Reactions are the best....

Can you believe another Christmas has come and gone? It's always a bittersweet thing for me! I always start looking SO forward to Christmas when the leaves start falling! But when it starts getting really close to the actual day I am ready for the stress to be over! I so enjoy watching the boys and their reactions as they open their presents - that is my favorite part of Christmas! What is yours?

I thought I would share a few Christmas pictures of our family at Christmas. These are a few fav's of the boys....


Taylor getting his MUCH wanted Fox gear! Not to mention all of the other clothes, games (Favorite: Aerosmith Guitar Hero), airsoft stuff and LAX stuff he wanted.

Sean getting his Keyboard/Piano! Oh and a bike, disco ball, strob light and games.

Alex getting his Chromatic I-Pod Nano!! Games (Favorite: NCAA 08), clothes, airsoft stuff and of course O-H-I-O State gear.

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The boys all got me a Willow Tree collectable. I love them....I have about a dozen of them now. I loved every one of them! My Dad also got me two of these..."Hero" & Father and Daughter (this one almost made me tear up!).

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James was so nice to get me a TomTom GPS (this was the ONLY thing I asked for - that way there would be no doubt I would get it! :P At least that was my hope!!!!)...NOW I will not get lost in the future. I am always calling him when I leave a Stampin' Up! show ...." Okay, now how do I get home from here - I have taken a WRONG turn!!" This generally follows with a lot of laughing by him - NOT me! He also got me a digital picture frame and a really nice pair of boots! I have such a great husband! :)

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As for James...the boys got him a Fireman from the Call of Duty collection. I got him some clothes, an electric razor, some Crocs and Gio cologne - I have to have my hubby smelling good! He also got some really cool tool organizers for his tool box he really wanted from my brother!

It is really hard to believe that in less then a week it will be 2009! I am not sure that I will post again before the new year. So hope you and your families are safe bringing in the new year!

See ya in 2009....

6 days and counting....

Can you believe that Christmas is ONLY 6 DAYS AWAY??? I can't! Boy time flies when you have a ton to do...



I have baked cookies, made peppermint bark and copied CD's of pictures that I have taken of my daycare children throughout the past 6 months for my daycare parents. So I have been very busy since my last post! I am proud to say ALL of the shopping is done (we finished up tonight) and wrapped - YAY. So I feel as though I can enjoy the rest of the Christmas holiday...this is the first time in many years that I don't feel stressed out the week before Christmas!!!!

All of the cards have been mailed and we have received our fair share of cards this year - Thanks to those of you who have sent us a card...a few of you duplicated..... (although I would never tell you that!) :) It's my little secret! I know with all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday we all forget things and duplicate things. I just feel that you have thought of me more than once during the crazy time of year! (I am blessed to have such wonderful friends!)

I ONLY have 2 more days of work before I can relax until after the new year! I have kids on Monday and Tuesday then I will be off until the 5th of January - WOW a vacation without anything to do. Well almost - I have an appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed on the 2nd of January! UGH!!! As much as I will miss my daycare kids I am going to enjoy some me time! I will miss each and everyone of them...



We are all looking forward to Christmas Day! I always enjoy the looks on the our kids faces as they open presents we have shopped for - of course Sean still "believes" in the guy in the "Big Red Suit"! I am sure this will be the last year...this is the age when Taylor came to me and asked if Santa was real (it broke my heart - only because this meant that he was growing up!)...I told him he must "always" believe and there would always be something special under the tree for him. Alex stopped believing is Santa a little sooner than the other two...



Hope you will be able to spend some time with family and friends over the holiday season...I know we are going to have our fair share of time with our family and friends - we are looking forward to it!



A Very Merry Christmas to you and your Family!



Until after Christmas.....

How many days till Christmas?

Okay... am I the only one who isn't even close to being ready for Christmas? Although we do have our trees up and the outside decorated! (this is a plus!!) James and I have barely started our shopping. I have been so busy with Stampin' Up! that I haven't had a chance to get half of the shopping done! But...I did get the chance to make all of my Christmas cards... 88 to be exact! That is something to feel great about. Now to just address and put stamps on them and send them to the homes of our friends, family and customers. I sure hope they like them.

Here is the pile of cards....

I couldn't pick just one fav so I picked 5 favorites...
I am in HIGH hopes to get some shopping done. At this point I ONLY have two things on my schedule - 1) Is to get my hair done. 2) We will be attending the 20th Anniversary Annual Historic Lebanon Christmas Festival and Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade. They have over 200 horse drawn carriages. They are all so pretty with lights and festive decor. I will take some pictures and post them some time this weekend. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Until next time -

Let the Shopping Begin

I ACTUALLY talked James into going Christmas shopping at 5am on Thanksgiving morning...I know we were out of our minds! The best thing about me talking him into this is that he HATES to shop more than anything else! So this was a HUGE deal to me!! Thanks James - love you honey! :)

After standing in a line for about 1 hour and 15 minutes he had had it! Although it saved us $50 - he still didn't think it was worth loosing sleep over!! I stood in line just as long and saved $120. For a grand total of $170 -So to me it was well worth the wait! I think had he not left his coffee in the car he wouldn't have had such a bad time! :) He doesn't function well without a pot of coffee every morning! But the best part was when we were walking out of the 1st (and last) store - he said "I will NEVER do this again, so don't ask!" He was really a trooper and made the best of it without his coffee! I know that when the boys open those "SPECIAL" gifts on Christmas morning...that time spent at 5 am in a store without his coffee and sleep deprived - it will be well worth it!

