Meet Me

I wanted to write an entry with 25 random things about Lindsay, but so far, he has refused to write his list. Something about being too busy?!?! I mean really, CHA was ages ago. Surely he's caught up by now. It's not like he and I are leaving for a huge event in a couple days or something. We have a whole week and a half! That's oodles of time to take care of all our stores, get everything ready for an event and write 25 random, little things. But men, they just can't multi-task as well as us women! So, try to be understanding.

OK, enough teasing for Lindsay, you'll just have to meet me. Here are 25 random things (those of you who are friends with me on facebook, might know these already):

1. I love fake eyelashes. I think they are super fun and flirty. My faves are Mac #20's.
2. My favorite treat ever is Hot Chocolate.
3. I use to be on the board of directors for the Utah Branch of the International Dyslexia Association (that is my dyslexic son on their home page). I am a certified reading instructor and huge advocate for people with reading disabilities. I am also or have been an art director, freelance copywriter and mom of four.
4. I love playing Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero, but I'm not any good at either.
5. My good friend, Lindsay, says I'm way too practical, logical and direct for a girl. This does make it hard for me to become close friends with girls. Almost all my close friends are male and have been since I was 12.
6. I haven't had any treats or junk food for more than five weeks.
7. I have lots of phobias including spiders, lightening, airports and fire. It's amazing I function as normally as I do. I once threatened to fire Lindsay (in front of his mother) for teasing me with a spider.
8. I didn't light a match until my twenties and I have never lit a lighter.... see number seven.
9. I have a neurological disorder. And, the best part about it is the shock value in that statement! It's called CMT and I am on the very mild side of the spectrum.
10. I love to sew and design most of my skirts.
11. I married Eric when I was 19.
12. My feet are different sizes.... we are talking about two-three inches difference.
13. I was/am an academic nerd graduating with honors from High School and College.
14. I color my hair myself with the Loreal highlighting kit. I like the color Ginger Twist. My natural haircolor is Baby Blonde...... you know super-white. It never went any darker than when I was little, although people always promised it would. I gave up waiting at 32.
15. If I find a song I like, I will listen to it on repeat for days and days until another one comes along and takes its place.
16. I spend almost every minute of every day with my hubby. We work less than three feet from each other.
17. My favorite movie is Man of La Mancha.
18. I love my kids. I have the best kids!
19. I use to play the violin and was even a member of the Utah Old Time Fiddlers when I was young.
20. I am the middle child of 5. One brother and three sisters.
21. I have been on the cereal aisle of the super market with Karl Malone from the Utah Jazz.... he is HUGE!
22. I love childhood poems, rhyming, writing funny little things and daydreaming.
23. I lived with a family in Spain for the summer when I was 15.
24. I love going on evening walks with Eric.
25. I sleep on my tummy using less than an inch of the edge of my pillow.

Tell us a random, little thing about yourself and you could win a prize. And what's more, I'll let you pick! The winner will get to choose a Paper Crafting Kit from any of our lines.

Hey, one more thing about me...... I am not a spectacular scrapbooker. Ok, I know, you already know that. So here is another project by Tami Comstock. This is an inexpensive, simple way to create a beautiful photo display in your home. I love it!

Thrifty Gifty Revisited!

Hi everyone,

I just got this super-cute email from my sister-in-law, Tami Comstock.

Hey Guys! Considering we are now 'officially' in the middle of a recession, I thought I'd apply the principles of the "Thrifty Gifty" Christmas projects to my Valentine gift giving. I crafted these two treat cartons out of the coveted Hot Chocolate container (big one) and an emptied-since-Christmas Almond Roca container (smaller one) to send as care packages to my loved ones that are living far away. I am filling them with treats and sweet little cards to brighten their day! As you can see, Chemistry did a lovely job of creating a rich and romantic palette and had just the right sentiments to express my love and fondness for them.

My only problem with Tami's awesome thrifty gifty is that since I started the Five Dollar Diet with Lindsay, my supply of Hot Chocolate and Candy containers has greatly diminished. Healthy food just doesn't come in as cute of packaging! Why is that, I wonder? Couldn't they sell Soy Chips in cute little canisters instead of potato chip bags? How about a heart shaped box of clementines or a decorative tin of oatmeal? What do you think?

Warning: Rated GR for GROSS!

I don't usually blog on Saturday's, but this hysterically, gross thing just happened. Are you ready?

Eric and I had just left our kids at home to run to the grocery store when we got a call from Ethan, our oldest. He explained that he had been eating some corn chips and thought he had chipped a tooth. Eric and I both wondered how one could possibly chip a tooth on corn chips. Ethan explained that he had the part of tooth that had chipped off and he thought it was from a baby tooth. We told him we would look at it when we got home.

So, when I get home, Ethan shows me the tooth part that had chipped off. As I am looking at it, I am amazed at what a big piece of tooth it is. It looks like he must have broken his tooth in half. I asked him to show me which tooth in his mouth was broken. He explained that he couldn't tell for sure. This is where the "spidey senses" started to kick in. How could he not feel a difference in his mouth with this much tooth missing, I wondered. It just didn't make sense!

I looked in his mouth and couldn't see a chipped tooth. At this point Eric came in and asked me what I thought. I told him I didn't think he had chipped a tooth, but somehow, this tooth part got into his mouth. Eric said, "Whose teeth are you eating Ethan?" And that's when all the dots connected.

Kate had lost a tooth earlier this week. She had placed it in a baggie for safe keeping until the tooth fairy came to pick it up. Eric was home with the kids yesterday and had given Jack and Abby some corn chips in a baggie to eat while they watched TV. Ethan found this bag and finished off the crumbs. And, another adventure in parenting was born....... I told you GROSS!

