christmas cheer

 So excited about my new stocking for the fam. We have 2 of these plaid long skinny ones (bought from a woman in Canton-made from an old coat!) & I got the red ones made to match it at Premiere fabrics in Jackson.

 This nesting santa is henry's fave thing to play with...

Lots of yard work being done with Tim & limited work schedule during the holidays. They are squishing down his pinestraw. Henry has been very interested in Oscar the Grouch after we told him about this green thing that lives in a garbage can & is grouchy all the time. Maybe since most mornings when Henry wakes up he says he's "just a little bit grumpy"-he probably wants to meet this green grouch & gripe about mamas who try to make them talk way too early in the morning.

pumpkin bread

 Ruthie "helping". This was right before I had to send her to time-out because she tried to push Henry off the chair that was beside her. He was moving in on her stir.

 This cake release stuff (at Michael's) is fabulous for my occasional baking needs. My mom uses crisco & flour to grease her cans.

 all wrapped up and ready to give. yarn is my fave c-mas wrapping ribbon (warm/fuzzy & very inexpensive)

It doesn't feel like Christmas until I make some pumpkin bread. My mom use to send us to school with these little odd-shaped loafs of pumpkin bread, I remember thinking "i seriously doubt they are going to want this".
But now I am making it and giving it to my neighbors. If you like pumpkin bread, it is a good recipe. It is fun to save the cans and cook in those.

HOW TO:
3 1/2 cups of sifted flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
3 cups sugar
4 beaten eggs
2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
16 oz can pumpkin
1/2 cup of raisens
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
7 empty 14.5 oz aluminum cans

Combine sifted flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & sugar in large mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs, water, oil, and pumpkin & stir until blended. Add nuts, mix well. Grease cans with crisco/flour or Wilton cake release. Pour mixture halfway into 7 aluminum 14.5 oz cans (or three 1 lb. coffee cans). Bake 1 hour at 350. Cool slightly in cans. Turn out on cooling rack to finish cooling. Run knife around the inside of can if needed to get the bread out easily.
 
Keeps for weeks in the fridge or freezes. Yummy sliced with butter or cream cheese.

christmas memories

Our little fam had a interesting Sunday church experience this past week.

We were asked to light the advent candles at the church service.

When Vicki (one of our associate pastors) asked, I hesitated thinking how this reverent tradition symbolizing Jesus' birth could go south with a 2 & 4 year old in the mix.

But I couldn't pass it up-a special memory RIGHT??? So we covered what you do/don't do while lighting advent candles in front of the church....
-don't pick your nose
-don't hop like a bunny
-hold all questions until after the service
-stop drop & roll if you catch fire
You will be rewarded with M&M's if you be little angels.

So all is going well, had Ruthie's hand & as I am starting to light the last 2 candles......she breaks free and hanks her dress up over her head and ignores my dress swatting. Tim is thoroughly focused on his advent reading and is unaware (how do they have the ability to do this?). I have to leave my flashing daughter to finish my lighting.

It was a big, beautiful music program that Sunday-a full orchestra on stage, who all got a front seat to her show.

I wanted to:
1-roll laughing
2-cry and run my pregnant body out of the sanctuary

The first thing Ruthie asked when we left the sanctuary was,
"Do I get my m&m's now?"
"Sure baby."

Thank goodness that "Jesus loves the little children" & I have convinced myself that He was laughing as much as I really wanted to.

client gifts

I did these little gift cards in wooden boxes for my largen design client gifts this year. God has blessed me so much. I thank Him each day for using my gifts and keeping my crazy brain busy. I get to work with some really fabulous clients. Got the boxes at Michael's.

holiday house

I always like sneaking peeks at others' Christmas decor. Tried to keep my muted and natural this year. Hard for me, because I do love my color.

 

 Advent calendar I found on etsy last year. Will locate the link.

BELOW: Keeping it real, with my Christmas explosion room. Christmas can bring out the crazies & I hope you can keep yours at bay.

holiday cheer

Okay, pictures with Santa is always something that is just "on the list" for me. And you can see why (above Henry when he was 1.5 with his beloved Santa). I'm sure you have similar story/shot to match this. If you need a bit of cheer, check out more below. I gave a friend a book from this site, it will make you roll. Good one to bookmark for a laugh.

to see more awkward holiday photos

watercolor custom orders

Above is a custom watercolor for my sweet friend Courtney. She dropped off the frame & this was a $30 5x7 in 8x10-I put in it.

These above 2 shots were of a gift from Betsy to her friend who loves things to be "clean" & Betsy thought this verse fitting for her! The friend said she was going to hang it in her bathroom =)

give thanks craft

I got to work with the kids from Mission First this past summer (thru a jr. league project), an after-school program in Jackson & couldn't forget these sweet kids. I did a thanksgiving craft with them. They don't realize the blessing they are, I'm glad God was nudging me to go back-it got me out of my little world. It was a "give thanks" banner. My supplies were:

-foam board

-beans

-paint

-stamp created with burlap wrapped CD jewel case

-added texture to the background with circle shapes dipped in paint

-printed "give thanks" circles (you could write your message out with sharpie vs. print it)

totally tubular

 Okay, so Tim & I had the opportunity to get crazy 80's and attend the jackson jr. league pretty in pink prom. A great band called the Molly Ringwalds played-people go cuckoo over them here. So here I am above, knocked up at prom. Don't these pictures make me look like I live a very fun & exciting life-I'm even impressed. Got get all this fun out before baby boy comes. I'm being dramatic.

 And here we are with our skeeeered friends who were not dressed up in the proper decade, but they promised to do it next year.

 Literally I danced 2 hours straight.

BTW, these are all the sweet (and as shown here-crazy) ladies in my Bible study. They make my life full-lending me maternity clothes, breast pumps (ugh), praying for me, laughing with me, crying with me & dancing with me!!!!

 Tim's 867-5309 iron-on shirt I made for him.

Okay, there were 10 of us packed into my new mini-van. I was determined to make use of my delicate condition and serve as the DD.

You can't fully appreciate Ashley's polka dot dress with the full shoulder pads, but this was an actual dress she wore back in the day & still fit in it fabulously.

food stuff

So this very unassuming cheese dip has been my food obsession lately. It is YUM. It is in our Kroger specialty cheese section. Great on pita chips. You'll be hooked.

new item

I'm working up some of these to offer...Here's a preview. They would be great hanging over a doorway. More to come. Made from reclaimed wood-that a sweet customer brought to me. It was an old Adirondack chair that Tim took apart from me.

new van!

Lots of excitement here lately-we have a new car...to make room for #3. Henry tells everyone about his new van & the first week we had it would play in it every afternoon while Ruthie was napping. Gotta say, I'm loving it. I spaz out in carpool line a bit with the automatic open/close doors, but I am getting it.

mo halloween

Henry & his funny, sweet teacher-Ms. Holloway. He's learning so much-clapping out his syllables, writing his letters in the air with little sound effects with each line. I'm so proud of him!

The little ones in their costumes. They were SO into them & that made me happy. Although, Ruthie was saying she wanted to be a unicorn the day before H-ween & we worked around that. She is obsessed with hello kitty-so was I (30 years ago). HK's still got it! The robot costume came from Henry's cousin William-Henry almost exploded when he saw it.

On the back of Ruthie's shirt it says-"hello candy". An iron-on design I printed out.