Calgon, Take Me Away

Break Update
I have heard that the more time someone spends away from home, the more time they want to be away. I think there is some truth to that. After my weekend away, I remember thinking I could get used to hanging out with my friends until the wee hours, experiencing a tour of food pleasures, and sleeping until my bladder, not my children, wake me up. No laundry, no responsibilities. All that to say...my weekend was nice and quiet. No Dr. Laura and only one meal alone, but it was peaceful, nonetheless. I would have liked one more day for some solitude and time for thinking after all my socializing was complete. I don't know if I can get the thinking done that I need to do at home. Too many distractions, even when all's quiet. I certainly came home with some insight and perspective I hadn't really had. I realized I am not a bad mother.

Blood Test Update
My bloodwork shows that my thyroid is not rotting out of my head. It is plugging along, doing its job well within the normal range. I'm sure that's a good thing, just not the answer I wanted to hear even though it's the answer I expected.

Clifford the Big Red Dog Update
I was sad to hear of Issac Hayes' passing. I guess he won't be auditioning for the voice of Clifford in Clifford the Seriously Big (Bigger Than A House) Red Dog. I thought I remembered Barry White being dead also, so I don't know who is going to take Clifford to the next level...maybe Brad Garrett? I'm not married to the idea of a singer doing the voice, just a voice that's as big as the dog.

Rocky Mountain Update
I had opportunity to investigate the trend line of "club attire" while on my break. I don't recall seeing any Rockies. They must be passe. I do recall seeing lots of high-heeled shoes. I love heels. Although, where I went was not strictly "country". I did not see any key-hole shirts with orange and teal zig-zags. Mens' clothing is remarkably unchanged from my former days of bar-hopping.

Excellent.Useful.Product.
The ideas are still churning on how to make my binder organizer the answer to everyone's organizing questions. I found some very cool binders and dividers while on my break that I think will work perfectly for this project. I want to market my idea to all moms who could use a hand in keeping it all together in one place. That's the goal of this. Everything together, customized to each mother's needs, not just homeschooling. Brian is going to be out of town for the next couple of days so I'm going to utilize this time to get my organizer finished and ready to be hole-punched. This thing is going to blow Amy Knapp's (the best I've seen to date) out of the water. There won't be any need to buy the whole thing every single year. Just supplement with the sections you need.

Close To My Heart Scrapbooking Layouts
For the last year and a half, I have been attending a Close To My Heart scrapbooking club. Every month, we make at least 2-2 page layouts using paper, stamps and embellishments from the most recent catalog. The "club" is apparently the brain-child of a Director who probably makes a ton of money from this venture. She has several groups that meet like this every month and club members commit to a year and are required to purchase the club kit every month ($15 + tax). We learn new techniques and most of us buy much more than our required purchase. Every month, some new benefits from the windfall as "hostess". Last year when I was the hostess, my "party" had over $400 in sales and I got a substantial amount of stuff...free.

The only problem is that I have a ton of layout pages that I don't really like or aren't going to use. I've made them and I'm proud of them, so I'm not going to throw them away. I think there is a market for completed scrapbooking pages and my research shows that everyone seems to like Close To My Heart. Beginning this week, I think I will start posting the pages I don't like on eBay and see if someone else likes them better.