AAAGGGHHH!!! Finally!!!

I have tried to upload my latest layout in a couple of my galleries and it just won't upload. I'm going to try to get it up here. The kit I used iz from a wonderful friend Leaonna Kizer of busyscrappin called "Jesus is the Heart of the Season". I used a new font to use it in a font challenge at Faith Sisters but couldn't get it to upload there. I tried uploading it other placez az well. I finally decided to just post it on my blog and pray that it workz here. I've put the full creditz below the layout (if thiz all goez az planned). So here I present My Favorite CHRISTmas Tradition:


Journaling readz:
In our home we have a tradition we started when the kids were very young. On
CHRISTmas morning before anything can be opened we take a small gift box and each
take turns putting a foam heart into the box. For we all know the only thing Jesus would
want from us on His birthday is our hearts. We then close the box, sing happy
birthday to Him and finish it with the chorus from come all ye faithful
which is Come Let Us Adore Him. When all that is done we place the box into
the tree branches and then and only then are the kids allowed to start
opening their stockings and presents. We also have a dinner followed by a
Birthday cake just to make sure the kids "get it". It has become my favorite
CHRISTmas tradition and hope that now as the two older children are out of
the home (not having kids for quite a while I hope) that they will continue
the tradition. Even when they come over CHRISTmas day they still ask to put
their "gift" in the box.
Kit used "Jesus is the Heart of the Season" by Leaonna Kizer of busyscrappin
Fontz used: Ellianarelle's Path (title) and BibleScrT (journaling)

Sorry for not posting sooner

Life Happenz!!! I've been doing a little scrappin in-between trying to close the bookz at the church and get the donation statementz done along with the end of year taxez. Not to mention the health issuez. Nothing has changed except for the doctor finally gave me something to help me sleep and some valium to loosen the musclez that really tighten up when the cold weather setz in. Sleeping more than a couple hourz iz such a wonderful thing!!! I've done a few pagez I'd like to share with you all so here they are:

Thiz iz my mother-in-law, she's with the LORD now, but I learned so much from her. She truly left a remarkable imprint upon my heart. Click each photo to read their full creditz.

Thiz iz a photo of my in-laws, I used it for the Heritage Challenge which was vintage weddings.

Thiz pic of my kidz waz taken in my SIL'z backyard. I used it for December'z quote challenge at Just For The Scrap Of It.

Thiz pic iz of my youngest and we were reading the bible while waiting for her sister to get out of school after I read the scripture she showed me how she could fly like an eagle. I used the layout for the Snap It! challenge at JFTSOI which was to be a photo shot at an angle. I really like how thiz one came out!

Thiz pic waz taken at my uncle'z wedding just a couple monthz after ourz. I used Amy Sumrall's new kit Lovey Dovey Days which is available at the JFTSOI store. It was for her Trend Challenge which was layering/clustering.

Sorry I've Been MIA

Well we got a call from the doctor'z office. (I actually waz on my way to the emergency room because I couldn't get any air in my lungs and couldn't even sit up I waz so weak. My dad had to carry me into the emergency room and at one point the security guard came over and asked him if I was breathing. My dad told me the next day he thought I was checking out. Turnz out I was severely dehydrated. They gave me IV fluidz and sent me home. Still can't quite figure it out since I drink water non stop all day.) So the doc'z secretary said he wanted to let me know there'z nothing to be concerned about. When I talked with her the next day, I said what do you mean nothing to be concerned about? The thing has tripled in size in a month. She reitterated it'z nothing to be concerned about just followup with the thyroid specialist. So then I asked if he thought it waz related to the thyroid - no, he doesn't know what it'z related to. And again she just said followup with the specialist. ARGH!!! But what can you do? I've just been playing with my new pen tablet. It'z so cool! I've done a few layoutz I'd like to share with you.

This first one waz for the November Template Challenge at Just For The Scrap Of It (JFTSOI). It iz my 17yo daughter. The picz are from her yearbook shoot. You can read the full creditz here.


Thiz next one iz from the December Snap It! Challenge at JFTSOI. It'z my reflection on my MIL'z headstone. Just something eerie about seeing your own reflection under your last name on a headstone. SCARY! My lesson learned for being careful when you can't see the preview before you shoot! You can read the full creditz here.


This one iz my hubby when he waz only three. He lookz so scared of Santa. I did thiz one for the Journaling Challenge at JFTSOI. View creditz here.

Another challenge entry. Thiz one waz done for the Trend Challenge at JFTSOI. It waz to blend. View full creditz here.

Thiz iz for the December Shape Challenge at Digital Scrapbooking (DSO). It'z my youngest daughter with Santa last year. Full creditz here.

Finally, thiz iz my first attempt at using commercial use itemz to create my own stuff. I originally did thiz layout for a challenge at JFTSOI but it waz cancelled. Anyway, it waz fun creating and I'd like to thank SweetMade, The Ephemeral Victorian and Sweet Digi Scraps for their CU itemz. Creditz can be viewed here.

