2015, My Christmas newsletter...

I usually send one with the cards, but this year got a li'l hectic...so will do one electronically.

Dear Friends,
2015 has been a heck of a year for the us.  Where do I start?  Well, as ya'll know, MJM and I doubled the amount of grandchildren this year!!  We added 2 grandsons to the 2 granddaughters!  Such a great  year. (dear kids, let's do it again in 2016!!!) (ha!!!)

MJM is still overseeing 2 businesses, and doing pretty well.  Lots of ups and downs and struggles.  We sold the cows, with our water allotment being cut in half then cut in half again, we simply could not afford to feed them.  But he went in with another rancher to use our land to grow some winter oats for the horse.  Not sure how it worked, but Sox has enough hay to last quite the while.  Just recently MJM's had a thorough physical...all good news, but his dr recommended he go on a Paleo Diet...I think MJM plans to restart it after the New Year.   ha!  hard to stick to veggies and lean meats when there is soooo many goodies around.  He has been very steady using the treadmill.

Speaking of diets, Rocky was tipping the scale at over 100lbs and Kema was not far behind, so both of them went on a diet...and successfully lost their excess weight.  

No talk of diets here, Karen is doing great!  She had a job change @May and though the hours are longer and the work is more physical...she LOVES it!  I am now a NannyGrammy for dgds Jase.  I still do some GL work for the business, but primarily I play with/love on/chase Jase.

  We have been renewing/renovating the house, this year.  We have been here 10 years and decided bit by bit to make the home ours and do the things we've been wanting to do...first step was to convert the in law suite into a mega craft room...nope, I'm not spoiled....ha!!!!

We are going though and just hitting it room by room.  The master bedroom was also painted, chose Requisite Gray from Benjamin Moore ...it is sooooooo pretty.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the Wet Concrete...but a goal is to sell and purple is simply not everyone's cup of tea.  But Gray is the new neutral...riiiiiiiight?  

Jason and Nyki are the proud parental units of 3!!!   Adriana age 6, Kyleigh age 2 and Joshua 2 months(almost)...are they a little crazy?  Oh yeah...but it is a wonderful crazy...right????? (well, wonderful for Grammy)



Cierra and Chris are still in CA (yeah!) they moved out right around Valentine's day...and it gave them @one month to settle in, when....Jase arrived!!!

 




We are so completely blessed, and I tell you what...it is never boring!!!

busy week, but survived it! ha!

Busy week, went to Verdi with Cierra and Jase on Tues/Weds.   We arrived early to pick her up from work on Weds, she did tell me 11:30, and got to hear the last part of the manager's training on the work styles of Baby Boomers, Gen X'rs and Millenials.  also mentioned are the upcoming "Homelanders"....ooooooooooo   what can I say.  Us Baby Boomers are the last of the hard working, values oriented, know how to interact socially  (think about it, kids these days socialize on a screen) (as I type up a blog......hmmmmm).    

 Anyways, fascinating, and yes, I am ready to retire before dealing with these Homelanders in a business environment.  

I mean, I thought Millenials were a bunch of messed up entitled brats (except my kids of course) BUT Homelanders are being brought up to mistrust and hate authority...without objective values...holy crap!!    Of course, as she pointed out, it is all about the home and how kids are being brought up...so, you can go against the flow and bring up great kids, just don't let the media and even schools  do the raising.   I see Nyki instilling great values and work ethic with my grandkids, but it is going against the flow (apparently).   siiiiiiiiiiigh.

It was  Lincoln who said, The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.

and John Adams who said, Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." 

This trajectory is a little scary, but, I believe God is in control and He can do anything, even change hearts, and THAT is where it all starts.   

okay, that turned out a li'l more heavy than I wanted....

on to lighter fare:

I made an attempt to journal in my journaling Bible....ha!!  I am not an artist by any stretch of the imagination.   In fact to draw this pig, I googled 'easy drawing of pigs', figured it should be a bunch of circles, ovals and triangles...ha!  (think I'll stick to stamps and paper piecings from now on.)

