happy thanksgiving & new releases

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you that are celebrating today! This is one of my favorite holidays, not just because of the food, but because I always know I have so much to be thankful for. My husband, who I love more than anything, my 3 kids that mean the world to me, our home we've built together, our families that support us in all we do, our jobs that allow us to follow our dreams, our health, & our friends, that even though we don't see nearly enough, are still there after all these years. I'm also thankful for a talent that I can share with others, as well as friends that I know that share that talent & excitement along with me. Recently, I was lucky enough to collaborate with 3 other amazing ladies that I admire to create Here Comes Santa Claus... if I must say so, it is one BIG incredible kit! {52 papers, 130 elements & 1 alpha}

you'll find the collab in Shannon's shop at DHD & you can snag it today for a great deal.

I also did up these December dates you can use to overlay on photos for your December Daily, or just use them with the banners I included. It's easy to change up the colors, too.

now for some inspiration for you! {if you notice, I've added a few new girls to the creatives} yay!

layout by {kelly mobley}

layout by {claudia harvey}

hybrid card by {claudia harvey}

layout by {aria andrus}

layout by {shannon dombkowski}

layout by {sarah hemmert}

layout by {sarah hemmert}

layout by {becca dickson}

layout by {shelley haganman}

layout by {robyn meierotto}

phew! awesome, right? anyway, have a really great day & enjoy your family.  We're not having our big family celebration until Saturday, where we'll host my family & Dan's family here at our house. Today, we're keeping it low key around here, baking a chicken, some pumpkin pies & sweet potatoes to enjoy with each other. 

I'm not one who's into the Black Friday thing... to brutal for me. I can't get into the craziness of it all! We are doing a great promotion over at DHD though, all weekend long & I hope you'll enjoy doing some quiet shopping there...

{robyn}

december daily {days 18-25}

first, let me say, I've loved doing this album.  It was definitely a challenge for me & I was really excited that I completed it.  Next year, though, I'm going to simplify for sure.  Photo a day.  I found that as soon as the rush of all the Christmas to-do's hit me {school parties, wrapping, last minute holiday whatever & kids home} I basically just had to drop it & wait until after Christmas to complete it.  I really wanted to include more in those last days, but it would have just been too much for the book {plus I was just ready for it to be done}.  I'm planning on layouts to tell a more complete story of our Christmas Eve & Christmas & also want to make a mini for our Elf, Jessie & his daily happenings.  So anyway, here it is...

12.18.11

on this day I dove into wrapping. of course I had a little "helper" too.  I added in a page I made from a brown lunch bag, which was what I used for a lot of our wrapping.

12.19.11

on this day, Evan's class had a gingerbread house day {his teacher has been doing this with her class for years... it's so much fun}. I went to help him out & loved what we created together :)

12.20.11

on this day I was in gift-making mode.  the kids' last day of school was the next day {which included Christmas parties} so I HAD to get the teacher gifts made! I didn't send out too many actual cards, but wanted to include the card I had sent out & the photo of the kids I had included in them somewhere in the book, so this is where it ended up.

12.21.11

on this day, there was so much going on! seriously if I included it all, it would probably be 6 pages... Christmas parties, babysitting, Christmas concert & best of all... grandma & grandpa came home!  The photo of Evan & my mom is priceless... he was SO excited to see her!  The back of the page is a folded program from Evan's concert with his name circled.  The concerts/plays at our elementary school are always the best.  We are so lucky to have an incredible music director!

12.22.11

on this day we did tons of baking & making!  Lydia had been asking me constantly about making cookies for Santa, so that's what we did!  I was messing around with a few things for this page on my Silouette sd.  I cut the from banner, but it didn't cut all the way through, so I just peeled away the letters & included it anyway :)  I also made the cookies for santa title that I made up with a font on my computer. 

12.23.11

this was a not-so-happy day. although it was my moms birthday, we also spent the night at my aunt Betty's visitation, who had passed away a few days before.  on the upside, it was great to be able to see all of our family.  I included 2 pictures I captured while we were visiting of Lydia & Collin with cousins we don't get to see too often.  this was the reason my parents made the trip back from Texas as well, which was a major bonus for us as well, as we weren't planning on getting to spend Christmas with them this year {which would have been a first}.

