Some Layouts from today

Still working on our 'Weekend Crop' at ASF....here's what I've gotten done today. This was for a challenge to use the lyrics from Brad Paisley's song 'She's Everything'. I kind of tweaked them a tad bit to fit this LO of Ashley. The journaling reads:

She's a holey pair of jeans

She looks great in anything

She's take me to a movie

I can't find a thing to wear

Now & then she's moody

BTW, she took this picture herself down in the hay barn.

This was for a challenge to do a LO with NO people in the photos. I chose to do some of my favorite Christmas decorations that we put out each year. The top one is my snowman cookie jar from Ella, the 'Frosty' countdown-til-Christmas that Maw made for the kiddos back when they were little, a Christmas cross-stitch done by G'ma Bunner, my cheap-o Walmart Christmas mugs & the Frosty cross-stitch that I made the first year we were married.

This was my DT layout for the Dec. 15th newsletter at ASF. Sarah's family Christmas picture.

Sunday Morning

Got up early this morning & spent some time reading my book....'The Christmas Quilt'. REALLY good! I've also managed to get a layout done too...pics from Thanksgiving. Will upload that in a bit. We are home again today...for one thing, Clay drove the van because it's supposed to get nasty later with sleet & all AND because Jon has a nasty cold now. He woke up all stopped up yesterday & by last night was coughing & sneezing, etc. Hate that he feels bad, but will take that over the stomach bug ANY day!! Ahhh...I'm listening to the Smallville soundtrack....'Save Me'...Love that cd!!

Layout of the day

Well, I only got ONE layout done today, but that's ok....We kind of threw together an impromtu cyber crop over at ASF for the weekend. Several of us were home & going to be scrapping so we figured, Why not? Hopefully I'll get alot done tomorrow & the next couple of days!! This afternoon I worked another puzzle with the kiddos while watching Home Alone 2. Love these afternoons hanging out together like this! Then for supper we made home-made pizzas. I think I'm headed upstairs to read now.....

Yesterday...

The girls & I headed out for some shopping & lunch yesterday. We hit Steve & Barry's first.....Ashley & Chris both got GCs for there from Maw. They are still having their big $8.98 storewide sale going on. Ashley got a cute little jacket, but when we checked out we were kind of confused about the amount on her GC. The jacket was $9-something with tax & they told her she had a little over $2 left on her GC. Kinda strange.....making it sound like her GC was for $11 & some odd cents. When I asked Maw about it, she said they both were supposed to have $25 on their cards......Grrrrrrr! Now, we've got to meet her up there with HER receipts where she bought the GCs & Ashley's receipt where she bought the jacket & get this whole mess straightened out! Anyways......we went on from there to meet Danielle & Alley for lunch at Texas Steakhouse. That was really nice....not too many people there & just nice enjoying each other's company since we haven't had our weekly lunches in AGES! We hit Target next......Ashley got a couple of tops & a cute little pair of shoes. Alli got Barbie stuff, of course, with her GC from Aunt Linda. She got a 'Christmas Morning' Barbie, a Ken & some clothes for Ken. Not bad for $15. We got a few groceries after that & then headed on home. It had started raining by then & was just nasty out! Glad to be home & warm by the fire for the evening. Nothing much planned for today.....some cleaning up, laundry & maybe some scrapping. It's nice today.....supposed to be about 58 degrees & then tomorrow the high is only going to be in the 30s & they're calling for rain/sleet....70% chance. Sounds nasty to me!

I did it!!

Yay me!! I actually sat down & scrapped this afternoon. First off, I worked on my assignment for the next newsletter at ASF. Really pleased with how it turned out, but will just have to wait for the newsletter to come out before I can show it off. These are the other two layouts I was able to get accomplished. Pictures of our Thanksgiving breakfast....cinnamon buns & coffee. It's actually a tradition for any number of special occassions....Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, birthdays, etc. This is our tree...just a really simple layout. I got the idea from the Dec. issue of Scrapbooks, Etc. Also the idea for using old Christmas cards as accent ideas.....I cut that little tree from the card Aunt Faye & Skippy sent us!

