Getting scrappy with it!!!

Here are a few more of the things I have been working on over the last few days...I also have been using Picasa and I finally got my scanner hooked up and so...I have updated my creations photo albums a little with better pictures and some new things....take a look and let me know what you think...

And let me just say a double yes on  Leah's assessment of Picasa.  I have had it for awhile and used it a lot to see if I like it or not.  I love it!  It is free and it has a lot to offer!  Take a peek if you are needing a photo editing software.  I still want to getPS Elementss at some point for some projects I want to try...but Picasa ROCKS!!!!

Some layouts that I have done for a sister's album I am doing for the girls...I still have some journaling to do on a couple.

Here is the cover page for the ABC Album I am doing for Kennedy...

Here are a couple of inexpensive magnetic frames that I made to put on my fridge...plus I am working on some more for Shane to be able to house some new photos at work.  There are a lot of fun and super easy to do....I am always looking for ways to display some more pictures without taking up a lot of shelf space.

And lastly here is a from Trash to Treasure project I finished up...this literally was sitting in my garage and I saw it and thought that would be perfect in my scraproom...I altered it some and cleaned it up and it is perfect for holding cards, envelopes, stickers...just anything.

I am off to work on some more projects...going to try and get my layout down and ready to submit to Pencil Lines this afternoon.  Have a great day! 

More later...

Tunes on Tuesday( way late) and much more...

First, let me apologize for being a bad blogger over the last several days.  We have had a lot going on around our house, had internet issues...(which we are still having...and are seriously considering switching internet providers...since Shane works a lot in the evenings from home...it is really a pain to have the internet stop working everytime we get a strong wind around here!) and to be honest I have been getting scrappy with it for the last several days... (thanks to some much needed motivation, encouragement, and some challenges...thanks to my good friends Leah and Telah...for the push!) so I have been avoiding posting on my blog because I wanted to work while I was on a roll.  I decided that I needed to be creating and posting my layouts on my blog.  I mean, I work hard on them, and really enjoy creating, so why not share?  Seeing other people's work is where I get a jump for a lot of my ideas.  Until now I have always been a little hesitant to post pictures, but that is just silly.  And like I said earlier...a lot of encouragement from my friends has helped!  I need to come out of my shell and get over it!  :0 

To be honest, I have been a bad scrapper for some time now.  Don't misunderstand...I love to browse all the magazines out there and feel my brain with ideas, love all the inspiration from great websites out there...but for the last several months I just have been unmotivated and really had almost given up on my scrapping!  Well, I am happy to say...I have pushed that thought out of my mind and am ready to get on a roll...Telah, Leah, and I are planning on doing two weekly challenges...one from Scrapjacked and one from Pencil Lines...I did mine for this week and decided to tie this post all together with my weekly tune and some of the things I have been creating this week...so sit back and enjoy!

Ok, now let's get down to the nitty gritty!  My Tune for Tuesday this week is I Believe by Brooks and Dunn.  I have put up the video clip in the side bar so you can view and hear this great song...if you are not familiar with it already.  I chose this song for this week, because several of us are starting a new round of circle journals and I have chosen Music of the Heart as my theme.  So I went ahead and did my title page and the first entry in my journal.  I have wanted to devote an album to layouts about songs that I love and so this seemed like the perfect opportunity! 

Here are my first two pages of the circle journal.

I used Autumn Leaves paper and embellishments, stamps and ribbon, some copper brads, and printed my lyrics and journaling on transparencies.  I struggled a littl with these pages, because I had so much I wanted to fit on the page and the format is 8 1/2 x 11.  This is the first time I have ever done layout in this size and I think it turned out pretty good.

The second page was the hardest for me to do.  It includes the lyrics to the song I chose, journaling and three very precious photos.  This layout is also the layout I am submitting to the Scrapjacked Challenge #1 (if my internet ever gets to running again).  The focus for this layout was I Believe, the song I mentioned before, and how it has become so meaningful to me over the last year.  The pictures are of a dear friend and really just a member of our family...as far as I am concerned.  She was honorary grandmother in our wedding and so special to us.  She passed away last January and it has been a difficult thing for our family.  Just to give you a little idea about how significant and special she was to us....we named Parker after her...Parker was her maiden name and we just couldn't think of a better way to honor her!   My thoughts are starting to wander now and I am typing too much here...I guess because there is so much I want to tell you about her...however, I will just include the layout and let you read for yourself. (I am not posting the lyrics this week, but if you would like a copy, I will email them to you)  They are on this layout, and hopefully pretty visable....

