December Daily: Thanksgiving?

I think I was a little too ambitious when it came to doing my first December Daily. I decided to start on Thanksgiving and document through Christmas...maybe even until Dec. 31st.

But then we didn't do anything for a few days and the little guy was sick. The show must go on!

I was a little discouraged until I emptied CJ's backpack today. It had a few of his thanksgiving school projects. I added an insert of his art into the thanksgiving spread. I'm still waiting on more pics to be printed before I make more pages.

And without further adieu I present my Thanksgiving pages.

30 days of thankful: days 28-30

day 28: again, thankful I get sick time at work to stay home with my sick boy. Cold are going around our house. Luckily I've seemed to avoid it for now.

day 29: I'm thankful for my electric blanket. There is nothing better than crawling into a toasty warm bed. I normally turn it on about 30 minutes before bed then shut it off. I get really hot when I sleep but my feet are always freezing. Once they warm up I'm A-OK!

day 30: I'm thankful that the boy is spending the night with grandpa and grandma tonight. That means we will get to grocery shop without trying to tell someone why he can't get toys right now (birthday in 2 weeks!). Plus it means that I get the house to myself tomorrow. Too bad I'll be trying to rid my house of skunk smell. Long story....the dog was skunked last night and now my house REEKS of skunk. I'm the only one who can smell the stench since the other two have head colds. Yeah, fun times.

30 days of thankful: day 28

Day 28: today I'm thankful that I got to stay home with the little guy while he sneezes and coughs all over the place. I'm thankful for the humidifier I've had on high all day. And I will be even more thankful if I dodge this round of sickness. Both him and Chris have had this lovely cold.

Will this work?

So, I started writing a post earlier with pics of the calendars I made only to be told that my photo memory is full. Say what?

I'm going to try uploading a picture and post from my phone to see if it will go through.

30 days of thankful: day 27

day 27: Today I'm thankful that I have such an awesome boss. I had my annual evaluation yesterday and she never has anything negative to say. She's kind, understanding, and trusts us all to do our jobs without micromanaging everything. I also work with such great people. I don't always love my job but it never seems like a "job". It can be boring at times, it can be crazy busy at times, but I've been doing it so long that it's very routine. I mean, come on, paying bills all day isn't glamorous work. :)

30 days of thankful: day 26

day 26: I'm thankful for Netflix. I don't usually get to watch "live" tv. Maybe it's because my husband is a remote hog. Maybe it's because there is crap on tv nowadays. Maybe it's because I'd rather be doing other things. But it lets me watch tv shows that I've been wanting to watch. And so what if I burn through an entire season in 2 days. Is that so wrong? :)

30 days of thankful: day 25

day 25: I'm thankful that my kid sleeps so late on the weekends. I'm not going to complain that he sleeps until 10-10:30. It gives me a chance at some quiet time or the chance to sleep in myself!

30 days of thankful: day 24

Day 24: today I'm thankful for my friends. I have the bestest friends in the world even if they do live in different states. Thanks to iMessage, email, and Facebook it's like we are never that far away. :)

Love you guys!

30 days of thankful: day 23

day 23: today I'm thankful that I don't work in the retail industry anymore. I'm also thankful that I'm not out shopping on Black Friday. I did it for a few years and it was a lot of fun but I think stores are taking it a little too far by opening so early (and even opening on Thanksgiving!). I guess it's consumerism rearing its ugly head again.

I'm keeping Christmas simple again this year. A few toys for the boy. A few things for the rest of the family. Lots of handmade goodies. And if they don't like them...too bad!

30 days of thankful: day 22

It's Thanksgiving!!!

Today I'm thankful that I get to spend it with my family noshing on good eats.

30 days of thankful: day 21

day 21: today I'm thankful that I get to eat lunch with my little guy at daycare today. It's so fun to sit and watch him interact and play with his school friends. He is such a sweet boy and I love him dearly. If it's nice outside I'll take him to the park aftwards. Then we get to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening at grandma's house baking pies and getting food ready for Turkey Day.

