DECEMBER 4

Today has been a very special day because . . . my hubby and I went to visit a very dear and special friend in our lives at Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael (between Roseville & Sacramento). Steven was at his doctor's last week for a follow-up appointment regarding his back surgery (he had the first of three of these operations on his back three weeks ago at UCSF)when during a routine stress test he began to have a heart attack . . . well he ended up having a triple by-pass on Friday!!!! He is out of ICU and expects to be going home on Monday. I marvel at what modern medicine can do now and can't wait to see what the future of medicine will be like . . . We are sooooooooo happy and feel very blessed that Steven will continue to be a part of our lives . . . Here is a picture of Steven with his new toy (oh by the way-Steven is a Catholic Priest) . . .

I volunteered to drive us home (hehehe-you know I had plans) and after I took hubby to a nice restaurant in Roseville for a late lunch, we then proceeded to the Michael's Superstore and the JoAnn's Superstore in Roseville. . . I don't know if it was because I still had to drive us home in the rain or because hubby was waiting in the car for me but I ended up only spending $2.00 on one little item. This is unheard of for me - I usually end up spending more than I planned or need (LOL) . . . Well, that's all for today . . . thanks for stopping by and until later . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

DECEMBER 3

Today is special because . . . we set up our Christmas tree . . .

The hubby and I decided this year not to set up our big tree, as it means doing MAJOR furniture rearranging in the living room! . . . soooooooo this year we are doing a table top Christmas tree. We were able to use the top and middle section of our pre-lite regular artificial tree and during the next week I will be adding our favorite decorations . . . hmmmmmmmm I wonder if I will be able to control myself and NOT put up every single ornament I own (hahaha) . . . I really love that special feeling you get when you sit in a dark room that is only lite by the lights on a Christmas tree . . . Well, that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by and until next time . . . Hug & Kisses . . . LindaB

DECEMBER 2

Today is special because . . . my granddaughter came for a visit and we made "Christmas Sugar Cookies."

While the cookies were cooling Kyra decided to circle what she wanted from her favorite christmas catalog . . .

Kyra circled just about everything, including a few "boy only" toys (LOL). It was now time to color some of the frosting and gather the colored sugar sprinkles for the sugar cookies . . .

Don't they look YUMMY! . . . Well, that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by and until next time . . . hugs & kisses . . . LindaB

DECEMBER 1

Hi Everyone . . . I can't believe that it is already December and that Christmas is just around the corner. Where, oh where does all the time go? It seems the older I get the faster time moves, LOL! Anyhoooooo, I thought that I would try to post on this blog everyday this month with what is going on in and around my life to make each day special . . . well I hate to admit it but I am already 2 days behind (LOL - story of my life) . . . Sooooooo here are a couple of pictures about events that happened on December 1 . . .

Hung the "Welcoming Christmas Wreath" on the front door. And yes my front door is green (the side facing the street, the side facing the inside is red) . . . my husband brought into the house all the boxes (13 big plastic bins) from the shed and the first thing that always goes up is the wreath on the door! I didn't have time to start decorating the inside of my home because I had to get ready for and attend the wedding of Rachiel and Brandon . . .

It was a wonderful wedding and Rachiel was a beautiful bride (Brandon looked pretty handsome also) . . . Well that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by and until next time . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

A RAINY SATURDAY

Well, we have finally had a rainy Saturday here in northern California. I don't mean one of those rains with just a few sprinkles here and there, you know the kind of rain that leaves just enough drops on your car to let you know that it's dirty and needs a good wash and wax (LOL). . . no, this was the kind of rain that made you turn your windshield wipers on high and drive cautiously on the highway . . . Now, I know you are wondering what could be happening to make me go out in this down pour instead of making a big pot of soup, curling up with a hot cup of tea and watching trashy Saturday movies on television while hubby was doing his thing in the garage . . . well I will tell you . . . it was the Paradise Scrapbook Boutique Annual Gift Workshop . . . I made a number of purchases (thank you again hubby for the great birthday gift certificate)and spent this windy, wet day among friends, old & new . . . at the end of 6 hours (LOL-I am finding it hard to multi-task anymore - love to eat & visit while I work) I had completed a beautiful kit created by PSB owner, Karen . . . it is a Shadow Box Monthly Calendar . . .

