Sisters

My sisters and I are so different that it's hard for us to be as close as some. I'm the oldest. Been pretty independent for most my life. My younger sister, well...GOD LOVE HER. She's had a lot of struggles in her life. Beat to her own drummer and very passionate. She just recently got married and has found a great person to love her and her son. My baby sister came as a surprise to us but since she's so much younger (17 years) it's hard to be a sister but easier to be more like an aunt. We love her though...don't know what we'd done without her!

I love them both and sometimes we can get a little crazy :)

My Pretty Living Room

When we finished our basement, I took a vow that I would not clutter up my living room with any electronics. But we did have a nice stereo system that would come in handy for entertaining or just background music while hanging out reading a book or cleaning. I came up with the idea to make a screen and hide it. I went to a surplus antique shop in Walnut, Iowa that is full of furniture and fixtures from old houses. I came across these doors for $35 a piece and couldn't be happier with them! My husband shook his head when I came home with them and insisted that he get out the electric screwdriver and help me put them together. He won't admit it, but I think he likes them :)

I've never adorned them with decorations but decided at Christmas time they needed something. I bought the grapevine wreaths at a dollar store, had the green ribbon laying around and purchased the snowflake ornaments at Wal-Mart. I'm thinking about leaving them up all winter and possibly come up with something to stay up all year. Any ideas?

Merry Christmas!

It's here...and I'm still awake! Christmas Eve may have come and gone for some but it's still coming for me! (If I don't go to bed soon, Santa will be flying over and the Chipps girls will get nothing from him this year. Ok, so that's not true since it's all under the the tree thanks for his lovely elves :)

I can't believe that I actually managed to make a chocolate almond cheesecake, go to my parents for a wonderful celebration with them and my sisters, nephew, and new brother-in-law. Then drive to my husband's aunt's for more fellowship with family...come home, clean up a bit, head off to church and make it home to throw (exaggeration) the presents under the tree and maybe get a few hours of sleep before the wake of my children. Or should I say my husband. Not sure who gets more excited, the kids or him :)

Then it's off for some more festivities, more toys to figure out where they'll go and wonderful gathering of family and food :)

Best wishes to all of those who follow my blog...hope your new year is as wonderful as you dream it will be!

Where we come from...

I really love to know where I come from. I mean, it's important to me to know who my ancestors and family are and I can only hope that my two girls feel the same way. Mitch feels it's important and that helped me complete this home project. In my dining room I have this long, odd wall and I just didn't know what I should do to fill it up.

My mom happened to be working on a scrapbook for my grandparents' 50th anniversary and I saw an opportunity. I gathered some photos from the pile and then was able to scrounge up enough from my dad's side. I scanned them in and made them the size that I wanted and then bought simple black frames. My mother-in-law was able to help with some older photos from my husband's side to complete the other end. Although I'm not sure my parents nor my in-laws love to know that they adorn our dining room wall, I love it! Margo knows who each of the photos are and what their relationship to her is. If it really means anything to her, I'll never know...but at least feel like I'm instilling that in her early enough for it to stick.

So for the last couple years it's just been black frames floating on this otherwise blank plum colored wall, I had to come up with something else. I love curly-q's so I painted a "frame" around it. I like it...don't know if anyone else does...but it works! I also purchased a "family" plaque to somewhat label it.

Always remember who you are, where and what you've come from and most of all...where you're going.

FINALLY!

After two hours of sitting at the "Genius Bar" Saturday, the computer is finally ready to go! They got everything figured out and now I've got the chance to sit down and do some surfing. Although I've got tons of stuff to do tonight like make purses for Christmas orders, wrap presents, laundry, etc. ...I need a night off! I just finished up a freelance job that will be nice extra money for the holidays. I think I'm entitled, right!?

But now Margo is up and I have to try and get her to sleep...until next time :)

Christmas

With all the hub-bub that goes along with the season, I must be nuts to put up not one, not two, but three Christmas trees! I just can't help it! I of course have to have the one in the middle of the big picture window in my tv-less, pretty living room with all the matched decorations for all the world to see. And then there is the entry to the house, or breezeway as we call it, that gives all my snowmen ornaments a home...the tree that I leave up all winter long. The basement needs one too of course! How can we possibly sit down there and watch TV and basically live without one. It just wouldn't be right! The one downstairs is the one that I let Mitch have his way. He loves the colored lights, the homemade ornaments, so I put all those on the informal tree. Don't get me wrong, I love them too but he's been promised that the basement is his domain...next year's photos will possibly have the remnants of his deer kill hanging on the wall from last weekend.

I try to remember why I love them when I'm spending the whole day putting them up...I love Christmas!

getting something started

So, I'm new to this but some girls at work have got me interested in my own blog. I just had to do it. So...I'm a blogger now! I'm pretty excited!

Some things I'll probably be sharing is projects around the house, things going on with my kids and most importantly...showing off my side job I'm starting up CHIPPS handbags.

I had a little show at the local library. My friend Pat did the wine bottles.