Thursday Tidbits

Note: Dora love has now turned to Diego love!

And... we now accept Mastercard and Visa at the store! Yippee!

December kits are out. I'll post a pic and upload them to the site tomorrow.

There's still room in Tuesday's class.

Anne linked this to the site the other day. I thought it was absolutely hilarious (mostly inaccurate) but hilarious none the less!!

Buffy/Angel watch:
- Owen (season 1 episode 3? - Never Kill a Boy on the First Date) plays Roger on Jericho

... and by the way... what's with all these fall finales (Prison Break and Jericho)??? Very annoying!

Jack has been his frustrated little self lately. Mad when his pants don't go over his boots, mad when his sock seams don't line up just right, mad when his skipants don't cooperate, mad when his jeans are in the wash (cause he ONLY wears jeans)... basically mad when things don't work. And mad means lots of whining and crying on the floor. Trying to learn to relax and ask for help if he needs it. I'm blaming it on the weather... ;)

New Scenic Route Rockland and Crate

Got out the snowmobile last night. It's a ritual for the first snowfall. Blazing trails through our farm/woods. Lots of fun. We definately have to make a point of doing this a lot this winter... at least more than last year. Of course it was 8:00 pm so I didn't get any pictures. Next time.

Making a dent in the online entries... most notably...

- Scenic Route Rockland - paper and chipboard
- Crate paper (Crate Avenue and Holly Days) - paper, die-cuts and stickers
- Melissa Frances - home decor, tabs, chipboard and stickers

More tomorrow.

We also now have the large Tonic Guillotine Trimmer ($69.99) in stock. It's not in the online shoppe because shipping on this will be insane.
We also had a great chat with Ali Edwards last night. If you missed it you can read it here. Loved how Ali organizes her thoughts with a "Story" document on the computer. I'll have to try that. Writing in a journal just hasn't worked for me. I just ramble. So we'll see if I actually do this, and if it helps.

Couple more things to do, work-wise, and then a relaxing evening at home. Maybe finish up Christmas shopping.
Think I've planned out my January class too, so I'll pull some paper for that today as well.

Okay. Have a great hump-day.

P.S. Buffy-watch. You know I love this...

Regulars:
Forrest (season 4) is currently DL on Heroes
Gage/Wentworth Miller (season 2 episode 22 Go Fish) is currently on Prison Break

Guests, possibly regulars (people I just happen to catch for a second):
Jonathon/Danny Strong (seasons 1, 2, 3, 5, 7) was on Gilmore Girls last night
Jasmine/Gina Torres (Angel season 4?) was on StandOff last night (just caught the intro)

I'm also looking at ordering in some more American Crafts albums (12x12, 8.5x11, 8x8, 6x6) in different colors. There's a link in the Everything Scrapbooking section of the site. If you have any suggestions please let me know.

Ali day

Today is the day we chat with Ali Edwards online! One of the most creative and inspiring women I know. Join us online at 9pm CST today in the online chat forum.

Added a little to the online store yesterday. More today (namely new Lil' Davis and Heidi Swapp).



(Bad pic, but funny kids)

Flood

It flooded today.

It flooded in the MSS gallery today. I'm sorry. But I knew the MSS Girls would be kicking me out in a couple of days, so I thought better know then later. I really need to get into the habit of posting after I finish a layout... not doing a weeks worth at a time.

Anywho....

Look for some new stuff in the online store this week. That's my goal. Trying to catch up. But not today. Today I need to clean house and get some other stuff done. Prison Break finale and Heroes tonight too. Priorities you know!! ;)

But yah, I'm currently about 3 boxes behind at the shoppe. And I need to get the December kits out by Friday, so it'll be a busy week.

Here at home we started our Christmas shopping! I can't stand it! All the people! Not moving! Standing, standing. Blocking the aisles. (Of course they're looking too and I don't expect them to walk through quickly). I've got 3 kids with me and not a lot of time. It makes me very tense and anxious.... but of course we were in the city. I'm going to do the rest of it here in town which will be MUCH more enjoyable. But... made a dent in the kids gifts. We're not doing much. They have so much already, plus they get gifts from 2 sets of grandparents and one set of great-grandparents... so there'll be enough!
Made a quick stop at Old Navy and got some clothes for Derek. We're not "dress-up" people, so we got him some jeans and a button down shirt with some logo shirts for layering... oh... and a nice parka too! Half price!!
And we found Molly a solid black long-sleeved shirt for the GORGEOUS dress Val (and Cindy) found for Molly!
Top it off with supper at Montana's and it was a good day.
Man that one-day weekend is short.

