Scrapping from the Heart

Tonight was my company Christmas party. Basil and Juliet came over to watch the kids, and Trevor and I had a great time. The venue was far and in the middle of nowhere. But good food, good people, laughter, and a crazy cold front that came on very quickly made this a night to remember. Trev and I even rode the mechanical bull. And we did a good job! Spread: Left: Lovely group photo of our center. Right: The invitation.

Today my heart was so happy. Not just because Taylor's class put on a Christmas show (and I thought they weren't doing anything), but also because Taylor actually participated and sang, and enjoyed himself! Taylor's Kindergarten class performed "Santa's Workshop". His teacher does this every year herself, and thank goodness she does! Taylor's school had no holiday performances for Kinder, which I thought was crazy. His class was so cute. They did a great job. Spread: I just put some patterned paper from Ali's main kit in the 3x8 page protector on the left. Right:

 Trevor and I will be celebrating our 15th Christmas together this year. I thought that was a perfect story for December 15th. Here's the spread: That "joy to you and me" card from the Jasmine Jones mini kit was perfect for today. Left: Right: I wrote a letter to my love for the right page. I shortened a page protector with my Fuse tool to 3x8. Looking forward to another wonderful Christmas filled with love.

 Welcome to day fourteen! Taylor really wanted to make a gingerbread house this year. But it's so messy and there too much sugar, and he made one out of graham crackers at school, so I wanted to skip it this year. He was a little disappointed, but then asked if we could make gingerbread cookies. That was a good idea. While I was out and about, trying to get shopping done for co-workers, I bought the dough and white icing. When we got home, I baked them. Taylor wanted candy to decorate them though. So that'll be for tomorrow. Day Fourteen is 3 pages. Here's the first page: I absolutely loved that "stop cookie time" card from the Studio DIY mini kit this year but didn't want to purchase so many kits, lol. So I tried my best to recreate it with Word. I love that wood veneer star from Ali's main kit for a see-through element. And the the spread: Back (Left): Even though we weren't decorating them to Taylor's liking tonight, we all had

Taylor got a letter from Santa!! Love this time of the year and the magic that it brings. Love Taylor's Christmas cheer. Love Taylor's cheesy smile. Here's day thirteen: Left: Right: I included the letter and envelope as my right page for today.

Day eleven was all about Elfie's antics. This morning, he brought the boys matching Christmas pajamas. I can't wait to see them in them. Here's what day eleven looks like: Left: Elf on the Shelf has been a great tradition in our family. It's so fun to watch Tanner experience the magic. He points and says "Eh-ie" in the cutest way. Taylor talks to Elfie everyday. It's so sweet. Right: I cut a 4 pocket page protector in half. I created a list of all the places we've found Elfie and what he's done so far this month. December = magic.

Oh for the love of advent. It's one of our absolute favorite traditions around here. Taylor wakes up every single morning with renewed excitement for what his Lego Star Wars Advent Calendar holds. He builds everything by himself, and quickly. And he's so proud to show his creation when it's done. Tanner has a Little People Advent Calendar. He doesn't really know what's going on, but he always has a smile on his face when his brother brings him a new toy every morning. Taylor insists on opening it for Tanner every day, lol. I'm glad to see both boys enjoying December. Here's day twleve: Left: The back of the 4 pocket page protector I cut up. Right: So fun to include the instruction to today's piece.

     Today was a super busy day. We were here and there from morning until night. I wanted to document this day as an AM vs PM kind of thing, instead of one story for today.      In the AM, we attended our city parade. It was cold but not terrible. I set up chairs and had the boys bundled up - layers, hats, scarves, and a blanket. Tanner was so cute to watch, he was waving at everyone. And Taylor, he was at the edge of the street waiting for candy. He's not as fast as the bigger kids yet, and he easily gets discouraged, but he still got a decent amount of candy.     In the PM, we attended Taylor's friend's birthday party. It was at Inflatable Wonderland, located in the Mall. Trying to get to the Mall, with crazy traffic and limited parking, then to find the actual place within the Mall - what a mission! I wasn't even sure we should go because Taylor has always hated bounce houses. He said he still wanted to go. And it seems he got over his fear. He was jumping in a

Epic. Awesome. Incredible. Fun. Amazing. And every other positive adjective you can think of. That describes my night. Tonight was date night, hooray! But even better, tonight we saw Billy Joel in concert. The Piano Man himself rocked out in San Antonio. It was great! Here's a look at day nine: I added an Avery index tab onto my cut up page protector. Day nine says "remember this". On day eight, I stamped "the story of today". Remember this 6x6 insert I created? I just love that photo of Trevor and me. Back: Right: Two 4x6 photos of Billy Joel. We had awesome seats! He put on a great show. I never want to forget this amazing night.

Pretty low key day around here. Wasn't sure what I wanted to document. I could've chosen a story about the mini trees in the boys' rooms, which I definitely plan on. I could've chosen a story about the potential freeze happening in the wee hours of the morning. I wanted to document my feelings of despair today as I felt that I'm really sucking at this whole life thing. I really, really need to get my act together. But, I decided to document Tanner's medicine. He is once again on antibiotics. This time, for something weird! He developed a crazy looking rash on his back, and since I had to take him in for a follow-up for an ear infection he had before Thanksgiving anyway, I asked his doctor to check it out. The doctor said it looked like strep! That's nuts! So now, hes on an oral antibiotic and an ointment. She said it should clear up in seven days. Poor baby, he just can't seem to catch a break. Here's what today looked like: Le

Today was all about capturing the magic. The magic between a toddler and a Christmas tree. December is all about magic. And seeing it through the eyes of a child, there's no greater joy. As soon as we put up the tree this past weekend, Tanner was unsure about it. He never got too close. He'd point, and give me an uncertain face, he'd even whine a little bit. But this morning was different. He stared at it, approached it, and extended his hand to touch it. He was sure about it this time. He was really enjoying it. He would touch the Angry Birds ornament, and it would spin. He liked that. Then he discovered we had a Mickey Mouse ornament, "nene" to him. He beamed. He touched it, gently. He was doing such a good job being careful, and exploring. He managed to take off the Mickey, and he just held it in his hands, staring at it. Tanner was so magical to watch this morning. I'm glad I got these photos. He ended up breaking Mickey's glasses. But I reassu

 Just an ordinary day, with an extraordinary gesture from a co-worker. This is December. Welcome to day six. My co-teacher was going to Starbuck's for lunch and I asked her to bring me some too. She came back to tell me our order was paid for, by another co-worker who was behind her in the drive-thru. I was so appreciative of this heart-warming gesture, I just had to include it in my album. I cut up the box for my kit to create this insert. It measured 6.25x8.25.   I adhered the photo of our free drinks, a card from the main kit that I cut up, some rick rack, and washi.  On the back, I typed up some journaling, and adhered that to one of the 6x8 patterned papers that came in the Paislee Press mini kit . Right: A card from the Paislee Press mini kit, a cut up piece of patterned paper from Ali's main kit , and a messy circle. I was definitely feeling the holiday love today. And I'd like to pay it forward this season.