About Memories & More

Twilight

For those moms out there having difficulty getting your child to read, I highly suggest the Twilight series I mentioned earlier.  Kendall has been reading non stop for a whole week.  She's not turned on the TV...as a matter of fact, last night she asked if she could roll over her tv time...um, no, Verizon doesn't roll over my phone minutes...) And she's read three, 600 page books in a week.  My daughter.  The one who is nothing like me.  Hates to read.  Has never finished a book before.  Has read 3.  In a week.  Jeannie, I owe you something big. 

super bad picture but I had to be sneaky...that's her reading book 2...when she heard the shutter click she slammed the door in my face.  Now that's the Kendall I know & love!

Crops & Contests & Photos, oh my!

So...no breakfast post this weekend...Don & Audra ran the Northland Hospice Run For Your Life 10k instead.  Jeez.  I went to work (running is not my thing...at all).  Next weekend we'll be checking out not one but two breakfast spots. 

The All Day Crop was a tremendous success!  If you've not come to one, you're missing out!  It's 12 hours of scrapbooking...with a make-n-take thrown in there...and a great lunch.  This time we had a baked potato bar.  Yum!  And Bridget brought Boston Creme Pie Cake...delightful!  All Day Crops are scheduled for the last Saturday of every month.  Many of the regulars come to midnight madness on Friday & then are back again Saturday morning. 

Make sure to stop by & check out our sale area...I've been straightening up the store, making room for new stuff & adding to the 40% off area.  You'll be surprised at what's there!

I'll have pictures of classes posted tomorrow, along with the page contest winner.  Classes for July are up at the store.  Don't forget, Tuesday July 1st you can take this class .  My sample is patriotic, but you get to pick the paper you want to use.  It's a super cute acrylic book you won't want to miss!  And the theme for July's page contest is:  Summer.  Entries are due by July 20th (hey, that's my birthday!).  And before I forget, we're having a birthday card contest, too!  Submit just one birthday card for my birthday by July 20th & we'll have customer's vote on their favorite one.  Winner will get a $20 gift certificate to the store. 

My new lens came for my camera & I got to try it out this weekend (it's a 35mm lens for my Nikon D80).  I was hoping for more of the effect that others in my photography class were experiencing & I wasn't disappointed.  Here are some shots from Saturday:

 MacKenzie...probably the most photographic child I know.  And boy does she know how to pose!

Kendall & MacKenzie...Kendall refused to show her teeth when she smiles.  Couldn't begin to tell you why but now she makes a point of it.

Kendall having Bare Minerals makeup applied in Rainbow's End...love the blurred makeup brushes in the foreground...

A really cool chandelier at Rainbow's End.

I'll leave you with that.  Have a great day!

Stamps & Stickers for sale. CHEAP!

I'm in a cleaning mood...and it's time to move out the rubber stamps...not all of them...just most of them (several hundred, actually).  And that's good news for you...all stamps marked with a dot are 40% off the regular marked price.  What a deal!  And the rolled stickers?  Well, they're 75% off the regular price.  Can you believe it? 

Sale prices cannot be combined with any other offer or discount.  Limited to stock on hand.  

Pretty Pictures

Took my camera on our walk this morning.  Here are a couple of pretty pictures:

Mount Elden.  I'm not sure what golf course this is...something around Continental.

 
Roses from my front yard (we didn't actually plant them...they were a stowaway in a pot of long gone daisies...pretty, aren't they?)

That's Hunter Dog, taking time to smell the roses.

The radish's are pretty prolific...they are growing like weeds!  (if they weren't in perfect rows, I'd think they were weeds!)

Have a beautiful day!

Missing photos & other things

So.  I was going to post photos of beautiful glitter papers...sparkly glitter jars...all of that shimmer & shine.  But no, that won't happen today.  Seems I have left my camera (both of them) at home, on the kitchen table.  I am hoping that when I return home they will still be there (anyone remember the eye glasses I left on the kitchen table?  Maggie has NOT out grown that horrible, destructive habit).  Hopefully tomorrow I'll remember it...you know, I ALWAYS have a camera with me, ALWAYS.  How did it jump out of my purse today?  Maybe it's because I'm a little frustrated with my photography at the moment.  I'm taking a great photography class...yet I'm producing horrible photos...my teacher warned us this would happen.  But frankly, it makes me sad.  The rule of thirds made me sad, too, since I thought I'd been taking pretty good photos.  No.  I'm not.  But enough of that nonsense.