International Harvester

I'm the son of a third generation farmer
I've been married 10 years to the farmer's daughter
I'm a God-fearin', hard-workin' combine driver
Hoggin' up the road on my p-p-p-plower
Chug-a-lug-a-luggin' 5 miles per hour
On my International Harvester.

3 miles of cars layin' on their horns
Fallin' on deaf ears of corn
lined up behind me like a big parade
Of late to work road raged jerks
Shoutin' obscene words
Flippin' me the bird.

Well, I know you got your own deadlines
But cussin' me ain't savin' no time, Hoss
This big-wheeled, wide load ain't goin' any faster
So just smile & wave & tip your hat
To the man up on the tractor.





****I just love this new Craig Morgan song!! Reminds me of driving through Oak Ridge (two-lane road) being stuck behind a big ole tractor.....that's just how it is out here where we live. Guess that's why I like it so much!****

Scrappy Day

I'm posting this here, Now, so maybe it will get me to REALLY scrap some today. I've been WANTING to, but then I sit down & just end up staring at the pics & paper & then putting it all away. I HAVE to get my DT assignment done before the 31st......so, that's the plan today. Hopefully I'll have some LOs to share later this evening.

A relaxing Day after Christmas

Clay & the boys were up & outta here at 6am this morning to catch some of the sales at Target. They had some games on sale & they had Christmas money, so off they went. I got on up a little after 7am, fixed coffee & got my ham in the oven....Clay's folks were SUPPOSED to be coming up today. When I finally sit down here to check my email, I find a text from Clay saying they aren't coming because Papaw hurt his back last night. Oh well.....at least I had supper cooking already, right?! Well, Clay went off hunting with the guys.....they were ALL out here running dogs. I returned a stack of books to the library & picked up a few things at Food Lion. Came home & Ashley, Chris & I worked one of the puzzles Aunt Vada sent them for Christmas.
Here it is all finished

Ashley said Lady Liberty was her favorite & wanted a close-up of her.

Believe it or not, Clay came home with yet another deer this afternoon. A doe this time. Between him & Jon, they've gotten 6 deer so far plus the one from Clay's friend. Michael still has a few more days left to try for a deer....but the Wii is vying for attention now. Well, I'm off to get Michael & Alli settled down & then the rest of us are going to watch Pirates 3.....Clay hasn't seen it yet.

Christmas

These are the high-lights from our day yesterday. I took my other camera with me to Maw's so will have to wait to get those pics developed later.Jovi...first thing Christmas morning...like how he posed so pretty for me right in front of all the presents.
Jovi enjoying his new knitted kitty blanket.

Ashley with one of her Paris books.

Alli with her Kelly doll set.

An excited bunch of boys with their Wii!! Can you tell it was a BIG hit?!

Ashley took this picture of Daniel playing on his new drum set Christmas night. We passed around the tylenol & let him go to town! All I could think of was an old 'I Love Lucy' episode where little Ricky was learning to play the drums. I think he told Clay he was playing 'Frosty'. Oh & the name of his band was 'Baseball'. ;-)

The Moon....

Was so cool-looking this evening.....I ran out to the pump house to get a jar of green beans for supper & this is what I saw. These pictures just don't do it justice, but I tried. It wasn't quite dark yet & there was that big ole full moon coming up over the hill...so pretty!
I finished up the cards I was working on for Sarah for Christmas (I THINK I'm safe in saying that here.....I don't think she reads my blog. Hee! Hee!) This is just a sampling....I didn't bother trying to get a picture of them all. Hope she likes them & can use them!

We had a nice surprise this evening....just as I was starting to peel potatoes for supper, Aunt Linda & Dale stopped by. They had this HUGE 5 lb. bag of candy for the kids along with some twizzlers & a bag of bubble gum! AND a pound cake for us. They were making their usual Christmas rounds....here then over to Skippy & Faye's. The cake was REALLY yummy....I just had a piece along with a nice hot cup of coffee. The kiddos just got done watching 'Elf' again, so I'm off to tuck Michael & Alli in bed & then go try to finish up my book.

