treasury, blossom, volleyball, & olympics

I am so happy to have been featured in another Etsy Treasury today! Thank you so much storybeader for adding my Sushi - California Roll to this great collection... This treasury is available for viewing until 11:00 pm Saturday night... so check it out and look at all the beautiful items made by my fellow EtsyBloggers! :)

I worked on two of the new Blossom Card patterns today. I completed one that will be a birthday card for one of my friends. I love the pattern combination. I can't wait to get photos taken and the new patterns listed!

I was supposed to play in a Women's Volleyball Tournament tomorrow. I called last Sunday and let them know I wouldn't be able to play.... that S.U.C.K.S... I just knew that I didn't want to let the team down if I wasn't feeling well. I'm glad to hear they have enough players and I know they'll probably win the tournament. It's a bunch of women that I really LOVE playing with AND we won last year. I think I did the right thing though as my stomach is still giving me a very uncomfortable time and I really didn't want the pressure of trying to pretend that I was feeling well and that everything was OK. This way I can look forward to putting in a few games on Sunday with no worry of letting anyone down, plus knowing that if I end up not feeling well I can just take a break or head home. It's depressing.

I am SUPER excited about the Olympics starting today! I LOVE watching, it doesn't matter which sport is on, I will be glued to the television as much as possible over the next couple of weeks! I'm such a geek... I always wished I could be an Olympian.... (da, da, ta-da, da, ta-da, da, ta-da) Can't you hear that music... and wow... to hear the National Anthem play when one of our athletes takes the gold... it's the best! :)

in progress & volleyball recap

In progress... Those two words can really mean a lot! I have many projects "in progress", dinner is "in progress", my life is "in progress... see what I mean! :) It could make you crazy!

Today I worked on two items that are on my project list for this week. The embroidered clippie is on the left. The flowers are looking so cute... that's what made me think to take photos of it "in progress!" I have a few more flowers to add to this one before I start the next one.

The project on the right is "in progress" as well. I thought that it was pretty cool how the chocolates were looking three dimensional as they sat there on my desk. I actually cut them out (see all those tiny zig zag cuts!) of one of my chocolate truffle pincushion photos. I thought they would make super cute little chocolate bookmarks. I've made some chocolate bookmarks out of felt and I love how they look but I got a little bug in my head when I saw some cute little photo magnet bookmarks at the bookstore. I had to come up with my own! :) The next thing I'll do is make a base with my logo on it and then they'll be almost finished. I haven't decided yet whether I'll offer them in my shop or whether they'll be a cool little "extra" with a purchase. It did take me an awful long time to cut them out... (I know, I'm anal retentive and it had to be perfect... but look at them... I think it was worth it!)

Let's see... It's Wednesday! That means it's time for the Volleyball League update! (Hope you were able to find my blog Brian and Laurel!) All right... all I can say is that it was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING team play tonight! Special mentions must be made though! First of all... OH MY GOSH! Brian was ON FIRE!!!!! Blocking like c-r-a-z-y AND hitting like it was nobody's business... I'd be waiting by the phone Brian, because I think that you might get a call about making a trip to China to play for the USA... Yes... it was THAT good! :) Another special mention... this is to.... (drum roll) ART!!! (You know it Art!) All I have to say is, JUMP serve! Your serve gave us a great start in the first game AND it brought us from behind and finished the game for us in the second game. Plus, I could talk about your defense, hitting, etc., etc. You know... you just might want to wait by the phone too! :) Now not to leave anybody out... I know how y'all like to see your names here... Brent! OK! WOW! Great cover, digs, and step-in setting! (Sorry I didn't get you many sets tonight... I don't know what was up with me!) Garrett! CONSISTENCY! You always know that you can count on Garrett in a clutch play! He did everything well! :) Dale! Talk about some smart shots and great hits! Even when I didn't get you an optimum set you made a play out of it! Some terrific defense too! ...And last but not least JULIE! She was all about hustle! Diving after those balls! Covering the blocks! She was everywhere! ..and the hands... like BUTTER! Team great job tonight! Super fun... I always love it when we play against Jared's team... and once again they gave us a run for our money! (We won two out of three.) Great competition!

