Sunday, December 7, 2025

The Simple Woman's Daybook for December 7, 2025

 

For Today, Sunday, December 7th, 2025

December 7 is most famously known as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, marking the 1941 surprise attack by Japan that brought the U.S. into World War II.

On December 7, 1941, a peaceful Sunday morning on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was shattered by an unprovoked attack by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and the aircraft and hangars at Kaneohe, Ford Island, Barbers Point, and Hickam Field.  The surprise offensive claimed the lives of 2,403 American service members and civilians and propelled our Nation into the Second World War. 

The Japanese mission was designed to cripple our military assets and obliterate the American spirit, but instead, the fatal attacks rallied our shattered citizenry and fueled our resolve.  Young men from every corner of our country put their lives and futures on hold and were thrust into bloody and brutal battles of historic consequence that would forever change the world.  Although untested in battle, these patriots, still reeling from horror and disbelief, united in a singular mission:  to defeat tyranny.  The exceptional courage and immeasurable sacrifices of the Greatest Generation secured our way of life and the blessings of freedom for future generations.




The Pearl Harbor Memorial


"Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy..."
These iconic words marked the beginning of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s address to Congress, requesting a Declaration of War against Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I remember learning this phrase in my 9th grade Civics class. Sheesh, the things we remember, huh? I didn't like that class because of the teacher. He picked on kids and made fun of you if you didn't know an answer. I still remember that too. Junior high was a tough time in life for many. But, that's another conversation. Because of my 9th grade Civics class, December 7th has been ingrained in my brain.

 

Looking out my window it's dark except for the twinkling Christmas lights in displays in yards and on houses. We have a wonderful collection of colored lights in our  front yard. My favorite lights are the blinking lights on our light pole.

 

I am thinking that family is so precious. I had a wonderful time Wednesday morning, with Mia and a few of her preschool friends, teacher and staff at a local city square. The city workers cleared the snow and ice away in an area so we could meet under a tarp and drink hot chocolate. We then made a bird feeder using a bagel. You tied a piece of yarn through half a bagel then spread peanut butter on the bagel. Then the kids dumped bird seed on the peanut butter. We pushed the seeds down so they'd stick in the peanut butter. Then we hung the bagel on one of the bushes in the town square.  It was a fun activity.

Next we went on a scavenger hunt to find things that were on the displays and lights in the square. The fun part was, we've been to the square every year for 32 years since it is near Tim's parent's home. We've taken our kids there each holiday season to see the lights and displays and listen to the music.

Last year they had a blow up penguin that went up and down inside a chimney. Mia was amazed by it.  She was two at the time and loved the fact that when we said, "Please come up penguin." he came up. Then we'd say,  "Please go down Penguin." he'd go down.

She couldn't wait to see the penguin this year and do the same thing. She and I did this last year and she wanted to do it again this year. It was so much fun. I wonder what age she'll figure out that he goes up and down no matter what we say. LOL  Precious memories.

 

I am thankful that we can spend time with the kids. We celebrated Thanksgiving the Sunday after. Everyone was tired of turkey so we had a wonderful brunch full of  lots of goodies. It was so well received that we may make it a new family tradition.  I don't know what I liked best, the cinnamon rolls or the french toast.

One of my favorite things is spending time with my kids. Wednesday evening Tim and I went with Ben to the Chargers Game. They are the G-League basketball team that feeds into the Cavaliers NBA team.  Three of the players have dual contracts. They play at the G-level and with the Cavs.  
We  have a package that gives us half of the home games. We got a sweatshirt Wednesday. Each time we go to a game we eat a dinner then at half time we eat snacks and dessert. It's all included in our ticket price. Plus we have front row seats at one of the ends of the court. It's a great time.

I am creating more lap afghans for a local nursing home. I'm also working on Christmas cards for a hospital and the nursing home.

 

I am wearing a red sweater, jeans, and tennis shoes.

I am watching Mistletoe Murders on Hallmark. I've finished the two seasons and want more. I hope there is a season three.  Did you know you can get a Hallmark Bingewatch pass from the Cuyahoga County Library?  Yup, you can watch anything they have for a week. Then all you have to do is reorder it to continue to watch shows.

I am learning new crochet stitches. When I get good, I will start a lap afghan because it's smaller than a regular blanket.

 

In my kitchen all is quiet. However, all is decorated for Christmas. The Christmas mugs are out, the placemats and the decorations. We have a clock that plays a Christmas song on the hour. At night it plays softly so you don't hear it upstairs.  We also have a small lighted tree on the counter next to the Christmas mugs. 

In the school room I have just finished cutting paper and organizing 4 sets of cards for my classes this coming week. 

