I GRADUATED!

I just returned from CKU-Detroit! Had a great time with dd and bf staying at Dearborn Hyatt. Great classes....WOW did we learn! So much info, inspiration and ideas packed in the three day event. Although I have attended CKU in Provo, Utah and Nashville, Tennesee, this event offered a different format.

Thurs. we were able to create 6 X 6 pages for our "My Favorite Things" album at the Product Demonstrations. The album was included in our student goodie bag! That evening we attended the Tailgate Party where we received several more goodies, including a laminating/cutting tool from Purple Cow. Oh, yes, and we had LOTS of FREE ice cream from Skinny Cow!
Friday - classes all morning and afternoon. Was able to begin an fun chip-board album to hold my 'goals'. Completed a cute circle album that looks like "Mickey Mouse" in the Real Magic class that was sponsored by Reminisce! Also created an accordion fold mini book with a 'spinner' on the cover that was sponsored by Imagination. (now I know what to do with all those spinners that we have from old board games!) Cropper Hopper inspired us to Get Organized!

Friday evening we attended the Study Hall Crop. Each of us were able to get photos organized for our Album Track on Saturday. Also did work on other projects.

Saturday was an all day Album Track with Becky Higgins from CK. She was so great. We enjoyed creating a COMPLETE 22 page album in 8 hours! Well almost! Still need to add some journaling and a few photos. But it was great to create "a Snapshot" of me right now - 2007! Becky encouraged us to be sure to right down our thoughts and info to leave for our family and future generations.

Saturday evening my dd and I were able to stay and crop and spend some quiet time together. It was very special for me to be able to share this time doing something together that we both enjoy. I hope making fond memories for her as well as for me.

ONE MORE DAY!

Only one more day to prepare for CKU! I am looking forward to this event. The format is quite different from ones I attended in past years. We actually will be making a complete album. It HAS been a bit stressful preparing photos, and I don't have ALL the ones they ask for, but I am sure it will be fun to put it all together. I will have to fill in the empty holes at a later date.

DISNEY - I am taking a "Magical Moments"? class....so hopefully I will get at least one page done from the trip I took two years ago with y grandson! I have tried, unsuccessfully, several times to finish scrap booking that trip. Maybe this will give me the inspiration I need.

CKU - Detroit

Creating Keepsake University - Dearborn. I am looking forward to some new ideas and fun times with dd and friends. This event has a different format than previous ones I have attended. We will be making a whole album in one day. Of course there was a very long syllabus that we had to do prior to going. I have been scouring for photos that are needed for this class. It has given me a chance to 'clean' a bit. o.k. a very tiny little bit. I did get some sorting and purging done. But of course, I then found other projects that I would like to work on. Am trying to focus! Finish up one project before starting another.

Back to CKU...We are taking five classes on Friday and the Album class on Saturday. Classes on Friday include Designer Details; One week, One month, One year; Real Magic; Technique crazy; and Mad for Brads. I am hoping that I can learn some great tips and ideas from the Designer Details class. Technique crazy, I believe should give me some ideas to use with my Stampin' Up! business and the Real Magic class may give me a page or two for a trip to Disney that I took over two years ago!

I am sure that we will have a great time and take lots of pictures so we will have another pile to scrapbook! A scrapbookers projects are NEVER done! As long as there are photos and ideas, there are projects to complete!

Hello to All

...who may read this! I have been out of touch with the blogging world. Had some trouble logging in and finally was able to figure out my problem. Too many buttons and moving parts, as my ds would tell you. I am not the most computer savy person who has touched a keyboard. Being a 'left brainer' I just want it to work when I turn it on and do what I want it to do! I don't want to have to think about it! But now I could find a very creative thing to do with the darm thing!

WOW almost two months since my last entry. I am sure many things have been going on here on my little speck of the universe. Working, scrap booking, stamping, repeat - repeat - repeat! I did get one of my gardens cleaned, only because we were blessed with ONE day that I was able to get out there during our Spring? break.

