A hard week...

Yesterday was a date I had been dreading for quite some time. Around December of last year, my dear friend and neighbor called me to say her and her family were moving to Augusta. Now rationally, I know that it's only a three hour drive and that we can still visit one another from time to time. Yet it seems so much further.

We've only known each other for about 2 1/2 years, but in that time, she has become such a special part of my life. We didn't talk or see each other every day as some friends do, but yet there was this comfort in knowing she was right next door....that either one of us could pick up the phone at any time just to say hi. And often we did just that. As much as I will miss her, I am also very grateful that God saw fit not only to make her my neighbor~but my friend as well. There is a quote I read awhile back and I think it sums up my feelings perfectly:

"How lucky am I to have known someone who was so hard to say goodbye to. "~anonymous

In other news...

It's pretty much been confirmed that I'm losing my marbles. Yes folks, we all knew it was bound to happen. LOL Let me tell you what happened:

Rejean left for work yesterday morning as he ususally does. I decided since it was still early that I would lay down for a while longer. All of a sudden I could hear something. I get up to check and realize the tv in the craft room was on. So, I turn it off and get back in bed. About an hour later, same thing. Again, I get up and shut it off. Then less than an hour later, it turns on again. By this point I'm getting frustrated and decide to just turn it off once I wake up. When I do get up, I realize the tv is off. Later that afternoon, the tv turns on and off over and over. By now I'm starting to get creeped out a little so I unplug the tv. Rejean comes home after work, plugs it back in, resets the tv. and all last night was quiet.

Well, I shouldn't say ALL was quiet. While Rejean was watching a tv show in the living room, I decided to go to our master bedroom to watch another. Now keep in mind this is a separate tv from the one I was having issues with before. I turn it on, start watching it and then the next thing I know, I see some numbers in the upper right hand part of the screen as if someone is changing the channel. Then, the channel actually changes. Remote for the tv is sitting on the bed.

This morning, after Rejean went to work, it starts again. I'm in the craft room surfing the net and the next thing I know, the tv is turning on and off behind me. Remote is sitting on the table untouched.

I promise I'm not crazy. But if Rejean has me committed, you'll all know why. If any of you have an idea why this might be happening, please feel free to share. We've considered that maybe there is a problem with the remote itself so we may try putting it in a seperate room to see if that stops the problem. I'll keep you posted if we find out what this could be. Unless of course, the "my being crazy" part turns out to be true...in that case my lips are sealed. :o)

Enabling all you Cricut lovers out there...

I never thought it would happen, but the day has finally come: Home Decor is available for purchase separately (usually you'd have to purchase a cricut machine bundle in order to get this)!!

If you loved the Home Accents cartridge, you will love Home Decor! Oh My Crafts is offering this cartridge for the unbelievably low price of $29.99...that's 40% off the retail price! They are also taking pre-orders for some great upcoming cartridges.

I have never ordered from this company personally, but have read of other people having good experiences with them.

Here is the link in case anyone is interested:

http://www.ohmycrafts.com/provocraft.aspx

Edited to add: The Shoppe now has the Home Decor added to it's list of cartridges available to rent. This would be a great option for those who are thinking about purchasing but would like to try it out first. And if you're only looking for a few images for a page you're working on, this is a great option for you as well.

I went by the store yesterday to drop of June's class sample. If you haven't been in awhile, you NEED to see the adorable class Cheryl is teaching next month. The picture on the newsletter just does not do this cutie justice!

The swimsuits have designs on each one...kind of like an embossed look. Needless to say, I couldn't resist signing up. So, now that MY seat is secure (LOL), I thought I'd share the details with all of you. I'm so excited that Cheryl is teaching classes, not only because she is amazingly talented (which I'm sure we all know by now)....but she also has such an eye for the little details that make pages so special and unique.

I'm really looking forward to it and hope to see some of you there too! Oh, and on June 5th the Shoppe's having a Sundae crop...ice cream people...ICE CREAM!! Need I say more? Be there or be square! :o)

New Class

Since the calendar has now officially been sent out, I think it would be okay to share a picture of the June "Summer Fun" class...

