so you want to know where i'm moving?

I seriously haven't kept the place I'm moving a secret just to be mean. I've kept it a secret because until now, this very moment, I was stressed-out, worrying, agonizing about the fact that we might not get the property you see Greg and I standing on in this photo. It's a gorgeous farm with white fences, lots of room for the doggies to run (and find varmint to eat...more on that later as Jett has a vet visit tomorrow), and a place for us to really settle into.

The worry arose because property has been tied up in a family situation and just this afternoon, we received word that the signature has been given to release the property for sale, so we have an agreement and will close on it soon, as in the next week or two.

We sold our current house in 64 days of it being on the market and while that's a good thing, especially in this economic climate, it's a bad thing when you have nowhere to live. We move out tomorrow, I'll clean it on Sunday, and we'll close on that real estate on Tuesday. For the time being, we'll stay with my parents who live just around the corner from our old house (which is actually newer than the house at the farm, so I guess our new house is actually the old house, whatever).

The farmhouse has been vacant for over a year and needs lots of repairs, so we'll probably be with my parents for 3-5 months as we renovate. I'll keep you apprised of all the updates plus some exciting news for Studio Calico by way of the farm over the upcoming weeks. Check back often as I'm sure to have plenty of money-pit stories!

so stinkin' excited about this kit

one of my all time faves.

(click to view larger)

Goes on sale Friday night at 12:00am EST. Come join the fun!

a well-used coupon

I haven't professed my love of all things Sonic lately, so I thought it was a good opportunity today.

I have seriously used this coupon at least 25 times and amongst 3 of the 4 Sonics we have here in town. I might also have used this in Nashville once, too. It came in December, so I've had a few months to use it that many times. And when I say I've used the same coupon, I mean, I've used this exact coupon that many times and they've never asked for it.

I've never offered it either.

The coupon states to mention it when ordering, which I do, but then when delivery time comes, I never offer it. I feel like Sonic has truly benefited from this routine, because without this coupon I wouldn't visit as often. During happy hour, I can get a BLT, tots, and a Route 44 Diet Dr. Pepper with Vanilla for $3.22. Yes, I know my total. Probably because I've written it 25 times in the checkbook.

You see, the key to using a Sonic coupon multiple times is to always pay via debit/credit card at the outside machine. I've learned my lesson the hard way.

At the same time I got this BLT coupon, I also got a coupon for a Route 44 drink for $0.99 any time of the day. On the 4th time I used it, I decided to pay with cash instead of debit card, and they asked for the coupon. Bummer.

Listen to the pro here.

typical greg moment #48

Yes, it's that time again. Time for another TGM. This time, his prey was a perfectly content 18-month-old sitting very quietly having a grand time, just sitting in a box while his mommy packed kits.

Meet Carter.
Box + Sippy = 1 happy boy

Enter Greg.

Greg decides the thing to do in this situation is to make the box into a pull cart.

Lanyard + Bungee Cord = Caveman-Style Wagon
Greg immediately began to pull Carter up and down the hallway in our office building. Seriously, Carter didn't even crack a smile. Nothing. But, Greg was having fun, which leads to this photo.
Since Greg showed more emotion than Carter, Natalee figured the fun was in the pulling, not in the being pulled, so she decided to give it a try.
um....not as much fun as riding.

Is my husband the only person who makes children's toys out of trash?

And, some last sneaks of Studio Calico's Garment District kit which goes on sale Friday at midnight EST.

By the way, considering my scrapbook room is completely boxed up, I'm very proud of myself for coming up with 2 more layouts this month. Just patting myself a bit on the back. Don't mind me.

why would he tell me that?

A couple mornings ago, Greg told me this:

"You know how when you're asleep, you put your arm over your face and it goes to sleep? Well, last night I woke up and my arm was asleep and I picked it up with my other hand to move it. I positioned it above the bed to just drop down, but instead, it hit me in the face."

Why would you tell on yourself like that? I guess the same reason I would answer "trundle bed" when Greg asked me what some director got an award for on the Oscars last night. In my defense, he woke me up by asking and I guess trundle beds were on my brain. Whatever.

