Day 338, Sunday, December 4

December 1 is the beginning of the "12 Tags of Christmas" by Tim Holtz.  This is the fifth year he has created the tags.  I am such a big fan of his work!  I created all of the tags from the past two years (and want to finish the other 2 years).  I stayed up late last night after the hockey game and created these two tags.  You can see his tags on his blog at timholtz.typepad.com.

Day 337, Saturday, December 3

We went to the hockey game tonight!  It was the first one we have been able to go to all season.  All of these stuffed animals were tossed to the ice after the Rivermen scored the first goal...which wasn't until the 3rd period!  They collected the toys for kids in our area who have contact with emergency personnel (fire or police) to help calm the kids down when there is an emergency in their home or family.  Jim and Eric threw them to the lower bowl and then other fans tossed them to the ice!

Day 336, Friday, December 2

Jim and I both got home at the same time tonight.  I had errands to run after work and then went to exercise.  Usually, I am home about 40 minutes before him.  Anyway, there were a bunch of packages on our back door step.  I had one from Donna Downey, he had one from Morton Buildings and one from ordering some bullets and then one package was from John and Sara in Arizona!  This cute little reindeer candle holder!  He has jingle bells on his antlers....so cute!

Day 335, Thursday, December 1

We went to Kobe Steakhouse with John and Stacie tonight.  She called and asked if we wanted to go with them.  I hadn't eaten lunch yet...so she told me to save some points.  I had 4 points for lunch (thanks to 0 point Progresso soup) and stayed on track for dinner by chosing to have extra veggies and no fried rice.  Yes, I missed having the rice...but at 10 points per serving...that was too much for me to use!  Anyway, it was a great meal with Stacie, John and Jim!

Day 334, Wednesday, November 30

I got this gift card today from my boss.  He just wanted to show his appreciation for me staying late after school with some kids that didn't get picked up on time from school.  Their parents missed the bus when it came to drop them off...so they were brought back to school.  The last parent didn't get to the office until 4:45...which is an hour and 40 minutes after dismissal.  It is nice to know my boss is thankful for the job I do...and the subway sandwich was great!

Day 333, Tuesday, November 29

I had to take a picture of my new Jelly Belly Longaberger Basket!  I couldn't go on the bus trip to Wisconsin with Cindy, so I sent money with her to buy me a basket and some Jelly Belly jelly beans for Jim.  (Those are his favorite jelly beans!)  He asked for cherry and pina colada.  I also asked her to get the Belly Flops...which are irregular jelly beans.  They don't always have those at the warehouse, but they had a special the day the bus trip was there!

Day 332, Monday, November 28

I joined Weight Watchers on August 8.  I got a new weight record book tonight.  I am happy I have lost 29 1/2 pounds!  The PointsPlus program is really easy for me to follow.  Our leader told us tonight, we would be getting the new changes to the program next week.  I can't wait to see what the changes are!

Day 331, Sunday, November 27

The trees are up and decorated!  We worked for about 4 1/2 hours today and got all of the decorating done.  I took the "less is more" approach to my trees and decorations this year!  Thanks, Jim for helping me...it would have taken all day and night by myself.

Day 330, Saturday, November 26

Jim has decided to dispose of his tennis trophies.  He played in few tournaments and won a few prizes.  So, he just took a picture and then tossed them in the can.  (I however, could not toss the only trophy that I had ever won...it is still on the shelf!)

Day 329, Friday, November 25

I am still working on the Holiday Card Camp Class.  I didn't go shopping today (it's Black Friday).  I like how these cards turned out.  Even though I don't have all the supplies that are used...I used what I had and was happy in the end.  I registered to take a class in Janaury, too!

Day 328, Thursday, November 24

Happy Thanksgiving!  We had dinner at 12 o'clock today.  John, Stacie, Peyton, Cyndi, Momaw, Poppie, Jim and me.  Nate had to work a 14 hour shift today and Rob was sleeping since he was working 3rd shift last night.  We had all the turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, corn, green bean casserole, rolls, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake that anyone could ever want!  Jim and Peyton shared a wish with the wishbone from the turkey.  Jim's half was bigger and Peyton didn't understand why his wish wasn't going to come true.  (I don't think Jim's will either...since he wished for a million bucks! LOL)  Anyway, today was a great day to spend with family.

Day 327, Wednesday, November 23

I took this picture of the flag the other day.  I liked how it turned out...so I wanted to use it.  I was busy today getting things ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow, so I thought it would be a great time to insert it here!

Day 326, Tuesday, November 22

Can you say 400 mini pumpkin pies?  Today was Grandparent's Day at our school.  We had 218 grandparents in for lunch, adopt a book and to have their picture taken with their grandchild.  I took 170 photos.  It is a lot of work for the cafeteria to provide that many meals, however the grandparents love coming to eat lunch with the children and participating in all of the activities!

Day 325, Monday, November 21

I worked most of the weekend on Christmas cards.  I followed all of the cards from the Holiday Card Camp.  I think I have 4 more days to complete.  I am thankful the class is available to me on line for as long as I want to view it.  I have learned so much from this class.  If you get one of these cards...be surprised!

