Happy New Year's Eve

Whether you are home with family, sitting alone anywhere, curled up with a good book, or maybe just in a room with a lot of people.....I wish nothing but the best for you in this coming New Year.  As 2012 is coming to an end on the West Coast, in just about an hour I have chosen my word for 2013 or maybe it has chosen me.....this next year I will seek JOY.  I am sure it will meet me right where I am and teach me a thing or two.  Do you have a special word for the coming New Year?   

The last few weeks have been full of sewing, up until the last hours of Christmas Eve.  I made 4 quilts, altered newborn baby clothes for my Granddaughter's dolls which totaled over 2000 yards of thread and so many hours of sitting at my faithful machine that I am still sore.

 

My partner in crime, my youngest daughter Michaela, that blessed me by helping every minute that she could, so I could sew.  I think I will owe her coffee out for weeks.

These are the dolls that my Granddaughter's found under the tree after breakfast Christmas morning.  Their faces were priceless!  Each one came with their own diaper bag of clothes and I included a name tag with who they are.  Painting the faces and stitching on the hair was relaxing and fun. 

My heart was in a different place this Christmas and so much I can't still understand.  I am taking it one day at a time and the best thing is, I know I am okay.  It is a wonderful feeling to know that the not so great things that happen, don't take me to a horrible place anymore.  They make step back and see how far I have come.

PS.......Tracey, you need to contact me so I can get your book out to you

Merry Christmas

This is what our mantle and Christmas tree looked like on Christmas Eve.  Yes, our house is full this Christmas.  My second oldest daughter and her babies have come to stay with us awhile, filling my floor with little feet.  I had forgotten about the sound of pitter pattering little feet........or footfalls as my children use to call them.  Today they are quietly playing with the toys they opened up last night with no arguing.  Today we will watch movies, color in color books, read stories and take naps for sure.   

I want nothing but the best for each and everyone of you that have come here today.  May the peace, comfort, joy and hope you seek be found this day.  Thank you for supporting me this year as I find a new sense of balance and peace!

Thank you Jesus for being my reason for the season and showing me that the simplest of gifts can mean the most.  You have answered an important prayer for me this Christmas and I am eternally grateful to you for loving me so much to work out every detail.  Merry Christmas everyone, may you see the miracles He has for you today!!

Welcome 2011

I have decided that as much as I have loved this process this month of my journal.  My journal ends with Day 31 and I am really okay with it.  Today it has all about resting, which we will also do tomorrow.  Everyone is back to the regular family life as of Monday.  Yes, my husband has been home.  He has taken the kids vacation time off for as long as I can remember.  The only thing I don't like about everyone returning to work/school is that all of our animals are so use to people being around that they are pouty when the schedule is back to normal.

Day 28, Indulgences there were so many of them but it is all good!

Day 29, Can't let time go by without talking about a few of the movies I love watching.

Day 30, A short summary of 2010. 

Day 31, Goodbye 2010 and Hello to 2011.

Almost over

Well 2010 is done for some and almost gone for me.  The happy things for this year have been the addition of two beautiful Grandbabies to the family.  I love my Grandbabies, they provide me with so much sunshine!

Day 24, Christmas Eve is when we open all our presents.  My journaling will be on the back with some pictures on the front.

 

Day 25, Christmas Day we get to play with all our new stuff.  Just a fun relaxing day.  Journaling on the back.

Day 26, I found this postcard at a shop here in town.  I loved it and knew it would be a perfect addition to my album this year.  I had fun playing with the camera this year and took a few photos of ornaments leaving space for writing.  Hoping to use some of them as Christmas cards next year.(yes, trying to plan ahead)

Day 27,  My sleep patterns are all messed up with everyone home.  School starts back up on Monday and I think I am going to take a nice long nap with a quiet house!!

Merry Day After Christmas

Yesterday was a nice day, that wasn't filled with lots of pressure.  My daughter and I were out numbered by the male numbers in the house so there was a lot of guy talks.  We put a ham in the roaster the night before so it was all ready for eating mid afternoon.  To that we added green beans and scalloped potatoes, pretty simple and good.  Our Uncle Ray did the dishes which was so sweet.  The rest of the evening was just spent sitting around talking.

As for Journal Your Christmas, it has been a success for me. I have a couple of more days to finish up and I am hoping to do those tomorrow.  If I do anything more for the next few days they may just be half pages of what we are doing until everyone goes back to school/work.  Family left today to get ahead of the weather so the house is abnormally quiet.  I think I am going to go visit with my sewing machine.

