Seasons of Change 2011

Welcome to the bi-annual Seasons of Change blog hop, where you get to meet the retiring, returning, and newest DT members of Scrapbook Challenges! If you’ve just joined in, hop on over to the beginning at

Pamela’s World of Scrap

If you’ve arrived here from Shelly’s Blog, you’re in the right place! This term, I am happy to say, I fall into the returning DT category. I had so much fun with it last time that I’ve decided to stay on board! With the introduction of new teams (sketch team and challenge team) I felt like I would best be able to serve my beloved Scrapbook Challenges community by being a member of the sketch team. I look forward to Pamela’s newest sketches and jump right on them as soon as I can, so I look forward to sharing my results with you throughout the next 6 months!

I started off as a paper scrapper about 8 years ago, but I’ve moved more towards digital the past 5 years or so. This year, I’ve decided to make a hybrid album, much in the stylings of my scrap idol, Ali Edwards. I’m taking on her “One Little Word” project, with the word “focus” because, although I have a lot of areas in my life that I’d like to improve with new year’s resolutions, I know I really need to just focus on one at a time. Focusing is something I struggle with, so this is a resolution in and of itself I guess. SQUIRREL! Anyway, I hope it’ll give me just enough paper scrapping to keep my hands on crafting appetite satisfied. Digital is great and all, especially for making the yearly family album that I do, but nothing beats spending several hours elbow deep in papers, prints, and spray glue…. yeah spray glue. I know… not the typical scrapping adhesive choice, and the fumes are definitely not crop friendly, but I love the total adhesive coverage it gives. Anyway, enough about me and my weird paper scrapping habits.

For this sketch, I went with Pamela’s 2-page version and went my usual digital route to help finish off my 2010 book.

I have recently become a DT member at Raspberry Road Designs too, so a lot of the digital kits I use now are from Susan there at RRD, including this one I actually suggested she put together, called Candy Cane Lane. I love the kit she came up with and it fit right in with my red and white peppermint themed Christmas decorations this year. I got a little playful with the journaling layout, as you can tell! I like it though!

Journaling:

New Family Traditions:

Most of our holiday festivities, in years past, have amounted to us loading up the car and taking it all to do while in Tyler/The Farm. Now that both of the kids are old enough to enjoy Christmas, we felt it was time to start celebrating the holiday in our own way. So for the first time since we’ve been married, we had Christmas as a family in our own house. We brought in some old traditions from our own childhood, like Christmas jammies the night before presents, and having cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

We started a few new traditions of our own too. Jonah enjoyed looking for Christopher, the elf who came to keep an eye on their behavior, in his new hiding spot each morning. We made sugar cookies together, told the Nativity story with the help of the Little People set,
and we went to look at the lights at Deerfield.

All of those traditions are nice and all, but the one I like the most is how we decided to handle the whole matter of gifts to each other. In order to put the emphasis on giving, rather than receiving, we limited gifts to one from each person to each person. Then instead of sorting them by who they were to, when it was time open, we sort them by who they were from so each can take a turn giving a gift.

Now that you’ve had a little preview of me and my style, here’s a little preview of some of the fabulous prizes to be won on this blog hop adventure you’re on! Not, that you haven’t seen them on everyone else’s blogs, but they’re so awesome they’re worth seeing again aren’t they?! I wish the DT was eligible to win too! Haha!

1.  For one person who leaves a comment on all the blogs in the hop, they will get the new Spring Market collection from Webster’s Pages, including chipboard buttons and twine.  

2.  For one person who does a layout based on the sketch and posts in the HOP ON section, they will get the Be Mine collection from Echo Park Paper Company.  

3.  For inviting people to join the group, one person will get a collection of adhesive from Helmar.

4.  For one new member over the weekend, they will get some new Spring Market Unity Stamps (Released 1/7/11 – They’re so brand spankin’ new the photos hadn’t even been released to us when I wrote this post!)

Now that you’ve seen all the goodies, hop on over to

Janine’s Scratch Pad!

Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to seeing you on the boards!

Scrapping Anyway

Despite the busy weekend with potty training, I still found some tim (usually w/ Carly in my arms) to work on my 2008 family scrapbook. I skipped over 2007 for now so that I could get caught up on the current stuff while it’s fresh on my mind. I actually got halfway through with the pages I have planned for this book!

