My life at 40...

Could you, would you, pretty please, help me out???

Dear Friends, Family & Super Cool Online Acquaintances,

I am participating in the Junior Acheivement Hula Bowl-A-Thon to support educational programs for Arizona's kids (our bowling team name is "Got Gutters?" how funny is that????). Seriously though, for every $36 I raise, I will provide Junior Acheivement educational programs to one child for an entire school year.

PLEASE support my fundraising efforts by making an online donation. Payments can be made using Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. It is quick, easy & secure! After your payment has been successfully received, an electronic receipt will automatically be sent to your email inbox (that way you can write it off on your taxes!! Ü)

Just click on the link below to visit My Donation Page & make a donation. PLEASE? Pretty PLEASE? You know you want too! It's for the KIDS!! And...I will love you FOREVER, PROMISE!!! Ü

Click HERE

Junior Achievement of Arizona has been educating K-12 students about entrepreneurship, work readiness, and financial literacy since 1957, and this year JA community volunteers will teach over 83,000 students in Arizona! Visit www.jaaz.org for more information.

I can't thank you enough!! You are truly amazing, kind & generous!!

Thank you again!

Karrie Ü

TGIF!!

Are you excited the weekend is here? I am. I think Robert & I may even take in the local Home & Garden Show if we can get all our chores done. Woot, Woot! 

Speaking of Home & Garden, I thought I would show a couple of things we have done around the ole house lately. My Dad was asking for photos so I figured I might as well post them here for all to see rather send them to him direct. 

First off, we have the side drive way in our front yard...

Now we have PLENTY of parking space, I love that! What I didn't love was getting a notice from our HOA stating we violated our CC&R's by not getting permission to pour the concrete in the first place. We now have to go to the HOA & have them sign off on our drive way. Hopefully they will like it as much as we do & approve it. LOL 

What I didn't bother telling the HOA was that we also had concrete poured in our backyard too! Such a rebel, huh? LOLOLOL

Did I mention that Robert found an incredible deal on a used hot tub on CraigsList? He did and it's FABULOUS!! 

Oops, how did her picture get in there? That bad, bad girl! LOLOL

We've also done a bunch of planting but I will show that on another post. In the mean time, I will leave you with cheery birthday card...

Card deets: 

• Stamps: A-muse
• Paper: Base card from Memory Box & White
• Inks: Black, Red, Copics & Turqouise
• Misc: Ribbon & White Gel Pen

I might have a hard time giving that card away. I love the color combo. Sigh...

Alright, I better hit the road. Hope you all have a swell day today!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Introducing...Nellie, the NDS goat!!

This is my new goat. Isn't she the cutest? My team at work adopted her from my Sister and are paying goat support for her so that she can permanently stay on my Sister's Micro Ranch. I have to admit, I am just smitten with her. So much so that I called my Sis yesterday and told her that she needed to take pictures of my goat & send them to me. What a demanding Mom I am. LOL

Want to see what else is going on at my Sis's micro ranch? All you have to do is "LIKE" her on Facebook. Here is a link to her page: Red Boot Micro-Ranch 

Go on, check her out, you know you want too!! :) 

...

Speaking of my Sister, I have been getting a box of goodies put together to send her. One of the things I put in there is this set of magnets that I made for her out of bottle caps, check it out: 

Aren't those great? I think she will like them. 

Craft deets: 

• Bottle caps, vintage style milk caps (you can find them HERE; I bought them from Jilly Bean Kids), magnets & Diamond Glaze. 

This is seriously the easiest craft EVER and cute magnets? Uh hello, YES!!! LOL

Okie dokie smokies, I better get my tush in gear. Have a happy Tuesday!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Oh, before I go, you know the Community Service I participated in on the 14th? Well, here is a hole LOAD of pictures from that day : CLICK HERE As you can see, it was an INCREDIBLE day!! :) 

It's going to be a GREAT week!

Don't you think? I am anxious to get to work this morning. It feels like forever since I have been there. I miss my co-workers & my work. Crazy, I know. It's been like this since December, when I started my new position.

Anywho...

I was off last week to attend a service conference in Hollywood, FL. While Florida has never been on my list of  "must visit" places it was nice to see it (for a couple of days) and then come home. I have a new appreciation for "dry" heat. Seriously! LOL 

I think it was in the low 80's while I was there but the humidity? Goodness gracious! I was drenched walking out of my room. Shoot, even 70 degrees was too hot in my room. I had to keep the thermostat down to 68 just to keep comfortable. What can I say, I am officially a wimp. LOL

I stayed at the Westin Diplomat Resort, have you ever been there? It's pretty nice, see...

This next picture is inside the resort, it doesn't do it justice though. This is the only picture I took of the lobby. What the heck? LOL

The next three photos are the view from the balcony outside of my room. 

 Pretty, huh? OH! And "supposedly," in the water-ways above, there were/are manatees BUT I cannot confirm that as I didn't see ANY. Nope, note a one. WHAN! 

So there you have it. Hollywood, FL in a nut shell. LOL

Before I take off, let me leave you with a card. I think it is somewhat fitting based on the above post...

Cute, huh? I think so. 

Card deets: 

• Stamps: Amuse
• Paper: Base card is from Memory Box, white
• Inks: Tuxedo Black & Copic Markers
• Misc: Glaze Pen & Oval Nesties

Alrighty then, I am off like a prom dress. See you all later!

And hey, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!!!

And...she stamps...

I know it's past Easter but I wanted to take a minute & share the card I made...

I didn't get a chance to send it out to anyone. Perhaps next year? You know how I roll. LOL 

Card deets: 

• Stamps: Spring has Sprung from Whipper Snapper Designs
• Paper: Card base from Memory Box & White for the bunny
• Inks: Tuxedo Black & Copic Markers
• Misc: Ribbon

I am slowly working on getting back into stamping. It is a slow process for me only becuase I have had so much going over the last 6 months. I am definitely feeling the need to be more creative though. 

