Counting Down to Christmas

I started decorating my house for Christmas. I'm not usually big into the decorating, but this year my girls are all coming home for the week, so I am getting excited and the decorating is putting me in the Christmas spirit!
I even tried to decorate my computer!
There was a desktop challenge at MLAS and Tanyia of Pretty Pixels Designs made up a great template. I made one LO and wasn't satisfied, then I tried again and although I liked it, I saw one in the gallery at MLAS that I liked more, so I made one more and copied some of Brandi's ideas from her LO.
I changed my desktop three times in the last week and it isn't even December yet. Maybe that's why I'm not into decorating my house. It never looks right and I change it around constantly! Thanks Tanyia for the template and thanks to Brandi and everyone else for their inspiration.

Here are my three attempts.




My Life and Scrap has some new designers this week. Rucola Designs and One of a Kind Designs. I did some LO's with Rucola Design's kit called First Choice. They are in my November 26 post. You should stop in the MLAS shop because I am sure there will be some sales in their stores and some freebies too!

Here's a freebie from Rucola Design's First Choice. You can get it here.

Reflecting on Aging

Last night I watched the movie UP on blu-ray. It was a great movie experience all around. And, although it was a cartoon, it definitely wasn't just for kids. There were several scenes that brought tears to my eyes but over all the movie made me smile. Basically the theme was that as we go through life it may seem as though we are always striving for our dream goal, or waiting for the day when we can have what we want, but the truth is, that the real adventures in our lives are the things that happen every day. I think as scrappers we all know this and that is the reason why we feel the need to scrap and document our day to day lives.
In my case there were times when I was too busy or overwhelmed with day to day life to be very reflective at the time that the memories were occurring. Sure, I enjoyed and cherished very many happy times with my family, but sometimes I think I missed a lot by being too busy or preoccupied with details. It may be that as I grow older I become more reflective on my past experiences, and that is why I have truly enjoyed scrapping the past 3o years of my life. I spent time arranging the pictures on the page and thinking about the day they were taken. It has been a great way to relive the memories and adventures.
I find it so refreshing that the young people I have met through scrapping enjoy their day to day adventures with their families. I love reading their blogs and seeing pictures of their fun times.
My daughters are great at getting the most out of every day. We were not together as a family for Thanksgiving, but I know they each enjoyed the day in their own way. Kerin went to Disney with her husband and in-laws, Katie spent the day playing in her yard with her husband and kids and then made cookies and had pizza for dinner, and Krista (who is only 23) had over 20 of her friends in LA over to her house for a full-blown Thankgiving dinner.
This was not a traditional Thanksgiving day for our family, but plenty of pictures were taken (and sent to mom for scrapping) and many memories were made.
I personally spent the weekend relaxing and planning for Christmas. My girls (and their families) will all be home for the whole week and I plan to enjoy every minute of the time we all have together.
I didn't do any LO's in the past couple of days. I made a few QP's for Creative Chaos and Rucola Design's, but you'll have to wait till they post them and I get pictures to add to them before you get to see them.

I do have a freebie for you and it's from the October Mega Colab from MLAS called Sweet Halloween. I hope you still have some Halloween pics to scrap.

Now I'm off to stalk the Facebook pages of my family to find some pictures to scrap. I'm sure there are some good ones...they all promised me there would be!

I'm Taking this Holiday Off!

My husband and I decided to skip Thanksgiving this year and just relax. He made a delicious seafood casserole with rice for dinner last night and we just spent the night watching TV. No other cooking or cleaning or preparations....nice.
This morning he made me hash and eggs with cinnamon raisin french toast and then we took a walk to watch the Woonsocket High School vs. Cumberland High School Thanksgiving Day football game. We saw some friends and had some fun (oh yeah, we won the game 27-14) and now we're back home relaxing. We're having shrimp cocktail for lunch later and we're going to watch the Macy's parade that I recorded on our new HUGE TV. Later on we'll watch some football and maybe a movie and if we get hungry again we'll take a ride and find a resaurant. Totally non-traditional, and perfectly fine by me.
Here are a couple of LO's I did using Rucola Designs First Choice. Her designs will be available at MLAS very soon. This one is my grandaughter Julianna and her friend Dylan at the aquarium in North Carolina. I wasn't there, but I heard it was a fun day.


This one is of pictures from my daughter's best friend Sylvie's graduation from college. She recieved a masters degree in physical therapy and we are so proud of her. I scraplifted this LO design from Colleen over at Rainamoon Scraps. Thanks Colleen.