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know this post is already long...so I will close for now.  I will post more pictures and projects I have made later this afternoon...hopefully!

BTW, just a quick survey...we are considering changing to Bellsouth DSL service...but I don't know much about their internet service...if you use Bellsouth or know someone who does...give me a comment about how you like it...or don't like it!  Thanks!

More later...

Tunes on Tuesday...

 

My Wish - Rascal Flatts -  "Me & My Gang"

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,
But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.
I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.
But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

(I couldn't find a video clip of this song...so I attached the music to my blog...so you could hear it...if you know of a place where I might find a video clip...let me know please.)

The first time I heard this song  was last fall.  I love Rascal Flatts anyway, so when I heard this song and found it they were the artists performing it...well, that just made it sweeter!  The first time I really listened to the words was while I was watching a DVD that my dad had made of my sister...who just graduated this year.  He made us all copies and sent it out to grandparents and family.  BTW, he did a great job on it!  I wish I had the knowledge to do things like that...working on it...but haven't turned that techno yet.

Anyway, the words to this song are awesome and as I listened to it I cried...it made me think of my children and in just the few short years I have been blessed with their presence...the memories flashed in my head like the slide show that was up on the screen in front of me.  After a few days, I emailed my dad and told him about the song and how it made me feel and how much I loved the song.  And he wrote me back this...

I want you to know these words have always been for you.
Love,

 Dad

And then he attached the lyrics to this song...WOW!  Talk about a tear jerker!  Since then, I have played this song very frequently around the house and in the car and when I do play it here...Mallory and Kennedy like to crank it up and they..."Sing it to us, Mama!"  I have been singing it to them and telling them that this is my song to them.  They love that!  And it truly is...My Wish...for all three of my kids!  Hope you all enjoy it too!  :)

Five on Friday...

First of all,  let me give a shout out to one of my good friends Telah...we were discussing today about trying some new things with our blogs... and I think that I have come up with a plan from some things from what I have seen out there on others blogs.  Telah came up with this Five on Friday...and I love it!  Great idea Telah!!!

So from here on out...I am going to do my best to post Five on Friday.  I am gonna add the linking part of the post at the bottom...for anybody who wants to participate.  I know there are others out there like Thursday Thirteen and Works for Me Wednesday...that you can link to and I think that is so neat.  So, I am going to try it.  Hopefully, if it works you can link up and we can get a good number participating.  If you have any other prompts for posting....share them with us all and let us know about them!  I like the idea of having a structured topic to help guide my thoughts and it gives your readers something to look forward to.

Five Things I That I Use Everyday:

1. My Laptop: Yes, this is something I use a whole lot during each day!!!  I use it for conversations, entertainment, studying, contacting others, banking, business....just all sorts of things....and it is hard to imagine life without it...honestly!  Let's face it....I use my laptop as much or more than probably anything else I own....and I am glad too...because without it I wouldn't be meeting all of you wonderful people. 



2. Lysol Wipes:  Use these things all the time...for wiping down countertops, bathrooms, door handles, toys, etc....I need to count someday and see how many I use in a day!



3. The Microwave:  This is a necessity...especially when you have kids.  I use my microwave soooo much each day. 



4. The Diaper Genie:  Man, I used this a lot today!  I am so thankful for it too!  Whew...can't imagine having a baby without it! 



5. My Deodorant:  Oh yes, can't go without this on any given day.  Although, I don't think I stink...:)  I just don't feel fully "dressed" without it! 

Links to other Five On Friday participants:

Ten on the tenth! (warning!!! lots of quick lists...long and jam packed with lots of information and links to click on)...

Edited* - Ok, Ok....I know that this didn't get posted till the 11th....oh well....but still was meant for the 10th...LOL

Can you believe we are already 10 (well, actually now it is 11...but it was ten when I was writing this....HA!)  days into 2007?  2006 flew by and I guess they all seem to do that the older I get...I know especially since I have had children they have flown by very quickly!  I intended for this post to come on New Year's Eve and that is how I originally starting developing it...but plans changed and I didn't get the post ready in time....so I thought tonight I can still do this...and just make 10 lists of our top ten things....so here you go....10 different lists with the top 10 in each category.  Shane and the girls helped me out on the post by coming up with their list...plus I asked Shane to give me some ideas....so that it isn't just from the female perspective....plus I want him to use this site too to update and communicate with family and friends...but so far no luck!  :)

So a little Top Ten  post to help bring in the new year...remember these are in no particular order and just the top ten for each of us this year....I helped the girls a little with their lists...but they did most of it on their own!  I was proud of them for that!  Shane and I struggled with our lists a little bit....but it was good.  It made us stop and think about some things!!!  I kept trying to explain to Shane that it doesn't have to be a list of top ten things.....

