Post Chistmas

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. We had such a great time wiht the family. The fist thing my mother had us open were these pajamas she made the whole family, including the dogs. Aren't they great?


Next year I'm going to have her make us some before Christmas so we can make it part of our Xmas cards.



And of course Dillon made out like a bandit this year. He got a bunch of Lego stuff from Santa, Grandma and his Aunt. He was so excited! Now we have a true Lego town going up on our back porch. (As soon as I get pictures, I'll post them.)

Merry Christmas

I would like to be the first to wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas.

And here is the other reason I'm still awake. It is 12:03 AM and Dillon is still awake in bed. He snuck up on me when I was finishing Keith's present about 15 min. ago crying because Santa hasn't come yet. Now I am listening to him in his room crying. He is just trying to stay awake long enough to see Santa. Boy am I in for a late night.

Well, I hope you're getting more sleep than me!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!!!1

The Bucket List

I thought this was cute, and I don't usually email these things out. So I put it on my blog for others to share. You can copy it and make changes if you would like to send it out to others.

The Bucket List
This was kind of fun.
This is for your entire life!

() Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
() Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been lost
(X) Been on the opposite side of the country
() Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robber
() Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke?
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) played in the rain
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
() Been kissed under the mistletoe?
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(X) Been skinny dipping outdoors
() Gone to the movies alone

Open Crop Time

I am having open crop time on Wednesday and Thursday this week from 9am to 3pm. If you are interested in scrapbooking or stamping, please contact me.

This will be a great time to get your Christmas cards done if you haven't already.

Oops!

I have to apologize for my terrible spelling in the "In Loving Memory of Jake" blog. My DH pointed them out to me and all I could say to him was "when you're very upset and crying, you're really not concerned with spelling." And after looking at it today, all I can say is:

I ARE A COLLEGE GADIATE!!!

In Loving Memory of Jake

We had to send Jake back to his creator today. He was my true guardian angel. He picked out my husband, let Dillon use him as a walker and a slide when he tried to sit on him. He has been my protector and my confidant for over 12 years.

We new Jake's days were numbered, especially when he was diagnosed with Diabetes and Cushings Disease back in January of 2006. Last night, his body decided that it couldn't take anymore and just started shutting down.







We took him to the vet this morning and after a blood work up, we discovered that he was having problems with his liver and kidneys. The doctor also said that he has lived a long time for a dog with so many other problems.


I was truly blessed to have Jake in my life for as long as I had. He was there for many ups and downs. He had moved with me five times and only stayed with my mom in her home when we couldn't handle him in Keith's townhouse. He loved going for walks, even when we knew he shouldn't go. He had problems with his legs and it was difficult for him to walk a long way. His last walk was on Saturday morning. And fortunately, I was the person that took him. He would pull me for about 1/4 of the block, then walk beside me for another 1/2 a block and finally he would lag behind on the last stretch home. Once home, he would sleep for the rest of the day.


He was a funny dog that would work hard to get what he wanted, even if it caused him much pain. I remember, just the other day, he tried to get up on the counter to get a piece of meat as soon as I turned my back on it. He looked so funny, and pathetic. He got his two front paws up on the counter, which he knows better not to do but probably figured it would be his last attempt in life to get a steak. Once he got his front paws on the counter, his back legs just wouldn't push him up to actually get the steak. He was really struggling, but determined. I was able to shew him away and nothing happened to the food. Of course, after dinner I had to give him a little, just for the plain effort of trying.


Well now I believe he is in heaven with my Grandmother, pestering her to either scratch his but or steal her Kleenex. But I'll tell you, with her around he'll stay out of trouble.









The first three photos are of Jake in our old backyard in Carpentersville in 2004. The next three photos are of him in our backyard this past May. The last one is of the three dogs in 2006 when we first moved in our houses.


He will be very sadly missed.

We're Back!

We had a great time scrapping, talking and gifts. Here are a few pictures that were taken by the inkeeper:

All Packed

Well sort of. I have all the scrapbooking packed, but I still have to pack my clothes. I have been running since I woke up this morning, grocery shopping, prize donation pick-up, packing and repacking. Tomorrow, all I have to do is get my clothes and personal things together, then we're off.

I'm looking forward to having a great time and I hope everyone else does as well.

Princess Crop-A-Lot

The Princess Crop-A-Lot is only a couple days away. I am getting so excited. There is still so much packing to do. Hopefully I'll be done soon.

We are going to have a great time!

Corn Fest 2008

I want to thank everyone that visited my booth at the Corn Fest Craft show. I always love speaking with fellow scrapbookers and meeting new people. Congratulations to the following people that won a FREE crop.