Did my favorite Proverb...Proverb 11:22

sorry about pic quality...very hard to get good pic this morn

Did go to Verdi, so stopped by a fave LSS...Scrapbook Paradise on McCarran...technically a Reno store. Picked up Echo Park's  Pirates Life...gosh I LOVE Echo Park...and a 6x6 of Lawn Fawn's Bokeh in the Snow.  Now, I rarely pay full price for a 6x6...usually wait for a sale, but this was just so pretty, gonna use it on Christmas pocket pages for the grandkids.

and Elmo papers, cuz Kyleigh loves Elmo, in fact we are doing her upcoming birthday party in Elmo.  And Bo Bunny's Our Little Monster..since one of Chris's nicknames for Jase is 'little monster man"

so, gotta go prep for next week's b-day / baby shower combination get together next week.

Hope baby stays in the belly...cuz it is looking like he may not...and we will be having a party while mom and baby are in the hospital.   

Oct is here...well, it has been here, huh?

Got to scrapbook last weekend.   Not a whole lot, but it was fun.  As I was scrappin' I kept thinking...how am I going to pack for November's crop?   I NEEEEEED  my stuff.   How do I know what I want?  before I want it?   Normally, I just PACK for crops...but this one, I will be the last to arrive, so I know I will have the 'tiny' spot.  The inner table spot, that does not have any room around it.  So I've gotta pack well, look into making kits, like I read about on 2 Peas...

Here is my pocket page storage.  I keep it all in a binder by type of pocket page.  So far this is working for me...though the binder is already pretty full.   

here are a couple of layouts I did last weekend.  Working on dgs's book.  

And shopping thru the week....siiiigh,  thought I did pretty good, only one paper pack thru Amazon.

Gossamer Blue sub...which I just LOVE

oh, a 'helper' while taking pics this morn.  Not much of a helper, he was in his Velociraptor mood, anytime my hand approached the desk, it got swiped or bit...or swiped and bit.

had to move the Scrapbook Circle kit to thechair for a a pic.

I actually read this week also, can't brag too much, it was Four from the Divergent series.   A kind of prequel/ character study of Four....so, it was young fiction.  But still a fun read, seeing things through his eyes and getting the back story about him and Eric.

Dsil (that is son in law) got the George RR Martin book "A Knight of the Seven Realms' and is letting me read it first.  So, I started it this morn.   But, man, Martin....with the last Game of Thrones, has left me in a bad place.   My fave character laying in the snow bleeding to death, and darn it, I want him to work on that series....siiiiiiiiigh.  Though I guess when the HBO series restarts, I'll find out of John Snow is really dead or not.   

We are planning Kyleigh's birthday, so did spend a bit of time making her some Elmo stuff for it.  But my cricut is not cutting the fluff around his face well.  Probably time for a new blade.  yikes.

Having company over for dinner.  It is 'pastor appreaciation' month, so having our new pastor and his wife, a couple of other couples over for 'surf and turf'....

There is the door, see ya'll later!!!

fess up Friday, end of Sept...also some deep thinking...ooooooh nooooo

Went a little crazy a couple of weeks ago on the Scrapbook.com website...after shipping managed to spend...siiiiiigh, ($100) on PAPER!   how did that happen.  I blame Websters Pages and Simple Stories... there was only one 12x12 pack...a couple of Pocket page cards...then the vellum bokeh paper pictured below

but for the most part it was buying single sheets 2 at a time.  This is what that kind of thing looks like in a stack.   

here are the Webster's pages culprits.  They are actually for their planner...but I will use on pages. After I got them I realized I did not get October...so gotta back order those.

Simple Stories culprits....

and their backs...just love them they have a slight umbre affect

This week as far as scrap goodies, did better as far as $'s. Picked up a couple of things at Walmart...glitter/prism paper and found these We R Memories pocket page at $3 each...Pffffftttt, you know I grabbed all I could find.  Look at the pics above, I've gotta do a ton of pocket pages!

Picked this up off of Craig's List yesterday.  This island cart...Put all my Christmas related scrap goodies...now I can say all my scrapbook stuff is in one room.  Which was the goal when Dh moved me to the guest suite.  riiiiiiiiiight????

Made the top my new Cuttlebug station...the 'tub' was a garage sale find last Saturday.  Don't ask, I don't know what it is about these old fashioned tubs...I even have a pink one on my mantle.

deep thoughts,  It has occurred to me that at 54 I am the age my dad was when he passed away.  He died in a car accident, But something about that milestone really makes you think about your own mortality.  Dh and I are really starting to feel the effects of our life choices when we were young.  I wear mine out front, in the form of a big belly...from overindulging  in food...so you can see my issues.  I feel pretty lucky the only health issue is high cholesterol.   so far.  Dh has had  issues with basil cells, pre cancer, that luckily has been treatable.   ... I don't know, just really makes you consider that we truly are not promised tomorrow.  

