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    T Tuesday: Christmas wrap(up) edition

    December 30, 2019 - By 

    Hello and welcome to another edition of T stands for Tuesday! You may have noticed that I’ve been gone a while. I talked about my back saga in the previous post so we are moving on to something more festive and fun!

    Since we were hosting Christmas (because I love it!) I had to lean on the rest of the family to do all of the heavy and not so heavy lifting.

    Even the simple things like getting a cake in and out of the oven.

    The past few years I’ve made a rum cake for Christmas but this time I went for a Fireball Whiskey cake. It was so good. I forgot to take a photo of it with the icing…likely because it wasn’t very pretty.

    We had overnight guests on Christmas eve…Mini-me gave up her bed and slept on the couch. Of course, this meant that she was up even earlier than she usually is. She is my early bird kid.

    It was a long wait…even with me making all kinds of noise in the kitchen.

    This was my favorite present under the tree…it’s hard to wrap arrows. Mini-me needed a new set for archery season which is just days away.

    Marvin had to be a part of the chaos…bows are his favorite.

    I suppose the whiskey cake could have been my “beverage” for T stands for Tuesday but instead, I thought I’d share the tiniest cocktail I’ve ever seen. My BIL brought this over. It wasn’t anything I cared for but the can sure was cute.

    I’ve been working on purging my rubber stamps. I was so frustrated digging through them trying desperately to find a Happy Anniversary stamp since I had promised my MIL that I’d make her some cards. I had a bunch of bases completed they just needed a sentiment and the also requested “shiny butterflies”. Thankfully I have a very crafty neighbor who is willing to share. Thanks, KW!

    The “shiny butterflies” have the big wow factor but are pretty easy to make. I stamped each butterfly on white card stock with black Staz-on ink. I used watercolor paint to colorize each. After completely dry, I fussy cut each and placed on a non-stick surface. I coated each one with Diamond glaze. As they dry a slight curl happens quite naturally giving them an even more “lifelike” appearance.

    I have now looked through every single one of my stamps and alas…I never even had a Happy Anniversary stamp. ugh. Well, now I do…I bought a set of sentiments at Michaels. I’m sure you’ll be seeing some cards in the near future with these words.

    Today is Mini-me’s 17th birthday. I can hardly believe it. 

    I was planning to go out and get her favorite meal… Chipotle…but we are getting a snowstorm. It remains to be seen if we venture out or not.

    Speaking of crazy storms and slippery conditions….have you seen this video?

    The video was taken a few miles from our house. Mini-me had friends on that bus heading to a girls’ hockey tournament.

    T stands for Tuesday
    What are you doing today?
  • Blog

    Christmas wrap up

    December 30, 2018 - By 

    Christmas has come and gone but we still have our decorations up. It seemed like such a short time that I can’t bear to take them down yet. I love the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights…they feel somewhat magical.

    The only thing that has come down are the Christmas cards and photos. We received so many photo cards this year that I had to start a second row around the kitchen/living room archway.

    I always enjoy handmade cards and was lucky enough to get two in the mail this year. The first was from Rita of SoulComfort’s Corner.  We’ve been pen pals for a couple years now…although, truth be told, I’m a really crappy pen pal.

    Next I got a special envelope from Elizabeth of Altered Book Lover. Each year she makes a tip-in. This year I was also lucky enough to also get a lovely quiltlet or wall hanging…whatever you prefer. I love fabric and mixed media so this is right up my alley.

    I think perhaps I’ll include the quiltlet into my December Daily. I think it would be a nice and unexpected addition to the journal.

    Speaking of December Daily…I’m woefully behind. I didn’t really think through the fact that my new “journal station” happens to be the desk in J’s room. This is fine when he’s not home but…he is…and will be for another 2 weeks. Not that I’m complaining at all but I just haven’t figured out a good alternative space to spread out but not have it be in the way. In the meantime I’ve been creating some embellishments to add to my journal when I get a chance. You can read more  about those in another post.

    Back to fun Christmas gifts and memories. First I had to show this gingerbread house I bought for the kids, especially J. J has always been a huge fan of Mario. The kit cracked me up when I saw it at Michael’s so of course I had to get it for them to create.

    I received some really fun gifts from co-workers at school such as this t-shirt.

    And this……the BEST GIFT EVER.

    Those of you who follow me on Instagram have already seen it but I don’t care…it bears showing again.

    It was a really good Christmas. Friends, family and fun.

    Today is Mini-me’s sweet sixteen! She is spending time with a friend…bowling, snacking and laughing just to name a few. I’m in awe of the fact my children are growing up so quickly.