Way back then.

Way back when it was just John and me, we bought a bunch of these ornaments for our first Christmas tree. They're all silver and gold-ish and they looked great (note: the story is not complete without telling you that John put a fresh cut tree in the back of his brand new car, because he was so nuts about me). We had such a beautiful, grown-up tree.

After we had Margret, we stopped putting glass balls on the tree. And even though Audrey is five now, we still don't really use them. The girls like to decorate the tree too, and we've already had mishaps. We leave them in the big ornament organizer. Instead we concentrate on things the girls have made, and I try to make picture ornaments of them every year. We also have some stuff from my childhood and things people have given us over the year.

Last night we took down our decorations, and I decided that today I would go through everything and weed out what we no longer use/want. I spent maybe two hours and repacked and labeled all the boxes so next year it will very easy to see what is where. I also went through every single ornament. I ditched the broken ones and checked all the glass balls. I briefly considered giving them away, but decided to just pack them in the bottom part of the big organizer. Because someday we'll have a grown-up tree again. Although I think I'll always have some homemade ornaments on the tree.

The irony of Christmas.

I finally had the chance to go through my Christmas Day photos. I usually don't take many on Christmas morning; I'd rather be part of the action than documenting it. But I did manage to snap a few.

First, a view of the general haul. Insane this year. Lots of generous relatives and Mommy having a good year will do that.

So why is it that the gifts that bring such delight are a pair of fuzzy socks?

Or a magnifying glass and a light-up pencil? Aunt Joy, the Chinese yo-yo was a huge hit, too.

It's not that they don't love all the stuff -- we've gotten out a lot of the presents over the past few days. It just cracks me up that the little things bring so much pleasure. That's a good quality to have, isn't it?

Elf round-up.

I got too busy last week to update you on the elves' adventures. Even so, they were still quite nuts. On Tuesday morning, Margret found the elves taking a joy ride on the den ceiling fan. Looks like they put rubberbands on the blades, and then hooked hangers over them.

Take a look up close:

Good thing they picked hangers with handles built in.

Christmas Eve morning left us scratching our heads. When we went into the den, the couches and chairs were all turned the opposite way.

And the elves seemed to be enjoying their last look at our tree. Clearly they are pining for the reindeer, because they put on Audrey's reindeer antlers.

That night, it was time to say goodbye to our little friends. We read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and set out cookies for Santa. I had each girl hold up her elf for a quick picture and told them to kiss them goodbye for a year.

I will miss those crazy dudes.

Did you email me yesterday about a newborn shoot?

Yesterday I received an email from a woman who is expecting a baby in March and inquired about a newborn shoot. I seem to have deleted the email and emptied the trash and I can no longer find it! Ack! I hate that! So, please, please email me again if you are her!

ETA: got it!

What's your word?

Every year for the last few, Ali Edwards has encouraged people to come up with a word as a theme for the coming year. I love doing this. In 2006, my word was "clarity". As the mother of two young children, I was just trying to survive each day. "Clarity" represented my desire to figure out a new direction for my life.

In 2007, I chose "get serious". My photo business and scrapping were taking off and I really wanted to make them my focus. This past year I had "fear less". Too many times I've let fear keep me from doing something. I'm not sure I succeeded, but I've made a point to say yes a little more often.

So now onto 2009. What's your word(s)? I'm still mulling mine over, but if you've got a word, post it here. As I did last year, I'll select one randomly and make you your own special blank journal with your word on the cover. I'll pick the winner based on what is posted here by noon on January 1. Ready? Set? GO!

Nutcracker news.

I remembered today to check the Moscow Ballet Nutcracker site to see if the DVD and photos are up. They are! Go to this page for the photos. Go to page 10 (make sure it says Memphis). Margret is the last photo on the next-to-last row and the first three photos in the last row. You can order directly from that page. Sadly, the prices are insane, so I'm only getting one print.

You can order a DVD copy of the Memphis performance here. Check to make sure it says Memphis 12/7/08. Crazy price on that one, too. But it's my girl, so I'm ordering.

Don't throw away those Christmas cards!

