New in 2012: Ball Bunting

I'll be the first one to admit it. I adore bunting and garlands. Adore them!! Like our entire home is covered in fresh garland and lights, from mid November to mid January. I spend hours and hours on Pinterest, looking for new buntings and garlands. I look for any excuse to put them up. Like one made out of cupcake liners. :)

Recently, I was on Pinterest. Looking for a new idea. And that lead me to this blog. And this post. Wow! Something about it, called to me. And I knew, I needed to make it. :)

Let's take a side "trip," right here. I adore that Jessica has decorated Harper's nursery, for Christmas. It's just so adorable! But I might be a little more excited then most. Remember Lauren's adventure. Ya, the twins are totally into decorating this year too! We just adore decorating for holidays!

This year, we let our twins pick out Christmas decorations for their room. To be like Lauren. :) Yes, it happened back in October. The people at Hobby Lobby thought we were nuts! But I had to do it. We LOVE the holidays too much.

Our little project, started before we headed to Texas. And headed to Hobby Lobby. Everyone picked their "colors." Lauren went with pink and red. I wouldn't expect anything less. Although, the red shocked me a bit. Maybe Marissa, is now having some influence on Lauren and her "pinkness!" Abby, got lavender and pink. And Mr. Robbie, he went with red and blue. :)

I don't know how this garland was made. But I bought 2 packages, of each color of pom-poms. And a long "doll making" needle. I consulted with my bestie, and my momma. And packed up my supplies. Headed to Texas, for Thanksgiving with Billy's side of the family. :)

I've spent the last 2 nights working on our buntings. After the kids go to bed, and it's just us adults chatting. I pull out this crazy long needle, lots of thread, and bags of pom-poms. I've got 4 done. 2 to go. Fingers crossed, tonight, after the kiddos are asleep....I will finish!

Hopefully, by the time we get home, everything will be done! And my kiddos will have some more "charm" for their rooms. I'm hoping to make a few for my office/studio. Maybe a strand of each of pink, black, and white. How fun!

~Manders

New in 2012: Crafting with Felt

One of the things that I've always loved, is crafts involving felt. Before I even got pregnant with Lauren, I used to Google felt crafts. And I would just stare, at all the beautiful pictures. Reading tutorials for hours and hours.

When I was pregnant with Lauren, we moved to Texas. To the family Ranch. Near the end of my pregnancy. Right before we left, I bought a bunch of felt, and other craft supplies. I had all these big plans. But I never got to them.

Over the last, almost 6 years, I've bought so many cute hair bows, hair clips, headbands, and other items made out of felt. And you know what, it just makes me want to craft even more! I was pleasantly surprised Monday, when I found my box of supplies. I was cleaning out the closet in our guest room. And there it was. I put it in my office, and knew, I'd come back to it.

Monday night, after the kids were asleep, I took to Google again. And I found some amazing inspiration. Granted, most of it has something to do with Valentine's Day, I want to try these projects. Take a look...



So stinking cute! These hair clips have to be my favorite project! They're similar to some the Lola made for Abby and Lauren. They look so simple to make. And I can just dream up, so many fun color combos. :)



And this cute headband. Just imagine all the fun headbands, that I could make, for Spring and Summer. I've already begin to buy the kids warmer weather clothes. These would make the perfect addition, to all those new dresses. :)



This heart headband, is just too cute! I was thinking of making one for Lauren, Maribel, and a few of our nieces. I might be getting a little ahead of myself. But it's just too cute!



Valentine's Day garland. What more can you say? Isn't this adorable? I think it would look so cute draped over our kitchen windows. :)



How about some gorgeous Valentine's Day wrapping? So simple. But very cute! Now to think of what's going to go inside...



And finally, a little project for me. A fun necklace. I'm thinking more of a soft pink, light grey, and white scheme.

Do you like all of my inspiration? I actually got down to business on Wednesday night. I whipped up some hair clips for my girls. 2 flower ones, and 2 heart ones. I want to try and tackle some headbands this weekend. These projects are so simple. And fast! Can you think up, any other ideas for me to tackle?

~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

Cute Crochet

Lola's mom posted about this little pattern today. It's adorable! And it makes me smile. I just wish that I knew how to crochet. I really want to learn. And I'm going to ask Lola to show me, during the gigs in October. I'd love to make little things like this. Just to decorate our house.

~Manders

A Loving Weekend

Lauren is fast asleep! The minute my parents left, she fell asleep on the couch. But it was a wonderful weekend!

My parents got in early yesterday morning. Billy made us all a wonderful breakfast. And before we knew it, Billy and Dad were gone. They had decided to do some riding. Mom, Lauren, and I decided to do some shopping. We made it to the last 30 minutes of the Farmers' Market. Mom bought a big bag of apples and 3 bags of Kettle Corn. Lauren got a Princess Wand. My Mom spoils her so much!

We then went to all the fun stores, Hobby Lobby, Target, Dollar Tree, Barnes and Noble, and Claire's. Mom was in complete shopping mode! We eventually made it to lunch at Applebee's. Billy and Dad met us there. And my Dad got a bunch of those dessert shooters. I think he gave Lauren 3 of them!

