Happy Christmas!!

Happy  Christmas everyone!  Its been a magical day here.   It is even snowing!  We made a video for our Christmas card this year that I hope you will watch.  I hope your day is a blessed one.  Thank you for being a part of our lives.

Rock the night away | Printable

Are you guys ready for the last of my Instachristmas tags?  Just like all the others there are lots of ways you could use this but here's how used this one.  

One of my dearest friends just had a baby.  On 12.12.12  Lucky little guy.  SO when I chose Rock the Night Away I was thinking more along the lines of a mama rocking the night away with her new babe. So I put together a cd of some quiet Christmas songs.  We downloaded this Fireplace Sampler from The Music Bed a few weeks ago and have found some new favorites on there.  I also made a Lotta Jansdotter swaddler (its a free pattern) and a blanket for the little.  Then I wrapped it up and mailed it off to our far away friends.  

Rock the Night Away Printable

I've uploaded the printable to google docs again for you to download!  As always free but if you love it maybe donate a dollar to our adoption fund!  You could make a party sampler to give to a friend,  I cut an envelope with my silhouette that is the perfect size for a disc. Or if you are giving an itunes gift card to a friend this would be a cute way to package it up don't you think?! Are you done with your Christmas shopping? I just have a couple things left.  EEK!  Its less than a week away!

PS.  I've been using this shape for a cd envelope

and this library pocket.   

Check out the other Instachristmas tags!

Cup of Cheer

For Your Mistletoes 

For your mistle toes| printable

I finally found a minute to show you guys my next InstaChristmas tag!  I was going along all fine thinking I had a ton of time to get things done before Christmas.  Then this week happened and I feel like I have no time left!  

Sometimes though no matter how busy I get I always find time for things like adding touches to my dining room wall. Its been 3 years and I finally hung some of my favorite things on this really big wall.  I took a canvas and painted it with chalkboard paint so I could change it as often as I wanted. 

For your mistle toes! What a fun idea huh!  I kept it simple and used a circle punch to make little tags to tie on to some of my favorite colors of nail polish.  {jag-u-are. stylenomics. clambake.}  Chalk, hole punch, and some twine and you are done!  You could also use the tags to put on homemade foot scrub, or a cute pair of boot socks.  Really, just like the cup of cheer tags, there are a lot of fun ways to use these little guys!

 Mistletoes square Mistletoes 2

I made two versions of these tags.  One is these square tags perfect for cutting in to circles.  The other is a little bit bigger to add to a box for gift giving.  You can download them from google docs, easy peasy!  As always these printables are free to download, or you can click on the donate button and maybe donate a dollar to adoption fund.  

Are you guys feeling the sudden crunch of time for Christmas too or is it just me?!

Be sure to check out the other Instachristmas tags!

Cup of Cheer

Rock the Night Away

A cup of cheer | Printable

Ask and ye shall receive!  I've uploaded the cup of cheer pdf to google docs for you to download!  It is a PDF that you can print on cardstock and use for gift giving this year.  {Personal Use Only}

Have  a cup of cheer tags

I printed mine on white cardstock and then rubbed chalk on them to give a more authentic chalkboard look to them.  I also like to rub some black ink on any cut sides so the white edge doesn't show.  

Uuummmmm.... I feel weird about this and I don't quite know how to ask.  But we are friends right? 

I love being a stay at home mom to Ivy.  I love making things and sharing it with  you guys.  I also really want to adopt a baby.  Which it turns out can be kind of expensive. And it can be hard as a SAHM to come up with ways to help out with extra expenses sometimes ya know? So I thought I would try and use my resources.  If you love a free printable that I share, and want to download it to use, would you maybe donate $1 to our adoption fund?  Its done through paypal so its super easy and only takes a second.   Just click the donate button under the printable, or on my sidebar over there.   Of course you don't have to.  NO PRESSURE!!  You can totally download them for free and I'll be so happy that you loved it enough to use it and spread some holiday cheer! Mmk thanks. End awkwardness. 

