Headers from the Year

It's a Wrap

This year's gift wrapping included pom poms. I was inspired by Dana. She posted a easily tutorial on her blog. I also used old cards as gift tags...super easy!

“The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other”

-Burton Hills

Curve Balls

I have anxiety.... Really I've had it for my entire life, but this year in particular it has reached a whole new level and I have experienced panic attacks for the first time in my life along with high blood pressure. It got to the point where I decided to try some medicine for it, but it wasn't for me...it actually made the symptoms worse, caused me to be depressed and just all around out of whack.

For the past month I've been doing ok...dealing with stuff and managing the anxiety on my own.

When life throws the curve balls though, it gets tough. But really, there is no option except to wallow for a short time, get up and do it!

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Around our house...

The crazy Christmas rush is upon us, but we're trying to soak it all in around here. We made some homemade ornaments again this year. In true E fashion, he changed the design a bit and made some penguins. I must admit, they came out pretty darn cute!



Zart Frisbee Harrison is not such a rookie anymore. He is consistently flying back to the North Pole every night, even if it is 4:00 a.m. when he remembers.

My mom found these treasures for me last year. My grandmother made them. Someday I am going to add to them. For now, I am loving these! In the background is a stand made from glass items bought at the dollar store. I copied an idea from Lisa Leonard's blog.
http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/blog/decorating/cottages-and-bungalows-magazine-feature



Excuse the wonky posting. All the options are not working correctly in Blogger. It always seems like something crazy is going on with this thing.

Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day.
- Helen Steiner Rice

Bokeh

...eh? That's what I said a few months ago... What the heck is bokeh?

Now I know what it is and I'm sort of addicted.

It's so fun! It seems Bokeh is all over the internet too!

Peace, Love, & Joy

Every year I have made our Christmas Cards. Sometimes it's a lot of work, but it's been fun. This year, it was time to let go and explore the option of having them printed somewhere. Being back to work full-time has been bit overwhelming and something had to give. Honestly, it felt so GOOD! I took some photos of the kids, found a card template and ordered them. Now, I wait for them to come in. I am so excited to see them. I used Pinhole Press and used the Peace, Love, and Joy Template; the words seemed to match perfectly for the photos and the font color went with the colors in the photos...too perfect! I even found a discount code online to save $25.00.

Here are the photos I used. (E's t-shirt is a bit on the small side...)

This is actually the only posed picture. All the others (believe it or not) were candids.

Peace,

Love,

& Joy

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown

New and Old Loves

This man and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Thanksgiving. Can we really be old enough to be married that long? It's hard to imagine what life would be like without him.

And my new love...making my own bokeh. (That's where the hearts come from in the photo above) I first read about it when I was searching for ideas for Christmas pictures. It's so much fun. This is the Newport Bridge. You can read a DIY about bokeh here. I must warn you, it's a little addicting.




The chance to love and be loved exists no matter where you are.

-Oprah Winfrey