Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Leadership Day 1

DREAM, CREATE & IMAGINE

Leadership Day was everything that was to be expected plus much more.

Waiting for the doors to open


It was so exciting to work with the new tools and paper.
Corp. Offices have promised so much more to come tomorrow morning










My pretty gift waiting for me at the Special Leadership Dinner... and the dinner.
I am so tired from the time difference and staying up past 3am and then getting up by 7am. Good night with more to come soon.

Monday, July 28, 2008

organizing, travel and specials

Well, after many days of working on my scrap room you can see progress. I have to call this a stopping point since I am leaving for Orlando, Fl and the bi-annual CTMH Convention in a few hours. (more about that late)
Here are my pictures so far:



Most are taken for the doorway of the room... but I feel like there is enough space in the middle of the room for a sleep over.



Sadly, the room is almost completely full but there is still a lots of stuff in the garage and a huge piece of furniture in the hallway of the house. I hope to move the piece of furniture into the other bedroom so Jason can make it a work station for all his computer repairman jobs and the TV for our guests.

Here is the beautiful new organizer area. Seems to be full of items mostly for upcoming Retreats. HAHA! So I plan to have more space for my personal things soon. I have decided to give in a get a Clip-it Up.. there seems to be a shortage of them, though. I went this weekend to the Rubber Stamp & Scrap Expo and checked at all the booths, no luck. So I ran over to the always friendly Auntie Amy's and they had only the 7gypsies version.. BooHoo! but I did have to take some extra time even with hubby and daughter in the car waiting for me to see that they had new Jenni Bowlin (for those of you who don't know she lives in Nashville which is my want to be home town. LOL) stuff including a display of a very cute card. So if you know where to get a good deal on a Clip-It Up, please let me know and there will probably will be some reward in it for you too. I am looking forward to finishing this huge project but so far so good.

Travels & Specials
Yes, I am up and about again. Just in time to have hopefully caught up on all my emails and to turn around and leave town. But this is for a good reason: I am off to enjoy the humidity of Orlando, Fl with my fellow CTHM leaders and then the CTMH Bi-annual Convention. I am glad to say I will be inside most of the time learning, viewing new products, shopping and scrapbooking. Usually at this event we (consultants) get an extra early sneak peak at the NEW Fall Idea Book and a chance to order some of the new goodies. I am really looking forward to this part.
As a special offer to everyone ALL CTMH orders placed on my website
or via email while I am gone will receive a 15% discount. That's right between now and August 4th everyone will receive 15%, that is almost the same price as consultants. But it gets better, then on August 5th my website will be having a Clearance Sale with Free Shipping for orders over $75. Sneak peak of the items to be cleared out. I look forward to sharing my exciting trip from the road with you all.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

New Closet


Yeah!! I am so happy! Hubby has finished my new organize-it area. I am so excited!! Leia is especially proud of her Daddy, as you can see in the above photo.


So here is the difference:


Before picture


And...


After

I feel like I am on one of those make over shows. More pictures to come once I get everything put away.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Summer

Summer is the time for playing outside and enjoying the long days except... if you live in the desert. Summer in the desert is time for indoor spring cleaning. LOL So that is what I am doing. Even though I should be packing for my Orlando trip to the bi-annual Close To My Heart convention I am starting a new (huge) project.


So here are my before pictures. On the left is the extra stuff that has been piling on top of the extra bed in the extra bedroom. Sorry no room for guests.

Then the right, top-ish is the soon to be paper area. The good news for both you and me is that all that stuff is for the upcoming Retreat September 19-21, 2008. So it will be cleared out soon and many of you will be able to take it home with you.


OK! There is no excuse for this area... I know you can not tell but this is suppose to be my personal scrap space. There is a nice table somewhere in that mess and who knows where the chair I am to sit on is??



So I would call this the most organized part of the room. I may not move everything around but some of these drawers have nothing in them and others have scraps leftover from when I had kid scrap night in my old house. Sad that I never cleaned them out but now Leia will have something to play with when mommy is scrappin'. I hope to make a small area that she can use so we can both hideout while Daddy (Jason) is playing computer repairman.


