CHA was AMAZING!

And that was mostly due to working for Junkitz! They rocked! I absolutely love Stacey & Kenny and would work for them in a heartbeat.......except they're in New Jersey. They made you feel like you've known them forever. Sue, Debbie and Kelly were super helpful for us "newbies" working the booth. I was amazed at the three new product lines that came out, Extreme Boy, Salsa Celebration and Fanciful. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of this because it has left me totally inspired! Thanks again Stacey (aka My Twin) for a wonderful time, even though it was super busy and draining. See you next year!

Can you tell which one is me? Apparently neither could a lot of people! From the side and behind we looked very similar and people kept coming up to me call me "Stacey". It was pretty funny.

Extreme Boy----LOVIN IT!!!

Salsa Celebration--LOVE IT! Sorry it's sideways!

Thank you, thank you very much......

I love this picture of Stephanie with Elvis! She was so brave to jump in there and take a picture. First off, she's 19 and we were in Imperial Palace in Vegas. Total no, no. Secondly, I just had her finish a cocktail so we could go in. Not that she couldn't have the drink, it's just, well you get it. Then we walk into a parade of impersonaters coming out of a show. Now you can see why I thought she was so brave. Love it!

Sick Family

Let me just say my kids & husband have been soooo sick! I'm really surprised I haven't caught anything! Ryan had a horrible cold that just kicked his butt. Austin started coughing last week and it got worse over the weekend and then Zach started up. Needless to say, they have Bronchitis!!! Austin has been home the last two days trying to get better. His 9th Birthday is on Thursday and he's soooo worried that we'll have to cancel his party. I doubt it, he's been on antibotics for two days and by Thursday evening he should be much better.

Today being that he's home and not deathly ill ( no fever, just a bad cough) I went through his toys and we "tested" the old ones to see if they still work. I was so happy to dump a lot of broken remote control cars and now we're charging the three that still work. We bagged two big bags of stuffed animals and dumped a lot of broken toys. I was hoping to find a place to donate stuffed animals that are in brand new condition. Such cute ones too! So if anybody knows where children might need a new stuffed animal, please let me know. I was thinking of calling CHOC.

Onto scrapping stuff!!!! So I was just on Junkitz blog and saw the sneek peaks.....oh such cute stuff!!!! http://www.junkitz.com/designers/blogger.cfm?username=spanassidi&topten=topten I am soooo excited for CHA. Plus I'm going to a dinner with some of the girls I know on Sunday night. There will be some people there that I don't know yet (Leslie Ashe) and I'm really excited to go hang out at Buca Di Beppo's. Gotta run, hope to post more later!

Time Flies!

It's been another week since I've posted! Still hanging in there with the dieting and exercising. I walked the other night......man was it COLD!!!! There is a lot coming up that I'm super excited about. First, Austin's Birthday is on the 25th. We're having pizza and a sleep over. NO SCHOOL on the 26th!!! Then on the 27th I have my MOMS International Luncheon. Should be fun. Hanging out with the girls is always a blast. Then there is CHA!!!!! (Jan27th-31st) Woo-hoo!!! So I haven't really spilled the beans on that one. I was asked to volunteer a couple of days at the Junkitz booth. DUH! Of course!!! I'll get to hang with the very talented Teresa Collins (which I so love!) and hopefully learn some insightful things. I love CHA, it's like the Disneyland of scrapbooking. Except you can't buy anything. But you do get to see all the new stuff, and who doesn't love new stuff??? Plus you get to do make-n-takes, demo products and meet all kinds of great people in the industry. So excited I can hardly stand it.

