Michelle Cochran-Wells

Back in the Saddle Again ;)

I ran into someone the other day and she said, "Will you puuullleease update your blog?  I'm so tired of seeing that picture of Jack and Eli in the wagon!"  Guess that was a huge hint that I need to get back at it!  I have so missed getting to capture my thoughts and daily life on here, but with two little ones in school programs now and all of the added stuff that I've taken on since getting rid of the business, let's just say I've been a little busy.  However, I'm making a great effort to get back in the groove again.  Thanks for reading and I hope to not disappoint you! 

Maybe I should try to do a super-duper long post and just catch everyone up to the present.  Grab a coffee.  Here goes...

**School Starts Back

     

Both Jack and Eli attend Mother's Morning Out two days a week.  It is a program that I LOVE!  Jack loves it, too.  Eli is still trying to get used to it.  He's one of the youngest in his class so that makes it a little harder on him as he's just started walking and gets frustrated b/c he can't keep up with all the other one-year olds.  And, when I start feeling sorry for myself I just look at the TRIPLETS that are in Eli's class and immediately feel like their Mommy probably REALLY needs a break!  Jack just jumps right in there and talks about who he is going to play with on the way to school.  He's talking so much and I love to hear about his day when I pick him up.  Eli's just happy that Mommy came back to get him!

**Church

I have always been a fairly religious person (even when we didn't attend church), but somehow I guess that it has even more meaning once you have kiddos of your own.  Sean and I are so happy to have finally found a church that we BOTH love.  I'm excited about the opportunities that it brings for our family.  I've been getting more and more involved and I so hope that it continues to live up to my expectations and the newness doesn't wear off.  I've been almost hesitant to get excited about it because I was afraid I would be let down.  It's a rather large church and I never in this lifetime thought that I would enjoy a church of this size, but I guess that's what I get for pre-judging, huh?  I've been attending a book study on Wednesday nights that has totally got me to thinking.  The book is titled Sinning Like a Christian and boy does it get your mind to going about the seven deadly sins.  I've also been attending a women's Bible study on Monday mornings.  Some of you may know of the Beth Moore Bible studies.  She is awesome.  I have never been so excited to hop in bed at night and pull out the lesson and the Bible and just go at it!  Who would have thought?!  Anyway, I'm so excited about all of this.  I really feel like it is a breath of fresh air.

**Scrapbooking

I'm feeling pretty creative these days so I hope to have some new projects posted soon.  Maybe I'm getting my mojo back!  Yippee!

**Trading in for a new model?

Sean did something to his back last week and was pretty much flat on his back for about four days.  He was so miserable.  Chalk it up to me having a third child.  LOL.  Anyway, he's on the mend (hopefully).  He asked me last night if I wanted to trade him in for a new model?  I told him that I'd give him one more chance.  Ha.

**Old Farts

 

My Mother finally took the plunge and called the working world quits.  RETIRED.  Her office gave her a very nice luncheon and I have to say that she looks so renewed and happy!  Oh, and so does my Dad!  Since he's been retired for a few years I think that he was as excited as she was...like he got his best friend back to hang out with every day.  So, what have they been up to?  Well, they had big plans to get a load of stuff done around the house, but it seems that they like to watch FOX News; especially with the upcoming elections.  Too funny.  They've also decided that the boys will spend one night a week with them so that Sean and I can have a night to ourselves and I can play some tennis the next morning.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.  We appreciate it!  The kiddos love going to their Hahni and Pocky's house (have NO idea where Jack came up with these names for them, but this is what he calls them...hilarious!). 

**Little Brother Jason and Brittany

The newlyweds are back in reality after a sweet honeymoon!  She loves her teaching job and Jason called tonight to tell us that he sat beside Harrison Ford on a flight to Anchorage today.  Said that he was one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet.  He had a very nice conversation with him about being a pilot and who knows what else!  Anyway, that was a fun treat for a long flight for Jay. :)

**Tennis

Yep, still at it.  I've been playing several times a week and I can definitely tell that I'm getting older!

