Grandma's House

2009-01-29T08:22:00.000-05:00

"1. Inside Your Heaven - Carrie Underwood"

Born Again American

2009-01-27T13:47:00.001-05:00

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

More fun ideas from the folks at Sparkpeople.

2008-12-11T14:22:00.002-05:00

I didn't know where I should post this, under the inexpensive Christmas gift ideas or under the healthy eating and fitness blog I have. I decided to share it here, as I love making my own Christmas gifts. I will make a few of these this year too. You can also use corn in your bags, (NOT "POP" CORN)I find a lot of my tips and information, from my favorite site these days, Sparkpeople.com

Just for your own information, if you are looking for a quick ice pack, grap a bag of frozen peas. They work great!
Gail

By: Stepfanie Romine : 12/11/2008 9:06:23 AM : 34 comments

I've written about the miracles of the rice sock.

This handy low-tech gadget eased an excruciating sinus headache I had a few weeks back. Since I made mine, it had soothed sore knees after yoga, loosened a tight lower back and even warmed cold feet as I typed in my home office.

Have a friend who constantly battles aches and pains? Make one of these as a holiday gift!

Buy a new sock or, if you're especially handy, sew a long, thin tube for your rice sock. These rice socks come in handy, and they're an easy craft for kids. Make sure you use a new, clean sock if you're giving this as a gift. (If you want to get really fancy, buy a kit or use fabric scraps to sew a long sleeve for your rice sock.)

Supplies:
1 large (new) sock
1-2 pounds rice (any kind; the amount with vary based on the size of your sock)
Needle and thread
--or--
Ribbon

Fill sock with rice, then sew the top shut or use a ribbon to tightly tie the sock closed. (Make sure you explain to the recipient that they put it in the microwave until it's hot, then place it on the aching body part.)

Bonus: Add a few drops of essential oil to the rice to create an aromatherapy sock.

Make your own gift cup

2008-12-11T13:18:00.003-05:00

Find one of those big holiday cups at the dollar store. Fill it with hot cocoa mix, a small gift bag of your favorite flavored Coffee or tea, add a couple of these Ginger Spice Biscotti (recipe follows). Wrap with some colorful celafane, and tie with a pretty holiday ribbon.
I like this idea so much I am going to make some myself.
Gail

Ginger Spice Biscotti
Found this recipe on Spark People today

Ingredients

Canola oil spray
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour
4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup unsweented apple butter or applesauce
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped dried pineapple or other dried fruit

Nutritional Info

Fat: 2.5g
Carbohydrates: 10.3g
Calories:68.0
Protein: 1.2g

1. reheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with canola oil spray and set aside.

2. In medium bowl, mix next 7 ingredients and set aside. Using electric mixer or food processor, combine eggs with oil and apple butter for 10 seconds. Add sugar and blend for 30 more seconds. Add half of dry mixture and process until smooth. Add remaining dry mixture and process until a soft and sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to a large bowl; fold in dried fruit. Divide dough in half and place on either end of cookie sheet.

3. With damp hands, form each piece of dough into a log 3 inches wide and about 3/4-inch high. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Logs will spread durig baking. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. With serrated knife, slice each log into 1/2-ich cookies, cutting on a diagonal. Bake 10 minutes.

4. Turn each cookie over and bake 10 more minutes. Turn oven off and leave biscotti in oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack. Store at room temperature.

Makes 40 servings.

The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on diet and cancer and educates the public about the results.

Another inexpensive gift idea form Spark People

2008-12-10T23:12:00.000-05:00

Healthy, Homemade Gifts: Hearty Gourmet Oatmeal
By: Stepfanie Romine : 12/9/2008 2:59:01 PM : 70 comments

In the middle of winter, when the mercury's dropping and the snow is piling up outside, is there anything more comforting than a bowl of oatmeal?

Judging from your answers last week, most of you agree with me. Plain old oatmeal becomes a tedious breakfast rather quickly, but the fancy flavored versions are pricey and full of artificial flavors.

Thankfully, making your own gourmet oatmeal is easy. Flavored oatmeal makes a great gift for the busy professional, a time-strapped mom or anyone who says there's no time for a healthy breakfast.

Stepfanie's Oatmeal Mix
Ingredients
6 cups old-fashioned or steel-cut oats
3/4 c ground flax seeds
3 T cinnamon
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
Mix all ingredients together. Makes 12 servings (about 3/4 cup each)
Store in the refrigerator as flax seeds and walnuts can spoil quickly.

Nutrition info
Number of Servings: 12
Calories: 329
Total Fat: 15.3 g* (This is mostly heart-healthy fats from the walnuts and flaxseed, both of which contain Omega-3 fatty acids.)
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.2 mg
Total Carbs: 44.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 8.8 g
Protein: 8.9 g

Directions
Divide the oatmeal into single servings (1 cup food storage containers work great for this) or deliver the gift in a decorative cookie jar. Personalize this as you'd like. Swap almonds, pumpkin seeds or pecans for the walnuts; use raisins, dried pineapple or some apple rings instead of cranberries. If you prefer sweetened oatmeal: Add cocoa powder and a bit of sugar, toss in some brown sugar or give a bottle of real maple syrup to supplement the gift. You can also use barley, cracked wheat, wheat germ or oat bran.

Bonus: Buy the materials for this oatmeal from the bulk bins at the grocery store to save more money.

How do you top your oatmeal?

Healthy, Homemade Gifts: Chocolate Spoons

2008-12-07T11:56:00.004-05:00

A Spark People idea for those of us looking for ways to cut cost on gift this year. I will be sharing more ideas with you. Let's make this a less comercial Christmas and put our hearts and hands into making special gifts this year.

Healthy, Homemade Gifts: Chocolate Spoons
By: Stepfanie Romine (a Spark People contributor)

You might say that chocolate isn't a "healthy" gift. We disagree. Everything is fine in moderation, and dark chocolate (at least 70%) contains antioxidants.

Studies have found that dark chocolate helps prevent heart disease and cancer, and has also been shown to improve mood by boosting the brain chemical serotonin. Some even consider chocolate an effective diet food, claiming that a chunk of chocolate before meals diminishes your appetite.

Just be choosy about your chocolate and monitor your portions. That's one reason we love these chocolate spoons. They're easy to make and are instantly portion controlled.

Chocolate spoons
What you need:

10 Spoons (pick up mismatched ones at the thrift store)

1 cup semisweet or dark chocolate*

Fun extras: crushed peppermint candy, melted white chocolate, sprinkles, shredded coconut

Waxed paper

Plastic wrap

Ribbon

Melt chocolate in the microwave. Set timer for 2 minutes or so, taking care to stir every 30 seconds or so.

Spread out a sheet of waxed paper. Dip clean, dry spoons into the chocolate, then place them on the waxed paper. Allow the spoons to cool slightly, then dip them in the chocolate again. Repeat until chocolate reaches the desired thickness on the spoon. While they're still warm, add the "extras" if you're using them. Place spoons in the fridge to set. Once firm and cool, wrap each one in plastic wrap and tie with a ribbon.

Calories: 43.6 calories, 2.3 g fat (extras not included; you'll only use about 1/2 cup of chocolate.)
*Dark chocolate contains at least 70% cacao.

