Chillin' at Downtown Disney

Had lunch today at House of Blues! I have been by it many times but have never eaten there until today.



It is very interesting inside. I discovered that I do like Guacamole for the first time today. There was just something about the color and texture that repelled me from trying it before. It reminded me of something that came out of a baby's diaper. So I took a chance and tasted it and really liked it. It was light and had a limey taste to it and it was yummy!


The ceiling was cool. It had carved portraits of music legends from Bob Marley to one of my favorites Billie Holiday. The bathroom was cool too with painted wood walls and diamond plate stalls. The pictures are a little dark because I did not want to carry a purse to lug a camera to lunch and we like to walk a loop around DT Disney... so I took pictures on my phone. I need a nice small point & shoot for on the fly that takes pictures quickly.


It was a beautiful day so we had some desert and sat on the dock by the Margarita place to chill for a few. I was looking around me thinking how nice it was that there were only adults at the tables on this level all kicking back and enjoying the day and the Disney music was all happy and laid back. All of a sudden a brood comes down the stairs and as they did the musical score all of a sudden got sinister and this kid goes running by me screaming at is mother while he past me and because of our heights his mouth was at my ear level as he opened his mouth to scream directly in my ear as he passed. I looked at Bryan with the "we are out of here" look. They then walked up the other side of the level and as they left instantly the piped in music went back to happy peppy music. It was hilarious! I could not believe how perfectly the music was with the 30 second scene that just happened. I felt like I was in a movie! We laughed about how crazy funny that was.

Had to get a picture with the Mickey garden Gnome (I love those!)... I got sprinkled with Pixie Dust by the Fairy Godmother in training from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and I made my magical wish. Well how can you top that? Must be time to make our way back to the car.

Hours later I am still covered in fairy dust because I was hot and sticky at the time of sprinkling and it is now embedded into my skin. I feel pretty... oh so pretty... sing with me!

Flashback

I was in Target with Bryan recently and was stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this end cap!


Remember this? I had a wallet EXACTLY like this when I was a kid! My parents even made some out of canvas. And who didn't wear these tube socks?

Hilarious! What a flashback!

Happy 4th of July!

The fireworks launched over Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom. This is the view from our bedroom window! OOOOhhhh, Aaaaahhh!

Happy 4th of July!

Today

Outside my window... I see trees, birds and a bright sunny sky.

I am thinking... I am so happy to be living here!

I am thankful for... Life

From the kitchen... I smell the freshly baked brownies calling my name.

I am wearing... Shorts, a sleeveless knit top and my new flip flops. You heard me; the girl who only wears cap sleeve and collared shirts has broken down and now wears sleeveless shirts! (If you know me well this is funny…)

I am creating... Ooodles of scrapbooking pages this week.

I am going... To remain positive and hopeful that I will get an interview with the correct department soon!

I am reading... When God Winks At You

I am hoping... My dream job is on its way!

I am hearing... Bryan laughing at a movie! I love that sound!

Around the house... The guest bedroom is ready and waiting for visitors!

One of my favorite things... Do you even have to ask? Scrapbooking of course!

A few plans for the rest of the week... Hanging out with my hubby, daily morning power walks, watching a few movies, scrapbooking, enjoying the 4th of July with good friends, a Sunday nap and hopefully buttoning up the jobereno situation…

20 Year Reunion & Then Some

Today is my 20 year reunion in MN. A plane ticket was not it in the budget at this time so here I am the night of my reunion feeling a little nostalgic, watching Gross Point Blank and looking at old yearbooks.

I was a pretty normal high school kid who was full of ideals and passion. As I started looking at my yearbook of course the pictures of the pretty popular people were in the front. Don't get me wrong, I had lots of friends but I was not one of the elite. I was more like Andy from Pretty in Pink and made most of my clothes. The shoe pictures made me laugh because I would pretty much still wear all of these shoes now because they are back in style or at least I think they would pass as somewhat cool. I wish I would have kept my Chucks!

As I looked at the photos of my classmates and read what they wrote in my yearbooks I can not even remember who 3/4 of them are! It is funny how all those little things in high school that I thought were so important at the time I can no longer remember. Then there are those who I will always remember like Heather in the picture above. She had the coolest hair, was real and always nice to me.

I was not in a lot of school groups or clubs. I was in choir and took every creative textile class I could. I was looking at our class photo and could not find myself so maybe I was not there that day. I was really involved in Student Venture in high school so I had friends from several different schools.

There it is, my senior picture... young, primped and preppy.

I dug through some of my old photos from high school and here are a few that I found. I wish I had more than I do.

Top Left: I am not sure why Shelly & I are wearing hats...
Top Center: Ann & I
Top Left: Graduation Party
Center Left: Sadie Hawkins Dance
Center: Dan & I - I loved eating lunch with Dan senior year. Every time he wore a white shirt he would get pizza sauce or ketchup all over it. Poor guy always ended up wearing his lunch as did I.
Bottom Left: Choir trip to Duluth
Bottom Center: Gigi & I - So many great memories!
Bottom Right: Prom Jr. Year
(Click on images to see larger view)

8th Grade, three words, short hair and nerdy! Yep, this is when the geeky teenage phase hit!

Top Row (L to R): Mr. Berry, Mr Fink, Mrs. Towner, Mrs. Lang, Michael, Aaron
Row 2: Mike, Todd
Row 3: Julie, Tony, Amie, Christian, Heidi, Dan, Jessica
Row 4: Eric, Me, PJ, Angie, Carolyn, Rachel, Dan

NTC was so small that the 8th and 9th grade were in the same class. When I switched schools I went from 7th grade material to 9th grade material except for math and literature which were split for each grade. In 8th grade is when I started going to youth group. I loved youth group! The friendships I made there I will cherish forever. My friend Eric did this drawing of our class and it makes me smile to this day.

Youth Group

Top Left: April & I - Yep we are on a toilet. I loved taking pictures with people on toilets in my youth. I thought it was funny and sometimes I wanted to see how many we could cram into a stall for a picture... April is now my sister-in-law. :)
Top Center: Wes at Youth Congress 85 in DC, no clue where he got the wig
Top Left: Wes & Dan - I fixed Wes' crooked Mohawk
Center: Jessica and Mike - Mike always had perfect hair, we liked to mess with him, Mr. Sarcasm
Bottom Left: Eric - Cartoonist Extraordinaire
Bottom Center: Dan eating jerky
Bottom Center: Jessica & I
Bottom Left: Dan, Mike & Angie - Dan impersonating Mike & Angie, he is trying to sit on Mike's lap, it was funny!

In 2001 I went to our grade school class reunion from St. Johns. I went to St. Johns from 1st grade through 7th grade with a class size of under 20 kids. We got to know each other well and every girl had a crush on every boy in your class at one point or another (well, almost every boy). I had a great time and it was fun to see this group again. I wish more of our classmates could have been able to make it.

Left to Right (Front): Jodi (few years younger than our class), Jennifer (still so beautiful), Marty (all the girls were in love with him), Amy (still as hilarious as she was when we were kids), Me

Left to Right (Back): Matt (still as smart as ever), Mike (amazing artist, was working on children's book), & Joe (class clown & still funny, can't believe he became an accountant... & Joe also drug me across the playground by my feet as a kid!)

Here we are in 4th grade.

Top (L to R): Amy, Matt,Mike, Kelly, Jennifer, Marty, Joe
Center: Scott, Katie, Pam, Sarah, Josh, Kara, Tim
Bottom: Me, Pam, Leslie

St. Johns Memories

Top Left: 1st Communion, all the girls & Tim
Top Right: Kate flying high on my bed in my room in the Excelsior house
Center Right: Kate & Amy in make-up for our school play The Adventures of Etom Stilton
Bottom Left: Kate as Etom Stilton, lead in our school play
Bottom Center: Mrs. A, Krissy, Jennifer, Katie & Me
Bottom Right: Paul, Tony, Collin, Kate & Sally - My best friend Kate when I was a kid, her family and ours were good friends growing up

I was fortunate to grow up in a great part of town and attend the schools that I did. I have nothing but fond memories or at least I choose to remeber only the good ones.

Happy Birthday Old Man!

My big brother Chuck turned 40 in June!

I have not been posting birthdays on my blog this year but I will make an exception for this one because 40 is a big deal! Happy Birthday Old Man! May your Weiner-Schnitzel never hang below your Lederhosen!

Summer Top 3

Here is the pick for my top three summer favorites! They are forecasting a temp today of between 97 to 99 with the dew point around 74 degrees.... translation: it feels like it is 105 - 110 outside.

