What a month it's been! Full of excitement, stress, but most of all BLESSINGS!!! At the beginning of December we weren't sure we'd even be able to buy gifts to mail to our grandkids. But God blessed my husband with so much work that suddenly we were not only able to buy and mail gifts, we were also able to make the trip to Kissimmee and Virginia to DELIVER most of the gifts we bought!!!!! (We had to mail the gifts to Alaska...) God is so very, very good!!!!
We started our trip with a visit to see Molly. It was short (just a couple of hours) but very sweet and she was happy to see us and LOVED her gifts! Then we drove about 6 hours through countless herds of deer just on the side of the road on the interstate to S Carolina where we slept for a few hours. Then yesterday morning we got up early and drove about 6 1/2 more hours to arrive in Virginia Beach to visit our grandsons, my daughter and her SO. Noah had no idea we were coming and was so surprised!! And Steve and Garrett finally met. Of course it was instant love on both sides! :) Then we opened gifts and a great time was had by all of us. Next we went to the Chinese buffet where Noah learned that octopus wasn't so bad after all. (EEEEWWWW YUCK!) And home we went to crash. By 10 PM it was snowing and it hasn't stopped since!!! (I'm typing this at 5 PM the next day!)
We now have about 2 FEET of snow and it's still a blizzard out there!!!!!!! We're SUPER glad we didn't fly and that we drove yesterday!!!
Today has been spent enjoying football and each other. Brett cooked his famous chicken wings - hot for him and Steve and BBQ for Noah, Michele and I. :) YUMMY! He came out of the kitchen with the second batch and said "Thanks for making this such an awesome Christmas guys!" Awwwwwww!!!! :) We agree Brett! :)
So now we're just curious how much snow we'll eventually end up with and whether or not Michele's store will be closed tomorrow... It's supposed to continue snowing all night! Very rare for this area too! And we'll enjoy our time here with them. Thursday we drive to Northern Virginia to see the rest of my family for a few days and then hopefully drive home on the third where our friends are taking better care of our home and dog Baxter than we would be! Like I said, we have been very blessed!
The next post has a slideshow of events so far this Christmas season. Check back soon for more because the cameras have been quite busy!!! Hehe!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Crazy Christmas Time!
I don't know about anyone else, but this year has been a super crazy one! We've had two engagements, two babies added to the family, lots of guests visiting, computer issues and somehow each of us managed to travel without each other at least twice this summer! So I started the season feeling like it kinda snuck up on me. Next three of my dear friends had super serious life issues and needed their friend (me) to spend hours on the phone with them. I was (and still am) happy to help them and honored that they think enough of me to want me to be the one they confide in. It has just been hard to manage my time because they obviously come before some silly Christmas cards! Then the weather got super cold and we had to convince our friends to come stay with us since they didn't have heat. It took them 24 hours to thaw out - literally! Then my poor DH got super sick with a cold. He's better now and somehow, some way I managed not to get it myself! YAY! It just seemed like every time I turned around something was taking me away from what I wanted or felt like I "should" be doing...
And then suddenly it was a week before Christmas! My cookie baking tradition went out the window when I tried a different kind and they were total disasters. My handmade cards went out the window when the Cricut cartridge I ordered to make life "SO MUCH EASIER HONEY" (as I explained to my dear husband) turned out to take up MORE time and be super complicated... (Or maybe it's just my non-logical brain just couldn't figure it out...) However, the Costco photo card turned out SUPER cute and everyone is raving about it! Thank GOD for Costco! And thankfully everyone's LOVING the two-page family letter I put in with the card which had at least 12 pictures included. Isn't it nice to feel rewarded for all your hard work?! Hehe!
Anyway, I know that whatever ends up getting done will be fine with my family and friends. But I wanted it to be SO much better! And I really, truly wish that I could have ENJOYED it more this year. I've been telling the "Time Thieves" to get away... Maybe I should start telling the "Joy Thieves" to leave too... Hmmmmmm.... Might just have something there!
Anyway, it's all keeping my mind off the pending Design Team call results for Imaginisce, the Echo Park guest blogger call and the Pink Paislee blogger of the month (one each month for 2011) that I applied for... There's usually a blessing in everything isn't there?
Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember the REAL reason for this season and to keep my focus on Him. Sometimes it isn't easy, but then that's why He's here helping me isn't it? Hehe!
Have a wonderfully blessed week before Christmas!!!
And then suddenly it was a week before Christmas! My cookie baking tradition went out the window when I tried a different kind and they were total disasters. My handmade cards went out the window when the Cricut cartridge I ordered to make life "SO MUCH EASIER HONEY" (as I explained to my dear husband) turned out to take up MORE time and be super complicated... (Or maybe it's just my non-logical brain just couldn't figure it out...) However, the Costco photo card turned out SUPER cute and everyone is raving about it! Thank GOD for Costco! And thankfully everyone's LOVING the two-page family letter I put in with the card which had at least 12 pictures included. Isn't it nice to feel rewarded for all your hard work?! Hehe!
Anyway, I know that whatever ends up getting done will be fine with my family and friends. But I wanted it to be SO much better! And I really, truly wish that I could have ENJOYED it more this year. I've been telling the "Time Thieves" to get away... Maybe I should start telling the "Joy Thieves" to leave too... Hmmmmmm.... Might just have something there!
Anyway, it's all keeping my mind off the pending Design Team call results for Imaginisce, the Echo Park guest blogger call and the Pink Paislee blogger of the month (one each month for 2011) that I applied for... There's usually a blessing in everything isn't there?
Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember the REAL reason for this season and to keep my focus on Him. Sometimes it isn't easy, but then that's why He's here helping me isn't it? Hehe!
Have a wonderfully blessed week before Christmas!!!
Monday, December 13, 2010
SOOOOOO SCARY!!!!!
After a wonderful morning getting things done at home and a great couple of hours of shopping, I returned home to our friends who were coming to spend another night or two due to the cold. My little dog Baxter was in our bedroom because he hates being out by himself when we're gone (bad separation anxiety case here). So after we got all our stuff in I let him out and he ended up going through the doggy door to the back yard. No problem. Happens dozens of times every day. But today was different! Today one of the pair of pit bulls that lives across the street had gotten out. I didn't know that though. And what I also didn't know is that this pit bull had literally torn down part of the fencing in the hedge to get into my back yard and come after my dog!!!!
Now Baxter has NEVER liked these dogs. I'm not too fond of the breed myself, but these are not well-controlled and they are not nice dogs at all. They belong to the daughter of our neighbor who is not happy about having them in the house. And they are not spayed or neutered. They are the epitome of the badness of this breed. So every time Baxter sees or hears these dogs he tries to go after them. We've been working on making him stop but when one is in HIS yard coming after HIS family, Baxter proved himself to be strong and brave! By the time I figured out what was happening, the dogs were on top of each other in the far corner of the yard! I finally got Baxter to come to me and we were about 5-7 feet from the corner when I heard a sound. Here came the big dog!!!
Baxter whirled around and went after the pit bull making the most awful barking noise you ever heard! The pit bull (about 3 times Bax's size) turned and started to go back and the next thing I knew Baxter came up on that dog's butt and grabbed him with his teeth! Of course that started another huge fight and they were on top of each other! I'm screaming at Baxter and trying to figure out what to do when my friend Karen comes running with a thick rubber hose she'd found laying on the ground. She went after the dogs and was whacking a table and the ground with it. Baxter finally came towards me and I got him started towards the house yelling at him AND at Karen to come into the house. Meanwhile Scott had come outside to see what all the noise was about. I finally got Scott to get Bax inside and yelled at Karen to come because she was chasing the dog into the corner! (She's about 5'4" and less than 100 lbs!)
By now I'm yelling at Karen like she's the dog "Karen COME!" She finally listened and started slowly walking across the big yard and I'm yelling "KAREN COME NOW!" She suddenly realized that the dog could be on her in a second and raced back into the house. Whew! Everyone's inside and we're all crazy - you can imagine the commotion! Bax wants out, Karen's trying to figure out if I'm okay, I'm shaking so hard I can hardly move trying to find the neighbor's phone number, etc. I finally got the neighbor on the phone and he's apologizing like crazy saying the dogs are both in their kennels, he's had enough of his (grown) daughter's dogs, etc. and asking if Bax and I are okay. We are. But in the process, someone didn't close the door to outside and Bax got back out and now I can't find him. He's GONE!
