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CAMP WANNA CROP!! (we are going with a camp theme! Too fun!)

WELCOME CAMPERS!

So you have planned for months, made your lists and checked them twice, packed the kitchen sink, spent your days counting down the days, hours, minutes, and in my case seconds, until retreat time. NOW WHAT?  We hope that this newsletter will answer all your “now what” questions. However, if you still have questions about retreat just shoot me a quick email and I will be happy to help!

Getting there is half the fun, right? You can spot a scrapbooker headed for retreat miles away. As we travel down the highway we just have to laugh at ourselves cause we know we look like the Clampets and more than once ask each other “did you remember your clothes?” For you first timers out there, this is normal.  Always be sure to take some time to stop along the way to shop! Leroy and Susie at The Scrapbook Store in Springfield would love to see you! Don’t forget to redeem their coupon. (on page??)

We are staying at the Settle Inn Hotel and Conference Center. They have recently undergone an interior remodel and have spared no expense! The rooms are absolutely gorgeous! I’m still working on a plan to smuggle out the beautiful armoire in my sleeping room, any suggestions would be appreciated! The Settle Inn is easy to spot while driving on Green Mountain Drive as the buildings are made to look like castles. The entrance of the hotel has armored horsemen to personally greet each and every one of you. The hotel consists of 3 buildings all built on a slanted hill. The hotel check-in is in the main building which is the one at the bottom of the hilly parking lot. We have booked your room under the last name of someone in your group so don’t be surprised if you have to go through a couple names to find your room. The hotel may ask for a credit card to swipe for incidentals and will for sure ask for your license plate number, might want to jot that down before going in.  

After you check in to the hotel you can come and register with us. We will be in the Stonehenge meeting room located off the hotels main lobby. We will have a registration table set up just inside the double doors, you will need to stop here first to register with us. We will check off that you made it to Branson, double check your class choices, settle up your account, and show you to your cropping table. Your group will have assigned seating in our giant 4,000 sq ft crop room. You will have the same spot the entire time, so you can be the biggest scrappin’ slob all weekend long! (gotta love it!) At your table you will find a name tag. Please wear this as it helps the hotel staff, Past Reflections staff, and our vendors identify you.

Alrighty, so you’ve made it this far… you are now free to scrap! Oh…but wait… it’s time to haul in all that stuff you crammed in the car. Ha! Lucky for us the hotel is equipped with luggage carts! They are located under the stairs, right next to the elevator and are great for reducing the number of trips back and forth. We try to keep one on hand in the crop room but have found that the hotel staff gets a little cranky when they can’t locate any cause we are hording them all. (how dare they have other guests!!) So, if you use one please be sure to return it back to its proper spot under the stairs.

Personal radios with headphones are allowed. We will have a main radio playing and are more than happy to play your personal cd’s.  It’s impossible for us to please everyone when it comes to room temperature. The room is just too large and tends to be a little on the chilly side. I have learned over the years to dress in layers and one minute I’ll have my sweatshirt on and the next you’ll see it tossed on the floor next to my chair.  The crop room is available to everyone around the clock, however if 1 am comes around and you all got whimpy and went to bed.. so will we. But rest assured the crop room will reopen at 6am everyday. This hardly ever happens, seems like every night there’s that one that stays up all night long. They really need a die hard scrapper award! They are easy to spot cause after being up so long they tend to get really giggly. (you know who you are..hee hee)

All door prizes, give a ways, and contests will happen on Saturday evening after dinner. We do this so that nobody misses out while they are in classes or out on the town through out the weekend. . 

Limited electrical outlets are available, those who need to be seated by one please email me and I will do my best when assigning tables, however do plan ahead and pack an extension cord and a roll of duct tape to safely secure your cord to the floor to prevent trips. Due to fire regulations no burning candles will be allowed in the crop room.

The crop room atmosphere is very relaxed and laid back, so there will be NO cooking, NO dishes, NO laundry, and only GOOD times and GREAT friends!

OTHER HELPFUL RETREAT TIPS:

~Wear comfortable clothes. The crop room is kept on the cool side so don't forget your sweater. Be sure to add clothes to your packing check list.  (poor Joyce will never live this one down!)

~Another important item to put on that check list is your photos.  Having a store on site sure helps if you forget paper or stickers but we can't replace your photos.

~Many of you are sharing sleeping rooms with your friends and family whose night time noises you may not be accustomed to, consider bringing ear plugs or a sound machine with you to help drown out the little noises that may keep you awake. (as if you are going to sleep this weekend!)

~Bring along your Tag-A-Long cup holder if you have one. Great way to save on table spills. We will provide Styrofoam cups with lids for your convenience.

