A proud day!

I am so very excited to share happy news with all of you. Today, my daughter Reagan received an honorable mention for her poster for the recycling program at school. The picture she drew is to the left; and I for one think it's adorable! Although I could be a bit biased! We recycle at home and I'm glad to see that she recognizes the importance of why we do it. I was so happy to be able to go and take pictures and be there for this special occasion.
My Mystery Hostess party was a blast! Everyone had a great time and I can hardly wait to do it again. Thank you to everyone who came and placed an order. Congratulations to Amanda for being the Mystery Hostess. Today and tomorrow I will probably spend a good amount of time doing administrative type work for SU. It's definitely not my favorite part of being a demo; but still, it does need to be done. I hope to get back to stamping by the end of the week. I can already think of about 6 different things I need to make cards for.
I also need to catch up on GH. I've only caught bits and pieces of it the last couple of days. I did see on General Hospital Happenings that Jason Cook, formerly Shawn D on DOOL is going to be playing a new doctor on GH beginning in June. He was Shawn D when Kirsten Storms (Maxie) was Belle on DOOL. Certainly does seem to be a lot ping-ponging between DOOL and GH doesn't there? I'll try to think of all the actors/actresses that have been on both and post a list tomorrow. Just for fun and mindless interest. Also it looks as though Emily will be bidding her final aideu..for real this time sometime this week. Oh, also did just see the Daytime Emmy noms. Only one actor from GH nominated...Anthony Geary (Luke). I guess that's ok; but it really is a been there and done that kind of feeling for me. Astonished that Steve Burton and/or Tyler Christopher (Jason and Nikolas) weren't nominated. Oh, well, such is life I suppose.

Have a great day!
Dori

Not enough hours in a Monday

Good Monday Afternoon!

Oh my Goodness, I certainly do wish there were more time in a day. I have so much to do to prepare for my Mystery Hostess Party tomorrow evening. Hence the short entry for today. The little one is napping right now, which should give me about an hour and a half to finish prepping materials and putting guest packets together. Sometimes I think I'm organized to the point of being detrimental to myself. Oh well, too late to change the stripes now, I suppose. I put up a slide show of some recent items I've made and also some pictures from my daughter's birthday "not birthday" party this past weekend. She really did have a great time and I was glad we went ahead and did it. At least now when her birthday comes in August she won't feel like she just has to share it with her brother. The most amazing part of the day for her, I'm sure was receiving her new iPod Shuffle. Have you seen those things? Totally cool and unbelievably tiny. I've already put in my official request for one for Mother's Day. She was only supposed to get something small because after all, this really wasn't her birthday. It's the last time I send Daddy to the store for something small!

Have a great day everyone and I promise to write more tomorrow!

Dori

Some New Additions

Good Friday afternoon!!

Well, as promised I'm finally finished with the samples that I will be putting out at my Mystery Hostess Party on Tuesday evening. I have pictured one of them here. (Recipe is at the end of today's post) Visit my SCS gallery to see the other ones, including an example of Wednesday's SCS trifold pocket card. One lucky person is going to win all the samples in one of the raffles that evening. I also did an origami box, which unfortunately I was unable to get a picture of it. I'm not sure why; but I just couldn't get it to look like a box in the picture. Will probably try to do it again over the weekend. If you haven't made one of those, give it a try. I was amazed at how easy it was. Just go to the SCS site and look up Origami Box under the resources section. Word of note, the instructions give a 11x11 size; but you could also use 8x8 for a smaller box.
My daughter's school birthday party is tomorrow. She has to have two because her birthday is actually in August and there is never anybody around because of moving, (we are USMC military housing) summer vacations etc) So I do one this time of year so she can have a party with her friends. I'm going to make a smaller origami box to put her present in...which I think is going to be a small pair of earrings.
Since joining SCS just a couple of weeks ago, I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly challenges that they have. I've done a color challenge, the Wednesday tutorial; and I plan to do the Limited Supplies Challenge sometime today as well. Check out the "Stamp a Little Love" Blog (link to the right) for Beate's weekend challenge. Post them to SCS when you're done. I'd be interested to see what everyone comes up with.
Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment if you get a chance. It's always nice to hear from you.

