(43-279) The FRIENDSHIP Kit

I've written many, many, times about my amazing friend, Rachel K; and tonight in honor of her birthday, I'm going to do so again.  Rachel is an extraordinarily, busy woman.  In addition to her job as a fundraising consultant, Rachel operates the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out kit club and online community, and is currently planning the CRAFT Beach Retreat, which I previously mentioned in a blog of the same name.

When I wrote about the retreat, I told you how honored I was that Rachel had asked me to be a part of her team; and I am equally thrilled to be doing some more work for her on her website.  If you're not familiar with the Scrapbooking from the Inside Out kit club, each kit is based on an emotion, and you may find inspiration for your lay outs through various quotes, images and a song play list that are provided on the website. I am delighted to announce that after offering my assistance to Rachel, she asked me to create the play list for May's brand new kit FRIENDSHIP and it was my pleasure to do it.

As soon as I started thinking about friendship themed songs, I immediately thought of Lucy and Ethel's "Friendship song" from "I Love Lucy."  I suggested it to Rachel, and she thought that it would be fun to share the video; so we did.  In honor of FRIENDSHIP, I'm also going to share this classic clip with you.  If you'd like to hear the play list, or check out the kit club to see what it's all about, please stop by Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.   And just to peak your curiosity further, I'll tell you that "The Friendship kit includes a carefully curated selection of paper from four different manufacturers’ lines – American Crafts’ joyful and feminine Peachy Keen, Basic Grey’s playful Hopscotch, Crate Paper’s homespun Neighborhood and Cosmo Cricket’s colorful Saltair." 

12 Sheets Double Sided Patterned Paper: * American Crafts Peachy Keen Thing of Beauty *American Crafts Peachy Keen Heavens to Betsy * American Crafts Peachy Keen Mother Always Says * American Crafts Peachy Keen Easy as Pie * Basic Grey Hopscotch First Dance * Basic Grey Hopscotch Tire Swing * Basic Grey Hopscotch Monkey Bars * Crate Paper Neighborhood Chores * Crate Paper Neighborhood Friendly * Crate Paper Neighborhood Together * Cosmo Cricket Saltair Coral Bloom * Cosmo Cricket Saltair Seagarden

Embellishments: * AC Thickers Sunset Printed Chipboard - Blush * AC Peachy Keen Bits, Decorative Tags, 4 pcs * AC Peachy Keen Flair - Good Golly, 2 pcs * Basic Grey Hopscotch Chip Sticker Shapes, 1 sheet * Crate Paper Neighborhood Border Stickers, 1/2 sheet * Jillibean Soup Corrugated Shapes, Houses, 5 pcs * Maya Road Zipper Trim, Sky Blue, 2 ft * My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose - Gertie You and Me Title * My Mind's Eye Stella & Rose - Gertie Friends Forever Journal Card * Prima Soft Rose Trim Aqua 14 inches * Sassafras Mini Alphas Yellow Paper
* Websters Whimsies Roses in Bloom - Periwinkle, 3 pcs * Websters Yacht Club Princess Petals Florettes, full package

Technique: * Cosmo Cricket Glubers, 3 pcs, one of each size

Cardstock: * American Crafts Mint * American Crafts Blueberry * American Crafts Charcoal  *American Crafts Parfait

Color: * Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Stain - Spun Sugar

Now if you're not a scrapbooker, I know that the contents of the FRIENDSHIP kit may not be of interest to you, and I thank you for indulging me; but if you scrapbooking is your thang, then you KNOW that the FRIENDSHIP kit is something special.

I'm so happy to take a more active role at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out; and I hope that you will visit me there.  In the name of FRIENDSHIP, I would also like to say that I wish Rachel the happiest of birthdays.  My dear friend has had a year of devastating losses (some of which I've told you about before,) and it is my fervent hope that this year is her best yet.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rachel!!  I love you MY FRIEND!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

Don't tell Luis...

A couple of months ago Michelle (...)K and I decided to go garage sale-ing. I've had garage sales before; but I'd never actually gone to someone elses. Although we could have just cruised the area and found a bunch, Michelle (...)K wanted to take the organized approach so that we could maximize our garage sale experience; God love her. She looked online for sale ads and strategically map quested our morning.
We started at my house, hit a couple of sales in my vicinity and then headed out per our dossier for a sale that was advertised for 7AM.

As we were driving through the neighborhood of the advertised sale, we luckily saw a couple of people putting up signs. We made our way to the home and arrived at 7:21 to find the man of the house just beginning to pull things out of his garage and onto the driveway. The front door was open and in it stood A woman and her son. Michelle and I hesitantly approached the house and stood on the driveway, but no one said a word to us. After a few minutes of just standing there feeling stupid; the woman spoke (but not to us.) She asked her husband what time it was; but he said that he didn't know. Good Samaritan that I am , I announced the time, and then the woman said to her son (DEFINITELY not to us;) "Well, we're not starting till 8." OK, so Michelle and I removed ourselves from their driveway and proceeded to rehash the situation.

So you put an ad online for 7 am (and sure we all understand running late;) but you don't even have the courtesy to say "I'm sorry ladies; it's still going to be a while" or anything? Instead you act as if we're wrong for showing up at your home and you behave so rudely... Oh no, no, no. We were ANNOYED!

