Blown Away!!!

Last night Joe and I went to the Carrie Underwood concert.  Even though she was sick and was having troubles singing, she still sounded pretty good.

About half way through the concert, she came out and said she was only singing at about half where she should be singing and just didn't feel right about making money off the concert, so she was going to donate all her proceeds to our community.  HOW COOL!!!!

Anyway, she wore five different outfits...and had the coolest floating stage!  This is a picture I got from a friend that was sitting on the floor area.

This was our perspective of the same area.  It so cool.  It had a glass bottom to it, so those on the floor could look straight up.

She played some of her older songs, but most of it was from her last two albums.  She finished off the night with Blown Away, and they had a smokey tornado behind her and were blowing bits of paper out of a hole in the floor and it was sticking to her and she even laughed at one point while singing.

The concert was great and I hope to see her again someday.  Thanks Joe for getting the tickets for us!!!!

Well, onto other news, yep going to sound like a broken record, but still dealing with the flu around here.  Hope seems to feel better for a few days and then gets sick again.  She may have had too much junk food with the babysitter last night???  Hoping that was the case.  After midday today, she acted fine again.  Took her to the doctor and they said just stomach virus, so just waiting this out unless something else more serious presents itself.  She didn't even feel good enough for the firetruck Santa this morning.  Kind of makes me sad she missed it.  We still need to make it to the mall too.  She is hoping to do some shopping tomorrow, so keeping my fingers crossed.

Elfie update...he has been spotted in Hope's (messy) room...

...and hanging on the pink Christmas tree in the front room.  I wonder where we will find him tonight????   HeeHee!

Well, since it is just over a week until Christmas, here are a few Christmas cards to share...

Well, it is time for me to get to bed!  Goodnight!

Darla

Oh Elfie...

He has been having fun finding a few new spots to hide, I have just been having troubles remembering to take pictures of him each night.  Oh well.

Here is where he was last night.

I think he is having troubles finding new places to hide?????  How many days until Christmas????

Hope had a relapse of the flu again the past two days, but she is finally ready to head back to school tomorrow.

Well, not much else to report around here, so I will just share the rest of the Elf on the Shelf album I mentioned in yesterday's post.

Here is the cover of the mini-album.

Here is a detail shot of the button dangle and the holly leaves...

...and the star/year.

This is page two...

I used one of the journaling cards to create a tag for some hidden journaling in a pocket.

Page 3...I traced around the letter stickers to help them stand out on the busy pattern paper.

Page four...

 Page five...I glued the clothes pins on with a hot glue gun to hold the twine for the banner.

 Page six...I used the banner stickers to create trees.  I actually just remembered I was going to go back and add some snow-tex to look like hills of snow around the trees.  Oh well.  :)

 Page 7...

 Back cover...

Well, that is it for tonight.  Until next time.

Darla

The show MUST go on!

We have had a crazy week.  I know that sounds like a broken record.  :)

Well on December 1st, our Elf on the Shelf came back to visit us for the Christmas season.  Hope was very excited to have him back and has been writing letters for Elfie to take back to Santa each night and she received a few responses back until he got too busy due to the season.  Wink!

Here are a few of the fun places we have found Elfie this year.

And now onto our other Christmas activity this season.  Hope was a part of the Nutcracker performance.  She was an Angel.  I was able to get a few photos during rehearsal on Wednesday night.

At one point during rehearsal, I caught Hope with her candle (no flame) up her nose.  Good grief!  :)

And then Thursday morning...the flu struck!  At first, Joe and I were both convinced she was faking it because rehearsal ran late and she got to bed late.  We figured she was just tired and didn't want to get up for school, until she tossed her cookies!  That continued until Saturday morning...her performance day.  This is her that morning, but she was determined the show MUST GO ON!  She wanted to dance, and dance she did!  

I prayed and prayed during the show that she would make it through without getting sick back stage or on stage and my prayers were answered, but they were short lived.  She tossed her cookies again later after we got home.

Here is her cheering section that were able to attend the show.

