~Homecoming~

I flew into Hawaii last week to meet Derek's ship....I was so excited and this was my first time in Hawaii. What a beautiful place! I got there the night before Derek's ship pulled in so I had time to meet up with Molly Peckham and hang out! She took me to a cool little Hibachi Grill and we dined local style. We actually got the table all to ourselves and pretty much talked scrappy stuff throughout the night. She was super nice in person, gave me a great tour of the island and weathered the many phone calls from Maddy...who was desperately missing me and had a pretty bad night...Sorry Molly! It was so neat to meet one of my scrappy friends in person. Thanks Molly!!


Early the next morning, I hitched a ride with one of the other wives and we went to meet the ship at the ungodly hour of 6:30am...but when we got there we were met with this beautiful rainbow....

Pretty soon, the ship rounded the corner of the harbor and it was the most majestic sight.....made my heart swell with pride. The USS Ronald Reagan is a massive ship....pictures don't do it justice. There are about 5,000 men and women on this ship....it is a floating city. The men lined the deck dressed in their dress whites...such a sight to see!

So, when the ship finally docked....right in front of it was a perfect rainbow. A different one then in the picture before. It had it's own rainbow..it was so cool. My picture doesn't do it justice....I took it through the rain and kind of far away.

Derek and I spent about 3 days in Hawaii...and relaxed, caught up on life, I read 3 books (I'm a super fast reader)...and we shopped....got lots of little Hawaiian gifts for the family. It was nice to have some alone time before we jumped right back into family life.
We got back to San Diego Thursday night...and the girls were so excited to see Derek! They had made signs and were jumping up and down waiting for him to get down the escalator. Hannah cried and Maddy was all smiles.

So, now we're home...and life is slowly easing back to normal. I have to say that it's a little bit of a transition....Derek keeps moving stuff around...and I can't find things....he leaves the toilet seat up....and does guy stuff...so he's getting used to my messy ways and I'm getting used to his organized ways...and we are all getting back to being a family with 2 parents.
So, I do have some scrappy things to share...but the family is waiting on me to leave...we're going to Julian to stay at his folks house again (just got back last night from their house, but going again for Thanksgiving)...so I have to go now....but will do a good scrappy post next time!!
Have a great Thanksgiving!

~The Cutest Shabbiest Little LSS...and I'm Teaching There!!

One night LATE...I was up Blog Hopping...and eventually ended up at this blog for a Scrapbook Store called Paper Tales...I sat and looked at all the pictures, drooled a little on my shirt...and read a bunch of the posts...and then I spied it...that little print somewhere...this store is HERE in San Diego...

Now you see, San Diego is really broken up in sections...there is North County, Downtown, Beaches, etc... and then there is the county WAY East...East County, which is where I hail from..and us East County People...well, we just stay in East County..yep, we don't venture far...

Well, I decided that I HAD to go see this store...so I went and took a peek..and was blown away...I got home and wondered if it was all a dream...so I went back with a friend (Hi Kathy!)to go and browse and then eat lunch at one of my fave places that happens to be next door(Soup Plantation, or if you're from the South..Sweet Tomatoes)..except..we never made it to lunch at SP...before I knew it, the time had flown..kiddos were getting out of school..and it was time to speed off.

So, Michelle the owner, has done it right....I think she snuck inside my head and took all my ideas of what kind of scrapbook store I would have, if I owned one....Here, this will entice you a bit...

Hmmmmm...back for more, huh? Well, OK..just a few more....but not all of them because I want you to keep reading my post.....



Well, back to Michelle...she is very spunky, very down to earth, an A Muse Stamp DT (they have some stamps that are so stinkin cute) member and a fellow Navy wife....yep, with a hubby that retired not too long ago..that was a Helicopter pilot..OK, 2-0... Navy wife, Scrapbooker...ummm...very fun..and we had so much in common...and she "Gets" me...we have that Navy and scrapbooker lingo down...I'm sure that the common (and I don't mean common as in ordinary, but common as in a normal person) would think we were speaking a foreign language... Don't go away yet..here are a couple more pics to keep you hanging on....

Look at all these colored tulle..!!
OK, I saved the best for last...well, almost last...the couch...Oh Dear Shabby Gods....

She has lots of vintage finds...yep, she's got friends that hit the estate sales and package up little goodies....I have a big basket full of them...so cute...and she puts them in little scallop cut clear bags with seam ribbon bows and stamped prices (oh..and they are cheap!)..and when you buy stuff..it gets wrapped in tissue paper and put in white shopping bags with handles...you feel like a million bucks!
And.......they carry Maya Road, Pink Paislee(who btw, has a brand new beautiful website, so if you have their blog linked anywhere, you need to re-link it)and 7Gypsies..all 3 of my favorite brands...and a bunch more...Jenni Bowlin, Melissa Frances, Sassafrass Lass, Making Memories...and on and on and on...plus she has the cutest little gift items..OK, I'll quit and get on with it...Make sure if you stop in there, you tell her I said "hi"! I don't think she will give you the "Saw it on Katie's blog" discount...but I bet she'll wrap up your purchase nice and pretty!