I have returned to making sun tea. I forgot how great this stuff is! I do not have the glass jar with the blue top, grid lines and geese on the front like growing up but this glass jar will do for now (it once housed nuts).

Edy's Espresso Chip ice cream is one of my favorites! Yummy! It is so tasty and cools your right down which is a solution and a problem. I have begun daily walks around our development to remedy the "a moment past my lips is a lifetime on my hips" issue. I always have my eye out for any gators in the ponds, turkey vultures by the road and any creepy crawly thing in general. So far I have been just fine and have really enjoyed this part of my day.

God bless the person who invented ceiling fans! We have one in almost every room and they get used quite often. I am such a little sweater that I am not sure what I would do without them!

I will be enjoying this lazy day of summer indoors today!

Northern Exposure

So... If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know I quite frequently talk about the great state of MN. You know, the Land of 10,000 Lakes...

Ok then, well I do not know about you but when I visit new places it usually takes my system a couple days to adjust. I always drink bottled water so I do not asphyxiate Bryan by the reaction of my digestive system's bi-products due to the ingestion of strange water. It also takes me a couple days to drop the kids off at the pool too... Over sharing? Ok then, I will just move on.

In honor of my love of Minnesota and in an effort to make all of our Midwest visitors feel welcome I have paid homage to this great state by decorating our Powder Room (Crapper) with our warm memories of this frigid sate. Now you too can drop the kids off at the pool in Florida worry free in a friendly environment...

My inspiration for this room stared with the license plate fish that Peggy gave to us the day we left MN to move to Florida. You know how when you frequent some Italian restaurants you can learn Italian while using the little girl's or boy's room? Well in our bathroom commode you learn how to talk Minnesotan!

Ya, so I picked up a stencil at JoAnn's and away I went. Starting above the toilet and wrapping around the room it says:

So... (Many Minnesotan conversations begin with these two letters as an ice-breaker)
Oof Da (Common expression of surprise or being pooped out)
Yah For Sure (Yes I agree or I am sure about that)
You Betcha (Yes I agree or am happy to help)
Oh For Pete Sake (Expression of disgust, I can not believe that, what now...)
Oh Crap! (Uh oh)
Ok Then (Moving on or I think what you just said is crazy)
Over Der (Over there)
Ya! (Yes)

Maybe this will help the people down here to understand me a little better, you think?

Photos and Artwork:

I of course had to have the MN Wild front and center in our MN Crapper! Hockey is the best sport in the state, duh?!! I have the framed posters we got at the first Wild game ever and the framed Inaugural print that we just happen to be in! A photo collage of the MN State Fair is a must and I even have a picture with the blue ribbon winner Marjorie Johnson. You can not have a Minnesota theme with out mentioning all four seasons - Winter, Spring, Road Construction and Fall!

I have framed pictures of Minnesota family and friends along with Bryan's signed photos of Chris Carter when he played with the Vikings and the Rex & Ragnar Vikings mascots who I have to say use to be my hall monitor in high school (Ragnar). He looked nothing like Ragnar then. We called him GI Joe because he liked to be perceived as a bad ass, happened to wear camouflage and had a crew cut at the time...

Here are pictures of family and of Bryan & I fishing and camping. Winter pictures of the snow and a trio tribute to St. Paul the State Capital. I have a picture of Bryan at Mickey's Dinner, us at the Wild game and me in front of the State Capital.

Special project #1:

Collage with the Inaugural Game 1 ticket, #1 Fan retired jersey pin and game photos.

Special project #2:

Mini Wild Album (Made from the Team of 18,000 ski tag shaped like a jersey)

Oh, yes I did! If it has got a cool shape then I can or will turn it into a scrapbook of some kind! I love how it turned out and I desperately hope no one drops it into the toilet!

That is all for now... I will be back in a flush with something new soon!

That's New

When I got up to open the curtains this morning the windows were all steamed up. This is what a 76 degree dew point looks like I guess. I snapped a quick pic of Bryan in the courtyard too. He loves this climate because his hands and feet are never cold in this kind of weather. I stepped out for a few moments and it felt like a warm sauna. I could rub my fingers together and actually feel the moisture in the air. We continue to experience something new in Florida on a regular basis. The sun is out and it is going to be a beautiful day!

Random Things

I finished the Cornice Board for the guest bathroom last week. I was on a budget and only had to buy the pine board because I had everything else already. The fabric was a curtain panel that I had not used yet. Who needs batting when you have a 16 year old blanket that was in the trunk of the car for picnics and part of the old winter emergency kit (I won't need that now and yes I washed it first). The fabric covered upholstered buttons and upholstery tacks were left over from the living/dining room window treatments I just made (thanks for the buttons & tacks mom & dad!). Give me a free afternoon and some tools and away I go!

You know your husband is serious about the budget when you go to get the dental floss and discover that he is doing research on the length of time it takes to consume a bar of soap! This made me laugh! Should I have cried? Ahhh, gotta love it! Fiscal responsibility is no laughing matter I guess. :)

I just love days like this, don't you?

Pie In The Sky

We have been promising since before we moved to Florida that we would do a "Pie In The Sky" night with Dave, Mel & the kids like we did with our nieces & nephew. We had so much fun making pizza with them and it was a special time for us! Mel saw it on my blog, so began the talks of a Florida Pie In The Sky... and months later here we are!

Here are the Mini Chefs in action! Abby was hard at work shaping her pizza dough. Kaley had fun piling on the cheese. Ian is a cheese lover as well. We had to remove a little when the cheese pile doubled the size of the pizza crust. The chefs got into it and had a great time!

I love the picture of Ian with his head on the table because we had to put sauce on his pizza pie. Anything vegetable is a complete crime in his book at this moment in time. He quickly got over it when he got to load 'er up with cheese.

Mmmmm... I can smell it from here! Pictured on the top is a circle cheese, a heart with sausage and a monkey face with mushrooms. The shapes flattened out as they cooked but we knew what the Mini Chef's magical creations were. The adult folk enjoyed the sausage, pineapple, tomato & fresh basil pie and it sure was a yummy combination!

See, I actually was there! I am always behind the camera but I had Bryan take a picture of me to show I was present. We were sad that David missed the fun so we will just have to do it again!

We can't wait for the next tasty chapter meeting of The Round Table Of Pie In The Sly!

Big Freaky Turtle

I was on the computer this morning catching up on email and Facebook and I happened to look up to see this car swerving toward our house so I stood up to look and there was this big freaky turtle in the middle of the road. I grabbed my camera and went down to check it out!

I thought maybe the car hit its head at first but then I quickly realized that he was just ugly. Bryan informed me that it was a snapping turtle. I did not stick around long. I took two quick shots and then got out of there before he started to move. The turtle was nearly the size of the manhole cover. I went out with my measuring tape and the manhole cover is 27 inches in circumference. So the turtle was about two feet long. That's one sizable snapper. He remained in the street for several minutes and then strolled back to wherever he came from.

Every morning when I get up I draw the curtains, open the blinds and look out to this view. 97% of the mornings in Florida have looked like this so far. That has been one of my favorite things about living here. Love the sun, love the trees, this is the life!

The Art of the Scraplift

Have you ever hit a creative slump? Sort of a brain freeze or brain fart when it comes to creating something new? That happens to me too!

I was picking up some more sewing needles when I saw this book on the store shelf. I have had Elsie Flannigan's Blog linked to mine for some time now. I have used her products but did not own her book. I quickly flipped through it and was hooked! I briefly met Elsie at Scrapfest and she was super sweet. The deck of cards mini album I have made for gifts is her design. She is an "out of the box" crafter/scrapbooker. Her work is super fun and she always has a different hairdo so I check back to her Blog frequently.

I was super excited to try something new so I picked the idea I thought was the craziest to try first!

In addition to the 52 scrapbooking challenges there is a bonus section with 32 more ideas. The items that say "Hint" are from the bonus section.

Hint: Color coffee filters with watercolors and cut them into shapes to make your own custom page accents

Seriously? Well I have got to try this! So I did!

So I pulled out my watercolor pencils and give it a whirl. It did not go too well. They did not spread like I thought they would and I tried applying them multiple ways. When you try something new, don't give until you have explored all of your options!

I then tried the Watercolor Crayons. That was the ticket! More color saturation, yeah. The coffee filter kept soaking up the water and did not spread the color easily so more color medium was a big help. I then hung my filters to dry. Anyone who knows me can verify that I have as much patience as a squirrel who is looking for it's nuts. I pulled out my hairdryer and used my handy dandy diffuser attachment to dry the filters by means of hot air. It worked great!

