Sisters

For the longest time, whenever my sisters and I would be out somewhere and we would see 2 or 3 little old ladies together, we would always look at each other and say, "That will be us someday!"

Sometimes we would laugh when we would see them dressing the same or have the exact same bottled hair color (usually a blue/grey). Other times we would sigh and try to keep the tears at bay when we would see one helping the other to walk without falling or helping to manage her purse and shopping bags. Then we would always decide which one of them each of us would be. If one had high heels or leopard print sunglasses, it would be Dianne. If one was a bit younger and cuter, Mary. If one had a totally coordinated outfit, me!

My hubby sent me the following email this morning and I immediately thought of myself with my sisters:

Three sisters ages 72, 74, and 76 live in a house together. One night the 76 year old draws a bath.
She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells down the stairs, "Was I getting in or out of the bath?"

The 74 year old yells back, "I don't know. I'll come up and see."

She starts up the stairs and pauses. Then she yells, "Was I going up the stairs or down?"

The 72 year old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters. She shakes
her head and says, "I sure hope I never get that forgetful."

She knocks on wood for good measure. She then yells, "I'll come up and help both of you as
soon as I see who's at the door!"

At first I laughed when I read it, then I cried. My sisters and I have a special bond that neither time, nor distance, nor life's circumstances can break. It started from the day we were born and it has continued throughout the years.

So, my dear sisters, no matter how old, or slow or forgetful we become, as long as we are together, we will still be smiling! (P.S. I am clearly the one in the pink bathing cap - it is my favorite color!)

Sketchabilities #9

Today is reveal day for Team 'D' at Sketchabilities. Even though I am not on Team 'D' we were invited to play along so I did!

This is Karan's sketch:This is my layout based on the sketch:

I really had fun with this layout as I decided to incorporate black - a color I wouldn't normally use on a Winter layout. I took my color inspiration from this photo of Spencer. Because it was mostly white with just a bit of blue and black, those were the colors I went with. I used my Cricut machine to cut all the snowflakes - even a black one!

Cardstock: Prism; Pattern Paper: Basic Grey, MME, Kaiser Craft, BoBunny; Bingo Card: Jenni Bowlin; Brads: Karen Foster; Border Punch: Martha Stewart; Letter Stickers: Websters Pages; Snowflake Shapes: Cricut

Thanks for another great sketch Karan! I can't wait until February 14th - the next reveal for Team 'C'.

Little Red Wagon #13

It is already time for another challenge at Little Red Wagon! Time sure flies when you are having fun and we are having a blast with our challenge blog. We hope you will consider joining us!

This week we were challenged to use hearts. I have a real thing going with Kraft paper lately, so I decided to use it as my card base and I also decided to use one of my favorite color combinations - teal and pink.

It is a bit hard to see in the photo, but I stamped the background of the card with a row of hearts stamp from PTI and clear embossing ink. It looks really cool in person. Then I also stamped the word LOVE on my ribbon. I have never stamped on a ribbon before and I was really happy with how it turned out!

Cardstock: Prism, Coredinations; Pattern Paper: BoBunny; Stamps: PTI, Close To My Heart; Ink: Ranger Clear Embossing Ink; Border Punch: Fiskars; Flower: Bazzill; Ribbon, Buttons, Twine: my wagon!

Be sure to link up your creation on the Little Red Wagon blog - we would love to see what you make! Thanks for looking ♥

For You

I have been in a real card making and scrapbooking mood lately. Maybe it has something to do with my clean and organized scrap space! I also have been wanting to use some new paper from MME that I recently picked up. So...

I made this card!

Cardstock: Prism; Pattern Paper: MME Be Loved; Chipboard Tree: Riff Raff Designs; Stamp: Close to My Heart; Twine and Button: my stash.

Little Red Wagon #12

Happy Wednesday! It is time for another challenge at Little Red Wagon and this week Carolyn chose snowflakes! Perfect for this time of year.

I had fun with this challenge and I decided to work with a Kraft paper background - something I love when I see other people using it.

I also used a couple of other things I haven't used before but have been in my wagon for a while. I used a polka dot stamp from PTI and my Martha Stewart Loopy Punch (LOVE IT!). Then I added a couple of snowflake brads from Karen Foster and some ribbon from my stash.

Now, if you decide to play along with us this week, you will have a chance to win some awesome BLOG CANDY! So stop by Little Red Wagon to see all the details and get creative with your snowflakes.

Poetic (In)Couragement

“If I have a hope, it’s that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me, specifically, into the story, and put us in with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say, Enjoy your place in my story. The beauty of it means you matter, and you can create within it even as I have created you.”
~ Don Miller, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years

The beauty of creation. It continues each and every day in many different ways. I was on (in)courage, an inspirational blog, recently and they challenged their readers to create a Haiku, a three line poem, using Winter as a theme. I missed posting it on their blog, but I thought I would participate anyway. I used this photo that I took a couple of years ago as my inspiration.

Freezing bitter cold
Wind, snow, ice at my window
But safe in His warmth

Have a blessed day ♥

My Scrap Space

I have been down in my scrap space for the past two days trying to clean and organize it. What a job!

