I Can't Believe It's Over Already!

I  don't even know where to start!  We had such a wonderful time.  It was a fabulous group of ladies... the hotel was amazing... staff there was even better... the beds were heavenly... food was great... store was awesome... and I'm so tired, I could DROP!  Here we are last night after dinner... I'll post more pics later on.  Gotta get back to unpacking!  Thanks to ALL of you for a wonderful RETREAT!

I

It's Almost TIME! And I'm ALMOST Packed... are you?

Well... this is it!  Tonight is my last night to pack!  My group and I will be heading to Branson in the morning.  We plan to be there about 9:30 or so and start the unpacking and setting up.

I just wanted to wish you all luck with your final preparations and be sure to travel safely when you do get on the road!  If you need anything... like directions!!!  Don't hesitate to call me on my cell... 417-880-2426.

We will see you when you get there!

Ok... I really can't wait now!!!

Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center 

MAP 

(just in case you need it!)

So, come on!  Get some rest, then get your car loaded and be careful driving to Branson! Happy traveling and see you when you get there!

Just Posting My To-Do List for Today.

I got up this morning after a very well rested night,  I must have needed that get-away yesterday to a Crop that I had nothing to do with, as far as planning!  Plus, I did some stretching exercises (thanks to my friend, BettyAnn) and I didn't have ONE leg or foot cramp to disturb my sleep!  So I woke up in a GREAT MOOD!  Ready to tackle the day!

And here's my TO-DO list for TODAY! (including some statuses)

• WalMart run (last batch of stuff for the retreat) - DONE... did that at 9am)
• Get Nails done - putting that one off til Tuesday, when I'm off for the afternoon
• Office Depot run to get ink cartridges - didn't go to Office Depot because when my sister came over for coffee, she told me about a great sale going on at the HP website... ordered it online, saved some $$ and will have them Tuesday!
• Hem my TShirts because they were so long, they hung below my knees - DONE
• Get my SWAPS done - still pending!
• Get all the Cricut Cartridges labeled and packed - DONE
• Pack TShirts - Pending
• Print pictures of my Grandkids for 2 - 2page layouts I did yesterday so I can show the April Special at the Retreat - DONE
• Print 2011 FALL Registration forms - DONE
• Figure out how to print pictures on my new HP printer - DONE (and this was HUGE!)
• Finish Ice Breaker Game and print - DONE (oooh!  this is going to be so much fun!)
• Unload car and repack for retreat - Pending
• Laundry done for work this week - Pending
• Get Food Order done and ready to turn in Tuesday - DONE
• Finalize Welcome Brochures, Print and Fold - DONE 
• Pack some more stuff - Pending... always!
• Go help out my sister who was stranded on the Pricecutter's parking lot!  (THAT wasn't on my original list, but came up in the middle of the day! - DONE
• Watch as many episodes of LOST as I can get into one day! - pending.... I'm on Episode 7 of the 1st Season and I just atarted it today!  I totally did not know it was streaming on Netflix!  WOOHOO! - thanks Suzy!

Ok, I'm going to stop now and come back on later to update!  Phew!  That made me tired!

We are getting SO CLOSE NOW!

Are you packed yet?  Maybe I should just ask... ARE YOU READY!

I am going to an all day crop tomorrow.  I really can't believe I am doing that... less than a week before the retreat.  Do you know what that means?  That means I have some AWESOME people helping me get ready.

Here is my SHOUT-OUT to my awesome friends and helpers..

Vickie Alcorn

Lavon McGinnis

Beth Bruner

Suzy Bruner

Michelle Leigh

Becky Pearce

Lyla Crawford

Deb Cunningham (and she's not even attending the retreat!)

and if I've missed someone... I'm SO SORRY!

Well, I've done about all I can do today (which included finishing up embellishing a prom dress for a friend's daughter... yes, I am now certified crazy!).

But wait.  I think we need one last  

EXTRA DRAWING TICKET OPPORTUNITY!

You are going to have to work fast.  Any email or blog entry after Monday night will not be  counted!  We HAVE to have time to calculate this crazy amount of tickets that have been given away over the past 4 weeks!   

Have you had fun earning tickets?

Have you had fun with the blog?

Simply email me and answer both of those questions and you will earn

5 MORE TICKETS!

Leave a Blog message under this post, with the answers, and earn  

5 MORE TICKETS! 

And that will be the END of tickets before the retreat!  But don't despair... you will be able to win MORE at the RETREAT!!!

BRING ON THE TICKETS!!!

I truly can't wait to see you ALL!!!

If you have any questions, do NOT hesitate to send me an email or give me a call... I LOVE questions and comments!

So... off to finish packing for the Crop tomorrow, which will benefit the Children's Miracle Network, what an awesome cause!  Just another reminder... get on the blog and earn those tickets on there as it will shut down (for ticket earning) Monday night!  Happy packing!

I Almost Forgot the Menu!

I almost forgot to tell everyone the menu!  

And I know how important food is to Scrapbookers!  

So, here goes...

Thursday Dinner

Lasagna and Fettuccine Alfredo

Bread Sticks from Olive Garden

Salad by Lyla

Friday Breakfast by Hotel (check out their website for selections)

Friday Lunch

Assorted Meat and Cheese Trays

Assorted Breads from Panera

Vegetable Trays with Dip

for Sandwiches

Friday Dinner

Selection of Pizza

Salad

Saturday Breakfast by Hotel

Saturday Lunch

Assorted Meat and Cheese Trays

Assorted Breads from Panera

Vegetable Trays with Dip

for Sandwiches

Saturday Dinner

BBQ Chicken and Beef from Shorty Smalls

Slider Buns

Potato Salad

Cole Slaw

Baked Beans

Sunday Breakfast by Hotel

Sunday Lunch.... leftovers are free game... help yourself!

