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last post of 2011 ...

I can't believe that another year has gone by.  For the most part, it has been a good year.  I am thankful that we are all healthy ... everything else is second to that (no matter what we go through).

Last night we celebrated Nicholas' 8th birthday.  My little man is growing up too fast and I can't believe in two years he will be "double digits."  We spent the afternoon hanging out with my mom and Rebecca.  We went to McDonald's for lunch (where Rebecca enjoyed her first milkshake).  The milkshake was supposed to be for Mom, but Rebecca wanted to try it and then proceeded to drink the whole thing.

We then hit Kohl's and Toy's R Us to get some "birthday" things and spend some bonus cash I had at both places.

Mom and Dad came over last night to have some cake and coffee.  Here are some pictures from last night.

I want to thank all of you for stopping by to visit throughout the year.  I love to read your comments.  Whether you are a new (or old friend), I always welcome you to stop by whenever you like.  I have been slacking a bit on my posting these past couple of months, but one of my goals for next year is to improve on that.

In my next post, I will list some goals (both creative and personal) that I have for 2012, and will let you know about what my "One Little Word" for 2012 is going to be.  So, stay tuned!

Happy 2012 everyone!  Be safe and enjoy the last night of 2011.

can't believe it's over ...

I say it every year, and I'll say it again.  Christmas comes and goes way too fast.  I wish Christmas can be a few days long.  Spending time with family is so special, and it is always special around the holidays.  I wish I could have been with all of my family, but distance keeps a lot of us apart.  Everyone was in my thoughts and heart and I celebrated with them, even though they were not near.

It was an Angry Birds / Wimpy Kids kind of Christmas for us.  Nicholas is into the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and very much into playing the Angry Birds game (actually I love the game too), so a lot of his gifts were related to those two things.  He also received a DSi XL from Grandma and Pop-Pop and an iPod Touch from Nanny and Poppy (lucky kid).

Rebecca received a kitchen (she LOVES it), a doll house, a baby carriage, and several other things.  Oh, she also received a Zsu Zsu pet which she thinks is so "cute."

We had friends over on Christmas Eve, spent Christmas morning at mom and dad's, and then we came home and I made the four of us Christmas dinner.  It was quiet, but very enjoyable.  I just loved being home in the early afternoon and then relaxing the rest of the day, just the four of us.

How were your holidays?  What are some of the traditions you do every year at Christmas time?

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the days leading up to and on Christmas Day.

Thanks for stopping by!

her hot pink skirt ...

For Halloween this year, I didn't find a costume for Rebecca to wear, and really it was ok since we didn't go out this Halloween because of the snow storm that decided to hit us on the East Coast in late October.  No one around us had power, and there were so many roads blocked/closed, that we stayed in on Halloween night.

In place of a "costume" for Rebecca, I ended up buying her this cute little "tutu" type skirt.  The other day I put it on her, and I'm glad I got the camera out when I did, because she didn't have it on for very long.  She doesn't mind wearing hats on her head for long periods of time, but she wanted nothing to do with having a skirt on.

Sure hope that she will wear her Christmas dress ... we'll just have to wait and see.

Enjoy your day everyone!

christmas song fun ...

I thought it would be fun to do a post today to see if you can figure out the first lines of these famous Christmas songs.

Each letter shown is the first letter of a word in the first line of a Christmas song.  For example, DTHWBOHFLLLLL would be D (deck) T (the) H (halls) W (with) B (boughs) O (of) H (holly) F (fa) L (la ... la ... la ...la).

See if you can figure out the rest.  Leave me a comment letting me know which ones you got, or which ones stumped you.

1. ICUAMC
2. GRYMGLNYD
3. TFNTADS
4. YBWOYBNC
5. RTRNRHAVSN
6. ISMKSCUTMLN
7. GGROBAR
8. OHNTSABS
9. DTTSIAOHOS
10. OTFDOCMTLGTM

Can't wait to see if you can figure these out!

And I'll leave you today with a photo of the kids getting ready to camp out in the room with Nanny and Poppy during their visit.  Actually, Nicholas was the only one to camp out in the room, but Rebecca wanted to do a little snuggling with Nicholas before it was time for bed.

Enjoy the rest of the day!

christmas visit ...

We didn't think that Nanny and Poppy would be visiting us again until after the holidays, but they decided to come a few days last week and into the weekend.  Both of the kids were delighted.  Even though Nicholas had school on Thursday and Friday, he was able to spend quality time with them during their visit.

On Saturday, the guys went out for lunch and the girls went shopping.  Nanny and I even took Rebecca to McDonald's.  She LOVES their chicken nuggets and french fries.

We opened presents on Saturday.  The kids were so excited because they also received gifts from Aunt TT, Uncle Stephen, Ryan and Paige.  Rebecca loves her new baby doll that giggles and her cute doggy backpack.  And, we have already played the Spongebob hangman game that Nicholas received.

Here are just a few pictures from one of the evenings we spent together as a family.

I hope it is not too long before their next visit.

i have to sign up for this ...

