We Made It

We made it home safely on Saturday. We made great time too! The blowing snow was pretty bad til about Mitchell, South Dakota (about 5 hours worth of bad driving) but after that roads were clear - just super cold.
Now we are enjoying some family time!!!! I love being at mom and dad's! It's just home. Jodi and I did a little Walmart shopping which is the norm when I come home. We also took facebook pictures of ourselves - which I will of course post when I get back to Omaha. You know what I am talking about - those super ridiculous photos you see on teenagers facebook pages - like the sexy look, the party face, anywho we amuse ourselves greatly Played a little bingo with the girls - Maggie won - and she was super excited. Had some coffee and a good visit with Grandma - and she made us a huge batch of waffle iron cookies - heaven!!!!!!!! And I have already had a paco and some Airport Inn pizza and a Eggnog Latte from Kafe Utza!! :) Life is good. (cause of course food makes life good)
Anywho...my little sister Jamie and her hubby and his daughter will be here tonight! Woohoo!! I will make sure to get her super ridiculous facebook pictures as well.
Suzy - Steve's mom - will be here tonight or tomorrow. I will feel better after everyone who is traveling makes it safely.
Mom's making her carmel rolls for Christmas morning - can't wait - Xander is helping! Last minute shopping tonight with the sisters and then last minute wrapping while watching The Family Stone.
As I said life is good - of course life is good when we are in Omaha - but being home is well HOME!!!!
Macey is having a nice time too hanging out with Megan and Kyle. Kyle and Macey met at a summer camp outside of Sheridan a few years ago - and they have kept in touch over the years - it's nice to have Friends as well as family to hang out with. They did get into an accident last night which was a tad stressful for them - I am just so glad they were ok. Connor is helping papa this morning clear the walks at their home, grandmas and their rental. Connor is in charge of the snow blower. My Xander man is vegging and helping nanny - waiting for the girls to come over so they can play. They love nanny and papas hot tub so they have used that a couple of times.
Tomarrow the festivities start - Christmas Mass at 4, then festivities at Jodi and Brady's after mass, and then if it isn't too yucky - we will take the kids for a drive to try and spot Santa and his reindeer and to look at lights. Then of course Christmas Day - starts early with gifts then a fabulous feast in the afternoon. What do you and yours do for the holidays? I'd love to hear about your traditions! Leave a comment here and link back to your blog post. Here is my top 10 of favorite traditions:
10. Carmel Rolls
9. Waffle Iron Cookies
8. Pazzelles
7. The Family Stone on Christmas eve
6. One Santa gift on Christmas eve
5. New Christmas jammies for the whole family (will post pictures after Christmas)
4. Christmas Eve Mass with the whole family
3. Opening stocking stuffers super early
2. Cavatelles
1. Being with family
I guess this post was a lot of rambling - mostly a journal for me so I can read and re-read what a great time we had.
I hope you and yours have a wonderful Holiday! Travel safe!

Ummmm...please no more snow til after the new year....

I so want to make it home safely....we are scheduled to leave tomorrow for our 12 hour trek across South Dakota and into Montana. It snowed 3 - 4 inches last night. And let me tell ya what a weird evening - we had lightening, thunder, rain, sleet and finally snow. Lightening in December? That was a first. Kids school was cancelled (calls came in last night) - think just to be safe - not that much snow. Think it has something to do with the buses....
NO snow scheduled for today (yeah I said scheduled) but tomorrow - looks like there is snow and blizzards and dangerously low temps. It is supposed to be a high of 5 below in Rapid City tomorrow, 35 - 45 below with wind chills. And we have to travel through there.
I just wanna go home....and I whined a little when I said that. I miss my mom and dad and my sisters, brother in laws, sister in laws, nieces, nephews, my mother in laws, grandma, aunts and uncles and cousins. And a lot of them will be in MC over the holidays. So I just want to make it safely back home tomorrow - latest Sunday. So we can drink my mom's homemade Tom and Jerry's, eat some Airport Inn Pizza, play games, laugh, visit, and relax!!!
So please no more snow until after the new year!!!
If you are traveling this holiday season I wish you the safest travels. Enjoy your loved ones!! And have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

New Pages

And just so everyone knows - I openly "scrap-lift" a great amount of layout ideas. I post my pages here for my family and friends to enjoy not because I want fame and fortune. I love my Page Maps book (and Becky's site) - so a lot of my pages are based on her sketches. And I get a ton of ideas from magazines and internet sites also. These are my pages - I tweak them as I see fit or I don't. I don't site the designers - not cause I am trying to steal their ideas - but because I don't have their names - I cut up sketches and pages from my magazines and add them to a binder - I don't keep the designers names. So if one of these designs are yours - thank you for the inspiration - I truly do appreciate it and love your work - as they say.....imitation is the best form of flattery!!! Just thought I should address this because I have read a ton of post about people "stealing" ideas or about no credit being given. I just want to say it's hog wash - if I was making money I could see it upsetting the designer to not get credit - but I am not making any money off of scrapbooking (just ask my husband). I do it cause I enjoy it - because I want something to pass down to my kids and then their kids and their kids, etc...
If I do submit any of my pages - they will be my own designs.
Oh and by the way if you do want to copy any of my ideas please do I am so glad it offers some form of inspiration!!

