It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

Remember back in June when everybody was so eager to have the kids home from school for vacation? We all craved the break in routine, easy aimless days, had bucket lists of fun activities to work through, and wanted to stay up late and get up even later in the morning. (Ironic, since I'm writing this blog post at 6 AM.) If only we could make it until the last day of school, life would be easy.

Come the end of July, however, we are whistling a bit of a different tune. I know you are with me. I think Staples said it best with that now famous and spot-on commercial from a few years back. You know the one with the parents dancing their way through the Staples aisle and gleefully throwing school supplies in the cart, while disgruntled-looking children looked on? I might have recreated that the other day in Wal-Mart in my attempt to both annoy my children and get on the www.peopleofwalmart.com blog.  I even sang the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!" We'll chalk it all up to temporary insanity. Call it the End-of-July Syndrome.

In reality, we have had a TON of fun over the last six weeks. And there is more planned between now and when they go back to school. I don't want to miss a bit of it. Mama's the one leading the charge into every campground, kids' museum, and splash pad within a three hour radius of home. But when the time comes, I'll be more than ready to kiss them good-bye and dance up the street from the bus stop.

My syndrome this year has been been made much more acute because I know a new type of relief is just around the corner. This fall is the first time that I'll have all three kids in school. Sully starts preschool three mornings a week. And I will finally have a little time to myself. I'll spend the bulk of September crashed on the couch and eating bon bons as I recover.

It's a brand new world around the Lincoln house.

With Back-To-School on my mind, I needed to let off some creative energy. I'm sending a few cards out to nieces and nephews this year. (Or should they be congratulatory cards for their parents?)  I turned my Pub Glass Die into a pencil cup with a bunch of pencils made from Pencil Me In. SO CUTE. 

And check out the Chicken Scratch at the bottom. I wanted a scholarly plaid. I stamped Super Gingham at an angle in True Black onto white cardstock. The diagonal lined squares got stamped with Aqua Mist from Chicken Scratch and the white squares in the gingham got a double treatment with Summer Sunrise and Pure Poppy. Love how this turned out. Doesn't look like gingham at all. Chicken Scratch Project #13, btw. I'm going strong. 

OK. Off to dream about September! 

Supplies from Papertrey Ink: 

Stamps: Chicken Scratch, BB: Super Gingham,  Pencil Me In, Back to School, Plaid Builder

Dies: Pub Glass, Journal Card Borders, Pencil Me In, Back to School