Fun things

I added a fan page on Facebook (it is not allowed to have my blog posts go to my personal Facebook account so I had to do that) it's over on the right column you will see Become a Fan, if you click that I think then you will see stuff (again I am so not Facebook saavy).  

When I was home in Canada I took some fun pictures.

This is David Furnish's parent's home, they live near Courtney.  They would be Elton John's in-laws.  I sure would not want to pay to "furnish" this place...or clean it...or wash the windows...or mow the lawn...but I would love to see inside.

This is how close my sister Jacqui was to the semi in front of us during heavy traffic through Toronto (we were stopped at the time, she didn't drive that close), we were in her car which is really low and I could actually see under the semi beside us to the car on the other side.  I had never seen so many semis in my life.

Courtney asked Jacqui to find her "something in blue" for her wedding. These were just a few suggestions that Jacqui had.  Courtney finally decided on 3 blue brads that spelled out FOX and Mum attached them to her garter.

This was an awesome restaurant that Jacqui and I went to called Frankie Tomattos, it was yummy, all you can eat Italian, and everything I had was so good.  They even had one of my favorite ice creams Tiger Stripe.  I love me some black licorice!!!  I need to see if we have it here with the Schwan man.

This was where a tornado touched down in Nairn, it is hard to see by the picture, an arial photo would be better, but it goes into the corn field.  Jacqui had taken some pictures of the sky and she said it was doing some wacky stuff that day.  I am glad I missed all that.

I thought this was cool, I used to watch the show Holmes on Homes and so it was neat seeing this on the back of the van.  Not as cool as if I had seen Elton John out mowing his in-laws grass but still, I'll take what I can get.

It's been a while since we let the girls out so at 6:30 I said let's go, so Jeff and I sat out. I can't get over how big Fiji is getting.  She is not quite half the size maybe of the other girls, and tonight there was no fighting. Yay!!

Still no rooster comb, so I am still crossing my fingers that she is a girl.

Here they all are, eating some scratch before bedtime, they weren't out maybe 20 minutes before they headed into their coop to get roosting for the night.  We just pick up Fiji and put her in hers.

I got some awesome swap cards at Founder's Circle and will share some with you over the next couple weeks.  This one is from my friend Susie Wood and I tweaked it to do as one of my Christmas cards for class this weekend. It was awesome hanging out with you Susie.

This is Susie's, I love the blues and reds.

I had pulled out cardstock and DSP's before I left for Founder's Circle and this is my version of Susie's with the paper I had on hand for class.

I love the new Velvet Stitched Ribbon from the Holiday Mini.

So pretty eh? and it is so soft.  I also love the new Dazzling Details glitter glue too.

I added it to the tree like garland.

When we left Kanab, we got to fish around in a basket before getting on the bus. Inside the baskets were pieces of the metal plates that make the stamps, painted pretty and with a hole in them, and this is the one I picked.

I love those boots!

So did you watch it?  Two & a Half Men?  I love Ashton Kutcher and hope the show keeps up the humor it was sure funny tonight, I won't say much in case you haven't seen it, but if you watched it, what did you think? What was your favorite part?

Well I better be hitting the hay, I want to start getting to bed a bit earlier to catch up my all the sleep I have lost in the last couple weeks. Plus Toby is so happy to have me back, and he is snuggling even closer now.

Have an awesome Tuesday and thanks for stopping in!

 

Back to my Regular Life Day One

I couldn't resist the post title, seems like lately I've been all over the place...so now I should be home for a while and back to my regular routine.

So remember yesterday I was all worried about missing my connecting flight? Well there were other girls too, Patsy Waggoner and LeeAnn Greff had the same times as me but different flights, I looked on line at the gates and they totally were not close together.  Angie from the Special Events team of SU! talked to the girl that handles all our travels and stuff and she said there would be a cart there to get us to the gates.  

So we were thinking good, well the plane was a prop plane and tiny so I couldn't even take on my carry on, so I pulled my laptop out of it and hoped my camera would survive.

By the time we landed we were like we need to haul butt, as we got off the plane we saw our carts...a.k.a. wheel chairs with our names on signs P. Waggoner, L. Greff, D. Gibbs and three people that were going to PUSH us to the gates.  We were laughing but I was thinking heck maybe they get to use some sort of back room passage. Ummm....nope it was where we would have had to walk ourselves, my guy talked non-stop..."Do you like Utah? Have you been here before? Where were you? Do you like in Phoenix? How many places have you been to? Do you like to fly? Little bump here...yeah every time there was a little bump he told me about it. We even had to go backwards down the ramp, everyone looked at me like I wonder what is wrong with that girl. We had to use the elevators and there were two of them, I really wondered if it was faster or not, but I knew I wasn't gonna be all sweaty and out of breath.  We finally got to the gate and they said "Diana Gibbs?" and I said yes (from the seated position in the chair) they zapped my boarding pass and he proceeded to push me up the ramp to the plane. Did I mention I was seat belted in for security reasons? So I couldn't even jump out of the chair and run.  So I was the last person on the plane, I think the flight attendant caught the back of my sweater in the door as she shut it when I got on.  I felt so bad making the people wait, but it is not my fault they booked my flights so close.  Then the whole flight I worried that my luggage was not on the plane or the sign from my door that was in my carry on was now under the plane...but the flying Gods were looking out for me, and all was well.

