Family is my Word for 2020

Family means everything to me.   It always has and always will.  So I chose "Family" as my word of the year because I just want to spend as much time with all of my family, Dad, brother, son, daughter and grandkids this year.   I already have some things planned out for all of us together. I've been fortunate as an adult to take lots of trips with my Dad and family since my Mom passed in 2005. My Dad had been her caregiver for close to 5 years doing everything at home, cleaning, cooking and caring for her non-stop.   So after Mom passed in April 2005 we all missed her a lot but that summer my brother and I decided it was time for Dad to start enjoying things again and get out and go places.   Our first trip was 2 weeks to Sydney, Australia.   We have also gone together to Hawaii along with my husband,  and just the 3 of us and other times all the family have taken many road trips in the US.   A trip to Mt. Rushmore is one Dad requested,  we went to DC to see my daughter 3 different times,  we went to Mackinak Island, Michigan,  we rented a cruiser in Florida and stayed on it for 5 days.   Plus there have been other long trips and just day trips.   Dad turned 96 in June and has been fighting colon cancer for over  almost 4 years so all our trips now are shorter day trips but we still cherish each one.    I made this layout of the day trip we took the day after this Christmas.   With a stop at this restored covered bridge on our way to the town where Dad grew up.

I made this layout with the January  "CHALLENGE YOURSELF"   #73 in mind.    The left side pictures of the three of us at our stop on this day trip and as per the challenge I'm in two of the pictures.    Here are some of the details about it and you can check it out here and play along  "CHALLENGE YOURSELF"

This month's challenge theme is Ali Edwards' One Little Word.  We would like you to create a layout that celebrates your chosen One Little Word for 2020.  If you are new to Ali Edwards' One Little Word concept, you can learn more about it here.

And as always, please remember to include a photo with YOU on your page.

Starting Young

My Dad has been making these individual nachos since I was in college.   We asked him this Christmas if he remembers what started it all or if someone else made them first and he said he had no idea.    All it is, is a regular potato chips (we still try find Backers chips its what we grew up on.)
A slice of sharp Cracker Barrel cheese,  Bacon Bits and then a pickled Jalapeño slice on top,  put under broiler till the cheese melts and enjoy.    My kids love them and always have to have them when they are with their Papa and now the grandkids love them too.  Elle who is almost 3 is the youngest fan.

I used Sketch #404 at  "SKETCHES IN THYME"  for this layout.

Snow Angel

The challenge # 479 at  "LASTING MEMORIES"  came to mind when I was making this layout.

Our theme for January is 'Out of Your Comfort Zone' and this month we want to challenge you to create layouts you may usually pass over as it may not be within your normal comfort zone.

 LM #479 - Use a new technique, tool or product.

* This is the perfect opportunity to pull out all of those "to do one-day" inspiration screenshots we all have saved on the phone, computer or magazine. I tend to see something I really want to try, but easily get intimidated or too lazy to learn how to use that very expensive new tool/product I just bought, so it sits there unopened for years. Now is the time!

I hadn't used eyelets in years and years, but today I used 5 of them in a new way.   I punched in 5 eyelets in a line down the left side of my pates and then I used them to "sew" with some bakers twine.  I thought it was a fun new look.    Plus I used plastic clips (the red and green ones) on my pictures.

That is the first time I had used those ever.    On my sweater stamp cut-out I added the stocking hat and mittens, they are buttons.   I have used these deco buttons before, again years ago, but they had

to go with this layout.   They are the kinds with the eye on the back of them that you would sew through to add to your clothes.   But I used a nail clipper and clipped those eyes off so the buttons would lay flush to my background paper and then used clear liquid glue to adhere them to my page.

Silver Dollar City Lights

Since we moved in 2017 and are now closer to the area this makes our 3rd year of going to Silver Dollar City during the summer and most importantly for the Christmas Lights every year.  This is our

new Christmas season traditions.        For these pages I just concentrated on pictures of the area and not of us.   The big picture is the Wilderness Church which is one of the 2 original parts of Silver Dollar City.   When I came as a child, the Church and Marvel Cave was all there was here.    My how it has grown.    But I was a child a LONG time ago.   LOL

I used the double page sketch for January at   "STICK IT DOWN".   

Ho Ho Ho

I made this layout using the Pick 3 challenge for December at "SOUL SCRAPPERS"

The list to pick from was:
1. Christmas Theme
2. Colors Red/Green/White
3. Use 3 or more PP's
4.  Trees
5.  Decorated Tag
6. Journaling
7. Stamping

I actually used 5     Christmas Theme,   Colors Red/Green/White,   3 or more PP's,   Trees (on paper and in pictures)  and  Journaling (bottom right corner)

Christmas Family Together

My daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter trade off years on which side of the family they are with on Christmas Day.   This year they were in NY with his parents.    They hadn't been there in over 6 months and there was so much going on and things to do, they forgot to go see Santa and get a picture with Elle at the Mall.  BUT.....Santa heard about it and made a personal visit on Christmas Eve Day to see the whole family.   Now that is a special time.

I'm entering this layout in 3 different challenges.   First the Scrappy Friends double challenge
using the sketch at  "ROCHELLE SPEARS BLOG"

I combined the sketch with the challenge at  "SCRAP WITH STACY" and her January tic-tac-toe
board.   I did the diagonal with Card Stock,  Banner and Doily.

And last but far from least is "CRAFTY HAZELNUT'S PATTERNED PAPER" Challenge.

Craftyhazelnut's Patterned Paper
January 2020 Challenge

Wishing you a very Happy New Year

A challenge that is always about using

Patterned Papers

You may enter any creation on which some patterned paper/card has been used - please remember that you must use some patterned paper

Road Trip for the Day

This is my first layout I've made for 2020 and I used the sketch #192 at  "SKETCH N SCRAP"
plus I will also enter it for the Anything Goes Challenge #478 at "LASTING MEMORIES"
I was in Columbia, MO. for the last part of December for about 12 days.   I only live 90 minutes away but I started off with first day babysitting for my granddaughter before she left for Christmas in NY with other grandparents, so had 1st Christmas on the 25th with my brother, Dad, hubby, nephew and a friend of his.   Then after my daughter and son-in-law and granddaughter got home the 28th we had Christmas with them on the 29th.   Then New Years Eve and Day with all family and a couple of country day trips in between.   This was the longest trip and my brother and I took off on the morning of Jan 2nd, before I was set to go back home that night.   We took the back roads to Hannibal, MO and back roads home.  Even though we had both been there several times it was fun to take the back roads and make this our destination.     These are the pictures I took from Lovers Leap there.

Here is the sketch and link to  "SKETCH N SCRAP"

Here is the link to  "LASTING MEMORIES" 

 Since we are still in the middle of the holidays we are going to do things a little different before we jump into our regular theme and monthly challenges for January. To help get us all back into the swing of things, this week's challenge is Anything Goes.

LM #478 - Anything Goes - Create a layout about anything that you want!