Tuesday, April 29, 2008

A new blog

A quick post today as I am on overload from creating something that I know you are going to LOVE and yet I can't quite show you right now!!!
We have a new addition to our "designer" blogs here at Mambi.

I would like to inroduce you to my boss...Terri Gick!

She is the engine behind Mambi. She has a gazillion ideas twirling around in her head. Sometimes so many she can't quite put them all down on paper! She is extremely funny. I really like her a lot. A great person to work for. I have actually known her for 20 plus years. I used to do her nails back in the day and she actually persuaded me to come to her house to do her nails and her friends nails. It turned out to be something I looked forward to every other week. This is how our friendship started and who knew back then that I would be working for her and Stephanie today! You must go visit her site. You will not be disappointed!

I purchased these tins at Target in the $1 section. Don't you just love that little section??

I brought them to work and covered them. They are a perfect desk organizer.

These papers are from our "supercool" paper pad and then circle chipboard and the doodled alphabet jelly stickers. so easy to do and fast. I punched a hole in one just to see if i could...which I could. So you could make a cute little basket add some yummy treats and wrap it up with cellophane and you have yourself a cute little gift. Just in time for Teacher Appreciation season!

I forgot about the large letters. They are awesome as well. these might just be some of my favorite product TODAY! It changes all the time! Don't forget to post a comment on yesterdays post to get in the running for the 5 faves giveaway! You have until Friday!


Ciao Bellas~




Monday, April 28, 2008

MAMBI MONDAYS and weekend nonsense...

Here at Mambi we are going to have what we are calling Mambi Giveaway Mondays. The five

of us, Stephanie, Lauren, Renee, Rachel, and myself will pick 5 of our favorite mambi products, post them on our blogs every Monday and then we will have a raffle on each blog from your comments that you leave us on Monday and then on Fridays each of us will pick a winner. HOw cool is that!!! We are definitely having some shaking and moving around here. Lots of exciting stuff that you all out there will get to partake on!
Here are my 5 favorites right now...they change all the time but these 5 are what I like today!

Don't forget to check back often in reagrds to our charity crop. We have an official name now. Me and My Freckle Friends Crop. There will definitely be more info as we get closer to opening registration and such. the great thing about this crop is that all proceeds will go to Autism Speaks. We are going to have some great giveaways and an awesome silent auction. We already have Donna Downey, Wilna Furstenburg, and Cosmo Cricket on board. So flippin cool!!


Onto the weekend~we had baseball of course. The great thing was the Titans were Challenger Buddies this weekend. The boys had to go out on the field with the challenger team and help them with throwing or just plain cheering them on. Such a great opportunity for these 10 year old boys! Here are a few pics from the game.





The middle picture I love. the challengers all get a chance to hit and no matter what they did they would run around the diamond and slide into home plate. We all would cheer and the smiles that came across those boys and girls were priceless!! The Titans would high five and tap them on the helmuts. It was a great time for everyone! The one thing as a parent that you sometimes question is... are they listeneing? do they have compassion?? This was definitely comfirmation that they do listen, they do have compassion and they are becoming awesome kids of integrity! Love it!

I am going to post my favorite picture of the weekend. Actually two.


This is my niece and nephew Slade and Chloe. they had the best time on that chair. Hysterical that a chair can be so entertaining!

This picture is my Dad (he is recovering from a broken hip) and Slade and Chloe again. All 3 were playing with the hose. It was 98 degrees yesterday so this was the 3 of them cooling off! Nothing better than playing with Grandpa!

I better get to work. I have a big project that I need to finish...who am i kidding start and finish by tomorrow!

Ciao!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Drum roll Please...

