Remember Me?

Well, hope my faithful readers have not given up on me and my blog.  I promise I haven't forgotten you or given up on blogging.  We had a wonderful reunion with Ashley on Thursday which I posted about.  Friday we hung out at my neice's house and met some of Ashley's friends and more of our family at a Mexican restaurant in Austin.  We spent the night at a friend's house in Austin (she and her DH were gone for the weekend) and hit the road for San Antonio on Saturday morning.  Ashley had rented her house out while she was in Iraq and it was neat as a pin when she arrived.  You would never have known anyone had been here!  Unfortunately, it was really hot in her house!  The air conditioner was not working in the back of the house where the bedrooms are.  Luckily, she has 2 units and the other unit was working.  With it being a holiday weekend, we were not able to get in touch with anyone until Tuesday.  Sonny had brought his tools and gauges but he has been out of the business too long and did not have any contacts here in San Antonio.  We got someone to come out late Tuesday to check it out.  It needs to be replaced we found out today and he can not get to it until next Monday!!  In the meantime, Sonny has been sleeping on the couch, Ashley on the air mattress on the floor and me on the pull out sofa bed.  Mom was able to sleep in the back bedroom with the ceiling fan going and a couple of oscillating fans.  My back started bothering me from sleeping on the pull out bed so I have moved to Ashley's room.  If I keep the ceiling fan on high, it's not too bad. 

We have stayed busy doing little things around the house that needed fixing and doing after a year.  Her wine refrigerator was not running so Sonny had to order a part.  He installed it yesterday and now it is running.  He also has been working with her pool cleaner to get it going right.  We've all done a lot of yard work - trimming trees and plants and her yard is getting in good shape.  I've actually done more yard work here than I do at my own house!!

We're enjoying a lot of good Mexican food while we are here!  Some of our good friends from the Dallas area drove down on Tuesday and we met them last night at a good Mexican restaurant.  Tonight we all went over to the Riverwalk and sat outside at one of the restaurants.  I put Mom on the plane for Charlotte today.  She really enjoyed her visit with Ashley and of course, cried when she had to leave.

We have not had internet service or cable TV until today either!  I felt like I was in the stone age!  How did we ever survive without all the amenities we have today?  Every night we would all just sit in the den reading.  Mom almost finished reading The Help and I only have a few pages left in my Jodi Picault book.  I think Ashley has read at least 4 books this week and Sonny a couple!  It was nice but I was sure glad to get the internet hooked up today as well as the TV!

Ashley had to go to Ft Hood on Wednesday for some briefings.  She drove there on Tuesday night so I got her to post my Stampin' Queen's challenge card for me on the internet at the hotel.  I did the whole card with My Digital Studio since I just haven't had the chance to make a card while I was here.  I brought a bunch of projects to work on while I was here, but it just hasn't happened!  We've been lucky - Ashley has only had to go to work one day so far.  She will have to report back to Ft. Hood next Tuesday and start working more so we will probably start our trip for home Tuesday or Wednesday.  Hopefully, Sonny will take it as slow going back as we did coming here but I sincerely doubt it!!  I'm pretty sure when his foot hits the pedal, we'll be back in NC in a day or two!!  He's a basic home body and does not like to venture away from his home turf for too long!

Here are a few pictures from out trip:

Ashley (on right) with her best friend and college roomie, Lisa who had twins while Ashley was in Iraq!

Me and my brother, Jim

My neice, Melinda and my nephew's wife, Katrina

Sonny & I on the Riverwalk

Sonny & his best bud!

Sharon & Sharon!

Ashley and her Grandma!

Sonny & Ashley on Riverwalk

Stampin' Queen Sketch Week #3

It's Ashley, posting for Sharon...she is stuck at my house with no TV, no internet, and no A/C (in half of the house anyway) while I am back at Ft. Hood taking care of post-deployment stuff.  I am posting her Stampin' Queen Sketch made on My Digital Studio -- she will outline more of the details once she is back online!  

Reunion

Had a great reunion today here in Texas with Ashley.  She landed about 3 pm and they advised us to be at the parade field by 3:30.  So, we were .... we sat outside in the 100+ heat for a little over 2 hours.  Luckily, they had a covered area for the bleachers but by the time the ceremony started at 5:30, we were all dripping!!  My mom actually looked like she had wet her pants!  The buses - all 7 of them - rolled up and the soldiers got off behind the buses where we couldn't see them.  The Honor Guard was there as well as two calvary soldiers on horseback to welcome them.  We all yelled "move the buses" and the buses drove away and we were able to see our soldiers!  What a sight!  They marched onto the field.  Ashley was on the front row - second from the left end so we were able to get a good view of her.  Only a handful of the soldiers had kept their Stetson hat out and hadn't packed them - Ashley was one of them - so they put them on the front row!  After a brief address to the crowd, they announced that you could all rush onto the parade ground to greet your soldier!!  Two of the guards helped my mom make her way onto the field while Sonny & I ran ahead to hug her.  We were all crying but it was a happy cry!  She looked so good and we were all so happy!