Oh, and Happy 9th Anniversary to Sean!  Wow, that seems like forever ago...kidding.  I love you, Sean!

Well, that's a bit of a recap.  I'll have to type more later.  I'm bushed.  Nite nite.

Happy Friday

Things have just been flying by here!  It's late, but I thought that I would drop in and say hi. ;)  So, how have you all been?  I feel like I've fallen off the planet here lately.   Two little boys are keeping me hopping these days!

So, I thought that it might be fun to tell you some things that are making me happy today (besides the fact that it's Friday):

1)  I have been purging all kinds of crap out of my house that hasn't been used in a while.  Ah, what a breath of fresh air.  Now, if I can just get Sean to do the same we'll be good.

2)  Checking out all of the super cool things on Etsy and thinking that I want to get my hands on some of it.  Some of you may remember getting some tags in a SIAB kit from this seller.  She has the cutest dang tags for scrapbooking.  And, she only lives about twenty minutes from me.  Be sure to check out her tag of the month selections.  The August tag is just super cute.  And, yes, I will be placing an order with her very soon.  I'm on some sort of tag binge here lately. 

3)  School supplies are EVERYWHERE and I always get giddy this time of the year.

4)  My Mother brought and enjoyed lunch with Jack, Eli and I today.  She also scored double bonus points for picking up Starbuck's for me, too.  Thanks, Mom. 

5)  Sean is asleep beside me and is NOT snoring...hey, that's definitely worth mentioning as it's really rare.

6)  I cooked dinner tonight, people!  Yeah, it surprised me, too.

7)  Scrapbooking is in my future for the weekend.

8)  The little dudes and I went for a walk this morning.  They got pulled in the wagon while I was the mule.  Eli laughed the entire time while Jack just wanted me to "go down the hill."  We live on a high hill and I told him that we would go down it if HE pulled us back up...he declined.  No hill.

9)  I've already got a lot of Christmas shopping done.  What?  I've never been an early shopper!  Go, me!

10)  Did I mention it's Friday?

So, what's making you happy today?

9) 

New Email Addy

Please update your address book with my new email address:
michelle.cochranwells@gmail.com

I'll be back soon to chat more!

A Little Birthday Laugh

Thought you all might enjoy Eli's antics at his first birthday party. ;)

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Eli!

What a joy you are to everyone!  We love you!

Oh me, oh my

Gosh.  It's been a few days of no blogging.  I actually have a good reason for NOT blogging.  It seems that I've had some decisions to make lately and I wanted to be absolutely super duper certain before I shared them with you all.  First off, let's just say that I feel as if I am missing out on life.  There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done!  So, with that said, I have decided to close shop.  As much as I like our business, I love my family more (as it should be, right?).  Having a business takes a lot away from family life, not to mention a personal life.  Ha.  However, trust me when I say that I get just as excited as the next person when Mr. UPS shows up at our door with all of those new and exciting scrapbook supplies...ahh, the smell of new paper...ok, I degress, I'm getting off the subject.  Anyhow, what started out as a "for fun" business about six years ago has grown tremendously into something that I just can't do anymore.  No matter the success, it is simply not worth the amount of time that it takes away from two super precious little boys that I may have mentioned on this blog before (ha). 

Don't get me wrong though, I love my customer's (we've got AWESOME customers!), but these kiddos are growing just way too fast for me to even wrap my brain around right now.  There is nothing that I would trade to miss out on any single moment of their little lives.  So, it is now time for me to say goodbye to a wonderful and successful business that was fun while it lasted.  The May/June kit was to be the last one (notice how the site never got updated with a July kit...I was contemplating whether to keep going or not!).   Trust me when I say that I have been pondering this decision for months.  It wasn't easy.  I do hope that you all understand that I have made some wonderful friendships over the past several years with many of our customers.  I do plan to maintain those relationships as they are some of my very best friends!  On another note, I may still do a kit or two here and there when the fancy strikes me.  I may still also teach classes when the mood strikes.  :)  I will also continue to update this blog (hopefully more now!).

