CONVENTION 2010!

Convention this year is being held in Washington DC as we speak! This exciting location is the first ever, the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. Already new announcements are hitting the floor, cellphones, twitter, and of course, the social networking community.

I miss my good friends and sister consultants this year but family is first and most important in my life. However I'm traveling through my thoughts and dreams all the way to DC. Jeanette never disappoints and as updates are made, you'll see them posted here quickly.

Announcement #1: Beginning in 2011, the Idea Book will be will be semi-annual. It will include every bit as much product annually and will have 24 more pages. Stay tuned for more details!

See you tomorrow~
Laurie

Month of Organization!

It's been a month of organization for me. Closets got cleaned out, cupboards wiped down and organized, my CTMH business even saw some organazational improvement, most noticable when I was looking for something in particular! It's cool how your time seems more free when things are in their place and I don't have to spend so much time looking. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it! My goal is to have the inside organized before tackling the outside yard.

Tonight was the last scrapbook class before February starts. We decided this year would be the year of being organized. So, my darling ladies will be bringing their completed pages (those without photos anyway) to the February class along with photographs. We'll get the pictures on the pages during class plus make another layout. Talk about progress!

I wanted to spend some time after my class tonight just chillin' in front of the recording of Monday night's The Batchelor, but...well...here I am! Plus, I get to sleep in in the morning so staying up late to catch up on some fun stuff then watch some no-brainer stuff on TV isn't a bad idea after all.

A great recipe for dinner came from Cindy, my sister-in-law. She gave me the recipe long ago and I've since forgotten it but tonight, well my brain engaged so I threw it together. It was so satisfying!

Cindy's Chicken Pot Pie (there are very few real measurements here...)

Chicken breast (oh, say 3 or 4), cut up, put in soup pan
2 cans Cream of Celery soup
1 can of water
1 1/2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic garni or garlic salt
Sauted veggies such as onion, celery, carrots.
3 potatoes, peeled, cut in 1" pieces and boiled until med-soft.

Mix all of the ingredients in soup pan, heat through then pour into baking dish. Cover top with pie crust. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Sooo delicious!

Serve with green salad and corn bread.

See you soon!
Laurie

Idea Book Open House

I love to hold an Open House to introduce the new Idea Book. To kick off the release of the new Spring 2010 Idea Book, tonight was the night for my Open House. I want to say a special Thank You to those loyal souls who braved the cold wind and stopped in for some warm friendship, a cool catalog, and a "gift table" complete with sweets. (Sandra...you made me laugh! I hope you took home an extra gift in the way of a cookie:)

What always entertains me is that my customers stop by to pick up an Idea Book, browse the displays of new items, then find a comfy corner to sit and soak up the Idea Book while filling out the Scavengar Hunt paper. But the biggest blessing I get out of the whole event is the fellowship than ensues throughout the evening. It's so cool to watch a bunch of women, from all walks of life, come together to laugh, giggle, tell the latest story on the town, relax and unwind, and stamp together. I love it!

My scavengar hunt is lots of fun and it gets my friends to know the catalog. The winner whose name is drawn will receive a beautiful card kit. I'll announce the winner tomorrow.

I tend to have a pretty loyal following of customers (who have become friends) and I'm reminded of some special moments with a few of these ladies over the years. One goes like this: I was at the hostesses home carrying on with a home gathering and we all started wrinkling noses and making funny faces, but no one said anything. Pretty soon it became apparent that someone should ask their neighbor "did you do that"? or "It wasn't me, I promise!" Just off to the side of the gathering area, the housecat decided to make a pit stop and leave us a treasure in all its stinky glory, right there smack dab sticking on the living room carpet!

This same hostess, (Marianne, I love ya!), bought a package of Glue Dots several years ago. Subsequently, at another of her home gatherings, she proclaimed that she had thrown them out in a fury because she couldn't figure out how to use them. Memo to the unwise...Always ask your consultant how to use something if you can't figure it out! You bought it so it must be grand, right?

So, cheers to a fun group of Bishop ladies...they are the best around, loyal, loving, fun, and friendly...it doesn't get any better than that. We all agreed that the Felicity Collection is one of the most creative paper packs we've seen yet! For only $34.95, you get many sheets of decorative die-cut paper, 3 gorgeous color schemes, a D-size stamp set that includes flowers, flourishes, argyle patterns, birds, and an entire alphabet! Where else can you find such papercrafting opportunites with such a complete product?



Laurie