December 12/ Day 11 Christmas Journal

I was inspired by another member's art journal to create the tree. I love the way it turned out! The photos are squares that show snippets of ornaments on our tree.

The journaling is hidden behind the photos and reads:

12-11-06
O Christmas Tree

One of my favorite things about Christmas is our tree. A few years ago we decided to go ahead and get an artificial tree after years of real ones. We had a near house fire one year when Chris decided to burn the tree in our fireplace. He forgot to open the flu… you can imagine the rest! I was adamant that I wanted a tree that looked as real as possible. I am very happy with this one. I love the fact that we can put up our tree whenever and not worry about it dying too soon. This year we put it up right after Thanksgiving!

I have a very sentimental tree. Sometimes I long for the perfectly coordinated tree, but in the end I really love the way we do ours. Maybe some day we will have room for two trees and one can be fancy and the other can have all of the important ornaments. Each year since Chris and I started dating, we have bought an ornament. There are cutesy couple ones as well as others that just have the year on them. I love taking each out of the box and remembering the year we bought it. I also have ornaments from former students, student teachers, friends, and coworkers. I love that our tree has meaning.

Chris always puts up the tree and strings the lights. He wraps the trunk with lights which makes the tree glow from within. I love to get up in the morning and just turn on the Christmas tree lights. I love the warm feeling and glow that it emits. Even as a child, I would sit with just the tree lights on.

Simba, Romeo and Patches all love the tree as well! We have to keep all breakable ornaments above tail height… otherwise Romeo’s tail manages to break them. We usually have at least one casualty each year! Simba loves the sleep under the tree. Patches doesn’t seem to care one way or another anymore!

I look forward to adding ornaments made by children in the future. I hope to be able to tell them about each ornament as we hang them on the tree.


I didn't get todays prompt started at all. Had to shop for Holiday Buddy at work as well as a secret santa gift for one of my online groups. Both of them need to be sent tomorrow! Becky is coming over tomorrow after work to work on the gifts we are making for coworkers. Not sure I will get to post at all...we'll see!

Still caught up.. but too tired to post!

I am still caught up! Day 11 is done, but I must head to bed!

I also did a mini album and ornament for a client. Only got a few hours of sleep last night. Bears game is on, but I will NOT be staying up to find out the results!

Have a great night! Will post day 11 tomorrow!

ALL CAUGHT UP! Day 8

Going to bed now! :-)

Christmas Journal Day 9

Decided to go out of order again. :-) Boy does it feel good!

Was hoping to get all caught up, but it is 9:30 and almost my bed time. I did get three days done today, though!

Here is day 9:

Pretty simple... these were the scraps that I still had on my desk! The tags hold the traditions I could think of in a random order (or as they popped into my head!)I did do the page in the wrong direction, too... but I am embracing my mistakes and using them as creative interpretations!

Cookie Exchange was fun. Came home with some great cookies and my peanut butter balls were a hit! Everyone loved my recipe cards, too!

Back to work tomorrow. Grades are due Tuesday morning. At least we have an early release tomorrow afternoon that our principal is "giving" to us for grades. Hope to get all done so I can come home and play tomorrow. Still need to do the Christmas Cards too!

Christmas Journal Day 7

Was able to crank this one out... journaling was already done and the idea was in my head. :-)



The journaling reads:
12-07-06

Christmas Shopping…

I have never been this far behind ever! As of today, I do not have a SINGLE gift bought! I do have the materials to make a few gifts for coworkers, but that is it. Strangely, I am not panicked yet. We really can’t afford to do the shopping until our next paychecks anyway. We’ll see how I feel a week from now!

For the first time, my extended family agreed to draw names. We have talked about doing it for years, but everyone was finally on board this year. I am happy with it and think that it will work out in the end. We are each to spend $50 on the person we have selected. In exchange, we are to tell that person what we would really like to get. This way we are all spending less money and getting something that we really want. Maybe the fact that I only have to buy for two people instead of everyone is helping ease my panic?