I don't have any deep words of wisdom for you young ones, except maybe skip the soda and cheesecake and wear sunscreen.   But I do know, for myself, I am thankful for the blessings I have with my family and home.  I think we need to concentrate on that.  IF these are my last days on earth, I want to spend them...glorifying God, with my grandchildren (kids and dh, too), and my cats .   

All else is fine and fun...but they are not what is important.  

This song has become real special to me, I'll leave the 'deep thoughts' sequence with this...

William McDowell - I Won't Go Back

'Fess Up week end Sept 13.

ha!  No Scrapping this weekend, so far.  But tomorrow I have been given the 'day off' as it is Jase's 6month appt and Chris is going with ...  except for an Eye Dr. Appt and a li'l work in the morning ...I MIGHT get to play.

This weekend, was actually spent doing some organizing.

and that is part of 'fess up.

 Bought these on Scrapbook.com.  On top is a 12x12 We R Memory keepers Teresa Collins album..it was on sale for $9.99 from 19.99...I have been looking for one that I can use to store all my pocket pages until they are chosen for my albums.  So I put all those empty pages, according to configuration. Then in the top corner put a piece of cardstock in which I had mapped out that configuration...to make it easier to see.    I will see if this works.  Oooooh, yeah, got the album for the discount price...but paid $10 for shipping...ha!!

These are Antonius diveders from Ikea.  They are configured for the cart.  Had visions of having my pocket page cards all in order in these.  But, siiiigh, I hate breaking up collections.  So it did not work out that way for me.   These sell for $5 each online, but again think I paid $10 or so for shipping.  The closest Ikea is 2 or so hours, so worth not making the trip.  Just not a good week saving ship costs.  

But this is how my personal cart looks.   I did use 4 of these in the scraproom.  The fifth got put in my nightstand drawer to keep those knickknacks from rolling around.  (most important item in that drawer are my earplugs, sure needed them last night)

the bottom shelf.  

This month's Gossamer Blue Life Pages Kit club.  

and the top is Scrapbook Circle for this month...and on the bottom is an Echo Park bike riding set.

But looking at the pics of Adriana's motorcycle riding...I'm thinking I may use the papers from the kit instead of the Echo Park....hmmmmmm

Today is a big day ...today Jase is exactly 6 months old.  We are going to his house tonight for brisket and fixings.  Of course Grammy is bringing ice cream for dessert.  He cannot have any yet.  

Labor Day Crop

Finally had a chance to scrap today.  Was hoping to be able to do a little all weekend, but got very busy.  I actually gave up a family bbq to crop today.    I kept calling it a "Labor Day Crop" and last night when there was chocolate cream pie left...I told the family "I'll just take it to my crop".  Fooled dh, but son in law called me on it...'but you are the only one going'...ha!

Spent about 6 hours, know this cuz I watched 3 movies.  ha! For me, watching Secretariat when scrapping is not a good idea.  No matter how many times I watch that movie, I always 'ugly cry' at the end...you know, when Secretariat is running that last race of the triple crown...and Penny quotes the Bible verse, and they play "Oh Happy Day"...holy moley...took me a few minutes to compose myself.

 Got a lot organized from Expo, layouts into books and finished some..also got a few new ones done.

This was the first 'new' layout done today...I was about 3 hours into my cropping for this first layout...my dgs #1...#2 is on his way...

Had a helper during the last few hours...Adriana was actually over for the first part, she made a card for her Uncle...and I sewed a stuffed animal for her.  But while she was here, worked on the Expo stuff.  It was funny, she looked at a pic of a tiny baby I was working on...and told me, "Hey that's Kyleigh's blanket and That is Kyleigh's , why is Jase using it?".   "Ummm, because that is baby Kyleigh"... I mean they are all cousins, and do look a lot alike.   

One of my first time using pre bought die cuts...did not know you had to finish gluing them together!  I used them on page 2 also, (not pictured) .  This was tough, so many colors, that matting pics took a while.

