St Judes Card Event a Success - thank you volunteers

Here are the stats, pictures will come soon.

Thursday: 4 volunteers plus me. 28 man hours - 69 cards
Friday: 5 volunteers plus me. 38 man hours - 130 cards
Saturday: 6 volunteers plus me. 42 man hours - 210 cards
plus 107 cards made by a saturday volunteer before the event
plus 100 cards submitted by people that couldnt come
plus 150 cards I made before the event

total 766 card fronts

Send me a card by December 31st, win a stamp set

Here are the rules.

1) The card must be hand delivered or post marked by December 31st, 2010

2) The card must be delivered with information to include in the contest

3) The card must be made from 100% current Stampin Up materials

4) The winner will be chosen randomly by my husband or one of the grandkids

5) The winner will recieve a new, unmounted stamp set called Peaceful Season. This is a very limited release set and can not be purchased. It can only be obtained by hosting a Stampin Up party of $300 or more, from September 1st 2010 through January 3rd, 2011.

Contact me for more details.

Robin

Stampin Up classes updated in website

I updated my Stampin Up website with my current class schedule
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/winniethepoodle/and you can get all the details there but here is a sneak peek;

SEPTEMBER
Saturday 9/11 - Stamp Club. Last month to join and get membership bennies
Saturday September 25 - Halloween frame. 8x11 frame, bingo, spooky treats

OCTOBER
Saturday October 9 - Stamp club
Saturday October 23 - 3D class (4 projects)
Monday October 25 - Technique Class #1
Saturday October 30 - Fall Craft and Vendor Fair - Come visit my booth!

NOVEMBER
Saturday November 13 - Stamp Club
Saturday November 20 - Christmas Card 30 - 30 Christmas Cards for 30 bucks

Looking for Crafters of Home Party People for Craft Show 10/30/2010

My friend and I are organizing a craft/home party event and are looking for additional vendors. We are still throwing around dates but it will probably be 10/30/2010 from around 9 (8am setup) to 3-4 (tear down an hour before).

We are looking for most any kind of home based party sellers or any kind of home made arts/crafts but because we want to provide a non competitive environment, we are limiting each type of item to 2 vendors, and because of this we can not take any more jewelry, Tastfully Simple, or handmade cards.

Please email me if youa re interested. Tables are $10 a piece and donation of an item for the raffle.

The Stampin Buzz

The most recent Stampin buzz has been around my stamp club that kicks off this Saturday. The club members will meet the 2nd Saturday of the month from August - January and will create fabulous cards, scrapbook pages, and other items. I have a few spots available so let me know if you want more information.

Sleep Study

So I have been having headaches lately which I thought were from all the sinus problems I have but my dr referred me to have another MRI of my neck and a sleep study to see if there are other problems. The MRI came back with a bunch of stuff so I am off to see the neck guy 7/28 and last night was my sleep study at the Sound Sleep Center in Arbor Lakes.

So I get there at about 7:15 last night I get a little tour. I have a hotel style room, bathroom is across the hall, kitchen and shower are down the hall a little bit. 1 more person is coming at 8:30 and its just the Tech (Kamala), 8:30 guy(aka 8:30), and me for the entire night. My room and 8:30 are side by side.....across from the toilets.....Ish. So i change into my pajamas as instructed and fill out forms until she comes back and asks me to feed some wires down my pants legs (exact words)and some more down my shirt AND pants legs. I do as I am told and now have 4 wires with plugs sticking out the bottoms of my pants. She puts sticky pads on my legs and then plugs the wires into them. Same thing with about 12 more on my arms, chest, face, and neck. We were having some fun until 8:30 showed up and ruined the party. She gets him settled in to his room and then comes back with a tub of paste and says she is going to use to glue more leads to my head. She strapped 2 spandex belts around my chest and waist and then takes all the leads, plugs them into a battery pack which she hangs around my neck says to get comfortable. Well now, that is a request! Sometime later she came back in and took my battery pack off and tells me to get into bed and sleep on my back if I could. I normally sleep on my side because sleeping on my back exacerbates my leg problem but what the hey, I am a total team player. Oh and heres not 1 but 2 nose airway things to wear. I finally get to sleep and she wakes me up to tell me that the leads are coming off my face and she needs to re-stick them on and that I am having some apnea events and she wants to put me on a cpap machine. Joy..... so between getting up 2 more times to go pee plus countless more times for lead re-sticking, i am exhausted and when the dr comes in and asks how i slet, he is dumbfounded when i tell him 'not so good'. sheesh. anyway i had some apnea events so i am going to try a cpap machine...