  I hope you guys had a great weekend!  Ivy and I got invited to attend the Nutcracker on Saturday.  It was a first for both of us.  I know, how did I get to be 33 and never have gone?  Well we loved it, especially my little ballerina.  We got all dolled up.  Ivy even wanted her hair curled.  Which is a really big deal by the way.  

She added my leopard scarf to her ensemble.  Besides the whole socks and sandals thing, she can be a regular fashionista.  But holy cow isn't she gorgeous.  I love her to the ends of the earth.  Even when she makes me be the nutcracker or the rat king ALL day long.  She has been a dancer/ director/ stage hand/ costume designer almost nonstop since Saturday night.  The creative energy never ends with that girl.  

Happy Monday!

A major award!

This morning my instagram notifications were going crazy!  That's weird I thought, since I didn't take a single picture yesterday.  Fail.  But oh man I was so excited to see why!  

Eek  I won!  Rhonna Designs picked me!  Woot.  Darin is so proud  :)  Thanks to Rhonna and all of her cReative team for your amazing inspiration.  And of course I'd like to take a moment to thank InstaChristmas, which has made all of my holiday dreams come true ;) Cup of Cheer!  Cup of Cheer! Oh man, I need to lay off the Christmas movies.  Doesn't that sound like the Chair of Cheer from the Grinch?  I hope you guys are having a good Friday! 

PS watch Instagram this weekend for more InstaChristmas sneak peaks!

Santa's Little Helper Service Project

At church I got a new calling working with the 10 and 11 year old girls.  I love it!!  These girls are so much fun.  My only challenge really is that there are 20 of them!  It is hard to find things to do with them that we can get done in an hour.  We kind of have to keep it simple.  So this week I decided to turn them all in to Santa's little helpers.  

I saw the idea on The Fickle Pickle and switched it up a little bit to go with the holiday, since its December and all.  I found some $1 Santa hats at Walmart, grabbed a couple of boxes of candy canes and put my own elves to work putting together 20 Mission Possible packets.  I used the the printables from The Fickle Pickle's original post which are super awesome!  She even has a list of service activities to do.   Because of the Santa hats I went ahead and used 9x12 manila envelopes.  I put together a subway art tag for the front and was done.  For the subway art I used a couple of lines about elves from Christmas movies that were in my head.    We have been watching the Santa Clause kind of a lot so thats where a couple come from.

The girls loved it and it was fun to hear them get excited about all the different things they could do for others.  They make awesome elves!

Have a cup of cheer.

Have you been loving all the chalk art that has been popping up?  Just when you thought the chalkboard was done, too.   I was patiently awaiting Rhonna Designs to release her InstaChristmas because I knew it would be perfect for adding some chalk art to my home for the holidays.   In fact the only thing I bought on Black Friday was InstaChristmas.  Well besides a trip to Voodoo Donuts I guess ;)  I have been adding it to my instagram photos and playing around with it in photoshop as well.  I really, really, totoally like it. 

Over at Rhonna's blog she is having a tag contest so I came up with a little gift tag that can be used lots of ways for gift giving this holiday.  Using a chalkboard background in photoshop I came up with this little guy.  Ivy has been walking around singing this song and I couldn't get it out of my head!

I made a fill page for the back side and was able to fit 9 of the 2.5x3.5 tags on a sheet of paper.  I printed it out on white cardstock and cut out each tag.  To give it a little bit more chalkiness I rubbed chalk over the whole design and then wiped it off.  Use a black ink pad to ink the cut edges for extra measure too.  

I think it would be a fun hostess gift to tie a tag on to a bottle of sparkling cider.  And even more fun would be to get those mini bottles and have them for New Years Eve!  Oh, man.  How cute would that be?!  

I've been wanting to try the sharpie mug thing so I decided to actually make a cup of cheer.  I got a mug from Target for $3 I think, and using a circle stencil and a bronze sharpie I put some confetti dots all over the mug. 

 While my mug was baking {at 350 for 30 minutes}  I made a pocket for a packet of hot chocolate.  I printed out the chevron fill page on kraft cardstock and then cut a library pocket like the ones I used for my advent with my silhouette.   I love seeing the design peeking out from the inside.  I backed my tag with some red striped paper and glued it to the front.  I tucked the hot chocolate, along with a mug rug and a box of chocolates into my fun new mug to give as a gift to add some cheer to a dear friend's day.  