A Little Somethin.....

OK you can see my kettle is not red yet - so let's help the Salvation Army and donate! I know that you all probably give a lot all year round but if you want to give a little bit more that would be awesome. I just thought this was a really cool way to offer a little help....Thanks everyone!!!

Dynamic fundraising meter for your Red Kettle campaign.

Friends new business

A friend and one of her friends started a new eBay business. They buy unwanted inventory from local stores to help them clear up space and give them (two stay at home moms) a part-time job! You'll also find a few of their personal (or friends or family!) gently used items.

They will be listing TONS of new stuff over the next few days. Be sure to check back often, you might just find something that you CANNOT live without.
http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/outdoorgearfinds

Happy Happy 8th Birthday to my baby...

Ok so he is SOOOOO NOT a baby anymore - but he is our baby - right? Makes me sad how quick they grow up.
But yes it is true, our Xander is 8.

Xander's top 10:
10. Snuggling with his mom (ok I picked this one)
9. Bedtime Stories
8. Playing with his family
7. Playing with friends
6. Art Projects
5. Ball Tag
4. Nerf Gun Tag
3. Drawing
2. Video Games
1. LEGOS - he just can't get enough. For his big day he recieved 4 new lego sets - and he is so excited. Plus he received two target gift cards and I have a feeling he will be using them to buy some Indiana Jones Lego sets.

He had a party with his friends last night. They ate pizza and a Madagascar 2 cake. They played "old school" games like pin the top hat on the snowman, the clothespin drop games, drawing a face while blind folded, and the one where you blindfold the kids give them a spoon and a bowl and they have to try to scoop all of the cotton balls up. They had lots of fun. I will post some photos later.

New

Loved this!

Make sure you pause the blog music on the right and listen to these performances. Such a fun mix. Love it!!!

Happy Holidays!

All jewelry is now 40% off at Star Hitched Wagon! Come on over and check it out!

Twilight

So I finished the Twilight series on Friday - so so so good! Loved everything about them. I finished all four books in about 2 weeks - and I have to say I am a little sad they are done - now what am I gonna do with my free time? :)
I went to the movie yesterday - so good. That is one good looking cast! Really you should read the books and watch the movie - if you like that kind of thing then you'll love these.

Real

A sweet friend and her hubby and a couple of little ones need our prayers. Truly such a heart breaking story. They have been caring for two beautiful little ones in hopes of permanently making them part of their family. Today they we were notified that the little ones will be sent back to live permanently with their biological parents just next week.
They are....."heartbroken and scared and are now begging you for our prayers. They have spent the day on their knees, praying that God will keep them safe. Won't you please join us? If you belong to a church, please add the kids to your prayer list. If you are in a prayer chain or a member of an online site that allows prayer requests or know just one person who is willing to say a prayer or two for E & H--will you please tell them their story and ask that they also tell all their praying friends? They need God's help." (this was taken directly from Becca's blog.)
So come on let's pray - they need us. I can't even imagine the pain they are going through. But I will pray - a lot - for them all, I really hope you will all join me.

Some new pages

And the Tish Earrings go to......

Congrats to Barb - she won the Tish earrings - she was the only one who played along!!! :) So I guess they were just meant to be hers!!! I am going to try another giveaway soon - so stay tuned!

Tish

I absolutely love these Tish earrings.

Aren't they just prefect for fall?
So you want a chance to win these little pretties?
The rules are simple. Got to Star Hitched Wagon™ and browse through all the beautiful pieces. Then come back here and leave a comment in this post with which item would be the perfect gift for that special someone on your list this Christmas. Please leave your email address so you won't miss if you win, if you don't leave your email make sure you check back to see if you are the winner. Entries will be taken until midnight on Sunday, November 9th, 2008. The winner will be announced Monday, November 10th, 2008.
Want a second chance to win? Post about this give-a-way on your blog and link back to it in your commment.
Thanks everyone for playing along! Have a great weekend!

And don't forget you can get 30% off you entire jewelry order at Star Hitched Wagon™ right now. Use coupon code: november Offer expires November 13th, 2008. Feel free to share your coupon code with your friends and family.

Happy November....

....from Star Hitched Wagon!

