Today is the LAST day of 2010. Tomorrow, when we wake up, it will be a BRAND NEW YEAR filled with new goals, new direction, and new possibilities. As I look at my kiddos and my husband, I ponder all of the things that I would have liked to have done, and haven't...all of the things I SHOULD have done and didn't, and all of the things that are still YET to come. Regardless of the "shoulda woulda coulda's" I am happy...content...even blissful. They make my life complete, and they make it full. I am thankful to have them.
Today, I will finish my blog posts dedicated to my children. I am putting Tamon and Chance together into one post...but they are ok with it. LOL.

These 2 guys are AWESOME...no matter how old they get...they will always be my babies. And believe me...they are growing up so fast. Tamon is taller than me, heavier than me, and has bigger feet than me...but when he has a tummy ache...he is not too big to crawl up in Mommy's lap for comfort.



Chance is not really big in size, but his "Funny Bone" is HUMONGOUS! He makes us all laugh soooo much! Everything he says has sound effects, everything he does is in FAST FORWARD, and story he tells has some crazy far fetched ending...but usually TRUE! LOL. He is fun. He is funny. He is my Baby.

Tamon can quite easily be THE. BEST. BROTHER. EVER. I caught this unexpected moment one night...I heard him reading "The Frog Prince" to Skye...My heart did flip flops when I walked into the living room and saw this....



A few minutes later...this is what the scene looked like.....

I would have to say...those are better than any photo with Santa that I could have EVER gotten!!! (we did go, but Skye is impatient like me...so we did NOT stay in that line!!!)

Chewy was asleep under the tree...where he was spending a LOT of his time...so much that He peed on my tree skirt!!! Stinkin dog! So, I had to pull the skirt out from under the tree to wash it, and Chewy still wanted to be there. And Chance...well...he is the best Dog Sitter ever! LOL. He got the dog a pillow from HIS OWN BED to sleep on!

And...Chance could quite possibly be he BEST. HELPER. EVER. My tree is artificial. It is HUGE...10 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It is a LOT of work to assemble. A. LOT.
He helped me..from pulling the totes out of the attic, separating the limbs, getting the 8 foot ladder for me from Joe's shop, assembling, decorating and the finishing touches. He was there through it all. He is AWESOME. Chance is my "Right Hand Man" in soooooooo many instances. I would be lost without him!



AND...they are best friends. They are the "Half" to each other's "Whole". Yes, they each have other friends at school...but outside of school...where you see one...you WILL see the other. They have a connection...a bond...a "Brotherly Love" that I hope will last them for the REST of their lives.


I hope you all have enjoyed learning a bit about my kiddos...and my REASON for scrapping! They are my everything. I thank God each day for them. >>>Tomorrow will be the beginning...hint hint<<<

Have a HAPPY and SAFE NEW YEAR!!!!!!!

Awesome Aubrie....

Aubrie thinks she is THE AWESOMEST girl in the neighborhood. <<<<< Her words not mine!!! (LOL) She acts like a nut half the time, though! She acts like she gets mad when I get pics of her acting goofy...but I know better. It is all an act...just and ACT!!! If it weren't...she would not do it so much!!!! When we
were decorating the tree, I had all of my strands of lights plugged in to make sure that they all worked. I was busy putting limbs on the tree, when I turned around to see THIS:

What she was thinking, I will never know...unless she thought we were going to decorate her for the tree this year! LOL BUT...her temporary insanity sparked THIS:
....and I gotta admit...I kinda like the pics!!! LOL

Remember the Chewy escapade??? Well...Aubrie ALSO wanted a photo with the munchkin...so...here is hers:



And this next one has NOTHING at all to do with Christmas. Matter of fact...it was taken a week before Thanksgiving at my Sister in Law's wedding. I just LOVE the way it came out. I love everything about it. I am pondering my layout possibilities already...maybe titled... "Reflections" Or..."What do You see?"... "That Girl in my reflection"... any suggestions would be appreciated!



