Happy 'For Petes Sake' day (Friday 2/26)

First off, I have no idea where this saying came from. I googled it and found nothing other than alternatives like 'oh for crying out loud' which I also say quite frequently. If you know the origin of this saying, please let me know.

On to the business at hand.

It is Sale-A-Bration time at Stampin Up and if the free item with a $50 purchase wasnt enough for you, I am offering an additional $7.50 in free product for a $50 order and an additional $7.50 with every $50 spent if you order by midnight this friday February 26th. $ requirement is pre tax and shipping and these orders will not go in until sometime in March.

If you order $100 worth of regular merchandise, you get 2 free sab sets and $15 worth of stuff. If you spend $150, you get 3 free sab sets, a free hostess set, $$22.50 worth of merchandise paid by me, and $15 worth of additional merchandise from Stampin Up for a total of 4 sets and nearly $40 in free product that you choose.

Here is the link to all the catalogues including the main catalogue and the current Sale-A-Bration mini. http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/16192.asp. Please note that for the first time, Stampin Up is allowing select additional regular catalogue sets to be ordered in place of Sale-A-Bration sets. A list of the additional sets can be found on page 11 of the Sale-A-Bration brochure.

Please include all item numbers when you submit your order.

You can get the free Sale-A-Bration item(s), 1 for each $50 ordered, anytime before the end of March but my $7.50 incentive is good through Friday February 26th only.

Also, I am looking for class ideas. Anyone that sends me an idea for a class will get their name put in a hat for a prize.

Thanks for your continued loyalty.

I am queen of the hotel deal

I found another pretty good hotel deal. Its not as good as the Ramada MOA I had a few weeks ago but still is very good at more than half off the regular rate. I believe its for this weekend only (Feb 5th and 6th).

It’s the Holiday Inn Express in Eagan (Mall of America). Its 5 miles from the MOA and they have a free shuttle. It has a free continental breakfast, a pool and Jacuzzi and I got a suite for $50 including tax. Here is the link http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/advancedsearch?roomResult=none&hotelCode=EAGAN&rateCode=IPFD2&quickRes=city&_requestid=297955. The rate preference is IPFD2. Initially I think the search results gave me a regular room but I changed to no preference and got the suite at the same price.

Other than that, my leg feels very good most of the time. I get pangs that make me feel frustrated and last night was a bummer, but I think the last shot I got worked. Another hopeful day.

I am joyful and optimistic

I feel joyful and optimistic today. I got over some humps I had at work over the last few weeks and pain wise, I feel good. I am seeing a nutritionist and am looking forward to getting back to regular exercise.

I put in a Stampin Up order last week for a new 12x12 red ring album, some designer series paper, and some of the sale-a-bration Welcome Neighbor 6x6 paper. I also got some stamps and wheels and need to get busy scrapbooking the boys. Dominic is 4 months old and I haven’t made one page for him, sheesh.

There are a lot of new happenings and events that began last fall at Stampin Up that I am just getting around to researching and communicating. There is a clearance section on the customer website (under store, then clearance, here - http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryID=493 ). Stampin Up is discouraging ordering clearance items through a workshop as the item may be sold out by the time the order is actually processed. Soooo, Stampin Up wants all clearance orders to go through the demo website or through a demo order. Let me know if you need help with an order.

$10, 10 minute Caribean Chicken recipe

INGREDIANTS
1. 4 chicken breasts ($6)
2. 1 tomato ($1)
3. ¼ c cilantro (approx) ($1)
4. 2 T lime juice (approx) ($1)
5. 2 T green onion, about 1 T of green and 1 T of white (approx) ($1)

RECIPE
1. Lightly grease a frying pan with oil. I used pam
2. Add 4 thawed boneless chicken breasts and brown on both sides
3. Add green onion and fry a little
4. Add clean, stem-less tomato to pan and mash it into chunks
5. Add half a cup water (approx) and cover
6. Cook for 5-10 minutes until the water is mostly reduced
7. Remove from heat and add lime juice and cilantro

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away

I have been friends with my neighbors, Jenny and Andrew, for some time. Their 3 girls play with Austin and Logan while Jenny and I chat about our lives. Jenny inspires me with her words of wisdom and her role as a Christian and a mother. I aspire to be like her in many ways.

