Happy New Year!

Myspace Graphics, New Year Graphics at WishAFriend.com

Double Pop Up Beach Layout and Some Tidbits

This is a double layout. This was Lindsey's first time at the beach up at Jason's parent's cottage. It is a pop up page. I took the picture of the page at an angle so you can see the pop up as well. It was a kit I got from my MIL. Except for the frame around the photo of me and Lindsey. That was from a scrapbooking desk calendar. The bubble say"Lets see how much sand I can get into my mouth." When we would sit together, Lindsey would smack her hand down in the sand and shove it in her mouth. I swear she was pooping sand through out the next week:)

This is the two together. I made it small. Hoping if you click on the picture it would make it bigger for you to see and get the whole effect of the double pop up layout. When I tried that before, it made the picture way to big for the computer screen. So here goes.

Well today is New Years Eve. Jason's parents are taking Lindsey and Michaela for the day. We are keeping Adela. She is not going to be happy. Though, when she realizes she has both our attention and does not have to share us, she will like it. I am going to keep her up and not give her a nap. I am hoping she will get tired around 8 at night and go to bed without a problem. Then the whole evening will be just Jason and me. We usually just watch a movie and then watch the ball drop. Exciting I know.

I am so geeked about this bit of news. This Friday, I am going to an evening scrap! I haven't been to a scrap since April. I have to organize my scrapbooking supply pull case. I also have to fill the new draw case I received for Christmas from Jason's parents. I love filling new cases and drawers. It is like an extension of Christmas.

What is everybody else doing for New Years Eve? Whatever it is, have fun and be safe:)

Our Christmas Festivities

We only decorate half the tree so Adela will not bother the ornaments.

We had Santa come over during the Christmas Eve dinner. He said he had just flew over from India.

My girls were so surprised!

My tree with flash.

My tree without flash.

Checking the stocking on Christmas morning. I am going to miss that pacifier.

Opening gifts

The aftermath.

The whole season just flew by. First we were celebrating Thanksgiving and all of a sudden it was Christmas Eve. I remember when I was a kid, this whole period would drag so slow until Christmas came. I guess this means I am just getting older.

Another week of no school. I am able to sleep in another hour. Also, we can be lazy, no rushing to get dressed. We can stay in our jammies til lunch if we want to! Sometimes we have!

I Won My First Bloggy Giveaway!

I won my first Bloggy Giveaway. Heather over at The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century, had made ornaments based on the people of Georgiana's time. The people the ornaments are based on are tarts. The giveaway was called The Twelve Tarts of Christmas. I won my favorite one, Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire.

I am now reading the biography of the duchess, right now. It is called "Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Forman. Since I became addicted to blogging, I haven't read it lately. I had the book for about 7 years now. When I heard they were doing a movie about the book, I decided it was time to start reading it. I am becoming obsessed with her and Marie Antoinette.

To the left is the Duchess, Georgiana and to the right is Marie Antoinette.

p.s. Later I will post some picture of our Christmas. I was just so excited I won something!!

p.p.s. I have been busy, so I am a little behind on my blogging activities. But, I will catch up! Hopefully I won't piss off my Husband. He has already complained!

Merry Christmas!

Myspace Graphics, Christmas Graphics at WishAFriend.com

My Ornaments

Well, I wanted to show some of my ornaments. Some have sentamental value to me. I wanted to do this for a while, but I just figured how to take the picture with out it being fuzzy. You have to stand back and use the zoom. I was very excited when it worked.

My blogging activities have been curtailed by the planning for the Christmas festivities. I am such the blogoholic, that I will fit it inbetween my cleaning, laundry, wrapping gifts, still decorating the house, cooking some items for the Christmas Eve dinner, which we are hosting this year and hanging with my kids.
This is made of metal. I like the tin looking ornaments. It gives a homey look to the tree. It also looks like it was handmade. I know it was mass produced, but I can dream:)

This one is from Jason's parents. They had this on their tree since probably the 60's. I like it. It looks like a baked cookie.

Another tin looking ornament.

This one was my Grandma Millie's ornament. My Dad's Mom. She gave her ornaments to my Mom when she stop putting the tree up. Around the time we starting growing up.