What's your favorite chocolate combination? Recently, I've become fond of the orange-dark chocolate combination. Would you make these spoons to give to someone?

The Pumpkin Adventure

2008-10-26T14:52:00.003-04:00

I just rec'd this email from my daughter. I really have to share it with all of you. I do have her permission. She tells it in such a funny way.

"One of my dearest friends, Landon's godmother Dori, Kelly (Dori's cousin), the kids and I went on a great adventure yesterday and wanted to share our story.

Dori and I had this wonderful plan to go to the pumpkin patch to take the boys on a hay ride and pick pumpkins. This would be her nephews first time to a pumpkin patch. Of course Bryan was relieved, he didn't have to participate in such an activity. We had it planned for atleast a week. We waited out the weather, as it had been raining the day before, and just when the sun started peeking out, we were off.

We drove all the way to Camden, ok, it only takes about 30 minutes, but still.... we had a one year old (Dori's nephew baby Allen, or as she lovingly has named him "Goose") "singing" the whole way, and my two boys who were extremely excited about going to the pumpkin patch!

Let me point out that it was approximately 2:30 when we left. Dori had plans at 6, in Columbia (which is an hour away), and I had a babysitter arriving at the house at 5, so we had a time limit, but surely an accountant and lawyer could pull it off, after all, we are both really intelligent women.

We arrived at the patch, sometime after 3 only to find out they were SHUT DOWN:(

So here we are, with three kids, who were obviously disappointed, well Goose doesn't count, he was still "singing" in his own little world and appeared very content watching all the cows in the fields.

So, Dori being a lawyer and I an accountant had to come up with Plan B, and fast! We decided to turn back and follow these signs to a haunted house, we thought they surely would have pumpkins for sale!

We drove and drove and drove, left turn, right turns, who knew where we were going, but we knew there just had to be some pumpkins there. We did notice, that the signs all had different dates on them some appeared very old, but the lawyer and accountant in the Tahoe were determined to find pumpkins! Kelly, the very intelligent teenager, announced that some of those signs were for pervious years, as the dates were not coordinating with the weekends. Darn smartass teenagers think they know everything.

Dalton began protesting in the back, "Turn around, turn around!" And of course his shadow, Landon, chimed right along!

Finally it was 4 pm, and we found the haunted house location, which was CLOSED, and no pumpkins in site.

At this point we agreed it was time to turn around. We had paid attention to all the signs, and planned to simply follow them pack out of the country roads. So we followed our signs back, or so we thought! Somehow we ended up going in a complete circle and ended up right back at the haunted house, which as you know was CLOSED.

So the lawyer says to the accountant, I think we went in a circle, and the teenager laughs at us! The smart lawyer announces that the accountant needs to pull up along side that Dodge truck over there, which happens to be the only person we have seen in the past hour and half, because the farmer on the tractor didn't count, for directions back to Camden, which will be our last resort for pumpkins.

The polite toothless lady in the Dodge, said "take that road right there, to the stop sign and turn right, and then drive to the next stop sign and turn right again, and you will be smack into Camden." What do you know, her directions were perfect, and we went right past the originally pumpkin patch that was SHUT DOWN, and arrived to a main road in Camden.

Some where along the way, Goose got quite, yep he fell asleep! The lawyer at this point was a little green, apparently lawyers do not do well on country roads driven by accountants. Then the miracle happened, as we turned left, there was a church parking lot, filled with PUMPKINS. Landon proudly announces, "We are finally here, we made it!" Seeing the boys smiles was all worth it. The lawyer's color improved, and six pumpkins later, we were on our way. We arrived back at our house around 4:50, just in time for the babysitter, and for Dori to return her nephew and head back to Columbia.

Hope you all enjoy our pictures, and remember this, never trust a lawyer and an accountant to plan a trip to a pumpkin patch!"

Repeating my blog message here:

2008-10-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

I am heading to Syracuse NY tomorrow. My best friend will pick me up at the airport. We will start our Road Trip right away. I wish I had a laptop so that I could share this journey on line with you all.
You know that big trip after graduation that you always wanted to take? Well this is my trip. I have always wanted to travel by car across the country. And what better way to do it than with your best friend.
So here we are a couple of grandma's taking a trip across the country by car. She is moving there and I am keeping her company on the trip. We have been best friends for 36 years. We raised are kids together, camped together and drank a lot of coffee together. We have laughed and cried together many times over the last three decades. I am so happy to be able to join her on this trip. I can't wait to see some of this beautiful country we live in.

I worry that I will lose my momentum here with not being able to visit with all my teams. In the past traveling has meant weight gain. I am hoping that this time the desire stays with me to eat healthy and to get some exercise.

I will be reporting back. around the 20th or 21st of this month. I will have weigh in on the 23rd so I will let you all know how I have done.

Gail

Quote of the Day

2008-10-02T08:18:00.000-04:00

Stamp Camp success

2008-09-15T08:09:00.002-04:00

Hello fellow stampers. I held my first of this year's Christmas Card Stamp Camp on Sat. I prepared for 6, which means lots of cutting. Wore the blade out on my cutter. I like to have one extra set of things in case someone wants to come at the last minute. Unfortunately this time one canceled out at the last minute, so I had two extra sets. What did that mean for me... I got some of my own crds done. After everyone left and before I cleaned everything up, I made up my cards. Yahoo... Now I am ahead on my own cards. I think everyone liked the cards I designed. One was a gate fold, one was on glossy card stock, and one was embossed on a cuttle bug. I am sure you all are dying to see them and I promise I will take some pictures later today to show you. One of the stampers had never done any stamping before. I didn't even know her before Sat. Another new stamper gave her my card and she called to join the class. I just love new stampers, they are so excited about making the cards and the different techniques you use. Hard to beleive that Christmas is only 3 months and 10 days away! Have a great day.
Gail

2008-09-08T12:07:00.001-04:00

I'm a Mazda RX-8!

You're sporty, yet practical, and you have a style of your own. You like to have fun, and you like to bring friends along for the ride, but when it comes time for everyday chores, you're willing to do your part.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Christmas Card Stamp Camp

2008-09-06T08:48:00.003-04:00

I will be getting ready for Christmas Card Stamp Camp this week. I have 6 maybe 7 ladies signed up. This is the biggest group I have done in my home. I plan on setting up stations and step it out instructions so that those who know how, can work at their own pace. I have several brand new stampers that will need to have more help. We always have a good time at these camps and I look forward to preparing for this class. It must be the elementary teacher in me that loves all the prep work for the classes.

It has been a busy summer!

2008-08-27T20:56:00.003-04:00

We have had Birthday's, grandsons visiting, visiting our daughter and family in SC, My hospice volunteering, Library volunteering, and stamp classes. Since I decided to give up being a SU demo I am finding myself very busy with new stampers. I already have 5 people signed up for my first Christmas Stamp Camp of the year, Sept 13th. My Coffee Shop stampers Class is growing too. It is always so much fun to get new stampers.

I connected with a distant cousin of my husband's while doing genealogy research. I have been having a lot of fun looking over all the info she shared with me. She even shared a photo of my husband's grandfather when he first came to this country at age 2. I am having so much fun researching my roots. I have a line on another branch of my family and hope it leads to more info.