I'm up late tonight. I had to eat a big meal at midnight. I had some ribs, chicken, half a sausage, mashed potatoes, and the rest of the fixings. (I was instructed to eat lots of protein.) It felt very odd to eat that late and it was really difficult for me. Now... I have to stay up a little longer, I'm hoping to avoid being sick. Why did I do this, you ask? Tomorrow morning is my EGD. We're trying to find out what's going on with my stomach. Hence, the big meal at midnight. The doctor wants to see if my food is digesting properly along with some other fun and not so exciting things. I just want to start feeling better. The medication the doctor put me on for the past few weeks has made a HUGE difference. The nausea has stopped and I have made it through the night without having to get up and be sick. I only have had one small episode since I began this acid reducing medication. I am so happy to not feel seasick anymore.

I've been feeling a little anxious and nervous about the procedure for the last couple of days. I don't think I'm as nervous about the anesthesia and actual procedure as I am hoping that they are able to pinpoint the issue. I had so many tests done a couple of years ago and it was frustrating when nothing could be determined exactly. It made me feel like I was making it all up or being a hypochondriac or something. That's one of the reasons I went so long without following up about it again. I also tried to pretend I had it under control by never eating late, going to a bland diet immediately upon feeling the discomfort begin, and ignoring it the best I could. It finally got to the point where my dear husband had to tell me... enough is enough. And he was right. I was really starting to become a little depressed to be feeling like that more and more often. Keep your fingers crossed for me... maybe this time they'll have an answer.

I guess you could say that my health is also "in progress"...

r e c o v e r y

Ahhh.... What a BBQ!!! (I wish I had taken more photos...)

It may take me a few days to fully recover! We had more than 30 guests at our BBQ! It was a BLAST!!! I hope that our friends had as wonderful a time as we did! Although I am totally exhausted today I am already looking forward to planning another one in August. I feel so lucky to have such a great bunch of friends. They are all such nice, thoughtful, funny, interesting people. The party began around 4:00 and lasted until around 11:30 or so. There was relaxing in the spa, "competitive" billiards, a little Rock Band (Tim... we needed you! Next time! You'd be impressed... Julie was rockin' out on those drums and guitar! Maybe next time we'll get her to sing!?!), AND lots of just hanging out enjoying each other. Nearly everyone we invited came... only a couple of invitees were out of town and unable to join us (Art! and Jared!). Hopefully they'll be able to make the next one! :)

I am sad to say that our dear friends Nathan and Zhanna weren't able to make our BBQ... they had some excuse about the commute was too long or there was traffic or something. (They recently moved to Connecticut, this is NOT an excuse!) We missed you! :)

I don't know how I made it to volleyball this morning... I was definitely even more tired when I got home! Cami, Norm, and I relaxed in the spa for a couple of hours and just enjoyed being lazy. It felt great. On the way back into the house I couldn't resist taking photos of my succulent that has been blooming so beautifully for the past few weeks. I LOVE the colors... sage and a peachy orange. I wasn't certain if I would be able to capture the delicate and unique nature of the bloom. I hope I have. I also took some photos of one of my hibiscus plants that had a blossom open today. The petals and stamen were perfect. I posted a couple of macro shots on flickr.

I am very excited! I was featured for the first time in a treasury today! Thanks so much Mizzdraconia! I feel very honored to have one of my listings noticed and categorized with such wonderful "chocolate" themed items. :)

What a terrific weekend it's been!

brownie cards

Mmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmm.... here's a photo of the peanut butter with fudge brownies I made Norm for his birthday last month. They were delicious AND pretty! I had printed out a couple of the photos to make a set of cards with and I finally listed them today. As I was putting them together, however, I realized I had made an error on the final size... I still put them together (a big step for me!) and they look really nice, but not perfectly matted. I listed them at a REDUCED price because of this little mistake. (Oh my gosh... as I'm writing this I'm looking at the photo and I'm getting a MAJOR sweet tooth... look away...)