On a much happier note, my daughter has started reading this week!  YEAH!  She's 13 (almost 14) & has told me from day one that she hates to read.  "I'm not like you.  I'm like my dad", who wouldn't pick up a book if TV didn't exsist.  I on the other hand, will read until my eyes hurt.  A book a day is not unheard of.  On a typical "vacation" I'll read 5-7 books.  Now, I don't retain anything, but mostly I read fluff so it doesn't matter. 

How did she get on this path to reading?  My friend Jeannie told me about this series of books about teenage vampires.  And I thought to myself, "this is it...the kid LOVES vampires".  So I borrowed the book "Twilight":

Jeannie assured me I'd like it, too, so I read a few chapters & mentioned it to Kendall a few times.  Next thing I know she's taken the book, won't give it back even & we've started having a tug-o-war over the book (it really is pretty good).  And I am thrilled!  This is the first time she's EVER shown an interest in a book, especially one I like.  In 3 days she's read over 200 pages, which is unheard of for her.  She's passed me in it now, mostly because she keeps hiding it from me.  Today she tells me, "Mom, Edward is such a great name!"  Ok.  What?  (That's the name of the main vampire).  "Mom, do you think he's cute?"  and "I can't put this book down!".  And she has her best friend, Leah, come over & Leah gets to watch Kendall read.  Even Leah is shocked.  And now she's desperately trying to finish her book so she can read Kendall's.  This is like the holy grail of motherhood!  Thank you, Jeannie!  I owe you BIG!  Oh, and Jeannie?  When you come to the store, we're ready for book 2. 

For Betty.

Thursday Betty is having a group of folks from work come to the store to make clipboards.  Here are the samples....one a little more masculine...ah what you can do with a little paper, paint & mod podge!  Enjoy!

Breakfast at...and other things

Saturday morning we decided to do some community service prior to heading out for breakfast...we always go for a 5 mile walk before breakfast but today we decided to finish cleaning up the trail & then part of Butler. 

We got 2 bags of trash from a one mile section...and 2 more bags from the corner of Butler & Foxglenn.  Just the corner.  Somebody was putting up yard sale signs & stopped to thank us for what we were doing.  Audra found a dollar bill...I found a pirates hook.  Don brought home a card we found that was from a California police department describing unlawful acts...go figure.  

FYI:  the "community service" we do is just for good karma.  We're not felons.  We're not in trouble.  We're not on parole (as Audra's husband was telling people the other day).  It's just honest to goodness trying to better ourselves & the world around us.  And speaking of picking up trash....PLEASE recycle!  The crazy garbage we found, good golly!

After tossing our collected trash bags we hopped on our bikes & rode to:

(horrible photo, but the only one I've got) 
This is my favorite place for lunch and dinner.  I love their chicken soft tacos & pinto beans.  I haven't had much else because I love the tacos so much.  So I was quite surprised when Audra picked Tacos los Altos for breakfast.  Don got a little frisky with the staff...

(those statues just creep me out, but the food is so good!)

I had huevos rancheros...YUM...Don & Audra had breakfast burritos which they loved.  And the price?  Can't beat it!  $15 for the whole shebang.  Tacos los Altos is located between Jack in the Box & Arbys in East Flag. 

(Just a random cool photo...no, we didn't have beer with breakfast, although it would have been a good compliment to the huevos rancheros.)

We ate it all.  And then hopped back on our bikes & rode home.  Is it possible to waddle on a bike?  The ride home was definately harder.  I should mention that Audra had not ridden a bike since she was a child.  And it brought her complete & utter joy.  I don't think the smile left her face for hours.

Then Don & Kendall & I were off to a much more somber event.  Saturday was the 8 year anniversary of Flagstaff Police Officer Jeff Moritz being killed in the line of duty, something that has touched our family deeply.  We attended a memorial at the police department:

(that's our friend Dave Saurer)

Then we followed it up with a celebration of Jeff at Maloneys...

