Christmas candies and family thoughts

There's something about Christmas time that inspires candy-making. My mammaw used to make peanut brittle, divinity (sp?), and other goodies at Christmas time. We used to have a huge table full of nothing but goodies. Divinity was my favorite, maybe because it was nothing but sugar! Mammaw used to some special for me (at least I thought so), ones without pecans on top. My mom made THE BEST cinnamon candy around. One year when we lived in Elgin, I tried to duplicate it, but failed miserably. Maybe I'll try again one day. Last year I made peanut brittle and it was so good, I made it again tonight! Maybe we'll take a little for the plane trip. :) Actually, I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep a lot, but I have a feeling I'm going to be wide awake.

I got a few tears today, remembering my grandparents and Nana and Unc that went on before me. I miss my Grandad's laughter and the way he always made me laugh. I miss my Mammaw and the way she always made my favorite foods when I went to her house. I miss my Pappaw and our talks as we watered his hydrangeas. I miss my Nana and the way she always cared for me when I was sick - making my favorite chicken-n-dumplins and having ice cream smothered with m-n-m's and chocolate syrup. I miss my Unc and his funny stories and cute laugh. And I miss my Grannie, who's still alive, but whom I don't get to see often enough. I love her stories about growing up and serving in the war and I love her devotion to God. I had a wonderful childhood and now that I'm an adult, I know what a blessing it was for me to have grown up with all of them.

Stress

I'm feeling quite stressed out today. I've got so much to do before we leave tomorrow night and I feel like I'm just walking in circles, pulled from so many directions. I know I just need to take one thing at a time, but it's easier said than done! We finally have a reprieve from the rain, so I need to get the trash bins in and plant my bulbs. I hope they make it...they've already started sprouting in their bag in the garage! Sometimes it helps to just write out what I need to do...maybe that's why I make so many lists. It helps me to feel organized (most of the time). I guess I will get most of what I need to do done...I usually do when I finally stop agonizing over it and actually do it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Gold Creek Snowshoe Trip (12/15)

Fabulous A Capella Christmas Mix

Update on Baby Avery

Baby Avery went home yesterday. They were afraid she would get a staff infection if she stayed in the hospital too much longer. The family is very glad and grateful to be home. Thank you for your prayers.

Trinity Christmas Party pics

Learning the Fox Trot.

A handsome guy in the mirror.

The Hatchers (Pastor & wife)


Brady, Jeff & Holly

Leslie, Becky, & Brooke

Us

Just a few pics from our Christmas party. I still have lots to learn using my new camera, but the lighting was pretty bad, so I think they came out pretty good considering my lack of photography skills.

Feliz Navitoss!

Loved this - turn your speakers on. :)

Merry Tossmas!

Rebel

I'm officially a rebel, but then we all knew that! :)

On Sunday, Nathan surprised me with my early Christmas (plus b-day, and every other holiday) gift - the Canon Digital Rebel XTi. I couldn't believe it. I was salivating over the box and I nearly passed out in Costco when he put it in the basket. I still haven't figured everything out, but I've shot a few pics around the house. Now I need to figure out how to upload shots...

Tonight is our church Christmas Party and I'm looking forward to it. Of course, I'm taking the Rebel with me. I don't leave home without it anymore!

Merry Christmas!

Baby updates

Baby Avery was doing some better. As of earlier today, she was mostly breathing on her own and they had turned the respirator down to 8%. She had a better night than the night before, which is good. Sometime late this afternoon, they were taking her completely off the respirator to see how she does for the evening. Hopefully she'll be able to breathe good on her own, but we'll just have to wait and see.

As for Baby Alex, it's not sounding good at all. Please visit this post to read more about his update.

These babies need our prayers!

Special Prayer Requests

Please pray for my cousin's sweet 4-month old daughter, Avery. She has been having trouble breathing and was rushed to a hospital just north of Dallas on Monday. They had to paralyze her little body so she wouldn't fight against all of the tubes in her, specifically, the respirator which was breathing 100% for her on Monday. As of today, she's breathing a little on her own but she's still in the Neonatal ICU. They think she has RSV which has caused pneumonia, but I don't think anything is for sure at this point. I'm sure Avery's parents, Bobby & Kristi, would appreciate your prayers at this crucial time. Please also remember their other two children, Eva & Aiden, and my Aunt Ellen who is watching them and the worried grandma.

