a little elf

I love happy mail, and this little guy is happy mail on its way to me just in time for Christmas decorating. I am on a vintage kick these days, and I have been seeing these little pixie elves all over. I think it was instant love. Happy sigh. Now he just needs a name...something more creative than Hermey - after all he doesn't look like the dentist type.

a wassail tea party

This is the story of a wassail tea party with Alan.


The wassail was too hot so we added ice cubes.


We used cinnamon sticks for stirring.


Alan decided to use his as a straw instead.


If one cinnamon stick is good a whole handful must be better.


And then after all that stirring and sipping we tried the cinnamon sticks by themselves.


Scratch that. They work better as straws after all.

I love wassail. And tea parties with Alan.

three years ago

Three years ago today the man I married slipped this wedding ring on my finger, and I have to say that these past three years have been the best years of my life.

I fell head over heels in love with Matt. He was amazing. He was awesome. He was my perfect match, and I couldn't imagine my life without him. The day he proposed to me he held a sapphire engagement ring in his hand. That ring was amazing. He had never asked what kind of ring I wanted. I had never told him. Several years before I had told my sister Lisa that I would love to have a sapphire and diamond engagment ring with white instead of yellow gold. I was positive in that moment that he had spoken to my sister. He hadn't. He just knew. I knew that day that God was smiling. He had been faithful once again, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

I still feel the same way today. There's something special about that guy, and I get to call him mine.

Happy Anniversary babe. I love you forever.

catching up

I am here and I'm alive! Yes, I am. Why haven't I blogged in over 2 months? Just day to day life busy-ness I suppose.

Just a quick catch-up with a little survey that I have seen on a few cute blogs recently:

Outside my window...gray, dreary, rainy, sad, Maine. I will spare you a photo of that.

I am thinking about...how nice it would be to live in the southwest this time of year.

I am thankful for...Peppermint Mocha Coffee Mate. In a princess cup of course.

I am wearing... jeans and a cami - even though it's in the 30's outside our apartment stays in the high 70's this time of year now that everyone in the building is using the heat.

I am remembering...how much I LOVED making my December Daily scrapbook last year. It was so much pure happy that I have decided to make another one this year.

I am going...to finish this mini scrapbook this weekend. There is a tie for my favorite between this little book and my December Daily. I love this book. I mean I REALLY love this book. Did I mention how much I love this book? Love, love, love...


I am reading...the December issue of Creating Keepsakes. I kept waiting and waiting for my copy to arrive in the mail, but it just wouldn't come so today I went out and bought a copy. Guess what was waiting in my mailbox when I got home? Yep. It was a justified impulse buy though. This is the last issue that Becky Higgins is involved with, and I HAD to have it. We are BFF's you know - me and Becky. In my dreams we are...


I am hoping...a cup of Peppermint Mocha coffee will be just the pick me up I need to finish up the dishes.



I am creating...something for Christmas presents from these, but I can't say what because of course it's a secret. It's going to be cute I tell ya!


On my mind...Christmas everything. All the time. We are not planning on a Christmas tree this year since we may be moving (hello, warm weather and sunshiny days!) so I have decided to create as much tree-less Christmas cheer that I can for our little family this year. I have a personal Christmas tradition of buying myself a new Christmas music CD, a new Christmas children's book, and a new Christmas movie every year. Today I bought "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" movie. One down. Two to go. If you have any recommendations for good Christmas music, books, or movies, please let me know. I am always on the lookout.


From the kitchen...nothing except for coffee...and "freezer water." I have this habit of wanting to drink ice-cold water so I freeze it until it's half-frozen or mostly frozen as is often the case. Yes, I know - maybe it's one of those OCD tendencies? Or maybe I'm just a water freak...

Around the house...a whole lot of quiet and this yummy scent: Vanilla Bean Noel. I love it when my house smells yummy and Christmasy at the same time.


One of my favorite things...my husband coming down the hall of our apartment building when he gets home from work. I have to stand on my tiptoes to see through the peep hole on the door. He always has a huge smile on his face when I open the door as if I just made his day. He always makes mine. AND another favorite thing? Being married to my sweetie for 3 years on Wednesday. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

this boy

I love this boy.


I love the little things he does because he loves me. He makes me coffee every single morning just the way I like it. He gets the car door for me whenever we go somewhere. He holds my hand in the car. He leaves me love notes on the coffee table. He is my world, and I think I'm the luckiest girl to call him my husband. I love you, babe!

through the viewfinder

Yes, two posts in one day! I amaze even myself.

I fell in love when I discovered TTV (Through the Viewfinder) photos on some of my favorite inspirational blogs. I couldn't believe how easy they were to create in Photoshop with a TTV layer. I love them. Love, love, love. Here are my favorites from the ones I created a few weeks ago.

kawaii

Kawaii. I have been thinking a lot about that little Japanese word. My youngest sister Rachel has had a Japanese student visiting her for the past several weeks and the girls wanted to make scrapbooks before she returned home. I volunteered to put all the cute paper, flowers, ribbons, felt cover, etc. together into kits for them to work on one Saturday when I was visiting. As soon as Shiori saw me she started clapping her hands and saying, "Kawaii, kawaii!" over and over. My mom told me afterwards "kawaii" means cute. Happy sigh. She made my day. So now whenever I see something cute I think "kawaii" to myself. And the little scrapbooks the girls made were very kawaii.