True Meaning of Christmas

Happy Tuesday everyone! Is Christmas really just a few days away? Should I be done wrapping and making gifts?! Nah!! First of all, I wanted to say congratulations to my friends Laura and Neal who welcomed their baby boy, Tyler Michael into the world on December 22. He weighed just 4 lbs. 12 oz. and was 18 in. long. He was born at exactly 11 am. We are all so glad he is finally here and I cannot wait to tell him that I was the crazy lady who was always talking to him through his mommy's belly!

I love getting my mail this time of year. Of course, there is the occasional bill but my box is also full of Christmas cards. I get to catch up on everyone's lives and see pictures of children who are growing up way too fast. As the days have gone on, I have felt a little bit sad because I knew I would not be getting one of my favorite Christmas cards. Every year, our dear friend Lucy would make a card with a photo collage of her family. There would be pictures of her children, grandchildren, and her husband throughout the whole year. It would be like taking a trip through their whole year in one card. Lucy passed away earlier this year and even though I knew it was impossible, I still hoped her card would be there this year. Yesterday, it was! I can guess that her children put it together, but there it was, just as Lucy would have done it. It is full of fun pictures that show that life does go on. There is a quote on the card that says, "Smile, open your eyes, love and go on. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday." So, even though this time of year is stressful, hectic, and does not always bring out the best in all of us, take the time to love those around you and truly be grateful for each day we are given! Merry Christmas everyone!

Joy to the World

I have a secret to admit. I am not really the creative one of my family. My sister Joy is! On Friday night, we were having our monthly craft night. She had finished her thank you cards (sick huh!) and looked at the scraps I had. Her eyes lit up! She took my scraps of various sizes, a 12 by 12 canvas, and some Mod Podge and made this cute little wall hanging. What a cute and easy gift! You can buy the canvases at most craft stores and they come in different sizes. I have also painted them and added pictures. Joy made me one for my birthday that I hang in my bedroom. If you make one, be sure to let it dry overnight. Now dig through your scraps and make a last minute gift that is one of a kind. I must go listen to my Kenny and Dolly Christmas CD. (The best Christmas CD ever!)

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I hear nothing - no constant talking and giggling, no strange funny noises that often come with a smell, no children. Winter vacation has begun!! I can now think about Christmas! (But, I must say, my students spoiled me this year. They gave me so many wonderful gifts! I made them their own post it note holders with their initials. They told me, "You Rock!")

Tonight, I am having my second craft night. Not too many people are coming - it seems that everyone is so super busy. That is okay - we will still have lots of fun.

Here is my Christmas card. I know pink is not really a "Christmas" color, but I saw the paper and just fell in love with it. I used a stamp from Stampin' Up. I think it is called "Snow Angels." I colored her in with markers and then used some water and chalk to brush a light blue in the snow. The dark green is some paper I ran through my mom's Cuddlebug. Then I glued it all on a white card and attached a snowflake brad. Ah!

And, good luck to my friend Laura. (Remember the train book?) Laura is being induced on Sunday night so hopefully Tyler will be here before Christmas. I can hardly wait to see this little miracle!

Another Baby Gift!

Does it seem like December is just flying by?! Whoa there reindeer!!! Tonight, I made a cute frame for a baby shower that we are having at school tomorrow. (One of my fellow teachers is due any day now. Well, there are actually two teachers due at the same time so we are waiting to see which little boy comes into this world first!) I was not sure what to do, so I had a wooden frame from Michael's and I painted it orange. She does not really like the traditional baby boy colors so I tried for something a little unique and different. Then I covered the front with patterned paper from Basic Grey. I cut out Evan and the stars from my Cricut - George and Mickey Font! I put the stars on chipboard to make them more sturdy and inked the edges. When it was done, I still thought too much wood was showing, so I lined the outer edge and the inner edge with brown ribbon. Ta da! Baby gift. I hope the new mommy to be likes it! Now, if I would just get started on my Christmas projects!!

Let the Shopping Begin!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (A few days late!) Hope everyone had a wonderful day and went shopping on Friday! My mom, sisters, and I went later in the afternoon and I finally broke down and did it! I bought a new camera. My old one kept taking fuzzy pictures and I wanted a Canon Rebel so I just did it. It was my contribution to the economy. I am posting some pictures I took with it. The only crafty thing I have done lately are my Christmas cards and I do not want to post those until my friends and family get them in the mail, so stay tuned. Here are pics of Joey. At least she stood still for a few minutes! (And, oh yes, I saw Twilight for the second time yesterday. We took my aunt. The book is SOOO much better but that Edward can invade my dreams any time.) Enjoy your week!

Oh Baby!

It has been too long since I have posted anything! That silly thing called work gets in the way sometimes! Why is it that work gets busy as your personal life gets busy too! Oh well - I should just be happy that I have work right?!

To celebrate the good things in life, my sister, Joy, had a baby shower for her friend Allison. We made some post it note holders for all of the shower guests to take home with them. We used the same animal stamps that we used on her invitations. I covered the chipboard coasters with paper from Martha Stewart and used the trusty old Bind - It All machine. Joy said they were a big hit!! Here are some pictures of my sister once they were done. Ain't she pretty!!! (And of course Joey had to get in the pictures too! She loves my sister so much!)

And, if you did not already know, Twilight the movie comes out on Friday! I am so excited. I honestly do not know how I am going to work all day. We already have our tickets and everything. Does that make us lame or what?!

Halloween Hangover

Happy Halloween everyone! (A few days late!) And, oh yes, the dreaded Halloween hangover. This is what I call the day after Halloween when children everyone crash from their candy filled night! I am so glad we did not have school! It is worse than Halloween! Ask any teacher. :)

As you can see, Joey is exhausted after this weekend. We passed out candy all night long on Friday night. On Saturday, we got up early to do the JDRF walk with Fox 10 news. My little sis, Heather, was in charge of organizing her group so we went and walked with her. Joey made it through the 3 mile walk and only stopped a few times. She was so tired when we got home but helped take down all of the Halloween decorations and get ready for Thanksgiving stuff.

For the past few weeks at school, we have been having a 13 days of Halloween movie contest. (This was for the teachers and staff to build spirit and morale!) Every day, I posted a movie clue. Those who wanted to participate, had to write down the name of the movie and the characters who were mentioned in the clue. I got the idea from PaperCrafts magazine of all places. Well, six people turned it in and two of those people got all of the clues right! One of them gets the grand prize of lots of Halloween goodies I got at Target. I thought the other 5 people also deserved a prize so I made these post it note holders for their desks. I got the idea from a You - Tube video. I used thin coasters and covered them with Halloween paper. Then I used my trusty Bind-It-All machine and put a pack of post its inside each one. On the outside, I used some Making Memories Clear Shapes that I just had to buy last year and finally found someplace to use them. Then I tied lots of colorful ribbons from Michael's on the top. Not bad for a second place gift. Let me know if you want the movie clues. It was a lot of fun and we are going to do the same thing for Christmas. What should I make then?