Laundry, laundry, laundry.

I feel like my life is controlled by laundry. I don't even know how that happens. And the system I have in place must be seriously messed up - because I'm always running out of whites

See, I like to do whites last because I use bleach and I don't like the idea of doing a dark load after I use bleach. Probably total nonsense-thinking on my part... but it's how I operate. So, anyway, the bleach load is always last and often I've run out of time during the day once I get to it. So it gets pushed back to the next day, which turns into the next week. And the next thing I know, no one has underwear. *sigh*

Another thing to add to my list - revamp laundry routine. Great.

So this week is shaping up to be not only the hottest week of the summer, but also the busiest for me. Playdate on Tuesday, Gymboree on Wednesday, the local fair on Thursday, John leaves for a trip with his friends on Friday, Jack spends the night with my mom on Saturday, and a birthday party for our soon-to-be five-year old neighbor on Sunday.

So... my point is... that tomorrow is my only day to do laundry. That's all.

LilyKate accordian album

CK Convention Projects

My mom and I went to the CK Convention in Valley Forge yesterday. We had an 8:30 am class so we were there by 8:00 to register. When we got there, the power was out in the hotel and convention center from thunder storms the night before. Our power never went out at home - I never even heard a thunder storm the night before! But evidently it was pretty serious, as homes and businesses around the area had no power. I was oblivious.

So our 8:30 class was pushed back to 6:00 pm. My mom and I didn't know whether we wanted to stay for it (CK said they would give refunds for people who couldn't make it in the evening). But in the end, we waited it out since it was the class I wanted the most (Basic Grey + Bazzill). We were both so glad we did! The projects were SO cute and we got to use the two newest lines from Basic Grey - Gypsy and LilyKate! Here are pics of the projects:


This is the layout we did using the Gypsy line. The letters on the right are the new mini monogram die cuts. They'll be used to make the title across the top of the page, but I haven't put them on yet because I don't know what the page will be about yet. OH! And look! There are my toes and the dog in the bottom of the picture! ;)

Alright - so, once again, Blogger won't let me add any more pictures. Maybe I've reached my quota for the day *eyeroll*. I'll try to add the LilyKate accordian album later. It is SOOOOO cute!!!

Jack on the Beach

Just a few pictures of my sensitive little Jack on the beach this past Tuesday. I couldn't believe he actually had such a good time in the sand. I was so proud of him for getting over his "sandaphobia"! :)

Two glasses of wine...

And I'm ready to call it a night! Gee-osh. I'm such a wimp. And I CANNOT go to bed at this point - I'm still waiting to hear back from the babysitter for tomorrow - my mom and I are going to the Valley Forge CK Convention and our first class is at 8:30 - registration starts at 8 so I want to be out of here at 7:45 so we can be there by 8. And I have to pack all the supplies listed for my classes. Plus I have a mess of a house to clean up so the babysitter doesn't think I'm a slob *eyeroll*

I'm taking three classes tomorrow:
Bazzill + Basic Grey = Latest and Greatest

Embellishing from the Ground Up

and Scrapworks: Keep it Colorful.

Not much time for shopping - which is FINE because I don't need any more scrap crap and I REALLY don't need to spend any money! I'll be happy to come home with my class goodies anyway - and hopefully some completed projects to share! :)

I'm still meaning to post pics from the shore on Tuesday, but just don't have the energy for it tonight. Jack was such a doll on the beach, though. It was the first time EVER that my sensitive little Jack actually PLAYED in the sand! And for HOURS! I was never so happy to see him getting all dirty! And I was more than happy to get down there and get sandy with him! We had a great time and I think I got some great shots. So I'll deal with those over the weekend. Need to get some scrapping done. Cause once Autumn comes, I'm not going to want to be scrapping summer pictures any longer!

I also got my first CHA shipment yesterday. WEDNESDAY! Can you BELIEVE that!? So I went through that this afternoon, sorted some things out. SO FUN! I can't wait for the upcoming months!

For my message board girlies...

