Ready For Santa....WAS ready for Santa!!

Ok. I know I'm a little late on this post but can you blame me?! If your holiday was as crazy as mine you, will understand. Throw a little snow in the mix and you have MADNESS!! Here is what it looked like around my house this season (minus the wreath, which I'm bummed I didn't take a picture)

First, my place settings. I started with a Christmas-y place mat but it seemed a little too plain. So I had these little mini sized fuzzy stockings that I had stored away that I just set right on top. Thinking back on it I probably could have put a spoon, fork and knife in the stocking but to be honest we haven't even eaten at that table in weeks. I also added red fabric over the table just as a table cloth.

Now for my FAVORITE part of the table, the centerpiece. A long time ago I was given this gravy bowl and platter. I never used the gravy bowl (I really don't even know where it is) but the platter was just a plain clear glass platter. Perfect for the center of the table no matter what occasion. I just added a Christmas snowglobe (confession: I used to collect snow globes when I was younger) to the center and surrounded it with round ornaments.

Next, is the most important Christmas decoration. The Tree. We were sort of limited on space this year. So we decided to go with a smaller tree. I mean really small. We turned it on every night and Melania helped decorate it with Pink and Purple ornaments and beads so she was happy. It was an added bonus that the lights changed colors so she liked it and I think that's all that matters.

 Melania even added a little Christmas flair in her room!

I also had a little bit of Christmas cheer in the living room. [Pardon the Wii remotes and the Wii censor. We aren't video gamers but we are suckers for the Wii (who isn't?).] I just wrapped some white, sparkly garland on the top of the TV around the eyesore we call our DVD display. (Sounds like a good DIY organization product for later on down the road!)

So even though I am really late in saying it, I'll say it any way.....

(He looks so happy right? I forced him to take the picture hehe)

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

My Christmas Wish list...WISH being a key word

Who says kids are the only ones who can have a Christmas wish list?? I have put together a few of my favorite things a la Oprah style (minus the giveaway..maybe next time). Have you put together some items you are asking for? Or have you already bought your Christmas gift (because we all know that by giving yourself a gift, your guaranteed to love it)? If not, maybe these AMAZING gifts will give you a good idea of what you want to find under the Christmas tree.

 This beauty right here is the EOS Rebel XS 18-55IS Camera for $499.00 @ Amazon.com

The could be the cutest Cookbook Holder EVER! It is a Paula Deen especial (be sure to say that a fancy accent) for $16.95 @ Food Network.com

Red Nonstick Cookware Set (12 piece set). An awesome creation of Super Woman aka Paula Deen for $119.95 @ Food Network.com

They may look like your ordinary tennis shoes but they're not!! They are the new Easy Tone Reebok shoes for $69.98 @ Finish Line.com. If you haven't heard about these you should definitely research them. The bottom is like a balance ball and is supposed to tone your legs and buttocks. Whether it actually works or not is a completely different story. I've never tried them. (remember WISH list).

Cute little (girly sized) Tone Fitness 20 pound Hourglass Shaped Dumbell Set with Rack for $49.99 @ Sports Authority.com (good thing this is a WISH list because I don't know if I would be willing to pay $50.00 for weights..sheesh!)

This is where my inner redneck comes in. I LOVE this bed set. Would I put it on my bed and use it? In a heartbeat!! I'm not too fond of the sheets and pillow cases (the ones with the deer heads on it). Don't get me wrong, if I received the whole set, I would definitely use it. But I think it may look better with dark brown, or forest green sheets and pillow cases along with the camo and Browning logo pillows. I found this @ Bass pro shop.com. The Comforter set is $209.99 (for a King).

This is the SHE Hunter Fleece Pullover from Gander Mountain.com for $49.99

Gotta have some Mossy Oak Camo Pants to go with the shirt from Gander Mountain for $39.99

How adorable is this!?!? It is a Brighton Coffee Storage Bench with a Green Cushion from Crate and Barrel for $318.95. However, if you are really handy (and I mean really handy) you could even make this. For instance, find a old coffee table and refinish it! Great DIY project. I am absolutely in love with this. You could even put this at the foot of your bed, in a foyer area, or even your mud room. Your possibilities would be endless!!!