The Big Exiting news is...
are you ready...
sit down...
MeandmyBIGideas and Freckle Friends are teaming up together to host the first ever Charity Crop on Saturday June 7th here at the mambi offices.
More details to follow.
We are going to have some great stuff for all that come and join us. I am so excited about this. Meeting Susan Lyons from Freckle Friends has been such a delight! It is like we have known each other for years. Fast friends we have become. We have so many ideas swirling around for this event. It definitely will be a great time by all!! You don't want to miss it.
Check back often so you don't miss the launch of registration!
Hope I didn't build it up too much. Especially for those of you that aren't scrapbookers! Oh well...I am excited!
Two posts in one day...WOW!

Earth Day is today

For those of you that don't know today is Earth Day. It is treat your environment kindly day! Reuse Reduse Recycle Day!
Now I must admit I wasn't a big recycler ever! I would toss a can or bottle in the recycle bin if it was near. I would turn off the lights etc. We Gurzi's have just hopped on the Recycle wagon with Ed trailing behind.
I will say it is more out of laziness and I really hate to admit that! But so very true. Also, my kitchen is not that big to have two trash cans. What I did was bought a magnetic hook and put that on my trash can and hung a grocery bag from it and we out all our cans, bottles, and papers in there and take it out every so often. I figure every little bit helps!
I also unplug appliances when not in use as well as all the electronic chargers.
Today you must go outside and soak up the beauty that this amazing place we live in called Earth and that was made just for us I might add and soak in its beauty! Here are some fun things you can do today to celebrate Earth Day:
*pick up a pretty plant and plant it in your yard
*take a hike with your dog
*collect trash at your local park go through pick out the recycleables and take it to your local recycling place.
All of these you can do as a family. You just may see the Gurzi's at the park today!
Here are some pictures that represent Earth to me...




The lizard was on our fence yesterday "sunning" and then we have Yosemite. Maybe one of the most beautiful places on Earth. If you have not ever been...GO! El Capitan is MAGNIFICENT. The sky is a blue you won't see anywhere else. Colors are unreal! Seriously, when God made this place He definitely was on His "A Game"!
On to what pretty much occupies Ed and Jaxon's time this time of year. Baseball.I just need to give a shout out to a boy on our team that is in one word Inspiring! He is always happy, ready to learn and ready to do his very best when he is at bat or on the field. He is not one of our strongest but it really doesn't matter because he gives 110% ALWAYS!
Let me set it up for your bottom of the sixth 2 outs we are tied 9-9 with the USC Trojans I might add(this will be the only time you hear me not cheer for the Trojans)We are at the bottom of the lineup... Cisco is ready! He has been here in this same situation before a couple of times. 1 strike,2 balls. We are all thinking there is no way Cisco Kid that is what I call him will do it again. We knw that he can smack the ball seen it and he believes it. Pitcher throws it and Cisco Kid smacks it over th second baseman right in the hole of the outfield bringing in the 1 runner we needed to win. Unbelieveable. We came back from 1-9 in the top of the fifth to win that game! Cisco Kid did it again. the team comes out and gathers around him, high fives every where... a great moment for this 10 year old Titan team.
Here he is..

Ed gave him the game ball and he asked for all of the coaches to sign it. Even our team umpire had to sign it. He was so stoked and it was a moment I will treasure!
I am off with a meeting on the secret news. Check back today and I will post the news..I promise!

Peace out!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Exciting News...

Got ya!!! I can't let the cat out of the bag about the news I can share about a little something I mentioned in my last post that will come tomorrow so check back later! I will say this in regards to that little diddy..so freaking excited about it!

this exciting news is we have some new bloggers here at Mambi
First off is Renee Benjamin Renee is the Art Director here at Mambi ( I just made that title up) she really is so much more than that. Stephanie hit the nail on the head when she described her as the most organized person we have ever met! Plus she can't possibly sleep to be able to do what she does...simply amazing!

