"What Did I See At Lake Powell" Contest!

I'm in Florida right now at the Ft. Lauderdale Creating Keepsakes Convention. I've had a wonderful time--met so many neat people!

One thing I failed to mention on my last blog is what we saw at Lake Powell. I realized I didn't write about it and decided I should have a contest around it. I was shocked when I saw it--I mean here we were in the middle of the lake in the middle of nowhere and saw this incredibly famous thing.

So--the first four people who get the answer correct will receive the July Kit of the Month. This kit is so great--the ultimate card and gift kit. It includes fun cards, gift bags, gift toppers, gift certificate holders, etc. all in a cool box.

So--here are some clues:

1. It's not human.

2. It's VERY famous (USA is known for it)

3. I couldn't get a photo--it was too far away.

Good luck! If you enter the contest, please include your e-mail address.

I'm off to Concordia, Missouri tomorrow for a family reunion.

Talk to you soon!

Lisa B.

Back from Lake Powell!

I've been back from Lake Powell since Thursday night and can you believe this is the first moment I've had a chance to write about my trip! Life is way too busy! What have I been doing? I spoke at a buinsess seminar on Friday morning, Kade left for Hawaii for a week Friday afternoon (helped him get ready), cleaned up from Lake Powell, took the girls to Nancy Drew movie (thoroughly enjoyed it!), went to California early Saturday morning for a friend's wedding (Stephanie Tafoya--it was fabulous!), stayed at my nephew's house in Upland, CA on Saturday night, flew home early Sunday morning, went to a friend's missionary "farewell" service at church at 9:30 a.m. and attended another service at 11:00 a.m. for a friend who just came home from a mission. Went to dinner at our friend's house, hooked up with more friends from out of town (Les and Dave from Kansas City), went to a meeting at church, then a youth "fireside" witha hubby and son (Collin), went to a friend's house for dessert, then dropped into bed at midnight. Whew! I thought summer was slower paced. Not around here!

Okay--so now about Lake Powell. The top photo is of our family along with some friends who came along with us. The Mortensen and Clauson families also stayed on our houseboat. Our neighbors the Becks, Nilsons and Jensens brought another house boat and we also spent lots of time with them. The bottom picture is of Lake Powell and the house boat we stay on each year.

Let me just say--what pure fun. You really have got to rent a house boat just once and spend a week on a lake. It's an amazing experience. What did we do? Ate tons of great food, played tons of fun games (Scrabble Tiles was the favorite), went boating, wake boarding, tubing, cliff jumping, jet skiing, swimming, star gazing, etc. What didn't we do? No makeup, curling irons, cell phones, computers, deadlines--just awesome fun with family and friends.

Sunday's are our favorite day down there. We take a break from the water and toys and always have a spiritual church service on our house boat. We love the day of recovery for our bodies!

So, that was my week in a nutshell.

This week I'm off to Florida for a Creating Keepsakes Convention (Ft. Lauderdale), then Kansas City for a family reunion with my mom's side of the family.

Hope you're having a great summer.

Lisa

Warm Summer Night Fiasco

My oldest son, Kade, is always looking for an adventure. Last night he pitched a tent on top of the tramp then convinced all his sibling to sleep out there with him. I went to check on them around midnight and they were telling stories, giggling and loving each others company. For me, it was such a feel good moment and a memory I want to remember forever. This morning, the boys had to wake up bright and early. Collin was going to Wyoming with a friend's family and Kade had weight lifting for footall at the high school. An hour later, the girls came in hysterical and soaking wet. We'd forgotten one very important thing--the sprinklers go on around 7:30 a.m. and had gotten them good. What a terrible way to wake up! Brecken was so wet that at first she thought sleeping Sage (who was next to her) had wet the bed during the night. Steve and I tried to be sympathetic but couldn't help but laugh--really hard. What a funny memory. When Kade returned home, I ccaptured it on film as they were cleaning up the mess (Collin is still in Wyoming for the photo--darn it!).

Lesson learned--turn off the sprinklers before embarking on any overnight adventure outside!

I'm off for a week to my family's favorite place on earth--Lake Powell. Ahhh--I can hardly wait! No phones, dealines, expense reports!, lots of sun, great food and wonderful friends. Pure relaxation. I'll share my photos with you!

Have a great week yourself.

Sincerely,
Lisa B.

We've Got a Winner!!!

I was getting worried! I read several of your guesses and decided I made the contest too hard. Then, Nolajade@comcast.net got it right!!! I read the rest of the posts and saw that six other people also guessed correctly. So--before I tell you what these gals win, I'll tell you the answer.


I was walking down the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland with my son when we literally bumped into Elaine Davidson, the person who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most body piercings. I'd seen her in our Guinness book and was shocked it really was her.