This shadow box was made using the 7 Gypsies Artist Printers Tray and Graphic45 Place in Time paper collection. I did make only 1 change to the Karen's original design so far, I moved the printers tray handle from the tray top to the tray side . . . I have only one other change in mind and that is to have my dear hubby make a glass frame door . . . I can't wait to start the other projects, but they will have to be set aside until after Thanksgiving as I have a house to clean and lots and lots of cooking to do . . . soooooooo thanks for stopping by and until next time . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

A LADIES DIARY ROLL TOP DESK

A few months back I was viewing Jim, The Gentleman Crafter's blog when I saw the most beautiful creation - it took my breath away! Jim had created for Graphic 45's A Ladies Diary paper line a lap/traveling writing roll top desk and Graphic 45 was giving it away (unbelievable)!!!! I immediately posted a loving comment & kept my fingers and toes crossed that I would be the lucky winner . . . well you guessed it, they picked someone else (even though I really believe to this day that they misspelled my name - LOL). . . However, all was not lost, Jim must have heard the million of anguished cries that went out into the universe and he took pity on us and did a tutorial on his roll top desk, which I immediately purchased (YAY) . . . LOL -- I know you can't see it but I have a BIG smile on my face just remembering my excitement on getting this tutorial . . . Soooooooooo without further ado, here are some pictures of the Ladies Roll Top Desk I made using The Gentleman Crafter's tutorial . . .

Now I do need to say that being the crafter that I am I did make a few little changes when doing this desk . . . like I used black chipboard instead of painting regular chipboard black. . . I couldn't find anywhere the Tim Holtz Hitch fasteners so I used black Velcro, nor could I find the Graphic 45 metal door pull so I used a Tim Holtz knob instead . . . I ran the grunge paper through an embossing folder in the Big Shot and oh yes, I used buttons for the drawer pulls . . . see they were just little changes . . . Thank you again Jim for taking the time to write the tutorial . . . That's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB ***PS*** . . . the top works - it really does roll up & down!!!

A FUN WEEKEND

I spent the past weekend celebrating my birthday with my scrappy friend, Debby McC . . . we had a "scrappy weekend getaway" and it was a total blast!!!! I need to tell you right now that this post has a recurring theme, which is, SCRAPING, EATING, SHOPPING - LOL! It started Friday afternoon when Debby picked me up - I wish I had taken a picture of the inside of her car - we had it packed to near overflowing (left a little room for goodies we knew we were going to bring home) . . . we were on our way south to attend the annual Scrapbook Expo held in Sacramento, CA, but first we had to stop at Ellis's in Marysville to see what new goodies they had in scrapbooking and to eat lunch, oh and shop of course! Then it was off to Roseville to check into our hotel & unload the car. We did some shopping at Green Tangerines, went to the mall (brought a really cute top at Macy's) and went out to dinner at Mimi's. By the time we got back to our room we were to exhausted to scrap (I know, unheard of, but it does happen when you get older-LOL). Saturday we were up bright & early to get into Sacramento to the Scrapbook Expo . . . we had pre-registered so our sign-in time was very short and we got to go to the exhibitors hall and do some early shopping . . . Debby went to her class which began at 10am and I just kept on shopping . . . I did take time out to make the following "Make & Take" layout from the Mon Ami Gabby booth . . .

When I saw the sample for this layout I knew exactly what picture I was going to use . . . this is my granddaughter, Kyra, when she was 4 years old warming up for her very first ballet performance! . . . she loves to dance! Before you knew it, it was time for me to go to the class I signed up for - "Wood & Metal Embossed Mirror" . . . here is a picture of the finished project I completed after I got home (as always, I did make a few changes to the original design-LOL) . . .

