Five Favorites

I'm not finished with my Pinterest Challenge project yet (big surprise), so I thought I would post a few of my favorite things at the moment.

1. Midwest Living Magazine
It's the November/December 2012 issue in case you want to pick one up for yourself. It's filled with all things holidays and I'm loving it! I actually need to get started on my pages for December Daily, so I was looking for a little holiday inspiration to get me in the mood.

2. Our new family photo

We finally had a professional family photo taken by a photographer named Danny Bligh, who also happens to be an old friend from my high school days. He's pretty selective about his projects, but I think my cute kiddos had a little influence on his decision. I couldn't be happier with the outcome! It's actually our first "real" family photo of all four of us. Please don't tell anyone that. How embarrassing. Thanks Danny!

3. The Dreaming Tree Wine

Jeremy and I bought a bottle of the Cabernet and really enjoyed it! I think it's my new favorite for the holiday season! And not only is it good wine, but it's also made by Dave Matthews (along with some other guy), one of my favorite musicians.

image source



4. My (Almost) Completed Summer Mini Book

It's an Elise Cripe mini book that I bought to document our trip to Big Sur. I'm loving how it's all coming together. I'll be sure to post about it when it's completely done. I still have some journaling and embellishments to add. Here is the link to her shop if you are interested in making your own summer mini book. She will also be adding holiday mini books soon too. I've seen a sneak peak on Instagram and they look pretty rad!



5. The Walking Dead

I seriously am obsessed with this show. I'm constantly telling everyone I know how awesome it is. I need to get out more...but in my defense, it is awesome. We started watching it on Netflix last Spring, finished the the first season in less than a week. We were hooked.

image source

I'm hoping to be done with my Pinterest project before the end of the week. Fingers Crossed!





Hello Fall

I L-O-V-E Fall!

I am thrilled that it has finally arrived! I love the freshness of a new season. There are so many new sights, smells, tastes and activities. I'm ready to get outside and enjoy the cooler temperatures. I made up our annual Fall Bucket List (it's much shorter than the Summer List) and I'm so looking forward to starting to cross those off.

I'm also looking forward to breaking out my crockpot again for some hearty home cooked meals! You know, some chili, some pot roast, some chicken and dumpling soup. I could go on and on. I have a ton of yummy looking soup recipes pinned on pinterest and would even like to whip up a few batches to freeze. I've never done that before, but love the convenience factor.

I'm already loving the college football season! And although we are a house divided (I'm a big Nebraska fan and my hubby is a big Iowa fan) we still have lots of fun watching the games together. Hudson is finally starting to get into it a little more this year!

I'm planning to do a Fall family photo shoot with all the changing leaves. Love the colors!!

I also plan on making lots of pumpkin recipes this Fall. I adore pumpkin and really start to crave it by the time September rolls around.

I started pulling out my Fall decorations, but still need to buy a few new things to complete the look. (Then I'll do a little photo tour post)

I have BIG plans for a major blog overhaul this Fall. There are going to be a lot of changes that I've already put into motion. I can't wait!

This Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze is one of the first pumpkin recipes I plan to try!  Um, doesn't this look A-MA-ZING! Probably this weekend...

Welcome Fall! So glad you're back!

Fall Bucket List

**Updated**

Even though we're still wrapping up our Summer Family Fun list around here, I wanted to get a head start on some of my Fall/Halloween projects so that I can share them with you and maybe inspire you a little.

Technically, summer isn't over until September 21, but it's already starting to feel a little like Fall with football starting and some of the trees around us are so confused by the crazy weather this summer that they're already starting to lose their leaves! So weird! I even bought a Fall scented candle at Target yesterday because they had them on sale. That probably means I'll be sick of it all by October! Just kidding! This is my favorite time of year!

Here is a peek at my family's Fall Bucket List.

**Update**

Here is the link if you would like your own copy!

Download

THIS FILE IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY.

I can't wait for the temps to cool down a bit and Fall is in full swing!

linking up here:

30 Handmade Days

Tatertots and Jello

Under The Table and Dreaming

Epic Room Makeover Entry

Hi Everyone!

While checking my favorite blogs yesterday, I saw that Mandi over at Vintage Revivals is doing her Epic Room Makeover Contest again this year and it's open to anyone living in the lower 48 states, so I've decided to enter our living room into the contest. To check out Mandi first Epic Room Makeover click here.

Now I know I have like no chance of winning, but our living room is a hot mess, so I figured what the heck! So here goes nothing...

Mandi,
Our living room is in desperate need of a makeover! It's a large room with a very awkward layout due to oddly placed windows and strange cut outs. See photos below.

Really odd placement of windows! It was built in the 1960's, so maybe that has something to do with it.

(That space under the windows is always empty, or filled with toys. What am I supposed to put there?!)

Here are the strange and very hard-to-work-with cut outs. There are three in this one little area! AHHH!!!! I hate them SO much! The cut out in the hallway has a mirror in it and it's awful. The cut out by the stairs is filled with pictures. (I only did that because that's what the former owner had done and I didn't really know what else to do.) And the third cut out up by the ceiling is large and I have no idea what to put up there!

