...and 2012 comes to a close....

I'm a bit sad to say goodbye to 2012.

Many great things happened this year.

 - Phillip and I closed escrow on our dream studio/shop for E.B. Effects. Who would have thought back in 1988, from an apt rental, shared-garage doing a little side gig for a tradeshow booth, would have planted the seeds of success? We've watered and weeded and fertilized and grown a REAL business. But, know, we've thrown away our failed attempts too! The bug infested beauties and those that did not thrive in the soil we prepared so lovingly, but here we are embarking on 2013 with a lot of new and exciting adventures awaiting us and our team!

- We flew first class together for the first time EVER to Maui last summer! It was heaven! Who knew?

- I went to a handful of crafting events with friends...shared a lot of laughs and ate a lot of great food..and even got stuck in a MAJOR rainstorm, complete with HAIL!

- Completed SEVERAL awesome projects for the Disney theme parks worldwide.

- Did a few more home improvement projects around the house...and we hope to continue building this HOME of ours...our family is growing by leaps and bounds!

- Met a few gals I'm proud to call FRIENDS! You know who you are!!! Thanks for the friendships, lending an ear to listen to me complain, and CHEERS to the NEW YEAR and the upcoming adventures we'll have. THANK YOU ALL...for ALL the support and the many gifts you bestowed upon me.

- With much hard work...long hours...and many sacrifices...sleepless nights...and a bit of stress, we achieved a bit of financial freedom this year....and it feels GREAT! (this isn't here to brag...it's only here so I can remember and never forget it! It's SO easy to run up credit cards, car loans, etc.. AND SO HARD to knuckle down and be diligent and not try to keep up with the Jones' via credit!)

- Our baby boy graduated high school with this sweetheart by his side. They moved out on their own...and now we are officially empty-nesters!

- Our oldest turned 25! TWENTY-FIVE!!!! WOW! And on Christmas Eve got engaged!

- Our middle got married and is expecting our first GRAND BABY!!! GRAND BABY GIRL!!! I only feel 26....how can that be?

- I officially hired a bookkeeper! That's a big deal for me...but it will free up SO much time for other creative endeavors...Rusty Monkey still lives...Goals take time....and I want it done right, so I don't want to rush it!

- We entertained more this year than we ever have!!! BBQ's at work..Hot Dog Fridays...Halloween Party...Thanksgiving...Christmas Eve...

- This year these empty-nesters are spending a quiet night home alone!

(Beautiful vintage ornament hot air balloon created for me by my blog friend,
Angie Blasingame of Hopemore Studio)

Cheers to a HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2013!!! Up, up and away!!!!

I'm SO excited!!!

I'm a Top 12 Finalist in the Spellbinders Paper Arts Explore Beyond Craft to Win Contest...Mixed Media category...

There were SO many entries and SO much talent, I am completely blown away...and honored!!!

Click on the link to go see all the finalists!!!

Cheers!

Monday 12/26, I mean Wednesday 12/26!!!

Feels like a MONDAY!!!

So...where do I even start? This last 1/4 of 2012 has almost given me a heart attack!!! (not really, but I've definitely had my share of emotion!)

Kyle announces Yosi's pregnancy on 10/20.

Grandbaby gender revealed on 11/24. It's a GIRL!!!

Blankets made for Ty and Kyle 12/01 & 12/02.

Ty's from guitar print, blue, gray, red fleece.

Kyle's from flannel and a bunch of his teen t-shirts!

Guest room over-haul ... a whirlwind of painting, drapes, mini blind, bedding, carpet, etc....12/10 & 12/11.

Ty's 25th birthday 12/14.

Kyle and Yosi come home for the holidays 12/18.

Kyle and Yosi get married on 12/21.

 

Phillip, Kyle, Yosi, Me

Ty, Kyle, A.J.

Spellbinders contest project entry made on 12/22.

Folly - a gypsy parasol assemblage

Baby shower on 12/23.

 

Kyra, Me, Yosi, Kristen, Kristin, Janice, Ginger

Ty's Christmas Eve proposal on 12/24.

Congratulations! Ty and Jania....

Of course the mama was happy and cried!

...and she cried again when Ty presented Yosi with a glass candle holder puzzle piece to welcome her to our family puzzle....

...and she cried again when Ty presented Jania with a glass puzzle piece too! Right at that moment, I just knew a proposal was coming.

(Ty bought us each a puzzle piece last Christmas, so all five of our family members would always be together, no matter where we were in the world!)

Annual Christmas movie with the family on 12/25.

...and she welled up again when A.J. said to me yesterday in the theater that he and Kyra are next!!!

Great Aunt Janice, Kyra, and A.J.

Oh man!!! So much for the three years apart rule of thumb!!!

I'm exhausted!

I'm happy!

I'm ready for the NEW YEAR!!!

2013 will be another crazy year full of surprises, I'm sure....

There will be Mrs. Schiefer's almost EVERYWHERE you look!!! lol

Happy New Year EVERYONE!!!

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Twice confirmed!!!

Two technicians!!!

It's a GIRL!!!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

The proud daddy-to-be....

Kyle and his little girl....

Can I just say, I cannot believe Kyle (or any of my boys) is old enough to have a BABY!!!!

And Yosi...how cute is she? All bundled up in New York with a little baby inside!

I was having a bit of fun in Photoshop....she's 16 weeks, and the little one is said to be about the size of an orange....

 

They did a 3-D ultrasound on Saturday. It is the coolest thing I've ever seen...

 

 

 

Yay for Kyle and Yosi!!!

 

Yay for Yosi's family!!!

 

Yay for our family!!!

