Christmas Spirit

Christmas break went too fast. I'm already back at my apt laying on my new memory foam bed (thanks to the parents) and in the pajamas. Oh wait, I didn't get out of my PJs all day. Why if you have sore throat and a little cough? I had a great Christmas. It all started Tuesday morning when I stopped by Kendra's before going to work and Jackie was there! She surprised us all by coming home for Christmas. Best Christmas present ever.
We got home Wednesday night and the fun began. Mckenna slept with me in the movie room and woke up in the middle of the night with the croop. Poor girl, but somehow we still played in the snow. We ended up making 5 snowmen. I thought I had pictures of all of them. I guess not. Sad day, because the witch bride was the best.

Christmas Eve day we went to my Uncle's house where we got to eat and enjoy one another's company. We played family feud which was a lot of fun. Later that day, we got the snowmobiles out and took the kiddos out for a ride. They loved that! Too bad I forgot to take my camera once again. That night we got together as a family and read a few stories and the little ones opened their jammies. Then off to bed we went. Mckenna and I watched Elf until we fell asleep.

Mom Calls and tells us to wake up because we need to get started or it will take us all day. We all head down and the kids were going crazy. Halee loved her baby doll and knew it was just for her. She wouldn't let Mckenna have it. Jack got spoiled with a ton of Mega Bloks toys and trucks. He loved them so much. All Mckenna wanted was a tangled barbie doll and she got it. She played with that all day.

Here's to 2010

I was looking through my photos and I thought how fun it would be to show a time line of this past year in photos from my phone. I noticed I missed a few gaps of taking photos.







As I look back over this past year, I think it has been a pretty darn good one. Tough at times, but worth it. There were some sad times, hurtful times, crazy times, fun times, exciting times, and rough times. I will not take back any of those times. I have learned and grown from these times. It's what has made me who I am today. Here is to 2010. Bring on 2011!

A lot of this

My roomies and I have been doing a lot of this lately. Can't complain. Who wants to be outside where it's cold when you could be snuggled up in a blanket watching Christmas movies? I love every bit of it and I am glad they love it just as much. That's one of the many reasons why we are friends.


And for some really good news.... I am officially done with finals as of this morning! Now I can make gingerbread boys, watch more movies, go home for Christmas, and catch up on some things that have been at the bottom of my list this past... year. :)

Bring On December

When I was doing my browsing, I came across some of these lovelies. Not saying that I'm hungry or anything, but they DO look good. I have become a hot chocoholic this winter if I say so myself. Maybe that is why I am so drawn to these things or maybe it's because I am also cold.

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(Just Be Splendid)

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Bijou Market

First off today is my amazing mom's birthday! Happy Birthday Mom! I was lucky to go to dinner with her and most of the family last night.

Second of all: Bijou Market happened a couple weekends ago. If you didn't go, you sure missed out. I got the girls together to head down to have some fun. Just what I needed. Ann-Marie was smart enough to pull out her Flip video camera and show you a good time just in case you forgot to go. :) I had all intentions on making a video, but Ann-Marie beat me to it. It's totally worth sharing (thanks Ann-Marie). Oh and don't mind me in the video. It's just me being me.

Bijou Market - November 2010 from Ann-Marie Morris on Vimeo.

You have another chance of going to something like this this weekend! It's called the Beehive Bazaar. Have you heard of it? If not, go check it out. Let me know if you want to go with me tonight.

It's that time of year again

Come to American Crafts and stock up on a bunch of scrapbook supplies. Seriously, you do not want to miss this!


Since I consider all my readers friends, you can come to the pre-sale this Thursday from 9 am - 6 pm. See you there!

So Thankful...

for so many great things in my life. Here are just a few to name them off:

1. Of course, My wonderful family. -life wouldn't be possible without them.



2. the wonderful people I am surrounded by.
3. my health.
4. my job.
5. my beliefs.
6. the simple things in life that make me oh so happy!
7. happy/positive people.
8. the beauty of the Earth.
9. my talents.
10. the ability to progress in life.

I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving Holiday. Travel safely and eat lots just because you can!