A few year's back, I participated in a photography challenge by taking 12 pictures on the 12th of each month, and then created a scrapbook layout to display the photos and describe what was going on in each picture.  It was so much fun.  Some of the photos I took during certain months were a little boring since I was in the office on some of those month's on the 12th, but my layouts really captured what was going on that day and it is fun to now look back on what I created.

With this said ... I received an email from Ella Publishing Co. with information on a new eBook they have developed.

This is the same concept of what I did a few years ago, but SO MUCH more.  There is so much inspiration in this eBook.

The write-up on their site ...

In honor of the year 2012, we at Ella Publishing Co. hereby challenge you to take 12 photos on the 12th of each month for the next 12 months starting January 12. (That’s a lot of 12’s!)

The new Take 12 Guided Inspiration Kit will keep you motivated and inspired throughout your journey. Follow along with us and by year’s end, you’ll have 144 memorable, meaningful photos that reflect your everyday existence—and you’ll have them memorialized on scrapbook pages to boot!

In the kit, you’ll find 5 complete products in one, including: photo-taking checklists, 12-photo layout sketches, list-style journaling cards, bonus ideas and alternate approaches, and lots of printable titles and calendar accents. The digital .PNG files are included for digi-savvy scrapbookers!

A companion digital kit is also available to help you complete this year-long challenge. The Take 12 Templates contains 12 digital templates for photo collages or digi pages (for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements). It just takes a few quick commands to replace the colored boxes in these layered templates with your own photos. With easy-to-follow instructions included, these templates are beginner friendly. Advanced users will love the jumpstart to quick and well-designed 12-photo layouts.

When you accept the Take Twelve Challenge, you will receive a lot more goodies and motivational support than what's inside the kits. You'll receive monthly email reminders on the 11th (though you can opt-out at any time), have the opportunity to share your projects and be inspired by others from around the world, and of course you'll also have a chance to win great prizes!

Best of all, by committing to the challenge within the next 12 days, you can buy the Guided Inspiration Kit for only $12.12. You can actually join the challenge at any point in 2012, but this introductory price will end on December 24.

So, who is going to take the challenge with me ... don't wait, because the special price is only available until December 24.

november instagram ...

I thought I had taken more pictures with my phone in November and converted the pictures to Instagram photos, but after downloading all of my photos, I realized this wasn't the case.  Here are some of my Instagram photos from November.

Thanks for stopping by ... hope you visit again soon!

my horoscope ...

I used to read my horoscope on a regular basis, but over the years, I somehow got away from reading it.  I did; however, decide to read my horoscope on my birthday this year.  There were actually two horoscopes to read ... the Sagittarius one, and the one written just for my birthday.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)

When you love a process, the results of that process don't matter as much to you.  Knowing this, you'll commit to a certain action without worrying about whether the action will bring you success in the end.

Today's Birthday (December 4)

You'll feel strongly that you are on a mission.  In the new year, you'll be prolific, doing what you do best and doing it as often as any human possibly can.  You'll position yourself as an expert in February.  You'll seem to need less sleep in March, and you'll work late hours in order to achieve your desired result.  Scorpio and Aries people adore you.

WHY DO I LOVE THESE horoscopes?  I feel that they focus on my Arbonne business.  The Arbonne trip incentive was just announced for next year.  The trip next August is to Punta Cana ...

So, I am on a BIG mission to build my team.  Who wants to join me on the beaches next August for five FULL days ... ALL INCLUSIVE paid resort.  I would love to be sipping fruity drinks with you ... Do you want to join me?  Contact me and I will fill you in.

 

birthday celebration ...

Rob and Nicholas made me a yummy dark-chocolate cake with vanilla icing for my birthday yesterday.  It was a pretty quiet day ... we all hung out at home as a family and it was really nice.  We got take out for dinner because I wasn't going to cook, and what Rob had taken out to make wasn't thawed.  Any excuse to get take out, right?

Rob tried to get a picture of me and the kids, but the kids didn't want to cooperate and he didn't capture a great picture, but at least Rob was able to get something.

Still can't believe how fast the year went ... getting closer to the BIG 40.

Over at Project 64: Out of the Box, the color a few weeks ago was orange, and last week's color was black (sounds like Halloween).

My picture for orange ...

And my picture for black ...

For more entries, go here.

 
Thanks for stopping by ... enjoy your day!

childhood days ...

This week's This is Me Challenge prompt was to showcase some of your favorite childhood memories.  I loved this challenge.

My parents did not take many pictures of me as a child (or even as I got older).  I don't even remember them having a camera on most holidays/events.  It is sad that no one remembers what my birthday cakes looked like, or what Halloween costumes I wore, or even what I received for Christmas.

I did manage to find a picture of me (probably around the age of 4 or 5) sitting in my childhood bedroom.  I remember the little "people" house to the left of me and remember the two dolls that I'm holding.  I'm glad I have this picture with a little peek into my first bedroom.  I had that bed all the way up into my twenties.

I created a layout this week showcasing some of my favorite memories of a child.

What are some of your favorite childhood memories?

Thanks for stopping by!