Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year. However you celebrate tonight, be safe and be with the ones you love.
I am hoping for a good year to come along with the new year.
Hoping the new year brings lots of change for the better for many people in this world.
Martha Stewart Scalloped with 2 Dot Edge Punch
Basic Grey Origins Pad
and time to clean up now. lol
So how was Christmas? Ours was great. The kids scored as always.
I don't have my pictures from Christmas morning loaded into the laptop yet, so I will post those later.
We had a nice day on Christmas. We got up around 7am and did our family Christmas. Then we relaxed and didn't have to rush..which was so nice. Jacob wasn't feeling great, so he went and layed back down. We all finally got ready and went to my moms house about 12:30. We did gifts and then had a nice lunch. We had ham and scalloped potatoes and good conversation. We stayed a little over 2 hours. Jacob still wasn't feeling real great. So we left there, came home and unloaded the packed car and then gathered the gifts for his moms house and headed over there. We got there and did gifts there and then had dinner over there. We did some family pictures and then we left to come home. Again we unloaded the car...right into the living room. I had to finish up some gifts for another gathering we were going to. So I finished up the calendars that I was making (will share as soon as I take a picture of the last one I have here), and printed some pictures and framed them and finished up a blanket I had to make for my cousins son.
Then we got up early and went to my grandmas house Saturday morning. We got there about 10am. We had brunch there. Then we did gifts and played a few games. We got home around 4 and we relaxed before Jacob had to go to work, and I slept on the couch since it was now my turn to not feel good.
We took Jacob some Del Taco for dinner that night and then I was in bed with the babies by 830 that night.
Then the next morning we got up again and went to Jacob's uncles, and his girlfriends house for breakfast. It wasn't a Christmas gathering, but Jacob's cousins were visiting and most of the family hasn't seen them in almost 10 years. So it was nice to meet them and visit with everyone. We finally got home from there about 4ish. We came home and I started cleaning the house.
I ended up cleaning out every single cabinet in the kitchen and almost all the drawers as well. Then I moved on to the babies bedroom. That was a task in itself. I got enough out of the way though so Jacob could put together their new toddler beds. They were so excited to have their own new beds. So they even slept in them last night and didn't wake up once.
So then today continued the cleaning and organizing. Jacob started laundry and rug washed the entire couch today...wow it so needed it. He is so wonderful.
I continued in the babies room. I went through the entire dresser and closet. What once was no room for new baby clothes, was now 2 full empty drawers in the dresser and an entire side of the closet. It was so fun to put the new girly baby clothes away. I cleaned out the crib that had collected stuffed animals I didn't want to get rid of, and some "to find a home soon" stuff. We moved the dresser over on the wall and moved the bookcase. The bookcase is now all straightened and is all organized on top. I can't wait to get the beadboard wallpaper on the walls in there and the top half of the walls painted. I want to wait for the new baby bedding so I can match the colors I want to paint better. I don't want it to be off enough that it bothers me. But in the meantime I think I will go in search of the beadboard wall paper (that I did see online that Lowe's carries in the store) and maybe at least get that up before the baby comes.
I have so many plans and ideas that I want to do around the house this year, and can't wait to share so many of the ideas that I have.
I am going to take a few pictures of the babies room this week and then I will share the progress of it as we do it. I plan on doing that with all my "makeover" and "to do" things as well.
Tonight though..I am tired and heading to bed. I am excited for the new year and to put forth and complete so many of my scrapbooking, crafty and decorating ideas this year...and have a new baby along the way. :)
So I thought I would share this real quick. It is the same thing that I make every single Christmas morning for breakfast. It is so quick and easy. You make it the night before and just toss it in the oven the morning you are going to eat it. I don't even know the real name for it.
So I just thought I would share this.
Toasted egg bake....sounds like a good name to me.
You will need:
A large baking dish..like a cake pan size.
Depending on how large your pan is depends on how many eggs and how many loafs of bread you will need.
Cheese
Sausage
Spray your pan with non stick cooking spray.
Brown and crumble your breakfast sausage. I usually use about 2 pounds. Let cool while you work on the rest of the stuff.
Take eggs. For my big cake pan I usually use about 2 dozen eggs.
Scramble them all up in a bowl and add a little salt and pepper. Add just a bit of cheese as well.
