2012 has flown by!!

I don't know how the time just escapes so quickly for me, but December is just flying by! I have been so busy buying and wrapping gifts, mailing them, baking cookies (12 doz so far), making candy (4 different kinds) & trying to scrap and design. And.....trying to stay on top of all my reality shows...The Voice 2 nights..X Factor 2 nights...(Thank Goodness the Dancing With the Stars is over)...and some other shows I am having to DVR and catch when I can! Can't believe that CHRISTMAS is only 5 1/2 days away! Then before you know it...2013 will be ringing in!
I hope 2013 will be a better year for all of us and a much safer one. I'm not gonna discuss Connecticut too much as I have cried tears until there are none left. We so desperately need more attention paid to those suffering from mental illnesses! I just keep praying for all those parents and for the families of the educators! Christmas is surely going to be very rough for all of them, but hoping they can remember the good times and keep their eyes heavenward. HE will help them survive this tragedy!
We have a cold front coming in tonight, the wind is horrendous out there now, but supposed to gust to 40 mph tonight and take this mid 70's temps with it as the front blows through. Got to get out and put a box over my Hibiscus and find something to weight the box down. Got boxes and some old blankets out for the outside kitties to hibernate in if they have to. But all we get is cold temps, no rain, no snow!! So at least we will be dry.
Here's some more Christmas pages made of my family. This is the rest of Kathy's family as well as Kathy and Jim. Then my deceased brother's ex wife and his daughter. Next post will have my sister Penny's family in it! :)
Jeff & Tiff are in a freebie frame made by Marijja isn't it lovely? I know I have used this photo before, but I have so few of them that I have to use what I have. When he was here visiting last month, I totally forgot to take any of him....duh!!

Here is Kathy in a page from freebie kit by Kyra called Joy of the Season along with cluster made by Arlene from the same kit. You can find a link to With A Russian Dutch Heart on the right! She has some awesome kits for you and they are always free. So is Arlene's clusters from these kits.

And this is her hubby Jim in a page by Miss Edna and the overlay is one of my creations that I offered as a freebie on Miriam's Scraps using her Pinkish Christmas kit. Miriam also offers all her kits and QPs free, check out her site too! Miss Edna always has freebies each month on her blog that you can find on the right as well. She has some of the most beautiful photos that she takes and shares too! This is the last of Kathy's family. She and Jim have 2 sons, 2 daughters-in-law and 3 grandchildren.

My brother passed away in 1996. This is my sister-in-law, Myrl, mother of my lovely niece Sebrina! They live in south Texas.  Myrl shines in this page created by Neli, my new friend in Brazil. She also offers all her pages and kits for free. She is listed on the right, check out her awesome freebies too!

And last, but certainly not least, is sweet sweet first grade teacher Sebrina! I am so very proud of her and the job she is doing. She passed the principle exam this year too! Isn't she pretty, she has a great smile and a very big heart! She is in a page I created using Lesley's free Christmas kit (Scrapiness Down Under on the right) All her kits are freebies too. This green is perfect for Sebrina's green eyes! This is all of my brother's family that I know of!

Well, guess that's all for this post, got to get some more candy made after I get my plants covered and X Factor finals start tonight! LOL! The Voice ended just as I wanted it too! Just ADORE Blake Shelton and I so wanted him to win again this year! Have you heard his new Christmas album? It is super and so is CeeLo's Christmas album. Thanx to all the designers that offer there free gifts to me. I want to say to all of you that you are so appreciated! So very much! Y'all all have a terrific rest of the week and weekend making lots of memories to share! Will chat more later! Luv, Mat

Yipee! RAIN!! Finally!

It's raining and we are to get more this evening! We so need it! Wasn't too happy about driving in it with dilated eyes (eye exam today), but slow and steady works....LOL! Slow? not in the DFW area where slow is 50 mph and you still get run over! Thankfully, my ophthalmologist's office is only about 5 miles away! Of course it is a cold rain, so I have my little fireplaces going and am snug as a bug right now, just the "girls" and I watching it rain!
Wow, got all 3 of my boxes mailed out yesterday...done with my Christmas shopping! Went out for dinner and had a fabulous Mexican meal where I ate too much too late and did not sleep well! But better now, got great news from the doctor that my eyes are VERY healthy and I only have a slight change to my glasses! So I am finished with doctors, ophthalmologist, dentists, etc for another year! Got all my meds refilled before year end too! Now I can just coast and enjoy the holidays for sure! LOL!
I have been designing and scrapping a little, but now I can get serious about it! ROFL! I am going to do my family Christmas pages by each family unit this year. First up is my sister's (Kathy) oldest son Jason, his wife Christina, their 3 children Jade-Ruby-Jayson and their kitty cat Sarah! Hope you enjoy these!