I might even make up a couple more of these library pockets to stick some Starbucks gift cards in for quick gifts to give to friends and teachers.  So many ideas for one little tag!

EDIT!!
You can now download your own Cup of Cheer tags by following the link below.  And read about how you can maybe help with our adoption HERE

CUP OF CHEER PDF

PS you can check out the other instachristmas tags too!
For Your Mistletoes
Rock the Night Away

Gray skies bring out the hipster in me.

  

I find it much easier to be fashionable in the winter.  Don't you?  Boots. Skinnies. Shirt. {P}leather coat.  Scarf.  Maybe a hat.  Done.  So what if it only varies slightly each time right? The only person who sees me on a regular basis is Darin.  And lets be honest.  He is stoked to see me in that cuz I don't have sweats on ;) And being monochromatic is very hip of me don't you think?  

Sometimes a pop of color is good though. Yes?   As soon as I saw this sweater at H&M I knew it was coming home with me.  I'm pretty sure I have wanted it all of my life.  It is kitchy, it is coral-y red and the reindeer are perfectly Scandanavian.  Which goes really well with my Scandinavian coloring.   Speaking of which Ivy has informed me that my hair is not blonde.  Sniff.  Its just the Instagram filter sweetie. Don't let the Walden fool you.  Also if you want to feel really good about your *rear view*  just try on clothes at the Washington Square H&M in Portland.  The mirrors will do your body image good.  Seriously.  

And to get Ivy back for the non-blonde comment I'm posting a picture of her five year old fashion sense. This was her awesome church attire on Sunday.   I failed to teach her not to wear socks with sandals.  But apparently she picked up on the whole monochromatic thing. 

Happy Thanksgiving

Thank You Cards {free printable}

I feel like I am saying thank you so much these days which is a good thing.   I don't mean because its Thanksgiving and we are feeling more grateful than usual.  I am just blessed to have so many great people in my life that uplift, inspire, and help a girl out every once in a while.  I made a thank you card to give to a couple people.  I just printed them out on kraft paper and wrote a little note inside.  Feel free to grab a bag of Cadbury eggs to give along with your card.  Yes I saw them, just today in Christmas colors.   Crack I tell you.  

And since this is my 400th post I thought I would thank you too.  You can download {for personal use of course} your own thank you cards HERE.   Print, cut and fold and don't forget the cadbury eggs! 

Thanksgiving Break Activities

SOoo, hows it going?  We are just hanging out around here.  Really.  Ivy had school yesterday.  And thats it for this whole week.  One day.  And then no school next week. Every kindergartener should have two weeks off for Thanksgiving right?!  Since there is no school I'm gonna have to keep her entertained.  Luckily I can give her a coloring book and she is good for a couple hours so I can get laundry done and clean the bathrooms.  I knew this long break was coming too so I've been hunting for some fun Thanksgiving activities we can do together while she is home.  Of course I found some other fun stuff that isn't so much for kids too.   

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I've been wanting to make these with Ivy for awhile.  I'm thankful that others take pretty pictures to remind me!  DIY Birdfeeders from Ashley Ann.

This cute  printable thanksgiving day pack from Pizzazzerie even has a leftovers tag to send your guests home with leftovers in style!

If you want something a little bit different these free Thanksgiving printables from The TomKat Studio are gorgeous.  I love the brown and white simplicity of the whole thing. 

Fiskars has some fun decorations for the kids table .  I made the crayon holder pilgram hat already.  My budding artist is in love.

This Little Indian Party from Dear Lizzy would be a fun way to spend a cold day inside.  So dreamy.  

I still love this felt leaves garland from A Beautiful Mess.  I bet even littler hands could help with this easy fall decoration.

This gratitude garland from Somewhat Simple is lovely.  

I'm going to use some of our extra time to get a jump on our holiday gifts this year.  We are going handmade this year.  The Craftpack e-book is filled with tons of printables and projects.  I'm thinking the lumberjack breakfast kit would be a great hostess gift.

Hope you are enjoying the calm before the holiday storm this week!

