These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

I'm totally over the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Ok, pick your chin up off the ground. It's not that I DON'T like them anymore, I'm just kinda over it. Maybe I've had my fill, maybe they've just become "too" popular, I don't know. But I have a new favorite.

Peppermint White Mocha, and Peppermint White Hot Chocolate.

Yum.

Now, before you tell me that "white" chocolate is not actually "chocolate," I must tell you this - I. don't. care. It's GOOOOD!!!

Another favorite thing at Starbucks is the traditional Cranberry Bliss Bar. I've made a simple, low cal version (sort of) at home with my kids that they love. But if you want the real thing, here's a great recipe - Cranberry Bliss Bar Recipe.

Movin' right along...

Philosophy Gingerbread Man Shampoo, Body Wash and Bubble Bath is simply AWESOME. I love this stuff. 

"it's wonderful when a guy doesn't say, "just relax," but rather, "let me help you relax." and so it is with the gingerbread man. he cleans, he soothes, he caresses, he pampers and he loves me unconditionally. when i'm stressed out, he turns me inside out with warm ginger bubble baths that help me float away. the gingerbread man nourishes my soul from the tip of my nose to my little baby toe."

Am I the only one who finds this completely hysterical?? Just reading the bottle makes this stuff worth it!

It's no secret I love MAC makeup.

My favorite - Creensheen Glass Boy Bait lip gloss. And they NEVER HAVE IT. I usually have to buy it online because the makeup counter is almost always out. I never leave home without it.

Bath and Body has a new scent called "Be Enchanted." What an amazing smell! They describe it as a sparkling blend of frosted petals and iced pomegranate. I do not like strong scents, especially strong floral scents, but this one is just right. The perfect combination of sweet and slightly musky. I bought the a few of the sample $1 sizes when it first came out, but I need to go back and stock up because they ALWAYS discontinue my favorite scents. sigh.

Last but not least, I love Hallmark Christmas ornaments. It's a tradition to add a new one to the tree each year. I know, they're expensive, but they come in a cute little box! Here's my favorite this year:

"I love you to the moon and back."

From the children's book, Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

When my son was little, we read this book every single night before bed. It was our ritual, and this will definitely be added to our tree this year.

Ok, that's it! 

Ok, so that's not "it," it's just all I had time to share right now. Oh wait, I have to share this from my wishlist -

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Kristin on Pinterest

How freaking cute is that??? It's from Urban Outfitters. Yes, please.

What's are some of your favorite things?

I'm joining The Nester's Favorite Things Party.

REMINDER - The 12 Days of Christmas Printables Party starts TOMORROW!!! Mah na mah na....(sorry, we saw the Muppets this weekend and I can't get this song out of my head...)

Follow Me on Pinterest

Pottery Barn Knock Off Lighted Snowflake Christmas Card Display

This Christmas I vowed to buy very little, if any new decor. But I still wanted to be able to make some new crafts and change things up a bit from last year.

A little impromtu trip to IKEA for a new rug proved to be a jackpot for me! (Let's face it, who doesn't hit the blogger's decor jackpot every time they go to IKEA??).

I saw these adorable little snowflake lights all through the store, but at $20 for a string of 48 lights, it was more than I needed and more than I wanted to spend. But as I neared the exit of the store, I came across a small box of a string of 10 snowflake lights for $4.99. As I stared at it I nearly jumped for joy as it was exactly what I needed to knock-off this Pottery Barn snowflake Christmas card display!

Source: potterybarn.com via Kristin on Pinterest

I wasn't about to spend $39 for something I knew I could make...that, and I despise glitter.

I didn't realize until I opened the package at home that each little snowflake has a suction cup on the end.

I simply twisted them off and cut the plastic.

Add a few clothespins (I still need to get some mini ones), attach your Christmas cards and you're done! A Pottery Barn knock-off Christmas Card display, IKEA style!

The lights are battery operated LEDs so they are pretty cheap to run as well. It looks pretty at night too.

Don't forget, the 12 Days of Christmas Printables Party starts in just a couple of days!

Here's what you can expect:

• 12 awesome new printables from six different bloggers - banners, gifts tags, digital papers, digital party supplies, scriptures, and more!
• Five Guest bloggers!
• Giveaways!
• A Linky Party on December 12!

Talk about Christmas decor on the cheap! It's going to be a blast, so be sure to come back on December 1. See you then!!!


Linking:
Primp
Organize and Decorate Everything
DebbieDoos Blogging and Blabbing
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Follow Me on Pinterest

Our Christmas Mantel 2011

The Christmas season is finally here, and, although it's been up for over a week, I feel like it's finally OK to show you my Christmas mantel!

The mantel is my favorite thing to decorate. I decided to go for simple (imagine that) and just placed a whole bunch of candles in jars and votives. I tied together some dried curly willow branches and hung them with a faux berry grapevine wreath from Target.

The mason jars are filled with epsom salt and tealights.

The Christmas card holder is a Pottery Barn knock-off I made this year. I'll show you how I did it in tomorrow's post.