Look what I ran across

Was wrapping a few more gifts tonight & hiding them away in the wardrobe (shhhhhhh......don't tell the kids that!) & I ran across some of my cross-stitched pieces....never framed. The bottom one was done in 1992 & the top one in 2004. Need to get my father-in-law to frame these for me....he has his own framing shop. Kinda makes me want to pull my stuff out & start cross-stitching again. I LOVE doing the samplers & actually have another big one in progress....it's so pretty.....need to finish it up & get these things framed so I can hang them somewhere in the house.

Clay's BD & the Christmas Deer

I took about 5-6 pictures trying to get a decent one where everyone was looking at me & smiling nicely. I don't think that ever happened....so I just picked the first one to post on here. Will print them all off though to use on a scrapbook page.
Jon decorated Clay's deer....put his Santa hat on him & even added the glasses. He's such a goof-ball!

LOTS to catch up on.....

First off, some pictures from our Christmas party at Maw's house this past Tuesday. Love this sweet pic of Taylor with her thumb in her mouth & Ella's hair in her other hand. Reminds me so much of how Ashley used to 'twiddle' my hair when she was tired/sleepy.
Maw & Florence

The next set of pics...well, what can I say......we were just having fun messing around with the camera trying to get some cute Chrismtas pictures. We got a little giggly & carried away.
Me & Alley

Me & Ella
Alley & Ella

Dillon & Evan

A shot of Florence's YUMMY cookies she brought! Chocolate, pecan & lemon bars. Mmmmmm!
Cori, Alli, Ashley holding Summer & Catherine



Next we have some deer pics. The boys were off hunting at Mason's cabin while we were partying. Jon killed TWO more deer.....this spike & a doe the next morning. He has killed FOUR so far this fall! Not bad for a 12 yr old. Ashley says he must be wearing lucky underwear!

Clay also got a big 10 pt. which will end up on our living room wall sometime in the near future.

Run, Run Rudolph.....

Run, run, Rudolph,
I'm reelin' like a merry-go-round......

That's how I feel this morning. Clay & I were out ALL day yesterday shopping....from about 9am-6pm. We got ALMOST everything finished up. I have to return two things we got for Alli today & then he is going to pick up the replacement gift for that on his way home from work. The girls & I are headed out here in just a bit to get a few groceries & they want to find some kitty treats for their babies this Christmas. Hopefully I won't be out too terribly long. Need to come home & get a pot of chicken & dumplings going for supper & then start wrapping! My goal is to have everything done this weekend, so Monday can be a relaxing day with family!!

Top Ten List

Here's my Top Ten List of favorite Christmas songs.......Y'all leave a comment & tell me YOUR favorite Top Ten! ;-)

(this is in no particular order)

1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen- Bare Naked Ladies
2. Silent Night- Mercy Me
3. Thank God for Kids- Kenny Chesney
4. Christmas in Dixie- Kenny Chesney/Alabama
5. This Very Christmas Night-Trans Siberian Orchestra
6. Tennessee Christmas- Amy Grant
7. Mary, Did you Know?- Mark Lowry
8. Merry Christmas, Darling- Carpenters
9. Little Drummer Boy/Let There Be Peace on Earth- David Bowie/Bing Crosby
10. Anything by Manheim Steamroller