I always want to do something extra special for Chris. Somehow I want to make up for all the lousy Christmases he had as a boy. However, it’s just hard to surprise him with anything. He also limits the amount of money I can spend and then goes and spends twice as much on me! We also fill each other’s stockings. I am already thinking about some goodies that I want to put in there this year. Maybe that will be how I am able to surprise him!

Off to start the laundry and make the ornament for the cookie exchange tonight. Need to see if Chris is awake yet, too!

Day 10/ Christmas Journal DAY 10!

See... this Christmas Journal is already making me less stressed. I just did a page OUT OF ORDER! I still need to do days 7-9, but this one spoke to me and I knew it was easy. Shimelle knew just what I need to get motivated today!

Today's prompt was simple... wrap your page in your wrapping paper, add a bow and a tag. Then create a SHORT journaling section about your wrapping traditions. I haven't been short on one yet. It was hard, but I just let myself be brief!

So here it is:



The wrapping paper is from Hobby Lobby. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. Not very traditional, but that is ok with me!

The journaling reads:
12-10-06

I love wrapping presents… at first! The first few packages are usually very pretty with ribbon and bows. As it gets closer to Christmas, I usually just wrap quickly.

I try to pick a wrapping paper that reflects my personality. It is usually bright and cheerful like this paper. I use different wrapping papers for different groups of people. This helps me organize the tree and know exactly which presents to take when.

When I was a child, I remember that Mom and Dad always had a different wrapping paper from Santa. There was usually one for me and a different one for my sister. Santa never used bows! I am sure that is because mom and dad had to wrap all of those presents after we went to bed on Christmas Eve!

I am also heading out this afternoon for a cookie exchange hosted by one of the swim team moms. There is a reason I am so crafty... it makes up for my lack of cooking/baking ability! It took me over 2 hours to make these peanut butter balls. I overmelted chocolate, burned the butter... The recipe is really easy. I decided to make pretty recipe cards to go with them because I needed to restore my self esteem!



Back to work on catching up on the Christmas Journal. I might even post again today!

Quick Post

Only have a few moments to post...

**Staff party last night was a great deal of fun. We got home around 1:00 am and Chris was back out the door this morning at 5:00 am. Meet was in Dekalb, 2 hours away. Think he will be sleeping in tomorrow!

**Did some shopping this morning. Now I can say that I have started!

**Off to Chucky Cheese.... EEEEEEEEK! My sister is having the kids birthday party there tonight. Will only be staying for a SHORT time!

**Made peanut butter balls for cookie exchange tomorrow. Lots of work, but will be worth it... I hope!

**Officially behind now on Christmas Journal... but that is the plan for tomorrow and maybe even tonight. We'll see!

Off to the insanity that is Chucky Cheese on a Saturday night in December.....

December 7/Journal Day 6

So I think I am going to end up a day behind at least until the weekend! I have my staff Christmas party tomorrow so I don't even think I will be able to post. I still need to bake the brownies, wrap the white elephant gifts, and make dinner.

Another late night at school... special services team meeting. One of my least favorite meetings each month. Thankfully it was not too bad today! :-) Went to Target with Becky after school to help her pick out a birthday present for a friend's daughter. By the time I got home it was almost 7:00! Where does the time go?

Ok... I know you are really here wanting to look at my journal pages. This was another tough one for me. The prompt was to remember a not so great christmas and a great christmas and contrast the two. I took a little different approach and journaled about one Christmas that was both bad and good. The left side holds my "bad" aspects of that Christmas, which included losing my grandfather and having a miscarriage. I used the BG magnetic snaps to hold it shut. Boy do those things have some staying power!



On the other side I wrote about the good of that Christmas. Chris made it extra special with many presents and the constant reminder that we have each other...



The design is inspired by Cathy Z. Much more simple than I usually do, but I played with my text a little and am happy with the way it turned out.

Starting to panic about all I need to get done tonight... better go get started!

