HAPPY NEW YEAR

It's hard to believe it's the end of the year already, time sure does fly. I remember my mother telling me when I was 14 that I was in such a hurry to grow up, that one day I will wish for time to stand still well now is that time. My kids are growing up so fast and I feel like I'm not enjoying them as much as I want to. I have 4 New Years Resolution, one is the spend more time doing fun things with the kids, Loss weight, Use up all my scrap stash specially the pps. and learn how to take better pictures. Do you have any new years resolution?

Hope the New Years bring the best of everything to everyone. Cheers, Salud,Chin Chin.

Christmas Cake

Scrapbooking is not my only hobby I'm really loving baking and decorating cakes.
This one I did for my mom for Christmas, it was half rum cake and the other vanilla. huge hit. got one order for New Years and one for a birthday party.

The Nutchacker

Second Post Today...
This week at Practical Scrappers is to show anything winter related, well in my neck of the woods there is no such thing as Winter, we have Summer practically all year round, today's high is 67 and tonight's low in the high 40s So I can't scrap any snow and anything like that, but I did go to the Nutcracker Ballet and that is something that only happens in the Winter.


TFL

I finally got some scrapping time.

This one is for Challenge Master Sketch

Family Time. This one is for a fun Challenge over at Scrappin Mojo
TFL

Merry Christmas

And the angel said unto them, "Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David A Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger.
St. Luke 2:10-12

Picture of our Fun Weekend.

On Friday we went to see the Nutcracker it was beautiful.





On Saturday we went to a Diva Birthday Party in the Morning,





And to My Brother's Birthday Party and a Pig Roast, like we don't have enough with the pig roast on Christmas Eve. Can I tell you how much fun these kids had.





Now if I could only get my scrapping mojo going to scrap all these great pictures I have been taking this weekend.

Building a Ginger Bread House

Today I spend part of the Morning at Natalie's school decorating this ginger bread house. The kids all joined in and we had a great time. I had to smudge some of the pictures of the other kids.

My Christmas Home.

I love Christmas and decorating the whole house, I do the kitchen and family also, the downstairs bathroom, you name it I decorate it, I don't put too many light outside because I just to difficult so the outside get done what ever the boys do and trust me it's not much.

My Gorgeous Girls and Adorable fur baby, and the reason I go all out on the decorations, because if it was for the boy we probably would not even have a tree KWIM.

Right Side and entrance I love my tree Pink and gold with a few touches of Red and White, The Nativity was also given to me by my mom. Mind you Monica decided to add snow and is telling everyone that because of Global warming this year it snowed in Jerusalem.

Lift Side of the Living/Dinning Room

My Village, last year my mom gave me her Christmas Village, she now come and puts it up for me.

Duke the watch Dog, he sits there for hours at a time just staring at all of the lights, wonder what he is thinking?

The Road Not Taken ***Scrap That Poetry Challenge**

I have been wanting to do this challenge and something always got in the way. Glad I finished it. This is my Mom's favorite poem and she recited it over and over to us. Thanks for the challenge.
The Journaling Reads: The first time I heard this poem was in Spanish and my mom told us. As young girls my mother would sit with my sister and I and recite it over and over again. She would also tell us stories based on the poem. My mother loves poetry and recited so many poems to us as little girls,. this one is one of her favorites.

Natalie's Birthday Invitation

On top of all the Christmas stuff I need to do, I also have Natalie's birthday at the end of the month. It's so hard to believe she is turning 5 it feels like it was yesterday when we brought her home one New Years Eve. She wants a princes party at the house I'm doing lots of other little things will be posting them as they get done.

Gift Boxes **Frosted Design Challenge**

I did these Origami gift boxes, they look real cute IRL.
This is for the Frosted Design Challenge

Christmas Past ***It's All About Me***

I did this one for the It's all about Me Challenge Blog. It also works for this weeks Practical Scrappers Challenge I love how this turned out. I had to put the journaling hidden since It just did not go fit anywhere on the page.




The Journaling reads:

Christmas at our house was full of family and friends. On December 23rd my dad and Ungle Jose, went to pick up the pig, usually alive. Dad would slaughter the pig for us and for other families, you see he was a quajiro (hillbilly) and loved to do all that. The two of them even made their own Agua Aldiente (Moonshine). After he did what he had to do with the pig, he seasoned it very well and set it on the kitchen counter just looking at you. My brother was always afraid of it. My sister and I loved to tease him with it. On Christmas Eve day around 6:00am they dig this huge whole in the ground fill it up with coal, place a rack and place the pig on it then cover the pig with Banana leaves and Guava leaves the pig cooked all day. While Dad and Tio did all this and the mom’s were in the kitchen cooking the rest of the meal, all the cousins were running around playing and having a wonderful time. Finally in the late afternoon the skin was ready and it was time to pick at it. By the time dinner came around there was very little skin left. We eat late then Dad, Tio and Mima would sing and dance till the wee hours of the night (that moonshine started kicking in right around dinner time) but us kids had to be in bed by midnight to wait for Santa. Then on Christmas day Santa left the toys for each one of use in different furniture’s, the presents from Santa were never wrapped.
Christmas as a child for me was a precious time I am so blessed to have the best memories of Christmas Past.


TFL

More Christmas LO's

Did these last night. Check out Practical Scrapper's challenge this week is to do anything Christmas I did a lot of that this weekend and hopefully will do more today.

Twas The Night before Christmas

For Practical Scrapper and Scrappinmojo Challenges.
Another book I made. This one is for Monica, I'm going to take pictures of everyone in the house on Christmas Eve around 11:00pm and place them in the book.

I read this story to the kids every Christmas Eve, even if they are sleeping I still read it. I have been doing it since Daniel was a baby 15 years ago. Even Tyler who joined us when he was 12 loves to sit on the bed while I read the story he is 18 now, and has read the story to Natalie and MOnica.

Friday Sketch

At Practical Scrappers Love this sketch.


TFL

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Late last night Natalie told me that I needed to take a book to school to leave there because she was student of the week and the student of the week donates a book to the school. It had to do with the weeks theme. This week it is Family Traditions. I called a few bookstores last night and none of them had "Twas The Night Before Christmas" so my little light bulb went off and I made it. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I think the teachers will be too.

I can also use this for Practical Scrapper's challenge.