Last year I started making card books -- holiday cards bound together with a cover. It's a great way to save your cards and it doesn't take up a lot of space. I have loved going back through mine. If you'd like me to make one for you, here's what you need to do:

1. Organize your cards into whatever order you want in your book (and random is fine, too). Take two rubber bands and bundle the cards together. Not too tight -- just enough to keep them from getting loose.

2. On a piece of paper, write out your full name and mailing address (and because of shipping costs, I'm only doing projects that can be mailed back to a US address). Add your email address also. Slip the paper into the rubber bands, on top of the cards.

3. Write a check for $20 to "Marci Lambert" and slip that into your stack.

4. Email me at: marci@makearteveryday.com and I will send you my mailing address. If you are local, we can arrange a drop-off. Just email me. I recommend using USPS delivery confirmation if you mail.

Within about two weeks, I'll send your completed book back to you. Bound with a black coil and custom cover, it will be as large as your largest card, and I can even bind in photos and letters. Just put them in the order you want in the card stack. I'll be happy to accept projects starting today, through whenever. Procrastinators, rejoice. I'll do yours next November if that's when you send it.

And just one more note: this same type of project can be done for any type of cards: birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries, etc. I have a permanent link on this site in the upper right for whenever you need it.

Post-Christmas.

I have been having such a good Christmas that I've nearly forgotten about blogging. Christmas Day was great -- the girls loved everything they got. Then Margret noticed the Wii boxes sitting in between John's and my stockings. And she fell over. Really. I think Santa was rewarding us for working so hard this fall.

After opening presents and having a big breakfast, I decided to go back to bed. I picked up my book, Pillars of the Earth, and finally finished the last 100 pages (out of almost 1000) and then I went back to sleep until 2p. And that was one of the best gifts I got.

We ate lunch and I got my first turn with the Wii. Okay, I seriously love this thing. We also got the Wii Fit and lots of games. I think we logged over 10 hours of play in the first day.

On the day after Christmas, we headed over to see John's family. Remember how we said we were going to make presents for the adults? John's parents outdid themselves. They made binders with stories from their childhoods. This is truly one of my favorite gifts ever. I'm so grateful for them taking the time to do it.

Of course, once we got back home, it was back to the Wii. I did more of the Fit stuff, and John did some, and then I went back and did a minute more. This is after we played three sets of best of five tennis and I won. But John remains champ of the game where you have to head soccer balls.

Today we really need to clean up. Our den looks like Christmas threw up in it. I plan on spending the day integrating all the new stuff into our home. And then I will reward myself with some Wii. Of course.

Merry Christmas!

The packages are wrapped, the cookies and milk are by the fireplace, the reindeer dust has been sprinkled and our girls are asleep. I'll sneak in their room in a bit and take pics of them sleeping. I always do that.

We've had a great evening with friends who are traditional Christmas Eve guests. I made a huge tray of lasagne and fresh bread and black bottom cupcakes, in honor of our friend's birthday tomorrow. We decided that we would exchange only homemade gifts this year, so I froze their favorite cookie dough for them. For us, they made a box with charade cards -- based our on shared history. You may be able to act out "gout" or "yeti" but we find them extra hilarious. This is a great tradition and I can't wait to add some new cards to the pile.

I'm going to go settle down in my kerchief and wait for the little ones to wake us up in the morning. Can't wait to see what Santa brings.

December journal, pages 14 through 17.

Page fourteen has double duty. The lower half is about our annual bingo potluck (click photo to read journaling). The photo of the girls is a 4x6 and it's backed by another 4x6 photo of...

...our elves! They made their first appearance with a cotton ball fight in the kitchen. The journaling is on the top of the left page. On the right, the fifteenth, I added another elf-capade: they got into our cookie jar. This page is a Hambly overlay.

On the back of the overlay, I adhere another 4x6 directly behind the photo of the cookie jar. The seventeenth page is another simple one: a photo of the truffles I made for the girls' teachers.

Here's a close-up of the hot cocoa page. I used Pioneer Woman's Heartland and Boost Actions on the photo, and I only adhered it on three sides, so I could slip a journaling tag inside. I love the way these colors go together and I think I may try to use them again on a scrap page. If I ever get to scrap again.

Three Audreys.