Today the boys and I put up the Christmas trees in the house. I put up a lot of the decorations - my village and the nativty set that used to belong to my Grandma Rentfrow - so it means a lot to me to be able to display it in our home. Christmas was my Grandma's favorite holiday of the year. I think of her often throughout the year - but more so at Christmas time.

Although, I still have a few hours left to decorate tomorrow morning, I feel as though I have made a lot of progress today! I am hoping that James will be able to get outside and get the decorations up as well. Then we will be done with the decorating and we can focus on the rest of the holiday!

Hope you all are getting your trees and home decorated for the upcoming holiday.

Looking forward to Christmas -

Happy Thanksgiving

I thought I would take this time to wish my family and friends a Happy Thanksgiving.

This is the time of the year that I miss getting together with the Rentfrow's! We have a large family and as a child I would look forward to our big...(actually I think HUGE is a better word!) gatherings! My cousins and I would have a great time running around the house, playing games and just hanging out. We would also draw names for a present exchange at Christmas. But most of all I miss my Grandparents!!!!

We are going to be rather busy eating over the next few days!

1st Feast:
Our Thanksgiving will start tomorrow evening at James' cousin Doug's house. His wife Nikki is a wonderful cook (Chef is a better word!!), she catered our wedding and the food was wonderful! :) She always has a big spread of food at their house...I am ready to dig in!

2nd Feast:
Our house on Thanksgiving Day. A few years ago my mother-in-law had surgery on her hand just before the holidays. James and I were asked to host their Thanksgiving at our house that year. Well it has become a tradition ....we have been hosting every year since. We love it! The only problem we seem to have is - Who does the kitchen belong to on that day?? :) James and I both like to cook, so we have a hard time sharing the kitchen! We spend part of our time getting in each others way. But it's all in fun! LOL!

3rd Feast:
On Saturday we will spend the evening at my parents house eating another turkey dinner. At this feast I am the chosen one to make the desserts. Which I love to do - this is something I really enjoy! This year I will be making a Chocolate Cream Pie (Dad's favorite - if I don't make this pie he doesn't let me live it down!!) and a Apple Crisp Pie (my brother's favorite).

I hope each of you get to spend the holiday with the ones you love - making wonderful memories to share for a life time!


Hug the ones you love,


Tisha

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Blah-Blah Sistahood 2008

A weekend filled with laughs and many memories! This past weekend was the 3rd Annual Blah-Blah Sistahood weekend. It's a weekend for the adult ladies of my Dad's side of the family to get together. We meet the first weekend November. It's a weekend to catch up, reminisce and just hang out with our sistahs!
The picture above is of my cousins: Kim, Chauny & Ashlee.

My cousin Chauny plans and organizes this weekend every year! Kudos to her! She makes a menu and has a theme. We have an "Ugly Ornament" contest and P.J. contest. We all take a special part in the weekend - cooking that is. Our theme this weekend was - MAMBO ITALIANO !!!!!!! Which meant that we all had to take part in cooking and italian dish. ALL of the food was wonderful...Not to mention we had made enough food to food all of our spouses and children too. We also proved that we come from a long line of great cooks!!!!!!

Friday:

My sister-in-law, Julee and I started out in the morning. We arrived in Peoria, Il. (5 hr drive) about 3 pm. This is where my cousin Chauny lives. She was so nice to open her home to all of us for our weekend!! She has a beautiful home - it was built in the early 1900's. It was really roomy and very welcoming. After we were all settled in we ordered from a local pizza place - Firehouse Pizza. I thought it was really neat - being that James is a fireman. We ate in so that we could drink and catch up! The pizza was really yummy! We hung out at "Chauny's bar in the basement. We stayed up chatting, drinking and having many laughs until the A.M. hours - not exactly sure what time we went to bed! A toast for the start of the Blah-Blah weekend. Pictured: Chauny & Julee (my sister-in-law)

Saturday:

We slept in until about 7am (not really sleeping in!). We drank LOTS of coffee, fixed breakfast and then all got ready for a day of shopping. We finally called it a day about 9pm and headed for the house. A few of the sistah's had left ahead of us to start dinner - how nice of them! The meal was one fit for queens! It was very good...we drank some more and then we did our Ugly Ornament exchange. I have to say that Chauny and I were running neck in neck with the uglyest ornament. (Chauny's - Eagle & Mine - witch)

Later we all voted on the best P.J.'s - Aunt Bev won this contest!