Hint: Cut elements from patterned paper

This is something that is not new to me but I am giving myself credit for using a technique from the book. I cut flower shapes out of my patterned paper. I cut the centers of the flowers out as well and I used the watercolored coffee filters as the petals.

Challenge # 3: Customize a ribbon border

I have also done this before but mostly on my mini albums. I have inserted the page idea from Elsie's book and then put the dotted line around my application the same as the picture above.

Challenge # 35: Make it sparkle
Challenge # 12: Scraplift a layout shape

Instead of using sequins I used a plastic glittered string. My application differs a little from Elsie's but you get the general idea.

Challenge # 14: Scraplift a technique
Hint: Add watercolor accents to your pages

I was very excited to actually use the embroidery floss I purchased before our move. Elsie has a lot of hand stitching in her projects. she often uses two dashes and an x (--X--X--X--). I used this technique as well. I like to call it the two stitch switch. I cut the other watercolored coffee filter into strips and then stitched lengthwise.

Here is my successful lift! It was really fun to use the challenge suggestions and hints while creating these pages of my niece's dance recital. Click on the image to view larger. I used the one page layout and stretched it into two. I have to admit these pages were majorly labor intensive. I most likely will not put this much effort into every page or I will not be very productive but it is fun every once in awhile to go a little crazy. It took me over 3 hrs due to all of the detailed stitching and watercolor work. I can usually crank out six pages in that time frame!

I recommend this book. It is full of great ideas and I will continue to do the challenges. It helps me to not get into a scrapbooking rut. I have plenty of great ideas myself but every once and a while it is nice to get a little fresh inspiration. I think it is a compliment if someone finds inspiration in your work enough to scraplift it!

My name is Rebecca and I am a scraplifter.

Craft Therapy

When I start to feel a little stressed I get crafty.

I finished this valance for my scrapbooking room today. I am really pleased how it turned out and it looks better in person than in the picture. My favorite part is all of the scrapbooking embellishments I sewed on above the fabric border. It was hard to get a picture during the day because the top of the valance is a sheer fabric. I did not want to interrupt the view I get out of this window, thus the fabric choice. But with the fabric more light comes in making it difficult to get a photo of the valance.

I really love the view out of my scrapbooking room on to the conservatory land. It is really nice to look out on a sunny day and see all of the trees.

Here is a closer view of the embellishments before I sewed them on.

Once I had my valance done I did a few pages. I can not believe my nephew was this tiny once! Wow, time sure does fly by! The results of being in stress cropper mode are not too bad... You can tell I am a big one on balance in the pages I make. That is the way I am wired, fun with structure I guess. I also do not spend hours on a page. I am a get 'er done type of a gal because I have plenty more photos to scrapbook. As they say, so many photos so little time.

(If you would like to purchase the custom fabric button brads or flower brads pictured on my sassy new valance select "The Little Shop That Could" link on the side of my blog.)

Back In The Saddle Again

Back in the old scrapbooking saddle again! I love this BasicGrey sticker. "I spent most of my money on scrapbooking and eating out. The rest I wasted". How fitting for Bryan and I don't you think? I thought it was perfect for a page on tax time. Yep you read that right, 2002. I will most likely never be "caught up" on my scrapbooking projects and I am perfectly ok with that. The journey to completing each page is just too much fun! Well, that and I am an out of control shutter bug!

I Have My Copy!

New In Town came out this week and I boogied my butt to Target to pick up my copy!

I liked that they made the back sleeve of the DVD look like a scrapbook page. :)

So Bryan and I watched the movie and then the special features. I really enjoyed the Making New In Town in Winnipeg, Canada feature. We laughed as the actors talked about what it was like to experience 50 degree below zero temperatures for the first time and what it was like working in that environment. They came up with the term "Nostricles". You know, anything with any moisture that comes out of any part of your body in that temperature instantly freezes... I wish they would have actually filmed in Minnesota because the location shots actually looked exactly like northern Minnesota where my parents grew up and not really New Ulm.

So we moved on to the "Folk Art of Scrapbooking" feature. I really enjoyed Siobhan Fallon Hogan (character actor of Blanche Gunderson, Lucy's boss and one of the main characters, the "scrapper") as she talked about scrapbooking and how it was portrayed in the movie. I do not think she personally scrapbooks but she seems to get it. I like how they replayed the scrapbooking clips as well. But then it went into this sunshine and lollipop sounding voice over that was odd. It felt like I was watching an infomercial.

The feature explained how one of the writers who is from Minnesota, his wife scrapbooks. The feature went on to show their personal scrapbook of their kid being born... yadda, yadda, yadda... The feature talked about mini-books, digital scrapbooks and journaling. They did a good job of showing a variety of scrapbook pages too but they were all pretty "cutesie".

So here it comes-- "All kinds of people are scrappers. There are male scrappers like Canadian Jeremy _." That was it. One line about a guy who scrapbooks. I scratched my head and laughed. Gee, um I can think of a guy who scrapbooks who happens to be from MINNESOTA where the movie is suppose to be based! Ahem! And I think he may have even made a movie about scrapbooking...

This feature had nothing on Scrapped! For me it was a wee bit of a let down. I appreciated the layouts but in my opinion it made scrapbooking appealing to soccer mommies and played into the typical stereotype of who scrapbooks. Oh well, at least the topic was a feature. I was really hoping that the crew had an actual scrapbooker who made a scrapbook of the actual film making process/experience while doing the movie behind the scenes and not just promotion pictures. That would have been cool. Do any of the actors actually scrapbook? Another ting I would have enjoyed in the feature.

If you go to the www.newintownmovie.com site and click enter site at the bottom you can select the icon "My life in New Ulm" to view their promo graphics digital movie clip "scrapbook".

In the movie they keep referring to scrapbookers as "scrappers". My blog is called Jo Scrapper because it sounded better than Jo Scrapbooker to me. My middle name is Jo and I am a feisty little person at times so that is why I named it that... But I have never referred to myself as a "scrapper". I make scrapbooks therefore I am a Scrapbooker. Being from Minnesota I have rarely heard other scrapbookers call themselves "scrappers" so I am not quite sure why they used that term in the movie. I am however thrilled that they did use scrapbooking in their movie, it made me enjoy it even more!

Last but not least...

I thought this was funny too. I also enjoyed the "Northern MIN-UH-SOH-TAH Pronunciation Guide" on the New In Town website. The movie clips were funny to me. I do have to say that obviously not everyone who worked on the project is from Minnesota beause of the title listed above. Every good Minnesotan that I know pronounces it MIN-UH-SODA, not "SOH-TAH", oh for pete sake! You betcha, you heard me!

I think that if you are not from the Midwest or a place that is cold you may miss or not get a few zippy one-liners that make this movie great. I am sure there are those that will think this is a stupid movie but I loved it. It is a quirky one that I will be quoting for years to come. If you did not like Drop Dead Gorgeous then you will not like this film. And if you don't, to quote the move "We don't give a good goose fart on a muggy day..." if you do or not. I have to go watch it with the commentary turned on now... Love the last scene, a great Minnesota weather punchline!

The Scrapbook Expo Orlando 411

I went to the Scrapbook Expo this weekend at the beautiful Gaylord Palms Resort (not kidding that is really the name).

The Rusty Pickle was my favorite vendor booth at the Expo. The pickle in the picture is not their mascot. I just thought it looked more interesting than someones backside. ;) There were too many people to get a clear shot of the booth. They had oodles of mini album kits for sale and a great display.

The Paper Wizard has some of the best laser die cuts out there hands down! They have a large selection of theme park and attraction items to choose from. The detail on their products is amazing (check out the pirate scull). I bought a Sea World set and when I got home I noticed it said "World of the Sea". That made me laugh because Sea World is obviously a trademarked item... Very clever! I am sure I will find a place to use the "of the" sometime.

One thing that surprised me was that certain vendors actually had signs that said "no photos please". What the french, toast? Are you kidding me? Am I at a scrapbooking show? I was a little surprised. I can understand why the vendors selling the designed pages would want this but come on, you are at a scrapbooking show! One of the reasons why I go to scrapbooking shows is to get new ideas!!! Hello McFly!!!??! I did not see any no photo signs at this particular booth but I have to say it was a little odd to see very few cameras out.