After my class I met up with Debby and a bunch of our scrappy friends from up north, did more shopping, went to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory, then drove back to Roseville where we did more shopping, picked up dessert from The Cheesecake Factory & drinks from Bev More then back to our room to party hardy!!!! On Sunday I was a little slower in getting out of bed (time change you know-the drinking had nothing to do with it - LOL) but I made it in time for the "free" breakfast. Then it was pack everything, load the car up, head out to do more shopping and drive home broke, but with a fully overloaded car of goodies. As I said it was a FUN, FUN, FUN weekend and I will share with you in future blogs some of the creations I make from my purchases! Looking forward to next year already!!! Well, that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

A SPOOKY GATHERING

Have you ever seen such a scary looking group of scrapbookers? LOL!!! My local scrapbook store, Paradise Scrapbook Boutique, held their 6th annual Costume Potluck Crop on October 27th (tried to post a picture of this group earlier, but of course my picture wouldn't upload -- bummer). . . as you can tell by the smiles on everyone's face (including Jack's) it was a fun, fun, fun evening!!! I can't wait to get together with these women again for the Christmas crop in December!!! Well that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

HAPPY BOO DAY

CARTA BELLA WORKSHOP

On Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to attend two workshops taught by the talented and funny Lindsay Moore of Carta Bella at my favorite scrapbook store, Paradise Scrapbook Boutique. In the first class we made 4 cards using Carta Bella's "Merry & Bright" line and at the second class, in the afternoon, we made a 2-page layout using Carta Bella's "Christmas Day" collection . . . It was not only educational, but there was lots of fun, laughter and food . . . here are a few pictures taken that day . . .

As you can see a good time was had by all . . . Lindsay's mother, Dixie, was even there . . . I am looking forward to when Lindsay comes here again and teaches a workshop!!!! Below is a picture of the 2-page layout I made (with some of my own changes, you know scrapbookers always make changes-LOL) . . . I don't have a picture of the cards I made as I gave those to Karen to pass on to our soldiers overseas as part of the "Operation Write Home" project her store participates in . . .

Sooooooooo . . . that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

A SIMPLE COVERUP

See, the ugly DSL Filter box on the wall . . .

See the simple cover up . . .

Ok so it wasn't quite so simple . . . back in 2010 I made a cute halloween "Bingo Card Wall Hanging" following the directions of Lisa Pace. Love the wall hanging but could never find the right spot in the home for it . . . then the other night I had one of those "wake me up at 3 am ideas". . . I knew exactly how I was going to cover up the ugly DSL filter box and what I was going to use . . . soooooooo the next day I went out & purchased a framed naked stretch canvas (made sure the hole in the back was wide & deep enough to cover the filter box) . . . painted it with black acrylic paint and using scrap paper mounted the halloween wall hanging to the canvas . . . I love it when things I make are not only practical but cute to boot!!! . . . Well that's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . till later Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

IN LOVING MEMORY

I would like to introduce you to someone who has been a member of our family for at least 10 years . . . DOS GATO . . .

Dos Gato passed away Friday night. We do not know where he came from originally, he followed in his grandfather (Louie) and father's (the original Gato) footsteps by showing up one day in our yard and adopting our family when he was a young cat. He was the spitting image of his grandfather & father. Dos Gato was a very affectionate cat who loved people and loved to be pampered. He and my husband had a very special bond, as hubby was the first one who befriended him. Dos Gato was always there to greet my husband when he came home from work. I will miss his coming in the house & proudly dropping his latest catch at my feet so that he could receive his due praise-only problem was most of the time the critters were alive. I swear he had a smile on his face as he watch me trying to catch those critters and get them outside. He was such a charater!!! He will always have a special place in our hearts. WE LOVE YOU!!!

CHRISTMAS IN AUGUST?

I know, I know . . . it's suppose to be Christmas in July and I did finish this project in July, but sometimes I am a little laid-back on taking photos and posting them (ya got to love early retirement). Anyhooooooo, a few months back I was attending a crop at my local scrapbook store (I suppose a 40 minute drive one-way could be considered local - LOL) when I saw two friends (Cheryl & Babs) making these very cute books. They told me about this wonderful web site where a very talented & funny lady shared her creations. Well, when I got home that evening after the crop (ok it was really 1:00 a.m.) I got online and went to the Paper Phenomenon site. I could not believe all the amazing creations I was seeing and wonders of wonders I could make them also (YAY). I immediately purchased the tutorial named "Occasions Folio." When Kathy created this tutorial she used the Bo Bunny paper line called "Father Christmas" and for me it was love at first site because I collect Santas. I created this album because my granddaughter helps me every year decorate my house at Christmas (this usually takes all day & does not include decking out the tree)and we would have a guide of where to put certain decorations. So here are a few pictures of what I made to hold my Santa photos in:

I pretty much followed Kathy's tutorial until this point. Because I did not want to cover up the words "Jingle Bells" I cut the flap so that it was shorter and would go all the way across. I sewed a ball to the flap to make it easier to lift the flap up.