Scrapbook Challenge

Sorry I have been MIA. Life has caught me by surprise. The first two weeks of November I was deathly sick with a Staff infection. I haven't been a very good photo taker so who wants to see posts without photos, right? I do have a scrapbook challenge that we scrapbookers at AC did recently. It was my turn to come up with a challenge so I decided I would put together a kit and this is what it included:

Supplies: Charming Collin Paper (35263) -Dear Lizzy Enchanted, Gracious Hare Paper (35252) -Dear Lizzy Enchanted, Forest Gardens Paper (35226) -City Park, Lakeside Park Paper (35224) -City Park, Golden Gate Park Paper (35244) -City Park, Sleighing Song Paper (35200) -Dear Lizzy Christmas, Reindeer Ride Paper (35218) -Dear Lizzy Christmas, Peacock AC Cardstock (71471), Geyser AC Cardstock (71469), White AC Cardstock (71081), Kraft AC Cardstock (71464), Fantastic (53109) -Thickers, Exchange (42694) -Letter Sticker Sheets, Whistle (59107) -Clear Stamps, Piccolo Dimensional Stickers (42178) -Dear Lizzy Enchanted, Mixtape (61733) -City Park, Assorted Brads (85504) -Dear Lizzy, Velvet Scallop Ribbon (89248) -Letterbox, Green Grosgrain Ribbon (89251) -Letterbox, Salmon Ribbon -Leafy (89289) -Dear Lizzy, White Lace Ribbon (58208) -Specialty Ribbon.

This is what I came up with. I was dying to scrapbook this picture of my cute nephew.


Thanks for looking. I hope you have a great week full of family, friends, and food! OH and if you happen to be in the Bear Lake valley this weekend, my sister and I will be at the Paris, ID craft fair selling some of our goodies! At least stop by and say hi. :)

Scrapbook Challenge 2

Hello there! Here is another challenge we did recently at work.



And this is how I interpreted it.

(Picture taken out my parent's back door)

I hope you are staying warm and cozy. It's pretty cold in these parts. Snow is on the forecast. :(

Scrapbook Challenge #1

Hello there! I hope everyone is having a fantastic Fall day because I think I am. So at work, we have started to do challenges once a week. We each take a turn and come up with one. This challenge was by the awesome Ann-Marie! We were to interpret this photo in anyway we liked.

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Supplies: AC Cardstock Kraft (71464), Peacock (71471), Crestview Court (35074), Lullaby Thickers (42959), Bliss Thickers (53031), Fountain (59200), Gazeebo (42176), White Laced Ribbon (58208), White Pom Pom Ribbon (58206), Memory Marker (6107)

This is what I came up with. I was inspired by the straw in the photo. I use yellow patterned paper and Kraft AC cardstock and of course the teal.

About the photos: I rode bikes with some friends over to Balloon Fest bright and early the weekend of the 4th of July. We then biked over to Kneaders for their famous bottomless french toast.

It's Fall

(Darlene and me going for a walk on the path behind our place)

I think I have said that before and I think I have said how much I love it. It's fall break for me right now and I am soaking every minute of it in. Yes, I still have homework, and yes I am procrastinating. It will get done after I have some fun for once. :) Have a great weekend!

Sorry

Sorry I have not blogged for almost over a month. Sorry I have not paid attention to you. I'm still alive somehow. Life sure gets in the way. Fall break is almost here. That's one thing I need. I'm going to treat myself to a craft night with good friends, hopefully some pumpkin goods, and reading a Nicholas Sparks book. Yes you heard it. I am making time to read a book and I am glad to say that it helps me pause on the things that I have to do that stress me out. It feels good.

On a happy note: There is this blog that I have been following for awhile now and I can't get enough of how cute this little family is and what good they do. They are working on adopting a baby girl from Ethiopia, but they need our help. I think that if I can give them at least $10 to help bring this baby girl home, I have done good in the world. NOT only are they trying to raise money, they are giving away 5 different groups of bundles that are valued $300 and more! (I bet you can guess the one that I want to enter in) I hope you think about it, but remember the give-aways end Sunday night.