Hi! I've received numerous emails and phone calls asking what happened and if I'm ok. And I'm just fine! I haven't been extremely active on the mb for quite a while, so I figured my departing would pretty much go unnoticed. For those of you who emailed and called - I apologize for not getting back to you before now. We spent the day at the shore yesterday - and now I'm left with a sunburn and a huge pile of sandy laundry.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but there is no real drama behind it. Being on Lorie's message board was becoming a serious conflict of interest for me because of my online business, which is taking up more and more of my time anyway. I'm aware of the fact that Lorie thinks it's because I did not agree with her TOU, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The fact is, I was perfectly willing and doing my best to stay within her guidelines, but when I received a PM from her with a warning and a reminder about what I am and am not allowed to do, that pretty much made me realize that I no longer belonged there. Unfortunately, Lorie isn't as friendly in private as she seems to be in public. And the last thing I need is to be tip-toeing around some online community, paranoid that I'm going to break the rules. I've been there and done that before.

So that's that. I'm still around. I'll still be checking email frequently - so feel free to email anytime at jenniferakirk@yahoo.com or you can contact m on the "contact us" page at my website - Cool Blue Scrapbook Store.

August Kit is up!

I just put the August Kit up on my site! Very excited! :)

I LOVE this kit - the Cactus Pink paper is so fun! And the Heidi Swapp embellishments are the icing on the cake :)

Right now, quantities are limited, but I hope to be getting more schtuff in by the end of the week! So go check it out! :)

Cool Blue Scrapbook Store

An hour and a half flight...

... turned into an 12-hour trip!

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:05 PM yesterday afternoon from O'Hare. The checkout time at our hotel was noon and we didn't want to go back to the show for just an hour - so we decided to just head straight to the airport. We figured that by the time we got there - with waiting for the shuttle and making other stops and everything - it would be 1:00 and that's only an hour earlier than the two hours that they tell you to be there for.

SO... we got there around 1:00. Got our boarding passes (we actually got seats all together this time! Yay!), checked our luggage, got through security, and went to our gate. A plane was just leaving for Philadelphia - it looked really crowded at the gate so I knew we weren't going to get on it, but I checked to make sure. Yup - standby only. It was just as well - our luggage was going to be on the second flight anyway.

So we stood around until that flight boarded and then we got some sweet seats by the window. We bunkered down for our two and a half hour wait. I got out my book, Deena got out her iPod, my mom got out a magazine (but she really spent the whole time poeple-watching!)

So the next time we checked the board, our flight was delayed until 5:30. An hour and a half - kind of a nuisance, but no biggy. Then the guy got on the loud speaker and said that it had been delayed until 7:30! YIKES! We were ALL pretty upset about that. Turns out, he just made a mistake - it was still 5:30 *eyeroll* He should have been more careful - he almost had a riot on his hands ;)

Well, our flight DID leave at 5:30 and there were no problems whatsoever. Smooth flight. We landed around 8:00 Eastern time. Got downstairs and it did take a long time for the luggage to come, but finally it did come. Well, at least Mom's and Deena's luggage came. All the luggage came and went and they turned off the conveyer belt and mine was nowhere to be seen. So I made the hike down to the luggage office, or whatever it's called. Filed a report, had the slowest-moving girl on the face of the earth finally allow me to look at the tag on the suitcase that I thought belonged to me even though she checked the tag and said it didn't - IT DID.

But when I tried to wheel it away, the handle wouldn't come up. Looked down and realized my suitcase had been smashed in half and was destroyed. So they got me a NEW suitcase and I had to unpack and repack that one.

So by this time it's around 11:00 and I still had to drive my mom home. I got home around midnight and finally unpacked and to sleep around 1 AM. And today, I am TIRED. But on the bright side, Jack is thrilled to see me. He's also thrilled with his Thomas tent, even though the box it was packaged in was crushed in my suitcase... as was every sheet of my beautiful Crate Paper samples :( But I'll be getting more of that soon enough ;)

So I'M HOME! I have boxes to pack and ship - so if you placed an order while I was away, it will be going out today!

It's SO good to be home! :)

Bazzill

Sorry for the bad pics! I had trouble getting good ones with the funny lighting. Maybe it's time to upgrade the camera! ;)

Fontwerks

Hey, Fellas!

Hello, Ladies!

Acrylic Stamps

Li'l Davis Glitter Garden

Li'l Davis Vanderbilt Collection

What the FLOCK!? Flocking is BIG right now. Everything is flocked! Li'l Davis had tons of fun, new, FLOCKED things for us to see and FEEL!