Wow.  Suddenly pouring my heart out to the world has just made me feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.  Hehe.  I can't even begin to tell you what I'm feeling.  My friend Jen over at Self-Addressed just did the same thing with her kit business and said that she feels like she is a new person.  Isn't it funny how letting go of something that you love makes you realize all of the potential that you have?  There have been many things on my to-do list for years now that have gotten put on the back burner.  So, what better time to do them than now?!  Sean and I were laughing last night about how many of our vacations over the past several years have revolved around scrapbook conventions, etc..  So, time for a real vacation! 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting back on track with several things:

1)  CREATING!!!!!  Geez, I have so missed actually getting to scrapbook!  I can't wait to sit down with my stuff and just go at it!  Expect to see more layouts and projects posted on here!  I am itching to get going.  It's funny that I used to feel guilty scrapbooking knowing that I had kits to order and such.  Now, I finally get to use some of the stuff!

2)  Actually having relaxing weekends with the family!

3)  Getting back in school for that Master's/Doctorate that I've had my eye on for sometime now.

4)  Getting back to a real career (well, maybe part-time once the little ones are older) in the engineering field.  I mean, seven years of school is a lot to waste!  Ask my parent's...they got the tab.  Right, Mother?  Ha.  

5)  Actually being on the receiving end of a kit club.  I have some terrific recommendations for those of you who are interested.  Email me if you are looking for one.  Better yet, here is my favorite:
Jenni Bowlin - By far my most favorite kit on the market for the past year or so.  Not only is Jenni a friend of mine, but she can put together a beautiful kit; especially if you like a mix of new and vintage items.  I stalk the mailbox on the 10th of the month as her kit always makes me smile.  Never disappointed.  Tell her I sent you.  Her new products are also super!

It's funny because many of us kit club owners used to swap kits with each other each month so we all know each other's kits fairly well.  Guess that was our way of getting happy mail.  Ha.

6)  Going to bed before 2am.  Ahh, that's going to be nice.

7)  Actually sitting in bed and reading that stack of books that have been piling up on my nightstand instead of new product catalogs. 

8)  Watching mindless tv....have you guys watched that new show on Tuesday night called "Wipeout?"  HILARIOUS!  I have never laughed so hard!

9)  Kicking Sean's butt in tennis on the Wii.  Now I'll have more time to practice while he is at work.  Ha.

10)  More play dates with the kids.

Well, enough rambling for tonight.  Don't want to overload you all!  I've got a ton of things to tell you guys later in the week one of which involves dumpster diving for one of our family members last week.  How could you not wanna know about that!?  LOL.

Again, thanks for your support and all of the love over the years.  I have been truly blessed!

Alive and well, thank you. ;)

So, did you guys think that I fell off of the planet?  I sooooo needed a mini vacation from everything.  So, I took one.  Just a break from "technology."  Isn't that obvious from looking at the website?  Ha.  Hope to have everything updated soon.  I think that a mental break is nice at times.  Do you ever feel like you just need a break from the everyday stuff that you do?  I have to admit that I've enjoyed hanging out with the kiddos and laughing at the fact that BarnBarn the cat got colored with a purple Crayola marker.  That was classic.  Thank goodness for washable markers.  Eli has discovered the stairs so you can only imagine the tantrums that take place when he gets scolded for it.  Anyway, I'll try to do a recap tonight, but just wanted to say hi and have a super day.  What did you all do for the holiday?

Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Jason Cochran!

