Just a quick post from the beach. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying what's left of Christmas/Winter break. It's a family tradition of ours to go to the beach the week after Christmas to the point that I remember turning 13 at the beach, because at the time there was a sign that read, "All children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult" and being 13 meant I didn't have to be with my parents in the hot tub anymore! LOL! Funny what you remember about birthdays. Anyway, while we're here on this particular trip, I'll be turning 30. Yikes! I don't FEEL thirty, but I guess that's what I'll be. And I have a sneaky suspicion that Josh has something planned, but so far everyone's been tight-lipped, so we'll see. There's only been one maybe 2 slip ups, which is what gives me a "feeling". Whatever the case, I love being at the beach. Typing while listening to the surf, and hearing the shrieks of the kids playing in the water. Here's a few pictures my stepsis took yesterday, and I'm about to head out and take more today.





And in case I don't blog again this year, Happy New Year!!! I'll try to return with my LOs from this January's Color Me Daisy kit, but I don't know if I'll be able to post from other people's computers. We'll see.

Time for quick post--I'm still thinking that for some reason blogging is keeping me sane. Sooo, here's a quick little gift that I'll be passing out to family and friends so that they can enjoy their Christmas pictures all the more. I got the idea for the book from Virginia and she got the idea for the Christmas trees made out of a scalloped circle punch from here. Okay, so that's that.




Sorry to be in a rush, but I've got lots to do as I'm sure all of you do too! If I don't "see" you again, I hope you and your family have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Caffeine and fumes!

If I ever updated my Facebook status, this is what it'd read. "Deanna Misner is running on caffeine and fumes!" LOL! Seriously. I woke up craving a Diet Coke. What's that say about me? about how life is going right now? or about how I stayed up too late last night but had SOOO much fun giggling!

This morning we took the girls to have breakfast with Santa at a local restaurant. It was actually a charity fundraiser for the local radio station, and I'm really glad we went even if I do have bags under my eyes because of it! The girls were too cute! Caroline saw Santa from across the room and started bouncing in her seat. He saw her too, walked over to us, and scooped her up in his arms. She was so in awe! Really. She couldn't talk for smiling and stroking his beard. She finally told him she wanted a Barbie, which is news to me, but hey at least she finally said something to him! LOL! Sarah Kate on the other hand was scared to death. Although she didn't cry, she did wimper and sit frozen in her high chair, afraid to move.

Here are some pictures:





Couldn't forget the yummy breakfast either!


And here's a LO I just finished up. It's for Noel's new challenge to use the word 'believe' in your title. This LO just kinda went there even though I didn't start out with the intention of doing it for the challenge. This is me and Josh at a Christmas party last weekend.

"I believe in us"


And a close-up


The journaling reads, "After all is said and done I believe in US! I believe God brought us together for a reason and a purpose. And I believe that after all we've been through, our faith has kept us together. Despite the many trials we've had to overcome, at the end of the day I believe our love is tried, tested, and TRUE!"

Now I gotta go wrap some presents and finish making gifts!
Hope you're having a Happy Holiday!

Taking a break to share

Well, I think yesterday and today have been my 2 busiest days thus far in the holiday season! Thank goodness tomorrow's the weekend and Josh will be home! :D Here's a quick recap for ya (and for my Dec. daily *blushing*):

Wednesday night: Caroline and I dipped and sprinkled more pretzels. 140 to be exact. This is the closest we've come to "cooking" or "baking" this holiday. I thought I'd start out slow and see how it went! Overall, she did great! She decided to combine the red and green sprinkles in the lid of the sprinkle container to be more efficient. Maybe she'll be my little organizer one day. The Lord knows I definitely need one! Maybe she's it! ;)



Thursday was a whirlwind of activity. Besides doing my usual Thurs. post at Crop Suey, I baked 4 dozen cookies for the volleyball party and them ready to go at 10am. Everyone was dressed, and completely ready, and in the car by 10:15 which is HUGE for us! Especially since I was standing outside when the grocery store opened at 9am. One of these days I'll quit being a procrastinator! You'd think I'd learn! Anyway, the volleyball party was a huge success. Those girls are just so wonderful, and I'll miss the 8th graders dearly! They even pitched in and bought me a GC to Hobby Lobby and McAlisters! Do my girls know me or what?! That was soooo sweet of them to do. After the party, it was home for some card making---I didn't plan very well, and didn't buy enough Christmas cards, so I was making them out of necessity not just for fun. Here's what I came away with. And yes, it took me like 3 hours to do these! I just struggle with cards!





