Wow, Wow, Wow!

Christmas day was warm and sunny, a little breezy, but all in all a lovely day spent with great friends eating way too much fabulous food and yes, taking home bags full for later. Then my renter brought over food too! I'm still thawing and eating it (I put dinners in the freezer when I got home)! Saturday was more like Memorial Day as it hit 80F and the humidity was so thick you could cut it with a knife....you knew the weather was about to change....BUT....not with EF3(winds of 160+) & EF4 (winds of 200+ mph) tornadoes!!! So much damage and carnage with 11 deaths and still 18 unaccounted for! So many homes and apartment complexes totally destroyed, so many homeless with only the clothes on their back in shelters, the temps dropped by 30 degrees in less than 30 minutes and rain, rain, rain so hard you could not see (3.5 inches). Flash flooding (with people having to be rescued) in the low areas because of all the saturation of the soil already. Sunday was really cold and wet (poor responders and people checking for loved ones or pets or to see what could be salvaged) the rain just kept coming in wave after wave and then the hail starts...what? in December? Yes, several different storms had the hail stones and so heavy it covered the ground very quickly and took a while to melt, then overnight into Monday morning....SNOW! Yep, we only got the edge of it (dusting or flurries) but others only 2 miles away got 2 inches of the white coverage! The wind was atrocious all day yesterday and it never got to 40F, but felt like the mid 20's all day! Winter finally found us...so many changes in such a short time...awful 4 days from super happiness to total life changes in just hours!  8 of the deaths were caused by the tornado picking up cars off Interstate 30 and tossing them like toys onto the expressway beneath them...crushing them! They never had a chance. Now it is all headed east and north....praying for those in it's path!
This morning thankfully, it is dry...cold (upper 20's-32F) and the wind has decided to give us a break. Some good news, yesterday a couple that had been dug out of the wreckage of their home on Sunday returned after being checked at the hospital to dig out both their dogs (FAMILY) trapped in the wreckage (2 days)...vet says they have no broken bones, just a little traumatized and cold, wet and very hungry....but will be fine!
Before all this happened, I was busy scrapping, scrapping, scrapping and reorganizing all my files on my computer, backing it up and even doing some paper scrapping.  I took lots of photos of my fur babies happily opening all their presents on CHRISTmas morning and coloring in my adult coloring book (boy some of those are very intricate designs) and enjoying all the holiday music! I am having my blog put into book format at the end of this year...(only 2 more days)....so I am still going to post the pages I did so they will make the book.

This was the card made for Penny (at her request) to put on FB to wish all a Merry CHRISTmas from her family to all her friends...Weymond has all 5 grand babies on his lap and then the 5 are around the tree at Amy's house...the quick page is by Fecnikek! 

This one I created for her too using a QP by Miriam's Scraps, but she chose the first one to publish and then printed this one! LOL!

This is Margaret and Lance's card they posted...sweet babies! I created this page using Raspberry Road Designs Season of Joy kit and free clusters!

This was Amy's but she kept having problems with getting it to post...This postcard was a freebie from Fecnikek too!

This was for TBT the day before CHRISTmas of CHRISTmas day 2012 in Grapevine, TX with my friends Jannette and Mike and his mother Anne and his sister Julia...we had a wonderful day together...the card is also by Fecnikek and wordart is by Miss Boots (Random Thoughts at Linda's Place)
Well, back to the real world now...today is trash day and I need to get mine out for collection and now that daylight is finally here, I have a few wet boxes to gather for them too! My fur babies stayed nice and dry and warm (their electric blankets were plugged in) but some of the boxes they use in warm weather are soaked...no worries I have a stock of new dry ones to put out today...LOL!
Chat in a couple of days to start the new year off right! Y'all have a good week! Make lots and lots of memories to share! Love, Mat

Happy CHRISTmas Eve!

