Great Gifts -- Christmas 2009

I firmly believe that the greatest gifts are those that are personally tailored to the person you are giving them to. This is one of the reasons I love giving gifts, but also one of the reasons I tend to stress about gift-giving as well. I actually take a lot of pride in the effort I put into giving gifts and I really hope the recipients appreciate it. If not, I always have fun picking things out anyway! Haha.

This past Christmas I received three gifts that were incredible and personal and basically just perfect. All the other gifts I received were great too, but these stood out as being particularly personal. (I don't want to offend anyway and want everyone to know that I appreciate every gift I got this year... Even if it's not in this post.) :)

Anywho, in no particular order, here they are:


- Sheets, from Denise (my Mother-in-Law) These are not just any sheets. Honestly. As much as I would appreciate getting a sheet set (really, I would) these sheets are just SO perfect for us. You see, Jason and I have different needs when it comes to sheets. He believes that a sheet should serve as a barrier between you and your other blankets (fair argument, I think a lot of people feel this way.) I believe, however, that sheets typically don't feel great and I would much rather have my super soft fleece blanket surrounding me as I sleep rather than a plain cotton (boring) sheet. Also makes sense, right? So, we typically sleep under different blankets with our main comforter and electric blanket (essential for winters in MN!) on top of us. Not the best solution, but we both get what we want. Well, enter Denise... who had the best idea ever (an idea that my crafty brain couldn't come up with because, dare I say, this idea is pure genius.) She bought two sets of sheets. One cotton and one fleece. She then cut both sets in half lengthwise, switched them, and sewed them back together. She basically MADE us two sheet sets which have cotton on one side and fleece on the other! How PERFECT is that? So far this has worked out perfectly and we LOVE them!


- Calendar, from Mom (Jason's Mother-in-Law... ;-) Hee hee!
You got a little peak of this calendar on this post. My Mom, taking into account my (obvious) love of scrapbooking, scrapbooked an entire 12 months of layouts for me. The best part about this calendar is that she mixed recent photos with photos from when I was little. SO great. I also get to enjoy this gift all year, and then when the year is done, I will take the pages out and put them in an 8x8 scrapbook. Seriously incredible and thoughtful, and something I will treasure forever!

Also, in September we will get to look at this photo for the entire month. :-) Yup, that's me... Newly born with a head full of hair! Cute, huh? (I wonder what happened... ;-)


- Socks, from Donna (Jason's Aunt)
Ok, so socks for Christmas aren't the best present ever, but trust me, these are. Since I wear Little MissMatched socks every day, and also bought her girls MissMatched socks for Christmas for the last 2 years, Donna knit me these tiny little miss matched socks! (They are tiny too! Like, maybe 3-4 inches long.) She told me that I was going to flip when I opened this gift. I hope I didn't disappoint her in my reaction! I was totally and completely impressed with the creativity involved in making these for me. I mean, who THINKS of things like this? Donna does, apparently, and I'm so glad she did! She put hooks on them to use them as ornaments, but I think I may mount them in a shadow box so I can hang them and enjoy them all year. They just can not be put away for 11 months out of the year. That is unacceptable. Now, don't you want a set of tiny miss matched socks? Yeah, you do. I knew it.

Test Post

Please ignore this post... I'm just testing something out. Sorry!

DZD4STMAFME7

Bruno Kitty

My cat is fat. He weighs 17 pounds. If I had to guess, I'd say he
couldn't care less. :-)

Ah, the Wonderful World of Disney!

In t-minus 16 days Jason and I will be hopping on a plane to vacation in a warmer, more happier place (the happiest place actually, or so I've been told!) We are going to Disney World for 6 days! YAY for vacation!

