It is fun going over all the photos from the last year.  It is easy to forget all the things that have happened over the last year.  There have been so many things!  I used this template and just chose a collection of pics to highlight 2009.  I love doing these types of layouts! ;D

Today it was warm enough for the girls to venture outside.  Not to mention it was warm enough for me to get out there with them for some photos. ;D

The girls made a fort in Ava’s room today.  (I did not help them.) It turned out really well!  They want to sleep in it tonight. ;D

I love having the girls home on break.  It reminds me of when they are home for the summer.  I love them and miss them when they are at school all day.  Can you tell they have been good and not fighting?  If so I’d want to be shipping them back to school asap!!!! ;D  Wink wink!

Think.  Think.  Think.

Winding down.  Finishing up.  Making resolutions.  Thinking ahead.  Yep.  It’s that time of year.  Again.  Ali is posting her word for the year. Some are wondering if they should strike out and do project 365 again.  Or for the first time.  Yeah.  I’m thinking about all these things too.

So for me I’ve decided that a new blog header might be nice.  Two.  A new Jen Maddocks Designs logo was in the works so that needed to be revealed.  It is in my sidebar.  You will see it below and on my new paper packs now.  Three.  I need to go through my blog and see what links and other things I need to keep/remove/add.  Working on that.  What about you?  What sort of “resolutions” or things are you working on?

I have a couple of new items for the store and I have a Freebie for you. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for making this a fantastic break out year for me in the digital design world. I cannot wait to see what 2010 holds! ;D

Been busy.  Doing this and that.  Mostly kid stuff.  Practices and games and festivities at school.  The kids are now on Thanksgiving Break.  And we are relaxing.  But there was so much going on leading up to it!  Phew!

Corey and I saw New Moon.  It rocked!  Then I saw it again last night with my friend Jill.  Even better the second time! ;D

After 35 years I finally did this…

Ava had a “mini play” in her class the other day.  They were focusing on Pilgrims and Columbus and things of that nature.  She was Samoset in her play.

Grandparents day was yesterday at school.  Every class performed something.  Here’s Laney.

Where are you headed for Thanksgiving?
Wherever you end up I’m sure you are thinking what kind of photos am I going to take and what kind of layout am I going to do?  Take lots of photos I always say.  The delete key is your friend! ;D  You can never take too many photos and you can never get back the moments and retake the photos but you can always hit delete if you have take too many…GUILTY! ;D
So what should you take photos of???  EVERYTHING!!!!
The food.
Your plate of food.
The table.
The turkey in the oven.
YOURSELF!!!!!  Get someone to get at least one photo of you!
People cooking.
People lounging around.
Watching tv.
Playing the Wii! ;D
Decorating for Christmas…if you start to do that now.
Family members.
Things that don’t seem so important.  They will later!
People praying or giving thanks.
Candles burning.
Wine bottles.
Get creative!!!
Then when you get done with your projects there are some great ideas for Thanksgiving layouts here.  I know they aren’t digi.  But you can use the ideas to inspire.  I do! ;D

Lastly I’ve been working hard on some Christmas digi stuff.  I want to do a December Daily album but this year I really want to do it digitally.  So I’ve designed a kit for just that.  I cannot wait to share it with you!  It is all done I just have to put it in my shop!  More to come…;D

Last night we got a little crafty and a little dirty.  Not on purpose.  Just kinda worked out that way.  Ava has these paper pom-poms that I got to hang in her room.  I folded them and I am letting her open them up.  It is actually not that difficult for a kid of her age to do.  So that is what she was working on last night.

Laney got a mini plant pot from a birthday party she went to recently.  She’s been pestering me about planting them.  So we did that last night as well.  She loves dirt!  She loves the smell of it!  I do too.  I thought that was interesting.  She was commenting on the smell of the potting soil and I was smiling.  I love the smell of a greenhouse.  Do you know that smell?

So hopefully something will sprout soon.  And soon we will have a room full of pom-poms…just like Laney’s room is full of them. ;D

I LOVE moments like these!!!

Corey works from home on Wednesdays.  When he does we usually go out to lunch.  Today we decided to investigate downtown Parker.  We found a little restaurant called Falcon Brewing Co.  The food was fantastic!!!!!  It will be added to one of our favorite regular places!  The weather was so nice…in the 60°s…we were able to sit outside and eat.  I was not wearing a jacket.  I love, love, love Colorado weather! ;D

What would you create if presented with this as your challenge/inspiration?