In other news, Jett is learning a new trick. Hopefully, I'll have video to show at some point.
He already has extreme control over his ear movements, so Greg's teaching him to move them on command. This is "Ears Down" or "Humble Dog."
A few questions have been asked about our move and I'll share more later.

moving

So, this is what I've been doing for the past 2 weeks. Packing, packing and more packing.

The last time we sold a house and had to move, it was a week before Christmas and the buyer wanted to be in before Christmas, so it was a scuffle to get packed and moved in time.

This time, we had a little more warning. We sold the house the week after Christmas and will be moving out on February 28. So, I've been very methodical and packed every night and on weekends for the last 2 weeks. At first, I was very overwhelmed, wondering how I would get it done in time, but little by little I became less stressed as I saw more and more rooms cleared out.


My scrapbook room (above).

Also, this move has given me a bit more time to think about the things I will miss. 2 things off the top of my head:

Addy and Jett sitting on our bed the whole day while we're gone to work, just looking at the birds.
The view of Drakes Creek out our back yard.

The upcoming week will be full of cleaning and dusting to get the house ready for the buyers. I'm thrilled that they value the view as much as we do and that they want to keep the window treatments and some of the decorations. It just makes me feel good.

typical greg moment #342

This typical Greg moment (TGM) began with me finding Greg in the corner of the garage with red tape stuck on his nose. I really could begin and end the story here, but I must tell you more.

My question, "Greg, what are you doing?"
Greg: "My sinuses haven't been the same since we left California. I want to move to California."

Hmmmm....didn't really answer the question.

Later....
Greg: "Those breathe-right strips are so expensive."

Aha.

Now, the story moves inside where there's better light and a better work surface.

Postal tape + Big B Cleaners collar-stay. That'll work much better.
Not enough sticky on the postal tape....back to work.

Double-sided tape + postal tape + collar-stay = redneck breathe-right strip
(kind of looks like he's flipping me off here)
Now, can't you see that open airway? So much better.

If you think this is too crazy to actually be true, you probably won't believe me when I tell you that he slept with that on all night long and woke up talking about how much better he could breathe.

Without further adieu, sneaks from the fabulous March Kit, Garment District that goes on sale 12:00am EST on the 28th. That's a week from tonight!
All items above in the main kit.
Main Kit + Gingham add-on (above)
Main Kit + Taffeta add-on (above)
Main Kit + Chiffon add-on (above)
Main kit + Taffeta add-on

Thanks for looking!

day 14: happy valentine's day

Supplies: Maya Mist (Maya Road - Red); Vintage Music; Brads (Making Memories); Rub-on (Jenni Bowlin)

Hope you are having a happy Valentine's day!

Being the unsentimental kind, this holiday generally is un-holidayish for me. I'm the type of girl that prefers practicality and $90 roses would just irritate me. I would be thinking about the nice spring coat I could buy with a coupon at Banana Republic instead. Greg has taken me serious about the non-flower rule, and usually I get something interesting on Valentine's day, but this year, all I got was a funeral and graveside and a tape gun. More on that later.

I realize this whole post sounds like I'm a total Eeyore, but I'm really not. So, if you had a good day, please leave me a comment letting me know why it was special. I'd love to hear about it.

day 13: another card

Supplies: Ribbon (CosmoCricket); Tag (Making Memories); Dictionary Page (unknown)

Only one more day for my cards and I've saved my new favorite till last. Oh, and it uses mist again, so no wonder it's a favorite, right?

day 12: a fleecey card + a brush with fame

Supplies: Fleece Flowers (American Crafts); Brad (Making Memories); Rub-on (Making Memories)

Now, for my brush with fame.

Many of you know that Greg will say or do anything at any time. He's not scared in the least by social stigma or embarrassment, so most of the time he's completely uninhibited.

To my delight, we got to the airport to leave LAX almost 2 hours before our flight on Jan 28. To me, this is a much better time to arrive than Greg's 15 minute rule. While we were going through security, Greg nudges me and said, "Do you know that guy?" and pointed to a young guy in a black sweater and jeans. I told him, he looked familiar and Greg said, "Well, I know him. He's a rep from the Grainger meeting last week. I just know it."

I shrugged it off and headed to the bathroom. When I came out, there Greg was in a full conversation with this guy (remember, totally uninhibited, no social boundaries) and said, "Come here, I want to introduce you."

