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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 18, 2021 16:46:20 GMT
Most gifts are wrapped--easier to place and stack under the tree. I usually use a gift bag for the gifts I get my sisters (same thing for each) because it's usually more than one thing and a bag is easier.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 16, 2021 0:52:43 GMT
For a couple of years I would ask DS if he wanted to get something for whoever is favorite teacher was at the time. Usually it was a chocolate of their initial (because I was already buying xhocolates from a local shop for younger DS's elementary teacher.) I never did anything for all of his teachers.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 13, 2021 21:57:29 GMT
Just checked out the story stamp for Delight and I have to say I had a full on snort laugh at "afternoon delight" 🤣 yup my mind went *right* there! I saw the chipboard pieces with "morning delight" and "evening delight" and thought surely they didn't...nope, they did...there's "afternoon delight"! I like the kit, but not enough to M2M order it (regardless of the shipping delays). If it's still available on sale then I might think about it. I'm glad I cancelled my SBTM kit. I don't do a PL style album so the repetitive parts of each month wouldn't do me any good. I have liked the various nods to the months/seasons, but don't need the same couple of thing each month.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 8, 2021 0:34:07 GMT
Stop the world, I want to get off...I actually like an Easter line! Well, I don't hate it. It's not completely pastel and there's just enough black and brown to offset the rest.
As for the rest, I had to stop and look to make sure I didn't click the links for what was released last spring--the baby lines look very similar. I don't need any of the rest, but some of it is cute. I don't need Disney lines, but that is one of the better ones I've seen.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 7, 2021 1:25:16 GMT
I didn't know if I should put this question here or on the DD thread, but since I see it mostly on the AE-related pages, I'm wondering: How are people liking the 10x8 style albums and PPs? Was there any particular reason given for creating/using this size this year by AE or the design team? I've got two DD/JYC albums - one is a TN and one is a 6x8. Wondering about trying the 10x8 sometime in the future, but wanted to get people's impressions first. Thanks peas. I think it was on her blog that Katie was the one who proposed the 10X8. Also, she mentioned possibly a 10x8 for WITL. I did not go with 10x8 for DD, but intrigued by the idea for WITL. I've only done a couple of days in my 10x8 DD album, but I think I like it. It helps that I bought a lot of the Vicki Boutin "Warm Wishes" line so I have a lot of 12x12 paper that I can cut down--I might feel differently if I had bought a DD kit and didn't have much paper to work with. I feel like I'm actually scrapbooking and not just shoving pictures and cards in pockets (I don't necessarily get the same feeling working on a 6x8 page.) That being said...I'm not sure I'd do it for WITL. I would need some different/usable pocket pages because so much of my WITL album includes stand-alone pictures in pockets. I have a ton of 6x8 pocket pages that I could use, but what's the point of the bigger album if I can't utilize the space?
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 4, 2021 16:25:24 GMT
She said TN & DK subscribers will be getting free digitals added to their accounts. They’re working on readying the TN digitals. This part was nice to hear. Seems like they’re learning how to deal with customer service issues a smidge better. Kind of...the free DK digital cards don't help me at all because I had already bought them on sale. Thankfully I only paid $0.90 for them and not the regular price. I'm not overly pissed about the whole situation because I do understand it being a matter of shipping issues. I personally don't care when they charge me because I'll get charged at some point (and I'd rather it be on schedule instead of trying to change it and getting double charged...or more).
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 4, 2021 2:54:14 GMT
I freeze soup all of the time in plastic containers (ziplock screw top containers). I've never had an issue with the containers breaking, just some lids have cracked because the containers were too full...I'll blame DH for those... The screw tops are nice because they don't spill in lunch bags.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 3, 2021 16:07:37 GMT
Part of me was disappointed to see this announcement because I am not a fan of page kits (and thought theirs were overpriced...probably because of my personal feelings about page kits).
But on the other hand, I've been disappointed with the last several kits & haven't bought anything for a few months. The style is just not my idea of boyish kits. I have a lot of product that I'm not sure how to use or if I'll ever use. Some kits have gotten me out of my comfort zone, but its gotten to be too much.
There must be a following for the page kits so I hope it works for them.
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Post by huskermom98 on Dec 2, 2021 22:15:44 GMT
Just once last February. I wasn't feeling great for a couple of days and got tested after finding out my boss was also getting tested because his wife wasn't feeling well. We all ended up positive and a week later so did DH & our two boys. Thankfully it wasn't serious for anyone.
I would have had to have another test before my colonoscopy, but that was within 3 months of my positive test so I didn't have to.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 28, 2021 4:43:14 GMT
We are going to Kansas City in two weeks for a weekend trip. I've been trying to figure out a time to get down there to go see the Auschwitz exhibit at Union Station since I heard about it last spring. It's the type of thing I hear about and want to do/see but usually ot doesn't happen, but I finally made it happen. DS16 has a Friday off & I was able to get tickets and a decently priced hotel room near the Country Club Plaza so we can also see the holiday lights (something I've always wanted to do).
