Graduation

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of end-of-the-school-year festivities including my daughter's high school graduation. It seems like the years from pre-school through high school passed in the blink of an eye. Her impending graduation prompted me to finally take in all of our home movies that were on video camera cassettes and have them put onto DVD's so we can finally view them easily. This has been fun for the whole family and I am so glad we took the time over the years to video tape some special times and even some normal routine days. Watching my children interact as toddlers and hearing their high pitched voices is priceless. When she was 12 we gave her a video camera for her birthday and she has loved looking back at skits she made up with her friends. They are pretty funny.

We leave Sunday for Colorado for a 2 day college orientation and I think it is really going to hit that she will be moving away soon. While this makes me sad, I am so excited for this next chapter for her and the fun she will have as a college student.

first day of preschool

I loved these graduation announcements by Jasmine and Woo. I stamped the envelopes with personalized postage using her senior picture.

I wish everyone an enjoyable summer and some fun family time. Dust off your video cameras and record some fun!

Graduation Gifts on Sale at Charming Cards

If you are still looking for that perfect graduation gift, we have a few items left that have been popular and make great gifts. Graduation necklaces by Dogeared are sure to be a hit! They come in silver and gold and are currently discounted 30%.

The College Survival Kits are also popular and make a fun gift for a graduating guy or gal. They are also on sale.

I am off tomorrow to watch my 18 year old graduate high school and my 6th grader promote to Junior High. Between these festivities, my daughter turning 18, and my Dad returning from Everest, this month is flying by! I will be back on the blogosphere soon!

A View At The Top

Today I finally got the visual image of my Dad on the summit of Mt. Everest. I think it is amazing! He talked of the terrible weather he encountered and I thought perhaps the summit photo would be blurred, or snowy. But as you see here it is a great photograph to capture the moment he fulfilled a dream that seamed out of reach. My Dad is a testament to determination and perserverance. We are so proud of him and can't wait until he comes home.



My Mom has been inundated with phone calls from the media and been on the news many times now. This link is the first interview she did, including a small unanticipated part from me.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-video-everest-climber,0,1688242.worldnowvideo

Party At The Top Of The World!

He made it! After the longest day of my life, we found out last night at 11:15 pm that my dad, Bill Burke, became the oldest American to summit Mt Everest! Every minute seemed to take forever to tick by as we waited for any word at all. He is now at camp 4 resting and will proceed down the mountain tomorrow, when we will take a final sigh of relief. You can hear his emotional audio report at his blog. In celebration, I am having a one day sale today offering my readers 35% off anything on my website until midnight tonight!!!! Use the promo code EVEREST.
offer expires midnight 05/23/09

Pins and Needles

My Dad is possibly just 2 days away from summiting Mt Everest. His family is so excited, yet so nervous. At 67 we think he would be the oldest American to summit and make it down safely. These next two days I have awaited, and also dreaded, since 2 years ago when he came just 100 verticle feet shy of the summit and we knew he would return to Everest until he achieved his goal. Last year was cut short due to illness, but this year so far he is super strong and so positive, which is just so him. His trip reports blog can be followed via http://www.eightsummits.com/pt/blog/. Please keep him in your prayers.

My parents have been married 47 years

Missing New York

I am feeling like I just want Wednesday to get here so I will not be in the process of missing the National Stationery Show as I am right now. I go to this show every year and absolutely love it. Not only is it a fun trip to New York, but I love meeting with my vendors, finding new products, and gaining inspiration to continue to do my best for Charming Cards. I booked my hotel back in December and was looking forward for May to get here. But in the recent months it became very apparent to me that many of my larger vendors were skipping the show this year in light of the economy and the big expense it takes to participate as a vendor in the show. Even the big ones like Boatman Geller, Noteworthy, and PSA, just to name a few are staying home this year. I felt as much as I want to be there, I need to be financially savvy both for my business and my family and make a smart economic decision. So I am determined to do my own research via the web, local markets, and stores, to find new products and will diligently follow up with my existing vendors to get their latest and greatest. But getting all the "tweets" on twitter about those attending makes me so jealous that I am not there! I am already looking forward to next May...