They ballet company had 6 different shows, luckily Hope only had to perform at one of them.  I volunteered to help out back stage on Sunday evening.  It was CRAZY, but kind of fun to see how everything works backstage.

And back to Elfie, the Elf on the Shelf, here is a sneak peek of a project I have completed for The Scrappy Gourmet, featuring our Elf.  If you have an elf, you will want to get one to save your memories.

Well, I guess that is about it for tonight!  I hope your holidays are in full swing.  Enjoy!

Darla

Cupid...

The other day Hope had a touch of the flu, so we spent most of the day watching Christmas movies.  She loves the Santa Clause movies and the only one we own is #2, so we got that one out and watched it.  Well, that is the one where SC has to find a wife and has Cupid in it (although Cupid might be in all of them).

Anyway, she said some funny things later in the day about Cupid and his "love" arrows...

Mom, did Cupid shoot you and dad with arrows to make you fall in love?  Did he shoot you?  Or dad? or Both?

Me...I don't know (with a giggle).

Mom, maybe that is why I have been falling in love with all those boys at school because Cupid has been shooting me with his love arrows!

Me...Oh my, I guess I need to have a talk with Cupid and tell him to leave you alone for a while.  Hahahaha!

The kid cracks me up!  Love it!

Anyway, speaking of Cupid, here is a layout I created for Joe and Hope's first Father/Daughter Dance last Valentine's Day.

I hope they get the chance to go this year too.  They had a lot of fun.

And here are some LOVE related cards to share too...from Pink Paislee scraps, etc.

Well, I guess I better go see what we are going to have for supper.  Any suggestions.  One of these days I am going to get organized and do some of those freezer meals I see on Pinterest.  Now I just have to find the time to grocery shop and create the meals.  You know...in all that free time I have!  :)

Darla

It's Beginning to Look a LOT like...

Christmas!  Yep, we have the light hung outside (and by we I mean Joe), the tree is up (Hope's contribution last night) the lights are on (Joe again) and the ornaments all hung with care (finally my contribution).  We are playing Christmas music and enjoying some nice family time.

Here is Hope hanging the "bacon" on the tree.  When she pulled these glitter twisted tinsel from the box, she said, "these look like bacon, I am going to hang them on the tree to tease Reilly".  Too funny!

Hope also set up the Nativity scene too.  :)

 And there were a LOT of favorite ornaments, new and old, that were hung on our tree...

This ornament has been on our tree since Joe and I got married.  We bought it in Florida on our honeymoon. It is one of my favorites.

Here is Hope's Tinkerbell and another "first Christmas" ornament.

And of course one of our dog Reilly.  Love that furry guy!

This is a NEW favorite I found this year.  I LOVE the movie "A Christmas Story" and since I don't have a good place to put an actual leg lamp in our house (which I would have one if we did), I decided an ornament would have to do.  :)

I love glittery ornaments and lots of the glass ornaments on our tree.  As you can tell, we have a very eclectic looking tree.  We even have several of Hope's handmade craft ornaments she has created through the years.  I love this glittery one too.

This is another new one this year, since she has really gotten into dancing...

...and is doing the Nutcracker again this year.

Here is a close up of the "bacon" ornaments.  :)  Still makes me laugh.

This was one that was missing for a while, until Hope remembered where she hid it.  Not sure the story behind that one, but it has been found and added to the tree.  :)

Maybe next weekend or sometime this week Joe and Hope will work on getting the Christmas village up on the shelves too.  And Elfie will be making an appearance soon too, our Elf on the Shelf.

Speaking of Elfie, I am working on a project for The Scrappy Gourmet featuring our Elfie and all his hiding places.  Watch for it soon!

In the mean time, here are a few more Christmas cards to get you in the holiday spirit!

Hope is heading to a movie with the twins soon and I will get some quiet scrapbooking time to work on that Elfie project.  Yeah!

And supper is in the oven too.  Wow, that is almost too much productivity in a single day!  Hahaha!

Darla