Yesterday we had a cookie decorating party at our house. We invited a bunch of friends (mostly from school) and made sugar cookies, cake cookies, gingerbread men and chocolate chip cookies. All day long people came and went. It was fabulous. I never got to talk to any of the moms quite enough, but it was wonderful having all those conversations. The kids loved the cookie decorating, but also made time to run around the house and have fun.

At one point, I realized we had three girls named Audrey here. Before two of them left, I made them pose for a picture. And once I looked at this, I could see how the two on either side resemble their moms -- look at those sweet, innocent smiles. Too bad the one in the middle doesn't look like her mom. At all.

December journal, days 8 through 13.

Moving on to the next pages in the journal. Page eight is about the process of decorating our tree. It took place over several days this year (click photo to read journaling). I printed a 5x7 of the tree and backed it with the photo below. It's a picture of the way our new(ish) mail carrier just hurls our packages onto our porch. Thanks, buddy. We appreciate that.

On page nine I took photos of several cards we've received and I circle-punched them to fit into that Hambly overlay.

On the back of that overlay, I have photos of a few ornaments. And there's a note next to it about decorating.

Page eleven probably should be framed. I was rushing around this day and Margret gave me the sage advice to "calm down." She was precisely right.

Pages twelve and thirteen are very simple -- wreath on one page, outdoor lights on the other. Look for new pages tomorrow.

Where ya been, elves?

When we got up Sunday morning, we saw the elves by the back door. All bundled up in Margret and Audrey's scarves, hats and mittens.

And judging from the leaves nearby, I'd say they were outside enjoying the chilly weather.

December journal, continued.

I haven't been posting my journal pages for the last two weeks because I had fallen behind in working on them. I did keep up with taking photos every day and printing them out, though. I left the journal on my desk and I would slip the photo into the right page and sometimes include a sticky note with some ideas. Finally on Saturday I had some time so I committed to getting it all caught up (to the 20th).

Here are pages four and five. Four talks about my disappointment in getting our chimney cleaned. We haven't used it in years, but I really wanted a fire this year. Except our gas logs are in bad shape and shouldn't be used. I don't love the way I did the journaling here. I may change it. I may not.

Page five is about Margret's last Nutcracker rehearsal.

If you click on the photo it should enlarge so you can read the type.

Page six is about getting our tree. In between six and seven, I added a baseball card protector page, cut down to four card holders. In three I put photos; the fourth has a title.

This is showing how the whole thing lifts.

On the back of the card protector I used some Hambly overlays (inside the holder) and I slipped in some of our tickets.

And on seven I journaled my thoughts about the performance. It's hard to see, but I added a bling circle around Margret onstage. She's holding the hand of her teacher.

Feel free to ask about any of the materials. As I've gone through the album again I find myself saying I wish I had done things differently, but I'm trying not to stress over it. More pages to come over the next few days.

Handmade journals.

I've got another post up at It Takes All Kinds. If you need a quick gift idea (and you have a craft stash), check it out.

Elves got into my shelves!

The elves must be feeling the holiday spirit, because they left this message for us Saturday morning. We found them in the cabinet. Perhaps they weren't done? Or maybe they were just admiring my grocery stockpile.

December journal update.

Yes, I'm still working on it. I've taken and printed photos every day, but I've barely had a chance to put the pages together. This afternoon I had a few spare minutes and completed pages 4 through 20. I'll photograph them tomorrow and do several posts over the next few days. I'm done with photography for the year (I think!) and I'm looking forward to really focusing on the holiday in the days to come.

Gingerbread house.

Friday was the girls' first day off for winter break. I've been sooooo busy this fall that I wanted to make sure I spent some time doing something with them. Earlier this season, I picked up a gingerbread house kit. I've never built one from scratch and I figured the kit would eliminate some of the aggravation factor. My stepmother also sent a gingerbread tree kit and we decided to tackle both.

The house kit featured an online video so we went to watch that first. Of course, everything seemed quite easy. And we were rolling right along with assembling the house. As we were decorating it, we noticed the roof was starting to split, from the weight of the candy we were adding. I looked at the written directions and it said to wait 15 minutes after you ice the house together. Hmm. They didn't mention that in the video. So we stopped and turned our attention to the tree.