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 28, 2021 0:02:19 GMT
Dh & I eat leftovers of turkey, potatoes/gravy & stuffing until we run out of stuffing--usually 4 days or so, less if DS eats some. After the stuffing is gone we start freezing the rest of the turkey. Depending on the size of the turkey I'll make some meals to freeze (turkey a la king, pot pie filling) before we're done with leftovers.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 27, 2021 23:52:59 GMT
I'm still using mine with Windows 10. I had to do the firmware update, took awhile because I had to order an SD card small enough to work in the Cameo. I don't think it was hard, just frustrating because of the limited SD card size.
My laptop is ready & waiting for a Windows 11 update...now I'm curious if the OG Cameo will work with 11?
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 21, 2021 14:11:38 GMT
I've only traveled with mine a couple of times since I got it a few years ago, but when I did I just used the original box. I have room for some 4x6 & 5x7 paper in the box so it works for me...but I do like that bag, might have to think about that!
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 18, 2021 14:34:36 GMT
No meat in our stuffing. I use the same recipe that both my mom & my dad have used for over 40 years from an insert that came in a box of Cutco Knives. Onion & celery braised in a ton of butter. Toasted bread dipped in milk (then squeezed out) and crumbled into the pan with the onion & celery. Salt, pepper, parsley & poultry seasoning...then stuff the bird.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 16, 2021 2:55:17 GMT
Ours almost doubled, but it wasn't too horrible because we went from paying every few months (paying both cars every six months, which meant every three months we paid an insurance bill) to now we pay monthly for all three cars. I'm guessing the biggest thing that helps us is the fact that we live in a state with really low rates (in addition to good grades, safety features on DS's car, drivers ed, good-driver rates and since we've had both homeowners and car insurance through the same company for over 20 years.) We went from $80ish a month to $130ish.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 15, 2021 18:00:42 GMT
Ugh...that sums it up pretty good.
It doesn't help when I can't get any ideas from my boys. I do have a few things for DS13, but technically DS16 doesn't need much since he's getting a 18-weeks of off-season baseball training and anything else he might need for his school trip to Germany/Austria/Switzerland in March...hard to wrap some of that for under the tree...
I don't think I've gotten anything for stocking so I need to work on that.
Otherwise we need to finalize Thanksgiving plans & then what food we'll be taking. We might miss one gathering because they decided to hold it the Saturday before Thanksgiving to make life easier over the holiday weekend for everyone...only it makes life harder for us since we are not local. Dual trips is doable, but not preferable. Then we'll need to finalize Christmas travel plans...always fun...
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 13, 2021 19:56:41 GMT
Sequins, Hanukah stamp and an old DD journal...I'm thinking something else is stuck on a boat (right next to the sticker sheet for the SBTM kit)... I'm not sure why the Hanukah stamp is an add-on, seems like it should be a regular shop item. Where’d you see the SBTM had missing items? Ugh. In the video. She said that it would ship with next month's kit (or on its own if you don't get the next kit). Frustrating but I'd rather it be that way instead of holding the kit indefinitely.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 13, 2021 18:00:27 GMT
There is only one add-on this month? Or am I missing something? Sequins, Hanukah stamp and an old DD journal...I'm thinking something else is stuck on a boat (right next to the sticker sheet for the SBTM kit)... I'm not sure why the Hanukah stamp is an add-on, seems like it should be a regular shop item.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 10, 2021 17:12:33 GMT
Not yet, but I will be by Friday when the high will be in the low 30s. It was cold a few weeks ago and I was cold...almost made me wish I was in a hot flash stage like I was for a large part of last winter!
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 9, 2021 22:13:23 GMT
Would you still buy from AE if Ali was no longer involved? I don't know. I've always liked her style/products/color schemes (well, not always the color schemes, but most of them...) but I've also liked that she offers something different and usable for me. I like DD and WITL because there's a purpose and a start/finish to the project. I bought so many class kits from SC and never made the project, but I can do DD & WITL. I had always liked the Story/Stamp kits until some time in the last year when they became either repetitive or too introspective (which isn't how or what I scrapbook). I never minded her handwriting, in limited amounts at least, but not since she switched to a more digital method (don't like the style of most of her last stamp releases...) She seems to still offer the different types of embellishments that drew me to the SC kits initially (that they don't necessarily offer any more). So I think if the style were to change too much, that could be a deal breaker. There are some artists that design for SC that I do not like their style, but don't mind someone like Geralyn from IACB.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 9, 2021 19:03:03 GMT
What are people using for albums this year? I'm planning to use Vicki Boutin's Warm Wishes line for most of my DD so I bought the coordinating album. However it's only two rings and they are not 2.5" like the Inked albums so I'm not sure if I'll use it in the end. I did buy the gray 10x8 from AE after hearing about ideas to use it as an album for documenting past Christmas highlights/memories, but now I'm leaning towards trying it out for my DD album.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 8, 2021 18:09:24 GMT
I'm 46 & I've had a filled stocking every year from my mom. I would be sad if she stopped, not because of the stuff inside, but because I love seeing my stocking that she made for me as a baby every year.