Oh and this is funny when I had said about the close connections people told me (on my blog and emails as well as the travel people for SU!) to tell the attendant so they know to watch for you. So when I gave my tickets to the check in girl at the terminal where you check your luggage it went something like this:

Me: my connection flight is really close and I am worried I will miss it

Girl: you will want to run really fast to your gate

Me: won't someone call ahead and tell them I am coming?

Girl: your name will show up and they will wait for you.

Me: how will I know that my luggage made the flight too?

Girl: you'll know when you get to Phoenix and it's not there

Well wasn't she a comedian?  I was thinking well heck if I missed my flight and my luggage went on I would want my hubby to grab it so it didn't get stolen.

Then we went through security and waited....when it was time to board, that same girl now worked that counter, it's a small airport...I mean if I saw her donning a pilot's hat and getting on the plane I might have got off.  So anyway, as she was scanning my boarding pass it went something like this:

Me: your twin sister, that works over there, is hilarious

Girl: what? my sister?

Me: I mean you silly!

Girl: oh too funny and she laughed.

So anyway, my sweetie was there to pick me up, my luggage all arrived and we grabbed a bite to eat on the way home.

I am going to bed early, so I don't have any pictures to share with ya...just jabbering.

Have an awesome Monday and thanks for stopping in.

Founder's Circle 2011 Day Four

Well today was the last day and it went fast, now I have to pack. I don't have to get up early like some of the girls. My shuttle does not leave till 2pm but I am a little worried cause they have me leaving St. George to Salt Lake City on a later flight, but my connecting flight did not change so basically my papers say that I arrive at 4:35 but my connecting flight is boarding at 4:25.  They say the gates are close to each other...well I hope so cause that seems pretty tight to me and the gates were not close when I came here.  I hope my luggage gets transferred too.  Fingers crossed!

Here's pictures from today.

I had breakfast and then right over to do my Plinko, we all got In Color DSP today, I swear I am going home with so much product from prizes and everything, it is unreal.

Can you believe that I forgot to get a tart, and then it was closed by the time I could get back over there. Well my butt thanks me.

Here's a big shout out to Pam!  Hey there girlfriend.  This is my sweet friend Penny Thomas. If I ever let my hair go gray I hope it looks as great as hers.  

After lunch we went back to the hotel to relax a bit and then we had to get ready for our final night and event.  We were told we didn't need our aprons, and to just dress casual. So on the bus we went with our other team mates and we ended up at Coral Canyon Golf Club, and we were like "are we golfing?" so then we were told to find our golf carts and it was two to a cart unless you had a team of 7 then one person would drive alone.

Look at all those carts just waiting for us.

 

We found our cart and we had to start on Hole 4 and we were going to play a total of nine and there were 17 teams so we all could not start at the same number.

I had never driven a cart before and I asked Meg and she gave me the thumbs up, so I assumed that meant she had.  So we get in and she said she had not driven one before but it couldn't be hard.  Well let me tell you I think I might have messed my pants a few times on the sharp curves taken on two wheels, and I did see my life flash before my eyes as a young Canadian child, she said that was her goal of getting me back to Canada...a lot of her close friends, Lynsay Mahon (who has been to my house a few times) is one of them.

Here's the rest of our team, Jo & Josee...

...and Joanne & KIm - being photographed. I swear the papparazzi can't get enough of us...ha!

So off we went with this poor man hanging on for dear life on the back of our cart directing us where to go. 

After he was thrown off the back when Meg took the first curve it was easier to take a picture of the rest of our group.

Selma was our first stop, we didn't have golf clubs so we didn't know what was up.  At this stop one of us had to stamp in all these squares on the sheet and it was timed.  Meg did this one...remember she is a speed demon, it was the perfect challenge for her.

At the next stop we had to Hit it to Win It.  There was a few SU! products laying in a semi circle and if you hit it, you won it.  I got a card keeper box. Notice that official golf stance I have...ha! Not!

Here you can see I was being heckled from the crowd.

Here's Meg with her proper stance as well.