Cannot take credit for these pics, the kids' friend, Matt Schenk, who is a professional photographer out of Las Vegas took them.   Too pretty to crop, so let them speak for themselves with very simple paper choices.   and a fox from Newton's Nook stamps.

This is an unfinished layout, nothing is glued down.  I like the frame around Big Memories card...but feel it may be too dark.  May pull out a cricut cart and make my own with a different color.  These pics are also Matt's . 

Oh, fess up weekend....shopping accountablility.   This is from my Stamp Club, Stamps of Life...siiiigh, gotta start thinking about Christmas.  ALREADY!!!

My Geisha Anya arrived.  Ain't she cute!!

This is from a couple of weeks ago.  Got the C plate for my cuttlebug...and more Best Friends stamps...of course more Echo Park (which is just about a fave pp manufacturer right now)

These were from Amazon this past week.  Boy papers, (2nd grandson is on the way)   and I actually used the die in the first layout.  But I may need lessons on how to use these in my cuttlebug die cutter, as I ended up leaving an impression on the 'B" plate  before I figured out how to cut into the paper.  Youtube time!

weekend catch up...and some organizing too

 Was able to finish some of the pocket pages from Expo over the weekend...this one, I know doesn't have a lot of scrapping going on...but I was sooo proud, cuz i finally used one of my hamster stickers!!

this one I did quite a bit...adding the washi, the cow and the card...kinda low on pics on this page....

and this is one of my faves...but cannot post all of  it cuz dgd is just wearing a diaper...guess she is dressed Indiana country style.  but I did love the mason jar paper and the stamps. (Newton's Nook)   

I still have blank spaces in my pockets, but guess as I do more of them, I will get better at it.

I was inspired by a thread on 2 peas to re-organize my kits.  I have been subscribing for years.  First it was Bad Girls, till she stopped (siiiigh, I loved those kits) Now it is Scrapbook Circle which I also love, her taste is what I like...before I had them stored in these oversize bins...

found these on Walmart.com.  They are sized 14x14 so Iris bins fit in them!

Now they are catagorized by 'brands' (Teresa Collin, Sassafrass kits) feminine, neutral, themes, and masculine.  With one bin fairly open...right now it has packs that have multiples of one sheet.  I don't buy many of those, but did pick up a couple at last Expo.  I do like to keep my kits together, as when I pull them out to use, I like that they have embellies already pre-done for me.

This last area is then next to be tackled, At Expo I started dgs's 1st book...so need to work on finishing those layouts.  I use the center table in my room as a catch all for current project.

The piles, containers and even Iris cases on the floor are all baby boy stuff.  Still need to work on this process.   But it is next.  

'fess up Friday, a day late...ha!

I've decided to do a 'fess up Fridays for my scrapbook shopping.  I was doing sooooooo good in 2015, then Expo opened a floodgate of shopping...before, during and now after.  So I figure if I log it, have to see it, maybe I'll slow it down.  So, 'fess up Friday for the week ending Friday Aug 21...

Amazon had these MME cards on sale...from @ $3 to $4...so of course had to pick up a few packs.

But look, even as I took the pic of the purchase, I had a layout that I could use one on!  Now that layout pictured is not yet glued down (I wasn't sure about the yellow)...but that Memories card did work!

There was a thread on 2 peas refugees about taking apart your kits, and someone linked in about these for storage...not sure if they will work for me for kit storage,esp at @$9 for a pair...but thinking good for kit taking to crops....and this upcoming crop, I do need to pack 'kits' as I am not going to have much space.

And of course, Newton's Nook...siiiiiigh.   I have a Newton addiction.  I mean isn't the business card they sent adorable.   "Hope you enjoy getting your paws inky"...so picked up their dies that go with a stamp set I have...and of course mermaid stamps.  I seem to have an addiction for all things mermaid these days.  

And here is a b-day card I made with another mermaid stamp set.  The one I got at expo...though the fintastic birthday sentiment came from Newton.  The colors are copic, except the tail..that is Spectrum Noir... and the background is gelatos...I do love them gelatos.   One Expo class I am really glad I took.

And used mermaids on these layouts.  Same pic going in each of the granddaughter's books.

the one on the left is Mermaid Anya...and the other is one I got at Expo...can't think of the name...sooo cute!