It came with white and green icing you had to mix up and pastry bags. I think the girls ate the decorative candy while I worked on that. Once I got it ready, I used some of the white to reinforce the house ceiling. Worked perfectly. We decorated the tree with icing (me), then candy (them). And since I had extra green, I was able to add more accents to the house.

I thought they turned out pretty cute, and I'd like to try again next year. I feel like we learned a lot and next year's could be even better. I think I'd even look for additional candy to use on it.

So tell me: have you made a gingerbread anything this season? Do you have any good tips? Share in the comments, please.

ETA: The house kit is from CreateATreat. The tree is from Wilton.

Who in the world did THIS?

This is what we woke up to today. The entrance to Margret and Audrey's room was rolled! TPed! And you can't tell from this photo, but the end of the toilet paper was still attached to the roll in the bathroom across the hall. Who in the world would do this dastardly deed?

Wait a minute. Where did you get that tape?

Gift tags.

Last night I made homemade truffles for the girls' teachers. And the girls made their own tags. Here's a tip: if you have a friend in the advertising/printing business, ask if you can have their old paper swatches. These tags were from a sample book. I just trimmed the bottom off where the print was. For Audrey's I rounded the corners. For Margret's we made a torn edge (hers is actually two tags.

FYI: those boxes were $1 each at Michael's.

Ballerinas may not wear underpants, but elves do!

We were in such a big rush to get ready for the last school day of the year this morning, the girls didn't even think to look for the elves when they got up. But when they went into my room to get dressed, they noticed that their underwear was occupied! Sydney and Kelsey must have crept into the bedroom late last night to pull this prank. Needless to say, my girls (in the background above) were delighted.

Man, those elves are smart.

I got up Tuesday morning (and first checked to see if school was open - it was; the dire warnings of a major ice storm were overblown, as usual) and went to see what the elves were up to. At first I couldn't find them. Then I sat down at my computer and noticed a piece of folded up paper under my mouse. Then I looked down. And saw that the elves had quite a good time with my camera last night. They ran around the house and took photos with our little Santa, the nutcrackers, the Advent calendar and our Peanuts characters.

But not only are they smart enough to figure out how to use the camera, they hooked it up to the computer and made prints with my new Epson Artisan 800! I had no idea they even knew I had a new printer. They like the copying function, too, because they copied their faces too. I'll have to check later to see if they sent any faxes.

I think they were hungry.

Here's where we found the elves Monday morning. They must have wanted some of those cookies.

C'mon, B4!!!

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the annual Pearson Dinner. It's John's extended family and it involves a potluck dinner and bingo. I probably write about this every year, but I really do love it. And now that the girls are older, they are way into bingo (note: they have always had a card at this event, even as babies. Everybody plays.). The prizes are all little things, and gag gifts. Each year John takes the girls out to buy stuff and now Margret is old enough to wrap them all. And yes, Margret did get a bingo.

Guess who's back?

Yep. It's our elves. They arrived Saturday morning, hanging from the kitchen light fixture. Margret discovered them before I did. She was so happy to see them. Immediately, she went to find the little bed we put them in every night and the cups and saucers we use for their water and saltines. Audrey was pretty happy to see the little fellas as well.

Santa sent us the same elves we had last year: Kelsey and Sydney. Margret was concerned that we didn't know which was which, so she helpfully left out nametags for them. And just as helpfully, the elves put them on before their cotton ball fight last night.

That's Kelsey up there. She's smart for picking a high vantage point.

Sydney decided to take her chances down low. I wonder if they didn't get to finish their battle. Margret woke up around 5a today and peeked into the kitchen on her way to the bathroom. Of course, she had to come tell us what the elves were up to. At that early hour, I just told her to go to bed. But I'm happy the elves are back, too.

Overheard.

Me: "Why are there pine needles all over the floor already?"

John: "Because this tree is dead."

Me: "Oh yeah."

John: "It is a deceased tree. A late tree. A former tree. This tree sings with the choir invisible."

Me: "Ah. Yes. That explains it."

Holiday decor.

Everyone except my sister is invited over to It Takes All Kinds to take a look at the holiday decor I created. For my sister. That's why she's not allowed over there. Yet. Once she gets my box in the mail she's welcome to open it up, then go over to above site and read all about it.

Still here.