Friday: Today is my MIL's b'day. They'll be here in about 2.5 hours, so I really need to hurry with this post. So far today we've been to the PO twice, because the first time their CC machine was down and I didn't have cash. We also picked up pictures to go into a photo bracelet we're giving her, but then of course now I can't find the bracelet! Grrrrrr! Hopefully I'll find it soon. Because here I sit filling you in, and keeping my Dec. daily journaling complete, when I really need to be searching for it! LOL! But I just mopped the kitchen and the floor's still wet. haha! Excuses, excuses...hehehe. Well hopefully my saving grace tonight will be the crop over at Noel Mignon! After 2 looong days of cooking, cleaning, running around, and doing the party thing, I think I owe it to myself to get a little scrapping done, right? Hopefully, you'll join us there too! ;)

And jsut for good measure, here's SK with Daddy's hat on!


Okay, off to clean and search the house! ;)

Hey girls! I'm sooo excited that we're getting closer to Christmas, even though it means more stress and a longer to-do list for the next couple of days! I hope everyone's enjoying the season! Not just now at Christmastime, but also this time in your life. And I must confess that while Christmas is wonderful I need to remember to enjoy it, relish in it, for the Real reason we celebrate it. I also need this reminder to enjoy this time period in my life, because boy it can be hectic, stressful, and overwhelming. I *need* to remember to stop and take it all in, appreciate it for what it really is. Even the joyful NOISES that I hear most often! hehe!

And while it's one of my favorite seasons, I must say that I haven't been scrapping Christmas the way I do most other times. There's just too much to do! BUT I've been scrapping with one of my favorite paper lines, Basic Grey's Urban Prairie! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! It's so fun to work with and it can be as girly as you want/need it to be or not so much. I for one have tons of pink pictures. Sarah Kate still doesn't have much hair even though she'll be turning 2 soon (YIKES! see what I mean? Enjoy it now!). So I dress her in pink A LOT! This is a LO of her in her pjs. I used Camille's Crop Suey December kit,Peking Duck. Loooove it! :D

That hidden smile


I also decided at the last minute to make some cards using various scraps I've collected through the year(s). Here are 3 of them. And part of my scrap usage is the velor scalloped ribbon that was also in the Peking Duck kit. ;) I love how it adds that soft, furry texture! The snowflakes are these wonderful silky (i think?) sparkly goodness from Noel Mignon's Winter Weather kit. And that green scalloped die-cut is done with the coveted AccuCut machine. I wish there were one closer to where I live! Anyway, for someone who doesn't "do" cards very well, I was happy with the way these came out.






Now, only about 5 more cards to make! ;)

Again, I hope you all are having a great holiday so far! One week til Christmas!
Happy Holidays everyone! Take it in, relish it, and love all of it! And remember the Real reason we celebrate--the birth of Him who is fully God and fully human at the same time.

Go Elf Yourself!

To play, be sure to go and pause the playlist on the righthand sidebar, and be ready to giggle!

The Disco version...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

And now the Charleston!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Obviously I have too much time on my hands this afternoon! LOL! :D

A few of my (holiday) favorite things...

I saw another blog doing this, and I thought it'd be a fun idea to add my own version.

