Easter Blessings!

From my home and family to yours - 

wishing you every blessing of this glorious season as we celebrate Jesus the Risen Savior! 

He is Risen! 

He is Risen Indeed!

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. 

“I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 

He isn’t here! 

He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. 

Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him." - Matthew 28:1-9 

The Thin Blue Line

Most of you who who have followed my creative endeavors for any time here on the blog or on social media are likely aware that my husband is a Police Officer for our local department and I am a former Police Officer from the same organization. 

This past Saturday, our department, the Prince William County Police Department, experienced for only the 4th time in our 45 year history, a line of duty death of one of our officers. 

The murder of Officer Ashley Guindon - on her first day on the job - is heartbreaking for our law enforcement community nationwide. 

Two more of our finest, Officer Jesse Hempen and Officer Dave McKeown, were critically injured during the shooting as well and are currently recovering from their injuries.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the details, here is a link to the press release by the PWCPD: 

Line of Duty Death of Officer Ashley Guindon

My husband is part of our department's Peer Support Team - uniquely tasked with counseling and advising the officers and staff of the department in times like these. 

It is a hard place, absorbing the hurt and heartache and anger that is the natural response of all affected. 

I've absorbed his real-life heartache as he shares with me his own sadness and his concern for our Blue Family. 

I've taken in as well, the news coverage and punditry of those outside the line - all trying to make sense of the senseless - an impossible task, even for those of us inside the line. 

I've reflected on my own history with the department, turning over memories again and again in my mind of times when things could have taken a deadly turn. 

It makes you catch your breath sharply when you allow yourself to think of what, but for the grace of God, could have been.

As an artist, I turned to what I know best, my craft, my outlet to express some of the emotions that have been coming in waves these past 48 hours. 

Truly, for some things, there are just no words. 

Tuesday, March 1st, we will pay our last respects to Officer Guindon and thank her for her service and ultimate sacrifice - paid on our behalf. 

The Thin Blue Line will continue to stand strong in your honor.

Please pray for us. 

Pray for our Blue Family. 

Our Brothers and Sisters in Blue who guard over us. 

Not just the Prince William County Police Department, but ALL Law Enforcement Officers. 

Never forget that they go where others will not. 

They defend the defenseless and stand up for those who cannot.

And at times, they are called to pay the greatest price 

for the least of us all. 

Great is the cost of a devoted heart, sworn to protect and serve.

It's Not All About Stamping...

Hey there crafty peeps! 

Usually you're stopping by here for a creative idea or some crafty inspiration and you KNOW I'm all over that! 

But like most of the rest of you - life in the Merriman household doesn't always revolve around stamping and creating. 

I know - say it isn't SO! 

Yep!

Sometimes, it's all about this: 

And this:

And this: 

My sweet girl gets to live out her passion for synchronized figure skating 3-4 days a week, and her heart beats to the rhythm of the sound of her teammates blades on the ice next to hers. 

This is her 10th season as a National Blade, and also her last. 

She's off to college in the Fall, and yes, she'll continue her skating career there as well. Pursuing her dream of coaching her own synchro team some day. 

The next few days we are at her last Eastern Sectional Championships. Held ironically, in our home state of Virginia. She's skating at the Intermediate level in a jam-packed division. 

Her team is an amazing blend of talented skaters and they work hard both on and off the ice to achieve that perfect skate. That perfect score from the judges. 

But no matter where they place -  she'll leave the ice having left her ALL on the ice. 

Because it's who she is and its what she does. 

And this Mama couldn't be more proud of her girl. 

A Christmas Tradition - From my Kitchen!

Merry Christmas Eve my friends! 

Today's post is all about a special tradition in my home, 

the annual baking of the White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti. 

It's in short, AMAZING! 

This recipe has been a favorite of my family and friends for many, many years. I make it each Christmas and if I make it too early, there is NONE left for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. 

I have to share, in the interest of full disclosure, that I am NOT an awesome cook by any means. My wonderful hubby does most of the cooking in our home. 

I can cook, but I don't enjoy it like he does. 

What I do love however, is baking! 

I spent many hours baking with both my Mom and my Grandma while growing up and there's often nothing I enjoy more than baking something special for people I love. 

So, because I love you guys a LOT....