Yes, I'm still here. Just having a case of the Christmas crazies. And I'm thinking about a Christmas movie post... In the meantime, tell me your favorite Christmas/holiday movie. And I update more often over at Facebook, so feel free to check in there.

10 Loved and 10 Hated Christmas songs.

I'm a person who cannot wait to listen to Christmas music every year. I used to be one of those "not until Thanksgiving night" kinda people. But a local radio station starts at least a week before that so I jump on their bandwagon. I like about half of what they play. I don't like vocal gymnastics or over-produced music. I like classics, but don't mind a clever twist or new holiday music that's really good. So here's what I like:

1. Sleigh Ride, the instrumental version arranged by Leroy Anderson. I played the cymbals and whip crack on this song in my high school Christmas parades. I can still do the whip crack part. I don't mind vocal versions of this but you'd better just sing it straight. No showboatin'.

2. Old hymns, like "Hark the Herald Angels Sing", "Angels We Have Heard on High", and "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful". I can sing the last one in Latin. As it should be sung.

3. "Carol of the Bells". I don't really know the words but it's pretty easy to just make some up.

4. Pretty much any Christmas song sung by Elvis. He's able to do serious ("Silent Night"), sexy ("Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me") and innocent/sexy ("Here Comes Santa Claus") well.

5. "Happy Holidays" by Andy Williams. I love old school. I love this song, especially when John and I sing it sarcastically during some holiday meltdown. Are the kids crying while we are driving around looking at lights? "Happy Holidaaaaaaaays! Happy Holidaaaaaaaaaays!"

6. "Elf's Lament" by the Barenaked Ladies and Michael Buble. Hilarious and fun to sing. And a great perspective. I also love BNL's version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with Sarah McLachlan.

7. "I Want a Hippotamus for Christmas". 'Cause it's so darn cute. And I like singing it to my girls. And they think it's cute.

8. "Christmas in Hollis." Clearly one of the most awesome Christmas songs ever, sung by Run DMC. I am mad white, but I will sing along every time. Yeah, boyeeeeee.

9. "Let it Snow". I love to sing this one, and I'm often heard singing "Oh, the weather outside is frightful." In Memphis, this works year round.

10. "It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter." But only by Johnny Mathis. And anything else by him. Johnny = Christmas.

11. "Baby, It's Cold Outside." I like the slow Leon Redbone/Zooey Deschanel version as well as the spunky Dean Martin one. I see from Wikipedia that I am the only person on earth who has not recorded a version.

12. What? Did you really think I could keep this list to just ten? Next up: "Christmas in Dixie" by Alabama. This is the only version allowed. And John and I will sing it whenever it comes on, wherever we are. 'Cause "maybe down in Memphiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis, Graceland's all in liiiiiiiiiiiiights".

13. "Christmas Comes But Once a Year." Mostly I just like the way B. B. King says "Christmas comes but 'wonst' a year". The song also reminds me of John's generous spirit -- he and B. B. both want to get their kids everything.

14. "Hey, Santa!" by Brian Setzer. I like his gravelly voice and clever rhyming. And I like everything else he does as well.

15. Everything on "Surfin' Christmas" by the Wave Benders. Just imagine spending your Christmas on a boogie board and you've got this album.

And here is what I hate:

1. "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Whitney Houston. First of all, Whitney, I miss that happy girl who sang "Wanna Dance with Somebody" oh those many years ago. Why you let Bobby Brown do you like he did? And why do you completely leave out one of the verses of "Hear"? Tell the whole story, Whitney. Don't cut a verse for time. [I pretty much like anyone else's version of this.]

2. "Christmas Shoes." OMG, what a piece of dreck. A holiday classic written from a bad (an obviously fake) viral email. I don't have the time to poke all the holes in this "story" and you'd probably have to leave for work anyway. And then they make it into a movie? With Rob Lowe? Seriously? And then the group remakes its own song so they can make even more money from mediocrity? Okay, I realize that I'm a cold fish but I really hate exaggerated sentimentality. I apologize to all of you who treasure this classic. Disclaimer: I love cheesy Christmas movies, so I may actually watch it someday.

3. "The Twelve Days of Christmas". It's just tedious. The Muppet version is barely bearable.

4. "Rudolph/Frosty/Santa's Coming to Town." I don't really hate them. They're just boring. Sorry. And too boring to link. I know you've heard them anyway.