Well...I am on my 3rd kiddo...Tamon and Chance are still to come....
Have a GREAT day!!!!!

Dingbat Dayne.....

When I went to snapping pictures of Dayne this Christmas, he was constantly making crazy faces...and would NOT let me get a good photo. I said something to him about it...telling him he was acting like a Dingbat...and he just died laughing...because of course...I must have said something hilarious! I caught that laugh on film..and I absolutely adore THIS PHOTO:


I did actually manage to get him to LOOK at the camera and SMILE for this photo. It was for Erin...his best friend is the ONLY reason! She did not get to come to the class Christmas party at school because she was sick...but she still wanted to bring this Santa Clause cupcake cake to her friends at school. That was super sweet of her! Mrs. Bradshaw wanted a photo for Erin, since she didn't get to have any...at least she got to remember..so she wanted Dayne, Erin's best friend, to pose with it. He was a little reluctant...but since it was for ERIN...he agreed.

And remember when i was taking pictures of Skye and her puppies? Well, Dayne ACTUALLY wanted me to take a pic of him with Chewy! HIS IDEA! So...I got one more decent phototgraph of him....


Now...there MAY be a few more good ones...but doubtful! He was constantly making wacky faces...but now that I think about it...it is him, and I guess I should treasure those photographs also! Hmmmmm....I think I feel a scrapbook page coming on!!!! LOLOL

Thanks for taking a peek! Have a great day!!!! I am counting down the days to 2011!!! It is going to be a fabulous year!!!! I just KNOW it!

My FAVE LAYOUT from 2010????

Seriously...Julie at AFOMFT wants us to pick ONLY ONE layout??? I have a hundred of them!!!
I think, though...that I will pick this one....FORGIVENESS.
It is not my best work, or my favorite designs...but it IS the favorite message that I successfully conveyed through my hobby that I call scrapping. This layout brought many smiles and tears...and has a very deep meaning to the 2 ladies that are pictured.



Forgiveness is a hard thing to give...when a person has wronged you so very deeply. This is the case with these 2 ladies. The older one is my husband's paternal grandmother, and the younger of the 2 is his mother. When Joe was only 4, his mother and father got into a physical fight that was alcohol induced...and his father was shot and killed. In that one moment, the father of 3 young children, the son of 2 very loving parents, and the brother of one very young adoring sister was taken...in the blink of an eye.
I can't even imagine the pain that Joe's Grandmother endured. The hatred she must have felt and the anger that was inside of her. Instead of becoming bitter, she turned to God. I have asked her how did she manage...how can she be around the woman who did that to her son...she simply would answer that God gives us only what we can handle. It took her 30 years and then some...but with God's help, she was able to tell Joe's mother..."I forgive You"
I still cry when I think back on that day in April 2010. It was a very touching experience. If there was ever a person that inspires me...it is most definitely this woman. Joe's Grandmother.

Christmas is over...

and before taking down all of my decorations and the tree, I decided to snap a few more pics. Skye only asked for 2 things for Christmas...
SANTA (so that she can have his whole big bag of toys) and a stuffed puppy. Of course she got a few other things, but HOLY WOW at the stuffed puppies this girl owns!!!! I set her up with her puppies and got a picture...and this is only PART of them!!!


I think Chewy got jealous that he wasn't in the picture...being her REAL puppy and all......lolol....so he came and gave her a little smooch to remind her that he was here!!!


So...to make the little stinker feel better, I took a pic with Skye and ALL of her puppies...including Chewy. He actually stopped licking her long enough to take this pic!

I love the look of ABSOLUTE LOVE on Skye's face as she is looking at that spoiled little munchkin that she calls Chewy! All of the layout possibilities are OF COURSE dancing around in my head!!!!

I have some super cute ones of the other 4...so I am devoting one blog post to each kid...tune in tomorrow for Dayne!
Looking forward to a brand new year!!!!!!! Have a great day all you bloggy friends!!!

Merry Christmas

Well...it is 10 am on Christmas morning here in the Willis House. We have opened presents, laughed, played with the dogs, and now everyone is playing with, wearing, or looking at their gifts. I didn't physically open any gifts...because Joe and I believe that our money and time is better spent on our kids. I DID, however, get a huge gift this morning. My kids...one by one, came to me and hugged me and told me that they loved me. Even Max and Chewy! Joe, as soon as I got out of bed, got off the couch and come to me and kissed me...and told me that he loves me.
THAT to me...is better than any material gift ever. To have every person {and animal} in my home give that kind of love and acknowledgement. My heart is full.



Merry Christmas to all of my friends in the various parts of the world. Merry Christmas to you and your family. I do so hope it is a magnificent one!!!

CHECK OUT THESE SNEAKS!!!

Here is the sneak peeks of the 4 kits we will be having in January at Scrapbook Daisies!

..................Kit # 1 - Wintertime by Echo Park - $26.95





.................Kit # 2 - Restoration by Crate Paper - $26.95
{I sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo want this kit!!!!!}




...............Kit # 3 Mini Kit - Little Boy by Echo Park - $19.99



....Kit # 4 Mini Kit - Enchanted by Dear Lizzy/AC - $19.99


Martha will be doing the full reveal sometime tomorrow...I can't wait!!!!! She is starting 2011 out with a BANG!

BO BUNNY BABY!

Well....the DT over at Scrapbook Daisies decided to have a little "Secret Santa" exchange...and my secret Santa must know me and my ABSOLUTE LOVE FOR ALL THINGS BO BUNNY! She sent me a few pieces of the new "Noel" Christmas line...and I just could not WAIT to play! I used it to work this week's sketch from the Bo Bunny Blog and create THIS layout about my Skye and her adoration for bedtime stories.
Here is the actual sketch. I kept really close to the actual sketch...I just loved it! It was perfect for the layered look that I love so very much! I did roll the corners of my pages to try to get an "Old book page" look...since "The Night Before Christmas" is one of the oldest {and best} stories in history! I love the vintage look that I was able to achieve with this line! It only left me wanting MORE!!! LOL


I REALLY enjoyed this layout. It made me reflect on the important things of the Christmas holidays...the love and family time. My reading this story has been a tradition with my kids and I for years. I just may have forgotten to do it this year...had I not have taken the time to do this layout. THANK YOU Bo Bunny! For the beautiful sketch and the PERFECT line of papers to inspire me!
And THANK YOU MY SUPER SWEET SECRET SANTA!!!!!!!

HAPPY DANCE!!!!

I won on the imaginisce !2 Days of Christmas Blog Event!!!! I am sooooooooooo excited! I won an entire collection of the Cottage Christmas line...AND I WON AN I-TOP! How super cool is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday/Merry Christmas to me!!

THANK YOU Imaginisce!!!!

He got a 100!!!!

Well, this past weekend was spent helping one of my kiddos with a project. Chance had to make an applesauce cake for English class. It was the final project/test grade for the novel that they are reading in GT English...and his assignment was to bake the cake, taking 5 or more photos...one being a photo of him with the final product. He then had to create a scrapbook album displaying the photos and telling each step, include special techniques if there were any, tell where I helped at...(I PROMISE....I only cracked the eggs so as not to get shell all in the batter!!!) He has to include the recipe that he used, any sources and any other important information.

NOW...just FYI...he had FOUR other options in which to base a project on.
He could have done a poster board.
He could have done a homemade puzzle.
He could have done a clay model of the cat in the story.
He could have even done an alternate ending to the story.
Which one did he choose?????? The cake baking/scrapbooking project!
I would say that kid of mine is one smart cookie! LOL...He KNEW that he would have Mom's help with that one! LOL. Little sneak!

Anyway...Since he baked the cake yesterday, he asked his teacher if he could bring it to class to share. He called me DURING HIS CLASS to ask if I would bring the cake...of course, I did. =)
So, he shared this cake with 34 kids and his teacher. WOW!!! that is a lot of cake! LOL. every of the kids asked for another piece...and even others were licking their plates from the glaze! In the end...they all agreed that the cake was SOOOOOO good, that Chance deserved a 100! LOL. Here is a photo of him with the final product....before sharing!

I had NEVER even heard of an applesauce cake BEFORE this project...but I tell you one thing for sure....we will make it again! It was flippin' DELICIOUS!!!
He did get a 100 on that portion of the project. He was so happy! He decided that he is going to make another one this weekend for our family Christmas Gathering! =)
I am so proud of him!

December Reveal at SrapBook Daisies!!!

So, this month I had the pleasure of working with the MME line "I Believe". OMGoodness!!! WHat a fantastic kit it was! I love the colors, the prints, and Martha chose the PERFECT embellies to go with it! Here are my projects for the kit..

First, I did "Snow Balls!" and the journaling reads......it's a Magical thing...when you are only Four!
I did this using photos of Skye from last year during our ONE AND ONLY Snow Day down here in Texas. I used the MME sketch/prompt from their blog to create the layout.


Next is a layout featuring Aubrie when she was only 5 months old..."1st Christmas." I LOVE this photo soooooo much!!!!


Up next is this layout with Chance on our snow day last year... "Merry & Bright". I used a sketch from Kristine at Creative Scrappers and the blue papers from the kit. I sooooo think these papers were perfect for a "snow" photo!


And here is Santa's "Magic Key". It is to be hung on the front door on Christmas eve so that Santa can come in since we do not have a chimney. There is a poem on the back of the tag.



And last is a stocking favor pouch. I put a package of hot chocolate and a couple of candy canes in mine...the kids will be making more and giving to their friends at school.


I had sooooooooooo much fun with this kit!! I know that you will too...if this is the kit that you ordered this monhth! Thanks for taking a peek at my projects! Have a fabulous day!

My Birthday....

Was Saturday. I turned 34. Wow...next year I will be 35!!! I remember when I thought "30 is OLD!" ...now looking back...WHAT was I THINKING!!!??? I still feel just as young as ever...and with kiddos like mine...I will stay young forever!...providing that the old adage is true..."Laughter is the heart's best medicine"...or whatever it is.

My munchkins made me feel truly loved on Saturday. SO proud to be their Mama!!!
It started with Aubrie waking me with a gentle.."Good morning Mom. Happy Birthday"
I was NOT awake...but I guess she thought I needed to be. =) She then proceeded to give me a gift bag...and inside it was a bottle of perfume and a card. The perfume was not my normal...but it was picked out by her...so it was PERFECT. It was vanilla fields...something that she bought with her OWN money. LOVE that girl! It smells really pretty, too! She did a good job.

Then, Chance made me a glass of diet coke for my birthday "cup of coffee" (I don't drink coffee so the Diet coke is my 'coffee') And Aubrie made me a bowl of strawberries and cream oatmeal. Skye and Dayne didn't realize it was my birthday until Tamon woke up and came into the kitchen and squeezed me till I couldn't breathe...singing Happy Birthday to me. THEN...they both climbed in my lap and did the same. Skye was upset that she didn't have a present to give to me...but I told her that "Skye Lovin's" are ALL I need for my gift. She gave me tons...all day long!!! LOVE that girl!

I had a scrapbook layout on my desk...and Tamon said that I am really talented. I said...not NEARLY as talented as some ladies on the internet! You all think my work is gorgeous...but if You ONLY saw the stuff on the internet..."
He replied with..."Well, you might not be as talented as them at scrapbooking...but I know one thing that NO ONE is better at than you." I asked, "What is that son."
He said..."Being a Mommy. You are the best. You have a LOT of talent in that area...and I can't think of a single person who could possibly be better than you. If God gives everyone a gift that they truly excel in...then your gift is being a Mom." I almost cried. LOVE that boy.

