I have some news!

But I can only tell you half of it! Sorry to keep you in suspense but believe you me.. it will be well worth the wait.

You may have heard or read recently that One of a Kind Scrapz is closing. This is due to personal issues on the owners behalf. Victoria was a wonderful owner and I thank her for the oppertunity to work with her. I wish you all the best!! Never fear, I will not be left in the dust. I already had taken on some new responsibilities.

What I can tell you, is that Purple Paper Flowers is just about ready to re-launch!! I am extremely excited about this site opening up. I will be one of the more diverse digital stores out there. We will have TONS to offer and not just by way of digital items. Amanda Dykan, owner and designer, has recently put out a designer call and the new PPF Design Team has been announced!!

Please welcome:

• Amanda Dykan, Owner/Designer
• Blythe Evans, Design Team Leader/Designer
• Kate Ross-McClellan, Designer
• Paula Phillips, Designer
• Crystal Wilkerson, Designer
• Cindy Freeman, Designer
• Gina Arzaga, Designer
• Julie Staley, Designer
• Neverland Scraps, Designer
• KJ Conners Designs, Designer
• Melissa Daniel, Designer
• Vickie Hennessy, Designer
• Rachel Martin, Designer
• Kaye Winiecki, Designer
• Danielle Engebretson, Designer
• Cherie Shields, Designer

Welcome and Congrats!!

Oh How Cute!!

Oh how I wish I could be pregnant again.... just so I could wear things like this:

Isn't that just about the funniest thing you've ever seen? They have come so far in the world of maternity clothing.. I remember when my mom was pregnant with my brothers and the clothes she had to wear. I love my mom but let's just say they weren't terribly fashionable, hehe. Now by the time I had my kids, maternity clothes got alot more stylish and cute, thank goodness!

With my first baby, I was so tiny I never even wore maternity clothes. I was 19 and gained a whole whopping 15 lbs and my son was 8 lbs of that, not to mention what all that water and placenta weighs.. I technically didn't gain anything.

With the others, I had gestational diabetes and a condition called Polyhydramnios, which is when you have too much amniotic fluid. Needless to say, I got really big! But at least I had these cute little tops and jeans to parade around in.

Why didn't I think of that?

I was talking with one of my girlfriends the other day about different ways to help teach our preschoolers to read, and she suggested using the closed captioning service on the tv. Now, why didn't I think of that??

It makes perfect sense, the words on the screen can help children with word recognition or to better comprehend what has been said and, as a result, improve their reading skills. Great for children as well.

Great idea!!

Customer Service Rant

The way customer service has deteriorated really saddens me. It's everywhere. For the record this has nothing to do with digi-land. I have had nothing but wonderful customer service from my fellow designers.

Tonight, after I left Michael's, I stopped at Burger King (on Grant Line Rd in Tracy, CA) to get my husband a Whopper. I went through the drive thru as usual. Now please keep in mind that this particular location has a history of getting orders wrong, why do I keep going there? Simply because it's convienent. Normally, it's a minor error but nothing I can't or won't live with. Now had that been the issue tonight, I would have just gone home but I was only ordering one major item and they couldn't even get that right.

So back to my story... I ordered the New Cajun Bacon and Cheese Whopper with extra cheese.. I get up to the window and pay. The guy asks me to park because the sandwich wasn't ready yet (because I ordered extra cheese they have to make it fresh) so I said ok and parked. About 5-7 min later a girl appears with a bag and says to me " Angus??" I said "No, I ordered the Cajun Whopper". She starts to walk away,, I see her in my mirror and she looks at the receipt and comes back to ask me if I had 2 desserts as well. I said yes, then she says "then this is yours."

I told her no, that I didn't order an Angus burger I ordered a Whopper. So she goes back inside, out comes the manager, Mark. He has the bag and he says basically that I needed to pay the balance on the sandwich because I was charged for the Angus and the Whopper is more. Ok, fine I was prepared to get it taken care of.