I really do love fall! The colors of the leave are gorgeous! I so enjoy the cool days with cold nights. I love to drink hot cocoa, tea and cider to warm up. Fall truly is my favorite time of year. And I have to say this fall might be one of my favorite yet. It's been so nice that we really have been enjoying being outside a little longer than we are used too....

Another reason I love fall is the clothes, the boots, the accessories....

These Old Gringo Ladies Vencida Moss Green & Rust Boots and Star Hitched Wagon's Balance would be FABULOUS together!!!



These Ariat Ladies Dark Brown Rebel Legend Western Boot and this Isabella Bird Long Sleeve Perfect Shirt with Star Hitched Wagon's Mirage would PERFECTION!!!




These Lucchese Boots with this Isabella Bird Champlain Suede Blouse and Star Hitched Wagon's Rhea Necklace and Banglet would be wonderful.





As you can see Star Hitched Wagon has the perfect accessories to go with your beautiful fall wardrobes. So come on over and check us out - and take 30% off you entire jewelry order. Use coupon code: november Offer expires November 13th, 2008. Feel free to share your coupon code with your friends and family.

Thanks for your business! Enjoy your fall!!

Stacey

Deep Thoughts! :)

I like The Secret - I believe! I also love the song Lifeline by Angels and Airwaves. These words taken from the song so go hand in hand with asking and believing. They are:

If you wish it, wish it now.
If you wish it, wish it loud.
If you want it, say it now.
If you want it, say it loud.

Now I don't know what thoughts go with that song but I am going to focus on them as a reminder - the ask and you shall recieve.

Just For You...

Found this gem on Brown Eyed Fox's Blog . It's wonderful - such a feel good piece - you should watch it!!

I am paying it forward....

Becky Novacek listed Star Hitched Wagon in a blog post recently. I am always so moved when people compliment my "goods". It means so much - and it gets Star Hitched Wagon out there to people who might not know about us. Anyways her post was about places she would love to shop for the holidays.....what a great idea.
So I thought I would do the same - I would pay it forward and tell you all about the indie designers/businesses that I drool over. So here ya go:

Long Lane Boutique - this skirt is beautiful.

Brown Eyed Fox I love Soar Some More and Blushing Moxie


Donna Downey her work is beautiful I especially love the Optimistic Swatch Print



Becky's photography is wonderful as well as her canvases. If you live around Omaha you should book with her. Our family photos were so cool!

Kelly Rae Roberts moves me! :) She just is so inspiring. I love to read her blog and her art is out of this world cool. One day a few of these will hang in my studio:
Leap Fearlessly
Let It Go
Dream
In Her Hands
This reminds me of me and my sisters.
And how cool are these magnets???

Kafe Utza has such amazing coffee and treats!! And Kara is a great gal!

Great signs for your home. I love this one.

Sadie Olive - there isn't much of here that I would want in my home!! Such beautiful stuff. I love her prints!!! Especially Red White and Blue, Red Linens, Nest, and Old Door!!!! And this corner basket is so cool an work wonderfully in my studio. Oh yeah and I love nests.

Gemini Studio Art has great canvases. I would love this one, this one and this one. How fun would it be to have a custom canvas done with street from your home town....hmmmmm......

Very fun art for your home. I love these.

Beautiful photography if you live around Mandan you should book your family photos with Joleyn!

Great stamping and scrapbooking supplies and a FANTASTIC person to inspire you. This is a fantastic kit and I love their ribbon.


Awesome awesome scrapbooking classes. And Jayne is pretty dang awesome herself.

I like It Kit Studios - I really need to order one of these kits soon.

I have a tad bit of a bag fetish - this is kinda fun.

Beautiful Music!! I love Jeremy Larson's songs - so good!!! You can buy them on itunes.

Well that's just a few. :) I know there are tons more that I love that I am forgetting and a ton that I am sure I would love if introduced to them - so please do share your favorited with me. I do love indie businesses!!!

6 Random Things

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you Jayne
2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading).
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up!

Here are six random things about me:

1) I make smoothies with romaine lettuce, blueberries, bananas and raspberries.

2) I stress way too much about how to live the "right" life.

3) I read Unity, Daily Word, Body and Soul, Runner's World, Simple Scrapbooks, Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbooks, Etc. each month or issue....

4) When I was in grade school I hit my little sister Jamie above the eye with a metal baseball bat - on accident - she was standing behind me when I swung to hit the ball.

5) I can't wait to get up in the morning to have some COFFEE.

6) I was told this year that I needed braces because of gum recession - which is something I have wanted forever - braces to fix my spaces - but after the orthadontist told me my bite would be fixed - so different - I decided against them because I like that my smile - my expression is unique.

Now I tag Jodi, Tara, Becky, Jamie (on her facebook), Ally, and Colleen

New Layouts

Hey Jodi can I borrow 2 e's from the alphabets I sent you - I ran out and I'd love to finish this title. Thank you - love you!!! :)