I could think of a million places to put these and a million different things to put in them. Whether it be the bathroom, kitchen, dining room, bedroom, etc. These are just a basic set of 4 Glass Canisters from Crate and Barrel for $79.95. You could even find these cheaper at Wal-Mart or Target.

Like I've said numerous times, this is just my WISH list. It just gives everyone a idea of what I'm looking for. I highly recommend everyone make a wish list even if you don't give it to anyone. You can see quite a few of my personal interest (cooking, home decor, camo, and hopefully exercise) just by looking at my wish list. What does your wish list consist of??

Happy Holidays From My Family To Yours!!

Heads Up!

I'm currently in the process of changing around some things. As you can tell the look of my blog changes just about every week. No judging! I'll also be changing the name, content, etc. So, many changes coming soon. I hope to be making a banner and some other really neat thing. Still getting used to the whole blogger thing. So I'm soaking in as much as I can. I also hope to gain more followers. Spread the word!! The start of the year, I will really be kickin it in high gear. I hope to be doing a lot more crafts and maybe even learn to sew! 

 

Image from Google

Redneck Baby Blanket

I went to a Baby Shower (who doesn't love those?) this past weekend. I was going to play it safe with a baby bath set or something off of her registry BUT I was feeling like I needed a project to do. So I figure I would make a soft baby blanket. I wanted to make it as unique and as special the new little blessing that is on the way. With Paige (momma) being a southern cutie I had to tie in the Mossy Oak Camo and little flair of pink since she is having a girl! I went to Joannes (which is now one of my favorite stores ever!!) and picked out the fabric. I did my homework by calling ahead of time to make sure they had what I was looking for. I know everyone carries the classic blotchy camo but I wanted the real stuff, twigs and all. I purchased a yard and a half to make sure it was big enough for the baby yet big enough for momma to cuddle with too. Next morning, I cracked down on making the blanket.

First, I started by layering the fabric one on top of the other. I started withe the camo on top but as I was cutting the strips it was harder to see with it being darker than the pink.

Can't forget my little helper!

Then I started cutting strips of both pieces of fabric. You will need make them sort of long so that you have enough room to tie them together.

The corners are a little tricky. You can either cut it like how I have in the picture or you can make the whole corner piece one big knot. I cut all the strips for one side then started to tie it.

To tie the pieces, take one strip of fabric from the top and the strip of fabric directly under it and tie a simple know. If you have enough room, you may want to double knot it just in case.

Keep repeating until you get all the sides done. Soon you will have a perfect blanket!

You can use any type of fabric and any material. I am a HUGE fan of the fleece on one side and another fabric on the other side. It contrasts well. Let me know how yours turns out!!

You Get What You Pay For

I have always been taught that you get what you pay for. Whether it's clothes, kitchen gadgets, toys, etc. Of course there is always the exception. For instance, when I was in school you had to wear American Eagle to be cool. I paid $25-$30 for 1 pair of jeans. Me being heavier set (I like to call it, juicay!), I wore holes in the jeans within a few months. My point is, I have a small beef with my camera. I might not have paid for it but I know how much it really was. I love my mom to death but I know that she would pay the cheapest amount possible to get what she wants. It is like the first generation digital camera. (Side note: I am extremely thankful that I even have a camera). It is soo slow and you can hardly take any semi-professional looking pictures. I would like to think I have the capability to take amazing pictures. During Holidays or Events it wasn't so bad. I may miss the initial reaction to someone opening a gift but with gifts the reaction lasts a good, solid 5 minutes. Therefore I could get away with it. But now that I am blogging (starting slow but working my way to making more posts) its harder to get the right lighting with my stupid flash that might as well be the brightest light from the Georgia Dome. (See my Scrapbook Post for my bad pictures). So even though I'm not necessarily in the market for a new camera it is still nice to dream. So this is what I found:

 

 Picture Borrowed from here

It is the Panasonic-Digital SLR 12.1 Megapixel Lumix Digital Camera. Now I have no idea what all that means. It does sound fancy though, right? I saw this one and it looked reasonably priced. Going to back to the whole "you get what you pay for" thing. I do not plan on being a professional photographer. I just want to act like one. I found this on Brandsmart USA's website for a whopping $718.88. Definitely not in the cards for us any times soon (again, I like to dream). Maybe I could upgrade to something like a faster digital camera. *Sigh* I guess I'll just have to wait.

