more pics from CE...

OK... I tried to create a fancy slideshow....but I can't spend more time on it while at work... so just go check out this link...

HIGHLIGHTS from CREATIVE ESCAPE '08

Cupcakes and crafts...

Well...  the long awaited Creative Escape '08 has come and gone.  I can't believe it's over already.  It's so sad.  I think I have post-CE depression.  Focusing on the GOOD... it was, once again, an AWESOME event!!!  Here is a video of the whooooole event.... 

You can find me at 11:38...
Creative Escape 2008 Photo Slideshow from Bazzill Basics Paper on Vimeo.

Basically a weekend filled with some of my favorite things... friends, a great hotel and, hello?  ARTS and CRAFTS!!!!  What else can I say?  

Arizona was as hot as Haiti's this time around (it always is, isn't it?) and my pregnant feet were NOT happy with the amount of time I spent walking, standing and sitting and swelled up to SCARY proportions... OMG... I was scared.  They looked like meatloaves at the end of tree trunks (my legs swelled up too).  Once I got back to Cali, things simmered down... so it must've just been the heat or over-use.  I also brought home a nice little COLD.  Ummm... yes, I know I have sounded like I have had a cold for the last 5 months,  so my sniffles and congestion seemed like nothing new (to the untrained professional) but I felt like POO.  I even skipped the Saturday night festivities for BED.  As Murphy's law would have it, I won a huge raffle prize.  Luckily I have honest friends and they brought it to me.  Sweet.  I also won two other prizes during the event, so this was definitely my lucky year!

Here's another pic of Mabelle and me caught in the act of SHOPPING.... don't tell my husband!  Ha!

 

During this trip we also were lucky enough to stop at Sprinkles for some DE-lish cakes.  Mmmmm... mmmm.  If you EVER get the chance... please indulge.  They are SO worth it!!!
I'll be sure to post more pics once I download them... I am BARELY recovering enough to blog right now.

2 weeks from today...

...I will be getting ready to go to Arizona for the yearly Creative Escape. This time I am road-tripping with Mabelle and Shannon. Once there I will be reuniting with my Donna. I don't know what I'm more excited about, meeting up with Donna or all the crafty goodness I'm about to dive in to. Besides the girl-time, arts n' crafts, shopping, and just plain ol' fun, it also means a WHOLE WEEK of NO WORK!!! Wooo hooooo! I think overall, THAT has to be the best part, aside from the Donna part.

What else... this weekend I took FULL advantage of the hubs being home. Get your mind out of the gutter... I mean in the "why it's so nice to have a husband around" sort of way... like fixing the garbage disposal. This weekend was BABY OLYMPICS 2008. We went to one of those places where you can get a 3D or 4D image of your peanut... YES, I KNOW... those 3D/4D pics FREAK.ME.OUT. However, we went to find out the sex of the baby. The good news is that they also do the 2D black & white images that we are all very used to... they just don't advertise that. Once you're there though, they've got ya, so they'll do whatever you want. We chose to stick to only 2D black & white. The equipment they use is SO CLEAR and just plain AWESOME. It seriously puts the doc's equipment to shame. We saw the little monkey moving around like cRaZy and the very first thing we saw was the little babe throwing us a peace sign. It was so cool. We got a good look at the junk and got the answer we were searching for. Tony and I are pretty impatient, so we just decided (I decided) on a whim to just "do it." We're so glad we did. We couldn't imagine waiting another 6 weeks. It got us even more pumped and excited (as if I could be any more excited). Since Tony is leaving again for another month, I wanted this additional piece of information so that he could feel more connected.

Don't even ask. We decided that all (18) of you will have to wait until the "official" ultrasound on September 22nd to know. Hee hee. We want to keep it our little secret for now. Tony is SURE I'll spill the beans before then, but I am going to try... TRY.

Anyway, back to taking advantage of the hubs and the baby Olympics. You see, since Tony is only here for a week or two between month long business trips, and because I want him to be involved in this waiting-for-baby process, we are doing as much as possible to get ready. This means putting together the stroller, testing out the car seat- to see if it fits in the mini... (it does) and to see of the stroller fits in the mini, at the same time the car seat is in the mini (it does). It may seem too early to be tending to this kind of business, but I am a planner and I like to be ready and when he's only here for a week every month, technically we only have 5 weeks to get all this stuff done. See what I mean?

Now if I could only get that darn room cleaned out... UGH!!!!

why the wait?