Josee is so cute, if you could bottle her cuteness and sell it we'd all be rich...well I guess who ever bottled it would be...can ya tell I am tired and giddy? Ha!  I am still laughing about the throwing the man off our cart...it's pretty sad to laugh at my own jokes aint it?

Some of the other things we had to do were: using a big ended golf club to hit a marshmallow and then we got points for how far it went, answering SU! trivia, holding a marshmallow on the end of the club and running around the tee flag thing. Shelli was the one that taught us that one.  There was blind stamping, and there was eating a huge chocolate/white marshmallow and drinking the tea cup of water and it was timed...guess who had to do that one? Yeah me.  We didn't know what it was when I said I would do it.  Thank goodness when Jennifer lifted up that tea cup it was a marshmallow and not a bug, she did say that the tea cup was new and no one else had drinken out of it...I asked her, I mean you knew I would right?

I didn't take any more pictures cause we were busy and it was warm, so I put my camera away till we were done and it was dinner time.  The deck was setup with all the gorgeous tables and decorations, we looked for our team name. The Brits and sat down.

Look what was at each of our place setting.

We all won! Cool eh?

 
Dinner was a buffet and it was so good.

Dessert was like a peach pie kinda thing and ice cream.

Then we headed back on the bus to get ready to pack...what was on the bed tonight?

We all know good things come in small packages right?

OMG!

So do beautiful things!

It's got an adorable tea cup charm on it with the Founder's Circle logo and all these beautiful beads, some are from our Simply adorned line.

The bottom says Founder's Circle 2011.  Isn't that so cool?

OK, well I got to start packing...yowza I got 4 shirts I never even wore yet...ha! What the heck?

Have an awesome Sunday, thanks for stopping in.

P.S. Cross your fingers my luggage and I catch my connecting flight in Salt Lake City.

 

 

 

 

Founder's Circle 2011 Day Three

Today is my favorite day of Founder's Circle, it is all amazing but I love going to Kanab to meet all the hard workers that make us Demonstrators look so good.

This year we had an extra special welcome....Cherokee was out at the end of the road so we didn't get lost. I quick took a picture as we drove by. 

As we drive up to the Kanab Manufacturing Facility all the workers come out with signs and cheer us on and we give it right back to them. They work so hard and I hope they know how much we appreciate them. I don't care if I achieve Founder's Circle 20 times, I am going every time to see them and thank them.

I can't explain the feeling I get when we pull up and see them.

How fun eh? The guy in the checkered shirt with the I (Heart) Demonstrators sign is Kris and he was our tour guide and he was so sweet.  Meg told him I wore hearing aids and have a hard time hearing so he made sure to talk loud or a couple times he took me a side to say stuff when someone else was telling our group stuff.

Here's Meg and I with the FC sign in the lobby before our tour.

Here is darling Shelli and I (she is the darling one) up in the apartment above the facility. It is so adorable I could live there.

Note to Jeff - I might like to do dishes more if we had a chandelier in the kitchen!

I love all the antiques around, and it makes me get that itch, it's been a while since I went antiquing.

I took a picture of me in a mirror while I was in the TV room!

Then we headed to the plant and we can't take pictures there, but it is so neat to see all the steps, and new stuff that will be done there. We also got to see a new stamp set being made and we could cut them and pack the boxes too...we were so excited when Kris told us that we got one of these new sets right then. Yeehaw!

Then we headed out to the rock to get our picture taken. This year Stampin' Up! had workers out there to take our pictures, so it went much faster. My friend Cherokee was out there and I was so glad as last year when I saw him for the first time in a few years it was in the plant so I couldn't get our picture taken...not this year though...

...isn't he cute? I met Cherokee at my very first convention, he was the one that gave me my back pack when we checked in and since then we always made a point to visit briefly and give each other a hug at every event, tell each other what the family is doing etc. but he has not worked at the conventions for a while, so it is nice to see him here.

Then it was back on the bus to go to lunch at the rubber park...well it is not called that, but SU! donates all these scraps of rubber and that is what the kids play on...so cool and bouncy when you walk on it.

Look at our cute lunch baskets all stacked up. It looks like a crate and barrel ad or something eh?

Here's Susie modeling her basket...she is so stinkin' cute.

Lunch was awesome, a real honest to goodness turkey sandwich (not that processed stuff), there was potato salad and fruit and vegetables too. For dessert I picked creme brulee...and I was so darned hungry I didn't take any pictures....ooopseee!

Then we went to play in the rubber...well to pose anyway.

Sherri & I

Sandi & I

Becky & I

We headed over to the Wigwam for some souvenier shopping and the sheriff heard that we had some new rubber on our hands and there was a rumor it was stolen, so he locked us up.

