Just a minute of my time...

Thanksgiving

What a wonderful time we had with family and lots of yummy food!

We started our morning doing the turkey trot... running 5 miles to start your day keeps the guilt away during your Thanksgiving meal!  While we were gone Joel and Zach stayed home and got the turkey's in the oven.

It was a perfect day to spend indoors with family!

they make us all smile and laugh!

and we sure do have some fun!

lots of great pictures

lots of great memories!

Now its time for Christmas shopping and decorating... where does the time go??

Turkey trot

Chelsea and I ran the turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning and it was awesome!  We had been watching the weather all week as they were calling for rain.  We figured it was an hour or so in the rain and we were up for the challenge!

We got downtown and parked and found our way to the Galleria starting point.  After standing in line for the bathroom we had just minutes before the race started.  We lined up for the race and took one picture and before we knew it, the race was starting!

We didn't have time to think, I didn't even have time to set up my ipod, it was time to run.

Once we started running I quickly realized I was over dressed!  When will I learn?  I guess I figured the jacket would help keep me dry when it rained but once we began running and sweating rain would be welcome to cool us!

I was hoping to complete the race in under 50 minutes, but had no expectations since this was my first 5 mile run and first time running in the rain.  What rain we did get was refreshing and taught me that I will no longer dread the thought of rain at a race!

Our times were listed by Thursday afternoon!  I was 62 out of 123 in my age group with a time of 49.30.10.  Chelsea was 121 out of 257 with a time of 47:45.93.

Another challenge, another lesson and another race which changed me in so many ways!

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Today Chelsea and I are starting our day with a 5 mile run downtown.  The Turkey Trot is today and we are going to be a couple of soggy turkeys for sure!  I am grateful for the opportunity!

Whose Christmas shopping already

I started Christmas shopping a while ago, and I'm doing pretty good so far although my mom, sister and I spend a day shopping and that's when I get some serious shopping done!

I love getting handmade gifts and last Sunday I went to the Litchfield craft show and picked up some gifts for others and some gifts for me!  A couple of my favorite things include the Snowmen that Trish makes, the jewelry Jenn makes and these adorable owl ornaments my sister made!

In other Christmas related projects, I finished my Gingerbread house.  That is its finished until I fill it with all the upcoming holiday plans I want to document.  I posted several pictures on the Work in Progress blog

Getting ready for Thanksgiving with family and enjoying having everyone home for a few days!

Mama's Holiday wish list meme

TodaysMama (link to: http://bit.ly/tmwishlist) and GameStop (link to:http://bit.ly/gamestop10) are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family? That we have a safe, happy holiday and share in more special memories and of course all their wishes come true.

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition? After the kids open their stockings, then gifts we have the entire family over for breakfast, dad does all the cooking!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be? Garmin for running and an Ipad just for fun!

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money? I love making a lot of my gifts and our family breakfast is always the best!

5. What games did you play with your family growing up? White elephant gag gifts that we still play today!

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood? Opening the stockings first, while we get our coffee and wake up!

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip? I have always wanted to go to Vegas or visit family in California

8. Check out GameStop (link to: http://bit.ly/gamestop10) and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?  I have a 16 year old son... need I say more?  Xbox 360 with kinect, our classic favorites for new system like Nintendo, donkey kong, etc... and anything that keeps me active!

 

7 gypsies printer tray

I finished it and I'm so excited for the fact that I finished a project and I'm just thrilled with how it turned out.  It seems sometimes I don't do a project because I have such high expectations of how I want it to turn out and then it never gets done.  This one once I started in, I enjoyed every step of it.

I mostly used the October afternoon Christmas line with some 7 gypsies, Tim Holtz and Making Memories embellishments.  The rusty Jingle bells are Darice.

I plan on putting some tinsel or silver and red pipe cleaners behind the picture that's popped up.

Such a fun project, can't wait to do my next... probably after I get some more Christmas projects completed, translation.... next year!

 

Candlelight walk

Every year we try and make it into Medina Square for the candlelight walk, this year we had the perfect weather to do so!

It's a great way to get into the season!

I had to drag the family through my favorite store in town, Perfectly Charming!

although I don't think my family was quite as excited about the decor as I was.

Chelsea asked someone to get our picture while in the square

Joel and I enjoyed looking through all the old photos displayed in the old fire station.  Some of those signs made the town look so crazy busy, love the simpleness of today. 

Christmas crafts

If you are local and want to get a start on your handmade gifts for Christmas then check out the Litchfield craft show on Sunday November 21st from 10:00am - 5:00pm. The Litchfield town hall is located at 9254 Norwalk Road in the circle.  Admission is free.

I'm still working on my mini's, I just got the 3 X 3 pictures I ordered to fill some of them.  Picking up some more pictures today to fill this baby...

So happy with how my & gypsies printer tray coming so far!  I've already made some changes, adding some rusty bells, a different key and I'm trying to figure out how I could add some snow? 

finishing up some details with this and other layouts from my Work in Progress kit and I'm ready to start my December Daily.

Now if I could just finish up a few more gift items!

Making a list

I started picking up some Christmas gifts over the past few weeks and I was getting to the point of needing to get things written down so I knew what was done and what was left to do.  Then I saw this blog post at 11pm last night.  I was ready to go to bed but then something in me thought I have the supplies for this...

and so it began!

A Christmas planner that I could write my things to do, things to buy, things that have already been purchased and things I want to make down.  Along with my favorite cookies, memories and decorations.

Not only will it help me through the holidays, but it will also document the season of giving as I add pictures.

I can't wait to fill it, along with my december daily and the mini with my Work in Progress kit!

I am thankful for...

thinking about Ryan lately.  Not that he's not always on my mind, but most times I have that "It's better to have loved and lost than to not loved at all" attitude.  Not today...

It all started when I found a box in the closet that contained a lot of his artwork from his school days.  In there was a calendar, one that marked the last year of his life.  As I scanned through the months looking for something to stand out, to make sense of it all, nothing did.

There were the usual doctor appointments marked, wedding shower plans for Lisa, 10 year high school reunion, Lisa's wedding, notes to call Natalie; our babysitter and so much more. It made for a bittersweet evening, until I came across this...

This sweet thing was made by Ryan and after picking it up and reading what he was thankful for I finally got to smile! 

I am thankful for..... Nintendo 

Thanks Rye!