You know... I have my bakery etsy site all set to go. I reserved the name back in August! I just haven't had the courage to list anything there yet. Another problem is that I procrastinate (surprise!). I know I have a tendency to "over think" each step and this can really get in the way of progress! I think my major hang up has been figuring out the best way to package the cookies so that they arrive in great condition. I think I'm going to have to do some trial runs so that I can overcome this worry. Hmmmm, I might have to see if I can find some volunteers who are willing to pay for shipping and a nominal "material" cost. That way I could do some initial orders at my other shop, test out the shipping, AND get feedback! I'm going to have to come back to this idea another day... My brain is too tired to think this out completely right now!

Hey! I felt good again today!!! AND I was able to play volleyball tonight! YEAH! I had a great time although I did feel like I was a half step behind all night. Sorry team! Did I mention how much I love my current team?! So much fun AND great personalities! Even when we lose (which we did twice tonight - at least we won one) we have a good time and no one gets crazy. I'm going to miss playing on Wednesday's for a couple weeks. My team has a bye next week and then the following week we'll be on vacation! It's just around the corner. Summer is REALLY almost here... ahhhh...

ps... got a call from the surgery center... EGD is scheduled for July 10th.

all by ourselves

It was the last day of Cami's Spring Volleyball league today... The season always seems to go by soooo quickly. We had a fun bunch of kids and it was really great to see all the improvement that was made in the 10 week period. She wants to play again in the fall, as long as it doesn't interfere with her new schedule of dance classes! We won't know what that is though until late August or September. Hopefully the scheduling will work out all right. It worked perfectly this year!

Cami's sleeping over at a friend's house tonight. So, Norm and I went out to a FANCY dinner. I felt all grown up! We even got dressed up (!) and went to Mastro's Steakhouse. It was DELICIOUS! I think I brought home more food than they served! The prime rib serving was ENORMOUS! (Norm told me I had to add this photo he took with his phone... and this was AFTER I was done eating!) I can't even tell you how AMAZING the lobster mashed potatoes were... see... I'm drooling, just thinking about it AND I'm full! We really enjoyed ourselves! A nice celebration.

I finished another chocolate pincushion this afternoon! (It's been in progress for a while... going back and forth to volleyball so that I could work on it between games!) I had a little time while Cami was swimming with her friend and Norm played lifeguard, so I was able to complete the photo shoot too. I just listed it on etsy, so now that's done! I have another one to list that I photographed as well. I think I'll list it next week.

Time to go and hang out with my honey... we ARE alone after all! :)

sporty

It was Sport's Day for Cami at school today. She wore Leila's old high school jersey. She looked adorable AND sporty! I HAD to take a photo of her in the uniform. Of course we also needed some action shots! Look at that form!! :) Another up and coming volleyball player! She's growing up so quickly... I'm a little sad to think that she is graduating from elementary school in just a couple short weeks. Where did the time go?

I began working on Gigi's banner today. I don't have a lot to show for it so far... Just a couple pages of doodles and sketches while I try and brainstorm. My brain is a little slow today, I think because of all the chemicals from doing the housecleaning earlier. (Good excuse, huh!?!) Gigi gave me a couple of examples of what she likes and I have an idea, I'm just having a hard time making my hand do what my brain is telling it to do! The translation isn't exact. I think I need to step away for a little while and come back to it a little later.

bragging

I have to take a minute to bask in this moment... I blocked one of the best guys on the opposing team tonight. No, not a touch... a BLOCK!!!! The icing on the cake is this guy (kid) went to high school with my daughter and graduated the same year. Wow! The old lady has some hops (sometimes)! Oh... so there isn't any misunderstandings... also on men's net height! :) I don't go up to block very often. (I really injured my hand blocking a guy a few years ago, so I tend to let the guys do the blocking and I stick to defense below the block. I still have to tape 3 fingers every time I play as a result of that injury.) The reason I did go up was because I was setting and my team passed an over pass, right to Ahmad! There was no way I was going to give him a free hit without at least a little pressure... so wah-lah... a block! I think I deserve a little brag time for this! :) (Julie... I can't believe you missed this!!!!)

