Me & My Passions: 2008

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Make your own Scrap-wrap Bow!

Got smallish chunks of wrapping paper you cannot use and no bows? Just make your own bow out of the chunk of scrap wrap!!! My friends loved it when I made mine.

1. Cut your scrap into 8 strips - 4 long and 4 a little shorter.

2. Tape all your strips into individual little rings.

3. Make sure you keep your large rings separate from your small ones.

4. Flatten your rings (with the tape in the center so it's not sticking out the sides).

- and cross one flat ring slightly over the other.

5. Continue to flatten and cross the rings...

6. Wiggle the flat rings around a bit (if needed) to distance them evenly.

7. Staple them at the center (just once).

* This is what it will look like...

8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 with the smaller rings.

9. Place your smaller bow on top of your larger bow.

10. Staple your two bows together (just once).

* This is what your bow will look like...

11. Cover your staples with a button and viola! :o)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

They quite enjoyed the "soda" (that's what they were calling it) and the food... there were finger sandwiches in PB&J, turkey & cheese, and egg salad, also chocolate covered strawberries, grapes, "ants on a log", and scones :o)

JJ did want to color, she was waiting patiently for her craft - I'll blog that later :o)

B.Boy just wanted to play on his chair - that's my boy!

There is JJ praying fervently!

And B.Boy trying to follow suit.

Here they are watching an awesome little puppet show of the Christmas story!

Here is the star JJ put on the Christmas tree... I asked her why she loved Jesus and that is what she said *shoulder shrugging* ... okay!

I took them outside afterwards to get some playtime in...

JJ was so cute playing in that pretty dress of hers! And B.Boy did very well on the big swing by himself! All in all a nice day!

Friday, December 12, 2008

Getting to Know me - Christmas Style!

I got this in an email from one of my friends and I thought I would answer it on my blog... you can play along if you'd like, but if you do be sure to leave a comment with a link so I can visit :o)...

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do... Just copy this email/post and paste into a new e-mail/post to share with others. Change all the answers so that they apply to you.... here's mine.....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Definitely wrapping paper (with handmade scrap-paper bows :o)

2. Real tree or Artificial? Definitely real - mostly preferred to cut one down :o) We got a tall one this year because our new house has high ceilings.

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually we go get it the day after Thanksgiving and put it up that same day - this year we were a bit late :o)

4. When do you take the tree down? Hopefully by the New Year.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? My toy barbie stretch limousine with the spa in the back.

6. Hardest person to buy for? Anyone when you have no money.

7. Easiest person to buy for? My kids because they are so sweet - they would be happy to play with coal! lol

8. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, but it's not ever what anyone expects - it's very small!

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail and usually handmade as well, but this year God is teaching us to live without.... but I did get a beautiful handmade card from a missionary couple in Africa we pray for, look......

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Tangerines and walnuts.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Maybe in October if I find the right thing for the right person.

12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No - but I did receive an awesome recycled gift from a gift exchange last year....

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My grandma's peadogs (or at least that's what she calls them, I think they are really Pîrâgis)... it's a latvian food... I've always loved these things!!!! I need to learn how to make them like she does....

14. Lights on the tree? Yes definitely and in the rooms as well (thank you Mary).....

15. Favorite Christmas song? Mary Did you Know and Carol of the Bells!

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? My family would love to travel to the Snow around Christmastime, but on Christmas day we stay home.

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Doner, Blitzen, and Rudolf ... it's easy... I memorize songs way too well.

18. Angel on the tree top or a star? I would like a good looking star - but we have a crocheted and starched angel ;o)

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve with my side of the family at my Uncles house and Christmas morning with my own little family... Christmas day with my hubby's side of the family.

20. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Santa Claus! And how he seems to sound so much like God! You notice that he has a lot of names and seems to be all knowing and ever present - "he see's you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good".... that's worrisome!!!

21. Favorite ornament theme or color? I like my Mary had a little Lamb ornament - because He died for His flock! Amen!

22. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey just like Thanksgiving!

23. What do you want for Christmas this year? I would really like to have my wedding and engagement ring re-sized and plated with white gold but I know that is way too much to ask for!

24. Who is most likely to respond to this? Alicia :o)

Now for some questions I would like to add...

1. Do you read the Christmas story from the Bible with family? Yes - usually my husband reads it and I love it when he does... last year my mother-in-law did.

2. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Mine is White Christmas. Vera-Ellen was an amazing dancer and I love Rosemary Clooney's voice!!

3. Do you pretend Santa for your kids - or do they know he is pretend? My kids are still pretty young but I always tell them that the story of Santa is just that - a story, but they know Jesus is real :o)

4. Do you hang stockings? Where and how? Yes - this year they are on my mantle! but previous years they would just be on a wall with command strips (I love those things!)

5. Does your family have any birthdays near Christmas? Yes - my sister Charleen and my daughter JJ.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Wordless Wednesday

My little one is standing!!! It's official... she's not just holding onto the couch for dear life, she also standing in her crib, at the toy basket, the table, and the baby gate! :o)

Sunday, December 07, 2008

God gave me Another song :o)

'Whatever You're Doing' by Sanctus Real feels like the story of my life right now. I know I have been hearing it in the car for quite a while now but the words really didn't hit me till yesterday when I was driving alone to visit with friends at a Scrapbooking crop.

Here are the words and the video is below...

It's time for healing, time to move on.

It's time to fix whats been broken too long.

Time to make right, what has been wrong.

It's time to find my way to where I belong.

There's a wave that's crashing over me,

and all I can do is surrender.

Whatever you're doing inside of me,

it feels like chaos but somehow theres peace.

And it's hard to surrender to what I can't see,

but I'm giving into something heavenly.

time for a milestone, time to begin again,