I walked up and Greg said, "This is Michael Sarver from Texas. Do you know how we know him?"

Of course, I didn't, and Greg was gushing from delight too much to hold it in. He said, "He's from American Idol." Instantly I knew he was the roughneck with a wife and child and so we talked a bit. The town I was born and raised in till age 8 was West Columbia, TX. My dad attended high school there and his mascot was a roughneck, so I'm one of the few people in this world that knows that being a roughneck is much better than being a redneck.

Michael knew the town and we chatted and he was nice enough to let us take our photo with him. I even offered to have Stephen, Greg, and Lorie each hold a camera so he could practice posing for the paparazzi, but he declined :)
At the time of this photo, Michael was on his way home from Hollywood week, so he knew he had made it through, but we didn't. His phrase was, "Just watch and vote," in his perfect Texas accent.

He's very nice and if you watched last night's show, you know he's made it to the top 36 and will be in the first group of 12 to perform for America's vote next week. So, from one roughneck to another, will you join me in voting for him? I'd love to see him make the top 12!

And, as a side-note, even famous people fly Southwest :)

day 11: another quick card + the passing of a chi-O

Supplies: Chipboard (Maya Road); Mist (Maya Road, Red); Stamp (Studio Calico); Brad (Making Memories)

To make, cut white cardstock to 5.5x8.5" and another piece at 5x3.75". Use a corner rounder on all corners, then fold base of card. Next, adhere smaller piece to card front using pop-up dots to provide dimension. To make the chipboard couple, spray with red mist, then stamp using lace border stamp repeatedly (used Real Red ink by Stampin' Up!). Adhere and add brad.

Early this morning we got a call from Greg's dad stating that his Great Aunt Helen had passed away. We knew for quite some time that she would not be here with us much longer, so this past weekend Greg went out the the nursing home twice and took Jett and Addy to see her. Because the weather was so nice, they were able to roll her around outside and she could watch the dogs, which she enjoyed. But, just so you know, dogs are not the animal of choice for Helen.

Helen liked owls. No, actually Helen loved owls. Her house was covered with owl paintings and owl figurines. It didn't matter if it came from the dollar store or Tiffany's. If it was an owl, Helen wanted it.

Helen grew up in the mid-1900s and attended college, something most Kentucky girls didn't do back then. While in school, she joined the Chi Omega Sorority and ever since, she's been a Chi-O in the truest sense of the word. You see, owls are the symbol for Chi-O's, which explains her affinity for them.

Most people graduate college and will return for homecomings for a few years to bask in their Greek organizations every once in a while, but not Helen. She lived and breathed being a Chi-O every day. Since Bowling Green is a college town, there's always girls out and about wearing their Greek gear. If Helen ever saw a Chi-O she pranced right up to the young girl and professed her love for Chi Omega, showed off whatever owl jewelry she was wearing and away she went, leaving most girls looking a bit bewildered. She was probably the oldest Chi-O they had ever met.

So, today, Greg and I say good-bye to the best Chi-O ever, and every time we see an owl, we'll be reminded of her.

day 10: another card with mist

Supplies: Maya Mist (Silver); Rub-on (Making Memories); Dictionary Page (vintage)

Another super-easy card that took less than 5 minutes to make. As for all the cards, cut white cardstock to 5.5x8.5" and fold. Then, I punched a scallop oval using the Mega Punch by Marvy Uchida, and adhered. Add a rub-on, then hand cut a heart, lightly adhere (to mask), and spray with silver mist. Unattach the mask and voila!

Sorry for the short post, it's our last day of shipping at Studio Calico, so I have to run!

day 9: my favoritest card so far

Supplies: Mists (Maya Road Gold, Purple, Red, Pink); Typewriter; Pen (American Crafts)

This is the one I've been waiting so show you. Actually, I made it first, when I first had the idea to do 14 cards on white cardstock, but I waited till now to show it. I wanted to see if I still liked it as much as when I first created it. And, I do.

To make this card, I used a 1" heart punch (I think mine was by Marvy or Fiskars). I punched several hearts and temporarily adhered them to the white card front, so they wouldn't blow away when I sprayed the mist. I then, sprayed pink mist.

The next part was a little more tricky. I used the negative image of a heart and laid it over the white heart on the cardstock. Because the punch was not a long-arm punch, it was too close to the edge and would have shown overspray from the mist, so I had to use another sheet of paper as a mask. I repeated this process over and over with different colors of mist, then I ran it through my typewriter and added some fun conversation heart sayings. "Love" is handwritten with a 03 precision pen by American Crafts.

day 8: a sentimental card

It'll be a quick blog post tonight. I've come down with a bug and my mom even said I sounded horrid (a word I've never heard her say). Yesterday, I thought my voice was kind of a sexy, raspy one, but today....um, not so much.

Last night, my voice was completely gone and so I went to bed early thinking I'd sleep it off. That didn't work, so when I woke up this morning with my eyes glued shut, a hacking cough, and still no voice, what did Greg say to comfort me?

"My contacts were sticky this morning. I think I got your pink eye."

The good thing is, I couldn't raise my voice, so I just sighed a raspy sigh and laid back down.

Supplies: Typewriter & Maya Mist (Red, Orange, Gold, Green, Blue)

The card says, "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck," something my paternal grandfather used to say to me. At the time, I was a tender little thing and he was a rough hugger, so all I wanted to do was get away.
Hmm...after reading that, it sounds kind of bad, but I didn't mean it that way.

I was the type of kid that had a tender scalp and only liked certain people to brush my hair, and I was the same way about my hugs and kisses. He had raised 3 rough and tumble boys and so he didn't know how to be delicate with his granddaughters.

Luckily, my mom was polite and always insisted on my sister and I giving him hugs, and this was the phrase he would always say. I can remember asking him what it meant and him taking the time to explain it. Usually, I would follow that question by asking him what happened to his ring finger (he was missing it from the knuckle up). He would always say that when he was a boy, he hung it over the side of the bed during the night and a rat chewed it off. I knew it wasn't true, that he'd actually cut it off with a saw at the lumber yard, but I wasn't going to take any chances. At night, if I had to get out of bed, I'd leap from as far away as I could just in case that rat was hiding. You can never be too safe.

I have fond memories of that grandfather, memories that I plan to pass along.

Day 7: a funny card + SC's first visit to a crop!

Supplies: Mist (Maya Mist Gold); Vinyl Monkey (Creativity, Inc); Patterned Paper (Studio Calico); Brad (Making Memories); Typewriter

Today, Scarlet, Greg, and I packed up and took Studio Calico on the road to Sorgho Elementary in Owensboro, KY. Kelly (in the photo below) called us yesterday morning asking if we'd consider setting up shop for an all-day crop to benefit a high school trip to Washington, DC. Since I'm crazy, I agreed.
After a hurried trip to Hobby Lobby, Target, and Pier1, this is what I came up with (the paper rack is from my personal scrap room).
The rack on the left, is from Hobby Lobby and if you hurry, it's 50% off this week! The rack on the right is from Pier 1.

There will be more photos of this crop on the SC blog later this week. Joy will be talking about using recycled products to scrapbook and several of the storage containers that I bought for the display are made from recycled materials.

In other news, I'm now completely without a voice. Greg doesn't know whether to hate it or love it. A few minutes ago, he came in the bedroom where I was working on the computer and asked what I wanted to do for dinner and walked off as he said it. I answered him, but he was 20 feet away with his back turned and didn't hear me. So, he turned around with a weird look on his face, and I mouthed, "I answered you, you just didn't hear me." He replied, "I don't know whether to think you are the rudest person or whether to relish in this moment." He's upstairs relishing right now and IMing me if he needs anything. It's actually a very effective form of communication for us. So, once my voice returns, we may continue to IM each other :)

Day 6: a new card + a typical Greg moment

Supplies: Mask (Heidi Swapp); Paint (Maya Mist Brown & Pink); Pins (Making Memories); Ribbon (Unknown)

I made the card above using the tutorial here by Heidi Swapp:


Now for the typical Greg moment if you've read this far. Know what this is?

If you guessed a lid from oatmeal at Starbucks, you'd be correct. G-man's notes usually find their way on the strangest things. Somedays it's a 2x3" piece of cardboard, somedays it's a used envelope, but more often than not it's the back of his hand.

Now, I'm not trying to be rude, but you know we own a scrapbook business, so wouldn't you think we have some paper laying around somewhere?

day 5: a simple card

Supplies: Typewriter; Chipboard (KI Memories); Brads (Basic Grey, Creative Imaginations)

This week has consisted of shipping, shipping, shipping, and yes, some more shipping.

And, since my last post, falling, falling, and some more falling.

I saved the falling scene in the Jon&Kate+8 episode below (at 4:48-5:00min) for Greg to see last night. Yes, we rewound it and watched no less than 5 times. It's better in HD, but the effect is the same when Joel says, "I fall everyday," which brought even more giggles from G-man.


Then, I got an email from Stephanie saying that I needed to see this video from her blog. So, G-man watched it on his phone 3 times while laying in bed before he went to sleep. No doubt he had falling dreams all night long.


Thus the 12-year-old sense of humor continues.

another day, another card

Day 4 - Love Card
Supplies: Mist (Maya Road Pink & Gold); Rub-on (Fontwerks); Stickers used as mask (Making Memories)

To make this card, again, I used a white piece of cardstock cut to 8.5x5.5" folded in half. I first adhered the rub-on, then sprayed gold mist over the whole card. Next, I added my alphabet stickers, sprayed with pink mist, then removed the stickers and blotted the paint off the rub-on.

Quick and easy.

I realized I only took pictures on the last day of CHA. Instead of going to the convention center, we headed to Seal Beach, shopped, and ate fantastic seafood.
Shadows from left to right: me, Scarlet, Lorie
Me underneath the dock.
I can't believe I'm actually showing this photo. This is when you know your husband has had influence on you. My bird-brained Gregory loves to take pictures of birds, and I have very little affinity for the bird community. As I was taking this picture (and I also took one of a seagull), I couldn't believe I was actually pressing the shutter button. I almost couldn't bring myself to do it, but alas, the nasty pigeon won out.

I'll be hearing about this picture for weeks.

day 3: a new card + some weekend pics

Do you remember these layouts?


These are some of our favorite people: Corey & Meagan and their two girls, Raven and Tori.

So, we were thrilled when they asked if they could come down for another weekend of Rock Band. Of course, we said, "Yes," and we did have a blast.

Raven remembered feeding the birds with Greg from their last visit in August, and even though there were fewer birds (as in no birds at all because we had the ice storm earlier in the week), Greg obliged and they filled all the birdfeeders. He's such a push-over.

Also, this weekend, I was greeted by Raven on Sunday morning with this conversation:
Me: Good morning, Raven.
Raven: What did you do to your hair? (as if she really wanted to say, "What on earth were you thinking fixing your hair like that?")
Me: I curled it.
Raven: Oh (in a very un-impressed tone).

Humbled. Seriously, I was humbled.

Another discovery this weekend was that I am not the most clumsy person on the face of the planet. I think I take 2nd place to Tori. Some of the clumsiness this weekend:

1. falling out of a solid walnut (heavy) kitchen table chair, and taking the chair with her
2. falling over her own two feet too many times to count
3. running into Stephen's foot at our Superbowl party
4. doing a faceplant into the driveway when she first arrived at our house
5. dumping the water into the cake mix along with the entire measuring cup
6. banging her hip about 100 times on the coffee table, and saying, "Ow" with a puzzled look on her face every time. She would gaze at the table as if it jumped out in front of her.
7. most of the food on her utensils never made it to her mouth

So, she was our source of laughter this weekend. I even felt a little bad about it because Greg is like a 12-year-old boy when he sees someone fall. It doesn't matter if it's on TV, an 80 year old woman, or a 3 year old, if he sees someone fall, he absolutely can't control his laughter.

Whatever the case, I thought this picture depicted Tori's (on the right) running form the best.
And some more pictures from the farm.




After we were there for about an hour, Raven asked, "When are we going to the farm?"

I seriously about wet my pants.

And, since it's Feb 3, here's my 3rd card of the month. Hope you like it.
Supplies: Stamps (Noah Alphabet by Studio Calico); Glossy Accents; Patterned Paper (Cosmo Cricket)

I'll have another card tomorrow plus some more photos from our trip to sunny Cali.