 In my garden all of it is covered with snow. The mum hanging basket didn't make it inside so it's sadly out in the snow. It was very pretty all fall so it did it's job.  We have a few bird feeders out but not many birds are taking advantage of them. 

A moment from my day-Today a friend came over and I showed her how to do a crochet stitch called the moss stitch. She is going to make a scarf so I thought that would make a nice pattern for her. Plus, it's an easy, repeating stitch. 

Well, I have the family Christmas lists and have almost all of my shopping done. I do most of it online. It is delivered and all I have to do is wrap and put under the tree.

We put up our tree with Mia on Wednesday. It was so cute to watch her place the ornaments. She put them in clusters. I left them where she put them. Afterall, why ask for help decorating the tree if you are just going to move the ornaments to where YOU want them. LOL

Tim moved them after Mia left. He just had to. LOL That kind of thing doesn't bother me but he sits in that room for reading and coffee so he looks at it a lot. It's just one of those things.  Yes, he's the kind that straightens the picture if it's crooked when he walks by.

Well, it's late and I need to get some sleep. Tomorrow's another day and I have to get a handle on my Christmas cards. I've been making them and have some from last year. Now I need to get labels and family letter printed so I can begin the process of getting cards out to people.

Thanks for stopping in today.

Blessings,

Sue

 


Saturday, December 6, 2025

Thoughtful Journey

 Hey Everybody,

Today's challenge can be found here


I started with Thoughtful Journey designer series paper for the background.

Then I used the background stamp called, Peaceful View and stamped it in black ink. I used a stamp positioner so I could stamp this multiple times.

Keywords: MMTPT899
Stamps: Peaceful View, Sketched Butterflies
Paper: Thoughtful Journey designer paper, white
Paper Size: A2
Ink: Versafine black, highland heather
Accessories: double oval punch, Tiny bee trinkets, stamp positioner
Techniques: Stamping

This is the stamp set I used for my card. 




Here are some cards I've made using Thoughtful Journey designer series paper.






This is the type of card that is quick and easy to make. It can have many different kinds of sentiments like Thinking of You, Sympathy, Birthday, Thank you etc.
That's the beauty of this pack of paper and the background stamp. You can make any type of card you want.

This would make wonderful gifts with assorted sentiments. If you have someone who uses cards, make some cards with this paper stack them in a pile with envelopes and wrap a ribbon around them with a gift tag for a perfect gift.

Thanks for stopping by today.
Blessings,
Sue


 





Friday, December 5, 2025

Dry Embossed Color Challenge Resist Technique

 Hey Everybody,

I am making something called Wax Paper Emboss resist technique. On this card I've used three colors of ink because I'm making this card for a color challenge. Our challenge by Linda can be found here. Our colors are Blackberry Bliss, Calypso Coral and Pretty Peacock.

Blackberry Bliss
Calypso Coral

Pretty Peacock


Dessert- anything goes!

Dessert- anything goes! You are always welcome to use the neutral shades from Stampin'-Up in addition to the challenge colors. You can find the list of neutrals here.

Stamps: n/a
Paper: white, glossy, blackberry bliss
Paper Size: A2
Ink: pretty peacock, Calypso Coral, Blackberry Bliss
Accessories: wax paper, SU 3D Sunflower embossing folder, Thanksgiving die, sponge daubers, tiny bee trinkets
Techniques: Wax Paper Resist

Here is a video to show you how to do this technique.

Well, that's the color challenge with a technique thrown in with it. I hope you liked it. I hope you give it a try.

Please stop by again soon.

Blessings,

Sue

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Make a Skirt With a Punch? What?

 Hey Everybody,

Our challenge for today can be found here.  

 This tutorial uses a daisy punch, cutting the petals apart but you can use any type of die or punch that makes small enough pieces that you can layer for a dress. I thought about using leaves but I did find that I had a daisy; I may do another one. Little flowers would work well too.
I've never seen this challenge before, so it was fun to try it with one of the ladies in my stamp set. 

I colored the lady and cut her out so I could place her in a scene on the Thoughtful Journey paper. I used the large daisy punch for her skirt. I chose a paper that had different colors in it then colored her blouse to match.
The designer series paper was added to a card base. This will go on a patient dinner tray at a local hospital.

Keywords: TLC1077
Stamps: In the Moment
Paper: white, SU-Thoughtful Journey, SU-Regal Winter designer series paper-skirt
Paper Size: A2
Ink: memento tuxedo black
Accessories: large daisy punch, dimensionals, SU Blendabilities, scissors
Techniques: Daisy Punch Dress, fussy cutting

Here is the stamp set I used.


