Goodbye 2008 - Hello 2009

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and is ready for a great New Year. I decided today's post should be a compilation of Christmas pics...seeing as how I just found the camera cord this morning :)

These are the four handmade cards I received this year - I think there is a theme with the exception of the top left which is from my friend Ash, top right is from AnAggieBug (Jennifer), bottom left is from MommaJen (Jennie) and bottom right is from JJGreeley Paper Designs (Jennifer). So what I mean by theme is the giver's name.

Here is my MIL --

Here is hubby --

Hubby's sister --

Hubby's oldest brother and SIL with sister in background --

Here is hubby's other brother--
Now to the goodies...these were my miscellaneous stocking stuffers --

And from his Mom, a Wii with the Fit bundle --

Scrapbooking/Crafting supplies; one can never go wrong with these --

Our friends came over and this is the expectant mother opening her musical mobile and baby bedding set which our entire clan gave to her --

And this is the soon to be grandma and aunt opening their gifts --

We had a great gathering of family and friends several times over and we received alot of wonderful gifts including cash, gift cards, lotto tickets, games, plant holders, candles and books all of which I did not photo. I also did not photo each gathering. I only managed these photos from the inlaws gathering just because it was at our house.

I hope everyone had a great year and has a safe celebration tonight, if you stay up that late :). I am looking forward to a great 2009 and to see what God has planned for us this year.

360 miles down...460 to go!

That's right. I'm almost halfway done with my travels. YaY!!! This past weekend I went to my BFF's and spent Saturday and Sunday morning with them (lots of pics) before going to my Gma's Christmas Sunday afternoon (no pics). Here they are...
Little R opening his bday gift from me (he turned 6 two weeks ago) --

I think he had more fun playing with the ribbon --

I take that back, I bought him a game for his new Wii and he is having fun --

Little miss priss or princess not feeling very well --

She was enthused by the Wii activity on the TV screen --

Now she is having fun with an empty paper towel roll, doesn't take much to amuze them at that age --

Oohh, toys galore --
Can you tell by the number of pics I take I love these kiddos and enjoy spending time with them? I am working through Wednesday and begin my travels again on Christmas Day. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful "short" week at work :) Check it out - I am quickly approaching 1,500 hits. I can't believe it!

Merry Christmas!

Many of you received this cute message in an email a few days ago. Since the pic didn't transfer correctly in the email, I decided to use it as today's post. I begin the first part of my Christmas travels tomorrow. Some of you may start celebrating Christmas early like me...so I wanted to send my wishes to you early. May you have safe travels (if you travel), wonderful food, exciting gifts and most of all memorable time spent with family and friends remembering the reason we celebrate the season!IF A FAT GUY GRABS YOU AND PUTS YOU IN A BAG...DON'T WORRY I TOLD SANTA I WANTED A GOOD FRIEND FOR CHRISTMAS!

I HATE a THIEF!!!

I don't like to use the word hate; I think it is harsh, but sometimes it fits. Our riding lawn mower was stolen. I couldn't believe it. I immediately started checking on other things - hubby's tools, etc. Nothing else seems to be stolen, which is so bizarre...but I guess they knew what they wanted - and they took it. I say they, because I know it would have taken two people to move this large, heavy lawn tractor as they call them in the stores. What worries me the most is that we have been violated. Coincidentally, I read the online news this morning and there was an article in which the sheriff of our county was interviewed saying burglaries and thefts are on the rise right now in our county and that this one particular rural subdivision was the highest hit area. Well, our house is 2 miles from this subdivision. Aack! I will be reporting this to the Sheriff's office today. I still can't believe it :( This kind of thing really makes you change the way you live and watch everything closely. I hope everyone has a great day.

Decorating for Christmas

This is my favorite time of year. Here are some pics of my house decorated for Christmas. These are only a few...I'll post more next week. I decorate to the MAX :) I put up all the decor myself including the lights. Except this year, my sis helped me put up and decorate the tree.

This is the front of our house (if you couldn't tell). The lights hanging in the windows are a Santa, a candy cane and a candlestick on a tray. The front porch has a wooden Santa and a Snowman, but those are hard to see --
One of my favorites; a handmade, handpainted ceramic nativity scene made by my Gma who passed away when I was 10. It is so large - it takes up the entire top of our entertainment center --

Our fireplace and mantel; we have a large fireplace in the corner of our living room in a quarter circle shape. Its kinda strange with dark brick and very hard to decorate --

Our Tree - I have a theme with my ornaments; gold, silver, pearl and red. Its in our dining room in front of the bay window...and it even has a train under it (also ceramic made by Gma) --

Have a great weekend bloggers!