I go back inside and get the leash and his treats and put a sweater on cuz it's blowing gale-force winds and the temps are dropping (we're supposed to have a wind chill of 10 (that's TEN) degrees tonight! I start going around looking and screaming for Baxter. He's nowhere to be seen! We live in an old neighborhood built in the 1960s so our yards are big and our blocks are large. And we're a block off a major street and it's rush hour - 5:00 on a Monday afternoon. NOT a good scenario for a crazy dog who's out for revenge! I called my husband almost in tears and he says he'll be home in 5-10 minutes.
Finally about 3/4 of the way around I called Scott and Karen who are back at the house and ask if they'll go look in the back yard. Thank God that Baxter was there!!! They get him in his kennel and I walk the rest of the way home wheezing and shaking and freaking out.
In the end, neither Baxter nor the pit bull have a scratch on them. It's a MIRACLE! And us adults are finally calming down. Dinner's a bit later than usual as a result and the aftermath of telling Steve all our horror stories about what happened. Actually, the visual picture of my dog biting the other dog's butt will live on in my memory forever! GO BAXTER! I've always told Steve this little 30 pound dog would guard me with his life. Now even Steve believes it!!! And it was good for Scott and Karen to see what happened because they now understand what we've been trying to tell them. (They're watching the house and Bax while we go up north for the holidays.) And it was good for Baxter to know that when push came to shove, Karen has all authority! Hehe! The picture of her whacking that rubber hose on the table and ground and screaming "BACK!" was pretty funny too. But also one I never, ever want to repeat!!!
Needless to say we all needed a nice stiff drink - even ME! And I rarely drink! But all is calm now and I just had to share. As if I needed even MORE excitement in my life!!!!! OMG!!! I just thank God that we're all okay. It could have been SO much worse for all of us!
Now Baxter has NEVER liked these dogs. I'm not too fond of the breed myself, but these are not well-controlled and they are not nice dogs at all. They belong to the daughter of our neighbor who is not happy about having them in the house. And they are not spayed or neutered. They are the epitome of the badness of this breed. So every time Baxter sees or hears these dogs he tries to go after them. We've been working on making him stop but when one is in HIS yard coming after HIS family, Baxter proved himself to be strong and brave! By the time I figured out what was happening, the dogs were on top of each other in the far corner of the yard! I finally got Baxter to come to me and we were about 5-7 feet from the corner when I heard a sound. Here came the big dog!!!
Baxter whirled around and went after the pit bull making the most awful barking noise you ever heard! The pit bull (about 3 times Bax's size) turned and started to go back and the next thing I knew Baxter came up on that dog's butt and grabbed him with his teeth! Of course that started another huge fight and they were on top of each other! I'm screaming at Baxter and trying to figure out what to do when my friend Karen comes running with a thick rubber hose she'd found laying on the ground. She went after the dogs and was whacking a table and the ground with it. Baxter finally came towards me and I got him started towards the house yelling at him AND at Karen to come into the house. Meanwhile Scott had come outside to see what all the noise was about. I finally got Scott to get Bax inside and yelled at Karen to come because she was chasing the dog into the corner! (She's about 5'4" and less than 100 lbs!)
By now I'm yelling at Karen like she's the dog "Karen COME!" She finally listened and started slowly walking across the big yard and I'm yelling "KAREN COME NOW!" She suddenly realized that the dog could be on her in a second and raced back into the house. Whew! Everyone's inside and we're all crazy - you can imagine the commotion! Bax wants out, Karen's trying to figure out if I'm okay, I'm shaking so hard I can hardly move trying to find the neighbor's phone number, etc. I finally got the neighbor on the phone and he's apologizing like crazy saying the dogs are both in their kennels, he's had enough of his (grown) daughter's dogs, etc. and asking if Bax and I are okay. We are. But in the process, someone didn't close the door to outside and Bax got back out and now I can't find him. He's GONE!
