Simple Stories........and a Happy New Year!

so many of you know that I am a consultant for Memory Works and have been for years - i havn't done much with parties but i ordered most of my goodies through them and have 3 or 4 book parties a year.  Well this month they have come out with a great new system for those scrapbookers out there that don't like putting hours and hours into scrapbooking.  This system helps scrapbookers put together an entire year album in very little time.  You can make it more or less advanced - you can do whatever you want!  Well - Memory works has asked me to help them and i just got the product yesterday and my wheels are turning - i'm soooooooooo excited to dig in and get working on my album for 2009.  I will hopefully be able to share soon.  Here is a link to their blog http://www.mysimplestories.com/ make sure to check it out.  The colors are just amazing - and i love the distressed look.  So thats my little secret!  Now that its in my hot little hands i thought i could share. 

I hope everyone has a fabulous New Years - Christmas came and went so fast - it was kinda sad - i've spent the day taking down Christmas (makes me wish i didn't go all out on the decorating!)  But when next year comes i'm sure i'll be doing the same thing.  I will post soon our Christmas pictures.  I was such a fun day - our disney vacation gift was a hit - other than Baylee asks me everyday when we are going to disneyland and asks heavenly father in her prayers to be able to go to Disneyland soon.  How cute is that!!

hugs!
Brenda

Fondue.....

So last night was our annual Fondue party with just the adults on Deans side of the family - and it just so happens this year - for the first time ever - it was at my house. It's tradition that it is always at my mother-in-laws but they are in an inbetween home right now while they are building their new home - sooooooo it was at my house this year. Talk about pressure!! But i'm happy to say that i think it went well. It was fun getting ready and decorating for it. Here is the table - i didn't take many pictures because i was busy trying to show everyone where everything was and worrying about this and that.

Everyone in the kitchen making the fondue and munching on shrimp cocktail.
after the dinner - everyone chillen out playing the Wii!So i have a new love! It's called FABRIC - who would have thought that i had enough love to share with Scrapbooking - but its true. I love it - its almost like patterned paper to me - i just can't get enough. As for what i'm doing with the fabric - here is some of what i'm doing. These fun flowers that i took me a few weeks (not kidding) to create. More or less because i was playing with different ways to make them! I was inspired by this post from Elizabeth Kartchner. I have made a few of those flowers too and put them on a backpack for baylee for her dance shoes but i'm not quite done. Anyway - fun fun - and i think i will be playing with Fabric alot more in the future!

Here is a not so great picture of me wearing the flowers (they are pinned on). But the battery in my camera was dying so it wouldn't focus well.
And finally - here is a layout i did for the Lily Bee blog - a year in review type layout. I really really struggled with it but happy with the way it turned out - kind of fun to have this many different pictures on one layout. Make sure to head over there - there are lots of giveaways still going on!! So - i'm really feeling unprepared for Christmas this year - i really thought i was on top of things but the time has just slipped away from me - i can't beleive its next Friday - what is up with that. I'm hoping even though i have 3 parties and a dance recital in the next 4 days that our family will still make time to enjoy it and remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place - i hope all of you are enjoying the holidays!

Hugs!!

B

** I have a little secret to share - and i'm just waiting for a few more details before i can 'blurt' it out - but i'm pretty excited!!

CK Blog and Lily Bee giveaways!

So yesterday i popped in over at the Creating Keepsakes blog and what do you know - Brittany had mentioned my layout that appeared in the January 2010 issue! How cool is that! I used the Fancy Pants Christmas magic paper and glitter cuts - then added a few odds and ends! These are a few layouts that i did when i went away last month for the weekend scrapping. Studio Calico kits sure come in handy when you go away - makes for light packing! Can't read the journaling on this one really - but its about us having our little schedule of when we do Ethan's treatments and take meds - i'm pretty good at sticking too it because a half hour can throw you off and i have to plan it in. When we are doing things in the evening i make sure we do it before we go - but if not - its at 7:00PM and we have to do it at 7:00 or we are late for school!
Isn't this just the cutest little guy EVER! This is my nephew Hudson - Karie just had his pics taken and i couldn't help but share - he is adorable! I miss him. I think i am kinda clinging to this little dude - i've just started getting the baby bug recently and we all know i don't have the plumbing for more babies soooooooo i have to just enjoy the babies around me. On Dean's side there are 3 babies under 1 too (i'm actually a great aunt) - so they are all around me - mabye thats why i'm struggling.

I hope everyone has a fabulous day! I have lots of preparing to do this week - a party almost every night until next Tuesday - so off i go - trying to keep the Christmas Spirit without getting buried in it!

