Sorry to have been a deadbeat blogger — I’m not sure what became of the last week…  But I am ready to get you all caught up now!

Lisa Pace is about to write her “Stroll Through the Garden” article for the
newsletter.  Get your layouts in the gallery so that yours will be eligible!
We assembled all the December kits this week.  I think it is scrumptious and
I fell madly in love with the velvet robin’s egg blue thickers the moment I saw
them!  If you didn’t have a chance to check out the kit photo and contents list on the
messageboard here it is for you.
Winter’s Garden
Patterned Paper
Tinkering Ink Queen Anne
Tinkering Ink Marvelous Magnolia
Tinkering Ink Baby Blossoms
October Afternoon Cotton Candy
Prima Calipe “Chance”
Bo Bunny Garden Chic Baroque
Making Memories Audrey Diecut Ledger
Prima Paintables
Urban Lily Apple

Cardstock
Prima Starburst Metallic
Bazzill Bling String of Pearls
Bazzill Tweed
Bazzill Dark Rosey

Embellishments
October Afternoon “Notebook” Stamp
7 Gypsies Calais Frames Rub-ons
American Crafts Black Tie Thickers - Blue
Maya Road Bird Keychain Set
Waste Not Paper Picture Perfect Scalloped Picture Card — Lake
Bo Bunny Double Dots Bodacious Brads — Chocolate
Scenic Route “Save the Date” Chipboard Circles
1 Tinkering Ink Botanique Bliss Finery
Imaginisce Crocheted Blossoms — Chablis

Ribbon
3/8″ Chocolate Velvet Ribbon
Making Memories Ava Ocean Velvet Center
Maya Road Scalloped Ric Rac — Pink

The party went well on Sunday.  The kids had a blast jumping, running,
rolling and beating up the pony (ok, just a pinata).  It was definitely a
good idea to have it somewhere other than our house.  But, I think I’m going
to be a mean mommy and institute my parents’ rule — birthday party only
every other year.  I never understood why they did that.  Now I know… 

There were a few families that forgot about the party so we didn’t have quite as many kids as we had anticipated which wasn’t a bad thing.  Of course I was thinking that they hadn’t really forgotten; they just decided not to come.  That is until this morning….  Jack said to me at the breakfast table, “Don’t forget about Eric and Andrew’s birthday party!!”  He was very excited to go.  Only problem… it was yesterday and I completely spaced it!!!  I had one very sad little boy on my hands.  That’ll teach me to put all kid related events into my Outlook calendar, and the calendar in the kitchen and my notepad in the car and wherever else I can think to put things so as not to forget!!!  Oh course this was kismit as they were ones that showed up at 2pm to Jack’s party thinking it was 2-4 when in fact it was 12-2.  This was fated to happen I guess!  (At least I’ll tell myself that to feel a bit better about disappointing Jack so badly).  To make up for it Scott took them to the library and they are heading over to Papa’s Pizza (our local equivalent of Chucky Cheese’s) and I need to head out to meet them.  I wonder why I am dawdling….

We had a trip to the dentist this week.  We don’t have any video games or gameboys at home so Jack is always excited to go as they give them a game to play as their teeth are cleaned.  Last time Alice wouldn’t even let them look in her mouth.  6 months later not only did she open nicely for them but she let them do a full cleaning — I was amazed!!  Especially as it was nap time and she was a wreck before we got there.

Not the best photos but what can you expect when you are working with a cellphone?

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend!

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend.  I’m currently in denial that Jack’s birthday party with 20 4-5 year olds starts in 4 hours!!!  What was I thinking????   Fortunately I did get a bit smarter this year and we aren’t having it at the house; at least the chaos will be elsewhere.

I’ll check in later and let you know how it goes. 

I just love a road trip!  Lots of great conversations in the car and plenty to do when we got to Seattle.  I really enjoyed getting to know Ali’s mom Patti and to see the interactions between the two of them.  Thursday night Ali did a book signing.  It was on the north side of Seattle, and wanting to avoid traffic, we got up there in the mid-afternoon.  As there was a mall right there we decided to take advantage of that.  I think Ali and I have more in common when it comes to our love of shopping than we do with scrapbooking!  Definitely some cute styles in right now, and the little girls’ clothes  — I practically had to run out of the mall to keep from buying everything (as if Alice even needs one more thing!).  We had dinner at 4:30.  It’s interesting to see who is at a restaurant at that time on a weekday.  A few couples with infants, a grandparents taking their 10 yr old granddaughter out for her birthday (loved seeing the huge hugs she gave them after receiving her gift), love birds and a few older couples.

Ali gave a little talk at the book signing and then had a Q&A session.  One woman asked Ali, “Where will you be in 5 years?” 

She and I kept coming back to that question all weekend.  Where do you think you’ll be in 5 years?  It’s hard to project that far.  5 years ago I was pregnant with my first, was working on my PhD and scrapbooking was a small little hobby I indulged in on occassion.  I NEVER thought I would be where I am today.  I hope in 5 years to be doing something very much along the same lines.  I hope there is another little one in the picture and I hope we are still a happy little family.  Beyond that, who knows.  I do believe in the power of putting down goals and how the very act of writing them can reinforce the motivation to achieve those goals.  However, I tend not to be such a deliberate person.  But, I have been reflecting on the 5 year plan ever since that question was raised.

Scott had a good time with the kids and handled everything beautifully as he always does (other than forgetting that Alice gets picked up from school at 12:30 not 1:00!)  That was another big topic of conversations between Patti, Ali and I, husbands of our generation being much more involved in the lives of their children than our fathers ever were.  I think not only are we as mothers fortunate to have their involvement but our husbands are luckier too.  I think of all those little moments that Scott is there to be a part of that he might have missed had he not been an involved father. 

Scott shared one Alice quote that took place while we were gone.  They were heading out for dinner and she said, “I am ready to rock and roll!”  Then when it was time to leave the restaurant she emphatically  stated, “I am NOT ready to rock and roll!” followed by a temper tantrum.  No idea where she picked that up from…

Hope your weekend was good too!

I’m sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Ali to come (best to tell me you are going to be here 15 minutes before you actually are so that you aren’t waiting around on me) and then Ali, her mom and I are heading up to Seattle for CKC.  There aren’t many things better than a good road trip (ok, it might be better if visibility wasn’t less than a 1/4 mile)!  If you are planning on being at CKC, I’d love for you to come by and introduce yourself.  I think I will probably be helping Ali with her classes and tonight I’ll be with her at her book signing.  Kah-Mei from Fontwerks will be there as well.  Hope to see all you Cocoa Daisy Washingtonians!

Have a great weekend!

I hope everyone enjoyed their day!  We had fun walking a dinosaur and a pink poodle around the neighborhood.  Alice got lots of awwwhhh….  They both looked awfully cute in my humble opinion.