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!

18 Days Till Christmas!

These are the coolest stars - they're about 8" across, and they were so easy to make! I made my own patterned paper with a variety of stamps (Martha Stewart, PTI, Studio G, TAC), and then whipped out the parts with my Cuttlebug and the Sizzix Bigz 5-Point Star die - it did all the cutting and scoring for me. All I had to do was fold on the scored lines and attach the sections with adhesive. Really, the thing that took the longest was stamping all the paper. I'd love to try these with metal... Hmm, coke cans perhaps? I can't believe I almost didn't keep this die. It's awesome!

Impromptu Road Trip

My favorite trips are the last minute, spur of the moment kind. There's something exhilirating about throwing some clothes in a bag and hopping in the car for a quick little getaway. Today's trip was to Springtown. The drive up was grey and gloomy, and the temperature dropped over 20 degrees along the way. Perfect Christmas weather! We listened to Christmas music and talked about our best childhood memories of Christmas.

And when we made it into town, we had this for dinner:

Hong Kong Inn has the best eggrolls in town! We eat here every time we come to Springfield.

It was sooo good...

Hey, Dave! Look! It's Snowing!

Well, more like raining with a few tiny random flakes struggling to stay afloat, but down here that still counts!


One of the things I miss living down here is distinct seasons. I'm used to Northern weather, where by Halloween you have to wear a coat at night and it's already snowed by Thanksgiving. Here in the South it's not unusual to have 70 degree weather (sometimes even warmer) in December/January, and we rarely come close to having a white Christmas. So I'm pretty stoked about the few flakes we've had today.



Christmas came early for us this year - Seth and I each got our main Christmas gift yesterday. It's our last Christmas here in the States for a few years, which means our last chance to have a big (for us) Christmas. I was able to score this nifty cool gadget with a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby:

I had a blast last night figuring it out. It weighs less than 2 pounds, is 5" x 5", AND it's dual-voltage! I've always thought digital cutting machines like the Cricut were pretty cool, but they're just way too bulky for me to take overseas (not to mention pricey!). But this little guy is perfect.

I'm almost done with the Christmas shopping; still need to make a few things. I'm getting excited about seeing my family in a few weeks!

And just in case you didn't catch it, the title of this post is in reference to my favorite Christmas album of all time:

It's a classic!