Several of you have shared your glass pebble projects with me and I love them! Thought everyone would enjoy seeing some variations of the project (see Oct. 5 post).

Well-deserved credit goes to the following ladies:

[ Top row ] Amy Snyder, Heather Kamarainen, Jeanna Ann Carver, Kathy Garcia, Mandy (from New Zealand).

[ Bottom row ] Anna Wasierski, Rebecca Holliday, Amber Reed, Jennifer Miles, and another one from Mandy from NZ.

Here’s another twist from Rebecca Holliday: It’s a calendar and the pebbles are each attached with velcro dots so she can change the calendar according to each month. Clever.

For those interested: Tomorrow you can begin ordering the Christmas card KOTM. I’ll be in touch, trust me. In the meantime, don’t miss out on Ali Edwards’ “Courage through Hope” album that is still available as October’s KOTM. All things KOTM can be found here, but you won’t see anything on my Christmas cards until tomorrow – November 1.

Stay tuned. I’ve got something fun up my sleeve. : )

A few notes today:

[ love these albums ]

I remember when I first saw the leather albums from We R Memory Keepers. Do I dare say – I felt JOY!? I did. I was in love with the colors, the quality, and the fact that finally there was a beautiful 3-ring leather album that was acid-free and totally safe! AND … it has the cute label on the spine. When I saw them again at MemoryTrends in Las Vegas last month, I was reminded of their ultimate yum factor and I finally got all my 12″ x 12″ albums converted.

I happened to be with C.D. Muckowsky (Scrapbooker of the Year for CK last year) and her husband when I walked into the We R booth. As we stood there drooling over the colors, I started to feel like my years of believing that black albums were best because of their classic nature, were over. It was time to go with more personality and oomph. And C.D. gave me just the right nudge that I needed to go for it. So now … all of our family albums are red. Porter’s are green. Claire’s are yellow. And they have many more delicious colors to choose from.

Check your local scrapbook store or you can buy them online here or here. A lot of colors seem to be out of stock right now, but they’ll be up when they become available again. Check out their linen albums too. Equally gorgeous. I like leather because they’re so easy to keep clean.

Okay, enough about that. I just love sharing things that I love. And albums are very, very important to me. There are a million great albums out there, but these are the winner for my 12″ x 12″ family books.

[ CK Becky font ]

Yes – you can still download it. Just click here. It’s still free.

[ christmas card kotm ]

So holy cow – the kit is on sale in just two days. My Christmas card Kit of the Month goes on sale THURSDAY. In the meantime … speaking of my cute friend C.D., she is posting a card a day on her blog. She’s giving a personal & creative twist to my cards and it’s so fun to see what she’s coming up with. If you know C.D.’s style, you know how free-spirited & wonderfully creative she is. Check out what she’s doing.

Photographed Eric & Holly yesterday. Engaged couples are soooo easy to photograph. It’s been so long since I’ve taken engagement pictures and honestly, I’ve forgotten how wonderful it is. They don’t wiggle around, cry, whine, need me to make funny faces and ridiculous noises, they don’t have parents sternly saying to them, “Look at the camera and smile RIGHT NOW.” … and they certainly don’t need any bribing.

I’ve known Holly since she was 12, so to be taking these pictures of her with this sweet young man who adores her was just a treat. Also loved, loved, loved having my friend Tina here for the weekend. This cutie-patootie is Josh, her son … and my kids’ newest favorite fascination.

This little angel is Paige and I got to take some pictures of her yesterday. She is BEAUTIFUL.

We’re looking forward to a fun weekend with some great friends (even squeezing in a little creative time with the girls). So excited for that!

We’re going to a dinner party with some friends/neighbors this evening and we’re in charge of dessert (they know me so well!). So I decided to make a variety: Turtles (thanks to many of you telling me about this variation of the Pretzel Hugs), Andes Mint Cookies, and White Pumpkin Drops.

I’ll share recipes later. I only had a minute to drop by and say hi today. Hope you’re having a good one.

The first time I tried these was about a year ago when my friend Karolyn made them for breakfast during a girlfriends retreat/reunion. Good memories (love you guys!). What I like about these muffins (besides the chocolate chips!) is that you barely taste the pumpkin. It’s not overwhelming. Not even close. They’re very light & fluffy … not dense.

