Days 27 Spread and Days 28/29 Spread

Day 27

Remember

The pastor and his wife are our biking buddies.  We knew the forecast for today was supposed to be fairly warm, so we decided to get together and ride to eat out.  The pastor and I also needed to work on some of our accounts to set them up to receive direct payment from the bank, so we worked on that before we went to eat.  The bike was so dirty from just sitting that we cleaned it up a bit first.  We left the house around 12:10 to drive to their house.  Pastor and I worked about an hour.  But we soon realized with it being the weekend, not much could be done.  So he will take care of it come Monday.  We left their house around 2:30 to go eat.

We were going to Lexington to eat barbecue but the restaurant was closed.  So we ended up at a steak house.  Mark and I had eaten there before.  A little pricey, but really good food!  While eating, we talked about the rockers we had ordered several months ago and decided to stop by and talk to the guy who was going to contact his Mennonite friends to let them know we wanted rockers.  He has Lyme and other diseases that affect his memory.  He didn’t remember to order the chairs for us.  So he had us leave the information with his wife so she could take care of ordering them for us.  This couple live on a farm and they used to host events for people to come and visit the farm and see the animals.  They haven’t done it in a couple of years because of his sickness.  They also take in animals that are getting ready to die, but they rescue them and work to heal them.           12/27/25
Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 2 by Anna Aspnes
APP Spindrift by Anna Aspnes
Spindrift WA Clusters No 1 by Anna Aspnes
Elfin Magic 2 Kit  by Art Addicts (wolf, weeds, fence)
Snowbound Kit by Art Addicts (sheep, donkey)

Day 28

Paperwork

Today was cold and rainy all day! It was the total opposite of yesterday. The kind of day to curl up on the couch with a warm afghan,  a cup of hot chocolate and a good book.  But we couldn't do that, at least not until we got back from church. 

The pastor preached a great message today! One of those messages that are so inspiring and remind those of us who are saved how truly blessed we are to have been chosen to share in His great salvation! I didn't want him to stop!

After we dropped Dorothy off we went to CVS for Mark's Ozempic prescription and picked up McDonald's for lunch.  We always eat the fries first because we don't like them cold. Then Mark ate his quarter pounder after we got home and got settled on the couch to watch football, but I didn't eat my crispy chicken sandwich until 3.

This being the last Sunday of the year,  I counted the offering,  recorded the amount given by each person and closed out the books for the year.  Then I fixed up letters of the tithe total each person gave for the year.  Made a letter of how much we paid the cleaning lady and the pastor for the year. Then I gathered all of the paid bills and paperwork for the year and put it in an envelope to store at church. Lastly, I sent the monthly checks for January to the missionaries we support.  It took me all afternoon,  but I got it done and put some of the letters in the mailbox.  The others I will hand to the people at church this Wednesday and next Sunday.

The last thing I did was make a grocery order for pickup in the morning and played a game on my phone before going to bed when Mark went. But after lying there for an hour,  I got back up and sat in my recliner to play on my phone until I got really ready for bed around 1.  12/28/25

Day 29

Rainy Days and Mondays

It started out as another cold, rainy and dreary day.  The temps were in the 50s but the rain and drizzle made it feel much colder.  I left the house a little after 9 to make the church deposit and pick up the groceries I had ordered last night.  I need to try and remember to NOT order groceries for pickup on a Monday!  I don’t think the stockers work on the weekends because items I order are lots of times “unavailable”!  Out of the 11 items I ordered, 3 of them were unavailable!  Since I didn’t have to have these items today, I decided to let it go for a couple of days.  I will probably need some more things in a couple of days and I will try again at that time!

I felt bad for these guys having to work in the rain today!

Mark wanted to go to lunch today, but I was not up to it.  My stomach was feeling off and I must have twisted wrong in bed because my back has a kink in it today!  So I opted to just hang out at the house with the heating pad and asked for a raincheck!

Well, the rain seems to have moved out of the area for now.  The sky is much prettier.  But it didn’t warm up much and the temp will begin to drop again soon!  Rainy days and Mondays....I think there should be a song about that!  ;)  12/29/25

Credits for Days 28 and 29:

WaterColor Template Album No 2 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Melancholy Collection by Anna Aspnes
RainDrops No 1 by Anna Aspnes

 

Day 26

Revel in the Memories

Today Mark went to get Michael to spend the day with him.  They worked on the sawmill and did some things in the woods, I believe.  I really didn’t do much today.  However, Amber, Michael’s twin, bought Mark and I a Dragon Digital Photobook and brought it to us when she came to do some bow and arrow practice in the woods.  I told her she may have to help me set it up, but I was able to do it.  I gave Elisabeth and Jessica the special connection code for the device.  Elisabeth was able to send pictures through the app but Jessica couldn’t get the code to work.  Fortunately, the company also has a special email address set up for the device and Jessica was able to use that.  Not as convenient as doing it from the app, however.  So, I spent most of the afternoon working on that until time to put supper in the oven.  We had baked potatoes, salisbury steak and a salad.