1. Top 3 Holiday movies:
Well there's really only one for me and it's an all-time favorite, perfectly acceptable for quoting at any time of the year!:




I giggle just looking at this picture...we may have to watch this tonight! :D

2. Holiday cookie: Peanut Butter balls (isn't really a cookie, but figured it'd do.)



Ingredients:
½ cup and 2 tbsp. butter
2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cup powdered sugar
3 cup Rice Krispies
18 oz. Chocolate chips
¼ bar paraffin

Directions:
Melt butter and peanut butter together. Mix in sugar and vanilla. Stir in Rice Krispies, using your hands, and form the mixture into balls. Melt the chocolate and paraffin in a double boiler. Dip the balls in the chocolate-paraffin mixture. Place them on a cookie sheet, which has been covered with waxed paper. Pop into freezer for 5 minutes to set. Note: If mixture is too dry, add a little water, 1 teaspoon at a time. If mixture is too wet, put in refrigerator before forming into balls.


3. Holiday music:
I love our Cracker Barrel bluegrass Christmas CD and also this one by Jewel.

I was really surprised at how tradition the Jewel CD was, but then it's got some fun songs too like her rendition of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". It's the first song that's playing on my playlist to the right. ;) And while I love both of these CDs, neither has my favorite song, which is "O, Holy Night".

4. Least favorite thing about the holidays: traveling---we travel toooooo much, and have vowed that next year we're staying HOME!

5. 5 items on my list: Well I already gotten what was on my Christmas wish list! Josh bought me a Nikon D60, and I've been LOVING it! Even if I'm just in the beginning stages of figuring it out!

Always on my list is more scrappy stuff. Can a girl ever have too much?! and scrappy mag subscriptions. But those are a given, right?!

6. Childhood memory: I always LOVED, loved, loved going from our Christmas Eve family gathering out on the farm back into "town" to our church's Christmas Eve service. Dad would always have Christmas music playing on the radio and the night always seemed brighter, clearer. I loved looking at all the lights as we drove back. Then the Christmas Eve service would always end with an ensembled choir gathered in the back foyer of the church where they sang (and still do) "Still, Still, Still" acapella. THAT was my favorite! It still is. It's so serene and beautiful, and I loved ending Christmas Eve with their gorgeous voices.

We got to do this again last year for the first time since we'd been married. And I cherished that time, especially being back at the church I'd grown up in, and seeing so many wonderful faces of people who'd all influenced my life in one form or fashion. It was a wonderful evening and a sweet memory I'll cherish for a long time.

7. Holiday project: You've already seen it, but it's still my favorite...

We're really enjoying it too!

8. Christmas card photo: it's just the girls...


9. Naughty or nice.......Nice of course! :D :D :D

Peking Duck anyone?

Well, there's not been too much to report on the home front, so I haven't been blogging...but i did finally make time to sit and scrap a little bit! It felt sooo good to sit and play for a while. Here's what I created, a LO for Crop Suey using Camille's Peking Duck kit.



I really love this kit! It's so fun and whimiscal! I just wish that my mailman hadn't folded my package in half and let it sit in the rain over the entire Thanksgiving holiday! Grrrr! Now my papers are warped. I've tried flattening them under huge heavy books, and I saw on Martha where you can iron papers, but I wasn't willing to risk it. So my LO's not the greatest, especially in that lighting, but it's the best I could do under the circumstances. But the kit is wonderful, full of Prima's "Peaches" line and the oh-so-popular Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" line! And the embellies? mmmm....wire mesh, liquid pearl in red, precious Q&Co. felt snowmen....mmmmmm. It really is a great kit, and I wish the picture of my LO did it more justice! Oh and just so you know Crop Suey has tenatively set a crop for Jan. 10th, and they're MB is now up and running too! So hop over there and say hi!

Hope everyone is staying safe, dry, and warm! Enjoy the season! ;) :D

Zoo lights

Last night we toured the zoo lights at the zoo. It was really fun but REALLY cold! The temps were below freezing and the wind chill made it even colder! Thank goodness they had activites for us inside, but we were freeeezing! Here are a few shots I got! (and thanks Virginia for the camera tips! I used them again last night! ;) )



Caroline kept calling the gingerbread house her "church"! LOL!


Inside we found Santa and some hot cocoa! It was PERfect!

Of couse SK refused to sit with Santa, so Josh had to sit in on the picture. Gotta love that stage! Overall it was a really good night. We didn't take too long but the girls really enjoyed the lights, and seeing Santa (again).