Please also keep Baby Alex in your prayers. You can find his sad story here: http://wendysfriends.wordpress.com/. Also, if you haven't read Matt's blog before, he's an amazing guy. Take a peek at some of his thoughts; I think you'll be blown away at the grace and strength God has given him during his trials.

TTFN
Mel

It's a Girl!

No, not me, but my sweet friend Wendy is having a little girl. :) It seems as if we waited forever for this day to come...I can't believe it's already here. I'm so excited for her and hubby! I wish I could be there to go through this with her, but sharing over the phone is as good as it's gonna get.

Congrats, PK! Let it rain lady bugs, butterflies, and all things pink!

Incredible Gingerbread House

On Sunday, our wonderful neighbors brought over a huge gingerbread house for us. It is absolutely beautiful. Since we won't be here for Christmas, I'm going to try to find a friend that will so they can enjoy this lovely creation. It's absolutely beautiful. She is obviously amazingly talented.
I'm taking the Thank You card to her today with a Starbucks card for all of her hard work! Maybe she'll want a gingerbread latte. :)

Glitzie Birdie Tile

Yesterday's technique challenge was stamping on a tile. I have made some tiles and still use them in my computer room, so I thought it was time for a new one. :) I added some red glitter glue to his little wing for a little bling! I love sparkles. :)

I really can't believe this

It's snowing AGAIN! We must have 5-6 inches. It's beautiful and truly a winter wonderland. I LOVE it.

A slight detour

Yesterday was a very fun day. We had a shopping extravaganza - a little "detour" that N had planned as a surprise. We went to Joe's Sporting Goods first and found 3 things in 2 hours! We had to be picky and look at EVERYTHING! By this point, it was about noon and we were starving, so we stopped at this neat little Irish Pub for lunch and had some beef stew and a yummy whole wheat roll. We needed a game to exchange over Christmas, and we saw a game store in the same complex as lunch, so we had fun in there for about 30 min or more. It was fun reading about all of the new board games. We also got a few for us, as we've decided to start a monthly game night. :) After that, we headed over to REI, where we shopped 'til we dropped! That is one of our favorite stores! I needed a couple of layers of underwear (silkies and another one to top that) for hiking/snowshoeing during winter. I might even oblige him one winter camping expedition a year! We loaded up a whole shopping cart with goodies and scored a bunch of goodies! This was our one shopping extravaganza for the year - and N's second. (The first being gathering everything needed for the wilderness trip in July.) We had a blast together. We finished off the evening with a warm fire in the stove, grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and a hot tubbie with Starbucks. Does life get any better?!

Waking up is easier when there's...

SNOW!

We've decided to run off to the mountains and hike some today at Bridal Veil Falls and on to Lake Serene, so I'm off to change and get going. What a wonderful welcome to December! Happy winter. :)

Nuggets O' Fun

Happy Friday! This past Monday's challenge on SCS, was to make a nugget box. I finally got around to making some last night and I love them! I made the boxes out of cardstock, made a cover to slip over the box with a transparency, and then used DP to wrap the nuggets in the box. They're so easy to make and they look so cute. These are thank you gifts for my 3 friends that hosted the craft day in celebration of my birthday. We had such a fun time together and made some very cute things.

We won!

Our gym had their own "Biggest Loser" contest and we won! Yay! N won first and got 2 free one-hour training sessions and I won second and got 1 free one-hour training session. It was a fun motivator and we both got better bodies in the process! N lost weight (I don't remember how much) and dropped 6% body fat while I lost 12 pounds and dropped 3% body fat in 2 months. We were excited to win the great prizes and the new bodies. We both have a little more to lose and shape up but it feels good to see some progress. Thanksgiving was hard for me with the twice baked potatoes and buttermilk pie around the house, but we're back on track after a slight detour!

Healthy holiday wishes from me to you!

