Warmest Wishes...

to everyone for a very safe, happy & healthy new year! I am spending tonight with Shawn and my family (we are having a fondue and games night!), and tomorrow we are joining Shawn's family for dinner before his brothers leave to go home.

Happy New Year everyone! All the best for 2009!

just another 'quiet' evening...

'relaxing' at home with the boys:


(excuse 'crazy-dog-possessed-eyes' - I was just trying to capture the moment!)




180+lbs of dog crashing around our tiny living room... relaxing!

Santa Paws...

came to town!

Harley totally knew what to do...


Milo was a little unsure at first...



but he got in on the action after Harley showed him what to do!




Harley's T-Rex...

Milo's piggy...

Top 10 Christmas Cookie Rules

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free.
2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.
3. If a friend comes over while you are making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend because it would be rude to let your friend sample alone. Being the great friend that you are makes your cookie calorie free as well.
4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.
5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.
6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have 3 and green ones have 5 - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!
7. Cookies eaten while watching Miracle on 34th Street have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.
8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.
9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING!

   And, finally...

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. It's a rule!

and then along came Milo...

tag remnant (see post below, approx. 5 min. ago!)...

Note to self: I love my dog. I love my dog. I love my dog...
grumble, grumble, grumble...

it's beginning to look...

messy & glittery (oh, wait, it's always messy & glittery 'round here!)... so I guess it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Here are some of the tags I've been working on (some will be used for wrapping and some are actually part of a couple of gifts)... I downloaded a few of them from Delight.com (they just so happened to match the SU! In Colours perfectly!), and I just glittered them up and attached them to cardstock. And I made the others with the help of my new Christmas present, some stamps, punches, pretty ribbon and, of course, glitter!











Some new stockings for Shawn & I, as this is our first Christmas together... found them at Home Outfitters for $6 each!

Oh yeah, and I guess the FOOT AND A HALF OF SNOW we've had so far this week is making it look a LOT like Christmas (thanks, Mom!)...

tagged. again.

I got this via email, and then I found it on a fellow crafter's blog (looks like I'm going to be trying her bon bons too... YUM!!!), so I took it as a sign that I should just go ahead and answer it!

Welcome to the Christmas Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends! Okay, here's what you're supposed to do (and try not to be a SCROOGE!): just copy the questions and answer them on your blog or via email - simple! If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? last week of November (when I have a tree... don't have one up this year because we have a new young puppy who we think *might* use it for his personal 'facilities'...)

4. When do you take the tree down? After Ukrainian New Year (mid January)

5. Do you like eggnog? Blech! I only like my Mom's 'Eggnog', which is not actually eggnog at all, but a yummy concoction of coffee, vanilla ice cream, and rum... lots of rum!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved my stuffed animals... and I got many over the years!

7. Hardest person to buy for? my Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? my Mom

9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, a couple

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail... hand deliver ones in town!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I remember a couple of years of lovely sweaters from one person in particular. 'Nuff said.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? recent: Elf; all time: Miracle on 34th Street, or Muppet's Christmas Carol

13. When do you start shopping? Boxing Day!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? um... maybe...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's baking!

16. Lights on the tree? White

17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night, Mary's Boy Child (Boney M version)

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? prefer to stay home, but have traveled most of my life to get to family

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen... and the most famous
reindeer of all - RUDOLPH

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Eve we open one present each, or a family present... Christmas morning we open Santa's presents & anything else!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? All the stress with too much to do.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? snowflakes & snowmen

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Mom's turkey & stuffing

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Got it already! Shawn bought me a Cricut on sale at W a couple of weeks ago... So, now I just want to relax & spend the days with my family, eat Mom's good food, and get to know the rest of his family that I haven't met yet!

paper monkey

is having a giveaway... and not just a little one! She's having a HUGE givaway! Seriously. Go check it out!

tagged...

If you get tagged copy this survey and paste it to your own blog, & then change the answers so that they apply to you. Then, visit the profiles of some of your friends and "Tag" them by simply leaving a comment, asking them to visit your blog, and state that they have been Tagged! The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known. Some of you may get tagged several times, so they can always refer back to your blog for your answers.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 10ish... no alarms this weekend!
2. Diamonds or pearls? diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Four Christmases
4.What is your favorite TV show? Grey's Anatomy
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? yogurt & fruit, Bagel-fuls (chive), toast, mini mandarin oranges... depends on the day!
6. What food do you dislike? liver! Blech!
7. What is your favorite CD at the moment? no one in particular (lots of iTunes downloads!)... it's Christmas music in this house at this time of year!
8. Favorite sandwich? BLT w/ cheddar on toasted multigrain bread, with mayo (not Miracle Whip!)
9. What characteristic do you despise? intolerance, know-it-all-ism
10. Favorite item of clothing? green hoodie
11. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? India, Belize, Thailand, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Africa... it's a LONG list!
12. Favorite brand of clothing? No real favorite... whatever looks decent and is, preferably, on sale!
13. Where would you retire to? Probably here in the Okanagan area - I love it here!
14. What was your most recent memorable birthday? the most recent one just passed - 34
15. Favorite sport to watch? hockey or baseball
16. Furthest place you are "tagging" this? Grande Prairie
17. Person you expect to send it back first? dunno
18. Are you a morning person or a night person? night owl!
19. What is your shoe size? 7 - 7.5
20. Pets? 2 dogs - Milo & Harley
21. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Most of my holiday cards are made and in the mail, and my shopping is done!
22. What did you want to be when you were little? a doctor
23. How are you today? good... had a nice evening out with Shawn at a neighbour's dinner
24. What is your favorite candy? dark chocolate
25. What is your favorite flower? Gerbera daisies
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Christmas Eve... my favourite part of the holidays!
27.What are you listening to right now? the hum of our laptops and the snoring of the dogs...
28. What was the last thing you ate? roasted pork tenderloin & purple potatoes
29. Do you wish on stars? occasionally
30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green... a nice green, not too bright
31. How is the weather right now? cold - lots of snow the past couple of days so it's pretty & Christmassy!
32. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? Kelli
33. Favorite soft drink? Coke Zero
34. Favorite restaurant? it varies... I like ethnic foods (Indian & Japanese & Thai), but I love Shawn's home cooking!
35. Real hair color? dirty blonde
36. What was your favorite toy as a child? light bright? don't really remember
37. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? chocolate... but real chocolate, not white "chocolate"
39. Coffee or tea? coffee
40. Do you want your friends to email you back? yes!
41. When was the last time you cried? December 8th
42. What is under your bed? dust bunnies... (well, really, I'm sure it's much more than "bunnies" now!)
43. What did you do last night? read blogs & looked for card ideas, watched Surviving Christmas (kind of funny!), helped Shawn make truffles

