Merry Christmas Eve

Daily December Day 22

Today after church I came home and decided that I would spend the rainy afternoon working on creating this planner for 2014. All you need is a soft back planner, some paper, washi tape, scissors and glue. I added in a set of mini stamps that I picked up at the dollar section at Michael's. 

I hand cut each of the tabs and stamped the months on plain art paper. 

I used six different papers for my tabs and cut two of each color. 

Once I had all the tabs completed I added them into the planner. 

I used the washi tape to add art paper pages to each weekly spread. This gives you a fold out flap so that I can add journaling for each week. It also added a place for me to added bits and pieces of my life ephemera that is collected each week. 

I choose the 8x5 size planner so that it is not too big to keep in my purse. I plan on added a small zipper pouch with supplies so that I can work on it on the go. 

You can find out more information on The Documented Life Project here, and here and here and here.

Daily December Day 21

Today we celebrated my sister's 50th birthday. My niece planned a surprise party. It was a success. She had no idea until she pulled up at their church. 

Afterward we took the girls shopping at Target. I picked up what I needed to start the Documented Life Project. This is a project where you alter a weekly view planner to create a planner/art journal/diary. I really am looking forward to working on this project. 

I started a few pages in the planner by adding in flaps using art paper on to each weekly spread. 

Daily December Day 20

Today was spent packaging the last of my Etsy orders. I like to creat unique packaging for the items that I sell and also create something that can be recycled into an art project.

I love how deli paper looks like glassine envelopes so I use it every chance I get to make packaging that is useable by my customers. I use it for ghost prints in my Gelli plate to create packaging that is both beautiful and functional at the same time. 

These are example of the various types of packaging that I create for my products.

Daily December Day 19

Today was the girls Christmas party at school. They had a great time and when I picked them up I had to get a picture of them with their teachers. All of them were dressed in red so it made for great pictures. 

Daily December Day 18

Today we celebrated the life of a very special lady. My Aunt Nina Burnham. She was a wife, mother, grandmother,sister, aunt, friend. She was loved by so many, and touched so many lives. The church was full and it was truly a time of celebration for the life that she had. We laughed and we cried and in the end it was a service that she would have been very proud of. 

The next few days, weeks, and months are going to be hard, but I know that God is with us. We have truly felt the prayers that have gone up for us. I could not let this day go undocumented and know that she would have have been humbled by the love that everyone felt toward her. 

Her little town of Porterdale loved her and they showed it with a wonderful tribute. She had a full police escort from the funeral home to the church and back to the gravesite. There were 7 police cars leading the way and the first one would drop off the close the intersection and then pick up the rear. Full lights and sirens all the way. She might have been short in stature but she was a giant in the eyes of the people who knew her. 

Daily December Day 16

I cooked Vegetable Soup for Dinner. It was a cold day so it was a perfect day for soup.  

I started and finished scarf number 15. This time I used Lion Brand Homespun just to see how it would look. I really like the fluffiness of the finished scarf. It is not as open as when I use a smooth yarn but it is so soft and warm that I just love it. You can still see the openness of the stitches but the loft of the yarn really lends to a very warm scarf. 

The texture of this scarf is so fun. You can really see how the loft and twist of the yarn is showcased with the simple pattern and stitch. 

Daily December Day 15

Today I woke up hoping it all was just a dream, but it wasn't. My Aunt Nina is gone. I miss her so much.

We spent the day with the family and visitors were in and out all day. The town has really wrapped their arms around out family. 

The local fire department changed their sign in tribute to her. 

Last night we went to the Christmas concert at my Aunt's church. She would have sang in it. They dedicated it to her memory. We went to support my Uncle and my cousins. 

Daily December Day 14

Today I lost someone very dear to me heart. My Aunt Nina passed away in her sleep. I am still in such shock and can't believe that she is really gone.

She was my Mom's baby sister and because of how close they were she was always like one of my 3 mothers. Mom, Aunt Jean and Aunt Nina. Always there for me and always my best supporters. She owned a little BBQ restaurant in Porterdale, GA and everyone that met her loved her. She always had a smile and love for people. 