A Couple Thingz

First I gotta tell ya about a super sale going on at Amy Sumrall's store at Just For The Scrap Of It. Everything in her store iz 50% off thiz week. She also haz a new kit out called Fun & Funky Christmas. So head on over to Amy's store and check it out!

And Andrea iz having a sale over at Boyerville Scraps az well. She also haz a new CHRISTmas kit and it'z called Cool Yule. Isn't that cool? :lol:

Also, I've done a couple layoutz I'd like to share. The first one iz of my late brother-in-law and hiz daughter. I read the scripture and waz like "I have just the picture to go with that!" I used Andrea Boyer's kit Tickle which is available and ON SALE at her store Boyerville Scraps. Click on the preview for the full creditz.

The next one I did for the November Shape Challenge at DSO. The challenge waz to use four of the same shape and it didn't matter what shape. She mentioned flying duckz and a couple ladiez commented that they didn't have flying duckz. I looked around my EHD and found that I did! So I headed down to the pond and took some photoz. Thiz iz what I came up with. I used two of Andrea Boyer's freebie kits - paperz from one and elementz from the other. Again click on the preview to see the full creditz.

That's all for now. Hope to get the scan resultz tomorrow. See ya then!

Thankful

Itz been a crazy week here. It started with an email from Amy Sumrall that I'd been accepted to her Creative Team! She iz such a great designer. I described her to my DH az "off the beaten path". I really like the style of her designz. Each designer haz such a unique style - I love the diversity. Tuesday and Wednesday waz the nuclear scan and then today waz the CT scan. The nuclear scan showed I do have an overactive thyroid. Gee, four kidz, 43 years old and still under a 130 pounds - who woulda guessed. But get thiz the specialist finally called me to book an appointment - January 28th!!! We had a pretty quiet and simple Thanksgiving. Thiz year my two oldest had dinner with their dad. My dad waz in New Hampshire with hiz girlfriend at some hotel'z Thanksgiving Feast. It was the first time in over 5 or 6 yearz that he wasn't with uz. After we ate dinner, we decided to go to the woodz for a walk. We went down by the water and then circled back around. It waz starting to get dark but I wanted to go right to go back into the woodz instead of to the left out. It was still light enough so we went right. A few yardz in we came across a little fir tree that waz decorated with stringz of popcorn and cranberriez. There were a few painted wood ornamentz hanging on it. But under it were some carrotz, applez and pearz. It obviously had just been done or the animalz would have had their Thanksgiving feast. One of the ornamentz waz "hope". We just accepted it az a sign from God. We decided after the scan today to go see if the animalz had indeed had their feast. They had!!! All that waz there were a few of the popcorn cranberry stringz. I took picturez and will be making a layout with them later tonight. In the meantime I have the layoutz I posted today to show you. The first one is from the November Inspiration Challenge by Brandi at Just For The Scrap Of It. I used Brandi's kit Cherish and the word art from the challenge.

And then I did one using Amy Sumrall's Muffy and Bif kit.

Wording iz the refrain and last verse of the children'z hymn "All Things Bright And Beautiful" by Cecil F. Alexander and readz:

All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.

He gave us eyes to see them, And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty, Who has made all things well.

~Cecil F. Alexander, 1848

Now for the good news!

Yesterday, my DH bought me an external hard drive!!! 250 GB - talk about storage! And its so small that when I go on vacations I can take it with me. It hooks up to the laptop no problem. Woohoo!!! I even take the laptop to the school while I watch the basketball practice. I was asked to be there because of only one coach and he is a guy and its a girls team and you know just for liability sake and all that. I was PTO president last year so they all know me and because I'm a minister they figured I was the perfect candidate to sit in since my daughters on the team. Anyway, its only an hour and a half and I sit and work on layouts or do some of the church bookkeeping while I'm there. Now I can have all my stuff with me instead of it sitting at home on the desktop. I was working on my latest layout prior to the EHD purchase and it just disappeared from the screen and poof it was gone. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Nothing left in the cache files or anything. Gone. So I have to start over on it. I had actually been doing a pretty elaborate one and just hadn't saved it yet. Won't make that mistake again! Well, off to get restarted. Peace!

Test Resultz

Went to see the doctor on Thursday. He said they found a nodule on the right lobe of my thyroid. (I already knew there was something because I watched her doing the ultrasound) He said I needed to have a nuclear scan next week. So I go Tuesday and Wednesday for that. They give you isotopes and follow how the thyroid processes it. So basically I know nothing more than I did before going in. BUT while I was there, I showed him the swelling on my neck between my collarbone and shoulder and he kinda got all nervous, said he didn't think it has anything to do with the thyroid and started checking lymph nodes and my throat (say AHHH) asked me if I was a smoker and I told him not for nine years now. (I did for 27 years before that.) He then said I need to have a CT scan of my neck and chest and I'll have that done next Friday. Happy Thanksgiving! Tests on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. And you know I'll have to wait for the results. Last time it took three weeks, hopefully this time will be quicker.