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It's been 5 weeks since I last posted anything. I've been sick more than not this past month. Sinus infection, cold, sinus infection, again!

A few updates...

We were Flocked last week.





It's a great fund raising idea. To raise money for the High School Senior's Senior Night Out Party families can pay $20 to have other families flocked. To get them removed we had to pay $20. Of course the day we were flocked we had 50 mile an hour winds. My darling Husband was afraid our Pink Flamingos might take flight and go through our bay window so he pulled them all out, the spoil-sport. LOL

Tim celebrated his 16th birthday. He wanted a tatoo. I convinced him it was not a good idea. I blackmailed him is more like it. I told him if he got a tatoo, I would do everything in my power to keep him from getting his driver's permit and license. He changed his mind about the tattoo idea. Instead he brought back up an issue when he was 13. He wanted to get his ears pierced. I told him at the time, " not at 13, if you still want them when you are 16, I will take you to get them done." So, he got his ears pierced. I am hoping it is just a phase and he will take them out.

I did scrap a layout about it, though.





Kelly made the High School Basketball team. That was a great accomplishment. Over 40 girls tried out for 15 spots. This means she is on 2 Basketball leagues so our evening and weekends will be spent courtside but she loves it!!





I can't take credit for this layout. It was a kit from www.outonalimbscrapbooking.com
It is a great company that puts out 2 - 3 new page kits a day!!! The price is great, too. they kits run $6 - $8 each. I paid up to $14 for kits from other companies so you should check them out.

Well, that is it for now. Time to start dinner.

Trying to find my groove

Haven't posted in a while. Started a new job back in September and it has really been burning me out. I am only working 25 hours a week, but I have been coming home exhausted every single day.
I went from working in the office of a Middle School which I absolutely loved doing!!! To this year being a Teacher's Aide in a special needs classroom. I can see myself learning to love this job, as well. I am just having a hard time adjusting to the major change in duties. There is a Teacher, 4 full time aides and 1 part time aide. We have 9 students all ranging from 3 to 5 years old and all have developmental or medical issues. So we are physically active every minute of the 25 hours we are there. All but one are still in diapers and need to get changed 3 times a day. Most need help eating snacks and lunching. All need help with their class work (coloring, cutting, glueing ect) We could have 9 adults and I think it would still be an exhaustung job. LOL

This week I finally let out my fustrations to the Assistant Principal. I love the people I work with as well as all the kids, I just have no clue what I am doing!!! I have never worked in a classroom before. She is planning some training for us but asked me to find what I do best and offer it up to the teacher. Duh? Why didn't I think of that. I love crafts!!! I can take over that part of our day. I can plan our daily craft project and run with it. Yes, maybe I did find my groove. I will see how it goes!

I already have something planned for next week. I Thanksgiving project. I will post a photo of what we make later.

Do you know how to use Copic Markers?

I have been playing with my markers today. Each time, I think I finally have the technique down then I learn something new. My WOW moment today was this.
When I color an image in I take my lightesst shade and color in little swirly circles. Then I would use the next shade and color right up to the edge of the lighter color. Next I would try to blend these two colors together with the blender pen. WRONG! I found out today that you start with the lighter color, but you color the whole area with the lighter color. Then you go over whatever part you want darker with the next shade. Then go back over the whole thing again with the lighter color. This is how the colors blend together!!!

So now I want more markers. I did find a chart to keep track of my colors. If you go onto the Copic website and search for Libary you can download a color chart then mark the colors you have. I thought I had a good start up set but after filling in this chart my collection looks pretty pathetic. LOL

My other classes

Xyron also has contacted me about teaching classes for their new Creatopia machine. My new toy arrived today and I have been playing with it a little. I plan to try it out alot more tomorrow.

What I do know so far is: This machine does the work of 5 other machines. The awesome thing about this one is, it can work on materials up to 12 1/2 inches wide!! It adds permanent or repostionable adhesive, it laminates, it has a fabric adhesive, It can add adhesive to thicker objects than the other Xyron machines can (foam, cardstock, Chipboard, cork, even thin wood) It also embosses, cuts with multiple blades, and it can replace your manual die cut machine using the dies you already own. I will get more familiar with it when I have a little more time to play with it. But I am loving it so far!

SDU Instructor

EK Success asked me to be an Instructor for them and teach SDU classes at the Micheals in Braintree. Anyone looking to learn basic Scrapbook Design skills should look into these classes. I took the class myself about 5 years ago and it was great then. Since then EK Success has updated the whole system and it is going to be Great class. Micheal's is just waiting for class supplies to arrive and we will set up the class schedule. I am guessing late August or early September these should start. The class is 4 weeks long with each class lasted 2 hours.

Have you ever read a book that was too good to finish?

Every night before falling asleep I look forward to reading just a page or two of my latest book. I don't want rush it. I want to savor every paragraph, every line, every word... I have been reading this series since the first one came out 18 years ago. the year I got married. Outlander by Diane Gabaldon. The love story of Claire and Jamie Fraser. There was a new book a year for the first 3, This was great. I was newly married, no children yet. these boosk were wonderful! Then the next books started getting more spread out over time. The 4th book Drums of Autumn didn't come out until my 2nd child was a year old. Book 5, "The Fiery Cross" when my oldest was in first grade. It took 4 years before Breath of Snow ans Ashes came out. Now this, Book # 7 is here. Echo in the Bone It was on sale in late September, if I remember correctly. I was probably one of the first to hold it in my hands. Who knows when the next will come out, if there even is a next book. 18 years to find out how the love story ends. I don't want it to end. Maybe it wont but in the meantime I am enjoying the story. This isn't even one of Ms Gabaldon's better told stories. It is cluttered with the lives of everyone else they know but there are glimpes of Jamie and Claire. Enough of them to keep the curiosity going. I had to buy this book twice just so I could keep it with me everywhere I go. I have the big heavy hardcopy and I bought the Kindle version so I can read it even in the 5 minutes I have to spare at my kids' events. I may only be halfway though and already feel sad that this book will end. I hope everyone finds a story that is just so good they never want it to end.

More Scraproom Cleaning

I can not believe how much stuff I have in this room. No wonder I can't fit any more. Last night I went through all my tool drawers. I did find some things I didn't know I had like a Stampamajig. It was still sealed in its original package. Yikes! I am going to have to start using this little tool. I also had three, yes THREE positioning rulers. These are different versions of the stampamajig. One had the D.O.T.S logo on it. Close to My Heart has not used that logo in about 10 years or so, I think. I decided to post more things on E-Bay. I hope to do better this time. The first time around (last week) I had no clue what I was doing and practically gave every thing away. I even had to pay more than I won in the auction to ship some things. So I have learned a few lessons. I will keep my fingers crossed that things sell better this time around. Of coarse I already got rid on my best items. This time I have tools like the stamp positioners, two (2) Scor-it boards, templates, mini scrapbook kits, etc.

I am going to continue to pick through my stuff. I still have tons of scrapbook kits to go through like Leaving Prints, Magic Scraps, Club Scrap, etc, and then there are all the stamp sets I have. I am sure there is more I can clean out and get down to the basic stuff I actually do want to scrap with.
If anyone wants to look at my auctions look for the seller SHARONTUP and my stuff should come up. This round of actions are ending on Saturday March 6th. Thanks for looking.