4th of July Weekend 2009

Carly looking quite patriotic

Dinner at the lakehouse w/ my family

People full of good food

Chad playing w/ Jonah

Jonah playing with Cosmo

My dad’s new (used) 26′ sail boat

Jason and my dad on the sail boat watching fireworks

Kay on the boat, looking way younger than she is!

Jonah an Mommy on the sailboat

the fireworks

Jonah trying to sail the boat

This Thursday

This Thursday is going to be some wild crazy fun, I tell ya! I volunteered to host our playgroup’s Easter Egg Hunt Party at my house this Thursday, and so far, from the looks of the RSVPs I’ve gotten on the e-vite, it looks like this may be our biggest turn out for a playgroup yet! Including Jonah and myself, we’re going to have 13 moms and 19 children between 0-3ish years old! Holy moly that’s a lot of people, but I think I can handle it, and I’m really looking forward to it! I’m sure a lot of people think I’m insane for hosting a party of this magnitude at 36 weeks preggo, but this is going to be a blast! I just hope I have enough food and such!

Wanted to post a couple of pictures from the insanity:

Playroom Starting to Fill Up

Getting Ready To Unleash the Egg Hunters

The Mad Dash to Get Eggs

Moms Showing the Younger Ones How

People, Eggs, Bunny Ears, and Cameras Everywhere!

Jonah Wouldnt Wear Them, So I Did

The Pile-o-Diaper Bags

All the Little Booster Chairs Lined Up for Lunch

Jonah and His Friend (And the Car Easter Basket Jonah Stole From Him)

A Growing To Do List

With less than 2 months, now, before our little girl arrives, my brain has started churning over all the things that I have to, and would like to, get done before that time. My friend Sarahjenne made a similar list on her baby blog, so I guess I’m stealing the idea from her!

Need to Do Before She Comes:

• Make arrangements for going to the hospital (with back up plans)
  • Write down Jonah’s schedule, routines, and weird habits
  • Write down Jonah’s usual snack/meal options & preferences
  • Write down Jonah’s most difficult to understand phrases
  • Get volunteers that can come watch or come get Jonah from the hospital, if I go into labor before the c-section date, until my parents can gather up their stuff and make the 2 hr drive here.
• Get baby clothes and bedding ready
• Get baby bottles ready
• Pack for the hospital
  • Her bag. Since she’ll be rooming in with us most of the time at the hospital, and because I’ll be there for 3-4 days, I plan to take:
    • (3) newborn t-shirts
    • (3) 0-6 mo gowns
    • (3) burp cloths
    • (6) pairs of baby socks
    • Her cherry-print onesie for a twinkie photo op w/ Sarahjenne’s baby if they come to visit.
    • Her homecoming dress, shoes, socks, hat & hair bow (I plan to clip the pink bow to her little white hat)
    • Baby Nail Clippers
    • Pacifier
    • Pink gingham print blanket & ladybug blanket for photos
    • Her Baby Book
    • Nursing Cover
    • Video Camera & Power Cable
  • My Medela pump bag just in case I need it at the hospital like I did last time.
  • Boppy Pillow
    
  • Shop for & purchase a big brother t-shirt and a few small surprises to have for Jonah at the hospital when he comes to visit.
  • Buy a picture frame from Ikea to take for visitors to sign like we did for Jonah’s arrival. (w/ tax return $)
  • My hospital bag.
    • Birth Plan
    • Insurance & ID
    • Cell Phone, chargers & Headphones
    • Laptop (load the announcement files on and include internet cable just in case!)
    • DSLR Camera & USB Cable
    • Hair Brush
    • Hair Bands & Clips
    • Deodorant
    • Toothbrush & Toothpaste
    • Chap Stick
    • Going Home Outfit
    • Slippers
    • 3 Pairs of Socks
    • 3 Pairs of Throw-Away Undies
    • 2-pc PJ set
    • Nursing Bra and/or Tank Top
    • Nursing Pads
    • Snacks
    • Hard Candy
    • Jonah’s 4 big brother surprise gifts
    • Gift bag and tissue to put his gifts in
  • Jason’s hospital bag… who knows what he plans to take.
• Install the car seat
  • Buy another vehicle seat protector, like Jonah’s, to install under the baby’s car seat
  • Get the car seat’s instruction manual from the internet (bought on craigslist, so it didn’t come with one)
  • Install the baby’s car seat
  • Have the car seats checked for correct installation at our hospital for free
• Pre-Register at Centennial Hospital
  • Fill out the forms
  • Drop them off at the hospital or mail them in
• Buy a few last things for Jonah’s Easter Basket
• Prepare for the Playgroup Easter Party at our House
• Prepare for the Baby Announcements
  • Make a few templates
  • Load templates onto laptop
    