I explained to him that it can be an event, a person, a website, a new toy, a bargain, a game, a funny email or story...ANYTHING...just something that was significant to you in 2006....Enjoy!  And this is for everyone...feel free to take this idea and run with...consider yourself tagged and give us your Top Ten of Most Memorable for 2006.

Shane's Top Ten of 2006:

10) Sunday nights after church with dinner and watching Extreme Home Makeover.

9) Mike Shula was fired as the head football coach of Alabama and the fiasco of a coaching search. Come on coach Saban! Come to Bama!   (Edited** - Yes, we got him!!!  Woo Hoo! )

8) Was clued into the computer game World of Warcraft and have been playing every since.

7) Finally got to go out with my wife for several hours and no kids on our anniversary. We hardly ever get time to ourselves, so that was a big deal.

6) After changing job positions to get back into programming, I managed to get my old job back when the funding for the new job ran out unexpectedly. Also, I survived funding cuts in September and December on my new/old job. It has been an interesting year at work.

5) Watching Mallory’s soccer games and practices.

4) Getting to know and try to understand the diva in Kennedy. Here is a memorable quote from Kennedy…”Daddy, you’re an idiot.”

3) Got to watch, in person, my high school football alma mater win the state 5A championship with my daughter, Mallory. Go Golden Eagles! Now all I have to do is watch my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl  and I’ll have seen my three favorite football teams win it all in person!!! (Athens – 2006, Alabama – 1992, Pittsburgh - ????)

2) Got to see several of the kids that I teach/have taught in the 5^th and 6^th grade bible class at West Hobbs Street Church of Christ be baptized and added to the Church. It is always a thrill to get to see that.

1) Parker Shane Jewell was born!

Heather's Top Ten of 2006:

1. Our family grew by two feet this year...Parker Shane joined us in May!  It has been a pure joy having him here and watching him grow and change.
2. Started my blog this year and have learned many things about code, weblogs, linking, etc....that I didn't know before.  It has been so much fun keeping it current and meeting so many new friends because of my blog! Cheryl, Amy, Traci, Lindey, Jolene, Jamie....and these are just a few!!!  (of course I could mention Telah and Leah, but I already knew them...LOL)
3. Still coping with some very hard losses this year...losing someone you love and grieving with your dearest friends teaches you a lot about life and the brevity of life.  Two losses this year that will impact our family for many years to come...Mrs. Zelma and Sydney Kathleen...(love you Danny and Tandy and we are still praying for you) ....and I am grateful for what we have learned and how we have grown as a family!
4. Mallory's soccer games on Saturdays and dance class every Monday with Kennedy, Jolie, and Jessie! 

How fun!  The girls have had a blast!  Here is Kennedy with her dance teacher.  This is her first year to take and she really looks forward to it every Monday!  We have a little tradition of going to McDonald's and getting lunch before we go to dance class and she likes doing that...I like it to!  It is something that just she and I get to do together and it is special for her...I know, I know, McDonald's is not my dream restaurant...but it is for Kennedy!  :)

5.  Gatlinburg Trip with my "Sisters"...staying in a beautiful cabin...sleeping, eating, and scrapbooking...and a little shopping.  Ahhh...it was so nice!

6.  Reconnecting with some friends from my college days...Joey and Jennifer, Danny and Jennifer, Jay and April, Crystal, David and Erin, Tony and Laura....and some others are out there...I have missed so, so much for such a long time and this past year I felt like I made some reconnections with long time friends...(I don't know how many of you will see this or even visit this blog....but if you do leave us a comment, email us and let us know how you are doing.) 

7.  Taking my first photography class...or at least attempting to attend with my buddy Melissa...I want to take more and learn a lot more about photography and editing programs.

8.  Camp Ney-A-Ti Mini Camp with Mallory for the first time...we had a blast and it was great to spend time with my girl!!!!

9.  Parker's stay in the hospital at 6 weeks old...very scary to me and still very memorable to me.  Thankfully everything turned out ok...and he certainly is a strong, healthy, hearty baby boy!  :)

10.  Painting and decorating the nursery for Parker.  It was so much fun and I learned that  I was a lot more crafty than I ever knew I was....I really enjoyed painting the farm animals and doing the artwork for his nursery.  It was fun finally getting to decorate for a little boy!  :)

Mallory's Top Ten for 2006:

1. I got a digital camera for Christmas!
2. I got a new baby brother for my birthday!
3. My favorite movie that I saw was Princess Stories DVD.
4. I got to go to Club Libby Lu for my birthday party with my friends Jenny and Alli.

