Scrappin' Sanity........

for Grandma....

New jammies and slippers for all.  Thanks Grandma.  We love this tradition.  Merry Christmas!
 

Happy Thanksgiving...

   
  "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -Meister Eckhart

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!  Thank you for coming here & sharing your kinds words.  I hope your day is full of the blessings of family, friends, good food, laughter and love.

I call them Tyrone and Tilly....

Normally I would have corn stalks and real pumpkins and gourds and all that jazz.  But somehow this year it just didn't happen...

Oh, well, it still looks like autumn.  With all the warm weather we are having, it sure doesn't feel like November.  The roads (for driving) are certainly more pleasant than the usual November.  Here is a shot of the fall kitchen decoration....

 
A friend recently posted a challenge on FaceBook to list daily in November (until Thanksgiving) what you are thankful for.  I am just going to put my list here (not necessarily in any particular order):

1) Kelsey, 2) Kaitlyn, 3)Jim, 4) my job, 5) friends, 6) my home, 7) new vehicle, 8) plenty of food, 9) my faith, 10) books, 11) Netfliks, 12) internet, 13) Mom, 14) Dad, 15) both brothers, 16) my health, 17) my parents health, 18) my children's health, 19) coffee, 20) scrapbooking hobby, 21) new sewing machine, 22) diet pepsi, 23) music, 24) hot baths, 24) a fire in the fireplace, 25) dark chocolate, 26) living in freedon in the USA  27) I can easily  keep going on and on and on, because I believe thankful is a state of mind, and not just for November and Thanksgiving.  I consciously practice gratitude and thank God every day that I get to be alive that day.  Whatever happens, good or bad....well, I'm glad I get to be here for it.  That awareness of gratitude came out of the death of one of my best friends from grade school, high school and college.  Betsy  died from breast cancer at age 41, and left behind a husband and 2 young daughters.   I think of her often, and thank her for giving me the gift of gratitude.
 
 

Not so haunted house....

Here is a fun little Halloween house:

 
It's made from a Doodlebug chipboard house, Basic Grey paper, Little Yellow Bicycle acrylic accents, and lots of other miscellaneous do-dads.  Here are some close ups:

Now it is time to get out the Halloween and fall totes and decorate the house inside and out.  But it won't happend this weekend.  Because....

 

Hi ho!  Hi ho!  It's off to camp I go!  (Scrap camp).  Be back in a few days to post what I made there.  

By the way, you know what a great husband is?  One who says, as you are out and about looking for a new vehicle, "Well, what about the storage in this one?  Will it be big enough to hold all your crap stuff when you go to your scrap things?"  Well done on the Edge, Jim.  It  holds it all just fine.  And don't be scared when I say "There is even room for MORE!"

 
 

Halloween decoration and treats....

What are they?  Lollipops?  Cards on a stick?  Treats?  They are made from a Stampin Up set called Sweet Centers.  At first they were going to be greeting cards, but they took a design turn.  I adhered them to sucker sticks, put them into a styrofoam block in this nifty black bucket (from Goodwill,  25 cents, and pretty sure brand new), and they turned into a centerpiece/decoration.  That cool pop-pom trim is from JoAnn Fabrics.

Thanks for looking and stopping by!

Autumn is coming....

And I could not be happier.  It's my favorite season.  Well, that and winter.   So I am more than happy to answer the questions Brenda asked on her blog:

What do you do to exercise gratitude?    I like to spend more time with my family.  After a summer of lackadasical cooking, I like to make "cozy" meals like roast beef and mashed potatoes (my husband's favorite), meatloaf, stew, homemade bread.  I bake more. 

Do you decorate your home with new decor?   Yes!  I have 2 huge tubs of fall decor items.  I make new items every year, and I have a hard time resisting all the decor items at Hobby Lobby.  I decorate outside and inside. 

 

 

 

Is it a hard transition for you?   Not at all.  I do NOT like heat, so I find the cool days very enjoyable.  I love sleeping with the windows open under a bunch of covers with the cool fresh smelling breeze coming in.  I like watching the trees change colors.  I have more energy. I love back to school - buying the supplies, the new clothes, and getting back into a routine.

What activities do you look forward to in the fall?  Decorating.  Hosting my daughter's friends on a Friday night after a football game - they come over to hot tub and warm up.  I like to surprise them with a plate of carmel apples, cookies, or other treats decorated in school colors.  Cleaning the house and yard and getting it ready for winter.  Carving pumpkins.  Bringing out the quilts.  Having a fire in the fireplace.  Hoping for a new great TV show to watch.

So, what are YOUR feeling on fall?  Do you like it, or do you dread the coming of winter?  Maybe you have a great tradition.  I would love to see your answers.