This ornament was Jason's Grandparent's. They used to put this on their tree since the 40's. When I was at the Christmas Store, there was a tree decorated with ornaments like this one and it said it was a polish themed tree. Jason's family is 100% polish. So, I am guessing this is a polish themed ornament.

I like this ornament, because I like colorful fish.

This ornament is based on the Fabrege' Eggs, that were made for the Czar's of Russia. Since I am 25% percent Russian, I had to get it

We got this ornament at a garage sale, for only a couple of bucks. It is a snowglobe ornament. Kind of cool, huh?

I hope you like some of my ornaments. I enjoyed posting them and remembering the history of some of them.

Now, I am going to do a little bit of blogging and then start on my list of chores.

Up North With Lindsey Layout

Up North with Lindsey Layout. This was another attempt on a tag. My title was the tag. I put stickers on it and use water pencils to color it. I have such a hard time with those pencils. No matter how light I use the pencil, I still see the pencil mark. Underneath the tag, I used a bunch of floss thread and adhered it to the page. I mounted the pictures on pattern paper.

It is rare that I journal so much on one layout. It was a warm summer August of 2001. I commented that each night it got hotter and hotter. That one night we all had to go to bed early because it was so hot that Lindsey could not sleep very well. So we had to be quiet.

Another is Dzia Dzia would let the dog out early in the morning and watch as the cottage neighbor walk on to his dock and slept. There was absolutely no wind. It was cooler outside than inside. It was a bit brutal.

Well, I shopped for the stocking stuffers. Now all I have to do is pick up the spa gift certificate for my MIL and I will be all set with shopping. I do have to start wrapping the gifts, but that is not so bad. I usually do that in front of the TV. I watch some Christmas movie on the Halllmark Channel, Lifetime or ABC Family.

Well I am off to put some cookies in the oven. The smell will put me in a festive mood.

How is everybodies shopping and wrapping going? Are you festive, yet?

You Gotta Love Snow and Swinging With Daddy Layout

I got crazy with pictures. I actually have more.

The storm hit us in the middle of the night. At 8:00 it was already 6 inches, by three in the afternoon it was almost 10 inches. So my kids had no school today! I got to sleep in for another hour. It was so nice.

My two little ones had trouble walking in the snow. The oldest Lindsey was rolling around in the snow.

I was thinking of doing a snow angel, but I was afraid snow would creep into my clothes. The snow was so deep. It was also windy, so we had massive snow drifts.

Later in the day a couple of cars got stuck trying to go down the street. My husband and a couple of our neighbors grabbed their snowblowers and help them out. I felt really good. I looked at my kids and said we are very blessed to have a man like Daddy.

I hope the tow trucks come out and plow our streets. I need to go grocery shopping for the Christmas Eve dinner and just food for the week.

The title of this layout is Swinging with Daddy. It was really easy, but just time consuming. I used printed paper from the fall collection of Joann's Book Stock. I ripped off 2 inches of the paper near the edge and adhered it to the sides of the page. I then used Stampin' Up's natural buttons and tied each button with brown thread floss. Each button was glued on to the ripped side of the paper. I then mounted the photos on brown paper.

As I said before I am button crazy!

First Pool Layout and SBS #26

Lindsey's first pool layout.   I tore pattern paper sideways.  I like this pattern, it was a real water pattern.  I adhered the bottom half of paper to bottom half of page.  Then I used silver tags(Stampin' Up) and chalked the inside blue and stamped it First Pool in blue ink.  I then mounted the two photos on blue paper.  I mounted my journaling on the water patterned paper.  Then last I adhered two buttons beneath the journaling.

Yes, everybody, I did apply sunscreen.  He He.

First time I am using this blogger in draft.  Not sure if I am liking it.Also, my stamping group is now getting set up and started.  We are going to be stamping, doing challenges, swaps and such.  I am a little nervous.  These stamper's creations are fantastic, some of them almost art like.  A few of them should be framed.  I am feeling a little bit intimitated.  But I joined so that I could be challenged and create more fantastic and beautiful cards.

If you want to see some of the work they create, each of their blog is under the Sisterhood logo.  Go ahead , be inspired.