The ladies at Stamping Fools cracked me up! Check out the crazy little people they made all from the punches they sell! I would suggest clicking on the image so you can see better... Of course the reason why this first caught my eye was because the punches made hair! Very creative! I did ask vendors before taking photos and got permission before posting on my blog too. This vendor pulled out several boards for me to take photos of because they get it! The whole purpose of the Scrapbook Expo in my opinion is exactly this. Loving their samples/ideas so you can copy them and buy their products to replicate what you see. Duh...

I thought this was awesome marketing! The Awesome Album booth had Ribbon Cocktails, super cute! They had a wide selection of acrylic albums kits available for purchase and also offered a couple of make and takes at the Expo.

My pick for best in show has to be Tim Holtz's mini albums. That dude has more creativity in his pinkie finger than some will have in a lifetime. He was not personally at the show but his product line was part of a multi vendor booth. My personal favorite was the tag in the center that said, "Live the life you've imagined".

While I was in this vendor booth I heard this lady say, " I bought a bunch of his products but forgot how to use them, can you show me?" I had to laugh because I myself have done the same thing but actually told that to Tim at Scrapfest, doh! Thank the Lord for the World Wide Web to get instructions because my brain tends to forget specific details from time to time! :) Of course you know the end of the story... the lady in the booth went on gladly to explain all of the products and how to use them...

I had a good time but have been extremely spoiled by Scrapfest. I had to pay more to park at the Gaylord Palms than to get into this show. Some vendors did not allow photos. You had to PAY to do make and takes!!! Oh No Mr. Bill! Yep, you read that right! This show had a completely different vibe. It was not bad but I only stayed for a few hours. Can you believe that? The gal who goes to every waking moment of scrapbooking shows only stayed for a few hours, wow!

This show was more like a big scrapbook sale and you could purchase from each vendor so that was a plus where you can only purchase from Archinvers at Scrapfest so I did like that. There were several booths that had tremendous prices and they were packed all day long. My budget was tight this year so I showed tremendous restraint and was proud of myself.

CHA comes in July and they are opening to the public after their show! CHA is normally a show for store owners/resellers only. That is gonna be awesome! I can not wait!

The only thing I was missing was some Scrapbooking Peeps! I need to get some of those down here!!!

Rain-O-Rama

The Sunshine State is getting buckets of rain this week!

We keep getting told by everyone that this is "not normal Florida weather". I have seen it rain hard before but this is on a different level of big fat rain. Actually the last time I remember seeing this much rain in a short amount of time was when we were on a trip to the Florida Keys, go figure.

It has been raining for the last seven days although we did get some nice sun the last couple of days between the storms which was nice. On the second day of rain we received over two and a half inches in one hour as you can see by the pictures above. We got a puddle (which they call "ponding" down here) by the garage and the chip started to float away in that area. In the first three days we received 12 inches of rain. We stopped measuring after that.

I have to say that even though it has been raining quite a bit it has not really been a big deal to us. After having six or more months of crappy weather at a time, what is a few days of rain... There is no snow and you can still go out in shorts so I call that a good day! :) We are also happy to have the very large curbside drain at the corner in the front of the house. I have actually wondered why it was so large in size... well, now I know why.

We certainly have started the rainy season of with a bang!

Glory At The Gardens

We went to Tampa on the fly to see Glory at the Gardens at Bush Gardens in Tampa to see Melody Olson perform with Sara Groves. They were awesome! Of course the lovely Sara showed up to represent for Minnesota and mentioned how it is finally spring in Minnesota! (We were all standing there drenched in sweat so I had to laugh!) We laughed as she poked fun at the Minnesota winters that it is the way to "keep all the riff raff out". We got a kick out of that!

Melody is our friend David's sister and we have met Melody many times but had never seen her perform yet. She sings backup for Sara Groves and we were so excited to finally get to hear her and to see Sara in concert. The only time we have seen Sara live before was in MN when Uncle Randy was at Lighthouse Church and she came to sing their duet Take Me Back with him. That was a real treat, good times.

Melony and Dave's kids were so happy to see their aunt. I love being an auntie too! I was not quick enough with the camera but it was a triple threat hug, super sweet. Here is Bryan, Mel and Kaley after Sara's set. Now it was time to find some food and explore the park.

We had been to Bush Gardens many years ago with two of my brothers but there were very few things Bryan & I could remember. The main thing we remember about our last visit to Bush Gardens was that it was super cold outside but we rode the Kumba roller coaster several times anyway. Paul climbed into a hippo statue and Tony stuck his head in it. I only remember those things because I have pictures. It felt like it was our first visit in many ways because most things were new or we did not remember them from before.

We got to the park after noon so we only went on two roller coasters. They have a deal for Florida residents that you visit the park once and you can come back all year. We took advantage of that and it was exciting to get our first Florida resident discount! I was super excited about that!

The SheiKra roller coaster was our favorite. You go up the hill and the incline is so steep that you are literally on your back looking up at the sky. When we were about to go down the track we dangled at the top for a few seconds just hanging over the edge and it is straight down so you can not see the tracks. It was awesome! We went on the Kumba too but that hurt my brain! I must be getting older because I just can not take some of those rides anymore. I actually could not wait for it to be over which is so not like me. Oh well, life moves on.

We enjoyed meandering through the different sections of the park looking at the animals as well. I am excited to go back to ride the coasters we missed this time and explore more of the animal trails and the safari. Again, the best part was that we could enjoy ourselves and not have to rush through the park afraid that we might miss something. I love that! We really are enjoying living in Florida!

To find out more about Sara Groves and her music go to: www.saragroves.com

I am looking forward to Melody's first album to come out too! You rock girl!

Researching Machine

There is just something about this picture that makes me smile! I can not decide if it is the fantastic custom costume, the amazing wig or the fact that this woman looks like she is loving life & loves her job. I can appreciate the craftsmanship that went into this costume because I sew and I also do hair and this is true artistry.

I have spent the last nine hours with my butt melded to this chair doing research. I only got up to try and see the shuttle launch today which for me ended up being a bust because I did not see it...

I am researching Disney wigs to be prepared for interview number two after my Florida license arrives. I thought I would share some of my results.

The Cruella De Vil wig is so cool! My friend Angie who has dressed up as Cruella for Halloween will love these pictures. Angie has a wig, the coat... the whole get up to turn into the villain we love to hate for Halloween. Buy the way, still waiting to see those pictures... :)

I have been combing the Internet through stranger's pictures looking for wigs at Disney. I have tons of my own photos but wanted to see what I could find on the Internet. I have been to the parks many times so I know most of the venues that use wigs. Parades, characters, animatronics....

There were a ton of pictures of Cinderella and the Beauty and the Beast stage show. It was finding the clear and up close images that was the tricky part. Kudos to Disney because these pictures were taken at several Disney park locations and they all look pretty similar. That is their goal so not too big of a surprise to me. No matter what park you attend they want all the Cinderellas to look identical, etc.

I have to say that even though I have not seen them myself personally, I am kind of digging the wicked stepsisters. They look hilarious! I have not gotten my picture with Ariel yet either because the lines are always too long but that is something I would like to do in the near future.

I lover my Tinkerbell! I have not gotten a picture with Trinkerbell yet too. I will put that on the to-do list as well.

The new girl to the club, Giselle. I just love Amy Adams. She did such a great job in the movie Enchanted. The first time I watched that movie I kept thinking - why does she look so familiar to me... I finally figured it out! Bryan and I saw Amy years ago at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater in Brigadoon!

My favorite, Miss Piggy! I am not quite sure if Miss Piggy's do would fall under the wig department or not. She is technically a costume character... I have seen Captain Jack Sparrow at a Disney park and he looks identical to the real character! That actor does a great job.

Even though I am not a big fan of the villains I think Ursula's wig is the bomb! Check out the White Witches wig from the Chronicles of Narnia too. The White Witch scares the crap out of me even though I am an adult... I think that will always be the case. Amazing wig work!

I now have a greater appreciation for the artisans at Disney. I have only scratched the surface on the cast members/characters requiring a wig. There are animatronics in attractions, tons of parade characters, performers and dancers in each parade. Then there are all of the stage shows... Wow, the cosmetology and costuming department has got to be extremely large! I guess I will find out soon, eh?

Now melded to this chair for more than ten hours...

The Kindom of Animals

Wow, two parks in one week! I was not expecting to go to either one this week! Yeah! Of course the first thing we need to do at Animal Kingdom is to get a Fast Pass for Everest! Then we hit the Safari & Came back to Everest. When we were done riding and about to get in line again this guy came up to us and gave us his two Fast Passes because he did not have time to ride it. Thank you God for your favor! I love it when things like that happen!

