I really don’t like visiting my parents in Georgia say, in July, but I soooooo love that they are here when we come down for Christmas!  It’s so nice to leave damp, chilly, moss-covered Oregon to come to sunny, warm Georgia.  I don’t want to say “dry” because dry in Georgia isn’t a good thing at the moment.  Where my parents are, the drought isn’t as severe as it is in the Atlanta metro area but they could certainly stand for more moisture as well…  BUT it is so nice to be here!

My mother is off at her friend’s house with the kids.  They are over trying to cheer Marsha up, if only for a little while, while making gingerbread houses.  My mother also took the kids to get their hair cut.  She wanted to cut Alice’s but I at least want to commemorate the long hair in this year’s Christmas photo before I cut it off (the constant food in the hair is pushing me to want to chop it all off!).  Hopefully she didn’t get Jack a buzzcut before the photos!  But, while they are away I have a chance to work (ie put together the late newsletter!) and enjoy quiet…

The trip across country was ok.  When we showed up at the airport we were told that our flight to Chicago was delayed by 4 hrs so they were re-routing us through Denver, which then had a 3.5 hr mechanical delay.  Then they were getting us on the direct flight to Atlanta that left at 10pm (it was 11:30am).  Fortunately they switched us to another flight with Delta and we got to Atlanta an hr earlier than we were orignally scheduled.  Liked that part!  We were then all tagged for extra screening (didn’t like that part!) which meant that it took us probably an extra 20 minutes to get through security.  Per standard operating procedured, Alice and Jack both decided that they had to poop on the plane.  Warning to mothers of small children pooping on airplanes — if you have long hair put it up before trying to wipe them in that very small space or it might end up in the toilet!  Alice was in her normal hell child mode on the plane causing all eyes in the near vicinity to roll when looking at us (what I wouldn’t pay if someone could just invent something that would keep that child occupied on an airplane!).  Sat next to a woman named Trish (our flight attendant was Patricia) and Trish’s 3 yr old slept the entire leg (my children both lack the “sleep-in-moving-vehicles” gene although they more than make up for it when in a bed) and, as it turns out ,the 3 yr old goes to preschool with a couple of Scott’s classmates’ child in Park City, Utah (definitely a small world).  We landed at 11pm, made it to my parents’ at 1am, got the kids into bed and finally relaxed!

Sooo… on to scrapbooking news!  I just realized that I hadn’t let everyone in on who our FABULOUS guest designer is for January – Jill Hornby!!  I’m trying to think of the words to describe her work but I just can’t come up with anything that is even close to being adequate.  Her style is just amazing; it makes me so happy to just look at what she’s created!  And it’s official, February will be designed by CD Muckosky!  It is going to be so much fun!  Fonwerks has been working with CD and together they have created an alpha set (of CD’s own writing) as well as a set of the funnest (let’s just say it’s a word…) stamps called “Life Labelz” and both sets are just for us!  Those will go on sale with her kit on February 1st.  As soon as I see the finally version I’ll post it here.

Ok, time to get down to some real work.  We should have the newsletter out to you tonight, tomorrow night at the latest.

Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!