Good Cheer~

Still here!
Been Crazy busy.
Working on my Christmas Art Journal.
Catching up to normal life.
I'll share as soon as I get around to taking pictures of my pages.
Resolutions to make.
Thank you cards to write.

Cheers!

Christmas is so close now...

Can you feel it?

Here are my day 20 & 21 pages.

Thanks for looking!

20~

Unexpected Greetings

Things I have received in the mail that I wasn't expecting.

21~

A picture of how my house looks right now.

I chose to take a picture of my kitchen table.

That's where the real action is.

Total chaos!

Sorry for the horrible pictures.

It's crunch time!

My goal is to finish all Christmas projects today.

So that I may actually enjoy the Christmasing the is upon us!

Cheers!

Peace, Love & Yule Logs~

Merry & Bright~

Days 17-19 for your viewing pleasure!

Day 17~

The perfect gift....

Day 18~

Christmas Dinner.

I am going to add a photo of us at dinner after Christmas.

Day 19~

Dear Santa,

My Christmas Wish list!

Are we having fun yet?

Christmas is getting so close.

Still many projects to finish.

Peace, Love, & Tinsel~

7 Days~

This will be brief.

I wanted to get my day 15 & 16 pages posted.

Day 15~

Keepin' it simple.

We are the visitors on Christmas day.

Splitting the holiday between my family & Andy's.

Day 16~

Grateful.

A list of the things that I am grateful for right now.

Christmas is going to be here before we know it. So much to still do. I am wishing for productive days and less stress.

Happy Holidays!

Peace, Love, & Curly Ribbon~

9 days and counting~

Day 14~

Yes I am starting to get a little behind.

Things have gotten so crazy around here.

Here's my simple entry about the my favorite Christmas song.

Silent Night

Today is my niece's first birthday. She is one.

I remebered this morning that I didn't make her a card.

I hope you can make a few minutes for rest and relaxation in this busy time.

I am off to do a little last minute on-line shopping.

Why do I always leave it to the last minute?

Peace, Love, & Cupcakes~

10 days left~

Ok, kids we are in serious panic mode. Only 10 days left until thee day!

Here are my day 12 & 13 pages!

Day 12~

Christmas Past

The remember is a mirror. Couldn't get it to not look black.

Day 13~

Special Delivery

How the presents are handed out!

Have a good day people. Hope it's productive for you!

Peace, Love & Gift Wrapped Packages~

Day 11~

Day 12 is still sitting on my table. I am not quite done with it yet. The time is just getting away from me.

Here's day 11~

Sorry about the glare. This is all about the Christmas tree. I was amazed by the fact that I (who takes hundreds of pictures of the most random things) don't have decent pics of our past Christmas trees. Go figure!

Anyway, Can you believe how close Christmas is?

I got all of the cards out for the soldier card drive.

323 cards!!!

Isn't that amazing? I thought it was.

It's an on-going card drive so if you wanted to contribute cards but, were too busy this season you can email me @ cards4troops@msn.com and contribute after the holidays. My goal is to bring them cheer throughout the year! Not just at the holidays.

Busy day ahead. So much too do! Have a good one!

Peace, Love, and Twinkle lights~

What Season are you?

You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace... You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.

What Season Are You?

What kind of ornament are you?

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

8, 9, & 10~

Here are pages 8,9, & 10. I am just now getting a chance to post them.

Things are getting pretty crazy around here.

Day 8~

Signs of the season!

Day 9~

Traditions.

I like how this page turned out!

There's hidden journaling under the sewn flap~

Day 10~

The idea was to keep it simple.

I was in a hurry and don't really like how it turned out.

I guess you can't love them all~

The ribbon is metallic green. Not sure why it looks black.

Tomorrow is addressing day for the soldier card drive.

We collected over 300 cards. I am so excited!

Wish me luck and no writers cramp!

Peace, Love & postage stamps~

We have a Winner~

There were 851 M&M's in the vase!

The closest guess was 858.

Jan (JNH @ 2 Peas) is the winner of the RAK!

Thank to everyone who played!

Now I must go to bed.

Peace, Love and candy coated dreams~

Day7~

The holiday shopping~

The mad dash to get something for everyone on your list.

I kept it very simple. A Starbucks gift card that was hanging around. A receipt, tag from my son's pants and the LIST. Well not the actual list. No that one is buried somewhere very secret. So secret I might not even remember where it when. Some yarn from a project I am working on. As I am making a lot of the gifts this year. Keep it simple.

Got a baby shower to attend tonight. Actually co-hosting it. Should be interesting, Don't really know anyone who will be there besides the Mom-to-be. Have a good weekend!

Peace, Love & Happy Crafting~

Memories~

Day 6~

Christmas Memories.

One good, one bad.

Kept it simple.

The Good memory-

Christmas Eve- Every year Mom gives us each a new ornament. Then I read The Night before Christmas and The Polar Express to the kids.

Bad Memory-

Christmas Eve 2002- Stayed up way too late wrapping presents. Was too tired on Christmas to enjoy anything. Never again!

