:: Christmas - christmas dresses

So I didn't make the girls' Christmas dresses this year.

Surprise. Surprise.

I just don't know where the time has gone!

So I found some cute dresses from the gap that I was able to get for $11 each,

well, using a 40% off coupon and some Old Navy bucks I had burning a hole in my pocket

and I think they were on sale when I ordered them too.

They aren't too fancy.

But I think they're adorable.

 Timeless and classic.

That's what I like.

Perfect for my two little girls.

They can be found here and here.

Where did you find yours?

:: Christmas Tradition - the christmas express

I'd been wanting to start this ever since I found it on Pinterest a few years back.

Then my sister did it last year and I knew that the next Christmas it would be on the to-do list.

We had the girls get ready for bedtime,

but little did they know that we had blankets, bags of popcorn, hot chocolate 

and their daddy and baby brother in the car awaiting them.

As they were getting under their covers they found this golden ticket.

Ava was so excited!

 (Reese didn't really know what was going on - - she just gets excited when Ava does)

I punched their tickets and we were off!

We drove to a neighborhood that syncs their lights to songs on their own radio station.

It was awesome!

Then we drove through the neighborhoods nearby us.

Ava loved it and couldn't believe that we let her stay up until almost 10 (oops).

Reese was out as soon as she had finished her hot chocolate - - maybe she'll enjoy this tradition a little more next year.

Print out the ticket here.

35 before 35 - #21

This year, I was able to host our first Thanksgiving and 

I was very excited to cross off #21 off of my list.

My mom probably thought I was being sarcastic when I told her how excited I was.

I sorta like planning parties . . . not the hosting part so much, but the planning I love.

We took all of the furniture out of our dining room/family room area

and it was perfect for two long tables. (we would be having 17 adults coming . . . yikes!)

My budget wasn't very much, 

so I had to use a lot of items that I already had around the house.

I did buy these tablecloths and I'm pretty sure I'll get a lot of use out of them.

We used my china and my sister's china (they're very similar).

And the previous month, I inherited my grandmother's silverware and

 we were able to use them for the first time (she was even here to enjoy them!).

We had a small dessert table that showcased all of the homemade pies.

And they were delicious!

Oh and the 10 children that were here were in the other room.

It was nice to have enough room to be in separate rooms.

Although the planning was enjoyable, my favorite part of the whole day

was us being together and eating as a family.

This doesn't happen very often.

(all of my siblings and their families were here except for a sister on a mission in Italy

and a brother and his family in Pennsylvania - - we missed them so much!)

We have been so blessed.

:: Cyber Monday - christmas card deals

Already December?! 

I can't believe it. 

Well, it's time to get those Christmas cards out soon and

since it is Cyber Monday, I found a great deal on some good, quality cards.

I LOVE cardstore!

{And I'm not even getting paid to say this.}

I've used them in the past and have been very pleased with them.

Well, today, all of their flat cards today are $0.50!

{normally they're around $1.79 - - I don't pay that much.  Enter code: CCP3122}

And they'll give you free shipping if you buy more than $30 worth of cards.

Awesome deal!

And since I can never decided which one to get,

I usually buy 2-3 different designs.

Call me crazy.

I am.

:: Hosting Thanksgiving - inexpensive tablecloths

You might be in the pickle that I'm in.

You're hosting Thanksgiving and you have a gazillion guests that will be coming.

 {sound familiar?}

The last thing you want to do is spend a ton of money on tablecloths.

Am I right?

Well, I found these tablecloths on Amazon that will be perfect to meet my hosting needs

and they'll also be nice to use for dessert tables.

$12.99 isn't bad at all.

By the way, have I mentioned how excited I am to host Thanksgiving?!
I can finally cross it off my list.

::Thanksgiving Dinner - tablescape ideas

This year we have family coming down for Thanksgiving

and I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner!

I'm so excited.

It's something I've wanted to do for awhile.

I'll finally be able to cross #21 off of my list!

So, now I'm trying to find ideas for the tablescape.

I'm thinking simple, woodsey and natural.

I love these ideas found below.

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hello.

Hello.

My name is Amy.

And I'm a blogger that definitely needed a break.

I think life just finally got to me.

Three kids, busy supporting my family, 

and waiting for annoying Bar results (for the hubby), which has been very frustrating.

And everyday, I think about this little ole' blog of mine. . .

and how I've neglected it.

I don't know if anyone still reads it.

But if you do, I hope you feel inspired.

Inspired to be a better mother, a better wife, a better crafter, a better seamstress,

a better baker, a better home decorator, etc.

I'm here to stay!

And I hope you come back to see my upcoming posts.

:: Family Happenings

Well, with school starting, summer has officially ended.

And we're working on getting back into a routine.

Kindergarten (Ava), dance lessons (Ava and Reese), violin lessons (Ava), 

drooling (Anson) and continuing to enjoy our SoCal weather.

 Still daydreaming about our trip to Lake Powell, though.

:: Back to School - dinner and family theme 2013

So, my "back to school" pinterest board has been filling up for the past few years.

And this was finally the year that I could start these fun traditions since

 Ava has now started kindergarten . . . sniff, sniff.

I'd seen the "back to school dinner and family theme" on multiple blogs.

I was able to incorporate ideas from Nie Nie Dialogues and Ericas Blogity Blog.

We told the girls that they needed to get their Easter dresses on and that we were going to go somewhere special.  Ava immediately asked me, "So which restaurant are we going to?"  Ha!

They closed their eyes and we lead them outside.

So we had breakfast for dinner (on my china - yikes! . . . but figure that I should

 start using it for special occasions), made some last-minute "back to school" crowns,

 and Tommy and I came up with a family theme that we'll use throughout the school-year.

We were trying to think about a virtue that our family could work on,

 especially with Ava now in school and making new friends.

And we decided on this virtue as our family theme:  BE KIND

The quote that goes along with it (that we're having them memorize)

is "Kindness is the essence of greatness."

(which comes from a talk given by Joseph B. Wirthlin that can be seen or read here).

We also watched this short video here and had the girls point out the 

acts of kindness that were in the video.

Then I told them about our "Kind Jar".

Whenever they do or say something kind, we'll fill it up with cotton balls.

And when the jar is filled, they get a special treat.

I hope that throughout this next year, they learn that "Kindness is a passport that opens doors and fashions friends.  It softens hearts and molds relationships that can last lifetimes.  

Kindness is the essence of greatness."

It was such a fun evening.  

When we finished dinner, Ava gave me a big hug, told me that it was so much fun

and asked if we could do this again next year.

Definitely worth it.

Do you have a "back to school" dinner and theme?

{I'll be linking to these parties here}