Our Adoption Profile

Three years ago as I watched Ivy open Christmas presents I got tears in my eyes.  I just looked at Darin and said she needs brothers and sisters to share this with.  Over three years I have started and stopped and wished and faltered.  Seasons and years have gone by and it came down to me staring at the computer screen crying because I don't know what to say.   Too many emotions to put in to telling someone PICK US.  Pick us.  Please.  And then Darin says let me have a turn.  And its done.  In ten minutes.  How do boys do that?  

It has taken  us almost three years to finally finish.  Thank you to every single person that has prayed, and pushed and cheered us on to get it done.  Our adoption profile is now online to view.  If you or someone you know is looking to place their baby for adoption, maybe think of us.  We are so grateful to you.  

Happy Birthday D.

darin birthday from Darin Warnick on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday D.  I fall in love all over again with you every day.  So much of my triumphs come from you supporting me and cheering me on.   You step in and take over when my heart can't handle it any more. I am forever grateful for that.  Thank you for being the dad Ivy needs and the husband I always dreamed of.  I can't wait to spend forever with you.



photo credits...
Foto Novella
Stacy Marie Photography
Speckled Hen Photography

music... Ingrid Michaelson I can't help falling in love with you

Pumpkin Granola with Flax

Probably the question I get asked the most when talking about the 24 day challenge is What the heck do you eat?!!  And I always say uhhhhhm.  I don't know?  I think when your thoughts about food have shifted, what you are eating isn't something you get too excited about.  It is more about fuel and getting enough protein for me these days.  But I know it helps to get some new ideas from people when you are starting out eating clean so here is how my typical food diary looks.  I kind of rotate between the choices

Breakfast::

toast and a smoothie

oatmeal with either apples or craisins and sliced almonds

either kashi or pumpkin granola

english muffin with egg and avocado 

Snack::

cottage cheese and fruit

greek yogurt and fruit

Lunch:

Peanut butter and honey sandwich

salad

soup or chili

pumpkin granola

Snack::

carrots and cheese or almonds

Dinner::

fish and veggies

chicken and salad

toasted tuna

hamburger something

some kind of mexican thing

Snack:: 

frozen banana

If I have toast for breakfast I don't eat a peanut butter sandwich that day to cut out carbs.

I have been eating 5 meals and 300-400 calories a meal for so long I kind of have it down.  I mix these all up during the day too.  I am not opposed to eating breakfast for dinner.  Just not dinner for breakfast :)

Anyways one thing that I've been LOVING lately is Pumpkin Granola.  I make it from scratch every 10 days or so.  

Ingredients

2/3 cup natural applesauce

1 cup pumpkin puree 

1/3 cup pure maple syurp

1 tsp vanilla

4 cups quick cooking oats

4 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar

1/2 cup ground flaxseeds

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

sliced almond

craisins

In a small bowl mix together applesauce, pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla.  In a large bowl mix together remaining ingredients.  Add in  wet ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.  On 2 lined cookie sheets spread out granola.  Bake at 300 for 40 minutes, stirring at 20 minutes.  After 40 minutes mix in almonds and craisins.  I just add a couple handfuls of each until the ratio looks about right.  Cook 20 minutes more.  Allow to cool and transfer to an airtight container.  

Enjoy!

Day 2:: Family as friends.

For the past 3 years I've done an I'm Thankful week with guest posts on this blog.  It was first one week, then two.  This year I'm making it easy on myself and posting each day!  Haha but its just going to be me this year.  If you want to follow along on instagram I'm joining lots of people in #thankfulnovember with the gals at eighteen25.  If you need some photo prompts for the month you can get them lots of places like The Idea Room , Fat Mum Slim and #novphoto366 from April Walker.  

Happy November!

Day 2:: Family that makes the best kind of friends. 

This is the why we live here.  And why we love it.  Cousins as friends.  Surrounded by em.  10 within 4 miles of us.  Probably 25 within 25 miles of us.  I lose count after that.  Second cousins and first cousins just so you don't freak out.   I suppose thats what happens when you are surrounded by farmers kids!  I'm thankful that Ivy can have friends that I know are good kids and I can trust at any time to help me out.