Spring Fling!

Are you ready for Spring? Have you noticed all the Spring and Easter goodies appearing already in stores? Is it just me, or do stores get ready for these holidays earlier and earlier each year?

Here's an accordian card I made with another new TCP set coming out next Friday (2/27)...the set is called "Spring Fling" - check out Poochie in his carrot car, and Sprinkle wearing her Easter bonnet!

Our chili cookoff was a great success! We ended up with 16 types of chili! Everyone on our committee pitched in and did their bit, and it all came together really well. I didn't cook because I was one of the organizers, but everyone had a blast! The teachers who won were thrilled with their gift cards, and everyone who attended had a really fun time. We don't have the exact figure yet, but our door people estimated that we made over $500 for the playground fund!

Chili, anyone?

Tonight we're having a Chili Cookoff at the school. A team of four of us has been busy organizing this for about 6 weeks :) We have 12 staff members cooking chili, and the kids and their families are going to pay to taste the chili and vote for their favorites. The money raised will go to our school's playground fund. We were also able to get some great prizes for first, second and third place - and there's a prize for the chili that gets the least votes, too!!

Do you smell carrots?

So here's a peek at a card made with one of the 3 new sets coming next Friday (27th) from The Cat's Pajamas! These images are from the "Beans and Bunnies and Peeps, Oh My!" set :)

Keep checking here and also on the other TCP gals' blogs in the coming week to see more of what's coming from TCP!

Gramps update

I spoke to Uncle Derek today. Gramps is still in hospital and it seems there are several things the doctors are concerned about. One is some shadows on his lungs that so far have not changed despite 2 rounds of antibiotics. The medication that is supposed to get rid of fluid buildup in his lungs is now causing swelling in his ankles. The heart murmur is still there; they are trying some different medications but so far there's no change. Yesterday was his 96th birthday. Auntie Joan took his cards, cake and presents in to him.

Something that's frustrating me is hearing about the difference in the speed with which the National Health Service deals with patients; nothing is done quickly; there doesn't seem to be much of a sense of urgency. We had the same frustration when Iain's dad had cancer almost 10 years ago. I guess we're just more used to how things are done here in the U.S. now that we've lived here over 15 years.

So, for now the plan is to keep Gramps in hospital. Uncle Derek is going to make an appointment to speak with the specialist who is overseeing him, so that he can try and get a better idea of a plan of action. It looks as if Gramps will probably still be in hospital when I visit, but that's OK. Right now I just want to see him, wherever that may be. Less than 3 days to go until my trip...

Artful Inkables Blog Hop!

Hi all! Today the new Design Team for Artful Inkables is hosting a blog hop!! If you haven't been to Kristin's blog yet, hop over there first so that you can see all the fantastic creations from the start :)

We're using the brand new Artful Inkables sets; my card was made with a set called "Post A Note" - isn't it pretty? One of my favorite things about this set is the size of the images; they make it very easy for coloring or paper piecing. I used purple cardstock, and the patterned paper is from the "Animal Crackers" stack by DCWV. I think you'll agree that this is a super-versatile set that could be used for many different occasions.

Thank you sooo much for stopping by! From here you're going to hop over to Kerri's blog to see what beautiful work she has created :)

TCP Tuesday - Stamp Challenge

Hi all - it's TCP Tuesday! This week Karrie is hosting a super stamp challenge - to use your TCP cupcake stamps!! Check out all the details here on Karrie's blog - and I hope you can play along!!

Friday Fill-In (a little late, I know...)

Here's a little piece from Friday Fill-Ins that I forgot to post the other day :)

1. It seems like Spring around here! Where's the snow?
2. Would you put down the toilet seat when you're done, please?
3. If I thought you would appreciate it, I'd make you a handmade card! (But actually, my hubby prefers a store-bought one with a funny poem inside! LOL!)
4. Thankfulness is what I think of most when I think of you.
5. To me, Valentine's Day means craft time with the kids!
6. My family gives me strength.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Iain coming home, tomorrow my plans include stamping and Jamie's swim lesson and Sunday, I want to watch the season premiere of "The Amazing Race" with Iain and the kids!

All booked

We got my flight booked; I'm leaving next Saturday and will fly into London Heathrow. I'm meeting my Uncle Derek there and we'll go back down to Weymouth together. I'll be in Weymouth for 3 nights, then I'll spend the last night in London so that I'm ready for my flight home on Thursday morning. Now all I have to do is try and get ahead with my school work so that I don't need to work on it while I'm away...

Happy Hearts Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! I thought today would be a good day to post the card I made for my "Seasoned CJ Survivors" challenge. Patti asked us all to create something that includes blue, brown, and green, and also a red heart.

For my card I used this adorable ladybug image from Gina K Designs ("Framed Friends" set). Isn't it sweet?? I colored the image with my Copics. As for the red heart, I didn't have any sparkly red heart brads, so I put red Stickles on a silver heart brad, and it worked just fine! Crafters are great improvizers :)

So, just for fun, here's a list of 10 things I love (not including family, friends or pets). Feel free to play along and post a list on your blog if you'd like:

Earl Grey tea

The smell of new patterned paper :)

Bread (in any form!)

Looking at snow that hasn't been walked on yet

The sound of my kids' belly laughs

Quiet time

Teaching kids or adults something they didn't know before

A good Indian curry!

That satisfying feeling at the end of a fantastic book

Long weekends!

Long weekend :)

Thank you for all the kind wishes for Gramps. The latest is that they found a heart murmur, which the doctors said is very common at his age. If he was younger they would suggest surgery, but because of his age it is too risky. Right now they have him still in hospital wearing a monitor 24/7. They are also going to try some medication but keep him in there while they do that, just in case he has a bad reaction to it. After talking with some friends and family, I think I am going to take a short trip over there in a week or so; Iain and I are going to see what we can figure out this weekend. I think it will be good for Gramps and for me.

On the papercrafting side, I am planning some serious stamping this weekend! I have stamps from The Cat's Pajamas and Artful Inkables to work with! Wooo hoo! So there will be some brand new projects appearing here on my blog very soon :) The kids would like to see "Coraline" this weekend, so we'll be doing that, and Jamie has a swim lesson on Saturday.

There is lots of other stuff going on right now: I'm helping to organize the Chili Cookoff at school which is taking place next Thursday. We have a dozen staff members cooking chili. Families will pay to come in and taste all the chili, and they will vote for their favorites! All the proceeds will be going to our school playground fund. We're also heading into testing season at school, and as the coordinator I am responsible for checking and double-checking all the materials and test booklets throughout the school before they are returned to the CO Dept of Education. I also started a new class at school this week which will last until mid-March. The good news is that I only have 4 classes left after this one! YEAH!

So...that's what's going on with me right now. What are you up to this long weekend?