It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year....

I am having the toughest time getting into the Holiday Season this year. I think mostly it is due to the fact that I have never not had a “White Christmas” and I enjoy the nippy fall weather…..and lately I am playing tennis outside and sweating at 8:00 in the morning. Florida is a little Strange that way! There have only been a few things that have sparked a little light inside of me – 1)Christmas Crafts and 2) Sending out Christmas Cards.

You all know how much I love crafting so that one makes sense…but why be so excited about Christmas Cards? Well let me tell you why – This year I actually feel like we are doing something different and worth hearing about! J Plus I love getting mounds of mail at the end of the year full of cards telling me how blessed everyone has been over the past year – of just to see how people have changed over the past year! Growing up there were certain families that we looked forward to getting their card every year (I don’t remember if it was because of their amazingly good looking sons – or another reason J!) Especially being so far away from our friends and family, it is comforting knowing that those bonds will stay strong because we are Christmas Card buddies!

Usually I order Christmas Cards from Walmart, because they are the cheapest. They haven’t gotten new patterns in a few years….and I don’t want to repeat any of my favorite ones so I went looking somewhere else this year! This year we will be using Shutterfly. I found this company through a link on someone else’s blog and was pleasantly surprised. I am a huge fan of the designs with the bright colors and the ones with brown, light blue, and red........I really really love them both!

I am actually having a hard time choosing what card I want to pick but this is definitely a favorite (click here). I love the idea of sending "Warm Holiday Wishes"....from Florida! :) I also love this design (click here). And maybe if our pictures turn out extra good this year, I will choose this one (click here).

If I get ambitious then I will definitely be doing these calendars in the future: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars

And love that you can get high quality pictures through them in an hour!

http://www.shutterfly.com/upload-pictures

Seriously check them out!

Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up:http://bit.ly/sfly2010

(Which is a huge blessing for us because on a tight budget...Christmas Cards were maybe not going to happen!)

Covered Baby Burp Cloths!

My little guy had acid reflux really bad when he was little, we used burp blankets instead of burp cloths! We pretty much covered the couch with blankets at all times and then switched them out when they would get spit up on. Unfortunately we didn't always have an unlimited supply of blankets handy everywhere we went so sometimes we had to use burp cloths. We found that the best burp cloths, in categories of absorption and usefulness, were cloth diapers! I have never used cloth diapers for their intended purpose but it only makes sense that they absorb really well! Now since we live in a society where everything has to be amazingly cute - covering these in cute flannel and adding embellishments is a must! :) Plus they make a super cheap baby gift! (A pack of 6 is like 6 bucks at Walmart.) I also have been making my own bibs (I will show those in a later post)!

Holiday Blocks

I am in charge of our big craft day for the women in my church. I decided for one of the crafts, we needed to do something that would last more than just one holiday - as most of us are poor college students and have a small crafting budget! With the help of Rebecca, (our Relief Society President) we came up with these blocks! We used a 4"x4"-8 foot piece of wood cut into pieces, which made each block roughly $0.30 a piece. Then we modge podged scrapbook paper onto the sides and then put a vinyl letter on each block! Super easy and cheap! Tell me what you think!

October Card Swap with Jen

Leaving Provo wasn't to hard for me, but moving away from family and friends was! My good friend Jen has made it really easy to still keep in touch and to help shorten the distance a little! We loved doing crafts together in Provo, and since we can't get together for craft day anymore, we decided to do a monthly card swap. It has been fun to send some cards and get some in the mail! I am loving it!


Here are the cards I made and sent to her:
Here are the cards she made and sent to me:

Thanks Jen! I look forward to this months cards!

I can create: A Festive Halloween Feast!

I moved across the country and was blessed with an instant friend who is alot like me (we even have kids close to the same age). She and I love to craft...we are a perfect pair! Every Wednesday a bunch of the wives with busy Law School husbands get together with our kids and eat! It gives our husbands extra study time or relaxation time. This past week, My friend Kacey and I teamed up to create a fun Halloween Feast. This was our email - invite!

SpOoKtAcUlAr DiNnEr BoO-nanza!

