((HUGS)))

Christine

Having Fun...just Happy

Have you ever thought that things just happen for a reason..that maybe they were just meant to be ? Well I do ! I have to say that going to Screamin' Susie's was a wonderful change for me. I feel like a part of the team and a lot of good has been coming out of it and that just makes me happy. The other night by chance while I was there a woman came in to speak to the owner . It turned out that she was a special ed. teacher that teaches high functioning autistic kids (need I say more?) She was looking for a field trip/project to be made for her students. She wanted to get them out into the community for socialization and have them do something fun at the same time. Well being that this is an issue really close to my heart, I was happy to be a part of it. Lucky me, I got to teach the class. Like I said, things happen for a reason. Here is a quick little snapshot of the kiddos after the class with their pencil boxes that they made. I had a great time with them . They were so cute and a few of them reminded me of someone I know very well ;0)

Monday night I had my pocket card class. It was a lot of fun and the ladies that signed up even made it better. They were all so happy to be there, made me laugh and really made me feel good ! For any of you who visited me on Monday...thank you for being so complimentary and for making it all the more fun. Seems like there was a lot of last minute interest in the class as well. So those of you who came by and for those of you who missed it, I will be teaching another class that is similar,but fall themed, in Sept.

My Look how you have Blossomed layout class is on Wed. July 9th. If any of you are still interested, there are 4 spots left. Come in and see me and join in on the fun..goodies and a raffle will be included. Here is what the layout looks like :

And here are some upcoming classes:

Marvelous Monogram Clipboard

Thursday, July 17

7-9 pm

Bloomin' Ribbon Box

Monday, July 28th

7-9 p.m.

And the best fort last..this summer my Adam is going to Gymnastics's camp. Last week the school put on a little show for the parents to show what the kids have learned. Adam is the second boy in this routine...watch carefully right int he beginning...he shocked the beegeebers out of me ! He is just 6 and only learned how to do this the day before...WATCH...

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

Something to talk about...

Well things have been great. Can't really complain much about everything. School is out really really soon, which is great. Good scrappy things are happening. Soon I will be published again in scrap-n-art. Which I am highly honored to be included in. And the BIG NEWS...well I am now on the Design Team at a Store called Screamin' Susie's. Brent and Susie, the owners, have been nothing but sweet to me. Their generosity is amazing and they just happen to be a bunch of fun people over there. I am having a ball. I will be teaching a few classes there starting in June. Come by and see me if you'd like :)

Call to reserve your spot today :) (562) 943-9704

Birthday in a Box: Mon. June 9th 7-9 pm

Tiny Treasures: Sat. June 21, 3-5 pm

I will also be teaching a card class on June 30th. details to come !

So much more to talk about,but I am on my way out the door to see the Raconteurs with my life-long childhood friend April. More updates later.

(((Big Hugs)))

Christine

Happiness in Geek land

Yes, I will be the first to admit that I am a total GEEK when it comes to Duran Duran. I have never really ended my love affair with them and this past Sunday night was just DREAMY. What made it the most fun is that I spent the evening with 2 very good friends of mine, Lisa and Illyse. Lisa...a durantard, like me, and Illyse a Duran Duran virgin. First we picked up Lisa, who just happens to live in Hollywood and then we went to dinner at a swanky Italian restaurant on Melrose. Here is Illyse actually volunteering to drink 1/3 glass of wine at dinner! And..yes those of you who know Illyse, YES she did turn red in the face and get a bit happy feeling.

Then off we went to the Nokia Theatre in LA to see "the boys". Here we are right before the show. Darn wind blew my hair swoop in the wrong direction. Otherwise I think it is a fun pic of the three of us.

The concert was of course fabulous, I did regress and turn back into my 12 year old self. Good to escape I guess. I hated to see it end,but I had a blast. Our seats were in row G so they were really close..got a few good pics. Or at least good enough to satisfy me.
All in all a "funtastic" night. I think Illyse may now be a convert...she is no longer a naive little girl and she may just join the hysteria with us once again. :0) BTW Illyse, thanks for the yummy dinner and for joining me in my "world". Back to reality....sigh

A big day in the Spina world

Well this past weekend was big...we had a lot going on. Saturday was an eventful day. Not only did we have our long awaited Walk for Autism Speaks,but we also had the annual kindergarten Fairy Tale Ball. It was my turn to go with my son, Adam, and it was really a nice time.

The walk day...was HOT, In the 90's. We had a lot of fun at the booths with the kids. They got to play the drums, make sand necklaces, have ice cream, decorate cookies, and get a bunch silly little toys. They loved it. Once the boys had a good enough fill of the booths we started our walk. We had promised the boys that after the walk they could go to the rock wall and the jumpy house and that satisfied them. Anyway to make a long story short, there is a long walk 3 miles and a short walk, 1 mile. Being that we had the kids, Illyse (my best friend) and I decided to do the "short" walk. We started our walk and when we came to the option of turning to the right or turning to the left...we asked which was the short walk. We were kindly directed that way. After walking for hmm...maybe 45 minutes we came to the conclusion...yep we took the long walk. Well turning back would have done no good because we were 1/2 way through,so we kept up our walk. No choice. We survived it, but at the end of the walk the boys asked "permission" to just go home and skip the jumpy house and rock wall. There was no arm twisting there..."okay let's go", I said. BUT all in all a good day :)

Once we got home, we ate lunch together, Illyse went home and I took a 2 hour nap. I needed my beauty sleep for the fairy tale ball. Adam was so sweet and looked adorable. We danced ... a lot ! The chicken dance, YMCA, the electric slide, Tooty ta (or whatever that is), bop til you drop, the hokey pokey and a slow song that Adam had no interest in dancing to...but he humored me anyway.

Here are a few pics of the day :) A great one ! THE WALK

~The dance~

Again thanks to all of you for the support of such a great cause and a great day ! Our team raised over $1500 !

This weeekend's crop was a huge success !

I am not sure even where to begin,but let me start by saying thank you to everyone for coming, for making it fun, and giving so much of yourselves ! The crop was a great success. Manufacturers and friends were so generous ahead of time, and because of that I was able to give everyone a great goody bag and no one left without receiving a prize ! That made me feel good :0). Here are a few pics of some of the prizes and the friends that won them !

Congrats to Heather La Pierre who won the grand prize, a chest from Tammy I filled with goodies ! I was happy to see her win it. She was very sweet and so excited about it. A good day for sure !

Some of the fun and friends...pics continued !

We raised just a bit shy of $500 which of course is fantastic. I wanted to say that none of this could have happened without all the help of friends old and new and the many manufacturers that donated and KAREN from Oasis for opening her doors to me. It really was touching to see so many people come out to support my cause and to have so many kind words. It kind of floored me that people thanked me for organizing the crop. I couldn't have done it without them. In my eyes the thanks belong to all of you that helped me make this such a success. Blessings to all of you and huge hugs too !

:) Christine