Flocked Chipboard Alphabets
Flocked Chipboard Words
Flocked Chipboard Albums
AND Flocked Ribbon! YUM!

All in the Vanderbilt line. Also in the Vanderbilt line, fabulous scalloped bookplates in blue, brown, cream, and olive green. Love them!!

1 - 2 - 3 CHA! CHA! CHA!

CHA, Baby! Yeah!

Alright - so a little teaser from the show yesterday. We spent the entire day walking around, taking pictures, and collecting catalogs and other freebies. OH. MY. GOSH. Seriously, that's all I can say. There were SO MANY booths - we didn't know where to start! So we just started at the beginning and worked our way around.

I hope to have all the pictures on my site sometime on Monday morning, but want to offer a few little peeks throughout today. OK - so this was just about my favorite booth. Their displays were awesome, their samples to DIE for. I actually want to MARRY their two new lines. I'm talking about BASIC GREY.

Here's their new line, LilyKate. Soft colors and patterns - very whimsical. Would be great for wedding stuff, baby stuff, etc.

Next is their Gypsy line. I love it because it includes practically every color under the sun - making it really easy to plan kits around.

I have some very special stuff planned for the next few months which involves both of these new lines :)

And how about this CHIPBOARD!? Holy buckets! I thought they had fab chipboard before - but they have seriously outdone themselves! I'm in love with the shapes! And the small letters... and the numbers... and EVERYTHING!

OK - so we're just finishing up lunch in the room (hotdogs from the vendors and cup-o-noodles from home - YUM) and are about to head back to the show. I've placed all my orders and am SPENT! So now we're going back just for fun, to make sure we didn't miss anything, and to take some more pictures.

Check back later for another peek! :)

Day 1 in Chicago

Well, actually, day BEFORE day one is where I'll start. Our flight was supposed to leave at 8:05 on Wednesday night. My mom and I met Deena at the airport at 6:15. We checked in, got through security, ate dinner, then headed to our gate to wait, wait, wait. Well, 8:05 came and went and we weren't even on the plane yet! We got on the plane around 8:30 and sat, sat, sat. You know how it goes. Long story short - we finally took off around 10:30. Yeah - 10:30! The rest of the night was pretty smooth. The two-hour delay was our only set back. The flight was slightly bumpy and nerve-wracking, but we made it!

OK - so now to Thursday. We decided ahead of time that Thursday would be our "touristy" day. First things first - we got online and got the address and directions for "Windy City Scrapbooking". GREAT store! The cab ride cost us, like, $35 and it was totally worth it!

Next, we caught a cab to the downtown and did a little shopping at the Water Tower. There was actually a store in there called "No. 1 Blue Engine". Those of you with little boys know that the No. 1 Blue Engine is THOMAS! And Jack is OBSESSED with Thomas! My mom and I did some major shopping in there. My suitcase is now full of Thomas stuff, most of which will be saved until Christmas.

We then caught a trolley tour, went up in the Sears Tower, did MORE Trolley touring, and had dinner at Giordano's. SERIOUSLY the best pizza I have ever had!

So on the way back to the hotel, our cab broke down in the middle of the freeway in the middle of rush hour. SO... they called a back up. We had to actually get out of the cab in the middle of the freeway with cars swirving around us and all sorts of chaos. Kind of a scary situation, but on the plus side, it only cost us about $12 to get back where it would have cost, like, $35. At first I felt guilty about not paying the first driver, but I think the whole "switching cabs in the middle of the freeway" thing made up for it. Good times.

So that was pretty much the whole day. We were proud of ourselves for actually getting out and doing stuff when what we WANTED to do was lay around the hotel all day. So YAY US!

"Baby" Sitting Today!

My friend, Robyn, from church asked if her kids could spend the day at my house today since she has to work and the person who normally watches them in the summer is on vacation this week. I was thrilled to say YES! Her oldest, Jackie, is 14 years old. Not only is Jack completely IN LOVE with her, but she loves him, too, and loves watching him! So, basically, it's like having a free babysitter all day! Love that!

Her youngest, Sean, is 6 years old, cute as a button, and absolutely no work at all. I really enjoy having them here.