December 6/Christmas Journal Day 5

So I am a little behind. It's already after 8:00 and I only have Day 5 done. Looks like I might end up being behind until the weekend. We'll see!

This prompt was about Advent Calendars and couting down to Christmas. Here is my journaling:

There are 20 days until Christmas Day. Christmas really starts on Christmas Eve, so really there are only 19 days! It seems so far away and yet so soon at the same time. There is still so much that I have to do and so much that I want to do.

I have fond memories of advent calendars growing up. When I was in elementary school, my mother worked for a German company. Her main responsibility was booking the travel arrangements for the many executives in the company, often for trips to Germany. She was very well liked and often received small tokens from the executives when they returned from a trip. Each Christmas, she was given two advent calendars filled with the most amazing German chocolate! There was one for my sister and one for me.

Each day had a little door that opened to reveal a picture and a piece of this amazing chocolate. Opening the day’s door was one of the highlights of each day in December. One year the calendar even had pieces that got larger the closer we got to Christmas! I can almost feel those wonderful bits of chocolate on my tongue as I type this entry!

It has been years since I received or bought an advent calendar. I don’t know why. Maybe it seemed a little too childish for grown adults to get excited about a piece of chocolate. Maybe it was the fact that I haven’t really looked forward to Christmas for the past few years.

This year is different. Although I may not have little doors to open that reveal savory bits of chocolate, I do have a treat each day leading up to Christmas. I can’t wait to see the day’s prompt from Shimelle each day. Opening my email is just as magical as those little doors on the chocolate calendar. In the end, this journal will be my advent calendar. Maybe next year I will invest in some chocolate, too!

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First day with the new hair color. You just have to love middle school boys. More than one of my students said to me today, "What happened to your hair?" :-) One even told me he didnt like it, but maybe he will get used to it. Another suggested that maybe next time I should color my hair pink.

I came home today to a clean house. Chris cleaned this morning before going to work. I am so lucky to have such an amazing man for a husband. That left me more time to play tonight. I wouldn't have even gotten one day done if he hadn't done the chores for me. :-)

Should think about making dinner soon. I accidently bought a jar of MUSHROOM spaghetti sauce. Chris and I HATE mushrooms. Looks like I will be making some from the plain tomato sauce I have in the cabinet!

December 5th

No Day 5 Christmas Journal to share YET. I did the journaling, so I accomplished the one goal. However, I just didn't have time to create the page. It is all done in my mind... just need to get it down on paper! :-)

Decided to go get my hair cut today after school. On Friday night we went out to dinner with one of our High School friends and his wife. We had a great time at a little martini bar in Grayslake. Great food, great drinks, and even great music! Before we knew it, we were closing the place down at 12:30! Chris (not my Chris, but our friend Chris) and his wife, Cori had a great evening with us. Cori owns a salon in Mundelein and she cuts MY Chris' hair. I decided to go in and see her today. I decided to let her color it as well. I am getting used to it. I will try to remember to post a picture tomorrow maybe. I think it is really different, but Chris (my Chris) thinks it isn't that different at all. Tomorrow will be the test. We'll see what my students say! They are known to be brutally honest.

Tuesday is Chris' one night home early. Early being 7:30ish. By the time I got home it was almost 7. I made dinner and then we watched Friday Night Lights. I snuck back upstairs to read email and post this entry. I am not going to break my streak on Day 5!

I am planning on leaving school right after work tomorrow. Planning to get todays entry as well as tomorrows done. I also have orders for about 15 ornaments and an album to get done. I really should get started on that!

December 4/Day 4

It was really tough going back to work today! The kids were still groggy from having the snow day on Friday. Had to make up all of the things I had planned to do on Friday... but on a Monday. That is tough for my kiddos who so desperately need routine! On top of that we had a staff meeting after school so I didn't leave until close to 5. I had to stop at the grocery store as well since we have NO food in the house. It was almost 7 by the time I got home.