Last week I had a little scare, with dizziness and chest discomfort. Went to the ER and then was admitted overnight to monitor my heart. PTL I had a clean bill of health on my heart. Just a little low on Potassium, and a sinus infection. I am on an antibiotic and feeling pretty good. Scared my kids, and DH. My DD told me the next time I needed time away from DH I should get a hotel room, it would be cheaper.LOL In a way it was good, because it made me realize I need to take better care of myself.

Relay for Life

2008-07-18T12:52:00.002-04:00

Today is Relay for Life. I am quite excited about it. This is my first Relay, not sure of what to expect, but I am looking forward to it. I was able to raise over $200 myself, and I helped with some corporate fund raising. Our team exceeded it's goal already, so anyuthing we make tonight will be extra. We will be setting up Wi Fi bowling at our booth. That should be fun.

The Genealogy Bug

2008-07-16T13:54:00.003-04:00

If you have never been bitten by this bug, you may not appreciate the phone call I had today. A real live person from my DH's family line contacted me today. We will be sharing info on our families and adding more branches to our trees. I hope that all of you have someone in your family that is keeping family records for future generations. I did not start until recently. My parents and my DH's parents are deceased. All my dad's siblings are gone and only two are left on my mom's side. It is so much harder to connect the dots without a real live person to talk with. I just became the eldest cousin on my dad's side of the family. I am the keeper of the family information. I can't wait to put this information in a scrapbook.

Big Announcement......

2008-07-13T20:28:00.003-04:00

I have been promising a big announcement for the past month. We are back from vacation and it is time to make that announcement. I am giving up my SU demonstratorship. There I have said it and beginning August 1st, I am a free agent. I am no longer bond by SU and will be able to show other products and stamps at all my classes. I am very excited about this. I was never meant to be a business woman, It is jut not my thing. I am, and always will be, a teacher. That is what I enjoy and that is what I will continue to do. I will not leave my SU customers high and dry. I love SU products and will continue to use them myself. I have made arrangements with a dear friend who will put in SU orders for us. Thank you Carol, you are the best. So if there is something you want, contact me and Carol will get it for you. The new catalog is going to be released in August and I am sure you are dying to see what SU has to offer. Let me know if you want one of the new catalogs.

I had my first stamping event since coming back from vacation. It was good to get back to stamping after my 6 week hiatus. We made card organizers. I got to use my new zutter bind it machine for the first time. I love that machine. I can see many other projects in my future. I will take a picture of it tomorrow and get it posted for you all to see.

It is good to be home. I was able to do a lot of genealogy stuff while in NY. Spent a lot of time walking through cemeteries. I learned a lot and I now have more questions to find answers to. More tomorrow.....

BIG ANNCOUNCEMENT COMING IN JULY

2008-06-16T10:13:00.002-04:00

I will be making an announcement in July. Stop back for more news once I return from vacation.
We are having a wonderful time in NY. It is always fun to see family and old friends. I spent some time with my brother, nephew, and great nieces over the weekend. Sure is fun watching the next generation growing up. My DH fishing trip did not include father's day this year. We actually got to spend it with our son. I love seeing father and son together. They are more alike every year. I got to see that scar on his knee in person. I think I am glad I didn't see it right after the snow mobile accident. We will be off to see more friends this week. The time is flying by.
Gail

On Vacation!

2008-06-05T14:24:00.002-04:00

I have had no visitors to this blogsite, but just incase you happen by, I will be away for all of June. I may have the opportunity to post durning that time, but if I don't look for me in July.
Gail

a few projects

2008-05-19T15:02:00.001-04:00

I did these a long time ago; made with a simply scrappin kit.

Part of my stamp room

2008-05-19T14:29:00.003-04:00

Thought I wouls show you where I store my stamps, (well most of them anyways) I am hoping that posting this will encourage me to straighten the rest of the stamp room to show you. Right know it is very cluttered and disorganized. I am having a cook out on Memorial day, so I need to get this room back in shape. I have moved a lot of things around, but I still am not happy with the way I have things.

2008-05-18T16:38:00.001-04:00

This is where we live.

2008-05-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

This is Miss Chloe Belle, the only "grandaughter" I will likely have.

New camera, new pictures

2008-05-18T16:27:00.003-04:00

It took me awhile to figure out how to get the pictures on to my PC from my camera, but I did finally get them transferred. Now I will share some new things with you. This is my Daughter. Mother of my two wonderful grandson's. Isn't she cute?

Hello

2008-05-18T14:24:00.002-04:00

It has been a long time since I posted anythng on this site. I thought I would like to update my blogsites today. I have a few pictures to share. Which I will do in a little while. I have been realy busy with my genealogy research. I have really been bitten by that bug. Most of what I have found has been pretty easy to find, now it is getting more difficult. Some days the searching reveals nothing new, but every once and a while I uncover something new and I get all excited again. We will be heading up to Rochester NY at the end of the month. I hope to do a lot of digging while I am there. My family is from Central NY so I will be trying to spend so time there connecting with distant relatives and combing old records. I can hardly wait. I will also be going to a CKC in Buffalo with my friend Patty. We will be working several of the events , but will have plenty of time to shop! We always have a great time at this convention. Maybe I will see some of you there.

2008-03-17T15:41:00.006-04:00

I just got a new digital camera... Now I can post some pictures. These are the cards I made at my class this week. Got my idea from Maria Bell. Who has a great blogsite in case you haven't been there. You will find her in my blog roll. The second picture is one I got from somewhere... sorry can't remember who right now. oops just checked and I didn't up load it to my computer yet. I will do that and get back to you. OK to give credit where credit is due... finally remember where I saw the happy hello card... On Roxy's blog. Another great blog for isnspiration.

So... I haven't added the stamp sale list.

2008-03-13T09:40:00.002-04:00

I will take some time this afteroon to do that. I have been devoting a lot of time to my weight loss journey, see my other blog site. I do have a class to prepare for this weekend so I will be working on that tomorrow. Maria has a great tutorial on a slit flower frame that I want to try. I will be playing with that tomorrow.

retired stamps sets ...what should I do?

2008-03-02T14:23:00.003-05:00

I have a bunch of these to sell: I have seen serveral people who are selling them on their blog so I thought I might as well do that. I will make up a list with prices and post it tomorrow. I never know how to price them so hopefully I will be able to figure that out. Be on the look out tomorrow.

family pics

2008-02-27T21:49:00.004-05:00

here are a few pictures from the wonderful visit we had with our DGS. This is GS making dinner for Papa.

After our visit to Build a Bear. This is Lucky and our GS.

Results of the snowmobile accident

2008-02-27T21:21:00.003-05:00

So this is what he did to his knee, pretty nasty huh? He would have a fit if he knew I was posting this. Stitches come out tomorrow.

Three snowmoblie accidents

2008-02-14T08:55:00.002-05:00

If someone has had his third snowmoblie accident in the last 10 years shouldn't he be getting rid of the snowmoblie for good? Each time he was lucky not to get killed; broken pelvis, broken ankles, deep laceration requiring 35 stitches to close it up. I sometimes think one of thesse days I will get that dreaded phone call that says he didn't make it this time. Thank God he will recover from this one.