I hope all of you are blessed with a wonderful day today and tomorrow! Enjoy your family and the fantastic food and fellowship with each other.  I am invited to 4 different places tomorrow, sure hope I will be able to enjoy the food at all 4 of them...means I will not eat much today so I can have room or bring some home for later or BOTH!!!!  ROFL!!
I did a bit of scrapping for family for the holidays and a big birthday this month....still not finished, but thought I would post them for the printing of my book at years end.  Can you believe how pretty the full moon is??? Hope to see it tomorrow, but with the 3-5 inches of rain coming in for the weekend, it may be too cloudy. It was gorgeous and bright last night. I think I heard this is first full moon on CHRISTmas since 1977 and won't happen again until 2034!! Enjoy it, those that can see it. Here's my pages for this week....!

First is Miss Jade who celebrated her 9th birthday on the 15th in a pretty pink QP by Miss Edna...she loved it!  Pink is one of her favorite colors.  She is growing too fast.

This is Lance and Margaret and their 3 children, Hayden with Wayne and Calvin in a page I created using some frames and clusters from Miriam's Scraps....I just loaded these cluster frames on Miriam's site as freebies if anyone wants them, this is Cluster frame # 3.

Here's Amy & Michael (no current photos of them together) with their 2 girls, Eliza and Annabeth.  This is Cluster Frame #4.

This is most recent photo of the 3 kiddos together (Ruby, Jayson, Jade) with mom and dad, Christina & Jason! This is Cluster Frame #5.

And the final one for the 2 double pages is Jeff & Tiff.  This is Cluster Frame #6.

And here is Sebrina with her sweetie Jeff and his son Thomas visiting Santa.  This is all from Miriam's Scraps except the Wordart it is a freebie from Ferrari at My Memories.

When I was growing up my parents taught me to say Thank You when someone gave me something (lost art nowadays)....so I wish to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all the lovely designers that have such big generous hearts that share their work with me.  I appreciate each and every one of you so much! My cup definitely runneth over with abundance of affection for all and I am very grateful for your friendships! Merry CHRISTmas to all! Love, Mat

From Us to all of You

Just adored this page from Miriam's Scraps, so added a few touches and the fur babies to use this as our CHRISTmas card this year....so, From all of us to all of you....may you have a blessed and wonderful CHRISTmas and a safe, joyous, healthy and happy New Year! Love all of you! Hugs, Mat

December is half over!

I can't believe how fast this month has gone, probably because I've been so busy (like everyone else) with cards and presents and all the normal day to day stuff!  Seems like I just posted about the 26 days left and now only 10 days and it's Christmas eve!
I've made each of my great nieces/nephews a Christmas page and put them on Facebook today.  Their parents and grandparents are so happy with them.  I will share here for my book this year.  All are in free frames by Neli at Lugar Encantado Da Neli

Jade

Ruby

 

Jayson

Hayden

Calvin

Wayne

Eliza & Annabeth

Daddy Mike and his girls

Amy's friend Mistie and her daughter Audrey Grace was a RAK cause I love the photo.

These two pages I created using the Christmas Mega kit from Miriam's Scraps.  I offer the QP and Cluster frame as freebies on her site if you would like them.

This is Annabeth decorating her first Christmas tree, she was concentrating very hard on doing it right and not toppling the tree on her....LOL (This is the free QP & free Cluster)

My friend Jan who is in a rehab facility after a serious illness, now she will be home for Christmas. I created this QP using the Cluster Frames I created...! She loved it! (This is the free Cluster Frame)
We've had such yo-yo weather that a lot of sickness is running rampant around here....therefore, I'm staying inside and not exposing myself to too much of it....(at least that is the excuse I am using to stay in jammies all day)! Got some high winds and hard rain on Saturday night/Sunday morning! The ground is still saturated from the last rains so I have a river out back...but with the middle to upper 60's today and tomorrow, it should recede soon.  Then Wednesday we are to have a real cold front come in dropping us back to the 30's & 40's but with no precipitation.  We may just get a few days of winter yet! This year we have gone from AC to heat back to AC so often, my poor unit is confused! (As are all my fur babies....the ones outside have added that winter fur coat and now it is too warm).  Got some of my plants in storage unit out back, but the Hibiscus is still blooming like crazy...will probably have to put it away by the end of the week.  It has 4 blooms open today!
Well, since I have been at this computer for awhile today, I think I best get up and get some other things accomplished and allow my joints to move a bit, besides it is cat feeding time...ROFLMBO!  They are gently reminding me.  Until next time, y'all make lots and lots and lots of memories to share with us! Hugs, Mat