 She loved her family and she would help you anyway she could. 

She never learned to drive so on Mondays I would drive her to work and on the days when Uncle Lawrence was out of town I would go back and pick her up. This meant that I to to talk to her on Sunday nights and then when I picked her up on Monday mornings. 

She was excited about the special project that I am working on and my first festival. All along the process over the past few months I would stop by her restaurant and tell her my updates after most of my meetings. She was always encouraging and excited to hear my progress. This really meant a lot to me to have her support me in this. 

I love her so much and I am just heartbroken right now. All I know to do is just ask for your prayers for the family. Because that is what all of us need. 

Daily December Day 13

Daily December Day 12

I finished another scarf. This one is a Chartreuse Faux Broomstick Lace Scarf. You can find out more information about the Free Pattern here. 

I made some mini Sweet Potato Pies.  

I love baking the leftover crust pieces because they are my favorite part of a pie. 

They turned out so cute. 

Daily December Day 11

Puppy photo shoot day. They are getting so big and I am trying not to get attached to them as I know that we will only keep just one of them.  It is so hard not to want to keep them all but I just keep reminding myself that they are not puppies long. I really do wish I could keep them all but I know we really can afford to. We are asking $100 for the other three and we have one already claimed even though we don't know which one we are keeping yet.

Daily December Day 10

I made 40 chocolate covered marshmallows for the 4H Horse Club Meeting tonight. They were a hit. 

Today for me was a super busy day. I spent the day "Running the Roads". I was drumming up business for my festival and I really fill like it was a very productive day. I got a good amount of commitments from the people that I spoke with and I'm very excited to see how it is shaping up. 

For the girls : it was just another day in school until we went out to Gaither's Plantation for the 4H horse Club meeting. That's when they started having fun. But it was so cold we had to have the meeting inside the barn just to keep out of the wind. 

For Tim:  he stayed home with my Dad to take care of him so that I could go out the work the town. I really appreciate what he did. (My Dad had two strokes this past summer and a few mini strokes since then so he stays with me everyday so my mom can go to work. Working from home has its advantages). 

Overall it was a great day. The sun came out of the clouds after almost a week of gray skies so it really broke the winter blues today. 

Daily December Day 9

I really love our mini tree. 

This is a iron cupcake stand that I decided to display some of my larger ornaments on. I really like the way it looks. 

It was raining so bad today so the girls brought the puppies inside to play with them. They are 3 weeks old now and they are walking pretty good now. I am trying not to get attached to them since I know that we will only keep one. 

Tonight was the 4H potluck party and I took lots of pictures but since they have so many other people's children in the pictures I didn't think I should post them here. 

Daily December Day 8

Today was a gray and rainy day. It was cold and windy as well. Started to day with Sunday School and then Church. After Church we stayed for Shae to practice for the Christmas play.

I decided it would be a good day to stay at home and cook instead of going to to eat. (We normally go out to eat with my parents on Sundays after Church) 

I cooked bbq chicken, corn and green beans with Hawaiian rolls and lemon meringue pie. 

Then we spent the afternoon curled up on the couch and watched Christmas movies. 

I can't just sit and watch a movie so I finished this chartreuse scarf and started a hot pink one.  I have had so many request to but them I am making a bunch to show. 

Daily December Day 6 & 7

Day six was a busy day. I forgot to take any pictures. We decorated the 4H Float for the Covington Christmas Parade.

Day seven: Covington Christmas Parade

Shae wore a cute elf hat for her ride on the 4H float. 

Cousins rode together on the float. 

Walking do the parade route was my job. All the kids from 4H passed out books to the children along the route

This is the full float. I wish I got a picture f all the decorations. 

They all pulled wagons full of books for all of the kids along the route. It was a really fun time.

Anastasia won the blue ribbon for having the Best Groomed Horse. 

That night we decorated the house and put up the Christmas tree. Shae got to put up the star. 

This is one of my favorite ornaments, that my friend gave me a few years back. 

These ornaments have been on our tree for about 9 years now. I purchased they when I had my retail shop. I love how bright and festive the colors are.