What Happened to Spontaneity???

When did our lives become so scheduled?  Eat at time X, meet so-and-so at time Y, go to bed at time Z, etc. 

Then again, I guess if you think about it, our whole lives have been this way.  Since birth we were on a schedule.  Eat every 3 hours, poop every two, cry uncontrollably from 5:30 to 9:00.  But there was a time.

Ahhhh...College...Ok, so we had to make it through 13 years (ok, 14 if you count Pre-School) of classes being fully scheduled.  8:00 AM to 3:30, three recesses in between with a Lunch Break in the cafeteria with the BIG kids sitting on the other side of the room and you knew if you looked at them wrong they could beat you up just by staring you down.  There were cootie bars that only certain people could touch and if you weren't that person and that bar was on the door you might not be able to get to the cafeteria to get the milk for snack time!  CRISIS!  Your biggest competition was over whose mom sent the better crackers for snack time and why oh why did your mom have to send something SO UNCOOL for you!

But College.  College was a time where there may have been a schedule, but you could fudge the lines of schedule if you felt like it.  Ok...Where I went to college one could get away with it at least.  You could study when you wanted, when you made your schedule it was a schedule that you wanted for classes that you wanted.  If you didn't want to go to class at 8:00 you could probably get away with not doing it at that time.  And then you graduated.  Degree in hand and the words that every graduation speaker says:  "Today is the first day of the rest of your life."  Wise words, but they should have said something more like:  "Tomorrow is the first day you'll be on a schedule for the rest of your life."

There's working out, going to work, soccer practice, ballet lessons, piano lessons, feeding people, or at least yourself three times a day, seven days a week and usually at the same times EVERY DAY!  I'm not saying that schedules are bad.  Some days I'd be absolutely lost if I didn't have a schedule somewhere reminding me about a doctor appointment or eye appointment or meeting with the boss or whatever it is.  The one thing I keep falling behind on is scheduling WHAT will be at those meals that come around three times a day.  It's not that I don't have food at my house; if you think this is the case please stop over and feel free to snoop cupboards at any time. 

I seem to be able to make a plan at the begining of the week of what we'll have every night for supper and then it seems like something derails the plan.  D heads out of town with a load somewhere; I forgot to buy something at the store on Tuesday night; or I just don't feel like cooking by the time I get home at night.  This week though, THIS week WILL be different.  I hope.  Ok, I hope by putting it on here that it will help me to stick to it and make it different.  And I hope you will join me it this resolution.  Heck if we can conquer it for a week, we can do it for two can't we?  And two can turn into four right?  And four into 52?

SALE-A-BRATION!!!



(NOTE:  Please read the next few lines in a beautiful sing-songy voice OR just imagine that I'm singing it to you in the LOVELY singing voice that I have!)

It's the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year.

With the kids back in school and

MSN telling you how to fight SAD.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be workshops for hosting,

marshmallows for toasting and

shoveling cars out of snow.

There'll be scary out-of-state-driver stories

and tales of the glories of Sale-A-Brations long, long ago;

It's the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year!!!

Ok, Ok.  That's enough singing for now, though I promise I'm still singing and dancing in my head.  Why you ask?  A very good question.  Because I LOVE Sale-A-Bration SOO much!

Here's how it works.  For every $50 you spend on Stampin'Up! products, (either Digital OR Occasions/Idea Book Catalog, OR any combination you chose), you earn ONE FREE item out of the exclusive Sale-A-Bration catalog!  Sale-A-Bration items include:

• 2 digital CD's (one EXCLUSIVE),
• Exclusive vinyl Decor Element (available in 4 colors),
• Stamp Sets (4 SAB Exclusives, 5 our of the IBC),
• an Exclusive package of Designer Seriers Paper (I am in LOVE with this paper!),
• an Exclusive Ribbon & Brad pack (Dear SU!, you would make me SO very happy if you added this ribbon and these brads to the next Idea Book & Catalog!),
• Brights Designer Buttons (These are FANTASTIC with the Button Buddies Set!),
• Flirtatious Fabric,
• Simply Sent Set of Cards,
• Embossing Folders,
• 2011-2012 In-Color Cardstock.

Also part of the Exclusives this year when you Host a workshop and your sales reach $150 you automatically earn an exclusive tote just for Hostess's. (Pictured at right.)  When your sales reach $400 you earn a bundle of some of the exclusive products!

 

The card to the Left here was made using this GREAT bundle of products!

But these great products aren't the only reasons to participate in Sale-A-Bration.  If you've ever thought of becoming a member of the Stampin'UP! family THIS is the time to do it!  The demo kit has been reduced to $125 (it's almost a $400 value!) AND SU! has put an additional bonus on the kit.  If you sign up at any point during Sale-A-Bration you will get 1 package of Designer Series Paper or a Digital Download each month for the next 11 months!  Between these GREAT incentives you get almost $500 in materials for only $125.  Contact me today to talk more about this GREAT offer!

All of these items are VERY fun and can't wait to come home to you!  If you haven't seen the Sale-A-Bration catalog (or the Occasions Mini Catalog which also has some VERY fun ideas and products in it!) check out my website (hint: click the word website) or call, text, FB, comment here, or email me (christine_stamps@hotmail.com) and I'll get you one right away. 

With all this FUN stuff you can earn from now until March 31, 2012 why are you still sitting here checking blogs?  I can't wait to share all of this with you.  In fact, if you place an order between now and the end of Sale-A-Bration your name will automatically be entered in a drawing for a complete set of the EXCLUSIVE products (does not include the products found in the Idea Book & Catalog) that I will give away at the end of the SAB promotion. 

