Snow Day Sunday

We have had a snow storm blow through our area which dumped a fair amound of snow followed by freezing rain followed by more snow. We made the executive decision at 7:30am this morning that taking our pack of children out in the big ol' van to go to church wasn't wise and declared today a snow day. It turned out to be the right choice because we later discovered that our overhead garage door was frozen shut anyway making it impossible to leave in the van.

Barry and our oldest went out and about plowing and blowing snow at our rental properties while I held down the fort here with the rest of the kids. It was rough ;-) So rough that I felt the need to stay in my PJs until after lunch. I can't tell you the last time that happened.

One thing we did manage to accomplish today was to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" with the kids. I couldn't believe it. My older girls told me they had NEVER seen this movie. How did they ever make it to the ripe old ages of 13 and 10 years old without being subjected to this classic during the holidays. I mean it airs all the time! I was feeling like a really bad parent who has been neglecting the cultural edification of her children. Thankfully, we were able to watch it. Elizabeth wasn't sure if she could actually sit through a black and white movie - no color - horror of horrors. Her only comment was, "Did people really act like that back then?" I fear that the deeper meaning of the movie may have been lost. [sigh] As for me, I watch the movie and wonder, "Does my life count?" George Bailey made a huge impact on many people's lives. Hmm...who do I impact? Just thinking out loud here. It is a good reminder that I am here on this earth for a higher purpose and my life is not my own.


Because I tend to get stressed around the holidays and scrapping tends to relieve stress for me and because we had a snow day today, I got a couple of scrapbook pages done. You should recognize the photo from the top page from my last blog entry. My Abi loves to taste the snow.

This second page uses photos from our big extended family get-together that took place yesterday. My father-in-law is one of 11 siblings. Most of them were there along with their children and grandchildren. There were a whole lot of little cousins running around. I have lots more photos but I did this page called StoryTime with Uncle Don showing how he did his traditional reading of "The Night before Christmas" to the kids. This was followed by the traditional singing of the Christmas Carols. The kids aren't too thrilled about it, but it is required by tradition before the opening of the presents. (It's so much fun to torment the kids, isn't it!)

Credits for the pages can be found here and here.

Sweet Sweater Set

Just sharing this page of my baby girl in her pretty new sweater set. Well it isn't actually new. My friend made it for her when she was just a newborn, but she made it a bit big so she wouldn't outgrow it so fast. Well, this is the first time she wore it. She has been big enough to wear it for a while but our weather hasn't been cold enough for such a warm sweater. Sadly, I can't get her to keep the hat on. I have tried, but it usually ends up in tears. (Hers not mine ;-)
Credits for the page can be found here. This page was also featured in the Cottage Arts newletter this week because it was done using one of their new Simply Done templates which are really cool and have some special features if you are using Photoshop Elements. This page came together in a snap.

Seeing something like this sweater set makes me want to be able to knit. I can crochet, but some things are just better knitted. Connie (who made this lovely sweater) tried to teach me a while back. I wanted to knit a prayer shawl and she took the time to show me how. Well, I was slow and awkward at it and I ended up getting impatient with myself and crocheting the shawl. A youth prayer shawl ministry has just started at our church and my daughter, Anna, has decided to try it. She has been taught how to knit and it loving it. Seeing her pick up on this so quickly is so wonderful to watch (even if it does disgust me that she has picked up on it much faster than me). She has shown me one more time the process of knitting and it is starting to click better in my brain. I am determined that after the holidays I am going to sit down and actually master knitting.

Sorry I am babbling. I was up late last night because I have a nasty cold and couldn't sleep. Then I woke up early because I was so stuffed and my sinuses feel like they are gonna explode. I though perhaps I would go lay back down after a bit, but it is too late. I have to get everyone up for church in about a half an hour. So, I had better get some coffee into me and get a bit more awake!

Hope you all have a sweet Sunday.

I should really be in bed

I should really be in bed, but I was having trouble sleeping and I can't stand to lay in bed awake. So, I decided to get up and finish this scrapbook page I started a few days ago. I just love photos like this where the subject is bathed in a warm glow from the candles. You have to say it is kinda magical. Just this past year I read somewhere that shots like this are on the must have list. Every person deserves to have their photo taken with all the lights off and just the glow of the candlelight illuminating them. It is so flattering! So here is my son last month on his 6th birthday. Credits for the layout can be found here.

I am off to bed for I know morning will come MUCH too soon!

Fast Food Firsts

I have officially corrupted my baby girl's tastebuds. We took Patrick out to lunch for his birthday last month at the Golden Arches (a.k.a. the chicken and fries place). I realized when we got there that I didn't bring anything for Rachel. No food, bib or sippy cup. So, when the going gets touch, the tough order a Happy Meal. Right? I tried to be a little healthy about it, but the only thing you could substitute for fries was apple wedges which little Rachel doesn't have enough teeth to do. We did skip the soft drink and get the juicebox instead. She had never done a straw but figured it out so fast you would have thought she was a pro. Then there was the ketchup. To say she loved the ketchup would be an extreme understatement! Since I had no bib, I just dipped the end of a fry in a bit and handed it to her. It was love at first taste! I finally decided that giving her a little cup with a little bit couldn't be that messy. I was wrong. Next thing I know, she has completely bypassed the fries and is ramming her whole little fist into the ketcup cup. You can see the results on her face in this layout.

If you are interesed, the tiny journaling for this page reads:

Even though it was Patrick’s birthday, it was a day of “firsts” for Rachel. Upon arriving at McDonald’s, I realized that I forgot to bring anything for Rachel to eat, so she got her very first Happy Meal. She had never sampled ketchup, so I dipped one of her fries in it. Well, she was all about the ketchup! I gave her her own tiny cup with a little bit in it and the next thing I know, she has bypassed the fries altogether and was eating ketchup straight with her fingers! To drink, she had her first juicebox and her first time with a straw. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to figure it out, but it was NOT a problem. She slurped down the entire thing in no time flat. She is official a fast food pro. Hopefully, she will still eat her broccoli after this!

Credits for this page can be found here.

Playing with a fun new scrapbook kit

I just wanted to share a couple of new scrapbook pages. These were both done with a brand new collaborative kit at Cottage Arts created by Doris Castle, Julie Mead, and Michelle Shefveland called Bountiful Blessings. I am loving the colors in this! This first layout has photos of my daughter Abi from last Thanksgiving. The kit colors were a perfect match for her dress and her homemade placecard.

I also used a free template which is available to newsletter subscribers in the next Cottage Arts newsletter.

Journaling reads:
The table has been set...the placecards have been lovingly created by Elizabeth...smells of yummy food are wafting through the air...It’s not quite time to eat, but 2 year old Abi is ready at her place and waiting with fork and spoon in hand.

Full credits for this page can be found here.



This second page uses photos I took last week of my son, Patrick, on his 6th birthday. It was a gorgeous Fall day and I took him outside for a offical 6 year old photo shoot. He loved that! This page uses not only the Bountiful Blessings kit, but also a new page tear template set, too. Click on the banner below to find them both.

Full credits for this layout can be found here.

CD Case Calendar

I created this CD case calendar for my mom for her birthday. (Happy Birthday, Mom!) It was really fun and easy using these templates from Cottage Arts. I used all 16 months that were included in the set. After I created all these pages and printed them, I got out an empty CD case and realized that I didn't know how one of these was supposed to be put together. Perhaps it was a blond moment [sigh]. In case anyone else is as clueless as I was, here is a great site with picture directions. Just what I needed.