Cookie Swap Party

Fun, fun day today. We had our annual Homeschool Cookie swap at Maw's house. We were sad that Sarah & the kids missed out.....Anna was sick & throwing up this morning. Sure didn't need to share those germies around with everyone,but we DID miss them!! Danielle, Alley & Florence came....9 kids & 5 grown-ups made for a house full of FUN! We had piles of yummy cookies to sample & take home.....chocolate chip, M&M, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin, lemon bars, pecan & sugar. And Maw gave each of us the cutest little cookie tins to take our cookies home in. I love the Christmas cookie tins like that.....I keep mine sitting out on the table full of different kinds of cookies during the holidays. Or should I say I 'TRY' to keep them full of cookies.....that's a hard task to accomplish with all these kiddos around! Ha! Talked to Clay a little while ago.....they are staying over one more night at the hunting cabin. The boys are having such a good time! And Michael is bound & determined he IS going to shoot a deer this year. Especially after the fact that Jon killed TWO more!!!! A spike yesterday evening & a doe this morning. I tell ya, that boy is something else! Clay said he even gutted & skinned the whole thing himself....under the watchful eye of Clay & Mason, of course. Jon always talks about building himself a log cabin when he gets older & I can totally see that happening. That just SOUNDS like something that Jon would do! Off to tuck my Alli-girl in bed now & then I'll try & upload & resize some pics from today.

Today

Morning chat with Maw * breakfast & cleaned up kitchen * shower * Talked to the insurance guy about our van....someone's coming to look at it Wed. * Took two Christmas gifts over to Mason & Gayle's for them to hide for us til Christmas * back home to fix lunch & get the boys ready for their hunting trip to Mason's cabin * ran to Food Lion to pick up some milk & chocolate chips....oh & some poptarts for breakfast * finished baking mini loaves of pumpkin bread * baked oatmeal cookies * baked chocolate chip cookies * fixed pancakes & bacon for supper * cleaned up the kitchen for the umpteenth time today * Got Alli in the tub * read a couple chapters of Harry Potter * worked some on my recipe card thingie I'm making * the kids are watching 'Jingle All the Way' now & then it will be bedtime for Alli.....probably bedtime for me too.......I'm tired now.

Little wooden ornamets that I picked up from AC Moore the other day. Used my glitter paints on them yesterday afternoon. After they dry, I will glue a ribbon hanger to the back. These are for the kiddos at our Homeschool Christmas party on Tuesday.

Project Day

Spent the day working on some of my Christmas projects.... This is a Christmas Memory Game that Ashley made for some of the younger kids for Christmas. She took a crayon box & painted it & decorated it with stamps & glitter paint. Then she used some of my Christmas stamps & made the pairs of cards for the game. It turned out SO, so cute!!

This is another one of Ashley's gifts.....for some special people....won't name names in case they are reading my blog. ;-) She got this idea from her Brio magazine....cute Christmas mugs with packets of hot chocolate & a candy cane for stirring. Mmmmmm......peppermint mocha!
And here is my scrap/craft table.......I know it's a mess, but it's a Happy Mess! I just walked by & thought it was neat seeing all our different Christmas projects laid out while we worked off & on all day. Such a warm suggly feeling spending the afternoon working on projects with your daughters while listening to Christmas music on the computer. We were singing along to Hilary Duff's Christmas cd & also Aly & AJ's. Also accomplished today.....got the rest of my christmas cards done & in the mail, started crocheting on a pair of mittens while watching Spiderman 3 with the kiddos, made a batch of Chex party mix, painted some wooden ornaments that I had picked up, made home-made pizzas for supper & have put clean sheets on all the kid's beds. now I'm ready for a nice cup of Hot Chocolate & a good Christmas movie.

Supper tonight was blackened chicken (on the stove...not on the grill) with mashed potatoes, salad, macaroni/cheese & corn bread. Chris is DONE with school now til January!! Yippee-yay! He's not sure about his History final grade from today....won't find that out til the 19th. But he did get his History paper back...on the Salem Witch Trials....& he got an A-. He's hoping to pull an A in that class & SHOULD get an A in math & English too. WooHoo! Can you tell I'm just a wee bit proud?! Off to get these young-uns tucked in bed & then finish up my Christmas cards so I can put them in the mail tomorrow. It's calling for a nasty day tomorrow....like 80% chance of sleet/snow. I'm so happy I don't have to go anywhere. Will cozy myself up by the fire & work on finishing up my Christmas projects.

