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Mad for Plaid Christmas Party

December 21, 2015

This weekend was filled with so many fun-filled Christmas memories. Saturday we decorated and threw our big annual Christmas party for our big (and still growing) family. It was so much fun seeing everyone and getting all of the cousins together. This year’s theme was “Mad for Plaid”and we all wore some form of plaid! We ate great food, watched football and enjoyed some much-needed family time.

Sunday we went to church and heard a wonderful Christmas message that really encouraged and inspired us. I saw my best friend who is having her baby tomorrow and go all caught up with her and we had so much fun talking baby!

Tonight we finally find out the gender of my cousin’s twins and we are so thrilled we can’t hardly stand it! My guess is that she is having one boy and one girl, but we will find out soon! This year, we have so much to be thankful for. It is always an encouragement to me when I see families who are struggling and are still so positive or friends who are very ill remaining faithful and content in their time of need or trials. It makes me realize that we are so blessed and have every reason to be praising God in this season. I hope that no matter what you are going through, or if your life is actually going very well right now, to remember the reason we celebrate Christmas, spread the good and bless someone this holiday season. Even if it is just with a little smile. You have no idea what a smile can do to brighten a person’s day. 🙂

Have you attended any holiday parties this year?

Things are Getting Christmas-y

December 18, 2015

While it’s no secret that things have been a little crazy over here since our move, we are getting very Christmas-y over here! Presents and officially started being wrapped, I’m 2 small gifts away from being through with my Christmas shopping (I hope), and we have been baking up a storm these last two weeks! I even took the kids to see Santa yesterday! Finally!

Why is Hamp not pictured you ask? Well, this Santa (or should I say “Ho Ho”?) loving boy was so excited to wear his special Christmas outfit, and cowboy boots to meet the big man himself! He talked about it the whole way to Bass Pro and he was giggling while we waited in line. When it was our turn to sit in Santa’s lap, one of us freaked out and started screaming and crying. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone but…

SR loved Santa! He held her for a long time. She stared at him and grabbed his beard a few times (bless him) and he just giggled and giggled. Santa told us all about his 10 month old granddaughter and how much SR reminded him of her. Who knew Santa had grandchildren? Not I!

Hamp did get really excited to take his picture with the snowman. I love how cute Bass Pro shop always sets up their “North Pole” for the kids. It is seriously adorable. We like to go there for Santa because they give you a free picture and allow you to take your own. I love that!

Hamp and SR helped me hang their new ornaments for this year (from Pottery Barn Kids) and it was pretty precious. Tonight we are getting ready for our family’s big Christmas party happening tomorrow! As always, I’ll be sure to Snapchat the event, so follow me (logancan)! Have a great weekend and I hope you get all of your shopping done!

Do you have any holiday events this weekend?

Holiday Gift Guide: Baby’s First Christmas

December 17, 2015

This is SR’s first Christmas. I learned with my son that the first year is full of exciting firsts. First tooth, first foods, first steps, first holidays. It is all so exciting and we all swoon over every little accomplishment. This year, things are very different for us because we are living at my parent’s house, but I want to make sure that we still do all of the special things with SR that we did with H so, I did what I do best and made a checklist!

-Get baby’s picture made with Santa

-Buy baby a special gift

-Buy her first Christmas ornament

-Buy baby a Christmas outfit

-Buy her some “My first Christmas” gear (We received this adorable bib c/o from Sew Cute In Carolina on Etsy)

-Pick out cute Christmas PJ’s

-Read her Twas’ the Night Before Christmas

-Bundle her up and take her to play in the snow (if you’re lucky enough to have any)

Here are a few items I love for Baby’s first Christmas:

Bib // Ornament // Crochet Santa Set // Christmas Bow // Onesie // Pacifier

What would you add to your baby’s first Christmas checklist?

A Merry Christmas in Tulle

December 16, 2015

Merry Tops: Sweet Sprouts // Tulle Skirts: c/o My Fab Boutique // Heels: Sole Society // SR’s shoes: My baby shoes

Guys, I’ve been wanting a tulle skirt for…ever? Blame it on my ballet background, but I’ve always had a fascination with tulle and all things fluffy, feminine and elegant. When I found My Fab Boutique’s skirts on Etsy and saw that they also made them in baby sizes, I died. I love matching SR! It is so much fun and so sweet to me! I feel like she is already a little mini me and I am having way too much fun dressing her. She is definitely turning into quite the little diva, but a really sweet little diva. She is an angel baby! Despite her throwing up every 5 seconds and having every reason in the world to be upset and fussy, she is still always smiling and that is the biggest encouragement to me.

This is SR’s first Christmas! I have been trying to make this the most special Christmas for my kids despite not being in our own house. We are finally getting settled in at my parent’s and having so much fun. The kids are absolutely loving being with their cousins and they are all playing and getting along so well together. You never know with a two and three year old how they will do from day to day, but it has been surprisingly easy and they have done great!

