Wordless Wednesday ~ Lovin' My Family

Holiday Gift Giving ~ Gifts from the Heart

It's here! The first day of the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash from Simply Sweet Home. Jen, from Tatertots and Jello is the first to host. I just love Jen. If ever there was a woman full of amazing crafty talent and ideas, it is she! Today she is sharing homemade gift ideas, and we are encouraged to share our own. What fun!

One of our favorite homemade gifts around here is hair clippies. We're girly girls, what can we say? And with so many girl cousins and friends, we're never short on someone who could benefit from a little hair "candy" :) Sierra, Makenna, and I recently made holiday hair clips, but we enjoy making these all year round for all different occasions.

Click HERE for a hair clip tutorial ;)

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Need a little something to put those clips in?

The other day I was looking for gift boxes for a few necklaces I was making as gifts. Of course, I couldn't find a one! I didn't want to have to order more. For one, I don't need 150 of them {or whatever the minimum order would be}, and secondly, I couldn't really wait for them to arrive. I needed them NOW. I remembered a super easy way to make gift boxes out of old Christmas or greeting cards, or a little cardstock or scrapbooking paper. We used to make these by the dozens when I was in middle school.

{I apologize ahead of time for the quality in pictures AND box. I was in a hurry, so neither turned out well, but I think you can at least get an idea}.

Simply locate an unused card.

Fold each side in toward the middle, and crease. {Fold bottom up to the midway point, top to midway, then unfold. Then fold sides in to midpoint.} Unfold all and lay flat. {I've drawn lines to show where you should see creases.

Next, cut up the each side just until you touch the middle rectangle.

Fold tabs in, and fold middle over {I use a bit of tape to secure}, and voila!

Repeat these steps for the bottom of the box, except fold in just a tiny bit further so that the box is a tiny bit smaller :)

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And what's a gift without a super cute tag to accompany it???

Searching for more heartfelt gift ideas? Go see Jen!

You can call me 'Mom mom!'

That's what Kam calls me now ;) At first I was thinking she was just babbling {as she always does}, but she only says this ~ 'Mom Mom!' ~ When I have put her down and she thinks she needs me ASAP. It is pretty darn cute, if I do say so.

In other news . . . I have a cookie exchange to go to this week. HELP!

We spent the better part of yesterday making cookies.

We made some jam thumbprint cookies. We also made a Sandies type of cookie with a cream cheese and peppermint filling. And lastly we made some chocolate and mint chip/cream cheese bars. Though, I don't know that bars are really cookies. Are they? Is it legal to bring them to a cookie exchange? Who's the authority, anyone know?

So, here's the thing. I can't decide which to take. I think the bars are out. They're a bit more work, and I'd feel like I need to cut them out into circles so they'd look more cookie-ish. Yeah, the bars are definitely out. I like the look of the jam thumbprints {in a taste test they were preferred 2 to 1~ my parents liked the jam, Sierra liked the peppermint/cream cheese. And I cannot taste right now, as I'm smack dab in the middle of a cold, so I couldn't tell ya which I like the best. Kenners didn't care for any of them. I'm sorry, but who doesn't like cookies? And Jeremy's been at work for the last 48 hours, so he hasn't had the pleasure.}

I don't know. Should I just take the jam ones? Are these over done at cookie exchanges? Should I find a different recipe altogether? Anyone?

{Or should I just shut up, bake the dang cookies, and not worry about it? I think that's my vote.}

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Flashback Friday {on Saturday} Pregnancy Journal, Week 28

I'm tardy, I know. Flashback Saturday just doesn't have the same ring to it. But we've been so busy, and now I'm getting sick. I just didn't get around to posting this yesterday.

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edited: Why, yes Julie, I do have a couple pics from our outing. The rest are on my laptop which is still "getting fixed".

Pleasantly plump ;)

Look how much they've grown in a year!

{originally submitted December 17, 2008}

Week 28 ~ Brrrrrr!

The calendar may say that winter officially starts on the 21st, but here in Oregon it has already begun! With highs reaching barely into the teens the last few days, it has been quite chilly!

We woke up Sunday morning to a dusting of snow, but continued about our business. Our church Christmas program was scheduled for that evening, so we didn’t want to miss rehearsal during Sunday school. Once we got to the church, they had made the decision to postpone the program. Sierra and Makenna were disappointed as they were really looking forward to belting out the tunes they’d worked so hard to learn. Of course, most of the disappointment disappeared once we got home and they were able to play in the snow.

Luckily we couldn’t have picked a better day to visit the Pittock Mansion. There weren’t many people there which meant we could take as long as we pleased looking through each room. It was just beautiful. The girls had a great time getting dressed up for the outing ~ they wore their fancy shmancy Christmas dresses. As we were headed home Sierra decided that she wanted “one” (meaning, a mansion). Oh, how she makes me laugh!

On Friday I had my 28 week appointment with yet another midwife. I have really liked the last three I’ve seen, so I knew it was only a matter of time before I saw one I wasn’t thrilled with. It wasn’t a horrible appointment, but it felt very rushed, and the midwife was more than a little scatter-brained and disorganized. I was also scheduled for my glucose tolerance test that day. Let me just say, that super-delicious syrupy drink at 8am does not sit well on an empty stomach! The good news is that the follow-up ultrasound showed no cause for concern regarding premature labor. I’m still measuring about a week ahead, so I figure that is another sign that this little princess is growing strong and healthy every day. I can’t wait to meet her!