Jon's 'Christmas' bed

Pictures I took of Jon's bed last night when I went upstairs...very pretty up there with all the lights off. The bottom picture I took laying on his bed, looking up at the underneath of the top bunk. What a crazy kiddo! Now Ashley wants lights to go around her window. I think Jon might have started something. ;P

Pics from tonight

Jon with his Santa hat on...

Our tree taken with the night setting on my camera... Another one taken with the auto setting & NO flash...love the kind of blurred effect. Well, my day took a total turn-around this morning...decided to go ahead & get my groceries & run errands today. Chris only has ONE exam tomorrow & that wouldn't give me the time to get all my stuff done. So, now that's all out of the way & I'm hoping I can just meet Ella for a quick lunch at Subway tomorrow while Chris takes his exam. ;-) I hit Walmart, Sam's, AC Moore where I picked up some wooden ornaments to paint for the kiddos. Also ran into Family Dollar & was able to pick up a few stocking stuffers...since I was all by myself today. Came home & fixed tacos for supper & then put the lights/beads on the tree & let the kids have at it. I think they did a really nice job. And Jon is such a hoot.....he found a spare string of lights & took them upstairs & strung them all under his bunk bed. Looks pretty cool! Will have to go up there & take a picture.

That's my boy...

Well, Kaye was sending her well-wishes for Chris on his exam............he got a 94 on the exam & an A for the semester!! I am SO proud of him!! Especially in a class that was NOT his favorite at all. He's worked & studied so hard all semester! PTL

What I did today

Chatted with Maw & Ella this morning...folded about 4 baskets of laundry...washed dishes, dishes & more dishes...baked white chocolate chips & oatmeal cookies.....in between batches of cookies I managed to get my Design Team assignment done for the Dec. 15th newsletter....also started working on the other fingerless glove for Ashley.....fixed fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salad & biscuits for supper....now I just need to get in there & get it all cleaned up for the night. EARLY morning tomorrow.....Chris has an exam at 8am.....will have to leave here at 7am! Yikes!! Glad that's just for ONE day.

Last Day of Classes

WooHoo....this is Chris' last day of classes. English class they don't even have an actual 'exam'...they will just turn in their final paper today & they are done. He will have two exams on Wed. & the last one on Fri. Now, I can totally concentrate on getting my gifts done & enjoy doing some Christmas baking.....Christmas movies to watch at night as a family.....yipee....let the FUN begin! Here is the fingerless glove (singular NOT plural) that I finished last night for Ashley. Love how it turned out & really simple to do. Now to finish the other one & they will go with the belt I corcheted for her already. (Need to take a picture of that too)

This is Daniel's blanket that I also finished up last night. The kids say this is his 'Spiderman' blanket. ;-)

Family Christmas Dinner at Aunt Linda's

Just thought I'd share some pictures from our Christmas dinner last night. We all had such an awesome time! Thanks so much to Aunt Linda & Uncle Dale for opening their house & making us all feel so welcome! Katelyn, Alli & Anna
Daniel doing a little 'beat-boxing' along with Jon's Blake Lewis cd. Check it out....he was snapping his fingers & tapping his foot along to the beat!

Bruce & Lauren
Joyce (Dale's mom) & Bruce

Philip
Uncle Skippy & Michael

The kids all gathered around 'Aunt Linda Clause'......just look at the excitement on Daniel's face!!
Carolyn & Jerry's little Emma Grace.....isn't she a doll!

Bruce & David bring out the guitars & sing a few Christmas carols for us. Keith even shared his rendition of the National Anthem with us! LOL!

Faye & Dale

David B joins in with his accordion

David & Dale sing along

Uncle Skippy & Aunt Faye

Faye, Rinnie, Philip & Maw
Michelle & Keith

This was so cute.....Daniel was standing here by his daddy pretending to play the accordion with his little slinky that Aunt Linda had given him. Michelle had done all the beautiful decorations! She has such a knack with this kind of thing.