Day 21, The reality of how the house looks.  Past years I have always been ahead of the game on keeping up with things, not this year and honestly I am okay with that.

Day 22,  The things still left to do.  I decided on a Rum Cake that turned out beautiful.  This page was made from some Making Memories packaging and the deer is from a Starbucks food bag.  I just cut it out and glued it down. 

Day 23, The story of our stockings will go here  as soon as I get the photo printed. 

Merry Christmas!

Family visits, 2 full days of baking, stuffing presents, and last minute shopping. I'm done and enjoying a little bit of quiet while my Step brother has taken my children to see Avatar in 3D. I am also waiting for the mailman or even ups. I ordered a few things that I hope get here in time for opening gifts tonight.

Oh, are you questioning the stuffing presents? lol, I thought you might. Years ago when my girls were younger we started a tradition of wrapping tops and bottoms of boxes with pretty Christmas papers. I never felt right about going and spending a lot of money on wrapping paper to only have it be thrown away in a matter of seconds. Plus over half of my family doesn't like to actually wrap presents so at least I can guaranty that everything looks pretty under the tree. We started saving nice heavy duty shoe boxes, fruit boxes and just about any other box that would work. This also helps you to think about your gift purchases. If you know that you don't have a box big enough to fit the gift, we have found that we have a tendency to not purchase the gift. In less of course it comes in it's own box then you are safe.

Merry Christmas to you and yours this holiday season. Remember the reason for the season is Jesus, who came to save the world. Enjoy your family and laugh until your sides hurt.

A little bit of this and a little bit of that

I have discovered that I have a hard time doing projects that I don't really want to do. Normally, I can just push right through it and get it done. Honestly I am trying......sigh. My heart is just not in it? Keep pushing it has been over a year since I was given the information to do this project. Time to move on and get it done!

I found out a few days ago that family is coming for Christmas. So starting tomorrow morning until around the 28th of December we will have a house full. One of my very best friends is coming and she will be making us Christmas Eve dinner as a family present. I'm pretty excited. I just have to remember that we made a promise to keep our purchases down this year and not going shopping to look for gifts. I NEED to be creative, make something from my heart that will be appreciated. I hope it will be, anyway.

Christmas shopping is done! I am thankful over the years that we have taken the time to 'pre wrap' boxes!! All I have to do is lay everything out and put them into boxes. Done and so wonderful. My problem is I fight the hurge to buy one more gift almost on a minute to minute basis. I need to look at a few projects I have been meaning to get done. Maybe one of those could go under the tree in the next 4 to 5 days.

Helping my girlfriend's daughter is such a blessing. It is so much fun to see her face light up as we teach her to measure and allow her to mix things. She is so excited to give her gifts. That is when you know they come from her little heart. Hope they will be received as such from her family. I'll report back on that after Christmas with some photos of what we made with her.

Mini Pocket

I do so love Wilna's coffee albums but I knew with this one I wanted to add a few tags. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE tags but they aren't always the easiest thing for me to work with. Well, up until now that is! I found Laura over at Following the Paper Trail and I tell you what, this woman is amazing with her designs. I actually stumbled on her Utube video's and now I'm hooked.

So for my pocket on my coffee album I followed Laura's general instructions for her Multi pocket envelop pattern found here. I did end up adjusting my pocket from her original design but not by much. Please remember this is NOT my original design so any credit needs to go to Laura. I do not have photos of the pattern pieces so please see Laura's utube video

In these photos you can see where the pocket insert was placed. You will have two pieces for the insert. Piece #1 measures 10 1/2 x 3, you will score this piece at 3/4", 2 3/4" and 3 1/2". Piece #2 measures 4 x 3, scored at 1/2" and 2 3/4". Each 3/4" are your flaps for each side of the tag pocket. These will be on either side of the page, in my photos they are the red pieces. Take piece #2 and place adhesive on the 1/2" flap, then place this onto piece #1 at the opposite end from the 3/4" score line. Now you will just follow Laura's instructions on how to place the pocket insert between the pages. Then Wilna's instructions for finishing your album. Tag inserts are 3 x 3 1/4". Have fun creating!!

What a month!


Where did it go? I just can't believe that we will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday! Well, all I can say is the turkey and the trimmings are purchased. It will be a quiet day with only my parents here but I'm okay with that. We had some of our cousins over this past weekend and it was a nice time with no agenda other than spending time together.