We started to drive off and just as we were going to turn onto the main road; Michelle said "Let's steal their signs." And we did! Michelle got out, pulled the stake out of the ground threw the sign in the car; and I drove to the next one. We stole the only 2 signs that we saw, which means the only 2 signs that ANYONE would have seen and we drove off laughing hysterically. Hmm, I wonder how many people showed up at 8 after that...

Now I know that this action is about as far from the greater good as you can get - but boy did it feel good. Revenge REALLY is sweet.

Now I know that some of you are probably shocked by this admission and I know that losing your favor is the chance that I take, but just as "revenge is sweet" is and expression; so is "Payback is a bitch;" oh, and never fear our good friend karma saw to it that I had myself a nice big plate of pay back shortly thereafter.

On Oct 17th Rachel (SFTIO Rachel) came for a long, overdue visit. On Sat, we kicked off our soccer season (No pun intended - OK, yah, you know ) with 4 games for my 3 kids and then we went to Michelle (...) K's that evening for scrapbooking. Now typically we don't have a theme for our monthly crops but as Autumn was technically upon us, we thought it would be fun to have a comfort theme for the night, so all the broads brought over their jammies to change into.

Shortly after we arrived Michelle offered me a Margarita. (Now what's more comforting than that?) I gladly accepted but (lightweight that I am ) I thought it was too strong and I sadly told Michelle that I couldn't drink it. She tried to doctor it up for me; but it was still too strong so I decided to take a pass.

The night went on and I put on my jammies, and not that it was THAT KIND of pajama party; but Michelle asked me why I left my bra on, and I replied "well, I still have to drive home. What if I get stopped by a cop?" OK, what if? I'm not really sure what difference it would make. I guess I just thought I'd look more respectable and so, just to put my theory to the test... Yup, I got stopped by a cop. (And the crowd gasped...) I got stopped by a cop and I wasn't even speeding. Lord knows that I've been on my best driving behavior since my photo ticket and my $195 driving class.

The officer came up to Rachel's window and asked me if I had been drinking. I said "just diet soda. I was scrapbooking at a friends; hence the attire." He said that I had briefly crossed over the lane line and then moved a way when I saw a truck. I explained that I moved away because I was going to get off at the exit. He said "OK, I'm just going to give you a warning." OY! Just what I needed; a warning - but thankfully, not a ticket. He returned to the car with my warning and asked if I had gotten a lot of scrapbooking done. Thank god I resisted the temptation to say "No, I was too buys drinking." hahaha

The next day I told Michelle what had happened because the irony was so delicious. I also told her that I wasn't going to tell Luis, so she shouldn't tell Mike. Now, I don't ever keep secrets from Luis, but I just didn't think that this was something that he needed to know. Sometimes it's good to keep the husband on a need to know basis - LOL

To celebrate Luis' birthday we had a poker game at Michelle (...) K's house. We were using chips but we weren't playing for money. My stash of worthless, chips was dwindling and so I announced "I need to win the next hand." And, I did - Big Time. Michelle said "That's amazing! You said that you needed to win and you did; just like when you knew that you were going to get stopped by a cop." UM, OK does anyone besides me see that big elephant in the room? The silence was palpable and Luis said "Lucy, you got some splaining to do." LOL

OK actually he said "What cop?" And I gave a good ole Lucy WAAAHH!

OK, actually I explained; and he took it in good stride,

but I know that Michelle felt terrible.

So, did one of these incidents REALLY have anything to do with each other? Probably not; but if you believe in Karma (which maybe I should have thought about before stealing the signs;) I say they do. Then again, this really just is par for the course for me. Regardless; now you know why why I want all that good karma on Facebook - LOL

Till next time...

Queen of EVERYTHING

Lucy Incarnate

OK, I know that I have previously likened my life to an I Love Lucy episode and here is a prime example of why:
Try as I may; sometimes common sense just does not prevail. Lately I have been quite diligent, if not obsessed with flossing my teeth with these well, floss picks; if you will. So anyway, today while I was at work, I thought that I felt something between my two front teeth and I kept trying to swipe at it with my tongue; but that wasn’t helping. It would have taken very little effort for me to reach down into my purse and get a floss pick; but no, out of sheer laziness, I guess, I opted to use the corner of a check stub that I was about to discard. (I know - GROSS; and actually I cannot believe that I am admitting this in type, but hey it’s all for the greater good and your amusement.)
Anyway, I gently tried to dislodge whatever it was that I thought I had between my teeth; by using the corner of the check stub, and then - the corner of the stub ripped off and got stuck between my teeth. (Why am I suddenly hearing the voice of Rosanne Rosannadanna right now?) In Roseanne Roseannadanna voice “So I said hey, Queen of EVERYTHING, get that little piece of paper out from between your teeth – you’re making me sick.” LOL (And for those of you who have no idea who Roseanne Roseannadanna is; just re-read and leave that part out, and I am sorry, cause you don’t know what you’re missing.)
Anyway, so the paper is stuck between my teeth and you have NO idea the panic that had now taken over my body. I felt like such a moron; and really, all I could picture was Lucy in the same type of situation. Oh my god, it’s just laughable.
Well now I had no choice. I had to bend down the whole 2 feet and reach into my purse to get the floss pick; and after a few minutes, relief was mine.
I’ll tell ya; for a smart girl, I manage to do some pretty stupid things; but at least I get to share them with you.
Till next time…
Queen of EVERYTHING