Here's a Thankgiving Day freebie for you from MLAS. I will be back tomorrow to announce the black Friday sales over at MLAS so come back and check it out.

I Got a New TV!

Today I am thankful for my new 55" HDTV and blu-ray player with Netflix movie streaming. I love technology and this new TV with all of it's options is amazing to me. I remember when I was a kid and there was going to be a special show on TV and all of us kids would gather around the 20" TV like it was some big event. And it was. We waited all year to watch the Wizard of Oz or the Charlie Brown Holiday specials. Now I can watch almost anything anytime. And I will. I hope we get lots of snow this winter so I have an excuse to sit around all day watching movies. Of course I still have to work and maybe do a little housework once in a while, but I know I can digiscrap and watch TV at the same time, so this is going to be great!

I used Bubblescrap Design's A Golden Christmas (available at My Life and Scrap) to do this LO of my daughter Kerin. She recently began selling Lia Sophia Jewelry as a side job. She is a preschool special needs teacher during the day and this is her second job. When she did her first party last weekend, she was so cute I just had to take some pictures. I am so proud of her.
In the LO I wrote a letter to Santa asking him to give her a baby. She's been married a little over a year now and she really wants to have a baby sometime soon.


This second LO is of my husband and grandson from when he visited with them in North Carolina in early November. I used the kit Boys will be Boys from Creative Chaos. Her kits are available at My Life and Scrap.

And here's a freebie for you from the MLAS Mega kit called Lazy Days of Summer.

I Don't Love Holidays

There, I said it... Don't get me wrong, I love my family and I love spending time with them, but I hate the expectations of holidays. I always feel bad when the people I love have an idea of how a special day "should" be and then are dissapointed when it doesn't turn out perfect. I have much more fun when it's a regular day that turns out great. Lets not have any preconcieved notion of how the day "should" be. I like the days when we say...Hey, let's make a fire and roast marshmallows in the backyard...or, let's watch a movie with the projector on a sheet hanging off the porch in the back yard. Hey, here's an idea...if we can't all get together on Christmas let's have "cookie day" and just hang out all day and bake cookies while drinking coffee spiked with bailey's and kahlua. I've had so many of these great "regular" days with my kids and grandkids that I really don't care what happens on Thanksgiving. I'm really just thankful that wherever they are and whatever they are doing, they are healthy and happy and with people that they love and that love them.

Speaking of regular days, last week my husband just decided he needed to see our daughter Katie and our grandkids. He drove 15 hours in one day to get there and surprise them. He needed a break from life and I think they appreciated the surprise visit.

I scrapped this page of the day they spent at the aquarium. This was one of those regular days that turned out great. I used Dream Big Designs kit called Scare Those Crows and it is available at My Life and Scrap. Cheri makes great kits and they all have the cutest elements. I will definitely be showing off some more of her kits soon.

And this LO is of my daughter Krista and her boyfriend Joe on a hike in LA... Another regular day that turned out great. For this LO I used Urban Jungle by RebeccaPSP and it is available at My Life and Scrap. Rebecca's kits are probably my favorites.

All three of my daughters are grown and have lives of their own, but I get to see through their pictures that they all appreciate the greatness of a regular day and for that I am most thankful.

Here's an adorable QP from MLAS for the last of your Halloween LO's. The October Megas were great, one was sweet and the other was scary and you should check them out. You can DL this QP here.

We Keep Chips in the Closet

Now that Jerry and I don't have any kids living at home we have gotten into some really bad habits. And for our punishment tomorrow we have to go to the doctors after only six months going by, to have our cholesterol checked. Are you kidding me??? We eat REALLY healthy. Today I had organic oatmeal for breakfast and yogurt with a banana and walnuts for lunch and then a clementine for a snack. And when I came home from work I ate dinner which consisted of a small serving of sweet and sour keilbasa, broccolli and rice. BUT, then it was cocktail hour and I had a couple of vodka and grapefruit juices with some chips....CHIPS AND VODKA....that is what is going to kill me. I love a couple of drinks to help me relax and I love chips. I love chips so much that I don't even bother to ever bring the bag back downstairs to the kitchen. I keep them in the closet right by the couch so I can get at them with minimal effort. At one time I considered putting Krista's old dorm fridge upstairs in the den, but I think the big trip down the stairs to get the refills in the kitchen cuts down on the number of drinks we have. But the chips...they can stay upstairs in the closet with my slippers. I know that's really weird. But it is convenient.
So I did a couple of LO's and this one was for the template challenge at MLAS. I love Kate Design's templates because they give me some focus in my LO's. This one doesn't even have any extra elements or paper. I love the pictures so much that I thought that was all it needed.

