merry christmas and a small gift ...

Merry Christmas y'all!

No matter where you may live or how you celebrate this time of the year, from our home to yours, we wish you all a most joyous holiday season, a very Merry Christmas and an incredibly happy, healthy and prosperous New Year in 2012!

Since my last visit, I have been pretty ill (my bad :p) after having pulled an all-nighter to get my portion of the December Blog Train up and running.  The bugs my precious little grandson was carrying decided to take advantage of my compromised immune system and they bit me hard somewhere between 3 and 4:00 am on December 1st!  ROFL!  Ouch!

I think I slept for most of the first two weeks.  After that, it was hit 'n miss.  I'd be feeling decent one day and then could not get up the next, so I listened to my body and simply took it as easy as possible.  Lots of herbal goodies too. *smile*

We celebrated our family Christmas gathering a week early, just as we had our Thanksgiving, and I spent one day decking the halls and the following day cooking, serving and cleaning up!  I was thrilled to have been feeling good enough to pull it all off with the help of my incredibly sweet and most precious man and a few of the boys (yes, they are sweet and precious too!).  So blessed to have them all *sigh*

The photo I used for the frame cluster is of our grandson, Jace.  He spent the night with us after our Christmas dinner on the 17th and waited patiently for Grandma to tell him that it was time to decorate the tree.  Uhm, can we say distractions?  LOL!  I cannot effectively carry on a conversation and a chore at the same time these days.  Fail.

After several inquiries as to when we would be decorating this poor, naked tree and Grandma responding with the same, "as soon as I finish cleaning the kitchen", Jace leans on the counter with his elbow beneath his chin and with a gentle whisper says to me, "I am going to decorate the tree myself".  Oh. My. Gosh.  I about lost it.  I think I did lose it. *big grin*  Are not we constantly amazed at what comes out of the mouths of babes?  Uhm. Yeah!

So, there you have it.  Jace preparing to hang Grandma's favorite ornament.  Okay, I really have several favorites, but this one is really, really special! *wink*  I always think of the song, Silver Bells.  Back in the day, my oldest daughter and I spent many a night in the garage crafting.  Yup.  I actually created and sold at craft fairs and consignment-type stores.  I forget what they were called, but it was a shop that would rent out space by taking a certain percentage of your sales each month.  It was short-lived as we moved here to Copper just a few months later.  I eventually found a spot here in town, but that was short-lived as well when the owner decided not to use his shop for anything other than what he was selling!  Understood. *smile*  Anyhoo, my daughter would glue and glitter the ornament bases and I would decorate them.  What a team.  My oldest son just mentioned to me the other day that my 'ol crafting days brought back very fond memories for him.  *heart. skipping. beat.*

I do have a crafter's heart.  I just lack the time and space to accommodate my stock of supplies!  Someday ... maybe. *chuckle*

I hope everyone's hearts are overflowing and ready to take on the new year with all it has to give.  I love renewals and/or fresh starts!  So, be prepared for the upcoming departure of the January Blog Train, which shall be making it's way through Scrapland on January 1, 2012!  There, I said it.  WOOT!  I guarantee you shall refresh your digiscrapping supplies! *wink*

My small gift today is the frame cluster at the top of my post (preview below).  I will also be giving you a few flowers along with the leaves, newsprint postage frame and a couple of grunge prints this coming week, God willing.  If you have not already dowloaded *Holiday Traditions*, you can find the link on my sidebar beneath the preview image.  It will be available for downloading until the departure of the January Blog Train.

Don't forget to board the January Blog Train on New Year's Day, Januay 1, 2012! *big, big grin*

Thanking you all from the depths of my being for your continued support over the past year and here is to a more productive year for us all come 2012!

Oh, oh, OH!  And I shall reply to each comment left for the December Blog Train.  That is a given *smile*

*Sorry, this link has expired*

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holiday traditions ... dec 2011 blog train has departed!

 This was the first time all six of my children were together at our home in just a little over

two years.  I am so hoping that we are all able to follow through with our bi-annual

gatherings, *sigh*  It surely does a Mama's heart good.  Speaking of which, I need to

work on a plan to visit my mama!  Just in case you see this Mom, I love and miss you

dearly and I really do hope to see you soon - XOXO

Hi y'all!

Happy December and here we go, continuing the holiday season!!!  Hope everyone here in the states had a fabulous Thanksgiving no matter where you were or who you were with.  *smile*   

Extra blessings were flowing this year as my daughters flew in from Washington (with grandson, Henry, in utero and my darling granddaughter, Katelyn, whom I've not seen for nearly 1-1/2 years!) and Matt, my oldest son, met up with my oldest daughter and her husband,  having come in from Dutch Harbor, Alaska and spending a few days with them,  then finding an extra seat on the same flight here to California!  Smooth move *happy dance*
  

I apologize for being a wee bit late.  I decided to scrap a layout using my mini-kit contribution for this month's blog train and it was a good thing I did!  I had a plan for that  P.R.I.C.E.L.E.S.S. tag and it was no where to be found - ROFL!  Argh!  Ah, yah, how about getting a little sleep there Linda.  An oxygen deprived brain is not the best way to get 'er done!  He, he ...

You should be coming in this afternoon (evening, night or morning too :) from ...

MIKKI DESIGNS # 73

You are now here ... 
BON SCRAPATIT DESIGNS #74

Your next stop on this amazing digital scrapbooking train is ...

CHARM CITY SCRAPS #75

If you are following the list from (or just in case you get lost along the way) ...

THE BLOG TRAIN BLOG ... well, then you are a little over three-quarters of the way through this massive haul with 90 designers contributing!  *Woot, woot ... yeah!*  You can also take a peek at all of the contributions on The Blog Train Blog's lovely slideshow!

I know it is a long ride and as always, please give it at least a full 24 hours for everyone to get their files uploaded and links posted as we are participating from all across the globe *big grin* 

For those who might remember me (LOL!), I am finally gifting myself with a new computer this Christmas as I struggle to get anything accomplished with only 3 GBs of RAM powering PSCS 4!  Can we say S.L.OW.?  I will catch you up just as soon as humanly possible and I even have some photos to share.  *Yay*

I will also be adding some journal strips and/or word art and a few more embellishments to *{Holiday} Traditions* over the course of the next week.  You would think that the kiddos all dressed especially for this color palette, but they did not.  Imagine my surprise when I started working with the group photo, which I did not have time to enhance as I had hoped to, and realized they all coordinated with *{Holiday} Traditions*!  Outstanding *big smile*  So, naturally, I am going to scrap some of our Thanksgiving photos! 

I did alter the hue of the blue jeans a bit to better match the blue in the palette *wink*

We are doubling up the end of this year and will have another train ride come January 1st!  Yahoo!  Lots of scrap happiness to end 2011 and to begin 2012 with!  Sweet!

A personal high-five and thank you goes out to Trish Heffner, our dearly beloved Blog Train Coordinator, who keeps this train on track and has been doing so now for 3-4 years.  You are more than amazing sweet lady and I look forward to another year of train rides through Scrapland!

Here is my preview of *{Holiday} Traditions*:

Sorry, these links have expired and will be added to my shop soon!

Now, I have but one request ... *Get your scrap on!*

Stay happy, keep on scrapping and I'll see you soon ...

Thank you for stopping in!

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