I might be rich if....

......If I could bottle the feeling I get when I look at pictures of my kids. I just downloaded a bunch of pictures from the last few days. I feel so happy and proud when I look at the three little people Matt & I made! Lots of work, sure! But man oh man do I love these kidlets. I am sure if I figured out how to capture the feeling and sell it in a bottle or whatever, I'd be a bazillionaire. Here are a few pictures that made my heart sing when I looked at them tonight.

We spent the 4th at Matt's station. We ate dinner with the crew and their families and then took the engine up to a high point in town to watch the fireworks. We could see the firework shows from San Marcos, Oceanside, and Carlsbad. Evan liked to name the colors of the fireworks as each one went off. We tried to take a family photo at the station but Meg was a little difficult about where she was going to be in the picture so she threw a fit, and was not in the picture. Big bummer but can't let the tantrum ruin the opportunity to have most of us in a picture together.

Not a traditional 4th celebration, but we were very happy to see Matt. Look at how cute the girls were...

OK, well I was a busy little bee today. I spent the day at home (I know, shocker!!) getting the kit website I am going to open closer to "going live." I'm hoping to get all of the site done and running soon. You will be able to purchase kits from me and several other designers straight from the comfort of your own home!. More information on that to follow soon. The numbers for the scrapbook getaway will be posted tomorrow. Call me or email to sign up.

Lot's of stuff going on from here!!!! All good stuff that makes me happy to think about.

Have a great Sunday!

Lauren

I am so excited...a scrapbook getway weekend in the works!!

I am so super excited I can barely think straight. I spent a day this last week on a business trip to Big Bear. Business trip you ask????? Well, I am getting ready to host my first scrapbook retreat weekend. I will be offering it to fellow scrappers who are excited to come to experience the very first of many scrapbooking retreats. I am hoping to have people register to come and spend a weekend of pampering and scrapbooking bliss. The home that I am using is so beautiful. It is hard to believe that it is really available for this idea. Here are a few photos of the location.

Pretty sweet huh? The home sleeps 10-12, depending if you use the couch pull out bed that I hear is really comfy. There are a total of four bedrooms, various sleeping arrangements. Four full baths, spa, and all the comforts of home. Set up for scrapbooking will obviously change how it looks a little bit. There will be a full crop bar with cricut, zip'e mate, sizzix, punches, decorative scissors, and stamps available for your use. There will be supplies and project kits available for you to purchase while you are there. In fact, you will be able to pre-order supplies like adhesive prior to the weekend starting so it is all there for you, no worry of running out while you are there. Meals will be prepared for you, as well as snacks and of course chocolate! No need to waste precious scrapping time preparing food. Let me take care of that. Sleeping arrangements will be on a first come first serve basis. I know some people will want to bunk with their best girlfriend and there might be that person that prefers to bunk alone. Either way, you can scrapbook as much or as little as you'd like. Those who choose to take some breaks from creating can relax in the spa or even take a walk in the beautiful mountain air.

The very first retreat weekend will be September 5th-7th. Please email me at StamperLauren@aol.com if you are interested. I will be building an interest list and reservations will open on July 5th. All attendees of this first retreat will receive a special gift and will be a founder's club member, which will allow them to be notified of specials and have advance notice of retreat weekends. Special private retreats can also be arranged if you'd like to keep the retreat to an intimate group of your friends only! This will truly be an amazing weekend and I know you will be happy to treat yourself, a friend, or a loved one to a special scrapbooking experience. Capture a whole weekend of Moments for yourself and plan to be a part of this great

OK, well that's the big news for now. More stuff on the horizon for sure. Don't forget to email me and let me know you are interested.

Have a great day, I am.

Lauren

A few pictures from Havasu.

OK, it's HOT here. I think the forcast for tomorrow, or today really if you notice I'm up late AGAIN, is 120!!!!! It will be a great day on the water. Here are a few photos from today.

OK, so I tried to post this last night but lost my internet connection. Hope this works.

Lauren

So I guess I forgot to tell you if I got the new car.

So I'm a big nerd and totally forgot to tell you whether or not we got the new car. I've seen quite a few of you in town and I guess I just forgot to post. So, tell me if this picture says anything about the whole car dilemma.
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Yes, that's the new Acadia and my Suburban!!!! We couldn't give away the "burb" like they wanted me to. I can't believe the economy that a dealer can offer 6K for a truck like my beloved burb. NO WAY JOSE!!!!! The funny thing is Matt & I put just enough gas in it to get it to the dealer, then had to add more gas to get it home. Either we're really dumb, too emotionally attached to stuff, or maybe just really really dumb! Whatever it is, we are both really happy to still have the beast. Matt thinks if he doesn't sell it private party that he is going to make it even bigger. Sick was the word he used to describe his vision for it. Hmmmm, sounds expensive. Here we are picking up my new "G-ride" (thanks for the name Ally!)