Add the cooked sausage to the uncooked egg mixture.
Take the bread. This bread does not have to be fresh...I usually go for the clearance bread or cheap cheap bread at the store.
Cut all the cust off of all the bread. Then cut each piece of bread in half. Line the bottom and all the sides and corners of the pan with the bread.
Now pour the egg and sausage mixture over the bread.
Now top the entire thing with cheese.
Cover with foil and put into the fridge until the next morning.
The next morning. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In heated oven place the dish into the oven, with foil still on. Bake for about 45 minutes. You just have to check it really. If I use more eggs and the mixture is thicker, I give it longer in the oven to make sure it is cooked all the way through. About 10 to 15 minutes before I am going to take it out of the oven, I remove the foil.
Let it bake for the remaining time with the foil off.
When it is done, take it out of the oven and slice up like a cake and serve. My kids don't like anyting with it, cause it really is a meal all in itself.
The bottom of it is softer, and the bread that is left sticking up on the sides gets a little crunchy. That is my favorite part. It works out good because the kids like the middle pieces the best and me and Jacob like the outside pieces. So works out good for all of us.
My mom used to make this every now and then on Christmas morning, and then many years ago I started making it, and then it just kind of became a tradition for us and now I make it every year. One year we took 4 pans of it to Jacobs moms house on Christmas morning. Last year Jacob had to work Christmas day, so I sent 3 pans of it with him to work that morning....well I sent 2 pans and everyone loved it so much and ate it so fast, I took out another pan that I had just as extra (good thing I did).
Enjoy!
to you and your family.
Enjoy spending time with the ones that you love.
I am definately not rich, but feel rich in love from our closest loved ones.
The layout I posted yesterday was from all of this loot. It was from the stuff I won from Memory Makers. I got all this wonderful yummy fun stuff. So needless to say I didn't even touch it from that layout is the truth. There is still so much stuff to go around. I can't wait to use it all up. 
The other day we baked some yummy goodies. I just thought I would share some of the stuff we baked. Chocolate Chunk cookies.
Here are the boxes of cake mixes, brownie mixes and cookie mixes all lined up on the counter before baking. 
These were SOOO good. They are mini red velvet cupcakes with vanilla icing. I have heard from so many people that they like cream cheese frosting on red velvet cake, but I think it is too sweet sometimes. This was just the right amount of sweetness. I found these dot sprinkles, as I like to call them, at Walmart and love the festive look it gives to the already red cupcakes. 
I am so mad that I didn't get a picture of the kids helping me pour batter into the pans, but it was fun having them help. They love to help bake and cook with me all the time. Sometimes it reminds me to slow down and take in those moments because they won't be like this forever. Well I actually got a chance to sit down at my desk this morning and scrapbook. I just needed to. :) I have been wanting to do this layout for a long time, but just have not had time with the Chrsitmas madness going on lately. So I printed the pictures out the other day and had them ready. First I had drawn out my little rough sketch that I had invisioned in my head. Well then Caleb decided he wanted to draw on most of the pictures. So I just went ahead and used those pictures this morning. I didn't stick them down all that great so I can reprint them and replace them on the layout.
I got this Christmas paper from my Memory Makers winnings. After we went Christmas Tree Hunting I knew that this was the paper I wanted to use for the layout. I had a few ideas in my head for the layout...and I counted out my pictures and just started working it out in my head, and looking at some layouts I had saved on the laptop for inspiration. So with a combination of it all...this is what came out of it. I am really happy with the end results.
Here it is...
I love this see threw black Christmas tree. I have had these alphabet stickers for what seems like forever, and I finally got to use them and I love them. I also love this scalloped black dot ribbon. 
I didn't think I was even going to use these glitter Christmas Trees, but I ended up trying them and really like the way they just added a little something to the circle paper. On one tree I tied a little floss on and added a 3D flower embelishment. On the embelishment I added a green rhinestone as well.
I cut up the fancy shaped paper to add to the top for the title. I hadn't originally planned on doing this, but the tree paper is pretty busy and the title seemed like it was just going to get lost, so that is why I added it, and ended up loving that as well. This is the right side of the layout. I also hand journaled on the red and cream striped paper as well. 
I used the same sticker set to add the year to this side of the layout. The Christmas Cheer tag came in the embelishment set as well. I added some green rhinestones to the sides of it as well.
