Hello Monday

I made it through the Thanksgiving holidays with only three extra pounds under my belt, which is amazing considering I pretty much tried to eat myself to death and spent the better part of the wee hours of one morning stumbling around an unfamiliar house in search of antacids.

This candidly captured moment of cousin Davina is an excellent example of how we all felt about Mark's famous smoked turkey. Thank you Jen for hosting and I will be sending a bronzed plaque to mount on the table proclaiming that I am the QUEEN of air hockey!

Tomorrow I will ring in the month of December with my completed December Daily album. I made it from scratch using chipboard for the covers and spine and then binding them together with Seven Gypsies gaffer tape. I covered the pieces with some Making Memories Mistletoe paper, painted the paper green and then rubbed off most of the paint with a paper towel. Then I gave the whole thing a light covering of clear glitter paint and added my embellishments. I cut the bird from SEI Wintersong paper and adhered it along with a little bling.

Inside pages made from whatever I had laying around.

I'll be adding lots more detail as the days pass and I add pictures and journaling to this base. This is the third year I've done this project and I absolutely love it.

And also beginning tomorrow, I'll be participating in this.
Anyone else?

Wordless Wednesday

Hello Monday

It was such a pleasure to sleep in this Monday morning. The kids are out of school for the week and Mark is on vacation, so there was no alarm clock to interrupt our sleep this morning, although I did lose a little bit of sleep from the squiggly boy who made his way into my bed for a snuggle in the wee hours of the morning. My father-in-law and nephew are visiting for a few days of hunting, so there might be some rooster pheasants in my freezer before long.

We're making our way to the Tri-Cities to meet up with the Jones clan for Turkey Day. I haven't seen most of them since Mt. Rainier in 2008, so I'm really looking forward to catching up and devouring one of Mark's delicious smoked turkeys. Our dinner will be gluten/dairy-free, which concerns me a little, but I'm keeping an open mind!!

I am almost finished with my December Daily album and will certainly be ready to begin recording come December 1. I made it completely from scratch, even trying my hand at book-binding the cover, and I am so pleased with the results. Just a few more details and I'll be ready to share.

And Ben ran in his school's annual Turkey Trot, receiving, along with everyone else, the coveted popsicle stick at the finish line. So important, that popsicle stick, but I totally get it.

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday Challenge

The word was STOP.
So, in the spirit of keeping with the challenge, that's what I'm going to do.
Who was I to imagine long days of leisurely crafting leading up to Christmas?
I'm no Martha Stewart and I hear there's a shortage of elves this year.
So I'll STOP.
And pick it up again after we're settled in our new home.

Hello Monday

I'm hoping this week will bring less anxiety and more calmness to our lives. The holiday season last year was spent in the throes of cancer and preparing for Germany. This year will be spent preparing to move. So be it.
I can groove to any beat.

We're touring some houses in Pullman this morning. I LOVE doing that.

Christmas crafting is in full swing around our house. I LOVE that.

Claire and her schoolmates will be performing their winter musical on Thursday. I LOVE that too.

Both of my kids are turning out to be excellent spellers. I REALLY LOVE that.

I spent the afternoon yesterday in the company of women, making art with my friend Shawna and our daughters. Lots of stories and laughing and painting and gluing going on. I was finally light-hearted after spending last week pumped on adrenaline. It felt so good.

Embracing Change

It's not really my favorite thing to do, changing. In fact, it's really hard for me and I usually try to avoid it, choosing instead to stick with what I know. But inevitably change comes and rears its ugly head and I am forced to embrace it.

We are moving. Not something I expected to have to do right now, but things have gone from bad to shit here on the farm and it is no longer our home. It turns out that despite the words people may choose to say to you, you can never really know what's in someone's heart. And some people have really hard hearts. Now, I am in no way completely innocent here, I got fed up and said a few harsh words, but they were true and real. It's not the first time that speaking my mind has gotten me into trouble, but I just can't live inauthentically. The current adjective for me around here now is "difficult", but I prefer to view my actions in this situation as bold and passionate. It is my story, after all.

So I am ANGRY and SAD and HURT. But I am also EXCITED and RELIEVED and so very GRATEFUL for the outpouring of support from family and friends and our community. We will be moving back to town as soon as we find a place we can call HOME. And good luck to Box 4 Ranch, they're going to need it.

In the words of coach Eric Taylor from one of my favorite TV shows:
"Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose".
Good way to live, don't you think?

Wordless Wednesday

Go visit Mark,, I'm too sad to post today.

Tuesday Challenge

My take on "GO".

Next Word Up: STOP.

Have a great Tuesday!

Happy Birthday Mark

May the next year of your life be as magical and fortuitous as the last.
I love you babe.
Have a great day.

Words of Wisdom

When our lives become pageants, we become actors.
When we become actors, we sacrifice authenticity.
Without authenticity, we can't cultivate love and connection.
Without love and connection, we have nothing.
-Brene Brown

Wordless Wednesday

One Little Word Challenge

There is a blog I love called One Little Word. For the past couple of years they have been posting words on their blog and asking readers to link the art that the word inspires. They have completed 50 word prompts; I played along for the first 25 and then petered out, although I continued to visit and admire. I recently learned that they are calling it quits and it really saddened me because I always assumed I would have time to join in again. Well, I've decided there's truly no better time than the present, so each Tuesday I will post a word from the archives of One Little Word, starting at the beginning and continuing for 50 weeks. I'll share my layout the following week along with the new word. Anyone want to play along with me? Just share your layout (whatever size or shape or color you want, it's your art) as a link on the challenge post.
This week's prompt: GO
I'd love to see where you "go" with that.

Hello Monday

Unlike many people, I like Mondays.

It's my "gown down" and catch up on blogs day.
It's the day I make my grocery list.
It's the day I usually bake bread.
And on Mondays, there's a little bit of quiet at my house,
that is until I crank up the music,
which I inevitably always do.


Here's my girl with her pumpkin.
It turned out to be a cute kitty cat.
Not an ounce of horror in that one I tell you.


And here's the crew before heading to town.
We met up with some friends for trick or treating.
The boys ran full throttle to each and every house.
The girls walked nonchalantly far behind and talked.
We combed two neighborhoods and have plenty of chocolate.
And I've had my fill of Reese's Peanut Butter cups.