  • Order & address envelopes
  • Order pre-paid prints
  • Buy stamps

Would Like to Do Before She Comes:

• Finalize Jonah’s Birthday Party Plans
  • Send out invitations/Call those who don’t check email!
    
  • Put together party favor bags
  • Order the party favors online
  • Buy the rest of the party supplies
  • Do a 2nd practice run of making the train cakes (first attempt failed miserably)
  • Get the rest of Jonah’s birthday gift(s) and wrap them
• Finish the nursery
  • Get Jason to raise the mattress back up on the crib
  • Paint the picture frame mat and the lady bug in the middle
  • Hang the picture frame and 2 heart canvases up behind the chair.
  • Find a place to hang her 1st year calendar.
  • Buy the side table and unfinished crib-side mini dresser from Ikea (w/tax return $)
  • Get the mini dresser primed and painted white
  • Get the side table primed and painted white
  • Organize the dressers and the hutch
  • Buy and install a new ceiling fan/light fixture & dimmer switch
  • Hang the letters for her name
  • Find and buy a heavy ladybug garden ornament to use as a door stop when we have the windows open.
• Finish the guest bathroom makeover
  • Install a hand held shower attachment in the guest bathroom
  • Hang up a new shower curtain
  • Replace the bare bulb light fixtures in the guest bathroom?
  • Install trim around the mirror?
• Buy some Velcro and finish up the Boppy cover I made
• Make a Taggie blanket or burp cloth to match the Boppy cover. (buy ribbon first)
• Do some gardening
  • Plant something in the new back yard flower bed
  • Plant some tomatoes in the new back yard flower bed
  • Add in the 2nd back yard flower bed on the other side of Penny’s gate?
  • Till up the garden spot and plant some veggies?
  • Clean out the rest of our front  flower beds and plant something there
• Make the train table operable and the area semi-presentable for Jonah’s birthday party
  • Buy & hook up a power supply & locomotive (w/ tax return $ maybe?)
  • Cut, Finish, & Attach the nice wood sides
  • Install the cork board or picture frame with sketches and diagrams of the finished plans above the table
  • Install the 2nd and maybe even 3rd level of plywood just for looks?
  • Install the light above the table
  • Install the shelves for the HO scale trains
  • Hang a couple of picture frames with the shelves
  • Swap the small black arm chair for the big red one in the office
• Mothers Day/Birthday Presents
  • Mamaw’s Mother’s Day and Birthday Present
  • Nonna’s Mother’s Day and Birthday Present
  • MY Mother’s Day and Giving-Birth-Day Present (nudge nudge Jason!)

Need to Do at Some Point:

• Get roof leak fixed (call insurance company during the next big rain)
• Make her Christmas stocking
• Buy & Install new blinds in our bedroom
• Get window screens for the whole house
• Have A/C serviced or replaced
• Replace the ceiling fans in the playroom and master bedroom (at least)
• Get chimney swept
• Start working on her 1st year scrapbook (traditional style)
• Do family scrapbooks for 2006, 2007 & 2008 (digital style)

That’s all I have the energy for right now. I need to be napping while the boy child is down, so I’m sure I’ll come back to these lists to add more later.

Christmas Pics Posted

I forgot to take very many pictures at a couple of our Christmas gatherings, but here’s the pictures i DO have, all uploaded on facebook for you to see! Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=54047&l=5af87&id=501652911

Thank You Everyone!!!

I just wanted to post a great big “thank you” to all our friends and family who not only gave Jason and I some great gifts, but spoiled our kiddo rotten!   Since having him, I feel like I’m actually happier seeing him get his gifts than worrying about what I get myself. So seeing so much love poured out on him just makes my day. I really do appreciate you ALL!