Snow

We had our first snow last night. It didn't last long and quickly turned to slush, but it was fun while it was coming down. :-) It really made it feel like winter, finally! I think it helped get me into the Christmas spirit, too. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any pictures, but maybe it will come again soon. Happy Winter!

Tea bag or Chocolate holder

One of the technique challenges over at SCS the other day was to make a tea bag holder. I made this one, but the individual yummy teas that I have are bigger than this and so it won't fit! :( Boo. I'm sure I will find something to fit into this cute little thing. :-)

Early Christmas

My friend Codie was decorating for Christmas early (before Thanksgiving) and I thought I'd send her a little something to get her in the spirit. :) This was accompanied with a cute snowman ornament.

Snowflake Joy

I made this yesterday for an SCS challenge. It took me quite a while to come up with this finished product...sometimes the creative juices just aren't flowing! I also don't think I stuck to the challenge very well, as we were only supposed to use one embellishment! Oops! :)


I also had a fabulous afternoon with my friends Holly, Anne, & Rochelle who arranged a crafty afternoon in celebration of my birthday. They are so sweet and we had a wonderful time! I really enjoyed the fun crafts. We made all natural herb topiaries (which are beautiful), snow globes, glass-etched candles and made little bags for the candles. It was all so much fun. I'll post pictures after I get them developed.

Giving Thanks

Today we are giving thanks to God for each other and our marriage, Bexar, family, friends, freedom, His daily provision, and His lovingkindness. Just taking time to be thankful and remember all that He provides fills our hearts with joy. May your day be filled with joy, too.

Y'all should be receiving your cards soon - I mailed them late. {Gasp!} Doesn't sound like me, does it?!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's my dad's birthday. I can't believe he's 60 years old. He neither looks like it or acts like it, yet God has blessed him with 60 years on this earth. Sixty used to seem so old but not anymore. I'm a little more than half his age, so I guess that puts it into perspective a bit. ;) I'm late as always with a gift and card, but I think he's come to expect that and he's in no shock that it's not there yet! It would have been nice to surprise my parents for Thanksgiving (as I've been known to pull a few surprises) but we couldn't do it this year. My dad asked me why I wasn't on a plane today when we talked! LOL He was hoping. :)

I hope his day was as wonderful as he is.

I've been baking today and believe it or not - haven't even set foot into the studio today - or for the last 2 days!! There's going to have to be some stamping therapy tomorrow before we go to the Arneson's for dinner. ;)

I hope y'all have a wonderful time with your families.

My hubby, the Sign Builder

And what an awesome sign it is! We thought we needed a bigger sign since I have driven past our driveway a couple of times! I think he did a great job. We put a copper solar light on top and there's a copper end cap on the side post. The plaques with the addresses were stained with cedar stain before the numbers were screwed on. I think it's fabulous and hopefully I won't pass by our driveway anymore. :)
Have a great day!

Amuse Swap

I'm finally finished with the ATCs for the swaps. These are for the Amuse group. I really feel like these need a sentiment, but I didn't leave any place for it! I need to get these in the mail, too, so I'm a little pressed for time. I'm looking forward to receiving the swaps - should be fun! Click here to see the ones I made for the SU! swap.

International Harvester

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52SDopaMZY

Once a country bumpkin, always a country bumpkin. I heard this on the radio the other day and can't get it out of my mind. It's my new favorite song right now!

Here are the lyrics (they're a hoot)!
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/morgan-craig/international-harvester-18379.html

Thank you Veterans

Happy Veteran's Day (yesterday)! I made a card for my Grannie (on Sunday) and knew it would be late, but that's okay. It's the thought...

Truly Blessed and Thankful

We are truly a blessed people. I was just reading an email from Wycliffe (a Bible translation ministry), which I will share because it impacted me so much.

"The Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaïre, is coming out of a brutal period of war. More civilians have died in this war than in any war since the Second World War, at least 10 and perhaps 20 times more than in Darfur. Elections were held in late 2006. Peace and stability have returned to most of the country. Millions of displaced people have moved back to their homes. However, in two eastern provinces, North and South Kivu, instability started again in August 2007. In addition to as many as 650,000 displaced persons in those provinces, another 90,000 were displaced in September 2007 alone. One Congolese translation team works in the area and their houses have been flooded with family members. One has 18 living with him."

