100 Days

It is the most WONDERFUL time of the year!!!

We are in the 100 day count down for Tyler coming home and on Christmas Day we will get to talk to him for an hour, the perfect gift for mom and dad that is for sure!
So just a quick little card that expresses how I feel with the snow that has fallen and the warmth that this season puts in my heart, it really is the most wonderful time of the year :o)

B-

Some Pink Paislee Love

For the last month I have had the pleasure of playing with a whole lot of Parisian Anthology from Pink Paislee. These products are so beautiful and each feels like a blank canvas just waiting for whatever my brain could come up with. Rebecca asked me to make 3-4 projects that would then be shared with their blog readers.

I did make 3, then 4 and then couldn't stop so after a mini-album a few layouts and a gift bag I should have been done. But to be honest, I can't stop playing with it! I still have some projects mid-progress with this line, can't wait to share those as well.



One of the layouts that I made is about my sweet dog Novak who is such a mommy's boy. He comes in to my studio a few times a day to get some some snuggles and let me know that he loves me unconditionally. It is wonderful to have that sweet reminder everyday of what is really important, helps keep my priorities straight. Seemed like an important part of my story to share.

Anyway, I am so grateful that Pink Paislee gave me the opportunity to share my enthusiasm for their beautiful products  :o)

B-

Comfy?

 I hope everyone is happy, cozy and comfy as we settle in to give thanks for all that we are blessed with. Thanksgiving is a beautiful holiday and I love how it gives me a reason to pause and appreciate every detail in my life, large and small.


Our little family has had many struggles this last year, but even more successes, and opportunities for growth and I don't know that it is something I would recognize without taking some time to reflect. As I was die cutting these leaves for a Hambly blog tutorial each of them reminded me of how individual and unique our blessings are, but how similar they are as well.


















* We have constantly dirty floors, but we have two of the most beautiful dogs that love us all unconditionally.
* A schedule that is often hectic and seemingly out of balance, but we are lucky to have so many places that we are welcomed warmly and with enthusiasm.
* A son that we haven't seen for close to two years that has taken precious time out of his life to share what he believes strongly in.
* Children who are sassy and at times completely exhausting, that are amazing, independent and intelligent individuals.

Of course there are loads more examples, but you get the idea, the human condition is so very fragile, and very consistent. We all need shelter, food, love and peace. I hope that this weekend brings you all of those things.

Many wishes for a very blessed Thanksgiving.
B-

A Peek Into Your Soul

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Not to much going on today, except waking up to about 15" of new snow on the ground, so beautiful!
I love this Hambly layout, it is that bits and bobble kind of project that is so fun to put together and doesn't need a whole lot of journaling to tell a story.
Up to my eyeballs in projects and writing, can't wait to share what it is I have been up to lately...

soon!!!

B-

November Card Group

Last Saturday our card group got together and swapped Christmas gift tags instead of the usual cards. We did this last year as well, and it is really great to have a handful of fabulous gift tags on hand for wrapping those special gifts. It is also nice to not have such a big project to make twelve of when we are in the middle of busy season but still needing a reason to get together to eat, craft and catch up.

I loved the Pink Paislee Christmas line this year, and one of the papers had twelve panels of vintage Santa images, perfect for card group creating! This is the tag that I ended up with out of the pile, but each one was different, makes it very fun!

We also decorated little notebooks, so I pulled out my Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather and put some of it together to make a fun notebook that looks really cute sitting on the counter waiting for grocery lists, notes to let us know where someone is or maybe even a little love note  ;o)

I was also playing with my Mitten Weather when I was making the gift box tutorial for this CLASS room post.

It is an easy project, and they are so useful for smaller holiday gifts that are hard to find gift bags or small boxes for. (like gifts cards and candy!)

Anyway, the weather here is definitely making a turn toward winter and that makes it Mitten Weather for sure, lol! I have a bunch of crafty stuff on the table, so that is where I will be while the storms are rolling. We are also very excited about Thanksgiving, doing a lot of menu prep for it and getting recipes organized are some of my favorite things to do to get ready! Do you like to do the cooking or the eating? I do enjoy the eating part, but the cooking is definitely what I most enjoy!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a warm safe and relaxing weekend!
B-

Some Hambly Thanksgiving Decor

Tutorial for some very cool and easy to create Thanksgiving decor is up at the Hambly blog.

