A Summarized December Recap

We began December with the intent that baking cookies at the beginning of the month would give us treats to give the whole month long.  Right.  Nice dream. They were gone by the end of the night. 

Worked on the December Daily and made it to day 6.  Woohoo!?

Dumped a box of ornaments into the three tier stand and called it a day.

Finally, made something found on Pinterest. Print and frame.  My kind of decoration making.

Went on a tree search after vowing not to go on a tree search.

Brought home a tree from that tree search after vowing not to bring home a tree. Couldn't resist the pleading in those eyes.  Not Emily's.  My mom's.

Located 1950's Elf on the Shelf in my basement.  He's related to Chuckie. Not sure what happened to his hands.  I don't dare ask.

Visited Caribou and Starbucks an average of 2.4 times per week. The addiction to hot chocolate is raging on.

Had a Bake-A-Palooza with Jenny.  Made a lot of butt widening treats.  Diet begins January 1.

This is Murphy, aka the Taste Tester.  He's not mine, therefore, why he was taste tester as I wouldn't have to clean up anything later in the day.

Bought cupcakes at a place called Cupcake for my sister's birthday. They sure know how to make cupcakes and it's a good thing otherwise naming their cafe that would have been asinine.

The Cupcake cupcakes.  I ate the coconut one. I'll go back for more, but this time I will not follow the google map directions.  Ending up by a dumpster in a back alley in downtown Minneapolis = once is enough.

Squeaked out a few Christmas cards right in time. Wrote nothing personal on them. To the recipients reading here:  I love you and thank you for being my friend.  I mean putting up with me is he....ck.  Kisses and hugs.  To those that didn't get a card, I love you, too.  The sentiment is the same. I just ran out of patience in making the cards.

Shopped at Anthropologie.  Everything I bought was for me. Although I didn't intend that to happen, it doesn't sadden me.

She's a believer and is afraid of Santa. Not the best kind of combination.  So we visited a metal one at Pier 1. Later she wrote a letter to Santa and super sealed it with duct tape, so no one could peek. She wouldn't tell anyone what she asked for and then the day before Christmas eve she told me.  She asked for an elf. Sigh.

We decorated cookies.  I didn't say we baked and decorated.  We bought and decorated and forced the 14 year old to join in.  Good times.

The 9 and 13 year old were completely into it. So was the 14 year old one mentioned previously.  He just had to act like he wasn't.  I'm onto his wily ways.  Being moody = 14 years old. Poor kid having to follow the expected emotional roller coaster thrust upon him by society.

It's true.  The older you get - the less decorating you need to do to feel fulfilled. Left = 9 year old.  Middle = 14 year old.  Right = 13 year old.

I made my first felt ornament.  It's also my last.

She found the pickle during our Christmas Eve festivities.  I saw her 14 year old brother see it five minutes prior to her finding it.  It goes to show you that Christmas love inhabits every heart.  Even the nonchalant gingerbread cookie decorating 14 year old heart.

Finally, we watched Charlie Brown. We had to.  It's the law, especially when you live five minutes from where Charles Schulz grew up. Mostly we watch it, because Charlie Brown knows his stuff. Be kind. Have hope. Never give up. Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown. You're never a blockhead to me.

And that's my December recap.  Sure we did more, but you get the picture. 

The Weight of Words

A layout about soccer that doesn't look like it's about soccer.  I apologize for the bad photo. 

I had a hard time getting up the energy to scrap this fall soccer season. The season has had it ups and downs. Nick was playing for his high school team and Emily for the community team. I could handle scrapping Emily's experience.  I can't touch Nick's yet.  I'm still at the point where egging and tp-ing a coach's home sounds like a great idea.

Emily started her first year at a higher level where she had to learn positions for the first time. It was a challenge and she seemed a little lost at times, but she will catch on with practice. She had great coaches that played the team fairly. You have to appreciate coaches that treat every player equally and build their confidence along the way. There was a bully on the team, but a hairy eyeball from me usually scared him into submission.  Great...now I will be known as the chick that scares little boys.  Let it be known that I only scare little bullies.