I put my recipe in a downloadable pdf file for you. :)

If I can't bake it FOR you, at least I can share my recipe!

Here is the link:

Robin's White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

I hope you have time to create this baked specialty for your friends and family this year. Make it and serve it with your New Year's Day coffee - it will be a great addition to your breakfast!

Have a wonderful day everyone!

I hope you get to create something fun today. 

One Year

"The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34: 17-18

It's hard to believe it's been a year since we said goodbye to my Dad.
One year ago today he went home to be with the Lord.
I wasn't sure I was going to write about him today, but I'm compelled to.
If you've suffered a loss like this then you understand that it's a blessing and a joy to speak of those we've loved and and bid farewell to.

It's been a year of ups and downs, but not only have we known the presence of God with us at all times, I know my Dad too will always be with us, if only in our hearts and memory. And as difficult as this year has been without his earthly presence in my life, not being able to share the joys and new beginnings I've experienced, I can look forward to the day when I will see him face to face once again.
There's gonna be a lot to tell him, that's for sure!

I'm not sure if you know how much you all have meant to me over the past year. As I looked back this morning over the file of messages, e-mails and cards from so many of you, I was blessed beyond measure once again at how much love you poured out on me and my family. God used all of you to help bind up my wounds and to heal my heart and no amount of thanks will ever be enough for that. Please know that each of you holds a special place in my heart and always will.

So, as I contemplated what exactly to share with you here today, I wanted to make sure to tell you that no matter what trial, or difficulty or loss you may be experiencing today, God is bigger than all of that.

The Bible says this: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." - 2 Corinthians 4: 8-9 and in verses 17 - 18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

The message is so clear - He does not leave us alone in our troubles. When we focus on the temporary things that are in front of us, we take our eyes off the God who loves us more than we can ever comprehend and who wants to carry us through every difficult step we take. And that doesn't get us anywhere good.

Do I miss my Dad? Yes. Every day.
Are there still times that my heart just hurts? Yes. More than I can recount. I wrestle over the fact that he is missing so much, and we are missing him here.
But would I wish him back? No, never. He is healed and in Heaven with our Lord and I know he'll be there to greet me someday. That knowledge alone allows me to focus once again on the God who heals and binds up the wounds of the brokenhearted.

I don't know what you are facing friends, but it would be my joy to pray for you as you have prayed for me and given me comfort. God hears our prayers and holds us close to Him. I hope you feel His presence today.

There are two things that I'm leaving you with today. One is a new song by one of my favorite groups, Mercy Me. It speaks perfectly to where I am today on this grief journey. I hope it blesses you and encourages you as it has me.
Secondly, I'm sharing the tribute video of my Dad with you. He left a legacy of love for us and he had a zest for life that few could match. I think these photos show him perfectly.

God bless you my friends, today and always,
~~Robin

He is Risen!

Yes, He is Risen Indeed!
On Friday we reflected on the great love and sacrifice of our Jesus - that He would be emptied of everything, become sin for us and suffer death, hell and the grave. Just so we might live.

Today, how can we fail to praise Him?
It's EASTER Sunday!
Resurrection Day!
He won the victory you know.
No way did He stay in that tomb!
And the best part -
He did it all for us.

He defeated death. Defeated evil.
And He turned the ugly cross - a symbol of cruelty, torture and shame - into a symbol of HOPE for all of us.
That's quite a transformation - kind of like what He does in each of us when we acknowledge Him. When we choose His purposes over our plans. When we decide to let His love fill the empty places and spaces in our hearts.

Do you know His story? It's our History. Our inheritance. Yes, for each one of us.
If you don't know the story of Jesus and His great love for us, I encourage you to read chapters 19 and 20 of the book of John in the Bible. It's the Apostle John's first hand account of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
And don't miss this verse at the end: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." -John 20:31

Some of you may wonder why I'm sharing this with you. I know it's not related to stamping at all. But, I share most every other part of my life with you here and frankly, this is way more important than our family trips or Emma's skating.
If you are a regular reader of my blog, you have probably figured out that my faith and steadfast belief in Jesus Christ is central to my life. In fact, I know for sure that without Him, and the way He completely changed my life, I wouldn't be here today to even write this.

