The day my Mom kicked me off the Christmas card list

For Realz ya'll!
(Now listen, stick around to the very end, cause I need your help deciding on something)

Recently I was having a convo with my mom about Christmas cards.
Do you ever have random conversations that you don't even know how they winding around to a subject? It was one of those conversations....Here we were unloading groceries and the next minute we were talking about Christmas cards.

I admitted that I didn't send many cards out in the past few years and Mom proceeded to tell me her system.

She has a list of each person/family she is sending a card to, as she writes the card, addresses and sticks a stamp on the envelope--she checks that name off the list. 

That's terrific, I LOVE  a good system, #Ilovecheckmarks 

So then, this cute little momma of mine tells me about the second column on her Christmas card list. The naughty or nice column. 

The column that will make you or break you.

This is the column where she checks if you sent her a card.

(note to self, ask Mom if she will show you the list--It's a great need of mine to see it)

Then with the cutting her throat gesture, my sweet momma said, "Two years and no checkmark--you are off the list." 

We both just laughed and laughed and laughed. 

And, then seriously, I said, "I better get some Christmas cards..."

Here's where I need your help...

Which of these would you choose? 1, 2, or 3

BTW As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

It's not too early to purchase Xmas cards, is it?  

I've narrowed it down to these 3--please help me decide.

(if you can't see the images below, copy the website url into internet explorer or firefox)

1. These have a cool retro vibe and are blank on the inside so I can write a nice note to my mom about how much I love her and wish her a merry holiday, yada, yada, yada.

2. What!! Scratch and sniff Xmas cards. No freaking way! I'm really leaning toward these.



or
3. A real classic selection. I love buying a box of cards with options. So if I really like you you'll get the cutest card and if you're kinda a friend you'll get the dullest card. haha

Monday is a lame way to spend 1/7 of your life!

I'm changing my tune...I think I like Mondays now.
Oh Wait.
It's a holiday in America.
No wonder I am digging this Monday morning.
Today I'm showing you the edited layout from yesterday.  My first submission had to have no words or phrases on it for my Design Team Submission to Red Carpet Studio Challenge Blog (stop by the blog and add your weekly submission)

I edited the layout to include a date one word: FISH!
I'm including this submission into this challenge:
Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge

Red Carpet Studios first Challenge starts this week!

Welcome to Red Carpet Studio's very first challenge! Follow this link, Red Carpet Studio Challenge Blog  to add your layout inspired by a silent movie(the rules are no words, letters or phrases) The challenge will run from Sunday, Sept 2 through Saturday, September 8th.

My submission is a vintage photo of my father and three of his little girls(you can't see one, she was cropped out--sorry sis)  

Closeups:

 I added this little doo-dad with a coin to it. I thought it looked like a fishing lure. Too bad I didn't have a lure on hand.

 I added this mesh kind of material to give some texture.

Make sure to add your Silent Movie inspired layout to the weekly challenge.  This week, the randomly selected winner will win, This La Bella Vie Kit, from this week's sponsor Close To My Heart (Consultant Candice Fields) - http://candicefields.ctmh.com/Default.aspx

Additionally little something! LuvScraps Blog, one of my Design Team sisters is hosting a birthday blog candy. Check it out!

Hold on Sunday, I ain't ready for Monday yet

Heading out to spend some time with my parents today. I find so much fun in uncovering vintage pictures from my parents' stash. Look at these pictures I've recently uncovered.

These pictures will be featured in a scrapbook layout later in the week. Make sure to come back and see what I've done with them.

Time Travel Thursday

It's the day of the week where we venture into my family's photo albums to see what we can see.
And...
Away...
we...
Go....
Today's photo is in homage to my paternal Grandma, Lila Seay from Georgia. 

L-R, Lila, Fred(husband), aunt clara, uncle clarence, unknown, aunt eula 

She was a lady of many tales, she could spin a yarn like nobody else.  She was the sweetest, kindest and wisest woman on the planet.  And, I miss her very much!

Her birthday would be this Friday, so maybe, just maybe we'll giveaway something special in memory of my grandma. Come back tomorrow, but if you want to enter into this week's giveaway click this link.

even the dog is smiling!

Some of my favorite sayings of my grandmother were:
"Georgie if you do ______for me then I'll dance at your weddin."
"He's just a ring tailed tooter....."
Some of my favorite stories included:

• We are kin to Jessie James the famous outlaw(oh boy!!)
• She was a triplet, that was switched at birth and her real name was Delila. Her triplet sisters died young.  I've asked my dad to confirm, but he can't.  He says, "Your grandma, she was good at telling tales." 
• When she was young her hair was black as night, with a white streak down the middle like a skunk.  
• My great grandfather married an Indian squaw

One more little story and if you're still reading, thank you!  I know most people have clicked onto another blog by now.  My sweet grandma came to live with us after our grandfather passed away.  She was 75 years old and illiterate.  My twin and I were learning to read and write in school and my VERY smart mother had us sit on either side of her and teach her our lessons.  She was our captive audience...I can just see us chirping away in her ears--in stereo!