I put The Anderson Crew button in my side bar to their blog. ------>
I hope you'll check it out. Lot's of fun stuff she's giving away!

Thursday Thought

With super busy times right now, I have to remind myself of quotes like this one.

Life is a challenge - meet it! Life is a song - Sing it! Life is a dream - realize it! Life is a game - play it! Life is love - Enjoy it!

-Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Bab

I tell myself to enjoy the present day and not to wish it away. This is a good way to look at a day if it's going bad.

Wish List

I have been racking up a few things that I want. I can't always get everything that I want so I will just have to stare at these images for awhile until I can have them.


I am currently in Photo 2 at school and carry my camera wherever I go. I still do not have a case for it. It has occurred to me multiple times that I need one. What a more stylin' way to carry a camera. It could also act as my purse. Man how I really want one of these. Just look how cute the inside is too!




Source: JoTotes


And of course, the lovely Polaroid itself. There's not much to say other than I am in love, but not in love with the price of film.

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Awhile back, my friend Mollie gave me this book called How to be an Explorer of the World by Keri Smith. I love how creative this lady is and her style. She has come out in the last year or so with these three books. I want all three and they happen to come in a box set! What a great way to show off your creativity!
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These are just a few things on my mind.

Halee

Today is this little munchkin's 1st birthday.


I love my little petite Halee. She's such a sweetheart and has quite the personality. Love you Hals!

Happy Labor Day! Since most of us have today off doesn't that mean rest from our labors? Not for me, I have a huge to-do list that consists of me catching up on homework, going out to lunch with some friends that I have promised, and hopefully putting everything together in my apt. It sure does make everything a bit nicer if everything was in order. I know that makes a big difference for me.
I apologize for not taking any photos recently. I don't know what my problem is. Well I best be gettin' ready for the day so I can begin my list of to-do's. I hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend.

Thursday Thought

I have decided every Thursday I am going to post a random thought or quote that I have found and like. This is what I found this week:


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That's what I keep telling myself. Who knows what's going to happen in my near future, but that is why I am always going to be prepared.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend. I'm spending my "last" summer weekend at the Lake. What about you?

Weekend Wrap-up

I survived the move! So grateful my very good friend Chris was willing to help me. It made it go by a lot faster. So thank you, Chris. After unpacking all my stuff, my next thing is to decorate. Instead of just doing brown and orange like I have I want to add some color. I love this picture. I am definitely doing something like this in my room and I can't wait to get it done! (if you happen to come across any cool ways to decorate; send it my way)


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Have a great week ahead of you! Mine consists of starting school and that's about it.

Cousins

Happy Friday everyone! You know how you just can't wait for the weekend to be here? Well I cannot wait for this one to be over. It's called moving weekend for me. I have a lot to move out of my apt still before I can start cleaning the place. It will be over shortly-I hope. On a happier note here is a layout that I made using American Crafts new lines: Dear Lizzy Enchanted and City Park. There are a few other lines of American Crafts that I used as well. Check out AC's website for the new releases!

(About the photo: Just recently we had the whole Hansen clan home for the weekend so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to take photos. Luckily we were able to use our backyard for the back drop. Unfortunately we weren't able to have a prof. photographer there with us so I ended taking the photos that I wasn't in. I am so glad to capture these three littles together. Oh how they love each other!)

What are you doing for fun on this wonderful weekend?

Carnival Love

Lately I have been drawn to carnival related photos. I am loving these images. They make me so happy! If you know me, then you know that I love color. I'm working on a project that will be carnival-themed. Once I get it all figured out I will share.


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Summer time

is about over.

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Summer time is definitely Summer loving. I'm sad to say that it's almost over since they are pretty short around here, but I am also excited for change. A lot of changes will be happening my way in the next 2 weeks; moving, new roommates, and of course school starts. I am going to have to kick my butt into gear when all these things take place. I hope everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of Summer.

Hansen Family Photos

We have been in desperate need of a family photo for a long time now. Our photographer was not able to make it up this past weekend so we had to wing it ourselves because this will be the only time we will all be together until who knows when. I hope they look decent.

































Can I just tell you that I love my family!?