Back to school

We are dragging.......so tired this morning. Thankfully Ryan has a meeting with a vendor locally and he was able to help out by taking Austin to school today. Now to take Zach to school shortly.
I'm starting my version of Weight Watchers today at home, keeping track of points on my own. Ryan and I want to sign up together, but he leaves tomorrow for NJ for a few days, so we're waiting to start when he gets back. With our trip a few months away we are getting more and more motivated. I might even go for a walk today! Ugh. It's a love/hate relationship with food & exercise. I love food, I hate exercising. I love the results I get from exercising, I hate giving up sweets. But I know it's what needs to be done. Food has been my comfort and friend for the last 2 months. So many ups and downs over the last two months. Thankfully I've only gained 4 1/2 pounds, I thought it was more like 10!

I'm hosting this in May at the Red Bee

National Scrapbook Day Celebration
Hot Tamale Crop
Saturday, May 3
10am-midnight $45*
Join your hostess Echo for a scrap-tastic fiesta!
full lunch & dinner plus snacks all day & evening special page kits from our Red Bee design team fun games & BIG prizes 14 hours of FUN our biggest theme crop EVER! *Sign up early & save! $45 before April 19; $50 after April 19.

There will be so many crops going on that day, but I would love to see some familiar faces and maybe even some new ones! If you're interested, click on the link that says "where I work, The Red Bee" and you can get the phone number and address there.

Well, I think it's time to start the day! Have a great one.

Last Day of Spring Break

I'm a little sad, but happy they'll be returning to school Monday. OH MY GOSH THE FIGHTING IS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!! On to happier random things...


I got a CD for Christmas and never opened it until recently because I thought it was a new release and then found out it was a "Greatest Hits" CD. Well, I already have all their CD's so why do I need a "Greatest Hits?" Let me tell you, if you love or even just like the Goo-Goo Dolls go get this CD! Seriously it is the BEST "GREATEST HITS" CD I have! Ok, so I only have a few others like this, but this is the best one! Every song is amazing. I uploaded some songs of theirs to my sidebar playlist. Seriously, check it out!



Look who has new glasses! Austin is far sided? I can't remember. When he looks up from reading it's blurry and hard for his eyes to adjust so he needs them for reading so he'll have to wear them in class and while doing homework. He looks so mature and handsome with them on.

Our Hawaii trip is just a little over 3 months away! I can't believe it! It seemed so far away when we planned it back in November and now here we are.

Have I ever told you about my cousin Elizabeth and how talented she is? Well, she is 15 and just about 6feet tall and has been playing basketball since she was nine. The girl has a gift. Her goal in life is to play for WNBA. I don't doubt that she won't. She's been scouted for years and just got her first offer from a division 3 school in Oregon. She turned it down. She's 15 and a freshman!!! Can you believe this? I totally believe she'll play professionally, she has the drive and focus. Unfortunately my aunt & uncle live in Washington and I haven't gotten to see her play. She's coming out in July for a tournament and I'm really excited to see her in action.

Weight Watchers. I think I've gotten the subliminal messages, perhaps I'll be joining you Monday morning at 9:30.

I'm scrapping tonight, always look forward to that. I put my NY album together while I was at my Grandma's and I need just a few more layouts to finish. After all this time I'm almost done!

Have a great Friday.

Thursday

Wanted to share some photos from our visit from my Grandma's. The boys participated in a golf and tennis clinic. They loved it! I forgot to send Austin's meds with Ryan on Friday so I guess the kid ate so much Saturday he made himself sick. I decided not to give him his meds for a few days to fatten him up. God knows he needs it. He gained 4lbs! He's now 66lbs. I know he's still so skinny, but we're trying to get him back to what he was before the surgery, a whole 68lbs.

My Grandma's chemo treatment is working! Her tumors have shrunk by half! This is such good news. Today I have laundry to catch up on and some projects for work I need to tend to. We're having a 12 hour crop on the 12th and then a big crop for NSD that I'm hosting! I'm really excited. Also, we'll be launching a QK club here pretty quick that I'm running. I'm nervous, but excited for the challenge. Watch our newsletter for the info! Now for some pics....

Spring Break!