 

 

 

 

 

5.   My favorite game was Trouble.  (I was shocked by this considering how much she begged for Operation...but oh well...I wanted this to be her list not mine)

6.  One of my favorite trips was going to Build A Bear Workshop and making a cheerleader bear that I named Bama.

7.  My favorite book is the Bible. (So proud of this kiddo....this answer was with no prompting from us and I just loved the answer)

8.  I love the color pink! 

9.  My favorite place to eat was Rainforest Cafe.

10.  I lost my first and second tooth! 

Kennedy's Top Ten for 2006:

1. My favorite thing to eat is fruit! (I like bananas, oranges, strawberries, and apples.
2. My favorite movie that I watched was Dora Easter Egg Hunt.
3. I love the color purple!
4. My favorite game to play is Disney Scene It.
5. My favorite place to was McDonald's...big shock there!  NOT!
6. My favorite book was Dora's Easter Basket.
7. My favorite place to go was the Disney Store in the mall and to the skating rink.
8. I started taking ballet and tap dancing classes and I love going to class with my buddies Jolie and Jessie.
9. My favorite toy is my pink Leapster.

10.  I got to celebrate my birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.

Top Ten Favorite New Toys from 2006:

I thought that you might like to see some of the cool finds (or at least I think they are cool) that my kids received this year either for birthday or Christmas...from us or someone else in the family....

1. Mega Mask
2. Air Hockey and Pinball portable game
3. Fisher Price Digital Camera
4. Fridgi Gears
5. Magnetix Blocks
6. Betty Spaghetti
7. Leapster and game cartridges
8. Knock It Down Block Town (Domino set)
9. Buckaroo Game
10. Chutes and Ladders

Top Ten Favorite Reading Materials:

1. Scrapbooing Magazines ( BHG Scrapbooks, SS, CK,)
2. My Bible
3. Tom Clancy novels
4. J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Online news
6. Marianne Richmond Books
7. Junie B. Jones
8. Beverly Lewis Series
9. Blogs
10. Taste of Home Magazine

Top Ten Favorite Websites we have found and/or like to visit daily:

1. We 8 There (restaurant reviews) 
2. Humor with/clean jokes
3. Two Peas In A Bucket
4. VideoCure
5. The 9
6. Polka Dot Potato
7. ESPN
8. Christian Answers (movie reviews)
9. Birthday Alarm
10. Fact Monster

Top Ten Favorite Songs and Videos:

1. My Wish - Rascal Flatts
2. Par Avion - Mike and the Mechanics
3. In My Daughter's Eyes - Martina McBride
4. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
5. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer
6. Everybody's Fool - Evanescence
7. I Hope You Dance - LeAnne Womack
8. Spoken For - MercyMe
9. Something's Always Wrong - Toad the Wet Sprocket
10. Dream Big - Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband

Top Ten Sporting Event and teams:

1. I.U. Basketball
2. Alabama Football
3. Marshall Football
4. Firing Coach Shula hiring Coach Saban
5. Firing Coach Davis and hiring Coach Sampson
6. Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl '06
7. Athens Golden Eagles winning State 5A Championship
8. Rutgers unbelievable season in football
9. Atlanta Braves Baseball
10. Alabama Basketball (Too bad they got thumped by Arkansas in their first SEC game)

Top Ten Restaurants and foods:

1. Macaroni Grill (yum, yum, yum)
2. P.F.Changs (the first time we at this restaurant was in Palm Springs, California....since then we try to find one whenever we are traveling...we have been to this restaurant in Nashville, Houston, Washington DC, and I hear there is one in B'ham....also I think Huntsville is getting one in the new mall.....)
3. Outback (gotta love those bloomin' onions....or at least Shane does.  But they don't love him...)
4. Red Lobster
5. Olive Garden
6. Sarge's Shack (yummy rice)
7. Fast Food- Wendy's and Burger King
8. Dominos Pizza
9. Steak Out
10. All Steak (Cullman, Alabama)

Whew!  I know this is a long post....but I wanted something to get my husband and children involved...plus...this was a great tool to help journal some for my Year in Review scrapbook...and I wanted to share some things with you that maybe reveal a little more about us!  Plus, there are some good links here and I always am excited when I find something new or a cool website to visit. 

