Hope your Christmas was merry!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and were surrounded by the ones who love you. We had a great day .... pretty low key but with family so it was special.

Sonny & I were able to sleep in until almost 9!! (Funny how you can do that when there are not any little ones around on Christmas morn!) Ashley woke up earlier and popped the breakfast casserole (that I had made the night before) in the oven so it was ready to eat pretty soon after I got up. After breakfast, the three of us opened our stockings and our gifts. We oohed & aahed over all our goodies. The highlights .... I got a BIG SHOT!!!, a Just Rite rectangle stamp set, a set of Nestabilities, Bed & Bath shower goodies, books ..... Sonny was in love with his Steelers lightweight jacket from Ashley, books, thermals, and a Steelers DVD from me. Ashley got books, a shredder, windshield wipers (she asked for them!!), necklace, a Steeler gnome (really cute), electronic Crossword puzzle/Sudoko game, Tunes gift card .... I don't remember all of it!! Anyway, let's just say, we did good!!

My mom and sister, Angela, came over in the afternoon and we opened gifts again and ate, and ate .... then ate some more!! We are waiting until Saturday night to have our big Christmas meal when the whole family can be here. My brother and family live in Charlotte and usually are with her parents on Christmas and my other sister, Marianne, drove up to the mountains to spend the day with her in-laws. So, tomorrow night we'll be eating some more and opening more presents. . . Extending the holiday as long as possble!!

One of the highlights of my day was hearing from my son. He and his family live in Tucson. I was very happy to hear from him as things are not good between us at the moment. My grandson, Jayce, got on the phone for a minute and I was able to tell him Merry Christmas (he's 2 1/2). He had a big Christmas even if he was a little bit sick. Jeff said Jayce got a scooter for Christmas and was scooting all over the house and threw up on the scooter a couple of times! Today, I saw pictures on my daughter-in-law's blog that they got SNOW (in Arizona)!!! The pictures of Jayce are priceless!!

Enjoy the weekend!

Sharon

Candy Cane leftovers!

Below are some tasty tips on what to do with those extra Christmas candy canes. Enjoy!

• Use as a stirrer for hot cocoa. Mmm, minty!
• Crush, then use them to coat the rims of glasses for peppermintinis! [recipe at quickandsimple.com/magazine)
• Add ½ cup crushed candy cane to a single batch of cooled pudding for a peppermint twist.
• Use as a colorful topping for plain ice cream.
• Save for Valentine's Day. Glue two together to form a heart and stick it on the front of a card. Or, you could attach a ribbon at the top and hang it from your door for a sweet decoration

MERRY CHRISTMAS

C is for the Christ Child and the child in all of us.

H is for the Heart of God, in Whom we place our trust.

R is for our Redeemer, Who is finished with His chore.

I is for Isaiah, who had told it all before.

S is for the Shepherd lowly shepherds came to see.

T is for Three wise men, who were wise beyond degree.

M is for a Manger, a simple manger where He lay.

A is for bright Angels who were standing by that day.

S is for the Star that shone and still shines out today!

Merry Christmas to all my female friends!

If I were ol' Santa, you know what I'd do

I'd dump silly gifts that are given to you

And deliver some things just inside your front door

Things you have lost, but treasured before.

I'd give you back all your maidenly vigor,

And to go along with it, a neat tiny figure.

Then restore the old color that once graced your hair

Before rinses and bleaches took residence there.

I'd bring back the shape with which you were gifted

So things now suspended need not be uplifted.

I'd draw in your tummy and smooth down your back

Till you'd be a dream in those tight fitting slacks.

I'd remove all your wrinkles and leave only one chin

So you wouldn't spend hours rubbing grease on your skin

You'd never have flashes or queer dizzy spells

And you wouldn't hear noises like ringing of bells.

No sore aching feet and no corns on your toes

No searching for spectacles when they're right on your nose

Not a shot would you take in your arm, hip or fanny

From a doctor who thinks you're a nervous old granny.

You'd never have a headache, so no pills would you take.

And no heating pad needed since your muscles won't ache.

yes, if I were Santa, you'd never look stupid

You'd be a cute little chick with the romance of a cupid.

I'd give a lift to your heart when those wolves start to whistle

And the joys of your heart would be light as a thistle.

But alas! I'm not Santa.I'm simply just me

The matronest of matrons you ever did see.

I wish I could tell you all the symptoms I've got

But I'm due at my doctor's for an estrogen shot.

Even though we've grown older this wish is sincere

Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year

Milk Carton Container

I want to share with you the Milk Carton Container I made last week. I actually made 2 of them but forgot to take a picture of the first one before I gave it away. They both turned out soooo cute!! I got the idea and bought the instructions from Becky Roberts (Inking Idaho) She put a picture of my container on her blog the other day! There are a bunch of cute ones there. I will be doing a class at the Stampers Alley in February. We will make our containers either for Valentine's or if you prefer, for a birthday or other event.

You can fill each little carton with goodies - ribbon, stamping supplies, candy .... whatever you want!!

Love You Much sample

Just wanted to show you a card I made today using the new stamp set that will be offered in the Bundle starting tomorrow (12/23) Love You Much.