We went on the Dinosaur ride after meandering on one or two of the animal trails. Once was enough for me, thanks! I still get scared on that ride! I am not a fan of the surprises, especially in the dark! I love all of the tropical flowers at the Animal Kingdom. I think it is the prettiest park. I love that everything looks so natural. It is also the largest per square miles out of all for Disney parks in Florida.

It was nice to go at a leisurely pace and not feel like you have to hit everything. That has been one of the things I have enjoyed the most about visiting the parks as a Florida resident. You can just see what you see and come back another time for stuff you missed. (Yes I know we are very fortunate! But, you too can move to Florida if you chose to!) I do have to say one thing--- If you have kids who are afraid of bugs and the dark - DO NOT take them on It Is Tough To Be A Bug!!! There are always so many criers! I am sure that is why the sound is nice an loud, oh yeah!

Nemo is a MUST! I know I have blogged about Nemo before... it is just that good! I love the live music and puppetry. Simply amazing! I would reccomend the 4:45 PM show. Easier to get a seat and a great way to end the day!

Fun at Z88.3

I went to the Z to help with their Mid-Term Fundraiser this week. While we were there two local artist named Chris and Conrad came in to the studio. They stopped by and said hello to all of the volunteers which was really nice. Here are some of the fabulous volunteers who answered phones the same day I did with Chris and Conrad. They are sending all of us a CD, yeah!

Chris and Conrad sing the new hit Lead Me To the Cross. I first heard their new tune on Refuge Radio out of Duluth, MN before we moved to Florida! The Z also plays it too (had to get the MN plug in)! If you would like more info. go to chrisandconrad.com.

I was a little nervous at first to answer the phones. I wanted to help with clerical items but this was all that was open so I did it. It actually was fun. The best callers were the two kids who wanted to contribute their money. Trae is ten who told me he only had $5. and Zachary is 12 who gave $10. It was really great to see kids wanting to give their own money. I know when I was a kid I did not like parting with mine when I had any! That was cool! I also took a call from a gentleman named Ron who claimed he would only contribute if I got his name on the radio! He was hilarious and I did my best! Thanks Ron & thanks Mel for helping me out with that one! I missed Mel talking on air about my thick northern accent because I was on with another caller but that is ok because it is not the first time and I am sure it will not be the last! TOOOOOOAST!

Here we are, the two Rock Stars! It was fun to be able to watch Mel live in studio again, it had been awhile and this time I was not doing an up-do! It amazes me how good she is at what she does! It is fast paced, she is always at the top of her game, great with people and good at the ol' ad lib! Yep she does have the gift of gab! At least I have one superstar friend... wink... wink! I love to say that because she gets embarrassed and personally I think it is cool she is on the radio but I do not really care about that, I like Mel because of who she is not what she happens to do for a living.

The Z met their general fund giving by ten AM the day I volunteered and so they were able to move on to ther Strong Tower project by day two. Thanks to all the people who donated and one special $50,000 anonymous contribution they met that goal! Early too! Now more people can hear Z88.3 all the way to the coast at Daytona Beach.

Rock on!

The Kingdom of Magic

I was not expecting to hit any parks this week so it was an extra treat to go to the Magic Kingdom! Yippee! This was the first time I have ever been to a Disney theme park by myself for a few hours! I had a grand old time! I ran around and did all of the things we never seem to hit when we are there. I took a ride on the train so I could see where it is when I hear it tooting from inside our house everyday. I went to Tom Sawyer's island and took a spin on the big steam boat. I watched part of the parade go by from the top deck. I also had to check out Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique in Cinderella's Castle. Every little girl wants to be transformed into a princess!

I met up with Mel, Abby, Kaley and Ian at Cinderella's Castle later in the day to help celebrate Kaley's 5th Birthday!!! They are so cute! It was such fun to be escorted around the Magic Kingdom by two Princesses and a Pirate!

This was my first time riding the magic carpet ride. It was fun! It was Kaley's Birthday and this was her first pick! Good job Kaley!

Two words... Tea Cups! I was thrilled at least one picture turned out! Priceless!

Here we are! Give a stranger your camera and get a blurry picture on occasion. It must have been because this poor guy's wife was nagging him telling him how to use my camera which she knew nothing about either! Ah, people are funny no matter where they are from.

What a magical night! We topped it off with the Spectromagic Parade & Fireworks from the parking lot. (The kids are not too fond of loud noises, they were brave.) Mel & I will need to hit Magic Kingdom again kid free so we can watch them up close! I see them every night but it is so much better with a castle and a sound track!

Mulch, Mulch & More Mulch!

Phase one & two are now complete! Our courtyard was very sad. It was at least 65% weeds and crabgrass with some mighty strong roots! Phase one was killing everything that was green with Roundup. Phase two involved ground cover cloth and 30 bags of Mulch!

I have been told that you do not need ground cover cloth down here but I am not certain I buy that. It is ingrained in my brain that if there is dirt weeds will grow. We chose to be safe rather than sorry! I do not want to pull any weeds!

Phase three will be pots and plants! I can not wait to be able to get tropical plants! Plants that we can only grow indoors in Minnesota are all outdoor items here! It is very exciting to be able to plant new varieties of plants! We do not want to have to dig into the dirt because there are underground sprinklers and we do not know what is underground. Also because we are renting we can take the pots with us and not sink too much money into a property we do not own.

Bryan has already started enjoying the new digs! I need to re-coop from the sun overload before I sit a spell outside.

Plant be free!

Pubilicious!

We are so happy to be living close enough that the Becks and hop in the car and come for a visit! We headed to Downtown Disney and had dinner at Raglan Road the Irish Pub. It was really fun inside. Dark woods awesome glass work & cool bar. Great recommendation Phil!

I loved the picture of the Mona Lisa with a pint! Priceless! She even had a foam stash. Andrea enjoyed her fruity-Tini! 95% of the menu items contained alcohol. The chef came out to the table to make recommendations of what I could eat on the menu. I ended up ordering the steak and it was delicious! I could not even have the bread because it contained Guinness! Even the children's menu items were not all safe for me to eat. The Shepherd's Pie had a wine reduction in it as well. The server assured us that it is cooked off for a longer time... sure... whatever you say! :) Now we know why the Irish love to drink. The are hooked as wee little lads! Hee Hee... I wish I did not have that goofy allergy! Maybe it is a good thing because I actually am a wee bit Irish!

I love the Disney store! So much fun! You have to get a picture with the Pirates and Princess while you are there... it is a must!

It was so wonderful to be able to visit face to face instead of via the phone or internet. Logan had grown a whole head since I had seen him last! We are so blessed to have great friends!

What We Have Learned So Far...

We have lived in Florida for just over a month now and I am learning new things every day about our new home state. Did you know that Magnolias shed this little husk from around the bulb on the tree before they bloom? I did not until I saw these little brown shells on the ground and put 2 & 2 together. It is a bummer they only bloom once a year and the blooms only last a few days. They are such beautiful trees & flowers!

Red ants are bad! These are red ants (look closely or click on the image to enlarge). They bite and it stings really bad. Thank you Andrea for the heads up! I have steered clear of being eaten so far by one of these little buggers. The lawn care crew comes through once a week and they edge along our driveway wiping out their home. Every time without fail these ants rebuild their little mounds right away that same day. I am extra careful getting out of my car in the driveway. So what have we learned today boys & girls? Red Ants = bad, owie, do not step on the mounds!

There are several owls mounted on poles around the pool. They guard the pool and keep creatures away. I am not sure which ones but my guess would be other birds and possibly rodents. We like the plastic owls, they are our friends.

This one remains a mystery to me! Can anyone tell me what these blue reflectors on the road are for? They are not in the middle or on the white lines that separate the lanes. They are just to the right of the middle dotted line that is in the center of the road (see picture above). My guess was that they are mile markers but I am just not sure. It is driving me nuts not to know & I am too lazy to take the time to research it on the Internet... I'd rather be blogging!

I am not quite sure about these either. They are these little round balls that appear to be some crazy kind of acorn or pine cone. Some of them were starting to turn brown so this is my guess. They are really cool looking I must say. They have a really unique pattern on the outside of each ball. Maybe I should consult Patrick Schweaty about this one! He seems to know his balls. I have heard they are tender and tasty too. Although you would not want to eat the balls pictured here I have heard he is in the ball expert! If you don't get it, don't ask because I am not telling!