30 days of thankful: day 20

day 20: today I'm thankful for my job. Yes, it can be boring. Yes, it can be VERY repetitive. But I have a great boss who lets us work pretty independently. I don't have contact with the public, which can be a good thing. :) It pays the bills and I can't imagine working anywhere else. I've been here for almost 13 years. I started my job shortly after Chris and I started dating. I have great benefits. Need I say more?

30 days of thankful: day 19

day 19: I'm thankful for my scrapbooks. This may sound weird. Let me explain...

...my mom and grandma came over to visit Saturday night. We ended up getting out all of my scrapbooks. I haven't looked at them in awhile. It was nice to revisit all of the memories that we have created the past 5 years. I love the fact that CJ loves to look through them too. The hubs? Not so much. He's not a picture kind of guy but that may be because of his childhood (hint: it wasn't a good one). But he is getting better about being in the picture and he's getting much better about taking pics of me and the little guy when we are at events. I think he even uses the zoom lens now.

30 days of thankful: days 15-18

day 15 - I'm thankful for my home. I didn't get to see it much this week between class, shopping, and birthday parties. I was only home 1 night this week before 9:00 and both me and CJ LOVE to stay home.

day 16 - I'm thankful for spreadsheets. They make my world at work so much easier! I know it's a weird thing to be thankful for but whatever.

day 17 - I'm thankful for weekends. It's the only time I get to sit home and decompress and not have to worry about bedtime, baths, etc.

day 18 - I'm thankful for nice weather. It's a very nice day outside and definitely not normal weather for mid-November.

30 days of thankful: day 14

day 14: today I am thankful for my husband. He may not be perfect (in fact he can be a big pain in the rear sometimes) but he loves me. We couldn't be more opposite but it works for us. He can fix just about anything and if he can't fix it he will figure out how to fix it. He's my mechanic, my heating/cooling repairman, my chef (when he decides to cook), he's a great dad, he loves our son more than anything, and he makes me laugh.

30 days of thankful: day 13

day 13: today I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to go to college. I am very fortunate that my work pays for some of it.

And even though I hate it I still do it. And hopefully when I finally graduate it will open more opportunities for me. With this economy you just never know.

30 days of thankful: day 12

Day 12: today I'm thankful for all of my friends and family who support my crafting hobby. I won't name drop. You know who you are. :)

30 days of thankful: days 8-11

This week has been...hectic to say the least.

Day 8: I am thankful for my kitty Gizmo. Gizmo died last week after being ill for quite some time. He was my sweet boy. I got Gizmo 13 years ago when Chris and I first moved in together. He was a tough boy. He was constantly antagonized by my dog which made him a tough and mean kitty. But he mellowed out in his older age. I will miss him. It's still hard to see the spot where his bed was as an empty place. Chris buried him in his bed between the plum trees.

Day 9: I am thankful for casual days at work. It seems like I am a more productive employee if I'm in the comfort of my favorite pair of jeans.

Day 10: I am thankful for my darling son. He's the light of my life and I can't imagine my world without him. He could tell I was sad the night that my kitty died. He decided to hold an impromptu dance party to cheer me up. He's a kind soul. Very sensitive. Loves animal and his mama.

Day 11: Today I am thankful for the men and women who have spent any time in the armed services.

I'd write more but I'm going to spend the rest of my evening snuggling with my little guy. :) Night all.

30 days of thankful: day 7

Today I'm thankful that I have a job I like (most days). The next 4 months are super busy for me but it's better than the alternative. I'm also thankful Chris still has a job and has stuck it out for 2 years. That's almost a record for him!

30 days of thankful: day 6

Today I am thankful that I get the opportunity to vote. I am thankful for the democratic process although I do think most politicians only say what you want to hear to get said vote.

Regardless, get out there and rock the vote!

30 days of thankful: day 5

Today I'm thankful that I get a generous amount of sick time as a benefit from my employer. I never have to worry about taking time off work if me or the boy is sick. Not everyone is so lucky. I don't have to make the hard decision to take a sick day and not get paid or risk losing my job because I am sick.

