Taking Off

I'm getting ready to head out to Las Vegas again to visit with the Grandparents for Christmas. We're taking the PS2 and some new games, and we're gonna eat too much and drink too much and play games and yak and maybe hit a few slot machines. Hope everyone had a very merry Christmas as I did, and cheers to a wonderful 2008 from my family to yours!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It Just Keeps Getting Better...

So I'm driving over to Stayce's to drop off a project for Creative Imaginations when my phone rings. I dig frantically through my purse to find my phone where it's hiding under the kitchen sink, and narrowly avoid hitting a big 'ole truck that some idiot parked along the curb (the *nerve* of some people, sheesh!). Anywhoo, I look at the caller I.D. and notice it's a 505 number...I don't think I owe anyone money in the 505 area code, so I answered it.

It was a sweet girl named Tiffany to tell me I'd been invited to join to her Design Team that I applied for last week! Wow, that was way better than a wrong number! Though I still believe she may have meant to call Ali Edwards, she somehow got me...and now she's stuck with me! Anyone who knows me knows I am not above taking this position based solely on a technicality.

The site still hasn't made it's official announcement so far, so I am not including a link just yet. Any friends of mine would surely pop over there and immediately start running off their big mouths, so I'll just save the details for a little later, after the announcement has been made.

So for now, I'll just share this little layout I made with the pictures I took during "girl time" last week:

And now, I'm off to do some of that Christmas shopping I've been putting off till the last minute...wish me luck, I have a feeling it's gonna be like herding cattle about now.

Laughing all the way to the bank.

I got this in the mail yesterday:

It's for a layout I made for the Creative Imaginations booth at CHA. One of the ladies from Scrapbooking and Beyond saw it and asked if she could publish it...AND pay me for it! Ppppffft. You want to pay me to play with paper and glue and pipe cleaners? Ok...I guess so.

I got the check in the mail yesterday, and haven't been able to stop giggling about it since. Notice on the check where it says "no cents"...isn't it so appropriate? That's what I keep thinking.

Anyway here's a picture of the layout. It's in the Winter issue of Scrapbooking and Beyond, on sale now.

Merry Christmas to me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

Missing you today and every day more than you could ever know.

Full Blown Panic Mode

I woke up this morning in Full Blown Panic Mode. Today is December 14...exactly 11 days before Christmas and I have gotten absolutely nothing done that is remotely Christmas related. Seriously. The tree is still not up (though I did take it out of the garage), I have not baked a single cookie, or wrapped one single gift. In fact, I think I've only bought ONE gift for ONE person on my list. This weekend isn't looking good either...tonight I am going to a Christmas cropping party, tomorrow I have another class to teach at Paper Pansies, and by Sunday I have to finish a project I will be teaching in January at Paper Pansies (check back soon for a little sneak peek).

Like I said...Full Blown Panic Mode.

Girl Time

December was starting to get to me. Don't get me wrong, I love all things Christmas and the special times shared with family and friends baking, eating, and shopping...the whole shebang. But I would be lying if I said that I cherish every moment leading up to Christmas day. December is such a hectic month, each day becoming shorter than the last. And just so you know, real life and non-holiday issues don't pause and wait for a better time to interrupt and put a cramp in your holiday spirit. Real life creeps in, gets under your skin, grabs ahold and doesn't let go. What's a girl to do?

Call (or email) another girl (or two) and make time to let loose...that's what!

Two of my oldest, dearest friends and I put Christmas on hold and got together for some seriously needed girl time. We laughed, we cried, we drank. We went to Starbucks, then to a bar, then had a slumber party. Just what the doctor ordered! And guess what? When it was all over, Christmas was still coming, and real life was still right there waiting. But somehow it all seems much easier to tackle today.

And just because I am missing my mom horribly this month:

Her birthday is coming up later this week, and I still can't imagine what Christmas will be like without her. My dad and I will be putting up her tree later today, and I'm hoping that will help us to feel her spirit around us for the holiday even more.

A little quickie...

It's been so long since I made a page layout "just for me"...this page was a well deserved break from a hectic week of projects for CHA. Can you tell I'm just head-over-heels in love with this Christmas paper from Scenic Route? I would decorate my whole house in it if I could! The striped paper would make a gorgeous accent rug, and the green would make a beautiful couch, don't you think?

Back to the work table, gotta start kitting for my Christmas Clear Album class at the Scrapbook Garden next week...anyone out there gonna join me? It will be on December 13th at 6:00, and we'll have some cocoa and listen to some Christmas tunes while we work. It should be a welcome distraction from the Holiday hustle and bustle...sound good? Give Melissa a call at (714) 841-1801 and she'll be happy to hook you up!

Not Too Shabby

It's only December 2nd and all my Christmas cards are finished and ready to mail! Even with all the other stuff I have piled on my plate right now...projects, classes and craft fairs, oh my! Now if I could just get my shopping done, I'd be cruisin' thru the holiday season.




Gonna make a Christmas CD sometime this weekend to listen to while working on gifts and baking cookies next week. What are some of your favorite holiday tunes? I've heard the Starbucks Christmas CD is pretty awesome, any other suggestions?