Pat Anderson
Carla Century
Anna Kurtzman
Peggy Marchini

I look forward to see everyone again at an upcoming crop or retreat.

What a Wonderful Birthday

I have just completed, as my husband calls it, "My Birthday Festival!" I had a Birthday Crop on Friday, which was awesome and you can read below, a family birthday party on Saturday and a day of relaxation on Sunday ending with Ollie's custard. My DH even made me breakfast and washed the dishes on Sunday.

My husband bought me the Scotch ATG 700 tape gun that I wanted along with 12 rolls of adhesive. I should be set for awhile:) I also got $100 in GC to Hobby Lobby from my friends and family, and I was instructed that I had to spend it on myself. Ooh, that's a hard one for me, I just don't know what I can buy. But I'm sure I can find something:)

If you are looking for an ATG 700, this is the cheapest I've found it. When you add it all up, after the initial investment of the gun, the adhesive ranges between $4.17 and $5.98 per roll of 36 yards. This is a huge savings compared to the Mono Adhesive. Check it out! http://www.apakinc.com/packaging/category/adhesive-transfer-tape.html

I want to thank everyone for making this one of my best birthday's.

Awesome Birthday Crop!

I just had a great birthday gift from all my scrapbooking friends. I had a crop to celebrate my birthday this year. It was a gift to myself and them for scrapbooking with me this past year. I was not expecting anything, but I was pleasantly suprised. They brought me an awesome cake with a scrapbooking theme, ice cream and gifts too! I was so excited! I have the best group of scrappers. Yeah Me!!!

Thank you so much for everything:)

Virtual Crop Winners

The virtual crop was a success. We had a great time playing bingo and completing challenges. Congratulations to the following ladies.

Bingo:
Cheryl F.
Tami B. (x2)
Nancy

Challenge winners:
Scrapbooking - Cheryl F.
Card Making - Toni E.

Wow! What a productive day!

OMG! We completed a total of 187 pages/cards today at the Scrap-N-Stamp Extravaganza. We played new games and won a lot of prizes. I had so much fun today that I didn't want it to end. We had three new scrappers with us today: Pam, Lori, and Janna. They kept me laughing and won a bunch of prizes as well. And Julie scrapped at Creative Escape for the first time, she drove all the way down from Wisconsin!

Our Creative Escape Crop Goddess is Jamey Schuett!

Our big prize winners this time were:
Jamey - Girl Paper Set
Janna - Boy Paper Set
Nancy - Tote and Xyron
Tricia - Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite
Pam - Mystery bag filled with Love Elsie paper, stickers and stamps, and a gift certificate.

I had so much fun and I hope to see everyone again soon:)

Another Weekend Away

Well, I'm off to another weekend scrapbook retreat. I leave in only 3 hours, and I'm not even packed yet. I can't wait to leave and I'm hoping to get a lot done. The retreat is in Aurora and I'll let everyone know how it is when I get back.

If you still have not signed up for the All Day Extravaganza on July 26th, now is the time to sign-up. We have only 4 seats still available.

Wow! What a Day of Scrapbooking!

We had another great day of scrapboking and completed 59 pages/projects between 8 people.

We have so much coming up in the next couple of weeks, I hope you can join us. Check out my website for details.

What a fun evening

We had a great time scrapping and rubber stamping this evening. It was great to finally meet Nancy's sister from GA. And we discovered that used to listen to her on the radio when I was back in high school. Carol was a DJ for the WABT 103.9 when we lived in Dundee. What a small world.

We also had Toni join us for the first time. I am really amazed by all the wonderful stamping Toni, Nancy and Carol were doing. They are sooo creative. And Tami was able to play with the Cricut for the first time and really enjoyed it.

And we learned so much from each other. Carol is trying to get a group together in GA to scrapbook and rubber stamp. And Tami showed us a new way to make layouts.

I had so much fun and can't wait until we all meet again.

I must be insane!

At least that's what my husband calls me. Last Friday, I went to my friend Jamey's house for a scrapbook slumber party. She said that we could stay up as long as we liked and scrap the night away. Well, I don't think she meant literally, but we did stay up all night. We listened to the birds at 4:15am starting thier morning calls, and then watched the sun come up. I finally left at 6:30am figuring I could sleep in my own bed, since it was morning and all. So when I arrived home, my DH was just coming out the front door to let our littlest dog out (can we say spoiled). He asked if I went to sleep at all and I gladly said "no." I proceeded to give him a kiss and went off to bed.