Each of us has a story you know. Each of us has gotten to where we are today along very different roads, some scenic, some rocky, some super highways. Some are like a country backroad, dirt packed and kind of winding. That's my story, my road. And I'm here because of His grace and mercy alone.
Someday I'll share more, but for now just know that Jesus loves you very much and no matter where you've been or what you think you've done that's just "too bad" to ever be forgiven - it's not. In fact, He promises that He loves you so much that when you lay it all at His feet, and turn your back on that junk that He'll wipe it all out and will never remember it.
Too good to be true? Sounds that way. But since it says so in His word, I believe it. And because I know it to be true in my life, I certainly believe it.

Anyway, if you're curious, about any of what I've written here today, e-mail me. I don't promise to have all the answers, but I surely know the One who does.
In the meantime, enjoy this song and video. It is such a beautiful telling of why EASTER is the most important Holiday on the calendar.
Yep, even better than Christmas!

I'll be back tomorrow with something pretty and stamped!
~~Robin

His Wounds, Our Healing

What will you be doing at 3 pm today?
Will you be contemplating the end of your workday and your commute home?
Will you be cleaning your house for your weekend guests?
How about packing up the car and heading down I95 like all the other Easter weekend travelers?
Maybe doing some last minute shopping for the finishing touches on your child's Easter basket?

At 3 pm for me, I'll be sitting at the ice rink watching Emma skate for the third day this week. Hmmm.....third day. There's significance in that - but that's Sunday and I get ahead of myself with anticipation.

Want to know what Jesus was doing at 3 pm on Good Friday?

He was sacrificing his life on an ugly, cruel and bloody cross for me.
For you.
For all of us.

Let me share this commentary that I read earlier today with you; "It seems interesting that we refer to the day Christ died as 'Good Friday'. Considering the events of the day, tragic or awful seems more appropriate. However, we ultimately know what God was up to that day. Though the events seemed very 'BAD', God was using everything that happened for 'GOOD'"

And praise Him for His amazing, ultimate sacrifice that day.
The rejoicing that we call the Resurrection comes on Sunday, but today is the day for contemplating how great His love for us was. Is. Always will be.

How much do we give Him in return? What of this life He's so lovingly given us do we return to Him with gratitude?
You see, this life isn't ours. We may think it is, and live like it is; but that's not reality. Jesus' life, death, burial and resurrection didn't happen so we could live like we please, but happened that we could live to please Him. And live out the purpose He's created for us. And He does have a purpose for each and every one of us. When you come to the realization that the dreams and plans He has for each one of us are so much better, richer, deeper than anything we can plan or dream for ourselves - then embrace them AND Him - that's when His sacrifice makes sense. We are His hands and feet. We are the love He wants so much for all to experience. We become the expression of His grace and mercy and peace.

So here's the question again - How much do we give Him in return? How about this one - How are we being Jesus to others today? It's pretty simple - Love Jesus and Love others.

Yes, today really is GOOD Friday. What men meant for evil, God used for good.
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53:5



May you be blessed today.
~~Robin

Another New York Adventure! Part 1

We had such a fun three days of adventure in New York this week! I wanted to share some of our photos with you. I tried to post this yesterday from the rink while Emma was skating, but their internet was wonky so I'm just now finishing up. This is just the first day and a half - I'll post the rest tomorrow, ok?

Lunch at Vanessa's Dumpling House - standing room only, per usual. They really are the BEST dumplings and pork buns in the city. All four of us at lunch for $12 total, that included our bottled water. Delicious and a great value. It's on Eldredge St. just around the corner from the Tenement Museum.

Next stop was the Antiques Garage - part of the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. Parking garage by week, antiques mecca by weekend. On 25th St. between 6th and 7th Ave. It's where I found my awesome table last year. We drove a smaller car this year so I couldn't bring home another table. True story! But I did manage to find something cool for the studio.

Emma always has fun with the vintage clothes and accessories. She says that she wants a vintage wedding dress when she gets married. Guess that means she can wear mine! hahahaha!!

Here are the cool print blocks I found for the studio. These were in fantastic condition and a bargain!

After all that antique shopping, we had to have a snack to fortify us, so we walked south on 6th Ave a couple of blocks to the Crumbs Bakery. (there's also one in DC now). Emma looks like she could eat them all!

Sea Salt Chocolate Caramel for me.

