And the Magic Number is...

255. That's right, I finally got my waiting list number for CE after a week of emailing CE support as well as the Polka Dot Chicks to see if they could help me solve the problem. By Thursday night I still hadn't heard anything, and decided, what the heck, I'll try my email address again and it worked. Don't know who to thank, but it appears to now work!

As my number would come up before hers, Sandy is going to use the one space a dear friend managed to get. But never fear, WE will both be there. I can't imagine not going and seeing friends and being part of all the fun. And sometimes, it's all about being in the right place at the right time. And I have a bunch of ideas of things to do in case things do not work out! Must remain positive however.

In fact, this afternoon we went to the LSS on the hunt of piglet and parakeet. Also found some fun patterned papers to mix in for the CE page swap. Decided this was a great way to get an album done quickly when we get home!

We have our reservations at the Hilton for Thur-Sat nights; we're going out on Tuesday AM and coming home the following Monday. I'm not thrilled that we'll move hotels twice but we'll save a bunch that way. And we both have enough miles for free airline tix!!!

On more boring matters, I never did get the fudge made for Saturday. Maybe I'll shoot for St. Patricks Day instead. Think it's time to either read or take a nap. What else are Sunday afternnons for once football season is over!

Enjoy,
Janet

The Newest Pages ...

for the Christmas Journal. Only 8 left to do!!!!! And I actually worked last night during "24". Tonight it's "American Idol" and "House". Why is it that all the cool shows are on FOX??? Anyway, its sort of snowing/freezing raining/sleeting outside and it's supposed to through the night--won't that be fun in the AM when it's time to go to work. Still waiting to hear from CE and/or my source but based on the yahoo group there are all kinds of problems out there and it's taking FOREVER to get any kind of answer.

Today's pages:
Day 27: The theme was sleep. Do you get the chance to rest mmore over the holidays, or to you have any special traditions like matching PJ's on Christmas.

Day 28: Christmas Weaknesses. The things you love that only appear during the holidays.

Day 29: This was actually a free day or the day to do your title page. SO I actually did 3 pages:
holiday wearables, baker, and candymaker.

Actually did my title page as well since it goes back at the beginning and doesn't have a #.

Was going to make Oreo fudge and some peppermint bark to take to work for Valentine's Day but with the crappy weather I think I'll wait and do it on Friday and take it in on Saturday. They'll all be thrilled whenever it gets there!

And did you notice, I've added a friends list and the Journal Your Christmas logo. I think I'm finally figuring everything out.

Enjoy,
Janet

Naked Chocolate ....

and other musings from last week. Our ladies retreat was very good; our pastors' wife is a good speaker and there was lots of fun and laughter as well as some serious spiritual stuff going on.
While on retreat, we hustled into the business center at about 11:45 am on Saturday to be ready to register for Creative Escape. Can we say frustration????????? Thanks to a very good friend we have one space guaranteed but we're also both on the waitlist. I still can't access my number because I must have typed something wrong (the speed thing going on here) so I've got someone working to try and solve that problem. But we will be there!!! Even if only one of us takes the classes! And I thought that CK a couple of years ago had problems.

On a fun note, we had PA Ballet tickets on Friday night. We hadn't seen Giselle for years and it's a very beautiful story ballet. Afterwards we tried out The Naked Chocolate Cafe ---- think an upscale, independent Starbucks that specializes in all kinds of gourmet hot chocolates and pastries. We'll definitely have to try something different after our next trip to the ballet.

It's decided to become winter here in New Jersey. Last week was very cold and now they're talking the "S" word for tomorrow into Wednesday, but they're backing off from the words "significant" and "heavy" and are now talking 1-3".

Still working on the Christmas journal (will post more later) and I even got 2 or 3 pages of the vacation album done while on retreat and during the Super Bowl. Hopefully, I'll get some more done tonight although it's hard to scrap and watch "24" at the same time.

Enjoy,
Janet

I Didn't Meet My Goal

but I'm still having fun! It's kind of fun to revisit the holidays. Tonight I'm packing up my stuff so that we can head off to FAC's Ladies Retreat about noon on Friday. This year we're off to Sandy Cove, a conference center on the Chesapeake in North East,MD. It's great to be able to spend time with 250+ women worshipping, studying, praying, and having fun together. There's lots of free time as well so I'm taking "THE TRIP" photos to work on -- haven't touched them since Becca's crop in November. I think I deserve a little break from the Christmas stuff.

Anyway, more pages from the Christmas journal: Days 22-26.

Day 22: Still to Do: This was all about your to-do list. I used one of those "legal file" clips to attach my actual list.

