Life Is an Artform

{MME Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop}

Thanks for joining the My Mind’s Eye Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop!!  It’s so nice of you TO COME  by. (Hint: these are your last 2 words of the secret phrase)

If you are just joining us, start at the MME Blog for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Our blog hop will close Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at midnight.

There will be two ways to win at our party: 

1) Grand prize: After visiting every blog, email Amber the secret phrase.  One winner will receive our 12 Days of Christmas collection and both Kraft Funday collections!

2) Bonus entry: We will randomly draw one of our designer’s blogs and draw one winner from the comments on that designer’s blog.  This winner will receive our entire 12 Days of Christmas collection!

I was asked to feature one of my favorite layouts from this past year.  How could I chose just one?  I have to admit that Lost and Found 2 is my favorite collection EVER!!  I designed this layout for the My Mind’s Eye October Newsletter.  When I saw the FABULOUS glittered Lost and Found 2 Collections – I knew they would be perfect to scrapbook this portrait of Desiree taken by my dad.  I used both the Breeze and Sunshine lines.  LOVE all the glittered page elements – a timeless collection. 

You are almost done hopping – now HOP on back to the MME’s Blog and e-mail them the secret phrase.  Make sure you leave a comment here so you are entered to win our bonus prize.  Come back soon and Merry Christmas!!!

{Hope’s Journey}

My friend, Stephanie Worlton, published a touching book this year – “Hope’s Journey”.  It is an autobiographical novel about her personal experience with teen pregnancy and the journey of self discovery that ensued.  I really like how it tells the story from both the girl’s and the boy’s point of view.  I found myself laughing, crying, and left with a new understanding.  My fifteen year old also really enjoyed this book.  She now has a better perspective of the consequences of her behavior and understanding of self worth.

A note from the author:

A life changing mistake.

A soul changing journey.

Sometimes when people hear that I wrote a book about teen pregnancy their eyes roll back in their heads. "Oh," they typically answer, either completely turned off by the idea or intimidated by it.
....And then they read it (or at least some of them do) and discover something completely different than what they were expecting. It's not heavy or preachy or idealistic. It's real and intimate and (hopefully) engaging. Alex and Sydney could be the kids next door. They could be your neighbors, your friends, your family members, or maybe even you. And, while the "event" that sets this story into motion is teen pregnancy, that's not what it's really  about. Simply put, "Hope's Journey" is a story of self-discovery. It is a story of love, faith, forgiveness... and most of all hope!  Writing a story with the subtext of teen pregnancy wasn't easy, but "Hope's Journey" is more than a story... it's a message. A message that regardless of who others - and even ourselves - think we are, each of us is important in the eyes of our Creator. And, because we have value, we have been provided a Savior through whom there is always HOPE.”

Her Blog   *  See it on Good Reads  * Amazon – you can read the first chapter online 

A trailer for her book:

{The BEST Queso ever!}

This is our family's FAVORITE New Year's Eve recipe - a flavorful and addictive Tamale Queso Dip.  Be careful, after one bite -  you just can't stop.  We have wonderful memories of sitting around the island - laughing, talking, and feasting on this delicious dip.  We also like to make it for a Christmas Eve appetizer.  We love that it is so simple and easy to make.  Be prepared for everyone to request this recipe from you.  Enjoy!
 
Tamale Queso Dip
 
1 lb. (4 c.) Velveeta Cheese
2 cans Rol-tel Tomatoes
1 can Chili Con Carne (without beans)
1 can tamales
Dash Worch. Sauce
Dash of garlic salt
 
Melt the cheese, add tomatoes, then chili, over medium heat.  Remove paper from tamales and mash them with a fork, and add remaining ingredients.  Serve in a warm crockpot with corn chips, Fritos, etc.  (We always double this recipe, or triple for large crowds)

{Wise Men Still Seek Him}

Three modern-day wise men show us that the greatest gift we can give Jesus Christ is the will of our hearts.

