Totally Amazing Giveaways!!!

Ok, so I was going to step away from the computer for a few days and actually pack clothes for that trip we are taking...but who needs clothing when you could win something COOL!!?

Okay, yes we need clothing...fret not, I promise to put pants on my children before we leave the house. But this chance to win was too good not to share with you all!

One of my favorite ladies in the blogosphere...Pioneer Woman....is giving away some wonderful things in the spirit of the holidays! First off you could win a delicious candy apple red KitchenAid stand mixer..yes, WIN..that means FREE, which equals AWESOME!

And not only that, over at the Tasty Kitchen Blog you can enter to win a gorgeous set of kitchen knives made by Wusthof! Another win!! Pioneer Woman has excellent taste! ;)

And last but OH so not least!! You can win this epic Photosmart eStation e-All-in-One Printer!!!
Head over to the post here and enter to win!!

What a wonderful Christmas gift...winning one of these amazing giveaways!! A HUGE thank you to P-Dub for the chance to win! Now go enter.....Now. No really, do it right now!!!

Merry Christmas!!

A very Merry Christmas from my family to yours....

I wanted to take just a moment to say happy holidays to all of you out there...whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas or Winter Solstice....no matter what you celebrate!! I hope this time of family and friends and celebration is all you want it to be.

I'll be leaving this space until after the first of the year as my family and I celebrate and travel but will be back (hopefully on a more regular basis!!!) after the New Year and hope you'll visit again. Until then (with inspiration from a dear friend..you know who you are....) I leave you with a blessing...

The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

With love and light from my family to yours....

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama:

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."


Have a lovely 'almost Christmas' weekend....

{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama:

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."


Have a safe, cozy, warm weekend...

Being forced to face reality

I know it's December. I've lived in Kentucky my entire life so I know what that means weather wise as well. That doesn't mean I have to like it or even acknowledge it. At least until it's staring me in the face . I woke up this morning to this:



And being smacked with a face full of cold and wet first thing in the morning does tend to make one face reality: It's winter. Let the inclement weather begin!

As a child and even teenager and young adult I was thrilled with the possibility of snow. Generally speaking snow meant no school..possibly for days on end...hanging out at home in my jammies and generally being a sloth. As an adult and mother of 2 it means: No school...possibly for days on end...the boys hanging out in their jammies and generally being sloths.

But that also means hearing 'I'm bored', 'he started it', 'it was Liam's idea', 'mom I'm hungry', 'I'm thirsty', 'I'm bored again', etc etc pretty much all day from the time they wake up until bedtime. I'm not sure what it is about snowy days but something about knowing we can't easily just go get in the car and go somewhere makes the boys extra stir crazy after the first day.

My way of combating the inevitable ennui that ensues once snow days start piling up is to stockpile crafts and art supplies and make sure we have a good supply on hand for any eventuality. Some people stock up on groceries, I stock up on crayons, paints and books. The morning's snow was a wake up call....better get those art cabinets stocked!!

I do love having the boys home with me for extra snuggle time, especially when it's super cold and snowy. There is nothing better than snuggling up on the couch and watching a movie under a pile of quilts. So I try to look on the bright side of things and not think about the fact that I've become a snow Scrooge over the years. And I've nearly perfected my 'keep the snow away' dance.

Sometimes it even works. ;)

there were at least 30 birds in this tree..I honestly wonder how it's thin branches were holding them all!

{this moment}....Proud Mama moment...

Inspired by Soule Mama:

"A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see."


Have a safe, warm, wonderful weekend...

Counting down the days...

For a long time now I have wanted to make my own Advent or count down to Christmas calendar. I remember having the paper kind with the windows you popped open when I was little...the little windows generally had a piece of chocolate in them too which made it not only fun but very tasty!!

I found a lovely Advent calendar at A Little Wonky and decided to dive in! Her tutorial is pretty straightforward..the only thing I didn't do was embroider the top. I have not mastered that particular skill yet and didn't want this to be my maiden voyage, so I decided to cut letters from one of the fabrics I used for pockets and use them on the top. Here is the finished product..



Besides little treats like candy canes, new toothbrushes (Bakugan toothbrushes!), a couple of very small toys (wind up Santas, etc.) there are special event cards tucked in the pockets as well. One announces that we'll be visiting the Cincinnati Zoo's Festival of Lights that night, another has a special trip to a favorite restaurant, yet another has a downtown visit listed as our activity of the day, and there are several more. Fun activities to make our wait for Christmas a bit more bearable and MUCH more fun!



I have to say the hardest part of this process for me was getting all the little pockets aligned!! Every time I thought I had a good system/had measured properly I would find I was off by several inches....no fun! After I got the rhythm though it sewed up very quickly. I used a 1 yard piece of medium weight linen for the background material, folded in half and hemmed on all sides, and several fat quarters of fabric to cut out my pockets, 5 different pocket fabrics total. To make the 'Noel' at the top I simply found a font I liked, blew it up to the size I liked best (with hubby's help...isn't it funny how the smallest, simplest things can make you crazy sometimes..yay, I'm a ditz ;) then printed it out and cut the letters out to use as a pattern. I think my 'o' is a bit off, but who cares?!

The Crafty Crow has a great list of other easy and adorable Advent calendars (that's where I found mine) and it's not too late..we're only on day 2, you still have time to whip one up!!

Do you have a special holiday tradition, or are you in the process of starting one? I'd love to hear about it!