Christmas Cupcakes

These cupcakes are the Christmas version of the baby shower cupcakes from the post a few days ago. They turned out just as cute.

Snow in B/CS

I know I shouldn't be this excited about SNOW, but I am! It does not happen here very often. Now of course it won't last long, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does. Although I don't like the cold weather that accompanies snow, I love snow! I wish it happened more often :) Here are some pics I took at various times bright and early...

Our roof at 7:00am --

The ground at 7:00am --

My SUV at 5:30am --

My SUV at 7:00am --

My SUV at 8:00am --

Princess Picture Frames

I absolutely love these frames. My friend Jennifer was selling these and I thought they were perfect for Christmas gifts for Baby S and Baby E. I know their mommies will love them - because they are both princesses. Thanks Jennifer for doing such a great job! I found the perfect pics for both of them :)
Baby S - 13 months old
Baby E - 16 months old

Pics from Friend's Baby Shower

Most of you have read in previous posts that I hosted a baby shower this weekend for our friend's daughter who is due in January. She is 16 and a Junior in High School. With my hubby and I struggling/having difficulty starting our family, emotionally it will probably be difficult for us to, but we will support our friend's family and be there for them in their time of need. She realizes she made a huge mistake and she understands that her life is changing forever. They are our friends and they will need lots of love and support, thus the baby shower. God has a plan for everyone! Now for the pics...


The expectant mother...

The serving table...
The table centerpieces made by Me :)

Cupcakes - both chocolate and white with different color icings and coordinating decorations (thanks Jennifer for the idea, which she used at a baby shower she hosted several months back)...


The gift table - she had an awesome turnout and got alot of great items that she will definitely need and use...
Baby food jars - used for the baby food name game where you guess the name of what is in the jar based on color and smell. I had to keep in mind that this shower was attended by most of the girl's 16 year old friends, so we needed something fun to keep them entertained. It was a huge hit...

Ornament Candy Dish

Just like the Spooky Candy Dish from Halloween: the jar is from Target and the decor elements are from Stampin' Up! I think it turned out cute...except the candy is too much temptation :) Not sure why the pics look orange. I'll post about the baby shower next week. Have a great weekend!

Let it Snow Binder

Let it Snow - Obviously we know that will not be happening here in Texas, but its still fun to dream. I've been pretty slow lately making creations. I've been super busy preparing for a baby shower I am hosting this weekend. I forsee next week being alot slower with the ability to be creative again :) YaY!!! I am still loving my new BIA and this Let it Snow is the last project I made.

On another note, one of my best friends has decided to join the bloggin world. She is into card creations and creativity like most of us, so when you have time - check out her blog AnAggieBug.

Southern Living at HOME Winter Sale!!!

It's time again for our Winter Sale. There are 50+ items on sale, some of which are discontinuing and a few that will be in the spring catalog again. Browse the 3 page flier and if there is anything you would like to purchase, please let me know ASAP as these items tend to sell out fast. The photo link above is not working, so click here for the flier http://www.southernlivingathome.com/pne/pdf/announcements/20081201_WinterSaleFlier.pdf. You can also check out my website www.southernlivingathome.com/aggieladybug for the flier and our virtual flip catalog.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! May you enjoy your time spent with family and friends. During this holiday, we should remember that life doesn't always go as planned and things may not turn out the way you think they should. However, there are still so many things to be Thankful for! Be safe in your travels and Enjoy!

More Christmas Post It Projects

These are the latest projects. I will keep them coming. I am having way too much fun with my new BIA! The first binder in this pic is the inside of the one I posted last week, since I forgot to take a pic of it and then of course a post it clipboard...

The outside of the next two I made...

And the inside, the green post it is irritating me b/c its crooked. The package of post its was a little smooshed...

Large Notepad Gifts

As I have mentioned before, I am handmaking alot of our Christmas gifts this year. I've been working on these for several months now and have finally finished them. I bought these notepads at Sam's almost a year ago and had these four left so I decided to decorate them for gifts. I can't seem to find this size notepad anymore which is sad because I love the way they turned out. I have personalized each one with the recipients favorite colors and/or likes and I will adhere a magnet so they can hang them on their refrigerators if they choose.

My sister's --- She likes very rustic and neutral tones...
My mom's --- She likes bugs as much as I do and I love these bees, and you can't use bees with any other colors than yellow, black and white...

My sister in law --- Her favorite colors are hot pink and a bold green. She used these colors in her wedding. You can't tell in the pic, but the pink background has a flower/scroll image in versa mark...

Our friend's daughter --- She is the one having a baby in January (a little girl, therefore using pink and green) so I am hoping she uses hers to take notes on how to raise a child, given her age and lack of real world knowledge...

Stay tuned to more posts as I am going to be a gift making machine over the next several weeks.