We went to the free movie this morning - Polar Express. It was cute! Then home for lunch and now the kids are playing trains in the family room. I'm getting caught up on computer stuff, cleaning, doing laundry, and starting to pack for this weekend. I'm so excited to be heading out to Chicago tomorrow night for the Craft and Hobby Association's Summer Trade Show! I plan on taking TONS of pictures and posting them on my blog as I get them. So keep checking back!

Here's a little picture of the kids today. And Rocky, too! Can't forget Rocky!

The Shoes

I had a request for a picture of the shoes. Well, the request (from Jen) was for PICTURES, and this is all I've got! I didn't take any pictures in the store because.. well, we buy shoes all the time ;) And my Jack was being a crank. The other Jack had pooped his pants and so we were all in a hurry.

So, ok, here are the shoes.

Jack's new shoes

John and I are constantly discussing what Jack got from me and what Jack got from him. For instance, he got my soft hair and blue eyes. He got John's tan skin and low waste. Really, Jack is the perfect John / Jen blend *grin*

But poor, poor Jack got his daddy's fat slab feet. And I have come to the conclusion and have accepted the fact that over the next 16 or so years, John and I are going to be spending A LOT of money on shoes to cover these big feet. For sneakers, it's not too bad. They generally run wide to begin with and most stores - even the cheap ones like Target and Walmart - carry sneakers in wide or even extra wide sizes.

But for dress shoes, it's a whole 'nother story. I can't simply walk into Target and buy a cute pair of $9.99 loafers that fit Jack. There's no way I could stuff his feet into them. So for one pair of shoes that he will wear once a week and will fit him for about three months (or one clothing season, if I'm lucky) I must spend upwards of $50.00. Fortunately, the doting grandmother agreed to fund his church shoe wardrobe once I started bringing Jack to church in his sneakers.

So yesterday after the movie and lunch, we walked into the Children's Shoe Boat in the mall for new church shoes. I found a few cute pairs that I liked, but they were all to tight - even in extra wide sizes. Finally - we found a pair that fit him! *I* didn't think they were tight at all - not in comparison to the others. The velcro closed all the way - no fuzzy stuff showing! For me, that's practically LOOSE! But the sales lady said they were still too tight. She didn't have any suggestions for what I should do to cover his feet, since NONE of the shoes in the store were wide enough to accomodate him.

I told her I thought they were fine - the velcro closed all the way - and they would stretch a bit once he'd worn them once or twice. I have been dealing with his feet since he was a year old. And sometimes I had to buy shoes that seemed a bit too tight at first, but my experience was that as long as he didn't complain, the shoes stretched out soon enough with him wearing them and it was fine.

She said he would get blisters because they were too tight. And I told her that he wouldn't get blisters because I didn't think they were too tight. So she said, "Well, it's your decision to buy them if you want him to get blisters. (as if I want him to get blisters) But I'll have to mark on your receipt that they were too tight so you can't bring them back for a refund when he gets blisters from them." UGH. Seriously, if I wasn't so desperate for these shoes, I would have told her where to put them. Instead, I just said, "I'll take them. Thanks." Way to make me feel like an abusive mother.

Free Regal Movie Day!

Every Tuesday during the summer, Regal Cinemas has a free movie for kids. They play a G-rated movie and a PG-rated movie. Today, the G-rated movie was Rugrats in Paris *eyeroll*

It was actually a cute movie. The Jacks were very well-behaved. They really are such good friends :)

After the movie, we went to the mall for lunch and then walked around a bit. My Jack fell asleep on the ride home (and I'd be willing to bet that the other Jack did, too). When I got him out of the car at home, Jack asked to go to bed. He hasn't napped in weeks so I'm hoping that he will still go to sleep tonight.

I'm pretty sure I hear him stirring in his room right now so I want to get in there before he falls back to sleep or thinks that I've abandoned him and starts getting cranky! :P

I will be back to post tonight about the NEW SHOES he got today! As usual, there's a story behind them! Jack never has an uneventful trip to the shoe store!!