I didn't have time to go through the photos in my camera today!!! I'm anxious to see them... TOMORROW, tomorrow, tomorrow... I DID get another order out today! The last of the Plum Blossom paper combination card and my heart mosaic tag are on their way to Colorado. I would like to add the new Amy Butler Blossom Card tomorrow if I have a chance! I also printed out all the card stock I need to complete the big 57 card order. I guess I should work on that tomorrow... :) I also have to hem a couple of pairs of pants for Norm.... tomorrow!

One last note... CONGRATULATIONS to my sister, Heather, and her family!!! The offer they put on a new house was accepted! Oh my gosh... I am so excited for them! It is a SUPER beautiful home!

so much better

My stomach was much better today. No nausea... YEAH! Since I was feeling so much better today I didn't call the doctor to be put on a waiting list. I can always call if things change. It felt great to get some things done today that have been put on the back burner the last few days. I ran to the grocery store, did some organizing, got the MINI washed, changed the linens in the guest room (my sister, her daughter, Kavyn, and Kavyn's friend arrive tomorrow), took photos of the new Blossom Clippy and LISTED it, took Cami to volleyball practice, cleaned the bathrooms, dusted, finished reading the book I have to discuss in Cami's class tomorrow, AND now I'm blogging all the exciting details! (Hope I didn't put anyone to sleep...)

I am very excited about how these little Blossom Clippys are turning out. I love how the flower is NOT flat. I actually shaped it like a little flower with the "petals" rising up from the center of the bloom. I tried to show this shaping in this photo... it doesn't quite do it justice. I cut out lots of various sizes and colors, they are sitting in a pile waiting for me to begin transforming them. I'll add another color combination soon. (Project list for next week!)

Let's see... as I wasn't feeling well yesterday I didn't give the Wednesday volleyball update. I'm sure I have some "players" anxiously awaiting to see their name in this recap, so here goes!

Our team won 2 out of 3 last night! Hooray! We played a VERY good team and I have to give a shout out to JARED who is an AMAZING player (so fun to watch) and is definitely the catalyst on that team to keep them excited and fired up! What a great team player!

Our team recap:
1. ART - MVP for the night! Great serves, hits, digs (DEFENSE!), etc., etc. :)
2. DALE - So glad he's back! (He's been fighting a sore knee.) It made such a difference to have his great defense and smart play. He's not allowed to miss any more games!
3. JULIE - My gosh... she had some UNBELIEVABLE hustle to get some difficult balls... to top it off she was doing all this WITH an injury! (Dale... not everyone rests when they're hurt... I'm just sayin' :) ....) Julie also gets the "team spirit" award for the night. She's so great at keeping all of us on track and focused. That's a pretty difficult job! :)
4. BRENT - Very solid passing, serving, and setting!
5. BRIAN - Hit some great 2's! Super nice passing and defense too!
6. TOM - SUPER substitute for the night! Great all around play! (Garrett, where were you?)

No wonder we won two out of three last night! All three games were very competitive and it was a very satisfying match. Great job team! :)

Time for me to shut down... my visitors should arrive before lunch and we have a full day planned!

volleyball & thanks

OK.. OK.. OK... so I have a few matters of business to "blog" first... I just got home from the Wednesday night volleyball league and I did tell my team that I would mention here some of the OUTSTANDING plays of the night. I know they won't be able to rest until they see this... :)

1. Art served an "ace" on a jump serve! (Go Art! ... I won't mention the "cheese" that occured in the second game... oops! too late!)
2. Julie had some terrific sets on difficult passes! (Go Julie!)
3. Brent K. really helped out with some great passing and setting. (Go Brent!)
4. Brent M. substituted on our team tonight and really helped us out with some consistent play! (Go Brent!)
5. Brian had some really smart shots and great hits! (Go Brian!)