26 days left of 2015

Can you believe how fast this year has come and gone? Only 20 days until the Jolly Ol' Santa comes and 26 until we will ring in 2016!! I went with my friend Jan shopping last Wednesday....just not in the mood (and no extra money either)...I haven't even thought about decorating with all the outside kitties running around, definitely no tree inside, nor have I attempted to address Christmas cards.  I did not shop on Black Friday, Small shop Saturday, nor Cyber Monday....I think maybe I need a adjustment to my attitude! ROFLMAO!
I just finished with putting my home in order, I even dusted the furniture and mopped all the floors...now, I can sit and play or watch TV or color or sleep all weekend if I want to! I even cooked a pork roast yesterday and made some potato salad so I don't have to fix anything else.
I did finish the wedding album I was asked to create for Jan's great niece.  I also got a few more pages created for Annabeth's and Calvin's ABC books! I got all my files backed up on all my devices and downloaded from a couple of Christmas blog trains so I can be ready for those photos too! Here's a few I did this past week.

This is Papa with 2 of his grandchildren, Annabeth and Calvin at the pond where they fish a lot.  It is behind their house.  Lance was there with them too.  Amy took the photos and sent to me so I created the page using freebies from Booland Designs and the stamp is by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrappers.

Maggie sent this photo of big sis Hayden with Wayne...isn't it sweet? Hayden is a little sweetheart and loves both of her brothers. I used freebies from Kimeric Kreations.

I couldn't quit smiling when I got these photos of Calvin and Wayne from Maggie...they are so adorable, I just had to make a page of them using papers from Miriam's Scraps Vintage Baby Kit.  The same with Miss Annabeth trying to feed Eliza...they were so darned cute I decided to make a double page...boys in blue and girls in purple!

Christina posted these photos of Jade, Ruby and Jayson ready for Jingle for Jammies Day at school, but Bud did not want his photo taken with the girls in their PJs...this page created using CheyOkota freebies. The schools will try anything to keep the kids interested I suppose...never heard of so many different dress up days for school! (But then I finished school 50 years ago...LOL!)
Not much news around here that is worth boring you with, just some dramas in the neighborhood, but I try to steer clear of all that.  I like nice and quiet and peace! Yep, I lead a boring life with just my fur babies to keep me company, but I LOVE IT!  I could almost become a hermit....LMAO! Just wish the arthritis would allow me to sit here in front of this computer and create more than I get to!  I created another free QP over at Miriam's Scraps if you want it. She has an awesome Mega kit she is giving away using the original Christmas colors!

Ok, I have to get up from here, fur babies are bugging me, I can't type with them clamoring to be in my lap or tapping me on the arm for attention....I think they want some treats....LOL! So I will hush for now and wish all of you a fantastic weekend making lots and lots of memories to share! Hugs! Mat

Thanksgiving Blessings!

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving, me and the fur babies really did! I cooked a little (which I don't do too often anymore, hard to cook for one)! We had a friend deep fry a turkey for us, I made a pan of cornbread dressing (I made herb cornbread to use and dang near ate all of it before using it for the dressing), green beans and deviled eggs. I also made a Caramel Apple dump cake.....yummy! We've had leftovers today that was just as delicious as yesterday.  ROFL!! We had rain for most of the afternoon and evening, just after midnight we broke all time records for wettest year at 55+inches and....it has rained most of today and to rain tomorrow and Sunday too before it is to move on out.  At least we are staying above freezing and no ice storms like it is in the panhandle. We had almost 80F yesterday, tomorrow will not get out of the upper 30's they say!  Oh, well, great day to stay inside and finish the wedding book I am creating for a Christmas present...the ABC books I am working on for Annabeth and Calvin...and trying not to work at this computer too long at a time because of the arthritis in my neck and hands....LOL!

It was really dark at 5 p.m. This is Oreo on the sill (you can barely see her) and Misty and Sideways looking out at the rain....we are in the computer room.

This is on the bed (Sideways is almost blind so it's hard to take photos with his eyes)...they are always snuggled together...