Spring break brings to my mind, sunshine, warmer days, green grass, flowers popping up, being outside in the yard! BUT here in Michigan that term 'Spring Break' can mean something totally different. Mother nature has reminded us this year that Yes, she is still in charge! We have has snow, rain, cold winds, a smidgen of sunshine, more snow, more rain, more cold winds. Just to break up the monotony, today she surprises us with a beautiful morning of sunshine. I can here the birds singing outside, BUT my furnace is still running so that does give me the clue that it may be a bit chilly outside my door! I guess that is o.k. because the sky is so blue today and the sun sure is nice!

Scrappin' and Stampin'

What a full week-end! Went north to Houghton Lake on Thursday afternoon. Held a "Stamp-A-Stack" workshop at Higgins Lake with my sister-en-law Steph. Had a great time, teaching and meeting the ladies who attended. Several of the ladies know my mother who attends church with them. It was so nice to hear them share how much they think of my mom, who is 87 and still gets around pretty darn good! She is a true 'lady' in every sense.

Returned to Houghton Lake to Scrapbook the remainder of the week-end with my nieces and friends. We had a great time just snack, scrappin' and yackin'! I did complete about 14 pages and was able to mount three sets of stamps. I had a trip to CKU (Creating Keepsakes University) that we took in March of 2004. My DD, friend and I are registered for another CKU this April in Dearborn. I figured I should complete the previous event before I attended this one. It is so amazing how much you can accomplish with a bit of POTIVATION! Simple pages, but they are complete.

Tomorrow is the final day of our Mid-Winter Break. I hope to sleep late and finish my long list of tasks I always seem to create for myself.

SNOW DAY!!!

Yahoo, no school today. Technically a "snow day" yet we only have a few inches of snow. BUT the wind chill is well below zero. Tomorrow morning the prediction is a wind chill of -20 . A bit nippy for standing and waiting for a bus.
Today was fun, I picked up my two grandsons and took them out to lunch then to the show. We saw "Pursuit of Happyness". Will Smith and his son did a great job in the movie. Good show inspired from a true story. Definitely a 'must buy' when released on DVD.

So another day off tomorrow. Hmmmm, guess I can stay up late, play with my card-making. Create a scrapbook page. That will be my goal tonight. To complete at least a couple scrapbook pages. Then I am sure I can find some scrapbooking or paper crafting I will want to do tomorrow. And my new Paper Crafts mag. arrived today. Yahoo!

Of course I really should catch up on my reading. Our pastor has challenged us to read the bible this year. We have a guide sheet that helps us keep on track. If we follow it, we can finish reading the bible in one year. Well, I am a few chapters behind. Had a hard time getting through Job. Started on Exodus last night. More familiar with that book, and it seems to be a quicker read.

Wacky Week-end

Had a full day of activities. Started off working, YES working on Saturday. The High School where I work held a fundraiser for their Alumni sponsored Scholarship fund. A Pancake Breakfast. I was at work by 8 a.m. The breakfast went well for their first attempt. It was fun listening to all their reminiscing of 'the good ol days'.

Followed the breakfast with a Stampin' Up! all occasion card class. It is always a lot of work creating the samples, then I write detailed instructions of each project and try to include a photo or drawing of each. Today we had six ladies attend. Some new gals to stamping and card making, some experienced. It was great fun teaching them new techniques and sharing ideas in a relaxed atmosphere. I enjoy the creating and teaching aspect of the business. It is rewarding and never seems much like w-o-r-k!

Sorry I had to miss my joungest grandsons hockey game. He was on the ice while I was serving pancakes, sausage and coffee! He did a great job in the net. They won their game and I am told he had some awesome saves!

Tomorrow I am looking forward to attending a "cousins lunch". There are four of us cousins who only seems to get together at the funeral homes. Decided we would recolate our gathering place to a resteraunt! It will be great to be able to sit and yack and catch up on family news! All our kids have grown and flown the coop, yet we still seem to be so busy all the time it is hard to get together. Should be fun. Of course I'll get photos to add to my scrapbooks!