Cute Cards with Kim

We will make 4 Valentine Cards.

Wednesday, January 21st

10:30 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.

Cost of the class is $18

You will learn several techniques and learn how to use the score-it.

Because it will be my first class I just might have a little surprize for you!

I spent all day at FKS making that awesome Christmas Album. Nancy has the patience of a saint to have put up with us all day! Making a great project with friends....priceless.

The Valentine Card Samples are at the store awaiting final approval. I hope to see some of you at my first class! I'm hoping to find some help to take pictures of the cards and post them. Stay tuned...

I went out to a dinner and show with my oldest friend. We've been friends since we were 3 and 4 years old! I was 3! We saw the movie "Valkyrie". If you are a WWII buff you will like it. I wasn't sure about Tom Cruise playing the lead but I was pleasantly surprised.

A Very Merry Christmas!!!

Let's all take time to remember the true meaning of the day.

What a busy week! Last Saturday Mike and I went to his firm's Holiday Party at the Renaissance Hotel. It had a beautiful 3 story tree in the middle of the hotel.

Last Sunday our daughter was Mary in the Church Christmas Pageant, "March to the Manger". This is a big event at our church and it's standing room only for the 2 services. It was very emotional for Mike and I seeing her holding a real baby. It seemed like yesterday when she was in 1st grade and was the angel.

Greg had surgery Friday and everything went great. The doctor was not surprised by anything he saw and fixed the problem. He said Greg will be able to play baseball, which is his passion. We're not sure when, but we've learned to take this one day at time. He's walking slow but each day he feels better. He helped me make a roast today. I think he's getting bored!!!

I went to our neighborhood Cookie Exchange Party. A great time was had by all! We all bring something to eat, a Christmas themed gift or ornament to exchange, and of course the cookies! I feel so blessed to live in such a great neighborhood. We all get along and look out for each other. It 's the reason we built onto our home instead of moving.

The decorating has been done now for a while and I'm finishing my cards today! Tomorrow it's onto the wrapping!

As I look at my latest post I realize one of the pictures is a little out of focus! I also would like to know how to turn my pictures around so you don't have to look sideways!

My choir of Santas are sitting across one of our mantels.

The nutcrackers are on display.

When we added onto our home I added a gingerbread tree to the hearthroom. I love seeing it as I work in the kitchen.

The big tree is our family tree. It has all the ornaments given to the kids over the years and all of my ornaments since I was young. This tree holds 2 ornaments that were on my parents first tree. At the top are two little ornaments that Mike gave to me each time I found out I was pregnant. I always found out at the beginning of December! Each time I cried! The hormones were really kicking in! We have ornaments from every place we went on vacation. Under the tree is train board my dad made with love and Greg's trains which were given to him by my parents on his 5th birthday. As I hang each ornament I am reminded of a precious memory.

P.S. I love Christmas trees. We have 7 trees plus 4 minature trees. I know, I'm nuts!

Many of you have asked me how my son is doing. Well, today we saw the doctor and the disc in his back has gotten worse. So-o-o-o-o he is having surgery Dec. 22nd. The surgery now a days has become an out patient procedure and a very tiny incision. They will be taking off the protruding section of the disc. We have prayed for him and the doctor and we feel our prayers are being answered. It will be a wonderful day when he is without pain and able to play baseball again. And yes, the doctor said that he will be able to! I admire Greg, he will have endured 2 surgeries in 14 months and through it all has maintained straight A's in his classes. I sure got lucky having such wonderful kids!!!!

Knowing I didn't want to stay home alone today and think about his surgery, my friends, Susan and Suzette, took me to Main Street St. Charles for lunch at and a little Christmas shopping. Love the Flower Peddler! We had a blast. Left at 11:00 and didn't get home until 4:00!!! Are they great friends or what???!!!!

This has been a busy week! I especially love teaching preschool this time of year. We went on a field trip this week to the Magic House and saw Santa. One of my children asked for a turkey for Christmas. At school on Thursday a student came in the room saying Merry Christmas to everyone! Another child asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a pair of brown shoes and a pretty ring. She told me that I could choose 5 things! I have a feeling Mom asked her to choose her top 5 wishes. They are so precious !!!!

I also learned this week how wonderful it is to be an American and living in the U.S. An uncle of one of my students and I were talking at the Magic House. Their family came to the U.S. when he was 11 years old. He was born in China and his family left China because of the bad treatment of the people. They went to Vietnam and lived there and Thailand. They came to America because of war in Vietnam. He told me he never has fear here because of what he lived through. As a child growing up he lived through bombs going off around him and shaking the ground. He remembers walking in the streets and the dead bodies all around him. He never has fear because he has seen the horrors and lived through it! Wow! It puts our lives in perspective! I went home thanking God for the blessings he has given me.

I'm reading a great book for Christmas called "The Purpose of Christmas" written by Rick Warren. It helps me focus on the true meaning of Christmas throught the craziness of the season! Back to decorating!

P. S. I am officially a nerd!! My daughter read my profile on the blog and told me that I am such a nerd!

All the Thanksgiving decorations are put away except for the Fall dishes. Mike and I went back and forth to our storage unit, where I keep all of our holiday decorations, putting away Thanksgiving and Fall and getting out Christmas. After three trips, all the containers are all over the house. Last night we had a wonderful dinner, just the 4 of us, using the Fall dishes, before Greg went back to school. Boo-Hoo! Only 3 more weeks and he's home for a month! Steph has told me she will help decorate this year!!! My have times changed. I'm thrilled to have the help. I thought I would be able to work on card stuff and my Christmas cards this afternoon. Little did I know, for the first time, the eye doctor was going to dilate my eyes! I'm having a little trouble focusing. Maybe by tonight! Sorry if this entry has misspellings and grammar errors. I'm having a hard time reading what I type!