How can this not be the most wonderful time of the year?  The more you spend, the more FREE items you earn!  And, if you sign up to host a workshop during this years SAB with me you will earn double the chances in my Big Shot Giveaway Drawing!  (And I really am toasting marshmellows this weekend...Making S'Mores bars for a get together!)

Happy Sale-A-Brating Everyone!

Christine

Winter Stamping-Bee: Cards With A Cause!

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Just a friendly reminder about the Winter Stamping-Bee THIS Sunday, January 20, 2012 starting at noon at my home.  This stamping-bee we will be making all sorts of great cards to support the Cards With A Cause idea we started in June 2011.  They absolutely LOVED getting all of the wonderful cards last summer when Patient/Teacher Friend delivered them.  Here are some of the cards that were produced during last summers Stamping-Bee: Cards With A Cause evening:

In all we counted almost 300 cards had been made to donate to the Cancer Center at the time.  I can't wait to see everyone and see what we come up with this time around!  Remember there's no need to bring anything besides yourself and the willingness to dive in and make some cards.  I will have everything else (including snacks!).  For more information on the project please review the post from October 2011:  Every Time A Bell Rings An Angel Gets It's Wings. 

Last fall (after the original blog post) I received a letter from the Cancer Center where the cards had gone.  Here is what the Manager of Volunteers had to say:

Dearest Stamping Champions,

The cards you sent us are a welcome gift.  We have placed them in baskets in various waiting areas of the Cancer Center.  We called them "Care Notes" for lack of a better name, and the sign tells everyone, "Care enough to give the very best.  Give someone you care for a Care Note."

They seem to be going well.  Everyone comments on how creative they all are.  Patients, caregivers and staff alike are giving them and receiving them.  Please let your team of stampers know how much joy their gift has brought to our patients.

God bless each and every one of you.

Sincerely yours,

S.G.

Manager of Volunteers

NO experiance making cards or even putting two pieces of paper together with glue is needed for this project!  I hope to see many of you there on Sunday!  For more ideas of what people came up with last summer feel free to check out the "Cards for Cancer" Album on my Facebook page.  Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Always~
C

It's been TOO Looooong!!!

... And I DO apologize!  There are many times over the last 3 months where I've had some great posts lined up in my head and just never got back to the computer after sitting at it ALL DAY LONG!  Haha... Since you last heard from me on here we've been to Minnesota... ...

(This is about as good as they get when you only get to take pictures from the passenger seat of the Pete driving down the highway...too bad we hadn't gone at least a week before and could have seen more fall colors.)

OH!  Why were we venturing to Minnesota in a semi you ask?  We went to Minnesota to pick up one of these:

(HEY! Look at THAT! There's the Purple Pete hiding on the other end!)

(BF checking out the insides of his new toy...)

We went to ... MEXICO!!!

(D really is a man of steel and could have lifted that ship himself IF we hadn't had so many margarita's on shore!  Thanks PMS-FIL for the trip!)

We got back and I had fun watching a friends little boy one afternoon; though after he woke up I'm not so sure he was having fun anymore...

(This totally worked better the first time we tried it when he was more asleep the first time but of course I couldn't find the camera the first time!)

(My little buddy's mom and I made these adorable ornaments with his handprint for his parents and grandparents as part of their Christmas present as his "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments.)

(Yeah...he liked taking these pictures a LOT better than the first ones 1.5 months earlier!)

I also tried a few new recipes over the last three months...some have worked...MANY (in the words of D) have not worked.  Cheeseburger Meatloaf, Orange Candied Carrots (even the MT family agreed that they probably shouldn't be made again after trying them at Thanksgiving), and Lasagna Soup are amongst the ones that will NOT be made at our house again.  (Unless any of you have a better recipe for some of these than I did and think we should try your variation!) 

There were a couple of recipes that did work out though!  Among them (that I did get pictures of) are:

(Sugar Cookies using Stampin'UP!'s Sweet Pressed Holiday Cookie Stamps and their cookie recipe.  I did cheat and use frosting out of a tube, but these cookies were just WAY too easy and cute using this cookie stamp!  EVERYONE needs to try this product out!  Want to score a set of the Occasions shapes for spring for free?  Sign up to host a workshop during Sale-A-Bration and you could earn a set for free!)

(Cake Batter FunFetti Fudge!!! Super easy and cooked in the microwave.  Was a little on the sweet side BUT I recommend eating a smaller piece then!  It REALLY did taste like cake batter!)

(Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars with Salty Pretzel Crust.  These were AWESOME!  I should have broken the pretzels up a little more, but they were still delish and I can't wait to have an excuse to make them again!)

The temperatures have finally fallen this winter (even though the snow isn't really following suite) so I hope everyone is staying warm.  If you've got kids out in these temperatures I suggest checking out my friend Jennifer Jen's The Olive Star Boutique on Facebook and Etsy and her new collection titled "The Snow Angel Collection" for keeping those kiddos warm.  She does some GREAT work and these are just too cute to keep to myself! 

Well everyone, it is bedtime.  I hope you've enjoyed a look back at some of the things that kept us busy toward the end of the year.  I have many projects I'll share with you later that I tried out in December (made some glass ornaments, some advent calendars, decorating the house, etc.) but I don't want this post to be any longer than it is (it's already longer than I had wanted it to be!).  Hope to see many of you on Sunday for the Winter Stamping-Bee:  Cards for Cancer!