What a year this will be!

If all goes as planned, by the end of 2008 we will have sold our house, moved to a 25-30 acre farm, bought a pony ride business, started a horse boarding business, and built a house. In the midst of all that, we will have found the right college for Ashley and gotten her started there, plus planned Holly and Patrick's wedding to take place around New Year's 2009. Will it all happen? God only knows at this point, but we are working toward all those goals. The pony business was offered to us around Thanksgiving, and we found and fell in love with the farm right after New Year's. We've come to agreements on the prices of both, and we spent all of yesterday visiting bankers about the loans. Today I visited the property with the inspector who checked out the tiny (but brand-new) house and horse barn (also brand-new). A couple of important things for the seller to fix, but we think he'll agree to them.

This will be a fantastic move for our family. For years we've discussed and prayed about what type of business we could run as a family. With Julie's limitations, it will be nearly impossible for her to be independent. Holly's chronic Lyme disease is keeping her from getting a job to support herself. Patrick is very happy to be able to quit his warehouse job and come work for us. He has experience working at equestrian facilities, which is a plus for us. And Ashley will be able to earn money during the summers and weekends working with the pony ride business. Of course, Larry's job is going to help support all this in the beginning, so he will continue to work and travel, but when he's home his focus will be on helping us improve the businesses.

I'm so thankful my health is improving, otherwise this all would not be possible. And now as we start 2008, let the fun begin!

Belated Christmas Greeting!

There's just not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do. My blog is definitely one of those things that has been neglected. So...a very Merry Christmas to all my dear friends--even if it is five days late! Today is a special day, though: it is Larry's 41st birthday. He, though, is stuck in bed recovering from sinus and throat surgery. Not a fun way to spend Christmas, your birthday, or New Year's, I can assure you, but that's the way the doctor's office scheduled it. At least in his line of work Christmas is a very slow time of year; things will pick up a lot after January 1st when he'll be getting back to his "normal" self. It hasn't been too bad having him home. He stays in bed most of the time, and I'm getting my exercise going up and down the stairs checking on him and getting things for him. For his birthday I gave him two Auburn golf shirts and some AU window decals for his car. I think he liked them.

Another Christmas Card

Another use of Club Scrap Christmas stamps--this time from their 2006 set. This is another card done with the grid technique from the Technique Junkies newsletter. Very traditional look, I think. I just hostessed a Christmas card swap with members of the Club Scrap Chat forum. There were about 30 players, each making 10, 20, or 30 Christmas cards. The cards were sent to me, and I sorted and repackaged them, making sure each person got a variety of new cards. A number of players say they are holding onto their new cards as "keepsakes." I will be sending mine out, though, as Larry recently gave me a huge list of people we need to send to this year. Of course, if I send a handmade card to one person, I need to send one to everyone--can't remember the last time I bought a card from a store!

Christmas Cards

In the busyness of life, I've been trying to make some Christmas cards. I made a number of these for Larry to take to his colleagues in South Africa. The papers are from Club Scrap's Great Outdoors kit; stamps are from their Groovy Christmas collection. I love the whimsical look of the tree.

Has It Been...

...nearly a month since I've added to my blog? Between teaching the girls, keeping up with my husband's crazy schedule, doctor appointments, and crafting, there just isn't enough energy left, I suppose. BUT, I have just returned from a weekend of excitement--I attended the Virginia Rolling Retreat hosted by Club Scrap in Herndon, Virginia. What a time it was! I'll be posting photos of some of the projects we made. Goodness! Club Scrap knows how to introduce retreat attendees to some wonderful techniques, and we all came away with some great projects, new knowledge, and friends who are kindred spirits. If you love to craft, check out Club Scrap's website, and feel free to ask me about becoming a member. I'd love to share the love of Club Scrap!

Speaking of Club Scrap, they just unveiled their new, hip Christmas kits called A Very Groovy Christmas. There are two color options, both with funky designs. They will be flying off the shelves, though, so time is a'wasting! Get them while they are available: A Very Groovy Christmas. I've already ordered mine!

Post Office-Approved Dimension

Dimension seems to be all the rage with greeting cards these days. But, with embellishments come thickness and weight. When the postal rates went up a few months ago, so did the strictness about "lumpy" mail. Though the USPS website uses the example of a "pen" in the envelope as too lumpy, the local post office personnel are taking dimension too far and insisting that anything that can be felt through the envelope is too dimensional. This costs 17 cents more per card, which can really add up if you make and send a number of cards! So, I've been experimenting with embellishments on my cards that create dimension without creating lumps.

Using Close to My Heart stamps, I made the flowers and cut them out, adding dimension by crinkling the edges. The centers are made with Sepia Accents by Ranger Ink, adding visual interest without the thickness of brads, which are my preferred way to add centers to flowers.

If I send this card in the mail, I will lay a piece of thin bubble wrap over the front--it protects the embellishments and adds thickness, but more like a thick letter than an embellished card.

Mmmm...and I just realized that the card matches the colors of my blog! Now you know what my favorite colors are!