This Little Light of Mine - Addison Road

Merry Christmas!



A copy of Kat's drawing and the finished tote bag.
12-25-10

 Lets start this blog out by wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. I know I that I really enjoyed my day even though there was a huge lack of sleep for most of us last night. It was well worth it though. For those who know just everything I have been trying to cram in craft wise over the last few months you will understand my excitement when I say... YES ITS OVER! lol. When it comes down to choosing to make projects were sewing individual sequins comes into play....yea...never again. Halloween and Christmas were enough for one life time. lol. I have spent the last few months working on a project for my sister where I took a drawing of a cartoon bug (Walter) that she drew in college and turned it into a sequin design on a tote bag used to carry all the junk food I bought for her. She loved it...even though I don't feel Alex will have any candy left for Katie when she returns....Katie says she will use it to tote Art supplies which is what we originally wanted to do anyways. :0)

Other than the tote bag I also was busy making blankets, scrub tops and a small treasure chest designed to hold business cards for the family Quilt shop. I think out of everything the only problem was; that even with days to dry, the Chest was still wet and when I went to glue the lining in this morning last minute...I was covered in stain. So needless to say that was the only gift not wrapped and it remains in the basement of thus said business until it completely dry.

A very tired Gabby

As for Christmas itself; I spent the wonderful morning with my sisters and Grandpa. I was a little unsure of the morning when Kassie woke me up literally only 3 hours after I went to sleep so she could open her gifts but with much convincing (and some threatening lol) I managed to crawl out of bed. Everyone loved their gifts including myself but Kassie was so excited over her kitchen items that she ended up making Pancakes for everyone for breakfast. lol. After that I pretty much failed at taking a nap so I just got ready for the family dinner which was amazing with my brother being home and the little kids all running around. They were actually really good as oppose to all the years of them screaming. i think I'm going to like the "Video Game" faze of their lives. Or at least all our ears will. 

I really couldn't stay much longer after dessert but I do know that I have a wonderful Christmas and I love my family very much. God even topped my Christmas off with the most wonderful falling snow and with new music in my mp3 player and Christmas lights twinkling threw my window...I am off to sleep.  :0)

Good Night and Merry Christmas again!

Last Free day before Christmas....




Strawberry Cake Balls



 Yesterday was my official last day off before Christmas and I finally managed to have a productive day. I still cant post everything that I have been doing until after Christmas, because most of it was peoples gifts. I still have 2 final gifts to purchase and 2 more to finish crafting in the next 3 days. Both the crafting ones are almost complete though. The crazy thing is that, even with everything i accomplished yesterday; i still only managed to do half the things on my list. Zach and I didn't get to see the Christmas lights because of my bad driving skills, (I drove up the wrong road. lol.) and we never made it to the Ellis's because on our way to Erie the roads were getting to bad for night time driving in the winter. We did however end up spending the evening watching Despicable Me with my younger siblings and then Enjoying some quality time with Amanda at Eat N Park where I ended up locking my keys in the car. :0( Sadly it is my 2nd time this year....Thankfully my brother made it home from the Military this Christmas and was able to bring my keys up at Midnight. Zach and I did have fun although I feel that I whined a lot while driving. I think next time he will get that role. lol. We are both excited about going on a sleigh ride with Katie on the 9th though and I'm going to try and see when the Christmas lights start playing again after Christmas so we can go see them :0) Hopefully by that time his Christmas Present will be here. lol.

I also am very proud to say that I got some of the needed baking done yesterday and with much success, I tried and succeeded in making the cake balls that I constantly watch on Bakerella.com . The recipe that I wanted to make had involved Red Velvet cake, Creme Cheese Frosting and Chocolate but since I couldn't find a red velvet cake at 1:30 am when I do my shopping.. I went with strawberry and white chocolate for the tops. The were really messy but my sister loved them even before dipping them in Chocolate. lol! I made up a few containers with my thin mints and the cake balls and they were all a huge hit! If you get a chance and you like to bake, you should really check out the site. I think that this year i am going to experiment a little more with my baking skills along with my crafting skills. This apparently is the year of sequins. lol. I will explain that one after Christmas though.

Well its off to shower and then to walmart to pick up some pictures before visiting Martha and heading to work.

Keep Smiling!!



Zach, Peanut (Jayln) and I



Kayle, Cameran, Dante, Kirsten, Maraih and Me sitting on the couch after the movie.



Christmas Spirit....

Boy did my moods change in one night. lol. I went from not being in the Christmas spirit at all to being not feeling to hot but in the Christmas spirit full force. lol. Today I finally got the stuff I had ordered for Madyson, Aiden and Gabby from walmart.com. I ordered Aiden his own copy of the Disney movie Cars and then I ordered Mady and Gabby PJ's from the site that I couldn't get in stores. Now Gabby being a huge fan of SpongeBob... I found these....How can anyone say they aren't the cutest things ever! Now Madyson I had been waiting for Nanny McPhee Returns to come out but when I saw this Disney Robe set online decided I would add to her gift. It is also equally as cute. Now I just have to find the patience to wait until Christmas. Thank Goodness for work. That is all I am going to Say.

