Happy Birthday Jesus!

Last night we went to one of our church's candlelight services. It is always emotional for me to see how quickly the light spreads as soon as one candle is lit. It is so peaceful and wonderful to be that close to God. I am amazed that He'd come to earth at all. What that must have been like to come from Heaven to Earth............that's LOVE isn't it?
Today has been a wonderful day of activity, lazing around, visiting, eating and stamping! What more could a person ask for?
We always have a reading of one of the accounts of Jesus' birth. Today DH read it....I love hearing that story read. We also have a traditional yummy, gooey, breakfast with NO nutritional value whatsoever! Today we had cinnamon, caramel buns........were they ever yummy! Picture a cinnabon with gobs of caramel on top. Then picture this all warm and gooey. Yum, yum, yum. I did have a small amount I must say.
We then opened presents. DH and I open some presents on Christmas Eve together. We started that early in our marriage so we'd have time for just us while the kids were little. It was a nice way to connect and say I appreciate and love you. This year we did a few last night and some today. The kids enjoyed watching us open presents from each other.
DS has just gotten into HO gauge trains this year. He got a starter kit and some buildings and extra cars. He's been having tons of fun in the basement. These things are digital now, nothing like when I was a kid! LOL
DD love American Girl Dolls, we got her one that looks like her. She's been playing with it all day. So much fun to see kids doing kid things ya know? In our house we don't allow kids to have ipods or lots of time on anything that plugs in. We want them to be an active part of our family, not some one who accompanies us places with buds in their ears and music blasting.
We're not popular at times, but what parent is ya know?
DH is into fish so I got him a beautifully photographed book about the types of fish he really loves. He continues to look through this book eyeing each page as though he hasn't seen it before. Each time he sees something else he missed the last time around.
This is the first Christmas that I didn't get ANYTHING related to stamping! Tell me it isn't so!!! But I saved up some money and ordered myself a Slice. It's a small machine that will cut out alphabets and shapes for my card making and scrapbooking.
I have enjoyed stamping yesterday and today. Here are some of the things I've been working on.
This is a 4" coaster covered with Raspberry Tart designer paper then I stamped the flowers from Sweet Stems in black and colored them with markers. They were cut out and mounted with dimensionals on kiwi kiss paper edged in black paper. The calendar was purchased months ago at Hollo's in Brunswick. It has kiwi kiss ink around it and is mounted on black. I made a stand out of chipboard as well, so this stands up. I added a button with silver cord to cover where the stems all come together.

This is a 4" coaster covered with Raspberry Tart designer paper then I stamped the flowers from Sweet Stems in black and colored them with markers. They were cut out and mounted with dimensionals on kiwi kiss paper edged in black paper. The calendar was purchased months ago at Hollo's in Brunswick. It has kiwi kiss ink around it and is mounted on black. I made a stand out of chipboard as well, so this stands up. I added a button with silver cord to cover where the stems all come together.

This is the first card I made for a double challenge. The challenges were color and sketch challenges. When I saw the colors this week I cringed and wondered how I'd make them work together. These are very much out of my comfort zone! Anyway, I tried adding black to see what it would do, and worked with different color ways to put coral, saffron and orchid together. I love this lighthouse and wish it wasn't retiring.

This is the second card I made for a double challenge. The challenges were color and sketch challenges. When I saw the colors this week I cringed and wondered how I'd make them work together. These are very much out of my comfort zone! Anyway, I tried adding black to see what it would do, and worked with different color ways to put coral, saffron and orchid together. I love this lighthouse and wish it wasn't retiring.

This is the third card I made for a double challenge. The challenges were color and sketch challenges. When I saw the colors this week I cringed and wondered how I'd make them work together. These are very much out of my comfort zone! Anyway, I tried adding black to see what it would do, and worked with different color ways to put coral, saffron and orchid together. I love this lighthouse and wish it wasn't retiring.

Check out Jan's Nov 3rd post for directions on how to do this to your 2009 SU calendar. Thanks Jan...
http://stampspaperscissors.typepad.c...issors/page/3/
I put a cut just below the wire for the ribbon and tied it in a bow. I love this idea Jan. Thank you so much!

We visited my mom this afternoon and came home to prepare a dinner for our immediate family. It was a wonderful celebration. For dessert there was apple pie with ice cream. I like cake and ice cream for birthday parties, but DH wanted apple pie........
Tonight I can hear the noise of two guys watching our Cavs play basketball. It's a wonderful time of bonding for them.
Tomorrow we are off to Columbus to visit my sister and her family. It should be a fun day. She's working in the medical field right now and had to work the 24th and 25th.....so we thought we'd just drop in on her and give her a family Christmas. We just go down for the day, but it's still a fun time.
Saturday we will host DH's side of the family for the holidays..........whew, I'm going to need to rest soon! We do an easy dinner though........pizza in a sheet with everyone bringing something.
Take care, and enjoy the rest of your Christmas day. May you continue to grow and learn about the One who came to Earth as a Baby to save us from sin and ourselves. May you be blessed with health, family and love surrounding you.