To stay fresh and current, I have recently been adding many products including graduation announcements and gifts, fun chunky notepads, jewelry, and personalized ribbon stationery.

Kindergarten Anxiety

Next month we have both a high school senior graduating and a 6th grader finishing elementary school. I am amazed at how fast these years have gone and wish they would slow down a bit. Our 6th grader is so excited to be moving on to Jr High School. Looking back, I can't help but reflect on the stark difference between starting and finishing elementary school for him as Kindergarten had a rough start. He loved pre-school and had no issue with going to school or separating from his parents. We expected an easy transition to Kindergarten like his 2 older siblings. The first day went ok, he wasn't thrilled as you can see in the picture below of us together in the classroom as the parents were about to leave. But the 2nd- 17th day of Kindergarten were TOUGH! He got to school and he started crying and wouldn't let go of me. The teacher had to pry him off me as he went howling into the classroom with all of the parents trying not to look. By the 4th day we decided this was too disruptive to the class and we started taking him to the front office where the office manager or nurse would pry his little fingers off me and let him cool off in the nurses office before he was ready to go to class (1/2 hour to 45 minutes). On more than one occassion I left in tears. We tried having his uncle walk him to school with his cousin, thinking he wouldn't do this in front of them. But as they walked onto the blacktop, my brother in law said he put his arm around Danny's neck and could feel his little heart beating so fast and understood this was true anxiety for Danny. This didn't work either. Finally after over 3 weeks of the nurses office routine, he was able to walk in with the rest of the class.

First grade this went on for just 1 week and was not as intense. When 2nd grade started and he showed the same anxiety, the teacher came up with a great plan to have Danny come to school 20 minutes before everyone else and "help" her with something. So for the first few weeks we went to school early and he helped her hang things on the wall, or staple packets, or whatever she could come up with. This worked great and when he felt confident enough he was able to walk in with the rest of the class. This anxiety shows up from time to time in other small ways, but I will never forget the drama and anxiety (for all of us) that first year of Kindergarten.

This week he had to write a poem for school about a fear he has conquered. This is what he wrote that brought tears to my eyes as I think of how far this little boy has come. Stuff like this makes parenthood so rewarding.

Overcoming School
by Danny

Overcoming my Kindergarten Fear
My kindergarten career
Starting off the new school
I always thought it was so cruel

I will dread that first day
But I must learn the way
I will be doing this for a long time
Completing it will be a big climb

The day finally comes
I wait and feel like crumbs
But I learn I have to do it
Something I’ll never quit

Now I wait for another new school
Now I feel like a fool
I am waiting anxiously for the day
Now a school day I won't want to go away

first day of Kindergarten

a sign of things to come...

Danny now- almost done with 6th grade

Design-Her-Gals Promo Code

This weekend until May 18th at midnight save big on Design-her-Gals cool products for all of your graduation, fathers day and teacher gifts! This is a great sale!

Dancing With The Stars

Monday I had a super fun, playing hookie kind of day. A friend of mine got tickets and invited me to the taping of Dancing With The Stars which is a show I enjoy. A group of 4 of us left Newport Beach, CA around noon for Los Angeles where it is taped. We sat in line on the sidewalk outside of CBS Studios for a few hours before we were led into the studio. While waiting in line the American Idol contestants pulled out of the studio lot in a van and waved at us which was kind of fun! Inside, the set is almost as pretty in person as it is on TV. Everyone is dressed up so it made us feel like we were at a special event. The stage seemed smaller than on TV but not by a lot. All of the 500 seats on the floor are VIP seats, so guests like us were seated in the balcony. We were right above the judges. We spent the preshow scanning the room for celebrities. We spotted Jon Cryer Brooke Burke, Dave the creepy neighbor on Desperate Housewives, Steve Wozniak, and Jewel was apparently below us but we couldn't see her. The hosts were classy and elegant, the orchestra was great, and the dancing was spectacular. I also loved the dancer's attire. It was fun to watch the reactions of the families of the dancers, all of which were right across from us. At one time, Melissa came out from backstage right before going on camera to bring her boyfriend a plate of food which was cute. I have been to several TV tapings over the years (including The Price is Right where I was a contestant at age 18)....this was probably the best. While Giles is a hotty, as a Bachelor fan, my vote is for Melissa.

