It's almost 2008!

Wow! Where did 2007 go? This has been a really crazy & busy year for us. I opened up a second Paper Pals store in Moscow - our home town. It is a great store and I am so very proud of it. Our Pullman store is doing so great! Shawna took on the overwhelming responsibility of being the manager of that store and has made it even better than I could ever have hoped! She is amazing! All of my gals that work, teach & design for the stores have been so great! They help make Paper Pals two of the BEST scrapbook stores in the WORLD!! And, we also have the most loyal and supportive customers! I can't get over how many wonderful friends I have made through Paper Pals!

My family at home have been so supportive. Dave is my rock and my best friend. He is always there for me and I love him so much. He works so hard at his job at the U of I and does such a great job keeping the Universities network up and running at all times! Jared is still giving me an ulcer or two! I worry about him all the time, he will be 19 in a few weeks and I hope he figures out what he wants to do with his life soon! He is so smart, creative and full of potential - I just wish he knew that he could do or be anything he wanted, he just has to DO IT! Ryan is going to be 15 in January! He is in 9th grade and doing pretty good. He still has issues with turning in his homework, I mean NOT turning in his homework! He is such a sweet, smart and funny young man! He keeps us smiling and laughing with his good humor and positive outlook.

Charlie & Scraps are doing good. They just got back from the groomers and are sporting brand new hairdos! Charlie is shaved and looks like a sheep, but I love not having yellow dog hair all over the house! Scrappy got trimmed up and looks so cute. They are great to have and we love them!

We miss our families so much. With Dave's side of the family in Wisconsin and my side of the family in Florida - we are pretty much loners out here in the West! I love that my Mom & Dad and Belinda & Lily have blogs so I can keep up with their day to day lives. I need Michele & Paul, Sandy, Mike, Mike L and Bev & Cliff to start blogs - hint...hint... That would be great.

I hope that 2008 bring us all joy, happiness, health and success!

Love and Peace to you All!

Merry Christmas

My Flickr Mosaic of the Week

Couldn't resist making this Flickr mosaic - I love my beetle and thought these photos were so cool!

Christmas Shopping for Teenage Boys!

I remember when Christmas shopping for my boys was so easy. Dinosaurs, lego sets, books and pajamas were always on the list. Now, the list has items that are so expensive! Electronics, gaming systems or just plain old money...it is so hard! Where have the years gone? I now have a 19 yr old son and a 15 yr. old son! Time has slipped away from us and I want it to stop! I guess I am feeling a bit down today. I have to go out into the crazy world and do some Christmas shopping and I'm not excited about it at all. My best friend, Shawna is going with me - She can always put a smile on my face and make me have a good time! With my typed wish lists in hand, I am off to find some items that don't cost $200 a piece and will mean something to my boys. Wish me luck!

Early to rise...

Got up way too early this morning to help Ryan with his paper route. The weekend papers are so heavy this time of year, filled with all of the Christmas ads. So, I got up at 5am and we drove the paper route. I am so proud of Ryan for having this job - he has two routes and it is a lot of work for the little bit of money he makes. Did you know that your paper boy or girl has to buy their own plastic bags and rubber bands? Also the kids only make about $50 a route per month! Sounds like child labor to me! But, he is learning the responsibility of holding down a job and he loves spending his check every two weeks!