Happy New Year (a little walk through 2013)

We just returned home from Cape Cod and I wanted to get an end of the year post up but have not had time to go through the photos, so that might come tomorrow. In the meantime I did jump on the flipogram bandwagon with everyone else using my instagram feed to put together a year in review using these 30 second video clips. I tried to fit it into one video,
but it moved way too fast, so here is our year in 4 parts:









It has been so fun to review all of the memories and good times that were had in 2013 and to see how much the kids have grown and changed. We were definitely blessed in many ways this past year and with a little luck and lots of hard work,
I pray that 2014 will be just as good, if not better.

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy 2014!!!
Happy New Year my friends. . . can't wait to see what 2014 has in store for all of us.
xoxo

From Our Home to Yours. . .

This was our card this year. . . just wanted to share and wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!
Enjoy every minute with your loved ones.
xoxo
Lisa

My Sassy Star of the "Snow"

We had an incredibly warm weekend here in PA.
Reags and I were out running errands and the car wash was the first stop on our list.
We needed to get rid of the sand and salt that was caked all over it.
Our next stop was the grocery store, but we took a little detour down a side road.
Had to get just a few more photos before all of the beautiful snow melted away.

So glad we did. As of this morning, it is all gone.
No White Christmas here. . . but I am sure it will still be Merry and Magical!!!

Our shopping is finished and everything is wrapped.
Just need to do some baking and we are all set.
I have two little ones who can't wait to get their hands on the mixer :)

Merry Merry Everyone!
Be safe out there.

First Snow Fall of the Season

She looked longly for a few minutes and then decided she wanted to go out for a little frolic in the snow.
We were all baking in the kitchen and she had her fill of mixing and licking the spatula, so she opened the door and off she went.


She wanted to make snow angels, catch flakes. . . and twirl about.


There is something so magical about the first snow.
And it has definitely helped to put us in the Christmas Spirit.

Happy Holidays Everyone!
Hope your "to do's" are almost D O N E and you can relax and enjoy the season with your loved ones.

Favorite Photo Friday - "Elf Adventures and Winter's Beauty"

I have to admit, the girls are not the only ones having fun with "Ella the Elf" this holiday season.
Even though it takes some extra work and time on my part, it is so worth it when I see their happy faces.
If you frequent Pinterest and Instagram you can get some great ideas!
I thought I would post some of what we did this week. . .

After her "chill out" in the fridge, she de-robed and did a swan dive into my jar of ornaments. You can see her blanket in the background:)
The next night she left a note saying that she had a run in with Rudolph when she flew back to the North Pole so she helped herself to our first aid kit and a makeshift hospital bed. The girls really loved this one!!!


Thursday morning they woke up to "Super Ella" who zip lined in with Candy Canes!
I went digging in their doll clothes bin and found the yellow bandana that I turned into a cape.
Added some washable marker to personalize it and she was ready to go!
You know they wanted those candy canes the minute they saw them:)
Sugar for breakfast??? sure, why not!!

The excitement level is really growing around here. . .
in addition to all of the holiday activities, we have received some of the white fluffy stuff.
A few days of school delays and one day completely closed makes for a hectic work week, but it sure was beautiful!!

The top two photos are a pair of beautiful silver knit gloves that were a gift from my sister.
I noticed how the glitter in the gloves caught the light when I zoomed in on a piece of ice that was stuck to them.
The lower left is an old barn/shed that I pass every day right down the road from our house. It screams out to me each time I pass it, so when I saw it snow covered, I had to roll down the window and take a pic. The last photo is a lone snow flake that was stuck to my scarf. I could not believe the shape. . . it looked almost too perfect to be real, but I assure you, it is!!!
All of these photos in this collage were taken with my iPhone and an Ollo Clip attachment. If you are looking for a last minute Christmas Gift, this is a GREAT ONE for any photo enthusiast. I love my DSLR, but there are times it is just not practical or handy, so I go to my phone with this awesome little 3 in 1 lens attachment. I bought mine at the Clickin Moms Store if you are looking to make a purchase…..and while you are there, you might find some other fun photography related gifts as well.

Okay, time to say "Happy Weekend". . . off to work I go!
Don't forget that the Mama Mia giveaway closes tomorrow night at 11:59pm Eastern Time.
Get your entry in before it is too late.
Good luck!

Sunday 6:30am

It has taken us a few years to get on the bandwagon, but this Thanksgiving, Ella, our Elf on the Shelf finally arrived.
Ella has been one mischievous little elf.
So far, she has toilet papered a bathroom, redi whipped our kitchen, decorated a chandelier, partied with Barbie and Minnie Mouse, helped herself to a stack of pancakes with syrup and lots of confectioners sugar, had a little run in with a tube of crest toothpaste, and took a swim in a big bowl of M&M's. I am sure she has more than a few more tricks up her sleeve :)

I could kick myself for not taking pictures each day, because the girls have enjoyed it so much and it would be great to look back on when they are older. It is just time consuming and hard enough to keep up each night, let alone photograph them in the morning before I rush off to work, but I might need to make this a goal for next year.

Since I did not have to hurry out the door this morning, I decided this would be a good one to try to document. Reagan is my early riser on the weekends, so she was the first one to find Ella and her note!! Apparently she likes it a little chilly to remind her of home, so she decided to hang out in the refrigerator clutching a Christmas Tree made of Hershey Kisses. Even though the girls will not touch the elf (they are big believers in the story and they are scared to touch or move her), something tells me that Ella does not have a tight enough grip to hold onto those kisses for herself :)

To see more Sunday Snapshots, head on over to visit my friend Stef, make sure you say hello!

Scenes From a Laundromat

It has been a little crazier than normal around here this week.
Trying to cram 30 hours of work into a 24 hour day if you know what I mean. The alarm has gone off at 4:30am every day if that gives you any indication. Like everyone else, there are so many things on my holiday to do list and I am hoping to get through it all in the next few days so that I can truly enjoy Christmas this year and not feel like it is a race to the finish. I have been taking a little social media break in effort to get things crossed off that list, so if you have not seen me around Instagram(my favorite place to hang out these days), this is why:( I have missed checking in on everyone, but it has allowed me to get more done, so I am glad I took the break.

One of the big things that was on the top of my to do list and causing me the most angst, was our Christmas Card. I took the kids out on Black Friday to get this accomplished and I have to say, it was the most fun we have ever had shooting our card photos. I am sure you all can relate, the holiday card shoot can be a stressful one. Usually I am on the ball and have it done early, but for some reason, this year I just could not get my act together. The weather has been unusually cold and I knew shooting outdoors was going to be a challenge. If the girls are the slightest bit cold, the shoot usually will not go well, so we took it indoors this year. I was a nervous about lighting and scoured the area for a good place and found myself a gem of a location. I don't want to share too much before the card hits the streets, but I thought I would share just a few. I went for a different look this year. . . styled, yet very real and A WHOLE LOT OF FUN for the kids!
Here is just a little sneak preview. . . scenes from the cleanest laundromat in town :)


Have a wonderful weekend!!
and don't forget, you have until Sunday night to enter to win the iPad Mini Bundle!
If you missed the post, be sure to check it out HERE!