On Vaca Next Week

Things have been so crazy this week that I thought I'd better get on here real quick to let everyone know that I will be on vacation next week.

We are taking our annual trip to Maui & although my hubby will have his Mac, I don't plan on getting on it too often.

So, if ya don't hear from me, "see ya" in a week!

In the House of Scrooge!

Every year it seems that Christmas time sneaks up on me! I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is this week & Christmas is only 1 month away already!





Since we go to Maui every year the first week of December & then trade off going to Nick's family's home in Kansas every other year, I always debate about putting all the decorations out to only enjoy them for 2-3 weeks. I love to have it all up & get my Holiday Mojo going, but I am the only one that does it in our house! My husband is a Scrooge! His family always celebrates the holidays, but they never had any traditions!

I have so many fond memories of decorating the tree with my family as a child & melancholy ones of taking it all down after the new year. Every year on Christmas Eve, my sister & I were allowed to open one special gift before we went to church. Then we'd be up so early that we'd have to wait for mom & dad to get up lest we get in trouble sneaking downstairs to see what Santa brought us! We always started the morning opening stockings, then have a traditional breakfast of Eggs ala Golden Rod (egg whites in a white gravy over toast w/the yolk sprinkled on top! The BEST!). We would spend the rest of the morning tearing through presents & laughing at the reactions. After that, it was hanging out in our pjs until about 3 when we would get ready for dinner - usually a big Smithfield Ham & all the trimmings. I loved those days & I want my daughter to have as many fond holiday memories as I do.

This year has already been no exception for my scrooge of a hubby. But I had the wonderful help of my 3 1/2 year old this year to hang the ornaments on the tree instead of taking them all off like last year at this time! We didn't even get a "hey, that looks great guys!" (Albeit, he had other things on his mind when he got home at 7pm, but still! Bah Hum Bug indeed!!) I am determined to show Maggie all the magic of the season & maybe her joy will bring her silly father around to our side!

Happy decorating!

blah, blah, blah, BLOG!

Just checking in real quick.
No offense, but sometimes it's really a chore to hop on here & blog about things - especially when I am updating 2 blogs at once! The business blog is definitely getting all the attention these days!

Nothing new to report on the home front! just that I am domestically challenged lately! Between crafting new stuff for the shop & searching for deals at thrift stores to fill the shop & driving back & forth from Denver to Castle Rock on a daily basis, my home life has taken a turn for the worse!

I never see my husband anymore because I eat dinner & then retreat to the studio to work more! I am so far behind on laundry that I will probably be taking dirty clothes with me to Maui in a week (just kidding, but it sure feels like it!) And I think my daughter thinks I'm a stressed out nutcase all the time since I don't get to have much fun with her lately either! I just can't seem to find the balance! How do all these other crafters with families (especially small children) do it?? When do they find the time to re-group??? I know that my sister feels the same way as I do - that we are busting our butts in the business, & slacking in our "life" to ensure that the business that we feel so passionate about gets off the ground soon! We (mom included) really want it to succeed & we don't have a lot of time since the $$ can run out at anytime! Ugh!

Sorry, I didn't want to get into the work stuff, but that does seem to be my life lately! On the other hand, I am half-way looking forward to our annual trip to Maui. Why "halfway" you ask? Well, I've put on about 20lbs since Feb. & I am not looking forward to a swimsuit, let alone hanging out in one next to my ultra-skinny & fit new sister-in-law! Other than that, I think that Nick, Maggie & I could use the time away to re-connect as a family & not think about work for a week!

Well, I've written a lot more than I had even thought existed in my exhausted head today, so I think I had better stop now before true diarrhea of the mouth sets in! C'ya!

My New Fashion Accessory!

I haven't been blogging too much these days - between our little cruise, Maggie being really sick earlier in the month (couldn't tell by the bucket head pict!), Nick's mom having health issues & getting ready for The Scrap-a-Teeny Open House & filling the shop with goodies it's been hard enough to keep up with the business blog.

On top of all that, both Nick & I started getting a cold on the first day of our cruise (Oct 1st) & it is now 11/2 & he's all better & me, well I have been fighting it ever since! So, even though Maggie's head's in the pot above, I really feel like I'M in there!

Today, I finally called the doc! I am tired of sleeping with my mouth open because I can't breath through my nose, & my husband is tired of my snoring! The doc said that I have a stupid sinus infection prescribed some antibiotics & sent me on my way.

But these days when you go out sniffling & coughing everyone looks at you like you have
The Plague!
I actually saw a lady at the pharmacy cringe when I coughed (into my elbow I might add!) in the waiting area! Really?!!! Get a grip people! It's just a cold & the flu is just the FLU, albeit a highly contagious one, but still! It seems that everyone around me has some form of icky sickness this fall & they say it's going to continue for quite some time. If everyone would follow a little hygene these days, maybe so many of us wouldn't be hacking up a lung!

