Special Delivery

No...I don't mean the kind the stork brings.
You know how you get so excited when the mailman or UPS guy drops off a fun package on your doorstop? Whether it's new video game that you've been waiting to come or scrapbook supplies from QVC that you just can't wait to open. There's a fun exciting feeling when you receive a delivery at your door.
Well, today I received a VERY LARGE special delivery. This delivery was so large the delivery guy came early just to get the thing out of his way so he could get to his other deliveries in the truck.
While he was unloading the crate from the back of his truck I couldn't help but think, "Wow, how fun to receive a delivery like this...that would be the mother load of scrapbook supplies!"
I tried to make small talk with the man while he loaded the package into the garage about the crate being light. He laughed and replied, "So, what do you think about Sarah Palin?"
Um....well... we then had a small conversation about how much he likes her and will definitely vote Republican even though he doesn't care for McCain too much. That's certainly good to know, I thought.
So now my new Republican friend is gone and has left me one GIANT crate right in the middle of the garage.

What's in this enormous sized package, you might ask. Well, I'm not entirely positive of it's entire contents. Ryan has gone to LA for work and won't be home until tomorrow night. So, I guess we'll all just have to wait find out what's inside this special delivery (did I mention it was HUGE).
Stay Tuned!

Mom's can't get sick

If mom's get sick, they can't wake their children for school with a happy, chipper face.
If mom's get sick, they can't drive their kids to school without wearing sunglasses and a hat so no one will recognize them and see they are still in their PJ's.
If mom's get sick, they don't get to cross off anything on their "To-Do" list because they don't have any energy to breathe, let alone clean the house.
If mom's get sick, they aren't able to fix dinner because they can't stand the smell of food.
If mom's get sick they can't run their kids to various activities because she might black out while driving.
If mom's get sick, they can't kiss their family goodnight because they don't want to get anyone else sick.
That's why I'm not sick....I'm not sick....I'm not sick...
I'm just going to go lie down for a minute:)

On the List

Miranda has had an exciting week of being on "the list"! She auditioned for Show Choir last week and found out Thursday that she, along with 13 other girls, has made it. This will mean she has to arrive to school an hour early for rehearsals every day. She was a part of this group last year and not once did I hear her complain when her alarm went off at 6am. (I may have mumbled a few time for both of us)
She also auditioned in her Broadway class for a part on the upcoming play "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown". She auditioned for Charlie Brown or Schroader.
The Cast list came out today and she got the part of Charlie Brown! She was so happy when she read her name on both the lists. She's starting out this school year with a bang...(hopefully we won't all explode with all the rehearsals and performances).
Congratulations Miranda.....I knew you could do it!

He's at it again

For being a boy of only 10 years, Parker sure has a lot of needs/wants/expenses. There is a new computer game out called Spore. So, in true Parker fashion, he is trying to earn the money to purchase it. I'm trying to be creative in his tasks to complete and not make them too "chore-ish". I wouldn't want him to think that he can complete usual chores for money. So.....
I decided that my front porch benches could use a little TLC and be refinished and painted.
Parker has again enlisted Brecken to assist him with this task. They, of course, will need to split the money they earned. The process began tonight with each of them armed with an electric sanding machine. They were able to sand and prep all 3 pieces (bench, chair & table). I have the stain for the wood, but I need to do some research on prepping and painting the iron before they can continue that step.
I do hope all this work is teaching him something he can use later in life. How does the saying go.... "You can't get somethin' for nothin'"
Hopefully I'll have beautiful like-new benches to enjoy after this little project is complete.

Derby Daze

Well, the time has come for Parker's final Pinewood Derby race as a Cub Scout. He's had some rather creative entries the past two years which included a "Pencil" car and a "Wii remote" car. I was curious as to what he would want to design for this year's model. After much thought and photo searching, he decided on a theme....
The name of his car is "Short Circuit"
Our wards idea of Pinewood Derby might be a tad different than other wards. The boys must take their cars to the weigh-in on the evening before the race. Once all the cars have met the requirements, they are all locked up in the clerks office at the church, preventing any tampering before the race.
Ryan, is not a fan of this tradition and has made his opinion known on other races. However, we play by the rules, and so Weds night just in time for the glue to dry, we were checked in.
There were quite a few cars in the race.
Parker's was voted "Most Unusual" by the boys.
Each car was raced 4 times - once on each track. Parker won one of his four races, but it was unfortunately not enough.





Parker still had a great time and fun designing the car. It's not whether you win or lose...it's how you play the game. Great Job Parker!
Ryan is just relieved that his Pinewood Derby car building and racing is now a thing of the past!

My Creative Escape Projects

Think PINK

...that's the best word I can come up with to describe my Creative Escape weekend..
PINK
Sommer and I arrived just in time Thursday afternoon to complete the "Technique Boutique" that included items needed for class as well as fun little extras to create. They also took Photos of all the participants. (They even featured our photo in the slide show on the final day) You can see it HERE

When we returned back from dinner, we found little goodie bags awaiting us on our beds.

Inside these polka dot packages were these adorable aprons

It's so fun that CE gives that little extra touch.
We retired early since the first day of classes began at 6:30am!
Each day we had 4 classes that lasted 1 hr 45 min each with 30 min in between and 1 hour lunch. Each teacher had prepared wonderful projects..many of them mini albums. But most of them had a special reason for creating their project. They stressed how important it is to focus on ourself once in a while...and it OK and not considered selfish. That's certainly something I need to work on! We ended the first day of classes with Tim Holtz It was a super entertaining class that we quite enjoyed.
Dinner the first night was Mexican buffet & it was delicious!

Friday night they have an Extravaganza that has fast paced projects from 8 different teachers. Thankfully it ended early and we were able to get back to our room around 10:30. We again found a quaint little package on our beds....

These fun little rings were inside.

Saturday was just as jam packed as the first. We started with our class from Heidi Swapp. She is super nice and very talented!
Her project was an interactive perpetual calendar that is so fun. One of the wheels on her calendar is a slot to put ideas of things to do that give you a little "me time" LOVE THAT! We also had a class from Kolette Hall, who is a designer for Big Picture Scrapbooking. She created "The Good Book" which is a mini album that allows you to write down something everyday that you are grateful for or blessed with. It's a fabulous idea and something I will definitely do...(just need to get it finished first.)
When it was time for our last class, Sommer and I were really starting to feel the exhaustion .....

CE ended Saturday night with a more formal sit-down dinner.

And in true Heidi Swapp style, we were served dessert first!

The treasure chest followed our theme over the weekend. Inside one of the chests was a prize of admission to next year's Creative Escape (nope, I didn't win)
We stayed up until midnight finishing up a couple projects and did NOT set our alarm for Sunday morning.
We had so many goodies and projects to take home...I'll be working on them until I go again next year (hopeful thinking)

We had a fabulous time and I'm so glad I was able to go on this little Escape!