My overall inspiration for this layout came from none other than one of my FAVORITE scrapbookers Nichol Magouirk HERE . 
I really like this Memory Makers Christmas line. I only used 2 sheets of the paper that I got. The paper on the right and the left side of the photos is all one sheet, patterened just like that with all the different designs. I used to not like paper like that, but found I do love it, especially in cases just like this. It looks like I cut up tons of different patterned paper and pieced them all together...this is so much easier. I like that. Doing this layout this morning, really gave me the itch to scrapbook some more..thinking I might go clean up my desk from this mess and see if I can get some other ideas worked out. When I was going through the computer the other night, I ran across the older pregnancy layout and then I also ran across some oldies but goodies. So I just thought I would share. 
I can't believe that Christmas is so darn close. I am ready for the year to be over and start out a fresh new year. We have alot going on right at the beginning of the year already, and I am excited. Just last night I was going through some files on the laptop and I came across some older layouts that I had saved. This one made me smile. This one I did right before I had Caleb 21/2 years ago..and here I sit ready to pop with our last child and it is going to be a girl. I haven't even done my layout yet about us finding out that we are having a girl. I so need to get on that. 
Well the Christmas parade here in town was really the first Saturday in December, but I forgot to share some pictures. The little ones enjoyed the parade, but I think the big kids were getting bored quickly. I personally did not think the parade was as good this year as all the previous years we have gone. There were several school bands that were not there this year, Jacobs work wasn't in it this year with the big cement truck, and the floats this year were nothing grand. But it was something we do every year, so it was fun still. It was cold out this year too, but not nearly as cold as last year, so it was managable.
Here are some photos from the parade.
The boys. This was the best one I got out of a few. 
Here are the babies getting excited and all bundled up.
A school marching band.
An army truck.
Some little girl cheerleaders.
The kids school.
The kids school band.
A girl race car driver.
A firetruck.
Horses. One painted like a candycane.
Mini cars. The kids love these.
Santa and Mrs. Clause.
Another marching band.
An old fashion firetruck.
The statue of liberty float.
Mini trucks. The kids love these the best. They drive all around and wind in between each other. The are fun to watch.
I am so tired today. Yesterday was a long day. During the day we found out that Jacob's uncle had a heart attack while he was at his dialysis appointment yesterday morning. I guess he turned blue and stopped breathing. We were told he was without oxygen for anywhere from 5-7 minutes. That isn't good. The doctors put him in a coma to stabalize him. He was in the ER all day. He was not doing good at all. Jacob went to the hospital after he got home from work to visit with him. Me and the kids went up there about an hour later. The kids couldn't go in, but we sat with Jacob for a long time. They finally moved his uncle to the ICU at 730 pm last night. More of the family came to the hospital. I did go in to see him once he was in the ICU. I was told that he looked a lot better once they moved him from the way he looked in the ER. They did an EEG on him and won't know much of anything until today.
Jacobs grandma and aunt are flying out here today from Oaklahoma. I think they are going to be staying with us while they are here.
Nobody knows anything that is going on yet, but he is in our prayers right now for sure.
We didn't get home from the hospital last night until around 11 pm. So it was a long day for sure. Now we have another busy day today.
I have a few things to pick up at Target today and hope to find a few more Christmas gifts I need to pick up. I have a doctors appointment as well. Guess I should get off the computer and go get into the shower here pretty quickly then.
But quickly I want to share a card.
Even though I haven't mailed out all my Christmas cards yet, I am still going to share them.
Ok so I have decided that even though I love the creative process, next year I am definatley doing photo cards and just buying them all printed out . I made one card and really like it and it was farely easy, but this was such a long process to make 60 of them. I always get like that too. I love making a few, but as soon as I have to mass produce alot of them, I don't love it so much anymore. It seemed like it took me forever to make the cards too, because I could only work on them some here and some there. So it was a long process from start to finish.
First I heat embossed all the sliver snowflakes, then I went back and heat embossed all the red snowflakes. Then I went back and stamped all the white snowflakes with white Staz-on.
I had precut the silver glitter paper with the border punch. I had precut the ribbon as well.
So after all the stamping and embossing was done, I still had to assemble them.
I did them here and there as I could sit and glue a few together.