So last night I was determined to finish a baby book gift for my husband's co-worker. Well I figured that I would be up late, but didn't realize how late. When my husband got up at 5:30am to get ready for work, I realized how late it was (or should I say early). With having the scraproom in the basement, I don't get to hear the birds wake or watch the sun rise, so I never know what time it is. I could look at the clock on the wall, but that would be to easy. So anyways, my husband's first words were "Are you insane?" I must be! But I was on a roll and by the time he got up, I was on my last page. So of course like any scrapper, when you finish a project and are thrilled with the outcome, you are giddy with joy. I was actually bouncing around the house with excitement!

Because I can scrap the whole night away and still be chipper in the morning, my husband calls me "INSANE."

Here's a sample of what I was working on. You can see more in my gallery on my website: http://www.creativeescapeil.com/.

Another Good Book

Well it took me a couple more days to read "Scrap Everything" by Leslie Goulde. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to my scrapbooking buddies.

A Few Good Books

Ok Ladies, I have had my head in two really good books by Rebeca Seitz. They're both novels about women that like to get together and scrap. What more can you ask for, right? But there is more. They also have a little romance (what's a book with out that), friendship, drama and more. I loved them so much that I spent two nights reading until 2am. The first one is "Prints Charming" and the second is "Sisters, Ink". And now Rebeca is coming out with a sequel on July 1st called "Coming Unglued". I'll definately be first in line for that one.

Here's the link on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Prints-Charming-Rebeca-Seitz/dp/159554271X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212331731&sr=1-2.

Scrap-N-Stamp Extravaganza

The May 24th All Day Scrap-N-Stamp Extravaganza is just around the corner and there are only 2 spots left. We are going to have a lot of fun! We will be celebrating National Scrapbook Day at this event so the prizes are bigger and better!

So don't sit on the fence about coming any longer, sign up now!

Oh What Fun We Had

The Aledo scrapbook retreat was a blast! I felt like I was in my younger college years again. We laughed, stayed up late and won lots of prizes. We also crafted this crazy idea to go out and do a scavenger hunt at midnight. It was a last minute thing and it was so funny. As soon as I get some pictures from the scavenger hunt, I'll post them.

Here is a picture of the group of us that made the trek down to Aledo. Top: Me, Left to Right: Tricia, Lynn, Emily, Jamey, Jenny, Cheryl and Carol.

Our Budding Artist

Well creativity truely runs in the family. Dillon came home yesterday with a certificate of achievement award. The school chose his artwork to be in the All District Art Show at the local high school. It will be on display all next week and they will be holding a reception at 5 on Thursday, so you know where I will be. We are so proud of him!!!

He loves to draw and has a wonderful imagination. If I had the ambition, I could probably wall paper the whole house with all his artwork.

What's really funny is what he said when I got all emotional. "I don't know why they chose mine, we all had to make a painting. It's no big deal." WELL IT IS TO MOMMY!!!

Check back next week, I'll take a picture of it and post it.

48 Hours 40 Mins. Away

We will be leaving in a couple of days for our crop and I still have so much to do. And I still have not started my RAK's or my Challenges. Oh my!!! To top it all off, I still have a paper to right and I'm totally stumped. Friday can't come soon enough!!!

Well check back after Sunday to see pictures from our retreat. And have a great weekend:)

Less than One Week

This time next week, we will be scrapbooking the night away in Aledo, IL. Are you ready? If not, you're not alone. All I have gotten done is my 5 cards for my 5 tickets. I have ideas for the challenges in my head, it's just getting them put together that is the real challenge.

I have actually made packing for the retreat a reward. I have a bunch of writing that I need to get done before we leave, so I'm disciplining myself to get my papers written before I can pack.

Well, back to my writing. Have a wonderful weekend.

April 25th can't come soon enough!

If you haven't checked out what is coming up for the Aledo Retreat, you need to check out the retreat website: www.scrapring.com. Check back regularly for any updates.

Happy packing!

April 4th Midnight Crop

I really enjoyed having everyone in my home. We had two new faces, Catherine and Tammy, and I look forward to seeing them again. I also want to wish Catherine good luck and my prayers with her delivery right around the corner. We also got to catch up with some people we haven't seen for awhile and hope it won't be another couple months before we see them again. And then we had our loving regulars that I love seeing everytime. We had so much fun and I can't wait until I see everyone again. We completed a new record in pages...drum roll please...89 pages! Yeah!

As you can see by the picture, we packed the room.

Aledo Retreat - I can't wait!

