Give Thanks..........

Picture taken at my uncle Jim's retirement party Summer 2008.
back row: Dad, Megan, Jared, Mom, Cindy, Bubba (Mark), Kari
front row: Catherine, Grace, Jim, Addie, me, Samantha


I am thankful for my family.

Note: The only one missing is John, he's taking the picture.

Give Thanks........

This picture was taken on Megan's birthday.
It is one of only a handful of pictures where
both kids are together and smiling!

I am very thankful for both of my kids. Yes, they can make me crazy at times, but they are my life & I wouldn't have it any other way! They each have very different personalities, one is more reserved and quiet for the most part. The other is everywhere, touching everything and talking non-stop! Together they keep my day full of surprises! Thank you Megan & Addie, I love you both.

j.

Give Thanks..........

I am pulling this out of the archives for today's post. It is Addie at school with Grandma & Grandpa for Grandparents day, 2008. I am very thankful my parents are healthy, happy and still on the go!

This post starts five days worth of thankful posts. Each one will have a picture associated with it, some will be old, some new. My challenge to you for today is tell someone you are thankful for them, it will make their day.

j.

Meg & friends @ the theater after seeing "Twilight" for the first time.
ALL SMILES!

"Twilight" was far more than I expected.....

My daughter Megan is on the right and her best friend Jolynn is on the left.

I have not read the books, because my teenage daughter and her 5 friends have been passing them around within their group. So I didn't know exactly what I was getting into or what to expect, but I can honestly say the movie was fantastic! When Edward flies through the air with Bella on his back, you feel like you are there and when they are perched hundreds of feet in the air in a tree, I felt like I was going to fall. The scenery is amazing and with each second of the movie, you are pulled more and more into the story and the eyes of the character. I have never been a scary movie fan or a vampire fan for that matter, but when Edward's eyes meet with Bella's you can feel the explosion of emotion. They are torn between two worlds, their love and her safety. The 6 teenagers that I took must have really enjoyed the movie also, because they talked non-stop on the way home! Re-hashing almost every scene! Now to sit and wait till 2009 for the second part of the Trilogy! I can't wait!

We took so many people tonight that we had to take two cars. Grandma & I both drove, (she & Addie saw Madagascar), which Addie seemed to really enjoy. If all the moms ok the picture I will post the group shot tomorrow.


j.

Extra - Day 9 - Extra

Extra pages - To make those gift checklists and a photo of decorations. White textured paper embossed with the swiss dots embossing folder. Red satin ribbon from Hobby Lobby "Make it Christmas" line. Chipboard circle with Christmas greeting rub-on.














Day 9 - White textured paper embossed with Swiss Dots embossing folder. Bronze buckle with a flourish that has been sprayed several times with Tattered Angels "Coffee". White flowers give the illusion of snowflakes.














Decorative clear page made with foam stamps and paint gives the countdown to Christmas.


We are almost to day twelve! I have saved the cover for last, I haven't had a "vision" yet as to the design. Most times it hits me and I either draw a rough sketch or I go create it immediately. We will see what happens in the next few days.

We are finally done with the Kindergarten Feast and Program. It went off without a hitch Thursday night. The dinner was fantastic and the program was adorable. I could not believe how much those little kids had memorized!
This is one of those really cool pictures that I didn't really try to take, it just happened. Addie was walking towards the stage and I grabbed the shot. I figured it would be blurry and I would delete it. After I uploaded the pictures I realized this is probably the best picture I took all night. I got Addie without blur and the two people in the background are my parents. Luck....pure luck. Sometimes it's on my side. :)



This has been a whirlwind week getting ready. I was lucky enough to get to help them in the class room. The kindergartner's made their own cornbread, cranberry salad, home made churned butter & 20 pumpkin pies. (By the way we made enough of each of those for 200 people!)


At last minute I decided the little pilgrim s needed white aprons with lace! So I ran to Wal-Mart and grabbed 2 yards of white fabric and 5 yards of lace and settled into my sewing machine with a big cup of coffee. Several hours later they had beautiful fancy little aprons fit for little pilgrim s. There are a couple of reasons why this makes me soooo happy that I made them. Number one they looked adorable! Number two, I actually started a project and FINISHED it! WOW! That is huge for me. I am terrible at starting things and not finishing them, so this was quite an achievement for me. :-)

Can't wait till tomorrow, I am chaperoning 6 teenagers to see "Twilight" at the movies. I am very excited. I have been watching the previews with Megan and it looks like it is going to be "edge of your seat" good! I will post my personal review Sunday.

j.

Extra Page - Day 7 - Extra Page

Extra Page - These are the pages between 6 & 7. More journal tags and the right page is blank....yes blank. It's ok to leave off all the "junk". This is a small album only5x7 outside dimensions, the inside pages are about 1/4" smaller. When I add the photos it will look "full".
















Day 7 - Take time to sit back and record something that your family does every year with out fail. For us it is reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. The book that we bought for Megan when she was 3 or 4 has little paper ornaments that the kids can hang on the tree as I read the story. It is a beautiful moment with my little family of 4 that I will cherish the rest of my life. From start to finish this tradition probably only takes 30 min., but for me it is the best 30 minutes of Christmas.

These are the stories that your children will tell your grandchildren, great grandchildren & so on. This is how we connect to the past, by providing proof to the future!

Extra Page - Everyone wants to go home for the holidays, it's a sentimental journey to your childhood, where Christmas cookies and Santa were the only thoughts in your dreams. So this year while your home, where ever that may be, take time to take a picture of your "family". This could be your direct family living in your house or your extended family including your 5th cousin twice removed by marriage! (Yes..we all have that!) For most of us families get together this one time of year and people change. I can see a huge difference in personalities of the children & the way they look from year to year. Don't let this Christmas slip by without documenting the way everyone looked in 2008.

j.