5. "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus." Okay, I'm lying a bit. I like little Michael Jackson's version because when he says "I did see Mommy kissing Santa Claus! I did! I'm gonna tell my dad", John and I say "Michael! Don't do it! Joe's going to kill your rat! Just keep quiet!" This will make much more sense if you've seen the Jackson family miniseries starring Freddie "Boom-boom" Washington as Joe Sr. And if you haven't seen it, you should.

6. "Christmas to Remember." By Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Great googly moogly! Is this really a song about hooking up on the slopes at Christmas? Really? Just a random shag and I'll see you next year? Is this the reason for the season?

7. Some Brian Wilson song that is so bad I don't even know the name of it. All I can remember is "SNOW SO WHITE." And then I sing "OUT OF TUNE." Because it just sounds awful. And un-Christmasy.

8. "Santa Baby," by Madonna. Gah. By Eartha Kitt? Excellent!

9. Any Christmas song sung by Christina Aguilera. Or Mariah Carey. Or Michael Bolton.

10. "Christmas in Memphis", by, um ... somebody. I don't know. All I do know is that Memphis has a wonderfully rich musically heritage and this song is about as vanilla as you can get. The lyrics are dull and the music sounds like it was composed on a Casio by monkeys. It's just embarrassing. And now I feel bad because I found out sales of the record benefit St. Jude. Sigh. The song still sucks.

Now, I know there are plenty of bad Christmas songs that I haven't heard. And there are some that would make the Hated list for others ("Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer") that are just mildly annoying to me. But this is my list and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to leave your own loves/hates in the comments.

More ideas for giving from the heart.

I previously linked you to a post of gift ideas that you can make (for both the crafty and the not-so-crafty). John's family wanted to cut back this year (us, too) and we are busy thinking about things we want to make that will be meaningful. He and the girls have a great project planned for his dad.

I also saw this list on Unclutterer. I love, love, love the ideas and especially the story in the post. One of my favorite Thanksgivings was when John's dad entertained the kids with stories from his past. Last year my mom was sick on New Year's and I was able to fly home and spend the weekend cooking and caring for her. I was very happy that I could give that to her, even though it wasn't a Christmas gift. One year, I made my brother a video of when we went to get our tree. It didn't cost us anything but time, and it's one of the most favorite things I've ever given. And I think he liked it too.

So if you haven't finished your shopping, you may want to put some of these ideas to use and make it a memorable Christmas.

Did you know ballerinas don't wear panties?!

Well, it really was a busy weekend. John was at a meeting all day Saturday and I had two photo shoots. The girls came with me on the second one and were very helpful in getting the baby to look up. John also had plans for a guys' night with an old friend, but he was able to meet up with us in the early evening and we went to get our tree. Usually we get a 6-7 ft. Fraser fir at Lowe's. This year I was determined to get a 7-8 ft. (we went too late last year). 'Cause I always think our tree looks too short. Please note: I am right. The taller tree is perfect for our house. We didn't have time to start decorating; that's on the agenda for tonight.

And Sunday was just a whirlwind. After breakfast, I had to hustle Margret into the shower then put a bun in her hair. We raced downtown and I dropped her off just before 10a. On the way back, I stopped at the grocery store while John was at home cleaning. We finally got ready, moments before some family members arrived. And then we went back downtown.

I was really excited about the performance. Margret seemed to enjoy all her practices so I really thought this would be fun for her. I also thought about how this day was the culmination of so many things: ballet classes for Margret when she was 3-5 years old, me hearing about the audition, a friend who's a former ballerina and who has instilled a love of the Nutcracker in all of us, us going together to all those rehearsals, Margret's love of performing. And honestly, this is one of those days where I got to experience parenting at its best. All the groundwork had been laid; it was time to just sit back and enjoy it.

I started getting teary-eyed right from the beginning when I saw the first group of local kids (the production is the Great Moscow Ballet -- a traveling show of Russian dancers. Local kids audition and are selected to play minor parts). I got teary-eyed when I watched Clara, the main character who received a Nutcracker from her magical uncle. I thought about how she's part little girl, but she also growing up and the Nutcracker becomes a symbol of her first love. Because then I started thinking about these lovely young ladies whom I am raising. And how grateful I am for the opportunity. And how excited I am for all their futures hold. See? Teary-eyed now.