Yeah!!! Austin & Zach are officially on spring break and guess what??? They are gone with Ryan at my Grandma's right now! I have to work tomorrow so they headed out tonight. The boys are taking golf & tennis lessons tomorrow and then there is a BBQ and a Carnival at my Grandma's country club. I'm so bummed I'm going to miss it, hopefully Ryan will put my scrappy hat on and take some pictures.
My Grandma has a chemo appt Monday and I'm taking her and thought we should stay some extra days. We'll find out Monday if it's working. I'll be home Tues or Wed.
Nothing exciting planned for our vacation. Maybe catching up on sleep and scrapbooking. That's what I should be doing now, but I'm playing online, uploading photos and layouts.
Have a Happy Easter!

Thursday

Not much going on today. Just trying to pick up and clean before we leave to go out of town to my Grandma's for a few days. Austin & Zachary's spring break is next week. I'm looking forward to a little sleeping in! We'll be coloring eggs today after school, that's always a fun mess.

And look what I found at Henry's

sorry, the picture is really blurry. Anyways....I came across the CHAI SILK! I thought I could at least try it. It's really good.....I can't believe I've never seen this before! So all my Chai lov'in friends, check it out!

Well, I need to finish cleaning....have a great Thursday.

Target Finds!

I spent about 2 hours in Target today and the first spot I hit is the dollar spot! They have some great stuff! The girl was putting it out and I just hung around until she was done. Look at the cute summer stuff! And an acrylic block for a buck! It's not real heavy, but I could keep it in my Tote-alley! Then I was checking out and the girl in front of me had the Cropper Hopper Page Planners and they rang up $1.62! I ran out of line and picked those up and the red glitter chipboard for $1.98!

And just look at the Curious George stuff. Super cute. I'm really sick of Star Wars, so I was happy that Zachary wanted some new art stuff.

Here's a new hairdo he's trying. I think his hair is too short!

And here's my little Leprechaun from yesterday!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We're not Irish, but it is fun to wear green for the day. We're going to my mom's for dinner....cornbeef and NOT cabbage. My sister came into town last week and tonight she takes the red eye back to NY. It was a quick trip because she spent 2 days with her friend who got married over the weekend. I thought the wedding was Saturday so I had made plans to be gone all day, then found out it was Friday and she just hung out all day. Bummer. But I'll see her in October!

Speaking of October and NYC......none of the Broadway shows are booking that far in advance. It looks like they are only putting 6 months out to book. I want to see the Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein and maybe Legally Blonde. We're going to see three shows this time, so we might not all agree on what to see. ;)

Have you been to the Brea Mall??? Did you see that H&M is coming? I {heart} H&M. Cute trendy things that are reasonably priced. It says Spring 2008....can't wait!

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For my Disney Luv'in Friends

Did you know that California Adventures has a NEW parade? They revamped their "Block Party" parade and now it's all Pixar movies parade. It is SO MUCH FUN! Warning though......YOU WILL GET WET! So I suggest you go on a warm day or be prepared. My friend got a big squirt to the face and she was holding her camera, thank goodness it didn't do any damage. Even though she was pretty peeved......she still loved the parade! Here are some shots I managed to take:

I can't sleep this morning. I've been awake for over an hour. Whenever I wake up to use the bathroom it's so hard to fall back asleep. And because I guess I was noisey, I woke Zach up. I managed to get him to fall back asleep on the sofa. So I'm sitting at the computer in the dark trying to be quiet.

I have a hair appt in 2 hours, I soooo need my haircut and colored and cannot wait. Spending the rest of the day with my girlfriend Sandra scrapping. I haven't seen her in a month, it should be a fun day! Have a great Saturday!!!

Family

Yesterday's blurb was about one of my brothers. Being the oldest of 5 definitely has it's hardships. Higher standards and expectations to live up to. I'll put this as nicely as possible, he has completely f***ed up his life and I don't know if he truly realizes it. I have so many emotions about what has transpired; ANGER, frustration, sadness, pure heartache and confusion. I wonder sometimes why siblings (and people for that matter) act and do the things they do. I wonder if there is even a way we are all related? We grew up in the same house. The rules were definitely harder for me and the expectations. Ugh, it just sucks. I wish I could rewind life to the begining of February and just let it all start over.

