Thanksgiving photos

Hope you all had a really nice Thanksgiving. We had a great time with the family. The photo below seemed to pretty much sum it up. lol
I'm just now getting around to posting Photos from Thursday... simply because we havent really been home more than a couple of minutes since. After heading for Omaha to take Donna and Ron back to the airport to head home... we went back home long enough to gather some things to head off to Jarad's to watch the game on the big screen. Kate had made a big pot of her yummy chili, and the rest of us brought dip, snacks .. ect... They had invited a bunch of us over for the afternoon to watch NE play CO. It was so much fun. I think everyone side aches.. either from laughing so much (or eating too much). Totally enjoyable afternoon and evening!!

Back to Thanksgiving. There was about 40 of us this year. We learned a long time ago... when we started renting this place (because having it at any of our houses was just too crowded).. that is was easiest just to have all the food on the big open serving area, fill our plates and then be able to sit together. If we sat down and started passing food , we'd still be passing and hour later, and everything else on your plate would be cold. Filling your plate at the counter, using "chinet" instead of "Fine China"... well.. these are the sacrifices we are defiantly willing to make to all be together on holidays. lol
Here we are gathing to say the blessing before digging in.

Here's Grandma (my mom ) , and Nathanial.. digging in .

It ended up being 5 long tables pushed end to end.

And ...there where a few deserts.

Grandma's apple pie , peach pie. Lori's pecan pie, Jan's traditional pumpkin, and two other fantastic new recipes ..that looked YUMMY... Neely's Pumpkin trifle, Donna's sugar free strawberry, ladyfinger desert, and tasty desert Kiley made. Good grief!

It was great having my sister Donna and bil Ron here for the Thanksgiving this year!

Below is my sis with our youngest .. Jarad.

And... hows that for a sweet little face. It's the Griffster

I snuck this one of my Brother Ray and my brother Dan, looking at photos with mom.

Neely and Alan.

Jarad and Kate

Below is the "surprise" we had for Thanksgiving. Taylor (my sister Donna's grandson) .. is a tattoo artist in New York. He was traveling to a conference so had made plans to be with us for Thanksgiving. It was SO great having him there. What a sweetheart he is! And talented ... oh my! If you want to see his work.. check it out HERE. This one..just blows me away!

And the other person we don't get to have with us all the time , since he moved to Denver , is (my sister Jan's son)... Ryan. It was Fantastic having him home with us this year.

The photo below is Ryan in the middle with our boys (Jarad on the left and Weston on the right)

How does that commercial go??

124 laughs

97 hugs

64 kisses

............................... a day spent with the fam.... PRICELESS

So thankful

TECC # 44

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We had a fantastic day... hanging out with the family, eating yummy stuff, and just chill'n. I haven't even uploaded my photos yet.. but I will... and I'll share those tomorrow, if not later today. My sister Donna and my bil Ron are heading back to AZ today, so we are heading for the airport soon. I needed to get Taylor's Challenge posted before we leave.... so here you go.

Here's Taylors Sketch for this week

and here's my take on it.

This was a simple but fun card. I cant wait to see what the other girls have come up with using this weeks sketch.

Here are the CupCake Crew and their blogs , so you can check out their creations .

Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge

Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping

Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp

Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Jami Sibley: More is More
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme

And this weeks Featured Sampler Karen Giron : The sweetest thing

Okay.. off to the airport. Then a nap? lol

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving

Well the cranberry salad is ready, the pumpkin bread is waiting... and Thanksgiving is almost here. I worked on the base of the stuffing this morning .. and loaded what I could load ahead , in the car. Cant wait to see the fam tomorrow!


Wishing you a Happy Day tomorrow, whatever it is that you'll be doing. Enjoy the day!

I'll be back on Friday to share photos .

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Dont forget to put your name in for the give-a-way , if you havent already. HERE

Just because I had to

That's why I stopped what I was doing when I found this, and scrapped this photo... because I just had too. I see all these darling photos people are scrapping of their kiddos at Christmas.. and I'm so sad that I don't have better photos of when the boys were young. I guess I have the what I could get with my 110 film camera. lol I started thinking about "quality photo" thing again, and how I find myself not scrapping these, because the photo's are such poor quality. I stopped what I was doing and did a simple layout with this photo , last night... because THIS PHOTO IS PRECIOUS to ME! I have to document this day.. put it in a book... so we can always remember what a precious memory this is.



(you can click to see it larger)

It doesn't need to be a "fantastic" layout .. it wont be submitted... but it's a great memory.. that I want to preserve. Oh yeah.. that's why I started scrapbooking. lol

*** I have to say... I was missing the boys being little , when I was looking through these photos.

I've said it before , and I'll say it again... "Where has the time gone"?

