moving right along.

in the square dance of life.
(a friend at work always says that, lol...i have no idea what it means.)

finished sewing the dress part of Allie's costume this afternoon...just need to hem. it's actually going fairly well all things considered...i haven't thrown it in the garbage yet, so i'll take that as a good sign. moving on to the cape this week, and then i should be done. cross your fingers for me, lol.

have you ever known anyone who grabbed their ARM with the flat iron instead of their hair? ummm, yeah...i did on Saturday. and it's ugly...and will leave a nasty scar as soon as it's done blistering. that's what i get for being up at 6am after going to bed at 2am...ugh.

got some awesome positive feedback on an assignment i received last Thursday that has had me on cloud 9 for the last 24 hours. it's a good thing i read it while checking my email at work, because i think my heart skipped a few beats when i read it, lol. very cool stuff...

fall has definitely arrived here in Northeast Ohio, and i am LOVING it. love sweatshirt and jeans weather...it just makes me happy. maybe it's the good memories of things that i associate with this season, who knows...but i wish there was somewhere i could live where this season ocurred 365 days a year.

we have been playing the MarioKart Wii game every evening for a week now...it's safe to say we're addicted. i haven't found many others that we like, but this one keeps us entertained all by itself, lol.

enjoyed chatting with everyone at Studio Calico this past Saturday evening...the gals there always keep me in stitches. thanks guys for another fun evening!! here are the layouts i did for the October kit...i think there are still a few Main kits left, even though the add-ons are sold out.

hope you are enjoying your week wherever you are.

sneaking in under the wire...

with snippets of the Studio Calico October kit.

i have to admit...i wasn't sure about this one, lol...definitely not my usual fare. (aside from that number paper...i LOVE it) BUT...having said that, i ended up LOVING this kit. the alphabet in the main just makes me smile...and it is one that i doubt i would have picked up on my own free will. did i mention that i ended up LOVING it??!!

as an added bonus, April and Scarlet are offering a free Heidi Swapp edge distresser to everyone who purchases a full size add-on. i use mine an awful lot...a very handy tool to have around.
also, don't forget that they have made the big switch away from Paypal...which means QUICKER ordering for everyone on Reveal Night!! (which happens to be this Saturday at midnight EST!!) they have chosen to use the same service that is used by Amazon.com for billing/purchasing...so don't forget to switch over your subscription info before Saturday night.

enjoy the rest of your week!! =)

did somebody say NEW PINK PAISLEE??!!!

just thought i'd ask...hehehe.

first up is Sweet Cakes...a lovely little addition to the Pink Paislee family. here are my 2 fave things from the line...

the journaling cards... and the colored rub-ons.
did you see that??!!
COLORED
RUB-ONS!!!

be still my heart!!

now onto Tinsel Town...not your 'traditional' Christmas line...

the colored rub-ons...

and the journaling cards...

of course each line has a die-cut paper and 6 prints of patterned paper.

and a new set of stamps for each line.

oh.

and RIBBON!!!

that is the newest addition to the Paislee family, lol...and it is gorgeous!!

everything begins shipping October 22...so look for it at your favorite retailer not long after that!!

check out the Paislee web site for a better look at everything available. it will be WELL worth your while!!

have a great week!!
=)

i am insane.

that's the only explanation i have for taking a stab at making Allie's Halloween costume this year.

she wants to be a witch...she's been talking about it since last year. but all of the witch costumes we've seen are either too 'cute' (meaning: not 'old' enough for her), or too 'trampy' (meaning: TOO 'old' for her). so my brilliant self decided to bite the bullet and try to make one on my own.

i'll probably lose my mind.
i'll probably mess up the $30 worth of fabric we just bought. (and that was the sale price)
i'll probably sound like a sailor when i let out a string of curse words as long as my arm after wrestling with the dang thing for hours on end.

but what can i do?
i'm a mama.
it's just how we roll.

in other news, lol...

• Allie was chosen by her teacher to represent her class in the Student Council. this is a big deal, i explained to her...lots of responsibility, but perks to go along with it. she's geeked up because Mike explained to her that the function of the Student Council is to be the 'voice' of the students for the school. she said, and i quote...'this is great then Dad...it will fit right in with my Presidents and Propaganda class i'm taking for GATE!!' (GATE is a separate day of classes that she attends every week at a separate school. the technical title has to do with being 'academically ahead of schedule', but it really is a cool opportunity for the kids to stretch their minds a bit.) but i'm still floored...'Presidents & Propaganda'??!! i know she loves history, but since they weren't offering a science class she had to settle for this. god bless america, lol.
• something i'm not really ready to talk about, because i'm still upset about it. my dear friend Aleida was in a fatal car accident last Friday morning on her way to work...i only knew her via Studio Calico, but she never failed to make me smile. please keep her family in your thoughts.
• i'm waiting on pins and needles to see if i'll be asked to join the Collage Press Design Team. they have long been my most favorite manufacturer...their products just make me happy...so this would really be an awesome opportunity to work with something fun. keep your fingers crossed, lol...
• we bought a Wii this weekend. Mike's mom wanted to get one for Allie as an early Christmas gift, so we bit the bullet. this is the first gaming system we've ever owned...and i have to admit, it is FUN! i am one of the dorks who actually has to pretend they're bowling for real though...so my muscles are sore, lol...how lame is that?!
• finished this layout up over the weekend. way simple. another fun border made up of pieces. and a beautiful bouquet of flowers that my mom picked up for me for the bargain price of $1 from a little old man at a roadside stand.
  

i think that about covers it...nothing too exciting. hope the rest of the week remains calm.

calm is good.
:)

lazy days.

are the best.

doing not much of anything.

reading a good book.

cleaning the house.

enjoying the quiet.

hoping for a chance.

chatting with a friend on the phone.

scrapping for a few assignments.

wishing time really did fly...this time.

fitting into something new.

brushing her hair into a pony for soccer.

cheering from the sidelines.

watching her figure it all out.

crying when you feel sad.

sharing rare time alone with Mike.

listening to her laughter from the back yard.

going over everything in my mind.

typing to friends who live far away.

taking every opportunity to enjoy.

waiting for the leaves to change.

looking forward to jeans and a sweatshirt.

sorting 3 kinds of white socks.

arranging the latest $1 bouquet.

missing his stories about when Brett & i were young.

helping any way i can.

thinking about 2 days off in a row this week.

finding a new 'N' for my collection.

searching for my missing stamp set.

wondering if the dog next door will ever stop barking.

chilling.

blowing bubbles until your hands are slippery from the run-off.

counting on a friend when you need her.

writing about not much of anything.

(enjoying lazy days.)

my girl, she is a-changin'.

like, way fast.

like, faster than we can keep up.

a few examples...

• she has recently developed a love for astronomy. yes, you read that right...my girl is into the stars and the heavens above. as in every night when it gets dark, she goes outside with a blanket and lays down on the driveway...with her hands casually folded behind her head and just making up her own names for stars that she sees. she's really dying for autumn to arrive, because she remembers that we can see Orion from above our garage during that time of year. (who knew she was actually listening to me when i would point that out every year?) i'm not sure where this began, but i love it.
• she is also recently professing a love of science in general. this also makes me happy...mama was/still is a science lover. this year she will dig deep into Earth Sciences at school...should i be worried that the first thing she showed us at Open House last week was the box of goggles? i keep hearing about all of the chemical reactions they will be doing...and am now concerned that she will extend her experiments to our kitchen.
• she never goes anywhere without her purse. she has at least 10 different ones, lol...all worth about $2. the contents typically consist of Juicy Fruit gum, a hairbrush, 10 rubber bands for her hair, no less than 4 lip glosses all in different flavors, 2 pencils, 1 memo pad and the ticket stub from the Jonas Brothers concert last week.
• she has taken up 'cooking'. i say this somewhat tongue in cheek, because thus far her creations have only included a baked potato, turkey on toast sandwich, brownies and mac & cheese. now...of those 4 things, the only thing she ate was the turkey sandwich. every thing else she said that 'it tastes better when someone else makes it'...so true, lol. but it seems that all she really wants to do is actually go through the process of following the directions.
• the scariest 'new' thing by far is the 'riding her bike without using the handlebars' thing. she is so dang proud of this...so while i act excited for her, it terrifies me to no end. it is a big deal though...ugh.

so just a few things that i've noticed...

a few things that once again remind me that she is growing at a ridiculous rate.

but she still insists on a hug and kiss goodnight, so i'm going to hang on to that for now.