You Rock

I love the You Rock papers. As soon as I saw the papers, I knew I had to use them for Caleb's Pinewood Derby photos! Caleb's car Pikachu ROCKED! He came in 1st place in his Den and 2nd place for the Pack. We are heading to the District races in March! We are so excited. Caleb also received 3rd place for Most Humorous!

These are the You Rock layouts for February's Cut Scrap & Paste - Scrapbooking! The first layout, I am going to put pictures of Kylie. She is always posing for the camera. She doesn't like for me to just take one picture, but several. So, I will use her on my "Be You" page. I just need to print the pictures.

I am so excited about the You Rock papers - Cut Scrap & Paste - Scrapbooking meets on February 19 at 9:30 am - 12:30 pm or Saturday, February 20 at 6:30 pm.

NEW March Card Club

Here we go - it is time for a brand new and excitingly fun card club!

We will meet the first Saturday at 6:30 pm or the first Wednesday at 9:30am - 12:30pm! I am so excited. I made up my March cards tonight and I just love how they turned out.

I have had a hard time in the past getting away from the easy to use 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 card bases. I did do two cards that size, two are 4 3/4 X 3 and 1 is 4 1/2 X 4 1/2. We will make 2 if each of the 5 cards, for $12.00.

I used Daydream and Veranda bulk papers. Several stamps: One of a Kind (D1410), Childhood Portrait (D1373), Say it in Style (D1283), Easter Eggs (retired), Beloved (B1343), Holiday Jubilee (D1128). I used black, antiqued copper, and blush brads. There is some juniper, black, and hollyhock bulk ribbon. Multiple colors of ink: cocoa, creme brulee', black, hollyhock, blush, lilac mist, and sweat leaf. There are several other embellishments: paper flowers, clear buttons, baby pink embroidery floss.

I am so excited about this club! Are you? Leave me a comment and let me know. I will give you all the details!!

Prequel Beaune France 1998 and Hawaii 2004

When we lived in Germany, there was a group of us that did a Memorial Day Vacation to Beaune, France. The women planned the trip and packed for the guys and we headed out to the train station in Landstuhl. The men had no idea where we were going, it was a surprise. We got to the train station and the guys flipped a coin to decide which direction they thought we would go. They had no idea! They were still confused when we arrived in Beaune, because they had never heard of this place. We had a great time. We toured the town of Beaune, the first day. The second day we rented bikes (not my cup o' tea) and went on a bike tour of the area. Some of us were getting tired so we took a break - at a winery. Can you imagine stopping to drink wine in the middle of a bike ride? We some of our group did. Then they cam out and said we bought cases! OK - how are we going to get these cases back to the hotel? The man that owns the winery delivered the cases of wine for us! YUM! Then right down the road, was this quaint restaurant in the middle of no where. We stopped for lunch, but they were closed, it was 2 in the afternoon. We had one person with us that was fluent in French. She asked them if they would open for us. There were 20 of us! They did and it was the best French food!

Tim and I actually made a trip back to that same location about a year later. This time by car and we purchased 100 bottles of wine on that trip. The Air Force paid for us to ship our wine back to the states, we brought home 300 bottles of European wine back with us. We even still have some from that trip in the Volnay and Pommard wineries.

Ok - that is the history behind our 10 year anniversay trip. The men on that trip all said someday they would give the women a surprise vacation. Well, Tim followed through. I don't know about any of the others. For our 10 year Anniversary - Tim made all of the plans, including telling his parents and my parents and getting my parents to watch the kids for us for a full week.

We dropped the kids off with my parents and then they took us to the airport in OK City. We spent the night, because our flight was at 7:00 AM. We boarded the plane and went to Denver, CO. Well, we stayed in the airport and went to our next terminal....boarding a plane, now to San Fransisco. We got off the plane, went to have lunch (in the airport). The whole time I am asking Tim - where are we going. Then we go and sit for our next flight. The sign says Lihue. Well, I don't have any idea where we are heading. So, I call a friend of mine back in AR...tell her what the sign says and she googles it, but she knows it is a surprise and doesn't tell. :-) Tim decides to tell me before we get on the plane so that I have time to read about Kauai, Hawaii! What a surprise! We had so much fun, we went kayaking, up in a Helicopter, lounging at the pool, out to Spouting Horn, sitting on the beach watching the surfers and walking on the beach and oh yeah and a couples massage in our room! Wait - we also bought a Time Share.

But wait, that isn't all. He didn't share everything with me.....on our way home we stopped in San Fransisco for 2 nights. We went to see the Lion King on stage at the Orpheum Theater. We had the BEST seats in the house!

Now, I am waiting for my 20 year Anniversary. I can't wait to see what my dear husband has in store for me. It might be a family vacation to Africa. We are starting our research now. I hope to have it all planned and can go when our daughter is 12. Yes, she is 4 now, but a lot of the gaming tours won't take anyone under the age of 12.

I hope you enjoyed my story - I love reminiscing! How much fun would it be for us to move back to Germany and get to do some of these fun things again. Yes, I know it will be different this time, we have kids and school and activities, but there is so much traveling to be done for the Stong Clan!

Michigan January 2007

Before the kids started school, we went to MI in January. It was the best. Tim and I got to go to the Detroit Auto Show. We went kidless! I love cars. I guess, it is a dream of mine to own several cars. I need to get my scrapbooking business into HIGH gear for that to work for me. We haven't been to the Detroit Auto Show since 2007. Maybe next year...I say that every year, but we have yet to set aside money just for that occasion.

Along with going to MI in January - usually means we get to ride the snowmobiles. Tim's parents back yard is large enough for the kids to get a thrill on the snowmobiles. Well, it was 3 years ago anyway. They might be ready for a bit more excitement! I don't know when we will make it to MI again for winter fun, but hopefully soon!

I actually made these layouts last January (2009) with my Cut Scrap & Paste ladies! We had so much fun, using the Aspen papers! I have to order more paper, since we had the December 2009 - 16 inches of snowfall and the February 2010 - 24+ inches of snowfall pictures. It is just amazing the amount of snowfall the greater DC area has had this winter. I think we have hit records in the amount of snowfall for one winter. They are predicting more snow on Wednesday. The kids have been out of school this year 6 days for snow - including tomorrow!

Email from my Dad!

My Dad sent me this in an Email - I thought it was pretty funny, so, instead of forwarding, I am posting it here!

Comments made in the year 1955!
(That's only 54 years ago!)

'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible
To buy a week's groceries for $20.00.


'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year?
It won't be long before $2,000..00 will only buy a used one.

'If cigarettes keep going up in price,
I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.

'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?

'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00,
Nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store. '

'When I first started driving,
Who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon..
Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.

'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more..
Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND,
It seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it..

'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century.
They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .

'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball?
It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.

'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric.
They are even making electric typewriters now.

'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays..
I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.

'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone
To watch their kids so they can both work.

'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes.
I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.

'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather,
But I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend,
It costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.

'No one can afford to be sick anymore,
At $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'

'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'