So what's going on?

I haven't blogged in a while- not because I was tired of it or didn't have anything to say, but because I've had so much going on in the last 2 months, my computer time has been eaten up by actual (*gasp*) meaningful work! Whaaa...? So in honor of my return to Blogland, I'm going to take a page from Angela's book and get you back up to speed! Here we go!

1) Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley
On May 16th, Scott and I took part in a fantastic event for girls. Girls on the Run is a wonderful organization that uses lessons in self-esteem and body awareness to build confidence in girls, ages 8-12, while simultaneously teaching them the sport of running. The lessons culminate in a 5k race that takes place in Vasona Park (Los Gatos) each year. As this year's Volunteer Coordinator, I was in charge of 200 fantastic individuals who came to cheer the girls on and help out. We had an absolute blast!

2) Finishing the school year and packing my classroom
As many already know, I am leaving my current school (where I teach 1st and 2nd grade) and embarking on a new adventure: Middle School! I'll be teaching 8th grade next year, and while I'll miss the little guys, I look forward to working with the big kids! This is a very new direction in my teaching career that I am equally nervous and excited for. I've been spending the last 2 weeks frantically packing my classroom, and I have to say... it was a bit emotional.

(I'll need to delete this picture after a day or so- but check out the adorableness I work with every day!)

3) Foot surgery

This past Monday (June 8th), I had foot surgery. The next couple of weeks will be spent on the couch, which is, admittedly, not the ideal way to spend my summer. The kicker is that, due to some scheduling nightmares a la Kaiser Permanente, I had to have this surgery one week before school ended for the year. So in addition to leaving my school of the last 6 years, I'm missing my final week there. Bogus. But I had to have this done this week, because I'm having the same surgery on the other foot in 6 weeks. Ack! So you can look forward to seeing a lot of blogs coming from this feed...

(I reeeeally don't want to include a picture of what my surgery looks like, because I just Googled it, and.... ew. So I'll just insert this picture of some very nice looking feet that I'll never have...)

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4) Creative Memories Summer Socials

With all of this time I'll be spending at home this summer, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to hold some fantastic summer scrapbooking workshops. There will be one in June, July, and August. I'll blog all of the details tomorrow, but the first will be on June 20th and it's an Ice Cream Social! Very summer, right? Stay tuned for details (and they'll be posted off to the right of the blog, as well).



Those are the Big Four... the things that have been taking control of my life since mid-April. Now that summer has officially begun, I have a summer of couch-recuperation, reading, and scrapbooking! Let the fun begin!

June Workshop: Make It For Dad!

I'll be holding my Father's Day workshop with the "Make It For Dad" Featured Project on Friday, June 5th. The Mother's Day Workshop was fun and successful, with most customers finishing their entire album in one sitting! We'll start at 6:00pm- I'll have snacks to share, but you may want to eat dinner before you arrive so you can get your project started and finished in one night! The fee for this workshop is $25, and includes the Limited Edition All-Star Paper Album Kit (shown above), Expressions of Him Vellum Accents and a tape runner. The total product value is $31, but your price is $25. All you need to bring is approximately 12 photos to add! This workshop will be held during my monthly Crop 'Til You Drop, so as usual, you are welcome to just bring your current scrapbooking project and spend the evening with us. There is no fee if you just come to crop! Please RSVP by Thursday, May 28th so I can order enough supplies for all!

Happy Mother's Day!

Call your mother today!

Best. Birthday. Ever.

I had a FABULOUS day yesterday. Just fabulous. Some birthdays have fanfare, some don't. This one was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish, I must say.

My day started with sleeping in (yay!), something that I don't do often. Then Scott made a brunch of my choosing: chocolate chip waffles (cooked to perfection in our beloved waffle iron) and angel food cake with mixed berries and whipped cream. YUM.


Then we headed to San Francisco for a matinee of a show that I have been waiting months to see: Wicked! If you get the chance to see it, GO. Don't wait, don't balk at ticket prices, don't turn your nose up at it. GO.

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I loved every moment... here are a few:

Wicked SF Photo Source

Can you see my excitement? Can you??

I returned home to find more than 20 messages on my Facebook page from friends wishing me a happy birthday, as well as a post by my friend Sara on The Nest, which received more than 20 responses. What a great way to end the day! I kicked my feet up and read through them while enjoying the Amazing Race.

What an awesome day.

Happy Purple Birthday!

I'm 28 today!

Oh... and I'm returning to the blog. Just needed a short hiatus while life got crazy, but I'm back! Expect some recipes, new scrapbook pages (mine!) and a review of WICKED- I'm going today!

It's HOT!

Hi, I'm Marianne and I don't enjoy the heat. Anything over 80 degrees makes me uncomfortable, and anything over 90 makes me miserable.

But I love this picture.
So I tell you... happy pre-summer heat wave!!

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Purple's Stars: April 17

Purple's Stars is a feature that I started a few weeks ago, in which I highlight some of my favorite moments in the blogosphere from the week. This week was a little light, for some reason. I don't know whether I was stingy in handing out stars (possible) or that the same video of this woman was on every single blog I read, therefore lowering my variety with which to pick from (more likely). At any rate....


1. Walgreens in several U.S. cities pulled these Chia Obamas off their shelves, according to Perez Hilton. The jury seems to be out on whether or not it's offensive to grow your own "Obama Fro" on your windowsill. What do you think? I kind of think I need to have one of these in my kitchen....


2. I love ideas from Hostess with the Mostess, even if I couldn't possibly pull the majority of them off in my own attempt. But when they featured this article from Simply Stated on using chocolate chips in 10 different ways, I'll tell ya... I could not star that post quickly enough. I've linked to both blogs here, so take your pick!




3. I love a good marriage proposal, but this one made me yelp out loud (courtesy of Fail Blog). Sometimes these videos are made up (read: NOT REAL), and that would actually be a good thing in this case. Watch and decide whether you're a believer or not: