Warning: Picture-Heavy, Monster Post

Happy New Year! Can you believe 2008 is over? Are you ready for a wonderful 2009?!!! Woot! Woot! :D

How was your holiday? Our Christmas was super-busy, but super-spectacular!!! Lots going on, but we survived it all and now we are just veggin' and chilling with the kids every day until they go back to school.

It all began on Saturday the 20th. Kevin and I were in charge of our Ward Christmas Party for 150+ people. We spent the week before fine-tuning all the details and then that Saturday decorating, setting up tables, chairs, etc. etc. etc. Thank you to Keith and Amy for taking the kids to Grampa and Gramma's for pancakes that morning and then taking the girls to your house to make Gingerbread houses later on! They had a blast and we were able to get everything done that we needed to. HUGS!!!

Pictures done . . . Time to dive in! LOL!
We have a tradition that the kids sleep in front of the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve-Eve. I snuck in and took this picture around 2 a.m. I just love how Owen's swords and light-sabers are strewn everywhere . . . so boy! LOL!

On Christmas Eve we went to a family party on Kevin's side of the family. My sweet SIL sent me pics, but I couldn't get them to download. BUMMER! I need to keep tinkering with it to see if I can get it to work. Anyway, we had a yummy soup dinner, the kids performed the nativity and we exchanged gifts.

Before going to bed we exchange gifts between our own little family. Our gift to the kids are always new Christmas PJs. Here is my attempt at getting a picture of the all the kids together in their new jammies. Cam doesn't quite get the "pose-for-a-picture" concept . . . yet.

I atleast snagged this one of her by herself puckering up those lips!
Before going to sleep the kids always like to check Norad on the internet to see where Santa is.
GOOD MORNING!!! They HATE that I make them take this picture. I like to get them all sitting on the stairs for a few pics before going to see the loot. "Hurry up, MOM!!!"
Jensyn didn't really ask for anything in particular, but she was thrilled when Santa brought her an adult bike *sniff, sniff* (growing up WAYYYYY to fast!) and a Hannah Montana video cam. She also received a Hannah Montana digi cam from her Gramma and she now says she is ready to begin her "career" as a scrapbooker. LOL! Love that girl!
The big item on Owen's list this year was a REAL metal detector. No toy-"fake"-detectors. He's been having fun finding every single nail in all of the floors. Beep. Beep. Beep. Hmmmmm. I'm thinking he needs some headphones to go along with that thing!
Maryn was THRILLED to get the Cherry Blossom Market! This girl cracks me up! She loves food and anything to do with it. Every year she has asked for a kitchen or shopping cart or something along those lines. No wonder she wants to be a chef when she grows up. I'm just hoping I can get her "trained" early enough to take advantage of it! I mean, who wouldn't love their own personal chef living at their house?! :D
Cam was happy when she got a play kitchen, play food and lots of dolls. Here she is playing with the Santa hat that was in her stocking.
Later on we had my side of the family over for Christmas Dinner. While they were all here it snowed 6 to 8"!!! My sister and her kids and my brother ended up staying the night so that they wouldn't get hurt trying to get home. The next morning the cousins played some more and we made a yummy waffle breakfast.

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I did manage to do some scrapping. So here are a few new layouts I have to share.

These first couple are a little brighter and funkier than I am used to doing, but I had fun experimenting. My Sweet Spuds kits sponsored us CT girls at Gettin' Sketchy for the month of December. They have some really fun kits, full of unique, funky goodies! :D

The rest of these are layouts that I did this week for Noel Mignon. This one if for the latest challenge . . . The Love Song Challenge. This is a quote from a song that I've been wanting to use on a layout for forever! I'm glad that this challenge made me finally DO it! LOL! I used some of our engagment pictures and the Extra Credit Kit (still available).
This one is mostly the Madeline kit (still available). The numbers were from the Memory Lane kit and I believe the journal spot was from the Hopscotch kit.
I made this one using the Love Story kit.

