Our new hog shed update! It is DONE!

Many of you have asked about how things are coming along on our farm after our fire.

Well- the hog shed is done & there are piggies now living in it.

We haven't decided yet what we are doing for replacing the bale shed.....

Yesterday I ran up so that I could take these pictures to share with you for my update on things.

 This is west end of the building.

This is the east end of the building.

Notice that there is now a rock driveway here where our old bale shed sat.

If we end up building a new one we will not be putting it back in the exact same spot.

This is the front side of the building.

And here are the piggies playing in the water sprinklers we have on 

to help keep them cool on a hot day!  

The piggies are happy in the new home!  

Our hog shed was actually finished a couple of weeks ago 

& the piggies were moved into it right away!

This new hog shed is exactly like the old one, except it is just about 50 years newer. 

We used the same foundations, cement walls & gates.  

Thank you for all of your prayers & concerns.

We are lucky that none of the piggies got hurt.

And we are happy that this hog shed is rebuilt!

More.......

Here are some more....I'm sharing some more photos!  

I took my mom, my aunt & Deke's mom, with Brayden & me to the hospital this morning so that they could meet Masen!

Brayden was feeding Masen.

Brayden was burping Masen & he was sucking on his cheek!

My mom (Great-Grandma Sharon) holding Masen.

My Aunt (Great) Virginia holding Masen.

Deke's mom (Great- Grandma Betsy) holding Masen.

Masen is precious!!

Christmas Shaker cards!

Here is another sneak peek!  Check out this cool Christmas card kit in the New Holiday Catalog!

It is called- 'To You & Yours' Shaker Cards Project Kit.  You get 18 cards (6 each of 3 designs) for $24.00 including envelopes & all of the supplies you'll need to complete them.
 
We are off to the hospital this morning to see Masen, Sarah & Nathan.
 
I hope you have a SENSATIONAL Saturday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

Our family!

Our family grew today......

We are proud to announce the arrival of Masen John Wood.  

He was born at 1:44 pm today (8/14/15) to Nathan & Sarah.

He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces & is 21 inches long. 

He is just perfect!

Here is Masen & his big brother Brayden!

Love this smile!

And here they are- ALL 5 of our boys!

Drake, Trey, Brayden, Brody & Masen

How blessed we are!

A Minion birthday invite!

Here is the birthday invites Manda & I made for Brody & Drake's upcoming 4th birthday party that is the end of this month!  I (G'ma) wanted to do dinosaurs as their theme & Manda thought they might want to do some super heros- but they wanted Minions.  So that is what they got.  This is my Minion punch art guy!  I think he turned out pretty cute!  The boys were pleased.....so guess that is all that counts. 

I will post the supplies I used sometime soon.  This card was created all with Stampin' Up! punches & framelits.  It is pretty cool huh!

+++++

We had a full day on the farm yesterday with our new baby piggies!  It was a very long day!  We came in to get supper last night, ate, showered & off to Brayden's football practice we went.  We stopped for ice cream on the way home from there.  We were all beat when we finally got home!  I should have stamped....but we all called it a day & went to bed.  This heat just drains you when you are out in it all day long.  

The 3 Seeley boys will be here here soon to spend the day.  Brayden is going to Aunt Kathy's for awhile. Then tonight the guys will be head to Columbus Junction to the races.  As bad as I want to go racing with them, I have got to stay home & get caught up on my things.  My piles have gotten bigger this week instead of smaller.  

I hope you have a FABULOUS Friday!!
Happy Stamping!
hugs-
SUSIE

A black cat with some witches brooms!

Here is another Holiday Catalog Sneak Peek!  

I am a huge cat lover (especially black cats) & I just love this cat stamp & coordinating framelit.  The cat is actually from the set- 'Festive Fireplace'.....but I just thought it was fitting to have a black cat with brooms- don't you? 