Thanks for looking.

Be sure to checkout my earlier post for my Christmas contest!

Peace, Love & fuzzy socks~

RAK a Go-Go~

I am feeling a little festive

and I want to share some of the Christmas spirit with you.

This 9"x3.5" vase is filled with lovely red and green m&m's.

Guess how many there are...

The person who comes the closest will win a lovely little scrap snack!

~The Rules~

Leave your guesses in the comment field

(make sure I have an email address that I can reach you at if you win)

One guess per person.

Guessing will close Saturday 12/9/06 @ 8am PST.

Here are two more pics to give you some perspective!

Peace, Love & Happy Holidays!

Countdown~

Day 5~

I got stuck on this one.

The countdown to Christmas.

The traditions that go with it.

Journaling

"The countdown to Christmas is a grand tradition. Growing up we always had advents calendars that sat on the piano. This is a tradition that I have passed down to Hannah and soon Ry and Taylor."

I liked the grid pattern of this paper!

Thank for looking.

A Friend sent me this and I thought it was kinda cute!

Finished another scarf yesterday and some Christmas cards.

I am feeling festive these days.

Tomorrow I will be having a little Christmas contest with a RAK ,so stay tuned!

Peace, Love & M&M's~

Seasons Dreaming!

Day 4

Dream Christmas~

Busy day! Lots of loose end tying.

Loving my Christmas journal. Sorry about the glare in the pic.

Have a great Tuesday all!

Peace, love & scotch tape~

Day 3~

Day 3 Christmas Art Journal pages.

It's all about the Christmas card today!

I actually typed all of this up last night and blogger ate my post.

Close up of the half with the Christmas card. The journaling is in the card.

The second half is home to the envelope.

When I am done with my Christmas cards this year I will put a list of who I sent them to inside!

The journaling reads~

"I have been sending Christmas cards for years! Until this year they have always been store bought. Mostly purchased on sale the year before. I like to have a variety of cards to choose from. I sit down with my cards, Christmas Pen, address box, list, and stamps. For hours I will write away summarizing our year and sending wishes of love and good cheer. Then I will send them off and hope they reach their destinations. I really LOVE getting Christmas cards. I display them proudly for all to see. There is something so amazing about being sent a Christmas card! I mean our lives are busy, mess, complicated. But they took the time to send it to me. PRICELESS! This year I have made cards in 38 different designs for the soldier card drive. Just my little way to say "Thank you"! The holidays are an amazing time and the Christmas card is a big part of it to me!

Cheers! "

That's it in a nutshell. More Christmas presents to make today. Day 4 page & ornaments.

Have a happy Monday all!

Peace, Love, & Egg NoG~

Day 2~

Here's my day 2 page of my Christmas Journal!

Have a great Sunday!

Peace, Love & AppleJacks~

Coffee, yes coffee is good and hot this morning. I haven't fully adjusted to the cold mornings yet. I stayed up late last night, after everyone was asleep and finished my first page in my Christmas Journal and added Shimelle's Manifesto. I also worked on my Christmas ornaments and scrapped an LO. Had to be up anyway, figured I might get something done. My BIL was having ankle surgery and I was waiting for the call that said he was ok, and they were letting him go home. It came at 11pm. I guess they work late at the hospital. Good thing for BIL.

Anyway, back to the scrappage. Here is the page with Shimelle's Manifesto.

My Manifesto

Riley @ 3 months. Trying to catch up. Harder when you don't scrap chronologically. Sorry it's so dark.

Anyway, we have a full day planned and I need to get to it!

Peace, Love & Chicken Wings~

Declaring our intentions~

Manifesto: Noun. A declaration of one’s intentions.

Starting December first, I will keep a Christmas journal. In it, I will write something every day to reflect on the holidays of my past, enjoy the holidays of the present and dream about the holidays of my future. To some, this will be a stack of papers and trivial scribbles, but not to me. I am taking back my Christmas, I am letting it be something I relish and, most importantly, I am giving at least fifteen minutes every day to myself no matter how crazy this season becomes. I hope you will share, encourage and understand as I make something with my own hands, my own words and my own memories.

This is taken from Shimelle's blog regarding the Christmas Art Journal class. I finished my cover. Can't wait to get started on the inside! It's gonna be a good month!

I might add a little more *BLING* later but, for now I am happy with it!

Have a great Friday everyone!

Peace, Love, & Caramel Corn~

Signs of the season~

Overslept this morning and don't even feel guilty about it. I do have a lot to do today so I better get crackin'. Got a steaming cup of hot goodness (coffee). I am set!

The dinner party was a little awkward but, nice. It's a very small company but, they have doubled their employees in the last year. It was nice not to be the new people like last year. It was also nice having a meal with adults. Plus, it's one more thing I can cross off of my to do list.

Finished my first slit scarf. One down, two to go! I gotta tell you I was pretty proud of myself for teaching myself how to bind off!