I think I am running out of excuses.
More wasted table space on the left.

The right hand side is the leftovers of last time when I organized but this time is going to be a complete over haul.

At this point almost everything that is not furniture has been removed from the room and hubby has agreed to build me a system that can be used for scrap goodies now and as a closet later. Hopefully this will officially make the "den" into another bedroom. Wish me luck, I have to get everything done this weekend. Otherwise I might now be able to find the supplies I need to take with me to Orlando. More updates to follow soon!

Friday, July 18, 2008

The LOFT closes

One of my favorite stores is closing... The LOFT. These ladies always are so nice and even took the entire store on a field trip out to one of my Retreats last summer.
We wish all of them success in the future. Their prices have always been good so take advantage of the closeout deals. I know I will be... Teri save me some items to help with my new scrapbook room re-vamp, I need to ORGANIZE!!! So sad to see you close ;(



35% off Storefront
Closeout Sale at
The Loft Scrapbooks

The Loft Scrapbooks
29683 NEW HUB DR, STE C
951-639-3609
MENIFEE, California 92586
The Loft Web-site
To all our loyal customers, we want to take a moment to say thank you. The Loft was a dream come true for a few close friends and you were all a part of that dream! May the Lord bless you and remember to always dream big!
Got Massage?
Need an Oil Change?
Well, thanks to P&T Auto and Composure Mode Massage, the first two
customers
to spend $200 will receive a free massage. The first two customers to spend $150 will receive a free oil change.
There are no longer any returns allowed at The Loft.
If you have purchased a
So Cal
Shop Hop
passport from us we would like to inform you that Auntie Amy's in Riverside will now be your home store. When the Shop Hop is complete you will need to take your passports to them in order to be entered into the drawings.
35% off Closeout Sale
Starts Friday, July 18-Friday, July 25 (normal store hours apply)
discount applies to product only.
As much as it bothers us to close our doors, with the economy the way it is...The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away!!!
**We are not totally disapearing off the face of the earth, we plan on being around. We are just waiting on the Lord to see in what capacity. Stay tuned to http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001HXd39HJC_Khk_gNI3ugJkSdxYf28-FklzAPjnNSsGNcVsjAfzo1cVNNi0l3Q_9bqKHIx_GiQZFqyoGaLfb6HfLzczZPSFsPP8ca0f2q7g0WKB3Ss5_PFBFcQcxXHGB-9
for all further details.
We will also be selling all fixtures, tables, office chairs, true sun lamps, decorations, and kids area furniture (No further discounts apply check store for details).
The Loft 5% Ziploc Bag Discount can no longer be combined or used with closeout sale.
Yes we have the Cricut Jukebox in-stock, but hurry they are hard to find and won't last long.
Cricut Jukebox
Tired of switching your cartridges in and out? No longer a problem!

The Cricut Jukebox is a docking station for 6 Cricut cartridges that are connected to your Cricut machine all at once! But it gets even better....you can connect 2 Jukebox together to daisy chain 12 cartridges at your fingertips, without having to change cartridges!


Our Price only: $ 89 (there will be no additional discount for this item)

Please help us get the word out by forwarding this e-mail.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Sad News for the Miller Family....

