Twins??

So, you think we could be twins? Christmastime is a time of smiles and family! I'm so glad that we got a couple of good pictures together. Most of the time either my mom or I am behind the lens...rarely are we in photos together! I'm sure those of you who are moms understand that you're very rarely in the photographs with your kids or husband, as you are most of the time the photographer!

Here's another one...

I'm definitely going to have to scrap these! I Love my Momma and am so grateful for her! I know I'm not always so good at telling her that!

Some Christmas Presents

I thought I'd share some of the Christmas presents I made this year!

For my co-worker, a little change purse using the Coin Keeper pattern from Amy Butler...

And, I modge podged a giant "M" for my cousin. She is really into zebra print...apparently that's the thing these days...

And, since she is redesigning her bedroom with the zebra theme in mind, I made her a little accent pillow...

I made our Adopted nieces each a special memory book of our year together. I can't believe that I didn't get good pics closeup to share, but here they are looking at them. I think they were really excited to each get a book with our special moments with them over the past year. They asked if I'd be doing them each one at the end of next year. I said, "of course." So, I guess they liked their books!

Snow update

Oh, what a beautiful Christmas day and day after Christmas for us! We had lots of snow!!!! It was good to be snowed in for a couple of days! Lexi wasn't too excited about all the snow, though!!

And the winner is...

KSutphin with her comment - "Just like Jim said, my favorite part about Christmas has changed over the years, from all the excitement of being around lots of family and opening gifts as a child to now watching my own little boy discover the magic of Christmas as well as teaching him that it's Jesus' birthday and about giving rather than receiving. I love giving gifts and the element of surprise too. "

Thanks for commenting!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!

Sunday Sermon - December 26

Location: Suffolk, VA
Thank you to Kristi Sutphin, Suffolk, VA for this photo!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! Be sure to tell those you love how special they are to you! Please remember the true meaning of Christmas today!

The Birth of Jesus


Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (KJV)

Luke 2:1-14

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (KJV)

The Visit of the Shepherds

Luke 2:15-20

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (KJV)

To read the rest of the story, click here.


God bless you all!

Lexi's waiting

Lexi knows that it's almost time for her visitors to come for Christmas! We tell her that they come just to see her! She loves company, but when they leave, she has to rest.

And, rest she does...

And, more resting...

She's such a little ham! She roasts one side and then rolls over to roast the other. Oh, what a life!

Did you remember to leave me a comment on this post for your chance to win the Christmas giveaway?

Some trees

As we get ready for the holiday, I thought you might like to see some pics of our trees! I LOVE Christmas trees. They are so glorious!

Here is a pic of our Silver/white Charlie Brown tree (I don't think that we could fit anymore ornaments on this one)...

And, our little silver tree with vintage ornaments...

And, the "urn tree" (as I call it) with the traditional red, green, silver, and gold ornaments...

Merry Christmas!!! It's almost here!

Hoping for a snowy Christmas

I can't believe that already we've had a couple of snows this year! I thought we lived in Virginia...not up north! It has been so cold!!!

I thought I'd share a couple of pics from our snowy December so far!

Here's a pic of our road to our winter wonderland...

We live back in the woods...

And, when I drove up, the house looked so warm and cozy!

Hope you're all staying warm! I'm hoping for a snowy Virginia Christmas!!!!!!!

Christmas Giveaway for you!!

Hello Everyone!

Since Christmas is almost here and it is about giving, I thought I'd give away a couple of goodies to you, my faithful readers! The above pic shows the prize - Northern Hearts Hostess Stamp Set and the Hostess In Color Designer Series Paper Pack.

Leave me a comment on this post sharing with me your favorite part(s) about Christmas by December 25th at midnight, and I'll randomly select a winner and announce on December 26th! Be sure to include your name with your comment!

Have a great Tuesday!

Been working on some Christmas cards

I thought I'd share some of the Christmas cards I've made! Hopefully, you've been handmaking your cards too!! Enjoy!!!

Spring tote

I'm so excited about my most recent project, which is for sale in my ETSY shop now! It's a beautiful tote done in gorgeous spring colors from the Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric line! Oh, I love Amy Butler fabrics. They are so beautiful!

This tote has a large outside pocket, which is great for keeping items like your cell phone and keys for quick access.

The inside is lined with coordinating fabric (matches the handles).

Sunday Sermon - December 19

Location: Suffolk, VA
Thanks to Kristi Sutphin, Suffolk, VA, for the photo!

Filled with Love promotion!!!

Valentine's Day is the second biggest holiday for sending cards, and during the Filled with Love promotion, you can get an exclusive package of Designer Series Paper perfect for creating cards for family, friends, classmates, and more!

From today through January 24, 2011, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons--a $4.95 value--when you purchase an exclusive Filled with Love Bundle.

To view details of the promotion click here.

To order the bundle and get prefered pricing visit my website.

New addition to my craft room

Here he is...

This is my latest addition to my craft room. I've been on a mission to find an antique piece of furniture with lots of drawers with slots inside those drawers. Well, I happened upon this four drawer desktop cabinet. It's not as big as I had hoped, but will still serve a wonderful purpose! I was so excited!

Here's a look at the layout inside one of the drawers...

If you create then you know how many tiny pieces of this and that you have with not many places to save them for future. Well, this is part of my solution. It's already gotten a good home on top of my work table and is getting filled up quickly!

If you have any storage solutions you'd like to share leave me a comment. Little pieces of paper tend to be very difficult to contain. As a card maker, I hate to get rid of anything that has the slightest bit of potential. But, what do I do with all of that paper? eek!!

A thought away...

I don't like the word "sympathy" much, so I tend to focus on sayings letting people know we're thinking of them. I thought this was an appropriate card to send to a gentleman who lost his wife recently.

I really like the Stampin' Up! Christmas papers this year. They are very versatile as you can see here. Another favorite is the En Francais background stamp. It brings the So Saffron paper to life!

Winter Artisans Bazaar

Hi Everyone!

Thought I'd share some pictures from my setup on Saturday at the Bazaar in Chesterfield. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us! It was a lovely event and for a good cause! I'd especially like to thank my mom, dad, Dynamo, and Lexi! It's been crazy getting ready for my first show! I took over our dining room table to practice setup and do inventory, so we had to alter our eating location for a few days! Lexi spent lots of days covered in glitter and thread. Dynamo had to construct a card stand and boxes, and do lots of flower assembly (along with lots of other things)! Mom had to paint and cut bottles. Thanks for your patience and all of your help everyone! Dynamo...I LOVE YOU!

 

There wasn't a spare spot to be found in the 6x8 area I was given! I wanted everyone to be overwhelmend!

Be sure to check in on my ETSY shop this week. I hope to be listing some items each day this week! If you're local we can arrange local pickup! Happy Monday!