This weekend is our big family Christmas party and this year’s theme is – A Plaid Christmas – which is right up my alley! You guys know how much I LOVE plaid! Hince our “Merry” tops! I can’t wait to see everyone! Also, we are less than a week away from finding out the gender of my cousin’s twins, so I am beyond excited about that! I’m ready to start shopping for those little nuggets!

Matching with SR in tulle was so much fun and I know we will get a lot of wear out of these fun skirts! Despite the wind the other day, we had a lot of fun twirling on the golf course behind my parent’s house and I mean, who can resist a baby in tulle? Not me!

Do you like to match your kiddos? Are you attending any holiday parties this weekend?

How to Spread Christmas Cheer + Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls Recipe

December 14, 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheHoliday #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is such a special and fun time for families. It is so easy to get caught up in absolutely spoiling your children and loved ones this time of year, but I think it is very important to focus on other people and their needs as well. For some, the holiday may not be so warm and fuzzy and Hallmark movies and baking cookies to wrap up in your Rubbermaid TakeAlongs. It is a very painful time for many.

I know several people who have lost children during the holidays, lost a parent, gone through a divorce, lost their job, etc. It can be a very tough time. To me, life is about focusing on other people more than ourselves. Yes, it is important to take care of ourselves first so we can care for ohers, but imagine how wonderful this world would be if everyone focused a little bit more of their time and energy on other people.

A couple of weeks ago at my church, our song-leader challenged us to make someone’s day by doing a random act of kindness. My mom had actually talked to me about this very thing several days prior and we had already made up in our minds that we would do this in our town. Here are a few ways to brighten someone’s day and spread Christmas cheer this holiday season:

Pay for someone’s meal

Deliver a goodie basket

Pull up someone’s trash can

Visit an old people home

Take a meal to someone who is sick

Open a door

Let someone go before you in line

Write someone a hand written letter

Drop a $5 dollar bill on the sidewalk or a shopping mall… just because

Bake a sweet treat and deliver it to friends and family

This past week, I thought I would bake my grandma’s favorite “candy” which is technically her yummy chocolate covered peanut butter balls recipe. They are a family favorite and I can’t get enough of them. I love making her recipes and learning how to cook and bake like her because to me, she is the best. After I ran to Walmart to grab my ingredients and Rubbermaid TakeAlongs, I baked a batch of these delicious treats (and ate one), I placed them in pretty red and green Rubbermaid TakeAlongs and put a big bow on top. I delivered them to a family friend and a family member who is struggling this season. It definitely brightened their day and it really made me so happy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter
1 box powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks of butter
Chocolate flavored almond bark

Directions:
Mix all ingredients with a hand mixer while you melt the almond bark. Roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and dip them into the almond bark. Place them on wax paper to dry. They dry very quickly.

I absolutely love Rubbermaid TakeAlongs because they come in Holiday, red and green prints and are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe! They also feature Quik Clik Seal™ technology that prevents spills and leaks when transporting food. Rubbermaid has been making their food storage containers for 80 years now, and they have really helped me make my holidays a little bit easier. I saved a couple of Rubbermaid TakeAlongs for myself so that I can have them on hand for holiday leftovers or if I get the urge to bake more treats for someone else.

Be sure to take advantage of Rubbermaid’s special Ibotta $1 Off Of Any 2 Rubbermaid TakeAlongs Products rebate offer exclusive to Walmart shoppers.

What would you put in your Rubbermaid TakeAlong? How do you plan to help brighten someone’s day this holiday season?

Merry Christmas Giveaway

December 13, 2015

Christmas is around the corner, and we are acting as Santa’s elves to bring you a little joy this holiday season! Enter the giveaway below for a chance to win either a $500 gift card to Nordstrom, a $500 gift card to Amazon, OR a $500 gift card to Target. There will be THREE winners, so your chances are much higher at winning a prize! Use these gift cards on yourself this season, to help with Christmas gifts, or to help someone in need!

*Giveaway will end at midnight CST on Friday, 12/18, and winners will be announced and sent their gift cards the very next day! Must be 16+ years older to enter. International entrants welcome. All entries will be verified and winners will be subject to disqualification if verification is not met. Enter up to 120 times each. The more entries you have, the higher chance you have at winning! Good Luck*

Three Winners Christmas Giveaway

My New Home Wish List + Hhgreg Giveaway

December 12, 2015

This post is sponsored by hhgregg but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. #blackstainless

After owning our first house, we learned a lot about what we want and what is important to us in our search for our second home. For example, we definitely want a garage. They are very common here and we figured out very quickly that with young children, that is something we both feel like we want and need. Another thing is stainless steel appliances. We had white appliances in our first home and while they looked great in our kitchen, they showed every spec of dirt that touched them. I was constantly cleaning them and somehow they stayed dirty.

Because it is the holiday season, I have been doing a LOT of baking (stay tuned for next week’s yummy treats). My mom has a stainless steel fridge and I love it so! It is seriously wonderful and beautiful. I’ve been searching online and looking at our options for our new home and I must say that I love these beautiful stainless black appliances from Samsung. Are they not beautiful? I’ll take one of each, please!

