Christmas 2011 Favorites

           A few of our favorites from this past Christmas, as part of my    
attempt to catch up...
           Note the CHOCOLATE FACE already in existence!

               Remote Cranky the Crane demos...

                PS2 game from Aunt Annetta & Uncle Leon...he LOVES this!

                   Mom did the HAPPY DANCE when she started opening this...entertaining!

              Dad asked for an r/c helicopter...he got 2!  For play dates haha

Spread the love.....

                                 Yep...it was Harry Potter.

                               Awesome CROSSING track!

Yes, I chose these too.

Christmas Dinner...thanks Dad!

 Dad's big day-after-Christmas purchase.  The snowglobe Wesley's had his eye on.
           I still haven't mastered the photo placement with this program, but I'll keep working on it, plus talk to Dawn Bourgette, who got me started in this!

Expression 2 launch & 3 Birds are on my mind...

  As part of the launch of the Cricut Expression 2 Anniversary Edition on HSN, some sites have been given the opportunity to GIVE AWAY new machines!  AWESOME!
 http://www.everydaycricut.com/    will be hosting an E2 ustream tonight...several things already going on today as well.
      I would LOVE  to get this new machine into my little scrapping wings (I'm a 3 Birds Chickadee from NW MICHIGAN)!  My only concerns are the typical gliches that always occur with a new product launch, and then the possibility of not being able to use this new machine with MTC or SCAL.
  My hands are shaking, I'm sooo excited!  I already ordered all 3 of the new 3 Birds products several days ago, and am chomping at the bit to see Donna's demos...always great! 
  Hope you are scrappin' and craftin'...stay warm and dry!

It's been a while....& the recent loss of a loved one:::

  It's been a month since I sat down to blog... a lot has happened, including but not limited to: a happy surprise purchase for our son, WAY TOO MUCH SNOW AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, and the loss of a loved one.
  In order of occurrence, after us getting the idea to buy a quad or something for our son, my hubby changed it to a dirt bike, and a brand new one...his first NEW RIDE (not a pass-me-up or -down)!
  After having 80 degree weather a couple of weeks ago, we have received SNOW 3 times, some of it a nasty, miserable, and dangerous mix with ice.  This week we are still having temps dipping down to 28, and highs in the 40s....very rough on all of us with Arthritic conditions or Fibromyalgia!
  We found out late Friday night that my Uncle Walt was in the hospital, given 7-10 days life expectancy due to his cancer, which I didn't know about!  We were planning to go down to see him on Sunday if I felt better (being totally miserable on Saturday due to the weather), but Sunday morning we received the disappointing call that he had already passed away late Saturday night, just 24 hours after we found out about his condition:(
  I will be going to the visitation on Wednesday, weather permitting, as I found out this afternoon that we are expected to get an ice storm late Tuesday night and into Wednesday....things just aren't working out for me on that situation.  If I'm able to go, my stepmom will be travelling with me, as we are the only onces from our immediate family to be available to go due to work schedules, etc.
  So far I have been on the phone or email most of the day, re-notifying our family members of the current status of everything for Uncle Walt's funeral: ordering flowers, picking up Ruth, etc.
  Hopefully I will get a chance to post some pics of Wesley's bike and layouts.   
  Gentle (Fibro) hugs to everyone....stay warm & dry!

Digging out AGAIN!

  I tried to upload pics last night but my pc was giving me problems...let's try this again.

 Michael had blown out the snow in front of the garage before leaving for work, but this had blown back in so Wesley & Dakota had LOTS of snow to play in today!  It was above my knee high boots (& Michaels, which Wesley tried wearing outside even though I told him to get totally dressed in his snow pants, etc...).

   Dakota plowed her way from the front porch...she LOVES it!

 This is the "Stream" sign behind our mailbox.....what's still visible that is.

 Michael and a few others plowed through with 4x4s...the county plowed one path at 3:15 pm......surprisingly.

 Dakota's favorite outdoor spot:  Queen of the (snow) mountain.

 I pulled Wesley down this small hill in his one-person sled....he caught air!

School was closed again today, not surprisingly, but I think they might be open tomorrow........we'll see.  Either way, Dakota's still a happy girl.

New Year's Eve & friends...

     I just got hooked up to skype a few days ago & have been able to find a couple of long lost friends whose info was on Facebook.  My niece was just hooked up to high speed via satellite and we were our 'firsts' for skyping.  We look forward to reaching other family members and friends, both locally & from out-of-state.

     We look forward to watching our niece and grand-niece grow up, as we all missed each other in previous years due to living so far apart.

     Thanks to the prompting of my niece, we recently spent part of New Year's Eve together here in Ludington, & we were all impressed with the Ball Drop & following fireworks.

  Included will be a couple of pics, utilizing my less expensive digital camera, as my Digi Rebel is in need of repair.  I hope to have it fixed before my birthday crop on the 29th.   

Whoo-hoo!!!!!!!

Digging out from under the fresh, beautiful snow.....

     We started receiving fresh, fluffy, beautiful snow a few days ago, and may continue to receive it for the next several days!  Finally!  Our son and my 'snow dog' Dakota are enjoying it's fun while I'm enjoying the beauty and potential 'snowdays'.....more opportunites for movie nights after making 'no-bake' cookies.  Fun & chocolate...what more is there?  Of course, scrapbooking!