CHRISTMAS!!!

It’s almost here!  Christmas!!!  One of the biggest two Christian holidays of the year, and without Christmas there would be not Easter – so yeah…Christmas is big!  I’m not a Christmas freak really.  I think Christmas is a bit too commercialized personally.  I don’t decorate a ton, I don’t do a ton of shopping, I’m not a real gifty gifty type person (it’s just not my love language, sorry), so Christmas to me truly is more about the celebration of Jesus’ birth many years ago.  My other favorite thing about Christmas is the parties and get togethers with family and friends!  I truly look forward to them!  Our Huizenga side party is already done, and it was great!  Santa made an appearance, many of the kids did a lot of gymnastics (even some of the adults!) and great food and fellowship!  We did have to miss out on my Mom’s side extended family party though.   Can’t hit them all I guess.  We also had two great work parties/dinners, which reminded me how blessed we are to have jobs!  Now we look forward to my family Christmas party on Christmas Eve!  On Christmas morning we will enjoy the morning here at home with our girls for our own Christmas, and then breakfast with Kyle’s parents and sister and her family.  Our other tradition is to go to a movie on Christmas Day and some sort of dinner out (wherever we can find that is open)!  Good good times and great memories always surround Christmas!

Braelyn has been enjoying her break so far.  Today is the first morning we had some snow on the ground, so they got out a bit to enjoy that!  We’ve made a craft, made Christmas cookies, got doughnuts for breakfast…all kinds of treats to make the week special!  I’ve really been enjoying having her home with us and not having school and other commitments this week.  The girls have been playing pretty good with each other!

So, looking back, it’s been a month since I last blogged!  I don’t honestly know where the time goes!  I just haven’t had a ton of time I feel like to sit and blog.  I want to, but I don’t.  Story of our lives right?!  But it’s been a great month!  Thanksgiving was great, we decorated for Christmas, we enjoyed the first snow, and we bought our first Christmas gift as a family!!!

Gunner!  A Weimaraner.  He’s a riot.  We didn’t get along so great our first 4 days, but he’s been in our family now for about 2 weeks and we love him!  He’s super handsome and nice and cuddly.  He’s not real hyper for a puppy either.  He did take up a ton of my time though in the last 2 weeks, so there’s my excuse for that!

 

And I really have been having a hard time scrapping lately, so I don’t have a ton of new LO’s to share.  I’ve been taking quite a few photos though, so I am going to need to buckle down and really scrap here soon!  I hate getting backed up on that!

And with that…From our family to Yours…

Middle of Nov.?!

I cannot even believe it is the middle of Nov. already!  I feel like from here on out we speed thru the rest of the year.  Before we know it we will be ringing in 2011!!!  Personally I am kind of glad that this past week is coming to an end!  It’s been a doozey.  It’s been one for the books.  Why not throw 2 house showings, starting a new job, 5 salon appts., being a single parent all week because Hubby is off hunting, cleaning, and putting out dramatic fires between 3 lively little girls all into one week.  Until next year!

 

It’s a busy but fun week ahead!  I love thanksgiving!  My kids all get to be home this week with no school!  I love weeks off that we don’t have to pack lunch, drop off and pick  up at preschool, and that we can all be home together!  We have our annual friends dinner the night before Thanksgiving!  Always something to look forward to!  I think the tradition is like at least 7 years in the making!  Our group of friends (along with all our families) gets together  over dinner out - I love traditions!  And Thanksgiving Day…of course full of traditions!  And Black Friday – well not so full of tradition – looks different for us every year I think!  Not a Black Friday shopper at all.  Occasionally we have gone out later afternoon to see what kind of deals are still left, but we don’t do the crazy early morning shopping.  And so far I haven’t seen any deals that I just have to have this year, so I think I’ll sleep in!

 

So I’ve done a little blogging over at The-Lilypad!  If you have ever wondered how to easily mat your photos in Photoshop CS or Photoshop Elements, then go learn a little bit from my Tips & Tricks: Digital Matting tutorial!

That’s it for tonight.  For some reason I am up yet at 1:00am, and I really should be sleeping (I may have actually dozed off a few times during writing this post)!  I actually have no LO’s to share because I haven’t really worked on anything since last weekend scrapbook weekend.  Unusual, I know!

MandaKay

Whataya want from me…

I’m channeling my inner “Adam Lambert” tonight.  I’m not even sure why that title popped up in my mind.  Maybe it’s because I sometimes view blogging as a chore.  Not very often, but sometimes.  Now, I fully realize I don’t HAVE to blog.  It’s totally up to me if I write my thoughts down or not.  98% of the time I enjoy blogging.  My friend asked me the other night if I had a new blog post up recently, and I said “no, I think it’s been a little over a week”.  I then had to explain to the girls I was with that I actually have had many an instance over the last week where I thought to myself “I’ve got to blog about this”, but then when it comes down to it I don’t.  Some of the things I have wanted to blog about I don’t because of the fear of offending someone.  How dumb is that though, because this is my blog, my journal.  Some things I forgot that I was going to blog about.  Some things I just can’t blog about quite yet, so there you have it, that is why I haven’t blogged in over a week!  So, without further ado…here is my new blog post!