Go check out Lily Bee's blog - they are starting a 12 days of Christmas so make sure to go comment to win some great giveaways!!

hugs
B

Frosted...............

that is about how i feel - it has been so darn cold here this last week - not liking it. I really don't think i could live in the East where its this cold and colder ALL WINTER. So i guess i won't complain. This weeks spotlight over at the Fancy Pants Blog are the cards and border papers from the new mid show 'Frosted' line - i mean - who would of thought that these colors would work so well together - they really do - i love the color combo! I made a few cards and i'm tellin ya - these work wonders and make it easy. I used a card and border on each of the cards. Super simple cards!

It was Ethan's birthday yesterday and and we are partied out. Wednsday he had a friend party at Toads and then last night family came over - i will have to share pictures later - just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday - i love that kid to pieces - he tests my patience more than the other two combined but he is also my most sentimental and helpful too - so i guess its a wash. I'm just grateful to have him in our lives, life wouldn't be the same without his personality, his disease - which teaches us everyday to be grateful for our blessings.

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas - we have 3 parties this weekend so its going to be a busy one! If anyone has any bright ideas on how we should give the kids their disney trip for Christmas - HELP ME. I'm not sure how to do it. SO far everything is pretty themed, the wrapping paper, some of the gifts, the disney games - but i need a way to tell them. I was going to put the airline tickets in thier stockings - but Jet Blue is ticketless - haha. And i don't think they would understand if i put the itinerary in there - so if you have any cute ideas of have done it before - please share!

hugs

Brenda

terrified of Santa

So we know that Baylee is scared of Santa but this year she had tried to mentally prepare herself for her visit with him. For days she has been telling me that she loves Santa - drawing him pictures - trying to decide what she's going to tell him she wants for Christmas when she sits on his lap - and telling herself repeatedly that she is not going to cry this year. She had a few traumatic experiences last year, and even though she was only 2 1/2 - still remembers very cleary how she felt when seeing him. So last Saturday we had our first of many Christmas parties at my cousin Kami's house - i failed to mention to the kids that Santa was going to pay a visit just in case Baylee might try and talk herself out of sitting on his lap. So we all sat in a circle - some of the kids giddy with excitement knowing how was going to make an appearance and you could see the wheels turning just tyring to decide that one thing they were going to tell Santa they wanted. Baylee on the other hand has clueluess as to what was coming next. Dean was on video because i knew in the back of my mind what her reaction was going to be. She's singing away - and here's the "HO HO HO, Merry CHristmas" and still doesn't completely understand what is coming - until she see's his face and the rest - you'll have to watch this clip - it's priceless!!

It's literally FREEZING here today - high of 20 degrees -so Baylee and I are still in our Jammies, doing laundry, watching Christmas shows and eating sugar cookies!! Hope everyone is having a fabulous day - i will have some craftiness to share tomorrow!

hugs

B

Traditions

Well yesterday - we broke our annual tree adventure tradition. Every year - since i've been married to Dean - his family had driven up to Soda Springs Idaho (a 2 1/2 hour drive) the day after Thanksgiving to buy permits and cut down our CHristmas trees. There is lots of sledding/snow/and hiking to find the perfect tree - it literally is an all day adventure - and the kids LOVE it. But this year had to be a little different. Dean's parents and brother and his family were moving that weekend - so we rescheduled and tried to go yesterday - by the time we were able to leave it was just too late - soooooooo we decided to go to a tree farm in Mountain Green - so we could still have the cutting down experience and the 'fresh' tree. So we ventured up there - there were hundreds of trees to choose from - but i think we found the best one there - Dean won't admit it because i chose it - but it is the best. And the kids LOVED it because there was an empty birds nest nestled on one of the branches and they are so excited to put little tiny ornaments in it! First mama (that would be me) had to go buy myself a christmas present - i got this FABULOUS Eddie Bauer coat ( i got it in black)- its down and is for temps 0-20 F and it worked - it was freezing up there - it was only 26 degrees - so this coat was perfect - now i need to wrap it up and put it under the tree!

Now onto some craftiness- this is a layout i did with GCD Studios new Christmas line called 'Christmas Sleigh' - love the bright colors! And this Christmas layout i did using the Loverly line - probably one of my faves. And the yummy jewel swirls are from ZVA. I did some gold leaf flocking on the edges and love the extra touch!
Okay - there is another giveaway over on the GCD blog - it GREAT one - i know there is alot of you out there who loves Scarlet Lime kits - well they have included some of the new Artsy Urban collection in this months kit and GCD is giving one away so go check out the blog and leave a comment for your chance to win.

Well - i'm going to be in trouble if the lights aren't on the tree when to boys get home from school - they are looking forward to decorating it tonight! Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo

B