Now about Nick. Sigh. His coach started off the season by saying some disparaging remarks about Nick.  He said it under his breath, but it was a windy day and sound traveled; Nick heard everything. Nick is a pleaser. He will listen and work hard; he will do everything you ask of him; he will try his best. He should be a coach's dream. He was having an off day and made errors during the practice. Nothing too serious, but it's hard to hear you are worthless. It basically killed his love of the game. I give him credit. He kept showing up for every practice and game. He wanted to go. He improved immensely, but the love of the game is gone and he doesn't recognize how good he has become. It was/is hard to see this happen.  I wish people knew the impact of their comments, especially when it comes to kids.  Life would be perfect, if everyone knew how much their words weighed.

Walking a Hamster

This girl needs a dog. She's been begging for one for over a year.  The only problem is she had a loaner dog for a day to see how it would work.  She failed. Not totally.  Just enough to say it's just not the right time. I mean saying your are going to scoop poop and doing it are two different things.  It grossed her out.  It grossed me out.  That's a big part of having a dog in my opinion, so the timing is off. She did; however, pass the walking the dog test.  She walked Loaner so much that when he went home he slept for two days. I think my friend was worried we killed him by exercise.  Note to self:  No more loaners. In all seriousness she will get her dog, but for now she has her hamster.  How pathetic is that? But she tries to make the best of it.  She loves that little ball of a rodent.  Holds it incessantly.  Feeds him.  Rearranges his home to keep his life interesting.  However, when I walked outside one day and saw her slowly walking behind him in his little rolling ball up the middle of the street, I just about wet my pants.  The neighbors are now all on her side for getting a dog. She knows how to work it.

 

The layout was created using the August Studio Calico kit. I made a goal to use up the kit before September's arrived.  I ended up "killing" July and August's kits in one month.  Miracles do happen I guess.  So in that way of thinking I guess it means that someday soon the girl will get her dog. I hope so. 

High School Apprehension

Let's be clear about the title of this blog post.  It's my apprehension - not the boy's.  So I'm going to vent.  He seems so calm and well, not me.  He's going to the high school I graduated from a million years ago.  I vied for him to go there and while vying for it I could remember only the good.  Months later and the closer we get to first day I am reminded of the bad - the cliques, jock hall, snowball fights in the hall.....  Uhhh...wait.  That was me and that was fun. His first years of school have been protective.  He went to a small public charter school, which only went to eighth grade.  Then he had a choice of other charter and public schools.  The Jaguar school was chosen.  It's so much larger than where he was and that is why I worry.  He's quiet.  I hope the school doesn't swallow him alive.  In reality I know it won't, but for now I will worry.  I will worry until he graduates and then I will continue to worry about his brother and sister.  I hope with all this worrying I can forget to eat, because right now sitting at this computer this is the only plus I could see coming from my worry.  That would make it totally worth it.  So here's a layout I did to commemorate the moving on to high school.  I have no idea how a photo of Nick with his head under the water came out being a tribute to high school starting, but here it is:

I really need to add wording under the title.  I'm thinking of "But I will Have Trouble".  For now I want him to keep thinking there is nothing to worry about.  He's been playing soccer with the high school team all summer, so he has had a taste of being a Jaguar.  Like I said...it's my apprehension.  I refuse to let him know there is even a reason for apprehension.  He can see the layout when he graduates.  HA!

Pinterest Has Taken Over My Life

It's true.  Pinterest has taken over my life.  If I'm not pinning, I am making stuff I have pinned.  My last project was the balloon wreath shown above for Emily's birthday.  She loved it so much I came home to find all 160 balloons in a pile.  It seems when I said I made a wreath for her she thought it was FOR her.  As in, YAY balloons. Oh well. Her birthday is now past and at least I got a few photos of the wreath intact.  This one is my favorite. Now I know what the look on her face meant....go shopping, so I can rip this apart.  Yep.

Gardening vs. Scrapping = Somethings Gotta Give

Something gotta give and it has.  For the summer scrapping is on the back burner.  I have been in a frenetic battle with weeds that grow a foot a day and japanese beetles that reproduce in masses every day. I think I might be winning.  So I feel comfortable showing a quick tour of my backyard.................

