I had a glorious Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is such a joyful holiday for me. It is the one time of the year that ALL of the family comes together. This year, it was an extra special highlight to host Thanksgiving at my home in Virginia. I had a wonderful long weekend with my family -- we ate...we laughed and ate some more. Oh....and I even gathered all of the women together on Friday afternoon for some scrapbooking. A first for them all. What a total blast.

I hope you enjoyed a wonderful turkey day too.
Hugs,
Wendi

This was the perfect challenge for me this week. We had to use a quote about stillness from Oprah, 1 calendar and masking. Journaling: "Stillness is waiting...Stillness is you"...Miles - it is my gift to you. Learn to be still, learn to be one with Nature...in your stillness you can listen, you can receive.

I also created the 3 books of wisdom, hope and faith using the metal pieces from 3.5 diskettes. I then used Adirondack's silver and gold alcohol inks to antique the metal. I glued heart and star brads on each. I also glued small sheets of card stock paper inside each book.

This is a great challenge for this season -- stop by CHIT CHAT CHALLENGE this weekend -- I am sure you will have a blast.

Oh....and guess what I am doing today. Getting the house ready for all the family that will start to arrive this weekend. I usually do not put the Christmas tree up this early but I thought WHY NOT? The tree, the decorations, the smells all make me so happy. Here is a pic of what my guest will see as soon as they enter my home. I am giddy with excitement and can not wait to see all of the FAM!!!

Here is a little little peek at my Chit Chat Challenge page

I will post the page tomorrow -- and if you have not joined in the challenges it is not too late. Pages must be posted by 11:59 pm on Thursday. So you still have a few hours. We have another great RAK this week. So don't delay ... come join in the fun.

My favorite holiday -- Thanksgiving -- is almost here!!!

I love gathering with my family every thanksgiving. It is a tradition that my grandfather started many years ago.

I do not have my own memories of my grandfather, but I do have my mother's stories. According to my mother, I adored my grandfather and he adored me. He enjoyed playing with me and I loved to cuddle on his lap. I have seen pictures of him, and those images are imprinted on my mind and heart. He is bigger than life. My grandfather made his transition when I was only two years old but he has left a lasting impression on me and my family.

My grandfather loved his wife and children. He loved family. He enjoyed seeing many faces gathered around a table full of home-cooked food. It is for this reason that his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren continue to gather at Thanksgiving. We come together from near and far. We leave our homes in Georgia, Illinois, and Virginia so that we can reflect, remember and celebrate our family, our traditions, and our love for all the blessings the Creator has bestowed upon us.

This Thanksgiving season we will all gather in Virginia. I have the honor of hosting thanksgiving in my home this year. It will be only the second time my family has hosted thanksgiving in Virginia. The first time was four year ago.

The menu this year is so yummy. It includes:
Orange roasted Turkey
Jerked Turkey
Holiday baked Ham
Standing Rib roast
Chi-town Lasagna
Mississippi Greens
Alabama Fried Corn
Southern Potato Salad
Supreme Mac and Cheese
Orleans Salmon and Shrimp
Mashed Potatoes
Candied Yams
Homemade rolls and corn bread
Yummy Dressing (not to be mistaken as stuffing)

Desert:
Butter Pecan Crisp
Holiday Fruit Pie
Sweet potato pies
Lemon pound cake
Granny Smith Apple pie

OMG how good does that menu look. And...just in case you were wondering I am not doing all the cooking. All of the ladies get in the kitchen on Wednesday and start cooking -- together. That is one of my favorite parts. I love all the hips and butts bumping into each other, the stories, the laughter -- the circle of sisterhood.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday full of love and laughter. Let me know what is on your menu this year.

HUGS
Wendi

BE GLAD

At SCRAP IN STYLE TV the sisters start a list of "glads" every Friday. It is a wonderful way to refocus my attention on what is wonderful, blessed and beautiful in my life. It is so easy to get caught up in what is not going right and allow that negative energy to build and grow. I know that celebrating my blessings and remembering to be thankful is a better way to spend my energy. So...on Friday when I received a challenge from one of the "SISters" at SISTV to scrap a page about the things I am glad about -- I was on it!

I decided not to use any pictures....and just create a background (using only the scraps leftover on my table) to note my "glads." It was a fun, carefree and reflective challenge. Give it try....

It is Friday!

Wow...I am so thankful that it is finally Friday. It a beautiful cold and wet autumn day. I love it. I am bundled in a warm sweater sitting in my day room looking out at the wet leaves falling off the trees. I love days like this.

I gave you a sneak peek of my CHIT CHAT CHALLENGE page earlier this week -- so here is the whole sha-bang. To create the background I used a mixture of white paint and stencil paste on the bazzil paper. I quickly dried the mixture with my dryer and then crumpled the paper multiple times. The crumbling caused the paint/paste mixture to crackle. I love the effect. I also lightly inked the paper. If you have not experimented with stencil paste it is a fun and forgiving product to play with. Give it a try.

Be sure to stop by CHIT CHAT CHALLENGE and join in the fun.

Enjoy your weekend.....

I know...shame on me

I know I have not been a very good blogger lately. But....I just have a lot (too much, dog-gone-it) on my plate. I know I need to just -- breathe -- and take one day at a time. My mantra seems to be "THIS TOO SHALL PASS."

Well, I just wanted to load a quick sneak peek at my second page for CHIT CHAT CHALLENGE.



This was a bunch of fun and I hope you find time to join in. Oh...and it is not too late to get your submission in for the 1st challenge. Be sure to check out the great (really INCREDIBLE) RAKS we have for you...they are unbelievably yummy.

Our sponsor for our second challenge is DAMSEL DESIGNS and look at the lovely RAK she has prepared.


I have a very very very long "to do" list today ....so I am O-U-T....out!

Sending you a big HUG, no matter where you are in this world.
Wendi

Some Halloween pics

The first CHIT CHAT CHALLENGE IS UP!!!!!

Here is my take on our first challenge. It was so much fun to create and I really hope you will stop by and play with us.