Christmas Vacation from Blogging

Not because I am feeling stressed in any way :) And I really mean that.
This is my year to just enjoy Christmas and not worry about the to do's.
I am done with Christmas shopping. So that's a huge chunk out of the way.
But the blog doesn't fit in with what I want to do right now.
And how I want to enjoy the holidays. The last Christmas before Erin starts Kindergarten :-O
So I will be back after the holidays ready for the new year!
Hope you have a good one! :)

Ten on Tuesday - Christmas Style

1. Christmas Shopping for the kids is pretty much almost done!

2. Of course, Christmas shopping for Mike isn't. He's a hard one to buy for any time of year! And with a birthday in December as well as Christmas, it is doubly hard :) But I actually think I have the perfect surprise for his birthday this week. Can't wait to give it to him! I'll let you know if he was truly surprised :)

3. Feeling in the Christmas spirit the last few days. Decided it's so worth it for the kids to look at it from their perspective and not of a mommy "who must get things done!" It's making all the difference. Right now at least ;)

4. Thankful for shopping carts that hold your stuff for days on end :)

5. Thankful for neighbors who make unique, fun Christmas music CD's as their Christmas cards for all of us!

6. Love that Eric Carle has a new children's book out and it looks wonderful!

 Erin and a cousin are getting this one for Christmas :)

7. And speaking of Christmas books for children, Mike and I have decided that this one...

is our all time favorite!!! It is absolutely adorable and has a great message at the end for families. But not obnoxiously so!

8. Decided against doing a December Daily album which was hard because I have seen so many amazing ones so far! But am going to do a December recap instead using...

this line by October Afternoon. Love the vintage feel! And that little record die-cut is getting a whole layout all by itself! Also using this journal...

by Studio Calico!

9. Making a scrapbook album for my mother-in-law for Christmas. It is about a trip she took with her mom and dad to Ireland back in the 50's to visit!! So many amazing photos and stories she has to tell. She is the reason I wanted to go visit this place when Mike and I went there in 2009...

 Kylemore abbey. Anyway, I am pretty excited to help her and just hope I can do it justice!

10. I want this ornament!

 

As someone who grew up on Fisher Price toys, I think it is absolutely adorable :)

What is on your Christmas wish list?

Christmas Pajamas

Posting on my blog two days in a row doesn't happen very often, but...

it is my turn to post on the ScrapGal blog today. This is the layout I featured as part of my post titled Scrapping the Same but Different :)
Have a great weekend!

December Sketch Challenge at ScrapGal

As unbelievable as it may seem, it is now December, and it's my turn to post the sketch challenge at ScrapGal this month. 

I worked backwards by creating my layout first. I had a particular topic in mind that I wanted to scrap this month and knew the exact photos I wanted to use as well. I think this is a story that I will have to keep hidden in a personal album so that Erin or my future grandchildren won't stumble across it by accident. I'm also debating about hiding the story, but am not quite sure how I want to do that yet.
For this layout I used American Crafts foil thickers, letter stickers by Basic Grey and...

 the "I Believe" paper and accessories kit from My Mind's Eye and...

So for now, here is the sketch...

Pretty simple :) If you would like to participate in the challenge, you can post a link to your finished layout in my thread on the "monthly contests" board by December 31st. Would love to see your interpretation of the sketch!