Jason with the 3 kids in a free QP by my friend Neli in Portugal. She has some lovely free gifts, you can find her link in my list of favorite blogs on the right.

Here is Christina with the 3 kids in a free QP by LLC called Cozy Winter.

This is Jade (who turns 6 tomorrow) in a page I created using Kyra's (RDH) A Taste of Christmas and Arlene's Christmas Cheer (RDH) cluster. There are fabulous freebies 3 times a week at RDH, you can find on the right under With A Russian Dutch Heart!

Chocolate smeared face of Ruby (who will be 4 on the 31st) is in a QP by Miss Edna that was in the World Wide Christmas Blog Train 2012. Miss Edna also has a freebie kit each month and her link is in my favorite blogs on the right as well!

Cutie pie Jayson (15 months old) is peeking through a window at Santa. This QP is also by Neli. Jayson had been eating dirt when his mother snapped this photo.

Jade and Ruby visiting with Santa last year! This beautiful freebie QP is by Miss Boots (My Blog Fairy). Linda has lots of freebies at her Random Thoughts Site that you can find in my favorites too!

And last but not least, Sarah! Christina snapped this photo of her in the Christmas tree,  look how large her eyes are. Her first Christmas! She is a stray that was looking for a home! She is in a page I put together from 2 different kits, background and frame is from Manu b's fur & feathers kit. The cluster is by Arlene using RDH kit Christmas is Harmony and the Santa is from that kit as well. (I did a QP from this kit that is free at Miriam's Scraps if you are interested)
I thank all these fabulous designers for their lovely work that they share so generously! I also thank Christina for allowing me to snatch her Facebook photos of the kids. I so hope they enjoy all the gifts I just sent their way! Will all be under Kathy's tree for Christmas for them.
I wish Jade a very happy birthday tomorrow and also to my boss's granddaughter Maithalie who will be 5 tomorrow as well! To the rest of you, hope you have a fantastic weekend of making lots of memories to share with the rest of us! Happy Scrapping! More next time! Luv, Mat

Busy, busy, busy!!

It sure seems I am staying busy, busy, busy for the past couple of weeks and now it is almost Christmas! Last minute running errands, finishing up doctor appointments (1 left) for the year, refilling meds, paying bills, gifts finished, (now to just get them in the mail), got my yard and plants taken care of before the freeze that is hitting tonight, all faucets covered...places fixed for the outside kitties to keep them safe and warm! Clothes are in the dryer, house is clean, groceries are bought and I did get to watch the Cowboys win today!!!! Hooray!!!
All my outside decorations are up! Finished my tree inside too! No girls climbing it this year, I think they are either too old or too fat to even try! (LOL) Here's a photo of the tree in process and finished. I did a collage to show some of the ornaments in this one. The chain is all sparkly with glitter and is so pretty with the tree lights shining on it at night!

I know it is a rather large tree for on the table, but.....the "girls" leave it alone that way! Plus with the cards, etc under it they stay away from it all together!
Well, I think winter will finally get here....we started out at 62 F this morning, supposed to get up to 72 before the front came through knocking it down into the 30's for tonight with a wind chill in the 20's and teens for in the morning! Not to get above 45F tomorrow and back into the 20's tomorrow night. So am glad I got my Hibiscus all mulched up and covered with a cardboard box. I certainly hope I can keep it through the winter as Nina bought it and planted it for me for my birthday this year! :)
Guess I had better finish the clothes in the dryer and feed all my animals and get hunkered down for another night of football! Think I'll fix some soup and cornbread too! Will chat more later! Keep on making all those wonderful memories to share! Luv, Mat

Busy Weekend~

These are the 3 babies that I am feeding in my back yard. Aren't they just the cutest! They are so playful and the top two will allow me to pet them when I feed them. The top is a boy, the middle a girl and the bottom I don't know it will not allow me near it. It runs to the door when time to eat, but when I go outside, it runs and keeps its distance! They all love to play with the laser pointer and with toys when I go out to play with them. Besides I have taken them out scratching posts and catnip toys to play with! Of course, my "girls" all get jealous, but they cannot go outside and the ones outside cannot come inside until they are caught, taken to the vet and checked out and "fixed". Their mother and grandmother still come around for feeding occasionally!

I have really been busy this weekend, got the Christmas decorations down from the barn, outside decorations done and the tree up! Then I steam cleaned both bathrooms and all the floors! All my laundry is done and today, I think I will spend scrapping! Been awhile since I have and the photos just keep piling up!

We broke records with 83 degrees yesterday and to be the same today! It's December and this is September weather! Though not complaining as it made it easier to put the decorations out yesterday, but the wind we had did not help. To be windy again today! But, I will be inside scrapping! Yea!

