December 30

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  We did. We began with worshipping our Lord and then spent the afternoon at my grandmother's and then went back to services and then went back to my grandmother's. 

My brother came in Monday evening and spent the week. He and his wife and girls went back to South Alabama yesterday.  My dad took us to the McWane Science Center. We all had a good time. 

Tonight we are having a New Year's Eve, Eve Party for our youth here at our house.  I am supposed to be cleaning but as you can see I am taking a bit of a break.  I did gather up the garbage here in my space so I can count that as doing one thing for this space clean up.  I have gotten out of the habit that I had started before the holidays but I will get back to it come next week. 

TaTa for now as I am heading to vacuum and sweep the kitchen.

Happy New Year!

12 Weeks of Christmas

On the 12th week of the 12 weeks of Christmas I created this...

tags for trimming

(11) a note card holder with cards

(10) 6x6 layouts for the 12 months of the year

(9) a chocolate and mini card gift box

(8) Christmas cards for mailing

(7) Recipe box for gifting

(6) a Journal for a gift

(5) gift boxes with the cricut art philosophy cartridge

(4) star album for my friends

(3) an event calendar for the year

(2) a picture frame using the my acrylix block

(1) and a layout for my family photos

Christmas Cookies

So today we are working on cookies for our cookie swap at our Girl Scout Christmas party that is Monday night.  Rebekah decided she wanted to try a new recipe that we got from one of those jar mix gifts books (I love those for gifts).  She wanted to make Yuletide Christmas Cookies.  These are green rolled in red sprinkles.  The instructions said to mix until a soft dough forms and then roll into logs and refrigerate 2 hours.

Does this look like soft dough that can be rolled into a log.  Rebekah and I are uncontrollably laughing as she is trying to scrape the dough off of my hands.  So we decide a plan b. Girl Scouts are always prepared right?  We decide to use a cookie scoop and then top with red sprinkles.  We will see how this works.

Here is the finished product from the soft dough cookie.

Hannah tried the blond brownies with red and green m&m's. We didn't have plain m&m's so we used the ones with peanut butter in them.  This should be really good. Here is her cookie/brownie for Monday night. Not near the mess but we will have these memories forever.

Now we are on to making sausage balls for Hannah's christmas party on Tuesday.  We will have them ready for baking Tuesday morning.  Nothing like getting ahead.

The Bookshelf

Time Management for Christian Women

Helen Young and Billie Silvey

             Looking for a “Christianized” Heloise’s hints or One-Minute Superwoman? Sorry, you just picked the wrong book. But if you’re feeling more like Martha than Mary, try Time Management for Christian Women. Billie Silvey and Helen Young run basic time management principles through a Bible filter to distill excellent advice on doing your best work and being your best self for the Lord.

            You’ll make time for memorable mottos, laugh-out-loud anecdotes, and sold research on:

                      Overcoming habits that kill time

                      Recognizing and using scraps of time
                      Finishing work at the office, not bringing it home
                      Whether or not to accept a volunteer project
                      Being good to yourself

         Time Management for Christian Women is sensitive to the ministry goals of single and married women at different stages of life. Charts, Scripture, questions, and activities for each chapter make this book ideal for both group and individual study.

12 Weeks of Christmas

On the 11th week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this...

a note card holder with note cards

(10) 6x6 layout of the 12 months of the year 

(9) a chocolate and mini card gift box

(8) Christmas cards for mailing

(7) Recipe box for gifting

(6) a Journal for a gift

(5) gift boxes with the cricut art philosophy cartridge

(4) star album for my friends

(3) an event calendar for the year

(2) a picture frame using the my acrylix block

(1) and a layout for my family photos

December Daily Bible Reading

4 Proverbs 25	5 Proverbs 26	6 Proverbs 27	7 Proverbs 28	8 Proverbs 29	9 Proverbs 30	10 Proverbs 31
11 Esther 1	12 Esther 2	13 Esther 3	14 Esther 4	15 Esther 5	16 Esther 6	17 Esther 7
18 Esther 8	19 Esther 9-10	20 Ecclesiastes 1	21 Ecclesiastes 2	22 Ecclesiastes 3	23 Ecclesiastes 4	24 Ecclesiastes 5
25 Ecclesiastes 6	26 Ecclesiastes 7	27 Ecclesiastes 8	28 Ecclesiastes 9	29 Ecclesiastes 10	30 Ecclesiastes 11	31 Ecclesiastes 12

Date Logs

This recipe came from my grandmother who passed away in 1992.  My mom used to make these all the time. They are easy, fun, and of course good.  I thought I would share this recipe with you.

