I'm SO thankful today!
• Thankful that my dad's surgery went very well last week, and that he seems to be recovering quickly without any major complications! This is a big one! Every since his initial surgery for colon cancer back in 2006, he has had non-stop problems and complications. My dad is a rare and special case, apparently, and this latest surgical report is making the rounds among interested doctors at Parkview. Making medical history wasn't how he planned to spend his 15 minutes of fame, let me tell ya…
• Thankful that my 88-year-old grandma is recovering nicely from an emergency surgery on Monday. I will forgive her for her morphine-induced response to me telling her I loved her…"I'll try to love you, too," she said.
• Thankful that my Lucky-dog is feeling better after he had some minor surgery that left him very moany-groany for two days while I was at the hospital with my dad. Now he's wearing an inflatable donut around his head like a life preserver, so he doesn't pull stitches out. He's so embarrassed about it, he wouldn't even look at the camera. He looks quite pathetic…and ready to go sailing!
• Thankful that my uncle is doing well after his surgery last week and that his prognosis is good.
• Thankful that they figured out my cousin has gall stones and that she is having surgery today to take care of her agony. Her and my grandma will be spending Thanksgiving Day at the same hospital.
It's really been an amazing and unbelievable week of hospitals and surgeries and recovering for my family, but thankfully everything seems to be going in a positive direction. It makes me appreciate my health, and realize all the times I take my family's and friends' good health for granted. You'd think I would've learned this lesson well in 2007 when both my mom and dad were being treated for cancer at the same time. I guess I still need a few reminders sometimes.
Congratulations & Welcome!
I'm also thankful that I currently have a flexible job that allows me the opportunity to put my family first. With the help of the awesome promotions, online ordering, and marketing resources from Stampin' Up!, I've been able to continue to run my business even though I'm out of the office so much. And lots of excitement has been happening over the past week…
• Michelle Hoover, one of my downline, has signed up 6 (and possibly one more) recruits this week with the Simply Amazing 50% Off Starter Kit Special! Woohoo and congratulations to Michelle! And, welcome to Nancy McAfee, Traci Stewart, Terri Kinsey, Denise Thompson, Lisa Vevia, and Helen Warmkessel!
• Two fabulous customers of mine have also taken advantage of that awesome Starter Kit deal this week! I'd like to welcome Jen Wilcoxson and Connie Forrester to my Too Cool Demo Team! I'm very excited to be working with them! Don't wait to get your Starter Kit for only $87.50—offer ends November 30th.
• Many of my customers have taken advantage of the Online Spectacular that's going on now through November 30th. You can find dozens of products at 20-50% off! Plus, all orders of $150 or more get FREE shipping, in addition to Hostess Benefits! It's a great time to pick up some holiday stamping gifts!
Finally, Bring On The Projects!
I'm also thankful for my loyal readers who have been patiently waiting for new project ideas while I've been unable to keep up my consistent blogging routine. Gosh, I've missed sharing with you!
I'm SO thankful that my Demo Team and Stamp Club members have shared some outstanding projects with me recently, so that I can share them with you! It's killing me that I've not had time to do stamping!
Anyway, without any further ado…
This project was created by my downline and mad-stamper Carmen DeBruce. (I know she CASEd somebody, and I wrote the link down, but do you think I can find that right now? Heh. I'll update later).
She took a lunch bag, folded it in half, decorated the front, and added a packet of hot cocoa mix to pocket created by the bag opening! Isn't that TOO cute?!!! What a nice little treat to give to co-workers, teachers, or friends this holiday season to let them know you're thinking about them. You could also use the pocket for other sweet treats, or even a gift card!
I really love the monochromatic color scheme using Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake to match the paper sack. She randomly stamped with the Serene Snowflakes set on the bag and the focal piece. The sponging around the edges softens the brightness of the Vanilla card stock. The sentiment (retired Berry Christmas) is punched with the Word Window Punch, then layered on a Soft Suede Modern Label punch. The ribbon (retired) closure is attached under the Vanilla piece, which is popped up with Dimensionals.
Inside, Carmen stamped a couple more snowflakes, than added a sentiment is from Sweet Season. She used the 1-3/4" Oval Punch to take a nip out of the bag to make it easier to pull the cocoa packet out.
Thanks for your patience, my dear readers! I'd love to hear what you are thankful for this Thanksgiving Holiday! Please leave your comments below!
Angie