Here's a little information about Elaine from her web site (Elainedavidson.com):

"Elaine Davidson, a former nurse from Brazil, first broke the record in May 2000, when a Guinness World Records official examined her and found 462 piercings on various parts of her body, including 192 on her facial area alone.
She currently has 3,920 body piercings and tattoos. 'People often just want to look at me or touch me - some even want to kiss me'.
Elaine never removes the rings and studs, which she estimates weigh a total of three kilos. She insists there is no pain involved in piercing and sleeps soundly with all 500 of her piercing ornaments in place.
A lady of many talents, Elaine also walks on beds of nails, fire and bits of glass, and holds a black belt in Judo which she earned in Japan.
Elaine Davidson does not drink, take drugs or smoke cigarettes and she wants people to know this. In some ways this is because she sees her position in the Guinness Book of Records as a responsibility as much as a dedication. However, Elaine does have a soft spot for Coke."

Wow--pretty wild! She was very kind about the photo.

Nolajade--I'll be contacting you about your $300.00 of products.

As for the other six who got it right, I'll send you a surprise too. They are Amy M., Lisa Mitchell, Pam (please send your e-mail address to Angeladash@comcast.net), Linda, Chris and Joan M. (again no e-mail--send it to Angeladash@gmail.com).

Thanks for playing!! I also bumped into a really famous person in Rome a few months ago. I might have to play this fun game again!

Talk to you soon.

Lisa B.

$300.00 Contest Giveaway!

Okay, so we're walking up the Royal Mile to the castle in Edinburgh and we're right by Mary King's Close. Mary King's Close consists of burried streets (passageways) and huge apartment buildings underneath Edinburgh. You can take a tour of them--very fascinating. Back to my story--I'm walking right by Mary King's Close when I see a most unusual person who looks very familiar. I took a photo and asked if it really was who I thought it was. So--I'm having a little contest to see if you can guess who I saw. The first person to post the correct answer will get $300.00 worth of the latest and greatest scrapbook supplies from some of my favorite manufacturers.

So--here are a couple of hints.

1. Yes--it's a she.

2. If you like trivia, you've probably heard about this person. (I've seen a photos of her and I'm not even that big into trivia.)

3. She's from Edinburgh.

Please be sure to leave your e-mail so I can contact you.

As soon as some lucky person gets it right, I'll post the photo that I took. If nobody guesses correctly by Friday at midnight (MST), I'll still share the photo.

Good luck!

Lisa B.

Back from the UK and Holland!

Just got back from the UK and Holland and wow--what a wonderful time! The worst part of coming home is the jet lag--I've been up most of the night. My son, Kade, also went with me (along with my sis, Angela, her daughter Michal, and friends Kerri Bradford and her daughter Kassidy and Keia Traina), and he got up at 5:30 a.m. to go to the gym. This NEVER happens on a summer morning! We've got to get back into our routine.

So, where did we go and what did we do?

The first few days we were in London and Steppingly England. We saw Wicked (a must see!), Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and all the other touristy things in London. I have good friends who live on an estate outside of London (the village of Steppingly--near Luton) and we stayed at their home. Their house looks like it came right out of Pride and Prejudice--complete with fountains, stables, a guest house--so beautiful. Thanks to Graham and Becky for your wonderful hospitality.

Tuesday I did QVC UK all day. I sold an incredible Today's Special Value "ultimate gift giving kit." It isn't available in the states yet--hopefully soon.

Wednesday we took the train to Edinburgh, Scotland. We wanted to see the country side and it was amazing! I lived in Scotland for 18 months 20 years ago (I was on a mission for my church) so it was incredible going back to the country that I so dearly love! We toured the castle, walked the Royal Mile, explored Mary King's Close (very cool but a little haunting) and bought Kade a kilt. I also bumped into a very unexpected celebrity from Edinburgh--I'm going to have a contest around this person and the photo I took. Stay posted! I think we all agree that Edinburgh is the most beautiful city in the world. The buildings, history and people make this city the coolest ever.

My second favorite city has to be Amsterdam. We were in Holland for two days and I fell in LOVE with it there. Amsterdam is just so cool--with all the bikes (I've never seen more bikes in my life--everyone rides bikes) and the canals between all the streets. The people are so relaxed and the atmosphere so much fun. We toured the Anne Frank House and it will have a lasting affect on my life. See my June 2007 letter for more details on this house.

We spent Friday and Saturday at the Scrap-A-Ganza at a hotel by the beach about an hour from Amsterdam. I taught several classes and loved mingling with scrapbookers there. I was surprised how well everyone spoke English (very educated). I was worried about the language barrier but everyone did great. Europeans are serious scrapbookers. They work fast, are very quiet (they don't chat while scrapbooking) and very creative. I couldn't believe all the books gals had made beforehand about their Scrap-A-Ganza weekend. All in all, a wonderful experience and event. Great job, Heidi!

Okay--so that 's my trip in a nutshell. Check back in the next day or two for the $300.00 contest on my mystery Edinburgh person.

Have a great week! And--if you won my quote contest, look for the cookbook in your mailbox really soon!

Lisa B.