As the year begins to wind down...

One of my biggest regrets of my four years spent back east, was failing to take pictures of the stunning fall foliage. My friends and I used to hike up the hills and just take in the view. Of course, those were the days before digital cameras and we poor graduate students couldn't really afford to get a lot of pictures developed. *sigh* Oh, well. This is the best we can do here (yes, that's Marika in pink at the base of the tree) - a gingko tree with golden leaves.

Marika had her soccer party - they're not supposed to get trophies (just medals) but her coach knows how much little girls like big trophies! This was Marika's first trophy ever and boy, is it a monster! It's at least 6 inches taller than the biggest one Mika has! Seriously, it must be at least 2-feet tall!

Probably the biggest news - as of late - was that Marika learned how to ride a 2-wheeler. You can see her trainer right beside her. I think within 15-30 minutes, Mika taught Marika how to do it. I was little worried that Marika might get banged up, but Mika was an excellent teacher and taught her lovingly and patiently. Why did I let Mika do it? Mika cried A LOT when we tried to teach her and since Marika seemed to be enjoying the lesson, I figured, "eh, why not?" Good call, if I must say so, myself! Hopefully Santa will bring some new bikes this year...

And for you scrappers out there... I found a new discount place that offers free shipping over $20. It's called Scrapbuck.com and they have some really good deals! One of my favorite collections - of all time - is the Sweetest Bug line by Heidi Grace (ooh, big surprise, right?). Scrapbuck offers at least a couple of those clear stamps for amazing prices. My first purchase was smooth... except that one incorrect item was shipped - they responded over the weekend that they would be mailing the correct item the next business day. Free shipping over $20 is definitely an excellent deal!

Speaking of free shipping... Joann.com is offering free shipping for 3 hours on December 9th - orders placed between noon-3 pm (eastern time) will get free shipping with no minimum purchase. Promo code: FSNM343. Don't forget ebates!