DATE LOGS

1 cup sugar                                                                1 (8 ounce) pkg. chopped dates

1 stick margarine                                                     2 cups chopped nuts

1 egg                                                                            2 cups rice krispies

1 tsp. vanilla                                                              coconut flakes

Mix first five ingredients in sauce pans and cook over low heat 10 min. Remove from heat and add rick krispies and pecans.  Let cool to handle. Shape into 2 logs and roll in coconut. Chill about 2 or 3 hours. After chilling slice logs.

My Space

 A friend of mine recently moved and posted a picture of her craft room on her blog. She hasn't been able to get it finished but is now determined to finish it before her children get out of school for the holidays.
I thought maybe if I posted mine then I would work on my space as well. This is my room and as you can see it is the place where everything goes when I am in a hurry. Beginning next week, I will be spending at 30 minutes a day to work in this space. No wonder I can't get anything finished. 

I will post a completed picture when I am finished. I am not proud of this room but I am determined to get it in proper working order. 

I hope you had a wonderful laugh!

12 weeks of Christmas

On the 10th week before Christmas I created this...

a 6x6 layout for the 12 months of the year.

This set of layouts was created by the Loving Hearts team.

On the 10th week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this...

a 6x6 layout for the 12 months of the year...

(9) a chocolate and mini card gift box

(8) Christmas cards for mailing

(7) Recipe box for gifting

(6) a Journal for a gift

(5) gift boxes with the cricut art philosophy cartridge

(4) star album for my friends

(3) an event calendar for the year

(2) a picture frame using the my acrylix block

(1) and a layout for my family photos.

Enjoy!

Enjoy the Moment

            Have you been stressed out lately?  Do you remember when you were younger and all you could think of was when I get bigger I will ________ and fill in the blank?  Do you still do that?  I can’t wait until I can drive.  I can’t wait until the holidays are here. I can’t wait until I go to college. I can’t wait until I get married. I can’t wait until I have children. I can’t wait until my children are bigger, or go to college, or get married, or have grandchildren.  What about I can’t wait until the holidays are over?  Or the cold weather is gone? 

What happened to enjoying the moment? The moment is all we have.  God did not promise us an exact amount of time.  We do not know when we will be called home.  Are we going to sit back and waste our time looking forward to something else? Every time we wait for something else we lose that time that we have.  Is that what you want?  We need to embrace our time and enjoy the moment.

             What can you do with the time that you have?  There are a lot of moments to be had and shared.  There is a lot that can be accomplished.  Yes, we need to make sure that we are working for God, and to be there for our families, and spending time with friends.  We also need time for ourselves.  When we rush around doing everything for every one we forget about ourselves and that builds stress, anxiety, and health problems.

Remember to enjoy every moment you have no matter what it brings. Sure, there will be some moments that are not enjoyable. We need to remember those are a part of life.  We also need to remember that we should not wish our lives away. Every time that we say we cannot wait until such and such a time we are wishing those moments away and we will never get that time back.  Do you remember when you were younger?  Now how old are you and what are you doing? Is there something you want to do? Go do it before you lose that time.  Is there something you want to try? Try it before it is too late.  Do you like to sit and drink a cup of coffee?  Do it and do not regret it.  We need all those times in our lives and we need to enjoy the moment.

OOPS!

I posted weeks 5-9 of the 12 weeks of Christmas.  I also scheduled 10-12 to post later. Something happened and week 11 posted and week 10 is scheduled for Monday. Sorry about that. After Monday it should be back on track.

Neely

12 Weeks of Christmas

As promised here is 5 through 9 of the 12 weeks of Christmas. I know you were beginning to think I was pulling your leg.  Well, I am finally able to sit down and work on it while I am waiting for our 20's/30's girls' night out to start here at my house.