Here is our new backyard friend! We call him Larry. Moe comes around now and then but Curly seems to have disappeared. Sad to say I think Curly was the innocent victim in the unfortunate air conditioner incident. We will just say that Bryan found a partial Curly on the blade of the air conditioner after he heard a very loud and creepy noise... That is all I have to say about that! These little guys love the twig stars I have in the courtyard. Every time I go to move them there is one on it somewhere! It scares the living daylights out of me every time! They blend in so well that I rarely see them. I understand they eat lots of bugs and mosquitoes so we will keep them around. They can be skittish at times but he let me get super close to get this picture. He better get use to that lens because I am certain he will be seeing more of it!

Easing Into Paradise

We made it to sunny Florida! Now let the fun begin! This is Pod #2. Bryan & I unloaded it together and I felt muscles I have not felt in a long time!

This is a picture of just one room to be unloaded! Here is my tape ball after I had finished unloading my scrapbooking room. I put a lemon next to it to show size perspective.

A big THANK YOU to the Olson's for this fantastic welcome basket! You guys are the best! They are making sure we are taken care of and equipping us with the much needed essentials to ease into and survive Florida life.

This amazing kit included a fantastic beach basket, 50 block sun screen & aloe for the burns and sunscreen lip balm (Who knew they made such a thing?). A Spanish/English dictionary, groovy musical card that the kids could not wait for us to open and a sand toy. A crank weather radio, umbrella, personal cooling devices (one blue for Bryan and a pink one for me) and water bottles. A Disney puzzle with little pictures that make up the big picture of Mickey (Robbie, I think we need your puzzle expertise with this one!), Key Lime Chutney, and Raid roach spray. Not pictured is the mango and coconut. Last but not least my personal favorite, the pink flamingo with polka dots on its wings, perfect!

Here is Bryan in front of his new place of employment. Cape May Cafe in Disney's Beach Club Resort. They are putting Bryan to work and he is sleeping well after each busy day on the job. They serve approximately 600 covers each night! Wowy! I love Disney's culinary logo & so does Bryan.

We were invited to spend Easter dinner with the Olson's. We had a very yummy lunch and enjoyed hanging out by the pool. Bryan even found a moment to fit in some juggling.

After Easter dinner we went to Downtown Disney for some ice cream. Mmmmm... ice cream! That place was packed! They had high volumes in the Disney parks the week of Easter and the spring breakers were out in full force.

We are settling into Florida life well. I still pinch myself and say, holy crap we live in Florida as I see the palm trees go by out of the sun roof window. We enjoy the beautiful sunsets in the evening and today our Magnolia tree's first bloom appeared.

My next step is to secure a place of employment. I had an interview with Disney today and am hopeful of what is yet to come! I am still unpacking and getting the house settled and Bryan is working hard, taking his last online class and having fun playing in the Disney Parks.

Chateau de Pederson will soon be available for reservations. You are welcome to come now if you do not mind a box or two! We are looking forward to having guests in our new Florida home.

Warm greetings from the Sunshine State!

Paris Hilton Gone Scrapper

What the scrap?!?

I received my Scrapbooks Etc. magazine today and as I am flipping through it I see this picture and I am thinking to myself ... that person looks so familiar, she kind of looks like Paris Hilton... So I read on... holy crap that is Paris Hilton! What is up with that? It will be interesting to see what she has for a product line. If she has any bling or regular embellishments that say "that's hot" I am going to puke!!!

At least this is a good reason to attract media attention. :) I guess all I have to say is good for her and welcome to the club Paris!

Brendan Fraser a scrapbooker? Dude, you rock! I would love to see his pages. The always lovely Reese Witherspoon was also pleasing to see (I love her). Get a magazine layout of those two's pages and you would sell a bazillion magazines!

Check out the Scrapbook etc.'s website for the continuing Paris story at scrapbooksEtc.com/227. I know I will be!

Florida or Bust!

The cars are packed to the brim, it is before the crack of dawn, 29 degrees, I have seen one flurry/flake and we are ready to hit the road!

This is pretty much what the whole state of Iowa looked like. Most farms had a red barn and more than not were on their last leg. Not much excitement here.

After driving through the land of red barns in Iowa we hit the land of firework stands in Missouri. Our first leg was from Chanhassen to St. Charles Missouri just outside of St. Louis. We stayed in a quaint Country Inn & Suites. The streets were lined with brick pavers creating a feeling of a by gone area.

Not even a block up the street was a cute little restaurant with a sign that said they had wine tasting. After a long day in the car this sounded appealing. We walked in and were in for a treat. It was an authentic German establishment. The owner was there to greet us and he was extremely charming. It was a ma & pop run place with the decor done by is wife. I have to say I am sure he had some say on a thing or two. When you walk in the first thing you notice is the beams on the ceiling and the deer head mounted above the fireplace. The food was wonderful! I had roast beef rolled over potatoes and carrots with a gravy on top with German potato salad and potato pancakes. It was excellent! Bryan, Chuck & Peg enjoyed their wine tasting and we enjoyed a relaxing dinner.

By the time we drove to Missouri we finally started to see green grass! Yippee! It had been cloudy in MN for a week and a half before we left so to see a little green and not brown was a feast for the eyes! The trees were in bloom and the sun was shining! I have always wanted to go into the Arch so I was very excited! The ride up to the top is in a tiny elevator that seats five (barely) and once you get to the top the view is fantastic! We were so excited the sun was shining for a good view! We went through the museum and were on our way again.

Next stop, Nashville Tennessee! We hit Nashville just in time for rush hour. We drove into the city in search for food. I was really hoping for an authentic restaurant experience. Since we were in Nashville I was hoping for something southern. Rachel Ray says to always ask the locals so I asked the parking ramp guy and he suggested the Wild Horse Saloon. He said it was good food for the money. Off we went. Walking down the street you hear country music blasting from a box on the street corner.

The Wild Horse Saloon was located right next to the Charlie Daniels Museum. Perfect, I am sure we will get a good cowboy/cowgirl experience. That we did! This joint was huge! Multiple levels, a large dance floor for line dancing, ginormous stage with two sofas on it, and wild horses running on the ceiling. Our server recommend the deep fried pickles. They were awesome! As we waited for our food they gave a country line dance lesson and after that we watched and entire duded up family do a line dance together including all of the kids perfectly in step. I was impressed, it was not an easy dance either. We of course had some BBQ ribs for dinner. It was super fun and the cultural experience I was hoping for but time to hit the road again.

It got dark quickly so we missed seeing the hills of Tennessee but I took my turn driving at that time. It did not last long. That car was speeding down those hills like a bullet! It was so weighted down that I rarely had to accelerate and was riding the breaks and trying to stay on the windy roads and weave around all of the semi trucks... White knuckling it is an understatement! We drove through to Smyrna Georgia and stayed the night there.

We drove to Atlanta the next morning to the world's largest aquarium called Georgia Aquarium. I was so happy to be able to see Angie and meet her son Tanner. We had a great time there. The tunnel aquarium was cool and the wall of fish was my favorite with the whale sharks. The Weedy Seadragon, Pacific Sea Nettles and the Beluga whales were cool. The display with the Alligator let you get right up to the glass where they were in the water just on the other side. The aquarium filled up with people fast and it was time again for us to hit the road.

We hit a really bad storm in Georgia. It was difficult to see the road and there was severe flooding. I am thankful for technology but the radar was showing us that the worst part of the storm as right over us. We pulled over for gas with a bunch of other cars with the same idea and waited in line for gas. I also found the worst gas station toilet ever there! The white finish on the seat was chipped off, the floor was wet and the door did not lock. I held my breath, hovered and peed as quick as I could! We kept going to try to get ahead of the storm. It finally cleared right before the Georgia Florida border.

We were so excited as we crossed the border into our new home state! We stopped at the wayside rest and took pictures at the Florida sign. I was so happy that I cried. It was down hill from there. We pulled in around 9:30 pm so we missed the fireworks over the Magic Kingdom.

We made it and were so happy to be home!!!

Little Signs of Encouragement

This has hung on our fridge for about at year and a 1/2.

We have been dreaming of moving to Florida for many years and now it is here! The door has been opened and we are so excited to walk on through!

This was the verse for today's devotional! God always seem to send little signs of encouragement our way at the coolest moments in time!

Here is the full text:

"I know God has put dreams and desires in your heart - things you are hoping for, praying about and believing in. The Bible says if we'll pray in faith according to God's Word, then God will hear us and answer those prayers.

When you have a dream from God in your heart, you don't have to struggle and try to force it to happen. You don't have to be worried of frustrated, wondering if it's ever going to come to pass. When you have the promises of God deep in your heart, the Bible says you will "enter into the rest of God." That's a place of total trust. A place where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God is going to see you through. It's a place of faith, knowing that God is in complete control, and at the exact right time, He will bring it to pass!"