Stampin Up Events

Saturday July 17 (1-3) – New Catalogue party Free
• Chocolate themed party kicking off the New 2010-2011 Catalogue
• Prizes, make and take, treats
• Register by 7/10

Saturday July 31 (1-3) – Clearance Rack class $5
• Secret project(s) made with items from the Clearance Rack http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryID=493

Saturday August 14 (1-3) Stamp Club $25(ongoing)
Meet at my house or a convenient location in Champlin once a month to;
- Free new 2010/2011 catalogue to each member
- Make new projects each month
- Socialize with other stampers/scrapbookers
- Have treats
- Each member gets all the hostess benefits for their month
- Requires a monthly Stampin Up order commitment of $25/month for 6 months
Specials
- Free ink pad to all who join by 7/17

Sunday August 29 (1-3) Stamp a Stack $15
• Make 12 full cards (4 each of 3 different designs)

Additional information for all clubs and classes will be available at my new catty party on July 17.

Stampin Up News and Sales Incentive

Sales Incentive
JUNE 1 – JUNE 30

I am within $200 of a sales goal that I want to reach by the end of June so I am offering the following incentives;

1. Any orders placed through me or my website between June 1st and June 30th (including ones already submitted) will be entered into a drawing for a $100 gift basket of new and used retired Stampin Up product.
2. If I reach my goal, the order submitted in June, with the highest $ amount will win their choice of any stamp set in the new catalogue, up to $30.
Notes:
1. Any size order can win either contest
2. A customer can only win one contest, their choice, tbd at the drawing. If highest bidder also wins the regular drawing, they will have their choice. If they choose the gift basket, the random draw prize will be the stamp set.
3. Winning customers will be announced at the New Catty party on July 17th. If winners not at the New Catty party, they can pick up their item at my house anytime after the July 17th.

New Catty (Chocolate) Party
SATURDAY JULY 17

Come join the fun, make a card, have some chocolate themed snacks, sign up for an event and put your name in the hat for prizes.

Location dependant on the number of people coming, but will be at my house, the Champlin library, or possibly at my church all of which are in Champlin.

Please register by July 10th

Stampin Ups 2010 retiring colors in a biiiig way!

I just want to send a note about Stampin Ups retiring list. Every year Stampin Up retires about half the catalogue stamps and many of the accessories in preparation for their new catalogue release July 1st. This year, they are doing an overhaul in a huge way and I want to make sure everyone knows about. They are retiring 30 colors including all the paper, ink, markers, and accessories and they are bringing in 45 new (and some retired in colors) to replace them. Originally, the company said that they would provide an opportunity to order any of the retiring colors through the end of May and then as available but because of a massive reaction to to the retirement, they are now running out of colors and it will be as supplies last. Note, if you order smooth cardstock, you may get textured as a replacement. I will be placing an order on Tuesday May 11th so if you want to order, please get it to me by end of day May 10th or you can order it yourself at www.stampinup.com . Note by going directly through the website, you need to select a demonstrator to get regular catalogue pricing (pick me, pick me!!!!) or you will pay 10% more I think. If my name doesn’t show up in the regular list, you can find me by searching (Robin Williams Champlin MN 55316)



Here is an excerpt about the color renovation or you can go to stampinup.com for the entire article

… Stampin' Up!'s renovated color collections available July 1, 2010 has something that everyone will love. The renovated color collections will include 25 carryover colors, 10 returning In Colors (which are now core colors), 5 new core colors, and 5 new In Colors, for a total of 45 colors. The company will continue to offer five new In Colors each year, and In Colors will have a lifespan of two years. Colors are divided into four collections: Subtles, Brights, Regals and Neutrals.