On a scrappy note, I'd love to show you my Dec. Daily, except that Sams lost my 1st order of pictures so I had to re-order them. Soooo, hopefully I'll get those pages done soon and be able to show you!

Dec. Daily, the tree, & only 1 fatality so far

Third time's a charm, right? I restrung our tree 3 different time yesterday, and I've attempted to do this post 3 different times too. I finally "fixed" the tree, and now hopefully this post will "fix" itself too! LOL!

First, the long await December Daily.




I added a mini calendar from Creative Cafe for a quick glance at the month.


The unfinished Day 1--have to add journaling


I love the idea of this album, but not being able to print at home is proving tough to get the day done on that day! Right now Day 2 and 3 are out to print and I'll pick them up this afternoon. And be caught up for the time being.

As for the lights, I ended up stringing and restringing the tree last night 3 different times! The first had to be redone because I got half way through the tree, and did a quick check of the lights, and the very top strand didn't light up. The second restringing came because I had to redo the first, and got almost finished when I realized that I'd have to use one box of brand new lights, which then would look horrible with the older verisons I'd started with. SO those old lights came off, went in the trash, and I restrung the tree a 3rd time with all new lights! Whew! I was exhausted! And we hadn't even started decorating yet!

The decorating went fine. A little difficult when I want to take pictures but don't know how to use my camera for low lit settings (without dragging out the tripod). But I also wanted to actaully DECORATE the tree, and try to help the girls do it too. Josh just kinda humors me in all of it, and kept asking if we were finished. LOL! He was great for Sarah Kate, who didn't really care either. Caroline and I did some of the tree last night, but really we had a blast finishing it up this morning.



Which leads me to the fatality. While C and I were putting more ornaments on the tree, talking about who gave them to us and why, Sarah Kate snuck away and found a gingerbread wreath. It wasn't plastic or glass, but something inbetween. Well, long story short, it crashed. Caroline cried. She was already attached apparently. And Sarah Kate was just scared. She kept looking and pointing at all the pieces repeating, "Uh-oh. uh-oh." So yep, one fatality this morning. I'm sure they'll will be more, but fingers crossed that there aren't.



That's all for now. Sorry for being a little long-winded, but I wanted to share. I'll try to post my Dec. Daily days 2 & 3 a little later on.

Hope everyone has a good day!

Holiday projects

Well, it's time to reveal what I've been working on for the past days and weeks. I've been playing with the December Color Me Daisy kit, and I must say, it's fabulous! It's so jammed packed with sparkly embellishments and festive papers, and I've LOOOOVED working with it. Here are just 2 of the projects I've completed so far. I have plans to get a few more done before the week's out.

The first project is a cookie sheet advent calendar I've been dying to make for a year or so now! The kit came with so many chipboard pieces that I knew right away that I was going to make one.





Each piece is either chipboard covered in Pixie Stix Pink Paislee glitter, or a My Mind's Eye "Be Merry" die-cut covered in Making Memories glitter glaze. I backed the die-cuts with my own spare chipboard to make them sturdy enough to hold magnets. Also not in the kit is the 2 yds. of wired ribbon I bought at Ms to top it off.

The 2nd project is one that I did last year as a gift, and I loved it so much, I made another one. Thanks for the inspiration Brandi! ;) This time I attached the #s with self-adhesive velcro. I think that might make it easier for the kids to swap out as opposed the the giant binder clip I used last year.





Both projects are going to also be my entries for yesterday's December Daily since I spent the entire afternoon and evening finishing them up!

Off to photograph my December Daily and post it for ya! It's only a couple of days late, right?! hehe!

Weekend recap

What a fun Thanksgiving weekend! It's always nice to be at the lake, and this weekend was no exception. Here's a quick recap of what we did, followed by a few of my favorite pictures! :D

Thursday: ate turkey, hung out with the fam and extended fam, my little daredevil decided she'd enjoy sliding down the hill which led to Granna getting a box for a "sled" and then little sister wanting in on the action...here's my fave shot:



Friday: Josh and I drove to Oxford for our yearly pilgrammage to Oxford to watch the football game---ah the game! 45-0 was NOT what we were expecting, but so exciting to witness. And dare I say we got a little bored toward the end?!! Of course we stayed to the end--it's my rule--you don't leave early. And since the Rebs had lost the last few times we'd been to watch, it was so fun to celebrate the win!