Next we have Lauren She is Stephanie's sister and Development manager her at Mambi. She is one cute chick! I love her and her zest for life! I will say this she has a real knack for accents and will have me in stitches in seconds! Such a fun person to work with. I will also say that she has accomplished so much and that seeing her develop into the beautiful human being she is with that hard work that she has put into her life is just inspiring!

last but not least...Rachel Simonsen. Rachel is one talented gal! She came into this company less than a year ago and you would have thought she had been in the craft industry for years. She just gets it! I tease her because she is young but one of those very mature young persons! She is going to make some future mother in law out there very happy! So pleasant and adorable to boot!!

Each one of these gals have so many different takes on our company and should be fun to look at different perspectives on Mambi! We are trying to Stephanie and Lauren's Mom, Terri to start her own blog. Talk about driven! When I met this woman I really had no idea how smart and talented she was. I have known her since I was 19!! I can't wait for her to get her blog up and running so that you can get to know her! She is awesome!

On my weekend...
Color guard is officially over! Mak had her last competition this last weekend.although they did not make finals but they still shoud hold their heads up HIGH! These freshman girls and (2juniors) really did not have any expectations from their coaches or anyone else for that matter. What they did accomplish was moving up 2 rankings and then conitnued to place first and second all season. We parents are so proud of them. They are going to kick some color guard butt next year and I can't wait to see it!
I wish I could post some pictures but unfortunately blogger won't let me! ugh!

Baseball is baseball and I could go on and on about that but I won't. It is so very hard to not be a parent that gets out of control! It is that darn competitive thing. I want to be an example to the boys out there..plus Ed is the manager and on the Board so I really have to watch it. I truly just pray beforehand and sometimes during to help me out! Thank goodness you blogger friends can't witness me out there.
OH and how could I forget...
Ed and I went to see Elton John at the Pond on Saturday! This is my third time seeing him and he did not disappoint!! We were in a suite which was rockin enough! We were literally a hop, skip and a jump from the stage! I could see every detail of what Elton was wearing! Atone point they let people rush the stage and I so wanted to go down and I staked out the route but Ed said no! Such a voice of reason that guy is! I use to go to alot of concerts when I was younger and we would buy cheap tickets and then get to the front! Always! All you had to do was be just a little flirtatious and bam you were in the front! I even got on stage at an INXS concert but that was a bad choice on my part! Hopped on some guys shoulders and jumped! Was escorted off before I knew what was going on! Crazy girl! Sorry Mom...never told you that little tidbit of info!
It is so much fun when you know every word to every song!! His Yellow Brick Road album brings back so many childhood memories!! Amazing how that man plays the piano!
That is it in a nutshell. Sorry for no pictures. I hate posting without pictures but something is going on and won't let me post. So I hope to have something tomorrow. Check back tomorrow and get the latest and greatest!
Remember to post a comment on what inspires you..from a previous post! there just may be something worth your while. And don't forget to check out the new bloggers I promise you will not be disppointed!
ciao bellas~

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

So Inspiring


Do any of you watch this??

Love this show!!! It is amazing to watch these "normal" people come in and weigh themselves on national television and the work out like fiends and accomplish their goals. For the most part they all look pretty rockin FABULOUS!!
I always pick who i want to win from the get go and then of course change my mind when things progress. This season for the first time a woman WON. Ally! She was unbelievably dedicated. I would have liked to see Kelly win only because she fought hard. But I will take Ally. Finally a girl beat those darn men who can lose weight so friggin fast!!!

We actually here at Mambi started a Biggest Loser club. There are about 20 of us and we all put in 10 bucks and weighed in...privately i might add. We had a trainer come and weigh us. So only him and I know the "true" number. this led to all kinds of discussions. This is one thing in my marriage and friendships that no one will EVER know. Never ever, ever, never know. Not even if i weighed my dream weight. I will tell you why. When i needed to lose 10 lbs. geez about 20 years ago I went to Weight Watchers got on the scale and the rude, mean lady says " Oh, I wouldn't have thought you weigh that much". I am not kidding and I will never forget that. I could even tell you what she was wearing. I might need to let that go. But that is why no one will ever know that correct weight! NEVER!
We even all workout together on Thursdays! Even if I don't get to my goal weight it is successful that I am working out consistently and have changed my eating habits. It has been fun and some major smack talk has been going around. Nothing like office bonding!

