Children's Nativity Scene

With Christmas just around the corner, our house is completely decked out! Those are Billy's words, not mine! But we have everything up. It looks beautiful. :)



And the newest addition to our decorations, this cute Nativity Scene that my parents bought the kids. It's "Child Friendly." And just perfect. In fact, my parents read to the kids tonight. From their "Children's Bible." And all 3 of our kids held tight to a few pieces. I can see this set getting used plenty while they are growing up! Definitely an addition to our holiday traditions.

~Manders

Winners

I just had Lauren draw a winner for our giveaway. It was #246, my friend Anna Marie. And I felt a little guilty. So we drew again. And our winner is #248, Stephanie. Yay! And don't worry, I'm still giving Anna Marie the same prize. I just felt guilty since I know her!

And I guess I'm in the giving mood. You know, with Christmas just around the corner! So Stephanie, just send me an e-mail so I can get your prize out to you before Christmas. To everyone who entered, thanks! I promise I'll do another giveaway in the future.

~Manders

The Lovebirds

My little sister, Lizzy, joined the "Blog World." She has the cutest little blog! And I think everyone should go and take a look. Honestly, it's cute! She is blogging a lot about clothes. Fashion is definitely her passion. She works in a little boutique, in our hometown!

Oh, and my little sister is also a "Newlywed." I'm sure she'll have plenty of funny stories to tell. Go take a look and give her a little love. Or just a small welcome. Love you Lizzy! And I really do love your blog!

~Manders

Snowman

I might just have to try and make one of these cute Snowmen. Another great pattern from Free Crochet. I wish they would have made it available sooner. I would have loved to make this for our house. But as Billy just told me, I can make it and leave it up until Spring. I just might have to do that! :)

~Manders

She Dreams of Pink Christmas Trees

If you're looking for my giveaway, it's right here. Also stop by my friend Lola's giveaway and Mrs. S's giveaway.

Now on to today's blog post...

We're home. Be it for just a few days. But we are home! Hooray! And earlier when my kiddos were napping, I was doing a bit of online browsing. and trying to get some holiday shopping done. We're not going to talk about the fact that my kids don't have an presents yet. Or why we just bought a Christmas tree. No, we're not going to talk about it...

Billy was trying to get our Christmas tree into the stand and upright. It smelled so beautiful! I love fresh cut trees. And Miss Lauren sleepily walked into the family room. I was on the sofa. Like I said, trying to get some holiday stuff done. And I have to admit it, I was looking for some Christmas decoration inspiration. :)

Well, Lauren spotted this Christmas tree. I tried to post a picture, but I couldn't. So I posted the link. I do have to admit it, it's beautiful. And magical. But I don't think Billy would be too excited about a pink Christmas tree. I'm also positive that our fresh tree wouldn't glow in the same way either.

But Miss Lauren was so enchanted with the idea of a pink Christmas tree. And after a google search, I could see her little eyes twinkling. My little girl wanted a pink Christmas tree. This picture, it just took her over the top. I think the small size had her the most excited!



The next thing I knew, she was running across the room to her Daddy. Telling him all about the pink Christmas trees. And how she wanted one. Billy got this defeated look on his face. Probably because he had wrestled with our Christmas tree for over 2 hours. This HUGE tree that will probably take 2 days to decorate.

Before I knew it, the two of them were coming up with a "deal." Yes, Billy was on his laptop searching for pink Christmas trees. One thing to note, we live in a small town. Not too many big stores around. Beyond Target, Wal-Mart, and Hobby Lobby we don't have a big selection of Christmas decorations. But don't fret. They found one at Wal-Mart.

Billy got on the phone. And he managed to get one put on hold. Yes, we went to Wal-Mart. For the most precious 3 or 4 foot pink Christmas tree. Lauren picked out a few ornaments. Then we headed to Target. We found some really cute ornaments there too. Our last stop was at Hobby Lobby. For some pink twinkle lights. and a tree skirt.

By the time we got home, because we had to eat dinner before going shopping, we were all tired. Lauren and the twins fell asleep, in the car, on the drive home. And as we got the kids ready for bed, Lauren asked to have all her bags in her room. She nicely stacked everything. Billy managed to take out the lights and plug them in. As I type, my little princess is sleeping soundly. Her pink twinkle lights are wrapped around her princess vanity.

It really is the sweetest thing. We don't spoil our kids. Honestly we don't. But with all of this traveling, and our failure to actually decorate, and get ready for the holiday, we felt like Lauren deserved a little tree. It honestly didn't cost too much. I'm pretty sure that the tree was $15, the lights were $10 (we bought 5 strands), and all the ornaments were under $20.

