Happy Birthday Baby

AND, another absolutely amazing, fantastic, fabulous thing that happens in the winter.....

Happy Birthday to my sweet Koen James!

Two looks good on you.  :)

I love you forever and ever.

Winter

Baby, it's cold outside!  But that doesn't mean you can't still wear all of your favorite summer dresses!  Today I'm going to show you how I took my Little Black Dress and made it appropriate for chilly weather.  Simply add layers!  Leggings and boots, a cardigan and scarf!  Cozy and warm. :) 

Dress: Forever 21 / Cardigan: Target / Leggings & Boots: Kohl's / Scarf: H&M

But don't get me wrong, winter can go away at any time...  I know it's only the middle of December, but I'm ready for spring already!  I miss being warm, playing outside, sunshine, not worrying about coats and hats and mittens, driving without slipping and sliding...  I can't think of anything that I like about winter.  I know, I know, there are those of you that think you want snow at Christmas, but the thing is, it doesn't just last a day, a week, or even the whole month of December...  It will be months until I see green outside.  I turn into a hermit in the winter.  And that makes me grumpy.  So if you do see me out and about, please, give me a hug!  I need it!

Okay, enough of my whining.  There IS one good thing that just happens to occur during winter.  We get to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.  I'm going to focus on that.  Yes.  Yes, I am.  In case you don't hear from me again before Christmas, please, have a Merry Christmas.  Even when the weather is frightful, we can rejoice in knowing that we are loved beyond comprehension.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

Linking up: Greater Than Rubies - Remix Rewear Restyle

Red & Green

How was your weekend??  Mine was fabulous!  It started off with a bang with a ladies night ornament exchange at my friend Courtney's house.  I stuffed myself with delicious food and stayed up way too late!

Then Saturday morning we ventured out to our local Festival of Trees, where the kids made some fun crafts and searched for their favorite decorated tree.

Then in the evening, we donned our full snow gear and braved the single digit temps to attend the lighted Christmas parade and fireworks over the frozen lake.  It sure was cold, but worth it.  We're making memories, no matter what the weather may be!

It started snowing over night, and continued all day Sunday, so I volunteered Daddy for playing in the snow with the kids after church.  The first time this season!  We had a nice, low-key day, and then I snuck out in the evening for a much needed haircut! 

Now, on the the "fashion" portion of this post...

Is it possible to wear red and green together and not look like a Christmas tree?  I say, YES! 

Scarf: GroopDealz / Vest & Chambray: JCPenney / Jeans: H&M / Boots: Old Navy

Red and green are complimentary colors, so they definitely look good together.  But I'm guessing most of us avoid wearing them together, because we don't want to resemble a decorated evergreen.  Or an elf.  Which is easy for me to do anyways, since I'm only 5 foot 2...  on a good day.  So yeah, how?  I think it just depends on the shades of each color, and how you wear them.  Olive is a great shade of green to wear with red.  You could also do mint!  Or darken both colors and do burgundy and olive...  Also, using an accessory of some sort for one of the colors is a good way to add that pop of color without being too overwhelming.  And pairing red and green with neutrals will definitely tone down the Christmas vibe.  Of course, I could be giving you crazy advice, I'm just making this up as I go!  Haha!

How would you wear red and green?? 

Linking up:  Greater Than Rubies - Remix Rewear Restyle

Advent Activities

Anyone out there looking for ideas for this Advent season?  Here's the list of what we did in 2012. 

1.  Festival of Trees and Christmas by the Lake (local activities)
2.  Visit Santa
3.  Hang candy canes on the Christmas tree
4.  Bake cookies
5.  Make paper snowflakes
6.  Drink hot chocolate with fun marshmallows (we had chocolate mint)
7.  Elf Yourself (app)

8.  Snow paint
9.  Make Christmas goodies (recipes to come...)
10.  Snowman pancakes for supper
11.  Make salt dough ornaments
12.  Play in the snow
13.  Make Christmas play dough (with glitter and peppermint!)
14.  Buy a toy to donate to Toys for Tots
15.  Make Christmas popcorn to share with friends
16.  Go to the library and read Christmas books

17.  Make (and eat!) ice cream cone Christmas trees
19.  Go to a Christmas party
20.   Koen's birthday party :)
21.  Make Christmas cards
22.  Make Gingerbread houses (with Grandma!)
23.  Open a present (new jammies!)
24.  Drive around looking at Christmas lights

We will be repeating many of these this year, and trying a few new things! 