I sort of ‘hole up for the winter’ so my conversations with Jenny are limited to mostly email until it gets warm enough to stand around outside. Andrew is having surgery today and in response to my offer of help, Jenny sent me an email with such inspiring words, I felt like she helped me instead of me helping her. I want to share an excerpt because it will be a reminder to me when I am feeling despondent and having a pity party.

***********************excerpt of Jennys email*************************
Thank you for your thought and prayers. God is good - even when life is hard. Our desire is to praise him through everything - no matter what! As Job said after he lost everything (daughters, sons, livestock, wealth) except his snarky wife, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21) I love that attitude.
**********************************************************************************

Andrew will be recovering for a few weeks and if you read this between now and say the end of the January, please pray for him to have a quick and easy recovery.

Cheap Family Vacation Alert – Wisconsin Dells 2 people, mid week, $199 All Inclusive

Do you like waterparks?

Do you like to eat and drink and not worry about the cost while you are on vacation?

Plus its in Wisconsin Dells so if you are in the Twin Cities, its about a 4 hour car ride.

The Chula Vista resort in Wisconsin Dells has an all inclusive package for 2 people/2 nights for $199 from now through January 27. This fabulous deal includes;
· 2 nights in a standard room
· All you can eat
· All you can drink (frozen drinks, mixed drinks, beer, and wine)
· Waterpark passes

This has been very fun and affordable for our family and we are planning to go again in a few weeks which will be our third time in the last 12 months. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

GOOD
1. The food is pretty good and the buffet has all you can eat crab legs
2. The waterpark is enormous. It has 6 big slides and multiple areas for babies, toddlers, and bigger kids plus it has a lazy river.
3. The 2 room family suite, which is huge, is the same price as the standard room. It has a balcony which overlooks the river and the board walk. It has a separate bedroom, livingroom with sofabed, table/chairs, and a frig and microwave.
4. Free beverages include pop, wine, beer, frozen drinks, and mixed drinks. Bottled beverages are not included.
5. You can upgrade to a theme room or a Jacuzzi suite for only $50 more a night
6. You can stay an additional night or 2 for $99/night per 2 people

BAD
1. Some of the rooms are a ways from the waterpark. The theme rooms are the furthest and are a good 10 minutes. The family suites are closest to the restaurants and are about 5 minutes. I have not stayed in a regular room but I think they are similar in location to the family suites. I have heard that the Condos are the closest but I don’t think these are in the all inclusive deal.
2. Some of the rooms are not connected to the waterpark so I guess you have to walk outside. The theme rooms and the family suites are connected.
3. This probably goes without saying but because its all inclusive, you cant take food with you back to your room.
4. I think the service staff are used to getting stiffed because some of them have attitudes.
5. The frozen drinks are quite weak
6. Not all restaurants are included

UGLY
1. The lines can be long to wait for food or drinks at the waterpark grill and you can only order 2 drinks at a time. We eat dinner early at the buffet but I think the lines are long there too if you wait much past 6 to eat dinner.
2. The rates are only inclusive for 2 people so if you have kids, each kid is an extra $50 per night.
3. The deal is only good for mid-week, during pre-established dates. You can get an all-inclusive package at other times of the year but its several hundred dollars for 2 nights.

Go check out http://www.chulavistaresort.com/

Stampin Up: Whats New?

Stampin Up has a bunch of new stuff. Check out the links below or check out my website http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/winniethepoodle/


Simply Adorned jewelry - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/15579.asp
Simple, tasteful jewelry in styles that most people will like.

Un-mounted stamps - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/17053.asp
These will take up a less space and are more ‘transportable’.

New Punch Styles - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/17065.asp
These are slimmer and will also take up less space.

Sale-A-Bration - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/17080.asp
1 free item with every $50 purchased, excluding tax and shipping and this year you can now select from a bunch of sets in the current catty.

Digital Scrapbooking - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/15867.asp

Build A Bear - http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/Build-A-Bear_Workshop.asp