I realized what a blessing it is to be creative and for my mind to even be able to focus on stamping, creating, watching movies, and enjoying life. That is not the case for millions of people - wondering where their next meal will come from, looking for a place to lay their head, needing peace in their hearts and minds so they can sleep, needing a warm or cool place to get out of the elements, and many other situations. Some may be in physical pain, split up from their families and loved ones, have no one to call friend, or worse yet....Godless, faithless, and without an eternal home with Jesus. The possibilities are endless.

With the remembrance of Veteran's Day (yesterday), what a wonderful blessing to meditate on...our country's freedom and prosperity - a gift of God.

Thank you Grannie B, Tina B (Grannie's close friend), my late Grandad, my late Pappaw, and all veterans who have sacrificed to fight for our country. Thank you to the soldiers who are fighting now, all over the world. You are loved and appreciated.

First swap

I'm participating in my first ATC (artist trading card) swap where you make small 3.5 x 2.5 card fronts to swap, sometimes using a particular image, theme, etc. Taylor (an amazing artist) over at Taylored Expressions is hosting a huge swap with multiple groups. Each group consists of 9 people, but we will submit 10 cards. Once we mail them to her, she will make sure everyone in the group has one of each design, and then mail them all back out. Frankly, it sounds like a ton of work...so many thanks to Taylor!

I decided to try two different groups, so I've signed up for an SU! swap and an Amuse swap. I'm having fun desiging and making these. Although, I must say that as always, I've included too many steps on this first one, which makes it more difficult and time-consuming to reproduce. But, I love it...and that's the important thing! :-) I needed a tree on Friday and since I don't have a tree stamp, I used a couple of flower stamps to make the grove of trees. These were inspired by my card on Friday. You will notice I changed a few things up; I decided to use another stamp to layer over the flower (it's actually the 2nd stamp used to complete the 2-step-stampin' effect) from Stampin' Up!'s "Heartfelt Thanks" set. I think it helps to define the tree better. And when I went back for more of that lovely Bo Bunny dp (green paper), I found those dainty little pearls. I felt like it needed a little extra punch and they really softened it up.

It's time to go back to the stampin' studio and get busy on the Amuse ATCs. :)

Very Happy Birthday Wishes

To my mom...YESTERDAY!!! I'm late as always, but at least I called her. :) Her card is sitting on my table, ready to be mailed....I am my mother's daughter. :D

Thank you for your Business

I finally finished up the plant database that I've been working on for a tree nursery close to the house. He was my first customer with my new business "Vefficient." I made a "thank you for your business" card because I thought it would be a nice gesture. He's a supernice guy and I was thankful that he gave me some work! Plus, I just had to get up to the stamp "studio" yesterday for some relaxation. :)

Recipe:

For the main image, I used a flower from my SU! Heartfelt Thanks set for the "leaves" and stamped them in various shades of green listed below. I sketched the trunks in and followed with my brown marker. After cutting it out, I used some yellow chalk to soften the contrast of the stark white bg. I "distressed" all edges by running the hard edge of my stamp around it until I was satisfied. I also used a sponge and chocolate chip ink to dirty up the edges of the polka dots and blend better with the burgandy. Tied a ribbon around the image, then mounted on dp. I don't have any oval punches (but I might need some - LOL), so I used MS Word's drawing tool and made a few ovals that nested inside each other. After printing and cutting my "templates," I traced them onto my paper, cut them, distressed edges (same as main image) and mounted using a thick foam tape to give it some depth. This took me some time to make, but it was well worth it. I think this actually came out much prettier in real life. :-) Next time, I think I want to add some hardware in the top left corner - maybe 2 brown brads. :)

Stamps: SU! Heartfelt Thanks, "Thank You" stamp was an SU! incentive stamp (freebie from demonstrator)

Paper: SU! Bravo Burgandy, Bo-Bunny's yummy reversible "Eire Tartan" dp, yellow polka dot dp from a huge pad (name fell off and I didn't think to keep it), and SU! white

Ink: All SU! - Certainly Celery, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, Brown Fabrico marker

Accessories: Just a simple ribbon to hold down the tree trunks and some light yellow chalk around to soften the stark white places.