2008-02-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

Got a funny email today, I posted it on my other blogsite, check it out.

New decade begins!

2008-02-01T09:55:00.000-05:00

I turned 60 on Monday (see my other blog to ready about my big day :gram's diet club . I can hardly believe that I am that old. I started doing genealogy research on my family so I am sure my age is correct... I just don't feel that old. I have really neglected this site and want to do better, so Today is Feb. 1st and I am going to post for the first time in almost a month. I really have gotten into genealogy research and spend most of my time doing that and not reading my online blogs. I am going to take some time today to see what you all have been up to.

What is your "word" for 2008?

2008-01-08T15:03:00.000-05:00

I am choosing a word for the year. Something that helps me focus on my goals this year. My word Came to me in Church on Sunday and it has stuck with me since. The word I choose is "Capture"
I want to capture moments in time for reflection, I want to capture memories I am making with my grandsons, or wish to make with them. I want to use my camera more to Capture events, moments and memories. My goal is to do more scrapbooking this year, so capture seems to be appropriate for me. What is your word for the year? post it here and let me know.

January Schedule update

2008-01-08T10:42:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that I had writen that my classes were being held in Feb, Oops, I meant Jan. I corrected the sidebar, Check it out! If you would like to sign up for a class email me or call.
I am going to work on a scrapbook for my TOPS group. We willl be holding an Open house next week, and I wanted to have it finished for that night. I will use SU stuff but the book itself is not SU. When I get the pages done I will share them here, Stay tuned.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

Vacation is over, the holidays are over and now it is time to get back to stamping and scrapping. I have worked on my class schedule and my January Newsletter. The Newsletter was sent out earlier today. I will post the class schedule on the side bar, check it out. DH and I are coping with holiday colds. As soon as I am feeling better I will tackle my scrap room and get some pictures up of cards I have done recently. One of my goals this year is to post more of my work.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T11:51:00.000-05:00

Like everyone else I have been really busy with all the Holiday activities. We are spending Christmas with our DD and family. I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

For all my stampers, I will be getting out the Jan. Newsletter after the first. You are going to love the new catalog. If you haven't ordered yours yet, let me know and I will hook you up. Be watching for the new class schedule.

Enjoy your day with your families spread lots of love and hugs with them all. Merry Christmas. :)
Gail

More pictures from Hawaii

2007-12-13T22:01:00.000-05:00

DH and I enjoying an evening out. The waves were awesome! and the view from our room was either the ocean or Diamond Head.

Aloha

2007-12-12T19:38:00.000-05:00

We have the high speed internet now It took me a couple of days to get it hooked up, but now I can add pictures so much easier. Notice the pic of DH and I on the beach in Hawaii. We saw so many things and I really enjoyed the trip. We had rain everyday but sun too. Pearl Harbor was impressive and so were the waves on the north shore. While we were there they had a big wind storm and the waves got to be 60 ft and bigger. Now that I am home I need to get my Christmas cards done and in the mail. I also have to get Christams packages in the mail. I am so glad I did most of my shopping before we went on vacation. It is good to be home.

Day before the big trip!

2007-11-30T21:07:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone, I have been so busy I haven't even been on line. We leave tomorrow for Hawaii. I think I am all packed, just trying to sit a minute and make sure I haven't forgotten anything. My DH promised he would take me to Hawaii for our 25th wedding anniv. Well we celebrated our 38th anniv this year and he is finally taking me. I am so excited. We will fly directly from Atlanta to Honolulu. It will take about 10 hours to get there. I have never flown that long before. My longest flight has been three hours. I have not flown since 9/11 either, so all the security stuff is going to be new to me.

A little update on what I have been doing. Last week my daughter and I had a few days for a mother daughter bonding time. She took me a Spa where we had hour long massages, pedicures and a manicures. It was wonderful. She is always so busy that this is a time for her to get away and relax, if you call making 80 Christmas cards, writing the Christmas letter, putting together a scrapbook kit about herself, getting eyes examined, picking out glasses, going to one of those food prep places and making 12 dinner entrees for her family and the Spa day.. relaxing. Well to her it was, because she didn't have to chase after the kids, or work. We had a great time. It is just so good to spend time together, not kids or husbands.

I got most of my Christmas shopping done this past week, I knew that this week in Hawaii would have put me behind on my Christmas shopping so I did it early. I have most of my cards made and just have to get that letter written and envelopes addressed. I think I am in pretty good shape.

I guess that will be it until my return from my vacation. Aloha everyone.

DSL @ grandma's house...hooray!!

2007-11-16T17:50:00.000-05:00

Finally we are getting DSL. I have been wanting it forever. Do you know how long it ttakes me to look at some of your blogs? Dial up takes forever. It took DH a long time to argree to the upgrade. Maybe now I can load some more pic on my blog. DD is coming up with Cloe (my granddogger). She will be here Sun. We are going to scrapbook, make Christmas cards and shop. No kids and we were not suppose to have DH here either. But my DH decided to not go hunting. DD informed him not to expect me to cook any meals for him this week. This is mother and daughter time he needs to make himself scarce. Gotta love this girl.

Happy Birthday Papa and LJ

2007-11-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

DH and youngest GS have their birthday this weekend. We got to spend time with with the Grandsons too. Oldest GS made the all star Soccer team and we got to see him practice. He sure is a great little soccer player. My SIL made a wonderful swing set for the little guy. It has a rope climbing wall, a rock climbing wall, two swings, a glider, and a 10 foot slide. He added a steering wheel, a periscope, and telephone to the platform above the slide. He added a sandbox under the the platform. Whenever my SIL makes anything it is top quality. This will last him forever. Even the older GS can still enjoy this. It has been a great weekend. I hope to have pictures to share soon.

I'm so excited....

2007-10-20T20:22:00.000-04:00

I feel like singing. I have been busy the past two weeks. I had a great Christmas card stamp camp on the 13th. Today I had my first scrapbooking workshop. My biggest group so far. I had 11 people there and I with 7 great orders. I was so nervous, it was not like holding a class in my dinning room. These ladies were great and we had a great time. We made a 4 x 5 inch (Soft Sky) brag books with 4 blue bayou pages. We used the med. flat cello bags as page protectors. We tied it together with double stitched Purely pomegranate ribbon. Stamped one of the images from In the Spotlight on the front and put a brad in the middle for accent. It came out really cute.
I had enough orders from some of my regular other stampers that I was able to put in a workshop order for myself and got to stock up on some CS.
I am sending out my first stamp by mail class this week. So all and all I have had a very good month.
I have a huge All Occasion swap that I will be working on next week. My fingers are aching already.

Card to share

2007-10-02T22:09:00.000-04:00

This is a card I did at one of my technique classes.It was done with the Poppin' Polished Stone Technique. Hope you like it.

How cute are they?

2007-09-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

My DD just sent me this. I think this new puppy has more clothes than the boys.

I am paper I knew I would be.

2007-09-25T19:19:00.000-04:00

What scrapbooking item are you?