Have a great weekend!!

Fruit Stand Best Wishes Card

Stamps: Fruit Stand, CrossHatch background (retired), All through the Year,
Sincere Salutations
Paper: Old Olive, Bravo Burgundy, Blush Blossom, Groovy Guava, Water color
Inks: Groovy Guava, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, Bravo Burgundy,
Accessories: Brads, Hemp Twine

All about the family

Since I'm still working frantically to prepare things for Tuesday's mystery hostess party and we chatted about GH yesterday (did you watch the video? Isn't it totally awesome!!)I thought I'd just put up the last couple of layouts I've done of my children. Unfortunately when I resized them they got a little fuzzy, so I apologize for that. Every time I look at my layouts, I can't help but remember how far behind I am in my scrapbooking. It's so hard sometimes to balance it with Stamping (and the kids, the husband, the laundry ha ha!) Next week that will be my focus as I think once I am done with Mystery Hostess on Tuesday I will officially be in a Stamping burnout. Just a quick little chat today...more tomorrow, I promise. Oh, one more thing. To Bonnie W. who posted a comment about the scratch n sniff cherry card. Send me an email and I'll send you one with how I did it. I don't have a way to contact you.

Have a great day everyone!
Dori

My Favorite GH video

The 7 Things game.

7 Things Game

I was tagged my "kerilinn" for the 7 things game. Thanks :)



7 Things Game

The Rules for 7 Things:

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



So, here are my 7 things:

1. This is my first blog and my first time being tagged

2. I am a tv junkie and ashamed to admit I love watching Lifetime Move Network!

3. I enjoy cooking and often experiment with creating different recipes.

4. I still can't get used to the idea that my father is gone (he passed away in February)

5. I wrote a book and self published it. Lilacs for Allie. (www.lulu.com/content/1085305)

6. This year will be my 10th Wedding Anniversary!!!

7. My favorite time of the day is early in the morning with my coffee and my book. I love to read and I'm rarely without a novel.


1. Scrappinusmc (www.scrappinusmc.blogspot.com)
2. Amber's Crafty Corner(www.Amberscraftycorner.blogspot.com)
3. Victoria's Creative Juices (www.Victoriascreativejuices.blogspot.com)
4. The Stamping Spot (www.thestampingspot.blogspot.com)
5. Stamp a little love (www.stampalittlelove.blogspot.com)
6. Paper and Ink (www.Paperandink.blogspot.com)
7. Stampin with Laurel (www.stampinwithlaurel.blogspot.com)

My "Oh man!" moment

Good Tuesday Morning everyone.

***update*** I forgot I saved one of them as an extra, so I've uploaded the image. I used the scratch n-sniff technique, so my cherries smell like cherries! (Cool!)

I hope everyone had a fun and exciting weekend. Ours was very busy, complete with an overnight trip to the zoo for my daughter (last minute vehicle trouble prevented me from going) She had a fantastic time and I can't wait to see the pictures that her Brownie leader took. We also attended a birthday party complete with a bouncy castle for the kids, which meant free entertainment and a chance to relax...sort of...for the moms and dads.
So, what exactly was my "oh man!" moment? It was last night on my way home from my book club meeting when I realized that I had completely forgotten to take pictures of all the bookmark cards I made and that I was going to post in a slideshow for you all to see today. I took them to my meeting last night and gave them all to my friends last night as little gifts. The worst part is that some of them were really really cute!! I spent the majority of the day yesterday working on them, which is the main reason I didn't get a chance to blog. I am going to begin working on projects for my mystery hostess party today; and will try to put something new up later this afternoon.
Cheers to all!