My favorites are the french door fridge (please, hubby!), Dishwasher, this one and I definitely can not forget this beauty! Now through December 31st, hhgreg is offering the following discounts on appliances (no promo codes needed):

Up to $1000 Off Samsung Refrigerators

Up to $1000 Off Black Stainless Steel Refrigerators

Up to $500 Off Black Stainless Steel Ranges

Up to $200 Off Black Stainless Steel Dishwashers

Up to $100 Off Black Stainless Steel Over-the-range Microwaves

Now, I have a HUGE treat for you! hhgreg is giving one of my readers a $25 hhgreg e-gift card! All you have to do to enter is visit hhgreg and leave me a comment telling me which stainless steel appliance you would like to purchase! Good luck!

Christmas Traditions + Our Christmas Card

December 11, 2015

In my opinion, Christmas traditions are what make the holiday so special. There is something in the ritual and the things we can always count on that make us look forward to these events. We have lots of traditions in my family. We decorate the tree as a family. We read Twas’ the Night Before Christmas and go look at Christmas lights every Christmas eve with my sister. We bake and decorate Christmas cookies ever year with my in-laws. The list goes on and on. These things are always so special and so much fun. They are the things I look most forward to every holiday season.

Another special tradition we do as a family is send out Christmas cards to our family and friends to let them know we are thinking about them during this special time of year. It always makes my day to receive Christmas cards in the mail, so my hope is that our cards will brighten someone else’s day as well. It is so nice to know that you are thought of.

This year, we had family pictures taken at a Christmas tree farm which was a first for us. I couldn’t have been more happy with the way they turned out. I knew immediately after seeing them that I needed to pick out a beautiful card to place our photo on this year. It was a no-brainer for me because I had just been perusing Minted’s holiday cards and fell in love with so many of them. There are so many choices and they are all beautiful. The one we chose definitely suited us and our photo, I think, but I also loved this one and this one. They were close second and third options. Now through December 14th, Minted’s holiday cards are 15% off $150+ and 10% off $100+!

I received our cards in the mail earlier this week and was so excited and pleased with the quality of the cards and the envelops. Envelop thickness is a big deal to me. Who wants a beautiful card with a flimsy envelop? Not me. I definitely notice those little details and I was very proud to send these cards out to our friends and family! They also arrived very quickly, so if you are late ordering your holiday cards this year, definitely check out Minted!

Have you ordered your Christmas cards yet?

My Biggest Challenge as a Mother + BabyNes Machine

December 11, 2015

This post is sponsored by Gerber® BabyNes® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

There are endless challenges to parenthood. What I’m learning is that as children grow, the challenges change but do not go away.

Time is and has always been the biggest challenge I face as a mother. I am constantly trying to figure out new ways to manage my family’s work life, social life, nutrition, fitness, family time, alone time with my husband, grocery shopping, paying the bills, etc. It can be too overwhelming if I really let myself think about it too long. With an ever growing to-do list and a jam-packed planner, I am always up for new time-saving strategies.

I recently heard of the BabyNes machine and while I have not tried it myself, I have read from other bloggers that it is wonderful. This is basically a Keurig for baby formula! How awesome is that? Gerber makes the machine and formula and so I feel confident about the nutrition and quality as it is a brand that I know and trust. I would love to try one! Can you imagine? Just pushing a button and the bottle being ready for you? Now that is a time-saving strategy I can get behind!

The BabyNes machine is powered by WiFi, so you can have alerts sent straight to your iphone, tablet or computer on info about your baby’s growth, nutrition and you can even get nutritional advice from experts! I love that! I think every mother could use a little extra time and this seems like a great option for making that extra time available. This would be a great gift for any new or expecting mother!

What do you think about BabyNes? Would you give it a try?

Holiday Stripes

December 9, 2015

While we are finally experiencing cooler temps here, it is still very much ‘fall’ outside! I’m not complaining, but I am definitely ready to pull out my sweaters and winter coats. In the meantime, I am still over here hanging out in my stripes. H has enjoyed jumping in the leaves with his cousin this week and we finally decorated our tree! It is slowly but surly starting to feel more like the holidays. For that, I am thankful. This is my favorite time of year and we are making it extra special this year.

Necklace: Emily Jane Designs // Top: The LOFT // Cords: The LOFT // Booties: Nordstrom

This week, I started wrapping a few of our Christmas presents and I am a lot closer to being finished with my Christmas shopping. I only have a few little things to buy and 2 more big presents. I’m hoping to finish up this weekend!

I found this adorable gold bar necklace from Emily Jane Designs a few weeks ago and had a fit over it! I have been looking for one that can be personalized with “H+S” on it for a long time now. I absolutely love this one because I can literally wear it every day with anything. It is also really great for layering. If I have more children, I can have their initials engraved on a longer chain and it will be perfect!

As for this top, I scored it at The Loft on Black Friday and it is SO comfortable! It’s loose and flowy and soft and perfect! I have already worn it 2 maybe 3 times. It has become my go-to when I’m in a hurry because it pairs perfectly with leggings, jeans and cords! Basically everything.

Do you have a go-to top?