Do you ever feel like you just have gobs on your plate?   Last week was one of those weeks.  I feel like I just needed to take a break and eat the elephant one bite at a time.   I still have gobs to get done this week, but I can at least see the bottom of my plate if I push some things to the edges… WAHOO!  I’m drowning in backing up photos so we can clean off that naughty laptop…
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First things first:  I forgot to draw a winner for the Laughter TFT.  I told the jokes to my nieces and they chose:   JENN EMBRY!     YAY!  Jenn, pop an email to me with your mailing information and I will get it in the mail.  (A new window will pop up with your email client to start an email to me.)
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My nieces (M & J) were here last week while mom worked during their spring break. (I have a new appreciation for full time moms of young kids.)  We had loads of fun hanging out and watching movies and wishing for sunshine.  We even did a couple of crafts!

First, we made Paper Bead Bracelets.  I cut out the strips of paper and the girls rolled it up on skewers and then I dipped it into melted UTEE in my new MELTING POT (mucho fun!).  We strung the hardened beads onto stretchy bracelet string and tied super tight knots in the end and hit the knots inside a bead.  (Easier for little girls to get on and off.)  We had a couple of beads left so I made a pair of earrings, too.

On Thursday we ran around like crazy chickens and got Brent’s birthday preparations taken care of.  Grocery shopping, prepping dinner ingredients so we could just throw them all together when he got home, finding balloons and a birthday banner at the Dollar Store, and making a double batch of brownies for dessert.  (That’s what HE requested – topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge – in lieu of a birthday cake. LOL!)

Once the preparations were done the three of us retreated to the Studio to do a little playing with paper.  The last time the girls visited I promised them that we’d make mini albums on their next visit.    I had each girl choose several sheets of coordinating papers from my stash of extras and we went to town.

I think they had more fun giggling and goofing around than actually making the books! LOL!   We painted some Maya Road chipboard letters and then decorated them with some bling.  The books are bound with the Zutter Bind It All machine.  (I wish you could have heard the oooh’s and ahhh’s… lol!)  We cut up scraps of paper and used border punched to add interest.  The covers are 4×4 BIA chipboard covers.  Papers are American Crafts and Making Memories.

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Later that night we had a GREAT time celebrating with Uncle Brent.  We had garlic chicken pitas for dinner and Brownies Ala Mode for dessert.  Brent was super surprised to open up his present to find an iPod Classic.   I couldn’t resist.  He’s wanted a new MP3 player for ages and has been eyeing the iPod.

INKY SMILES! 🙂