Jonahs Christmas Haul - 2008

I have always liked the tradition, my mom had, of taking a “Christmas Haul” picture of what all the kids got for Christmas each year, so here’s Jonah’s from this year. Poor Jonah didn’t get anything for Christmas this year, can’t you tell?! hahaha now to find a place to put it all! It was a miracle in intself, just being able to get it all into our van to bring it home!

Portrait Overload!!!

Besides the great photos that we got on the announcement card you see there, we got several other awesome shots. Here are just a few of my favorites!

I know I am also over due for posting some other holiday pictures of things like making cookies and going to see the lights, so we’ll have to post all of that at some point too… maybe after all the holiday mayhem has concluded. So if I don’t get a chance to post again before the holidays, have a very merry Christmas! (I’m sure we’ll be back before the New Year!)

My Time Has Come

I guess I couldn’t expect to NEVER have a claim on my car insurance.  I am probably pretty lucky that my first claim didn’t come until I was 26, but still… how do you explain away hitting not one, but TWO parked cars?!  

The best explaination I have, of what happened, is that I was turning left around the corner on our street and some checks that I had intended to go deposit slid from my console and across the passenger seat. I reached to grab them (still with my foot on the break from going around the corner) and I guess, in trying to keep the wheel straight while I leaned to the right, I over corrected because I continued to go left. I looked up and found myself sliding down the driver side of my neighbor’s red car and then coming to a stop in the back of their black car (which was parked just a little further away from the curb.) *sigh* This is no way to start out our Thanksgiving weekend. I guess all I can say is I’m thankful that I was still on my breaks and that it wasn’t a high speed impact, just a small bump. It definitely did some damage though.

the damage I did to the driver side of the red car

my angle of impact, down the red, into the black

the black car I came to a stop on

note my headlight pieces on the ground

my busted headlight

the black and red paint on my wheel well

The claims adjustor should be contacting me within 24-48 hours. We at least have full coverage on the van (we only carry liability on Jason’s truck) so this should be taken care of… we’ll still have to pay our deductible though.

My Christmas Q&A

01. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper wherever possible! I actually like wrapping presents. I crisp corners and fold over the edges to make them all pretty… not that anybody notices, but I feel like I’m doing a good deed by making them pretty. Besides, who’s tree are they sitting under for most of December?! Mine! So of course they have to look nice! haha

02. Real tree or Artificial?

Our Skinny Tree

Artificial. I like the concept of the real tree, but I like having my tree up earlier than a real one would allow, plus they make such a mess and why cut down a perfectly good, oxygen making tree, when I already have a perfectly good, non-dying tree here already? I am on the look out for the perfect artificial tree though. It’s almost as hard to find one of those as it is to find the “perfect” real tree. My current one is ok, but it’s tall and skinny, and not very fluffy. I got it when we lived in an apartment, but now that I have a bigger space (and more ornaments) I’d like a bigger tree to fill it. It kinda seems empty in that corner to me.

03. When do you put up the tree?
Usually the night after Thanksgiving although with all the travel that we’re doing this year, we decided to go ahead and put it up the weekend before Thanksgiving so we could enjoy it for the 2 whole weeks we’ll be home before Christmas.

04. When do you take the tree down?
I’m assuming this is what question 4 was because it was missing when I copied the survey… but usually, we take it down the weekend after new years. This year it gets to stay up a little longer because we’re hosting a Christmas After-Party on that weekend!

05. Do you like eggnog?
Disgusting. Even with the help of booze.

06. Favorite gift received as a child?
Probably the 2 hampsters I got from Santa when I was 9 (I think?), which my Mom had previously told me NO WAY was she going to get me a “rat to let loose in this house”, and then she proceeded to grumble about needing to go kick Santa’s rear end for bringing me not one but TWO “rats”. I named them Itsy and Bitsy.

07. Hardest person to buy for?
My grandparents cause if they want/need something that they don’t already have, they just go get it.

08. Easiest person to buy for?
Jonah. I have already bought everything I intend to this year, but I can’t help but find more things that I WANT to buy for him! hehe

09. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes.  I have a Willow Tree Nativity set that I keep hoping someone *ahem, Jason* will get the metal star backdrop for *wink wink nudge nudge*  

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?