I go back inside and get the leash and his treats and put a sweater on cuz it's blowing gale-force winds and the temps are dropping (we're supposed to have a wind chill of 10 (that's TEN) degrees tonight! I start going around looking and screaming for Baxter. He's nowhere to be seen! We live in an old neighborhood built in the 1960s so our yards are big and our blocks are large. And we're a block off a major street and it's rush hour - 5:00 on a Monday afternoon. NOT a good scenario for a crazy dog who's out for revenge! I called my husband almost in tears and he says he'll be home in 5-10 minutes.
Finally about 3/4 of the way around I called Scott and Karen who are back at the house and ask if they'll go look in the back yard. Thank God that Baxter was there!!! They get him in his kennel and I walk the rest of the way home wheezing and shaking and freaking out.
In the end, neither Baxter nor the pit bull have a scratch on them. It's a MIRACLE! And us adults are finally calming down. Dinner's a bit later than usual as a result and the aftermath of telling Steve all our horror stories about what happened. Actually, the visual picture of my dog biting the other dog's butt will live on in my memory forever! GO BAXTER! I've always told Steve this little 30 pound dog would guard me with his life. Now even Steve believes it!!! And it was good for Scott and Karen to see what happened because they now understand what we've been trying to tell them. (They're watching the house and Bax while we go up north for the holidays.) And it was good for Baxter to know that when push came to shove, Karen has all authority! Hehe! The picture of her whacking that rubber hose on the table and ground and screaming "BACK!" was pretty funny too. But also one I never, ever want to repeat!!!
Needless to say we all needed a nice stiff drink - even ME! And I rarely drink! But all is calm now and I just had to share. As if I needed even MORE excitement in my life!!!!! OMG!!! I just thank God that we're all okay. It could have been SO much worse for all of us!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I LOVE Christmas!!!!
And I love my town! Every year they have this Santa parade that goes around the neighborhoods. They have a huge speaker on the front of Santa's fire truck blaring Christmas music and Santa and all his helpers hollering "Merry Christmas!" and "Happy Holidays!" They also blare every siren and horn they have as loud as they can over and over again to announce their presence and arrival. Last night they came by the shopping center where Steve and I had just had our first dinner out in months. Then today while I was cleaning I heard them in the neighborhood. I grabbed my camera and waited till they came by my house. It's the first year I've actually been able to get decent pictures! And it's the first warm day we've had in weeks. I'm enjoying it because it won't last long and neither will this awesome season. I just HAD to stop all my cleaning and share these pics!
First the fire truck escorts Santa's old fashioned truck...
Then Santa and all his helpers arrive in this cool truck designed to hold a bunch of people...
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First the fire truck escorts Santa's old fashioned truck...
Then Santa and all his helpers arrive in this cool truck designed to hold a bunch of people...
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Crazy Days!
It's definitely the Christmas season and totally a fitting end to this particular year! Busy, busy, BUSY!!!!! And who turned off the heat?! South Florida has had record low temps for almost two weeks now! One night we actually had wind chills in the 20s! Steve's poor garden! And as a result we have a couple who have no heat and live in a very drafty place staying with us. They thought it was only gonna be one or maybe two nights. It's been FOUR!!! But they were hypothermic and took 24 hours to thaw out when they finally did arrive so I won't let them leave till tomorrow. :) Sad thing is, they'll have to come back on Tuesday because the temp's supposed to be 39 again! ICK! Can I tell you how much I absolutely HATE the cold???!!!
And then there's all the stuff that has to get done this time of year... Christmas cards and gifts and projects plus all the normal, everyday stuff... I need 48 hour days! How you ladies with kids do this life these days I'll never know! :) Anyway, I've scrapped but can't share so you'll have to wait. They're for design team submissions and I don't know when I'll get answers yet. I'm on pins and needles tho! :)
However, I do have SIX - yes I said SIX - layouts being published in the Scrapbook News and Review magazine this month! I believe it's being released tomorrow... I could hardly believe my eyes when I read the email! And I have several friends who have projects being published in that issue as well! So be sure to check it out! www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com.
Right now, though, it's 1 AM and I need to try to sleep tonight. Another busy day tomorrow and Saturday and Sunday I'm really hoping to have some card-making time. We'll see! Still don't have my Christmas decorations up yet! YIKES! So if you don't hear from me for a few days, check me out on Facebook. I usually have time for a quick comment or two during the day.
