2011 Resolution Recap

Ah New Year's resolutions. We all make them... but how many do we really keep? Here are my resolutions for 2011 and how I did with them:

• Lose at least 36lbs - Well, I gained weight instead of losing any thanks to some medications I was put on
• Get Pop Hearts Studio off the ground - Maybe in 2012
• Finish my massive Scrapping the Magic project list - Got about 1/2 my planned projects done, got sidetracked by splitting up the site into 3 different blogs
• Start up my personal blog and keep it going - I accomplished this!
• Set up my portfolio website - Not sure I still want to do this
• Create, Create, Create! - I had my ups and downs... didn't do as much as I hoped or planned

Looks like I'll be carrying some of these over to 2012!

Planning 2012

With only 2ish days left of 2011 I guess I need to get planning on 2012. While the server is being backed up in the other room, I'm in the kitchen trying to figure out what to do for the websites in 2012.

I think this might require an Ativan... way to much to try and figure out since the forums are closing on Dec. 31. Sometimes I wish I only had one blog instead of 4.

I Was a Very Good Girl This Year!

Some of my Christmas presents. I can't wait to start using them!

Christmas Baking - Part 3

Rice Krispie Treats and German Chocolate Pie. And this brings my Christmas Baking to an end. 

Merry Christmas!

"Christmas isn't about candy canes, or lights all aglow, it's the hearts that we touch, and the care that we show."

Wishing all my friends and family a very Merry Holiday Season!

Christmas Baking - Part 2

Pistachio Pudding Cake, 3 Dozen Peppermint Meltaways, Carrot Cake Bars, Sugar Free Brownies, and Pumpkin Fluff Pie. Whew... almost done! 

Christmas Baking - Part 1

2 dozen Holly Wreaths/Trees, 4 dozen Peanut Butter Blossoms, 2 dozen Snow Balls, and 4 dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies. And I'm only about 1/2 done with the baking.

Sounds of the Seasons

 Like a lot of people, I LOVE Christmas music. There are only a handful of songs I don't care for (Christmas Wrapping I'm talking to you!). Like most people I have a list of my favorites, not counting Bing, Nat, and Johnny... they are a given. Now my everyday music taste is mostly Top 40 stuff with my favorites being OneRepublic, Maroon 5, and REM, so some of these titles might come as a surprise... but I find with Christmas music the older the better!

A Christmas Together by John Denver and The Muppets - As a child growing up in a Muppet loving family this is a must to listen to many, many times during the holiday season.

Christmas by Alabama - I'm not generally drawn to some of the classic country artist, but my parents are. I grew up listening to this album and the older I get the better they get. Some of the songs are just so beautiful!

Once Upon a Christmas By Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton - Just like Alabama's album, I grew up on not only Kenny and Dolly's album but also the TV special. It was tradition to watch it every year... until the VHS tape died.

Christmas Portrait by The Carpenters - It's the Carpenters... does anything else really need to be said?

Brand New Year by SheDaisy - Some more modern artists make my list too. I like this album because the songs are different, catchy, and their song "Twist of the Magi" with Rascal Flats is excellent.

Acoustic Hearts Of Winter by Aly & AJ - These girls are super talented and their versions of some of the classics are really wonderful.

Merry Christmas With Love by Clay Aiken - The American Idol that should have been. I was a big Claymate during his season and when his Christmas album came out I knew I had to have it. It was even better than I expected, producing two of my all time favorite holiday songs "Mary, Did You Know" and "Merry Christmas With Love".

What are some of your favorite holiday albums? Share in the comments, because I'm always looking for new tunes!

What I've Been Up To...

I've been really enjoying my crafty break! I've done a fair share of cleaning, sleeping, baking, sleeping, and holiday prep. All my Christmas shopping is done and wrapped, my baking recipes are gathered and the shopping list made. I'm ready for Christmas Eve the get here!

Oh, and I've also been doing a lot of this:

Yup, playing Wii. My mother had asked for one for Christmas and when I called my brother for some details on where the best place to get one at the best price and so on, he ended up giving us his! So we've been having lots of fun playing Wii Sports and have bowling matches at least every other day. As a family we are really having a blast with it!

Off to bowl a few frames!

Friend in Me - The Before Shot

Thought it would be fun to show the before photo to yesterday's Friend in Me project, so you could see just how much photo editing was done to it. You really didn't think the ground at a zoo looked that perfect, did you? ;)

Friend In Me

I shot this photo during an outing to a zoo with some friends a couple of years ago. I thought it would be a fun image to use it to try my hand at some digital scrapbooking. I did everything in Photoshop and had the finished image printed out on canvas paper. 

Sometimes You Need a Little Break...

I think I need a little break... a crafting break. Having my supplies split between two spaces and having a flight of stairs in between them, well that just isn't working. So, I need a break to figure out how to fix things. It'll also give me some time to post the backlog of projects waiting to be blogged on here and my other three sites. And I can use the time to try my hand at some digital projects I've been wanting to try. Maybe I'll finally get around to finishing setting up this blog!

I think I should ready to start crafting again by February. At least I hope so. It shouldn't take me much longer then that.