The Power of Practicality

Good morning all,

Are you the type of person that before you buy something you ponder the practicality of it? Do you ever look at something and think, yes it looks very nice; but what on earth would I do with it? I always think about that not only when I'm thinking about buying something; but also when I'm making something to give to friends or customers. My new bookmark card is a good example of this. The bookmark is functional in its traditional sense; but also as a calendar on the back side (not pictured,sorry!) In addition, there is a place for my business card right in the front. The person receiving it can take the bookmark out and use it for their favorite book and then perhaps place a picture on the card, and viola...instant picture frame. So, go ahead and try it. Be creative and be practical; people will appreciate it. For complete supplies, and instructions check out my Stampin Up! website.
What's new in my life as a Mommy? We had a great little outing to the park, where Jonathan is learning to explore a bit more on his own and climb around more as well. Tyler loves the slide and is very observant, pointing out the things that he hears and sees: the woodpecker, the airplane, the dog in the yard across the street. My daughter Reagan and I are looking forward to an overnight trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia tomorrow. We are going with her Brownie troop and are going to have a real behind the scenes look at the zoo at night time. How exciting!!
Couple of GH items for you all to ponder over the weekend: 1. Could Kate be Spinelli's mom? Is that Kate's secret? 2. Is Michael going to wake up or will the doctors discourage it due to possibly severe brain damage? 3. Are Maxie and Spinelli on the path to coupledom? More GH recaps and speculations on Monday.
Have a great weekend everyone. Please note: I will not be able to blog this weekend; but will be back on Monday!

Happy thoughts to all,
Dori

The Wonder of Bubbles!

Is there anything more delightful than watching a child discover the magic of blowing bubbles? Of course, it's always made more comical by the one that tries to eat the bubble wand instead of trying to blow the bubbles! It's amazing how much entertainment can be found in that 99 cent bottle of soap and water. Here I have shared a scrapbooking layout of a day last summer with the three men in my life having some bubble fun. I love the way that Jonathan is trying answer the question, "Can you catch a bubble?" If you are toying with the idea of starting a scrapbook, let this page be your inspiration. Scrapbooking is a wonderful and exciting way to preserve memories for future generations; and it sure beats the shoe box method that most people have!

So, what is new in the world of General Hospital? First let's continue with our discussion of the VM rumor. Will she come back and if so, will it be only to aid in MB's exit? That's quite the dilemma, don't you think? I would love to see her come back. I've always been a fan of her, both on GH and LV. Still, I don't think I'm quite ready to let go of Sonny. I do know that the more I see of Sonny and Kate, the less I like the two of them together. As a matter of fact, there's nobody right now that I really like Sonny with. I think GH reached the epitome with that with Sarah Brown (as Carly, not Claudia) and Tamara Braun (as Carly) ***side note*** am enjoying TB on Days. I like LW's "Carly" with Jax and hope they continue with that relationship. So we will definitely have to keep an eye on that rumor.
There's also discussion as of late to a possible eating disorder storyline for one of the youngsters. Maxie, maybe? Perhaps as she delves further into the fashion world? Finally I leave the GH discussion with one question for you to ponder...Who exactly are Spinelli's parents?

Have a Great Day!
Dori
www.doriluvs2stamp@stampinup.net

Who they really are.

Good morning friends,

I choose to begin today's blog where I left off yesterday, chatting about my children. I have realized as of late that I am beginning to see them more as individuals, each with his or her own personality and characteristics instead of always thinking, she gets that from me or he gets that from his Daddy. My daughter, Reagan is tender, compassionate and carefree. She loves life and is thoughtful and silly all at the same time. More than once in the past week she has declared me the "best mom in the whole world." A title I'm not entirely convinced I'm worthy of, but was music to my ears. My son Tyler is tough as nails, energetic and determined. He loves to learn new things and then spends days afterwards begging to do it over and over, and of course by himself. Finally, Jonathan; my little Jon-Jon Owen, "sweeter than a pecan pie" is what I always tell him. He is independent, comedic and a creature of habit. He knows what he likes and likes what he likes. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that the only piece of meat I can get him to eat is hot dogs...and not just any hot dogs, "Hebrew National" hot dogs. I marvel at each one of them and sometimes I can hardly wait to see how these personality traits will shape them as adults. Then again, I don't want them growing up too fast.