Seriously? Has it seriously been over 2 weeks since I last updated this blog? Sorry to my 4 loyal readers. I would hate to dissapoint you. I actually don't really know how many people read this thing, since you are all LURKERS and don't leave comments (I threw that in there for YOU Donna). Anyway... here is the latest and greatest... a laundry list of what's been keeping me away from blogland...
Wedding #2- Just when you thought all the work was done (for wedding #1) you turn around and have to start the THANK YOU note black hole once again. UGH... I am so behind with the TY notes from shower #2. Those NEED to get done ASAP.
Creative Escape- OMG! As if I thought any less... but this year was AWESOME!!! (So was last, but whatever... live in the NOW.) We (Shannon and I) got there at like 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning. We decided to drive through the night so as to get some rest before our adventure began on Wednesday on the 11 a.m. bus tour of Bazzill Basics Paper and Scrapbooks, Etc. I'm soooo glad we did that b/c Wednesday was EXHAUSTING!!! The tour was fab as usual... BBP has a new warehouse... so now I can say i\I've seen 'em all! They had a warehouse sale that I just couldn't pass up. I HOOKED Mablee and me up with some shiznit... whew! So much, in fact, that I had to ship it homeinstead of haul it in the Mini. Scrapbboks was fabulous as well... but by that point i was ready to go already. We had a luxury bus for the tour, so my scrappy friends and I just chilled until the rest of the group paid for their goodies and got on board. Mouth announced some information regarding another place we just had to visit named "Melrose Vintage." This place TOTALLY was awesome. Very shabby chic. I wanted to buy furniture as well as scrappy stuff... but Shannon needed a ride back to SD, so I couldn't just ditch her for a 1925 style cradle. There's always next year! Once we were done shopping there and dropped off our "guest", we met up with Donna's hubby and went to eat at "Oregeno's." Can you say DELISH? Very good stuff. MMMMmmmm... I'm thinking of it now.... back at the room, we rented "the Waitress" with Keri Russell... good flick. Good night.
DAY 2 (Thursday)- Started the day off at the lazy river. Not as good as the lazy river from the bachelorette weekend. Not at all. Quite disappointing in fact. BUT WHO CARES??? REGISTRATION started at 1 p.m. baby, and let me tell you, I was the first in line (until someone bigger and louder than me- if you can imagine- bullied their way in front of me). We zipped through reggy and got started on the Technique Boutique. Fun as usual. Checked out the Trunk Show... good stuff to see. Too many pushy people... but I got through it. Then there was the "Welcome" ceremony (not really a ceremony...) and we were off to dinner again with the girls and Dave. This time we opted for greek but it turned out to be greek/italian. I had a little of both, YUM again. Off to bed... we have to wake up very early for b-fast and our first class!
DAY 3 (Friday)- 1st day of classes. Soldering. Purse thing (not my favorite). Lunch. Heidi Swapp (FAVORITE) and then a "free" period. We went back to the on-site store to pick up some must-have's from the classes. Then it was time for dinner and then the "Friday Night Extravaganza." As tired as I was... (this FNE didn't start until like 8:30 p.m. or so), this was a kick-ass thing to do. It was like a rush getting through these projects... very fast paced, but fun. We getback to the room afterwards and b/c I was so amped, I couldn't fall asleep. So my bunky and I stayed up talking until like 1:30 a.m. or so. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE. Waking up at 6 a.m. was not fun. No way Ho say!
DAY 4 (Saturday)- UGH! I was so tired....but CE waits for no one! The show goes on. Breakfast and then we had cards, layouts (not my fav), lunch, Rhonna's book and then the kick-ass plastic folder book! SWEET!!! Loved it all. I finally got RAK'd at the last class... whew... I bet I'm always last b/c of my last name. Next year will prove my theory (as I will use my new last name). Off to the good-bye dinner... ate dessert first (OF COURSE), then dinner (very yummy), then prizes (didn't win), then the keynote speach by Allison TylerJones, then the finale of "who wins a spot for next year?" (not me). Off to the room, said our goodbyes, packed and went to BED!!!
DAY 5 (Sunday)- SLEPT IN! Yahoo! I love sleeping in at hotels b/c they have the BEST dark curtains that can keep out the light of a nuclear explosion. Nice and cold and dark in the room. Talk about a recipe for a great night's sleep! Once we packed it up and got our selves organized and fit back into the mini, we went and had lunch with Donna and Dave at Oregano's for old times sake. Yum. Note self: a small pizza at Oregenao's is not small. Said our good-byes, once again and headed west.
The mini was awesome on the trip. One tank of gas on the way there and one on the way back. Awesome mileage! I was glad to be back home and with Tones. There is nothing like being back home. It wasn't the hot oven I left, which made the homecoming that much better! Until next year, CE... keep the ideas coming!

no... you are not seeing things...

THAT my friend...smack dab in the middle of that last mosaic... it the pre-party package from CREATIVE ESCAPE.... *God music is playing*.... the mecca of creativity is soon upon me... a mere 19 days... this year they sent us a "let's get it started" package with some fun goodies.

I CANNOT FREAKING WAIT.