My little corner had started to become a catch-all area and I couldn't even find anything anymore. It got to the point where I would just stand in the middle of everything and say, "Now if I were a snowflake punch, where would I be?" Then in trying to find what I needed, I would make an even bigger mess! It was clearly time for some major organization. I had all the bins, jars, boxes, shelves, hangers, and drawers. All I needed was some time to do it. So with yesterday being a day off work, I made my way in. It wasn't pretty, but I knew it had to be done.

A couple garbage bags and many hours later, I came out victorious! It is now a wonderfully neat, inspiring space that I can actually create in. Here are some photos.

One of my favorite things to do is use old canning jars, milk bottles, flower containers, etc. to put my ribbons, buttons and flowers in. I love how I can see at a glance what I have and I enjoy the variety of shapes and sizes of the containers. I also like to keep items in my creative space that I have a special fondness for: photos of special people and places, my special 'sisters' teddy bear (Bayfield), my Grandmother's tea cup, one of our dog's collars. Personal touches that provide inspiration.

I don't know how long it will stay this organized, but it feels good in the meantime. I think I just might go and create something! ♥

My Sketchabilities Reveal

Today is reveal day at Sketchabilities and it features my first layout as part of the Design Team! I had so much fun working with the sketch and this is the layout I designed.

Winter at the Lake was created using gorgeous Christmas Magic papers from Fancy Pants that I couldn't resist working with! I also used Basic Grey White Chocolate Chip letters, Adornit mini alpha stickers, a decorative pin from Making Memories, chipboard letters, Bella Baubles, a Martha Steward Snowflake Punch, Glamour Dust for some sparkle and Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Thanks for looking and do try to visit the Sketchabilities blog to see what the other Design Team members created!

Little Red Wagon Challenge #11

We are having lots of fun at Little Red Wagon and we hope you are too! It was my turn to post the challenge this week and I chose polka dots – one of my favorite things! They are just so much fun to work with. In fact, I was having so much fun that I created two cards for inspiration!

For the first one, I used Ella Lollipop stamp from Stamping Bella, Copic markers and Kaiser Craft paper. I also used a new punch that I got from my BFF for the scalloped border! The ribbon, cardstock and brads were from my stash.

For my second card I used another stamp from Stamping Bella, Papillon Ketto. I colored it with Copic markers, added a couple of pearls from Kaiser Craft and some Diamond Stickles for a bit of sparkle. The paper, polka dot ribbon, button and twine were all from my stash.

Why not give this week's challenge a try? I would love to see what you do with polka dots ♥

Winter Photo Challenge

Winter is here and although it is not my favorite time of year, it can be a perfect time to take some great photos. I had been browsing through some of my pictures the other day and came across some photos from the Winter of 2004. One in particular has always been my favorite.

I remember it had been a very snowy day and was perfect for building a snowman. So, late in the afternoon, Spencer went outside and worked for a long time on making the perfect snowman. When he was finished, he called me out to see his new friend. I still smile when I look at the snowman's face! And I love how he used flags for the snowman's arms - clearly a dual-citizen snowman!

Do you have a favorite Winter photo? If so, why not go to the Two Scrapbook Friends' Forum where we are having a Winter Photo Challenge and post it for us to see. We would love to have you share it with us!

Feathered Friends

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song."

I like that quote. I also like birds. I don't know when I first became fascinated by birds. As I think back, I know I was always aware of the beautiful chirping of birds even as a young girl. Then I remember seeing a picture of St. Francis for the first time with the birds happily perched on his hands and shoulders and wishing I could elicit the same trust with the birds in my back yard. (Sadly, it has never happened.) And let's not forget Disney's Snow White with the birds who loved her singing!

Over the years I have actually collected a few special birds that are now part of my home decor. The first was on a sweet little basket that I inherited from my Mother-in law. It is hand painted, with a beautiful little bird, and I absolutely adore it.

The next one I received was from my Mom. Her family always had the tradition of putting a bird on their Christmas tree each year. So one Christmas a few years back, she gave each of us - her children - a bird to put on our own tree. I like it so much, that during the rest of the year it is perched on a lamp next to my computer. This way I can enjoy it every day!

Then I have picked up a few of my own birds along the way. For some reason I just can't resist these sweet little things when I see them in a store!

Last month when my sister and neice were visiting, we went to the Conestogo Mercantile. It is a delightful store that carries an eclectic mix of interesting items. We walked into one of the rooms and found these extravagant birds!

My niece and I had fun checking them all out and deciding who the birds reminded us of (people in our family!) and which ones we liked the best.

How amazing are they? I didn't buy one, but I could imagine how stunning a tree full of them would look!

Beautiful feathered friends. Oh, I wish it were Spring...

Orange Cranberry Nut Loaf

One of my favorite things to bake at Christmas is Orange Cranberry Nut Loaf. It is a delicious loaf with chopped fresh cranberries and pecans. The recipe makes two large loafs so you can keep one and give one away!

Here is the recipe if you would like to try making some.

ORANGE CRANBERRY NUT LOAF

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 large loaf pans.

Sift together:

• 4 cups flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Combine:

• 2 cups roughly chopped cranberries
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts
• 1-1/2 cups orange juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients with wet. Stir until smooth. Batter will be very thick. Divide into two loaf pans.

Bake until brown, about 1 hour. Cool in pan, remove and cool further on rack.

Wrap in plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator. Enjoy!