Until then, let's remember the REAL reason for the season and thank Jesus for what He's done for us. TTFN!!! (Ta ta for now)
And then there's all the stuff that has to get done this time of year... Christmas cards and gifts and projects plus all the normal, everyday stuff... I need 48 hour days! How you ladies with kids do this life these days I'll never know! :) Anyway, I've scrapped but can't share so you'll have to wait. They're for design team submissions and I don't know when I'll get answers yet. I'm on pins and needles tho! :)
However, I do have SIX - yes I said SIX - layouts being published in the Scrapbook News and Review magazine this month! I believe it's being released tomorrow... I could hardly believe my eyes when I read the email! And I have several friends who have projects being published in that issue as well! So be sure to check it out! www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com.
Right now, though, it's 1 AM and I need to try to sleep tonight. Another busy day tomorrow and Saturday and Sunday I'm really hoping to have some card-making time. We'll see! Still don't have my Christmas decorations up yet! YIKES! So if you don't hear from me for a few days, check me out on Facebook. I usually have time for a quick comment or two during the day.
Until then, let's remember the REAL reason for the season and thank Jesus for what He's done for us. TTFN!!! (Ta ta for now)
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Reveal Day!
Okay. I wanna know where this YEAR went!!! HOW in the WORLD did it get to be December 1st already??? I'm SO not ready for it yet! I need another month at least! But here it is and now I'm behind on my Christmas projects once again... One of these years I'm gonna shock everyone and have all my cards mailed by now! HA! Who am I kidding?! Hehe!
Anyway, with it being December 1st that means I can reveal the MSW layout and card sketches and my versions of them! Tomorrow I'll reveal all of my November creations. I had GREAT fun with LOTS of challenges. (Should've been planning for Christmas stuff instead but that wouldn't have given me all the goodies I'm gonna share! Hehe!) So without further adieu, here's Lucy's awesome sketches for the month of December...
First the card sketch -
And here's my version of that sketch using some of the Reminisce prize package I won in the spring...
And here's the layout sketch...
And my version of that sketch...
Now I have to explain what the title means. The tree opens from the bottom and there's journaling inside which reads "Dawn was just breaking on Christmas morning. I awoke before everyone else and decided to take a peek at what Santa had brought us. As I craned my neck around the hallway door and looked into the Living Room I saw a shadowy figure next to the tree! It was moving! Terrified and thinking it was The Madonna (Jesus’ mother, Mary) I quickly ran back to my bedroom and hid under the covers. It was at least a couple of hours before anyone else got up. I was last of course! And there, much to my dismay and chagrin, stood a blow-up clown boppy!!! Thankfully, no one knew of my earlier encounter with that thing! But when I saw these pictures a couple of years ago, I knew it was a story I HAD to tell! November 16, 2010.”
Check back tomorrow for the rest of my November creations... Happy Scrapping!
Anyway, with it being December 1st that means I can reveal the MSW layout and card sketches and my versions of them! Tomorrow I'll reveal all of my November creations. I had GREAT fun with LOTS of challenges. (Should've been planning for Christmas stuff instead but that wouldn't have given me all the goodies I'm gonna share! Hehe!) So without further adieu, here's Lucy's awesome sketches for the month of December...
First the card sketch -
And here's my version of that sketch using some of the Reminisce prize package I won in the spring...
And here's the layout sketch...
And my version of that sketch...
Now I have to explain what the title means. The tree opens from the bottom and there's journaling inside which reads "Dawn was just breaking on Christmas morning. I awoke before everyone else and decided to take a peek at what Santa had brought us. As I craned my neck around the hallway door and looked into the Living Room I saw a shadowy figure next to the tree! It was moving! Terrified and thinking it was The Madonna (Jesus’ mother, Mary) I quickly ran back to my bedroom and hid under the covers. It was at least a couple of hours before anyone else got up. I was last of course! And there, much to my dismay and chagrin, stood a blow-up clown boppy!!! Thankfully, no one knew of my earlier encounter with that thing! But when I saw these pictures a couple of years ago, I knew it was a story I HAD to tell! November 16, 2010.”
Check back tomorrow for the rest of my November creations... Happy Scrapping!
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