Since Granny and Emma were pooped out, Mark and I got an unexpected dinner a deux. We decided to head to Little Italy and chose Sofia's on Mulberry St. There really is no 'bad' food in Little Italy, and this was just outstanding! We'd definitely eat there again.

Here's looking out from our table. Mark had Pappardelle with Bolognese sauce and I had Pasta a la Vodka. Both SO delicious!

One of the things I love most about New York is the window displays. Some are just so beautiful like this dress shop in the Lower East Side.

Dramatic, like the Kate Spade window.

And downright weird like the Adidas store. Who, I ask, would really wear this?? And why are there stuffed monkeys on the shoes??

Would you buy these shoes for your kid?? Yep, kids shoes. Crazy.

We spent a bit of time in Washington Square Park, a place I'd never lingered before. The arch is really beautiful.

Time out for some family photos.
Love this one!

Isn't that pretty??

One more of the arch from the other side.
That blue sky was amazing!

Love this photo of the tulip beds.

And looking up towards the Empire State Building.

Me and my girl.

I'll be back tomorrow with part two! Hope you enjoyed seeing it again with me!
~~Robin

Not Missing, Just Busy!

Hey Stampin' friends,

Just a quick post to let you know that I've not gone missing, I've just been super, super busy with family stuff this week. I have stamped goodies to show you, but I have to get them photographed so I can post them. I'm hoping to get some of it done this weekend, but we have a full family plate both days, so most likely it will be Monday before I get to share again.
Thanks for understanding and thanks for hanging in there with me!

~~Robin

A Lucky Day

Happy Monday stampers!
Did you have a fun weekend? I'm sure a lot of you celebrated the Irish in you on Saturday. To the best of my knowledge, there's not a bit of Irish in me at all, but I still wore green this year.

On Saturday afternoon, our local Chick-Fil-A sponsored a Conquer Kids Cancer Event for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. If you're not familiar with St. Baldrick's, it's an organization devoted to funding research that will find cures for Children's Cancers.
Groups all over the United States gather to raise funds through many different activities, possibly the most well known being the Head Shaving events. Volunteers take pledges and then have their heads shaved in a very visible show of support for those kids who lose their hair due to their Cancer treatments.
One of Emma's friends at school, Emily, is a four year Brain Cancer Survivor and is the spokesperson for the Chick-Fil-A event. It's through Emily and her family that we first found out about the St. Baldrick's Foundation. At last year's event, every member of Emily's family had their heads shaved, a truly beautiful tribute.
Each event has other activities and ways to donate to support St. Baldrick's and that's how I got involved.

We set up a Stampin' Up! table where anyone could stop by and make a donation to St. Baldrick's. Then they were able to create a card that will be hand-delivered to a patient at the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. It was so fun to have folks of all ages - truly from 3 to 80 - making a card that they knew would bring a smile to a child's face. They all learned that a card is a "hug with a fold in the middle", something stampers have known for ages.

Here's a quick poster I put together in My Digital Studio with the only photos I had from the day:

I used the "Lucky Me" printable subway art as my background and simply removed the words across the top and added my title box. It prints out in 8 1/2" x 11" so it's easy to create and print at home on a piece of cardstock. To add the photos, I just added photo boxes where I wanted them, matted them with a black border and then dragged my photos over to the box and cropped with the easy tool. It was very simple to do and I really enjoyed seeing it all come together.

The photos clockwise from the very top are: me with one of my student helpers at our table; our youngest stamper with her Mom as they create her card; me with Shannon (my downline) and our two student helpers; my daughter Emma with two of her best friends - they all volunteered - Kayla is the president of the Marsteller Middle School Ruri-teens and raised over $1000 herself, Hunter is a second year shavee and you can see his newly bald head in the next photo. Next is a photo of our stampin' table with Shannon helping two more young stampers make their cards; then we have former Miss Virginia Tara Wheeler proudly showing off her creation - her first stamped card!; and lastly a photo of me and Shannon.
Another member of my downline, April Sinclair, volunteered her time for part of the day as well, although we were so busy when she was there, we didn't get a photo!