Oreo has her spot and uses all of it...LOL, she is comfy for sure!

Pumpkin on the floor beside the bed...she doesn't always want to be on the bed...as it gets crowded with all 5 of them on there with me...LMBO!!

Ms Diva likes to lie on the pillow above my head to be looking over all of us...she can be a real B*^%* sometimes....but I love all my fur babies and am happy they allow me to live with them and pay the bills and feed them....ROFLMBO!
OK, time to get off here and get some work done, y'all have a great weekend and make lots and lots of memories to share...chat more later! Hugs, Mat

Happy Birthday Calvin & Penny!

Another year and another birthday for Calvin on the 14th and Penny today! I did a page for both of them...Calvin turned 2 and Penny is the whopping double nickel today....she's gonna get even with me for that one, I guarantee!

This cute free frame is by Neli at Lugar Encantado Da Neli with a photo of Calvin in his John Deere green shirt eating his John Deere Tractor cake...(Can you tell he is crazy about tractors and trucks and cars?) He is so stinking cute...just like his daddy was and has the same devilish grin too! LOL!

This I made for Facebook and since she hates, hates, hates her photos, I made it very ghost like so she would not complain too much. I created it using the free kit by Kyra at With A Russian-Dutch Heart called Afternoon in September and free cluster using the same kit by her CT Arlene.
So, I got a few more photos of all Kathy's and Penny's grand babies...just had to scrap some of them too as they change so rapidly at this stage in their little lives...I wish I could visit with them more, but since I can't, I have to visit through photos...Right?

This adorable photo of Annabeth and Eliza just begged to be put on a scrap page. The page is from Neli, the sisters alpha is from Crazy-4-Monograms and the wordart is by Miss Boots aka Random Thoughts at Linda's Place.

This photo of Jade and Ruby was posted as Fancy Dress Day at school, so I decided to put them in the page and instead of trying to make separate photos, just leave it together and enlarge it to fit both frames. Sorry do not know who the designer is as it had to TOU with it and I have had it a while.

Isn't this the sweetest photo? don't you just want to squeeze him? I do!!  This is Jayson who fell asleep watching a video on his kindle...sweet dreams little one! The page is created using the free mini kit called Little Dreamer by Raspberry Road Designs with the cluster by the CT Ellen.

Sweetness overload here...Miss Hayden in a lovely QP by Fecnikek called Vanilla Mint, just love the pop of hot pink with this layout!

Ok, so Mr handsome, Calvin got 2 pages this week...one was special for his birthday, this one is just because he is so stinking Cute, Cute, Cute! This is also a free QP by Fecnikek

The two littlest ones, Ms Eliza and Mr Wayne are sharing the baby room frame by Fecnikek. They are just too sweet for words...right?

And finally, sweetness overload here...Miss Annabeth in a cute frame titles Sweet Little Girl also by Fecnikek.
I really do enjoy doing these and I really, really appreciate all the freebies that these awesome designers so generously give to us to make the process fun. If you want to visit their individual sites, just place your mouse over their names for the links, or find them in my friends list on the right of this post.
Was so very sorry about all the killings in France, it is a real shame that people get so brain washed by lunatics and will not let this world live in peace. Why innocent folks have to die for some idiot to prove they can so easily be led to hate is beyond my scope of reasoning! Pray that healing takes place soon for those loved ones left behind as well as those that left us too soon and a healing for the country as well.
We have been having lovely Fall weather (except for last Monday when all the storms and tornadoes came through around 3 a.m.) Today we are going to reach 70, but overnight the bottom will fall out again and we are expecting a freeze for our area on Sunday morning! So, I guess I better get my rear out of this chair and get stuff together to put on my plants or take in the ones in danger of the colder weather.  Thankfully, I have taken precautions for all my outdoor fur babies that visit...they have electric heating pads in their condos and soft clean blankets to snuggle in away from that cold north wind.  The yard guys were here yesterday (finally got the ground dry enough to mow) and my lawn looks lovely and free of leaves....LOL! won't last long as the Live Oak next door still has lots of leaves and my Red Oak is still full of green leaves and acorns, and acorns, and acorns and acorns...lots and lots of them. ROFL!  I've also cleaned all the bird feeders and have fresh new seed and suet blocks and Miss Edna's Peanut Butter Bread too! The squirrels just love that as much as the birds do!
I had a lovely weekend visit with my sweet niece Sebrina...we ate way too much Mexican food and talked, and talked before bed, then I let her sleep in and made her some biscuits and sausage gravy before she left to go back home. She was in Ft. Worth for a Science convention that ended on Saturday so she spent the night with me. I get to see her so seldom, it is always a real treat when she visits. My fur babies were not happy with a stranger in the house and didn't want to visit with her until just before she left on Sunday, little stinkers...! So I did her a page as well....she is in a free QP by Miss Edna, doesn't she look lovely?

