A last minute home made Chrimbo Gift

I spent all day Christmas eve making a book for our good friends Trina and Dave to record details of Carys' first year. I wanted it to be big enough for Trina to be able to add photos, notes and quotes to. But not so big it was empty without said information. I ended up making the book the same size as my JOY book. Each page is 21cm high and 12 cm wide (the cover is 1cm larger top and bottom) I had just had an order of October afternoon papers and stickers arrive so used quite a few of them on this project. I love the soft colours they use and think they fit a baby book perfectly.

I have left spaces on each page for Trina and David to add photos, there are also Journal blocks or tags for them to write down information about Carys, or how they were feeling at that time.

I have added a few photos that we had but mostly the book is ready for their photos to be added. There are three pages that have built in pockets for extra information that Trina might want to keep safe. I have made a photo page for each month of Carys' first yearI have wrapped this book up now and it's under the tree for when they come over later on today. I hope they like it (although I'm sure they will, as they loved their wedding album I made last year).
Happy Christmas

Full of JOY leading up to Christmas

My last two JOY pages to post before Christmas day. I doubt very much (try as I might) that I will get time tomorrow to print any photos or complete my page for the day. I have prep'ed it but we have friends around for the day (and night) so my craft room has been transformed into a spare room for them and baby Carys to sleep in.

DAY 23
My pages today are about being Grateful. Although I have many things I would like to write and include on this page my main BIG (huge!!) Thank you this year is to Trav, my husband.

I also wanted to include our big family news today, that my eldest niece Lucie had her second child two weeks early. Perfect time as far as I'm concerned, coz I'm going up there on Monday and now I get to meet her :)
DAY 24
Today is all about our little family traditions.
Bears and Stars
So that's all from my on the JOY front for a few days. Have a great Christmas and If I don't see you beforehand a wonderful New Year.
Blessed Be
Paige
xxx

feeling extremly JOYful now!

My Festive spirit has finally found me! and boy is it here!!!!! I'm so happy at the moment! everything is just perfect for me right now :) I have this fab hubby who has been a real rock this year while I was working all hours. I love him so much (even when he is being grumpy), I have a wonderful group of friends who are not only great fun to be around they are like a second family. To top this my eldest niece, Lucie had her second baby this morning "Peyton Holly" was born at 5.30am she is healthy and they will be home this evening. so not only will I get to meet Liam for the first time on Tuesday I will also meet Peyton.

I am getting right into my JOY, and I think my pages are showing now just how much more I'm enJOYing it. here are days 20, 21 and 22.
DAY 2o
I did my Tesco (scary) shop today and met up with Sami and Sarah for coffee and a little look through each others journals.
DAY 21
Today is Yule, being Wiccan I celebrate Yule more so than Christmas, This morning some friends and I drove up to the Long Stone to watch the sun rise (well we tried but it was misty) In the evening I attended a beautiful ritual and Yule meal with my Coven.
It was a very good day!DAY 22
I had plenty to do today, it was my turn to host our monthly dinner party. It also happens to be my friends birthday. I served beef bourguignon and cherry pie with chantilly. We then had a game of Smart Arse (a new board game for people who can't play TP).
I'm loving this little book now and I think for me the thing that makes me happiest about it are these tabs :) I am thinking about renaming my book "Yule in four letter words" :)

So much more JOYful :)

I had a slight problem with my planned day today, so instead of worrying about what should have been. I sat down with a few of my favourite films a large bottle of cola and did some more JOY pages. Sunday well spent I think :)

DAY 16

We have so much planned for the next two weeks. I'm worried i won't get everything done before school starts back in Jan ;)

DAY 17
Friday was my last day at work for just over two weeks. it was a quiet day so I journalled about the gifts we would both like this year (no Trav doesn't want a 1950's man for Yule ;) He wants some new woolen jumpers)

DAY 18

and it snowed again!!!!! really what is going on? Who ordered all this horrid white stuff? if it hangs around too long it could very well spoil a lot of my festive plans!

DAY 19
My plans went totally awry today! I had a few dogs booked in for pre-Xmas haircuts, only my "just serviced" clippers decided to blow up halfway through the first dog!!!

I have also prep'ed a few more pages ready for a busy week
(well it will be busy if the snow goes away and stays away).

JOY days 11- 15

I'm almost up to date now with my pages for my JOY book. I'm really pleased with how this little book is coming along. I seem to have gotten my crafting mojo back and I'm feeling a little more ready for Yule and the main event next weekend. With two more puppies going this weekend we are left with just Red, who is being collecting early next week. I thankfully have been able to get on top of all things houseworkie and festive. All I really have to do now is the main food shop (Yuck!!!) and have a last good clean through. than my free time is all my own :)

DAY 11
I wasn't really in a crafting mood on Saturday but the WCC crop was planned and I thought it would do me good to get out of the house for a few hours. Also three of the pups were collected today. I chose to focus on the weather and used some of my lovely new Cosmo cricket papers.