That's Don with Dave's wife, Maria (one of my very best friends).

And me with Dave.  (We rode our bikes...that's why I have such a lovely hairdo.)

It was a lovely day & some great memories were made.  Now some great scrapbook pages will be made....coming soon, promise!

June Page Contest Entries

Pages will be up for viewing & voting on Monday but I couldn't wait to share them with you!  The theme this moths was Father's Day.  They're pretty amazing!  You can vote until the end of the month but have to do so in the store.  I am so glad I'm not the one who has to choose! 

July's page contest theme:  Summer.  Can't wait to see what you'll come up with!

Weekend Plans

I am officially 3 weeks behind on my photography class assignments.  My weekend will be devoted to catching up.  See that big, thick green binder?  That's 3 weeks of class.  Yes, 3 weeks.  Before you go feelin' sorry for me you need to know that I'm lovin' every single minute of  this class! Karen Russell, the instructor, is amazing.  (We carry her paper & embellishments in the store...Creative Imaginations makes the Karen Russell Narratives line.)  The classes are well written, easy to understand & fun.  My problem has been time & not making enough of it.  So this weekend I have Saturday off & after some family obligations I'll be tackling assignment number 2.  I tackled assignment number 1 while I ate my delightful bowl of pinto beans with a beer chaser.  Then re-read week 2 yet again...I understand shutter speed so much better now.  Must be the beer.

Today I realized that I hadn't started on the July classes.  Oops!  And the July 1st class (Clearly Fantastic Albums) needed to be done, like, yesterday.  So I did it today...and I LOVE it!  Here's a little peek:

Here's the deal:  The class is 40 bucks and is on Tuesday, July 1st at 6 pm until we're done.  The class fee includes all of the supplies to make it and you get to pick the paper you use.  You'll love these books.  Honest!  Mine happens to use the new Bo Bunny Freedom Collection paper & stickers...plus some other stuff thrown in there for good measure.  Bring along 16 4x6 photos & you'll have it finished that night!  Call the store at 928-526-9292 to sign up.

Stop by the store this weekend & say "Hi" to Bridget & Sherry!  They'll be takin' care of business while I'm snapping photos, lots & lots of photos.

Oh, and I was corrected by Kendall's friend Leah today.  She wanted me to let you all know she's loved Skylar since first grade, not second grade as I had indicated.  So sorry, Leah.  Who knew you read my blog?  Go figure! 

Spoiled

My daughter & her friends are off for a fun camping trip until Friday.  They've packed all their stuff...but Kendall's ground pad wouldn't fit into the pre-approved bag.  So many, many phone calls later we were able to borrow a smaller pad from my brother in law.  Only, it's not so small...it folds up small, but I fear she'll take over the tent.  But honestly, who wouldn't want to camp with one of these babies:

That would be a deluxe blow up, twin sized mattress.  Yes, mattress.  Now back in the day (you, know when I walked 10 miles to school in the snow, barefoot) we camped on the ground.  And sometimes you were lucky enough to get to sleep on a pool floatie...that you had to blow up yourself, all while making your cheeks hurt like there's no tomorrow.  This one?  Well, it self inflates.  And self deflates.  Good golly, what has camping become?  My husband & I had one of these once.  When you sleep with a guy that big & he rolls over it's like being in the ocean.  Sometimes you even get thrown off by the wave.  I have a feeling Kendall's friends will be trying to get this from her on the 2nd night on the ground.

These are my new little scallop squashes, coming up from the ground.  And see, right there in the middle, those are the weeds I missed.  I haven't had a garden in forever...now I remember why.  Although I do so enjoy watching the little seedlings poke through the ground.  Unfortunately, I thought the carrots were weeds, so we won't have many of those....

And yes, the yard sale stuff is packed up and will be gone today to the charities.  Now there's a big gaping hole in the middle of the store that I plan to rectify today.  So when you come in to buy your scrapbooks at 25% off (Wednesday, June 18th only) you'll get to see a whole new store....you know how I love to move things...plus, we'll be putting out the new Carole's Creations sports papers & embellishments & new paper from My Mind's Eye.  You'll love it!