A Week Off

Did you have a wonderful Christmas? We sure did! The day was one big blur and every minute of it was great. I couldn't help but feel very blessed to rock our little man to sleep Christmas Eve night and wake up to a very excited 3 year old on Christmas morning:) She was so grateful for everything she got and was even more excited to watch other people open their presents!

I love the week between Christmas and New Years. My husband gets the whole week off so we just take it easy and relax. We have taken road trips and stayed in our jammies till the afternoon and it's been wonderful.

I think my favorite gift this year was seeing this smile:

It gets me every time.

When my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas a few weeks ago I said, "A baby that sleeps through the night." and we both laughed. Well...I got my wish because this baby has started sleeping at least 7 (sometimes 8) hours a night for me! Woo-hoo!

Do you love to shop the Christmas clearance? I don't care for it much since I don't want to store any more stuff for another year. This year I did get my wrapping paper for next year. Target came out with these mini rolls of paper and they are the best! They easily fit in my Christmas storage bin for next year (no storing large rolls of paper) and are only $.50 the day after Christmas!

I did manage to buy one other Christmas item this year. I found these vintage ornaments and they will be perfect to replace a few ornaments that fell apart this year. The little old lady at the vintage shop didn't know how to take 75% off of $.69...so she asked if she could just charge me a quarter! Ha!

Speaking of vintage finds...I got three gift cards to various thrift stores this year! Does my family know me or what?:) This year I want to slowly swap out my old (plain) dishes, pots, and pans, with ones that I love.

So far I brought home this "chicken pot" as we call it. Love it:)

This blue baking dish makes me pretty happy too.

I love having breakfast on these dishes each morning. Meals are so much happier when you love the plates you serve on:)

This is probably my favorite find yet. I have no idea what it is (it's made of thick cardboard) and I love it. It totally reminds me of something my grandma would have had in her home. It's funny how $.10 can make me so happy!

I also managed to whipped up a simple diaper bag with my favorite vintage fabric that I had been hoarding for a while...tutorial to come later this week.

I'm so excited for the new year! I love a fresh start and we have so many exciting things coming up. This was also the first year my husband and I made resolutions and goals together and I can't wait to accomplish them!

I hope you have a fun and safe New Years Eve (my husband is planning to barbecue and set up dinner outside for us after the kids are in bed...I can't wait!) and I will be back in 2012 with some new tutorials and a fun giveaway!

Happy Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve. I love the anticipation of the day and waiting to open presents with family on Christmas morning. I love getting a phone call bright an early from my Dad every year asking when we are almost ready to come over (I am pretty sure he gets more excited about Christmas morning than anyone else!). I love the traditions and teaching my daughter about why we celebrate this time of year...reminding her it is not about what presents are under the tree with her name on them...but giving to others because God gave the gift of His Son to us.

I love my favorite vintage platter filled with mini red velvet cupcakes:

My husband loves the cookie tray filled with puppy chow:)

I love having a family of stockings hanging in our living room knowing that our family is now complete:

I love having ornaments on our tree from our first Christmas together:

And ornaments from my grandmother's tree and all the history that they have:

I love having a little man to make a tie onesie for:

Most of all I love taking time to spend with the people I love. I married my best friend and now we have two beautiful children to raise together. Life really couldn't get much better than that.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas tomorrow and that you take time to appreciate what you have. Presents and material things will only last so long so cherish what matters.

Dated Wall Art

I'm really bad about decorating. I mean...I love decorating I just have a hard time finding things worth displaying in our home. I don't like knick knacks and you won't find wall shelves or vignettes in my house. It all seems like too much clutter. I am the "anti-hoarder" if you will. I get a high from cleaning out our closets and cupboards twice a year and donating what we haven't been using.

So, in order to not have completely bare walls I've been scouring Pinterest to find ideas for wall art. I came across this idea and I was sold. I found it while I was still pregnant with Baby J and so I had to patiently wait until he was born so I could make it. Then I had to wait until I had enough sanity, patience, or energy to craft:) Luckily this was something I could whip up on the computer in about 10 minutes in Photoshop and have ready at Sams Club in an hour.

I made the background gray and the type black. I also chose to print it out in a 12x16 size and framed it in an old 16x20 frame I had. I used white posterboard for the matting (which I have talked about more here) and I was done. Instant satisfaction!

I love it and I love that it tells a story about our little family:) Now I am off to finish my last Christmas gift. I crocheted my husband a new scarf and since I get about 25 minutes of alone time each morning (after the baby's feeding)...it took me 4 days to finish it:)

Do you have any more shopping to do?

Can't Sleep

Life has been interesting around here lately. We are finding our new groove as parents of two (why is the jump from one kid to two so intense and overwhelming at first??) and although our little guy has only been here for 4 weeks (has it really been a month already?) it feels like he has been a part of our family for so long.

This is the first moment I have had all week to sit down at the computer...alone. Normally I am browsing and catching up while feeding the baby and trying to blog with one free hand isn't the easiest;) I should be sleeping right now instead of typing...but I'm not tired. How come everyone in this house can't seem to get on the same schedule? As soon as I get the baby fed...my daughter has to use the bathroom (at 2am) then I get her taken care of and the baby needs me again. I swear they have radar that lets them know when the other child is finally quiet because each one seems to know when I might have a spare second to myself! Luckily my husband is awesome and helps me out SO much all while working the night shift at work.

So now I have both kids in bed...actually sleeping at the same time...and I am wide awake! I can't help but think how blessed we are. Even though I haven't had a full night's sleep in months ( I wasn't sleeping much the last few months of my pregnancy) and we have two children who seem to be needing so much attention right now that my husband and I barely get in a conversation or a meal together these days...I am so happy. Even when I am so tired in the middle of the night and falling asleep while feeding the baby...I feel so blessed that we got to bring home a healthy child. In the moments when I want to cry because I am so overwhelmed with this stage in our lives, I know it will pass and I will look back and wonder where the time went.

I have a couple of crafts to share later this week and even a giveaway so make sure to stay tuned for those! But for now I better get to bed before one of these kiddos needs something. Oh well, I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts. I won't be able to kiss and tickle these little feet forever...

Moving Slowly

Wow...it's been a long time since I was on here! Thank you to everyone who has commented and emailed me since my "maternity leave". Our little man arrived one week after his due date and he was worth the wait. We are all doing well and trying to find our new normal as a family of four. We move a lot slower these days but all the other things can wait...this little guy isn't going to stay this little forever:

Oh and he has one dimple...and it gets me every time.

I'm not sure how often I will be on here in the weeks and months to come, but I hope to be able to post a little more often soon:)