Penguins and popsicles make for a cute combination! I'm sorry that the picture is a bit blurry...you'll probably want to stop by the store to see this one in person (it should be there sometime tomorrow if all goes well). The class will be held June 20th from 1-3 p.m.

Cheryl also has the CUTEST summer pages on the calendar for next month too that you might want to consider.

Reminder

Don't forget about the blog giveaway from the Shoppe! All you have to do is leave a comment...how easy is that? Lots of fun goodies to be had, but the deadline is today! Check it out at www.scrapbookshoppe.blogspot.com .

Good luck!!

An itty bitty teaser...

of our upcoming class in June! Hope to see you there! :o)

Back to the real world

Rejean and I arrived home on Saturday after spending three amazing days/nights in Panama City Beach. Our friends R.C. and Elizabeth went too so we had a lot of fun spending time with them.

The view of the beach/ocean from our hotel balcony was incredible! I was absolutely in awe that God created such beauty. If anyone is considering a trip to Panama City Beach, I highly recommend the Legacy hotel. The rooms were very nice and the staff really went out of their way to make our stay a great experience.

picture of sunset taken from our balcony (on the first night of our stay):

Pier Park is a fabulous outdoor shopping center and we really enjoyed spending time there.

We also found many great restaurants which had some of the best seafood I had ever eaten.

notice the HUUUGE fish plate...

Now, it's back to the real world. I'm busy trying to get caught up on housework along with scrapbook projects needing to be done. I hope to get the new June classes up soon, so be on the lookout for those! :o)

Hope you all had a nice weekend as well!

A sweet gesture to share and also a buyer beware

Have you ever had a day when you felt both incredibly blessed and humbled all at the same time? I had a day like that this weekend.

I have a baby bug (small cricut) and use it often in my scrapbooking. I love it to pieces. But I'd heard wonderful things about the Cricut Expression. Last Saturday I was in my craft room watching some videos to see what this larger version had to offer. The next thing I know, Rejean comes into my craft room to see what I'm up to. He leaves and then minutes later, returns with this huge box. With a big smile on his face he says "Maybe you'd like to try some of the things you're watching on your own machine...Happy Mother's Day/Anniversary!" (our anniversary is next week). Now, since we'd already planned a vacation to celebrate, the last thing I was expecting was a present.

What made me even more humbled was hearing the story behind the effort he put into this. About three weeks ago I was teaching a class at our local scrapbook store. Rejean decided that would be the perfect opportunity to get my gift. (Yes, in case you're wondering I am a bit of a snooper! LOL). He went the Walmart on Whittlesey Blvd. and bought my machine which contained one cartridge, "Plantin Schoolbook". Two weeks later while at Walmart on Airport Thruway he saw that they had the same machine with TWO cartridges inside for $50 LESS than the one he bought. Figuring that I would love the extra Home Decor cartridge (and knowing it was certainly a better deal), while I was at the crop for NSD, he returned the first cricut and then headed to the Airport Thruway Walmart to get the other.

So, long story short~ Not all Walmarts offer the same deals. So, aside from shopping around~be sure to check the box before handing over your credit card. Luckily Rejean had not opened the box, but if he had, it would certainly have been an issue (they made sure all the tape was in tact before agreeing to the return).

I never ask myself what I could have done to deserve such an amazing hubby. I already know the answer to that. It's only by the grace of God that I share my life with someone that special.

First blog award!

Today, I opened my email only to find this blog award sent by my sweet friend, Cheryl.

If you're going to get a blog award, I think this is probably one of the nicest kind to get. Cheryl, thank you for being so thoughtful...it made my day!! :o)

My Friday share

I found this cute little frame for $1 at Michael's. Actually, I bought several in different shapes and sizes. My intent was to put some "portraits" of some Sesame Street characters in each one and then have a giveaway on my blog. I thought they'd be sweet for a nursery or perhaps as part of a baby shower gift. Unfortunately, the other frames fell apart while still sitting in the shopping bag! Cheap glue, I guess. Probably not one of my smartest purchases. Oh well...what do you expect for a buck, right?