YEP, I'M STILL HERE!

Believe it or not, I still have stuff to do for Christmas gifts! We get together with my family next Saturday, and I have a few things yet to make! Yikes! But it's fun to stretch Christmas out! My tree is still up, and I'm even still baking (or making treats!) -- things I didn't get to before Christmas! I decided as a teenager to continue listening to Christmas music AFTER Christmas so that it wasn't such a letdown the day after Christmas! I know that some people HAVE to get Christmas put away right after New Year's or even before. That's fine for some, but I just can't relate to that! Things are so hectic BEFORE Christmas, that I don't enjoy it as much as I want to. So stretching it out after Christmas works great for me and my family! My mother-in-law has visited after Christmas for 2 years now, so it's nice to have company and "entertain". This year (and last year) we invited a dear friend of hers over -- and her DELIGHTFUL daughter (hey, Tammy!) to spend the afternoon and have dinner. We had SUCH a nice time talking and sharing scrapbooks! Tammy does a lot of stamping and cardmaking. She gave my mother-in-law and me BEAUTIFUL handmade cards as gifts! I love them! It's going to be hard to give them away!

I've included some photos of our visit with my mother-in-law and Kay and Tammy plus a few of just the boys and our family. We've not had a picture taken of just our family in 5 years! And that was before Owen! Unless you count the one of me and Owen in the hospital bed when he was born with Jim and the boys standing by. I WON'T be posting THAT one!

Here's Owen with Jim on our new "chin-up" bar. Also, play-doh and "scribbling" eggs!

Hopefully, I will post more frequently once Christmas is over for us! That will be next weekend! I hope to add photos of the projects that I've completed for gifts.

blessings, joie