Now from all of this rah-rah you'd think we won all three games... alas, we won ONE. It's OK... It's our second week playing together as a team, we'll get it, we'll pull it together... right?!

Oh... I also promised that I would mention Jared's AMAZING jump serves in the second match, first game. (He's on a different team... but was one of our tournament players... he's part of "the crew"... I have to mention him... or he'd probably be very sad and pout and it just wouldn't be very pretty!)

While still on the volleyball topic... I posted a link to some photos of the tournament we played in Vegas in April. The link didn't work. I have fixed it, however, here's the link again to the AMAZING PHOTOS Tram took at the tournament.

Hopefully I've remembered everyone I was suppose to mention for the evening... :)

Thanks to everyone who has opened an RME account using my referral button! You're the best! It will be interesting to see if it gets as big as Paypal has. I remember getting all my family and friends to sign up for it when it first started too.

Today my California Roll sold along with a set of Chocolate Truffle Cards and Collage Tag Set. UniquelyPampered has been keeping me busy... I really appreciate her confidence in my art AND all her purchases. Thanks! (You should check out her shop for wonderful items to pamper yourself with!) I'll be busy tomorrow getting the package ready to ship out... YEAH!

I think I'm ready to list "the purse"... My list of excuses really haven't been very good... it's time to take the plunge and just see how it goes!

mother's day

I had such a wonderful Mother's Day! My family planned the perfect day for me. I played volleyball in the morning and then came home to a delicious bagel brunch. Cami and I hung out in the spa for awhile while Leila took a nap (Walter joined her... He is definitely a snuggler!). Norm fixed a yummilicious BBQ rib dinner. I've eaten enough to last the week! :)

Cami made me the cutest flower pen with a matching notebook. They are adorable! I can't wait to use them in my office! I absolutely love it when the girls make me things. It makes me happy to think of the thought and care they've put into their gift. They are both so creative and artistic, I'm always thrilled with what they come up with! Leila took some of the cactus bloom and desert landscape photos I've taken and transformed them (via photoshop) into AMAZING art prints! She framed them perfectly as well! They are beautiful... gallery ready! I can't wait to hang them... Words can't fully express how overwhelmed I was by this gift... It was like seeing my art and Leila's art come together... I'm very proud! Thank you Leila, Cami, and Norm for making me feel so special. I love my family!

My mom LOVED the tree of life afghan that was her present for Mother's Day. (Read about it here.) I was so excited about her opening it. I could barely fit it in the box to mail it (flat rate... to save money!) so I couldn't wrap it. So Heather had the brilliant idea of me mailing it to her so she could wrap it and take it to Mom. (Of course, she had to torture me that she never received it and didn't know what I was talking about!) Thanks Heather for making the presentation of my gift perfect! You're the best! :)

home again AND first weekly "project list"

The Vegas Volleyball Tournament was AWESOME! Although we had some major injuries occur during the tournament (Tram, Julie, & Robert) we had such a great time. We had FUN together. I love it when you can be competitive AND joke around. Our "Get Some" team was Julie, Art, Tram, Dale, Anna, Robert, Jared (thanks for saving us!), and me. Tram took some AMAZING PHOTOS of our team in action. I can hardly wait for the next tournament! (Heal quickly everyone!)

I also had such a wonderful time with my mom and sister... We had a lovely dinner together Saturday night and celebrated Heather's birthday. It's always such a treat when we are able to spend a "girls weekend" out. It's another benefit of my twice a year Vegas Volleyball tournament! :)

It was a very big weekend! Leila went with a BUNCH of her friends and her boyfriend to the big 3 day Coachella concert. She had a terrific time! I can hardly wait to see pictures. She stopped by the house today on her way back to school with souvenirs for all of us. Super thoughtful and sweet! :)

Norm & Cami partied it up while I was gone (of course!)! They spent the day Saturday with friends, swimming and barbecuing and relaxing... sounds nice, huh?!