Here's a photo of the two cards they could choose to create:


And here's a photo of their wonderful creations:

In just 3 hours, 34 cards were created by donors and the entire event so far has raised over $8000 for St. Baldrick's. Their goal is $15,000 for this year and I know that donations are still coming in as well as what was raised at the tables on Saturday.
YOU can still donate too! Simply visit this link: Chick-Fil-A Bristow St. Baldrick's Event
Donations will be accepted up until March 31st so it's not too late to help this awesome cause!

Thanks for stopping by today and checking out the fun we had at our event, maybe this gives you some ideas on how you can get involved with bringing some stamped joy to your community too! This was truly a great day and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Key to my Heart

Well, this post is kind of long and truly LONG overdue!

Waaay back in December - the 7th to be exact - was my 20th Wedding Anniversary. Per usual, we were doing something involving Emma's skating that night AND it was pouring down rain. Not just a little downpour, but literally raining buckets!
So, after dropping her off at the rink, Mark and I went to Carraba's Italian for a nice meal - at least we could sneak away and do that!
Once we got there and dried off, we had a lovely evening and exchanged gifts. My post today is sharing the card and gift box that I made for Mark. I actually have been meaning to share it since the week after our anniversary, but something else always popped up instead.

Anyway, here is the card and envelope (no, you can't see the mushy message I wrote inside!):

And here is the card with the gift box I decorated to hold his present:

I used one of the Kraft Gift Boxes that are still available to order. They are the perfect size for many gifts and so easy to decorate and personalize.

Mark really loved his card and gift. It's kind of funny, we gave each other rings! Neither of us knew the other was buying a ring, so it was really cool to "exchange rings" again at 20 years! Here's a photo we took at the restaurant with my phone - it's not very good, but you can see my blingy anniversary band (he did REALLY good!) and his sterling silver ring. His ring is inscribed with part of a verse from Joshua and says "Be Strong and Courageous". Mark's not a jewelry guy, but he wears this ring all the time now.

So, after we picked up Emma from the rink, Mark had a huge surprise for me. He had arranged with the current pastor of the church we'd been married in for us to come in that evening and renew our vows.
Oh yes, he did!
And it gets better - he printed out vows for us to exchange and put them in a card that he gave to me when we got to the church.
So, with Emma as our witness, we went up to the altar where we'd stood 20 years before and promised to love, honor and cherish all over again. Pretty cool, huh? I'd say I married the right guy!

When we got home he'd bought me roses and a small chocolate cake:

And as if that wasn't enough, it gets better!

On Friday night after our anniversary, Mark took me to the Kennedy Center. We got dressed up - which we never do - and went to see the Canadian Tenors.
Well, Mark has a friend who works at the Kennedy Center and lets just say that he made sure we were taken care of very well. We were given a window seat at the Roof Top Restaurant for our meal and they brought us dessert and champagne as a gift. Then, Mark's friend took our tickets and seated us in the Chairman of the Board's box which is right next to the President's Box - yes, the President of the United States! We truly had the best seats in the house!

Well, it gets better!

After the concert, there were several White House staffers taking photos in the President's Box and we offered to take a photo of them together. Then they invited us OVER TO THEIR BOX to see it and to take some more photos.
Well, you didn't have to ask us twice!

Let me just say it was an amazing experience to stand where so many of our nation's leaders had spent relaxing evenings being entertained by some of the best. So cool!
Here's a photo of us taken from the President's Box overlooking the stage:

So as if that wasn't enough - it gets better!

Yep, as we were leaving, Mark's friend met us and asked us if we wanted to get in the front of the line to meet the Canadian Tenors. As much as I wanted to, I saw how long that line was and knew that it would be really rude for us to just cut completely to the front, so I said no. BUT, Mark's friend said he understood and had a better idea.
He took us past the box doors again and through a side door that led BACKSTAGE! Yep! And just about that time, here come the Canadian Tenors, walking out to meet their fans. So they stopped to talk, just for a minute and we were able to tell them how very much we'd enjoyed their peformance. It was awesome! And as if that wasn't enough - one of them turned around as he was leaving and said to me "And I really like your coat!".
Ok, sounds funny, but I have a really pretty dress coat that I bought at a local boutique - on sale - last year. It's not something I can wear everyday, so I was very excited to be able to dress up and wear it! And then to have one of the Canadian Tenors compliment me - well, there you go! I need to be finding ways to wear it all the time! HaHa!