44. What are you afraid of? dying alone
45. Salty or sweet? depends, but usually salty
46. How many keys on your key ring? 5
47. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
48. If you could choose your talent, what would it be?
49. Do you make friends easily? it takes me quite a while, but when I do I'm a friend for life
50. How many people will you tag this to? everyone who reads it
51. How many will respond? dunno... hopefully everyone!

If you decide to play along, let me know so I can check out your answers.

have you seen...

the new Big Shot video on my Stampin' Up! website? Click on the picture to check it out!

What does your name mean?

Tara You Are Spontaneous and Whimsical

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Free Shipping and 10% Off Retiring Stamps for a Limited Time...

Just Announced: From December 9 through December 23, all Stampin' Up! orders of $100 or more will receive FREE SHIPPING! No need to do anything special. Simply place your order online here (through my Stampin' Up! website), or contact me, and you will automatically receive free shipping for a qualifying order.

Just Released: Stampin' Up!'s Retiring Stamp List was released today and you'll receive 10 percent off all retired stamp sets if you order now through Dec. 23. *** NOTE: Retiring stamps will continue to be available after the sale, through Jan. 18 at regular retail prices.

Are your "smart shopper" wheels turning? You can combine the retired stamp sale with the free shipping promo and save big!

new background...

This morning I was having my coffee & checking my inspiration blogs, & I checked out Kristina Werner's for her colour inspiration challenge (LOVE her videos & MACM's... love them!) Anyhow, I was clickin' through the links posted so far for this week's Color Inspiration #34, and I happened upon Creative Inspirations blog and noticed the little tag at the top: "Free backgrounds & more at TheCutestBlogOnTheBlock.com". Free backgrounds?!?! Cool! I'm totally digi-Impaired when it comes to anything other than turning a photo into a blog banner, so I had to see what they had... Wow! Tons of cool stuff and ** free stuff ** (backgrounds, digi scrapping kits, photo cards), with really reasonable prices for banners and such! Check them out!

* Oh, my blog banner was designed for me last year by my digi-Talented friend, Kelli! Thanks again Kelli!

LOVE it!

I got an email today asking recipients to post a show that is no longer on TV... LOTS of good memories of some great shows! One of my favourites has always been the Muppets, particularly Kermit & the Swedish Chef:

mmm...

Shawn's been talking about trying to make chocolates for a little while now... Christmas is the perfect time!

delicate chocolate curls (to top off the white chocolate cheesecakes he made earlier today!?)...

black forest truffle filling... mmm!


candied ginger truffles (totally decadent!)

I'm told that this is just the beginning... that is so not a good thing for what little waistline I do have!

Christmas came early this year...

Those of you who know me may know that I've been waffling and wavering on the electronic die cutter issue for about 3 years now... I just didn't know if I would actually use one enough to justify the cost. And then there was the issue of just which one to get... along with the fact that I totally *heart* my manual die cutter & nesties! So, I hadn't yet decided... and then Shawn spotted this in a WM flyer for a fantastic deal, and the rest is history!

I honestly don't know what I did before this thing!!!!! I'm in love!

I've had it for a little over a week now, and I've already gone through 2 blades because I've cut so much! I bought a second set of mats so I can have a rotation going, and I've been cutting up quite the storm! Cards, boxes, envelopes, tags, alphabets... I am completely amazed at the capabilities of this little (OK, not so little...) machine!

The machine came with 1 cartridge that allows me to cut the adorable little bags pictured above, along with tags, banners, envelopes, borders and a complete alphabet in several styles. Then, only days later, M's had a doorbuster sale - all in stock cartridges for $39.99! What?!?!? I know! That's like 3 for 1! So, Kelli & I went to check out the sale and I bought 3 more cartridges (with one more coming for Christmas!).

The other criteria that I wanted in an electronic die cutter was the ability to cut TrueType fonts... I have something ridiculous like 1300 fonts on my computer, and I know that some of the machines are supposed to be able to cut them, as well as other digital designs. Well, there is a program available for the Cricut that allows it to hook up to the computer and cut True Type fonts! I'm completely sold! I don't know what I was doing before I was cutting with my Cricut Expression!

this...

sounds pretty fun! I'm going to do it, & all you guys should too! Click here to see what's going on...

I got to crawl around on the floor...

and take some pics of this cutie today! He was so smiley and co-operative...


Love those big bright blue eyes!




And then, I think he'd had enough... I believe he's sayin': OK, lady... enough with that thing in my face - go visit with my mom!