I am so excited about going on the Aledo Scrapbook Retreat in April. We have quite a big group going this time. It should be a blast! Below is our countdown counter...watch it with me!!!

That's a Yorkie?

My husband, in his infinite wisdom, thought that we can save a lot of money if he had me cut our dogs hair.

We usually get his hair cut short for the warmer months and it costs about $40. This includes a wonderful trimming around the face leaving him with an adorable look. Well not this time! I clipped him, and went a little to far, leaving him looking like a rat caught in a fan. His hair is uneven and choppy all over.

Needless to say, I'm a scrapbooker...not a dog groomer!

Crop for Comfort

The SCRAP Guild of Northern Illinois is hosting a Crop for Comfort on March 8th and 9th. I will be a vendor at the event and would love for you to join us.

CROP for Comfort
S.C.R.A.P. Guild of Northern IL. Fundraiser with a portion of proceeds to benefit DeKalb County Hospice.

Put off spring cleaning & join us for spring scrapping!

When: Sat. March 8th 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sun. March 9th 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: University Plaza, 900 Crane Dr. DeKalb IL. 60115
Cost: $50 for non-members or $40 for members

Includes both days and boxed lunch for Sat. Also vendor shopping. Please bring a snack to share and a covered drink.

Want to just shop?
Vendor shopping available to the public for a $2 donation for the DeKalb County Hospice.
Shopping hours Sat. 9am – 4pm & Sun 9am – 3pm

Vendors include: SommerGreetings, Stampin Up!, Top Line Creations, Memory Works/Creative Escape, Tupperware, Creative Memories, Close to My Heart, Tastefully Simple, The Angel Company, Littlemasterpieces.net, The Scrap Cabana, Lasting Impressions-Album embosser and massages by Olympic chiropractic.

Questions please contact . . .
jmewilkerson@comcast.net or (815) 895-9015

February Midnight Crop

We had a great time and completed 36 pages to add to our 2008 pages in 2008. We had 3 new people and really enjoyed thier company. I'm looking forward to seeing them again at upcoming events.

I completed a mini album for my husband, he will be so suprised!

Well I'm off to bed.

I Voted, Did You!

Grab you coffee and have a laugh! Picture a Seinfeld episode with me being played by Kramer.

I went and voted today…and felt like a complete dork! Or at least that’s how they made me feel. It was my first time voting in the primary and they were asking all these questions in front of everyone. And if I didn’t answer the way they wanted, I got strange looks. First, “What party are you?” Ok, I know who I don’t want to be president, can’t you just give me a ballot and I can vote who I want to run against each other. And what is this Green Party? I don’t remember anything about “Green” from my Middle School days long, long ago. I think they should have a video playing for you when you walk in the door on “How to vote in the primaries.” This would make things so much easier for us non-political people. I swear, I think they thought I was from another planet when I said I don’t watch TV and don’t have time to read a newspaper. The most I know about the US right now is that the economy sucks and Britney Spears is in the hospital. I’m to busy reading college books and trying to write a stupid paper about my “Star Profile”…whatever. I’m a sad, sad individual.

Boy did I come home and give my family an ear full. This is why I never voted until I was 32 and guilted into it by my husband!

Oh and lets not forget the “I voted” sticker. First a lady gave me one to put on my son and then when I didn’t take one for myself, boy did I get “the look.” (You could tell she was a mother in her younger years.) And when I finally got my ballot, voted and walked out of the booth, there was another guy trying to force another sticker on me. What is up with the sticker? I thought he was going to wrestle me to the ground and stick it to my forehead or chase me down the street. Save the money on the dumb stickers and put it back into our economy! Can we say “unnecessary spending.”

I can just picture Kramer running down the street and some old guy chasing him with a sticker.

It's like a new room!

Well the room is almost complete. Well actually will it ever be complete? I just can't ever say that, I can always something else to do to it. So many things have changed in the scrap-n-stamp room, I just don't know where to start. So here are some pictures for you to peruse.

New 8 ft tables and new lighting.

No more bar, just a new desk for me! I can sit here to scrapbook or study. Maybe I'll reach my goal of 208 pages now. Yahoo!

Come see the renewed look of the scrap-n-stamp room.

Oh What Fun

We had a great time at the last midnight crop on Jan. 11th. We started off our 2008 pages in 2008 with a good start. We completed 34 pages as a group. I have to say good job to all of those who came. I'm looking forward to our Feb. 2nd All Day Crop. I have 3 seats still available. If you would like more information, please contact me or go to my website at www.creativeescapeil.com. Hope to see you soon.