Christmas Card FAIL!!!

  Every year I make my own cards to give out at Christmas. It's always a photo card that has a little window on the front where we show off our beautiful family photo of the 3 of us!! Everyone loves it and they look forward to the homemade card that I put ever so much work into each and every year!! This year I was a little behind on getting them done, but over the last couple of days I had managed to buckle down and get them done....success!!!! (or so I thought!). I went to the photolab with a little spring in my step happy that I was going to print the picture that the 3 of us had chosen to go on our card. Without thinking, I started printing the 20 photos that were needed to finish off the cards when at number 15 I realized that they weren't even going to come close to fitting in the frame!!! Frustrated a little?? Ummm..yeah!! (a side note....even the smaller ones weren't going to work!!). All I was thinking was "Crap...now I gotta pay for these and figure out what I'm going to do!!...The girl working at the counter must have heard me because she came over and told me that I wouldn't have to pay for the photos, that she could dispose of them for me....a Christmas Angel???, I believe so! That was one problem solved!

     As I was standing there thinking about what to do, I looked out of the corner of my eye and there was a little advertisemnt for those Christmas photo cards...you know the ones...you can pick your background and write your message?!?! I have always been consistent with making my own cards, but at that moment I thought...what the heck!! Why stress myself out?? Go for it!! And you know what???? I LOVE THEM!!!! They look so good!!! I may keep one just for us!!! Why did I not just go this route before and save myself a huge headache!! It must have been meant to be that my homemade cards weren't going to work out because I am so stoked to send these out!! I think that this may now be my new form of Christmas card from this year on!!!

                                                The unused homemade Xmas cards.

                                                New and Improved!!                                                      

DIY Ornament Wreath

            I was origionally making this ornament wreath to hang between the two front doors...ya know, something bright and colorful and cheery??? Well, I hung it with care on the inside door and when I went to shut it I heard a kind of crunching noise....needless to say, my wreath would not fit between the two doors!! (FAIL!!!). Now it hangs on the wall in our front entrance which looks just as nice and very welcoming!!

       I got this idea on Pinterest (of course), and there are 2 different ways of making it. You can either use the coat hanger version, or the version that I used, the foam wreath form. If you plan on doing the front and back, which is good if it will be seen from both sides, then I would probably go with the coat hanger...the wreath form version ends up quite "thick", but I was only doing the front, so it worked for me!! It's pretty Easy-Peasy, but I must warn you....you will require a BILLION (o.k, not quite) ornaments to do this...and different sizes help as there will be gaps to fill in here and there!! I like how mine turned out (minus a few unseen gaps here and there). The colors are nice and bright which is another great thing about making this wreath...you can choose any colors, shapes, designs that you want to make it your own!! It's a pretty simple, yet beautiful looking wreath that can pretty up any home for almost any holiday!! Give it a try....you'll love the end results!!!

                                                                                      

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

         There's been some changes going on around here in the last little while, all of which have been or will be positive!!

         First, we decided to move...that was a BIG deal for me as it was going to be the first house that Hubby and I picked out together, so essentially our first home. Exciting, yes?!?! We've now been in said home for  5 months now and I love it even more now than I did when we first moved in!!! Picking paint colors, deciding where to put things..all fun!! Peeling wallpaper??..not so much, but we've worked hard and our lil' home is looking more and more like we've been here forever!!

           I've also moved to a new work location which was probably the best move EVER!! I work with some of the best, most caring people in the world, so work has actually been something to look forward to nowadays. However....(yes, there is a However..), I will sadly have to move again come summer in the new year. I have some anxiety about this as it's going to be so hard to be seperated from the people that I love working with. This will not be the first time that I've had to move due to circumstances beyond my control, but I survived that last time as I'm sure I will this time. Change, change, change!!

            WEIGHT LOSS.......nough' said?!?!?! Lately I've noticed that some of my clothes are fitting better and some are even far to big that I've had to get rid  of them ( oh darn.....).I'm feeling pretty stinkin good about this!! I've started wearing alot of things that I would never have even dared to look at, let alone put on my body, and that includes stripes....give me a Hell Ya!!! I'm hoping not to blow this with the upcoming holiday season, but I'm feeling pretty motivated and confident that I'll be able to keep the weight off or at least maintain where I'm at now!!

        And finally.......we are contemplating becoming parents.............................DOG parents that is!!
(I bet you thought you were going to get a song and dance about having a human baby...that my friends is a whole other post in itself that I may or may not write about..). I'm feeling pretty desperate to have a pet...in particular a dog. I'm an avid walker, I could walk for miles and I'd love nothing more then to have a walking companion, someone who is as excited about going for a walk as I am!! We aren't sure what kind of dog we want to get, whether it be big or small, but I definetly want a cuddler..ya know...a fur baby that I can spoil!! We're not sure when this little venture is going to happen as we have lot's going on around here and we have a huge yard that will need to be fenced in before we can even think about having a dog. I think it will be a fantastic change..it'll be like adding another member to our family...I can't wait!!!

            There sure is alot of changes going on which can sometimes be hard for a person like me who likes consistancy, but change can be a great thing. It can test you, it can add a little spice into your life, a spring in your step and keep you on your toes!! I'm all about change these days!!

                                           Did I mention that I'm cooking a fantastic chili right now??

                                                                                         

Deck the Halls!!!

We are almost there folks...that is, December is just days away!!! Can you believe it??? I'm normally MUCH further ahead with my shopping, wrapping, etc....but this year??, well, it just snuck up on me...WHAM!!!...I need to get moving!!!

     On a bright note, I have managed to get some decorating done, make a few things including our Christmas cards with our annual "Family photo" to put in the frame, and get the tree up and decorated!! That's my fave part about this time of year, the decorating. I get giddy when it comes time to pull the decorations out and place them about the house!! This year will be our first Christmas in our new house which is exciting in itself!! Trying to decide where to put things has been fun and our girlie (K), gets excited when the Christmas boxes start to some up the stairs!!! I love it!!!

       I'm hoping to get some shopping done this weekend while K is here....she won't mind if she knows that it's for her!! Hehe!!! It's getting harder as she gets older (did I mention that she is almost 12?!?! I can hardly believe it myself!!)...they have their own tastes and are a tad more picky about what they like and don't like....however, I haven't failed yet with the picking out of gifts, so let's hope that lucky streak continues! I'm going to leave you with a couple of festive pics. to get you into the spirit!! How do you celebrate your holidays?? Any special traditions??


*** Our livingroom looks FAB..dontcha think?
Some of these crafts were Pinspired from Pinterest
While some I create all on my own!..and of course
I had to include a pic. of the Fam Jam! Enjoy!***