I know this was a long post, but I've been wanting to share this story and the card I'd made Mark for a while now, so I hope you've gotten a smile or two from it.
My husband is really a wonderful man and like his card to me said "I'd Marry You All Over Again". And I would.

Stamped blessings everyone,
~~Robin

Because You Asked......

Warning - this post contains NO stamping.
Unless you take into account that what I'm showing you today will have a special place in my Studio re-design plan. HeeHee!

When we were in Hershey, PA last month for Emma's skating competition, we had a little down time so Mark and I decided to check out a few of the local antique places. I'm in the process of re-decorating my studio into a vintage 50's kitchen theme, so I'm always looking for small pieces that can act as storage and decor.

A few of you asked to see some of the treasures I found, so here's a couple pics:

I found a BUNCH of old wooden bobbins that I'm going to use to wrap ribbon around. Not only will that make a beautiful display, but it will keep it front and center so I'll use it more!
You can see 5 new vintage flower frogs in the photo. I love them for card stands in the studio and for taking photos of cards for my blog. I found some oval shaped ones and even a little bitty one. One of the ovals is copper and even has a green oxidized place on it - love that!
The old Ecko muffin tin will be used to hold small embellishments out on my counter. I got this idea from my friend Kimberly VanDiepen who loves vintage as much as I do.

The second photo shows some vintage Pyrex and Fire King refrigerator boxes. The colors are perfect for my design scheme and I'm going to store embellishments in them as well. The vintage Ball Mason Jar has an original zinc lid with a white milk glass interior - so cool! Great for buttons, don't you think??
There's also a little peek at something else VERY fun that I picked up. And I'll show you exactly what it is hopefully by the end of the month! I'm chomping at the bit to be able to share some exciting news with you, but there's just a few more things that need to add up.........

On another note, our Valentine's Day was quiet - we took my Mom out to eat at Famous Dave's BBQ and had a delicious meal. But after watching the show Heat Seekers on Food Network last night, Emma thought she'd challenge her Dad to a Hot Sauce Contest before dinner. She prides herself on her ability to "take the heat" and her favorite food group is hot wings!

Here's the video - I let her off the hook (actually both of them) after the video stopped they both drank some milk to put out the fire!


Have a spectacular day! I'm off to Weight Watchers to weigh in and see how bad the damage is today!
~~Robin

A Relaxing Weekend

So, what do you do when there is unexpectedly absolutely NOTHING to do on any calendar of any member of your household for two days??
Relax and enjoy it.
And that's exactly what we did.

The serenity of this picture epitomizes my weekend:

I took this outside of an antique store in Lucketts, VA on Saturday. Just beautiful and so serene. I love how quiet the woods are after it snows.

We spent the better part of Saturday nosing around some antiques stores that I'd been wanting to go in for a while now. A couple of treasures were found - I'll share them later after I get them photographed - but mostly, it was a wonderful day to just be together.
We don't get that very often, especially a whole weekend, and it was great just to enjoy the time with my family.

We found a quaint coffee shop in Leesburg where we had warm drinks and some bakery yummies. It overlooked the town square and the courthouse where my Dad used to play with his family when he was a boy. Very cool. So we sat in the window and enjoyed our cocoa and coffee and the view and each other.

Our day ended with some homemade Baked Potato Soup and cuddling by the fireplace watching 'Sherlock' on Netflix.
Can't think of a better way to spend my time.

Blessings,
~~Robin

An Awesome Skating Weekend!

Good morning stampin' friends!

You may have noticed that I've been absent from here since last Tuesday. Not intentionally, because I have about 10 new projects to share with you, but we were in Hershey, PA since last Wednesday night for a skating competition. Since I've been home, it's been non-stop for me and I'm finally finding time to sit long enough to post again! I'm posting about the competition first, but I have creative post for you today too so just hang tight!

So, this wasn't just any skating competition, but the Eastern Sectional Synchronized Skating Championships. In short, a big deal for my daughter Emma's team.
They were one of 33 teams competing and the first day was the qualifier. If they placed in the top 4 of their group, they moved on to the final on Saturday morning.
Is it ok to admit that I never expected them to qualify and I fully expected to have a fun family Saturday doing some antiquing and outlet shopping before we headed home?? I know, bad momma.

Needless to say, we were all blown away when they placed 4th in their group and made the FINAL round!
Emma has been skating since she was 4, team skating since she was 7 and this is the first team FINAL that she's ever made - she was over the moon!