I am now caught up and will have each of the 3 weeks posted on Monday.

On the 9th week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this...

(9) a chocolate and mini card gift box

(8) Christmas cards for mailing

(7) Recipe box for gifting

(6) a Journal for a gift

(5) gift boxes with the cricut art philosophy cartridge

(4) star album for my friends

(3) an event calendar for the year

(2) a picture frame using the my acrylix block

(1) and a layout for my family photos





12 Days of Christmas

When I was a first year wife at the Memphis School of Preaching the second year wives played the 12 days of Christmas with us.  They left us a little gift each day either at our door or our husbands' box.  It was really fun. This is the list of their items. 

On the ____ school day before Christmas the 2^nd year wives gave to me…

 12 Christmas carols

11 Hershey Kisses

10 Tags for Trimming

9 Gingerbreak Men

8 Bows for Wrapping

7 Chocolate pretzels

6 scented candles

5 candy canes
4 chocolate chip cookies
3 cups of cocoa
2 peppermint candies
1 ornament for a tree

I played this last year with the elders here at our congregation and this is what I gave them:

On the twelfth day of the 12 days before Christmas the Dean’s gave to us:

12 chocolate chip cookies

11  peppermint candies
10 Hershey kisses
9 cupcake truffles
8 Reese cup trees
7 bags of trail mix
6 Praline muffins
5 ounces of cheese straws
4 cups of cocoa
3 bags of coffee
2 coffee mugs
And a jar of Southwestern chili and rice mix (This jar mix is one from those books gift from a jar).

This is so fun to play.  I thought I would put this up in case there is any one out there that would like a different idea for the holidays this year.  I also played this the last twelve days of school on my husband for Graduation. I thought it was a fun idea.  I don't have the list of what I will do this year for my elders as I am getting ready to begin thinking of that. 

My Blog is Changing

I still owe 8 of the 12 weeks of Christmas.  I have them all lined up and just need the camera and I will get them posted.  I am working on my christmas decorations and then will have time to devote to finishing off the 12 weeks of Christmas.  I will post all of them at once to finish them out.

My blog is changing. I am trying to think of a new name. The blog address will be the same but I am going to change the name of the blog as it will not be just about crafting.  I am sure there will be some crafting posts but I am adding more to my blog beginning in December.  I am going to be adding Bible studies, Bible class lessons/lesson plans, daily Bible reading, Bible questions and answers (so please email me with your questions and I will give you a Biblical answer), memory verses, books, recipes, all sorts of different topics.  This will begin in December but probably won't be completely up and running until after the first of the year.  I want those who do not wish to continue to be followers to have a chance to unsubscribe if they choose. 

My first few blog posts will probably consist of the 12 days of Christmas that I do for the elders at our congregation. 

I look forward to blogging soon.

Happy Holidays!

Neely

Close To My Heart

Hi Everyone,
It is with mixed emotions that I write to you this morning. I have decided that as of November 30 I will no longer be a consultant with Close To My Heart. This is just not the right time for me. I have enjoyed getting to know each of you and making some great products.

I do have some ladies on my team that you will be able to order from when you need products. If you would like ...to sign up as a consultant one of these ladies will be glad to help you out as well. Please contact me for that information.

I will be making one last order on November 21 if you would like to place an order. The special for November is buy $25 in my acrylix stamp sets and get a Christmas Wishes D-size stamp set for $5. I will need your order and money by November 16. I will be out of town this weekend so you can email me and I will give you the total and then you can mail me a check.  

Also,  I have not had a chance to work on the twelve weeks of Christmas but I will finish that up next week when I get back from my trip and you will receive all 12 weeks.

I do apologize if you receive this twice or more...

Thank you all for the time we have had,
Neely

November Stamp of the Month Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop highlighting this month's stamp set, "Cherish the Day".  This stamp set allows for some great versatility so hop with us and see what creativity we have to share with you!

If you have arrived here from Tonya's Blog you are on the right track! So... let's get started!

I hope to have a creation up soon. My mom fell and dislocated her shoulder and it is broken in two places as well and I wasn't able to make my creation since I waited until the last minute. Sorry.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by... 