Even better than a Disney vacation in the winter? (Yes, it gets much better!) We are actually vacationing with our bestest friends, Kristen and Dane! WOO! There is no doubt that this will be an epic vacation. :-)

Being as excited as we are (and believe me, we are excited!) we are counting down the days until we leave. As part of the countdown Kristen has been creating these great collages and emailing them to us. This was the first one from shortly after we booked our trip:

And this is the most recent:Kristen said that this is pretty much exactly how it's going to be when we get there. Jason replied that he didn't want to be poked with a stick in Disney World. Kristen clarified that the stick is a metaphor for fun and happiness. Obviously. :-)

So, as we plan our vacation, is there anything we should know/do before we leave or while we are there? We are not seasoned Disney-goers at all (I have never been!) so we welcome any advice you may have! If you are familiar with Disney World, please let me know what your best advice is! I will be forever grateful for any info a guidebook can not offer... which I know is a lot! :-D

Free stuff for all you digital scrapbookers out there!

I have really enjoyed digital scrapbooking lately. I have definitely been digi-scrapping a lot more than traditional scrapping for some reason. Possibly because it feels more accessible because everything I need is right here on my computer? I don't really know why, but I am definitely enjoying myself. I have also enjoyed creating some digital 'stuff' for my pages and would love to share them with whoever may be able to find a use for them. :-) I have been looking for a way to bring a little more structure to my blog with a recurring feature of some sort. Not Much Going on Here Monday, or Why in the World is it not the Weekend Yet Wednesday have both run through my head briefly but haven't really stuck.

So, today I bring you the first installment of Template (or other goodies including but not limited to templates and wordart) Tuesday! Ok, so it's a little wordy... I'll work on it. The template design was inspired by this card I got from my Sister-in-Law (thanks Amanda!) :-)Here is the layout I made with it... A trip to the Sam Adams Brewery in Boston with my sister. Good times and free beer. Not sure what could be better really. :-)

Credits: Papers and flowers from Missing Spring Kit by Ange, Fonts: Worstveld Sling, Kingsthings Printingkit
Journaling: The last time Erin visited us in Boston we definitely had to take her to the Sam Adams Brewery. It was great getting to share one of our favorite Boston experiences with her before we moved to MN. Also, who could turn down free beer? Haha! We had a great weekend together doing all our favorite things one last time... dippin' dots, visiting the new Jamba Juice, Thai for dinner. Mom even came down with Erin and enjoyed sharing in all our odd traditions of when Erin visits. Now, to make new traditions in Minnesota!

And, here is the freebie![Download Here]

Let me know what you think and, if you make a page with it, please link me up because I would LOVE to see it (and would most certainly post it here with the title of 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeee, someone used my stuff and now I love them' or something to that effect).

A Blog for You to Read!

When I found out a few months ago that one of my bestest friends ever, Jess, was pregnant, my first thought was "omgosh, I am SO excited for you!" Then, the scrapbooker in me took over and my second thought was "you need to start journaling this!"

When I was home for Christmas I asked her if she would write blog posts if I created one for her. She said yes! Yessss! I love when a friend starts blogging... and your first born child is an awesome reason to start! So, I made her a blog... complete with a custom designed adorable header (if I do say so myself), fun pregnancy widgets, and lots of potential for recording the memories of pregnancy. Well, she has been blogging and posting belly pics for the last couple months and frankly, you should read it. :-) I am so excited for my friend to become a Mom and her blog is a great reflection of her excited ancitipation. Check it out here.


[Keep writing Jess, and keep posting those adorable belly shots! And Eric, awesome job at taking those adorable belly shots and, you know, helping to make this all possible. ;-) ]

Despicable Me

Those of you who are watching the Olympics in the US may have recently seen the short ad that runs for the new animated 3D movie, Despicable Me. Now, I'm not sure if I will be completely set on going to see this movie or not, but I do hold a special place in my heart for animated 3D movies (right next to the Garfield Christmas Special and just around the corner from MissMatched socks.) Bonus? There are cute alien-guys who are adorable and basically as dumb as a box of rocks. Ha! Reminds me of the aliens in Toy Story (which, in my opinion, do not, and likely could not, get enough screen time.) Check out the full trailer featuring these adorable 'minions' and try not to smile when you watch! :-)

So nice out!