Ok, I'll stop complaining!
I really had just wanted to write to let everyone know that I was still alive,
but breathing through plugged nostrils,
& that I have added a new accessory to my wardrobe...

Really, it's the latest trend!
It goes with me everywhere!
You can get so many different boxes now that it even usurped my Burberry this fall!
And, I hear that the new must-have for your Holiday Party Look this season
is a HONKER as bright red as Rudolphs!
What a trend-setter I am!!!
Sneeze-at-ya-Later!!!
LOL

Ode to Trunk...

I had to say good-bye to a dear old friend the other day...I know it's silly, but I am going to miss my old steamer trunk!

I've had it since I first moved out of my parent's house into my own apartment! It has been lugged up & down countless stairs & into many elevators, cars, garages & basements over it's short life-time with me. I can't even imagine the stories it could tell of it's previous life & the mysterious C.J.P!

Perhaps many journey's across the oceans to far away & exotic lands? Or across the country by rail? Oh the bygone era of sophisticated travel! When it was frowned upon if you DIDN'T bring your entire wardrobe in one bag! If I could travel like that, I'd have no trouble figuring out what to pack - just bring it all because you CAN!!

But alass, I was lugging my beloved trunk one more time into our shop space at The Barn, when two kindly sisters spotted it! I hadn't even made up my mind to sell it yet! We made it about 100 yds inside the door & it was sold! So sad to see it go, but they saved us the trouble of one more set of stairs! (The porters on the trains & ships must have been super studly!!! My beloved trunk weighs a ton!!)

So, I bid farewell to you, my beloved trunk. I shall miss your squeaking wheels, rattly drawer handles, funky hangers & wonderful vintage smells! I hope the sisters restore you to your original glory & you find another loving home! Maybe we'll meet again, in another life, on board a beautiful ship, traveling the open seas together in all our glory!

The End - or Begining of it - is in Sight!

I just can't believe how crazy life can get!
I have been going full-speed ahead since I can't even remember!

The Scrap-a-Teeny Girls (mom, Kim & me) will move into our space at The Barn on Thursday, October 1st! We have been doing a lot of business-related work for the past few weeks & not a whole lotta "fun" work! We have managed to squeeze in a few creative sessions here & there, but mostly it's been all business! (More info on The Barn move-in on scrapateenygirls.blogspot.com!)

I am feeling totally overwhelmed these days! As I've said in the past few posts, I've been busy with the STG stuff, trying to get this Alice project done (which is sooooooo close, but I am not sure it will get in the mail before I leave) & prepare for a cruise with my hubby for our anniversary!

So, on top of the planning, the packing, the organizing, the finding a pet-sitter, the clothing delima because I haven't lost any weight...my mother-in-law is not doing well.

(That's her with my late father-in-law in the 60's)

So, to add to the stress of mine & my husband's already stressful life lately, we are worried that something might happen to her while we are abroad! I purchased travel insurance (Nick wasn't too happy that I did that since he thinks it's a waste of $$) at the last minute & hope that all will still be well when we return! It's so hard to watch your parents get older! Nick seems to think she'll be ok & that they will opt out of doing a triple bypass because she's in her 80's, has type 2 diabetes & they aren't sure if she has any veins in her legs to work with during the surgery.

It just sucks that it all hits the fan at once! He's super busy at work & is in dire need of a vaca, but is stressed about leaving work stuff on top of family stuff! I am stressed about not leaving too much for my mom & sister to take care of with the STG shop on top of Kim taking care of Maggie while we're gone & the family-in-law stuff & hoping that my husband doesn't end up in the hospital too!!!

It's just never-ending!
I know, deep, deep breath!
Everything has a way of working out!

Alice fell down the...

TRASH!!!
No! Not really! But I did scrap the paper mache Alice.
She just wasn't working for me!

The deadline is drawing near & I am 90% done! Hooooray! I got super way-layed with new Scrap-a-Teeny Girls biz - check out our news at the other blog...scrapateenygirls.blogspot.com!!

But I have pretty-much finished Alice's "room;" her body is done, I just have to make her dress & figure out the hair. Then I have to figure out how to secure her into the room so that she doesn't come loose during shipping to CPS!!! All that has to get done before the 1st! Only 1 1/2 weeks! UGH!

So here's a peek at where we stand...
I created the floor & chairrail out of balsa wood & then covered it with Alice in Wonderland "wallpaper" I found on this great "Paper Minis" site. On the table is a photo of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in the Tim Burton version coming out this year (CPS suggested we draw inspiration from the new movie). I was originally going to use a shadow box for the room, but they are expensive & Alice was too tall for them! So, I opted to go green & up-cycled an acrylic package I had!

I am super excited to finish this project & get it off in the mail before we leave for our cruise on the 3rd! I hope I can do it! I'll post more pics when I finish it all up!