Additionally, the last chance list is out June 1st. I will provide a list on my blog, crackforwomenwithoutthejailtime.blogspot.com, or you can read it for yourself by going to stampinup.com on June 1st.



I will include an attachment but if you cant open it, the following colors are retiring;

Pink Passion

Pixie Pink

Pale Plum

Orchid Opulence

Lovely Lilac

Lavender Lace

Almost Amethyst

Bordering Blue

Brocade Blue

Ballet Blue

Brilliant Blue

Taken with Teal

Glorious Green

Handsome Hunter

Sage Shadow

Mellow Moss

Green Galore

Gable Green

Barely Banana

Yoyo Yellow

Summer Sun

Apricot Appeal

Only Orange

Really Rust

Ruby Red

Cameo Coral

Blush Blossom

Creamy Caramel

Close to Cocoa

Going Gray

Liftone.org - free books for children in need

I have blogged before about my sponsored children in Chile through Childrens International and I want to tell you about a cause that you can support by investing only a tiney amount of your time and no money. Liftone.org is an online community supporting international children in poverty. They are partnering with Visa to provide $50,000 worth of books to children in need. You can help by visting www.liftone.org and clicking on the Click for a Cause link in the upper left side of the main page and you can do it once a day. Please take a few minutes to help this worthy cause.

Removing Nasty Odors

I have memberships in many different types of groups on 'Linked In' and one of them is a Home Stagers group. When I requested membership, it seemed interesting but now I follow it regularly because of the great, cheap decorating tips. Recently a stager was looking for ways to get rid of cooking odors that have seemingly seeped into to the carpet, walls and woodwork and the responses were quite helpful. Here is a summary of ways to get rid of lingering household smells;

1. Replace air filters
2. Clean sink traps
3. Have the ducts cleaned
4. Saturate anything that doesnt stain with an enzyme spray
5. Spray the rooms with a homemade spray using distilled water and these essential oils; lavendar, lemongrass, eucalyptus
6. Put a new 10 lb bag of charcoal in the room with the heaviest smell

Let me know if you have others.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak

I had dinner with my friend Becky last night and we were talking about ways to enrich our marriage. One way, she said, was to be a better listener. Today, Becky sent me her daily devotional because coincidentally, it was about listening. This excerpt was especially powerful because I do it all the time.

Most of us dont listen. 'I know just how you feel', we say and then we launch into our own personal story to prove it. What we have just done is made ourselves center stage and made the other person listen to us.

There is more to the devotional and I would recommend reading it. The entire article is here; http://powertochange.com/blogposts/2010/04/15/be-quick-to-listen/

Thanks Beck for a powerful lesson and thanks to God for such great friends.

Her eis Brisas letter from her Aunt Lorena

Brisa Picture

We recieved letters from our sponsored children in Chile saying they were well despite the earthquake.

Brisa is 4 and colored this picture for us. I will upload her aunts letter later.

Please pray for the children and families in Chile and consider sponsoring a child through Childrens International or some other organization.

Gideon

This is our 4 legged son, Gideon. His original family relenquished him to a rescue organization in the summer of 2009 after losing their house and we adopted him shortly after.

He is 4 years old, 30 pounds, and an American Eskimo/Border Collie mix.

He is smart and funny and has been a wonderful addition to our household but he has some weird quirks. He refuses to go outside when it rains but he loves the snow and will even lay down and take a nap in it. He also doesnt like baths. He hides when he figures out what I am trying to do and wont come out from his spot under the bed even for a treat. He likes the kids but he growls and barks at them when they try to get on the bed. Only is he is under the bed though, he doesnt care if he is standing next to it. He also takes disgusting things out of the trash and brings them under the bed. Its so gross.

He does the 'herding' thing to the kids and other dogs if they run around. His 4 legged cousin, Vader, who is a black lab and outweighs him by 70 ppounds is constantly being herded around the back yard.

