the year in review

I noticed that I had not really posted anything since S.A.V.E. and I gurss that is because my world got rocked a bit. I dropped out of school for a year to regroup. I cannot say for sure whether it was time well spent or not yet. I do know that I surely want to graduate already so I will be putting more effort into my education.

I am praying about relocating. I should say that my husband and I are praying about this together. We have been living in a somewhat rural area and Bob had been a Philly guy all his life. So we are praying about movign closer to the city. Not in the city, I already endured that for a season and I really did not like it. I felt the tension as soon as I walked out my door. I do want to be closer to Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia so that my daughter can go there for high school.

Along with praying about relocation, I am praying for patience, wisdom and obedience so that I can recognize the Lord's direction.

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salebration

I caved. I noticed at S.A.V.E. that I wanted the Stampin Up color caddy to keep my ink pads organized on the table. So Stampin Up has salebration going on and I figured that I should purchase it now and get some freebies. Well my Stampin Up Demo, Missy, informed me that there is a clearance rack when you order online, so I ordered some ribbon, paper and tools along with some new colors and markers andwell it totalled over $170. So I got three freebies. I ordered paper from the Salebration book and two stamp sets from the regular catty. This was something new this year. So I ordered Dasher, a single reindeer stamp and Funky Four, a 70's retro mushroom set. My guess is that these will be phased out so I feel better getting them now for free.

I am pretty much trying to use up my stock pile of supplies but sometimes I cannot resisit the lure of the deal, like real red polka dot ribbon for $1.99. Oh well I will have to post something when they come.

BACK IN THE GROOVE

I came back yesterday from S.A.V.E. Scrappin Away Vacation Events and it was very productive by my standards. Now there are some very organized women who got 100 pages completed. I am not worthy but I did manage to scrap Lynn's baby shower, although I must admit that Michael is 5 years old. I also created a first day of school chipboard book to place all Gabrielle's photos. I took two classes and created 2 two page layouts and I even had photos for the one so I have it completed.

As always I try to reflect on what I learned from my experiences. There were some good times and some challenging times this weekend. So here we go...

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer" only works in the Godfather movies. This is a 24-7 event, meaning that you are going to be sitting with a group of friends, eating with them and sharing a room with them. You really have to know yourself and know your friends. This weekend we had a roommate that we did not know very well and she treated my one friend who invited her very badly. She was politely told that next year she should get a group of her friends together to come up with. So I am actively recruiting for next year.

Pack Smart. Dena and Trish passed on a tip from the very organized women I mentioned from before. They put together their cardstock pattern paper and photos in these 12X12 clear plastic bags so that there have all their layouts ready to go and the weekend goes very smoothly. So Trish gave me some bags and I pulled together some paper and embellishments for the Christmas craft that I will be working on next. I will have this ready for my mini crop this Friday at Calvary Church of Souderton.

Price low at the yard sale. The purpose of the yard sale is to get rid of the stuff. If it is collectible then sell it on ebay or Splitcoast stampers where the collectors shop.

Back up adhesives are a must at a class. My ATG gun pooped out during a class and I did not have time to reload. So it is a good idea to have a back up ready to go. This is also an idea that I gleaned from Swamp People on the History Channel. Alligators on the hook are not going to wait for you to reload your gun.

Comfort is king or queen in this case. I brought a pillow to sit on and one of those As Seen on TV back pillows. Next year I am going to bring a slip cover to keep them in place. A scrappin queen needs a throne anyway so I will take the time to sew up a really cool one.

Vanity thy name is ... There is nothing worse than a bathroom hog. Please don't bring bathroom hogs with you to these events and if you are a bathroom hog then be willing to allow a roommate to pee. It is really annoying to have to wait around for breakfast when you were the first one up and ready to go or the one who has to wait to pee. Also I have sensitive eyes and the hotel dry air really irritates my eyes so no eyeliner or mascara for me next year. Also I should remember to bring saline and water to keep me and my eyes hydrated. Also this is one trip that I truely can pack lightly regarding clothes, I dress for comfort not fashion for this weekend. The rule is that you should have more bags of scrapbookin than of clothing or you are packing wrong.

Don't believe Gordon Gecko; Greed is not good. It is very tempting to spend lots of money. Seriously, get a budget in place, and only pay with cash. Rollie has great stuff and was running insane sales but I promised Bob that I would only spend the cash we agreed upon prior to my departure.

Make sure that the keys get turned in. There is a $100 key charge. Enough said on that one.