Here are a bunch of ideas:

Watch a specific Christmas movie (Elf, Santa Buddies, A Christmas Story, The Polar Express etc.)
Watch TV Christmas specials (Frosty, Rudolf, Charlie Brown, etc.)
Build a snowman
Make snow angels
Go sledding
Bake a birthday cake for Jesus
Have a candlelit dinner
Sleep under the tree
Dance to Christmas music
Ring the Salvation Army Bell
Set up a Nativity
Give goodies to the neighbors
Make ornaments or other Christmas crafts

Who knows what we'll actually end up doing!  I just pick and choose as we go, whatever fits into our schedule.  I'll do my best to share along the way!

What are your favorite Advent activities??

Check out my Christmas Pinterest board for all sorts of fun ideas, crafts and recipes!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Yay!  Our Christmas tree is up and decorated!  We have quite the hodgepodge of ornaments, but it's fun!  I think the kids did a pretty good job!  :)

As you can see, I decided not to do a book a day this year, but to have our Christmas books available all month.  A certain book lover I know was pretty happy about that!

I put up our Advent calendar last night, and I did it differently this year.  And I love it!

I dug an old, big poster frame out of the closet.  I turned the poster around to create a white background, cut six lengths of this fun silver string, and taped them to the back.  My sweet hubby helped.  :)  We just eyeballed it and tried to space them somewhat evenly.  Then we were able to clip four cards to each string.  We hung it up in some empty wall space in our living area.  This will be so much easier to work with than the giant clothesline above the kitchen cupboards was last year!

We also put up our outside lights yesterday, because it was a balmy forty-some degrees.  This is our third winter here, and our first time actually putting lights on the house.  The last couple years we've just plopped our light-up deer in the yard and put a string of lights on the deck.  I was so excited to make my husband put a little more effort into it this year! 

My husband is afraid of one thing...  Any guesses?? :-D

Scarf Swap

A few weeks ago, I hosted a scarf swap ladies night.  It was so much fun!  Each person brought a new scarf, in a gift bag, and we exchanged white elephant style!  I encouraged my friends to be mean and ruthless... and they were!  But then a few of us swapped afterwards, and everyone left sort of happy.  :)

I actually ended up with the neon scarf you see there on my gorgeous redheaded friend.  I've had a heck of a time figuring out how to style it, but I think I put an outfit together that really works!  All I needed was a neutral base! 

Cardigan & Tank: Target / Skinnies & Boots: Old Navy

This outfit was extra fun to wear, because rather than just throw on a basic black tee, I chose my black lace tank.  It was just the thing to add a little interest to an otherwise simple outfit.  Here's a closeup, since you can't really see it in the picture up there... 

How would you style a neon floral scarf??

P.S.  You could buy a million scarves if you won the $500 Nordstrom gift card from Pinterest Told Me To and Mix and Match Family.  Whoa!

Linking up: Greater Than Rubies - Remix Rewear Restyle

Thankful Thursday #4 & Our Christmas Books

First of all, I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving!  We were so blessed to spend time with family, and we came home with some great bingo prizes!  Read: CANDY!  :)

Sorry for missing my Thankful Thursday post this week...  I was too busy enjoying life to post about it.  So here it is.  I'm so thankful to live in this country.  I'm thankful for my friends and family.  I'm thankful for my loving husband and my amazing children.  I'm thankful for a roof over our heads and food in our cupboards.  I'm thankful for our church and the freedom to openly worship the one true God.  I'm thankful for the freedom to homeschool and the experience of watching my children learn.  I'm thankful for Jesus and the hope that He brings.  And I'm thankful that the season of celebrating His birth is here!

Thank you, Father God.  You are so good.  Thank you for meeting all my needs.  Thank you for your abundant blessings.  Thank you for Jesus. 

And with that, I want to share with you a list of Christmas books!  Last year, as part of our Advent countdown, I brought out a new Christmas or winter book each day leading up to Christmas.  These are just books that we have collected over the years.  Many of them are from Scholastic.  I've had quite a few people ask me to share the complete list, so here they are. 

These are some great books about the real reason for the season: Jesus!

Room for a Little One
J is for Jesus
God Gave Us Christmas
What Is Christmas?
Christmas in the Manger
My Christmas Gift
Fear Not, Joseph!
The Last Straw

And these books are just fun!

