1st Day of School

Happy Tuesday!  ... well ... happy and sad ... happy to start to get back to a few routines (like eating PROPER meals at NORMAL times and getting kids in bed at a reasonable hour!) but sad that my girls are growing up.  Sigh.  The first day of school doesn't usually make me sad ... it usually has be stressed out ... and sometimes worried (Rebecca's anxieties usually flare up BIG time this time of year) but today I'm just sad.  Grade 2 and 4.  4!  That just seems to be so much higher than Grade 3 ... I can't quite get my head around it.  I reacted this way when Rebecca turned 1.  After her little party I sat down and had a big old cry-fest.  Then on her first day of playschool I had another one.  I didn't cry today (well not YET, anyway!) but it's just another milestone ... another chapter.  Of course I'm happy about a new chapter and looking forward to all the fun and adventure ahead of us but I'm also mourning the closing of the old chapter.  My babies are growing up.  It won't be long before their hormones are raging ... I'll be their "stupid Mom" and they won't want to have much to do with me.  That's why I took this summer to truly "be" with them ... and why last night I snuggled them to sleep ... rubbing their backs and watching their little faces.  These are the moments ...

Sigh ...

Right - enough of that before I start bawling!  On to crafts!

I made it downstairs yesterday afternoon to work on my 1st Day of School cards ... nothing like leaving those to the last minute, eh?  *lol*  Happily it took me all of about 15 minutes to put it together.  Yep ... I'm getting much better at the quick and easy!

Fairly appropriate, no?  4 apples (from the retired Tart & Tangy) stamped in Crumb Cake, Real Red and Gumball green.  (I got the color combination from my Color Coach ... again!  Where would I be without that tool??  I honestly use it on about 90% of my cards ... no word of a lie!)  The alphabet and "first day of school" are from the retired "First Day" set (I think that's what it's called!)  A little Satin Stitched Gumball Green ribbon finished it off.  Oh!  And the ribbon is on promotion this month!  With every $50 spent you get to pick on e of the 5 Stitched Satin Ribbons for free!  ... Naturally I had to get in on THAT deal (would have been a lot cheaper if I would have just bought the darned ribbon *lol*). 

That's it!  A quick and easy project for back-to-school.  I made this card for each of the girls and for the teachers at school.  I made up a tray of sliced apples and dip and took it in for them to snack on today.  The dip is a recipe I found on Pinterest but actually, I first found it at CONVENTION, of all places!  I can't remember which presenter shared the recipe but I tried it and it's a keeper!  Here it is:

• 1 brick or Philly Cream Cheese
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar

Mix together.  That's it!  For a little texture you can add nuts to it ... I added Skor Toffee Bits ... Holy COW is it good ... takes all the health factor out of the apples *lol*  Highly addictive!

Right - I'm feeling a little perkier now so off to do a little more work, a little tidying and then off to pick up my Poppets.  I hope your day was filled with more smiles than tears.  When the wee ones get home give them an extra long hug - the days sometimes feel long but the years go so fast.

Have a stampy day :)


Tam