12.24.11

I always have LOVED Christmas Eve... for as long as I can remember, it has been when my family celebrates together.  We start with mass, then supper & then PRESENTS!  We've changed it up over the years a little, but it still is my favorite.  Again, this one could go on for pages & pages, but I kept it super short.  The day started with my aunt's funeral & then went onto church with Dan's dad & then fun with the Klesner family at my sisters.  Then home to get ready for Santa!  The picture is our tree that night after Santa had made his way to our house... :)

12.25.11

on this day... it was Christmas!  Since we've had kids, this is our day to spend together at home.  It always starts with the kids waking us up at the crack of dawn & excitedly ripping through stockings & presents. This is followed by a homemade breakfast, lots of assembling, playing & relaxing. This Christmas we did something new & had Dan's family over that night for supper.  It was great to get everyone together, with his family in all different directions, it's nice to be able to see everyone & have a relaxed time to visit.

done.

{robyn}

december daily {days 14-17}

12.14.11

on this day Lydia received an email from Santa & a video.  We did this last year too {PNP or Portable North Pole} & she loved it then too!  I would suggest it to anyone.  The excitement on her face was priceless!  Santa knew a lot about her & she still can't figure out how he got pictures of her for in his book ;)  She's watched it over & over... just to make sure she's still on the "nice" list.

12.15.11

On this day I wanted to show the kids {well the oldest always seems to be missing from the photos} writing letters to my parents who are in Texas.  Maybe I'll even be able to get them back from my mom later so they can be included here.  They were so sweet.  Also, Lydia brought home a gift for Dan & I from preschool & insisted I open it right away instead of waiting for Christmas.  I know this is going to be one of those homemade ornaments that I cherish forever {as long as it doesn't get broken}.  I cut down the bag she had decorated with stickers & a tag to create an extra page. 

12.16.11

on this day I was trying to do a speed shop while Lydia was at preschool. Our closest Target is about 35 minutes away, so I never have much time.  Thankfully, it does have a Starbucks in it, so I included a pic while I was waiting for my Chai Tea Latte :)  I also stitched in the cardboard cozy from my drink. On the back of the page I included my list I took along that day.

12.17.11

on this day I wanted to get lots done!  I had bought some material for new stocking for the kids the night before & started to sew them up that day.  I kept it simple, as I'm not a very advanced in the sewing department.  I love how they turned out & the kids love that they are bigger than their last ones :)  I included pics of each & also some scraps from the material I used.

I'm trying to make this week as stress-free as possible & there are tons of things I want to do with the kids while they are off. Hopefully baking some cookies & maybe even some movie-watching will come into the mix! 

We received a call from my parents yesterday that they were going to leave their motorhome in Texas & drive home over the next few days.  We are very excited that they'll be home for Christmas {the kids are so happy}, but it is very bittersweet, because the reason they are coming home is that my mom's oldest sister is not doing well.  So, we are praying for auntie Betty & her family, as well as the safety of my parents as they make the long drive home.

{robyn}

december daily {days 10-13}

playing catch up again :)

12.10.11

on this day we took a quick trip to the mall to let the boys pick out a few things they had on their lists.  at their age, sometimes it's easier to let them to that.  They both picked out air soft guns & Evan picked out a wooden baseball bat that was on his list.  We finished it off with dinner at the Olive Garden. The present was something Lydia brought home from school & since I had the blank page, I decided to add that in here.

12.11.11

on this day, the kids spent the morning outside playing, riding 4 wheelers & sledding with Dan.  In the afternoon Collin had a chorus concert that Dan & I went too.  It was really awesome.

12.12.11

on this day... well not much happened! Lydia did have me help write a letter to Santa, so I made this little envelope to put that in. 

12.13.11

on thhis day, again, not much.  I used another picture I took when I first decorated the house of the nativity that Dan bought me several years ago.  It's something I just love.

so that's all for right now.  I'm a few days back on this, but plan to catch up quickly.  I'm trying not to overthink it. 

{robyn}

december daily {days 8&9}

12.8.11

on this day Lydia & I met Dan for lunch & a quick trip to the grocery store.  it seems I have tons of photos of Lydia, but not too much of the boys... need to work on that.  she's my constant companion right now since she is home with me unless she's at preschool, so many pictures get taken of her i guess!

12.9.11

on this day, we just didn't seem to have much going on, so i printed out some photos i took in late November right after i put up the tree.  we decorated early because my parents were heading to Texas Thanksgiving day & we were hosting an early Thanksgiving/Christmas/Anniversary party with the family.  I still want our holiday decor to be part of the album, so I think I'll add in photos like this in on "slow" days.

{robyn}

Happy Days Countdown	Happy Days Stamps	Everyday Fun Borders	Happy Days Borders
Vintage Holiday Digital Papers	Happy Days Brads	Lost & Found Christmas chipboard	Lost&Found Christmas trim
Love Me Accessory Sheet	Check it journaling cards	All Together fabric stickers

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