me and some of my tall friends

Lucky Lucy

We had a scare with our dog last night. We have 2 dogs- Lucy and Paris. My Dad for some reason refuses to call Lucy "Lucy" but instead calls her "Lucky".... he loves her. Lucy is a 13 year old Bichon Frise, and Paris is a 4 year old Yorkie. Lucy is pretty much blind and deaf, but I attribute part of her seemingly happy life to Paris. It has not always been this way. When Paris came along, Lucy was NOT happy. Lucy saw her as an outsider and spent the first few weeks of her sister's existence growling at this intruder. But after Paris pretty much claimed her stake as the princess of the dog world in our house ( as Yorkies do) , Lucy has bowed down to her and completely enjoys and begs for her company. If Lucy is outside without Paris, she whines at the door until we let Paris go out with her so Lucy can sniff and smell every step Paris takes. Well yesterday Lucy had vomited a few times and did not finish her food which is completely out of character for her. I didn't think a whole lot about it because she has had her share of bugs over the years that she quickly gets over. But last night my 15 year old called my attention to her circling and circling after being let in from outside. She couldn't walk a straight line and with her head leaning to the left she acted like she was chasing her tail, but it wasn't funny like that. I saw that her eyes were spastically twitching from side to side and she was out of balance and disoriented. Thanks to the internet, we found her exact symptoms under "Vesitibular Disease/Syndrome". The range of concern varied from a mild (will correct itself in a few weeks) to severe ( cancer, tumor, bad news). We took her this morning to find out that her case is mild compared to others who can't get up on all fours, and her blood work is great. The vet said a neuron in her brain most likely misfired, or missed it's connection (or something like that) and will take some time to recover, but she should be ok. They are keeping her until she can keep food down, but we are hopeful. In the meantime we know that Paris, who misses her sister, is certain (as she saw me throught the window carry her to the car) that she is on all expense paid vacation filled with endless treats, walks, and attention, but is starting to wonder.

New Dogeared Jewelry On Sale!

Yesterday we received a big shipment of some great new Dogeared jewelry. For the weekend, I am offering 20% off all jewelry! There are some adorable things for Mothers Day as well as graduation.

Offer expires Midnight, April 19th.

Learning To Drive

My 15 year old got his driver's training permit last week which is both exciting and scary at the same time. For the next 6 months before he turns 16, he is allowed to practive driving with someone over 25 in the car (us). In the last week as we have driven together, I have been reminded of a big perk that goes along with this that I enjoyed when my daughter was learning to drive- It is great 1 on 1 time with your teenager. I have found a trend during teenage years as far as them wanting to spend time with their parents. The curve is in the shape of a U. As an early teen they still don't mind hanging with you (ages 13, early 14). Ages 15-16 it takes a sharp dive and you are pretty much the rule enforcer and seen as limiting their fun. A few years ago on my daughter's cell phone contact list I saw for me she had listed "The General" (instead of Mom). But at age 17 she is pretty cool to have around and seems to enjoy our company again.... So back to driving-my son is 15 and we are the bottom of the U. Between school, sports, and friends, we get little grunts as far as how his day went and little spurts of communication. But suddenly he wants to be with us because we have THE KEYS! I love this time with him that he actually requests! This 1 on 1 time in the car I find him talkative and outgoing. Of course the downside is HE DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE! He is actually pretty good for a beginner, but as an admitted back seat driver, it is a white knuckling experience, but worth it.

An April Fools Story and a Promo Code for You!

A few days before April 1st I warned my 12 year old that I was going to get him on April Fools day. He has a funny personality and can appreciate a good laugh. He ended up staying home sick from school on April 1st which worked nicely into my impromptu plan to fool him as he probably didn't even realize the date. To preface it- he is very excited about going into Jr High next year and recently turned in a form that indicated his preferences for his elective class next year that he put a lot of time into deciding. I was chatting online with my mom and asked her to call me. Danny was behind me on the couch and my call went like this:

"Hello".....

"This is she"....

"Yes, he is home sick today"....

"He turned in his elective form last week"......

"No, I was not aware there was a meeting today about it, but he chose Spanish or Journalism"....