Margret was a snowflake, and her group danced around several Russian ballerinas. It was beautiful. They were all in white, and even though we were up in a balcony, we could all spot Margret right away. She's the shortest, and I just know her movements. I don't know what the rest of the dancers did, because I only had eyes for my girl. She looked like she was having fun, and she knew her part well. It was wonderful!

I only took my small digital camera and snapped a pic at the end. She's in the front. I think she's the second to the right of the lady in the purple dress (the local dance instructor).

I took this after she came out of the dressing room. Yes, she's wearing makeup! We weren't allowed to take photos of them in costume, but they did have them professionally taken earlier that day. Once www.nutcracker.com has the DVD and photos up, I'll let you know.

So I suppose I should get back to the title of this post, right? Well, in the written instructions I got for the dress rehearsal and final performance, it said not to wear underwear -- just the tights and leotard. And Margret and I have just laughed about that. Because my baby's never been out in public without panties! But sometimes you have to sacrifice for your art. I think it was worth it.

Busy weekend.

This will be the photo I use on my Dec. 5 journal page. It's pretty much all about Margret this weekend. Yesterday I picked up the girls from school, met with a photo client, bathed Margret and put a bun in her hair, packed snacks for the girls and raced downtown for Margret's dress rehearsal for the Nutcracker. Downtown was busy -- there's a marathon/half marathon/5k being run today (hi Toni!!). I found a parking garage, paid my $5 and finally found a space, way in the corner. We got to the elevator, which goes to the next-door Cook Convention Center and I was completely disoriented. It ended up being easier to go outside, in the cold, and race down to the Cannon. And guess what? The dress rehearsal wasn't there! It was back in Bartlett. I had managed to grab the folder of info on the way out and called the dance studio. Yes, I had messed up.

So we went back to the Cook and ended up in a different elevator which took us to a different part of the garage. I vaguely remembered A1 but didn't see that section. At this point I very nearly cried. And I don't cry much. As we rounded a corner I finally saw our section and we beat it on outta there.

Fortunately, we were going early to rehearsal for a hair and makeup workshop. The actual practice didn't start until an hour after that, so Margret was not late. But I was highly stressed. I just hate making the kind of mistake that would effect my girls. Audrey and I came back home and John had picked up dinner for us. It was all okay.

Today is another busy one. There are photo shoots and meetings and a tree to get. I think we can do it all. I always think that. And tomorrow is busy as well with the performance of the Nutcracker. It'll be Audrey's first time and I think she will love it. And while I can't take photos of the performance, Margret is allowed to have a disposable camera backstage. I hope she gets some great shots.

November Grocery Game.

I spent a lot in November. More than usual. But I'm okay with it. We have plenty to eat, lots of baking supplies and all the personal care products we can store. I love the way it's working. Here's where I'm at:

Kroger
Shelf: $825
Spent: $549
33% savings

Walgreen's
Shelf: $154
Spent: $85
45% savings

Walgreen's spending is about the same as the last two months. Kroger is up. December may be more spendy as well, just because of the holidays. And I'm okay with that too.

Holiday card books: you make it or I will.

I designed this little project last year: a bound volume of your holiday cards with a custom cover. And I love mine. It's so easy to flip through the cards. You can make your own just by binding them all together, or you can have me do it for you. Here's the deal:

1. Organize your cards into whatever order you want in your book (and random is fine, too). Take two rubber bands and bundle the cards together. Not too tight -- just enough to keep them from getting loose.

2. On a piece of paper, write out your full name and mailing address (and because of shipping costs, I'm only doing projects that can be mailed back to a US address). Add your email address also. Slip the paper into the rubber bands, on top of the cards.

3. Write a check for $20 to "Marci Lambert" and slip that into your stack.

4. Email me at: marci@makearteveryday.com and I will send you my mailing address. If you are local, we can arrange a drop-off. Just email me. I won't even start on these until January, so no need to rush.

Within about two weeks, I'll send your completed book back to you. Bound with a black coil and custom cover, it will be as large as your largest card, and I can even bind in photos and letters. Just put them in the order you want in the card stack. I'll be happy to accept projects starting today, through whenever. Procrastinators, rejoice. I'll do yours next November if that's when you send it.

