Christmas Wreath On Chalkboard

It didn't surprise me that the day after Thanksgiving, people were outside decorating for Christmas. There's something about this season that makes people want to prolong the happy tidings. I'm all for it, by the way...

Inspired once again from Pinterest, (where I get all my ideas,) I basically did this:

Homemade chalkboard + old wreath + Christmas ribbon + chalk writing = a new Christmas decoration!

 

Another tip from Pinterest was to use a push pin behind the frame to hang the wreath. Genius, I tell ya.

Happy decorating!

Giving Thanks

This morning is the first morning I don't have to get up early, but because of habit, here I am awake at 5:30 am with my cup of coffee next to me. I actually had a chance to read some mommy blogs and was stirred by all the "thankful" blog posts out there. It was really nice to read. :)

I don't know if I ever wrote a thankful post, but I really should. It's been a whirlwind of a year (a move to the lake house, new clients, raising our 3 kids etc.)

Husband and I talk a lot about gratitude, and as we look out our windows, it's hard not to see why.

It took us awhile to find our "home," with several moves under our belt (and we're not in the military) I wondered if we would ever settle down. It's hard to create a haven for your family when you keep thinking "where are we going to next?"

With that being said, I am so thankful for where we are now. We call our home the "lake house." And even though it will take us years to make it into "ours," little by little we are filling this house with the things we love and experiences we hope to cherish.

I hope we are all taking the time this Thanksgiving to share what we're thankful for.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

If you were to visit the local retail stores, it would seem that Christmas has come upon us! I'm guilty of adding to that premature Christmas cheer, seeing as I've spent the last two weeks getting Christmas displays up for several of my clients.

"Do you really want Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving?" I asked.

"Yes, yes we do." *sigh*

So here's a little pre-Christmas inspiration and a look at what I've been up to!

What a wonderful Christmas Advent Calendar idea from Pinterest!

How about this rustic table centerpiece I found and has been repined 714 times!

Other than Christmas merchandising and displays, I've been dealing with a lot of cupcakes again, this time for a client's anniversary event. These cupcakes were just beautiful!

Both of the above cupcakes were made by Angela at Angel Cakes It was fun taking photos of these masterpieces!

As I was setting them up, I felt like I was on Cupcake Wars! Hurry, hurry...

But who's complaining? I was fortunate enough to taste some great cupcakes from 'Amanda Cupcake,' she made sparkly cake pops for the event and I got to try her red velvet cupcakes and her vanilla, cranberry-filled cupcake! Yum-o! (Nothing says 'holidays' like sugared cranberries!)

Other than work, (and a bad cold - cough, cough) I've been trying to share the love, but not the cold, with my family. I made them some Pumpkin Pie French Toast for breakfast this morning and Husband and I shopped for our Thanksgiving festivities today. Hello Mr. 12 lb. turkey!

And if you must know, I put up my outdoor Christmas lights. Oh well, "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" ;)

I'm sure everyone is as busy as I am, so if I don't see you before Thursday, have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

There's Always Room For Cupcakes

I keep forgetting how busy the school year is for me, maybe because Husband and I were so busy with the kids all summer! Anyway, I've got two birthday celebrations under my belt and one left to go before  Thanksgiving. Phew.

I made these super cute and delicious homemade cupcakes and frosting, adapted from this recipe I pinned on Pinterest. They're a "hoot," hehe...

The owl cupcake liners and owl toothpicks I found at TJMaxx for $6.99. Very cute for this Halloween-themed birthday party.

Remember all the preparation for our youngest daughter's birthday party? Here's her red and white cupcake. Cupcake liners were from Michael's.

Husband's birthday is up next, and I'd love to make a mini cake, something like this, only not in those colors!

To make these Ombre Mini Cakes you can find directions at  Glorious Treats.

Do you have a favorite cupcake or cake recipe? Go ahead and share the link in your comments! Thanks!

Why Moms Don't Sleep (Much)

This week I made an awesome raspberry vinaigrette, baked homemade brown sugar cupcakes (which will be frosted with a salted-caramel frosting later this week) and decided once in a while, fast food is okay. Every supper can't be a Pinterest supper, right?

Other than that...well, let's just say I've had a busy month. Someone once told me (when I was pregnant with our first child) that I would never sleep again. I do sleep, just not so much. Here's my Instagram overview:

1) Cleaned and organized my craft room (aka the laundry room) 2) Got our eldest daughter ready for Homecoming 3) Bought an iPhone, dumped my dumb phone 4) Learned more about Instagram 5) Made sure our 2 younger kids made it to soccer practices and games on time 6) Oh, they're on the swim team too... three times a week 7) Carved pumpkins, baked pumpkin seeds (an annual tradition) while listing to 'Monster Mash' 8) Baked cupcakes for two October birthdays 9) Redesigned a client's website.

Not pictured: Studying Facebook analytics for a client, merchandising a store, marketing meetings, scrubbing windows, doing laundry, huffing and puffing on a treadmill and coffee time with Husband five times a week at 5:30 am. <3

So on that note:

"It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?"

-Henry David Thoreau

It's all good.

Goodbye Dumb Phone, Hello iPhone

It's no secret that I've fallen in love with my new iPhone which I finally got last week. It's my first smart phone and I love that I can sync my whole 'Apple family' together.

As I say goodbye to my dumb phone, I'm giddy with excitement about all the accessories and apps I get to nab. (Here comes my weekly ode to Pinterest...)

- Thank you Pinterest for my free apps:

- For the assortment of amazing iPhone cases I get to pick from:

- For the cute and sensible idea of labeling my iPhone charger:

- And for the inspiration to bake 'Apple' cookies in the near future (okay, not really, well maybe.)

Do you have an iPhone? What are your best tips/tricks/advice for a newbie like me?