Santa Buddy

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Like most, I love Christmas music.  I also love Michael Buble.  A Michael Buble Christmas cd...win-win!

It's on sale this week at Target for $9.99...pick it up and I give you permission to listen to Christmas music before Halloween.  lol

Gallery Wall Update

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I love the gallery walls I see that are a mish mash of everything!  However, I also love that my gallery wall is only 6 photos and I can easily change them all to match the season or my mood.

Here is my gallery wall updated for fall/winter:

Indianapolis Zoo Boo

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We went to the zoo this weekend and had a lot of fun!   It's always a blast to put on your costume to go to the zoo and see everyone else dressed up as well.  Evie is wearing a costume that was my sisters from ages ago.  She still needs some feathers for the finishing touch, but I ran out of time before Zoo Boo...hopefully I don't run out of time before Halloween! 

Tastes of Autumn

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I have a few simple ways to enjoy the flavors of fall with minimal effort on my part!  Of course, I love to make apple pies and other more time intensive recipes.  However, with a little ready made help these items take no time to give you that autumn feeling...even on your busiest day!

Nutella hot chocolate ~ one cup of milk and two spoons of nutella heated in a saucepan, I add a pinch of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.

Limited Edition Philadelphia pumpkin spice cream cheese ~ yummy on a warm bagel!

Pillsbury pumpkin quick bread ~ quick prep time has this baking in your oven in just a few minutes!

"Baked With Love"

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This year I struggled to come up with a Christmas theme, for a custom boutique design, that felt fun and new for me.  When I saw this little baker fairy and the fun Christmas cupcake applique designs I knew this is what I wanted to make!  My favorite part of the set has got to be the tiny pocket with removable appliqued wooden spoon...that was my daughter's favorite part as well!

I am offering this set on eBay in sizes 2t-8, CLICK HERE to see my listing.  Thanks for looking!

 

Fall Pictures 2011

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Well, we got all dressed up and hair combed to take our family pictures on Saturday evening.  I think I should have maybe rented a different lens or used maybe even my kit lens.  I had a lot of cute shots that were either our of focus or had one person in the picture out of focus.  The perfectionist in me wants to retake them and I am sure a professional photographer can see 100 things I should have done differently.  However, I got enough of the shots that I wanted and I am letting it go!!

The Pioneer Woman photoshop elements actions came in really handy on these pictures.  I downloaded them for my customs pictures, but never used them much.  However, they made the editing of our family pics go a lot faster.

Also, I had grandiose plans of awesome backdrops and fantabulous poses....but in the end we just went to my parents house and used their backyard....and well the poses are your pretty standard poses.  I guess in the end it was the people in the picture, not the pose, that was most important me.

Oh and one last thought....If I had the extra money...I so would have payed someone!  lol  But as it is, I am getting all new photos for my gallery wall, plus a few extra's for $22 shipped.  Ok, ENOUGH of my rambling about the pictures...

Todd really like this one and I think it's going on the Christmas cards.  Of course, I HATED myself....who likes themselves from the side?  But the kids look so cute I will take one for the team!  lol

So here they are!  Thanks for looking and letting me share!

October

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Aaahh....it's my favorite month of the year.  Who doesn't love fall?  I think almost every person I know claims it as their favorite season!

This morning I made the kids pumpkin spice hot chocolate...just a little pumpkin pie spice in their cocoa mix.  I'm not sure if it would be good enough for Starbucks, but they sure enjoyed it!  I have heard a tiny rumor that there is pumpkin spice cream cheese from Philadelphia out there and I am going to go on the hunt for that!

 Last year I threw out almost all my fall decorations...so I am starting from scratch this year.  I wanted to get an earthy sorta natural feel from my decorations.  A picked a few new vases and candlesticks from the dollar store and added some fun colored candy sticks to one vase.  Another vase I already had, got some tall birch sticks (also from the dollar store!) while a third new vase received layers of dried beans and peas with a candle.  I replaced the summer catch all plate with a cream platter I already had.

 The front door got a new grapevine wreath from The Christmas Tree Shoppes...however I could not resist wrapping some fake leaves around the wreath.  Earthy and natural or not...I still love fake autumn leaves!  lol

Here is the rest of the decorations I came up with in the living room and kitchen....including the yarn wreath I already shared with you.

 The printable I made in photoshop with the cookie cutter tool.  The glass pumpkins came from the dollar store.  I picked up the acorns from Meijer, but also saw them on ebay...and of course you could always go out and find your own real acorns!  lol