Well, that's it for now! Just want to say thanks to everyone for stopping by my blog this past year! Here's wishing you a wonderful 2009!!!

Happy New Year!!!!

Jana

All Is Calm (Yeah, Right!)

So is everything calm at your house? LOL! Maybe you are one of those smart people who had all of your shopping finished before Thanksgiving. But if you are like me, you still have a few gifts left to get. Trips to the grocery store for recipe ingredients, cleaning up the house and keeping the kids happy while they are home from school is also on the agenda. ;)

But isn't it fun?! It's great to be together as a family making memories and celebrating the spirit and reason for the Christmas season! :D :D :D

I snapped this photo of my daughter the other night and had to scrap it right away. I used the Sold Out Noel Mignon Winter Weather kit along with some felt flowers, lace, and Making Memories Puffy Letter Stickers from my stash. (Sketch by Ally Cope of So Sketchy)



I hope you had a fun weekend! Mine began with laughs and giggles at the Noel Mignon Holiday Cocktail Crop. Thanks to all of you for such a fun night! Here is the layout I did for my Do or Dye Challenge.





Enjoy your Christmas week and take LOTS of photos!
Holiday Hugs to You!!!
Jana

Love Story Pre-Order TODAY ONLY!!!

Noel has put up her latest kit, LOVE STORY , for a presale for today only. She started with 19 and there are ONLY 6 LEFT!!!



The last few kits have sold out in just a few hours so I thought I would let you all know about it if it looks like something you might want. :D

If they don't sell out today, the leftovers will be back up sometime next week.
HERE IS A LINK to a message board thread containing more pics of this kit.

Just thought I'd let you know! ;)
Happy Sunday!
Jana

So Whatcha Doin' Friday Night?

So what are you up to this Friday night? If you don't have any Christmas parties to be at . . . Come hang out with us at the Noel Mignon Holiday Cocktail Crop!



I know, I know . . . there's a million things to get done. But don't you think you need a little break from it all? Don't you deserve a reward for wrapping all those packages? Come on. The kids are going to be home for the next couple of weeks, you DESERVE this! LOL! :D :D :D

That's how I'm going to look at it anyway! :D :D :D So grab a cup of hot cocoa and cozy up by the computer for some chattin' and scrappin'! It is going to be easy-going with a couple of challenges, a few games, and even a couple of make-and-takes. Here is a little sneak peek of my challenge! ;) I hope I'll see you there!



Jana

Free Day and a Super Cool TOOT-Y Fruity from Me!

Yesterday we woke up late again. Really late. And everyone in the house was still asleep. Lately, we're all just dragging as a family, pushing ourselves through the daily grind . . . so . . . Kevin looked at me and said, "Let's just keep the kids home today, we all need a day off."

We slept some more, took our sweet time getting ready for the day and then told the kids to hop in the car and we were going to take them to school. They were MORTIFIED. They absolutely HATE walking in late, let alone, half-a-day late. We drove up to the school and turned around to them in the backseat and said, "PSYCH!!! We're taking you to IHOP for lunch, today is FREE DAY!" :D :D :D We spent the afternoon hanging out together and getting some Christmas shopping done. It was perfectly fun!

I know, I know. All of you responsible parents out there are probably cringing and "Tssssk, Tssssk"-ing me. But honestly it just had to be done. We all needed that little break. :D

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I don't have a layout to share with you today, but I do have some fun news that I have known for quite awhile and finally get to spill! The incredibly talented Mel Blackburn invited me to be on the Design Team of her SUPER COOL New Challenge Site, Mix It Up Challenges Blog!!!!! EEEEEEeeeeeeekkkkKKKKK!!!! I am soooo excited about her concept! Here is a description straight from the site:

"There’s a reason why I’ve called it this, it’s because we are going to do exactly that, mix things up! Every week a new challenge – which will be called Mixer – will be issued. The Mixers will vary from color challenges, art inspiration, words/quotes, etc…And to mix it up even more our sketch designer will provide us with a very funky sketch to kick start our creativity, if need be. Finally, this blog will be both in French and English, again we are mixing it up!"