One of the other changes I made to Kathy's design was I added a gusset to each side of the long pockets to accommodate more photos. As you can see I do have a lot of Santas and this album is perfect for holding photos of the majority of them. This Occasions Folio enabled me to place 42=4x6" photos, 1=4x10.5" photo, 1=3x4.75" photo and 12=1.5x2" photos; with room for even more Santa pictures! I cannot thank Kathy enough for sharing her creations. Her blog is not only informative, her live broadcasts (usually at 12:00 p.m. PDST on Wednesdays) are an absolute hoot. I hope that you will take a moment to visit the Paper Phenomenon blog. The next project I am working on is the "All Occasion Mini" album with the 4th of July theme. Hoping to get this one done before Christmas (LOL)! That's all for now . . . thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB

NOT RUSHING

Saturday I attended an evening crop at my all-time favorite scrapbook store, Paradise Scrapbook Boutique, in Chico where I finally finished a cute little mini book (this is where the "not rushing" title comes in). Now quite a few of the supplies to make this little mini book were provided to attendees of the National Scrapbooking Day crop held on May 4th & 5th of this year. As I have been trying to be a good scrapper I have been trying to complete one project before I start another (ok, stop laughing). . . sooooooooo during that 2 day event - in between all the talking & eating I was working on another project (Contessa album by Paper Phenomenon) which was going to be a gift for a special girl in my son's life. Welllllll . . . as things happen I began working on a couple of projects at the same (LOL - so maybe it's really 4 or 5 projects) - sooooooooo without further ado here is the completed mini book:

Now as most of you know I am NOT an original thinker but I am an EXCELLENT copier and it is lucky for me that the owner of PSB, Karen, made an example for inspiration and I ((plus a few other people) copied her mini book. Isn't it stunning. The paper line we were given is from Cosmo Cricket. I absolutely love the shabby chic look of it. I just may be keeping this album for myself! That's all for now . . . I will be posting in a couple of days the pictures of the other project I completed this weekend (it was a very productive weekend-LOL) . . . take care and thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses LindaB

BUSY 2 WEEKS

WOW . . . I can't believe how busy the last 2 weeks have been. The first week hubby & I had the Oroville Community 4th of July concerts to sing in and a 4th of July bbq & swim party at our close friends home in the Kelly Ridge area where we viewed, from one of their balcony's, fireworks being shot over Oroville Dam. We then celebrated our 43rd annivsary on July 5th by going out to a great dinner. Then on Saturday we drove down to the bay area and visited with hubby's brother & sister-in-law. Along comes Monday and I am off to my girlfriend Jan's home where she is hosting a scrappy girls swim party & dinner (I got a bad sunburn). On Wednesday I am at my favorite scrapbook store, PSB, with friends trying to finish up a book that I started back in May. Then on Thursday our 6 year old granddaughter spent the day & night with us. I spent Saturday with the scrappy girls at Gina's home where Eva taught us how to make tamales and spanish rice. Scrappy girl Donna taught us also how to make her refried beans. There were 7 of us and we each took home 24 handmade tamales (will post pictures at a later date). It was a lot of work, but fun. In between all these fun activities I have managed to continue going to workout at Curves 3 days each week, doing the cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, and making the following:

Well that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by . . . till later . . . Hugs & Kisses . . . LindaB

43 YEARS AGO

Yes that's right, 43 years ago best friends-high school/college sweethearts were married on this date. It seems that the older dear hubby and I get the faster time flies by! That's all for today . . . thanks for stopping by . . . Hugs & Kisses - LindaB

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!!