The Downside to Sending a Crate

Wouldn't you know, now that everything is packed and ready for the crate, I start thinking about certain craft supplies that have been painstakingly packed and are currently buried at the bottom of a tangram-esque pile of boxes and bags out in the garage... Yeah, I'm wondering if I could go dig just a few things back out (shh, don't tell Seth!). I mean, can I honestly wait 3+ months before I get to break open that brand new bottle of gorgeous Martha Stewart glitter? And what about my Slice? The one I've been envisioning cutting all those layered pp and vellum flowers with? It's in a tiny, tiny little box - that could fit in my carry-on, right? Of course it's not helping things any that I've been leafing through Creating Keepsakes, Paper Crafts, and Scrapbooks Etc. magazines, not to mention perusing the galleries at 2Peas and SCS. I see so many ideas that I'd love to try, but of course all of the cool techniques require supplies that are already packed away. Bummer. Oh, I suppose I'll show some restraint and leave everything the way it is. Except maybe that Slice...

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

The rubbermaid bins have been filled; the space-saver bags have been vacuum-sealed; everything has been purchased and packed, except for a few items I'm waiting on in the mail. Our crate is being built as we speak, and is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. We actually needed a much smaller crate than we had originally thought, which is always a nice bonus. It feels really good to know that the hard part (on this side of the ocean, anyway) is almost over.

We only have three weeks left till our departure (yikes, that's crazy/weird to type!), so we're coming up with our "list" of things we want to do, foods we want to eat, etc., before we leave. I think that really, though, we've already been stateside so much longer than originally planned, that at this point we're just ready to get back to our life in China - who cares about getting bbq or Tex-Mex one last time! Honestly, if we could leave next week, I would.

Almost there!

Oh. My. Word.

This book is amazing. It's chock full of vibrant colors and lush, lush fabrics. It makes me want to surround myself with fuchsia crushed velvet. Of course, I seriously doubt that Seth would go along with that. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd hate it. But, hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Still packing; still loathing the packing. Our goal is to get everything packed this week so that we know what size crate to get. All that will be left out are some clothes and whatever household/personal items we'll need right away when we get to Shanghai. We have some things already there in storage (pots/pans, dishes, utensils, etc.), so at least we won't be starting entirely from scratch. What's great is knowing that we're planning to be in this new apartment long-term (long-term for us, anyway), so I can finally invest a little more time and effort into decorating.

The dog knows change is coming. He's seen the boxes and the luggage come out several times now in his short life, and as far as he's concerned it's never a good thing. This time he'll have to be in quarantine for a few weeks, which he's never had to do before. I just hope it goes by quickly; it won't be "home" until he's there with us. Like the saying goes, "Home is where your dog is!"

(Finally) Back on Track

After a little (3 month) hiccup, we're back on track and finalizing our arrangements for moving back to China. It feels REALLY good to know that in a few weeks we should be on our way and starting the next chapter in our life. The past week has been a whirlwind of sorting, (re)packing, taking inventory of what we have and what we still need, getting estimates for a crate, making arrangements for visas, etc. I've also been stocking up on a few last minute card-making supplies: inks, patterned paper, cardstock (all things I can't buy in China).

I really don't enjoy the whole moving process, but it'll all be worth it when we're in our own space again. I can't wait to decorate the apartment, and especially to set up my crafting area. I want to get this desk from Ikea:

And I just ordered this shower curtain:




Super excited about that one. I'll be waiting impatiently for it to arrive!