Excuses

Okay, I've been laying low and generally feeling like not blogging since I started the Paris update. But since everyone who reads this has talked to me since I got back has heard how it went....well.... I don't want to rehash is right now. I'm still percolating how it really affected me.

So I was having a cool conversation with Julie and Andrea and I realize that except for some links on the side I don't talk about scrapping too much, if at all.

So right now in Carrie's scrappin world I finally feel like I have enough "scrap crap" to get things done. I have been on a layout creating spree and except for this week since I was getting the house ready for the Taste of Home Party I haven't gotten much done.

But all that is about to change.

I got a call from Joann's and they need 4/5 sample using products that I already have. I have to do a; wedding page, birthday page (using Fiskars clear stamps), newborn (boy +girl), baby shower. The first two pages are for the store the other 3 pgs are for something the store is doing with Babies R Us. This is making my mind wizz with ideas. If I remember I'll try to take pictures and post them. Maybe I should look into getting a scanner....hhmmm....

I'll try to do a better job of blogging.

I'm looking for new ideas to decorate the living room at low cost prices. My creative juices are a flowing I just need to Git R Done!!

Try to stay cool. this 106-110 heating really sucks if your outside but I have hunkered down in the house and only go outside a few times a day. Heck once it hits 101 it all feels the same until it hits 110 then you really feel it.

So have a good Thursday, I teach at Joanns tonight (5 people signed up!)

hugs C

What we did on Saturday 16th

the kids and I hit the mall on Saturday so that I could pick up some wide head bands at Claire's. Well the kiddos fell in love with all the colors of the necklaces and bracelets and earrings oh my! Kelly saw all the different earrings and asked if she could have them. I had to explain that they put a hole in your ears and that it hurts for a few seconds..... this is a recap of what we told her the night before when she was playing with my earrings. We grabbed her ear and pinched to show her kinda how it would feel. Yeah, she didn't like that but once she saw all the earrings, things changed)...... So we talked to the lady about doing a double piercing where the ladies stand on either side and get it done. So Kelly climbs up into the seat and waits while they find a second gun and I let her pick out whatever earring that she wants. She choose blue (her favorite color) and also her birthstone. Then the ladies counted to 3....1....2 pierced.....3 tears start. Kelly only cried for a minute and was much better when they gave her 2 suckers.

So far she is healing great and we are cleaning her ears 3x a day like instructed. In 6-8 weeks we will do a little shopping for some new earring to coinside with school. Haha.

Paris day 1+2

Meet Team Paris: left to right; Beverly, Carrie, Toni (Red), Karen, Ron. This photo was taken at Dulles airport just before we boarded the plane.

10+ hrs later and very tired. Two kids sat behind Beverly and I and so we got little to no sleep. We take our first Metro train ride to Champs de Mar/ Eiffel Tower. Now once you come up from the subway you can see the tower and in fact we followed the crowd to get there (which was maybe 1/2 a block). This is one of the first images I caught through the trees of the park that surrounds the tower.

The lines to go up were hellasiosly (sp?) long and I so was not interested in going up if it meant I had to wait 2+hours. So we walked around the park and I got some other shots (you'll have to see my picture album). We had baguette sandwiches for lunch that were hard as rocks that most of us gave to the gypsy ladies when they came begging. This is the shot I took of us at lunch and can you see who is behind us? Yep walking around are military men and they carry automatic weapons. cozy huh?

This was taken just before the gypsy women came up and asked if we spoke english. Guess what dummy here said? Then they show you this card saying how poor they are and can you give them money. Since I had no money I told them no and then they made miming motions and pointed to our lunch that we were in the process of eating. That just made me mad. These people did NOT look down on their luck at all. They were clean, their clothes were clean etc. But since our sandwhiches were so hard most of the team gave them their unfinished lunch. When the gypsy's started asking for our drinks also I was not a happy camper.

Now you might think I'm not being very christian. To a degree you are right. But you kind of had to be their and watch them in action.

So after this we had back to our hotel to get cleaned up and to rest a little. Do you wanna see our hotel room? I don't think the porportions are exaggerated at all. I could barely get a leg between our beds and I had to walk sideways to get to our luggage. The beds were smaller than a twin and the first night my leg kept falling off the side of the bed. Not a good nights sleep.

Ron being the only guy got a room to himself. His room was a double on the bottom and a twin bunk bed on top. His room had lots of space to move around. SOOO we talked him into moving into our room so that we could have his. guess what? his AC broke so they moved him into another room like the one he had. so as we made the switch from this to Rons new bunk bed room we discovered that this room was also a little small. Ron's broken ac room was a fluke in size but we did have slightly more room with the bunk on top (which Karen slept in). So Ron got our mini twin bed room (this one pictured) and we got a room that I forgot to photograph.

Next stop Notre Dame- People were so nice, they sometimes would ask if you would like them to take your picture of course you take them up on it! It was a hazy day about 10-11am. Mass was going on inside and you could walk through while they had it. Every nook and cranny is awe inspiring. Just so much detail. You could even pay to walk on the top between the towers. I believe it was 422 steps to the top. We went in a prayed and I snapped some more shots inside we headed over to the left of the picture to eat lunch and our first round of souvenior shopping. I wandered to the back of the church and across the street where these guys were playing. Kinda French Jazz. Just FYI -Notre Dame sits on an island in the Seine river. As you can tell these guys were on one of the bridges. Shortly after this shot the bridge filled with people to sit and enjoy them playing.

Next Stop: Sacre Couer- The tram was broken so we had to climb all the steps to get to the top and YES I did it!

Sacre Couer is on the highest peak in Paris and you can pretty much see the whole town from up there. Not as awe inspiring as Notre Dame it still is intriguing to look at. I couldn't take pictures inside but I got a postcard that shows the tile work that is cool. It depicts Jesus with his arms stretched out. Very cool.

I have tons of detail shots I could show but you'll have to see my photo album. I can't wait to scrap this stuff.

So stop by soon and see day 3+4.

Hugs Carrie

I'm baaaaack!!!

didn't sleep very well last night. I kept having a very strange dream. The airport at Charles de Gaulle is round and in my dream last night someone kept driving me around it, I would stop and say hi to people I know and then the car would keep going.... Weird huh?

I'm sitting here in my jammies and kinda tired and I don't feel like getting dressed. I haven't shaved my legs in 2 weeks and they are pretty furry.

I haven't downloaded the 600+ photos that I took....I'm actually a little afraid to do it....

I have unpacked my bags and I'm on my second load of laundry.
I have caught up on my emails and have read two blogs.
I made breakfast for me and the kids.
Rob has called me 3x so far this morning.
My mom called. And I just got off the phone with my friend Wendy who totally forgot that I went to Paris and was just calling to see how my week was going.

What??? This isn't what you wanted to hear? You wan to hear about the trip??

Well please give me another day. I'm feeling very lethargic and out of sorts right this minute and just typing this is draining me. Plus I want to show pictures with my story.

But thank you. I missed all of you so much and boy am I glad to be home.

Love carrie

Bon Jour

Hello from Paris
I miss you all so much.*
We just finished our mission yesterday and today is just for sightseeing. I have pretty much mastered the metro system and am the official navigator for the trip.
I really want to be home.
It is somewhat different and the people have been very nice to us.
I will fill in all the details later.
Its hard to type because the keyboard isnt the same as at home.
Look for me on Thursday
Love Carrie