I am so proud of the men my boys have become..but when I look at photos like these.. I just wish I could go back for just a bit.. and sit with them on my lap.... and just enjoy the moment.

(I'm having a sappy mommy moment) lol

The Journaling reads:

You were so worried there would
be no way Santa could deliver
presents to our house, since we
didnt have a fireplace with a
chimney. We assured you that he
would use the old coal shoot in
the basement. You insisted it was
way to small, he would never fit.
Silly boys.. you know that
Santa is Magical. He would have to
be, to put that sparkle in your eyes
Christmas morning when you were
sure you found evidence
he had been there.
“Always Believe”



Taking time to scrap that , was good for me.
Here are a couple other photos I ran across.. so.. I have to share.
We lived in this big old two story house for 20 years. It's where was lived from the time we got married until about 8 years ago, when we moved to were we are now. This house held alot of memories for us. I love where we live now..but still miss that house at times.

It had a big open stairway... the boys would come bounding down on Christmas morning.. to see what Santa had left.

You know .. my mom said something to me one time.. and it's really makes sense to me now. She was talking about when she was young.. growing up. She was telling about the hard work they did on the farm... walking long distances to school in freezing weather, ... no washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, microwaves, or stores close by to run to , to get whatever you need, whenever you need it. She said... " and yet... we call it "the good old days" lol She said... " you know.. we didn't have alot, and had to work hard..but it was a simpler time" They really were "the good old days".. we just didn't know it then.

In some ways.. I guess that's how I feel when I look at the photos of when the kids where little... we didn't have alot..things weren't always easy ..but now they kind of seem like "our" good old days.

Funny how even 20 years ago.. it seems like it was a simpler time.

Any way... I'm sure my rambling post today... has some meaning? lol Enjoy each day.. (and take lots of photos), because...

I guess .... "These" are the good old days"?

Time for a give-a-way

Hard to believe December is a week away. ( I know.. I know... get through Thanksgiving before we jump in to Christmas) lol Well , if you come here very often , you know I've been posting Challenges for the girls on the Crafty Secrets Design Team... they come up with so many gorgeous things each and every time. This time the challenge will be to use one of the many beautiful images Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage has... or create something with one of the new Christmas stamp sets. ( or something combining the two).

We will all be posting what we make... next MONDAY.. which just happens to be the FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER. We'll be linking to each others blogs , so that you can check out what each of us have created for the challenge.

I've been having so much fun with these Christmas Images from the "Christmas Image and Journal Book" from Crafty Secrets.. I decided to put together a little giveaway , and share these vintage images from the book... along with some other goodies.

Tis the season ... so I put together 3 packages as give-a-ways. Below is a photo of what is in each give-a-way.




12 pages out of the image book, book print, bingo card, envies, tickets, ribbon, pom pom trim.. emblies ect...




just some fun stuff to play and create with.

All you have to do is leave a comment in this post, any time between now and next Monday (Dec 1st), and I'll put your name in for the drawing.

Monday morning I'll draw for three winners.


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In the mean time , if you want to see some of the thing the girls have been creating with Crafty Secrets Products , you can see them on the blog and in the gallery.

Heartwarming Vintage Blog

Crafty Secrets gallery

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Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Photography Workshop Saturday

Becky put on a great workshop yesterday... a fun and very informative day.
Now.. I have alot of info that I just need to apply ..and practice, practice, practice. It was really great to learn more about what my camera is capable of .. and what some of those buttons are for. lol

Becky's new loft for her photography business is just fantastic.

The lighting is just amazing. What a cool place.

I think everyone really had a great time just connecting with others who were "on the same page". ... Loving the creative part of photography.. and just wanting to learn more about how to take better photos.

Alot of really nice people.. in a creative, fun and relaxed learning environment.
Thanks Becky!

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Speaking of photography.... this weeks challenge for Tabitha's Photography Challenge group was

"Everyday things".. things around the house... (that people try to guess what they are)

This is the bead edging on one of the living room lamps.



The back of my alarm clock


This one's not to tough.. I think you got it. lol

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Hope you are all having a great weekend!

Finally ... a layout

I've been working so much on cards, altering and vintage stuff, I felt like it had been ..forever, since I actually did a layout. I finally just sat down , with no specific products I had to use, no assignment due.. no theme to follow.. just paper and scissors... , and put together a layout. It was fun to just "do it"... a little stamping , a little stitching.. ahhh.. I feel better. hahah
I've had this photo of Nathaniel and I since last Easter, and have been really wanting to scrap it.. so finally... I did. He was sharing is music with me.

You can click to see it larger if you want.

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I had a great mail day also! Two fun packages from dear friends. My blog friend Jane (harrahx2), sent me this amazing box of goodies.. for no reason , other than she is a sweetie! I was like a little kid on Christmas morning. All these fun things to look through... each it's own little treasure. It totally made my day!