I have lots of ATCs to make today and I think this is going to be my SU! one. :) Perfect! Just a smaller tree and I've got it. :) Yay! Now just one more design for my Amuse swap. :D

Stamping Fun

Lately I've been stamping quite a bit and I think everyone has received their cards so I can post them. :)

This was a card I made in memory of Wendy's visit here. When she was here, she was 13 weeks pregnant and I told her we should draw "13 weeks" in the sand and take a picture, but by the time we got to the next beach area, it was dark and we didn't feel like hiking down to the beach. It was also an SCS challenge to only use numbers on the front of the card - guess I failed! Hehe

I sent this one to Mindy. This was also for an SCS color challenge.

This one was for Wendy in celebration of her new job. Congrats, Wendy!

I sent this one to Matthew and Mindy welcoming their new puppy Max! He is just too cute. We're so excited for them as they embark on the adventure of "parenthood." {The reds actually looked like they matched when I made it. :( Shoot! So much for stamping at night!}

I made these for our "mummies" for Halloween. :-) I cut up some cheesecloth for the background and wrote little notes inside. I couldn't resist decorating the envelopes with polka dots of course!

Enjoy!

Yesterday: Fun day with a funny sign

Yesterday I had a fun day. After I did a little work, I had coffee with Brooke, took Bexar to Marymoor, worked a little more, and then went to the gym for a 2-hour workout while watching the "Biggest Loser." I have really come to enjoy my Tuesday nights at the gym; it feels good to have a long workout once a week! :-)

While we were on our way to Marymoor, we passed a sign. I've seen it before and wondered how much business these people actually get. I really wish I had picture, but I don't, so let me try and describe it for you. It's a big rectangular piece of plywood spraypainted with black lettering that reads "Bussiness Open." Normally I would have the reaction of a heavy sigh filled with disgust, but today I noticed that someone had circled the extra "s" and written "C-" above it. For some reason, this really tickled my funny bone and I couldn't stop laughing! I felt proud at that moment and vindicated! LOL

Muddy Buddy

I finally finished a scrapbook page that I had been working on for several nights. This one wasn't so easy coming together...and I'm still not 100% satisfied, but it will do for now.

Happy weekend!

Too cute to scare!

I just got some trick-or-treating photos of my nieces and nephew and their cousins. Aren't they such a cute crew?!

Cheese, wine, and the finer things of Life

I was checking out our church's website this morning and came upon this fantastic article.
http://www.trinitywa.com/posts/10

I must admit, I've never been to or even heard of a dedication of a cheese cave, but I think it's a neat idea. It really made me ponder if I'm doing EVERYTHING to the glory of God. (This especially includes the mundane tasks of cooking (which I admit is more rare than I'd like it to be), washing clothes, keeping a clean house for my family, taking care of Bexar, as well as the fun stuff like stamping and scrapbooking.) It also made me want to get in the kitchen and cook, which I'm sure is music to Nathan's ears! :-)

Praise God for Friday!

Smell my feet

Did you ever actually say to anyone, "Trick or Treat, Smell my feet, Give me something good to eat"? I remember always joking about it as a child but I hope I wouldn't say that to anyone. Knowing me and all of my childhood antics, I probably did. I pulled some pretty rotten stunts as a kid that is so embarrassing now. {Turning darker shades of red as I think of them.}

What is your favorite thing about Halloween? My favorite was dressing up. I loved to pretend to be someone else. I remember the year that Cabbage Patch Kids came out, I fell in love. I wasn't a big "dolly" kid, so that's saying a lot! Anyway, I wanted to be a Cabbage Patch Kid for Halloween and I didn't want a cheesy-peasy plastic one from the store when my mom was Mrs. Bernina (that's a sewing machine brand)! She made most of my clothes until I hit the high-school days when I had to have one pair of designer jeans instead of 5 off-brands. So, she made me a cabbage patch costume. It was complete with a cute dress, bloomers, shoe covers, and big chubby hands! I loved it so much that I didn't want to take it off. I think I wore the bloomers (as shorts) as much as I could get away with! Thank you mom for spending time in the sewing room, making my clothes, even when I was ungrateful. It was truly a labor of love, for which I am most grateful now. I love you, too.