Mark was showing Michael some things about the sawmill because he was wanting to learn how to operate one.  So Michael helped Mark with the process.  

We want to work on repainting the bathroom and some of the flooring needs to be replaced and Michael is going to do that for us and we will pay him.  I need to be sure and take some before and after photos.  The old paint is peeling badly and needs to be sanded down.  And something needs to be done about the wall paper border that is stuck hard! 12/26/25

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 2 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Palette Linger by Anna Aspnes
Linger WA Clusters No 1 by Anna Aspnes

 

Day 25 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Day 25

Observe

MERRY CHRISTMAS!  The day began with pancakes for breakfast.  Mark went to the woods to work and I decided today was the day the dead tomato vines had to go!  The one in the flower pot had merged with the one that grew in the tiered boxes, (both voluntary) eventually pulling the flower pot over!  Once I got that mess cleaned up, I began sweeping the leaves off the deck.  That started another cleaning spree of getting rid of “stuff” that had been collecting on the deck and carport.  A tote full of trash, empty flower pots and equipment, watering can, trowel, paving stones.....yada yada yada!  GONE!  I even got Mark to staple the rug down that keeps blowing in the wind and flipping over!  NO MORE!  Mark worked on building a shelf in the basement stairwell for the deck chair cushions to be stored on.  Afterwards, showers were had and leftover lasagna from Elisabeth was eaten, devotions done, football to watch and this page to create!  It has been a weird Christmas but a good day, with the temps in the mid 70’s, and plenty of blue skies and sunshine!  12/25/25

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 2 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Palette Gentle Morning  by Anna Aspnes
Street Signs Notions No 1 by Anna Aspnes

 

More December Color Play

Beautiful collections that can easily mix and match between designers!  That is the purpose of the Color Play Collections!

I have been playing with 3 designer's portions.  The products won't actually be live until Thursday evening after the OScraps Newsletter gets emailed.  Click on the links to check things out and to sign up for the Newsletter.

Here's my playing with "Snow Wonderland" by CarolW Designs coming soon!

Photo from Unsplash by Josie Weiss

 

Days 23 and 24

Merry Christmas Eve!  or Merry Christmas if you are already into tomorrow!

Day 23

Warm Joy

Scrapbooking in the morning and lunch with Mark at 11.  We wanted to go to Cagney’s but the parking lot was full, probably since the kids are out of school this week.  So, next door to Mamma Mia’s it is!

When I let Asher out after I got back home I took a picture of the Oxalis growing along the edge of the house in the front.  It has been warm enough that I won’t be surprised if it blooms, too!

When I bake the pre-cut Nestles Toll House Turtle Chocolate Chips, I only bake 4 at a time!  Otherwise, we would probably eat the whole dozen in one sitting!  Good and warm with some milk!  YUM!  12/23/25

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 9 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Kristtorn Collection by Anna Aspnes

Day 24

Christmas Cheer

I had scrapbooking “work” to do today before I could start on my daily page for December.  It was a pj day until just before Mark came home at noon from work.  We took Nellie’s Christmas gift to her and went to Southern Lunch in Lexington to grab a bite to eat, but they were closed.  So we stopped at Arby’s on the way back home.  We didn’t want to eat heavily because Elisabeth had invited us to supper for lasagna.  We left the house after we fed Asher at 3:30 to go to their house.  Liz put the lasagna in the oven about the time we got there.  We played Rummikub until time to eat.  After supper we opened Christmas gifts.  Hannah, the now 21 year old, said to me, “since we are older now, we get practical gifts, but I’m not complaining!”  And there is also a noticeable difference in the lack of chaos in the gift opening!  The baby/kid days are long gone!  It was a great evening shared with my daughter and her family.  12/24/25

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 2 by Anna Aspnes
ArtPlay Mini Palette Orphic (free with the purchase of Storytelling Scrapbooking class)
ArtPlay Palette Kristtorn by Anna Aspnes

 

December Color Play Coming Soon!

Beautiful collections that can easily mix and match between designers!  That is the purpose of the Color Play Collections!