When it rains it pours......

doesn't it sometimes seem as though that is how life is going? Just about every time you turn around WHAM! something else is or has happened. I don't even know if I want to put it out there because it's so upsetting. Why is it that some people feel as though they are invincible and don't understand the choices they are making affect their loved ones just as much? Don't they understand when you do bad things there are severe consequences? I have been feeling really sad and feeling pulled down for about the last month. So many things have flipped upside down in my world. I try to put my happy face on, but inside I'm torn up and confused. I believe I am a happy person with a great outlook on life, always trying to be optimistic, but sometimes I just need to be a bitter pessimist. So enough with my rant.....here are some happy moments from Zachary's little party he had with his school friends yesterday.

He really had a great time and I'm glad I finally pulled it together and had a party for him. He turned 4 back on Valentine's Day and with life's mishaps.....I haven't had the energy or time to pull a party together. I highly recommend having a morning party a Chuck E Cheese. There was nobody there! So worth it. This guy is growing too quickly.

He (Zachary) said something this morning that just made me smile. After his party I went over to the Scrappin Table and visited with Tiffany for about 20 minutes. They have a train table and he loved it!. This morning while I'm getting him in the car he asked if we could go back to the Scrappin Table so he could play with the trains. I'm shocked he remembered the name of the store! Looks like we'll have to visit again soon!

Here's a picture of Austin post-op

I hope we never have to experience that again. He lost so much weight. He's super skinny to begin with, but now he's too thin. He's doing so good now. Still favoring that side. This Friday there is no school so we're going to Disneyland for a mellow day trip. He told me he can't ride fast rides. We may have to get a wheel chair because he can't walk too long. Well, I hope he can enjoy it!

Great Success!

The garage sale was such a huge hit! This garage sale I made the most ever! There were people shopping my stuff as I was walking in the door at 11:15 asking, "whatchya got?" That was really cool that they were so excited. The first two hours flu by! By 2pm I really didn't have much left, good for me but I still had a few more hours to hang out. I bought one big thing, a Crop In Style XXL for twenty bucks! It's in great shape. My big rolling bag is by Creative Memories and is so heavy and is more of just a BOX than an organizer on wheels. I'm a scrapper on the go.....unfortunately I don't have a room or even a space to just spread out so I need great organizing bags that I can use at home and at crops. After the sale was over, there was announcement about a womens shelter that would love anything you don't want. How perfect! I kept a small box of stuff that didn't sell and gave the rest away. In fact, everyone did and they collected about 6 big boxes of stuff! I'll do some shopping tomorrow, I had to leave because Ryan had a night planned with the guys and the kids and I are going to watch thisWow, that is super blurry. Well, I'm waiting for Austin (my sloooooow poke) to get out of the shower, we'll probably have to finish up tomorrow.

I work tomorrow and we're making photo posies using the revolution, they're really cute! Come by if you have time!

Introducing......

my alter ego. A friend of Ryan's designed that picture for me. Pretty funny.

I've been super busy getting ready for the garage sale at the Red Bee. Holy smokes I have a ton of garbage......I mean TREASURES! I've been cleaning out my stash for 4 days straight, so glad to be done! I actually do have some great stuff that's never been used. Come by Saturday from 12-5 and check it out!

The Caterpillar Class

The caterpillar class can be seen here. Love that our teach is doing this!

March 1st

I felt like I had cabin fever yesterday and knew that today I needed to get out of the house. I ran errands and went to Target, Michaels and the Scrapping Table. It was nice to see Jenn & Michelle and catch up. They had already got the Teresa Collins papers in and I'm trying to put together the mini book she demo'ed at CHA for a make & take at the Bee when we get our papers in. I needed two sheets to complete it. Then we had promised Austin he could finally get his PSP. He's been saving his money and had enough to buy it and one game. I bought the carrying case and a second game. He deserved it after being such a strong boy during & after his surgery. Well, we have some movies for tonight and tomorrow, Michael Clayton and Eastern Promises. I've been waiting to see Micheal Clayton, heard great reviews! I'll be at work tomorrow, have a great Sunday!

Thank you

for emailing, posting and calling me about Austin. He is doing so much better. Tired and sore today. By Sunday I'm sure he's going to have cabin fever. I expect he'll go back to school on Tuesday. The doctor said no school until after we see him, which is Monday.