I'm in love with the mantel, especially how beautiful it looks at night!

And for those of you who asked on this post, yes, I did rearrange the Christmas ornaments, and yes, the kids did notice. Bad mommy!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! I'll be back tomorrow with my PB knock off craft post, and then on December 1 we'll get that Printable Party started!!

What's your favorite thing to decorate for Christmas?








Home Stories A2Z
Follow Me on Pinterest

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I'm taking a little vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday, so I decided we are going to start celebrating Christmas early!

It was quite the rainy weekend for us, so it was a perfect time to stay inside, listen to Christmas carols and decorate our Christmas tree.

One of the traditions I started when Cooper was old enough to help decorate, was to give my kids a new ornament each year the day we decorate the tree. They also get one in their stocking on Christmas morning. The new ornaments always reflect something they have been really into that past year. Cooper got Spiderman and Riley got Minnie Mouse.

I let the kids put most of the ornaments on themselves.

 

Think they'll notice when I rearrange the ornaments?

Another Christmas tradition is visiting Disneyland. This was the first weekend of Christmas at the parks, so it was pretty crowded.

We watched the parade.

We posed in front of the giant Christmas tree in goofy hats.

 And of course a Christmas visit would not be complete without a visit to Santa.

When Santa asked them what they wanted for Christmas this is what they said:
Riley: Minnie Mouse!
Cooper: An Ipad!

Go big or go home, right?

Happy Black Friday Thanksgiving everyone! See you next week!!
Follow Me on Pinterest

WINNER WINNER!!!

Just a quick post to announce the winner of the Shabby Apple White Rabbit's Timekeeper Necklace!

Chosen by random.org, the winner is Katie from Hems for Her!

Congratulations Katie!!! Email me your info so I can get you your necklace!!!
Follow Me on Pinterest

Our Family Christmas Photos and Christmas Cards!

Yes, that's right, I said cards; plural. That is, because once again, I just can't decide which I like best.

But we can talk about that later.

First, let's talk photography...

I have a friend from high school who I reconnected with through Facebook several years ago. She was just starting her photography business and I always commented on what beautiful work she did. Her business has been growing by leaps and bounds and when the time came for our family photos this year, she was the obvious choice to take them.

We traveled down to the historic Los Rios District in San Juan Capistrano, California. Such beautiful backdrops! Chela was very patient and was so sweet with my kids. These are by far the best photos ever of our family!!

Marisela Photography is based in Orange County, California. If you are searching for a fabulous photographer with amazing prices, look no further. Contact Chela, and tell her I sent you!

 

 

See? Amazing.

So here's where I need your help...I created a couple of Christmas cards, and can't decide which I want to use.

So I put it in your hands, dear readers. Which card do you like best?

Want me to design a Christmas card for you? I will create a custom card design with your photos, starting at just $10. Contact me at simplyklassicblogs@gmail.com for more information.

Don't forget, the Shabby Apple Giveaway ends tomorrow!
Follow Me on Pinterest

A Journey of Faith, Part Two - My Adoption Story continued

This is Part Two of A Journey of Faith: My Adoption Story. For Part One, click here.

***************

I was perfectly content being a mother of one. After all, that was my life for nearly three and a half years. One evening in February 2011, that all changed.

My phone rang, and I looked at the caller ID. It said "Unavailable." It had been more than two years since I'd seen that on my phone, and immediately my heart dropped.

My three and a half year old son, who I had adopted at nine weeks old, had a sibling. It was the call I knew would likely come someday, but I was no where near prepared for it.

A Social Worker informed me that indeed, my son had a full biological sibling; a sister, who was nearly two and a half years old. I had a decision to make, and I literally had a few days to make it. (The details as to why I was just getting this call are part of Riley's story, and not something I will be sharing.)

How do you make a decision to accept another child in your home, your life, your heart, in just a matter of days?

It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make, and in some ways, the easiest. It was a chance to give my son a biological connection to someone who could forever be in his life, and it would be the same for Riley. I prayed about it, I talked with the important people in my life, and ultimately, I felt it in my heart that it was the right thing to do. It was the best thing for my children. I also felt, however, that it would completely turn my life upside down, and it did.

Imagine going to the doctor one day for a routine check up and having her say, "Hey guess what? You're 39 weeks pregnant! You better get prepared because next week, you're going to have a new baby in your house!" I had a week to figure out how we were going to fit another child in our home, how I was going to financially provide for the addition, find childcare...oh, and bond with her at the same time.

It hasn't been easy. I have two children who have been through so much more in their short lives, more than any child should ever have to deal with. The changes really took a toll on our household. Nothing is the same as it was, and sometimes...well, sometimes I wish we could just go back to when everything was simpler. But I wouldn't change my life now for the world.

This little girl has been through hell and I am so grateful that she came through it with the beautiful spirit that she has. She still has a lot of growing and healing to do. She is very protective of her things, because these are the first "things" she's had. She has a hard time eating the healthy foods, because the first couple years of her life, she hardly had food, let alone healthy food.