I could not have said it better myself! We are so excited that the appointed time is finally here!

Today we begin our new adventure!

The Foshay Tower

I was born and raised in Minnesota and until today I have never been to the Foshay Tower in downtown Minneapolis. It is a beautiful building. The elevator doors have the gold carvings pictured above. The ceilings have amazing carved and painted designs that have been restored to their original condition. They sure don't build like they use to.

Foshay Facts:

• The Foshay Tower received its name from Wilbur Foshay, the original owner and builder.
• It was modeled after the Washington Monument as a tribute to George Washington.
• Construction on the 32-story structure began in 1927 and ended in August 1929. It was the tallest building in the area for four decades.
• Building height is 447 feet, 3 inches. The mast on the top is 160 feet.
• The tower Observation Deck is is located on the 30th floor. You can see approximately 30 miles on a clear day.

Northern view from the Observation Deck

View to the East

Southern view

View to the West

I would like to return on a sunny day. It was too cloudy to see the burbs clearly. We were thankful that it stopped raining while we were in the museum so we were able to go up to the Observation Deck and take in the view without getting wet.

I had a great time with my mom visiting the Foshay Tower. She had not been there since 1970 something so she enjoyed it for the second time. There were not as many tall buildings by the Foshay the last time she visited. It was extremely windy on the Observation Deck. I am laughing in the picture above trying to get my hair out of my face so my mom could take a picture. It was pretty chilly and windy so we had the whole deck to ourselves. That was nice for taking photos.

We learned some interesting facts in the museum. Foshay was arrested for 11 counts of mail fraud and then later had is sentence reduced by President Roosevelt from 15 to 5 years. When President Truman was in office he then gave him a full pardon and cleared his name. They have the pardons signed by the two presidents hanging in the museum. What did we learn from that kids? That if you know the right people in politics you can break the law and get away with it! Nice! (That was a sarcastic "nice".)

They had some interesting stuff about the 1929 market crash and some really cool pictures in Minneapolis and of people in Minneapolis from the 20s through the 40s. It was educational and fun! I am excited to go back in the summer time when we come to visit.

Gourmet Gallery Lunch

My mom and I went to AI's Gourmet Gallery for lunch today. Bryan has already been in the back of the house and now he is in the front of the house for his dining lab class.

We had a very delicious lunch. We began our meal with the "pizza of the day". It was a flat bread with a pumpkin puree, grilled chicken, bacon & caramelized shallots. For our main course we had sirloin with yukon gold mashed potatoes and sauteed arugula. To finish we shared apple pie with cinnamon whip cream and chocolate pots du creme.

It was scrumptious and of course our server was charming as always.

Good Friends & Goodbyes

We had a great time visiting with good friends! You know the kind? When you have not seen someone for awhile, then you get together and you pick up where you left off and it is like no time has passed. Actually we are all getting older, have a few wrinkles and Metamucil did come up in conversation... but you get my point. I love these people! I know that I am changed for the better because I've known them and their friendships will all be cherished no matter where we live.

It was hard to reunite and then have to say goodbye but I am so glad we had the opportunity to get together and hope we will see you all for a visit to sunny Florida to catch up again!

Cheers!

Hell's Kitchen Minneapolis

Bryan wanted to visit Hell's Kitchen before we move to Florida. So we went and it was an interesting, entertaining and creepy ride.

This is the chandelier that hangs in the entrance with the knives dangling amongst the crystals. Creepy, entertaining and humorous all rolled into one.

Hell's Kitchen is located in the basement of the building (how appropriate). This is a chef owned joint and not the Hell's Kitchen from the TV show with the screamer Gordon. (Click on the images to view larger.)

The picture on the left is the entrance leading down into the restaurant. The decor is black and red with disturbing but funny artwork on the walls. The bar is in the shape of a triangle with little crystals hanging from the moldings at the top. I guess they must have thought Hell needed a little sprucing up to eat there. ;)

We went during happy hour. They had great prices between 3:00 pm & 5:00 pm. The apps were from $3 to $5 and they were decent sized too. The service was good along with the food. The chili fries and the pulled pork were flavorful and spicy. The condiments were made from scratch and very tasty. They even had a red piano on their stage.

I would recommend Hell's Kitchen to those who are up for an entertaining afternoon adventure. A sense of humor is required and this joint is not for the undie bunched legalists.

Chef Bryan

Bryan did an amazing job at his Portfolio Show! He made Scandinavian Meatballs with Yukon Gold Mash and a Lingon Berry Garnish. It was melt in your mouth fantastic! The instruction was to cook a regional cuisine item and something your guests would enjoy.

I loved to watch people taste his appetizer. Bryan would tell the taster what it was, they would bite into it and immediately their eyes would get big, eyebrows would raise and then they would tell Bryan how flavorful it was and how surprising it was to taste the flavor combination in the meatball. It was really fun to watch! I know, my husband is an awesome chef!

Did I tell you how proud I am of him yet? :) The school gave him a really nice chef coat with fabric ties as buttons with his name embroidered on it. He looked so handsome and professional as always.

It was neat to have the kitchen as the backdrop behind Bryan's serving table. One of his chefs was telling my dad that Bryan has the talent and finesse to be very successful in this business. This is something I already knew but it was really nice to hear it from an industry professional. All of Bryan's chef instructors really like him and his colleges respect and look to him as a leader in group tasks. He is a born natural and I am excited for what is to come in his culinary career.

We where delighted to see all the friends and family who were able to attend Bryan's Portfolio Show!

Bon apatite!

Let the Party Begin

The parties began at the end of February with Chuck's birthday. He is a leap year baby so he is really only a teenager! Chuck and Peg are as close as you come to a mom & dad to Bryan minus the blood relation. It goes to show you do not have to be blood relation to be family. It was great as always to see the newlyweds Bethany and Levi. Lucas had to hit the hey before his night shift so we missed getting him in the picture but we were happy to visit with him as well.

Our first farewell party was with my family. Madeline made us an awesome banner that we loved. You know how much I love hand made crafty things!

We enjoyed all the cards from everyone and April made us a scrapbook of the things about Minnesota that well will not easily forget which made me cry and I loved it. I missed getting a picture of mom and dad that night, sorry. They were obviously there because we do not make it a habit of storming their house and eating their food without them present (what they do not know will not hurt them, Doh). Ha Ha!

My close friend Alyssa's family had us over for a traditional Lao/Thai dinner. It was so awesome that they raised the bar and I fear I will not taste Asian cuisine this good again any time soon! Here is Alyssa making a salad with a mortar and pestle.

Mmmmm.... my favorite of their family's cuisine, Pork Egg Rolls! They were so delicious, fresh & piping hot! Alyssa's mom does not make them with cabbage but pork, carrot and a thin rice noodle inside. They worked all day to prepare this fresh authentic meal for us! We really appreciated the time and care spent in doing this for us. The meal was all MSG free just for me too!

We enjoyed Pork Satay on a Stick with Thai Peanut Sauce, Spicy Papaya Salad (Lao style), Fried Rice Noodles (Pad Thai), Cucumber Salad with Lime and Shallots and a traditional Thai dessert made with mung beans, fresh shredded coconut and sticky rice flour. Everything was so flavorful!

When all was said and done I had four Egg Rolls, two helpings of the Fried Rice Noodles and a serving of everything else. The Fried Rice Noodles had little flowers on the top made from a green onion stalk with a chili pepper in the middle. That was a really nice extra touch. Everything was wonderful and they sent us home with a doggie bag of Egg Rolls! Yummy!

We are thankful for our Minnesota friends and family & they will be missed!

Mad Packers!

World-o-bubble, shrink wrapped and packed! This was our living room this last weekend. I packed my heart out while Bryan and Tony loaded POD #2! I could barely keep up with packing the final odds & ends while they stacked the POD from floor to ceiling. My brother Tony was an awesome help & we appreciated it!

Bryan saw the Shoulderdollys in the Sky Mall magazine in the plane on the way home from Florida. He ordered them and could not wait for them to be delivered so he could give them a try. He even made me watch the infomercial on their website with Grizzly Adams endorsing them. Grizzly Adams has never steered you wrong before so we might as well go for it. They work pretty well but are a little tricky on the stairs.

Bryan tied everything in and POD #2 was ready to hit the road!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We found these hats at Downtown Disney when we were in Florida last month locating our new home. Disney finds a way to decorate their mouse ears in many different ways and for every holiday or season. I picked up one of those foamy mouse heads that is suppose to go on the antenna of your car but I did not want to ruin it so I brought it in to work to put on my desk today instead.