After it was all assembled I just tied the sheer white ribbon in a bow and tied in a piece of twine. I attatched the jingle bells to the twine and then tied that into a bow as well.
The inside of the card is just stamped with a red Merry Christmas.
In one night I got them all filled out, photo included inside and all the envelopes addressed as well.
I was feeling pretty good about it all finally and happy I finally got them all done...until I went to the post office. Because of the bulk from the jingle bells, each card was going to take 3, yes 3 stamps to mail them out. Many people suggested to just take the bells off the card....well that would require me to take the entire card apart...so I didn't. I bought some stamps and mailed out a few. Then a few days later I bought a book of stamps and mailed out some more. Now I only have a few left to get into the mail.
I hand delivered the ones to friends and family that we often see to cut the cost there. I am also going to bake some goodies hopefully this weekend and hand deliver some of those with the cards to doctors offices when I have my appointments next week. So it really didn't end up costing too much to mail them out since I took out more than half to hand deliver.
But next year I am so doing the photo cards. I have seen some beautiful ones out this year. I am doing the same with the baby birth announcements as well. I was going to make them ahead of time as well, but I just don't have the time right now and I know I won't have the time after she gets here. Plus to buy all the materials to make them, usually works out to cost a bit more than to just have the photo cards made. So that is the plan for next year.
Off to hit the showers and get the busy day started. 
First an update. This was the little happy guy yesterday. He looks so darn happy. Here he is with his new spiderman cast. The cast guy said they are a little out of date on casts, so he put on red and blue and then hand drew a spiderman just for him. He has been doing so good. He wants to walk, but it is just hard still for him. Last night he was holding on to the couch and the coffee table and walking back and forth a few times.
I have the order for physical therapy and need to call the insurance to find out where they will cover and the closest place to us to go. The doctor wants him to go 2-3 times a week for 4 months. Then we go on January 11, and the spiderman cast will come off, and he will have a foot brace for his left foot after that.
Now I wanted to share some Christmas ornaments I made the other day. I started with one, and they turned out so nice and they were so quick and easy I kept going. I ended up making 10 and have a list of a few more I would like to make.
This one was a white snowflake, but I glimmer misted it with wheatfield to give it a more creamy color to it. It matches the ribbons much better. This one also has a giant crystal hanging from it. This one is for my Aunt.
This one was fun for sure. I have a friend that has a few trees up at her house. One of the trees has bright colors on it. So I took a turquoise snowflake and added green, pink, orange and white ribbons. Then there is rhinestones and hot pink dots. Then I also used some orange stickles on this one as well, and green stickles on the year. I hope that she likes it.
This one is for my other Aunt and her family. Her tree is in red and white, but she is going to be moving, so I don't know if she even has her tree up this year. But either way she can put it up another year. I love the look of the red rhinestones on the white snowflake.
This one is for my mom and stepdad. For the longest time growing up we always had a gold and white tree, but lately she has been adding more red to add a pop of color. This one is an actual gold snowflake. This one as a giant gem hanging from the bottom too. The red ribbon on this one is velvet.
This one is for my newest little niece. This is actually what got me started on this entire thing. I wanted to make her a "first Christmas" ornament. Well it just all evolved from there... This one I did with her initial. I am thinking I might still add the year, but small just so she will know it was always for her first Christmas. I love the look of red, white and silver together. I love the little snowflake on the N as well.
Since I made Natalie an ornament, I had to make my two other little girl nieces and ornament as well. I did thiers in Blue and White. Both of these are the same for the most part, but just the blue snowflake ornaments in different places. Both of their names start with an H though, so I might add their name in there somehow so they will always know the difference in their ornaments, and maybe the year as well.
My brother and his wife will be celebrating their second Christmas together this year as husband and wife. I made them an ornament last year, and had to do it again this year. Their tree is turquoise and green. When I saw the turquoise snowflakes, I so knew I had to get the pack for them, and then had decided on making all these. I used green fine glitter on the date for this one. 
This one is for my grandma and her husband. It is in simple gold and cream. I had some white glittery thickers. I sprayed them with wheatfield glimmer mist to give them a goldish/creamish tint to them. Love this color combination as well.
These ornaments were so much fun. It was fun to figure out the best color combination for each person or family.
Quickutz Epic 6