You are PAPER!You are an all natural basic person who likes to act as a foundation to others. You are willing to take a backseat in most of your relationships and let others take the spotlight, while you show your support and help them shine! Underneath it all, you are the one who makes it all happen. You are the focus and stability in any group, even if you are not the leader. Others look to you to set the pace and provide ideas for ways to get things done. But Paper Beware - sometimes you get a little edgy with the people who look to you for support and can give them some papercut remarks that can hurt their feelings. Remember to watch what you say, because you are best when leading by example.
Take this quiz!

"Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code" ETA I don't know what happened to the link, sorry about that.

Coffee Shop Stamp Class

2007-09-25T18:54:00.000-04:00

Held my Coffee Shop Stamp class today. We used the Serene Sunflower stamp set and the pick a petal( I am loving that set). Every time I use it it is a big hit. We made Lady Bugs and a simple flower with it. I showed them how to do the rock and roll technique with the sunflowers. They really came out great. I will post the pictures to later, but I just wanted to say it was so nice to have a group rather than 1 or 2 people come to my class. Some of my regulars have dropped out so I am trying to reach some new people. The gals today really enjoyed themselves. Hopefully they will join me again.

My Monday plan

2007-09-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

Good morning. I have decided that I need to add some of my art work to this blog. so today I am adding a card I did over the summer. I would like to add more pictures so I will need to get a little more organized. I am going to clean up my stamp room. I had a stamp camp last Thursday, but have not taken those pictures yet.

Today's card Hope you like it.

stamps: Cute as a Bug

CS: pumpkin pie, green galore, and Whisper White

ink: green galore, basic black, creamy carmel, and Choc. Chip

misc: black brads,

Be careful with your tags

2007-09-20T14:11:00.000-04:00

I deleted a previous post... I was reminded by a friend, that it gives out a bit too much personal info.. I didn't think of that when I did it, but I promise to be more careful about things like that. If you were tagged by me recntly, you may want to adjust your answers or even delete it like I did. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Starting to go stir crazy.

2007-09-14T11:14:00.000-04:00

I have been laying low since coming back from the wedding. I am trying to get better, resting and taking the meds. I feel better today, but I canceled all my activities for today too. Tomorrow I am doing the demo at the coffee shop and I want to be up for that. I was going to make a big display to have at the shop, but I don't know if I will be able to get out to buy one of those display boards that are used for reports and science projects. If I don't, I need to find a way to show off my cards and other projects. I also want to have sign up sheets for classes and "chance" drawing box. I am going to raffle off a free class for someone and four of their friends. I thought it might get me some more customers. Being sick for the past three weeks has really made it hard to get ready for tomorrow. Hopefully today I can do it.

Held a class in NY

2007-09-11T09:37:00.000-04:00

Just returned from a wedding in NY. While I was there I held a class for my niece- in- law. ( Hi Christy! ) We had so much fun. I showed her the new stamp set; "Pick a Petal" and some of the new in colors. They were a big hit and soon she will have her own stamp set, inks, and cardstock. Isn't it fun to introduce people to stamping for the first time? I have a very busy week ahead of me. Lots to get ready for. So there won't be much time for blogging until early next week. Happy stamping everyone.

Sept. Technique

2007-08-31T20:07:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow my oldest will be 35. I don't know how that happened. It seems like just yesterday he was learning to ride his bike. Happy Birthday Son!

I will be sending out the September newsletter tonight. I am very excited about the upcoming classes (see side bar) I try to coordinate my newsletter with a posting on a technique.

Today's technique is Stamp Rolling .
1. You will need two complimentary ink pads - one lighter and one darker.
2. Stamp your image using the lightest color ink pad first.
3. Next, using a circular - rolling motion, roll just the outer edges of the stamp onto the darker ink pad and stamp on cardstock as usual.
4. You will want to clean your stamp after every use as you won't want the dark ink to get on your light ink pad.

Check out his eye!

2007-08-25T11:10:00.000-04:00

Kind of hard to see in this picture , but this is my little GS first black eye. Of course it was the first day of preschool too! If you click on any of the pictures you should see a bigger picture.

just a couple more pics

2007-08-25T11:05:00.000-04:00

I wanted to share a couple more pics with Y'all.

My daughter bought one of those carriers so she could keep the little puppy with here while she chases after her 2 year old. The puppy is 6 weeks old.

My new "granddogger"

2007-08-25T02:44:00.000-04:00

Here is a close up of Chloe. My daughter is carrying her in a little doggie pouch. I don't know what they are really called , but isn't she cute. She is a Maltipoo. A mix of a maltese and poodle. She will only be between 8 and 10 pounds and I can see that she will be spoiled rotten.

I love new stamps

2007-08-24T18:40:00.000-04:00

I have been with SU for 3 years now and guess what I received in the mail this week from my upline? "In the Spotlight" (level 2 Hostess set) I have it mounted already and as soon as I am feeling better I am going to play with it. Thanks Laura. I have been wanting that set, I am so excited. I will have two more sets coming on Monday. I ordered from the Holiday mini, one Christmas one and one fall one. I did not sell any of my retired sets so I need to do some rearranging on my shelves. I want to use the current one's in my classes and keep the retired one's for personal use. I probably should have sold some of the retired ones, but I have a hard time parting with them.

Stamping tonight!!!!

2007-08-18T21:32:00.000-04:00

I haven't been able to do any stamping in over a week. I had my little grandson here for a visit. I took him home on Friday and came back today. I am a bit worn out, but I wanted to get some swaps done for tomorrow. I am using one of the new Christmas Wheels from the Fall Winter Catalog. It has been in the 90's for a couple of weeks now. Not exactly feeling like Christmas weather. Maybe it will cool me off to finish this. I have to do a Fall one too, I just don't have that many Fall stamps now. I will have to work on it..

CSI

2007-08-16T19:08:00.000-04:00

Sorry to have to do this but CSI is canceled tomorrow night. My DD has been sick this week. We have her littlest one here and she was going to come and pick him up this weekend. It looks like now I will have to run him home tomorrow. (Home being Columbia SC.) Still hoping to have my Technique Tuesday class next week. I have been so busy with the baby that I haven't had time to look at my computer too much. Things should be back to normal next week.

No class yesterday

2007-08-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

I was really disappointed that the class fell through yesterday. Hopefully the next one do better. I got my order today so I will be delivering tomorrow.

Tuesday

2007-08-07T10:42:00.000-04:00

Today is my first Stamping 101 Class. I have two ladies coming, one has stamped before but the other is a brand new stamper. What I prepare for this class I am going to share with my niece in law.. She lives out of state and wanted to try to get into stamping. If it goes well, I may start offering a class by mail for my out of state customers.
I finished the scrapbook for the car rally. It came out so good. Boy do I ever love the simply scrappin kits. I did a whole 6 x 6 album in one afternoon. I just ordered another kit as I am trying to get a scrapbook in an evening class going. I can't wait for it to get here.

Quick scrap book plan

2007-08-05T10:25:00.000-04:00

I need to do a quick scrapbook of the car rally we went on a couple of weeks ago. I figured I would use a simply scrappin kit to put together a few of the pictures we took. I probably would have picked different colors, but time is short and this is what I have on hand. It is a retired kit, but I think it will work for this scrapbook. When I get it done I will post some pictures. I know I have said that before, but I need to get these pictures from my camera to the computer. It is an old camera, and a new computer. I am not really tech savy when it comes to these kinds of things.