So I have a ton of work to do tonight, if you want to call it that. I'm starting a new layout class at the store for grown ups. yeah!!!!!! I will be putting the finishing touches on it tonight and posting it to both the store site and here for your viewing pleasure. I have an idea. How about some comments to see who is out there in blog land??? Speaking of that, a nice welcome back to my pal Ally who has been out of blogger heaven for a while since her baby girl computer got a touch of the icks. Welcome back la la la, that's me singing to you Ally!.

Ok, gotta get going on the nightly routine. Can't wait to sit down and scrap tonight. 2.5 hours and counting down till it's just me, my coffee, and my stuff! I love scrapping, have I ever told you that??????

See ya peeps!>>>I think I'm feeling a bit spunky tonight. Not my normal sign off!

Lauren

Blueberry picking was so fun!

The kids and I took Pops to the Temecula Blueberry Farm to go blueberry picking on Sunday. The girls had been waiting patiently since Memorial Day to go so they were very happy to go. Here are some pics from the day. I must say it brought back some memories of blueberry picking as a kid at my grandparents lake house in Maine. We used to take the canoe over to the island and pick berries. We would bring them back to the house and my Uncle Mike would make us blueberry pancakes. Yummers








I think you get the idea. I'm taking my girl scouts there this weekend. I think they are all going to love it so much.
TTFN:
Lauren

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Will tomorrow be my last day.....with my burb???

Not sure if I'm trading in my suburban tomorrow. If so, I thought I should atleast snap a few photos of the ol' girl. My family has always named thier cars but we never do. I do feel both sad and excited about tomorrow. Hmmmm, will it really happen? Here I am today with my truck!

Here's what I'm looking at driving..at least I won't stick out in a crowd!!!!

What do you think?? Is it me?

Hmmmm, better sleep on it. More news tomorrow.

Me :O)))

Dad's Layout for It's About Time

Here is what I have cookin' for my kid's class at It's About Time. The little star to the left of the word STAR says "our" but that spot is open to customization to fit your needs. I have so much I really want to do on my kids layouts but I find myself trying to keep it very simple for my little students. I love them all so much and I really do get a ton of joy watching them feel good as they finish their projects. I swear I feel like I should be a kindergarten teacher or maybe first grade. I love the "light bulb" moment. I love watching them feel creative. Here's my June 11th page and also some photos of past projects. Gallery is under construction so the post version will have to work for now.

This "You're the Best" layout was fun to do. I love all of the flowers. Sassafrass always makes great paper an it's so much fun to play with.

My "Lucky Me" class was a fun way to highlight the recent good "stuff" that had been coming into my hands. Really I'm pretty simple. I don't ask for much. Not that the newest scrapping supplies don't seem to fall into my lap. but the fact that I finally started replacing and updating my technology really made me feel lucky. Here is a photo of that layout.

Nothing wrong with counting your blessings right?

For any other earlier classes you can watch for a gallery coming soon.

We are considering getting rid of our big beast of a Suburban. I know some of you won't even recognize me in anything else but I think it's time to put my baby in a good place where she won't get driven into the ground! I am not for sure what we are going to do but we are looking at the GMC Acaidia. We'll see what shakes down in the next few days. Hmmm, not sure about all of that. I love my burb! I might need to have my photographer Holly take a shoot of me and my truck. Sounds silly I know but I love that gas guzzling, hunk of Chevy. I have NEVER had a brand new car. I think my time might be near. I'll keep you posted!

Have a great couple of days. I'll check in soon.

Get out there and take some pictures of whomever or whatever you love, even if it's a silly ol' truck! By the way, a quick congrats to my sister in law Pooh. Nicole to everyone else. She and her long time boyfriend Ed were engaged the other night. We took the time to go down and see them last night and help celebrate their engagement. It's been 15 years in the making! Here is a photo of the happy couple. Aren't they just so cute?

The girls had a ton of fun with Aunt Pooh. Trying to figure out just how to hide or not hide the ring when Ed's parents arrived. They had no idea Ed had finally popped the question! No need for all that fuss though. It was super cute watching Ed grab her hand and show his mom. What a great moment to share with them. I know we all can't wait to see them married. They are perfect for each other. We have spent many camping trips with them and we are so so so happy!
OK, gotta get some work done now.

Love to you all!

Lauren