Late last week Jason, myself and even Leia loaded up into the car to make the drive out to Palm Springs to find out if Leia was going to have a little brother or sister. We knew that it was about a week before they usually can tell but we found out early with Leia and was hoping for the same results this time too.
The drive was exciting for all of us and once again Leia expressed how excited that she was to share her toys and her bed with a baby sister since girls are better than boys. After a short discussion she was warming up to the fact that a brother would be fun too, especially for Daddy. I was very excited that we had finally found a doctor that fit more of our needs even if she was all the way in Palm Springs. Thank you Marion Champion for the great referral.
Well the appointment did not go as planned. Once the Ultrasound part of the exam started; The (new) doctor was surprised at how small the baby was... this was not a big deal to us since I had been unsure about the exact conception date so maybe I wasn't as far as long as expected, surprising since I had already had an ultrasound in June and they had given me a smaller window for due date but no big deal. Then the image appeared clearer on the screen and I began to show Leia the head and arms , etc of the baby. This is when Jason said he thought there was a problem but I was wrapped up in sharing with Leia. I then explained to Leia is we looked closely we could see the flicker of the heartbeat and later we might be able to hear it. About 10 more minutes past with the doctor examining the monitor. Still I thought nothing of the long exam. Once the doctor finished she then turned to us and explained how she could not detect any signs of a heartbeat. I sent Jason to take a walk with Leia as I discussed with the doctor what else we could do.
So to make this long story shorter...
Here I am at the hospital waiting for surgery. Don't I look great?
Good news is everything went well, surgery wise. I am now at home recouping and getting to spend some time with my hubby.
We are emotionally recovering from the shock of losing the baby
but know everything happens for a reason. Leia is is the one with the least understanding. Last night she told us that if the baby is sick at the hospital she (remember Leia wanted a girl) is lonely without our snuggles and company. If she comes home it will be all better.
This is the time that we realize how truly special it is that we were lucky enough to have Leia and each other. Thank you everyone for your kind words and patience.


Good News
Now that I am in recovery, I will be playing big time catch-up. Final plans will be made for September's Retreat and I am looking forward to more scrap days ahead in the near future.
And as of now we will not be limiting the attendees to the Retreat unless the hotel runs out of room. This is to no ones fault since I simply did not confirm the entire banquet room. Register now to confirm your spot!!

Here is who we are planing to have in September (not confirmed):

Teachers-
Nan Paturzo
Jennifer Priest
Judy Graham (ScrapYard)

Vendors-
Crystal from Little Crop Shop
Anita with her group of ladies and Creative Memories
Massages by Rachel
ScrapYard 329
Andrea with Mary Kay

Can not wait to see everyone soon! And Thank you again.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Brillante Weblog Premio- 2008

I've been tagged by Nan Paturzo. She caused my new time waster, PackRat. LOL I am so glad I know her and her family since their house has become our new favorite non-desert hang out. Thanks for thinking of me for this “award”. I wish to Thank everyone who reads my blog even if it has lost direction, here & there.

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1) Put the logo on your blog
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4) Add links to those blogs on yours
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs


Here are my seven nominees
Diva Danielle- Even though it's not always the most up-to-date blog, she (they) have the newest and greatest guests on their show (even I have been a guest) so I can keep up with the Scrap world.
Jennifer Priest- I know she has already been nominated but she really is the best teacher/designer around plus she balances her personal life so well.
Jessica Guthrie- Though she has moved to Florida we can all still enjoy her great products and "kits".
Cindy (MammaJammaBlabba)- This is one of those do it ALL ladies that we wish we could be like.
Scrapbook Royalty- One of the few things I get to do for my own personal scrapbooking is going to their class packed events. Oh! and they have been a great aid for finding wonderful non-profits for Desert Scrappers to donated to.
Trisha Jones- My WhoGas leader and just a fun person. Plus she does some really great scrap pages.
Dawn Tumelty- My late night driving home buddy... thanks for keeping me awake.

Monday, July 7, 2008

Starting to think about September's Retreat

I know it seems so far off but I am starting to finalize plans for September's Retreat. My goal this week is to contact all vendors and teachers so we can have a final list soon. YEAH! I am getting excited. Please contact me right away if you have been a prior vendor/teacher and would like to return. Next week is when I will then opening spots for new vendors/teachers. Thank you, we have been so lucky to have talented companies and teachers represented at our Retreats.
While discussing September's Palm Desert Retreat, at this point I am going to cap the number of attendees. The reason for this is that my pregnancy is a little bumpy and I would hate for Retreat guest not to have the best time possible. At this point I will only be taking reservations for two of the Salon areas instead of our first thoughts of 3 or 4 sections. A waiting list will then open since I expect that by September my health will improve. Sorry to be so indecisive but I would rather add people later than have to refund monies and reservations. Thank you for your understanding!