Who: Wives of the Dead! (and Little Monsters too!)
What: Haunting Halloween Feast
Where: The Haunted Mansion by the Lake of Doom (formerly known as Tennille's house, and in the words of Leesa, "If you don't know where it is then you're not invited!")
When: Vensday, October 27, 2010 - 5:30 pm
Why: Because when black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam, May luck be yours on Halloween
How: Brought to you by...Your Ghost Hosts: Yecak and Ellinnet
R.S.V.P or R.I.P

Mystery Menu
Worms and Eyeballs
Mummy Dogs (for the Little Monsters)
Bones and Blood
Monster Jaws with Pumpkin Sludge and Toasted Batwings
Frankenstein's Garden
Spider Tartlets
Witches Brew


NOTE TO THE MORTALS:
The menu is planned
The food will be prepared
So just bring yourselves and make sure you're SCARED!

Here are some pictures of the food that we made! (The main course was spaghetti and meatballs which I do not have a picture of because who hasn't seen that before!)

Toasted Bat Wings

Monster Jaws Mummy Wrapped Cheese Dogs
Bones and Blood
Spider Tartlets
Thanks Kacey it was a blast!

I can create: A Masterpiece!

When I was in elementary school - I remember sneaking into my super cool older sisters room to listen to her CD's. We shared the basement so her room was only one room away - but she was in high school so I always wanted to find things to help me be cool like her! There was one song that I always loved hearing - and often put on repeat! Over and over in my life since, these lyrics have popped into my head at different times - and each time they touch my heart in a special way! Maybe it is a message that I need to hear frequently! I thought about this song again today and really want to share it with you! (Sorry I don't know how to post the song - so the lyrics with have to do)

Masterpiece
(Julie de Azevedo/Greg Simpson)

Simple clay in the potter's hand
An empty page and an author's pen
An artist's brush to a canvas white
And a work of art comes to life

Marble raw but the sculptor sees
The masterpiece that lies beneath
Though rough and marred the Master's touch
Can change this life into His work of love
So everyday I pray

CHORUS
He'll write His will upon my heart
Mold my soul to His design
Adding color depth and light
And polishing until I shine shine shine
Oh my heart is in His hands
He's painting the life He'd have me lead
Through refining floods and flames
He's smoothing edges and the seems
And in time time time
Oh this simple life will be a Masterpiece

Snowy peaks watercolor skies
His works of beauty fill my eyes
But He sees nothing more beautiful
Than a heart submissive to His will
I want to know His will
So everyday I pray

He'll write His will upon my heart
Mold my soul to His design
Adding color depth and light
And polishing until I shine shine shine
Oh my heart is in His hands
He's painting the life He'd have me lead
Through refining floods and flames
He's smoothing edges and the seems
And in time time time
Oh this simple life will be a Masterpiece

I love this song because I often feel like a blank canvas or a rough piece of marble - but I know that my Heavenly Father loves me and that he wants to help me become a "masterpiece". I know that it is not going to happen overnight and that it is a life long process, but he is there with me every step of the way shining over and over. I hope that I can be more submissive to his will and know how to become the most beautiful masterpiece that I can be!

I can create: A recipe with more than 5 ingredients!

I have decided lately that I am a "chicken" in the kitchen. I am a creature of habbit and I make the same recipes that my mom or sister make, and when I do look for a new recipe - it has to have less than 6 ingredients and be cooked in a crock pot (where I can dump everything in and walk away) or I won't even try it! So for this post I am learning to branch out and try new things! I have alot more time now that I am a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) so why not right? This was my first attempt at something with more than 5 ingredients- and let me remind you that this is baby steps for me.... (I still used my crock pot!)

So here is the menu: Pork Roast with a Ground Ginger and Garlic Rub (this one had like 8 or 9 spices in it...), Mashed Potatoes (my mother-in-laws recipe with lots of butter and half and half), broccoli (with cheese), spaghetti squash (reminds me of home), and bread.

My little man even loved it! And yes he does eat and love broccoli!

This recipe was really easy so maybe next time I will choose something with 7 ingredients and not use a crock pot :)! I had never made a "rub" before because rubbing raw meat has never sounded appealing but it was really good! It was even better that we took the leftovers, shredded them, and added BBQ Sauce for Pulled Pork. The Ground Clove mixed with the BBQ Sauce had a good flavor.

My next goal: roast garlic and use it in a recipe!