This LO is of a photo shoot Jerry did of Cadence in her princess costume. He says she's a natural in front of the camera but she has such an attitude that sometimes it's a little scary. I used Bubblescrap Design's Classic Bouquet for this LO.

Here's a freebie for you from the great designers at MLAS. You can download it HERE.

Today I Am Thankful that My Husband is Home

Today Jerry came home from his escape to North Carolina to visit Katie and Bernie and the kids. I think he missed me (and the peace and quiet) and he's happy to be home. But he had a great time and came back with over 200 pictures. Of course he's not the best photographer in the world (don't tell him I said that) and only a handful of the pictures are any good (I told him he did a great job), but he tried!
But while he was gone it was a rainy Saturday and I spent the day clearing my DVR by watching hour after hour of tv while I scrapped and finished trying to update my new (used) laptop. Everytime I tried to do something, I realize I hadn't downloaded the program or the software or the update. grrrrrrr I just hope it's all set now.
While I was being a lazy slug I did two LO's with the November collab kit from MLAS called Quiet Nature. There are two kits for November and they are both available now in the MLAS shop. The first one is Jerry teaching Katie and Julianna how to make spring rolls. And the second one is Julianna and her best friend Alexis on a trip they took together in October. I really love the rich colors in this kit and you can see a lot more LO's in the MLAS gallery.

And just in case you still have Halloween pictures to scrap, here's a QP from the October Mega Collab kit from MLAS. You can download the QP here and check out the kit and all the other Mega kits here.
You can get one of the Mega kits free...check out the top of my blog for details.

Have a great start to your week.

Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for.

Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status...I saw this on my niece Shannon's Facebook page and then posted it on my status and then several of my friends got in on it and I'm sure many of their friend's did too. I know it sounds simple, but it just makes me happy to think about spreading good thoughts. I believe in positive energy and I wish more people could be happy and thankful for the simple things in life.
Something I'm not so thankful for is that my computer crashed at the beginning of the week. But what I am REALLY thankful for is that I had backed up many of my files and programs on my EHD so it only took a few days to get the back-up computer (I'm thankful that I had that too) loaded with my programs and now I think I'm in pretty good shape. I have some new kits to scrap with from MLAS and so far I did these two LO's with one of them called Home is Where the Heart is. These kits will be available soon in the MLAS shop.


My husband is still in North Carolina having fun with Katie and Bernie and the kids and he promises that he is taking a lot of pictures. So next week I should have more pictures to scrap. I am thankful for that!

AND one more thing to be thankful for...FRIDAY!

Happy Veteran's Day

Everyone should thank a veteran today. I sent my own personal veteran and his wife (my SIL & daughter) a surprise this week.
Jerry got in the car at 4:30 am and drove to North Carolina (it's a 750 mile drive and he did it in 13 hours) So he could visit with the grandkids and lend a helping hand to Katie and Bernie. They've all been sick and Bernie's been training really hard and Jerry was feeling lonely, so it all works out well. Of course he polished up the TBird convertible for the drive and then drove right into a whole lotta rain! BUT he's still with the kids and I'm sure he will have a great time.

So I thought I would have a few days with not too much to do and I could get a lot of scrapping done...and wouldn't you know...my laptop crrrraaaasssshhhheeeddd.
It just flickered and then died. I saw it coming and had a lot saved on an EHD and I bought a used laptop for a back-up, but then when I tried to use the "back-up" computer, I realized I had to re-install photoshop and all my favorites and I lost all the stuff I had downloaded in the past week and some pictures and well...some stuff I can't even remember.
So now I have a list of things I should do, could do, need to do, have to do....OMG!
But I had already uploaded these three LO's to websites, so I just downloaded them back to my computer. Gotta love the internet.
This one was for a speed scrap at DSDI. I used Bubblescrap Designs Twisted Halloween. (and now I don't have that kit anymore)

And this is another LO I did for a speed scrap at DSDI and I used Bubblescrap Designs Worth the Fall (I don't have this kit anymore either)
And this one is also for a speed scrap at DSDI and I used A Blessed Life from MamaMia and RebeccaPSP (also lost in the crash)

Maybe I can get some of the kits I lost in the crash because Bubblescrap Designs is having her GRAND OPENING SALE at MLAS. Check out some great LO's in her gallery at MLAS.