Woohoo!  I didn't have time to edit the red-eye out of the picture, but you get the idea. :)  They were simply stunning together.  Brittany looked so beautiful and little brother cleaned up pretty well, too.  The ceremony was great, the food was great, etc.  It was just all so fun and perfect.  Now, if only Sean and I were in a tropical local like they are we would be just fine.  Ha.  If you guys are reading this then I certainly hope that you are enjoying yourselves with little fruity drinks on the beach.  I feel like we all need a vacation after the wedding!  I've got lot's to share about the day, but I'll have to wait to do that later in the week.  I've got more kits to get out the door today!  Trust me, though, I took 250 pictures so I've got a lot to share.  Oh, just for the record, here are a few unedited faves:

Geez

I have been so swamped here lately!  The kiddos are just so much fun these days!  We've been on the go a lot here lately to get ready for the beloved wedding of little bro and Brittany this coming weekend (thank goodness!).  I think that all involved will be so happy to see it happen. :)  This past weekend was the bachelorette party and it was a hoot.  I would say that Britt is very well stocked on sexy lingerie for, oh say, the next century?!  I've been trying to convey to Jack this week what will take place on Saturday.  I tried to explain to him that he'll be walking down an aisle in a "costume" (aka the tux) and that he'll have a lot of fun walking with the other little boy.  We shall see...wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall for that one?  Ha.  I think that my family has bets on what he will or won't do at the actual moment.  I should just say it again for the record that I am not responsible for what that child does or says during the ceremony.  It's a chance you gotta be willing to take (and hopefully laugh about it later). 

Speaking of Jack, he is on a train high here lately. 

Every day he wakes up and wants to go and see the trains.  EVERY SINGLE DAY AND AT LEAST TEN TIMES AN HOUR.  He even talks about them in his sleep.  Poor guy.  Oh, and once we do trampsy all over town to find one it is never good enough.  As soon as the last car passes he's back to saying, "twain."  That's how he says it, "twain."  So dang cute.  If we get home and he hasn't seen the amount of trains that he deems necessary then he refuses to get out of his car seat and tries to buckle himself back in.  I would just hate to imagine how much gas has been spent traveling all over the town looking for trains.  And, if you head in the opposite direction then you should just know that you will be hearing about it. I love this age though. 

Eli is growing just way to fast.  In a little over a month he will be turning one.  Yikes.  How could that much time have passed already?  Surely, not.  He is ALL OVER the place.  He only wants to be on the floor and trying to walk.  He is particularly fond of the Thomas the Train table in Jack's room right now (much to Jack's chagrin).  He loves to destroy the track setup and watch his brother cringe with terror.  Oh, and he also likes to eat the track, too.  Gets very upset when you tell him that it was made in China and could be hazardous to his health.  ;)  Oh, and he's a talker, too!  That boy could also probably sit in front of the tv all day long if I would let him.  We don't want to stereotype him at such a young age, but we have reason to believe that he may be our wild child.  Just a feeling...but he's just adorable!

On another note, I've been nursing a hangover of sorts...a Wii hangover.  Sean got one for Father's Day ( the kiddos couldn't wait until Sunday to give it to him.  Ha).  We have been staying up rather late kicking each other's booty in tennis here lately.  I will surely pay for it tomorrow. 

OK, enough chatting!  I've gotta get some sleep.  If you haven't received your kit yet, we are still getting some out tomorrow.  Hope you enjoy!

Please be patient...

I feel like this is the story of my life here lately. ;)  Our router got zapped in a pretty powerful lightening storm on Sunday morning AND I've been without Internet service for several days.  That does not fare very well with a gal who thrives on the Internet!  Hopefully all will be restored and back to normal in a day or so.  I feel like we are fairly lucky as we at least had the sense to have all of our laptops/computers unplugged once we knew the storm was bad.  Several of our neighbors had even worse issues (fried network cards, etc.).  We live on a high hill and I guess that we are just a friendly looking little hill for Mr. Lightening. :)  In the meantime, just waiting on one or two little things and the kits will hopefully ship out on Monday.

Have a great rest of the week!