After my appointment I decided I had better take advantage of being in town, and get the rest of my Christmas shopping done. I’m rarely without the girls, so it was the perfect opportunity to pick up the remaining stocking stuffers, and a couple more gifts. I am happy to report that I am officially done with my Christmas shopping and almost all of the wrapping. And it’s a good thing, with this crazy weather we’ve been having!

I hope this last week before Christmas finds you all celebrating the many joys of the season. It is such a magical time of year, filled with so many memories. Enjoy yours!

Blessings,
Liz

Countdown to Christmas ~ ♥ Week 2 ♥

We are one week closer to Christmas! Oh my goodness how time is flying!!!

We've had another busy week ~ less crafts, more outings. Let's see if I can remember what we've been up to ;)

Saturday, December 5th

** Snowflake Necklaces **

I found the cutest kit at Wal-mart for making candy necklaces. Each packet contained edible candy beads and a snowflake candy to string on stretchy cord to create a necklace. The girls had such fun stringing the candy. {They also had fun eating it!}

Sunday, December 6th

♥ Decorating Nana and Grandpa's Tree & Chili Dinner ♥

I know I already shared this picture, but I love it so much I thought I'd share it again! :) That, and, somehow I managed to erase the remaining pics from our tree decorating/dinner at Nana and Grandpa's!

Monday, December 7th

♥ Decorating Grandma and Grandpa's Tree ♥

Monday was a looooong day, but we couldn't skip out on decorating at Grandma and Grandpa's {Jeremy's parents}. The girls had fun hanging decorations. Kam had pretty much had it by that point in the evening {as evidenced by above picture}.

Tuesday, December 8th

♥ Hot Cocoa, Cookies, and Photos at Grandma's office ♥

This was so much fun! I'm so glad we braved icy cold temps to make it to Geri's office. The tree was the perfect backdrop for some Christmas pictures, and the girls gobbled down some cookies and slurped on some hot chocolate while we visited with Grandma. It was great!

Wednesday, December 9th

** Mini Christmas Tree Decorations **

This was a fun craft idea I found online at Kaboose

You need a styrofoam cone, green felt, glue, and rhinestones or other decorations. Just glue the felt to the cone and attach the embellishments. Voila!

Thursday, December 10th

** White Christmas Movie-Watching at Nana and Grandpa's **

Sierra's been wanting to watch this movie {a favorite of mine and my dad's} for awhile.

Kam found some cookies ;)

And afterward we enjoyed sparkling cider and lasagna! :)

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I can't wait to read about your week! Link up and share :)

Dreaming of a White Christmas . . .

This was the movie that Sierra picked to watch today, over at Nana and Grandpa's {my parents}. It was our activity for Day 10, and so much fun! When we arrived, Grandpa had arranged sleeping bags and pillows on the floor, Nana had popped popcorn, and we were ready to settle in for a holiday classic! Tune in tomorrow for more details, and a re-cap of our whole Countdown to Christmas week! And be ready to post your own Countdown to Christmas summary. I LOVED reading about what y'all have been doing to get ready for Christmas!

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In other news, Kelli at Random Thoughts of a Supermom made the most adorable stockings for her boys. I just finished making Kam's stocking, and it sounds like we had similar experiences in the stocking-making department ;) It's not the most beautiful {and I'll probably trade it in for a personalized one from PBK next year}, but for this year it'll do.

Hugs!

Liz

Wordless Wednesday ~ Mmmm, McDonalds

Nothing like McDonald's after a long morning of hustle and bustle ;)

Brrrrrr!

Much of the same around here.

Busy, busy, busy.

'Tis the season, right?

Last night we ran up to my MIL and FIL's to decorate with them.

{Can we agree to ignore the big fat cold sore on my lip, and the fact that I look like I haven't slept ~nor showered~ in weeks. Mkay.}

Kam investigated under the tree.

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When we got home it was eleven degrees. Eleven.

And when we woke up this morning . . . it was seven.

Brrr.

I know some of y'all are accustomed to those temps, but I'm not!

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Today's outing:

To my MIL's office.

There was a Christmas tree set up to take pictures, and Geri bought Sierra and Makenna their own special mugs, made hot cocoa for them, and gave them chocolate chip cookies. Best Grandma ever, wouldn't ya say?

Not sure they were wild about the 372 pictures we were taking.

They brought their Bitty Babies {Cara and Jessica} along. It was so cold out that they traveled {Bitty Babies, not Sierra and Makenna} in their snowsuits. As soon as we got to the office the girls changed them into their festive holiday dots dresses.

They're doting mommies like that.

Sippin' on some cocoa in Grandma's office.

Makenna's favorite part is the whipped cream. She eats that, then passes on the cocoa ;)

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What'd y'all do today?

Going, going, going

Whew, it was a long weekend.

I don't even know where to start, so I'll just leave you with pictures :)

Friday we made the snowflakes.

I think they did great!

We hung them in the girls' room

Jeremy picked out a little tree for Sierra and Makenna to share in their room. They were SO excited to decorate it.

Sunday we went back over to Jeremy's parents' house to pick out another tree. This time it was for my mom and dad. It was COLD! Kam and I headed to the house while the rest of the gang tromped through the trees.

And last night we had chili and bread at my mom and dad's. Afterward the girls decorated the tree. They're getting pretty good at it! I love this shot of my dad and Sierra. Sierra and Makenna weren't satisfied with hanging ornaments at their level. They made Gramps lift them up for every.single.one. :)

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We have friends coming over in two hours and I need to get the house cleaned, laundry done, and dishes washed. WHAT am I doing on the computer???