So onto Day 4 of the Christmas Journal. I was happy to discover that the prompt was posted before school this morning. I printed it off and then had the day to think about it. That was nice. I could steal a few moments for myself throughout the day. This was a hard prompt for me. We were supposed to describe our perfect Christmas without any negative thoughts or feelings. This was tough for me since the past few years I have really not enjoyed Christmas, so every time I had a thought about a perfect Christmas a negative thought would counteract it.

In the end, I decided to do some frank journaling about how in order for me to have a perfect Christmas, I really need to have a child. This really goes against the point of this journal as I am trying to get away from the constant pangs of our infertility. But in the end, it is my hope that this journal will not only allow me to truly experience Christmas Joy, but also provide some healing.

The page is pretty simple. I even decided to make this one a single page even though all of the others (all 2 of them) have been two pages. Rebel, I know!

Ok, so here it is:

The stamps are Making Memories. The artistic challenge for today was to use a photo that shows your perfect Christmas. Shimelle even suggested getting one from a magazine. This photo is from a printer advertisement in Family Circle. She reminds me of what I imagine our daughter might look like. The journaling is hidden in the file folder. It is a little more intense, so I decided to tuck it away. The basics are that I really feel that I need to have a child in order to have the perfect Christmas. I also talked about the "magic" feeling that believing in Santa brings.

The acrylic is KI. The santa is from a christmas card that was sent to us a few years ago. I pulled those out for yesterdays challenge, so I had this one handy. I used foam dots to make the pocket stick out enough for the folder to sit in. The folder is from Rusty Pickle although I covered it in KI!

Off to read my email. It's already 8:45! Hoping to get to bed a little earlier tonight!

Cover and Day 3

This is my cover. It is a work in progress! The papers are all KI Memories. Flowers are Heidi Swapp, Doodlebug, and KI. The letter stickers are Doodlebug. The cover is sealed with Sparkle ModPodge, which adds glitter to the entire thing.

I decided to make my own book so I could adjust as needed. More ribbon will be added once the book is finished. The pages are 8 1/2×8 to allow for the binding.


This is day 3's entry. The prompt was about Christmas cards. This is the outer pages without the overlay of journaling. Here is the journaling overlay:

This is a transparency with my journaling written on it. I then painted on the back of it with a very light pink paint. Here is what the journaling says:

12~03~06

I love Christmas Cards. I love getting them in the mail and I love making them each year. They are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.

I love getting Christmas cards in the mail. I love reading about the lives of our friends and family both near and far. I know that some people are annoyed by Christmas letters, but I really do enjoy reading them. I just recently went through all of the cards that I had saved from years past. It was fun to look at photos and see how families have grown and changed over the years. I try to send a card to everyone that we receive one from.

I love making Christmas cards. I started making our cards shortly after we were married. At the time I did much more stamping and the cards were usually embossed. One of Chris’ co-workers told me that she framed my card each year! Talk about pressure!  I used to try to outdo myself each year. Not anymore. Now I just create whatever feels good. Last year I did the cards with my digital scrapbooking tools and I enjoyed playing with those techniques. However, this year I am going back to a more traditional card. I have the design in my head, materials gathered, and photos printed. Now I just need to sit down and create them!

Over the years I have also written our own Christmas Letter. I have been able to share the joys of the past year as well as challenges we have faced. As I look back on letters from years past, I am able to see where my faith was at that time. In the beginning I was hopeful and determined that we would have a biological child of our own. In last year’s letter, I was not so hopeful. I mentioned that we may even be considering adoption. We haven’t followed through with that. Each year when I sit down to write the letter I hope that next year I will be able to include information about our child. I am making a promise to myself right now and right here. This will be the LAST letter I write without a child. We will resolve our infertility one way or another in the coming year.

Here are close-ups of the other two pages:

That is last year's card as well as some cancelled stamps from years past. Envelopes is my current address book method, so I had lots of these lying around. My next goal is to get started on this year's cards and address list!


This year's card will go in the envelope. Notice that I said will.... it isn't done yet. It is done in my mind, just need to get them created on paper!

More on the weekend later... I am in creative mode and don't want to stop!