I have been playing with 3 designer's portions.  The products won't actually be live until Thursday evening after the OScraps Newsletter gets emailed.  Click on the links to check things out and to sign up for the Newsletter.

Here's my playing:

Bah!  Humbug!

I truly am not really feeling very festive this year for some reason!  I think the year just got totally away from me and I can’t wrap my head around another year being all but gone!  If I feel this way at 70...what is 80 gonna look like?  I didn’t put up any decorations...not even my beloved snowmen made it out of the storage boxes this year!  BAH!  HUMBUG!  is all I can say!

Credits:

Merry and Bright by Mixed Media by Erin

Solid Paper, Kit Paper, Bah Humbug elements

No Cookies for Santa!

Santa doesn’t visit our house, so the cookies, if any get made, are eaten by Mark and I!  Too bad!  So sad for Santa!  YUMMY for us!  12/23/25

Credits:

Merry and Bright by Mixed Media by Erin

(I added the question mark and the “not” is mine)

Season of Joy

Oh! Christmas wreath upon the wall, 

Neath memory’s tender spell 

A wondrous charm doth o’er thee fall, 

And round thy beauty dwell.

Anna de Brémont (1864-1922)

Credits:

Season of Joy Collection by Joyce Paul

THIS ONE IS NOT IN THE COLOR PLAY GROUP

Leave Christ in Christmas

By Margaret Cagle

Christmas without Christ?

Tell me, how can it be?

So many people change it

To suit themselves, you see.

Can’t we say “Merry Christmas”

Instead of “Happy holidays”?

We take Christ out of Christmas

In so many different ways.

It is nice to exchange gifts

This special time of the year,

But what do we give to Christ,

Our Redeemer and Savior so dear?

Christ is really what makes it

A genuine Christmas season.

If we take Him out of Christmas,

We celebrate for the wrong reason.

I want Christ in my Christmas,

For inside my heart Jesus lives.

Jesus can be your Savior too,

For free salvation He gives.

Credits:

Time of magic All in One  by Natali Designs

Day 22 Merry Wintertime and 52 Inspirations Products

Day 22

Merry Wintertime

If I don’t do Mark’s laundry on Sunday afternoon, I do it on Monday.  So, that was the main task for today.  Plus washing the bed linens.  Asher has been puking a lot lately, so his bedding also needed to be washed.  I threw one of the heavy towels he lays on into the load with Mark’s work pants.  But it is so heavy when water-soaked that it causes the spin cycle to be off balance.  I ended up having to spin it by itself.

I think the Christmas cactus’ lone bloom is about bloomed as far as it will go.  We shall see how long it lasts.  It sure is a beautiful color!  

For being the second day of winter, it is pretty and sunny today.  It is a little chilly, but not too bad, especially if you are in the sun and the wind is not blowing!12/22/25

After eating lunch with Mark and Bob at Rancho’s, I went home.  On the way I watched for Mary and Joseph to see how far they had gotten on their journey to “Bethlehem.”  They were just before you get to the Amity Baptist Church, in the yard of the house this side of the church as you are headed south out of town.

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 9 by Anna Aspnes
Sign up today to receive the 2026 52 Inspirations products at the low price of $34.99, but only until midnight December 31st. On Jan 1st it reverts back to the normal price of $39.99 Note: First download for 2026 will be available on Monday January 5th.

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52 Inspiration products used for this layout:
52 Inspirations 2025 No 52 Christmas Inspired Elements
52 Inspirations 2025 No 51 Christmas Inspired Papers
52 Inspirations 2025 No 50 Holiday Word Strips by Vicki Stegall 

 

Day 21 Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Afternoon

On the way home from church we debated on what we were going to eat for lunch.  I didn’t really want to go out, but the only thing at the house was frozen foods.  We opted for pizza and garlic knots.  

After lunch I placed a grocery order that I picked later in the afternoon.  The store is going thru a renovation/remodel and I can’t find anything, so I will gladly let them shop for me!

The Christmas cactus I got from Ilene has the most beautiful color of flower!  I am surprised it is still living considering the green and thick water it is surviving in!  The water that is “turning into dirt” according to Mark!  Whatever works!  I might just add some dirt to this vase!  Then the plant will probably die for sure!  My thumb is not so green!  12/21/25

Credits:

WaterColor Template Album No 9 by Anna Aspnes
Warm Wishes Solid Papers by Sekada Designs (I changed blending modes on 3 different papers to get my bg)
Warm Wishes Kit by Sekada Designs

I used bits and pieces from Travel WA Clusters No 2 and Linger WA Clusters No 1, both by Anna Aspnes, to create my letter beads and word art.