I didn't get home last night from Vegas until around midnight... I've been a little sluggish (not to mention sore!) today. It's also been VERY hot here AND our air conditioning system is broken. We've been getting quotes but it will be another couple of weeks until it's replaced. It's a good thing that it cools off some at night!

Last week I mentioned that I would begin to list projects at the beginning of each week that I wanted to create. These project(s) must be art and/or craft related. (I can't say... I will "do the laundry.") The purpose of this is to push myself and not allow myself to spend as much time procrastinating about each idea that pops into my head. I want to see some of these ideas to completion. I feel like if I'm having to "list" these projects and recap my progress at the end of the week, I may actually begin to get beyond my own art barriers. Alright... enough with the self reflection! :)

THIS WEEK'S PROJECTS
Chocolate Magnet Set with Decorated Tin
CA Roll - Sushi (Faux Food/Pincushion)
Blossom Card - 2 in 1 card - New paper pattern
FINISH "the purse"

I have so many projects on my BIG list... I feel really good about starting to chip away at them. It's going to be exciting to see more items listed on etsy and to see my "gift" list items checked off. I hope to have a head start this year for the holidays! :)

I did work on the magnet set/tin today and should be able to take photos and list it tomorrow.

I had such an exciting and wonderful weekend... but... it's soooo nice to be home. :)

full moon?

I'm here (Mom's & Dad's - St. George, UT)....

I started to get sleepy a couple times driving and then my husband suggested I start listening to talk radio instead of the music. That definitely helped! I was only able to get about 4 hours sleep last night... so it was tricky.

The Wednesday league volleyball finals was last night! The team I'm on won!!! :) It was a super exciting, competitive match! The finals is a best of 5 format. We went 5 games to determine the winner. A real nail biter! The team really held it together to push through and win that 5th game! Congrats team! This game was the reason I only got 4 hours sleep! By the time I got home and showered it was already 11:00. I had to get up at 3:20 to make sure I was on the road between 4 and 4:15 am.

It's felt like a full moon today with 3 very odd events...

#1 - Stopped outside of Vegas. I filled up the car with gas, used the facilities, and decided to buy a small bag of chips to help keep me awake. I had my credit card in my pocket. I try to check out with my .89 cent bag of chips and the cashier wants to see my ID. I told her I would need to get it out of the car. I walk over there, come back, and she tells me "you could have just picked up this card in the parking lot...". I told her that I would hope I would have tried to buy more than an .89 cent bag of chips!

#2 - I went to lunch with my mom and sister when I got to St. George. Heather and I ordered an omelet WITHOUT green peppers. (I have a reaction to green peppers... not pleasant!) I got the omelet after an EXTENDED period of time took a bite and realized it had the flavor of green peppers.... so I opened it up and there was a big chunk of green pepper. I told the waitress and she told me that it was green onion... then she said, "Oh... It's only ONE green pepper." There was no sorry, no let me fix it, no nothin'! She did end up taking it off the bill, but that wasn't the point. If someone asks to not have an ingredient due to an allergy, etc. It's because they don't want ANY not even ONE!!! I also asked for tea at this restaurant. It came with a nice little teapot for the table, HOWEVER the teapot spout was totally broken and jagged. I tried pouring it as I was desperate since it took SOOO long just to get that pot, it spilled as much as it poured. When I pointed this out and that they may want to replace that teapot she was definitely put out and had the attitude like I was lying about the tea not pouring properly out of a broken teapot. (Not to mention the fact that the one glass I poured I kept thinking... "I hope I'm not drinking glass.") Mom's meal wasn't great either... the way I look at it is... ANYWHERE we go to eat now will be absolutely amazing! :)

#3 - My allergies are always particularly bad in St. George. Today they are even worse as there is a brisk wind blowing. I knew immediately upon getting out of the car that my Zyrtek wasn't going to do the trick. I was going to need to get Claritin 24 hour decongestant. I go to the local grocery store with pharmacy. I know I'll have to provide ID... However, the way the girl asked (no DEMANDED) my ID was as if I were a criminal running right out to juice up my meth lab with ONE box of Claritin!