Another fond childhood memory is of my mom. My mom is a school teacher and I remember her dressing up one year (when you could still dress up in school). I'm not sure what prompted this, but she dressed up as Pippi Longstocking. I think she made her own costume, as she was an extremely talented seamstress. She was so darling in her freckles, "Pippi dress" (which I think was mostly bright lime green) and tall unmatched socks. But the thing I remember most about that costume was her hair! She had medium-length perm-curled brown hair and she bent a wire clothes hanger to go over the top of her head, braided her hair around the wire, spray-painted it bright red, and covered it with a ton of hair-spray. She was the cutest mom and I loved that she was dressing up! I wish I had a picture of her in that get-up because someday my memory fade (it has already started) and *poof* - it will be gone. But for now, it cracks me up!

I think these fun memories has inspired me to dress Bexar up today. We'll see what he will be...who knows what I come up with. It may be another SuperBex day!

Happy trick-or-treating, dressing up, and pumpkin carving on yet another gorgeous Fall day!

Many wonderful birthday wishes

for my BIL, Joe! Happy birthday, bro. I love you and miss you lots! Congratulations on your new job, too. That's wonderful. Praise God for an extra-special birthday gift!

Max

I have been holding off, but I must post about Max, Matthew's & Mindy's new labrador puppy. He is absolutely adorable. I downloaded and saved the couple of pictures from Mindy's blog. I wish I could see him develop his own little personality. It's so fun! There's something about puppies that just melts my heart...So now, without further adieu....

You can also view Mindy's blog here: www.mmmellowyellow.blogspot.com

Gorgeous Fall Day

I think you may have figured out that I just absolutely am head over heels for Fall! Here are some pictures on this beautiful day that God has given us.

I was standing at the mailbox and I always lay Bexar down and make him stay while I walk across the street and get the mail. This is him...watching me. I just love his position here - so cute. {You can click to enlarge picture.}

I took this on our way back from the mailbox, walking down the driveway. The leaves, although mostly on the ground now, are just beautiful!

Long day

It has been a long and stressful day, dinner was gross, I haven't gotten to stamp/scrapbook all day and I'm ready for the HT!

I started scrapbooking last night after messing with my new printer (which took forever to get the settings correct). I'm not quite done with the page, but I'll post it when I am. :)

Here's a little something I made a while back.

SU! Party Goodies

I finally handed out the orders from the SU! party I had a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to thank people for coming to the party, so I made these cute little boxes with Wendy's Season of Joy set (from the Holiday mini catalog). The sacks were made with a very old stamp set I have that's just 4 stamps of different lines. (I'm too lazy to go upstairs and get the name.) Since the party had a Christmas theme, I filled all of the boxes and sacks with the soft peppermint pieces of long ago. Those have always been some of my favorite Christmas candy! Enjoy!

Sloppy Saturday

We hung around here for the entire day. I really need to grocery shop, but I'm putting it off for another day - tomorrow. :)

We were fairly productive today. Nathan worked outside doing "man stuff" and I worked the better part of the day. I had fun chatting with Ma this morning on the computer and now I can't stop looking at the adorable little Max on Mindy's blog!!! He is so cute and looks so soft and snuggly. I seriously am having puppy fever right now.

You should head on over and see how cute he is. Her blog link is on the right under "Friends."

I haven't made time to stamp today but here's a card I did the other day: a quick, simple but elegant card, inspired by all of the falling leaves.

Migraine mania

Well, today was no fun as I was down for the count with a migraine. My 2-day headache turned into a migraine last night and I was miserable all day. :( Woe is me. LOL Okay, now that I'm done with my pity party, I heard some fun news today. M & M are getting a puppy!!! They bought him last night and are going to pick him up tomorrow - a 9-week old black lab. I'm so excited for them. It's giving me some puppy fever...

Congrats to the Merritts on their newest addition to their family! Yay! This news brings back wonderful memories of our little boy when he was teenie-tiny. Here are some cute photos of Bex as a baby. :)