I have lots of plans to scrapbook this weekend and desperately need to upload some layouts to share. Wait til you see the one with Stephanie & Elvis! hee-hee

Day Three

Of exercise. It's a love/hate relationship. I love the way I feel when I'm done, I just wish everything was here in my home instead of having to go to the gym. I really need to find more home (or gym) weight training. I was reading SHAPE last night from October, (I bought for my trip to NYC that somehow got lost and never read?) to help get me motivated to lose that last 10/15lbs and they had some really great key points about how to eat and think like a slim person; (I'll share the short version)
1. Figure out why you want to lose weight-do it for you & no one else
2. Consciously change the way you think about yourself-carry a journal and write down positive thoughts
3.Take Charge
4. Identify your triggers-stress
5. Stop the eat-panic-eat cycle-"Now I've blown it, I might as well..." don't diet sabotage
6. Keep an accomplishment list-little things like, I ate fruit instead of cookies, I took the stairs instead of the elevator

So easy and makes sense, just need to do it. I did feel this way when I started Jenny Craig a year and a half ago, now I'm just kind of gliding.....glad I'm not gaining. I'm really hoping to have that flat bikini tummy this summer. That was my goal for last year. I'll try again for this one!

Back on track

Today is the first day where I'm getting my working out back on track. I so desperately needed too. I already went, started light since it's been....uh, four or five weeks! I'm going to sign up for this boot camp at my gym. It doesn't start until February, so I have time to build my strength back up. I'm so hoping that taking this class will help me finally get rid of those last 10-15lbs. I've been the same weight for a year now. Which is good, but I would really love to actually be my goal weight.

The boys are back in school. I miss them, but love the peace and queit. I feel bad, I made them both wear jeans and it's HOT today. Actually it's more of a dry Santa Ana winds feeling. Yuck.

Well, I'm going to try and go scrap a little before I have to get Zachary in two hours. Have a great day!

Happy New Year!

Ok, again I'm late on the well wishes. I hope everyone had a great New Year. I scrapped with some friends on New Years Day and that was a good time. The kids are still out on vacation and return back to school on the 8th. I'm really enjoying them being home. Ryan went back to work on the 2nd to a new building. Unfortunately it's not totally done, but it is really cool. We checked it out over last weekend.

So today I did something to myself that really freaked me out. I'm in major cleaning mode-putting decorations away, still reorganizing the boys' room.....it was a pajama day needless to say. Any ways, the boys have this heavy duty Little Tykes toy box. The lid was flipped upside down on top of the chest and while I was cleaning, it slid down and whacked me right in the shin! YOWZERS!!!!!!!!! Holy @&JNA*&%$!!!! It hurt so bad....I could feel to the core of my body. I'm on the floor trying my best not to cuss, cuz there's the boys wondering what's going on with mom. Zach is offering his blanket and puppy doggie for comfort and I'm just rolling around grasping my leg. So I lift the leg of my pj's and I have this EGG sized swelling that's turing black and blue. Austin grabs an ice pack for me and I'm trying to put it on but it's just so painful. Then I start to feel queezy....so Austin gets me a glass of water. Then I really start to feel like I'm gonna puke. So I hobble into the bathroom and start dry heeving. Now I'm freaking out. Because with the nauseated feeling and the heeving, I'm now shaking and sweating and feeling clamy. I'm thinking I must have done something else? Did I break a bone??? Now I'm so hot I'm taking my shirt off and feeling like I'm going to pass out. Poor Austin is standing in the doorway keeping Zachary out. Thank God he's a strong boy. He asks me, "Mom, do I need to call an ambulance?" "No, I'm ok, just give me a minute, and keep your brother out." So I lay down and let it ride out.....about ten minutes later I hobble to my bed and I call my friend that's a nurse and she said I was fighting the pain and seeing the swelling freaked me out and I basically panicked. Let me tell you, that was the scariest thing ever! I have had panick attacks, but nothing like that. So my leg really hurts and now I have a big ole knot.

No big plans for the weekend....I bought a "pre-cooked" Turkey to make on Sunday. Ryan got a gift certificate from work before Thanksgiving for a Turkey, I'm just getting around to it. :) I'm hoping to maybe get some more cropping time in this weekend. Have a great weekend!