My boys are only 16 & 13, but I will continue to fill their stockings forever (I made their stockings when they were babies too).
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 6, 2021 17:00:46 GMT
I don't care either way since I've never experienced anything different...I am just ready to be done with changing.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 6, 2021 13:51:58 GMT
Prep party starts too early for me (and I'm in the midwest!) I just looked at the classroom & hour 2 has already been posted...
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 6, 2021 12:42:26 GMT
I started scrapbooking in 2005 when my son was 3 months old. I enjoyed looking thru my older sisters' scrapbooks but didn't decide to start until my mom said "you should scrapbook" because I had a story to go with every picture of my son. I still scrapbook today, but go in spurts.
At some point I found the boards on scrapbook.com & enjoyed those for awhile. I then found Studio Calico in 2015 & really enjoyed their old boards, kits & classes. When SC shut down their boards I heard about here in the comments of the blog post about the board closure.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 5, 2021 17:33:37 GMT
I have some magnetic sheets that are officially used for covering heating vents--I glued them to my desk for storing some of my dies. They only time the dies have fallen off is when I have bumped them at just the right angle with something (but on their own they don't fall off.) Usually it's the smallest ones that fall off completely when bumped into, bigger ones might just shift.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 5, 2021 14:23:13 GMT
Love my heated mattress pad...when I'm not hot flashing on a regular basis! Our bedroom is the half story of a 1.5 story house so it's long, narrow & only has one vent which means it gets cold in the winter. Heated mattress pads have been a life saver over the years.
Heated blankets never worked for me, not a consistent warmth like the mattress pad. I do have a heated throw I keep at my scrapbooking desk that I use all winter.
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 4, 2021 14:16:01 GMT
I really like Laura’s story circles as well. It’s very thoughtfully designed, something lacking in AE stamps lately. I do like the icons on the music set but the AE messy handwriting is a no for me. I've never minded Ali's handwriting (in limited amounts...) but her new way of creating her words makes her handwriting look awful. I can't handle the inconsistency in the width of the letters within the same word. I do like some of the new sets, but I do not like how the words look (not that I need more stamps...).
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Post by huskermom98 on Nov 1, 2021 1:54:16 GMT
I have 14 via my full siblings, 12 via step-siblings (one has passed), and 5 on DH's side. I call my step-siblings' kids niece/nephew even though I still refer to my step-siblings as steps--mostly to differentiate between them and my 5 full siblings. The kids on both sides of my family are all aged from 4-22. DH's are older than our boys; 2 are married and one of them has twin girls (but we haven't seen the mom in years).
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Post by huskermom98 on Oct 31, 2021 23:49:44 GMT
One of the biggest positives for me included finally quitting my flower delivery gig for my neighbor--she finally pushed me over the edge after Mother's Day 2020 when she got mad that I couldn't do some deliveries because I needed to be home with my boys for ONE day for school things (including my oldest son's first ever AP test that was online...just to be available if there there any internet or computer issues). I've only talked to her twice since then and it has been so freeing not to be around her craziness.
The other positive was possibly started as a negative--having Covid in February. I had started a period right before testing positive, it stopped for a week or two, but then started up again and lasted at least 3 weeks and got heavier and heavier. I finally went to Urgent Care where they asked if I had high blood pressure...I don't know, I haven't been to the doctors for 5 years and recently found out my doctor retired a few months prior. They encouraged me to find a new one and to also see an OB/GYN after an ultrasound showed nothing unusual. I saw the OB/GYN a few weeks later who again asked about HBP and strongly urged me to find a doctor, even offered to see if the doctor who shares a hallway with them could fit me in that day. So I saw the doctor who was worried about HBP and some strange blood test results...so I had to have an abdominal ultrasound to check my liver, an echocardiogram to check my heart, a colonoscopy since the new age to start is 45, and I was given 3 months to try to lose weight or I would be put on HBP medication. Well, I started walking and 3 months later my labs all looked really good (or at least much better) and I was down at least 15lbs so I didn't have to start HBP meds. I have continued to lose weight and even started going to yoga classes which I loved.
The other upside to having Covid was the timing because we were all stuck at home during the freaking coldest two weeks of last February...it was so nice not having to go outside when it was below 0!
A positive for my youngest son was when my oldest son was stuck home for the better part of the 2020-2021 school year we bought a large monitor for his online schooling. The monitor has helped with my youngest son's homework because its much easier for him to see and do the work on a 24" screen instead of his tiny Chromebook.
About the only positive for my oldest son was that I would pick up lunch for the two of us on my days off when he was stuck at home last year...he got screwed out a lot of things last year so I tried to make up for it whenever I could.
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