My challenge for 2009..... While reading Creating Keepsakes the other night they had a "Project 365" taking 1 picture a day for a year of anything from your breakfast... to your bathroom... to a family vacation. At first I thought this was kind of crazy, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized "Imagine how much future generations could learn about you from this one album, simple things they may find interesting, but would otherwise never know about you." The price of gas, what your cell phone and computer looks like, just think of how much cell phones and have computers have changed just in our generation, imagine what they will be like 30 years from now! starting January 1 you can order a kit from Creatingkeepsakes.com "magazines". I challenge you to do a project 365.

Christmas is over.... I am not sure if I am happy or sad? I had a great Christmas, but I am kind of sad it is all over and done with and now only to start on the next year. I got to spend a lot of time with my family so that was really good and got some great scrap stuff that I am ready to play with NOW. I am ready for all of the hustle and butle to be over, but I miss the magic happening in our home on a daily basis. Christmas is definitely for kids and I love watching their eyes and facial expressions when opening presents and doing things you only do at Christmas! Christmas eve we spent with Jon's family then headed to Murdo to be with my family Christmas day, then on Saturday we went to Pierre to celebrate Christmas with all of my mom's brothers and sisters and all of my cousins so that was great. We took the kids to the capital and fed the geese (Hayden was more interested in running through them and trying to make them fly than feeding them. I guess he figured they needed a little exercise after they had eaten all of that!) and went through and looked at the trees. My kids and husband had never been there so that was a lot of fun. They are so beautiful and so much work put into them, it is sad they are coming down today. AND NOW off to the real world of work again!!!!!!!!!!I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Come!

Finally the doll house is done!!!!!!! When I was little my dad made me this doll house and I got it and remodeled it. In the beginning I thought how hard could it possibly be to put some new wall paper and carpet in this house as the structure was still good? WEll if I would have just left it at that and not put up chair rail, wainscoating, made new curtains (I definitely now know why I am a scrapper and not a seamstress!), hard wood floor in the living room and hallway, and trim around the baseboard it would have been pretty easy, but I had to keep going then just thought I was done and decided no house is complete without wall words and berry garland above some of the windows!!!! Haley loved it and has played with it for endless hours already. she was so excited when we brought it in Christmas eve morning!!!!!!!!

On the 12th day of Christmas to my true friend I gave.... I covered Prima box filled with peanut butter kiss cookies! I love these boxes, it almost makes me want to go buy all of the prima flowers from Cathy just to have the boxes to cover!!!!!

On the eleventh day of Christmas... I forgot to take a picture... to my true friend I gave..... a note pad cube stamped with snowflakes and a big blue bow on top (thanks to Cathy for making all of them for me!)



AHHHHHH I went to bed last night feeling most of my projects were coming to an end, I wrapped all weekend, finished all my calendars, the doll house is almost done, baked cookies, made cookies in a jar for my co-workers, made gingerbread houses, cleaned my house and THEN I woke up this morning and started to make a list of last minute things that need to be completed and it is a FULL page, my house is a disaster again (I decided that is pretty much a waste of time until my kids are off to college!) So much for thinking I was pretty well done! I just can't figure where the time has gone? If anyone happens to have an extra elf sitting around doing nothing at their house, please send him over here PRONTO!

On the tenth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... a bandaid tin filled with gift tags. I got this idea from Cathy at Altered Art. Thanks for the inspiration, you are awesome!

On the ninth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... a paper purse filled with peppermint kisses.

Is it just me or did Christmas really sneak up on us this year? I have 4 days until Christmas even and feel so overwhelmed with projects to finish (and some to start), shopping to finish, cookies to bake, wrapping to be done and the list goes on and on. At the beginning of December I thought Iwas doing really good, now I am just in panic mode!!!!!!

On the eighth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave...... A pillow box filled with candy canes. (Apparently my dog doesn't like candy canes because he ate the paper of one of the boxes, but left all the candy canes laying on the floor a little crushed, but not eaten!)

Twas the night before Christmas, I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,

"Hi Santa" I said
"You know.... good little girls
should be in their beds."
"I know I should Santa,
and now I've been caught.
But I was just so excited
To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look
in this room where you work.
He shook his head quickly,
And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim
as he put it in gear
"You've got enough crap,
I'll see you next year!"


I got this poem from Michelle Chikos and thought it was so cute, but I am afraid to say, Santa will probably be telling me this year!

For the kids' classes I made M&M matchbooks. Honestly I think the teachers and I probably like them way better than the kids, for them it is just about what is inside, not the package, but I still enjoy doing it and the teachers really enjoy them so it makes it worth the time!