Little Porcupine's Christmas
Mooseltoe
Christmas Mice
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies
Corduroy's Christmas Surprise
A Small Christmas
Froggy's Best Christmas
Froggy Gets Dressed
The Little Snowflake
Gingerbread Mouse
I've Seen Santa
The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever
The Biggest Snowman Ever
Clifford's Christmas
Jingle Bells
Christmas Wishes

In addition to the books, we hung a countdown clothesline.  I made cards out of some fun scrapbook paper and number stickers.  About as crafty as I get... 

Each morning we would open a card to find a note with something fun we were going to do that day.  To make it easy and also reusable, I would just put a sticky note inside the night before for the next day.  That way I didn't have to plan too far ahead!  I will be posting a ton of advent ideas soon!

The clothesline will go up tonight, and our first activity is putting up the Christmas tree!!!  Tomorrow!  Yay!

What are your favorite children's Christmas books??

Thankful Thursday #3

It's Thankful Thursday again!  This time I have a simple list to share.  :)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  James 1:17 (NIV)

A nice, warm home

Meat in the freezer

Pizza

Mentors

No more bugs

Soup

Girls night

Weekends

Movies

Leftovers

Birthdays

Prayer
Baby giggles
Compliments
Giveaway wins
Hands to hold
Supportive friends
Counselors

Thank you, Father, for every gift you have given me.  Big and small.  Your blessings abound.

Please share, what are you thanking God for this week?

Anti-Morning Person

I am the exact opposite of a morning person.  Seriously.  If I wake up before 7:00, I just don't feel good.  I prefer to sleep until at least 8:00.  Later would be even better.  And I'm really not ready to start my day until I've been awake for a couple hours.  To be honest, that's totally one reason why I homeschool.  I love not having to drag myself out of bed early in the morning and rush my kids off to school.  I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, other than because this picture was taken on a Sunday morning when I had to be to church at 8:00 to get communion ready.  I was still half asleep. 

Cardigan: Target / Tank: Forever 21 / Skinnies: Kohl's / Boots: Kohl's

I'm wearing my floral tank again.  This shirt has proven to be quite versatile.  See how I've worn it other ways here and here.  I thought it would be fun to play off the blue flowers this time and pair it with my blue skinnies.  I like it!

Crock Pot Love

I've been trying to make a better effort lately to actually cook a decent dinner.  And that means menu planning and grocery list making and finding recipes that are easy enough for me to make!  My days are busy, and I don't have a ton of time for complicated recipes with lots of prep work.  We also have tumbling and dance two days a week, right before supper, so I'm not always home and able to babysit something on the stove. And let's be honest, I don't really like to cook.  So one day, I thought to myself, "Self, we should use our crock pot more." So I searched around Pinterest and found some tasty looking recipes.  Here are a few that I have made and loved!

Ranch Pork Chops:  SO easy and crazy delicious!

Dr. Pepper Roast:  Most tender roast I've ever made, and so full of flavor!  I can throw away every other roast recipe I've ever used.

Spinach Artichoke Dip:  O. M. G.  So good!  I no longer need to go to a restaurant for one of my favorite appetizers!

Try these!  You won't regret it!

Thankful Thursday #2

I've had a rough week, starting with last Thursday.  So I'll be honest, I didn't follow my own suggestion and write down something I'm thankful for every day.  So today I'm going to share about some of the people in my life that I am so very thankful for.  God has placed each and every one of them in my life for a reason.

I mentioned him last week, but of course, my husband.  We have been through so much together.  And he still loves me!  This man is seriously my best friend.  The one person I can talk to about absolutely anything and know there will be no judgement.  He is my biggest fan, even when I don't deserve it at all.  I couldn't do life without him.

Oh, my kids.  Someday I will share our journey to becoming a family of five.  There's a lot more to it than most people know.  These kids are my life.  They are a dream come true.  They drive me crazy, but they fill my heart with so much love that I oftentimes feel like it's about to burst.  They challenge me and bless me every day.  I am so blessed to be their mom.

My Mom.  She has taught me so much, and she's always there for me when I need her.

My Dad.  I'll always be his baby girl.  :)  And he's the world's best grandpa!

My in-laws.  I was super fortunate to marry into a wonderful family!

My pastors and church family.  I am so blessed to be a part of such a great church!

My awesome mommy friends, C, Q, and J.  These three ladies know me, love me, support me.  We are sisters.

I could go on and on about all the amazing people in my life... My step-dad, siblings and siblings-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, MOPS moms, blog followers (Hi! You're awesome!), children's workers at church, small group members, neighbors...  It's so easy to feel like I'm all alone, but if I think for just a minute, I realize that that is so far from the truth. 