Here's a photo of her team with their head coach during warm-up before the final on Saturday morning. Emma is the brunette on the far left.

I love taking photos in the locker room. You get all kinds of expressions from the girls. Here they are getting their skates on and thinking about what's ahead. Emma is on the left.

That photo looks pretty serious, but in reality, the locker room that morning was pretty loose. Everyone was happy and excited and really got up for our "Who are We?" "National Blades!" chant.

I'd love to be able to tell you that they medaled, but they didn't. They had the unlucky draw of skating first in the group of 12, which in skating terms means that your performance sets the median score for all the teams after and in general, they tend to be judged a little tighter.
However, they finished 9th and out of all those teams at that level in the whole division, that's pretty fantastic for a team that wasn't expected to go anywhere this year.
In short, we're pretty proud of our girls. They had a fantastic skate, gave it their all and that's all we can ask.

Here's the video of their skate in the Final. Emma is the lead skater taking the ice and she is the brunette who skates out for the music cue at the start of their program.


Thanks to all of you who sent your love and support to the girls. All your messages of encouragement were passed on and they love knowing they have followers all over the US!
Go National Blades!
~~Robin

Blog Vacation!

Hello stampers!!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm on a blog vacation until Monday the 23rd. I'll be leaving early in the morning for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in sunny San Antonio, TX and I won't be back in the studio until next Monday.

I'd planned to leave you with some new projects already loaded and ready to post for you, but folks, I simply ran out of time today! I need to pack all my swaps and my unmentionables in my suitcase so I've got what I need while I'm there, so no posts for now. :(

Check back on Monday, I promise I have enough new projects to show you to carry us into the first week of February!!
And if you want to keep up with my adventures in San Antonio, check out the Stampin' Up! page on Facebook - I'm their reporter again for this fun event!!

Happy Trails!!
~~Robin

An Empty Spot at the Christmas Table

Please forgive me for not posting for the last few days like I'd promised.
We traveled to visit Mark's family this year for Christmas, taking my Mom along with us.
It was a very different kind of Christmas, one with a great big hole in the middle.

I wasn't sure how I'd feel this year. We got through Thanksgiving pretty well so I thought I'd be good. But I really wasn't prepared for how much I'd miss my Dad on my favorite holiday of the year.

December is usually a crazy, joyful month for our family. Mark and I celebrate our wedding anniversary - this year was our 20th - Emma has her birthday and of course Christmas, the wonderful anniversary of Christ's birth. So, two major life events and a great holiday combined with skating, work and celebrations usually keep us moving pretty well. This year was no exception, but my Dad was missing from all of it.
Like I've said before, I wouldn't wish him back at all to suffer the effects of cancer. He's whole and healed in Heaven with Jesus now - how awesome for him! But I felt the loss of his presence so keenly, it hurt physically.

I'm indulging myself today with some pictures from Christmases past. There's no stamping on this post, but I needed to share and hope it helps heal my heart.

This was last Christmas - Mom, Emma and Dad. It's the last photo I have of the three of them together. Emma was the apple of his eye.

One that always makes me laugh is this one of my Dad trying to convince Emma to let him eat one of Santa's cookies. Santa couldn't possibly eat them all, he explains. You can see that Emma is not buying it at all.

When she was little, Dad used to sit with Emma and read to her or share popcorn or just watch tv. She used to love sitting with her Grandpa.

All of us at our Christmas table one year. I remember we had a heck of a time with the camera delay, but we finally managed to get this shot and I treasure it. Mark's Mom is on the far left.

Just a shot of my Dad last Christmas opening his gifts. He loved anything to do with WWII and this is a book that Mark found for him.

Emma got one of those jumbo pillows for Christmas one year and she and Dad were doing a bit of clowning around with it.

Christmas Eve meal after church. We always went to the same restaurant in Manassas for our dinner. And he always got the Prime Rib, his favorite.

I don't have many photos of me with my Mom and Dad and Emma. I'm usually manning the camera, so I treasure this one as well.

A different year at our Christmas Eve meal.

And Mom and Dad at our Christmas table.
You were missed this year Dad. There was a big empty spot at our table and a big hole in my heart.
I love you.

~~Robin