I still don't understand why some companies don't allow sick days. Sure, there will always be those who abuse the benefit, but do you really want your employees to come in sick because they can't afford to take an unpaid day and risk infecting other employees?

Stepping off my soapbox now :)

30 days of thankful: day 4

Today I am thankful for the time change. It felt like I got a ton done today even though I didn't. Just house cleaning, dishes, finished the mountain of laundry, watched a movie, cleaned the boy's room (that alone took 2+ hours), played 2 games with the boy, etc., etc.

I should be studying for my algebra test but I left my books in my car and it's just too cold to go out and get them. At least that's what I keep telling myself. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

December Daily Book and Foundation Pages

I finally found a book to house my December Daily. I found an 8x8 chipboard album that was perfect. The album is actually more like 10x8 but that size is actually perfect for what I need. I can't use page protectors which makes me uneasy but I'm sure no one except me will look at it anyway. LOL

The album came with a naked chipboard cover and a green fabric spine. I covered the naked chipboard with Santa paper. I folded the excess over the edge of the page and secured with washi tape. I was afraid if the edges were left raw that it would make the paper easier to tear.

This album also didn't come with pages so I took the foundation pages and taped them together. It makes the pages sturdier although I may add eyelets at a later time to reinforce the holes.

Here are the rest of the foundation pages. Some of the pictures are upside down and others are sideways but you get the point. I can't for the life of me figure out how they keep getting turned around.

As of now I am starting my December Daily on Thanksgiving and ending on Christmas. However, I am off the last 10 days of December so if I have time and things to add I will finish out the month of December. I'll just be happy if I start and actually finish the darn thing. A few days will be easy since I have 2 birthdays and a few other events that I know for sure will happen.

Now I need to get my numbers together and cut photo mats, etc.

30 days of thankful: day 3

Today I'm thankful that transformers come with a double-sided sheet of instructions. For some reason mom always has to transform them back between robot/car.

How sad is it that I can switch them in less time than dad? :)

30 days of thankful: day 2

Day 2:

Today I'm thankful for the health of me and my family. My son is almost never sick. He's had 1 ear infection and 1 bout with bronchitis and that's it. Sure, there are colds and minor sickness that is typical of little kids but otherwise he's healthy as a horse.

I'm thankful my husband doesn't have to deal with kidney stones much anymore. He's a bear to be around when he's passing stones, not that I blame him.

I'm thankful my mom is healthy. It's been almost 6 years since she was diagnosed with the big C. She had a horrible time with chemo and was very ill. Then a respiratory infection almost killed her. In the meantime they found more cancer in a different area and treated that one too. Now she's healthy and making new lifestyle choices and I'm very proud of her.

I'm thankful my step-dad is also making new lifestyle choices. I want him and my mom to be around for a long time to see my son grow.

I'm thankful for my health as well. I will always be on the lookout with suspicious spots on my skin but that will be something I will always have to be on the lookout for. Otherwise I'm just dandy! Well, not right now. I've been fighting some sort of cold bug.

30 days of thankful: day 1

I'm going to jump on the bandwagon for this one.

Let me start by saying I wasn't feeling very thankful for anything today. I didn't feel good at all. Yucky cold, no voice, and achy bones. I just wanted to go home and curl up in bed. To make matters worse I had to run errands over lunch.

I stopped at the gas station and kept hearing a voice talking. There was a little old lady at the pump across from me and she couldn't get her gas cap off. She was trying to push the handicap button to get someone inside to help but they never responded. I went over and took her gas cap off.

Long story short...I'm thankful that I was there to help her today. I would like to think if that was my grandma someone would help her out. At the very least I got some good karma. That's never a bad thing :)

Weekend crafting

I made my annual trek to St. Louis this weekend to see my BFF for her birthday. It ends up being 2 days of crafty fun. I made 36 bat treat boxes for daycare/preschool parties, an advent calendar, and a book for my December Daily.