More later...:)

The Tooth Fairy Strikes Again!!!

How lucky can one girl get?  I mean...come on....Tooth Fairy twice in one week and then in just about another week Santa is coming to visit!!!  Well, here you go Mallory....like Mama promised.... here is your shout out about losing your second tooth!!!  Now you can sing... "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!"  I can't wait to see how much the Tooth Fairy leaves you this time??? 

I think we made all the phone calls already and she shared with everyone....but if we missed you, we are sorry!  She had to call all the grandparents and tell them the story about how it happened and how mama pulled it in the final stages. 

Speaking of grandparents....I have attached a second video clip in this post at the request of a certain Grandma Patty...lol    And of course, I know that all the other grandparents that look at this blog will enjoy seeing this clip of little Parker.  The quality is not the best because it was taken when the living room lights were off and I caught him going after the ornaments on the tree for the first time.  It was too cute not to video and the only thing I had handy at the time was my digital camera.  Enjoy!

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Christmas Time's a coming!!!!

I love mornings like this....it is cold outside....no snow, but at least cold.  I think the news said 29 degrees.  The tree decorating is done, the house is clean, most of the shopping is done, kids are quiet for now, and everything seems peaceful.  I am sitting here with my warm heating pad and reading email and blogs and eating breakfast.  I think this is going to be a good day!

Granted, I would love to have some snow since it is the Christmas season...but this is Alabama and I know better.  It is not going to happen and if it does...it won't be like the snows that I grew up with in Southern Indiana...boy do I miss those!  Here is just a taste of that....these are pictures from a few Christmases ago at my old homeplace on Christmas Day!  This is the house that I pretty much grew up in back in Indiana.  This was taken on Christmas Day 2000. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can remember many days like this and many days of walking to school or waiting on the school bus in stuff like this.  The picture below was taken two years ago from the driveway at my grandparents home looking out across the field.  

I think we measured that year and had 24 inches of snow.  That is the most we have had in a while and it was no fun to drive in going up there on the interstate, but it was a beautiful sight to see outside on Christmas morning.  My girls get so excited about snow and this....

 is about the most I have seen on our front lawn since Mallory was born here in Alabama....so they only really get the chance to see and play in the snow when we travel a little further up north.  The love to see it!  The above picture is our front yard in January 2003....not much of the white stuff....but hey I will count it!

Well I finally have got my Christmas spirit on!!!  Yeah me!  And it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around our house...the tree is finished and I am pretty please with it....I will say that I don't think the pictures do it justice...but I just can't seem to get a good picture of it with the lights off.  I will keep trying though.  What do you all think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will keep working on it and maybe I can get a good one this year too....

Now how about this to get you in the holiday mood???

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This is my first time to try video...and I am not sure if I like this format...but trial and error shall prevail.  Let me know how it works....I have another small clip that I might try later if this one works out. 

I took this Monday and it was just too cute.....I took this while I was in the process of finishing up the decorating and Kennedy was in the middle of getting into everything....lol

Merry Christmas to everyone!  Thanks to everyone who emailed or posted and gave my holiday spirit a boost....hope this helps yours too!  Have a great day! 

My little man is growing too fast!!!

Parker is almost seven months old.  We went Thursday for his six month check up....you moms know how that goes....they wait to schedule you until you are a day past six months at least and then it ends up the child being nearly seven months before they can get you in because of the full appt. calendar that the doctor's have...which is fine...but just funny.  Well, so Kennedy and I took him Thursday afternoon.  Not only was he going for his six month check up and his SHOTS, but he was having his ears rechecked because he has had four ear infections in the last couple of months...and is on his third antibiotic!  Everything went well and his ears looked good...at least for yesterday.  I posted a day or so ago about how I would update you on his size...so here you go...

This boy is growing, growing, growing.....he weighed 23 pounds and was 30 inches long. 

Now to translate....that puts him above the 95th percentile for his height and weight....I just laughed when the doctor told me.  I expected big, but I guess I was a little surprised at his length....I didn't think he was that LONG!!!  No wonder he is wearing 18 and 24 month size clothes sometimes!  LOL  Here are my too cutie guys!  Parker and his daddy!  I love this picture!  And no...I didn't plan the yellow shirts....it just happened that way.   He looks so cute!  But just doesn't look like a six month old!