Growing up we had a black house cat named Midnight.  And when Manda was in high school she brought a black cat in the house from the farm & named him Lucky.  He lived with them until Trey was born & he now lives at our house again. 

stamp set:  'If the Broom Fits' & 'Festive Fireplace'
card stock:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White
ink:  NEW Archival Basic Black pad
markers:  Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip
supplies:  Big Shot, Festive Fireplace Framelits, Banner Triple Punch, Dimensionals

Note:  I tried to stamp this cat using the NEW Archival Basic Black Ink onto Basic Black card stock- but is all just blended in & you couldn't see the definite outline of the card....so I then stamped it using the NEW Archival Basic Black onto the Whisper White card stock & then cut it out with the coordinating framelit.  I then used my Basic Black marker & colored the cat in.  

++++++

Yesterday was a busy day with the boys.  Manda & I also created bridal shower invites for Sarah & Nathan.  I got 90 bridal shower invites all made last night.  I will share this cute invite sometime after we get them mailed out. 

Brayden came about 9 last night & stayed all night with us.  We are headed out this morning to help Papa again on the farm, as we get baby piggies delivered soon.  So need I say that I have a very excited little farm boy!  He is the only one that will be here today to help us.  And he is thrilled that the piggies arrived before he had to start back to school so that he didn't miss out. 

Tonight I will be burning the midnight oil again, as I have tons of projects to get created.  Hopefully things will go as I have planned & I pray that I have good mojo.  

I hope you have a very special Thursday!!  

Happy Stamping!
Hugs-

SUSIE

A Halloween Sneak Peek!!

Woo Hoo!  Oh my......I just couldn't resist making this card last night right before I went to bed so that I had another New Holiday Catalog sneak peek to share with you.  My pre-oder of some of the NEW Holiday Catalog products arrived last week & I finally made the time to pick out a few things to create with.  This is a clean & simple card- BUT look at the cool NEW products from the Holiday Catalog that I used when creating it. 

Those of you that know me- know that I LOVE Halloween!!  I even have a special Halloween Treats class each year....just so that I can create lots of Halloween projects & share them!  There are tons of new Halloween products in the new Holiday Catalog.  I'm going to have soooooo much fun creating projects with them for my upcoming Halloween Treats class.  You can check out my calendar for dates & times of these upcoming classes @ www.susiewood.stampinup.net 

Does this look like a spooky card to you?  Those little black eyes & the darkened trees are really cute huh!  And what about this AWESOME new embossing folder called- Woodland!  It is perfect for any occasion....fall, winter, guy cards, etc. 

stamp set:  NEW 'Among the Branches'
card stock:  Basic Gray, Very Vanilla, Basic Black
designer paper: NEW Happy Hauntings
ink:  NEW Archival Basic Black ink pad, Tangelo Twist 
other supplies:  NEW Spider Web Doilies, 2" Circle Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Triple Banner Punch, Dimensionals, Sponge

+++++

We had a busy day yesterday on the farm with the boys & getting new baby piggies here.  I love hearing the squeal of the boys & piggies!  We definitely have some true little farmers.  They love getting to help Papa on the farm & we love that they can!!  It is surely an experience that they will never forget & neither will we.  We are truly blessed!  And we had an added bonus yesterday too, as Manda got to come out to be on the farm also, so that was neat!

Last night Susie's Hair Hut was open for business & I got Deke's hair cut!  Now I need to find time in my schedule (& theirs) to get Steve & Nathan's hair cut sometime soon too.

Deke & I are both up bright & early this morning.  Deke headed out to chore & I worked on stamping stuff.  Deke will be gone all day to meetings today in Sigourney & then Mount Pleasant.  And all 4 boys will be here with me.   Plus Manda is coming too & we are going to design & create Nathan & Sarah's bridal shower invitations.  We have an idea in mind, so I hope it works out & Sarah likes them!  I also hope the boys cooperate & we can get alot done today- which is a bigger task to accomplish than making the invites. 

I hope you have a WONDERFUL Wednesday!!

Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

Our boys on the farm!

