Colorado, Arizona, and Omaha

What was I thinking? I signed up to be a host home for RAGBRAI bicycle riders. And they took me up on the offer! Oh my goodness! Next weekend I will have 4 people tenting in my backyard (and using the bathrooms) and 5 riders spending the night in my house (and using the bathrooms). The mix in age is from late teen to 60+. One team hails from Arizona while the other team is traveling from Colorado. To ride bikes.... in the heat....and humidity....across the state of Iowa. This year marks the 38th anniversary for this "the oldest, largest, and longest bicycle touring event in the world."

And just what is RAGBRAI? It is a bicycle ride across the state of Iowa. A LONG ride across the WIDTH of the state (west to east). It is somewhere in the 470+ mile range. As the 'kick-off' town, good ol' SUX, my hometown will be 'home' to approximately 9,000 cyclists.

I figured it would be easier to host riders than BE a rider. Maybe I should rethink that since I now have to clean my house AND weed the gardens. What is there with me and my uncontrollable volunteering? I need HELP!

I had a wonderful weekend. Spent time with sissy Gail, daughter Amy, got my hair cut and layered at my favorite hair spa - Pemberley's Hair Design, Omaha, NE.

I have much yet to do before I hit the hay so am going to post a few cards and continue with my cleaning frenzy. My husband keeps saying, "you invited 9 strangers to spend the night in our home...?" I think he is torn between utter amazement and realizing this is just part of the norm being married to me.

With high heat and high temperatures it is the perfect time to think wintry Christmas!



Holiday Heat
~Base card PaperTrey Ink Pure Poppy
~Layer of American Craft The Goods - Wrapping
~Horizontal layer of Paper Studio Tis the Season Stripe, bottom of stripe paper punched using Martha Stewart punch (I have not mastered the corner do-dah yet...) holes punched for the scallop filled in using Stickles - some Diamond, some Candy Cane, layer of 'velvet' ribbon and lace ~Layer of red cardstock edges smudged with green ink and white dots applied using Sharpies White Poster Paint
~Sentiment from Stampendous Doodle Open Holidays - colored with Copics and thickly coated with Ranger Glossy Accents - the ornament is embellished with more Stickles
Challenges:
Stamping 411 Sketch
Shabby Tea Room Christmas in July
Counting Years
~Layer of PaperTrey Ink Rustic White - edges smudged with Distress Inks
~Layer of PTI Kraft cardstock - bottom layer torn, all edges smudged with Distress Inks
~Two layers of coordinating papers from BasicGrey Basics Manila Paper Pad - edges smudged
~Top horizontal layer of dark brown with eyelets on both ends
~Sentiment (Stampin' Up It's Your Birthday) stamped on vellum using Memento Tuxedo Black. Vellum then attached to dark brown cardstock with fold of cardstock and three Stampin' Up eyelets
~Three buttons from the stash
~Brown and white check ribbon
Challenges:
Stampin' B's - use a sentiment as the focal point
Crazy for Challenges - use buttons
I'm off to finish cleaning Miss Bailey's room. Better stock up on toilet paper while I'm thinking of it!
All good wishes,
Nancy