So, THANK YOU for being in my life. 

Thank you, Lord, for all for all of the beautiful people that you have placed in my life.  They are each so special to me in so many different ways.  They have helped me learn and grow, laugh and cry.  They have shown me love and support.  They have prayed for me and reminded me to keep my eyes on You, Jesus.  If any one of them was missing, life would not be the same. 

I would love to hear what you are thankful for this week.  If you haven't thought about it, taken a few minutes and think about all the different people that you get to go through this life with.  Who are you thankful for?
 

Thankful Thursday #1

Sorry this post is so late in the day.  It's been...  one of those days.  I need this post more than you know.

So, here we are.  Thursday.  And that means we get to share what we've been thanking God for in the past week.  Here is what I noted as I went about my days.

November 1:

• Kids doing their morning sheet on their own.  Right outside the kids bedrooms there is a sheet on the wall with their "good morning" tasks.  Wake up, go potty, get dressed, make bed, brush teeth.  Let's just say it's been forever a while since we've actually been following any this routine.  That morning, my two older kids came upstairs all ready for breakfast.  They had picked out their own clothes and helped each other make their beds!  It was a super encouraging start to my day!
• Hand me downs.  I just love seeing my little guy running around in the clothes his big brother wore five years ago!  We've had to fill in a few gaps here and there, due to size and season differences, but for the most part, we haven't had to re-buy clothes for little brother.  I get to be sentimental and save money at the same time!
• Baby belly buttons.  Yep, I'm strange and I thank God for belly buttons!   I've always been weirded out by belly buttons, but I love those little things on my kid's bellies.  They remind me of those precious months carrying them in my belly, when we were physically connected.  Miraculous.
• And on a related note, Miracle babies.  We were honored that evening to celebrate the birthdays of  one of my best friend's daughters.  These girls are both miracles in their own ways.  Their family is so beautiful.

November 2:

• Kids that know how to sleep in!  We were up late, and hubby went hunting that morning, so it was SO nice that the kids were able to sleep in, therefore so was I!  I know a lot of kids get up at the crack of dawn even when they've stayed up past their bedtime...
• Generous friends.  We came home from the party Friday night with a bunch of leftover food, so lunch was taken care of!  :)
• Affectionate children.  My kids know how to show love.  They love hugs and kisses and cuddles.  Me too!

November 3:

• That I get to have multiple kids and see them enjoy friendship with each other.  I am SOOOO blessed to get to have my three children!  After years of infertility, we were so happy to finally have one sweet child.  He was enough.  But we were lucky enough to be able to have two more, and now I can't imagine them not having each other.  My older two kids are the very best friends, and they absolutely adore their baby brother. 

November 4:

• A successful school day!   We've been having a hard time getting school done around here lately.  We just can't seem to get into a routine that works.  But we had a good day.  It took allllll day, but it felt good to get a lot done!

November 5:

•  My mommy network.  I am so glad to have so many awesome moms in my life.  Friends that I've met through friends of friends...   All these relationships bless me in so many unique ways.
• Our dear friend Christy.  She let us move into her house when we were homeless and she barely knew us.  She is now family.

November 6:

•  My husband.  And specifically, a husband that I want to spend time with.  I miss him all day long.  I hear other women complaining about their husbands, talking about how they would drive them crazy if they were around all day...  I love my husband.  And I like him, too.  He's my very best friend in the whole world.  I can't get enough time with him.

November 7:

• Nephews.  I have five of them.  (And only one niece, who I am also super duper happy to have in my life!)  Two of my nephews I get to see almost every day.  They are wild animals, but great friends to my kids.  The other three, unfortunately, live far away, but on that day I got to spend a couple hours with one of them.  I wish he lived closer!
• That my husband gets to be a dad.  I love hearing our babies call him Daddy.  He is a really great dad, he loves our kids unconditionally, and I'm so glad that I get to be the one to do this parenting thing with him.

Big things, little things, there are so many good things if we open our eyes, ears and hearts.

Thank you, Father, for these blessings.  Thank you for miracles, for mercy and grace.  Thank you for all the love you surround me with every day.  Thank you for family and friends.  Thank you for dreams fulfilled and needs met.  Thank you for Jesus.

What are you thankful for this week?

Give Thanks

I've had this idea brewing for a while...  To document my blessings.  To be thankful.  To share and encourage others to be thankful.  And what better time to start than now, as we enter the holiday season.