Total attitude from all three places... I had to think... am I wearing a sign that says, "CRIMINAL" or am I asking for trouble and problems everywhere I go? I decided that the safest thing might just be to hang out at the house for the rest of the day. It's funny how sometimes there's no good reason... things just seem to go a little crazy. Well... that's it! Back to nice people who care about their jobs and customers tomorrow... (hope, hope, hope)

Maybe it was a full moon... :)

finals and packing

Finals tonight.... I'm starting to get a little nervous...

I have to finish (start!) packing! I leave at 4:00 in the morning to drive out to St. George. I definitely need to be ready to go so that when I get home from finals tonight I just have to worry about taking a shower and getting into bed as quickly as possible. I guess I better get stuff done now!

It's going to be so fun to see family AND have a full weekend filled with volleyball! :)

volleyball week

Yesterday I mentioned that it was a very busy week.... Looking forward to this week I feel like I'm going to be saying the same thing! This week is the Vegas volleyball tournament. I'll drive to St. George, Utah on Thursday to spend a couple of days with family and then drive down to Vegas on Saturday with my mom and sister, Heather. (It will be Heather's birthday, too!) They'll do some shopping as well as hang out for awhile as our team's fan club. (We play all day Saturday and Sunday.) I booked a room for that night so we can enjoy a nice dinner and have more fun celebrating Heather's birthday AND just hanging out. (Of course, I really won't be able to tell you all about what we do, because what happens in... you know the drill! :) ) I go to Vegas twice a year for volleyball tournaments and every time my mom, sister, and I make a girl's weekend out of it. It's just the best! :)

My Wednesday night volleyball league won in playoffs... so we have the finals game on Wednesday! (Definitely a busy volleyball week... I also play tomorrow night!)

I've been busy tonight making up more of my paper chocolate promo magnets. UniquelyPampered asked if I wanted to participate in her raffle. I was so pleased to be asked! I'm trying to get it all set to mail off tomorrow. I also have a couple of orders to mail tomorrow as well.

I miss my car... The latest is that the repairs will take a couple of weeks... So I have probably another week and a half without it. I'll miss not being able to drive it to my tournament, I'll be driving Norm's car instead. His car is very nice and comfortable... but it's not my MINI... (sigh)

t o m o r r o w

We leave TOMORROW!!!! I can't believe it... I'm soooo excited, yet nervous. The nervous part is just the worry about Cami and Leila. It feels so odd to think they aren't coming with us. I just want them to be safe while we're gone...

I have to hurry and get my stuff packed up. I did find a casual yet fancy sandal today (finally)! I feel like I'm all ready! Norm wondered why I had to get all this stuff to go to another state... I told him it was just the catalyst to do something I SHOULD have done a LONG time ago. I think he agrees..... He's planning on taking some of my old wardrobe pieces on "a long drive, in a pillowcase." What do you think he means by this? :)

Well... I better get back to making sure I'm set to go... I only have an hour left because I have volleyball tonight. My team's in playoffs this week!

mini summer holiday

It felt great to play some volleyball this morning. The exercise was great! I'm looking forward to Wednesday volleyball... my team made playoffs and that will be the first playoff game. I love the competition of playoffs! The play seems to go up a notch.

I didn't get to work on my purse at all today. Cami, Norm, and I enjoyed sitting in the jacuzzi this afternoon and then went to the mall (where I found sunglasses) and had dinner at "The Cheesecake Factory." We ordered their appetizer sampler as our food to share. It was perfect! Little bites of lots of flavors and we didn't leave overstuffed. We sat outside and it was just lovely.

This weekend felt very relaxed. I love how the weather contributed to making it feel like we were on a summer holiday.... (ahhhh)