Jason and I went out to lunch and then I went grocery shopping this
afternoon. Everytime I stepped outside it baffled me that it was just
so WARM! There were puddles on the ground! I got in my car and it was
actually hot in there! The sun is shining and the sky is clear and
it's actually above freezing!!! (Ignore the forecast for the rest of
the week... Just focus on the sun today!) :-D

Coincidental Motivation

Jason has been going to the gym pretty consistently for the last couple months. I am so proud of him! He has been running and pretty much rocks at it. He far exceeds me, who, if I was put into a position where I had to run, (i.e., I was being chased by a rabid yeti) I would probably die a horrible death pretty quickly.

This past week, feeling quite flabby and such, I joined him at the gym. I'll tell you -- it's pretty awesome. It hurts and makes me sweat and it takes a whole lot of motivation to go, but I get to listen to podcasts while I do it and it really does feel good.

My main problem with working out is that my knees hurt. I mean, they have hurt consistently since I was 8 years old. It's usually triggered by the weather or sleep deprivation, but today, I stepped on the elliptical and 10 minutes into my hour and fifteen minute workout I was in pain. It was frustrating, feeling pain so quickly and knowing I had a lot of time to go. So, I stepped off and walked around a bit, turned the Olympics on the TV, and stretched a little, then got back to it. I eventually started feeling a little better after I pushed myself a little more.

About 45 minutes in I was feeling tired and like I wanted to stop. I just wanted to rest because I was feeling like I just didn't want to do it anymore. So, I start thinking that I would stop and maybe do some weights instead, but skip the hard part that I had just encountered... I then glanced at the TV to my right and I see this:
I didn't really see this because I couldn't find the exact image that was shown on TV, but this is basically it. Sam Edney was getting ready to compete in the Men's Luge at that very moment, and spectators in Vancouver were cheering him on with signs. Even though the signs (obviously) weren't meant for me, it was pretty awesome that there were signs being held up with 'Sam' on them at the exact moment I glanced over at the TV, at the gym, ready to quit because I was tired.

How crazy is that? It was so much of a coinsidence that I couldn't just ignore it, obviously. So, I kept at it. I ended up with an hour on the elliptical and some weights and 10 minutes on the bike (just waiting for Jason do cool down on the threadmill.) All in all, it was a good visit to the gym and I have Sam Edney and his fans to thank for it. :-)

Happy Valentine´s Day!

Free owl cards and bookmarks at Living Locurto (found via Ucreate).

Whether you are celebrating or not, or in a relationship or not, I hope your day is filled with love and togetherness. :-)

Fun Free Stuff for Friday!

I have recently discovered some free crafty things online that I feel are worth sharing. :-) Happy Happy Friday Everyone!

Free Handwriting Fonts from Kevin & Amanda
Amanda creates fonts based on peoples submitted handwriting samples. A very good resource for scrapbooking and card making! Scroll down the page for some really cute doodle fonts too!

Free E-Book - "Create Ways to Enrich Your Life with Photos" by Nan Scott
Very nice e-book (PDF) that packs in the inspiration for those of you who love photos. Nan also provides a few other freebies on her site that are worth checking out as well.

Free Beginners Knitting Class by Annie of ModKnits
Limited to 20 classmates, Annie is offering a free online knitting class. If you always wanted to learn how to knit, grab your needles and sign up for this class, but act quickly before it's full! (I signed up, so we'll be knitting together if you sign up too! I know the very basics of knitting, but I know I have a lot more to learn, so I'm excited to learn more!)

Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit by Amanda of TaylorMade Designs
I have loved Amanda's simple designing style for a while now (see my blog header for evidence!) You can download her add-on kit Composure Plus from Oscraps and experience the goodness for yourself.

Free Digital Scrapbooking Templates at Simple Scrapper
Jennifer has created a gallery where designers submit templates for everyone to download. There are lots of goodies here if you like scrapbooking with templates (which I do!)

A Fun Layout

Keeping with our 7 year long tradition that Jason and his parents watch the Super Bowl together, Real and Denise came to visit last week. Most years the Super Bowl is very close to Jason's birthday, and this year, it just happened to land on the same day!

We had a great time being tourists in the city a bit and eating out. I also did a lot of cooking as well and I had a great time trying out some new things and not worrying about eating healthy for the weekend (though, I am regretting it just a little now!)