I look at my son, with whom I have an obvious bond, and I'm grateful for that. But I am also incredibly sad that I didn't get to have those years with my daughter. I look at the two of them together and know that things the we take for granted, the things Cooper has had all his life, the Christmases and the birthday parties, vacations and other traditions, and I know that Riley hasn't had those things. And it breaks my heart.


It's been nine months, and I can finally say that we have gotten into a bit of a groove. We have a family routine down, the kids argue like the siblings that they are, and they love each other the same.

And I couldn't love them more. What an incredible blessing this journey has been.

Riley on the day of her first visit to our home (Feb. 2011)

And Riley today (Nov. 2011)

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. National Adoption month isn't just about finding adoptive parents. It's about creating awareness for the issues that adoptees and adoptive parents alike deal with, and celebrating the families that are created through adoption. 

I try to speak as openly and honestly as possible about my adoption experiences, without sharing too much of my children's stories. If you have any questions, please feel free to comment or contact me by email.

On another note, did you notice we had some family photos taken? I'll be sharing those, as well as our family Christmas card later this week!

Follow Me on Pinterest

Posts of Christmas Past

Did you know that Christmas will be here in 40 days?

There's all kinds of inspiration to be had around the web, but if you've looking for something new to try out this year, I thought I'd pull out some Christmas posts from last year...

My Favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes

I shared three cookie recipes and showed how I packaged them up for friends and neighbors. I will be making at least two of these recipes again this year.

Christmas Scripture Word Art Printable

This is the printable that started my digital design obsession.

Christmas Mantel 2011

Our Christmas mantel last year was my favorite to date! It almost made me like the red brick fireplace... 

Handmade Gift Idea - Reindeer Root Beer

When I found this adorable gift idea, I knew if was something I had to make. Since the kids' are at a new school this year, I might be making it again.

Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Reindeer

Cute and yummy. Two of my favorite adjectives.

I've got a few new ideas swirling around but I'm trying to figure out how much I have time for. I need to start getting the Christmas decor out and up, since we will be gone Thanksgiving weekend and I'm hosting a party on December 4!

What are your favorite Christmas projects from last year? I'd love to try something new...

***************

-Blog Business-

Have you entered the Shabby Apple Necklace Giveaway?

Don't forget about the 12 Days of Christmas Printables Party - Printables, Giveaways, and Linkys, oh my!
Follow Me on Pinterest

Pottery Barn Knock Off Christmas Ornament Swag

Hey everyone! Guess what? Christmas is {almost} here! *gasp*

Ok, so not ALMOST HERE, so much as 45 days away. But that's really not much in Christmas terms.

Last year my friend Gwen asked me to participate in a fun party called "Haul Out the Holly." Gwen featured 11 crafty ladies, including myself, and a fun holiday project from each. I never got around to posting my project on my own blog, so I thought this year I would share it with you early this year.

***********

I {heart} Pottery Barn. I love to look through their catalog and dog-ear pages, gaining inspiration at every turn. This little project caught my eye a couple of years ago, and again last year, so I decided to make it.

Here's my Pottery Barn inspiration:

And here's my version:

The Pottery Barn version is actually quite large and is for hanging outside. I liked the idea of a smaller version and hanging it from a window INSIDE instead.

Here's what I started with:

Two tubes of ornaments from the Dollar Store, and about 9 yards of opaque ribbon (I tried to use as much of what I had on hand as possible, so I used a roll of clearance ribbon from Hallmark's after Christmas sale and some green tulle I saved off of a gift last year and just cut it into strips to make them the same width as the other ribbon). The whole project cost me a little over $3.

First, cut the ribbon into strips. Mine were about 24".

Next, loop a strip of ribbon through the top of an ornament and tie it.

Sidenote: My original idea was to tie one ornament on each end of the ribbon, but that didn't work because I had cut the ribbon too short. I'm really only telling you this so I can show off my little model holding it up for me. Isn't he the cutest??

So I tied one piece of ribbon to each ornament. Then I started collecting the ornaments one at a time, holding the ribbon at varying lengths.

I kept adding ornaments until I was satisfied with the arrangement, and there were no significant gaps.

I held all of the ribbon tightly, careful not to move the arrangement, and tied a knot near the top of the ornaments, letting the rest of the ribbon cascade down .

I snipped the edges of the ribbon to prevent further fraying, then tied two of the strips to a curtain rod over my kitchen window.

If you liked this project, guess what?? Gwen is hosting Haul Out the Holly 2 starting November 28!! I have been busy creating a special project to be featured, and there will be tons of other great projects featured as well from FIFTEEN amazing bloggers. Go follow Gwenny Penny right now so you won't miss out on any of the fun!

Seriously, go now!!

But please leave me a comment first. Thank you.

P.S. Don't forget to mark your calendars for the 12 Days of Christmas Printables Party here at A Simply Klassic Home, December 1-12!!




Someday Crafts 
House of Hepworths 
French Country Cottage
The Shabby Nest
Chic on a Shoestring
Funky Junk Interiors


Follow Me on Pinterest