Adhesive Embossing

2007-08-01T19:44:00.000-04:00

This is a great technique to add variety to your embossing. You can use any type of adhesive that will give you the look you want. I like to use sticky tape since this is something I can demonstrate in my classes. I have used it as a replacement for ribbon on my cards. Place the adhesive onto your card stock wherever you'd like to emboss. Then sprinkle embossing powder on the tape. Heat to melt the embossing powder. You'll see amazing results.

Open House Last Night

2007-07-28T10:06:00.000-04:00

Had my Open House last night. Unfortunately, only 2 guests. We had a great time non the less. I had a new stamper there, who was very excited about learning to stamp. I sold one of the Punch Box sets. That was pretty cool. I offered a free class to anyone ordering by August 15th. I don't think that is what sold her though. She actually got to use the punch at class and she fell in love with it. Just love it when someone gets excited about the things that excite me. I also have been asked to teach a class at the Coffee Shop near me. That will be fun and hopefully keep me in stamping money :o).

Getting ready for My new catalog Open House

2007-07-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

I have a very busy couple of days ahead of me. I have been planning my open house, but I haven't done any of the prep work. I plan on doing that today. I am going to demo three projects, plan a make and take it that will be self directed and make up some tickets for a raffle that will take place during the evening. I asked for RSVP, but only heard from two people. I hope that I can get some new customers. I am using the new punch, the Pick a Petal stamp sets and one I haven't really decided on. I want to do something with a scrap book page as I want to try and get some people interested in scrapbooking too.

Hooray for dial up service!!!

2007-07-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

I was just visiting Jan Tink's blogsite and she had a link to a great video lesson for tying a knot for your cards. Now normally I hate that I have dial up service instead of DSL. but in this case it was great to have this video load so slowly. I got to watch how to do this is slow motion. There were pauses as each little snipet of the video loaded, allowing me to absorb what she was doing. I really have it down now and wanted to share it with you. Here is the link http://valeriestangle.blogspot.com/2007/05/tying-ribbon.html
LMK what you think.

Technique Tuesday @ Grandma's House

2007-07-17T09:39:00.000-04:00

Today is my Technique Class. It is my first class since coming back from vacation. I seem to be running in circles this morning as I get ready. I recently participated in a great technique ATC swap and got lots of ideas. I will be using two of them for this class : Faux Diamond Dust I first saw this on SCS, but the ATC was done by Kelly Acheson (Thanks Kelly) and Poppin' Polished Stone Technique done by Michelle Walther (Thanks, Michelle). I will post pictures later today, if I can get them from my camera to the computer :)

My Boys Are Coming

2007-07-06T17:03:00.000-04:00

My grandson's, their mommy and daddy are on their way for a visit here this weekend. We haven't seen them in almost two months. That is entirely too long between visits for this grandma. The older one will be staying for a week. I can't wait.
I got my July newsletter out this afternoon. So I felt like I have accomplished something. I'm only holding 2 events this month. I am trying to ease back into my routine. I am hoping that my Open House will spark some interest with new people. I need some new customers. KWIM?
I am also going to start holding a Stampin 101 Class and my regular Technique Tuesday Class. Once a month I am going to hold a CSI Night. No I am not doing any forensic stuff. It is a Crop and Stamp Invitational. It is a night for friends to come and work on their own projects. It will be by invitation only. I am hoping that I can give out several invitations to this event. We will see what happpens.

Grandma's home!

2007-07-03T13:36:00.000-04:00

Greetings from NC. We arrived home last evening. It is so good to be home. I couldn't wait to get to the post office this morning, to get all the mail we had held while away. I felt like my little friend Cole did when he saw his motorized car on his birthday. OMG, OMG, my new catalog , me new catalog! It was on the bottom of the pile. I couldn't wait to open it up and see for myself. I love it. The colors used on the cover were great. I love then ew layout. I have only made one quick trip through it, but I can already see my wish list is going to be really long. The new ribbon, the new paper the new embelishments, textured cardstock. I could go one, but you have to see it for yourself. Contact your favorite SU demo and get your own copy. It can be viewd on line at www.stampinup.com , but trust me you are going to want to have your own copy.

Confession Time

2007-06-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

We have a wedding to go to this weekend. I "bought" a card to give the bride and groom. When I told my DH, he was shocked. He couldn't understand why I did't make one with all the stamps I have. I tried explaining that I didn't have the right stamps and paper to do the job I would like to do on a card. He says he handmade one is better, so here's what I did. I took the "bought" card apart, and used part's of it on a card I made at my friend's house. I really liked the sentiment on the "bought" card. So I combined the two to create a handmade, one of a kind card. I used textured cardstock and embossed a floral background in gold, over it. I looks like golden lace. I added some embossed hearts and the sentiments and I was done.

vacation is almost over.

2007-06-26T07:48:00.000-04:00

One more week of vacation and then I can get home and retrieve all my mail. I am looking forward to pouring over my new SU catalog. I have been reading some of the spoilers on SCS, but what I need are pictures in the actual catalog. I have been doing a lot of thinking about SU while on vacation. I want to do more scrapbooking. I am hoping to find some like minded people in NC who would like to spend some time each month scrapbooking with me. I really enjoy teaching card making, but would like to also get some people excited about scrapbooking. I got so many scapbooking kits while at the CKC in Buffalo. I am anxious to match them up with picures. Hope you are all staying cool and hydrated.
Hugs,
Grandmascraps

What to do????

2007-06-12T09:08:00.000-04:00

I need to order $65 more this month to make my quarterly requirement. I want to see the new stamps but I have to wait until I return to NC the first week of July. I can place an oreder to arrive after I am back to NC or I can order now and have it delivered to me here at my friends house. I don't think I can have a demo order delivered to address other than my home one. So do wait to place an order or do I just spend the $65 on stuff that can be sent here in NY?

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

2007-06-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

We are now into the 2nd week of our vacation. After a wonderful weekend at the CKC in Buffalo, I am recovered enough to tell you about it. My pedometer registered 18,000 steps for Friday and 16,000 for Sat. So my goal for Sun. was to keep my steps below 1000. LOL. We were busy from 8:30 AM till 11:30 PM. My feet and legs were killing me from all the standing and walking. I saw a lot of great product at the vender faire. We worked at the American Tradtions Design booth with Judy Joyce. She has some wonderful paper and kits. I enjoyed watching her demo some neat embossing ideas with decals and rub ons. I have a ton of scrapbooking ideas floating around in my head. We also worked at the crops both Fri. and Sat. I have really been bitten by the srapbooking bug again. I can't wait to get some pages done. I made an explosion album with Patty on Monday. That was great fun. I had to go out and buy some special grandson paper so I can make another one just for my boys. I am heading off to Booneville NY tomorrow to visit friends and to teach a class (maybe.... that is if any one signs up for it.) We'll be back on Monday.

We made it!

