CHA - Day 1

The first day went great! Products were well received and I think we're going to have a great show! We went straight to the bar after the show...it was definitely Miller {light} Time. Me, Kate & Stephanie went to the Grand Lux for dinner. I was so bummed - the Las Vegas Grand Lux doesn't have beignets...what's that about?? So we got chocolate martinis instead - not a bad consolation prize. Once we were all liquored up, we went jewelry shopping and bought some great gaudy earrings and rings to wear tomorrow. It will look great with our scooter scarves (I think)...

Music soothes the soul

I love music but I never let myself slow down enough to enjoy it. But I decided that since I was on a Saturday flight and had a long week of hard work ahead of me, I would treat myself to a laptop-free plane ride. Good thing since Kate & I were practically snuggling in our non-exit row seats.

My sweet husband stayed up until 2 am filling his MP3 player with some of my favorites: The BoDeans, Ella Fitzgerald , The Police, Cyndi Lauper, Elvis Costello. I love the emotions that music evokes - a song can you back in time like no photograph can.

Here's an example: I was listening to R.O.C.K. in the USA by John Cougar Mellancamp. It immediately took me back in time - when on a whim, I decided to meet up with Kate & Emily in Indianapolis, IN for CKU. After my connecting flight was cancelled, I ended up on a bus from Chicago to Indianpolis. I finally got my rental car, started out on the highway, turned on the radio and lo and behold, what is blaring from the car radio? ROCK in the USA! What a perfect Midwest song from a quintessential Midwest rocker! That trip turned out to be one of the best trips ever. It was the very next day that I met Kristi Sikora Blankenship, Cropper Hopper queen herself, who later introduced me to Advantus which brings me to now...My CHA launch is just 9 hours away...a launch that wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Advantus! And all these memories came to me because I listened to a song on the plane.

So if this show goes well, I'm rewarding myself (and my husband for putting up with me) some I-pods. I never really understood the whole music phenomenon until recently but now I get it. So if you haven't taken some time alone and listened to some of your favorite tunes, do it soon. You'll be glad you did.

Oh, and here's another CHA preview: PREVIEW

What a scooteriffic weekend!

At last, my Stella arrived! Isn't she pretty? I really got the hang of driving it today, even though it was rainy and cold. My first time on the scooter the I had a...how shall I put it...an "altercation" with the mailbox - the mailbox won - leaving me and my new bike a bit scuffed up...bummer. Nothing ice and an ace bandage (and a bit of touch up paint) can't fix. It's really not smart to leap from a moving bike even if you are heading uncontrollably into a mailbox. I'm really glad the mini-windshield was backordered because I probably would have shattered it. Oh well; at least I got it over with. Now I'm sore all over. Good thing I found the perfect helmet and was wearing it. It's white with pink flames. So very cute! I had Ben follow me to the office this evening for a trial run. The shifting is a bit tricky, but I'm getting the hang of it. Rain is in the forecast tomorrow so I'm not sure I'm going to have the guts to go on my own. We'll see...

Exciting CHA Stuff

Well, the biggest trade show of the year is upon us. I don't think I've ever been as calm before a show as I am now. There's a few odds and ends I need to do, but there are no all-nighters in my near future.

At the show, we're launching a new line of products called Route 99 - great product all designed to retail for just a dollar! We designed a new icon, Scooter Girl, to represent the feel of the collection. She's hip, stylish and fun; and she races through her busy day on the most affordable wheels out there. We're even giving a scooter away at the show. Can't wait!

There's been an energy around the office lately that has been indescribable...good energy...great energy. I'm not sure what it is - maybe we just feel ahead of the game for once. We all feel like this will be the most exciting CHA yet! So here's a sneak peek at two of our new items - Clear Accents and Flat Paper Clips. There's more to come in the next few days...