From my back door:

A scan to the left and surprisingly there's an algae free pool:

Further left shows a small garden that is a little out of hand with the ferns taking over, but for now it is acceptable:

Garden Path #1 has been weeded:

The lower hydrangea garden is looking ok.

In all honestly, not everything is perfect.  The pond needs repair and the area needs weeding.  My veggie garden should be filled with this:

But to find these you have to look through all of this:

 

Yeah.....the veggie garden is always a work in process.  Ever since the slacker pool installers knocked down my retaining wall to make a ramp a couple of years ago.  Last year I finally had the wall rebuilt and this was supposed to be the year of veggie redemption, but alas I fail.  The area is too large and I need to make it smaller.  Perhaps raised beds within this area. That won't happen until next year, so for now I will pretend the reason the veggies have not been over run with Japanese beetles is because the weeds are a protective barrier.  Woohoo!  

Outside of gardening E and I made the wreath below in under 15 minutes.  Looks pretty cute on the door.

Like the 4th of July wreath in the last blog post, the idea for this came from Pinterest.  Here's the link on how to make it:  Drink Umbrella Wreath.  Due to this project, E now walks around the house with an umbrella in everything she drinks.  A sign of the future? Knowing her mom probably.  Hmmmm....I better put that box of umbrellas under lock and key.  ;o)

I hope you are having a fun summer full of weedless gardens!  Thanks for stopping by.

 

{Almost} Wordless Wednesday

Just a few words to keep with the wordless theme around blogland of late. I'm currently addicted to Pinterest.  I spend too much time pinning and no time making. Until last night. Then I said enough was enough.

  

Here's the original idea..  Here's my pins on Pinterest.

The wreath was a pain in the behind, but I like. Happy Wednesday!

Project Life Update

Someone should have warned me this was a bad idea.  Project Life that is.  I am currently two months behind on creating layouts.  I no longer remember how to scrap anything larger than the size of my face, which as some might believe is NOT larger than a sheet of  8.5x11 cardstock.  That would be my ego size.  Kidding. Kind of. From making itty bitty layouts my scrap collection never diminishes.  It (and I) will soon be documented on the new show, Scrap Hoarders.  You'll recognize me as the client that refuses to let go of her collection of Paperkins and tells the therapist what he can do with his theory on my attachment to them. No one gets between me and my 'kins. Anyway, this is Denise as usual.  Always a step behind. I'm really not complaining.  Well, maybe I am, but in a "I love my adhesive" fetish kind of way.  You love to hate it, but it sticks with you.  Pun intended.  

So here's some PL layouts, because Briana told me to update: 

  

There you have it.  I have to say I am a mildly sarcastic person.  On this blog it really comes out a lot stronger than in real life.  So in all seriousness, working on the PL has actually been a lot of fun.  With it now being June I enjoyed photographing the ones above and seeing what happened a few months back.  It's a nice reminder, especially since I have seemed to have hit the age when I can't remember what I did a minute ago.  Yikes.  

Project Life: Finishing January

I knew when I bought that Martha Stewart blood drop border punch I would use if for something other than a forensic report.  I did; however, think it would be more of a Halloween usage than one about winter, but it seems it can almost pass for icicles.  Well, if you squint with one eye and yell Martha as you hold your head at a 45 degree angle.  Just try it and see. I'll wait here. Yeah.....now that I have "weirded" out any new "blood "from reading this blog, let's get down to business.  Project Life is still living.  Albeit slow as stated in previous posts, but still happening.  Here's the remainder of January:  

 

I know.....how in the word do I keep up with this crazy life?  I admit it's fairly hard, but I am super organized and have a staff of 300 - just like Martha.  OK.  Enough.  let's end this.  I do want to say one thing.  While it seems that I only take photos of things I do with Emily, it's not true.  Well, it is, but I can't help it and I am not showing favoritism.  Nick and Jake are now teens and want nothing to do with me.  Gasp.  Sigh.  Shock. Not even when I bribe them with food, money, XBoxes and promises that, if they are lucky, they can take care of me for the rest of their lives. I just don't get it. Who wouldn't want that?