 

 

It's a Monkey Kind Of Monday....

The newest addition to the Monkey family....

She's a bit worse for wear, but it was love at first sight on Saturday.

She will be sporting a cute bonnet and a mixed-media dress soon. Maybe that will help detract from the "chewed" on hands and feet...She obviously was WELL LOVED before she stole my heart!

xoxoxoxo

Friends....

This morning, I find myself reflecting on the friendships I've made over the last few years.

Actually, since moving to Oregon in 2004.

Friends from working at the scrapbook store (no longer here), but the friendships made are everlasting and deep.

Friends at out-of-town, creative functions.

Out-of-state friends, met through other friends.

Blogland friends.

Friends from being on the ICE Resin Creative Team.

Friends.

Friends have no boundaries.

The funny thing is, a few of my newest friends live in BOTH Washington (in the same EXACT town!) and California (literally, 15 minutes away!), from where I used to live, but never met when I was there...

Funny how that's happening lately....Brenda (I "met" at Art Camp last year), we immediately recognized each other. You know that whole, "you look REALLY familiar, but I can't place it??!!) Turns out, we lived right across from each other in our little Washington town. Our kiddos were in elementary school together! Small world!

Friends....

A Riddle for Thursday...

What's Brown, and Cream with spots of RED?

****

Stay tuned....I have an idea brewing in my HEAD!

****

On another note...CAN you believe it's almost THANKSGIVING!??? ALREADY???

Me neither....

The leaves have changed color...The rain is here...The car is dinging "caution possible icy roads".

Crazy!!! I think we were a bit spoiled by the awesome SUMMER weather we had.

Craft Warehouse open house with the girls this Saturday...EB Feastival Lunch next Friday with the guys and their gals....Holiday Home Tour on Dec 2 with the girls.

Shopping...Baking...Feasting...I feel the pounds sneaking on now.

but....SOON it will be CHRISTMAS break too and Kyle and his girlfriend, Yosi will be home on leave for a much needed visit...and maybe an improptu baby shower!!!

Three more weeks until we find out if it's a PINK or BLUE!!! Gotta love technology....

As much as I would love to spoil a little PINK baby....I know ALL about the BLUE babies!!!

I'm VERY excited....!

Imagine My Surprise...

Last weekend I received a copy of the new HandCrafted magazine with the cover sheet that reads, "You've been published!"

Huh? I didn't submit anything...except a couple pieces of jewelry, and those were supposedly already spoken for...

Well, much to my surprise, HandCrafted is primarily a re-cap of selected, previously published artwork.

Page 102....my Wish. Dream. Create. mail caddy....from Somerset Home Summer 2010.

And making this issue even more special, the cover art is Kristen's. Cool!

Speaking of cool, the current Haute Handbags cover is Kelly's!!!

xoxo

October 20, 2012

Yes. I know today is November 1, 2012.

But, I've been bursting with news to share on my blog and want to be sure to note the date,
October 20, 2012 ... the date I first heard THE NEWS!!!

I'm gonna be a grandma! Yep!!! A Grandma...

Glammy? Grandma? Grandmother? Non? Nana? Grammy? Gramma Tina?

That was fast! An empty nest at the first of October, then a grandparent-to-be less than 3 weeks later!!!

Our middle son, Kyle, and his girlfriend, Yosi, who lives in NYC are expecting
May 14, 2013.

Kyle is in the Army and will most likely face deployment in January 2013, but we are hopeful that things work out in their favor....He just recently returned from a one-year deployment to S. Korea, and that felt like forever!

There are still a lot of variables and details yet to work themselves out, but if his dad and I are any watermark of beating the odds and nay-sayers of a young relationship, they will be fine!

They are over-the-moon with excitement. Her family is full of excitement. I'm chock full of emotion. I am full of many adjectives actually, but "full of emotion" seems to cover them all!!!

They are hoping to come home in December for the holidays so we can officially meet Yosi and see the "belly"!

A baby... A BABY!!! A little Schiefer grandson or granddaughter...WOW!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!!





Phillip's Jester-Clown Mask...

Let's just say, it creeped ME out!!! That's saying ALOT!

Sadly, there are NO trick-or-treaters up at our house....so the adults partied a bit last Saturday night at our house.

Me and Kelly

My friend, Kelly, flew up from California to join in the fun and help decorate and keep us all fed! Thanks, Kelly!

Ginger, Me, Kelly

 

Kelly and Kristen

 

Jeff and Kris

 

 

A.J. and Kyra

The "officially un-official" costume contest winners!

 

item of note: A.J.'s comment when he saw this picture, "Man! She really did stuff her bra!"









Jeff, Erik, Me, Jeff, Janice, 1/2 of Dan

Fortune-Telling Moment

 

Jania, Ty, Phillip

A Duck-Lips Moment

 

Darrin

A Migrating Costume Moment...

Somehow, AJ's wig and hat ended up

on Peter Parker aka: Spiderman...

hmmmm...I wonder if Jack Daniels had anything to do with it???

 

Jania and Ty

A Rock Star and his Groupie

 

 Jeff and Kristin

Love in the DEAD ZONE

 

Kyra and A.J.

Love in the HILLBILLY Zone

 

and now for a little sick and twisted decor tour...

 

Kelly and I just FED off of each other like decoration zombies...

 

The infamous rusty vasectomy scissors...

open to the page of cute little kittens with the poem about MOTHERHOOD...how fitting....

 

The Requisite Skull in the Bird Cage

 

Sometimes Time JUST stops!

 

 



Where'd all the food go?

 

Strange...The Baby was MISSING too!

 





 

Happy Halloween!!!