I'm soooooo excited!! I leave home tomorrow night after work with my Close To My Heart Downline - April Noyce for Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are attending CTMH's Regional Celebration on Friday and Saturday. I am soooo excited to go. This will be my first corporate event since joining in January 2009.

There will be business classes, creative classes, crops...oh my!! LOL!! We will get some new products to work with and learn new techniques...how fun!!

Here's our agenda for Friday:
8:00 am – 9:00 am Registration
9:00 am – 10:35 am General Session
10:45 am – 12:30 pm Business Classes
12:30pm – 1:30 pm Lunch (provided)
1:30 pm – 5:45 pm Creative Sessions
7:00 pm – 12:00 am Crop

Here's the two Business Classes I am taking on Friday:
Blogging 101 Q&A
Blog, post, text, and chat your way to success with this new Q&A-format class designed to boost your business through the power of the Internet. Share blogging basics and beyond: how to upload images and clips, guidelines for great contests, how to build repeat traffic, and much more, LOL!

Games People Play
Let's party! Elevate your Gatherings from fair to fabulous in this class that will bring out the party planner in you. You'll learn great games to get people talking, fun ideas to get people creating, and cool closers to get people buying. Success has never been so much fun!

Here's our agenda for Saturday:
9:00 am – 10:35 am General Session
10:45 am – 12:30 pm Business Classes
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm Lunch (provided)
1:30 pm – 6:30 pm Creative Sessions

And here are the two Business Classes I am taking on Saturday:
Art & Soul Live
You love the online show, now experience it live! In this episode, er, class, you'll tune in to fabulous artwork, everyday inspirations, and techniques that deserve an encore. In this fast-paced experience, get a bevy of behind-the-scenes ideas to help you add "action!" to your business.

Expos and Events Q&A
Join the discussion! This new Q&A-format class will share best bets and perfect practices for building business through a variety of events, including expos, craft fairs, crops and more. Learn from experienced Consultants and corporate how to tame even the wildest event with ease.

I look forward to sharing artwork and techniques with you!! See you Sunday night or early next week!!

LAST CHANCE -- CTMH's September Card Kit‏

Wednesday, September 30

is the last day to take advantage of this great deal!!


This Promo Is Now Available!!
August 18 - September 30, 2009

SEPTEMBER'S Every Day Celebration!!!!

HOW CAN YOU GET THIS GREAT CARD KIT?!?!

1) When you place an order of $60 in Stamp Sets, you get the Delight in the Everyday Card Kit for FREE!!

2) Purchase the Everyday Celebration Card Kit outright for $39.95 US.

3) Hostesses with a qualifying Home Gathering totaling $400 will receive the Everyday Celebration Card Kit for FREE.

4) New Consultants who enroll September 1–30 will receive the Everyday Celebration Card Kit FREE as part of their New Consultant Kit.

Talk about a lasting investment!

The exclusive Everyday Celebration stamp set that's only available in this card kit includes images you'll use year-round! It's a great addition to your creative supplies. National Stamping Month comes just once a year, and what a great way to celebrate your passion for stamping—
create sixteen beautiful cards with an exclusive card kit from Close To My Heart! Use the card patterns from the instructional brochure time and time again with different papers and embellishments.

Don't forget, this promotion starts August 18th and lasts until September 30!!

E-mail me your order or check out my website at keeleyskreations.myctmh.com

FREE CTMH's Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book!!‏

CLOSE TO MY HEART's

AUTUMN/WINTER 2009 IDEA BOOK

If you are interested in a CTMH Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book please let me know!! They are FREE (retail for $4.00), but if you are interested in making a donation to Operation Smile that would be awesome, but definitly not a requirement.

I can bring them to work, send them in the mail or deliver them personally if you are in the Madison area!!

What is Operation Smile you might be wondering?
Operation Smile is a non-profit organization whose medical volunteers travel the globe correcting facial deformities in thousands of children. There are several ways you can help in this worthy, life-changing endeavor besides donating some change for an Idea Book:
* Round up your order total to the nearest dollar and donate the difference.
* Purchase My Acrylix stamp sets. Close To My Heart donates a portion of the proceeds from every stamp set sold.
* Donate your loose change, or make a contribution of any size.