Check out this Beautiful Bracelet. I LOVE it! Thankyou so much friend!

I don't know if you remember me telling you about the little jar of toys and tiny treasures my Aunt Pauline used to have for us to look through when we went to visit them on the farm..but I loved that jar! And every time we visited, I couldn't wait to see what little things she had added to the jar since our last visit. Well, since then her grand daughter Paula, (my cousin and friend) .. gave me a jar of my own... and started it off by added a few little treasures to the inside. I decided then, I was going to always have this jar at my house and add little goodies to it for the little ones who come to visit here to look. I hope it intrigues them , like Aunt Paulines goodie jar, intrigued me. Anyway... a few of the fun little goodies Jane sent me are now added to "the jar".

*I cant wait to have Griff out .. I think he will like the "the jar". lol

As if that wasn't good enough.. I got this totally sweet note and ATC from Cat today. I MISS YA KITTY! I have quite a collection of her art now.. and it hangs in my studio.. so I can enjoy it everyday!

I am SO thankful for the dear friends I have been blessed with! I'm a lucky lucky girl!

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Speaking of friends.. I'm heading off for my photography class at Becky's new loft today. It's an "all day" sorta thing.. and I'm so excited to learn more about how to take better photos. It's going to be so much more fun than reading that boring old manual. lol ( which.. by the way.. I still have never done.) eeeekkk.

Later gators! Enjoy your weekend!

TECC43

It's Friday.. so it's Taylors Challenge Day. Here is this weeks fun sketch.

I did a simple layout and a card with the sketch this week.
Below is the layout.

and here is the card

I loved this patterned black and white printed paper from "Me & My Big Ideas". I used chalks and a blender pen to color some of the flowers. I added some fine glitter to the centers of the flowers with a Quickie glue pen and fine iridescent glitter.

This weeks featured cupcake sampler is Laura Fredrickson Stamp'n extras
Please stop by and see what Laura and the rest of the cupcake crew has created with this weeks sketch.

Taylor Vanbruggen- Taylored Expressions
Monika Davis: M.A.D. Stamper

Jackie Pedro: The Scalloped Edge

Donna Baker: Serenity in Stamping

Ana Wohlfahrt: Ink A Stamp

Vicki Chrisman: This Art that makes me Happy
Stephanie Hargis: Steph's Stampin' Stuff
Jami Sibley: More is More
Sherrie Siemens: Card Creme
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Last night we had a great time having dinner with family. My sister Donna and her husband Ron from AZ have been here for a visit. Our cold weather was a shock to their systems I'm sure. brrrrr. We had a really nice time.

My mom is doing well. (although she isn't turned around for this photo) lol While I was gone in Seattle , she took a fall. She was having some swelling in her knee so she had been using her walker. She got up in the night and her knee went out on her, causing her to fall. She hit her head on the dresser, and ended up having to having to be taken to the emergency room to have a few staples put in. It was scary... but she is totally fine. She will be having surgery on the knee as soon as it can be scheduled. She is a strong and determined woman. Nothing keeps her down long. We are all so thankful her fall wasn't worse when she fell.

I'm excited for tomorrow ,as I'm taking a photography class from Becky. Should be a fun day!

Oh ..the inspiration

Before dinner , the first night in Seattle.. we spent time with the Tattered Angels peeps in this Gorgeous store.. and let me tell you , there was alot of ooooohhing and awwwwing going on. What a store. I just had to share these pictures with you.

JZ Rose
I left all the photos high res.. so you can click on them to see them larger.

We all talked about how great it would be to have this store close by. Any time you needed inspiration... just stroll around for a bit in here!

Seriously.. every single corner of this place was decorated .. Over the top!

any thing you could imagine! Different styles and colors everywhere.

I cant even begin to tell you how stunning some of these setting where. So Gorgeous!

I was actually surprised at some of the prices... some ... VERY expensive, and others not.

One corner of this place would fill your head with enough inspiration to make you dizzy..but the place is HUGE.

Aren't these little heart boxed sweet?

Oh... pinks!

The little kitchen area below was one of my very favorite areas in the store. This pink fridge and aqua microwave was so cool!

Oh.. and I'd take this in a heartbeat also! ha

Cutest little chalkboard. ( I want it for my kitchen please) ha

Some of my photos were blurry.. but there was also a HUGE elephant, and a number of other toys, all in a cluster of decorated Christmas trees, right in the center of the store.

I seriously could have walked around in here for a full day..just looking at every little thing.

SO much to take in.

Pretty amazing stuff.

I think these little snowmen below are just darling. Sweetest little guys.. just look at their faces.

Hope to go back some day.