This is the challenge for Week 2 in the My Scrapbook Art Ultimate Artist Challenge.  No rules.  Just use this as your inspiration.  ;D   So…would you take on the challenge????  They are encouraging people to do something with this even if you aren’t in the competition.  Would you?

I am done with my layout.  Only one problem.  There is no assigned gallery to post it into.  I would post it here on my blog…I REALLY want to…I’m sooooo excited about it…but I think I should post it there first.  So I’m patiently waiting.  Hum hum hum.

I love my girls and how silly they are.  But sometimes I just want a good photo of the two of them…when it comes to special event time.  So the deal is…I get one good serious pose…then I’ll take a bunch of photos of them being silly.  Mostly it works out in their favor rather than mine.  I wish it wasn’t so…but I guess that is “real life” around here and I’d rather have them be silly than unhappy. ;D  This year’s photos were inside because it was so chilly and snowy outside. ;D

I put together a layout of some of the photos I took of Laney out in the snow yesterday.

grunge frames, wings, grunge alpha, acrylic flower, buttons, circle stamps JMDesigns
flower, acrylic brad Embrace Fei Fei’s Stuff + Paislee Press Designs
circle stamp Circle It No.2 Anna Aspnes
journal circle stamp Journaling Brushes-n-Stamps Katie Pertiet

Apparently even if you are in a land locked state the same saying ‘red sky in the morning, sailor take warning’ still applies.  This was a saying we always lived by in Maine.  Apparently it is true in Colorado.  This was the sunrise yesterday morning.

And this is what we woke up to this morning.  It is by no means done yet!!! ;D

The kids had a snow day today.  I don’t remember having one this early in the season since we have lived here.  We don’t usually get snow like this before Halloween.  I guess we ARE in for a snowy winter…that’s what everyone has been saying! ;D

My laptop has been acting up for awhile now.  The video card is going bad in it and it is going to have to go back to Dell soon.  So in an attempt to get used to this idea…bwah ha ha ha!…I am learning to sit at the desktop computer.  Oh the horror! ;D Last night I was making sure Photoshop and Bridge worked but I didn’t have any of my files on here yet.  Yes, I am sitting at the desktop right now!  So I was looking for any kind of photo that I could open and manipulate in PS.  There wasn’t much…but what I did find made me smile!  I found a file of Ava’s photos from when she had a working camera.  She is actually an excellent photographer…I’ve said it before.  I found some great, great photos she had taken.  Some I had never ever seen before.  I have to share this one with you.  It is from 2006!

The sunrise this morning was stunning.

You can just see the sliver of the moon in this one…

I visited Katie’s blog this morning and she had a lovely photo of it too…;D

Even though I am not operating at 100%, my help around the house…specifically the kitchen…is over.  The dishes have piled up to the point of needing serious attention.

Private Practice season premiere is tonight baby! No internet, phone or any other distraction.  Maybe popcorn. ;D  Oh, and what is up with all the great shows on Thursdays?  Grey’s, Private Practice, Bones, Fringe, Vampire Diaries and a host of other ones I’d like to watch but my DVR won’t record them all.  Seriously.  What is up with THAT?

We have new neighbors moving in.  I think Baxter is going to have an aneurysm.  Last night he was running from one window to the other to try to see what they were doing over there.  If you have ever seen this is it hilarious because he is a little dog and so he can get right up on the window sills.  And of course they have a dog.  There’s a big moving truck out front right now.  He’s woofing at it.  It goes back and forth between an all out bark-howl to a barely audible woof-growl.  Our other neighbor’s dog is chiming in.  Which doesn’t help.  Dogs.

Last night Corey suggested a hike.  And he baited me with, “You could bring your camera and take pictures!”  Sheesh.  Does he know me? ;D  I miss being outside.  So I went.  It was HARD.  I’m surprised I’m still not somewhere on the side of the trail right now.  Dead.  Cause I’m still coughing and hacking away.  But it was GOOD to get outside.

I feel like I’ve been away forever!  What have you been doing????  Let’s catch up!