And just one more note: this same type of project can be done for any type of cards: birthdays, Valentine's Day, anniversaries, etc. I have a permanent link on this site in the upper right for whenever you need it.

More December journal.

The idea behind a photo-a-day journal is to actually work on it every day. That hasn't exactly worked out for me. But that's no reason to quit. I made some time last night and did the first three pages.

I have been taking photos each day. Here I added a Dec. 2 photo opposite the introduction. You can click on any of these pages to make them larger.

Dec. 1 has a photo of our new Advent calendar. It's got a Nutcracker theme. I like combining things; it's like Christmas multi-tasking.

I added a note on the back of the intro page. I will admit that I don't have a merry feeling right now. I'm still catching up on photo work (with more shoots scheduled in the next few weeks). I have a lot of holiday things that I'd like to do with my family and I think I'm stressing a bit over all that needs to be done. The great thing about this journal is that it helps me to think about the important things and makes me stop to document them. Otherwise I think this month would fly by and I would wonder if we did anything fun. Three days in, we have done a lot of fun things. I have proof.

Dec. 2 was really busy. John and I shopped while the girls were in school, then we took them to the Pink Palace and to donate toys. I took a lot of photos and decided that I needed more than just one. I added three to the main page.

And I took four more and mounted them front to back. Then I punched them to fit in the book. I also printed my journaling on one sheet in two columns, which I then folded and punched. I wanted to give a sense that there is more than just the one page for Dec. 2.


Dec. 3 was a much less busy day. The girls and I opened a box of goodies from my dad and stepmom. Of course we dug into those cookies right away.

I think I spent about an hour working on these pages last night. It was sort of off and on around dinner time and while the kids were watching "Rudolph" with John. I feel like the pages aren't very "decorated" yet and I may go back and add more stuff. Sometimes when I start a book like this, I don't get into a groove until I'm farther along.

One thing that has made this process very easy is my new Epson Artisan 800 photo printer. I'll do a separate post about it, but let me say again that it is super easy to print out gorgeous photos fast.

New baby.

Isn't she lovely? Epson contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would like to try out their Artisan 800 printer. Uh, yeah! It arrived last week and I finally got around to opening the box Monday night. Usually I ask John to set up anything electronic. Not because I can't, but because it's his thing. Sort of like the way he asks me to take any photos he needs. We trust each other to handle certain parts of our collective lives.

Anyhoo. Since Epson sent this to me, I decided I needed to take care of it myself. I got the printer in place (it's heavy, but it fit perfectly on a bookshelf next to my computer desk). The directions for setting up the ink and paper were extremely easy to understand and I had them taken care of in just a few minutes. Then I started reading about connecting it to the computer and things got a little more complicated. Since we have Macs and wireless internet, I ended up just handing John the manual when he got home and promised him dinner in exchange for a working printer.

He did manage to get it set up. We had to use a (provided) Ethernet cable to attach it initially, and then had to install some software. I'm about to print out some 4x6 photos for my December journal and I'll come back and show you those in another post. The one frustration we have right now is that we cannot get the printer to print on CDs. It may be because we live in the Mac world. While we maintain our superiority, we find that we are not always compatible with all features in the PC world.

So far, so good, though. More info coming.

ETA: I need to go make dinner now, but let me just say that I have printed out several 4x6s and they not only look great, but they fly out of that printer!

December photo-a-day.

I have seriously neglected scrapping during the busy photo season, but I really wanted to make myself a journal for December. I have been doing this the past few years and it's a great way to make sure I'm capturing all that we do during December.

To make this book, I cut a bunch of paper and transparencies to 8x8 or a little smaller. I punched holes and added jump rings. I may need to replace these with bigger ones as the month goes on.

Here's my intro page. Just a transparency, a Collage Press tag and a Hambly rub.

On the internal pages, I added page numbers in red, green or black. Each day I'll take one (or more) photos and add it to a page. By the end of the month I'll have a great record of our holiday.

Ali Edwards, all-around scrapping genius, shows you her version here. Hope you get a chance to document the month in some way -- even just blogging about it is a way to capture the memories.