~CHAPSTICK!  Lips tend to chap easily in Branson for some reason, go figure!

~What would we do without Wal-Mart? Thank goodness there is one close by for all
our photo developing needs.

~On a low carb diet? Think about bringing along some low carb snacks.

~Pre-planning is key to a productively successful weekend.

JUMP START CHECK IN FOR PAST REFLECTIONS IS 3pm ON THURSDAY APRIL 17th.

We added the Jump Start package for the spring which means we rented the facility for Thursday too! Everyone always says they wish they had more time so we thought we would try this out.

The Jump Start has been a HUGE hit and I just can't wait too have fun at our Jump Start Crop Party!

FRIDAY SCRAPPERS CHECK IN TIME WITH PAST REFLECTIONS IS 1pm ON FRIDAY APRIL 18th.

For those of you coming in on Friday we have moved the check in time to 1pm but please be aware that the hotels check in time isn't until 2pm so your registration process will be backwards if

you plan on arriving right at 1pm.

The following is the list of meals that will be provided along with meal times. Michelle Richards is our meal coordinator and makes us delicious meals while at retreat. Bless her heart, she's cookin'

the entire time. Thanks Michelle for all your hard work, trust me it goes straight to our tummy's!!

6:00 pm THURSDAY LIGHT SUPPER - Baked Potato Bar with all the fixin's!

6-9:00 am FRIDAY BREAKFAST - Hotels continental breakfast located in the Knights meeting room. (right next to the Stonehenge)

12:00pm FRIDAY LUNCH - Taco's & Burrito's with all the fixin's ! (soft tacos)

7:00 pm FRIDAY APPETIZERS - lil smokies, BBQ meatballs, chips & cheese dip,

6-9:00 am SATURDAY BREAKFAST - Hotels continental breakfast located in the Knights meeting room. (right next to the Stonehenge)

12:00 pm SATURDAY LUNCH - Egg and Tuna salad sandwiches, pasta salad, chips

6:00 pm SATURDAY SUPPER - BBQ brisket and turkey, potato salad, baked beans, tossed salad, roll

12:00 am SUNDAY MORNING - Papa Johns Pizza

6-9:00 am SUNDAY BREAKFAST - Hotels continental breakfast located in the Knights meeting room. (right next to the Stonehenge)

A free class comes with every registration at Past Reflections. This is optional, you're not required by any means to take one but we do encourage you to jump in and learn something new. Our classes are taught by instructors from all over the state of Missouri.  Classes will be booked on a first come first serve basis. Scrapper’s will have the option to purchase additional classes at a special reduced retreat rate. A class is a great way to get motivated, get inspired and to get to scrappin'!

CLICK HERE TO SEE A LIST OF CLASSES AND TO REGISTER FOR THEM ONLINE

The layout contests have always been a lot of fun and an excellent source for new and fresh ideas. We schedule the  layout contest on Saturday evening so that you have plenty of time to complete your entry. All entries MUST be designed start to finish at the retreat. We will accept one layout per person per category. First second and third place prizes will be awarded. 

And the categories are:   WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE  &  S'MORE GREAT MOMENTS

THE SCRAP YARD

The Scrap yard is a place for you to sell off your extra scrapbook supplies. Feel free to pre-make layouts, paper piecings, punch art and more to sell. All items must be put in a Ziploc bag with your name, asking price and your table number. (Cropping tables will be numbered at the retreat.) Scrappers will be responsible for finding the sellers and paying them. Past Reflections is not responsible for lost or damaged items. The Scrap yard will be available throughout the entire weekend. For those items you have not sold by the end of the weekend and you don’t want to pack up and take home, there will be a box available for donations to a local charity. This has always been a lot of fun!!

SATURDAY NIGHT PAJAMA PARTY

Remember pajama parties with your girlfriends? Being silly, laughing so hard you can’t breathe, spilling all your crazy secrets, ordering pizza and vegging out all night long? Ahhh, those were the days!  Relive those times with us Saturday night! Come to the crop after supper in your comfy cozy PJ’s! Don’t forget your fuzzy slippers!

TOOL TABLE

The tool table is available to everyone and we are open to your suggestions as to what you would like to see on it in the future.  We ask that you return tools promptly after use so nobody is kept waiting. The hottest item on the table is the computer and printer for journaling.  Other fun tool items are: sewing machine, templates, chalks, Sizzix die cutting machine with several alphabet fonts to choose from, decorative edged scissors, punches and more! I am going to try to get a detailed list together of what we have.. keep checking back at the website in the next week or two.