Now hop on over to Kim's Blog where you will find another inspirational use of this stamp set!

12 Weeks of Christmas

Sorry I have not gotten these on Monday's yet.  I should have a few posts programmed this weekend to help with that. 

Today we are showcasing a star album. These are so fun to make.  You can make these with 9 sheets of cardstock and 2 b&t papers.  These are called star albums because once you put them together you can open them up and they make a star. These can be tied into the star shape to show off your pictures. 

Sorry I cannot seem to get this thing to rotate.



 

I have all of these made and you can also make them with school colors and put the school initials on the front. Such as: CHS, CMS, BMS, etc. Or you can put the last name of the family or the grade the teacher is teaching.   You can also go red and green and use christmas on the front.  The possibilities are endless.  All of these are for sale at $5.  If you do not live in this area it will be $5 plus shipping.  Contact me today to purchase one of these or make you one. These are great christmas gifts for family, friends, or teachers. 



On the fourth week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this....

a star album for my friends,
an event calendar for the year,
a picture frame using the my acrylix block,
and a layout for my family photos.



12 Weeks of Christmas

Ok. This should get me caught up with the 12 weeks of Christmas.  I was only a couple behind. That wasn't as many as I was thinking. 

On the third week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this....
an event calendar for the year,
a picture frame using the my acrylix block,
and a layout for my family photos.

P.S. You can either make them yourself or order them already made from me.

12 Weeks of Christmas

O.k. So where are we?  I completely missed the second posting of the 12 weeks of Christmas. My bad.  The Fall Festival last night was a lot of fun. My girls enjoyed it emensly. I got my hair spray glittered and they had theirs colored.  Well, the color is still in their scalp even we shampooed this morning. I guess we will try again tonight.  It isn't as noticable in the brunette's hair but the blonde well, let's just say it has a pink strip down the middle this morning :).

On to the fun....

On the second week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this....
a picture frame using the my acrylix block
and a layout for my family photos. 

Keep checking as I will get caught up this week on the 12 weeks of Christmas and we will be ready to go. 

Happy Creating!

Masking with Milepost Shapes and Re-Inker

Welcome to our Technique Blog Hop!  This month there are 11 of us highlighting the “ Masking Using Milepost shapes and reinker” Technique as shown on page 15 in the Autumn/Winter 2011 Idea Book!  This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique.  If you would like to start from the beginning, please visit this link Shirley's Blog. While there you will also find a listing of all participants and their blog addresses if you should get lost or want to reference a blog along the way.  Let’s get started!

If you are coming from Shirley's Blog Blog, you are on the right track! 

I used the create a paint pearl shade, sky re-inker and cut a 2 inch snowflake out from the cricuit to change up this technique. The book uses the re-inker with milepost shapes.

Details of technique and your variation:

I cut a 2 inch snowflake from the new art philosophy cricuit cartridge and placed it in the space I wanted on my colonial white cardstock. I then used a small jar and mixed create a shade pearl paint with sky re-inker to my desired shade. Then I used a sponge dauber to dip in the color mixture.  I placed the snowflake on the colonial white cardstock and then painted over the entire piece of colonial white. I then picked up the snowflake and tada!

Supply List: 

Chocolate cardstock #X5643

Colonial White cardstock #1388

Art Philosophy Cricuit cartridge #Z1686

Creat a shade Pearl Paint # Z1039

Sky re-inker # Z2294

Sky ink # Z2194

Chocolate striped ribbon #Z1617

Countdown stamp set #B1390

Thanks for stopping by!  Please continue onto Bethany's Blog where you will find some additional artwork highlighting this technique!  Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation and happy hopping!

12 weeks of Christmas

I know, I know, but yes it is 12 weeks until Christmas.  Dont' worry you don't have to feel stressed yet.  In fact, I will be giving you tips and ideas for the next twelve weeks so check back each Monday for the next fun tip, idea, or gift. 

Today you can begin by checking out the October stamp of the month mini blog hop I posted on the 30th of September.  I made this layout and as you can see it does not have pictures. That is because this layout is made for our new family Christmas pictures that we will take for this year. 

On the first week of the 12 weeks before Christmas I created this...
a layout for my family photos.