Close To My Heart is committed to making a meaningful difference in people's lives--and not only through the joys of scrapbooking and stamping. We want every child to have happy, life-long memories, ones filled with joy, acceptance, and love, unmarred by a cleft palate of cleft lip. We have raised our annual contribution commitment this year to $150,000 for Operation Smile--that's nearly 600 surgeries, an entire schoolyard of miracles! Please open your heart and help us make a difference.

To learn more about Operation Smile please check out this link - http://www.operationsmile.org/

For those of you not in the Madison, WI area...remember you can place orders from the Autumn/Winter Idea Book (as well as the Spring and Summer books) online!! If you would like to check out our online Autumn/Winter version, you can visit my website here - orders placed thru my website will be shipped directly to you!!
http://www.closetomyheart.com/Ideabooks/AW09USMyCTMH.aspx

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!

I just wanted to wish the two best parents in the whole world a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! I think it is 34 years if my math is correct!! You won money at the Casino, the Packers won...what a great day!!

WE LOVE YOU GUYS and MISS YOU!! See you soon!!

Morgan's 1 Year Check-Up - 9.14.09

I totally forgot to post Miss Morgan's stats from her 1 Year Check-Up last Monday, 9.14.09 -

Height - 28 3/4" - 25th percentile

Weight - 19 lbs. 10 oz. - 25th percentile

Head Circumference - 46cm - 70th percentile

She is doing terrific!! She is walking around the furniture, climbing stairs (baby gates are now up), eating big people foods, and is full of sweet smiles. She loves playing with Nathan's cars and not so much into her own baby toys. Her new favorite thing to do is drop something and say uh-oh...hehehe. She will not go back now until her 18 month check-up on March 22, 2010.

What I've Learned About Family & Friendship

I created this double-page layout for a Circle Journal based on Life's Lessons. Each CJ has a theme which the creator starts out. Then you pass it along to a bunch of friends who do a layout and pass it along. I have a hard time doing these...I don't know why. I do love how this one turned out though. This layout was done completely in CTMH products. Scroll to the bottom for the list of supplies. (Sorry for the 'yellow background' as my hubby took the pictures on the manilla envelope I was sending the journal out in...hehehe)

CTMH Recipe:

X7105B Emporium Level 2 Paper Packet
1292 12" x 12" Crystal Blue Cardstock
1388 12" x 12" Colonial White Cardstock

Z2114 Cocoa Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2117 Crystal Blue Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2130 Indian Corn Blue Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2127 Holiday Red Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2153 Sweet Leaf Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad

Z2120 Garden Green Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z2137 Olive Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z2135 New England Ivy Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z2155 Topiary Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z2113 Clover Meadown Exclusive Inks Stamp Pad
Z1282 Summer Craft Buttons
Z199 Pewter Brads
Z280 Natural Hemp

Par-Taying with My Peeps!! 9.12.09 into 9.13.09

Meet my buddy Dr. Vanillicuddy's...hehehe. My new friend seems to get me into trouble, and I have my sister-in-law Brandy to thank for that I believe...LOL!! Last year at our Slipapalooza Party she brought this tasty drink to mix with some other things and happened to leave it at my house. Well one night while playing drunk Wii at our house with my sister and her hubby and our next door neighbor's Rob and Krista we broke out the Dr. for some shots. Turns out that none of my friends or family enjoy doing shots of this tasty friend of mine. So Great News For Me!! I LOVE this stuff...and I think it loves me...no hangovers the next day...teehee!!

Last week Rob and Krista purchased a full bottle of the Dr. just for me for our fire pit nights. Well after the Badger game we all came back to our house and watched some college football, got some pizza, drank a little and talked and laughed. Jen and Kevin decided to hit the hay around midnightish maybe (I lost track of time) as they had to leave our house at 4:00 a.m. to catch their flight back to Fresno out of Milwaukee...YIKES!! So that they could get some peaceful rest, we took the par-tay over to Rob and Krista's house and did a fire pit. Fire Pit = Dr. Vanilla = Keeley Let's Loose...LOL!! I actually was a pretty good girl compared to my hubby...LOL!! He was in very rare form. We all had a great time!!
Me and Shana chummin' it up!!