Reading back on my posts I sure do watch alot of tv!!! I better get off the couch!!!
What inspires you on a goal that you want to achieve?? I would love to hear it. Post a comment and there just may be a little prize for the most inspirational comment! A little mambi product maybe???

Check back this week there is some exciting news on the work front for those of you that live in the area. Something that we have not done before! I am really excited and will get to work with some amazing women. Can't wait to spill the beans!!

Ciao

Monday, April 14, 2008

Monday Monday

Here we are another Monday. I really don't mind Mondays most of the time. This Monday I wish it wasn't really here. We had such an incredible weekend of awesome weather here in So Cal. It felt like summer. A bit hot for this early in the year but shorts, flip flops, suntan lotion and hanging at the beach with friends! Love it!! We had baseball and just about roasted out there. Thank Goodness the boys are young and can handle it. Ed cancelled practice yesterday and the team and other friends hung at the pool. So much fun!! I only wish that we would have had enough time to get to the beach!

Don't you just love the smell of sunscreen and the beach. To me there isn't anything much better than that. If I am smellin' those two things it means I am relaxing with the family and friends and soaking in the sun. Although as I have gotten older I do wear the sunscreen instead of just smelling it and I try to stay in some sort of shade. We were talking yesterday about how we use to go to great lengths to get tan. Any of you out there in your 40's remember Bain de soleil?? Smothering baby oil all over you.I even had a friend us Crisco oil at one time. HOw about taking foil and putting it up to your face while you were laying out. Climbing on the roof to get "closer to the sun"??? Back then I wore NO sunscreen whatsoever!!! Now I have little freckles all over my chest. A mexican with freckles??? Crazy beans is what I say now. If only we knew then what we know now...although I don't think I would have listened.
This weekend gave us just enough of a tease that we all wished summer was here. She said the same thing. Jaxon and his buddy Hayden wanted a sleepover last night. Had to tell them not till summer can a sleepover happen on a Sunday. That went over like a fart in church!
Well I better get going. Gotta get a project done for a magazine submission...due today. Good thing I work great under pressure!
Enjoy the weather if you live here and if not may spring come soon!
Ciao!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Shout to the Lord

Here is the performance from the Idol contestants that I mentioned in my last post.
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They sang it again last night on the elimination show. Wow is all I can say that cynical television would actually put on a worship song more than once. I watched the show again...Idol Gives Back. It really made me think what can I do to help...how can I get to Africa...
I realized that maybe Africa is not the right time for me I would really like my whole family to go. So I think I need to look right here in my own backyard and get out there and do something.
More on that as I try and figure out where the "Big Guy" is leading me. Have a wonderful beautiful Friday!!! If you live in Orange County get to the beach and let me know how it is. I want to go so bad...CAN YOU SAY BASEBALL AND COLOR GUARD!!!
Happy Friday!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

American Idol and a party hat

Did any of you watch American Idol gives back last night??? If you did not I hope you tivo'd it and will catch it later. It was so inspirational and eye opening and flippin hysterical!!!
Fergie was over the top awesome...can we give it up for Heart. One of my very favorite bands and those two women can rock! Loved it!!!
There was so much that I loved. One word...Bono! He is by far one of the sexiest alive!!! Some of you may disagree but really Brad Pitt has nothing over Bono!
Robin Williams and Jimmy Kimmel were so freakin funny. Love them!
But enough about the entertainment. The kids all around the world. Cryin like a baby when Foresst Whitaker and his wife were in Africa talking about malaria and how every 30 seconds a child dies over there. How about the town up north here in California where the average yearly income is $9000! What is that all about??? That just sickens me that we are one of th riches states and we have a town that can barely survive! But don't get me started because I am already out of this world angry with this state and the education dilemma we are in. I just want to strangle the "Terminator" Has he no clue???
I was so fortunate to go to South Africa this last fall with Stephanie to teach at a scrapbook convention and while we were there we had to travel through towns that you just knew they were just "survivng". I one day would like to go back with my church and really help out in someway. One day...