Scrapbooking and stamping news. I updated my website yesterday with two new cards. Check them out and have a go at them. Remember creativity is born from creativity. Stamping is not about being artistic or having a degree in graphic arts. It is about creating something and then giving that something to someone. Ask anybody you know and they will tell you that they prefer to get something handmade over something store bought. So go ahead, brighten someones day.

GH news tomorrow...

Cheers,
Dori

Good morning all,

Let's start the day talking about GH, shall we? If you are new to the blog, GH stands for General Hospital, the best daytime serial on television (In my humble opinion!!)
First off, am loving, loving this storyline with Michael, although I hate the fact that Dylan Cash is going to be leaving us. Very talented little actor; he'll go far I have no doubt. Also kudos to Laura Wright for her portrayal of Carly during all of this. Could you not feel the hatred and rage on Friday when she slapped Sonny OMG!! Being a huge, huge Liason fan I am a bit miffed that once again my favorite couple seems to be headed back to the "We love each other, but we can't...so let's just sneak around" story again. I say that and then I hear rumors of them getting married, so who knows. Also, who didn't laugh out loud when Alexis caught Diane and Max in the horizontal tango on Sonny's couch?!!
Anybody heard the VM (Vanessa Marcil "Brenda") rumor? Since LV was cancelled, rumor has it that GH is trying to lure miss Marcil back to the GH fold. How would that story play out? Well, the most popular rumor to date is that she's going to be the exit storyline for MB (Maurice Benard "Sonny") if he opts out of his contract in August. Too many mixed feelings about that (good blog topic for tomorrow)
Last GH topic: If you've not seen "Claudia Zacharra's" facebook page, check it out. Sarah Brown does actually go on and post things on her wall and puts pictures etc. I have really enjoyed navigating around it.
On to stamping and scrapbooking news. After stealing everyone elses ideas for the past 6 months, I finally decided to donate to the cause and registered at splitcoaststampers. com. Check out my gallery there under RTJmom. I posted a very cool tissue box calendar (all my own idea, I might add) as well as some cards as well. There is also a link to my Stampin Up website. I hope to be posting some more things later on.
Mommy news: I have observed lately that my 3 year old son, thinks that if he screams, at the top of his lungs, "Jon-Jon, (nickname for my 2 yr old) you're OK!" after he's done something mean to his little brother, that somehow that's supposed to make Jon-Jon feel better. Hasn't quite worked out yet for him, though!

Cheers to all for now,
Dori

New SU 08 In colors....

Wanna a sneak peak at the new SU in colors for next season? Book a catalog show or a workshop if you are in the Beaufort SC area! See the new colors and qualify for a free assorted package of the new color cardstock when the new catalogs are issued.

Extra Extra Stampin Up! Hostess promotion

If you book a show between now and April 30 and have $300.00 in sales you get an extra $25 in free merchandise. That is in addition to the $35 you qualify for already. Anyone in the Beaufort, SC area contact me to host a workshop. Not in the area? No problem! Catalog shows are also eligible.

My first Blog

Hello to all and any who may visit this blog

This is my first blog ever and I have no idea what I'm doing, so it should be interesting to say the least. Why then am I doing a blog? Well, I suppose simply because everyone else seems to have one about their favorite things, so why not have one about my two favorite things: General Hospital and Stampin Up! I enjoy both of these two things immensely, but time is often limited because of laundry, diapers, cooking and temper tantrums. I'm sure I'm not alone in that dilemma.
So, if you feel like you are in need of GH gossip, Stampin Up products and advise, or a break from the normal wear and tear of everyday, then feel free to visit and chat along with me. You can also join my yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/scrapnstampmoms . )For more Stampin and Scrappin fun!)