COOOOOOL!!! HUH?!!!! :D :D :D :D

The challenges will start after the first of the year, but right now Mel has put up a Just for Fun" challenge." Go see! Go see! :D I've had a sneak peek at the first four "Mixers" and let me tell ya . . . the scrapping challenge world is really in for a treat! WOOHOOOOOO!!!! I'm soooo excited about this one!!!

Alright, alright. I'll calm down. ;) Thanks for letting me share that bit of great news with you. :D

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Finally, I have to show you some kind of goodie, so I decided to tell you about my very favorite household product. Yep!!! I LOOOOOVE this stuff. TRUST me! YOU NEED THIS STUFF! It is such a simple luxury. It smells so divine it makes me want to eat my clothes and sheets everytime I take them out of the dryer. YES. It is THAT good! LOL! Seriously, try it and tell me what you think. ;)

Lavender Vanilla Downy Softener


Christmas Hugs!
Jana

Happy Monday to you!

Saturday I cozied up in the house with holiday music, hot chocolate and my scrapping supplies and made a couple of new layouts for Noel Mignon.

The first layout holds a couple of Christmas photos of when we were a young family of four in 2002. Just look at how little Jensyn and Owen look! Wow! Time just passes way too quickly when you are watching your kids grow. I took a cue from Michelle's gorgeous page last week where she had a Christmas tree peeking off the top edge and did the same thing with one of my Snowflake accents. (Thanks for the cool idea, Michelle!) All supplies are from the Winter Weather kit.




And this second one is for the Noel Mignon "Believe" challenge where we were to use the word "believe" in our title our journaling. When we received this assignment I immediately reflected on my belief in Jesus Christ and remembered a favorite quote of mine from the movie "City of Angels" . . . "Some things are true whether you believe them or not." I thought it would be the perfect topic for a page this time of year when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. I used Sketch #5 by Inspired Blueprints. The supplies are a mixture of the Winter Weather kit, Scrapworks Magpie Chipboard Swirls, Exposed Elements White Vinyl Swirlsand Flea Market letter stickers, as well as a few flowers and brads from my stash. I sanded some of the dark black accents so that they wouldn't overpower the photo. The photo is by Mark Mabry who has a beautiful book out called, Reflections of Christ.



Thanks so much for looking!
Happy Christmas to You!
Jana

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let It Snow!

It's been snowing on-and-off here in Utah all weekend. I just love seeing the fresh powdery snow coating everything . . . it really has put my Christmas mood in full motion. :D


Maryn and Camryn spent some time playing . . . well, okay. It was actually only about 15 minutes until they were cold! LOL! But they did have a great time and enjoyed their hot chocolate treat afterwards! :D

My puffy, little, marshmallow girl! Doesn't it make you think of that line from "The Christmas Story" . . . "I can't put my arms down!" LOL!
Every year we make Gingerbread cookies as a family. I love this recipe because it is very mild and makes soft cookies. We especially like to eat them when they are frosted with Cream Cheese frosting. Actually, I would probably eat anything that had Cream Cheese frosting on it . . . Mmmmmm!


Gingerbread Cookies

3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. shortening (butter flavor)
3/4 c. light molasses
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 egg
6 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. baking soda
4-1/4 to 4-1/2 c. flour

Beat sugar, shortening, molasses, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and egg. Mix in 6 Tbsp. water and soda. Mix in flour until like soft dough.

Roll out on floured surface to 1/4-inch thick (for soft cookies); thinner than 1/4-inch for crispier cookies.

Cut into shapes and bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes. Eat plain or frost (we like cream cheese frosting).

This recipe is a MUST in our family. It's just not the Christmas season until we spend a day making these as a family!

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Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar

Frosts 9-in. X 9-in. cake.