Always remember kids...You get what you pay for!

Scrapbook Silhouette

So for my first project, I tried something really simple. Anyone and everyone can make it! All you need is scrapbook paper of your choice (preferably to go with your little one's room), a razor, a picture frame and a camera.

(Glue and pencil not included in the picture..oops!)

First take a side picture of your child(ren). Like so: It may take a few tries to get the right angle. Be sure you can clearly define their nose and lips. You can even add details such as the pony tail on a girl or spiky hair on a boy. Also try to take the picture in front of a plain wall or sheet so that you do not have any thing in the bac ground that may distract you or cut out the wrong parts.

Next you will have to get the picture developed or printed of the computer. It doesn't have to be a fancy, glossy picture since you will be cutting the picture anyway. My love, Chris, cut this out with his steady hand and did an amazing job. But anyone can do it. Just cut out the out line of his or her face. It doesn't have to be perfect. Can you imagine doing all the tiny hairs in her pony tail?! FYI-she was an awesome model! :)

And someone else was working hard on something else :)

Once this shape of the face is cut out, take your scrapbook paper and turn it over to the backside. Then trace the picture. You will want to do it on the opposite side so that you do no have any pen or pencil marks on the finished product. Be sure you know which way it will face when you turn it over, like a mirror effect. You can also get a piece of scrapbook paper big enough to try it a few times.

(Sorry, not a really good picture. I don't have the best camera in the world)

Next cut the second piece of scrapbook paper to fit the picture frame. Then past on the cut out piece of paper. You can center it, have it turned slightly, etc. You can get as creative as you like. You can even add different shaped objects such as trucks or hearts or stars, oh my! The great part about this silhouette picture is that it's not traditional so you can make it as crazy or as mellow as you would like.

And we can't forget Melania's beautiful artwork that she worked so hard on!

This is one of the funnest and simplest project ever. You can use an old frame around the house and left over scrapbook paper from another old project. Here is a break down of what it cost me to do this project.

• Picture Frame: $4.00 at Wal-Mart
• Printed Picture: $2.00 also at Wal-Mart
• Scrapbook paper: $0.00 from my niece who has a ton of scrapbook stuff
• Glue: $0.00 already had some from an older project but can be bought really cheap. I just used regular stick clue.
• Razor Blade: $0.00 we have a some stored away from Chris' work. I, honestly wouldn't know how much this costs. :(

I hope everyone has the opportunity to make this cute little decoration for your kids. You could even give this as a gift for birthdays or anniversary. It may get a little tricky to get the kids to take a picture without the parents knowing but it is definitely worth the struggle. Enjoy!

NEW!

Hello Everyone (or No one, whatever),

I'm new to the "blogging world". However, I have done my homework. There are many blogs that I personally LOVE and follow all the time but I'll get to those eventually. Anything to do with home renovations/decor, cooking, weddings, and babies/kids are right up my alley. I love everything about them and even though I am no suzie homemaker, I try to be. With this being my first blog, I do not expect a lot of feedback but that's ok! In due time, I hope to have a million followers and a lot to say. Just a preview of what I would like to post about would be cooking, cooking with the little ones, crafts, DIY projects, home decor, and much much more!! I hope to include as many pictures as I can, a long with any struggles I had along the way. I would love to include the holidays and any other special occasion that may occur around our house. Just because I do something one way doesn't mean you can't do it differently or put a spin on it and call it your own. Well, I'm going to get started on my first project, or maybe just brainstorming it and I'll get back to ya. 

Happy Blogging!