Me, Krista and Shana showing off our stuff. Sean told us to put'em out there...LOL!!

One mighty nice fire pit by Sean!!

Do not ask me what I am doing because I don't remember. LOL!!

Check out Ben's eyes...that dude had to get up a few hours later and go to work...poor guy!!

I remember taking these picutres, but I don't remember why Sean was snugglin' with my sista!! LOL!!

Looks like a good conversation between Krista and Ben...she's got the finger out...LOL!!

Good Grief Sean...are you passed out?!?!

Ok maybe now you are?!?!? LOL!!

We made our way home about 3:30ish...hehehe...had lots of fun playing frisbee in the dark and running around. I slept on the couch for about 20 minutes before Jen and Kevin got up and headed out. I managed to get my toosh off the couch and give them a proper send off and then crawled in bed around 4:00a.m. Of course Morgan decided it was time to get up around 7:00ish so I was rather sleepy but no hangover for this girl. Now the guy who looks passed out above woke up many hours after me with a headache...hehehe. I guess we will see what this weekend brings us as Saturday is our annual Kirwan Slipapalooza so be on the look out for those pictures!!

Badgers vs. Bulldogs - 9.12.09

My scrapbooking buddy and Close To My Heart Upline - Jen and her hubby Kevin flew from Fresno, CA on Thursday, 9.10.09 into Chicago, IL. They took in a Cubs game on Friday and then headed up to Madison, WI to stay with us. We got tickets for the Badgers vs. Bulldogs Football Game at Camp Randall. Game time was at 11:00 a.m. so we headed downtown about 9:30 and did a little tailgating at the Big 10 and then made our way into the Stadium. What a GREAT game!! It went into double overtime with the Badgers pulling out the win. It was great to have them there...sure hoping we can do it again soon.
The percussion from the UW Band came through the Big 10 Tailgating area and played some songs to get us all ready for the game. Guess what else showed up??!! Heck Yeah...Bag Pipers who played On Wisconsin and Varsity...does it get better than that?!?! LOL!!

Sean's little sister chose to play for the University of Minnesota over the University of Wisconsin. We told her how cool our band was, but she must not have believed us...hahaha. She is a trumpet player so he took some pictures of our trumpets marching through the crowds and playing songs. You gotta love a huge sea of RED!! Nothing better than a Badger game at home!!

Nathan Got Some Dental Work Done - 9.9.09

Nathan got some dental work done, and it only cost us $0.75...hehehe. He loves these funky teeth and flashing some gang signs...hehehe.

Morgan Opening Even More Presents - 9.5.09

Here is Morgan with Grandma Debbie. She got a bunch of very cute clothes. This one is one of my favorites...you can't resist a little girl in a cheerleading uniform...especially when it is a Badger one!!
Who doesn't like owls...very cute and stylin'.

Playing with her baby doll of course...hehehe.

Here she is with Auntie Shana and Uncle Ben. She got an awesome new V-Tech Girly Laptop. She loves to close it but then needs someone to open it back up for her...hehehe.

Just like Mommy...always on the laptop!!

Morgan Opening More Presents - 9.5.09

As you can see Morgan made it to see Great Auntie Debbie and Greg WITHOUT her baby so an unhappy baby we had...hehehe. She started to calm down once her baby was returned to her. She got some cute new clothes and some fun foam puzzle pieces.

Here she is with Nana Barb and Great Grandpa Howie. They put moola into her savings account and savings bonds. Great Idea Guys!!

Uncle Calvin and Trista came and brought some super cute Froggie PJ's!!

Here she is with Auntie Brandy. She got some super cute new outfits, pj's and girly blocks.

Morgan kept trying to get at the pj's because she wanted to pull the soft fuzzy footies up by her face. She always does that when she is tired...she will suck her thumb and pull her blanket, a stuffed toy, clothes, etc. up to her cheek when she is tired.

Here's the card from Nana Barb with a note about the money being placed in her Savings Account. She LOVED this card!!

And here is Daddy reading her Auntie Cassie's card which also had some money in it.