If you have any special dietary needs, please let me know.

One WEEK AWAY! WOOHOO!

Busy, Busy, Busy HERE!

This email is just sort of a checklist for you while you are preparing for the retreat.  Some of you have started packing... some of you are thinking about it... some of you know what you want to do... some of you have no idea because this will be your very first retreat!

I know it can be overwhelming if you've never attended one before.  But one thing I can tell you is you are going to have a blast! 

Don't worry if you forget something.  Someone there will have anything major.  And probably even minor.  So don't STRESS!  Just enjoy packing up your stuff.  And the car.

For me, it will be one week from today!  We will be loading up the truck in the morning.  And will be heading down to get all set up for you all to arrive one week from tomorrow!
WOW!  It really is almost HERE!

So, on to the checklist... not of what you need to pack, but what all will be going on next week! 

The Stone Castle Hotel and Conference Center(formerly Settle Inn)
3050 Green Mountain Drive, Branson, MO
Click HERE to go to their website for directions 

Check in times for the Hotel Room is 2pm.
Check out is 11am. 

Check in times for Crop Room
If you are a 3 night-er, 1pm on Thursday. 
If you are a 2 night-er, 1pm on Friday. 
The Crop Room will be open all night!
We do have to be out of the scrap room by 1pm on Sunday.

Your Space... you will be sharing an 8 ft table with another person (this was not in the original plan, however, we were forced to move to another location... long story!).  There will be another shared table (trust me, you will plenty of space!).  Everyone will get an L-shaped work space.  You will have approximately 3 feet behind your chair, so you will have lots of room for your stuff... so bring whatever you want! Some people even bring their own chair since you will be in it for so long!   You might want to pack an extension cord and power strip if you have anything that needs to be plugged in.  And don't forget a personal lamp as the room seems dark to me.

Scrapbooks Forever... our onsite store.  I'm so excited to have Shirley this year.  And wait until you see all the technique classes she is going to teach!

Meals... there is a hot breakfast in the hotel and the other meals will be catered in.
Breakfast - 6am - 10am, Lunch - 12:30pm, Dinner - 5:30pm

Drinks... Coffee, Iced Tea, Lemonade, Hot Chocolate and Hot Tea will be available the entire time the scrap room is open.

Snacks... get you extra drawing tickets when you check in...
Here are those categories again....
BEVERAGES - 1 Ticket per item(ex - a 2 liter bottle of soda, a box of hot chocolate, etc)

STORE BOUGHT ITEMS - 1 Ticket per item (ex - a full size bag of candy, package of cookies, a cake/pie/donuts, full size bag of chips, dip, etc)
HOME MADE ITEMS - 2 Tickets per item(a full recipe of something homemade,like a cake, cookies, snack mix, etc)

DROP and SHOP table... This is simply an exchange table.  If you've got something you want to get rid of, leave it and if you see something you want, TAKE IT.  That's what it's there for!!  At the end of the retreat, what is left gets donated to a local woman's shelter.

the SCRAP POOL... is where you can sell items you no longer want and buy stuff at great prices!  Make sure you label your items clearly and place them so they can be seen.  Don't forget to include your FULL name and price. 

  SWAPS...All swaps are due to be turned in to Beth and Suzy by noon on Saturday...

Massages
Operation Write Home
(just a card drop off, no contest... email me if you have any questions)
Tool Station
Prizes, Prizes, Prizes
GRAND PRIZES
T-Shirt Deliveries
Close to My Heart Order Deliveries
Tombow Deliveries

Holy Moly!  We have a busy, busy week coming up! 
And with such a wonderful group of people! 

I truly can't wait to see you ALL!!!

If you have any questions, do NOT hesitate to send me an email or give me a call... I LOVE questions and comments!

So... off to finish preparing!  Time to sort the T-Shirt and Tombows!  Don't be a slacker and stop reading my emails... you never know when there will be another EXTRA TICKET OPPORTUNITY!

2011 Spring Retreat - Taking AWAY 10 Tickets!

I'm JUST KIDDING!!!

But let me tell you... I've been working on these "Questionnaires" everyone has completed (well, MOST everyone has completed :)

This is going to be so much fun!  You should know NOTHING is safe with me, SO, you MIGHT be seeing your answers again... sometime SOON!

So, are you all packed?  Yeah, RIGHT!  I heard you say that!  You've got ONE week, so you better be getting ready!  I am!

I know.. I know... you're wondering aren't you... is there a ticket or two here?  What do I need to do?

Ok... I give... this one is worth 5 EXTRA DRAWING TICKETS!

But first, does everyone know what the tickets are for?  They are to get into drawings for PRIZES!  There are 75 prizes this year and 3 GRAND PRIZES!!!  That's like 25 a day PLUS a GRAND PRIZE every day!  Gotta love that!

Ok... here's what you need to do to earn your 5 tickets.  Email me with answers to these 3 questions...

1. What is your favorite scrapbook tool?
2. Where is your favorite place to scrapbook?
3. What is your favorite snack to eat when you are scrapbooking?

That's it.  Email me your answer or leave it on the blog.  Your choice!