I ate my oatmeal and drank my diet coke and went to the shower. While I was in the shower...my munchkins made me a video on my laptop. It is Aubrie, Chance, Dayne, Skye, Tamon, and my niece Maddie. ***Disclaimer...Skye is holding an UNLOADED airsoft gun...they were playing cops and robbers...YES...I already asked how the gun came into the picture!!! LOLOLOL*****




I have watched it about forty times this weekend! I think my favorite part is Skye screaming "Happy New Year!!!" lol. Tamon gets cut off in the video upload...but on my version, he says..."What are you talking about Crazy girl" LOL. CRAZY is right! that girl keeps me laughing.

Throughout the day, they devoted their time to making me feel special. Aubrie mostly, but she coerced the others to help =) LOVE that girl! Tamon, Chance and Aubrie went into my shop and baked me some pumpkin spice muffins with toasted chopped walnuts on top. YUM!!! Yes..they were even gluten free so that I could EAT and ENJOY them without getting sick! LOVE those kids!

They made me a lunch...it was leftovers, but hey, they heated it up, set the table, and even had candles!
Chance chased the ice cream man down to buy me a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar from Blue Bunny...my favorite! He said, I only have a few dollars Mom...but will this be a good birthday present???...and handed me the ice cream. YES! That was so perfect and thoughtful. LOVE that boy!

Dayne cleaned up the living room for me...he said he didn't have any money...but wanted to give me a gift. THAT was a perfect gift! LOVE that boy!

Aubrie wanted to use the muffins that they baked as my cake...since I can't eat a real cake. So...she set them up nice and pretty on one of my Pampered Chef serving platters with the stand, lit the candles on the table, gathered everyone, and they sang Happy Birthday to me. I smiled and cried at the same time. LOVE those kids!

Yes...I had a really super special Birthday. NO...it did not snow. NO...I did not get a super expensive gift. But what I did get is more precious to me than all the gold in the world. LOVE. MY. KIDS. And I thank God everyday for them.

Believe in the Magic...

Do you believe in the Magic of Christmas? Last year...I got a good healthy dose of Magic...and it happened on my own Birthday! 33 years old and it had NEVER snowed on my birthday...until 2009. It was December 4th...a Friday...and I went and pulled the kids out of school early just so they could play in the snow with me on my birthday. It was THE. BEST. GIFT. EVER.
My oldest son...Tamon had mentioned that there was talk all through the school that it was going to snow that Friday. I said..."That would be cool...but HIGHLY unlikely...We do live in Texas Ya Know. The weathermen and not ALWAYS right."
I love all of the photos from the day...believe me, I captured a couple hundred! LOL...but this one holds a special place in my heart. My son asked me for a kiss...and my husband actually captured the moment! LOVE. THIS. PHOTO.
I think the Webster's Pages "Waiting for Santa" line was perfect to showcase it!



SUPPLIES:
Webster's Pages "Waiting for Santa" kit
Martha Stewart snowflake punch
"Crystal" stickles by Ranger
picket fence die cut by Sizzix
white distress paint by Tim Holtz


My birthday is in 2 days...what do you think the chances are of a "Repeat" form last year??? Well...It is 76 and sunny outside...so...I am thinkin' NOT LIKELY!
Oh well...This memory will last forever!
Have a FANTABULOUS DAY!!!!!

Scrapbook Daisies December kits!!!

Have you seen the GORGEOUS kits that Martha has put together for December!!!??? Check these kits out.....

Here is Merry January. PERFECT for you Northerners!!!! Down here in Texas, we don't get much snow...our snowmen consist of twigs and leaves! LOL...But up there, y'all get a plethora of snow! This is perfect for all those snowmen photos! I know DT Member Michelle is super excited to be getting this kit along with Seppa and Tanya. I can't WAIT to see what they do with it!



Here is "Everybody Loves Christmas"...and don't you just love it! The bright colors and whimsical prints on this paper just make me all giddy inside! I can just imagine the fun layouts and projects that can be made using this kit! Oh...and i am SOOOO in love with the little mittens and hot chocolate embellies! **ADORABLE!**
I am excited to see what Martha, Kris, and Taj do with it...those ladies all have a way with color...they are certain to ROCK this kit!!