"How can they be full already?"..........

"So just because we missed the meeting today, he can't get those classes?"........

"He has to be put into WHAT class- I didn't even know YOGA was an option" I then turn to Danny "Danny, did you see Yoga as an option ?" Danny replies "NO, IT WAS NOT ON THE SHEET!" (agitated, big eyes)

"Well, there must be something we can do, can I talk to the principal?".....

"Well is it boys and girls?...hmmm mostly girls"...

"And he has to wear WHAT?...He will not want to wear tights!"....

At this point Danny is yelling at me "HANG UP! HANG UP THE PHONE!" My mom was on the other end laughing hysterically as I hung up, turned to Danny and said " APRIL FOOLS!"

And this is no joke... I am doing another cool promo today- 30% off everything until Midnight tonight 04/04/09.

Use the promo code APRILFOOL

Charming Cards Adds Olivia Mullin Stationery

I have spent the evening adding some new products by Olivia Mullin that I am really excited about. I carry a variety of stationery, from high end to discount and I find I have many shoppers nowadays looking for deals. Olivia Mullin has some personalized notecards that I think will be a hit for their darling designs and awesome price point. At just 90 cents per card, this set of 20 personalized notecards is sure to be a hit.

As One Countdown Ends, Another Begins

Well last night was lift off for my Dad's trip to Nepal to start his Mt. Everest Expedition. He has prepared long and hard for this 3rd attempt to summit, now at age 67. It was hard to say good-bye to him, as our family is very close and we will not see him again until early June. Last year's trip was cut short before he reached Base Camp due to a virus he caught (probably on the plane as the seat next to him was blocked off and marked "dirty"), but the year before he made it to just 200 meters shy of the summit before he had to turn around to safely make it down. The days surrounding summit day are nail biting, both exciting and scary. I am dreading the scary part of it but he feels fit physically and mentally for this trip and is confident the third time will be the charm. You can follow his journey via his blog at http://www.eightsummits.com/.

at LAX ready to depart

The Musical Fountain of Youth

When I was in high school I loved attending concerts with my friends. I had a bulletin board in my room with all of my ticket stubs on it, that I wish so much I hadn't tossed along the way. In the years after college when I was working for a CPA firm, getting married, and having children, I stopped doing this and kind of forgot about how fun it was. Well about 5 years ago I heard Tom Petty and Heartbreakers were touring, and being a big fan in high school, I got tickets and went. I was hooked again! Since then I have seen The Steve Miller Band (several times), Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Elton John, The Rolling Stones (twice), Tom Petty every year, Journey, Bob Dylan with my Dad, Crosby, Stills & Nash (with Young once), Chicago, Jackson Brown, and in my 40's I finally had a coveted back stage pass to see (and meet) The Doobie Brothers. There is something about the music from our youth that can take you back in time. (especially if the band sounds the same). I have found these events to be so much fun. I think everytime I would tell my Mom in the last years I was going to a concert she kind of wondered what I enjoyed about it. If it was part of a mid-life crisis, I really didn't care! Well, she and my Dad went last weekend to see Paul Anka who was a teen heartthrob when she was young. The next day she called to tell me that it was GREAT! My Dad sent an email to the family titled 65 going on 16 that said:

"At the end of a wonderful performance, Paul Anka asked the "all senior" audience to come down to the stage. I looked over and Sharon was gone. I saw her running down the aisle toward the stage, waving for me to follow. So, I did. It was so cute seeing her standing at the stage holding her hand out, trying to touch her teen idol.

The scene reminded me of a photo Sharon showed me after I met her in high school. She was standing with her best friend, Sydney, in front of the Cornell Theatre in Burbank, all of 13-years old. Sharon and Sydney had been waiting in line since 6 am to see Elvis's first movie "Love Me Tender." They were each wearing pants they had made just for the occasion. The pants were black with pink felt lettering running down each leg. The letters on one leg spelled "Elvis," and the letters on the other leg spelled "Presley." I'll never forget that photo.

I will also never forget the image of her at the stage last Saturday night, just being a kid again. I got a bit teary-eyed seeing this, and still do when I think about it. Paul Anka choked up too, and could hardly hold back his tears. These are the childhood memories that we cherish in our gray hairs."