After lunch, Billy and Dad went to Home Depot and Lowe's. They had a whole list of things they needed to buy. Us girls, we went to Marshall's and Ross. Mom bought so much clothes for Lauren and the new baby. We won't know for months whether this new little one will be a boy or a girl, but mom felt the need to spoil her grandkids!

Saturday night, we all went to Cattleman's for dinner. This was a treat. Dad just LOVES the food. Lauren likes going there too! It reminds her of Texas. And her grandparents. On the ride back home, Lauren fell asleep. Poor baby had missed her nap! The rest of us spent the evening on the back porch enjoying the warm summer evening. Dad talked about the upcoming winter. He tells us that we are going to have a lot of snow. I'm excited about that!

This morning was like any typical Sunday for us. We all got up for church. I rushed around trying to get ready on time. But this week, Dad took us to brunch at Peppers after church. They have the most amazing brunch around here. I ate, and ate, and ate some more. To the point, that I really did feel like I would explode! Lauren was fascinated with the plants in the restaurant. This happens every time we go there. Billy was just into his food. My husband really likes to eat!

After brunch we walked around the shops for a while. Mom bought different things. Some stuff for Lauren. A book to send my brother. Matching bracelets for Mom, my sister, and myself. She shopped and shopped. Until Lauren spotted our guys. We found Billy and Dad eating ice cream. Apparently, they hadn't had enough at brunch! :)

We went back to our house early in the afternoon. Lauren had Billy and Dad playing house with her. She managed to get necklaces and hats on them! Mom and I worked on some Fall wreaths. Do you remember I bought some ribbons and decorations? My Mom is really the creative one. She helped me make 2 large wreaths for our front doors. We have double doors. And she made one to take home. We also made centerpieces. It was so much fun. And it reminded me of my childhood. Mom would buy all these supplies, and one day she would sit us all down to make decorations for the house. Our house was always filled with love and handmade decorations.

The weekend was wonderful! I would not have done anything differently if I could. Except make the weekend longer. Mom and Dad left late in the afternoon. They wanted to make it home before dark, so they skipped dinner. I packed them a small meal to eat on the road. And we saw them off! It was nice to spend time with my parents at home. I know that Billy enjoyed sharing so much with my Dad while they were here. Lauren just LOVED having them here. Even if it was just to have grandpa watch her ride her horse, or grandma help her get dressed. It was a weekend filled with loving memories.

~Manders

Feeling Crafty!

Today Lauren and I went to Hobby Lobby. We didn't have anything that we needed to buy. We also didn't really have anything on the mind to look at. We were just killing some time while Billy, J, and Lola were working on a project. But I soon found myself in the fabric department. I just wanted to look at the nursery fabric. We are far from knowing whether the baby is a boy or a girl. But I thought I would take a jump start on the fabric selection

When I was pregnant of Lauren, I picked Raggedy Ann and Andy or Little Cowboys as our nursery themes. Lola agreed to decorate the nursery for me. Partly because Billy and I were in Texas. And by the time we would move back, Lauren would be a few weeks old. The minute we knew we were having a girl, I called Lola. And she got right on it. She had just finished J's house and was all creative. When we got back, we had this amazing nursery. With Raggedy Ann and Andy sprinkled throughout. She even put in pink boots and a toy box that looked like a little red wagon. Joe had made it. Not that I didn't love the nursery that my mother-in-law and I had put together in our Texas house. But this one was absolutely amazing!

Today, Lauren and I got completely lost in the rows of fabric. And I have absolutely no clue what I want to use. I am thinking about the Little Cowboys again. But for a girl, I have absolutely no clue what to use. I like that I used Raggedy Ann and Andy for Lauren because it is a room that she has grown with. It was not exclusively a baby's room. And she absolutely LOVES the rocking chair with the big Raggedy Ann that T-Lo made her. I find her wrapped up in her Raggedy Ann arms when she needs quiet time. Gently rocking back and forth.

After an hour of looking, I am kind of leaning towards Strawberry Shortcake. The original one. But I am not sold yet. I am still open to something that sparks my interest. We are also very lucky that T-Lo has agreed to decorate the baby's nursery. And after all that fabric searching, Lauren and I bought some cupcake fabric. She wants T-Lo to make her an apron!

~Manders

Some Wednesday Whimsy

My little sister is getting married June 12, 2010! Yay! I am so super excited. She is very different from myself. I met Billy in May 2005, we went on our 1st date 2 days later, and exactly a month later we were engaged. By September we were married. I didn't fuss over dresses, flowers, or any of the other details. Not my sister!

Every few days, I get an email from my sister. With tons of wedding ideas. She buys every Bridal magazine, and searches out every thing having to do with weddings. So, today I was excited when I saw these salt and pepper shakers. She wants to use them on the tables. Part practical, part decoration. I just want a set! I am really hoping that she picks them.

If you are getting married. Or just like them, you can find them here. For $3.50 a set. In either pink and brown or black and white. I might just have to buy a set for myself!

~Manders