Gotta go out of town real early tomorrow, but will be back real late, so guess I best get ready for that too! I need to do a few things for work since I will be gone! Gotta get things fixed too, so all my animals are fed and watered. Will cut this chat short and catch back up later! Keep making those awesome memories to share! Love, Mat

Hello Y'all!

Hello to all of you! Hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving with all your family and friends. I did not cook this year, or go out....first in 40+ years.  I had my procedure on my back Wednesday morning and it required that I pretty much be in a prone position for 48 hours. Boy, do I feel better today! I just got out of the shower and thought I'd spend a couple of minutes on here. Have to do this in increments until the first of next week, then I can do what I want, when I want again.  It is so very nice to be able to stand up and not feel my legs give way or having to grasp onto something so I don't fall.  Not a pain pill one....and I feel a lot better. I did not miss Thanksgiving though, Nina brought me a full dinner plate plus (boy was it good too!) and another friend shared a deep fried turkey with me. I lay on the couch with all my girls surrounding me and watched the parade and the ballgames, then the results of X Factor and later another ball game. I slept quiet a bit, but had lots of phone calls and texts from family and friends and even my boss.  It was a great day all in all and I am so very thankful for all my blessings. Especially being pain free this morning! Now, not to overdo it, I will cut this short and go take a little rest on the bed.  You will be sick of me after a few more days of rest! ....LOL! Hope you all are still making memories to share! Love all of you and thanks so much for your friendship. Later, Mat

Happy Birthday Penny!

Today is my baby sister's birthday!! I think we surprised her again!! I mean Kathy, Jim, Jason, Christina, Jade, Ruby, Jayson, Jeff, Tiff, Amy, Michael, Weymond and I! We gave her a gift card from Lowe's for some things she really wanted! I created a page for her of her granddaughter Hayden in the field with her papa and on top of a load of fresh picked Georgia peanuts.  Isn't she cute? The page is a freebie from Neli Mandel (her link is in my favs if you want to visit her for some great freebies)!

While I was at it, I used another of Neli's gifts to put my girls on a page. Thanks Neli for sharing!

And I used one of her Halloween frames on a page I created using a texture from Lanell at Never Forget Memories (there is also a link for her site in my favs). Plus the eyeballs and spooky alpha is a freebie from Mturnige. Thanks Meagan, Lanell and Neli for sharing your work!

And here is another page I just could not resist in doing. It is my "sister" Nina's granddaughter with her child. This is also a page from Neli. Thanx again, Neli

The weather cannot make up it's mind around here y'all! We are back into the 70's during the day and 50's during the night time! No rain and we so need it and none in sight either! It will be a nice warm Thanksgiving for us this year. I hope all of you remember how blessed you are and are thankful for all your blessings this year! I know I am!
Well, guess it is time for me to hush and get some work done! Chat with you more later! Luv, Mat

I think Fall is finally arriving in Texas

We have been having 80-85 degree days and it has been lovely, if a little on the warm side. Today the wind is really blowing, causing a leaf shower and making the leaves dance across the driveway at a pretty speed. This leads my girls to run to the windows to check out the activity and the noise, causing them to leave lots of "nose art" on my windows.  If we can believe what ALL the local weather guys are saying, we will see a cold front moving in late Sunday afternoon bringing some much needed rain and quite cooler temperatures. It is about time! At least we are not like some folks that are already shoveling that wet and cold white stuff!
I haven't been on the computer as much as I would like, trying to give my aching back a little break, so I haven't been blogging. Did ya miss me? I'll bet not!
I had a pleasant surprise a little over a week ago when my nephew, Jeff (Kathy's youngest son) stopped in for a few hours on his way back to Illinois.  He had been in Austin a couple of days and dropped in for about 5 hours or so just to break up the drive (and to see me too)! I fixed us a chicken pot pie and we ate, and talked, and talked and talked. After all, this is the first and only one of my family that has ever been to my house in the last 26 years. I was very excited! So was MzKitty, she just loved all over Jeff. The other two scaredy cats just stayed hid and would not EVEN come out to say hi!
I have been snitching photos off Facebook again, so I decided to use a couple of  free QPs to share with you. The first is of Hayden and Blair on Maggie's horse. Aren't they cute? I used a QP by Lanell at Never Forget Memories called Standing Tall. The other is from Miriam (so nice to have her back for a few days while she is visiting friends) it is from her new orange kit. The top photo is Jade & Ruby at their great uncle's wedding, then in the middle is Christina with Jayson and the bottom is Ruby feeding Jayson some of her ice cream. Just too adorable.

Well I think my shortribs and rice is ready, so gonna go eat and feed all my critters! Y'all have a great weekend and have fun making more memories to share. Chat with you more next time! Luv, Mat