Promises

Did you know that dark chocolate is good for you? Well, my husband tells me it's good for his blood pressure. Since I want to support him in his desire for good health, we often share a handful of Dove chocolates after dinner. I usually ignore the little messages inside the wrappers, but tonight I read them. Here's what they said:

• Smile at yourself in the mirror (no thanks)
• There's no excuse not to dream (agreed)
• Get your feet massaged (yeah, right)
• When two hearts race, both win (another agreed)
• Naughty can be nice (I'm scared)
• Hey, why not? (Why not what? Could prison be involved? That's why not!)

Weekend Warrior

What a weekend! I was in motorcycle training course all day Saturday and until 3 pm on Sunday. I'm absolutely exhausted from it. But it was fun and I passed both the tests so I can get my M class license.

Saturday night Ben and I were supposed to go to a comedy club in Ft. Worth but Ben didn't feel well so we lamed out. I'm so glad b/c I don't know that I could have done it. Since we already had the babysitter lined up, we decided to go out nearby. I never thought that Barnes & Nobles, Pei Wei and a trip to Walmart could equal a good date night but it was perfect! I picked up some real winners at the bookstore. [Kate - too bad you're not coming to work tomorrow 'cause you are going to flip. Guess Emily will get to enjoy my finds:)] I came across a really cool book that I found very inspiring - Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary Women. Loved it! Makes me want to move my girls into a room together so I can have a work space at home. Selfish mother I am. Maybe in a year or so.

Tonight Ben and I had another date night but this time we took Nolen with us. It was Ben's birthday on Friday and since I totally forgot his birthday last year, he deserved two nights of my undivided attention. We went to see Glory Road. What a cool movie! It was really important for me to have Nolen see it. I don't want to hide from the injustices of the past even though it's hard to stomach - especially since the movie takes place in Tx in '65 - the same year my mother was a college Freshman. Nolen loved the movie. He was so funny. About half way through the movie he moved over one seat from me. I see that desire for independence coming out in him. Ben and I laughed that before long we'd be bringing him with a girl and they'd sit apart from us, just like his parents did when Ben and I were dating. But we'll be sure to sit behind them - no funny business.

More about the movie. Great MLK Day movie. LOVE Josh Lucas. What a cute man!

Almost as cute as my husband.

Hooker Hall no more

About 2 1/2 years ago, Ben and I had the brilliant idea to paint our hall a nearly black, green. On top of that, we decided to paint the hall doors so that they looked like red stained wood. I called it "Hooker Hall" because it kind of had a red light district feel. (Just the kind of feelings you want to evoke as you enter each of your kids' rooms) I knew it was awful when I did it - I blamed hormones from being pregnant, don't know what Ben excuse was - but I haven't been motivated to change it until now. Thank goodness for sweet friends! Laura came over tonight and helped me knock a bunch of it out. She likes to paint...bless her! The color I chose for the hall is a little extreme for my house, especially on the wall...Hooker Hall is now so white and bright that you have to squint to look at it and you hear a little "ahhhhhh" like you're before the pearly gates...yes, it's true...I used white on a wall! Tracy, you can stop laughing now.

Let's put this little decorating mishap behind us and move on. Goodbye Hooker Hall. Can't say I'll miss you.

Mad Science Layout

I'm so dang behind in my scrapbooking it's ridiculous but I'm working diligently to catch up. I'm working on all of Nolen's birthday parties...one year at a time. This was one of my favorite birthdays. It was his Kindergarten party. We had a "Mad Scientist" come to the Magic Scraps office and put on a fantastic show for the kids. The colors for the party were lime and silver.

I loved using the Birthday Clear Details on this layout. I can't believe they're discontinued. I love them so much. (Get them while you can!) I also loved using our Virtual Metal letter stickers. These are awesome - so intricately cut. I especially love the star shape and the asterisk. I also got to use some of our newest product from our Route 99 line - our cool dollar line that I'm really excited about. The green boomerang and the blue bubbles are from the new Clear Accents. These little sheets have 10 colored transparency shapes that pot out and include 6 fasteners. You can layer the pieces like on the bubbles or just use them by themselves like the boomerang. Best part? NINETY-NINE CENTS! Yahoo! It's such an incredible value! Here are all of the designs that will be available - Stars, Gears, Retro, Trinkets, Flowers, Circles.