My only regret... Denise and I still haven't done a photobooth together! I wanted to last time they visited and we just didn't end up going out much. This time, I have no idea what happened. I guess I forgot...? How could I forget about a photobooth?!?! I have no idea. We'll just have to do it next time!

Here is a layout I made using some photos from the weekend. :-)
Journaling: We packed in a lot of different things on Real and Denise’s most recent visit. We visited the aquarium, went out to eat, visited the Minnesota Institute of Arts, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the waterfall and Stone Arch Bridge over the river... We also celebrated Jason’s 25th birthday and watched the Super Bowl!

Credits: Template by Christy, paper by Kalina, Saints button by ABCreations.

Right Now

Watching Ellen on DVR and laughing consistently.

My computer is acting in a way that makes me want to throw it in the snow.

Jason is talking on the phone with a friend in Vermont and it is proving difficult because of the awesome ridiculously terrible cell reception that Vermont is famous for.

My Sam Adams Noble Pils is almost gone.

Wishing for spring.

One cat is snoring on the couch. The other is hanging out under the TV:

What are you doing right now?

A Book Recommendation

I love a good book series. Reading an amazing book to the end and knowing that after you turn that last page there is another book just waiting for you on the nightstand with the same characters you love within the pages... that's a great feeling. If you have ever read an entire series of books then you know what I mean.
My bestest friend Jess recommended the Outlander series when we both joined Goodreads a while ago. I thought that it would be cool to get back into a series, but quickly forgot about it. When I was home in Vermont for the holidays it came up in conversation and she lent me the first book in the series (pictured above). I just happened to need a new book to read, so I cracked it open. It took me a bit to get into it, but I tell you, once I did, it was very difficult to put down. I almost (almost!) couldn't wait to fly back to Minnesota because of all the time I could spend on the plane reading.

The characters in the book are lovely. You grow to love them and feel for them and want them to be okay. You want to meet them and talk to them and be their friend. The series is part historic, part romance, part time travel, part action, part adventure... Something for everyone, truely. They take place in Europe and one of the main characters is Scottish, which basically makes me what to travel to Scotland next weekend. (No really... who's coming with me?) Also, once you are hooked (around page 50 or so) you will be very happy to know that all the books are around 800 pages each... lots of pages to turn, and they are all good!

If you don't believe me go check out the reviews on Amazon. Many mention that the cover and synopsis on the back of the book lead them to believe it was a typical romance novel. As you will read in the reviews, and experience if you read the books, this is certainly not the case. It just proves once again that you can't judge a book by it's cover.

If you start reading, definitely let me know what you think. My Mother-in-Law listened to one of the books from Audible and she said it was a great experience. It made her enjoy it that much more because the reader was good at the different accents and pronunciations of the characters. So, those of you who need something to listen to on the threadmill, definitely look into that option. (I am about three quarters of the way through the second book, Dragonfly in Amber, so don't give anything away to me! I am savoring the time I have with the characters since I know the series will be over before I know it!)

Three Blogs that Get My Butt into the Kitchen

I have been doing a lot of cooking lately. No, really, I have. I know I am not exactly amazing in the kitchen (or even good... I like to think I am an adequate cook, as I have never poisoned anyone before.) The reason for this sudden increase in culinary adventures can be credited to a few different things. One, I have had company. Jason's parents have been visiting for the past few days, which is always a good opportunity to try new things. Also I am unemployed, which allows me plenty of time to experiment and really take the time to enjoy cooking. Lastly,I have a few blogs to credit for my sudden yearning for kitchen happenings. This is mostly because these bloggers make it look so easy, so easy that even I feel that I can cook!

No Sincerer Love
My dearest friend Kristen and her husband Dane started this blog at the beginning of January. So far, it's pretty much incredible. I have gotten many ideas from this blog, and it has also caused a lot of jealousy that I am not in Boston to experience all this wonderful food with my bestest (the latest post is about the Harpoon Brewery, yeah, I would have been there in a heartbeat if I was anywhere near the east coast.)

I recently made Kristen's Sangria (3 batches, because it was that good and we needed to drink that much of it.)

