MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ME TO YOU!

I hope you had a fun filled joyful day today.  Ours was quiet and peaceful.  We just ate, opened presents, ate, watched TV, ate .... you get the picture!  We brought our Christmas tree to Ashley and it looked really nice in her new house!  Here are a few of the special ornaments that are on our tree:

from the National Cathedral in DC

This one is my "most favorite" ornament and always has a special place on my tree. It is a picture of my son when he was in pre-school. I didn't know it when I sent him to school that morning, but he was sick and the picture really shows it! My kids have always kidded me and said I made them go to school even when they were sick and this picture just proves it! Since I don't get to see him often ever, I really love this ornament.

Last night we drove to Austin and had Christmas dinner with my niece and her family, my nephew and his fiance, and my brother in law and his mother.  It was nice to share the time with family that I don't get to see very often.  We gave Melinda's boys the gifts we brought for them and it was so fun to watch them open their presents and get so excited about Santa coming!!  It has been a long time since I have been around young children at Christmas since I don't get to see my grandchildren.  I knitted both the boys scarfs and hats.  Zach wanted orange and Jake wanted red so that's what I did.  We also gave them some Legos and a set of Fisher Price Trio Blocks which were a big hit!  Here are a few pictures I took last night.

Zach with his orange knitted hat and scarf on.

Jake looked like a little elf with his hat and scarf on!

The boys with my nephew, Jack and his fiance, Katrina.

Ashley trying to construct the tower like Zach saw in the picture.

Of course, I had to get on the floor and play with the blocks!

Here are the boys in their Christmas pajamas just after they left the milk and cookies on the hearth for Santa even though Zach said Santa had his own special key to come in the door to leave the presents!

Crafters Twas the Night Before Christmas

*Twas the night before Christmas, I’m glued to the tree.


I’m wondering what Santa brought just for me.

Could it be cardstock or inkpads or lace?

Or some stamps, I said, with a smile on my face.

And that’s when I heard him……

“Hi Santa, ” I said

He replied, “You know….good girls should be in their beds”.

“I know I should Santa,and now I’ve been caught.

But I was just so excited to see what you brought.”

“Well, let’s take a look in this room where you work”.

He shook his head quickly, and left with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.

“You’ve got enough crap,

I’ll see you next year!”*

Who Knew?

If you stack one million US $1 bills, it would be 110m (361 ft) high and weigh exactly 1 ton.
[ Actually, for the nick-pickers it would be 109.22m (358.3 ft) high, and weigh over 2,200 pounds)
Of the more than $50 billion worth of diet products sold every year, almost $20 billion are spent on imitation fats and sugar substitutes.

In 1932, when a shortage of cash occurred in Tenino, Washington, USA, notes were made out of wood for a brief period. The wood notes came in $1, $5 and $10 values.

In 1955 the richest woman in the world was Mrs. Hetty Green Wilks, who left an estate of $95 million in a will that was found in a tin box with four pieces of soap. [According to the New York Times, she died February 5, 1951 at the age of 80. According to Time, her will only left $5,000 to her closest relative and the rest to charities and schools. 

Resource: ~~Who Knew? by David Hoffman

A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.
The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."
"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December,
"Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."
" So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

We Made It!

We made it all the way to Texas ... in two days!!  So much for taking our time and stopping along the way!  We probably drive about 10 hour on Thursday to arrive at Ashley's house about 8:30.  We have been busy ever since we have been here.  I've been unpacking boxes (pretty much all done!) and finding homes for her stuff while Sonny has been Mr Fix-it.  And, we've made various trips to Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal Mart, Target, etc.  Yesterday my niece and her two little boys, my nephew and fiancee, and my brother in law came down from Austin to help.  My niece, Melinda, is a whirlwind.  She finished decorating our Christmas tree, had us all moving furniture, cleaning mirrors, arranging, etc.  My head was spinning!  But, I have to admit, we got a lot done in just a few hours.  While we were doing all that all the guys worked on putting in a vent in the guest bathroom which involved my nephew (who is about 6'5") climbing up in the attic and positioning the vent while the bigger guys (girth .... not height!) worked from the inside of the bathroom!  Today I am going to tackle her study/craft room and try to get it organized while Sonny installs some shelves in the closet.  We're getting there!!

We were able to watch a little bit of the Steeler game yesterday.  My sister, Marianne, kept me up to date on my cell phone during the first half.  Then we found a Steeler bar (they're everywhere!) to watch the second half.  And believe it or not, our team WON!!  It was in the final second but they're famous for that as evidenced by last year's Super Bowl!  It was nice to have a win again after so many losses!

Well, gotta get to work!  Maybe I'll even get a chance to make a card today and post it for you tomorrow.

Published!!

I had another card published!  My upline, Carol, called me from Washington Sunday to tell me.  She said she was thumbing through Stampers Sampler at Michaels and saw my name.  So, she had to buy the magazine.  I haven't bought the magazine yet but it is on page 9 I think she said.  I haven't sent any cards to them!  I sent a bunch to Take Ten last spring or summer.  Since they are owned by the same company, I guess they share cards sent to them.  They are supposed to send you a free magazine when they publish your work, but I've been published about 4 times and only received a freebie once!  I don't usually buy Stampers Sampler Magazine because it is not really my style - it's a little too "artsy" for me.  So, if Carol hadn't called me, I wouldn't have know.

Go check it out!!

Punchy snowman

I made this snowman card using the circle Nestability and embossed him with snowflakes.  The card is also snowflake embossed and stickled.

I love snowmen!

On the Road Again ....

Well, I'm "On the Road Again" .... can't say "Can't Wait to Get On the Road Again" though!  It was a long day.  We had breakfast at Waffle House in Lincolnton about 9:30 and then headed south.  We made it to Mobile, Alabama where we are staying tonight in a comfy (I hope) motel!  I had figured we'd stop in Montgomery but Sonny wanted to keep on getting it.  He really wanted to go as far as New Orleans!!  But I believe his good sense got the best of him.  Or, maybe it was me saying we were going to stop somewhere to eat dinner before heading any further!!  I have a feeling we'll be bypassing New Orleans and heading on to Texas tomorrow.  What is it with men?  When they get in the car, there is only Point A and Point B .... no stopping and sight seeing along the way!  When Ashley and I made this trip last summer, we stopped at every Welcome Center and stopped and had meals along the way .... not at gas stations for coke and peanuts! 

Well, the hotel lobby is closing so I'm headed to the showers! 

Just Punchy

Isn't this the cutest tag?  I just love it!  I got my inspiration from a few I saw on Splitcoast and just had to make one.  The circle is a Nestabilities Circle and the reindeer is from punches - oval; 5 flower punch for ears; snowflake for antlers; Boho Blossom for his hair!  See what you can come up with using your punches!

Votive Candles ... my way!

I stamped some votive candles this week and they turned out soooo cute!  It was super easy too.  After I did the candles, I made a little box to put them in.   Here they are:

Here's what you do:

• Choose any stamp you like and stamp on TISSUE paper.
• Punch out your image with a circle punch (3/4" worked for me) that is close to the size of your candle.  (easiest to sandwich your tissue paper between copy paper to punch)
• Punch a small hole in the middle of your design...then thread the wick of the candle through the hole.
• Your image should be resting on the top of your tea light.
• Simply heat the tea light with your heat gun until the wax melts over top of your stamped image. While the wax is still melted, sprinkle on a bit of glitter if you want it glittered.

CLICK Here for the box pattern.

Here's a close up of each one I made.

We are leaving in the morning to start our trek to Texas for the holidays so you might not hear from me for a few days!  We are driving and expect to make it in about 3 days.  I'm so excited!!