Tonight we are staying in a hotel on base.  We will drive to Austin - a little over an hour south to see her cousins.  She is going to surprise her cousin, Melinda's son at school at lunch.  He is in the 2nd grade and last year, he sent her his Flat Stanley so his class should be impressed!  We are having a little party for her tomorrow at an Ausin Mexican restaurant.  Saturday, we are on the road to San Antonio.

It has been a long day.  Ashley & Grandma are sleeping in the bed beside me so all is right with my world!

Stampin' Queen's Sketch Challenge 2

It's that time of the week - Wednesday Sketch Challenge for Stampin' Queens.

My card this week is a grungy look.  I just love the stamp set, Daring Adventure and decided to use it with the DSP Well Worn.  This DSP is great for masculine cards and may help me get over losing the nautical DSP from the past mini catalog.

Here is our sketch for this week:

 Here is the link to the other Queen's cards.

You can also do a card following the sketch and post it!  I would love to see what you come up with.

On the Road Again .....

Well, I'm on the road again - this time headed to Texas.  We started out Sunday - picked Mom up after church and got to Nashville Sunday night.  After a restful night, we went to the Ryman Auditorium today.  Wow!  There is a lot of history in that place.  The Ryman was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry but it started out as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892.  From a church, it became a performing auditorium.  Such greats as Teddy Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt, Helen Hayes, and Katherine Hepburn performed at the Ryman.  In 1943, the Grand Ole Opry moved to the Ryman and became the stomping ground for Minnie :Pearl, Earl Scruggs, Red Foley, Hank Sr., Johnny Cash and even Elvis Presley!  I actually got goose bumps imagining all the greats that performed at the Ryman Auditorium.  It is still used today for concerts and performances.  After our self-guided tour, we had hoped to have lunch at the Wildhorse Saloon, a 66,000 sq. foot restaurant, saloon, dance hall, recording studio ...  Ashley actually performed at the Wildhorse with her college dance troupe and it was televised on the Nashville Network.  Unfortunately, the Wildhorse was closed for a private party so we weren't able to go inside.  We settled for an Irish bar down the street that was just ok ,,,, typical Irish fare but the beer was good and what we drank while in Ireland.

From Nashville, we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas and are spending the night here.  Tomorrow our plan is to head on down to Dallas and spend the night.  I hope to do a little shopping while Sonny meets with our financial advisor.

We were able to Skype with Ashley this morning and got some good news.  She will be returning a day earlier than we had originally thought!!  That will give her time to rest up before her welcome home party. 

Well, mom is really snoring so I better try to get some sleep too!

CKC this weekend

Whew!  I am wiped out!  Marianne and I went to Charlotte on Thursday afternoon for CKC.  We spent the evening in the lobby of the hotel watching the Panthers on tv and working on some scrappin' kits.  Then we were up bright and early Friday morning to go to our first class at 8:30.  We had a small break after our first class and went down to the vendor faire to do a little shopping.  We ended up stopping at the SEI booth and doing their make & take.  We made 4 really nice cards but it was a pretty messy and time consuming make & take - probably taking close to 45 minutes.  That cut seriously into our shopping time!  But we made up for it after our classes were done around 4 pm.  That gave us a couple of hours to hit the floor running!   While working on our make & takes, we ran into some Mooresville friends.

Andrea & Karen

Karen & Vicki



Marianne & I

Here are a few of the nice things we oohed and aahed over:

Marianne wants to make this!



I like this acrylic album



This is from Keller Creations

Heartfelt Creations - dies to make this gorgeous card

I am leaving in the morning to drive to Texas.  Just a few more days and I'll be seeing my girl!!  Can't wait! 

My postings may be sporadic while I'm on the road the next week.

Another convention!

I'm headed to another convention this weekend.  I'm sure getting my fill this summer of creativity sessions!  Marianne and I are going to Charlotte today through Saturday to the CKC Convention.  We'll be leaving as soon as she gets off work.  I'm all packed and ready!  We have a full schedule this year.  We start our classes Friday morning at 8:30.  Most classes are an hour - we are taking 4 classes on Friday finishing our last one at 4:10.  We have a 3 hour break from 9:30 to 12:30 which I'm sure we'll spend it downstairs at the vendor fair!!  On Saturday, our schedule is just as full - starting at 8:30 for a 1 1/2 hour class and going straight through until 3:00.  We do have an hour break from 10 - 11 so guess we'll get some nourishment then!   I really enjoy the classes at CKC and hope these are just as good as the others we have taken.  We are taking some projects down to work on in our hotel tonight.  We stay at the Hampton Inn right across from the convention center.  The Hampton has a very nice area with tables and tv's that we can spread out and scrap while we watch some football (think the Panthers are playing tonight).  Plus, they have cookies and tea for you!!