Spring Will Come Eventually

I am downstairs in my office looking out at the dark, grey sky and telling myself that spring will come. There is rain drizzling down the window and it's cold, but spring will come! Last year, our spring was very, very late...... it even snowed in June. One day, my daughter came to me, in tears, worried that we were going to miss all of spring. I told her what I'm telling myself now........ spring will come!

The above layout is of said daughter last year when spring finally came. I have used this photo before, but I just love it! I saw a project in Simply Handmade by Pamella Brown, that I used as inspiration (I love that magazine!).

I've included directions for my layout. You are free to download these and use them for yourself. If you own a store, feel free to make kits and or teach classes with them. The only thing I don't want you to feel free to do is charge anyone just for the instructions! Thanks!

Meet Kristen, Our Girl Friday

Since we have been making introductions, I thought we should introduce you to Kristen. This is the girl that Lindsay refers to as Radar O'Reilly because whenever you ask Kristen to do something, she almost always tells you that it's already done. She is the most organized person at Cosmo Cricket, definitely the most polite and just a fabulous employee....... although she is not my daughter as one gal at the trade show thought...... I would have been 14 people!!!

(I'm waiting for a photo of Kristen, but you may remember her as the young blonde with the Mickey Mouse ears from our videos.)

Anyway, here are 25 random things about her, by her:
1. I have an amazing husband and we have been married for almost one
year!
2. I have a birth mark in a shape of a football on the bottom of my
foot.
3. I love to dance! I started dancing at the age of four.
4. I played basketball in the 7th -8th grade. I was horrible and I
always got yelled at for dancing during b-ball practice.
5. My mom never spanked me- at least that's what she tells me. And I can
only remember one time when my dad was upset with me. I hope my kids will
be well behaved!
6. I'm the youngest of four children in my family.
7. I love running! My sister runs with me but she's super fast. The only
time I was able to keep up with her was a month after she had her 3rd
baby!
8. I love Thai Food
9. The only meat I eat is chicken and fish.
10. I have 2 nieces and 5 nephews
11. There is nothing better than reading a good book! My husband doesn't
share the same enthusiasm. He tends to get ignored while I read.
12. I grew up on a ranch in Idaho
13. My house is always clean. I'm a little OCD.
14. I wish I could play the piano but I'll learn someday.
15. I hate fire.
16. I've never broken any bones.
17. My husband taught me how to ride a dirt bike.
18. I enjoy going to Lake Powell with my family.
19. I hate grocery shopping.
20. My husband is a better cook than me.
21. My favorite TV show is Gilmore Girls and Jon & Kate plus 8
22. I'm always cold.
23. I took gymnastics when I was young but I stopped going after I did a
back flip and landed on my head. I was fine but it was a traumatic
experience!
24. I would love to have four children with my husband someday.
25. My favorite season is Summer- I love the heat!


Congrats Rebecca at 9:09 this morning, you are today's luck winner. It's a good thing I didn't post earlier, you barely squeaked into that drawing! By the way, for those that wonder how we choose the winners, I use a random number generator.

Tim Tam Temptation

We haven't given away a prize for a while, so I think we should do that today. But first, a Five Dollar Diet update.

Lindsay and I were strong all through CHA. We did not order cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory...... although others did. We did not eat any junk at Disneyland...... even as I watched my sister-in-law eating a chocolate-covered, frozen banana. We didn't even eat any of the Tim Tams that Cheryl from Aussie Scrap Source brought for us all the way from Australia (and that is saying something!). The $5 donation jar has only collected the one time donation from Lindsay's slipped profanity.

(Lindsay and I with our Tim Tams. This is the only photo I had, so please don't tease Lindsay too much for being caught in the middle of saying something! Oh and for those who don't know, Tim Tams are these super-yummy, chocolate-covered cookies.)

Eric and Lindsay both say that I am getting skinnier. I am starting to believe them since my pants are looser and I'm fitting into some that didn't fit before. I don't know what I weigh because Lindsay and I agreed not to weigh ourselves until April 1. But, Eric thinks I'm looking so great that he has decided to join us. It's nearly killing him!!! He has been "clean" for two days. GO ERIC!

How are your healthy efforts going? Let us know and you could win:
One package of Tim Tams
A Super Sweet Chemistry Paper Crafting Kit
A Scrumptios Snorkel Sampling
A Tasty Scarlet Blackboard Album

Now to hold you over until we find out the winner, feast your eyes on these fun projects by design team member Yukari.

Holding Down the Homefront

When Eric and I have to leave for trade shows, it is my sister, Becky, that usually watches our kids. Becky is Jon the Warehouse Guy's wife, professional photographer and a super baby sitter. My kids love it when she comes..... especially if she brings Jon who always takes them fishing. Unfortunately, this last trip was a bit rough since her little baby was sick. I checked her blog yesterday (she takes beautiful photographs!) and found the following entry, titled "Mary's So Sad."

I've been helping out my sister by babysitting her four kids. And with Mary that makes five total kids! I'm not so sure I'm cut out to be a mother anymore. Jon couldn't miss law school so I've been here since Friday by myself. Last night went something like this.

10:00-11:30pm Mary laughed and giggled (I have no clue what was so funny in the dark)
1:00-2:00 am Jack woke up and cried for his parents (I layed on his flour until he feel asleep)
2:00am Mary woke up
3:30 Abby woke up sick and then woke the whole house up (gave her some children's Tylenol mostly to drug her back to sleep)
4:00 Mary woke up
6:00 Ethan woke up to go to school
7:00 helped the girls off to school

And if you think Mary looked sad you should see me!

Becky has fully recovered and so has Mary. However, my kids are now sick and so Becky has her revenge!