Happy Holidays!

I have been very sad the past few days because the holidays just aren't the same without my Mami around. I keep coming across mementos and things that remind me of her... What has definitely helped some is that it's been an eventful few weeks, so keeping my mind occupied is good therapy. Here's a recap of the past couple of weeks.

First of all, I did go back and visit Demetrio at his home. He has some bruises from the fall, but he went to his doctor and is being cared for... He was out and about last week so he seems to be okay. God bless him.

This holiday season, I have actually baked a couple of times. I hate to cook, but baking is fun. I made these "Magic Blondies" from MarthaStewart.com on Thanksgiving and again for my friend Barb's birthday. They are yummy, but they're actually more like breakfast muffins.



I started my second December Daily album because I gave the first one to my mother-in-law (I knew she would really appreciate it!). It's a beautiful album that I made in Ohio when I visited Trish. The second acrylic album isn't even close to being finished yet, but here's a sneak peek at the cover...



My company celebrated this year's successes (and challenges) with a holiday party at Garry's house (he's the publisher). We planned to recognize a few folks and hand out trophies and I was happy to honor a couple of my top employees. BUT the big surprise came toward the end, when Garry announced the Employee of the Year and it was little old ME!!!! What a great surprise. It's been a tough year so it made this even sweeter!



We gathered at Barb's house to celebrate her 30th birthday (give or take... LOL!) and we had lots of fun scrapping, eating and opening presents. I made a 2009 calendar project inspired by Jenny Bowlin... (photos to come). Isn't Barb just lovely?





Then, on Dec. 19th, we all exchanged scrappy kits we made ourselves. It was Lou's idea to put together kits using items from our stash and then we picked numbers so it was a complete surprise. I love the kit I got with Esther's Stampin' Up! goodies. Whoohoo! Barb set up the table beautifully. We were in awe. I felt like we were at a romantic bed and breakfast (minus the husband... LOL!). We each brought a plate to share and we ate some delicious food. It was great!







Richard and I took a stroll down Miracle Mile to browse the shops and enjoy the lights and splendor all around us. This is a photo we took at the Christmas Village they have every year.



That's all for now... I have so many more photos, but those will have to come later. I took lots of photos on Christmas, I finally did get around to decorating my home for the holidays, and I've been working on my scrap room... Plus, I was a very good girl this year because Santa was VERY good to me. I received a new camera, a beautiful vintage typewriter, my one-of-a-kind chandelier from Ohio (thanks to my BFF and to Trish for helping make it possible!), bedding, a suitcase, and more!!!

May you have a safe and happy New Year filled with many wonderful blessings! Thank you so much for stopping by (even though I haven't been blogging as much lately). Your comments make me smile and I truly appreciate each and every one of you...

Peace and happy scrapping,
Vanessa

The right place at the right time

Hi friends,

I usually love the holidays! It really is "the most wonderful time of the year" for me... Lots of treasured family time and traditions, non-stop shopping (with a good reason), delicious meals, cool weather, festive lights and decorations, time to reflect on our blessings and the true meaning of it all, getting cards in the mail, opening gifts, taking photos and scrapbooking, etc. I love all of this! But this year is a little different. There's still all this to love about the holidays, BUT a few less people now to share it all with and that makes it a bit more difficult than ever before... I have so many things I want to do to celebrate the season, but I can't get myself to do it... I haven't decorated my house and it's already Dec. 14. I haven't even sent out my photo cards yet (an annual tradition).

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

Something happened to me yesterday that made me so very thankful... something that made God's presence abundantly clear... for some reason, I was in the right place at the right time and I am so glad for that. You see, after some Christmas shopping, Richard and I parted ways so he could go get a haircut. I was leaving my house to go to Macy's when I realized that I didn't want to go to the mall just yet. So I carefully crossed a few lanes and decided to turn in a different direction to go donate some clothing to the nearby Goodwill store. After dropping off my donation, I made a u-turn and quite a distance in front of me (between some shrubs/trees), I saw a little old man with a cane drop his belongings and fall onto the pavement. I accelerated to get to him quickly when I realized that a woman in an SUV was backing up toward him and was about to run him over! (I'm tearing up as I type this.) I immediately went crazy, beeping my horn and waving my arms frantically for her to stop as I drove toward her. She saw me and she stopped the car, wondering what was wrong... I ran out of my car, rushed to the man who was trying to get up in a state of panic and, without thinking twice, I picked him up off the ground to get him out and away from behind her car.

My heart was beating a mile a minute and I was shaking, but nothing mattered except that this little old man was safe. He didn't want to call his family. He didn't want us to call 911 because he was afraid they would take him to the hospital. But I told the woman to call them anyway. I later realized that she bumped him with her car causing him to fall and she was so nervous about it, but she helped me check him while I sat him down in her car and she called the police.

Fire rescue arrived and his vitals were okay. His arm was bloody and they bandaged him up. The old man told everyone that thanks to God, I was there to save his life!!! The woman driver also thanked me for getting her attention just in time. He's 90 years old, in pretty good shape, takes the bus to the shopping center to shop at Walgreens and, sadly, he has no family. Fire rescue wouldn't drive him home (against policy) and the police officers can't either... I couldn't believe that! Richard called me and immediately showed up since he was across the street. I told the old man that I was going to drive him home (he's divorced with no children and his sister passed away so he lives with a friend of his who's a widower). And I did. I took him home, helped him inside and left him my name and number just in case.

I haven't stopped thinking about Demetrio. I hope he's doing fine... I think I may just have to pay him a visit this week...

And that, my friends, made my holiday season meaningful.

Happy holidays!!!

xoxo,
Vanessa

I wish I could post photos, BUT...

...things are just not working out in that department! My little point-and-shoot Canon camera needs replacement, so I've been using my big Canon EOS 20D for photos and that is making my December Daily Album quite a challenge to complete. I mean, it's not like I can just stick the EOS in my pocket or purse and capture every single detail in my life throughout the day! Argh! So, I've decided to just create a "Snapshots of my Christmas 2008" album instead of a daily one... hey, I'm having to get creative here...

Then there's my computer issue. You see, I married a computer whiz/electrical engineer who will work on every computer but mine... So as nice as he was to give me his laptop recently, none of my software is installed and I cannot access images right now. Another argh! (UPDATE: he may actually work on my computer issues tonight because I complained so I guess he's still a keeper! LOL!)

So, having said that, I must steal images from other websites to add some visual appeal to my post today.

Here is a beautiful Christmas garland that my friend Trish at Work in Progress created. I'm just drooling over this!!! Isn't she talented.



Then there's this beauty from Jenny Bowlin that I am so going to scraplift... I have some of the materials already in my stash so this calendar is the perfect vintage project to go in my new scrap room.



I guess I'll share some photos with you next time, including some Sadie Olive goodies that Ady and Lou got me for my birthday.

For now, I'm going to continue updating my Christmas Wish List (top left of blog, honey, in case you are reading this - and family and friends, too!) and get some rest because I have a cold (yuck!) and we're celebrating Barb's birthday tomorrow so I have to get better tonight! I even baked some goodies for her birthday, but I can't show you the picture!

Hope you're having a great weekend! Peace and happy scrapping!