So what have I been up to? Well...

I started a new position with my current employer. I don't want to go into too much detail but I will tell you this...it was a PROMOTION (yeah!) and I am working less OT with a LOT less stress! (Double YEAH!!)

With my new position came a new manager, one that I have previously worked with and absolutely adore! She is determined that not only will our dept be FUN but that we will give back to the community (I love this!). That being said, my entire team went out & participated in "Rebuilding Together." Our mission? To revamp a community garden & chicken coop near a Senior Housing project. My team was in charge of tearing down the old chicken coop, moving in the new one & then painting it red with white trim.

Now, please keep in mind, we were not the only people working on the chicken coop. It was very difficult for me/us to just "let things happen" & not instruct others on what to do, tell them where to move this or that or how to paint. Or say " Hey lazy, you feel like participating or do you want to just continue to sit there looking pretty?" LOL

Enough with the small talk, here are some photos of my/our day...

This is the new Chicken Coop (I wish I would have taken a pic of the run down shack/ghetto dive the two birds were living in prior to their pretty new home...

I was amazed at the detail the contractor put into building this coop. I had to take plenty of pics so that my Sis could see every angle. What do you think Pancho? Pretty cool, huh?? :) 

Cluck, cluck... I love my new home!! :) 

When we started there were only two chickens. By the time we left, they had added 10 more chickens to the coop. The Seniors were THRILLED and couldn't stop saying how excited they were. FRESH EGGS!!

Here is a photo of my silly team...

 From right to left: Cathy Jo, Toni, Deaun, Sue & ME. 

Edited to add: You can see more photos of this FUN & REWARDING day HERE

I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed my day. The fact that we were giving back to the community & doing it together, as a team, really touched me. I can't wait for our next project/community service. Had I known what a high it was to do something like this, I would have started doing this a LONG time ago!! If you are on the fence about community service, jump off & get busy. It truly is a WONDERFUL feeling!! 

So that's it for now. I'll be back soon with another card & some more updates on what's being going on around here. Thanks so much for stopping by! I missed you!

Sunrise on the east coast

My view on our last day in Florida...

Priceless!!!

Karrie :)
Sent from my iPhone

My view

From the beach in Hollywood, FL...

Wish you were here!!

Karrie :)
Sent from my iPhone

What a bunch of bed hogs...

...via PhotoToaster, using these settings.



Karrie :)
Sent from the greatest invention EVER...my iPad!

Some things are just too funny not to share...

Who knew Mr. Piggy was a super dooper, porky pooper?

And, uh, I think this says it all some days...

LMAO!!!

Hope you all have a super dooper porky pooper day today!!!

Karrie :)
Sent from my iPhone

www.stampgirl.typepad.com

Such cute cups at Starbucks

For Valentine's Day!!! I feel the love, I feel the love!! LOL

Karrie :)
Sent from my iPhone

www.stampgirl.typepad.com

Because I can & I want to...

I had to cut a section of my backing off the quilt because it was too big. I couldn't let the discarded piece go to waste. Soooooo... I MADE A TABLE RUNNER!!! (I feel so crafty, I don't know what to do with myself. LOL)

Check it out...

Detail shots...

I love the stitching I used for the binding on this one. I wish I would have thought to use this on the quilt!!

 

Right now I have the table runner up on my kitchen counter because my dining room table is COVERED in quilting stuff. It is too funny. Perhaps I need a sewing room now?? LOL

OH! Before I forget, I will try to get the quilt pattern on the ole blog this weekend. I have to do a little scanning & such to make it work, so be patient with me. But I will do my best to get it posted THIS WEEKEND.

You will definitely love how easy & fast this quilt comes together!!

Alright, I am off. Have a SUPER night!

Shabby Seam Quilts are in!!

AND I MADE ONE!! In a weekend!! WOOOOOOT, WOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!

I went to a Quilt class all by my lonesome on Saturday and made this quilt: 

Here are some detail shots: 

And one more...

HOW CUTE IS THAT??? I absolutely love it. And it was sooooo EASY!!! I am going to be making my second one in the next couple of days. Before you know it, I am going to have a trunk load of quilts. I might even make some for gifts! 

Anywho, I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wait for it, wait for it...

Make sure you drop by tomorrow night. I have something fun to show you! I worked on it all weekend and then made a little something extra too. Anywho, I will take pics of it tomorrow and post it for you all to see. Until then? Have a happy!!! Karrie :)

I just can't quit the cuteness

of this one. How could I deny her anything? You want a vulture Bailey? Mama will get one...hang on...

 

 

You want to use your vulture as pillow? Okay Baby, you go right ahead. You need Mama to get you a blanket too? I would, yep, I definitely would. LOL

I can't wait to get home tonight and see my Sweet Baby Bailey. I hope you have a little sweetie to come home to too!!

Enjoy!

 

Happy Birthday

To one of my favorite little monkies...

Love you sweetie!

Auntie Karrie :)
Sent from my iPhone

www.stampgirl.typepad.com

Penguin Palooza

Yep, the penguins are going crazy over here. They all want to make an appearance on the cards. Perhaps I should feature penguins the rest of the month? Hmmm...now there's an idea!! :) 

I think this card is soooo much cuter in person. I wish you all could see it. Sigh...

Card deets: 

• Stamps: All from Memory Box
• Paper: Turqouise, Red, White
• Ink: Tuxedo Black, White Pen & Copic Markers
• Misc: Twine, Button, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, QK Die & Sewing Machine

Alright, I need to get going. See you all later!!

And hey, thanks for stopping by!