Thursday, December 11, 2014

Warmest Wishes for a Winter Birthday

Happy Thursday!

Time is FLYING by these last two weeks - I can't believe it's Thursday already!!  I've been chipping away at my to-do list and am I'm FINALLY starting to feel the Christmas Spirit.  I realized yesterday that I don't start feeling the joy until I'm 95% done my list.  Yep - I've run through my mental "what-do-I-have-to-buy-for-whom" list and once I'm down to "pick up a few small things for Craig's stocking" I start getting all giddy for Christmas.  I'm now at that point.

Question:  Does EVERY Mom in the world have to buy presents for EVERYone in their family?  By that I don't mean buy a gift to GIVE to everyone in their family - I mean come up with ideas for everyone in their family to buy for everyone ELSE in your family?

Let's see now - every year I get to come up with:

- what can Grandma & Grandpa #1 get for the kids
- what can Grandma & Grrandpa #2 get for the kids
- what can Uncle and Auntie get for the kids
- what can Auntie get for the kids
- what can the kids get for the kids' BFF's … + three backups in case they have sudden, surprise NEW BFF's who give gifts to MY kids
- what can I have on hand for neighbours who show up at my door with a small gift
- what can I get for the kids' teacher … plus the kids' teacher from LAST year because apparently they were the best teachers EVER in the history of teachers
- what can Mom and Dad get Craig
- what can Craig get Mom and Dad
- what can Rebecca get for Alicia
- what can Alicia get for Rebecca
- what can the kids get for Trixie (seriously?  Yep - seriously)
- what can Trixie get for the kids (yep - seriously again)
- what can the cat & dog get for the kids
- what can Santa get for the kids
- what can Santa get for the kids for the Christmas Eve presents
… oh - and SOMEtimes, what can my brother get my parents
Phew …
OK - so once all THAT is figured out THEN I get to move on to
WHAT DO I get the kids?????

All that while making sure the kids don't get "too many" toys … and that they remember the reason for the season …

I ask again - Is it just me???  … or does EVERY mom do this every year?? … and I wonder why I haven't slept since July!

It truly is a miracle we don't all start drinking heavily November 1st.  Or maybe we do ;)

ANYway … I have now sorted out all of the above for yet another year (I really think planning the takeover of a small country would take less time, energy and brain cells!).  I have two more stamping classes this week, a fun stamping morning with some fellow demonstrators Saturday morning and then I get to move into:

Phase II of Christmas - writing/sending Christmas cards, making Wish Lists with the kids and Christmas baking!  Next week starts

Phase III - the "make sure the girls' gifts are even both in number, dollar value and "awesomeness level" ", then start wrapping.

Phase IV will be "assemble and wrap Teacher's Gifts", write a card for the teaching Staff and deliver items to the school and the teachers.

Phase V - make sure the kids have Christmas outfits, tights and SHOES for the Christmas Concert … and clean pyjamas for PJ day at school.

Phase VI - Christmas Family Open House shopping, baking and prep.  Then my favourite …

PHASE VII - have 4 Pyjama Days in a row as the kids are off school and we have nothing to do but relax, sleep in, play and craft.

Yep - I've got it alllllll planned out.  Quite a bit of fuss or approximately 20 minutes of gift opening and 16 hours of everyone being nice to each other, isn't it? *lol*

… but I love it.  Every minute of it.  Every year.  … and every Christmas morning, around 10:30 am I sit with my cup of coffee … spiked with a little too much Kalhua … and I raise a toast to myself and all the other Moms out there who conquered another Christmas.  We're awesome :)

So!  How about a project to look at?

This card is SO quick and easy .. and a great one for those winter birthdays!
Love it!  Oh!  Look!  I posted my original version - this one is just Whisper White and Smoky Slate with White Craft Ink.  I amended it slightly (I'll post that another day!) where the back layer is Basic Grey and the sentiment is in Basic Grey - added a bit more of a "pop".  The snow is made with the splotches from Gorgeous Grunge  the sentiment from Blooming with Kindness.  Strings of Rhinestones add just a bit of bling to the satin ribbon for a little elegance.  The top two layers are popped up with dimensionals.  Quick, easy and done!  I love a quick card at this time of year.  Given my list of things to do above I don't have much time for fussy, complicated ANYTHING!

So that's it for today - I have a few more cards to share so pop back soon to see those.  Until then, have a stampy Thursday!


Tam

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