Okay, just heard the trash truck come by so gotta put the cans back up and get to moving a little so will sign off for now and chat more with you next time.  Make lots and lots of memories to share with us, have a marvelous weekend! Hugs, Mat

Stormy weather AGAIN!

We've had spring weather, 80F on the 7th that spawned an EF-0 tornado(here's link http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/tornado-causes-damage-in-fort/53434745) within 3 miles of my home, scaring all the fur babies inside and outside, then the front moves in with the Fall temps finally....yesterday morning woke to 45F, this morning it was 50F and headed back up.  We had rain on the 7th, and 8th, but the races got to run...with Jimmy Johnson winning again....YIPPEE!!....and the Cowboys lost in overtime to the Eagles while playing in the stadium here with the roof open and got hit by a surprise shower!! No rain is forecast for today or tomorrow (to be back in the mid 70's), but Wednesday another front is coming in that could bring more severe weather.  I think the fur babies and I trained real well in the Spring for storms, cause they were no problem getting into the inner bathroom away from any windows or outside walls!
I want to wish my first cousin, Nancy, a very happy birthday today. I sent her a scrapped page on Facebook using a frame by Neli at Lucardo Cantado Da Neli.....

Maggie sent me some photos of Mimi (Penny) and all her grandbabies, so naturally, I had to make some scrapped pages using them...Check these out!

This is also a framed card from Neli, Penny is holding Eliza on the left and Wayne, next is Annabeth and Hayden with Calvin in the front. She is one blessed Mimi for sure, bet Papa was jealous she had all of them in her lap!

While holding Eliza and Wayne, Eliza grabbed his hand to hold and Annabeth was trying to hold the other one, the close up shows how she grabbed it...poor Wayne is the youngest...just a month old now. I used a freebie QP called Lazy Days from DigiDesignResort. Can't remember who the wordart is by, I have had it a long time.

This photo Maggie snapped of Calvin loving on a friend at Mimi's office. The QP is QPA from Raspberry Road Designs Hello Fall kit. The wordart is by Marisa Lerin at Pixel Scrapper

Two oh so sweet photos of Wayne sleeping, created this page using the Vintage Baby megakit freebie by Miriam at Miriam's Scraps with the bottom wordart by Crazy4Monograms.

This adorable photo came from Amy to my phone of Annabeth and Eliza....this page was created using an overlay from Snickerdoodle at Digital Scrapbooking Studio, the Monogram Wordart is by Crazy-4-Monograms Sister Set, the frame is from SBF-Fall Memories by Horsedreamn and the autumn leaf is from one of Miriam's kits.

And finally, got the photo of Jayson at pre-school...don't you just love his adorable smile? This is a QP created using background and overlay and mat by OklahomaDawn at SBF called School Is Cool and the cluster is a freebie by Kimeric Kreations.
 I think that is all since my last post....can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving? I haven't even begun to make any plans, sure would love to go to Georgia, but with the taxes and insurance on the duplexes due, I probably won't be able to go.
Well, think I will hush for this time and get some things done around here, got my grocery shopping done and lots of food and litter in for the babes...now I think I will mop my floors, I swept earlier and ran the vacuum, but they need to be mopped, while the babies are all asleep and I won't have them tracking it up while it's wet...LOL!
Y'all all have a great week ahead, make lots and lots and lots of memories to share. Chat more later! Hugs, Mat