Two thumbs up

Mike and I have been on an unofficial "boycott" of Hollywood. By that, I mean we rarely go to movie theatres these days because much of Hollywood is so left-wing and they use their fame as a platform to cram their radical views down America's throat. We appreciate one's right to their own opinion but don't appreciate one's opinion being forced on us. We sometimes go see something we just can't wait to see on tv but we can usually wait until they come out on cable.

Now let me get off my soapbox and tell you about the movie of the year. Fireproof was created by the same people that made "Facing the Giants" (another EXCELLENT view). We both loved it but should have brought a box of Kleenex with us. Go see it before it leaves the theatre and be sure you take your sweetie with you!

A fun evening

Stampin Up has caught my attention!

Last evening Carrie & Beth Ann came over for a fun evening of scrappin'. Tami Brown showed us some of her neat products and we made a variation of the paper bag album that she designed. We all had a good time. I wish I would have taken pic of Carrie and Beth Ann's albums because they came out great! We were going to have Hayley take a picture of all 4 of us but we were so engrossed in our project that we forgot. We are very serious about our crafting!!

Cheryl, You will like this one. I will bring it next time I come over. I am just crazy about mini albums!
We made a cool binding out of card stock. She scored it and used the awesome crop a dile tool to punch the holes. You should have seen Carrie when Tami was showing us how it worked. Carrie had a priceless smile on her face and blurted out "I bought that! But I never took it out of the package!" You had to be there to appreciate the sheer joy on her face, it was just priceless and so cute.

My big surprise

I had no idea but Hayley was orchestrating a surprise for me while I was at the STARS retreat last weekend. She rearranged my scrapbook room! She got creative and painted some letters to spell out SCRAPBOOK and mounted them on the wall. Mike bought me a new table and they moved things around so I can have my laptop while I work as well as see the TV. It looks so cool! She was so excited to show me and I still can't believe how hard she worked. She did summon Mike & Steve to do the muscle work but she was definitely in charge. I just love it. I am now inspired to make new curtains for the room. I bought the fabric tonight. Doesn't it look great? I know I will do some great work in here!

What a Weekend!

Last weekend was our 2008 Women's S.T.A.R.S. retreat. I served on team with 38 other women. We spent many weeks planning and the big event finally rolled around last Thursday through Sunday. Women of all ages come together for a spiritual experience that will hopefully change their lives. S.T.A.R.S. is our version of the Catholic A.C.T.S. retreat or Methodist Walk to Emmaus. When I attended 2 years ago, I left with a much deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and have never been quite the same. I must admit, I was nervous about serving on team because I knew what a huge commitment it was but I jumped in with both feet and am so happy I did. I learned the blessing of serving others is so HUGE and the experience is one I won't soon forget. Because we want the experience to be a surprise for all who attend, I was limited to the photos I was able to take. -Besides the fact I was almost always too busy to snap a shot! I got a few great shots of some of the amazing women who served along side me. If you have never been, you may want to consider it. I promise you will be blessed. The men are having their retreat in November and the women are having another one in May. Let me know and I will get you signed up. :)

Robyn C., Pam, Stacey & Laney outside our rooms. I am happy to share my name with someone as wonderful as Robyn Cooper! It was a beautiful weekend. Thank you, God!

Pam, Nicole (being silly) and Veronica loading the truck. - Yes, we did all the work ourselves! Pink Power!! This is the anniversary of the day Veronica wears pink. I think you look great in pink Veronica!

Ellen being a total goof ball. She is "stuck" in a spider web!! It has been many years since Ellen and I have worked together (we used to be room mothers together) and I was so happy to reconnect with her this past weekend.

My roomie Beth Ann (one of my favorite people) getting some help from Pam with her luggage. I reminded her we were only staying for the weekend. Look at all that stuff! Pam doesn't only help people who try to carry to much, she is a beautiful example of a constant, faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

Karen being totally cool and obviously unaware I was taking her photo! I love you Karen!

My role model, Marsha, Nicole and Karen hard at work. Nicole always has a beautiful smile on her face.

Bailey and Marley

This is my beautiful little neighbor Bailey and her sweet dog Marley. Marley could be a clone of our dog, Pebbles. I think she is about 7 months old and is the tiniest little thing. She weighs about 4 pounds which is half of Pebbles. She looks like a bobble head doll and wants to play with Pebbles so badly but Pebbles is a grumpy old lady of 6 and wants nothing to do with her. I tried to get a picture of the two of them together to show just how much they look alike but either Pebbles was running away from Marley or Marley was jumping on top of Pebbles. I can't believe Pebbles is afraid of such a sweet little thing!

Houlihan's + Carrie = A fun time

This was our weekend to host Dinner for Eight at our house. Everyone is so busy these days, it has been difficult for us all to be available on the same date. We thought we had a day picked but then Becky & Juergen had a last minute conflict. So, we decided to make a girls night out with Karen, Carrie and myself. At the last minute, Karen had to cancel.
Carrie & I met at Houlihan's and had a great time. I had been there a couple of times before but wasn't overly impressed. Tonight was a different experience. It was very good - I am still stuffed.
We both started with a Martini Flight (3 smaller drinks), the Adam & Eve Apple was my favorite, they rimmed the glass in cinnamon, very unique. We shared 2 appetizers. Fried asparagus and Lettuce wraps (yum!) Then came the french onion soup. Nothing to brag about but still good. We were really wild and ordered two mini desserts to share. Banana cream pie for Carrie & Bourbon pecan pie for me. They were only $2.49! What a deal!
The best part of the night was spending some time with a good friend. Thanks Carrie, you were just what I needed today. Did I mention I am still stuffed??

Baby Mini Album

This is the album I made for Joy & Brad's new baby, Jayla. It is a simple little album that Joy can add her own photos to. (I couldn't avoid the glue spots on the velum but they will be covered by the photos she adds - I just wanted to clear that up because I didn't want you to think I would do sloppy work!) It was fun to make & I hope they like it.

Jayla, If you are reading my blog, close your eyes- I don't want to spoil the surprise!!

Crafting always makes a bad day better

My sweet husband came by work today and slipped me two $50 bills and told me to buy something for myself. I had a very stressful day and I knew just what would make me feel better. SCRAPBOOKING STUFF! I stopped by Target on my way home and picked up some storage for my ever growing paper collection and went to scrapbook 911 and got a few things to finish up a project I have been working on for baby Jayla.

I locked myself in the room and didn't come out until it was in tip top order. I have all of my photos from the last 25 years categorized in boxes (I didn't do all of that tonight) and sorted through all my supplies while watching the VP debate on TV. I have some before and after pictures that really don't do the room justice but you can see I got a lot done!

My disaster of a closet before:

And after. You can't see all the photo storage boxes I have on the side. That is what took the most time. (Not the fun part.)
While I was in the process of organizing my photos.

Below is what I accomplished tonight. I do need one more table and a better chair to make it super comfortable. I have everything to start on my Christmas cards (big job) and am working on a family Christmas gift. It's nice to know I now have a place to go hide when I've had a bad day.