I only have a pic of the bat and a sneak peek of the calendar. Why? I got home late Saturday and yesterday was spent making pies, carving pumpkins, and other Halloween preparations. Plus it took me 3 hours to unload my scrap crap.

I will take pictures of the other stuff later this week.

Oh, and the bat boxes? HUGE hit with my little guy. He was flying them around the house.

While I'm away

I've been trying to pack up for my annual birthday trip to STL. Trying being the key word.

It will be 2 crafty filled days and a trip to Archivers to boot.

Keep your eyes peeled for pictures :)

New cards in the shop

I finally got around to making new cards this weekend. This may be it until the holiday crunch is over.

Where can you get these beauties? You can either visit my etsy store or go to the cards page tab at the top of the blog.

As of now I'm still debating whether or not to sell cards on etsy anymore. There are a number of reasons but the biggest is the fees I pay to paypal and etsy. The fees aren't bad for bigger ticket items but for small items it is pretty high. Regardless of what I do I will always sell on my blog. And here's a hint...my cards are usually cheaper on the blog. Ssshhhh....

Say it isn't so

I did it. I used up an entire paper pack. I guess I should clarify. About a year ago I bough a few paper collections from Close To My Heart. Each pack came with 6 sheets of solid cardstock and 6 pages of double-sided patterned paper. 12 pages total per pack.

I finally pulled one out for some layouts last weekend. 3 double layouts and 3 cards later and this is all I have left.

So. Excited.

I'll post pics of the layouts this weekend. For the meantime you can see the cards.

And even more shocking is that I'm throwing the scraps away. I never throw scraps away. I must be realistic and I know I most likely won't use the few slivers I have left.

Apple Goodness

I have a love/hate relationship with our apple tree. Last year we had NO apples. This year we had tons of huge red/green apples. I love the fresh fruit we have from the trees. I hate what I have to do to the apples to "put them up". But the end result is SOOOOO good.

Last Sunday I made apple butter. Apple butter is not butter. It's more of a delicious spread similar to jam. Awesome on pancackes and toast.

I washed and cored about 30ish apples. Leave the skins on. It has something to do with the pectin. Add about 4 cups of apple juice. I ended up with about 6 quarts of apples. Cook on low for 10-18 hours. Mine were in for about 15 hours. Warning: they will start to look all brown and gross. This is OK!

Remove the apples and put them through a food mill to remove the skins. I don't have a food mill (and I curse that fact every time I make apple butter) so I put them through a fine sieve. The goal is to push all of the apple mush through leaving the skins behind. Throw the skins away or compost them.

Measure the remainder of the "sauce". For every 2 cups add 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. I had 14 cups of sauce so I added 7 cups of sugar. That equals almost an entire 4 lb. bag. Stir well. Cook on high for 6-7 hours stirring every 2 hours. After 3 hours remove the lid in order to let some of the excess liquid to evaporate.

I wish blogger had smell-o-vision. I can't begin to describe how good my house smelled.

Once it was finished I put the butter in sterilized mason jars. Process in a canner for 15 minutes and there you go! Fresh apple butter for at least a year! Mine yielded 3 pints and 9 half-pints.

How to make faux metal embellishments

Yesterday's post showed custom embellishments I made for my 2012 December Daily cover.

The process is really easy and took almost no time at all to do.

First, coat your chipboard in versamark ink. Versamark is a sticky clear ink that leaves a watermark on regular pages and allows embossing powder to stick to the item before embossing.

Yeah, yeah. I know my ink pad is super dirty. I have a clean one I use for clear embossing or to use as a watermark ink. This one is for the "dirty jobs".

Instead of pouring the embossing powder over my letter I just poured a little powder in the lid and dipped my number in it.

At this point I was worried since the powder didn't have very good coverage. The powder melted beautifully over the number once I hit it with the heat gun.

I decided to do the same to my brads. Bad picture, bad lighting. Sorry.

So, there you have it. Custom embellishments!