So, I am teaching there on Sunday, Dec. 7th..at 2pm. I am teaching a Holiday/Christmas Banner class...using Pink Paislee's Tinsel Town line...and Maya Road...lots of glitter, vintage music sheet paper, velvet flowers, tulle and silk ribbon. A thank you to Miss (she's actually a Mrs...but Miss sounds so much cuter!) Sarah Moore for allowing me to scraplift her stars behind the letters idea...She's my friend (yep, Sarah, I owe you an email...don't worry, you aren't the only one!)from Down Under and a military wife!

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Sooooo, that date again? Oh, OK...I thought that's what you said...Sunday, Dec 7th..be there or be square..for sign up info go to the Paper Tales blog and get the contact info (don't know how cool that is to post a phone number)...

I guess that's it...oh yeah, and I think I broke my friggin toe today...I have x-rays in the morning...I think it might have to be popped back into place...Yikes!

Just Random Stuff................and a bit of Rambling...

Ok, first of all I get to see my Husband in just over a week!! 9 days to be exact! I'm meeting his ship in Hawaii and If I can get my crap together to make arrangements, I might get to meet Miss Molly (love her work), she lives in Hawaii and is a fellow Navy Wife. I get there the night before Derek pulls in..so I'll have some extra time.
I miss Derek very much and cannot wait to be with him again....9 days and counting....(girls are screaming at each other upstairs as I type this...and I'm so burned out, I cannot tell you)! 6 months is a LOOOONG time (the week for Ian's funeral doesn't count...it was a blur) and I am so ready.
Next...Derek contacted me this morning and told me to check my computer...It was early...I was not awake...and annoyed that I had to get out of my warm bed...but curiosity got the best of me and I got up..well, he got tickets for TONIGHT for me and the girls to go see CARRIE UNDERWOOD in concert! Good seats also!
You see.....she is my girls FAVORITE singer ever!! And here is the other reason why I am excited.......cause this girl....

LOVES to sing!! We were at a DIVA party and they did karaoke...and when Hannah got up there...the Mom's in the back row...gasped. Yep, she's that good with NO training...she sings all the time...when she's picking out her clothes, on the potty, playing...she always is full of songs...so I did finally, this week, get my butt in gear to get her in singing lessons.....now this is weird, her teacher's husband is on Derek's ship..the USS Ronald Reagan. Small world...huh. Her teacher started her with "A Spoon Full of Sugar" from Mary Poppins..well, Hannah did not want to do that...she wanted to do Carrie Underwood..so her teacher said next week if she brings the music notes to a song so she that she can accompany her on the piano that she can sing Carrie Underwood.... So, she is beyond thrilled that she gets to see her LIVE tonight!!


OK, next....Kenner Road...I haven't had alot of time to work on this months kit...(I'm planning 2 classes so have been busy) but I did get 2 layouts done the other day...I'm not done with the kit yet, but wanted to share what I did so far...have stuff ready for my next project with this months kit..loved the vintage papers that came this month! For the life of me, I can't figure out how to make a full image of these layouts...if you click on them, they are full sized...oh well, you get the picture!




OK, so the above layout brings me to my next thing....I KNOW why God made teenagers....I really think I do...it's to teach us that we DON'T have to be liked by everybody...it desensitises us...it makes us more accepting of people completely disliking us...I think I was way more of a sensitive person before I had a teenager....Really....he's 17 and I'm sure that he's added at least 17 years to my life in the last 6 months....and really right now I know that he hates me....but I've accepted that..and hope by age 20 that he'll like me again...and that one day when he has kids that he'll call me and say, "Mom, now I understand..." I hope....

So, this has been a really, really LONG week...my kids are missing their Daddy so much, my teenager is on the skitz, my house is a mess, the yard guy came for his check (hence, the teenage drama continues..and yard work seemed to be the death of us every Saturday so the yard guy is our new friend...) so I am very low on extra spending money, I need to see the dentist...I leave for Hawaii next week and still have 40 pounds to lose..., I was a day late on my Pink Paislee blog post........Oh dear, that's the next thing....Pink Paislee blog post.....Here is a little peek at it... My Pink Paislee Blog Project is right HERE !


Ok, well...I guess that I have overwhelmed you all enough....I haven't had time to post on my blog in a bit..so you are getting it all at once. I am off to doll up for the concert!!

~I'm the Guest Designer at A Million Memories~ Take a Peek!

I am the guest designer for A Million Memories this month! The November kit is gorgeous and you can see it HERE! Love the reds and aquas!!

To see the full pictures of my projects go HERE!

Michelle, the owner of A Million Memories, holds a dear place in my heart. When she bought AMM, she contacted me through 2Peas and asked me if I would be on her DT. I was beyond thrilled and learned SO much as a DT member at AMM. There are products that I had never used (seriously, rubons were a major stress to me!) and probably would have never used if I had not been on her DT.
She helped me to stretch my limits and think outside the box. I really credit her with everything I have now (Manu DT's etc) as she gave me my start. I was there for a year...and sometimes around the end of the month...when I think of all the kit teams...up late trying to finish their assignments for the premiere day...I get a little jealous of that excitement of reveal day and seeing what everybody else has done with the exact same kit!!

So with that I end...thanks Michelle!!