Do Blog Maids exist?

Because I need one.  This place is almost as avoided as my house is.  Poor house.  Poor blog.

My craft room hasn't been touched since October.  I've seriously contemplated giving the hobby up but I'm giving it one last chance.  Don't be surprised if you see a big 'For Sale' sign here in a few months as I clear out the supplies little  by little.  I almost think its inevitable.  I've come full circle in this hobby and my heart just isn't in it anymore.  There used to be a time when I would think about crafting all day and then rush home to spend 5 minutes in here.

There used to be a day I rushed to the computer to order my kits as soon as they were released and then I would wait by the front door for them to arrive.  I'm down to one kit now (from 4) and haven't ordered a thing online in months.

Part of me is hoping that it was the end of the year rush that I felt taking over a new office and having to 'fix' a lot.  Working 12 hour days but still making time for family and never having time for myself.  Then Christmas snuck up on me.  This is the first year I didn't shop.  I literally hit the grocery store up on the 23rd and purchased gift cards for everyone just so they had something from me.

I made these layouts at the last retreat I went to in October.  The pictures have been sitting in my camera for 3 months.  I came across them when I dusted that thing off to take Christmas photos.

The one thing I didn't let die this year was the Elf on the Shelf.  My son loves him and even cried when he left.  I almost felt bad and pulled him out of his hiding spot.....  The Elf may need to make a few appearances throughout the year just to make the kid smile.

I tok a much needed week of vacation the week after Christmas so I have 9 days to figure something out.  I may make something.  My son has 47 Lego sets to put together and nothing is stopping him which means I may have some free time on my hands this week in between a trip to Sea World, skating and other fun activities I may have planned.

All flair buttons are from the A Flair For Buttons Etsy shop.  Run over and grab a set!

First layout uses Simple Stories Fall line from 2013.  I had some scraps sitting around and some pictures so I threw this together.  Wood veneer apples and numbers are older Studio Calico.  (I'm on a mission to use up my older stuff.......)

 Second layout uses October Afternoon.  You know this is old because they haven't released a line in over a year.  This was the Public Library line.  Had to have it, not sure why other than it was cute.  My son has *NEVER* been a reader...ever.  So when he all of a sudden came home with an actual BOOK from the school library, I just about keeled over.  But he loves this series (Magic Treehouse) and reads them all the time.  I can't keep his nose out of them.  He's now an avid reader and realizes that his mother was *gasp* right and that books are fun and have great stories in them.  Shocker.

 A double pager.  I admire all those 2 pagers I see out there but I don't scrap in that fashion.  Every once in a while I can pop one out but it looks weird to me.  And because they aren't 'together' in the album makes them seem like 2 separate pages anyway.   More Simple Stories fall line mixed with some AC Thickers and Chic Tags tags.

 Last one for today.  No Vest.  N's first cruise.  He refused to wear the life vest during the drill and the guy was going to make him wear it. Guess who won?  The crowd was so mad that the drill person was forcing it on this kid.  We tried everything to get that vest on him and at one point, he had it on, but his dad had him by the arms and I had his legs while my mom wrapped it around him.