So I thought I would mention to him that this was not the first time they've gotten my order wrong at this location. And yes I was annoyed but I was NOT yelling and I was NOT rude. Mark, the manager starts to walk away as I am speaking to him and then he turns around and has the audacity to cop an attitude... he says to me "Well, you can't expect me to give away free food!" My jaw dropped and I couldn't believe it. So, I said,"You know, I don't expect you to give away free food, but I do expect you to get the order right!"

I went inside and by the time I got to the counter he just told me that he would bring me the whopper to my car and to keep the Angus. Fine ok... so I return to my car, he comes out with the correct burger and he does apologize for getting the order wrong. I would have rathered he apologize for being rude but whatever.. not going back to that BK again, that's for sure.

Crafty Mama

Wow, I am worn out tonight! I needed a break from the kids tonight so I ran out to Target and Michaels in search of soome craft supplies, namely paper punches. I cannot tell you why because it is a secret but I promise it will be well worth the wait.

I was able to find a couple at Target, believe it or not they had some in the dollar bins! I know, I was floored too. So I got a few there and then I got a more expensive one. Then it was off to Michael's because I needed a larger size punch for my little project. I got a few more there and some other fun crafty items on sale.

I have been sitting on the living room floor for the last 2 hours, punching shapes and putting together my little paper craft items. Another reminder of why I love digital so much. I have so patience for this stuff. I only made like 6 little items in those 2 hours, but they are so cute.

Before digital, I used to make cards and invitations so this is really be being nostalgic and reminiscing. Weddings, Baby Showers, Birth Announcements, you name it I've done it. Then I started doing my invitations online which inevitably lead to digital scrapping, and here I am now.

I still do cards on occasion, I recently got to do my new niece's birth announcement and Christmas and Thank You cards for a friend of mine. It was nice to get back in the game.

New Year's Eve

So what did YOU do on NYE? Did you go out and party, did you sit at home with your loved one, or did you kick it by yourself and get toasty?

Dan and I were supposed to go to a Customer Appricitation thing at a bar and grill where he has lunch everyday. That was on NYE-Eve but instead we went to hang out with his mom and sister since we weren't able to go down and visit with them on Christmas.

My sister-in-law took me and the kids to see The Golden Compass, which I thoroughly enjoyed. funny, because I wasn't sure I would even like it but decided it was better than not going and I am glad we did. It will be a fun series for me and the older boys. Dan would have liked it too but he as home with the little boys but I am pretty sure this is a series of movies I will be purchasing so he'll get to see it before the next one comes out.

Another movie I really want to see is the new National Treasure. I rally liked the first one so I am excited to see this one.

Back to NYE- My mom invited us over for dinner so we ate over there and ended up leaving the kids for a sleep over. We made mudslides, yummmmy! Dan and I took the bottle home and sipped on it all night while we did our own thing.. then we went to bed. We were actually in bed before midnight but listened to the fireworks and people screaming, most likely kids and then went to sleep. How exciting are we? LOL.

I picked up the kids this morning. And that's about it.

So Much To Do, So Little Time

My Dad is moving back to California.

He's been living in New Jersey for the last couple of years, but now after a major surgery he's decided he is officially old. Just kidding, sort of. He can't take the cold and the physical stuff that comes with the cold, like shoveling. I can't really blame him because I have snow and even more I hate shoveling snow.

So, here I go into Super Mom mode, MISSION: to keep my sanity. Codename: Licorice Gazelle.

• Phase I environmental clean-up: this is code for clean the house.

So far this is as far as I have gotten.. and the target is 4 hours away and quickly closing in. Ok, I'm done being silly.. in all seriousness, my dad is stopping by to visit with the kids before he heads down to where he is staying with some friends. I don't think he'll stay too long seeing as how he isn't supposed to show up til about dinner time and then the kids will be going to bed shortly there after. It should be an interesting visit, I can't help but think someone is testing me.

ABORT MISSION, ABORT ABORT ABORT! Ok.. one last bit of silliness, I swear I'm done now.

Have a great new years day!