It's been a long time....

Sometimes I forget about my blog....It seems like I have forgotten for the past 6 months....Oops...

Lots has happened to me in the past 6 months!  I FINALLY got to meet Rascal Flatts (YES!) in Chi-town with my bestie Alicia!  So amazing!!  :)  I took three FANTABULOUS classes from Tim Holtz and learned some awesome techniques.  I got to attend Summer CHA with my work, which was so enlightening, incredible, and educating.  It was so neat to see all the new products before the consumer did!  I don't know how we narrowed our selections down, but we got some amazing things!

Some not so good news...Decided to visit a chiropractor on a whim to see if she could help with the neck pain and discomfort.  Turns out I have a lot more going on in my back and neck then I knew.  Basically, my vertebrae are degenerating (YAY) and I already have arthritis in my neck.  The visits seem to be helping though as my discomfort level in my neck has decreased a smidge. 

I plan on teaching a lot more in the next couple of months.  It's a good way to earn a little extra moolah and also helps build my resume for my goal of attending Ranger U next year...  I have a lot of ideas floating around in this little head of mine.....Now to just get those ideas working and into an actual project.

I'm looking forward to our next Gatlinburg trip this month.  Can't wait to see all the autumn colors and smell the clean Smoky Mountain air.  I love being in the mountains....  It's so nice to see nature at its best.  The streams, trees, plants, and wildlife, when your lucky, just take my breath away.  Last March, we saw quite a few animals in the park, including a wolf.  So amazing!  Looking forward to spending some quality time with the hubby, except of course when he decides to go to the haunted houses....Not my cup of tea.

I do believe I need to go and finish my movie....and maybe grab a blankie!  It's COLD!!!

Copic Certified!

Very excited about the class I took today!  I took a Copic marker certification class today and loved it.  I was skeptical to begin with because I needed to know what was so special about the Copics...Now I know...They are AWESOME!  They don't leave lines if done correctly and can be used on almost anything!  I am really looking forward to using them in my paper crafting!

I went to the Memories Scrapbooking Expo with Jen and her fam this weekend.  It was fun!  I have never been to this one before and it was worth it!  I spent way too much money but didn't spend the most.  :)  Lots of new toys to play with including the Pixie Plus sewing machine for paper crafters!

I am super excited about this machine as I have ALWAYS wanted to sew on my layouts.  When I first started scrapbooking, I bought a little sewing machine for $10 and it never worked.  I would get half away across the layout and it would come unthreaded.  This one is geared towards crafters like myself.  I'll have fun playing with it this week!

I also got some more Tim Holtz stamps (of course) and lots of cardstock for a bargain!  There were tons of things I wanted to buy but resisted (especially the Slice).


Going to go watch some of my shows now....Taking it easy tonight and then the rest of the week I need to catch up from the week I was sick.  Lots of housework to do and a little time to do it...  Ugh....Anyone have a magic wand that I can wave to get the housework done??  Haha!

No concert, but......

So, I was supposed to go see Rascal Flatts for my 5th time and meet them for my 1st time February 6.  Thanks to mother nature and the LOVELY snowstorm, the concert was CANCELLED.....Yes cancelled....  Big bummer.  However, we got 95% of the money back, excluding the fees, and our meet and greets are now good at any show this year.  Huge Bummer....

However....I just registered for 3 Tim Holtz classes in April!  I am so excited for these classes!  I am a HUGE fan of Tim Holtz and I think I own everything that has his name on it.   Lovin' his new book, Compendium of Curiosities, and I am looking forward to the classes.

Vegas was wonderful.  Definitely somewhere everyone should go at least once in their life!  I love the Luxor, because of the Egyptian theme....We stayed at The Orleans, which I really liked.  It wasn't 'on the strip', but with their free shuttle service to the strip, you can't beat it.  Gambled a lot....didn't come home ahead, but didn't come home broke either.

Next week, I'll be heading to my first NASCAR race at Bristol with the fam.   It's the sis-in-law's bday and she wants us to go.  I think it'll be fun, even though we don't follow NASCAR closely.   Best thing about the whole weekend is I get to stay in Gatlinburg, my favorite vacation spot....

Remember Me is on Friday!!!  I am SO excited for Mr. Pattinson's next film.....Looking forward to seeing him outside the Twilight Saga.  Eclipse trailer is on tomorrow at 9am and that's a HUGE event for the Twi-Hards!  I can honestly say that I am very excited for this as well...Only 111 more days!

Going to bed night.   Goodnight blogging world!

Things...

It's been a busy past couple of weeks with work and getting ready for my Vegas trip for work. 

I've got a little over 3 weeks until I take the trek to Vegas....I cannot wait as I have never been. Woohoo!

On Feb 6, I get to see Rascal Flatts for the 5th time!  And I got a Meet and Greet!  I am so nervous!  Luckily, Alicia got one too!  I cannot wait to meet them!

CHA is going on this week and I have to say I am loving a lot of the stuff that is coming out!  Bo Bunny and Making Memories have some AWESOME lines coming out.  And of course, nothing better than Tim Holtz and the new machine!  I am really excited to get my hands on that machine!  Now one release I think is a bit ridiculous is the Cricut Cake.  I mean, come on, for cake??  Are they desperate for money?  I read on another blog that a lady already cuts fondant/gum paste with her Cricut.  She just uses a different mat and blade than the ones she uses for paper.   I can't believe the market for die cutting machines for cake bakers is that high....Sounds like more trouble than it's worth....LOL  Now we'll just wait and see if we see it on Ace of Cakes!

Until later.....

Twas the Monday before Christmas.....

And all through the house....All the critters were sleeping, but not the next door neighbors....They decided as usual that they were going to start their car to warm it and leave the headlights on.....Thus, shining in our bedroom window keeping me awake....Thank you!! 

3 day work week this week!  And next for that matter!  YAY!  Lots to do this week....Nuts to make....Presents to wrap....Wonder if I can get John to start wrapping tonight when I have to bowl???

A class that never was

These are some tags I was planning to do for a class at work.  However, the class was too close to Christmas so I didn't get to teach it. So I'll post them here.  They are basic and nothing fancy because they are meant for beginners....My favorite is the gold embossed snowflake one....

Christmas Gifts and Movies

We started on the Christmas gifts for John's family today finally.  Took white paint buckets and applied alcohol ink to them to give them a marbled look.  I plan on making some Cinnamon Pecans on Christmas Eve to fill the tins with.  Meanwhile, I still have ALL of the presents to wrap.  At least I am off work on Christmas Eve....

So, John bought me a Blu-Ray player for Christmas and we have been using it already.  We watched the funniest movie I have seen in a LONG time: The Hangover.  It was SO RIDICULOUSLY funny.....I laughed so hard.  We're watching Star Trek now.  So far it's pretty good....It's amazing how many people I recognize from other roles in it.  Dr. Cameron from House plays Kirk's mom and Winona Ryder plays Spock's mom....Ben Cross who I recognize from First Knight is in there too.

Off to finish the movie....