Friday, January 28, 2011

It's that time again!!!

It only happens twice a year and it's happening now!!! It's the Craft & Hobby Assoc (CHA) show in Cali, happening this weekend!! I have never been to the show as it's only for store owners and buyers to attend. They get to see all the latest and greatest products that will be coming out soon.  But I love to follow along online with some websites for sneek peeks and giveaways! 

If you are interested, I recommend Two Peas in a Bucket. They will have online events all weekend long from the showroom floor! Also, if you like podcasts, Scraptime does a pretty good job of video blogging from the show.

Some of the talented designers who have their own blogs also post info and pics so be sure to check those out as well. You can find some of my favorites to the right on my blog.

Enjoy! And do something crafty this weekend!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Ink, paper, lace...

This is what my desk looks like right now:

Kinda crazy, I know but I'm so excited because I'm going to be teaching again! I have been asked to teach some scrapbooking classes at Donna Downey Studios in Huntersville, NC. I'm starting with a tag class. If you will remember, I created some tags a while back and just fell in love making the little mini works of art. So now you can learn some fun new techniques and make some tags with me! They work great on cards or layouts or even home decor items. They even make great gift tags for a special gift!

Still working out the dates and times but I hope to see you there.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Snow Storm of 2011!

Monday, January 10th we woke up to about 4 inches of snow! Really?!?!?!
Yep! Really!

Needless to say, the boys didn't have school that day. In fact, they didn't have school for A WHOLE WEEK! That never happens around here! It snowed most of the day Monday, then turned to ice. That was what really caused all the schools to stay closed for so long. The temps stayed low and the ice didn't go away. So now they will be making up days on Saturdays. Hopefully, we are done with the crazy winter weather for awhile. Here are a few pics of our Snow Storm of 2011!




This last picture was taken a few days later. The boys enjoyed playing in the snow on Monday but it was the light, powdery stuff that isn't very good for making forts. Once the ice had formed, they enjoyed breaking it up.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Field Trip!!

On Thursday, two cars full of crazy scrapbookers made a trek to Archiver's! They are located about 2.5 hours away but it was so worth it. We had so much fun and bought lots a great stuff!!! And the staff was so nice. They even took our picture before we left.

"Let's do it again in 6 months, ladies!!!"

Monday, January 17, 2011

Lots of "Hoopla!"

Drew is playing basketball this year, instead of soccer. He hasn't had much experience except in the driveway with Dad but he's very excited about it. We signed him up with Upward at a local church. It's a Christian based league and has been very positive with prayer before each game. They also promote good sportsmanship. So far Drew's team has played 2 games and won both! He's had several shots and assists and really seems to be enjoying it.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The tale of a Tin Can Robot

Jeff's sister and brother-in-law always give the boys very unique gifts for Christmas. This year was no exception. They gave Gabe a Tin Can Robot Kit. So about a week after Christmas, Jeff happened to have a can of Coke - so here was Gabe's chance to build his very first robot! (With the ever-present, very holey "blankie" around his neck!)

It only took Gabe and Dad about 2 hours to build and Dad commented several times about how well Gabe did using the tools and working with all the pieces. It turned out so cute! And it walks!

Let me introduce to you, Tin Can Robot!






Thursday, January 6, 2011

Chicken Spaghetti!

Okay, I'm not a cook. Don't like to do it, don't like to clean up after it, don't like having to plan it. I do as little as I have to most of the time and nobody goes hungry.  But I saw this recipe on a blog and had to try it.



As soon as I looked at it, it just screamed "comfort food!" to me and I thought I would give it a try. I originally saw it on a different blog and they talked about they changed it up to make it easier so that helped me decide. I used a Rotisserie Chicken and chicken broth. Also, I didn't add the pepper or onion or pimentos.

Now, since I don't do a lot of cooking I was nervous. If I must cook with a recipe I follow to the letter. I'm not good with "a pinch of this and a dash of that". My sister is the queen of that! And totally changing it up as she sees fit. Not me! But since I don't care for the onion or pepper and I had read about how the other blogger had changed theirs, I tried it. Stress!!!

Isn't my word for this year "de-stress"? Not working too well for me so far!

But, I must say it turned out really well! I managed to talk one of my picky eater kids into trying it and he didn't like it but my hubby liked it and there's lots left over. I'm thinking it will reheat pretty well, too.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

What a difference...

30 minutes can make! Today Jeff and I cleaned off/out the playroom shelves.
They went from this:

to this:

And so far, the boys haven't even noticed!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year!

At least I hope yours is starting out happy. Mine, not so much. I'm home with a big 'ole head cold while my family is at the New River with Aunt Wendy. I slept through the ball dropping in NYC for the first time since I can remember. Really missed getting to ring in the New Year with my big boy, Drew. But my sissy filled in for me and I'm sure they had fun.

I can't wait to see what 2011 has to offer. The biggest difference right from the start is that my lss is closed. No more Friday night crops. We are going to try to get a group together maybe once a month to crop at the local AC Moore. Hope that works out.

I'm toying with the idea of Ali Edwards One Little Word for 2011. If you haven't heard of this, check it out.

I think my one little word would have to be:

de-stress
— vb
to become or cause to become less stressed or anxious

I want to stress less over my crafting, what others think, whether I'm doing the right thing or not. I will practice praying more and worrying less. Give God more control and listen more for what He wants from me and for me.