Saturday: We took the girls to the whooping metropolis known as the Jasper Mall, and sat with Santa. We also celebrated the Bama win, and got a little scrapping done somewhere in between.

Sunday--we celebrated Granddaddy's birthday, which is actually today, then headed home. Happy Birthday 82nd Grandad!



Coming soon: Christmas projects like my December Daily, advent calendar, and more! Yay!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

With the crazy preparations, packing, cooking, traveling, etc. I thought I'd post a day early just to say Happy Thanksgiving. If you read my blog, then I'm sure I "know" you somehow either online or in real life. And I just wanted to tell everyone how thankful I am for all of you. I've only been online for a year, and I had no clue how it would change me! Not only am I inspired to scrap, but I've grown more as an "artist" (I still feel funny using that term for some reason) and as a person. I've gotten to know a lot of you fairly if not really well, and even meet some of you. I love that I've had a chance to experience the day-to-day happenings with you, and even pray for you! So all that to say, I'm thankful for you my online friends and readers!

I don't have a Thanksgiving LO to share, but I do have some fun pictures I took yesterday just trying to practice with my camera. Have I mentioned yet that Josh gave me a Nikon D60 for our anniversary and my 30th birthday?! Yeah, he did. It was a TOTAL shock and surprise, very well planned and very well hidden. I left it in the box for a week afraid to touch it! LOL! I have such a wonderful husband, who loves me enough to sell his stuff on Ebay/Craigslist just to get me a prized possession he knew I'd love! What an amazing man!

Anyway, here's what I got yesterday (still shooting in auto.) you KNOW that if I'm afraid to take it out of the box, then I'm DEFINITELY afraid to shoot on anything more than auto or the preset actions!!

okay, enough talk...Sarah Kate playing in the leaves.







I am determined to learn how to use my new camera! I was totally inspired by Elizabeth, who said that one year ago she knew nothing about photography and now she's got her own photography business! So if any of you want to tell me what I'm doing all wrong, a good class to take, where to start...I'm all ears! And I'd LOVE to know how people (coughcoughKarenRussell)take gorgeous photos of VERY active toddlers who don't pose or even stay still for a second!! So any advice in that arena is much appreciated. Oh but I don't get the whole f/2.5 ISO blah blah stuff. I know there's LOTS I don't know, and I may take my little advanced point-and-shoot with me this weekend just because I know how to use it! LOL!

Anyway, hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! Have fun, eat well, and GO REBELS!!!

Fun little quiz

You know I love quizzes, did every one of them in every single Seventeen magazine when I was a teen, and now here's this one. Nailed me dead-on!

What Your Thanksgiving Meal Says About You


When it comes to the holidays, you follow and love the big traditions. You look forward to them every year.

You see the holidays as a time to be close to loved ones. It's a good time to reconnect and make memories.

You like the aspects of the holiday that remind you of your childhood - opening presents, treats, and old favorite foods.

During the holidays, you are likely to feel comforted. At your worst, you feel a bit over-indulgent.

You consider yourself to be a bit of a purist, and you're proud of it.

You tend to spend your holidays doing everything and anything. You really get into the holiday spirit.

What does your Thanksgiving meal say about you?

Weekend update and caught on camera!

This weekend we went to my grandparents farm in rural Alabama to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with everyone. The major highlight of going to the farm for the girls is the fact that they get to see "amals", meaning horses and cows. This trip they helped pick up pecans too.

Here are some favorite shots I got with my NEW camera!!

My sister and SK


comparing acorns and pecans


proud moment


My sister said that Caroline kept walking around with her nut bucket saying, "Twick o Tweat!" LOL! That one made me smile! :D


And I just caught this about an hour ago:


Ever since we moved her to a big girl bed, she's had rest time instead of nap time (thus the messiness of the room!). She almost always winds up falling asleep eventually. But then I almost always find her in her bed too. Apparently today she wanted to watch the rain! This one also made me smile!