The last part of the show was the idol contestants singing " Shout to the Lord" one of my all time favorite worship songs. They were awesome. I always cry during that song no matter where I am at and this was no different. It is a very powerful song and I encourage all of you to look up the words or find it on itunes and listen to it. Beautiful!
I am really impressed that with all the dysfunctionality in the entertainment industry, that this show can take some time and give back. Show us all what is really important! People... not clothes, not singers, not Britney...Human Beings!
Alright enough heavy stuff I forgot to show you in my last post a very special hat that I made for a very special friend.
Shelby at work had a birthday this past weekend and this is what she had to wear all day in honor of her special day.


Pretty darn cute I say! Happy Birthday Shelby!

That is all I have for now.
Go watch AI if you haven't already.
ciao bellas and bellos~

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

NO Longer MIA

Edited*** The store is Paris to the Moon and not Paper to the Moon
I really don't have an excuse of why it has been so long since my last post. Just lazy I guess!!!
Easter has come and gone. We had some of both sides of our families over. It was a beautiful day! Our tradition for Easter is sunrise service. The kids actually don't complain. I think they look forward to it. Until we get there!
Baseball is in full swing! Jaxon's team is in first place. I try and not get too into it but you know I am a little competitive.
Makenna has one more competition left in winterguard season. They have a couple of first places and a few seconds. They are doing a great job. Her team is all freshman except for a couple of girls which is awesome because they are competing with teams that have veteran guard girls. So they are really doing great! So fun to watch.
Work is starting to get a little busy with the CHA summer show around the corner and lots of magazine submissions and ads that need to get done.
I have been working on lots of projects that I can't show you yet but I do have a few other things that I can show you.
I did 4 layouts of my family that I want to hang on our family room wall. I loved how we did that for the last show in our mock up living room inside the booth. I used everything from our coastal culture line. It is my favorite line we have. The colors and edginess are right up my alley!



I want to put them in black frames. I think the contrast of the frame will show them off perfectly!
This next project is a fold up mini book. Again using the coastal culture line. Love the girly colors.


I haven't added all the pictures yet. Will let Mak finish it up.
Did you all get out to the stores and find your Heart and Home magazine. If you didn't get out there and get one. The photography is fabulous and the ideas are to die for. This is a magazine you will want to keep and take it out and look at it every once in awhile for inspiration!
Speaking of inspiration..
Makenna and I went to the little boutique Paris to the Moon. It is in Costa Mesa,if you are ever in the area. Darling little place. So much eye candy to gander at. Lots of different things to see. Not your random artsy crafty stuff. Real art! They have a darker side in the back. Lots of skulls and crossbones glittered up. Pretty candles. All edgy. Loved it. Wish I had pictures to show you but they are on Makenna's camera. ugh!
Like I said wanting to get some inspiration. Kinda hard with a teenager asking questions and wanting to buy everything she touched and saw. I just wanted to soak it all in. We did have a good time hanging out with each other. It is hard to do things with her without spending money. Do any of you find that? The boys go motorcylce riding. Spend nothing but food stuff. Usually Ed just grabs stuff out of the pantry because Jaxon doesn't eat much anyways. No money spent. Makenna wants to go to the Irvine Spectrum... lunch...movies...shopping. Manicures...pedicures... Get my drift!?@*%
What do some of you blog friends with girls do to have fun but not break the bank and keep a 14 year old happy??
This is turning into a very long post. Probably because I have been gone for so long!
I better jet. Gotta get some stuff done at work.
Promise to not be gone so long the next time!!!
Ciao