I also made her Fettuccine Alfredo and the verdict was that I couldn't have made enough of it to be sufficient. It was so creamy and yummy and I'm kinda bummed that there aren't any leftovers for me to have tomorrow!

We Are Not Martha
The girlies over at WANM recently posted a recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Muffins that I couldn't resist trying. Chocolate and Raspberry together is probably my most favorite combination of food ever. I made a batch last weekend and two more batches this past weekend. I modified the recipe to include blueberries instead of raspberries (my MIL can't have raspberries) and as far as I can tell, they are just as good as the raspberry ones.

Becky Higgins' - Recipes to Share
I have made the Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes that Becky recently posted on her blog many times. Jason loves sweet potatoes and pretty much can't get enough of these. They are sweet and savory and really anything with pecans is something I will probably enjoy.

Cute cute cute!

Some of my favorite images from thecutest.info, a site with a goal to find the cutest photo ever. Happy Friday!

What IS this blog anyway?

I often find myself thinking about the purpose of this blog. I know why too. Most blogs I read serve a specific purpose. They focus on one theme. The writers post about food, or events, or parenting, or bacon... subscribers can expect something from these blogs. Maybe you love cupcakes, well, there is a blog for that (many actually, and I would know).

Subscribing to these 'blogs with purpose' makes me think I need a purpose. I consider my blog to be roughly 45% personal stuff, 45% crafty things, and 10% complete randomness. I often think I should divide my blog into two blogs, one for personal stuff and one for crafty goodness. This would make a lot of sense actually, and those that read my blog now can choose which one they would rather read. Sounds easy and I would really like to do it. (In fact, I would love to be able to design another blog header for a second blog of mine anyway!)

There are a couple things wrong with this idea though, and they are kinda big ones.

- When I think about it, I want my blog to reflect my life. And, when I think about my life (especially now that I am unemployed) I have to admit that my life is basically 45% personal, 45% crafty, and 10% random. In my head, it makes total sense that my blog reflects that about me.

- My interests change constantly. One week I want to scrapbook, the next I want to make cards, the next sewing, and then beading, another I want to learn how to use photoshop to design digital elements, and I have some weeks where I just want to read all day and take baths (those are typically weeks when I don't feel well, but they definitely exist). I feel that my blog reflects those ups and downs of my inspiration and interests and I like that. A lot. It's real.

- I don't like to go along with what people expect. I like to do what I want. People who have met me know this and (sadly) sometimes it's a big flaw of mine. I'm ok with that, because it often leads me to do things that I really enjoy as well. So, when other people in the blogging world have blogs that serve a specific purpose and theme, well, that's cool for them. It works for a lot of people and I'm really glad it does. Perhaps it will work for me at some point, but not today.

So, there you have it. All my craftiness and random blatherings will stay right here, all together. I enjoy the way I am blogging now and I need to care a lot less about my readership and how many comments I get and what my rating is and all that. At the end of the day, I need to know that I blogged for me and no one else. I love that people read what I have to say, but I say it because I feel it's important, not because I think other people will think it's important. (This being said, I do welcome feedback at any time. Please let me know your opinions at any time and I will promise to take them into account.)

They say that everything falls into place when you stop trying to make things fall into place. I'd like to stop trying to make this blog perfect and just let it be. Maybe as soon as this happens I will suddenly get a million readers and a book deal and I'll get to be on Oprah simply because I stopped trying so hard. 8^)

I'm glad that you have read this far in a very wordy post and I'm glad that you read my blog. :-)

Balance Layout

{Click to see larger.}

This is a digital page I made for a challenge over at The Digichick Blog. It's a great opportunity to document your One Little Word for 2010. It really is a good reminder for the year. I also printed it out 8x8 and it is now hanging in my craft room. (See that calendar next to it? That's a present from my Mom. She made it for me for Christmas. :-) Awesome or what?)

The digital kit I used is Revive by TaylorMade Designs. It's actually interesting that I was drawn to this kit for this project since this is the same kit I used to make my blog header and other images you see around the blog. I love her designs! The word 'balance' is an element that uses my handwriting that I made with my pen tablet.