Today...

We love gingerbread...like her...

we drink hot cocoa with mini marshmallows in snowmen mugs...
we have to pose for the annual Christmas card in our pajamas.

Sunday project...

This little project is making me so giggly happy. It's a mini-shadow box. That I found at the dollar store. I converted into a mini-album with some ribbon. I connected 4x4 chipboard squares in an accordion fold. ♥,♥,♥ it!

Making Memories Falala chipboard-Heidi Grace papers-Jenni Bowlin Bingo Card CTMH acrylic stamps-American Crafts felt shapes

To eat or to decorate...

Hannah couldn't wait to enjoy the holiday tradition of decorating a gingerbread house.

Their steady hands held the sweets in place until the royal icing did it's job. I wish I would have captured some good shots of the girls eating the candy treats. There was alot of candy nibbling going on, especially when I wasn't looking.

It's a good thing I had a lot of candy on hand. The girls managed to get their fill of Sweet Tarts and the gingerbread house could still pass Hansel and Gretel's sugar standards. I was a bit concerned we'd end up with a "non-candified" house.

Now that's an impressive holiday center piece.

Merry Countdown Advent Calendar

This is a little project that I've been working on. Although it's 10 days behind schedule, it's finished now and proudly displayed. I was inspired by her recent post of her Advent Calendar. Thanks for reminding me of this great idea. I recycled magnets right off my refrigerator and the cookie pan from my cupboard. Having a love for paper crafting, it's always a good thing when you can reduce your carbon footprint.

Making Memories Falala chipboard cutouts-Jenni Bowlin Bingo Cards-Rusty Pickle Grinch-mas.

Sugary sweet...

A batch of sugar cookies, frosting and candy make for an evening of jolly snowman making.

Hannah with Miss Vanessa Frosting.

Daddy was judge of the "Best" snowman or snowoman face. Miss Vanessa Frosting was the winner.


Here's Cody with 007 snowman with a 5 o'clock shadow. The cookie has a small resemblance to an unshaven Sean Connery. Do you see it?

Ice Princess...

Outdoor ice skating in Southern California? NAH-Ah! Awh-Ha! Totally! Hannah had a scarf and glove wearing, super excited, but terrified of falling, first time ice skating kind of afternoon.

She looked so cute in the fleece hat... look at her concentration, so focused on proper balance. It worked she did awesome, only 4 little spills.

It has been more than 20 years since I put on some ice skates. I admit I was scared, but I couldn't let Hannah see me sweat. Once I was on the ice it was like I was 11 years old again. I stayed on my feet! Sorry, I don't have any proof because I was holding the camera.

We definitely will be going back to practice some more skating!

Playing ball...

Since I haven't shared any baseball lately....here's a little post.

The boys have had their new black and royal blue Monarch uniforms for a few months now. I figured I should try to capture some photos of fresh "white" pants because "dirt" happens quickly.

Cheers!

Rockin' Round the Christmas Tree!

The Sparkle is coming...

Now that the turkey is eaten and the left overs are in the fridge, it's time. Time... to be in the sparkly spirit of Christmas! The "To Do" list is made and items are being checked off.

1. Write letters to Santa. Mail them to the North Pole.
2. Display the Nativity set.
3. Put up the Christmas tree and have the kids decorate it. Tell the stories about the many hand-made and collected ornaments of Christmas' past. 4. Decorate every shelf in the house.

5. Decorate some more.

6. Put Frosty the Snowman on the lawn & put all the lights up on the house.

Whew... that was day number one of getting into the "Sparkly Spirit". Wishing you all very Merry and Bright Cheers.

The GR8 Outdoors

Look at how proud she is...this trout she caught with worms. I thought I'd spare you all the icky photos of stringing the worm on the hook and just share the results of her hard work. The other fish on the stringer belongs to daddy.Even with the cold this is the pretty sunset that was produced the first night.
I took this right after big brother was showing her casting techniques.

The Honor Roll Duo

I'm so proud of these two hard working students.

Keep up your dedication to academic excellence!

Turning 8 is Great

Whew....so much fun! We celebrated Hannah's birthday tonight. She chose a High School Musical theme. It was perfect timing with HSM 3 at theatres. With the help of the Internet I was able to print up movie ticket stub invitations. Then I spent a few days searching for supplies. I found HSM prizes for the goodie bags and game prizes. Party City had the HSM cupcake paper cups and the cute candle. The HSM 3 sound track was in stock at Target, so the games were all set...freeze dance and hot East High basket ball (like hot potato). It turned out the most popular game was "pin the kiss" on Troy. After the party the girls took a tour of the movie theatre and then watched the feature HSM 3.

1 happy birthday girl

5 excited girl friends

1 tired mommy

More to the basket...

Many of you know me as someone who has to keep her hands busy. Well...I for sure found a way to keep my fingers tips dirty with paint, ink and glue. Take a look below. Mini album scraplifts from Kristie's creations. They're perfect additions to my basket of memories.

Silly Kitty

This is Gracie. She just turned 1 year old a few weeks ago. Gracie seeks out her best buddy, Cody all the time. Hannah is green with envy because all the kitty's affections go to her big brother. Although Hannah is proud to say that Gracie's favorite toy is her pink boa. Gracie is quite playful but very naughty.

Look where Cody found her this morning. Talk about a balancing act...

Autumn Delight

It's November. Autumn changes do not hold the same views in Southern California as it does on the east coast. My brother shared the following photos of his trip to the Hudson Valley. I love the vibrant colored leaves on the trees and I can almost feel the crisp cool air.

My remedy to cure the envy of autumn is to bake Pumpkin Delight. Yumm....warm....sweet goodness.

Challenge...

OK...After you've completed your ballots and placed your votes.
Challenge yourself...
play and scrap...
pull out paper patterns that make you happy. Scrap lift a sketch of a past layout and finish a quickie.

Eerie Edibles...

After school yesterday...I promised Hannah we'd make some creepy Halloween cupcakes. When I went shopping at the store I had an inspiration and chose against the cupcakes. Look at these eerie edibles...

Dug up from the grave...Caramel Apples. Yumm... So easy, so messy and so much fun...I'm looking forward to scrapping these photos.

Party #2

Such a sugary fun filled Halloween Birthday Party that Hannah enjoyed today. It was an afternoon of creative costumes, creepy treats, spooktacular games and wicked cool cupcakes.

Aaaggrr....yo, ho, yo, ho....

Fall fun...

We got lost in the huge 1 acre corn maze at Peltzer Farms. The corn stalks rise about 10ft in height and the enter sign warns of a snake sighting...Yikes. This popular attraction sure put a smile on our faces.

Wickedly Sweet...

I love that Hannah loves Halloween. It's sorta hard not to enjoy Halloween, what... with the dressing up and of course all of the candy...


This year Hannah was invited to not just one but two Halloween Birthday Parties. Here's a photo of her before party #1...Please forgive me as a tear up...Sorry...I'm a bit emotional...it's the first year she hasn't begged to be a Disney Character.