This month has also been a little struggle for me. It started out with a bladder infection, which I haven't had in years, then realizing that I am officially in full swing pre-menopause, and my Mom not doing well..........ya, it is all I can do to focus on being thankful for the little things. I've been taking time to be creative and that is helping. Again this year I seem to be having to force myself into the Christmas spirit. I can't believe how early Christmas stuff was put out. I sure don't like the commercial end of it all, it just gets me in a bug humbug mood.


One of the things that has been helping me and my attitude is I have made two new friends. I am so enjoying their company. We are trying to get together every other week to just have fun together. I have missed doing that! One of the things we put together was a one of these, designed by Wilna. I can't tell you how sweet these are and once you start making them good luck in trying to stop collecting cups!! I have a few in the works and will share them when I get them done, until then enjoy this one. There is a special pocket in between two of the pages so extra tags can be added. I'll post information on that tomorrow with a little close up.
Materials used: A tall Starbucks Christmas cup, Pinecone Press Christmas/Winter papers bits and pieces of their new holiday line, Snowflake punches, Tiny attatcher by Tim Holtz, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Snowflake ribbon, Snowflake brad(for encloser), Vintage photo Distress ink by Ranger

Merry Christmas!

Where ever you are and whatever you are doing the next few days. May your Christmas be all that you want it to be and more. Be blessed, be safe and remember this little baby born on this day to be the savior of the world. May that message alone, bring you to a new deep understanding of how much He loves YOU!

Cold but Simply Beautiful

It was beautiful today. Everyone was out and about getting ready for Christmas. Also making sure they are all stocked up with food before the another storm hits tonight sometime.

We made a run to the grocery store for a few things, had coffee at Borders and bought a few Christmas presents. I spent a couple of hours at home by myself while Bruce went out again with the kids so they could do there Christmas shopping. They are at least excited because they are both in their rooms wrapping. It was a nice little time alone even if I only took a shower.

I've taken some really nice photos of the neighborhood the last couple of days. It sure is quiet when it is cold outside. I really do love the snow, there is something about knowing that God created each and everyone of the snowflakes that fall to the ground. No two are alike.....I like that thought.

Looking for something fun to do? Creating Keepsakes is trying to get a nationwide ornament drop going. You make a homemade ornament, then place it somewhere that someone can find it. There is a special tag you can attach so they will know where to go. Here are my two that I dropped today. First little guy put onto a chair at Borders and second in a pile of onions at the grocery store.

I'm looking forward to sharing more about these as they are put special places. Just hope sometime I will be able to see people's faces too!

No Mail but plenty of SNOW!

Two feet of snow in a 24 hour period that is what we have had. It is amazing! So for me I am snowed in because my car is to low to the ground. No school for the kids today and tomorrow either so for them Christmas vacation started a couple of days early. Sure hope they didn't leave anything in their lockers that they needed. Bruce made it in to work only to turn around a couple of hours later to come home. It only stopped snowing this evening for enough time for Bruce and I to get some shoveling done. Never thought I would say this but in the spring when snow blowers go on sale, we are buying one.

Back to watching the snow fall, making Christmas presents that should have been out in the mail by now and waiting for morning. Michaela and I will get out the Christmas stuff and do a bit of decorating. At least I have snowmen that can stay up until spring or until I NEED spring.

Baby's its cold outside

Christmas gifts are purchased and not wrapped. The ones that will be sent out in the mail won't get there in time of Christmas day. Our new family photo has been taken, just need to print here at home.(it is weird not having our girls in the picture) It is so cold, it was 8 degrees this morning. My sun roof in the kitchen has decided to leak onto my newly painted walls, lovely.

So far, the best part of this year(besides getting a new house) is we got an offer on our house in Yakima. With any luck we will be signing papers this week and at least that part of stuff is done. We have had a lot going on with this house, since we had the people move out that were staying there. It has been a total mess!!

There is still no sign of where my daughter and her family went. It leaves you sad but this is what she has wanted for a long time. To have us not be apart of her life. I understand needing to be on your own but to just leave your extended family behind is something I am not sure I will ever understand. As I've gotten older I have found value in my family, even when we don't see eye to eye and we haven't always had the best relationship. However, I still always made sure that somehow we were still connected, even just a little bit. I guess time will tell.

If you are looking for a special Christmas class that is FREE, you have got to go here. I can't wait to put it together soon. I'm loving the paper line she is using, isn't it pretty?