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This is my latest layout for the So Sketchy Blog. Owen was out on the driveway practicing his Indiana Jones moves with his whip and I snapped a few pictures of him. Doesn't that Heidi Swapp paper completely remind you of the movie!?! Love it!

Supplies: Kraft Bazzill cardstock; Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp, Graphic 45; Embellishments: American Crafts Thickers, Basic Grey Border Rubons, Dymo Label Maker, We R Memory Keepers Large Eyelets, Making Memories Ribbon Trim and Decorative Brad, Scenic Route accent sticker, BoBunny Flower; Other: Book paper and jute rope from my stash.

If you love So Sketchy sketches, than you might be interested to know that Ally is holding a Design Team call right now. Wooot Wooot!!! :D CLICK HERE to get all the details!

See you tomorrow!
Jana

December BackPorch Memories

Thank you so much for all the kind words about my Christmas decorations! You gals are too sweet! And have totally kept me motivated to finish those dern bows! LOL! :D :D :D

This week has been pretty mundane, not much new to tell you. (Oh, wait! I did start my Christmas shopping! YES! LOL!) But I do have some new projects to share with you using the December BackPorch Memories Medley Kit.

Sorry, for the quickie post. I guess "Tis' the Season", right?! You're probably all too busy to be surfing blogs anyway! LOL!

Talk to you again soon!
Jana

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

Look what we woke up to this morning! A snow storm!!! YIPPEE! All day it's been drifting down in big, fluffy snowflakes . . . the kind that are fun to catch on your tongue! ;) I just love the way the tree branches look with a dusting of fresh powder.

I'm sorry I haven't been around for a few days. All last week I've been listening to Christmas music and decorating the house. Ahhhh! It's great to see the decorations slowly making their way out of the boxes. It has taken me a lot longer than usual to get started because I am having a hard time finding everything after the move. Also, our things haven't been fitting the same way they did in the old house, so we had to make a few adjustments. But I just love to cozy up inside the house this time of year. I am definitely getting in the Christmas spirit! :D :D :D

Here are some pictures from around the house. Technically, they aren't the greatest photos, but you get the idea. :D

Instead of putting lights along the roof line, we decided to put some prelit trees on the porch and by the garage doors. I still need to add some lighted garland around the door, but it's coming along!

Here is the inside of the door. I'm thinking I need to find some mistletoe to hang from our light fixture. :D And how do you like our mini rug? LOL! I'm still looking for the "perfect" entry rug. Haha!
I'm so excited to finally have a stair railing that I can hang holiday garland on. We put up our first batch of garland and it looked super wimpy. We decided to go buy more and double up each strand so that they looked more full. Twisting all of those together and fluffing them up took FOREVAH!!!

I also have been making bows to accent the garland. I've never made bows like this before, but I think I am starting to get the hang of it. Slowly, but surely I am getting them done. Eight down! Eight to go! LOL!

One of my very favorite decorations we have is this Santa "Statue". He looks like bronze, but is actually plastic. Isn't that COOL!?! We found him at Costco a few years back and I'm so glad we got him. He makes me smile everytime I look at him. :D

Remember my pathetic tree? Well, Kevin went shopping for a new one and brought home this 12-footer for me to decorate. It fills the room nicely, but you should've seen me sweating and praying for my life as I was decorating it! I about died getting that star straight on top! LOL!

Here is our mantle in our main family room. The stockings don't belong to anybody. LOL! They are just there for looks. Our family stockings are downstairs with the "kid" tree. :D


And here are our family stockings in our downstairs family room. I found the big sparkly letters at JoAnn's last year in the dollar section, and tied each child's initial onto their stocking with a red bow.
And here is the kid tree. Filled with bright lights, candy garland and all of our family ornaments that we collect every year.


Over the weekend, I pulled out the Winter Weather kit (sold out), turned on the tunes from the Noel Mignon Challenge blog, and created a couple more layouts to share with you this week.






Have a great week!
Jana :D