[ pumpkin muffins ]

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. ground pumpkin (canned)
1/2 c. cooking oil
1/3 c. chocolate chips

Mix together. Fill muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Super simple. When the recipe is this simple, I definitely involve the kids. Porter & Claire helped me make some today and we’re sharing with some neighbors when we go for a walk later this evening.

Feeling so thankful for the concern over Claire. (She’s doing great now.) Feeling thankful that those of you that I missed meeting in Kansas City were so understanding about my last-minute absence. I heard you were SUCH an awesome group. Feeling thankful for a very understanding & hard-working Events staff at CKMedia who put on such wonderful events. They’re so awesome. Thankful for Micaela, who covered my classes. She is amazing.

And … Feeling thankful for the birthday wishes. So sweet that some of you knew that. Enjoyed a really nice birthday weekend with extra David-time and family time.

Onto some random topics & answers to a few of your questions:

[ GLASS PEBBLE PROJECT ]

No, the glass pebble art/Christmas decor project does NOT have glass over it because it’s really chunky with those glass pebbles. But I did leave the glass piece in the frame, BEHIND the art. Keeps it all nice & sturdy. I bought those large glass pebbles at Target. I’m sure you can also find them at craft stores, WalMart, etc.

By the way, I’ve gotten a few pictures from some of you who have made your own variation of the project. Anyone else want to share their personal creation? E-mail me a picture. I’d love to share them here on my blog so everyone can see the different styles & ideas.

[ 200 LAYOUTS ]

It took me about 4-5 months to create those layouts for my new Sketches book.

[ TACO SEASONING ]

I told you this was random. When a recipe calls for a specific amount of taco seasoning, I do not use the individual packets. In fact, I don’t think I ever use those. We got a big container of it at … you guessed it … Costco.

[ PDA ]

The handheld organizer (that doubles as a cell phone, etc.) that I use is the Motorola Q but I REALLY want the iPhone. Of course.

[ BEDDING ]

Does anyone have a great online source for adorable girl bedding? Looking for Claire.

[ SPEAKING OF ADORABLE ]

Attn: Michelle. Michelle Wooderson. Will you please e-mail me? [bhiggins@ckmedia.com]

You guys are so sweet. We really appreciate the concern and well wishes. I’m pleased to report that Claire is doing significantly better and we are home from the hospital. Even though not quite 100% yet, she IS herself again … super sassy and all. : )

Again, thank you. Enjoy your weekend.

Some of you are planning on attending the CKC in Kansas City this weekend. I was planning on being there too, and I was looking forward to meeting many of you!

However, I will not be there.

Actually, I’m coming to you live from the hospital. Our two-year old daughter, Claire, was hospitalized earlier this week for breathing difficulties/severe croup. Once she was discharged, I was still planning on coming to Kansas City. However, her symptoms worsened and she had to be readmitted. Though we are certain that Claire will be fine, I am so grateful for your support and understanding as I put my role as mother and caregiver first.

Those of you enrolled in one of my classes at the event should have received an e-mail from our events staff, which explains more. We really worked hard to come up with a good solution to the sudden changes. I am grateful for the thought they put into working this out; the team is truly awesome and I know you will enjoy the convention experience. So sorry I can’t be there with you.

I’m kind of feeling like it’s time to address more of your questions. I DO read all of your posted comments but, as I’m sure you understand, I don’t have time to respond to each comment or question. I’m going to try to catch up with many of you who are patiently awaiting a response. Watch for more of this in the coming week or two.

So I’ll start with the #1 request I’ve been getting from you: What does my home office/creative space look like? Well … here’s a sneak preview:

I did an article on my room/system/creative process for Creating Keepsakes magazine. This article will have more info, pictures, and tips and it will show up in the February issue, which will hit most of your mailboxes (for those of you who subscribe) the first part of December. I also did some filming in my room, complete with a tour of all the details. As soon as I have more information on that DVD, I’ll let you know.

On that note … Remember: I’ll keep you posted on any creative-related stuff I think might interest you. That’s the main reason I started a blog. I won’t keep you in the dark. Promise. : )