Mike Also made it home last night. I am guessing based off the random facebook texts that I am receiving on comments between my sisters and I. I'm thinking maybe I should mention that I have a bag of snickers over here waiting for him and then see if maybe he changes his mind. lol.

Now I am down to the final wire with the projects I have to sew. I am however not feeling good today so I am going to work on thing periodically throughout resting today and then Monday full force. Lets see if I can get it all done before the Christmas weekend. Next year...I am starting in June. I sware! lol.

Keep Smiling!

Flu, Friends, Family and ...Christmas?

There hasn't really been a whole lot going on in my world yet for some reason I feel like I have been fighting an entire war since the last time I posted on here. I have been working non-stop lately but feel as if I am getting no where on anything and did I mention that I have been working extra on account that the entire facility where I work ended up getting the flu at the same time! That's right; pretty much all 52 residents had the flu in the last week which was more puke and poop that one should ever handle in one lifetime all crammed into a single week. Oh the joys. I think the only good thing is that Amanda is still trucking around work so until she has her baby.. I have some sanity. I dare to say that I cant wait until I only have to work every other day even with the circumstances that come with it. (Although I wouldn't wish them upon anyone.) I have really gone from loving my job to hating most of the people I work with and then i wonder if really it is just that I am not the same person I was last year. Either way I am just really angry lately and it is effecting me a lot.

I did manage to get out with some of my friends last week...minus nick because he had the flu but it was a pretty entertaining time I guess. I will be glad when Zach comes with me the next time. I am sad though because really I have never had a night feel so forced in a way. I wanted to see everyone before people started getting busy and my life started getting hectic again after Christmas but I'm realizing now that it really doesn't matter. I think that maybe I will just keep to Patty and the rest will just have to find out for themselves because we are just all going our own separate ways.

I would have had more photos to post tonight had the snow allowed my brother to return home on time tonight but considering he was stuck in Philadelphia for the entire afternoon, his plane should be landing here in Erie within the next 30 minutes. lol. I am really happy because Mike and Chris got home today although I haven't heard from Chris yet either; it is the perfect Christmas gift either. I never realized how quiet my life is without either of them. Maybe, now that they are home it will feel a little more like Christmas. Only I'm not sure that is going to work because this is normally the time I am eating DQ with Tony and this year he is staying is Cuba.

Otherwise I think I am really procrastinating on the final Christmas Projects that I have and I really need to get them finished. I am also waiting on UPS to finally deliver the last of Aiden, Mady and Gabby's Christmas gift. Then it is back to work until Christmas itself so I should probably get a move on with that huh. I cant really post any pictures until after the holidays but then I promise I will show you all the neat stuff that I made. lol. Well I better get back to work....I need all the spare time I can get. lol.

Keep Smiling!



22 more days.....(pics)

 Well its finally December and I am sorry that I haven't been posting as much this 2nd half of 2010. I am praying that 2011 holds some happier beginnings and stories to share with all of you. Sadly I am not really in the Christmas spirit with everything that is currently going on in my life but I am trying to reverse some of that. It also doesn't help that I am currently fighting a double ear infection so all I really wanted to do up until today was hide under my blankets until my head stopped spinning. But unfortunately time doesn't stop when you are sick so in the middle of that mix, my sister talked me into assisting in putting the tree up. It was a rather entertaining adventure because when I stopped for lunch she tried to finish with putting the top on upside down...and its a good thing she doesn't read this because she would most likely smack me again for telling the world that it took until after all the lights were put on for her to figure it out. lol. I do love Kassie.and the cats didn't seem to mind any way she put the tree up as long as the tree was up for their enjoyment. Just in case though; we did put bells on the tree surrounding the base so we would know when they were under the tree and trying to play on it. So far they have been pretty good with it.

Otherwise with the Christmas spirit comes the crunch time for projects that have been in progress. Things seem to be running smoothly and I am down to now 8 projects to finish in the next 23 days. These 2 quilts are finally finished and packed up for Ashley's pick up today at 3:30. I am not sure who they are for but I am praying that they get the love that I know I had making them. Sometimes its amazing what just scraps can create. And I am excited because I am almost finished with Katie's John Deer blanket as well and then it is off on other nameless projects that I can say because they are family gifts. I have decided that only my closest friends were getting gifts this year because I cant afford to buy for everyone anymore. My family is continuing to grow with nieces and nephews and therefore the little ones come first. lol. And the best part is.... I am off work on Christmas so I will get to see most of them this year since I missed Thanksgiving. I would however like to thank the Ellis family for giving me my own Thanksgiving dinner this past weekend. I loved seeing and spending time with the puppet family even with all the emergencies and craziness that I went through.

And now we are int the sad part of this post.... I would also like to thank Zach for keeping me occupied over the last few days, even with me being sick because a really close friend of mine, also named Jennifer; passed away from Hodgkin's lymphoma on November 21st, 2010. She was such an inspiration and not to mention one of the few people who understood me. It is going to be really lonely without her.... especially since she used to name all of my puppets after I created them. I am glad that she is finally in heaven and out of pain but I want her to know that I will never forget her and I am in the process of making a few special crafts dedicated to her and her amazing life and friendship. Missing you always Jen but smiling because I know you are the one who sent me my snow.

For everyone else... Keep Smiling! You never know what life will bring you and so the best thing you can do is brighten someone else's day.