(By the way, how ugly is this railing? It's so bad!)

And here is another pass through into the kitchen. This wall is hard to work with as well because it's not dry wall. It's some sort of wood paneling under the paint. I think it could look really cool if we could figure out what in the heck to do with it!

And it's really difficult finding a rug to fit the room. We actually had this one made from a carpet remnant that we had bound. We have no idea how to place the furniture! We bought new furniture when we moved in and decided on a couch and two chairs, but it's just not enough seating when we have company.

I've also had a hard time finding things that I like to put on the walls. They're SO bare and don't get me started on the window treatments or the lighting! And I really don't love having the couch up against the railing, but we don't know how else to do it because of the tv. 

It's all terrible, but really overwhelming!!

It's a large room with high ceilings and some great character, but there are so many odd things about it that we're not really sure where to start. We REALLY need your help! I'm so embarrassed of this space and it's where we spend ALL of our time together as a family and do our entertaining.

I just know that you could make it look AMAZING!

Help, Help, Help! I would love to have a happy living room for my family to spend time in!

Summer Family Fun List 2012

Last year I created a summer fun list for our family as a way to do all the things that we're always saying we're "going to do" and never actually get around to doing. It worked like a charm, even while I was 9 months pregnant, we were heading out for a picnic and picking strawberries! It was awesome! I was able to document most of the activities for the blog and for our Project Life album.

Since the list was such a success last summer, I decided I better make a new and improved version for this summer. I was able to include some new activities this summer because Hudson is a year older and able to participate in more activities.

So without further ado, I give you the 2012 Summer Family Fun List:

If you would like your own list you can download it for free HERE.

ENJOY!

*If you do download the file I would love a shout out and credit for my awesome creation.*

*Please note that this is for personal use only and may not be sold or reproduced for profit.*

I'm linking up here:

30 Handmade Days

Under The Table and Dreaming

A Blizzard

Yes. Winter finally arrived last weekend. Boo. I didn't get to get out of the house much because it was snowing like crazy on Saturday. I'm not a big fan of snow, but it was gorgeous! It was that really wet snow that sticks to everything it lands on, so it covered all the trees and bushes in a blanket of white. The best part about all the snow was that Hudson finally got to use his new snow pants and snow boots that my parents bought him back in October. He also got to build his first snowman and go sledding for the first time...it was only down a tiny little slope on the side of our house, but he loved it!

Here is my handsome boy all bundled up and ready to go.

And I finally got to get a few pictures of Harper in the snow too. She is wearing an old fleece snowsuit given to me by my sister back when Hudson was a baby. I thought about buying her a new, cute pink one, but it's been so warm here, I wasn't sure when she would get to wear it. This one worked fine and matched her cute hat. She was laughing and trying to catch the falling snow in her mouth. It was adorable!

It was so bright out because of all the light reflecting off the snow, so you can't see where the snowman ends and the snow on the yard begins.

Here are Hudson and daddy on the sled.

I'm hoping to bet back to work on all our projects this weekend. We are for sure painting the nursery. And I'm going to try to get Harper's little artwork finished. I think I have a new plan for it now though, so we'll see how it turns out.

P.S. I'm joining Ali Edwards for Day In The Life today. I love a reason to take lots of pictures...not like I need one though! If you would like to join in, click on Ali's name and it will take you to the blog post and a download freebie! So awesome!

Glow Bath For Kids

Okay, so I can't remember if I saw this idea on a blog at some point or if I came up with this idea myself, but this weekend I came across some glow bracelets in the dollar section of Target. I got 15 bracelets for $1! Well, I had been wanting to let Hudson take a glow bath for a long time. I thought it sounded like so much fun and right up his alley.

He absolutely loved it! We did too. Just watching him have that much fun in the tub was awesome! I was a little jealous and actually considered taking one myself...

Anyway, here is what it looked like and I totally encourage you to buy some for your kiddos too, or yourself, wink-wink.

Isn't it awesome?!

Hello Chevron!

I've been thinking about making over my blog design, so I decided to start by switching up the background to chevron!! Isn't it fun?! I adore it! It's from tinysea.net.


I love chevron so much! It's a good thing I don't have a bunch of money laying around or I would probably have my entire house and wardrobe done with chevron prints...well maybe not entirely. I've always loved stripes. If you look in my closet, I would guess that half of my shirts are striped, so it's no surprise that I think chevron in the cats pajamas.

Anyway, I hope you like it too and hopefully I'll find some time to redo the header soon.

P.S. I didn't finish that art project for Harper's room yet because it didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, so I need to rework some things. I was so bummed. I'm hoping to finish it this weekend though, so I'll post it then!

Fun Mail

This week I've already received 2 envelopes in the mail that I was really looking forward to. The first one was delivered on Monday from Bananafish Studio. I had never ordered anything from Bananafish before, but really fell in love with all of her products after discovering her through Ali Edwards blog. She had some really awesome daily journal cards for my Week In The Life project, which is still not complete, and I also bought some vintage numbers for my December Daily, which I still need to get started on and plan to this weekend. They were just as cute as they looked in the photos and I couldn't be happier.

