Scrap Etc. Event

I have wonderful friends... three fabulous, generous, fun-loving, scrap buddies. They are Chere, Judy, and Jamie (not only is she my daughter, but she is my BFF). The four of us are going to Scrap Etc. in Nashville, Tennessee April 17-19, and to Connecticut in October (more on this later). Chere and I went together to the first Scrap Etc. event in Birmingham two years ago. All I can say is the girl is crazy! As for the four of us being friends, we click. We are the perfect balance. Chere is the quintisenntial southern belle... beautiful inside and out. Judy is level headed, unflappable and classic. Jamie, the youngest, is the mother of two toddlers who, for reasons I can't understand, prefers to hang out with the Golden Girls rather than women her own age. Lucky us! As for me, I would go to the ends of the earth for any one of these ladies. I am truly blessed!

Check out the Scrap Etc. event here... http://scrapetc.net/event_2008/

Chere ensures her place as first in line at Scrap Etc. '06

Keith Urban

Among my many shortcomings, I can NOT keep a secret. Especially if the secret is Jamie's birthday present. You may recall Jamie's 30th birthday gift was a Hawaiian cruise. So... how can I top that? Okay, I can't (unless it's another exotic cruise -- NOT!). However, I had a brilliant idea. Here's a clue...

Yes, we're going to a Keith Urban/Carrie Underwood concert on April 24th. Not only are we going to the concert, but we will be close enough to the stage to reach out and cop a feel. Woo-hoo!

Scrap Sanctuary: Part Deux

As addicted as I am to Confessions of A Pioneer Woman and her love of Marlboro Man, I am equally obsessed about my scrap room. In particular, organizing my growing scrap collection. I obsess about everything being in its proper place. I love to pass the time arranging and rearranging in the peace and quiet of my room. No, I don't need to get a life. My life is pretty full already, thank-you-very-much. My scrap room is my sanctuary. It's my favorite place to relax, unwind, and strip away the stress of my day, much like peeling layers from an onion. Ahhhh... there's no testosterone here. You'd have to visit Pete's Man Room to get the low down on tool organization. While you are there, he will gladly pontificate on his hunter/gatherer theory. But that's another story... when you have a spare hour or two...

Magpie organization for storing my QuicKutz alphabets

My inspiration... my family

Stamp storage has never been easier -- my Clip-It-Up organizer

Making Memories makes the best acrylic paint -- aren't the colors yummy?

Partial punch inventory

Another use for Clip-It-Up -- embellishments

You gotta love paper!

Snip Its Children's Hair Cuttery

I had a real treat Saturday. Jamie invited me to take photos of the boys getting their hair cut. I know what you're thinking... but it REALLY was a treat! Being the big brother, Ayden went first. No problem, except he didn't like getting hair on his face. "It itches, Mimi!" Next in line was little brother Jameson. He was a bit leary of the entire process and had to console himself with a suck of his thumb. That didn't have quite the appeal as Ayden's sucker. Yum! Can I have a sucker too? They were perfect angels (okay, that's a stretch). But they didn't cry and carry on like that other little boy. What's his problem? It's only hair...

Holy Snowball, Batman...Where are we??

Round two of snow this week in Georgia hit today. The first storm arrived Wednesday evening as I was driving home from ADP training north of Atlanta. It took me 2 hours to get home that would normally take me half that time. The second storm began early Saturday morning. First rain, then sleet, then snow. We met the Payne's at Cracker Barrel for breakfast, then loaded up on groceries before heading home for a long winter's nap. It's pretty but I don't miss living in the northern climes where this is a common occurrence. By tomorrow, this will all be a memory.

Air temp 36; pool temp 44.... tonight's beach party is cancelled

In spite of his new sweater, Leo refuses to get his paws wet. What a sissy!

Pete's 61st Birthday

What do cupcakes, margaritas, and spaghetti have in common? Pete's birthday! Jamie, Jason and the boys came over for a dinner consisting of homemade spaghetti and garlic bread in honor of the birthday boy. After stuffing ourdselves, we still had room for Jamie's made-from-scratch cupcakes. The Paynes gave Bumpa a set of wine tools in a beautiful wooden box. From me, he got a Margaritaville blender for the pool house. I can't wait to try it this summer! Happy birthday, Baby!

Hey, kid...do you believe I'm 61?

Wow! You're really old!

My New Scrap Room

We have no furniture in our living room, no window treatments in several rooms, many projects are incomplete or in progress...but my scrap room is 99% complete. Pete willingly (okay, there was a teensy weensy bit of arm twisting) contributed to the scrap room completion by building a base unit for the paper towers, installing peg board, and building stamp shelves, and base unit beneath the shelves. I have only to paint the ceiling in the "ante room" and...voila! it'll be all done! Thanks honey...I owe you BIG time. It looks sooooo pretty!

This room is one-half of the original area. Originally it was long and narrow with a lot of unusable space. Pete convinced me to build a wall separating the room into two spaces -- one half is my scrap room, the other is the TV room. I now have two adjacent scrap rooms -- the inner most room houses the computer, printers and supplies; the outer room for the table and work areas.