Our Christmas Card

I try to mail them if I get around to it. If not, then nothing I guess. I try to make my own cards a lot of times, and that’s what gets me into trouble cause I run out of steam before I get them actually sent out. I skipped all that this year and I just ordered a few photo cards from snapfish, with a quick pic I took of Jonah in front of my mom’s tree, for 1¢ each, on a limited quatity special, so I think I only have enough to send to my family… so here’s a sneak peak for the rest of you. I guess this sorta counts as e-mailing them huh? Blogging them wasn’t listed as an option! 

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
I can’t think of a specific one right off hand, but I know there have been a couple of times where I got something from someone, who should have known me well enough to know better, that was exactly what I DIDN’T WANT.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
Cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

13. When do you start shopping?
I like to get everything done before Thanksgiving, unless I know I’m shopping for something, like electronics, that I know I can get a really great deal on, on Black Friday. I’m pretty close to done now actually.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

Poinsetta Towel and Pot Holder I Re-Gifted

That’s actually the theme of the Christmas After-Party that we host. You can bring as many unwanted gifts (re-wrapped of course) as you want to the party, and then you get to draw for however many you brought. Then we do a little bit of stealing and the whole thing is a lot of fun. I actually like both of the gifts we ended up with last year… a picture frame and a cake stand.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Giant Cinnamon Rolls (we have them for breakfast on christmas morning)

16. Lights on the tree?
A tree without lights???  That’s just wrong. But if you’re asking for a numerical value, my skinny little tree has 350 lights on it (plus the star!)
                                                                        
17. Favorite Christmas song?
O Holy Night… it’s one of the few that I feel like I can sing relatively well, acapella, so it’s usually what I sing when I’m in the Christmas carol mood.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel. And lots of it. Christmas with my mom’s family at “the farm” the weekend before Christmas usually, then christmas morning with my parents, then Jason’s mom, then Jason’s extended family, then back to my parents’ house for a gathering with my dad’s side of the family. All of Christmas day we’re go go go, but at least it’s all in the same city.

19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer’s?
uhhh… , dasher, dancer, prancer, blitzin, comet, cupid, donner, vixin, and rudolph? maybe?

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Star. The angels creep me out for the same reason porcelin dolls do, they look like they’re looking at me.
                                                                                                
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

Christmas Jammies For Jonah This Year

We usually get to open one on Christmas Eve, and it’s always Christmas PJ’s. Everything else is the weekend before Christmas (see #18) and Christmas morning. Jonah’s getting Christmas jammies this year, but I inherited some new ones from my Mom this year (to fit my pregnant belly) and Jason will probably just wear some old ones that he has.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
That my husband waits until the week before Christmas (sometimes just the day before) to do his shopping.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?

The Noman Ornament Jonah Painted

I like to mix it up every year. I, like my mom, collect ornaments for several themes when they go on clearance after Christmas. This year our big tree is all silver and blue, and the little tree is going to be decorated, by our playgroup kids, with kid proof ornaments . Every few years I do a “traditional” tree with no holds barred as to what goes on it. I have a box of “special ornaments” that are handmade or were hand me downs from various parts of our family, or were ornaments I got to pick out as a kid. That was a tradition in my family, picking out an ornament that has to do with the favorite facination of the year. I’m continuing that with Jonah but I’m also thinking I may try to do an ornament craft project with the kids each year too. So this year Jonah painted a little wooden snowman, because he is ALL ABOUT the “noman” everywhere!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Vennison Enchiladas at my grandparent’s house (the weekend before Christmas) but really, I like those any time. We don’t usually have a “traditional” Christmas dinner, more of a pot luck sort of a thing with my Dad’s family. 

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Ever since becoming a parent, I have found it’s more fun wishing for gifts for Jonah, maybe because I’m still a big kid, but I’m excited about the cool stuff he’ll get. I DO have a wishlist that I keep up with year round, though, because it’s always so hard to think of something when someone asks me on the spot. But to name a few specifically, I guess, the nativity backdrop (see #9), the Bon Voyage expansion pack for the Sims2 (so I can get my Seasons expansion pack working again… it installs just fine but the play disc is scratched), some wintery maternity clothes (sweaters/longsleeve shirts and a nice pair of jeans) and a few oddball things for cooking/hosting parties.