And here's a freebie from the shop at My Life and Scrap. It was made with Bubblescrap Design's Worth the Fall.

AND remember to thank a veteran today!

My Life and Scrap Blog Train

There's a 12 stop blog train starting at MLAS and there are some awesome freebies to collect at each stop. So hop on board right HERE!

International Digital Scrapbooking Day

It was a quiet week around here. I had Tuesday off from work for election day and we had exams on Wednesday and Thursday, so school was kinda mellow and the kids were sort of focused. It's fun to watch them work (for a change) They do get serious about exams.
My daughter's friend got elected to the school committee here in Woonsocket, so we are very excited about that and so proud or her! She is only 22 and just out of college for a year, so this it a big accomplishment for her.
So apparantly Saturday is digital scrapbooking day. Who knew? Well the girls at My Life and Scrap are getting on board and are going to have some fun with it. There will be some sales (of course) but also a blog train and a speed scrap. So come back in a couple of days for details on the blog train (because I think that means more free stuff) and the speed scrap (because I know that means some fun)! Here's the ad for the sales.

Here's the LO I did for the template challenge at MLAS. I stole this picture from my sister Laurie's Facebook page. It's my niece and nephew Willa and Rupie in their halloween costumes.

And here's another LO I did with Bubblescrap Design's My Little Wonderland. It's a picture of my friend's husband and one of her twin daughters.

And here's your freebie for today from Bubblescrap Design's Citrus Medley. I call it Show Me Your Smile.
You can download it here.

My Little Wonderland

It's election day and we are having a city election here in Woonsocket. My youngest daughter's friend is running for school committee, so we are really excited and very proud.
So I had the day off because the schools are used for polling places and I guess it wouldn't be safe for the children to have strangers wandering in and out of the building. Well, that may be true at the elementary schools, but at the high school where I work, I think it may be the other way around. I wouldn't want some little old lady going to cast her ballot for mayor to have to walk the halls with the crazy teenagers that I deal with everyday! So we had to keep everyone safe and give me a great day off.
So I used my day off to do this LO for the lyrics challenge at MLAS using Bubblescrap Design's newest kit called My Little Wonderland. I think the kit is adorable and it is on sale for $3.00 and if you want to see more there are a few more LO's made with it in the gallery at MLAS that you should check out.
These pictures are of my friend's twins. The small pictures are from July when the weighed less than 2 pounds and the middle picture is more recent. They are both doing well and weigh around 7 pounds. Kylah and Shyrah are truly miracle babies.

And here's a preview of the kit.
Here's a LO of my grandkids that I haven't posted yet. I did it for the template challenge at DSDI in October and I used a June Mega kit from the MLAS store. You should check out the top of my blog for a chance to get this kit for free.
I love clean babies in pajamas. And these are the cutest ones I know.

And here's a freebie for you. I made this QP from a LO of my grandson Jack that I posted on October 17. You can download it here.

Well it's back to work tomorrow.

Two Freebies (to make up for yesterday)

Bubblescrap Design's Worth the Fall kit is available at My Life and Scrap . It's a great kit and here's a preview and a freebie QP.
Download it here.

And here's a freebie photo mask from Dogs Day Design. You can download it here.

Halloween Pics and New November Challenges

The new challenges are up at MLAS and you should go over and get started on them. I did the scraplift challenge already because now that I finally have more pictures to scrap, I lost my scrapping mojo.
The LO that we lifted was from Manda called Follow your Path.
Last weekend when I was desperate for new pictures, I sorted through a box of old ones and I found these of my in-laws from 2002. It seems like such a short time ago, but since then they have both passed away. I like looking at these pictures and remembering the good times. For this LO I used the kit Falling Into Autumn by JennCK Designs.

I also did this LO of my grandaughter Julianna from last night's trick-or-treating. I used one of the MLAS Mega's for October called Scarey Halloween. She makes such a beautiful witch don't you think? I have a bunch more Halloween pictures of my grandkids from my daughter Katie and I have some from my daughter Krista too, but Krista's are of her and her friends (who are all in their 20's) so that's a whole different category. Maybe I'll do some of those tomorrow.

Sorry, but I had to remove my QP freebie. Come back tomorrow and I'll have another.