2007-05-30T17:16:00.000-04:00

We arrived, safely, in NY at about 5:30 PM last night. It was a long 12 1/2 hour drive. I am still trying to recover. I dropped all my stamping stuff at my friend's house last night. I do all my stamping at here house when I am there. She and I will leave in the morning for the CK convention in Buffalo. We decided to stay in a hotel for two nights so that we didn't have to drive back and forth for each day. I'll tell you all about it when I get back on Sunday.

3 More Days until Vacation!

2007-05-26T12:55:00.000-04:00

My to do list is slowing getting done. Yesterday , I went to the post office to stop mail, the vets for Flea and Tick meds for Chessie, the bank for money, and then out to lunch with my Red Hat Friends. Today I finished the Art Schedule and Supply list for summer sunday school, and a mock up of a passport for the "Journey With Jesus", that the kids will take this summer in Sunday School. It came out quite cute. I used The big fish from S"U Fishy Friends, between the words Passpot and Journey With Jesus. It will be easy to duplicate by K-3rd grade children. I had to get it done before I leave for vacation.
Still more to be done, but I am chipping away at the list.

Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

2007-05-23T14:19:00.000-04:00

I am trying to plan for 5 weeks away from home. I have to pack stamping stuff... a girl's gotta stamp, right? I have take stamps for teaching a class while I'm away and for a bunch of all occasion stamps. I just can't take them all. For some reason DH needs to take his stuff too. I just think I need to have more room... I want to work on some of my Christmas gifts. I am making card holders and sets of all occasion cards for my family. I thought if I started now I could get them all done before summer is over. I went through all the card fronts I had from swaps, and most of them are made from retired sets. I can use them too, so I should have lots of cards done by the time I am back in NC. I am going to share the card fronts with my dear friend Patty, so we can both have a bunch of ready made cards.

I hate living out of a suitcase for a month, but that is what I am in store for beginning next week. We always go back to Rochester, NY to visit family this time of year. I usually get bored after a couple of weeks. This year I planned some special things for me to do. I am going to the Creative Keepsakes convention June 1st and 2nd with Patty, I am teaching a class in Booneville on June 9th. I am going to a card club group with some friends I use to stamp with when I lived in NY. We have a wedding to go to at the end of June. I am going to try and see Tracy Harp while I am there. You can find her blog on my side bar. She is a very talented stamper. Then there are all the family and friends that we want to see. I should be pretty busy this trip. Whew! I 'm already tired and I haven't even left yet.
Time to get back to packing ...

2007-05-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

FYI not only has postage gone up this week, but there are new regulations about envelope size. You have to keep the thickness of your envelope, 1/4 inch or less, otherwise it will cost you an addtional $. 80. WOW!
I just read a tip on SCS. If you have a Fiskars paper cutter, the guide that holds the blade is 1/4 inch, if yor envelope fits through that slot, you will be OK for the $ .41. I thought that was good to know and wanted to share it with all of you.

Need some ideas for your scrapbooking?

2007-05-07T11:10:00.000-04:00

Here is a site with some great ideas. Chris is also offering a chance for blog candy if you leave a comment. Please mention my name if you do; as I will get a chance too. Thanks!
http://sketchmeifyoucan.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

May Technique

2007-05-01T14:34:00.000-04:00

My May Newsletter : "Scrapping and Stamping with Gail" has gone out and as promised I am posting the May technique on here my blogsite.
Stamping on Candles
Stamping on candles is a wonderful way to add something special to your decorations for that special event: whether it is a birthday, a shower, graduation or a wedding.
1. Stamp your image on white tissue paper. ( you may color the image if you wish)
2. Cut out the stamped image fairly close to the edge.
3. Place the image you cut out onto the candle. You can wet the edge slightly to keep it in place.
4. Pre-heat your embossing gun for 30 seconds and wave it over the stamped image. You will see that the image melts into the wax. Add a ribbon and you are all done!

SU's retirement list........

2007-05-01T10:13:00.000-04:00

I just printed off the retirement list. I am sitting down with a cup of coffee and my red pen to mark my IB&C. It is such a ling list I am expecting to lose a lot of stamps. It makes being a hobby demo very hard. I'll check back later with the number. If you are reading this, how about posting a comment here about the number you have lost.
ETA 36 set and 7 wheels..wow

2007-04-27T22:31:00.000-04:00

Our Chesapeake and our youngest grandson enjoying some quality time together.

If your dog was a teacher you would learn stuff like:

*When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.*Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.*When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.! Let others know when they've invaded your territory.*Take naps.*Stretch before rising.*Run, romp, and play daily.*Thrive on attention and let people touch you.*Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.*On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.*On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.*When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.*No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout..run right back and make friends.*Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.*Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.*Stop when you have had enough.*Be loyal.*Never pretend to be something you're not.*If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.*When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

People I would like you to visit

2007-04-26T10:53:00.000-04:00

I need to tag a few people, so here goes :
Amy at: http://amyko.blogspot.com/, becasue she thought we didn't read her blog!
Kat at: http://doodlesanddragonflies.blogspot.com/, becasue she is a nurse in labor and delivery, what an awesome job that is!
Melinda at: http://endlessembelishments.blogspot.com , because her brother trained at the army base in SC near my daughter.!
Tracy at: http://www.inky-doodles.blogspot.com , because I know her and she has the cutesest little boys!
Maria at: http://cardinspired.blogspot.com/because she is from Hawaii. I will be going there next Feb. for my 60th birthday!
Jan at: http://stampspaperscissors.typepad.com/stamps_paper_scissors/, becasue she is so funny!
Emily at: http://waterpixie.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ becasue she has just done something cool with her hair!

Spazzgirl tagged anyone reading her blog

2007-04-26T09:14:00.000-04:00

Now is my chance to list 7 things about me.
1. First and foremost is my greatest role in life: Grandma to two wonderful boys.
2. My first job was a waitress at the White Tower. I received great training there and loved meeting new people everyday.
3. We retired to the mountains of NC, where life has become so busy, I wonder how I have time for all I do. I volunteer at Hospice twice a week, and the Library once a week, I teach stamping classes once or twice a month, I teach Sunday School every week. I lead a chapter of TOPS every week. I go out to lunch with my Red Hat group once a month. We try to visit the grandchildren at least once a month. My husband and I are members of the British Car Club, and Friendship Force. We had to retire, how wold we ever have time for all our activities?
4. We Took a trip to New Foundland in 1975. This trip required an 8 hour Ferry trip from Nova Scotia. That Ship rocked and rolled for 8 long hours. I got sooo... sick! I told my husband I don't care how we do it , but I will not take a Ferry off this Rock. We flew home instead. (Little did I know at the time, but part of my problem was I was pregnant.
5. I was a college drop out. After 3 months of college, I decided it wasn't for me and got a job with the telephone company as a long distance operator.
6. I did go to college later in life, after my children were in school. I started out working in the school as a teacher's aide, but decided that I would rather be the one at the head of the class. My son and I graduated the same year, he from high school and me from college.
7. My mom was my hero . She got her GED and enrolled in nursing school and graduated at the top of her class. Watching her study at the kitchen table each night was an inspiration. Mom died of lung cancer 17 years ago, I miss her very much.