{Curtains are FINALLY Hung!}

Whew!!  After a few weeks and countless hours of work – I finally got my Family Room curtains sewn and hung.  I have to admit, they were a very overwhelming project.  The curtains are 17 feet tall – so I used 24 yards of Velvet Damask and 24 yards of lining material. Each curtain panel has two widths of the fabric sewn together. That is 144 feet of material – almost half of a football field!!  It was pretty hard to maneuver and work with all 48 yards of fabric, it was very heavy too.  But, I persevered and they are done!  The funny thing is that I couldn’t put up my Christmas tree until they were hung, because I needed room for the ladder (very scary to climb). So I finally got my Christmas tree up on Saturday. Nath is pretty excited about them too – they were quite a necessity.  We get western sunlight in the evenings and it is hard to carry on a conversation with the sun in your eyes.  They also will provide great insulation.

I actually bought all the fabric in July at JoAnn Fabrics. It was 50% off and I also used a 20% off coupon they e-mailed me.  So I got it all at 70% off – yea!!  I selected a neutral color, so they will go with any color scheme I use.  LOVE the crushed velvet damask pattern.

{Victoria’s Dance Recital}

Today was Victoria’s Christmas Dance Recital.  She did a fabulous job and we enjoyed watching her on stage.  Her little cousins came to support and watch her too!  We even got to attend their dance recital later that night.  Special thanks to my brother, Chris for recording her dance for us. 

Our favorite part is in this photo where she strikes a pose over everyone. I think she is looking WAY too grown up! (She is on the last row, on the right side.  Sadly, the back of the stage wasn’t lit very well.)

{Desiree’s New Set of Wheels}

This picture has a LONG story.

On May 10th, Desiree was practicing her splits after a dress rehearsal for her dance recital.  It was about 45 degrees outside, and she really wanted to get them flat.  So she bounced up and forced herself down flat in splits.  Note - when your muscles resist and they aren't warmed up - don't force them). 

At that moment, she felt and heard a rip.  It was her hamstring detaching and a piece of bone ripping off her pelvis.  She was in excruciating pain.  We took her to an Orthopedic Surgeon and got an MRI the following day.  The MRI confirmed a complete avulsion of her ishial tuberosity.  They hoped it would heal on its own without surgery.

She had a month of bedrest, went to EFY at BYU in a wheelchair, then used crutches for a month, and finally started walking in August.  After 3 months of physical therapy, and growing pain - we knew something wasn't right.

She had a second MRI in October that showed the bone still hadn't reattached.  So, on October 24th, she underwent surgery. They had to scrape her pelvis to the bone so the piece would reattach and grow back together. She now had 2 titanium pins in her pelvis.  The surgeon was able to stich together the surrounding torn hamstring muscles and tendons.  She now has a long 4 inch scar where she sits.

The first few weeks were very rough and painful.  The leg brace was to keep her knee bent to take pressure off her hamstring while it healed.  She missed 7 weeks of school and finally started attending 1/2 days of school this week in her wheelchair.  It really hurts to sit for extended peroids of time.  She has been very brave and has had a positive attitude through it all.  She is starting to take a few light steps with her crutches and will start intense physical therapy this month.

So, now you know another reason I was sparse in blog posting for a while, besides moving into our home and unpacking.  It was pretty hard taking care of a teenager on bedrest and in lots of pain - but we survived and things are only getting better! :)

 



{A Gift to the World}

A touching movie of the Christmas Story – the birth of our Lord.

{Holiday Hoopla Project}

Here is the project I created for the My Mind’s Eye Holiday Hoopla.  They will be spotlighting Holiday projects from designers all month!  With each post, they will be giving away a “12 Days of Christmas” Collection from the comments.

You don’t have to wait until December 26th to scrapbook Christmas photos!  Why not dust off pictures from your “Christmas Past” and scrapbook a layout to use as holiday décor?  I really enjoyed scrapbooking this older photo of my kids in their Christmas PJ’s – and setting it on my accent table for all to see.  The gorgeous GLITTERED Lost and Found Christmas papers coordinate perfectly with my holiday decorations.  My kids love looking at it every day as they walk by – it gets them excited about all of the Christmas fun that is just around the corner!

{Fun Day with Lincoln Logs}

A layout I designed for the December MME Newsletter.  I took these photos Thanksgiving weekend.  It was so fun to see Nath and the kids gathered on the floor – building with Lincoln Logs.  Great times!!! The new “Fun Day” Collection worked great with my photos.

{Happiness}

Love this photo my dad took of Desiree holding her sweet little cousin, Aaron, at a family barbecue this summer.  She was making him giggle and he captured the joy perfectly!!!

This is pure happiness!

It is her screensaver on her iPod now.