He is using his walker now and motoring all over the place.  He scoots everywhere on the floor now.  Excuse me, but I don't think my girls did all this at this young of an age!!!  The other day we found him way across the living room from where we left him....and when I found him...he was under the Christmas tree.  :)

I wanted to post this to update like I promised you all and also to try some new stuff on this website.  I have been tinkering with the idea of including some small video clips in posts occasionally.  My friend Leah told me about using Photobucket for video clips...so I went there and tried to put a video clip on this post but I recorded too much....and it was a very big file and it would have taken a long time and soooooo....I will try again sometime with a smaller clip, but it looks pretty easy now that I know about Photobucket.  Thanks Leah!!!!

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

As promised, I have a few pictures to share with you from today's events.  Of course, we did not nearly get finished with decorating our Christmas tree...however, we did make a start on it and it was fun!  The girls had a blast and little Parker even got to participate.  For each of my children we have put a Baby's First Christmas ornament on the tree for their first Christmas with our family...and Parker is no different.  Tonight he got to hang his very first ornament on the tree....or at least help Mama do it! 

I searched for the perfect ornament and it was harder than I thought to find a cute ornament for a baby boy.  I didn't purchase the ones for the girls...my mother and father in-law got those for the girls and they are glass ornaments.  I wasn't sure what I wanted for Parker...but I knew I wanted it to be special.  I started looking here and that is exactly where I ended up going back to after visiting several other places last Saturday.  This is what I came up with...I found this keepsake ornament and I really liked it...well I guess I must have since I bought it.  What do you think?  I thought it looked rather boyish! 

So tonight I helped him to hang it on the tree.  It was the first ornament on the tree tonight.  We tried to put it in the center of the front of the tree.  I haven't gotten out the girls First Christmas ornaments yet...but when I do I will post a picture of all three of them together.  He was mesmerized by the lights and I don't think he really cared too much about the ornament by the time we got ready to hang the ornament...he just wanted to grab the lights.  Ha!

The girls were so excited too!  They have been begging to hang ornaments since the tree has been out of the attic....and to be honest we just haven't had time any night this week.  I even told Shane the other night....I liked it with just the white lights on it...I think he wondered if I was feeling ok??? 

Anybody that knows me knows that I am a Christmas NUT!!! I love it!   But for some reason, I haven't really been able to get my SPIRIT on this year yet...not sure why,  but I am sure it will come and it will get better????  Maybe I should get my music out and start playing it???  Give me your suggestions and what you do to pump up your Christmas SPIRIT!!!!

So anyway, I let the kids put on their new Christmas jammies and this is what I came up with...I took this picture and then played with it a little in Photoshop.  Not too bad???  The red eye was easy to do in Photoshop....I am liking it so far...but still have a lot to learn.  Here are some before shots too of my tree...I did try to follow Amy's instructions but I tried amidst three excited kiddos and to be honest I didn't do too good a job...but it is something.  HA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone have a great day!  It is finally starting to feel like Christmas here in Alabama....cold this morning and I hope it gets colder and we get some snow...but I am not holding my breath!  More later as promised! 

Missing In Action...

Good grief, I have fallen way behind in my blogging and have so many things that I have wanted to post about....new reading material, new products for scrappers, new projects that I have finished, Christmas decorating, just sooooo much going on and to tell you about.  My friend Telah has done such a good job of updating her website and keeping it up to date and I honestly don't know how she has done it, plus she has found time to scrapbook.  Also, Leah has put a new banner on hers....and it  looks great!

I downloaded the newest version of Photoshop Elements and I am going to play with it a little bit and try it out before I make any purchases.  I played with it a little last night and made a new banner for the website.  What do you think?  It took a while to get the size right, but the actual making of it wasn't that hard....I had the picture saved on my hard drive and just added the text.

I also changed and added some new pictures to my slide show.  Now I have about 25 other new things to do on this site and update...LOL....plus we are going to decorate the Christmas tree tonight. 

Parker has his six month well visit check up this afternoon and I can't wait to see what he weighs and how long he is.  That boy is big!  I took him to have his pictures made on Tuesday and I had to buy an 18 month outfit to fit him....and then it just barely fit!  I will update you all on the progress....it will be funny I am sure. 

So be watching for santa pictures, new pictures of some of my creations, pictures of our Christmas tree decorating, my new finds....and much more.....I am making my New Year's resolutions now....I promise I AM going to do better and update this website more frequently now that we are all over the sickies and things seem to be getting back to normal.  I am off to catch up on my blog reading and commenting, take care of my precious kiddos, and get ready for our afternoon doctor's appt.

Have a great day!  More later....