And here's the flood...

My first stacked layout. Grand Forks haunts.

Finding little towns along the way.

(from SSD). Love these pics. My boys. Watching out for each other. And... lovin' the Heidi Swapp bling!

At least once or twice a week... "How long have you been here?"

Jack's first day of Kindergarten. First time with the distressed embossing powders too. Fun. Looks like sandpaper.

Old picture. Story still true to this day. Why can't boys play without making that sound?

Molly's smile.... where her lips disappear.



And... learning how to have fun.

I really have to get in the habit of posting right after I complete a layout! Oh well.

I gave up submitting for 2006 (as you may know if you read this blog). And, as irony would have it, I got an email last week from Canadian Scrapbookers for a layout I have submitted prior to that. Of course. And, so, once 2007 starts, maybe I'll start submitting again. So you'll be able to find my layout along with Jen's in the Spring issue.

And don't forget... Ali's stopping by the site tomorrow!!!

Water

It's finally happening!!! After 6 years of hauling water we are getting hooked up to "town" water!!!! Imagine my boys' excitement when the backhoe showed up. Hours of entertainment!

and then we are told that the water meters are on backorder till January! What?????? How are water meters on backorder?????

And other glimpses of home this last week and a half...

Making Christmas cards...

Fun kids....

Jack drawing and drawing and drawing...

Awesome country sunsets....

Molly reading up a storm...

School kids helping move books from the old library to the new one (reminds me of moving 6000 movies from the old video store at 334 Main to our current one at 262 Main. That was awesome! Running down the block with movies in a shopping cart... bringing them to the new store and going back for more!). Molly helped move books on a Wednesday morning.

And some shoppe stuff:

- getting ready for the Holiday Hoopla. Baking is done. Gift samples are done. Discount jar is done. Now to set up at the store and price some late arrivals (Crate and Scenic Route).

- new stuff in the online store (lots of new stuff... most notably Magnolia frames, die-cuts, etc. Paper is on the way).

- next week is a normal week for me, so I should be getting a lot more in the computer. Tonic trimmers are coming, as is Melissa Frances, Runway totes, new Making Memories and more.

AND DON'T FORGET.... WE HAVE GIFT CERTIFICATES IN $5, $10 AND $25 AMOUNTS. START DROPPING HINTS!!

And in case I don't post in the next couple of days... don't forget to join us online on Tuesday, November28th at 9pm CST for an online chat with Ali Edwards!!

OH... I have a blog???

Just popping in for a little update....

Shoppe stuff ~

- Super Scrap Day was a lot of fun! Thanks to Val, Anita, Jen and Leigh and everyone who brought snacks or helped set-up! Looking forward to the next one.

- Don't forget... Holiday Hoopla on Saturday from 10am - 2pm. FREE Make and Take, snacks, draws, "pick your discount" and holiday gift ideas on display.

- The mid-month newsletter went out today...
Monthly theme - Yesterday
Sketch (from Liz)
Challenge (from Jen)
Project - CD Ornaments (from Leigh)

- Scenic Route Rockland is on the way.

- Bought a tree for the store! Haven't had one in a couple of years! Decorated with ornaments and tags made by YOU guys!

- Realizing that I don't have to say YES to everything.

Other stuff ~

- need to get those Christmas gifts made/bought. It's crunch-time.

- need to get Molly a Christmas "outfit" soon. The one I bought is a little big, and we start our gatherings in a week and a half!

- had some good parent-teacher interviews. Expected what I got from Molly's. Confidence issues with Math. Surprised by Jack's. I didn't know what to expect... he is ONLY 4. But he's super-high up there with his language recognition!! Second or third in his class. We just need to work on those ABCs.

- we need to clean out our storage room so the "water guys" can hook us up to water tomorrow morning. No more hauling!!

- other than that... the same-old same-old. Laundry, cleaning, etc. Realizing that things will slow down... but not for a bit.

New KI Joyful and Alpine

Got a bit up today...