I am also working on my homemade ornaments. ATC Christmas Ornaments. I hope my family likes them, gets them, and doesn't think that I am cheap. Each on is an original piece of my art work. These are the front and back view(s). I think they are super cute but, I made them.

Riley and I made a small attempt at decorating the apartment. When I say small, I mean small. I am not even sure how we are going to have a Christmas tree this year. Partially because of space and because I know that Ry & Tay will attack it!

Oh, well at least we have stockings!

I signed up for Shimelle's Christmas Art Journal class.
I almost passed on this one but, when I started looking at other people's work from last year I felt so inspired. After the dinner party Andy and I made a mad dash for the Craft Warehouse down the street from the restaurant. They were 10 minutes from closing when we got there. We raised around the store trying to find a book that would work for what I have in my mind. No small feat if you know my brain. I settled on a spiral bound 6x9 sketch book. The only drawback is that the cover is this horrible brown color and will need to be covered. Oh, well I was probably going to alter it anyway. LOL! I am just happy to be taking this class and hope that I make time to enjoy it and actually finish. I am planning on decorating the cover today!

Peace, Love, & knitting needles*

Brrrr!

It is cold this morning. I think yesterday might have been a record cold for us. I for one am not a fan of the cold. OK I am done whining. I actually have to get back to my knitting. I went and made more work for myself. J's had their fun fur yarn on sale and I need three Christmas presents for some very nice little ladies that are not going to have much in way of a Christmas. So now I have to get busy. I don't knit very fast either. Probably because someone is needing my attention every two seconds. Oh, well. I got 4 different colors and I hope they turn out alright!

I also finished the Layouts for my nieces Christmas present. Well part of her present. She is getting 5 layouts that my sister just has to add pictures and journaling to for her album. I am making some for her baby sister too.

That's what's up in a nutshell. I have a dinner party to go to tonight for my husbands company. I always feel weird going to them. The people are nice but, I still don't quite feel like I fit in and I think part of me wishes that I had my own work party to go to. Don't get me wrong, I love being the one to take care of my kids and this is totally where I need to be right now. It's just that I loved my job and the people that I worked for and some days I miss it. Today is going to be one of those days. OK enough with the whining. I promise this time!

Peace, love & Christmas Trees*

Blog Rotation~

I love the counter on my blog. I love that I can tell how many people visited my little blog since I was last here. I wonder if this means I have made it into some daily blog rotations. You know those daily blogs that you regularly check to see what's going on with the person that you don't really know outside of the realm of blogdom or Peadom in the case of a lot of the peeps who read my little blogity blog. Now I am feeling a certain amount of pressure to create an entry that is worth reading. I am not sure if it's going to happen this morning. I mean come on, it's Monday morning. It's 7:26am. I am just trying to get a little something blogged before the baby demands my attention. The afore mentioned baby is 9months old today. I can hardly believe it myself. He is getting so big and so independent. Standing up and trying to walk. Playing happily by himself. Almost sleeping through the night and such. It's a beautiful thing!





I almost forgot the tell you. The card drive has crested 200 cards and counting. I am thrilled! It is amazing to start out with something like this and actually see it come to fruition. So thank you to everyone for the effort. I appreciate it dearly!

Ok peeps, have a great day! I have breakfasts and a lunch to make.

Peace*

Late night!

It's been a long time since I have had a late night post. I should be sleeping. My eyes are all blurry, a sure sign that I need sleep. I am waiting for Andy to get home. He's on call this weekend. The busiest weekend of the year for drain cleaners I hear. I guess it's all of that starchy Thanksgiving foods going down the sinks.

We found out tonight that my brother is going to Albuquerque, New Mexico for his mission. I am thankful that he is staying in the states. If nothing else at least I won't have to fill out customs forms to send him care packages. LOL!

2Peas Blogger Challenge:
Blog about how you keep in touch with family/friends over the holidays... via the written word. Do you send cards... store bought or handmade? Do you send a Christmas letter???

I love Christmas... Love Christmas cards. I love sending them out. I have been doing it for years. This is the first year that I have made cards. I don't have any scanned to show you. So far I have made 40 cards for the card drive. Friends and family will get a mix of store bought (last years sales) and home made. Good times. I especially love getting cards! Such a great time of year!

We Need You~

Greetings,
We are well on our way to making the 200 card goal but, we are not there yet. The shipping deadline is quickly approaching but, there is still a little time if you still wanted to participate in the card drive. I know it's a busy time of year. Every card helps! I have already sent out a few cards for the past holidays and today recieved a thank you card from a platoon of soliders. The gratitude that was expressed in that one card makes me want to reach and surpass our goal even more. I can't do it without your help. Let me know if you are still interested in participating. I really appreciate it.
Thank you & Happy holidays,
Stephanie

Thanksgiving 2006~

I am thankful for my digital camera. Although I really got mostly terrible pictures. Al least I have pictures. Riley wouldn't let me take his picture but, Taylor was all for the picture taking. Good thing since it was his first turkey day. Here are are my favs:

Taylor & Mommy.

My Sweet Niece Ashlynn.

Her first Thanksgiving too!