Here's Meg and I fighting over who gets paroled first. I'm older so they let me go before Meg, then she used her sweet innocent looks and got out herself shortly after.  Good thing as we had a date with the Little Mermaid at Tuacahn Theater.

It's outside with the red rock cliffs in the background. You can't take pictures during so this is the stage, water comes down from the back and actually onto the stage so the boat was in the water and so were the fish and all the other critters.

Here's a bunch of the girls, Stampin' Up! had popcorn popped for us so we were set with our munchies from the night before.

As we were headed to the bus after I could not resist getting a picture with Sebastian the crab, I had no idea he was making a face! Ha!

Then back to my room to see what my pillow gift was, it was close to midnight. Awesome another cute box all decorated.

I swear Stampin' Up! was reading my mind by using this material and the DSP, I was like hmmm...what is it? a purse, a bag?

It's an adorable apron and a matching flower brooch, usually we get something that will tie in to our final group event.  There was no note, so I am like...are we going to cook? clean? I am very curious, I will know tomorrow around 3 or 4 pm.  Tomorrow is our last full day here, and I am going to sleep in, I am tired tonight. It is 1am...holy mackeral (tieing into the fish tail we saw tonight) Ha!

Well that's all for today folks.

Have an awesome Saturday and thanks so much for stopping in.

 

Founder's Circle 2011 Day Two

This will be a quick post (meanwhile as I re-read it, it took an hour...ha!)...lots of pictures, cause it is late and I gotta get up early to get on the bus to Kanab.

Today was an easy day, slept in, had breakfast and then we shopped at the mall, then we ate at Five Guys Diner, love that place, and then back to the hotel to change into our jammies for our Tea Party, and Swap...here's the day in pictures.

The wall came down and the room was opened up with a ton of couches and tables to stamp and do our make n takes on. We hang out here and visit.

Look at the adorable cushions made with the Beau Chateau fabric. I so wanna take one...or two home. I have the fabric at home as I wanna make a sewing machine cover.

This is the yummy goodness inside the counter today.

Yum! is right!

Here is Cori serving me up my eclair, like I needed it...she is so adorable.

There are jars full of candy all over the place...

and flowers too...

...teacups and saucers, and pretty vases.

I took a bit of time to color for my GoDiva swap that is due the end of the month.

Here's a couple cuties Meg Daves & Bonnie Thurber, from Stampin' Up!

How sweet is this lady? I love her, she is the one and only Karen Duke from Canada.

Here's a few hard working gals that have the best job ever (other than being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator), they work at Stampin' Up! and plan all our fun times, and make us feel at home.  Cori, Kelle Sue, and Angie - they know how lucky they are, look at those faces!

My late lunch, early supper a.k.a. lupper  Five Guys...so good, and that french fry sauce...slurp!

Here we are waiting for the business shares, we sat up front so I could hear better, I miss lots when people talk in the back with no microphone. Poor Meg is my ears, I told her when I give her a "huh? look" that means I didn't hear it.  This is Meg, me, Colleen Vassos & Alison Solven (two fellow Canadians..cute eh?) Note to self...wear a bra!

Here's my sweet friend, fellow GoDiva girl, Alaska table mate, photographer extroidenair Susie Wood.

This is Sherri Peters first time at Founder's, so Meg and I have been telling her to not be afraid to talk to people and mingle, and don't eat your breakfast in your room (like I did last year), she goes on the Newbie bus tomorrow to Kanab and Meg and I will be on the Oldie bus.

Here's Becky Roberts and I, this is her first time.  We laughed cause we had the same pajamas on, almost, Becky's were black where mine were turquoise and she had long sleeves and pant legs and mine were short.  I got mine today cause I didn't want to iron the ones I brought.  

Here's a shot at girls crowded around the cake table.

See why? OMG!

I so wish I had of taken a piece and like put it in my fridge to eat another day.

Cause we basically starve the whole time we are here...not.

Don't you just want to wiggle your toes in the coconut on top of this one?

So back to my room for the night and this was the pillow gift, I am like totally stopping myself from eating the whoppers, I love love love whoppers.  My sister in law Patty and I used to eat them all the time.

We are going to Tuacahn Theater to see Disney's Broadway musical "The Little Mermaid" I did not go last year when some of the other Demonstrators planned a trip cause I didn't think I would be able to hear it, so I was a cheapskate and didn't want to spend the money if I wouldn't enjoy it and it was the last night and I just wanted to hang out and soak up my last night.  But this year SU! is taking us and the other girls that have gone said I should be pretty good on the hearing.  I am glad I packed a hoodie as it says to take a jacket.

So that is all the pictures for today, I am gonna say night night and get some shut eye...would eating one whopper be bad?

Have an awesome Friday and thanks for stopping in.