A trip to Target

Monday is my errand day - so that's what we did. First, the post office. Then, Target. Target had 12-packs of coke on sale - 4/$1.00 plus you get a $5 gift card for buying four! We like to keep the fridge on our porch stocked with soda during the summer because we have friends over a lot. Unfortunately, they didn't have a SINGLE 12-pack of diet Coke with lime. So I still have to hit the market :(


Jack loves going shopping - Target, Walmart, the grocery store - anywhere! He doesn't mind riding around in a cart AT ALL and he rarely fusses to get out or go home. He's also really good about not begging for me to buy him things. I hear a lot of moms complain that they hate shopping with their kids because the kids don't like it - so I feel lucky that it's something Jack and I can really enjoy together. I have trained him well ;)

John leaves tomorrow morning for San Francisco. He's going with his friend, Joel, for Joel's birthday. I'm trying to think of fun things for Jack and I to do each day to make the week go by more quickly. Tomorrow we're going to see a movie. Wednesday Jack has Gymboree. Thursday I think my little cousin, Morgan, is staying with us. Saturday, Jack is spending the day and night with my mom while I go out with some friends Saturday night. And John gets home Sunday. So I just need to think of something fun to do on Friday. I'm sure I can come up with *something* :D

We just finished dinner (I made John's favorite - chicken parm) and we're going to go treat ourselves to some Dairy Queen ice cream. Yum!

BTW - the going to bed early thing is working, I think! I woke up on my own at 7:30 this morning instead of my usual 8:00! I'm shooting for 6:30am so hopefully I will gradually get there! :)

Early to bed... not so early to rise!

I went to bed last night around 9:30 and had to DRAG my butt out of it this morning at 7:30. What's up with that!? I think I was just sleep-deprived from the few nights before and needed to catch up.

But I'm thinking... If I go to bed early EVERY night, maybe my body will train itself to start getting up early in the morning, too! I mean, I definitely don't need ten hours of sleep EVERY night, right!?

So it's 9:00 here right now and I'm on my way to bed. I plan on reading until 9:30 or 10:00 and then going to sleep. We'll see if my little plot to trick my body works! ;)

Goodnight!

Typical Saturday - a trip to Walmart

Jack and Bubba (my dad) on their way into the store. Jack almost *always* chooses to walk with Bubba.First things first - a stop in the arcade so Jack can pet the horsey ride and pretend to play the driving game for a few minutes.

And before we leave... a quick swing through the purse and hat section. I don't even want to think about how many people have worn this hat before. But Jack loved it - he even ASKED to have his picture taken! "Can you take my picture now? CHEESE!"

As you can see, we went to the post office this morning, too! ;)

Independence Day at our house

OK, I know this is a few days late. I'm so lame *eyeroll*

Anyway, we had a really nice 4th of July here. We had planned on having just my mom and dad over to barbeque and play board games - a low-key, relaxing afternoon.

Well, I got a call Tuesday morning from our next door neighbor letting us know that they had the kiddie pool set up for their kids and I should bring Jack over. So I did! The kids had SO MUCH FUN. Jack even walked through the grass in his BARE FEET! (that is huge for my sensitive little Jack) So the Changs were saying how their plans had fallen through with their friends so they'd be cooking out in their backyard. I mentioned that we were having my parents over for dinner and they should come, too - the more the merrier! :) They graciously accepted my invitation and our backyard barbeque went from a family dinner to a party! :)

It was SERIOUSLY HOT on the 4th and I told John that we were either eating in the dining room or finding some way to air-condition the back porch. So we closed all the porch windows (SO GLAD we had that sunroom put on!!), opened the windows in the house and used fans to blow the air-conditioning out. It actually worked to cool off the back porch enough to make it comfortable.

A huge storm came through in the afternoon (not cooling anything off at all - just making it more muggy outside) so we called our friends, Mike and Linda, to see if their plans had fallen through for fireworks and if they wanted to come over for dinner. They arrived about ten minutes later, filling up our back porch even more.

Alright - so if you've gotten this far, you're either a saint, a stalker, or a very fast reader. ;) My point, anyway, is that we had a fabulous Independence Day. And here's a little picture of Jack and me for your viewing pleasure.

A new way to torture Rocky

Jack and I just finished watching, "Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey" DVD. *sigh* The dogs barking through the whole movie really set off Rocky. He's currently keeping watch at the back door and has been since the beginning of the movie. I guess he thinks there are dogs in the backyard or something *eyeroll* Silly doggy.

I can't watch that movie without bawling my eyes out. Poor Jack must think there's something wrong with me! He loves that movie - his favorite character is Chance and he talks to him through the whole movie.

OK - today is a seriously boring day. Beside a quick trip to the post office, if anyone's looking for me - I'll be in the laundry room!