I am diffently not liking this blogger in draft.  This is my last post using this technique.  I am switching back to the old way.  Regular old blogger.

Beautiful Earring Giveaway

Mamarazzi is having a giveaway on very pretty earrings. Check it out here. Also, she has a cool blog, so stay awhile and visit.

I am hoping for these earrings. If I win them, I will wear them for Christmas.

I now have a paypal account. Oh that is scarry. More ways to spend money I don't have.

A Fabulous Award

Sandy over at The Adams Family has given me award. Thank you Sandy. She thinks my blog is fabulous and so is hers. Heck, I am always over visiting!! The rules for this award is to list 5 addictions, then award five other fabulous bloggers.

My addictions:

• BLOGGING!!!
  
• Watching TV
  
• Any kind of brown pop, that has sugar in it.
  
• Chocolate
  
• Buying books that I do not have time to read.

The Five Fabulous Bloggers:

• Mama Michie's Musings


• Ally in Wonderland


• "I can do all things through Christ, Who strengthens me"!!! Phil 4:13


• Surviving It All


• Stamping Life's Prescription

It took me a few days to post my fabulous award. I was itching to get on the computer all weekend. I had to clean and plan for my oldest daughter's 8th birthday party. Her birthday is actually on Thursday, but we had her party today. I will post some pictures tomorrow. I am so tired, yet I feel the need to check out what is going on in blogland.

My Favorite "M" Things

Sandy is playing this game on her blog here. It is simple. You list ten things that is your favorite that begins with a certain letter. Sandy has given me the letter M. At first I was starting everthing with MY, then I thought "I don't think I can do that". So I had to change things around. The first three were easy, then I really had to use my brain.

Here is my favorite M things:

1. Michaela and her sisters: Lindsey and Adela. Ha, I got all my kids on this list without cheating.
   
2. Marrying Jason.
   
3. Money
   
4. Michigan. I was born and bred.
   
5. MSU. My alma mater.
   
6. Movies.
   
7. Me taking a nap.
   
8. Mall of America. They even have a scrapbooking store!
   
9. Martha Stewart. I like some of her crafts and holiday shows. I even supported her during her unfortunate incarceration.
   
10. More money!

If you want to play, let me know and I will give you a letter.

Sitting Pretty Layout and Blog Blah

This is a double layout. I had title it "Sitting Pretty". Just Lindsey sitting around. I had downloaded the layout pictures the other way around. The first page is the bottom. I used my favorite template. I used the Sizzix Diecut machine for the title letters. I love this machine. My letters look so nice. I think it is cool that it also does the matting as well. I do not own one, so when I go to an all day scrap and they have one, I use it. I'll even do a title for another page, even if I am not working on that page. Just so I can have it! Also, I used little flower stamps all over the page. At the end of the title is a tag I got from Rite Aid.

Okay, I don't know about everybody else, but I am having problems with my computer. I had installed falling snow on my blog. Got the idea form Sandy. After that, my computer was so slow. It would take my 5 minutes for a website to open up. I have highspeed internet and it felt like I did not. Sometimes, pictures on people's blogs was not showing. I had to remove my snow. I am a bit bummed about that, it did look cool. Things seem better, but still not the same, so I had to restart my computer. I am hoping for the best. My computer has been driving me crazy, giving me a short fuse!!

I have so much to do for this month. This weekend is my oldest's(Lindsey) birthday party. I am also hosting the Christmas Eve dinner this year. I need to clean the basement. I have to do Christmas cards. That doesn't even count the stuff I am supposed to do as a SAHM. I am slackin' and I need to get off my caboose!

Since I have become engrossed(whoa, big word for me) into blogging, I have stopped reading. Sometimes, I think I need to decrease some of my blogging activities, but as I commented to Mammatalk, I get itchy, if I am not checking to see what my bloggy friends are doing. Gee, is there a blogaholics support group out there in blogland?

p.s. I like to give linky bloggy love. Call me what you will...stalker, friend, weirdo......

p.s.s.I am in a better mood, thanks gals out there given me some bloggy love. Even if my computer is a little lippy. It is just a computer.