Day 324, Sunday, November 20

Jim brought these two vases home to me the other day.  His mom gave them to him.  The pitcher belonged to his mom's mother.  The other one was pretty fenton that she wanted to pass on to us.  I have collected the blue fenton since before Jim and I got married.  Fenton is pretty glassware and most of it is hand painted.

Day 323, Saturday, November 19

I am making some of my Christmas cards using the ideas from the Holiday Card Camp.  Oops, that star one is up side down!! lol  Anyway, I have learned a ton of new techniques.  I still have lots of cards to make...you will be seeing more soon!

Day 322, Friday, November 18

I finished making this rosette pumpkin tonight.  I found the directions on the Archiver's blog.  It took 10 pieces of 12 x 12 cardstock to cut all the pieces I needed to make the rosettes.  Each piece was scored at 1/2" and folded, glued and inked.  Each rosette was glued on top of the next smaller or larger until I had used all 10 rosettes.  The stem was made from brown cardstock that I cut and rolled together.  The leaves are Tim Holtz tattered leaves die cuts and I embossed each one with a different folder, inking the edges and crumpling them up.  Added a tag and some jute!

Day 321, Thursday, November 17

This is my card for the swap this month.  We were supposed to make a holiday card.  I used Stampin' Up paper to create the triangle pocket.  I cut the ornament out of blue paper and also out of acetate and embossed it with Tim Holtz snow flurries snowman.  The paper ornament can be removed from the card and hung on the tree.

Day 320, Wednesday, November 16

My brother-in-law, Scott, went on a business trip to Portland this past week.  He went to the beach one afternoon and took this picture.  These rocks were in the movie "The Goonies".  Wish I had gone to the beach this past week...I miss the beach!

Day 319, Tuesday, November 15

During lunch at school today, the students who raised the most money during our fall fund raiser, got to spend 30 seconds in the money machine, grabbing as much cash as they could hold.  You can see the dollar bills floating in the air around this little boy.  He ended up with $16 in one dollar bills.

Day 318, Monday, November 14

Happy Birthday to my very best friend, Cindy!  I got her scrapbooking and stamping supplies.  I went shopping with the supply list from our Holiday Card Camp.  Cindy is taking this class, too!  Anyway, we had a great day celebrating and of course, talking about our cards that we are going to make using all of our Christmas supplies!

Day 317, Sunday, November 13

I made this card for my BFF Cindy.  Her birthday is tomorrow.  Her favorite color is green (that is why the frosting is green!).  I used a new technique that I learned in the Holiday Card Camp Class.  The background is embossed with a dotted swiss folder, inked with green and purple distress ink and sprayed with perfect pearls mist on watercolor paper.  I can't wait for her to see this card...and to do some more backgrounds like this one!

Day 316, Saturday, Nov 12

Tonight we went to see the play "Young Frankenstein".  This was a Mel Brooks play and I had forgotten how funny his plays are!  We had a great time and can't wait to see our next play, "South Pacific"!

Day 315, Friday, November 11

Today is 11/11/11, Veteran's Day.  This is my father-in-law, Jim Smith.  He is still in the hospital working hard to get stronger so he can return home.  He is a veteran of WW2.  The Big One, he always says.  I am thankful for him and his service to our country and all the men and women who serve in the armed forces to keep us safe on a daily basis.

Day 314, Thursday, November 10

I wanted to take some pictures of the sun shining on the lake.  Well, in Central Illinois, there hasn't been much sun lately...but I saw this lone white beach chair sitting in the sand and it made me warmer just thinking about sun!

Day 313, Wednesday, November 9

This clock is on the outside of one of the buildings at the hospital.  I love the way the brick is laid around the outside edge of the clock.  It always says the correct time, too!  I drive by this clock very often as it is on a busy corner in town.  I love that it has roman numerals and is easy to read.

Day 312, Tuesday, November 8

Cindy and I received a gift today from one of our students.  This beautiful mother of pearl trinket box came from Korea.  Emma went with her mother to visit her grandmother and brought us each a box.  It was wrapped in the paper it is sitting on.  (I hope it isn't upside down!)  Thanks to Emma and her mom for thinking of us when they went home to visit!

Day 311, Monday, November 7

Today is Nate's 30th birthday.  I can still remember the day he was born.  That is something a mother never forgets!  He was actually 3 1/2 weeks overdue.  The doctors just don't let that happen anymore.  I was so happy to have a little boy to bring home.  (We didn't have modern technology to determine the sex of the baby 30 years ago!)  Happy Birthday, Nate!  Love you!

Day 310, Sunday, November 6

Grandma Smith bought this Christmas arrangement during the hospital league gift show.  It has a cute little glittered up reindeer and lots of holiday greenery.  I think she made a great choice.  Grandpa is still in the hospital...hopefully, he will get stronger so he can come home soon!

Day 309, Saturday, November 5

Waiting for the leaves to fall.  This tree will drop the leaves all at once!