DAY 12

Sam and I took the afternoon out and went shopping in Cowes. We also had dinner with friends in the evening.

DAY 13
I realised on Monday that there wasn't much time left to do all the jobs I needed to do so this week has been about getting jobs done!

DAY 14
Todays pages and job was about cards! I don't write many but those I do all need posting and some of them go abroad so I need to get my skates on!
DAY 15
All about gift wrapping today. With 99% of the pressies bought it's really time to get them wrapped and put away for Santa Paws to collect.

JOY days 7-10

More JOY pages in the grand catch up!

DAY 7
Just School today so I focused on Christmas Shopping
Trav and I have totally shared out the gift shopping this year, I still had to write out a list (very detailed) for his share of them, but at least I only had to get "some" not all of them this year :)

DAY 8
Focused mainly on my continuing lack of festive spirit. my journalling is very honest and quite blunt (about myself and my feelings today) I wrote it out a few times and settled on the one that i felt was most truthful.

DAY 9
Today was a hard day. The journaling is mostly hidden as It contains lots on how I feel about Molly. I had written it all down while it was still fresh in my mind and then just copied it out onto the journal card for the book. I have also tried to capture what festive things are going on in the house today although there's not much. A special group of friends came over on this day to bless Molly, asking the goddess to ease her suffering. I have added a copy of the blessing to the back of a journal card.
DAY 10
Not a day I want to repeat in a hurry. My journaling for this day is in the form a letter to Molly-Jo. It's totally hidden tucked away inside the envelope. It's not that I don't want others to know how I felt about her. It's just not a letter I want on show or handled much. It's for Momo and such I want it kept safe.

JOY days 3 -6

I've got quite behind in completing my JOY each day. What with having to make some tough decisions and a houseful of puppies, crafting time has been pushed to one side. However a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders (I hadn't realised how stressed I was about Molly-Jo until she was no longer with us) and most of the pups have gone to their new homes, I now have a little time left each day for me. Although I haven't been crafting I have kept a note book and jotted down notes and ideas each day ready for when I started crafting again so the catch up hasn't been too hard to do.

DAY 3
it was still cold and snowy today so other than a very slippy walk I spent most of the day curled up on my chair crocheting cuddling the dogs.

DAY 4

A cold wet rainy day today, we took the puppy photos and had dinner with some close friends.

DAY 5
Trav worked on the portraits and I spent the day the day with two little friends Sophie and Bee.

DAY 6
Back to work today :( only sad because Eclipse was released today and I would rather have stayed home to watch it than spent the day with a classroom full of spotty teenagers! I also took the litter to the vets this evening.

A Molly-Jo shaped hole in my heart

Yesterday was a sad day for us, we had to say our final goodbyes to a wonderful little dog called Molly-Jo. She had gone down hill quite quickly over the last six months or so and her bad days had taken over all the good days just lately. Trav and I made the decision about a month ago that we would need to make a vets appt for her. Not long after this a friend suggested we try reiki for her and for a while this helped, but this last week has been her worst yet and I couldn't bear the thought that my lovely Momo was in any pain, she was not my happy little Momo anymore and we felt it was cruel to make her carry on. So last night my beautiful beautiful Molly-Jo left us for Rainbow Bridge.

I will always Love you my Beautiful Girl

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here,
that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigour;
those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,
just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing;
they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and
looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent;
His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group,
flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet,
you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.
The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head,
and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet,
so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Puppy Update

The pups are just over seven weeks old now and will be leaving us this coming week. some of them are staying until the following weekend and at present Yellow will be with us a little longer as I'm still to find him a family. We set up the lights yesterday and took the individual portraits that we always add to our puppy packs, here are the group shots.

Annie, Red, Yellow and Margo

Oakley, George, Freddie and Fergus
It will be a sad time for me next weekend :( when they go.
But a quieter and cleaner one ;)

JOY so far

Unfortunately for my crafting, I'm not feeling the "festive"! Even with all the lovely snow we have here on the island and the two school free days (including today) I just don't seem to get that it's December. I haven't been able to decorate my Yule tree or the lounge as yet, because of the snow! We store all our dec's at Trav's work and he hasn't been able to get into work for a few days now so they are still there safely packed away in boxes and the new tree is looking a little sad, standing all naked and lonely in the corner of the lounge. I had to make myself sit down last night and create the first three pages of my Journal. Here they are:

My Yule Promise
Dec 1
Dec 2

This year I plan to focus more on the journalling side of things, and have the photos and papers take a back seat. That of course may change through the book but it's a starting point. I will be using a range of old and new papers from my stash not all are festive themed.