Stampin' the Day Away!

So I've been hit with the creativity bug... maybe it's because I can finally find all my stuff, maybe it's because I was able to close myself in my craft room for a couple hours today and the soothing rain inspired me... who knows, but what I do know is that I *love* the new Sale-A-Bration sets I've been playing with. Check it out....

I love Sale-A-Bration.... This year it goes from February 1st through March 17th. For every $50 you spend, you get to pick one of the exclusive sets for free. What goes better with stamps than more, FREE stamps! Visit my Stampin' Up website for all the supplies used in these cards; you can also find out how you can earn your free stamps.

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It's Been a Long Time.....

a really long time....

I'm finally able to make a little sense of things amongst the many changes in my life, so I thought I'd take a shot at my blog again. Some of my friends may have given up hope that they would ever hear from me again.... I hope you understand that my life has been so crazy! I actually feel like I have a grip on things again and for the first time in a very long time, I broke out my stamps, ink and paper and spent a couple of hours being creative today. What a breath of fresh air! I will post some pictures of the work I was doing after I fill in some of the missing pieces first....

So we left Virginia on October 1st. We set out with our Beverly-Hillbillies-Lookin'-Caravan.... really, Ray was driving his truck towing our pop-up camper, my Dad was driving his truck pulling a trailer with our partially disassembled '66 mustang on it and I was driving my SUV loaded down with kids and Grandma. We had our 2-way radios ready, DVD player locked and loaded, the GPS dictating every turn and a snack box close at hand to keep the boys happy. We were quite a sight for the five days it took to cross the country. The boys were really amazing... it was only the last day that they started getting sick of the whole thing so Grandma had to really entertain them while I kept driving the final stretch. It was great to get to AZ... the boys got to cut loose at Grandma and Papa's while Ray and I continued on to CA to start house hunting.

House hunting was tough. I really thought we would be on top of the world with the way the housing market it.... We had a little money in our pocket and I was sure we would be calling the shots. Well, we were quickly set straight and set back to square one with our requirements for a home. But like everything else in our lives, things seem to work out above and beyond our control and our expectations. We stumbled upon a new construction home and fell in love! The price, timing and conditions were completely on our side..... we went back to AZ with smiles on our faces.

After a month long stay with G'ma and Papa, we were ready to move in to our new home. Luckily for us, the SoCal fires missed our area and we were spared! We moved in, even before our belongings did, so the boys enjoyed "camping" in our new house for a week. We used that time to do some custom painting and get some fixtures installed. We had the whole clan here at one point... G'ma and Papa came to help and my little brother, sis-in-law and their two kids were here, all to lend a hand. OK... that's why I am so happy to back on the West Coast!

Our things arrived, with only minor breakage and we began getting settled in. Before I knew it, Thanksgiving and Christmas were here and the family was back. I still had cardboard boxes and unpacked stuff stashed around the house, but I cooked up a storm for the 10 of us. New Years was quiet... it was just the 4 of us and we were all in bed before the ball dropped.

So now it's well into the new year- the boys are settled in to their own little routines. Connor is in love with his Kindergarten teacher and can't wait to go to school each day. Jake is growing like a weed and loving the CA sunshine. Ray likes his new job and doesn't mind the commute; he's enjoying his new garage and having that partially disassembled mustang parked in it. I have managed to get the house situated.... I think I have 1 box left, stashed in the master bedroom closet. I have been enjoying my time with Jake during the day and exploring the area. I've spent lots of time working to get my craft room the way I want it, and as I mentioned before, I actually had a chance to stamp today.... Life is good!

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