A month.  I have never gone a month without posting on this blog.  But I have never had a month like the past one.  It all started the day after Thanksgiving when Gary’s wife Peggy had an auto accident.  It could have been so much worse, especially considering the life squad had to cut her out of the car – but when one foot is broken and the other knee is messed up, it’s nearly impossible to get around.  So Gary has spent a lot of time at home playing caregiver, and everyone else has been running ragged to help pick up the slack.  Somehow, filling your orders and trying to enjoy the holidays seemed more important.  But now it’s time to catch up – a little at a time.

First things first.  CHA was last weekend and there are hundreds of new items on our site – and lots more to come.  You’ll find a few banners on our homepage . . .

Click on any of them and you’ll learn a lot.  There are also new tools and platforms from Sizzix, along with 12 new Stickles colors.

I’m still working on adding new items from Ranger, We R Memory Keepers, and more — but there are so many more new items out there.  Some we’re thinking about (and frankly aren’t sure whether you would like them or not) — and others we simply don’t know about yet.  This is where you come in —what is new and exciting that you simply must have?  Just hit the "reply" button and let us know!

Some of you wondered, since I was in Dallas-Fort Worth last weekend for a show in Grapevine with my beloved Ohio State Buckeyes playing for the National Championship less than 20 miles away . . . no, I didn’t go to the game.  The “cheapest” ticket I could get was $370 and that was just too much for my tastes.  Nikki from Heirloom Productions suggested that I put a “tip jar” in the booth with a sign that said “Send Greg to the Game” (she even donated $6 to the cause) – but there was no tip jar and I returned her donation the next day.  But since the promoters hail from Oregon, a shrine in my booth was too much to resist . . .

But I got home in time to watch the game on TV – and when it was over, I rolled over and went to sleep.  Yes, I regret it a bit now and I know it was “once in a lifetime” – but I can’t change who I am.  And “practical” is who I am . . .

I’ll share some holiday pics from our family gatherings in the next few days, when I get a break from adding more and more new stuff to our site . . .