Day 308, Friday, November 4

This is a picture of the Lagoon in the park.  As I was leaving the hospital this evening, the sun was shining like a spot light on the building.  It is a pretty place to enjoy!

Day 307, Thursday, November 3

Happy Birthday, Jill!  Here she is with Grandma Smith!  Hope you had a great day!

Day 306, Wednesday, November 2

This is the treeline along Parkway Drive.  The leaves have changed color...mostly rusty tones...however pretty.  The farmer has harvested the corn from this field, too.  We see lots of deer eating corn out of this field.

Day 305, Tuesday, November 1

Peyton and I went to see Puss n Boots 3D over the weekend.  I don't really care for the 3D movies...kinda makes my head fuzzy.  But the movie was really cute!

Day 304, Monday, October 31

Happy Halloween!  Bet you don't know who this werewolf is???  It is Peyton.  I had to help him with his costume this year.  The mask and gloves were purchased and I altered the flannel shirt and jeans.  He had me "rip" holes in the fabric and sew fur in behind them.  I started to cut them...and he said "No, Aunt Aprile...like this...rip it!  So, I did and he was right.  It was better ripped!

Day 303, Sunday, October 30

We went to see Wicked!  Tonight was the last performance of this show at the Civic Center.  I must say...it was amazing.  We have seen a lot of plays in our area...but this one was by far the best!  The actors, costumes, stage and sound were awesome!!  If I had seen it earlier during this run...I would have gone to see it again!

Day 302, Saturday, October 29

Stacie and I spent the day at the Women's Lifestyle Show.  We had mini manicures, fun dressing up and enjoyed walking around checking out all the venders.  We ate lunch at Qdoba and finished our afternoon with a relaxing pedi!  What a great day to spend with my daughter.  Thanks for sharing your day with me!

Had to have a pic with Wolfie!

Day 301, Friday, October 28

Cindy and I dressed up as butterflies for our annual school Halloween parade.  We always celebrate Halloween on our early dismissal day at school.  The children had a parade, special Halloween movie and classroom parties.  It was a fun day to see all the students and teachers in costumes!

Day 300, Thursday< October 27

Today is my birthday!  Jim sent me these roses...they smell so good!  And are very beautiful.  He bought me a new purple Dell laptop, too!  It should be here sometime next week...I can't wait!

Day 299, Wednesday, October 26

I am so lucky to have a best friend who loves to stamp and scrapbook as much as I do!  Cindy and I went to Nikki's Christmas Card Crank tonight at the library.  We spent 2 hours making Christmas Cards.  It was so much fun to spend the evening with Cindy and all the other stampers!  I have 8 Christmas Cards ready to be sent in December!  Thanks to Nikki for designing awesome cards for us!

Day 298, Tuesday, October 25

I had to pick up some sheet protectors and ink refills for work tonight.  I had a 50% off coupon for the sheet protectors and a $10 off a purchase over $20, plus the protectors were $3 cheaper in the store than they were on-line.  I also got to use my reward card....so will get reward $$'s for this purchase, too!

Day 297, Monday, October 24

I took this picture of Winston and he looks like he is smiling!  Do dogs smile?  I like to think they do!  Today is my mom's birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mother!

Day 296, Sunday, October 23

Jim worked in the yard cleaning up the lawn and leaves that have fallen in the past few days.  I did the laundry and cleaned up my scrap cave!

Day 295, Saturday, October 22

Nate came over today for the puppy spa!  He brushed Winston, trimmed his nails and gave him a bath.  Winston did NOT like having his nails trimmed.  Nate had to hold him down to use the dremel!

Day 294, Friday, October 21

The pumpkin people are out in the park again this year.  I like seeing them in the flower beds.  Today is my dad's birthday!  Happy Birthday, Pop!

Day 293, Thursday, October 20

I finally found my ATC's from Spraguefest.  I couldn't find them when I got home.  I spread them out on my fabric fat quarter that was in our goodie bag from Carina Gardner.  Loved this pink fabric with the alphabet on it.  And I love having these little pieces of art from all of my friends at Spraguefest!

Day 292, Wednesday, October 19

We have been using this elevator alot in the past few days.  Jim's dad is on the 5th floor of the hospital and we have been going there daily.

Day 291, Tuesday, October 18

At 3:15 a.m., we got a call from the hospital.  Jim's dad was not doing well.  He went to check on him and I went to pick up his mom.  He ended up calling everyone because it didn't look good at all. But as the morning progressed...he improved!  He is doing much better.

Day 290, Monday, October 17

Happy Bosses Day, Mr. Goss!  Cindy and I bought him some legal pads that have "sports" paper on the back.  So when you wad up the paper and toss it in the garbage can...it looks like a football, basketball, tennis ball, scoccer ball, etc.  His tie came from the M&M store in Las Vegas.  It has the M&M characters from the beginning to the present with a black background!

Day 289, Sunday, October 16

Now that is a really LARGE tool box! This semi trailer has been parked in the lot outside of the Ace hardware store.