Day 23: All about Christmas stockings.

Day 24: I {Heart} Christmas Eve. I changed the prompt to talk about why I love Christmas Eve. The little album has photos I snapped during the Christmas Eve service; lots of the paper on the page is the bulletin cover.

Day 25: Christmas!! The photos open to reveal the timetable of activities for the day and a couple more photos.

Day 26: Boxing Day: Took the opportunity to talk about the gifts I gave people at work and the ones I received.

Getting excited about registering for Creative Escape on Saturday. Fortunately, the conference center has a 24-hour business center and we won't be in a session at the appointed time. Hopefully there will be no glitches or problems. We're looking forward to a great week in our favorite vacation spot with all our scrapping friends!!!

I have been informed that I have now turned into a pumpkin (it's past midnight)---
and that means all good pumpkins are going to bed!

Enjoy,
Janet

A Few More Pages ...

or we'll soon get to Christmas Day!

Day 21: The prompt was to take photos of your house that day -- in whatever condition it was in.

Day 20: Surprises in the Mail: I used a bunch of stamps and postmarks from the cards we received to make a pocket. Inside are the letter the choir received from our senior pastor about the Christmas cantata, and copies of the e-mails the store got from the Regional Manager and the District Manager (yes MR. PERSONALITY sent one) wishing us a happy holiday.

Day 19: A Letter to Father Christmas: A really hard one for me because I'm not into the Santa thing at all--never have been. So mine reads more like a letter to the editor explaining why I don't buy the whole concept. Loved the vintage paper and I like the finished page.

Enjoy,
Janet

A Wild 24 Hours ...

The last 24 hours have been, well, really bizarre. Last night after work a bunch of the girls from the store surprised Kristen with a baby shower at the nearby Don Pablos. We all had a good time laughing and eating and generally just hanging out...

Then, in case you didn't know, Sandy proclaimed today, January 25, "What a Difference a Year Makes" Day. It was on this date last year that she and her co-workers found out they were closing her office in July. She was THRILLED!! (A nice severance package helped.) Anyway, one year later, she is happily working full time at church as the administrative assistant in the Worship Department with a great group of people and all kinds of interesting things to do.

And then there was my day. Our district manager came for a visit and decided to tell our manager how awful everything was, etc. etc. etc. and that maybe she should consider stepping down. Talk about getting blind-sided!!! He left with no specifics as to what to improve and my manager in tears in her office. Mind you my manager was out on disability from August to the beginning of December and this was the first time she's seen him since the summer. MR. PERSONALITY AND TACT strikes again! Not to worry, when she gets over the shock of his comments, she'll be back fighting and the management will be there with her. (That's Yukie in the middle of the photo with the black shirt.)

Anyway, tomorrow is my day off and we're going out to church to help with the prep work for the Ladies Retreat next weekend. And hopefully I'll get more pages done.

Enjoy,
Janet

For Becca and Kelly ...

As you are aware by now, I'm busily finishing the Christmas Journal and after a slow and leisurely morning on Friday enjoying homemade cinnamon buns and trying out the hot chocolate pot I got as a Christmas gift, I FINALLY made it up to the studio to continue working. And this group of pages has some special ones for a couple of great scrapping friends in Omaha, NE.

Day 18: Christmas Dinner: I just did a menu and accented the page with photos of my Mom's nutcrackers.

Day 17: For Becca: Many of you probably have had the pleasure of spending time with B, either at CKU or CE, or perhaps you're familar with all her fundraising efforts for JDRF, well this is HER page. The prompt on this day was "I saw this and thought of you". Right after we got home from her Crop for a Cause, a boutique here in town finished their Christmas window display with all these BeccaGreen stars!! I passed the windows almost every day and always wanted to snatch the stars from the window and send them to B who would have certainly found a wonderful place to use them!

Day 16: Holiday Gatherings: This was a simple plan layout and a slight variation from the guests/visitors prompt. We never seem to find time to entertain, so I highlighted the special occasions with friends and family.

Day 15: Grateful: Again a straight forward formula.

Day 14: I Love Christmas Music: This one's for Kelly -- I highlighted the song, Twelve Days of Christmas, inside the little CD case, not only my favorite memories of the song, but the PNC Bank "Cost of the Gifts" and Kelly's new words that she used with her kids' choir at her church!

Off to cook dinner; maybe I'll get some more pages done and posted later tonight! I'll have "24" on so whether I'll be able to do anything is up for grabs! Then it's on to the Australian Open on ESPN2---

Enjoy,
Janet