Not much to post about tonight, it has been a very hectic week so far and we are turning in much earlier than usual so we can get through our extra long day tomorrow...















tickets to the midnight showing for Harry Potter 7 and we don't want to be falling asleep in awkward places (ahem, Novak.)

B-

Rondonia?

I can't say it properly in Portuguese, and I am not even sure if that is the correct spelling or if there is an accent somewhere, but that is where my son is right now on his LDS mission in Brazil. Of course we had to Google Earth the location. Do you do that too with a location that you are unfamiliar with? Not even sure how much help that was for us. We don't know the name of the town in Rondonia that Tyler will be living in, and have yet to hear from him since he let us know last week that he would be taking a 30 hour bus ride from the town of Dourados, to somewhere in Rondonia.

As you can see, this location is pretty close to the middle of  the entire South American continent and looks very rural. We are excited to hear about the people he meets, the sights he sees and what the foods and culture are like. What an incredible adventure!!
Meanwhile at home we are about as boring as you could get, school going on as usual for the kids and I am enjoying my craft room working on some Hambly things and a few projects with Pink Paislee's House of Three Parisian Anthology for my guest time with them for this month. Loads of fun playing with these products and the chance to share what I love doing with others.
Can't wait to share some of the projects here!
Happy Adventurous Autumn to my Northern Hemisphere friends and to my Southern Hemisphere friends, Happy Splendid Spring!!
B-

Busy, Busy, Busy

Not sure if it is me just spinning my wheels, or if  "that" time of year has officially arrived, but man am I busy. I like busy, so this is a good thing, but keeping each of the individual things I am working on moving forward and seeing them through to completion has my head spinning just a little bit. Are you feeling the same way, or am I alone in this?
Since it is also that time of year where giving thanks and reflecting on our blessings is key, I have been trying to post what I am thankful for on Facebook each day. Some of those status updates have been:

Things I am grateful for today, the friends that know my hopes and dreams so well that they know when to call and why, pomegranates (even though they are messy and make your hands an awful color) and wet dog noses.

Things I am grateful for today, Diet Pepsi, a husband that spoils me, texting with friends and the beautiful dark rust color that appears on the leaves only this time of year.

Things I am grateful for today, sleeping in very late, my alma mater in the biggest football game of the season (GO UTES!), flannel pj's and shipping boxes with my name on them.

Things I am grateful for today, the freedom to worship where, how and what I may (thanks to the many veterans and their sacrifices), the sweet voices of children singing songs of worship and praise, the opportunity to love and be loved unconditionally and washers and dryers.

I am looking forward to doing this each day as I have found it really helps me to become more introspective and appreciative of how great things are and what really matters. I try really hard each day during the rest of the year to have an attitude of gratitude, but this year I wanted to put it in writing, the verbalizing of my blessings makes them seem even larger and apparent to me and somehow makes them even more meaningful. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This card was fun to make, and there is a write up for it over at the CLASSroom blog. I picture each of those leaves being an individual thanks that I want to share with the friend that I had in mind when I made it. Sometimes it isn't possible to make a list, so here is hoping that the visual helps get that special message across.

Hoping that the busy stays and doesn't bring too much stress along with it!

B- 

Just Around the Corner

Halloween was wonderful, and now just around the corner we have Thanksgiving to celebrate!!
I love this time of year! There are some new recipes to try and a menu to create for the big day, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it! This little layout was made in just a few minutes and uses a bunch of gorgeous Pink Paislee products. Kind of sad, my brother and his family moved back to Texas this summer, so they won't be able to join us for special occasions anymore. It was a good thing for them though, so we will be giving thanks for that at least. How cute is this picture of my niece holding that enormous drumstick? Tyler won't be home yet though, but only four more months!!
So grateful for the little things today!!

B-