BIG DAY for Jennifer Labre Designs!!!!!

I have seriously been DYING to share the news! I'm part of Jennifer Labre Designs Creative Team and she has a GRAND OPENING at a new store today! We've been working with these kits for the last few weeks and it's been killing me because the kits are amazing and I love to share my layouts! You can check Jennifer's stuff out at ScrapMatters!

The first kit, After Midnight, is seriously one of the most fun kits I've had to work with recently! The detail is tremendous! The feel of the kit is spooky and FUN! And there's an After Midnight FREEBIE up today as well! If you get Jennifer's newsletter, the entire kit is 30% off, too!

Here are 2 After Midnight Layouts:

First, my dd, Maggie, at age 7 1/2 months. I just love this picture!

And second, a Disney World Tower of Terror layout!

The second kit is Everyday Wishes, and it's a collab kit with JennCK. Another Disney layout for me, but this kit is so versatile! Just check out the other layouts created by Jennifer's amazing Creative Team!Congratulations to Jenn! It's a lot of work to run 2 shops. She'll continue releasing exclusive product at both ScrapMatters and The Digichick! She's only been designing for 6 months, and her designs just keep getting better and better! I'm so glad to be a part of her Creative Team!

Christmas Music in September?????

If you are a bah-humbug type, don't read any further. And please don't comment. :P

I always begin listening to Christmas music earlier than most. October is the normal month. I begin to think about Christmas with eager anticipation. The music comes out! Not 24/7. That doesn't happen until December. :D But I put it on.

Why? Because it makes me happy. It makes my heart soar. First, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I have never felt the stress everyone talks about at Christmas. I enjoy it all: shopping, decorating, enjoying the decorations, visiting, baking (well, I enjoy Scot's baking!), presents, cards, and the sounds of Christmas. I don't particularly love wrapping presents, but I can get through that by thinking about the joy in the opening!

Christmas music takes me back to my childhood. To happy family times around the Christmas tree. Decorating and sitting in the evening darkness, enjoying the sparkling lights and music. To visiting family and lazy, no-school days. Amazing how the first few notes of a song can send you back 2 decades in an instant.

I could never tire of singing about the amazing birth of Jesus, either! I love to revisit his miraculous coming to earth over and over again!

Christmas music makes me smile like no other kind of music. It makes me feel joy deep inside.

So, I listen to it when I feel moved to do so. This year it's a bit earlier than usual. Oh, there is nothing strange about me popping a Christmas song or two on throughout the year. But I've moved to playing it frequently when no one else is around. And asking the kids if they want to hear a favorite song (anything BUT Jingle Bells!). Does it drive my family insane? Maybe. But even Scot recognizes how happy it makes me to listen to Christmas music and dream about Christmas, so he puts up with it...with some limitations. It's got to be chorale music for him. I'm okay with that. The Cambridge Choir Christmas has been the album of choice for our recent car rides.

I love Christmas. I eagerly anticipate it's arrival. And I miss Christmas in the US like I miss no other holiday. I miss the lights and sparkle of the holiday season. I miss being with family and enjoying the special treats that the holiday season brings. And I miss radio stations that play Christmas music all the time throughout December. Mostly I miss the solemn Advent Season. A Christmas Eve candle-lighting service. Perhaps I'm feeling homesick these days....

I'm crazy. I know it. Anyone want to join me?

Scot's latest discovery!

Scot's talent never ceases to amaze me! He is intelligent, funny, witty, articulate, and a wonderful cook! In the last 6 years he has become quite a masterful baker, as well. This week he was asked to bake a wedding shower cake for a friend of ours from church. He had mostly done birthday cakes and was feeling some stress. A friend came over on Tuesday morning to show him how to do some "fancier" things, and he set to work. This is the final outcome! Amazing!The master, pondering his genius:

Baby in Blue Jeans

GK wearing the adorable outfit her Alliance Women gave her for Christmas. can't believe this was almost 4 years ago now!

Kit by Jennifer Labre Designs, Denim Darling. Template by Jennifer, also.

From Start to Finish

Scot's Thanksgiving turkey is the best turkey you will ever eat. I promise! And he babies this thing. A ton of TLC goes into this gastronomic masterpiece! Here's a layout I created in homage to Scot's amazing work.

Kit is Fall Whimsy by Jennifer Labre Designs
Sketch by Feeling Scrappy Sketchapalooza

Pizza Delivery

The simple joy of having your pizza delivered to your door! I called Domnio's pizza a few days ago and asked if they would deliver to my neighborhood. When they said YES I couldn't believe my ears. Political realities in Jerusalem are difficult to understand. It doesn't help that we don't have a street address or house number, so giving directions to someone is as specific as, "Pass the school and playground, turn left, then turn left again after you pass the big green dumpster!"

But Domino's came through! We hit a few bumps on the path and I had to talk to the delivery guy a few times. But we enjoyed having food delivered directly to our apartment door.

Now, I won't even go into the discussion about whether or not Domino's pizza here tastes the same as in the US! It was good and that's all that matters! :D

The Stink Eye

Now, this isn't just any layout. It's GK's Stink Eye layout! Kit is She's All That by Jennifer Labre Designs, available at The Digichick store. FUN kit! And these pictures just make me laugh! Love my little strong-willed child! :D

Turning over a new leaf?

Perhaps I feel inspired by my dear friend, Joanie. Or perhaps by some lifestyle changes that I've made recently. I just feel the urge to breathe new life into my blog. For what purpose? I suppose for my own amusement since I honestly have no idea how many people are actually stopping by and reading my blog. :) But that's okay.

My friend Joanie? She's pretty awesome, and though we live literally a world apart, I feel a connection with her and I miss her. She inspires me with her creativity and determination. And her big heart for the world. And her awesome kids. She started a new business venture as a Stampin' Up consultant and has a pretty cool blog to go with it! You should check out Joan's Daily Stampede to find some major card-making inspiration that is full of Joanie's personality! You'll love it!

As for me and my big lifestyle change? Well, for most of my adult years I have known that I have high cholesterol. Likely a hereditary issue. But I have never done anything about it aside from lose some weight (not necessarily eating in a healthy way) and exercising more. I had blood work done for an unrelated issue and asked the doctor to run my cholesterol check, too. It was high. So, Scot and I decided to do something about it. I began sticking to a low cholesterol diet. I cut out lots of things I love (or eat them in very small amounts these days!) like cheese, ice cream, and eggs. I have added oatmeal and oat bran to my diet. I began consuming 30mg of fiber every day. And we bought a juicer.

Yep. A Juice Tiger. :D I've been getting an incredible amount of fruits and veggies as a result of my juicer and my smoothie renaissance!

It's been 2 weeks. I feel better and know I'm making healthy choices for my body and my future. It isn't easy, but it was time.

Perhaps a combination of Joanie's inspiration and my new life-change endeavor have caused me to miss blogging. Perhaps it's a passing phase...but I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Bursting with Pride!

A super FUN kit by Jennifer Labre Designs (link on the right side!), Glory and Little Bit Black Alpha. Love this picture of my kids! :)

This was one of my first ventures out on my digital-own! I didn't use a sketch or a template and was feeling a bit nervous! It was fun to create from my own mind, though! I love sketches, but I think I'll keep trying to branch out on my own once in awhile!

BUBBLES!

Just back from an amazing week+ in Egypt! It's always great to see friends and hang out and have some great spiritual teaching, swim, and play games! I even won a Flip Cam!

But, when I came back, I managed to squeak out a layout. This uses the Bubbles and Blooms kit by Jennifer Labre Designs and a Feeling Scrappy sketchapalooza sketch!