I actually tried to order a set of holiday journaling cards as well, but even though they were in my cart, I hadn't payed yet and someone else beat me to it! I couldn't believe it! But, as luck would have it, France (the designer), was going to be adding more holiday items the following Monday. Yay!

Needless to say, I totally stalked her shop all day waiting for the items to appear and I ended up snagging myself some of the cutest holiday journaling cards! I'm still waiting for that delivery though.

Here is what I got on Monday from Bananafish Studio.

I added the daily journal cards to my Week In The Life as soon as I opened them! Can't wait to have the project finished! I'm in the process of just finishing up the last of the pictures for it, so I should be able to finish within the next couple weeks.

The other piece of "fun" mail I received was from ChicTags, whom I also learned about through Ali's blog. Yes, I am completely obsessed with Ali Edwards and all of her creative genius at the moment. Anyway, I noticed the ChicTags ad on her sidebar was displaying holiday items and I couldn't resist the Santa bingo card set or the adorable snowmen! Both sets also include other designs. I figured they would be perfect for my December Daily. I can't wait to get that book put together before December arrives, which I have a feeling is going to be here before we know it. On a sidenote, I bought my first Christmas gift yesterday. It feels pretty good to have one out of the way...too bad I have lots more to go.

Here is what came in the mail today from Chic Tags.

I have so many projects to finish up here in the next couple weeks...so many to finish before December. I still need to finish up my advent calendar as well as Week In The Life and at least get a start on my December Daily.

What projects are you working on right now? Anything holiday oriented?

Did You Have A Sticker Book?

I was searching under our stairs for our Halloween decorations when I came across my childhood box that contained my sticker book. Yes, I am an 80's child and my sticker book was one of my favorite things growing up. My best friends and I were all sticker collectors and we loved to get together with our books. We would admire each others stickers and trade them back and forth. We even invented "The Giving Game" in order to obtain our favorite stickers from our friends without having to trade. It was so much fun!

Seeing my sticker book made me realize that I'd actually began scrapbooking way before I thought I had. These stickers were a record of the times. They represent what was popular at the time.

I have specific memories attached to so many of them, and seeing them again takes me right back to my bedroom floor with my best friends! I'm so glad that I kept them all these years!

I took some pictures of some of the pages to share.

This is actually my very first sticker book. My parents gave both my sister and I one for Valentine's day one year. I loved it, but eventually upgraded to a fancier version.

Here is the fancier version. A photo album with the adhesive added to the pages. We would stick and restick the stickers so many times that some of them weren't even sticky anymore.

This is my favorite page. A page completely devoted to all of my very favorite stickers. It would change all the time, but this is how it was when I stopped playing with stickers. See that round sticker with a pitcher of pink juice? That was one that got traded back and forth A LOT, as did that big hiking bear. That little pear on roller skates was a big favorite of mine. It's torn a little...

I was also in love with that tiny pumpkin and the little purple balloon! Oh the memories!!

 

Here is my shiny page. Yes, you are seeing that correctly. It is in fact a sticker version of the Michael Jackson glove. That one was traded more times than any other, and I proud to say that I have it in the end! That big glittery star was on everyone's wish list too.

I had a page devoted to balloons too.

And a page for Easter stickers. I always loved the arrangement of this page in particular. And I loved that sticker of the fuzzy bunny holding the lily.

Hudson was having fun looking through all the pages, but I think he liked my favorite page the best too!

There are so many more pages than what are shown here, but I didn't want to bore you to death! I just thought it was fun to look through and be reminded of simpler times when stickers were the most important thing in life!

Did anyone else have a sticker book? If so, I would love to see it!

My Dream Neighborhood

Jeremy and I have this thing where we go get coffee and then drive around our dream neighborhood. We do it at least a couple times a month. Usually on a sunny Saturday or Sunday morning or when were trying to get the kids to settle down and take a nap! Anyway, I decided to take my camera the other day to take some pics of the entrance landscaping and a few of the houses. The pics aren't great because it was really bright and sunny, but the houses are still beautiful! The neighborhood is located along the Elkhorn River, so some of the lots back up to the river and the others are up in the higher area. There are lots with tons of trees and lots that are more open. There is even a natural walking path that runs through the whole area past ponds and a creek. Just awesome! I guess you could say we are kind of stalkers...

My favorite part of the entrance is the double waterfall. Amazing!

I love these trees. I have no idea what they are, but they're so pretty.

 This is the lot we want...I'm sure it will still be available 20 years from now! Ha!

These houses have amazing landscaping. You can tell that they put a lot of effort into making it look natural so that it blends in with the surroundings.

This picture does not do this house justice at all! It's located on a corner lot and has a small guest house built across the driveway. It's very private. I love the way they positioned the house on the lot. Plus, it has a water feature, but you can't see it driving by.

 This house has a cottage feel. I really like the front door.

 This one is situated further back away from the road. It's extremely private with all the trees. I think this one is my favorite!

These houses are so much bigger and prettier in person! I would love to build a house here someday! 

It's fun to dream, right?!