This weeks - "WEEKLY DEALS" August 11- 17, 2015! These are limited supplies only!

It is an explosion 'flower' card!

Here is the last card I have to share with you, of my 6 cards I made for my classes I had last week.  This is a clean & simple card with a real wow- as I did an "explosion pop out" in the inside of it!!!  

Check out the shinny centers of the flowers too.  I used Crystal Effects on them.  I think that it really added some dimension to the card. 

This is a really neat stamp set.  I love that it has a flower punch that goes with it.

stamp set:  'Birthday Blossom'

card stock:  Whisper White THICK, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede

ink: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride

supplies:  Big Shot, Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder, Crystal Effects, Paper Snips, Pansy Punch, Dimensionals

 

 AND LOOK AT THIS.......

Here is the paper explosion on the inside of my card!  It is a 8x8 pieces of typing paper that I did an origami fold with.  We folded it & then stamped on it- before adhering it to the inside of the card. 

This card was definitely alot of fun for everyone to make.  I loved listening to the gals as they were making it.  It was sweet & made me smile too- just listening to them as they were creating.

I so remember making my first ever explosion card about 15 years ago.  It was a birthday card!  And I just thought it was one of the neatest cards ever.  And oh how I vividly remember it.  I probably have it in a drawer someplace.....as I love making cards- but could never give away cards that I made in a class.  Is that how you are too?

+++++

This morning I'm headed out to help Deke chore & get set up for our baby piggies to arrive.  All 4 boys & Manda will be here too to 'help'!  I know they boys were bouncing off of the walls today with excitement anticipating getting to help Papa & G'ma on the farm!

 

I hope you have a TERRIFIC Tuesday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-

SUSIE

'Vintage Leaves' & the coordinating framelits!

Here is another card that everyone joining me at my August classes made this past week.  

Fall is my favorite season so I couldn't resist getting this awesome new stamp set & coordinating framelits from the main catalog- pg. 88.

Check out the cool Corrugated 12x12 paper that I cut a strip of & added along the edge of this card.  It is super neat!  It comes with 2 sheets of kraft color & 2 sheets of white.

stamp set:  'Vintage Leaves', 'Gorgeous Grunge' & 'All Boxed Up'
card stock:  Early Espresso, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
12x12 paper:   Corrugated Paper (kraft)
ink:  Early Epsresso, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze
supplies:  Big Shot, Leaflets Framelits, Magnetic Platform, Early Espresso Seam Binding ribbon, dimensionals, glue dots

++++

 I had a full day yesterday with 2 stamp classes.  We all had a fun day stamping together though!  I am glad so many joined me!! 

Deke was up early to chore this morning & is off to a meeting.  I'll be home with the boy(s).  Brayden just got home from a trip with his mom, so I'm sure looking forward to seeing him when he gets here this morning.   Tonight I'll be catching up on farm bookwork & then burning the midnight oil stamping.

I hope you have a MARVELOUS Monday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

A neat easel card- using 'Definitely Dahlia'!

Wow- have you noticed the awesome big flower stamp in the catalog on page 129?  It is called 'Definitely Dahlia' & it is so pretty!!

I created this easel card for my August monthly classes, so everyone joining me to stamp this week will be making this card.

Check out the cool script words along the bottom of the card!  They are from the 'Greeting Thinlits' set of 3 (hello, thanks & cheers)- page 172.  I love them!

stamp set:  'Definitely Dahlia'
card stock:  Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette & Whisper White
ink:  Melon Mambo
supplies:  Big Shot, Greeting Thinlits, Bitty Butterfly Punch, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Whisper White 1/4" Cotton Ribbon, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, White Perfect Accents
other:   Waxed Paper

++++++

I spent my whole day yesterday working on stamping stuff.  We meet our kids for supper last night & then I came back home to stamp some more.  I burnt the midnight oil cutting card stock, getting ready for today's classes.  I'll be headed out door soon.  I have one class this morning & one class this afternoon.  Lona & Fran are our hostesses this month.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone & spending my day stamping with them.  Woo Hoo!