Pictured below... F-Row: Chauny & Ashlee (my cousin's), M-Row: Me, Aunt Doris & cousin Kim, B-Row: Aunt Bev & Aunt Carolyn. (not pictured: Julee)

We all stayed up pretty late into the A.M. hours. My cousin Chauny and I stayed up until 2:30 am sharing things that had happened in each of our lives over the past few years....sure do wish we lived closer! This sure did remind me of when we were kids.

Sunday:

I woke up very early ...6:30 am to be exact and couldn't get back to sleep!! So I showered and started packing the car. Although I was very happy to be going home to my family that I had missed - I was also sad to leave all of my sistahs! The others finally woke up and then we fixed coffee and ate breakfast together one last time. We looked at pictures that we had taken during the weekend and laughed! After one last walk through the house we all parted ways. Hugs for everyone...we will all miss each other dearly! This was a wonderful weekend had by all! To those sistahs that weren't able to make - I sure hope you will be there next year... I am counting down the days!

Love and miss you all ....

Election Day

This morning at 6:43 am - James was on his way to work and he thought that I should know that the lines at some of the voting stations were out of the buildings!!! (I think he forgot I was sleeping!!) ;P I wasn't suprised. I had one parent come this morning and told me that she had stood in line for a little over an hour! Another had to have her husband come and pick up her youngest son who at that point had been standing with her in line for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Not exactly sure how long she stood there after he picked him up? I can remember it only taking about 15 minutes or less last time! UGH! I think this is the most important election that I have personally lived through. Today is a very important day to the United States of America. Please do your part and vote today. I will be voting this evening after all of my daycare kids leave....wish me luck-I am sure the lines will be even longer by then!!! Have a great afternoon!

November Classes

STAMP CLASS SCHEDULES – November 2008
Tisha Sargent, Instructor
Call: 513-282-2250
E mail: twoolheater@cinci.rr.com
Website:
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/tishasargent
CLASSES FILL QUICKLY!!
Email OR call me with your choice of dates, and as always,
your payment holds your spot in class.
Send payment to:
Tisha Sargent - 366 Forge Drive, Lebanon, Ohio 45036

Framed Art Class!
Friday, Nov. 14th, 2008
7:00pm to 10:00pm cost: $25.00
Fee due NO later than November 3rd - This will hold your spot. If the fee isn’t paid by the due date I can’t promise you a spot that evening. I have to pre-order supplies for this class!!
I have had some requests to do this class! We’ll be getting a head start on a few Christmas gifts, using several new accessories, sets and embellishments!! You will make (3) different pieces of Framed Art (1-Winter theme & 2-General)! You can keep these for yourself or give them as gifts. Bring your scissors, adhesive & bone folder, please. This class is limited to 8 people.

Snow Flurries Class!
Saturday, Nov. 15th, 2008
10:00am to 12:30pm cost: $30.00
Fee due NO later than November 1st - This will hold your spot. If the fee isn’t paid by the due date I can’t promise you a spot that evening.
Card Portfolio's are prefect gifts! Are you looking for the perfect holiday gift for that “hard-to-shop-for” person in your life? Everyone loves to give cards during the holiday season, so why not gift them with this gorgeous card portfolio with 5 coordinating cards! You will use the new stamp set “Snow Swirled”. The fee includes a pack of rub-ons “Season of Cheer” ($10.95 value) - you will have PLENTY to take home and make more cards just like the ones we will make in this class. This includes the directions to recreate this wonderful portfolio. Bring your scissors, bone folder, adhesive, versa mark ink pad & Snow Swirled stamp set (if you have it). These items will make the class move along more smoothly.

*** I am running a special for this class ONLY!! Sign up for the class and I will discount the stamp set “Snow Swirled” and “Ski Slope Designer Paper” as a kit for $27.92 (plus shipping and tax) this is a 20% discount for class members only. I need orders to be turned in to me by midnight on NOVEMBER 1st. You have to place orders through me for this discount – NOT ON MY WEBSITE!!!! Class limited to 10 people.

Stamp-A-Stack Card Class!
Saturday, Nov. 22nd, 2008
10:00am to 1:00pm cost: $20.00
Fee due NO later than November 9th - This will hold your spot. If the fee isn’t paid by the due date I can’t promise you a spot that evening.
Come join in the fun and bring a friend! We are going to make (12) cards, (4) different designs, (3) of each card. We will be doing Christmas and Thank You cards. The class fee includes (12) handmade cards with envelopes. Please bring your adhesive, bone folder and scissors. Class limited to 10 people.

Check out my Website: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/tishasargent

First Entry - Shriners' Parade

As a small little girl I remember watching many parades, but always my favorite was the Shriners! I took Taylor and Sean to the Shriners' Parade on Saturday in our small town of Lebanon. The parade was just as I remembered all those years ago as a child.... Lots of funny men making people laugh, in little cars, on horses, on bikes dressed up as clowns and just acting like kids in a grown-ups body!!! We met a few friends there and had a great time. Here are a few pictures that I would like to share. The clowns are always my fav! They make the kids laugh and are very active with them. Share a memory with me about your favorite parade as a child. Hope you enjoy these pictures as much as we all enjoyed the Shriners' Parade.


That's all for today....