Here is the designer series paper I used for the skirt. I loved this paper. It's retired now but I loved using it.

This is the paper I used for my background. It is currently available.


This challenge got me looking at my punches to see what else I could do with them.  I loved the idea of making a skirt with the punch and designer paper.

What do you think? Do you have a punch you could use to add a skirt to an image?

What types of images do you have?  Give it some thought and look through your stamps and punches. 

It's fun to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while.

Thanks for stopping by.

Blessings,

Sue

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

Gerda's Happy Fall

 Hey Everybody, 

Ardyth chose Carrie as this week's featured stamper. Check out the challenge here

The inspiration for my card is here.  





I changed: the stamps but kept it a squirrel, the direction-I made mine horizontal. Instead of a stencil, I used an embossing folder for a background. Instead of one color I did a direct to paper to add color to the debossed side. I added the images and sentiments with dimensionals to make them stand out against the colored background. I used this embossing folder because it showed such movement of the leaves which I thought would look cute with the squirrels. The images were colored with Copic Markers. The images were fussy cut to add color behind them so they would stand out from the background.

Isn't it amazing how adding cardstock behind the images and popping them up with dimensionals makes them stand out so much?  I really liked the embossing folder I had that shows such movement with the leaves. Using different colored inks on the background really added to the look I think.

The stamps that I used for this card are from Gerda Steiner. The set is called Happy Fall.

This company makes some of the cutest stamps that are great for my card ministries where I'm trying to cheer people up and get them to smile in spite of their circumstances. I just love
the little guy hanging upside down from the tree branch.  These stamps have dies you can purchase to make it easier to cut these cuties out if you want to make a scene with them. Here are some of my favorite cards using this stamp and die set.




Well, that's it for today. I hope you enjoyed your time here and I hope you stop by again soon.
Don't forget classes are next week. I hope to see you then.
Blessings,
Sue



Tuesday, December 2, 2025

December 2025 Stampin' Up News

 Hey Everybody, Lots going on here from Stampin' Up. Check it out.

Blessings,

Sue


Introducing Stampin' Up!'s...

DEC 2025 PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

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And below are a few projects created with this product to inspire your creativity!



Click HERE or on the image below

to shop my online store and place your order online.

Or contact me directly so I can help you place your order.





A CLEARANCE REFRESH, WOOHOO!

Stampin’ Up! has refreshed the Clearance Rack and Last Chance section—and the savings are BIG! Shop select retiring and past-season favorites at up to 60% off while supplies last. These deals always go quickly, so be sure to snag your must-haves before they disappear. It’s the perfect time to grab embellishments, tools, dies, and designer papers at incredible prices!

Don’t wait— popular items are sure to sell out fast, so place your order ASAP! With discounts of up to 60% on a HUGE selection of retiring products, you won’t want to miss out!

shop clearance & last chance

Last Order Date for Christmas Delivery

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The Christmas season is a busy time of year for sending and receiving packages so shipping

 may take longer than normal in the coming weeks. Please submit any online orders you wish to receive in time for Christmas by Tuesday, 9th December. Although Stampin' Up! cannot

guarantee that these orders will arrive before Christmas, best efforts will be made to ship

 orders as quickly as possible.

 

A close up of cards

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167237

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AS YOU GROW KIT

$22.00

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Get a great deal on a prepaid Paper Pumpkin subscription this Cyber Monday!

Starting December 1 at 8 a.m. (MST) and running through December 9th, you can get 3-, 6-, and 12-month subscriptions at a discounted:

  • 3-month prepaid: $81 $61
  • 6-month prepaid: $162 $122
  • 12-month prepaid: $324 $244

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Remember that all subscriptions start straight away and you cannot skip the first kit. That means all subscriptions bought during this promotion will start with December’s Watercolor in Bloom kit, featuring elegant botanical design elements with watercolor styling and an exclusive stamp set with customizable sentiment stamps. If multiple subscriptions are bought by or for the same recipient, they will receive duplicates of that same December kit.

If you currently have an active Paper Pumpkin you will need to pause that subscription, so you don’t get two kits, unless of course you want two.

Don’t miss out on these big savings! Get your discounted prepaid subscription from me in my online store from December 1st, and don’t forget this sale ends December 9th.

Please note Paper Pumpkin subscriptions do not count towards Product of the Month.

 

December classes schedule

December 5th Friday  7 p.m.  1 spot

December 8th Monday 10 a.m. Full

December 9th Tuesday at 1  1 spot

December 11th Thursday at 10 2 spots





The Simple Woman's Daybook for December 7, 2025

  For Today, Sunday, December 7th, 2025 December 7 is most famously known as  National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day , marking the 1941 surpr...