So here is what I wanted to share;

Creative Escapes
Talent Treasure Hunt
And the winner is…
Thursday, February 21st, 2008
Jessica Guthrie from Mission Viejo, California - who is sponsored by Karen Bremer owner of the Red Bee in Tustin, California!
We are so excited to share our talented treasure with all of you during Creative Escape. She really teaches a great class and is a wonderful designer! She is going to be a great addition to the Creative Escape teaching team.

You can read more about her here http://www.creativeescapeaz.com/2008/teachers/
Jessica has taught at the Red Bee and was one of the original "Zutter Zisters", she is super talented and we are really happy for her. With her having won, so did the Red Bee! The store gets two tickets to Creative Escape.....this is the exciting news......I get to go!!! Holy Cow! I'm thrilled to death to be going. I would have never have gone because it is so expensive! If I didn't say it enough the other day, THANK YOU KAREN! I am honored you asked me to go and cannot wait! I've never gone to CKU or any other thing like this. I'm saving for two trips already this year, now I'll need to save spending money for this, cuz I heard that store Scrapbooks, Etc is something else!....Ebay here I come!

Quick Update

Austin ending up having an appendicitis and having his appendix out yesterday morning. I've been at the hospital with him since Monday night. He's doing well and is coming home later today. I ran home to take a quick shower and get some fresh air.

My exciting news will have to wait. It's scrapbooking related for all that were thinking something else........ :)

Exciting News!

So with all this personal garbage going on in my life, I have something SO exciting to share. Unfortunately, it's gonna have to wait til tomorrow. Austin is at the emergency room with Ryan. Major stomach pains and doubled over crying. I'm worried and can't get it altogether to post yet. But it's so exciting! Watch for it tomorrow!

Edited to say.....
**They think it's a appendicitis. I'm pacing and can't sit still and feel sick. I hope it's not, but they are running more tests. I can't focus on one thing. Good news will still have to wait. ;)

I know that last post has a lot of people confused. There have been a lot of confusing things going on in my life with people I trusted immensely, only to find out everything isn't what it seems. Just remember that if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, because unlike the saying, "sticks and stones"...... words do hurt.

Consider yourself warned....

I saw this on a friend's blog sometime ago and when I saw it I thought, "wow, what could have happened? Those are such strong words." I get it now.

"I can't help but be deep in thought today. Sometimes people do things that just blow your mind. I think some people don't care how their actions will affect others. I'm really struggling with accepting certain people and situations in my life. It's two steps forward and one step back. I'm annoyed and find myself turning colder to them. Every day I care a little bit less. Today is one of those days that makes me want to shut people out. Consider yourself warned... my patience is very limited and it's a battle for me to be kind and forgiving right now."

Big Bear

We went to Big Bear this last weekend for a much needed vacation. With having worked/attended CHA for 5 days in a row and then some personel stuff bothering me, I needed this rest. It wasn't as cold as I expected it to be. The days really seemed rather warm. I guess when you're all bundled up and the sun is shining down on you, it seems "hot". Low 50's for the day and about 27 degrees at night.

Austin & Ryan took ski lessons on Sunday. I really don't have much interest in learning, plus its very expensive and I already have an expensive hobby! They had an amazing time. I wish I had photos to share of them. Ryan took the "Flip" but said since his balance was so shaky he didn't want to break our new little toy. We mostly played in the snow, watched movies, played games and ate. By "watch" movies I mean watch Stars Wars over and over again. Zachary is obessesed with it. So I have some pics to share and video. Unfortunately I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked too. *the pictures will have to wait, the video is taking forever to upload*

I also just read on Erika's http://erikap.typepad.com/ blog that she was in Big Bear too! I wish I would have known ahead of time, we could have met up!

This weekend the Red Bee is having an all day crop. It was supposed to be a 24hour one, but since we didn't have as many sign ups it being changed to all day. Here's the info in case you're interested.

13 Hour Crop!Saturday, February 23 - 10:00 AM - $35
10am - 11pm
Bring your scrappin' stuff for a day & night of continuous croppin' fun! Plenty of snacks, lunch, goodie bag, games, prizes, and demos!

Call (714) 838-1200 to sign up now

I'll be there scrapping and then later I'll be doing a make & take. I'm looking forward to this crop, I could use some destressing time.