2007-04-23T12:38:00.000-04:00

I held a stamp camp on Saturday. After we finished I realized I had called it a stamp camp and it was really more of a scrap camp. We did no stamping, but we used scrapping kits and accent tins to create an explosion card, a photo folio, and an altered altoid tin. My daughter was visiting this weekend and joined the class. It was fun to show her what I get so excited about. I am in a couple of swaps and I am teaching a technique class this wek, so I will be busy stamping all week. That is after I buy groceries, plant some sunflowers, and plant the beautiful yellow rose bush my daughter gave me this weekend. Lots to do so I had better get started. Have a great day everyone.

How I started

2007-04-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

I was first introduced to Scrapbooking at a CM crop (1997). With the impending birth of my first grandchild I knew I had to scrap his entire life. Thus my first scrapbook. About 5 years later I was introduced to Stampin' Up! It was love at first site. When I moved to NC, SU was my first way to meet new people. SU is very popular here in NC. I soon became a demo and have been happily stamping and scrapping ever since.

Greetings from Grandma's house

2007-04-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

Well the grandsons are back home now, I am trying to recover from the cold I caught from the youngest one. We had so much fun with them. I love being able to spend special time with each of them. In case you didn't know, I love being a grandma. Truly one of my greatest blessings.

Check out my blog roll. I added several new bloggers to the list of places I visit. There are really some talented ladies out there. They inspire me to be more creative with my blogsite. I will have to post the cards and projects I do at my stamp camp and technique class in the next week.

We made some great projects at the demo meeting this week. It is always fun to get together with other demos and share ideas. My Sunday Stampers is a great group of fellow SU demos.

Grandma's House Has Been Crazy

2007-04-14T15:40:00.000-04:00

It has been impossible to get any stamping done with a 2 year old around. I am under the gun because our monthly demo meeting is at my house tomorrow. I had to work on the swaps today. I made two cards: a non pink Mother's day card (a request by one of the demos) and another card to show off one of the punches from the Spring Mini. I have been lost for ideas this week, so I visited Maria from Hawaii's site and got some inspiration from her card challenges. Check her site out if you haven't been there. She has lots of great challenges. I also have to design an altered Altoid Tin for tomorrow's meeting. I am going to show the girls how to do one. I want to use the Accents & Elements from the Spring Mini too. I thought it would be a good way to showcase items from the Spring Mini. I've never made an altered Altoid tin before, but how hard can it be??? I'll let you know.

This week at Grandma's

2007-04-10T07:45:00.000-04:00

Just letting you all know that I have my youngest grandson here all week. He is 2...enough said, I will be too busy to post anything most of the week. I will try and check out what others post on their blogs. Have a great week!
Gail

Stamping going on at Grandma's House.

2007-04-06T15:51:00.000-04:00

My grandson wanted to stamp today so he is making some calendars for himself. I showed him the one's I had from a CD calendar swap I was in. He doesn't want my help, just my stamps and inks. He has been stamping away for an hour now. I love that he likes to stamp too!

Another busy day at Grandma's house

2007-04-04T22:07:00.000-04:00

I volunteer at Hospice in the Bereavement department one day a week. Today was my day. I also had my weekly TOPS meeting tonight. We had installation of officers and awards tonight. I am the leader so I had a lot of prep work to do for the celebration. I think it all went well. Tomorrow is my Library volunteer day. One of the best things about being retired is being able to do this volunteer work. I really enjoy it.

The poison ivy is doing much better, the itching is gone and the rashes and redness are much better. I want to plant some flowers with my grandson on Friday, Hopefully I won't get into any more poison ivy. I will look very carefully before I choose where we plant the sunflowers. Have a great evening everyone.

All's Quiet at Grandma's House Tonight

2007-04-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

My grandson is sleeping and I am spending some time working on my Stamping Newsletter for April. I just finished it and sent it out to my customers and my family. I use Microsoft Word and it is usually just my own creation. I have thought about using one of the on line places like Constant Contact to send it out, but have yet taken the time to set it up that way. Do any of you use the on line marketing places to send out newsletters?
I want to start sharing some techniques that I have tried. I like trying new ones and trying some of those that have been around for awhile. I will try to post a picture of one I have done. I scan several sources looking for techniques to try. I will try to give credit whenever I can. Most techniques I have used are not my original ideas. I do try to use them on cards that are my own design. I found this technique in "Eileen's Technique List" hochstein@sprynet.com that I downloaded a couple of years ago.
"Serendipity Technique "
1. Using pigment ink, color, scribble, mark and or paint on your background paper. You want this to be a mess, with no rhyme or reason - be bold - use colors outside your comfort zone.( You may use gel pens, markers, pearl ex anything you want to). When you are satisfied with your colorful mess, go to the next step.
2. Randomly stamp image on the background paper with you black ink. Once you are happy with the amount of stamping, add your clear embossing powder and emboss the entire sheet.
3. Take entire sheet and cut into squares and play with the patterns until satified. Attach to your card.

Poison Ivy, YUCK!!!

2007-04-02T08:45:00.000-04:00

I love gardens especially in the Spring when everything is coming to life again. My Azealas are beginning to show their colors. One of the things I liked about this house when we bought it was how nice the gardens are. The weather was so nice last week that I decided to pull some weeds and do a little trimming around these beautiful bushes. Unfortunately for me, I think I came in contact with some old poison ivy vines. I have broken out in rashes everywhere. I don't do poison ivy very well. I am headed off to the doctor later this morning to get something for this terrible itching.

More later .........

Just returned from the Doc's. He gave me a shot, some samples for antihistimines and a script for steriods. I should be feeling better in a couple of days. I can't wait.

Another visit at Grandma's house.

2007-03-26T11:28:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog. I am slowly learning my way around this site. I have added a photo today and some links to some of my favoite blogs. The picture is about 9 months old, but I just love it. Landon loves getting in grandpa's MG. I will add a picture of my oldest grandson later today. Grandpa and I are getting ready to have the boys stay with us next month.. Time for some spoiling that is for sure.

I am a snapdragon

2007-03-22T20:44:00.000-04:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

Thanks to Melinda @Endless Embellishments I just found out I am a snapdragon. No wonder I have always loved those flowers... they are family!!! It is Spring here in the mountains Can't wait to do some work in my garden.

My technique class went well on Monday. We did the faux metal technique that Jaron showed at the Atlanta Regional. It was also in the SU Stampin Success magazine. I still haven't figured out how to post pictures, but I am working on that. I need to take pictures of the cards we made.

What's happening at Grandma's house?

2007-03-18T22:14:00.000-04:00

I should be getting ready for the technique class I am teaching tomorrow, but instead I am starting this blog. I am going to try and use this blog as a teaching tool for my stamper's. I have a faithful few that come to my classes and a couple who have visited from out of town and joined one of my classes. I hope that I can encourage more people to scrapbook and stamp. As soon as I figure how to add pictures I will start to include them with my posts.

Spring is starting to bust out all over the mountains here in NC. It is the most beautiful place to live. We have been here 3 1/2 years and we just love it. Of course one of the other pluses is, having our grandson's only 3 hours away now. They are the joy of our life and we are looking forward to spending as much time with them as we can.

I am keeping this short so that I can really get things together for my class tomorrow, maybe by then I will have learned how to post photo's from my camera.