I also used the Scallop Envelope Die that I just got (use it with the Big Shot or Cuttlebug). It's really cool!!

Are you ready?????

for Valentine's Day?

I know it isn't even Christmas yet, but Stampin' Up! is getting ready for Valentine's Day! Beginning December 23rd (that's TOMORROW!), you can order the Love You Much bundle! It's a preview of goodies that will be in the new catalog, and you can order them early! Guess what else?!! If you order on the 23rd, you can use it as part of a $70 order and receive FREE SHIPPING!! WooHoo!

Here's the details:

Dates: December 23, 2008 - January 31, 2009

The Love You Much Bundle includes the following:

• Love You Much stamp set $25.95


• Candy Lane Designer Series paper (coordinates with Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla) $9.95


• Heart To Heart punch $15.95


• Bundle Retail Value $51.85 - Love You Much Bundle (20% off; item 115405) $41.48

What a deal!! Contact me TODAY!!

Free Shipping, Sales .... what else do you want???

Just a reminder for those who still want to take advantage of the Free Shipping offer from SU, there are only 2 more days left! Through December 23rd, you get free shipping on any order that 'total's $70! So if you & a friend put an order in together & it totals over $70, you both get free shipping! I actually have an order now that 'totals' approximately $70 so if you want to add on to it, everyone gets their shipping free.

I am so grateful to Stampin' Up! for this fantastic Christmas gift, it has saved many of us a big bundle this month.

Also ... quick reminder.. the RETIRING STAMP SETs are ON SALE for 10% off. Take advantage of the FREE SHIPPING and the SALE in the next 2 days! What a great time to stock up on adhesive, cardstock, ribbons, etc.!! And what an awesome time to get those items of higher cost on your list, like the Big Shot, the Ink Pad Carousel or a family of ink pads or markers. Call or e-mail me NOW!!

Cocoa Cones

Well, I think I am on the mend although after being sick all week, my energy level is not great.  Yesterday, my sister came over after work and we made some goodies for a few hours before we had to leave.  She used my Big Shot Note die and cut out a bunch of dies with it.  I think she has decided she HAS to have one of the dies!!  We met our other sister and Mom at Berea Baptist Church for their Singing Christmas Carol.  It was the first time I had seen one of these and it was really neat.  There were probably about 10 tiers to the human tree.  The singers looked like it was a tight squeeze in there and of course, they had to stand during the whole service.  One lady fainted towards the top.  There's no where for her to fall to - someone just noticed her slumped over and they got her down.  That's probably why it was pretty cold in the church.  Anyway, it was a really nice event.  Afterwards, we went out to dinner.  But, of course, first Marianne & I had to dash over to Michael's to get some last minute things!  When we got there, she noticed her husband's car in the parking lot & we caught him coming out of Michaels.  Busted!!  Guess she knows what he's getting her for Christmas!  We bought some Wilton decorating bags to make these cocoa treats that I gave to some of the gals today. -

I've seen these selling in boutiques and at the Christmas Show in Charlotte for anywhere from $7 - $10!  You can make them so much cheaper.  I bought the Wilton bags at Michaels and stamped them with a snowflake stamp in White Staz-On.  Then I layered the cocoa ingredients as follows:

• ¼ cup powdered coffee creamer (make sure this is in the tip really well)
• 1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup Nesquick (chocolate milk mix)
• 1/3 cup dry milk
• ½ cup milk chocolate chips
• ½ cup (approximately 28) mini- marshmallows

Pack tightly in the cone so the ingredients don't mix together.  Tie with twist tie & then ribbon.  (A candy cane would be great tied on too - I just forgot to buy them!)

Here are the directions for the hot chocolate to put on an attached card:  Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add everything in bag except marshmallows and stir constantly until the water returns almost to a boil. Top with marshmallows. Makes 3 – 4 mugs

I went to Organized Christmas and printed out this cute label for the cocoa cones:

They have some great stuff at that site.

Happy Mail

Don't you love getting mail this time of year?  The good usually outweighs the bad!  All the beautiful Christmas cards and newsy letters and pictures of little ones that come in the mail at Christmas ... if we could just do that all year, wouldn't it be nice?  I used to always do a Christmas newsletter and my family would just groan.  My intentions have always been good to do one the last couple of years, but just haven't gotten around to it.  I was really planning to do it this year, but since I've been sick all week, I just sealed the cards and stamped them and had Sonny take them to the post office today.  Maybe next year!!!  Here are a couple of hand-made Christmas cards I've received this week.

This one is from my friend, Jennifer, who lives in Gig Harbor (where I moved from).  She has come a long way.  She was in my Stamping Club when I lived there and always did beautiful work but she wouldn't go "outside of the box".  She always wanted my sample card right in front of her so she could do every detail exactly like I did.  I'm so glad she is still stamping.

This one is from my good friend and neighbor, Judy.  She stopped by yesterday to give me an order before leaving for Florida for the holidays.  This card is just gorgeous!  The pine needles look so real I had to touch them to make sure they weren't.  And ya gotta love that Big Note die!!