KI Memories Joyful Collection
KI Memories Alpine Collection
Paper, ribbon, epoxy, chipboard, stickers and more. Right now I have everything under "Patterned paper and Collections". It just takes too much time to copy all the individual items into subcategories (ie. "stickers"), so for now you'll find them all together.
New Autumn Leaves Clear Stamps - quantities are low, but they're already on reorder.
American Crafts Greenhouse Flowers - went up a week ago. These are in the large size... I have a few of the mediums and smalls to add yet.
Restocked some American Crafts Trademark Rub-ons
Bazzill Bitty Blossoms
... that's it for now. I'll see what else I can get up this next week, but I have a busy week (teaching a class in Manitou and getting ready for Super Scrap Day on Saturday).

And on the homefront...
decorating a bit for Christmas today. I love it but I don't have much stuff... I'm not a "winter-scene" little nick-nack type of gal... so this consisted of wreaths on the doors, garland along the stair railing, two glittery twine trees, a red blanket on the couch and a "joy" word hung on the wall. We get a real tree, so we'll be waiting a bit for that.
And now... I need to clean my studio.... making Christmas cards tomorrow.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Edited to add:
Cleaned my studio and found these that needed uploading...


And then these three that blogger doesn't want to post (and I'm not wanting to switch to FireFox right now)...

New Kitty Meet Old Kitty
2 Generations
Vintage Love

Making Memories Holiday Collection

... is now in our "Shoppe on Main" and the online store.

This is the winter kit. Yummy!

- Page kits

- Ribbon

- Glitter Rub-ons and Stickers

- Metal Frames

- Tags

- Epoxy Stickers (words and alphabets)

- Ephemera Stickers

- Alphabet Stickers

- Brads

The KI Memories Alpine and Joyful Collections, the new Creative Imaginations Bare Elements, the new Autumn Leaves stamps and the Designing With 2007 Calendar are in the "Shoppe on Main" and I hope to add them to the online store tomorrow (or Saturday at the latest).

Super busy. Basically living at the shoppe this week! Unpacking, teaching, ordering, planning.... it never ends.

Keep forgetting my KI and Making Memories invoice at home, but the new holiday stuff will be up by or on the weekend.

Added this bag today...



Love it! Orange ones are on the way.

* And we're one step closer to taking credit cards in our Main street location! Stay tuned.

And now... home... to decorate for Christmas and an awesome TV night!

Some MSS updates...

Holiday Hoopla Open House

November 25th ~ 10am - 2pm

Come celebrate our 4th anniversary with...

- a FREE Make and Take
- "pull your discount"
- snacks
- draws
- and more!

Holiday gift ideas will be on display as well

* November kits are now available.

And a big thanks to Leigh for helping me assemble this month's kits!!

* December Class --

Tuesday, December 5th - 6:30pm
Altered Paint Can and Journal (perfect for holiday gift-giving!)
$17 ($15 for Members)

View the description by clicking the "take a class" link in the sidebar.

Happy (belated) Halloween

Living in the country... Halloween's a little bit of a hassle. But well worth it.

I have to bring Jack to Kindergarten at 1:00 and then I just stay in town all afternoon, because to go back home and then back to town at 3:30 doesn't pay. So we planned our costumes a couple of days before. We make our costumes. Not MAKE as in sew... but MAKE as in compile existing items into a costume. This year Molly wanted to be a witch, Jack wanted to be a cowboy (surprise) and Max (who's 3) wanted to be Burt Reynolds from Smokey and the Bandit. Really.

So we got our stuff ready. My aunt was going to face paint Molly and Max (a mustache for Max).
Sent the Molly to school. Sewed up some "treat bags". Bought a velvet witch hat at Walmart (the only item we bought) and brought all their costumes to town. Dropped Jack off at school.

Meanwhile Max takes it to start playing "kitty" all day.

After school they got changed and went to get their faces painted.
Max now went from Bandit, to a kitty, to a policeman. I wasn't prepared for that many changes, so basically Max went costume-less... no mustache... just a car and a star painted on his cheek!
Molly got some spiderwebs and spiders on her face and Jack got a sheriff star and a house (don't ask me why... I don't know) on his hand.

It was so terribly cold. We just drove to family and friends. But they had SO much fun! Wanting to visit all their friends houses. Lots of fun... but short. Bedtime creeps up so fast!








Note: Jack has a rope ("lasso") but no horse. He wanted to be the kind of cowboy "that's from Texas and drives a Peterbilt"!!!