I will post some pics later of Gideon and his 2 and 4 legged friends.

Aliens and Pantyhose

Aliens
I witnessed a probably innocuous event at work today that got me thinking. Do we walk amongst aliens?

I was walking down the hallway about 15 feet behind another employee when out of the blue he stops and swings an imaginary golf club. I stopped half out of surprise and half out of wanting to see what else he might do. He stops in mid swing and then cocks his head in a very quick and unhumanlike manner, waits for few more seconds, and then starts walking again. Maybe he’s an alien? One of my very good friends says she saw an alien aircraft some years back. She is as normal as the rest of us and I have no reason to not believe her EXCEPT the bible, or at least my interpretation of it, doesn’t talk about aliens. Well it doesn’t talk about dinosaurs either but the fossils are there so they must have been around at some point. Or maybe God created the fossils just to screw with us. I do believe that God is the single master but is it only our universe or does he have all kinds of others that he is ruling? I told one of my other coworkers about the 'golfer' and now we both think he is an alien.

The Pantyhose Incident
For the third time in 2 years, I walked out of the rest room at work with my skirt tucked in the back of my pantyhose. As with all my other memory lapses, I forget to check my skirt before I walk out of the bathroom but remember (sometimes) on the way back to my desk. As my memory makes a brief appearance, I stop dead in my tracks, much like my alien co-worker in the story above and scramble to make sure that my hindquarters are not on display. I think I have discovered something that will help me keep my skirt from getting tucked in. My skirts are really flowy and this particular skirt has 2 layers so instead of just gathering it up and squatting, I gather it all in front of me and put all the layers into the underneath most layer and holding that under my chin while I pull up my underwear and hose. Picture gathering berries in an apron where the apron is my slip and the berries are all the layers of my skirt. Or maybe I should just stop wearing pantyhose?

My sponsored children in Chile

Ken and I sponsor 2 small girls in Chile and we have been worried about them and their families but I got an email from our sponsorship organization saying that no sponsored children in Chile have died. It is a relief to know that they are safe but please keep them in your prayers.

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

Shipping Costs on eBay

I know most of you wont care about this but if even one person agrees with me, my rant is worth it.

Here’s the scoop. There are a pair of shoes on eBay that I want to bid on but the shipping is $45. That’s domestic, priority shipping folks. Not overseas, not overnight, just regular USPS priority shipping for a pair of shoes that would fit in a flat rate box and mailed for $9. Even if you incorporate ebay fees, shipping *materials, and $5 for their *time, we are talking at most $20. This really chaps me because even if I don’t bid, someone else will and the seller will just keep on doing what they are doing.

Now you may ask how much are the shoes worth and what is the starting price? The starting bid is $1 and these are brand new Doc Martins and they are selling for over $100 at Zappos so if you could get them for $10 bucks plus $45 shipping is it worth it? Yeeee…..NO!!!!!!! No it is not!!!!!! Because you are allowing this immoral and unscrupulous seller to continue to gouge buyers on shipping and to go against eBay policy. Yes, eBay has a policy against this and they even have a tool where you can report the item and note that the seller has inflated shipping but the fact is, eBay doesn’t really care unless the (I have heard) shipping is inflated by $100 or more.

Why do sellers do this? Because the amount the seller is required to pay eBay is based on the final selling price of the item, excusing shipping costs. So lets say ebay charges (for ease of description) 5% and a seller has a pair of shoes he wants to sell. If he sells them for $40 and charges actual shipping of $10, the seller will keep around $38 of the $50. If the seller sells the same shoes for $10 and charges $40 for shipping (and ships first class for $6), the seller will keep $43.50.

Wow 2 days in a row on the soap box. Sheesh, I hope I dont start to like it up here.

*Note – The time and cost that a seller would incur to mail a pair of shoes domestically is next to nothing. After they get free boxes mailed to them free from the USPS, they can print the postage on line and schedule a free pick up from the USPS. You can literally run an eBay store right from your house and never have to leave if you don’t ship overseas.