Christmas Art Journal Day 2

I will come back and post more later, but wanted to get these images up.

This is the day 2 entry of my Art Journal. The prompt was to talk about the weather with Christmas. We were also challenged to try making paper snowflakes! Loved it! Since I am a teacher, we often make snowflakes for the Winter Dance each year. It was fun to make these minature ones to put on these pages.

All paper is pretty much KI memories. I did cover the bazzill with glitter paint and added snowflake brads that I have had forever. I have no idea where they even came from! The acrylic is from Heidi Grace.

Here is the two page spread:

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Here is the left side up close:



And the right:



I just let myself go with these... a little more "junked up" than usual. The snowflakes are actually created on the back of another paper that I printed on. You couldn't read the text... so I embraced my mistake. That is something new for me! Maybe I am already growing with this process!

Here is the text since it is so hard to read:

12~02~06

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! It is hard to believe that on the very first day of December, we end up with a blizzard that has basically paralyzed most of Chicago. It’s not unbelievable that we have snow… it is the timing! It was 60 earlier this week!

Christmas just isn’t Christmas without some snow. The blizzard outside is truly making me feel the Christmas spirit. I love the snow and can’t imagine living somewhere that doesn’t get it. I am blessed to have a car with 4-wheel drive, so I am able to get around when I need to. I have a husband who is able and willing to shovel us out if need be. But there just is nothing better than the two words I heard yesterday morning, “Snow Day!”

I remember one Christmas when I was in grade school. We had been home for a few days on break and we were making my mom crazy. I am sure my sister and I had argued most of the time! Christmas Eve arrived with a snow storm. We wanted to go out and play and I think mom wanted us out of the house just as much! Mom surprised us by allowing us to open a present before we went out. Inside the boxes were brand new snow suits. I still remember putting on my new snow pants and going out in the snow for HOURS that day. I honestly don’t remember any of the toys I got that year, but I do remember the details of that snowsuit!

As an adult, I still love new winter clothes. Each year, I treat myself to a new pair of mittens and matching scarf. Usually I try to get the warmest ones I can that still match my coat. Last year I bought a bright green coat which has made finding matching mittens a challenge! I have not bought a new pair yet this year, so that will be today’s mission. After all, the forecast for tomorrow is a high temperature of 20! Bring on the Christmas weather!


We've had a busy weekend, and I really want to post about that... will come back and do that later today!

Christmas Art Journal

In addition to blogging every day this month, I have taken on something a little more concrete. I have decided to journal about the Christmas season and create an art journal to showcase my feelings. I have wanted to try an art journal for some time, and this is the perfect time! I came across Shimelle's site, and decided that this was meant to be.

I may post some or all of my entries here. Other artists are doing this with me, and you can see their work here. Or you can even join us.

I am still working on the covers. I decided to make my own album and am pretty happy with the way it is turning out. I just need to put a few more details on. I have a feeling that the cover will be a work in progress throughout the month!

Now, here is my day one entry with my own personal manifesto and Day 1 page:



Here is what the text says:
12~01~06

This is the year. I am going to embrace the Christmas season. I am going to savor every moment and experience the joy that is all around me this time of year.

In the past, I have allowed the fact that we remain childless to take control of my holiday thoughts. I have lost the “magic” feeling that only Christmas can bring. It’s still there. I am going to find it, wrap myself with it, and spread it to everyone around me. I know I will have moments of sadness and reflection, and that is ok. However, I am not going to let it consume me. I am going to ENJOY the holiday season and the blessings that I have in my life, especially my amazing husband.

I will journal every day this December. By the time Christmas comes, I will have 24 pages that reflect the joy of the season. I will take the time each evening to write before Chris gets home from work. I know there will be days that I won’t want to write, but I will forge through it. These are the days that I need to be creative the most!

I will also allow myself to create freely. I will open myself to new ideas and try new techniques. I will not criticize my pages. I will not overanalyze each element. I want my inner artist to come out and play in the pages of this journal. It’s okay if the pages don’t match. I know that every page won’t be perfect. That is OK.