Motorcycle Lessons

I am patiently waiting for my Tangerine Stella scooter to come in. I signed up to take the class for my M Class license quite a while ago, assuming that I would have already gotten my scooter and would have been able to have plenty of practice before the class. But no such luck. My class starts on Saturday and I realized today that I had never even been on a motorcycle. Daddy to the rescue. It felt a little like I was 16 again...Daddy teaches Ashley to drive.

It definitely takes some getting used to. It was actually a lot harder than I expected. Ben came up to the office with the kids so Nolen got a chance to ride, too. Ben wasn't in the best mood because he accidentally hit the ordering station at Sonic when he pulled out and put a nice little dent in the car - but having a ride on the motorcycle certainly lifted his mood. Thanks Em for taking the pics. That was a great idea!

A Facial with Smirnoff

Ahhhh...what an excellent day! A little creativity goes a long way. Kate and I worked on new product today. It was wonderful to have the ideas flowing and getting so many details nailed down. We really didn't get working on anything until 2:30 and I left her house at 5:30 but dang those were some productive 3 hours. The exciting part is that we have a ton more ideas to work through! I'm celebrating the fun with a night of facial masks and a Black Cherry Smirnoff Twisted - it's the only one I have so I better enjoy it. My two year old daughter is begging for a sip...tempting...but better not. I'm hoping my face doesn't go up in flames tonight. I started with a cleanser, followed by a scrub, then a cleansing mask, a moisturizing mask, Microderm Abrasion scrub and finally a super-moisturizing mask. That's about 2 weeks worth of skincare shoved into an hour. I'll tell you if it does any good.

I have to get back to work after the kids go to bed...press release to review and some other writing to do. And I really, really need to take the Christmas decorations down. It's infinitely depressing to still have the house decorated for Christmas on the 10th of January. I'm sure the neighbors are talking.

Desperate for sleep

Ben is out of town again so I'm attempting to hold my own as a single mom. I'm so tired! This morning, I could not possibly manage to get up so I did something that I'm pretty sure is in the 'What not to do' chapter in any parenting book...I agreed to pay my son if he would take care of Ella while I slept in. He wanted $20 but we settled on $10. So basically I paid $5 per hour of extra sleep. I really can't believe he wanted $20. What was he thinking? So I'm sure I'll have to take him to Target today so he can spend his "well-earned" money. When I was a kid, my mom would pay us a nickel for every minute we rubbed her feet. That's way more disturbing than what I did this morning, don't you think?

I'm about to load the kids up and head to the Fossil store for a new sling purse. I'm addicted to sling purses - I can't imagine carrying a regular purse anymore - I have to have a bag that's strapped to my body. As much us I leave my sling bag in restaurants, stores, work and home, I can only imagine how often I'd lose a regular purse. I just wish there were cuter options.

There's a new outdoor mall nearby where the Fossil store is and I'm dying to try out my new Joovy Caboose stroller that has a place for Grace to sit and a platform/jumpseat for Ella. You know you're old when you get excited about breaking in new baby gear. It's such a beautiful day today so it's a perfect day for such an errand. Better get to it. Only 3 hours 'till the stores close.

Happy New Year!

Yesterday was a great New Year's Day. I was completely engaged in my craft for 10 hours. I cropped with Virginia and Bernie and the Scrap Bucket in Plano, TX. I don't know that I've ever really cropped at a store before - certainly not in the last 3 years. I've hosted countless crops as a store owner but rarely was able to participate, so yesterday was reviving. I didn't get nearly done what I wanted to but I have a mission and a goal and am now somewhat organized. I've decided to take over the living room and leave my stuff out indefinitely, much to my husband's dismay. I need to be able to work on it constantly but still be with my family. I hated leaving them yesterday.

Today, I'm off to see Narnia with Ben and Nolen. My sister is keeping the babies so the three of us can have an outing...like the old days when Nolen was an only child.

I'm anticipating a new toy this week that is going to change my lifestyle completely. Can't wait!! And no, it's not excercise equipment though that wouldn't be a bad idea.