Family, Adventures, and Gadgets Collide

I love this time of year! Christmas music, decorations, hot cocoa, shopping, wrapping presents, gift giving, and everything else that goes with the holidays brings me so much JOY. And even more, it's Secret Santa time at school! We drew names and are expected to bring a Secret Santa surprise every Tuesday and Thursday for the next three weeks. Here is my first gift. I have had these three mini picture frames in my gift closet for the past several years. They were just waiting for their perfect debut. I used my new Cricut to cut out the J-O-Y letters from coordinating scrapbook papers, traced the frame sizes onto coordinating background paper, and then glued the letters onto the background paper. Snapped each shape with a letter into the frames and Voila! I've got J-O-Y! Hopefully my Secret Santa recipient will enJOY this special holiday gift.

There is definitely a lot to be thankful for this season! I have a wonderful husband and daughter, supportive parents, a perky puppy, and most importantly a forgiving and loving God. I am also blessed with a generous network of friends and a great job. Yes, I have a lot to give thanks for in my life! And today, on this Black Friday, I am thankful for something else a little more, should we say, materialistic. I bought myself a little something, something. One of the many bargains purchased today during our bright and early shop-athon! I am the new proud owner of this precious baby: Oh yeah, baby! I've got a Cricut Expression and I'm not afraid to use it. =) I can't wait to start crafting with this little gadget!

Right before going to bed last night, I took a quick peek at this blog , which is hosting a DIY Holiday Show Off. There are LOTS of great ideas for decorating your home for the holidays or projects to complete as gifts. Instead of getting consumed by blogland, I only viewed a few of the links and then turned off my computer to go to bed at a decent time. (After all, I'll be waking up at 3:00am on Black Friday!) Sounds like the right thing to do, eh? However, as I nestled into bed, visions of holiday projects danced in my head! I could not go to sleep. My brain was storming with ideas and mental lists of things to buy. I should have known better than to look at a DIY holiday blog right before bed time! I did finally drift off to sleep, only to wake up this morning with an itch to shop for craft materials! We'll see if I actually complete any of my mental masterpieces!

Strange that I started this blog at this same time last year! I remember reading through a friend's blog and thinking how fun it would be to have my own! Well, maybe it hasn't been quite the journey I dreamed it would be, but I'm going to get back on the blogging saddle, or at least try. :-) As I attempt to get my blog back up and running, one question continues to play like a broken record in my head. What am I going to blog about? ... We have not added a new addition to the family like this dear friend . I don't have any dainty treasures or creative keepsakes to sell. I am not a regularly crafty creator like those posted over at Just-A-Girl's " I can make that party ." (A blog party I discovered during this same time last year.) So, what's a non-domestic, sport fanatic, tech-addicted gal like me going to blog about? I'm just as uncertain as you are my dear reader! Only time will tell.