And finally, "I Believe". Yes...I DO believe! I believe in the magic of Christmas, I believe that Santa is REAL in a toddler's heart, and I believe that this kit is GORGEOUS! I will have the pleasure of designing with this kit this month along with Jenny and Ly...YAY!

Thanksgiving...

We had a day filled with good food, family, and a very very sick little girl. Poor Aubrie puked from the time she woke up till about 11 pm last night. There has been some sort of "bug" going around that she just happened to catch on the most inopportune day of the year! I am thankful that I didn't have her to the ER for dehydration! Finally...about 9 pm she was able to hold water down without puking it right back up.

Now on to Christmas....want to see one of the photos I want to scrap this year???? It is Skye from last Christmas. I took this in front of Joe's uncle's Christmas tree...and I absolutely love this shot! I never got around to scrapping it last year...so this year...it is the first on my list! LOL


Do you have photos that you never got around to scrapping? Pull them out and make it the very next one you scrap! I dare ya! LOL. Have a fabulous day!!!!

My Little Elves

Here is a layout featuring my 3 sons. They actually LET ME PHOTOGRAPH them in the Santa Hat!!!! I was amazed at their cooperativeness!



Supplies:
Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology
Tim Holtz distress ink and paint
Martha Stewart snowflake punch
Zva Creative crystals
American Crafts Thickers
October Afternoon tiny alphas

Here is Tranquility...done using the November Kit from Scrapbook Daisies. This is a photo of Skye holding some balloons overlooking the waves in the ocean. Not only does she look so calm and peaceful...but I get a calming sensation roll over me when I look at this photo. It was a good day. A day of peace and tranquility. A day with family, love, and togetherness.
I handmade all of my flowers, sprayed frost and lilac mists on the papers to give a feel of the ocean, and I inked the edge of the photo with turquoise. I think this was my favorite of all...maybe the colors, maybe the photo...I don't know...but I am very please with how it turned out. Thanks for looking!






Supplies:
Pink Paislee Parisian Anthology
American Crafts thickers
Zva crystal brads
Tattered Angels frost mist
handmade flowers
Martha Stewart punches

I am thankful for the weekend! I have been one busy Mama this week!

I am Thankful for.....

Saturday! WHY???? you ask......?

1. I got to sleep late.
2. kids watched cartoons and did not bug me.
3. hubby is fishing with friends.
4. it gives me time to rest and get prepped for the coming week.
5. it is rare that I have a Saturday off....but I did today! YAY!

I am Thankful for....

A place to put my scrap....








It is not the best...but it works for me.

Thankfulness

So, it is November...the leaves are most assuredly turning colors, the air is getting just a bit nippier and the absence of mosquitoes here in my back yard is a SURE sign that autumn is here. THIS is my most favorite time of the year. The time when "family" is not just a word that we use as an excuse for why we associate with questionable people...but an actual feeling that moves over us in waves of appreciation for those whom we love. We FELL it. We KNOW it. We BELONG to someone.
It is a time when "thankfulness" is not just some random word used in a lesson plan at school...but an actual emotion that we experience when we reflect on our daily gifts from God.

And a time that "Blessings" are not just what we offer when someone next to us sneezes...they are rather the untouchable things that we count and enumerate when we are siting at the Thanksgiving table...surrounded with our family...silently thanking God for everything he has blessed us with.

I LOVE AUTUMN...and everything that comes with it. The words, the lessons, the feelings, the sights...sounds...smells...and of course...I can not forget the tastes. YUM. Pumpkin Pie....a little slice of heaven!

So...for November...I am going to post my daily "Thankfulness"...well...I will aim for daily..it may just well be bi weekly for all I know! lol.



and...TODAY...I am thankful for this right here:


Yes..it is last year's photograph...but my family just the same. I will start my Thankfulness chronicles with the thing I am MOST thankful for...my Family.

What are you thankful for? Leave me a comment and tell me. I would love to know!