 

I had such a great Fri. and Sat. this weekend!  I went with some friends to a local hotel, for a scrapbook weekend!  After a great lunch with a friend we got all set up and started scrapping!  The dinner Fri. night was great, and I think we scrapped until about 1:00am!  Sat. morning we were right back at it after breakfast, had a great buffet lunch, and then scrapped until about 4:30.  By that time I had to get the girls from my in-laws!  It was a great weekend, so needed for this Mama, and I felt like I got a lot of things done!

The week ahead is rather daunting to me and I am trying to remain calm about all that is going on over here!  Any prayers for me would be appreciated as I delve into a new job and back into that mode again, after 5 months of being unemployed!  I am excited and I think it will be a great opportunity!  Lot’s of other busyness on top of that too of course!

 

And of course I have scrapping pages to share – seems like I always do!

Here are two new LO’s with some newer Lilypad goodies.  I started this first LO of my Dad on Veterans Day and finished it up this weekend – love documenting history for my family!  The second is of course another LO for my Disney album…it is slowly but surely getting done!

This next group of LO’s are all done for the new journaling challenge going on at The-Lilypad.  The point of the challenges is to finish a 20 page book with your heart into the journaling.  For this album I chose to do it largely on me and my thoughts/likes/etc…

And finally this set of LO’s will be done to put together a book with a lot of journaling and something that I hope my girls will LOVE reading and looking at someday!  The whole book/template/journaling prompts can be bought actually over at The-Lilypad is called Grow With Love:Kids by Sara Gleason and Crystal Livesay.  They are currently doing a 2 a week blog post with a new journal prompt each of those 2 days.  Join in…I dare you!  You will not be sorry you did!

That’s all I have for now.  Have a great week everyone!

MandaKay

Scrappers Give Thanks 2010

What to make a sick child’s day?!  Who wouldn’t?!  I am participating in the 2010 2nd Annual Scrappers Give Thanks project, and I want you to as well!

The 2nd annual Scrappers Give Thanks project has a goal of assembling 2000 participant-created 4×6 pages into 100 ten page (double-sided) mini albums to be delivered to 10 children’s hospitals across the country. Submitted pages should be scrapbook-style mini artworks containing positive words, happy images, jokes etc. and may be in digital or tangible formats.

Create a 4 x 6 vertical composition card (digitally or paper scrapping), and submit it using the Scrappers Give Thanks submission form.  Easy as that!  What a great way to brighten a little child's day!

 

And don’t forget to join me today in the The-Lilypad chat room at 2:00 EST today!  That’s less than 2 hrs from now!!!

MandaKay

The Lilypad weekend!!!

Have you heard any buzz about what is happening this weekend at The-Lilypad??!!  Lot’s of fun stuff I tell you!  The Lilypad designers hooked up with the designers from 9th & Bloom to make a fabulous collab!!!  It will be perfect for you to scrap those fun pictures you take this weekend of trick or treating!!!

And if you love a good blog hop where you can pick up some really cute quickpages and freebies then you will want to hop on over to Amy Martin’s blog starting late tonight thru this weekend and start downloading!  I even have a quickpage being offered on one of the blogs!

Here is my LO done with the new collab:  the title is no boo, because my little girlies have never dressed real scary yet – all sugar and spice here – no scary!

And here is another new LO with a newly released kit today!  It’s a collab by Amy Wolff and Emily Ann Designs.

 

And last, but certainly not least…I am hosting a speed scrap on Monday at 2:00EST time!!!  Please come and scrap a LO with me – I give you the prompts and by the end of the time (1 hr of chatting/scrapping, and then an hour to finish it up and post it), you will have a sweet page!!!  So get those kiddos down for naps and join me in The-Lilypad chat room on Monday!

And just for participating and posting your page by 4:00EST on Monday you will get this kit as a prize!!!  So you get a page done and a free mini kit – how about that?!

 

We’re off to a waterpark this weekend with the girls!!!  Happy Halloween everyone!!!

MandaKay

Llamas

I seem to have taken a love to all things llama lately.  Alpacas even!  Just down the road from us there is a couple that raise some alpacas/llamas (not sure what they are exactly), and I love driving past them everyday!  I know, I know…it’s kind of a weird animal to like, right?!  How could you not though – there’s something very cute about them!  Which leads me to this cute set of kid’s books that I have fallen in love with!  The first book we got in this set was Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.  The kids love it, but I think I love it even more!  It’s an easy read and just so cute!

How could you not think he’s cute?!  And for stocking stuffers i just got the Llama Llama Mad at Mama, and Llama Llama Misses Mama books!  There’s a new one coming out as well for the holidays – might have to scoop that one up as well!  So, if you’re looking for a couple CUTE books to read to your kids at night I would strongly suggest these!  Even if you don’t have a fascination with llamas like I do! :)

Recent LO’s

Just a post with some of my latest LO’s.  I’m feeling a little lack luster lately, hopefully i get more inspired again soon!

This last LO was a lot of fun to do and I did it for the Oct. Journaling challenge that I am hosting over at The-Lilypad!  Do come and play along – good chances of winning a TLP gift certificate!!!  I did a tag mosaic using flickr – all photos are stock photos and they each represent my answers to the tag!

Ciao,

MandaKay