This is my co-worker Nicole & I (and my Mickey head). I love seeing what outfit Nicole will show up in on holidays that land on work days. She is the most festive dresser at work. I use to be this way. She inspires me to do that again. I did wear green today to avoid a pinching because I actually am a wee bit Irish!

Cute As A Custom Button Brad

When my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this last year I told her more Custom Button Brads of course!

This is a project we came up with last year for a creative craft/scrapbooking embellishment! One of the wonderful perks of having parents who are upholsterers is can I design all sorts of upholstered decorating/craft projects and my mom/dad can make it! Yes, my father sews and very well I might add! I love that! He does mostly custom interiors on cars these days and has a reputation for being the best in the biz.

Yesterday we has the assembly line going in my dad's shop and mom, dad & I cranked out over 100 buttons in an hour! My dad is a efficient machine and can crank out those buttons so fast my mom & I had to boogie to keep up! I am sure over 30 years in the upholstery business helps... I will miss all of the great projects when we move. I will be restricted to phone orders and sketch drawings... I am sure I will have project ideas for when we visit. My mom sews too and I am thankful that she taught me how to sew!

My latest kick was that I wanted Custom Button Brads to make Mickeys & Minnies before we move to Florida! Here they are! I can not wait to start using these in future projects!

If you would like to purchase the Custom Button Brads for your projects just click on the link on the side of my blog that says Little Shop That Could.

Scrap Happy!

Lucky Duck

I get this voice mail while at work from my little, I mean younger brother Paul that he is at his Black Sheep International event and he just happens to be hanging out with BRYAN DUNCAN! Lucky duck!

I call him back with a - "OH MY GOSH! Of course I remember Bryan Duncan I listen to his music daily when on shuffle on my Zune!!! I know I am a nerd but if you see him again can you get his autograph!" Yep I am that much of a nerd! I still have my tape cassette jackets of my tapes from the 80s & I would love to put that in my scrapbook!

We recently bought at Tape to PC machine because I could not bare to get rid of the hundreds of cassette tapes that Bryan & I have of the music from our teenage years. Currently on my Zune is Bryan Duncan's Whistlin' In The Dark, Holy Rollin' & Have Yourself Committed. Our drama team Beyond Broadway did a human video to the song Have Yourself Committed & it was one of my favorites.

Bryan Duncan is a part of the same organization that Paul is the Chapter President of his area called Black Sheep.

This is the only picture I could find of Paul in his Black Sheep leather. He is usually behind the camera so there are not many pictures of him. (These are also his pictures.)

Ride be free!

POD Be Free!

Wouldn'tchaknow (der's a little Minnesotan for you out of towners) the day we get the POD we also get a 1/2 a foot of snow! Oh for the sake of Pete!!! Or as my grandma Veronica would say - Oh for heavenly sh*ts!

My awesome husband has POD number one loaded and ready! It will be gone by mid-morning! It has been so cold that Bryan can barely feel his face or fingers. He loves his mittens but you can not wear those to move boxes... must have gloves with fingers.

Goodbye scrapbooking and miscellaneous possessions... see you in another month! One down and one more to go!

30 Days!

We are counting down the days for our new adventure! With Bryan being accepted into Disney's culinary program the next step was to find a place to live. I prayed that it would be a quick and easy process and that we would just know the right house for us when we see it.

Here we are! Our new Florida home! It still does not feel real sometimes, I need to be pinched every once in awhile! Our new townhouse is right behind the Magic Kingdom and you can see the nightly fireworks over the castle from our bedroom window!

You know what they say - Location, Location, Location! We only looked at two places and signed the lease within 24 hrs! Quick and clean! Why do I ever worry? God knows what he is doing!

We have conservation land in back and on the side of our unit. The view from the front is of another row of townhouses but it is the view of the side and garages of their units, not the front giving more privacy and less windows facing our unit.

We will be squeezing into 1441 sq ft! Yikes! Even though it is a tiny unit we have figured out a way to sleep 4 guests with the possibility of one more if someone crashes on the couch. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath with 10 ft ceilings and vaulted bedroom ceilings! The master has a walk in closet, bathroom with double sinks and a garden tub/shower combo. The tub and shower are not separate but I will take that over no garden tub at all. A very important feature - all the bedrooms have ceiling fans, yeah! I have already found my dream neighborhood less than five miles away for when we are settled and established Floridians!

The question you are all wondering - where am I going to fit all of that scrapbooking stuff??? I am going from two rooms down to one 10 x 10 room! I can do it! I will have to be extra creative when it comes to space planning! Do you know anyone who is interested in some awesome 6 X 3 scrapbooking desks & a credenza?

Back to reality!

The next morning after we flew back to Minnesota Bryan had to plow the driveway from the snow we missed. I am sure he was thinking tropical thoughts as he plowed.

Remember this room?

This is what it looks like at the moment! Pack, Pack, Pack!!!

The 30 day countdown has begun!

My Funny Valentine

Here is the Valentines Day card Bryan gave to me this year. He knows me so well! I loved it!

New In Town

I went to see New In Town today with Bryan and I loved it so much that as soon as we left the theater I called my mom, picked her up and I went to see it again with my mom! She loved it too!

Any movie who's opening and closing scenes are of Minnesota women scrapbooking at their kitchen table is alright with me! In the opening scene they discuss what has happened to the former plant superintendents where they work but the funny part is that as the ladies are talking about how one guy ingested too many summer sausages they show a scapbook page about it. Then they talk about how the next superintendent had a freezer incident and they show another scrapbook page with this frozen guy in the picture. It was super funny that they scrapbooked these " accidental tragedies" . If you are an enthusiastic scrapbooker like me you will think this is hilaious! Then the next scene Blanche (Lucy's new assistant) is taking pictures of Lucy (new boss) in the car after she has just ment her even though she is a complete stranger... also funny to an over the edge shutter bug!

This was one of my favorite scenes in which Blanche gives Lucy what she calls a "mini" for Christmas. It is a gaudy but endearing scrapbook that she has made herself. I think Blanche's character is my favorite in the movie. She is simple, truthful, has the "Minnesota nice" persona, wears embroidered sweatshirts and you can't help but love her.

This movie is full of hilarious one liners that had me in stitches. If you do not live in the Midwest you will still like this movie but will not laugh as hard at all of the regional humor. My favorite line is from the plant foreman of the manufacturing company in New Ulm - "...that will move out of here faster than thin sh*t out of a tall Swede." I laughted so hard I nearly wet myself!

I Googled the movie looking for pictures for my post and the first site listed is reviews before the official site. I read the review in the New York Times from a person who obviously does not get the Midwest or our humor.

NYT review:
"But “New In Town” has no idea of how to play its cards. From their regional accents to their cutesy-poo vocabulary (lots of okey-dokeys), the Minnesotans whom Lucy encounters are ludicrous parodies of the characters in "Fargo". You feel as if you are watching creatures more exotic than Snow White’s seven dwarfs."

The accents may have been a little exagerated but the heart and the humor of true Minnesotans in my optinion was captured by the actors playing them. It was fun to watch becuse it was beleivable and relatable to me and I felt comfortable laughing at myself through them.

So what I enjoyed was the comments in responce to the stinky review. I like this one best:

Retired Theatre Coach

"As a woman of a certain age and having enjoyed most of that time working in and around "the business", please people, stop requiring that all performance work be "important". Certainly most who would write these reviews should know before going that films such as this are not designed to improve one's mind. Can't talented actors just do a little easy, fun stuff every now and then? Must everything be about showing how they handle angst and disturbing life situations? Must every comedy be award worthy? That constant call for superiority from an actor's repetoire of emotions and technique is exhausting! As for the accents of the characters, having lived pretty much all over the United States, I can say that this dialect exists. So bottom line is, don't take your snobbish, critical self to films such as "New in Town". But if one feels compelled to analyze this kind of picture, why not invite some folks over who make you feel brilliant and entertain them with your opinions. I was brought up to be a Southern lady with an eye for quality, however, sometimes it just feels good to put up your feet with a bottle of beer and get knee walking silly laughing at the obvious. In these times, we could use some lightening up and we should allow perfomers to do the same thing. This was a fun film and I am no better but certainly no worse for having seen it. The company and actors involved in this will do better work or they won't last, but for now, thanks for the giggles."

— GTE, Georgia

I hope you enjoy New In Town too if you get a chance to see it. This movie is one that I will buy the day it comes out on DVD!