October Stamp of the Month Mini Blog Hop

Welcome to our Stamp of the Month Blog Hop highlighing this month's stamp set, Holiday Magic.  We are thrilled to showcase some fun uses for this gorgeous stamp set!

This hop is one big circle so feel free to start here and move through the entire loop.  You can also find a complete listing of all 13 participants by visiting Melissa's Blog. If you have arrived here from Sheila's Blog, you are on the right track!  So... let's get started!

I created this layout so I could be ready for our family Christmas photos. I have already asked a friend to take some family pictures at Christmas and so now I just need to add pictures. I did add our individual names on the top of each of the stockings. Unfortunately you can not see it. (And yes, the stockings are supposed to go down in a slope).

Supply List
Holiday Magic S1110
Elemental paper pack X7141B
Opaques Licorice Z1335
Baroque alphabet set E1006
Cranberry ribbon rounds Z1209
Cranberry stamp pad Z2116
Olive Z2137
Black Z2105
Desert Sand Z2118
Imagine How to Book layout title Role Play

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.  I would appreciate a comment or two, if you so feel led.  Now hop on over to Kim's Blog where you will find another inspirational use of this stamp set!

Happy hoppin'!

Girls' Night Out!

Are you interested in some fun out with your friends?  Choose one of these dates and invite me and some of your friends over to play with some great crafting products.  Learn a new technique or how to scrapbook or make a card. 

October 13
October 27
November 3
November 17

October Newsletter

Cropping Order

Do you love to go to a crop but when you get there you realize you have left some key items or you didn’t bring enough to work on or you brought way to much?  Here is a list of items to take so you will have what you need. 

Pictures

Cardstock (about 2-3 sheets per set of pictures)

Base pages for your layouts (2 per layout)

B&T (patterned paper 2 different types per set of pictures)

How to Book

Scissors

Paper trimmer

Adhesive

Work surface

Stamps (if you use them)

Ink

Markers or pens for journaling

Embellishments

Ribbon

Pen/pencil

Sticky notes or paper (to make notes in case you are stumped or forgot something you want to put on your layout)

STAMP OF THE MONTH

Our stamp of the month  program has changed.  You now can buy the stamp of the month for $17.95 or purchase $50 in products and pay $5. 

CARD CLASS

Join the card class and have a fun time and make 10 cards.  This class meets each month and features one of our new paper packs and embellishments.  The next three months dates and rSVp dates are listed so you can sign up and plan to be here!

Date: Oct 11

RSVp: Oct 3

Dreamin Paper pack

Date: November 8

RSVP: oCTOBER 24

Believe Paper Pack

DATE: December 6

RSVP: November 22

Wonderland paper pack

 CHRISTMAS CARDS WORKSHOP

This workshop will have your cards made and ready for mailing in record time.  There will be no stress for the holidays this year.  $25 make 25 cards and get a card box for storage.  You choose your paper pack. Great for personal use or as a gift for giving.

Date: October 22

RSVp: October 10

 ADVENT CALENDAR

This fun workshop will feature the new my creations Memory box game.  You can see this workshop in your idea book on page 54. The cost is 20.

Date:  November 1

RSVP: October 21

MINI ALBUM WORKSHOP

This mini album workshop will feature our new kraft 6x6 cards. This will be a great gift or keepsake of this year’s holiday events.  The cost is $20.

Date: November 29

RSVP: November 14

EVENT CALENDAR

This event calendar workshop is $10.  This workshop uses our event calendar and 3x3 sized of our b&t papers for each of the months. This will be a fun class and is a great gift.

Date: December 13

RSVP: November 29

LAST MINUTE GIFTS

These last minute gifts will include gift tags, boxes, and a nugget card tray and a set of 5 monogrammed cards.  This workshop will be $15.

Date: December 17

RSVP: December 5

WANT TO MAKE SOME EXTRA MONEY?

Are you interested in having fun and making a little extra money for the holidays?  CTMH is the answer for you.  Join my team and CTMH and receive an add-on set free. You may

Purchase any of the add-ons, all or none.  The add-ons are $40 a piece.

This offer is only good for the month of October.

 

CHOOSE FROM ONE OF THESE THREE FOR FREE!