I hope you have a SUPER Sunday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

Another Holiday Catalog Sneek Peak!

Wow- check out this pretty fall card!  It is made with the new Holiday Catalog set- 'Lighthearted Leaves' & coordinates with the Leaflets Framelits on pg. 172 in the main catalog.

This card was on a display board at convention that I took a picture of.  I just thought it was stunning!  

++++

Baby Masen is doing good.  Sometime in the next 2 weeks he should make his arrival.  We are all getting anxious to meet him.  I am glad that I could rearrange things & was able to go with Sarah to her doctor appointment yesterday.  Her mom ended up getting off work to go with us too, so both grandma's were there.

Last night we went racing.....Nathan had terrible luck again!  The poor guy....I feel so sorry for him.  He has had quite the year.  He ended up 14th I think, as he got hit & had to pull in & then tag the tail again.  He has some straightening & fixing to do on the race car before it will be ready to race again.  Several of our local tracks are taking the week off racing this week, so he doesn't race again until next Friday night.

I am home all day today & will be burning the midnight oil cutting cardstock & getting ready for my 2 monthly classes that I have tomorrow.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone that will be joining me!  I have lots of fun things to share with them.

Off I go.....lots of stamping stuff to accomplish today!!  

I hope you have a SENSATIONAL Saturday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

A pretty bakset of flowers!!

So what do you think of this?  Here is a pretty basket of flowers.  This is another one of the cards that everyone stamping with me at my August classes will make this week.  The stamped out flowers are also the exact same image as the Ice Cream, Cloud or Tree top images that are in this cool stamp set. 

I used this years new Ronald McDonald set- 'Sprinkles of Life' & the coordinating Tree Builder Punch to make this card.  

I made a window by punching out a section of the embossed card stock.  

stamp set:  'Sprinkles of Life' & 'Cottage Greetings'
card stock:  Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
ink:  Black Memento padmarkers: 2014-2016 In Color set of 5- Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss & Lost Lagoon
other:  Big Shot, Large Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Tree Build Punch, dimensionals, glue dots, Banner Triple Punch, 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Basic Pearls, Whisper White 1/2" Seam Binding ribbon

Are you wondering where I got the basket handles at?  I stamped 2 of the candle images that are in this stamp set & then fussy cut them out with my paper snips.  

Do you like the way I layered the banner across the bottom?  It just makes it pop out a little more this way.  

++++++

Yesterday was a busy day!!  And I had a house full of stampers last night too!!   Woo Hoo!  I was beat & have the mess yet to clean up sometime later today when I get back home, but we all had a good time. 

 

I'm off work today so I can go with Sarah to her doctors appointment, as Nathan had a meeting to attend that he couldn't miss, thus he can't go with her.  We are now in the countdown & little Masen could be arriving any day!  We are all getting anxious to meet him. 

 

Then tonight we are all off to Columbus Junction to the races.  Nathan is sponsoring the Kids Club Events there tonight!  He'll be in the dunk tank & giving away t-shirts & other things.  I hadn't planned to go.....but I don't want to miss out spending time with my family either.  I'll just burn the midnight oil again tomorrow night cutting card stock & getting ready for my 2 classes I have on Sunday. 

Gotta run.....I hope you have a FABULOUS Friday!!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE

My Paper Pumpkin= 50% off for new subscribers!

Each month a fully designed project kit arrives in a delightful box filled with stamps, ink, and paper-everything cut and ready to go so you can skip to the fun. Just think of it as creativity in a box.

Now through September 10, first time subscribers can get 50% off their first two months!  What a perfect time to try it out and see what you think.

When I was at convention I got a sneak peek of the August and September kits and I promise you will love them!  Be sure and subscribe by August 10th, to get the August kit.

Use the promo code: HALFOFF.
Click HERE to subscribe!

If you have any questions you can contact me here!
Happy Stamping!
Hugs-
SUSIE