On the seventh day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... A post it note book. These are so adorable. My good friend Leslie was kind enough to teach us how to make these and then I went to the dollar section in Target and got adorable Christmas post it notes. I also made some of these for the kids' teachers for their Christmas basket. Again a great co-worker gift!

On the sixth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... a covered candybar. I got this idea from Michelle Chikos, this is what she gave out at her last retreat Thank you Michelle!!

On the fifth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave.... A triangle box filled with nuggets!!!!! I found the template for these triangle boxes on splitcoast and again, they were very simple, but turned out really cute and are great for a stocking stuffer or a gift for a co-worker.

We had a little mishap with the 12 days of Christmas last night and today. When I got home last night I found that my chocolate lab got into my kids' 12 days of Christmas presents, eating everything that he could and shredding the wrapping and packages on the rest. Then this morning, while taking the kids to school he got into the box that had ALL of my sister-in-laws 12 days bags and ate it all. After talking to my friend Kelly (who is a vet tech) and him spending the day at the vet's office, and receiving a very expensive bag of coal from the vet, not Santa he is doing fine, but still hiding as he knows he is in trouble!!!!!!!!!

On the fourth day of Christmas to my true friend I gave...... A cute little bag filled with Chritmas M&Ms. I got this idea from a friend Michelle with Close To My Heart and then just took it a step further and cut out an oval on the front and put transparenency there so you could see what was inside.

On the third day of Christmas to my true friend I gave.... note card boxes!!!! I made the boxes from paper and then put 3 inch note cards in side. the boxes didn't stay together as well as I had wanted, but you can use the cards and then it won't really matter if the box stays together or not!!!!!!!

On the 2nd day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... A bucket filled with chex mix to remind you that Santa "chex" his list twice!!!!! These buckets are the cutest thing ever! Tessa found them at the dollar store on Haines, told Cathy and I about them and I went and bought the rest that they had (37) the lady working thought I was crazy, but O'well!!!!!

On the first day of Christmas to my true friend I gave..... One big jar of hot coco!

Each year for the past 6 or 7 years I have done the 12 days of Christmas for my kids and some friends. It is just something very little (usually the dollar store) and they get to open it each morning before school. They have come to really like this tradition even though the things are small and usually gone or broken by Christmas!!!!!!!! For the last few years I have made the 12 days of Christmas for some friends and family. For the hot coco jars I experimented with the Vinyl for the cricut machine and cut out "LEt it snow" and snowflakes and stuck them to a jar from Hobby Lobby. I think they turned out really cute and they will be just in time for the cold cold weather we are predicted to have this weekend. A HIGH of 3° that is REALLLLLLY COLD!!!!!!!! What a perfect weekend to have a nice hot cup of coco and watch a movie with a big fuzzy blanket or scrap all weekend sipping coco with a nice space heater blowing on your feet!

I went scrapping at a cabin out in the woods this weekend and made this glimmer mist snowman book. I love how it turned out and now all I need is some snow pictures to put in it!!!!!!!!

I was looking for something super quick and easy for my kids to take to school for Christmas treats and found these adorable M&M Matchbooks on Splitcoast. They went together so fast it was AMAZING!!! I love easy projects that turn out cute!

OH to be a kid again!

All Tangled up in Lights

Tonight I helped Haley and Hayden make Christmas banks. This brought back such great memories from when I was little. Every year my mom would help us make banks out of milk cartons (that was always the best, we never got chocolate milk already mixed up otherwise, we had to use the dry Nestle powder and white milk and it just isn't the same!) We would save money all of December and get extra money for being good, helping out or whatever, then right before Christmas we would take our banks to the local 5 and Dime Store and buy Christmas presents for the family. This is the 3rd year we have done this with Haley and Hayden's first year. It has been so much fun taking Haley to the dollar store and telling her "pick whatever you want for each person" she actually does pretty good and puts a lot of thought into each person's gift. It is just exciting for me to watch them give and know there is more to life than always getting and sometimes you give and expect nothing in return.

I got this super cute, super easy kit from Cathy and put it together last night. The kids started their count down to Christmas boxes and thought those were just the best thing in the world because they got a little toy or candy EVERY DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I know I am crazy. I made these adorable turkeys for Haley and Hayden to take to school. Hayden was so excited to take them and hand them out. My mom used to always make cute cupcakes and stuff for us to take to school and now that you can't take that sort of thing I have to resort to something else, so part of my craziness I have to blame on my mom!!!!!!

My countdown to Christmas box I made for my kids, now I just need to fill it. I suppose they won't be to excited about it if there isn't anything in there!!! I can't believe we will have to start the countdown in 4 days. Where has November gone?