Okay I have to admit I have been a tad bit stressed about the big “Thanksgiving Day” dinner at our house. Alan’s mom and dad are coming and Terri’s boyfriend Laren will be bringing his family. I know it will be fun and everything will turn out beautifully but I didn’t name my blog “It’s in The Details” for nothing…. seriously I can make myself NUTS detailing everything down to the last grain of salt. I am the type of person that can make a mountain out of a mole hill with any project or event. My brain just keeps thinking about adding this and that and this would be great oh and if we had this, that would be great too….

Sorry I kinda got off topic… wait I don’t think I even started the topic? Wait it was about the mail…. you can see my state of mind anyway as I was getting my second trip to the grocery store list ready the doorbell rings and I get this package…. I’m not expecting anything so cannot even imagine what it could be well… check this out…

I open it to see this sweet little note from Laura!

I lift the tissue to find these incredible trims! Gasp #1 heard throughout the neighborhood!

I then lift the next layer of tissue and find these incredible leaves, flowers and picks… YEP, GASP #2 heard throughout the city of Frisco!

I then lift the next layer of tissue and find these beautiful flowers and other embellishments. GASP #3 heard throughout the state of Texas!

Laura, thank you so much. I cannot believe you surprised me with such beautiful things. Well I can because you are so sweet but I think you know what I mean. If you visit Paper Tales in Eastpointe, MI and you see Laura, please give her a big hug from me. I know Cass has lots of great stuff planned for Black Friday… so hug Laura cause I’m sure she will be there.

Gosh, going to the store is gonna be a breeze now because I will be thinking about all the great things I can create for my book instead of worrying about where everyone is going to sit, what to serve for drinks and how to set up the buffet. Yep things are gonna be so much nicer now.

I’m not much of a Halloween kinda person. So I am already thinking about Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong I love having trick-or-treaters come to the house but decorating for me is pretty much a carved pumpkin.

So this weekend I started thinking about making table decorations for Thanksgiving and let me just say… I am so loving my Cuttlebug. Did you know you can run any of the Maya Road Sheers through the Cuttlebug? If you didn’t you do now and gosh is it ever fun! Here is a little project I created using some of the Sheer Blossoms and the Textile Embossing Folder.

I used Ranger Alcohol Inks in Terra Cotta, Bottle and Pearl on the Large Blossom and Gold and Latte on the Small Blossom.

To alter the Square Scallop Chipboard Coaster Book I took two pages and sprayed Brown and Gold Maya Mists over the entire front and back of each page.

Additional Products Used: Maya Road Buttons - Earth, Maya Road Trinkets Metal Elements – Blossoms, Maya Road Philadelphia Uppercase Alphabet, Adirondack Metallic Acrylic Paint Dabber – Gold, Melissa Frances Regal Glitter Collection (Gold), Melissa Frances Autumn Splendor Vintage Transfers, Floss, Tulle and a Berry Spray.

I know you are probably getting tired of seeing my Dad in his Santa suit but I just love this photo. He looks so jolly! I took it when visiting my parents a few days before Thanksgiving. I think my Dad is the best Santa ever!

I wasn’t able to create any new projects yesterday. I am the lucky one that has been picked to get the terrible head cold going around in the family. I will have Ansley draw the winner of my RAK tonight and announce the winner in the morning. I will also upload a photo of what you will be receiving in the mail. I hope you all have a wonderful day. I’m heading back to bed.

Oh and one last thing… If you want to see some ADORABLE tree ornaments you have got to go to Notes from the Journey all the design team members created tree ornaments using Maya Road products. They are really cute and so easy to duplicate.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. There are lots of leftovers in the fridge at my house AND for those of you that may be wondering… my turkey came out great! I was so relieved to see lots of juices flowing when my BIL Douglas started carving it. I highly recommend you Brine your turkey if you have not ever done so. That is the secret! My friend Connie gave me her recipe over the phone as she and her family were in Colorado. I followed the instructions to a “T” and must say it was the best turkey I have ever eaten, well besides my Mom’s. So, it seems as though my Aunt is right… if you can read you can cook! I will post the Brine recipe at a later date in case some of you cook turkey for Christmas and want to give this a try. My oldest daughter Terri was quite the cook this year. I am so proud of her. She made several fabulous desserts (Apple Pecan Cheesecake, Chocolate Silk Pie and two Pumpkin Pies), mashed potatoes and some baked mac and cheese that was incredible.

We also took a few group photos of the family. That is always interesting when all three brothers are together. It took forever as they love to goof around. But, we got a few really nice photos so it was worth the hassle of letting them act like little boys.

My BIL Douglas and Ansley had a cute little duet going on the piano. Ansley has a great ear which helps her learn pretty quick. Here are a few cute photos taken during her lesson. The piano is a 1908 Cable piano which Douglas learned to play on. It is the focal point of our front room. I just love it.

And finally here is the cover of my altered puzzle. I will get the inside finished this week so you can see what a fun little project this is.

I will have lots of projects to show during the week so check back and don’t forget about my RAK. I will enter your name for each comment you leave on my blog. The deadline is Dec. 1st.

What a nice visit Ansley and I had with my parents. While we were down, Ansley made her first pumpkin pie. On our next visit Mom is going to teach her to make a custard pie. We had some great laughs during this pie making process. LOL… before Ansley even got one item measured and in the bowl she had already spilled salt all over the place. I think she is going to be a messy cook! I plan on documenting this moment in a mini album and I’m sure Maya Road has the perfect album! If you have not ventured over to the Maya Road blog “Notes from the Journey” you really should. Jessica has done a great job on it and will have lots of fun topics as well as RAKs posted.

I hope those of you that are traveling to see friends and family for Thanksgiving have a safe journey. I’m wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving.

at a project I am working on right now. I have seen so many altered puzzles and have always wanted to try and create one with a Christmas theme. I love the old world Santa so the Daisy D’s Christmas paper is perfect for my project. Well a few days ago I found the cutest size puzzle in the $1 section at Target. I grabbed several to alter and give as gifts. I am just about finished with the inside but thought I would give you a peak at the front. I should be finished in a few more days.

This so called Plump & Juicy Young Butterball Turkey is sitting in my freezer. Yep you read right… my freezer! I’m just a bit nervous since I will be the one cooking the turkey this Thanksgiving and I’m not a cook! My Aunt always told me if you can read you can cook! Well, I hope she is right. I’m a pretty good reader but there is just something that happens when I step into the kitchen and that something isn’t always good. I told my Mom to keep the phone glued to her hip because I was going to be calling ALL the time for help. My Mom can cook the best turkey! If you all have any great recipes you want to share please e-mail them to me. I will gladly take any help I can get.