I realized recently that I've become a pretty negative person.  I focus a lot on the bad, the hard, the ugly of life, and have a hard time seeing the good that's right in front of my face.  And I'm suffering for it.  I need a change. 

So here's my idea.  Thankful Thursdays.  There really aren't any rules.  I just want to make it a point to open my eyes and heart, to see all the ways God blesses me every day.  And thank Him.  So every Thursday I plan to post what I'm thanking God for that week.

To start, my goal is to write down, at the very least, one thing every day.  Of course, more is better.  :) 

I would love for you to join me.  If you have a blog, write up a post.  I'll either figure out how to do a link-up, or just have you post a link in the comments.  If you don't have a blog, just make your list!  Pop in and let me know how it's going.  I expect it to be encouraging and eye-opening.

Psalm 100 

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!
² Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴ Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
⁵ For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.

Leopard

My favorite animal print is most definitely leopard!  It goes with everything!  Navy, black, yellow, red, green, purple, stripes, more stripes...  (Yes, follow those links to see some super cute leopard outfits!)  My favorite way to wear leopard (so far) is my trusty leopard scarf. 

Scarf: GroopDealz / Tunic: Old Navy / Leggings: Kohl's / Boots: Old Navy

I'm thinking I could really use some more leopard in my life...  in the form of a pair of flats, a belt, maybe some leggings!  But...  I'm not shopping for anything for a while, so those things are just going to have to stay on THE LIST for now.  :)

What about you??  Do you wear leopard?  What other animal prints have made their way into your wardrobe?

Eighteenth

Apparently I wore these two almost identical outfits exactly one month apart.  The 18th of August and the 18th of September.  And here we are, the 18th of October!  100% coincidence!

In August, I wore this floral top over my favorite little black dress.

Top: JCPenney / Dress: Forever 21 / Flats: Target / Belt: H&M

And in September, I paired it with my black skinny jeans.  You will be seeing more of these!

Jeans: H&M

I didn't even realize that I had worn nearly the same outfit until I was looking through stashed pictures.  Not that I care, I re-wear outfits all the time.  If I like it, I'm totally wearing it again! 

Embrace The Camera

Embrace The Camera is a concept I was introduced to by Emily over at The Anderson Crew.  It's about getting in the picture with your loved ones, not just hiding behind the camera.  Capturing memories, with you in them.  I'm sure we all know what it's like to look back through the photos from an event and realize we weren't in a single one.  I know I take a ton of pictures of my kids... at home, at the zoo, at birthday parties, anywhere, any time!  But I forget to hop into view myself.  I want my kids to grow up and have pictures of ALL of us to look at and bring back childhood memories, big and small.  So I am making an effort to Embrace The Camera!

Last week, Emily and her friend Sarah invited us to Embrace The Camera every day that week.  Each day had a prompt that you could follow, but the important part was just that you made an effort to get in the picture each day.  I was able to get it done three days, and these are my photos.

Smile

Making Memories

Faces

Bubbles

Floral From Summer To Fall

Well, I've decided that since I still have a few photos of summer outfits in my stash, I'm going to work on showing how to transition those pieces into fall, just like I did on Monday.  Fun stuff!  So here's an outfit I wore sometime in August.

Tank: Forever 21 / Shorts: Old Navy / Belt: H&M / Sandals: Target

Check out this necklace!  It was a splurge for me to buy this from The Limited for a whole $16.  But I wear it all. the. time.  I have quite a few statement necklaces, but they're just not that practical for my everyday life, so I'm constantly grabbing this one for just a little sparkle.

I know arrows are kind of a trendy thing right now, but they mean more than that to me.  First of all, my husband is a bow hunter, as well as both of our fathers.  I don't hunt, but I do enjoy target shooting, and we are passing the love of archery on to our children.  But going even beyond that, there's this:

"Children are a heritage from the Lord,
    offspring a reward from him. 

 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
    are children born in one’s youth. 

 Blessed is the man
    whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
    when they contend with their opponents in court."

Psalm 127: 3-5 

Woohoooo, I AM BLESSED!  Children are a reward!  Love that scripture.

Anyways, here is how I'm wearing my floral tank today...

Sweater: Target / Maxi Skirt: JCPenney

Since it's not TOO cold out yet, I can still get away with wearing my maxi skirts, and the cardigan keeps me warm up top.  I LOVE layering pieces, so I can wear my summer tops all year long!

Linking up: The Pleated Poppy