Before long my grandmother was reading on her own.  She subscribed to Harlequin romance book club and every month she received SIX romance novels and read them over and over and over again!  Yes, she loved them! At her death she had a gagillion romance novels.

When we learned to write my grandmother would have us write her letters to relatives, but soon, Lila learned to write too!  It was an exciting day the day my grandmother wrote her first letter.  I can remember it to this day.

Her pride in herself that she had written on her own without any help at 75+ years her first letter.  Later she also learned cursive writing.  What a bright woman!

Lila and my mother, circa 1975. My mother was probably younger than I am now. 

Hand me a Kleenex please

If you've stuck around this long to listen to my time travel Thursday, leave me a comment about a favorite memory of your grandparents.  Come back tomorrow to see what we'll be giving away in honor of Lila Seay.

Hold on Sunday, I ain't ready for Monday

It's Sunday! That means only a few short hours and it will be Monday and back to work. Durn.....so hold on Sunday...I ain't ready for Monday!

It's February 5th and the weather has been so warm, that the flowers are already blooming.  I chose this vintage picture of my mom with 2 of her little girls and her lovely flower garden.   In the picture with my mother, is the baby in the family, Nancy.  She has this gorgeous red hair that every girl would die for...Sitting next to my mom is my twinny, Jaymie.

How can I tell?
With close examination, with a magnifying glass, I can see that this little blonde doesn't have my signature dimples.

No really, that's the only way we could tell each other apart in old photos.
Let's pause for just a mom to enjoy the shadow of my mother on the door.  Isn't that yumminess?

Below is a close up of the dimples in action.

dimples in action.  don't hate....I can't help that I'm so freaking cute

Notice the pile of girls on my poor dad!  My parents still live in this home where they raised 6 girls.
Every Spring Mom takes everything down from the knotty pine walls and dusts, the walls, books, knick knacks and photos. It's a big job, she used to make us girls do it and we hated it.  Who wants to dust? I hate dusting today...did too much of it when I was a kid. 


In honor of Super Bowl Sunday and the great commercials that go along with it, here is one of my all time favorite commercials. Sookie, the kitten, can't wait for her thumbs!

By the way, the giveaway went so well in honor of my mom's birthday...so watch for a similar giveaway come April in honor of my pops!  He'll be 84, April 3rd.

Vintage Tea Cups

How about a spot of tea?  (best English, mixed with Tennessee accent around)
I'm linking this post to Knick of Time Vintage Style Tuesday, if you love anything vintage, shabby chic, or anything fabulous...then click on over and check out the links.  Go by today and check out some lovely refurbished mantles.  Ooolala!

I'm hosting a tea party and these are their invites

the invite says: "bring your teacup!"

I went thrift shopping and found a bunch of nice china tea cups.  Oh, how lovely!  I hate to admit it, but these cups were 49 cents each.  NOT EVEN 50 cents. I was a little bit sad to think that these beautiful cups belonged to someone once--who paid a pretty penny for matching teacups, saucers and the whole She-bang!  Now they've been discarded to the local Goodwill and sold as pieces for less than half a dollar each.  

It just don't seem right....

very shiny!

I wish you could really see the cup in the foreground. It takes my breath away--the china is so thin that the light shines through. oh my!

Not just china...but FINE china from Japan even!

So tell me...if you got this cup as an invite...would you come to my party?

Remember my giveaway ends TODAY. Scroll down to the posting before this to get all the deets.

January HUGE giveaway! What do you have to do?

 Today is my mother's 79th birthday and in her honor
It's time to share the love...

Why not?

Who wins--?

You.

and

Me....

just the beginning

What's in it for me?  The feeling of making someone happy!  This is a huge giveaway, you're gonna have to work for it.  But, you'll want to....oh yay!  Here's a few peeks at what you'll receive--if you're the lucky winner!

big pic! paper, glitter, stamps, stickles, bling, emphera, yarn

Let's start this year out with a BANG! How can you win?

if you're a paper-aholic, then you understand the sacrifice....

I love giveaways....

I can't wait to send this to ONE lucky winner!  Below is how to enter....Contest is open until January 31st 5pm, Nashville TN time.

microbeads, FOUR stickles and glitter

You can enter multiple times:

1. Become a follower-leave a comment

2. If you're already a follower-leave a comment

3. Post a blog posting on your blog--leave a comment

4. Post another blog posting a week or more after your first posting--leave me comment

5. Share me on Facebook--leave a comment

yarn, ribbon, vintage lace...oh my!

Are you excited!?  I am so excited to see how many entries I get from this giveaway.  

brand new stamps, plus some of my favorites--lightly used

And, don't you worry, Sookie, the kitten, will be watching over your prize!