She is in Las Vegas this weekend seeing Donny and Marie with a group of high school friends for her birthday. She gets it!

Blame it on the Cleaning Lady

If your home is anything like mine now, or even the home I grew up in- the cleaning lady/housekeeper unknowingly is given the blame for lots of things. Growing up we had a weekly housekeeper named Mary that was practically part of the family. My Mom still says she is the best housekeeper she has ever had. But even with the highest of accolades and fond feelings for Mary, if anything was ever misplaced or lost, the first thing any of us would say is "where did Mary put my ______?" Most of the time it wasn't her fault but it is tempting to blame the outsider who has an inside to your stuff. We do the same thing to our current housekeeper -Veronica. She has been with us for 18 years, and has stuck with me during times like now when I have to cut back on her schedule. She is usually the one who can find things for me, but doesn't know that when she is not here and someone can't find something they blame it on her. Last night took the cake. I went to bed laughing at what she was accused of. As I was going to bed with a clean house (oh happy day) my 12 year old yelled from his room... "Mom, my Snuggie has a hole in it...I think it was Veronica." I told him he was crazy and the Snuggie is made cheaply overseas. Then my imagination got the best of me as I giggled to myself thinking of how Veronica could have put a hole in the Snuggie. With the help of my sister, I recreated a few thoughts to share.....

vacuuming?

a little too much elbow grease using it to dust?

using it to efficiently clean large areas of the floor?
(like making a snow angel)

or perhaps while making the bed she was so comfy
in it that she fell asleep (like Goldilocks)

My conclusion is - What was he thinking?!! But we were laughing so hard taking these photos that you may hear more from me in the future about improbable uses for the Snuggie.

Design-Her-Gals Promo Code for 30% Discount

My customers just love the Design-Her-Gals look alike products that they design themselves so I can't resist sharing some of their awesome promo codes they keep sending out. Until midnight on Monday, March 30th, all Design-Her-Gals products are 30% off! At the Design-Her-Gals website, use the promo code SPRING09 for 30% off everything!

The Fun of Childhood Birthdays

Observing my son this weekend on his 12th birthday brought back memories of the days when you just LOVED your birthday. From the moment he woke up he had a happy look on his face, almost in disbelief that the day had actually come. While opening his presents he smiled continuously ear to ear. One of the joys of being a parent is seeing your child experience special moments that can be just as enjoyable as when we experienced them ourselves. He opted not to have a party but just his cousins over for cake and ice cream after dinner. One of his favorite gifts was a Snuggie from his cousins! Christmas and birthdays this last year have been smaller and simpler and I am happy to say nothing has been lost.

Charming Card Sale Just for my Blog Readers

These days with the bad economy I love a good deal anytime I can find one. I decided that today, March 17th I am offering a one day promotion that I am only advertising via my blog to offer my blog readers a great deal. Use the Promo Code Leprechan for 40% off your purchase of ANYTHING today only! Check out my new Toss Bags- you won't find them at a better price today! It's my way of saying thank you!

Told Ya So

Every year our elementary school puts on a school play in March that is a wonderful opportunity for children to perform in a play, maybe just this one time in their life. It is for 5th and 6th grade only and my older 2 had fun performing in Peter Pan (Wendy) and Grease (Kenickie). My youngest is in 6th grade and did not want to participate because it was "too much work". But I made him audition for "Seussical" last November. He got a medium sized role as a Wikersham Brother which is one of a pack of rowdy monkeys. He complained about the many rehearsals in December and January, but stopped complaining in February. As March drew near and the play was coming together, I could tell he was really getting excited. "Tech Week" is the week of the play and the rehearsal schedule is intense with practices until 9pm. All of the teachers cooperate and thankfully gave no homework last week. Even when Danny's group was allowed to go home during tech week, he opted to stay and watch the other cast. The real show was Friday night and today, and he is still at the theatre now handing out programs and working the lights for the alternate cast. He can't get enough of it. I had to ask him this week in the most non-chalant way I could "aren't you glad I made you try out?" He conceded it has been a blast and even admitted he wished he tried harder in the audition to get a bigger part. Here he is "monkeying around" on stage. (front left)