:: Family Happenings - sneaky Ava

We call her sneaky for a reason.

And she totally knows what it means.

She'll often refer to herself as being sneaky.

She knows it.

Well, on Sunday I thought we'd do family pictures.

Self-timer  . . . yep, that means me pushing the button, running, and trying

to get into a good position in 10 seconds.

Never doing that again.

But anyway,

so I push the button, run to my spot

and the camera starts shooting away.

10 in a row.

I had positioned Ava behind the hubbs and I.

Big mistake.

Sneaky little Ava was, yet again, being sneaky.

She thought it was hilarious.

And, well, although it was a little bit frustrating, it was pretty funny.

The picture above is when I knew something sneaky was going on.

Maybe that's why a photographer is needed.

So they make sure the kiddos aren't being so sneaky.

:: Christmas - presents for the littles

 I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

It was very nice and relaxing day for me.
And believe it or not, the pies turned out great!
{Although I still don't like pecan pie - - I even tried it this time}

Now on to Christmas!

My favorite holiday.

Is your place as messy as mine?

All my Christmas decorations are out,

but only a few are actually where they're supposed to be.

The tree is up and the girls are loving it . . . a little too much.

So, Christmas.

Now a question.

About the presents . . . .

What do you do for your Christmas presents for the little ones?
Or I guess, about how many gifts do you give?
That's always our dilemma.
I don't want to give them a bazillion gifts cause I want them to be thankful for what they receive.

So, I have heard of giving 4 presents.
::  a want
::  a need
::  to wear
::  to read

Which I'll probably do and then
I want to do a gift of love (something handmade).

Source: dandee-designs.com via Amy on Pinterest

I'd love to hear what you do.

:: Family Happenings - happy 1st birthday Reese!

Last Thanksgiving, I woke up with contractions at 6 a.m.

We arrived at the hospital at around 9:10 a.m.

. . . And I had little Reese at 9:48 a.m.

{without an epidural - - no! my worst nightmare!}

We are so thankful for her.

Sounds cliche, I know, but I couldn't imagine my life without her.

She is growing into such a beautiful, intelligent toddler.

She is such a light in my life.

I love that she loves her big sister.  

I love that she's beginning to be attached to her blankee.

I love that when I arrive home from work, 

she runs to me and immediately puts her arms up so I can hold her.

 I love her big brown eyes.

Even though it was rough at times, I love that she started walking at 8 1/2 months.

I love that she jibber jabbers very intently as if she were having a conversation with you.

I love that she loves taking baths. 

 I love that she's addicted to her binky at night.

I love that her tiny, little body can run away from me.

I love that she sleeps through the night 

and that she has the biggest smile on her face when you come to get her in the morning.  

Happy Birthday Reesy!

We love you so much!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I shared this video last year, but I just love it!

Last year I had a very thankful Thanksgiving.
I gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
I got out of doing the dishes, that's for sure.

I am so thankful!

I hope you have a wonderful day and
are able to share this Thanksgiving with the ones you love.

Online Deals.

So we all know that this is the week of great deals!!!

I love going shopping on Black Friday.

Unfortunately I have to work this year,

BUT there are still great deals online.

From Eversave you can get 2 movie tickets for $13!!!

We seem to always go to the movies during the holidays.

So this will definitely save some money.

Get this deal here.

You have 3 days left to buy this.

{can buy up to 3 and expire 01/12/12}

Go here to get this deal on a canvas from Canvas People.

Who doesn't like free stuff?
And this would make the perfect Christmas gift.

Happy shopping!

:: Found on Pinterest - flakiest pie crust

Ya need to make a pie for Thanksgiving

and want to make a homemade pie crust?
{come on, you know you do}

Well, I've found the best recipe.

I tried it on Sunday and it's so flaky!

Yum! 

{but if you're not into flaky, then maybe don't try it}

I GET the opportunity to try to 

make a pecan pie.

I don't think I really even like pecan's that much.
You can tell I'm excited, huh.

Well, there's a first for everything?

Anyway, you can find it here.
Thank you Pioneer Woman!

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Amy on Pinterest

Oh and I think I'm gonna make her apple pie, too.
It looks delicious.

What will you be making today?

:: Photography - local location gems

One part I love about photography is the location.
I absolutely love searching for places around me that would
be perfect for a photo shoot.
It's a big part of what makes a photo amazing!

The other day I was on a photography blog (photographer lived nearby)
and saw this awesome music barn.
I had to find it.
So I googled it.
And all I found was a scanned old newspaper clipping (1920s).
But on that newspaper clipping they said the street where they'd just moved to.
So, I googled that street,
and talked my photog friend, Kim, into
helping me find it.
So the other day we headed out.
Just a little detective work, that's all.
But we found it and it's a gem!!!

