MATHIESONS 2011

I saw this globe on You Tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKbUM5NLJ_g&feature=related and loved it! Thought it would make a great year end page. After finding Jana Morton's Year in Review http://janamorton.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-12-24T05:49:00-08:00&max-results=3  I decided to add it to this page. I actually had to delete some journalling but it was pretty amazing to see how much has happened to our family this year. Might just have to do this every December, it was a great way to document everything in one page!
Looking forward to 2012... and so grateful for the new additions to our family! They bring excitement, talent and love!

JOURNALING PROMPTS

Discovered a wonderful, inspiring website today that I look forward to following and reading. I know the owner of this site, Chantelle Adams and she has an amazing writing and speaking ability. Her "Foundations for Life Leadership Training" is motivational and inspiring. What I also love about it, is her journaling challenges that she includes in many of her posts! In her article on "Simply Write" she asks us to think of:

What happened lately that made me SMILE?

Had to laugh at the James boys absolutely thrilled to see Uncle Scott swimming with the sharks! Family heroes...

What am I most GRATEFUL for right now?

When visiting Prince George all the kids decided to sit on Santa's lap! I am always grateful for family,  just sorry that Danielle, Tim and Everett couldn't be with us.

What is lacking in my life and how can I achieve greater BALANCE?

Grateful for Don who is not only my husband but my best friend! I struggle with friendships and being included, knowing that it is also my problem because I tend to be a bit of a hermit. I lack perspective and want to be a better friend. I do want to be friendly with everyone but do not like fair weather friends. So I am always thankful for a wonderful husband who is always my BEST friend.  

EGG NOG LAYOUT

Took my post today and made a layout! I've been having fun with Tiffany Tillman's Holiday Templates 2011 class and used one of them to do this. I also incorporated some blending that I learned from Jana Morton's Blending and Beyond Class and love how it turned out on the page. I am seeing all these daily December pages and am impressed at the scrapbookers out there but I will just be happy if I can get one a week done!! So this is my first December page...

EGG NOG and PUMPKIN PIE

 Had to laugh the other day when a controversy arose over EGG NOG! At our house it is a hot commodity, I can only buy it at Christmas and when I do we are lucky if it lasts a day! I always try to find it on sale because of that. Apparently, someone who is not in our family yet, professed to NOT LIKING egg nog which absolutely flabbergasted Melodie and Mitchell! They could not believe that someone could not like egg nog: What's not to like?  they asked! He didn't like "raw eggs" and wouldn't believe them when they said it didn't taste like raw eggs. When they said that egg nog and pumpkin pie were just the symbols of Christmas, he replied that he didn't like pumpkin pie either!!! WELL, that was it for them...Melodie declared the relationship was doomed! How could a couple make it if one of them DID NOT like egg nog or pumpkin pie??? Needless to say, I was laughing my head off and so was Mitchell.

So that's it folks, at our house if you step foot over the mat you better be a egg nogging, pumpkin pier or just don't show up!!

CHRISTMAS TREE HUNTERS

Saturday morning Don and Rebecca with Melodie and Kevin headed out towards Chase to find a Christmas tree. Unfortunately Mitchell has been fighting quite a cold and decided to stay home so I stayed with him. I gave them strict instructions to take pictures and was so happy with the ones they brought home. They brought a beautiful Christmas tree home that needed to be cut down a wee bit, but it definitely fills our house with the smell of pine! Glad they had a fun day!

Rebecca misses having her sisters around!!

Vanessa and Amie

I was surprised to find this picture on my camera! This was taken at Melodie's Open House last Sunday when we had scads of people over to welcome her home. It was a pretty crazy day, with talks at church and then lots of company but it was a really happy day too. Unfortunately, when the "get together" is at my house I am "Martha" busily making sure there is enough food, enough dishes, enough punch and trying to visit with everyone so the camera is forgotten. I think I took two pictures....so it was with delight that I found some other ones, but I didn't know who took them until I asked and Amie said it was Don! So good for my sweetie for picking up the camera!
I loved this picture but decided to put Pioneer Woman's Colorized and Burnt Edges on it and love how it turned out. This is one Vanessa's best friends, Amie Short....they are in the nursing program together. I love how Don got Scott in the background. Will have to remember to give him the camera more often if I am busy!!