This is my Christmas gift to myself. This is the Christmas that I will stop being consumed by our infertility and embrace the spirit of the season. I will take the time to experience the moments with my husband and I will take the time to create this journal to contain those memories for years to come.

I am really excited about this. I am about to start working on Day 2's page!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

So this is what my window box looks like as I type. Chris thinks we have at least 12 inches of snow. Nothing like starting December with a BANG!

Romeo LOVES the snow. He is trying to get me to let him out in it again right now... As Chris was shoveling, he was trying to catch all of the snow in his mouth... What a goof!

December 1st

I am going to try to post every day in December. It is a busy time of year, but I love being able to look back and old posts and remember moments in the past. I am sure there are things that have been forgotten because I have not written them down. (I guess that is what happens when you get old!)

So today is December 1st. I have several reasons to celebrate today:

1. SNOW DAY!!!!
I really do love snow. It is one of the things that I love most about living here in the midwest. Snow days are one of the things that I LOVE about being a teacher. The storm was predicted to come in over night, but I never really thought we would get a snow day. Usually the predicted storms never amount to much. Not this time! The first call came at 5:30 from Becky who had just gotten her call from the snow tree. As I heard the phone ring, I jumped up and yelled "YES!" Of course that woke the dogs and Chris up! The second call came a few moments later when I got my offical call from the secretary. I was snuggled back into bed after letting the dogs out when the third call came. It was a recoring of the superintendent telling me there was no school. So... no doubts about school being closed! It really is rough out there, so I am glad I didn't have to go in. Chris is still sleeping too. All of the schools and many of the large companies are closed around us. I am sure he will have to go in at some point. Thank goodness we have one SUV with 4 wheel drive!

A snow day also means that I can be sitting here doing this. It is a FREE day to do whatever I want! To make it even better, it is a FRIDAY so that means I don't even have school stuff that I HAVE to do today! I am hoping to start a Christmas Art Journal today and maybe get a good chunk of the Christmas cards done. We'll see!

2. Today, my niece Katrina turns 8
I can hardly believe that she is 8! I just talked to my mom and Kat is hanging out with Grandma for the day. Her school was also closed and my sister and brother in law both had to go to work. I think she is a little sad not to be with her friends at school today, but being with grandma is the next best thing!

It is no secret that my sister and I are not close. However, this little girl has brought us together time and time again. I adore Katrina, and would keep her for my very own if I could! :-) I love spending time with her. I really haven't done that much lately, so I am hoping to have a little girl time with her tomorrow.

3. Patches is 11 years old today
I am both happy and sad to see my furry baby turn 11. She has enriched my life beyond measure over the past 11 years. She has comforted me and been my constant companion through all of the trials and tribulations of my life. She is always happy to see me when I get home, and would do just about anything for a few moments on my lap. I can't imagine my home without her.

So, the sad part... I know that my time with her is coming to a close. Her health is good for the most part. She has a bum hip every once in a while and is a little cranky now and then. Bringing Romeo home was probably one of the best things I ever did for her. She has had more spunk in the past two years that I thought possible. She has a friend and little brother to boss around when I am not here. But I have to be realistic... 11 is old for a Dalmatian. I just pray that I will be able to make the best decision for her when the time comes.

4. My Christmas decorations are almost all up!
I really do love the Christmas season. The tree went up last weekend and the rest of the decorations are up as well. I need to do the banister today and then we will pretty much be set. I've been listening to Christmas music and really trying to feel the JOY of the season. Another reason for the post a day and art journal.. I want to embrace every moment!

5. I love my Husband more than anything!
We've had a tough few weeks, but I know that we are strong and our marriage will stand the test of time. He takes care of me and is able to deal with my craziness and sadness, even when he doesn't understand it.

Off to enjoy the snow... Shoveling isn't a joy, but playing in the snow with the dogs and Chris while doing it sure is! I will post some photos later once we get out from under the blizzard!