When I get home Saturday, I have to get my things packed to go to Texas.  We leave on Sunday morning so it is going to be ... unpack one suitcase and pack another!  

I had a massage this morning so I could be relaxed and ready to play!! 

Here are a few of my favorite cards from the display boards at Regionals last weekend.

This kraft box will be available in the Holiday Mini!

Have a wonderful weekend!  Not sure if I'll have time (or energy) to post for a few days.

I'm A Stampin' Queen!

I have great news to share.  I have been chosen to be a Stampin' Queen!  I will be part of the Stampin' Queen Design Team.  Can you believe there are four Sharon's on the team?  Maybe that was one of the requirements!  HA!!


Each week (on Wednesday) we will be posting a card sketch along with the Stampin' Queen's interpretation of the sketch. Here is the first week's sketch:

Here is my version of the first sketch:

I used one of my favorite color combos - Pink and Brown!

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Pink Pirouette, Choc. Chip, Whisper White, Flirtatious Specialty DSP (pg 183)
Stamps:  Delicate Doilies, Smarty Pants (FRIEND)
Access:  Corner Rounder, Circle Punches and Dies, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, White Brad, Dimensionals


I hope you will visit the Stampin' Queen's blog site HERE and see the other versions of our sketch!  There is also going to be an opening day GIVE AWAY that you don't want to miss!  So hurry on over and check it out.

To participate:

• Post the image of your creation to  your blog, Splitcoast, or whereever you like to post your images for all to see
• Please put some where in the post that you are participating in the Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge or SQSC #1.  It will help if you put in any keywords so it can be searchable
• Link the image of your creation to the STAMPIN' QUEEN BLOG

I can't wait to see what other creations everyone makes with this sketch.

This is really so exciting for me.  I have wanted to part of a design team for a long time and now I am!!

Monday Mailers

I received a great Monday Mailer last week from Robin.  She used the set My Friend (pg 139) and made a monochromatic card in Real Red.  The stamping is just wonderful.  If I didn't know better, I would say that she did not stamp the floral image on the Top Note but that it came that way from the factory!  It is that great!

 This is the card that I sent to my Monday Mailer partner today.  I got the idea from one of the swap cards I received at Regionals on Saturday.  That is why I love to go to these events - you get so many great ideas!  Unfortunately, I have just discovered that it is a retired set!  At least, I cannot find it in the current catalog.  So I will be sending Nancy another card tomorrow!  I just assumed since I received a similar card in the swaps, that it was current!  You know what they say about assuming!!

So, this is the other card that I made for Nancy to take the place of the retired set that I did by mistake.

Charlotte Regionals

Regionals on Saturday was great!  I learned a lot of "tricks of the trade" - now I just need to remember everything I saw!  Neither Marianne nor I won any of the "Prize Patrol" give-aways, but we came away with a few goodies anyway.  Stampin' Up was pretty generous and along with the make-n-takes that we did, we came away with a Card Keeper Box (featured in the next mini), a journal and a couple of card kits to make.  We also got a bunch of card swaps so there are always good ideas in those.  I stood in line to talk with Shelli (CEO of SU) and had my picture made with her.  We have decided that she may be one of the most photographed women in America!  It is so funny to hear how excited people get when they meet her for the first time!  She is a very warm person and seems like she really cares about us demonstrators.

Shelli even helped give out the goodies to the crowd!

Stampin' Up has a box where they ask that we drop off a swap card to take back to the home office.  Shelli judged all the cards that were submitted and picked three of the top cards.  No, unfortunately, mine was not one of the top three (darn!) but here are the winning ones that she picked:

 Isn't this card just a scream?  Look at all the punches that were used - Butterfly punch for the dress; hearts for the shoes, circles, ovals, tags ....  Really cute!!

 This one was my favorite of the 3 she picked.  I love all the layers on it.  That stocking is a sneak peek from the Holiday Mini as is the DSP used!

Again, a clever use of punches with the tags.  Guess Shelli is into using punches as evidenced by her choice of picks.

Well, bedtime here for me!  I am playing bridge tomorrow.  I had hoped that my friend, Margaret, was coming for a quick visit tomorrow but since I haven't heard from her, I guess not.  We haven't had a visit since last March!  I'll be starting to get things packed this week for our trip.  I packed Ashley's suitcase today with all the stuff she left here plus things I've picked up for her while she has been gone.  I think we are going to have a full carload!