But to see her so happy, that was worth it. And this is a treat that she can have for years! Lauren is one of those little girls, that just loves to decorate her room for all the holidays. And for Billy, I'm pretty sure that had Lauren really wanted a big pink Christmas tree, he would have figured it out. Probably spray painted our Christmas tree or something.

Those were our adventures. That all came after a morning filled with traveling. We're home. For a few days. But we're home. Tomorrow Lauren has her dance class. That will give me some time to go shopping. And I'm sure our afternoon and evening will be filled with decorating our house. I'm really excited!

But I should get going. I'm falling asleep. Don't forget to enter my giveaway, and Lola's, and Mrs. S's. I actually bought one of Mrs. S's scarves for myself. It's a pink scarf, all different colors of pink. It's really a beautiful scarf, and so soft. They're silk! So I'll be entering her giveaway to try and win another one too. :)

~Manders

Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day

Welcome to my blog new friends! And old friends, I bet you can guess what I'm going to be giving away today.



Yes, you guessed it. Yarn, crochet hooks, and even a crochet book. Because I desperately want someone to have as much fun, as I'm having crocheting. It's not tough at all. And it makes me think, that I should have tried this a long time ago!

But I want for someone to learn something new. And to have some fun. Oh, and I really like the color of this yarn. I think it would just make a perfect scarf. Or hat. It's super soft too!

All you have to do is leave me a comment, telling me about a great holiday craft for kids. I've got 3 kids. So I need all the help keeping them both entertained and creative! The giveaway will end on December 19th at midnight. If you haven't read my profile, I'm a makeup artist. So you can guarantee that I'm going to add in some makeup too! Good Luck! And Happy Holidays!

~Manders

Happy Birthday Cowboy!

I just can't believe it! My hubby is turning 32 today! We met right after he graduated with his Master's Degree. It's crazy how fast time flies by! And just how much our lives have changed.

But it's been an amazing few years. Busy. Filled with so much love! I know that I'm married to this big cowboy. Billy just towers over Lauren and I. The twins look so tiny when he's holding them. But my husband is filled with just so much love!

Lauren and I have been working on the most incredible gifts for her daddy. But we're letting him sleep in. He had a long night of work last night. That's our guy. He works so hard to provide for us. We are very, very lucky.

Billy, I love you with all of my heart. I hope you know that. I couldn't have asked for a better husband, or father for my children. You make this adventure we call life, you make it so exciting every day. I'm so honored to be your wifey!

Have the happiest of birthdays! We all love you more than words could ever say!

~Manders, Lauren, Abby, and Robbie

Praying Angel Ornaments

If I was better at crochet, I'd definitely make today's free pattern. These angels are just amazing! So I downloaded the pattern. One day, I'm going to make these beauties!

~Manders

Lately

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment. We've had some crazy weeks lately. Thanksgiving seems like years ago. Instead of 2 weeks ago.

We've been working and traveling a lot. Both Billy and I have been working all these gigs. And still have some more gigs this week. The holidays are just around the corner. And I don't feel prepared at all. We've done some shopping for our kids. But not much. Mostly because they're on the trip with us. And we don't want them to see their gifts.

Mostly, I tihnk I'm just a little tired at the moment. So I'm going to enjoy today. Like I did Monday and Tuesday. Just spend time with my kids. Enjoy the little things like cuddles, hugs, kisses, and laughs. Those are the things that get me through the tough days.

~Manders

Learning

I've really been wanting to learn how to crochet. If you hadn't noticed. I've posted about more free crochet patterns than anything else on my blog. I know, that's bad. But I wanted to learn.



I asked Lola if she would teach me. She said no problem. And told me to buy some yarn and package of crochet hooks. So I did. The same day that I did that, Billy went out and bought me this crochet pack. I think I'm set now!

Since I'm Lola's MUA and hair dresser for every gig, I thought this could be a good thing. We tend to get a lot of downtime between say a meet and greet and the actual show. But we usually hangout in her dressing room. Perfect time for learning a new craft!

I started with a scarf. And it's going pretty well. Lauren has already asked me if I can make her baby doll a blanket. I hope I can do that. Because my daughter really does think I can do anything!

Stay tuned to my blog. I'm going to be hosting a giveaway soon. I'd like to share a little bit of the crafty bug with one of my readers. I think it would be a nice thing! Now I'm going to go work on my scarf.

~Manders

Gingerbread House

If I could just crochet. You know, really crochet. I'd make this. I think it would be fun to put in our house for the holidays. What do you think? Well, this is the free pattern of the day at Free Patterns. Hurry and download it! It just makes me so happy to look at. You know, I guess I'm dreaming of Christmas. :)

~Manders