Of course I brought my cute, little model.
But, she was a little camera shy with my friend snapping away.
She wasn't her cheesy self.

Then we found some old train tracks
 (that of course aren't being used anymore).

What awesome locations have you found lately?

:: Free - christmas card templates

So you know me. 

All about saving money.
Especially with christmas cards.
That can get pretty expensive, ya know.

But they need to look classy too.

Well, it's that time again to send out Chirstmas cards.

And I've found some cards online

that you can download for free, insert your picture,

and then print them out yourself.

So much cheaper then having someone 

else designing a card for you or going to snapfish or some other

online distributer like that.

So check out these free downloads.

These are my favorites I've found.

Source: dearemmie.com via Mindy on Pinterest

     :: from Dear Emmie

Source: beckyhiggins.com via Dawn on Pinterest

::  from Becky Higgins

Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  from Simple as That

Source: rebeccacooper.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: from Simple as That

Source: simplicityphotography.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  from SP Design


A big thanks to these wonderful people
who are so generous in providing something that saves me time and money.

Someday I'm gonna learn how to design cards like these,
so maybe I'll have a freebie for ya next year.

:: Found on Pinterest - caramel in a can

So, I'd seen this idea on pinterest and then saw it again on eighteen25 

and knew that I needed to give these as gifts.

I created a different version and wanted to show you all.

But first.  Did you know that if you put a can of condensed milk

in a crock pot for 6 hours that you'll 

get the best caramel ever?!

Neither did I!

You'll definitely want to try this.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

- doilies (6 inch diameter)

- sweetened condensed milk

- apples {forgot to put in the picture}

- twine

- clear bags

- instructions

All you need to do is take one doily and fold in half.

Just put a little dab of glue on the doily and place on the can.

Place twine around doily and can.

Print out instructions and tuck in between twine and can.

Get your clear plastic bag and put one doily in bottom.

Then place two apples {or how many will fit in your bag} in bag and place twine around top.

Pin It

The instructions:

  Caramel in a Can

  Line a crock pot with foil.  Remove the label from your sweetened condensed milk and place in crock pot.  Fill with water to just above the can.  Place on low and cook for six hours.  Set cans in a sink of cold water until they are cool to the touch.  Enjoy with sliced apples.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 This would be a perfect hostess gift 

for Thanksgiving!

{my hubby informed me that I should have bought

green apples because those are the best with caramel . . . just so ya know!}

details:

clear plastic bags:  think garnish

doilies:  Michaels

twine:  Michaels

I'll be linking to these parties here. 

:: Family Happenings - ava's thanksgiving program

Ava's preschool had their Thanksgiving program today.

They sang 4-5 songs for their parents,

each said what they were thankful for

{Ava said "I am thankful for my mom and dad and babyreese".}

and then we had a Thanksgiving lunch with them.

I love watching that little girl learn, grow,
and interact with her friends.
I am so thankful for her.

Oh and come back tomorrow for the
perfect Thanksgiving hostess gift.
They'll love it!

:: Pinterest Pretties

Here's what I've pinned recently.
What have you pinned?

Source: lifeasathrifter.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  love this idea in the laundry room.  will do it.

Source: nedesignbuild.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  tomato cage wrapped in lights.  genius idea for christmas.

Source: bedifferentactnormal.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  i'm terrible at keeping track of birthdays.  it's ALWAYS one of my new year's resolutions.

Source: Uploaded by user via Amy on Pinterest

::  lovely outfit for fall.

Source: flickr.com via Amy on Pinterest

:: love this sibling portrait.

Source: projectdenneler.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  chalkboard in the backyard.  Ava would love this.

Source: etsy.com via Amy on Pinterest

::  first dance lyrics (on the tree) and hanging heart initials.  love this.

Blogoversary winner is . . .

Courtney

from Southern Somedays

Congrats, Courtney!

{and if you're curious, her favorite thing about fall

is wearing boots and drinking hot chocolate!}

Thank you to everyone who entered!
Happy Monday!

A day of remembrance.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Hope we can all take some time today to remember those
men and woman who've fought and have even died for this wonderful country.
I'm very thankful for my grandmother who served.
She's my hero.

Check out this site here to teach your kids about Veteran's Day (or yourself . . .).
Did you know that World War I ended on November 11th in the 11th hour?
Neither did I.

Ava and I visited the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington D.C. in 2009.

Look at my bald baby girl.

And don't forget, the giveaway ends tonight!

Have a great weekend!!!

:: Thanksgiving - edible cornucopias

We do this every year for Thanksgiving.

It's been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.

Check out how to make them here.
They are so easy!!!

Tomorrow's the last day for the giveaway!!!
{low entries, so you have a good chance of winning}