wrap battle...

 

One thing I love about Christmas is the giving part.

 

I love to shop.

 

I love to buy gifts.

 

I'm addicted to that part of Christmas.  And one of the best parts, for me, of giving, is the presentation.

 

 

A picture of my gifts under the tree...

 

 

 

 

 The precious animal paper was a gift given to me from someone who knew how much I loved to wrap.  It is so loved.

 

Our big theme this year was 'woodland'. 

 

Story of the woodland: every year my husband and I shop after Christmas for the next years paper, etc.  My husband fell in love with the woodland paper at World Market.  Me, not so much.  I spent most of the year toiling over how to make this paper pretty and special. (call me silly, doubt my words, but I promise you, I probably spent 347 hours thinking about it) Enter wooden tags idea, which my husband made.  Enter die-cut ribbon, which I found at Michael's. and of course, top it off with a little paper raffia.  BOOM!  

 

 

 

Close up of my favorite tag.  The opposite side said the name of who the gift was for.

 

Naughty and Nice was the paper theme I picked last year.  Cute, but I have to hand it to Justin, the woodland really does have that extra something special...

 

 

Another shot of our packages, oh, so pretty.

 

We're headed out to shop for next year's paper.  And we will be stopping at World Market because we saw earlier this year that they had woodland again and we're hoping to grab a few more rolls for next year.

 

So, my advice to all of those bargain shoppers headed out today to prep for next year's packages: Let your husbands pick a few rolls of giftwrap.  They may end up being your favorites next year.  And, if not, they're 70% off anyway.

 

 



Christmas update.

Merry Christmas!!

 

 

 

What you don't know is that the above and below are both possible Christmas card pictures that never mailed out.

 

Alas,  Merry Christmas from myself, the husband, Lilly and J.

 

 

 

We've had a lovely Christmas at home with family. 

 

This month has meant a lot of travelling for us.

 

Here's a picture of our travels last week (Ah-mazing):

 

And our travels this week:

 

 

Bleh, it was cold in Philly, yet WONDERFUL in the DR.  We really loved our mid-cold vacation and I got sick as soon as we landed in the US. More to come on our Dominican vacation.

 

We returned to lots of really sad and heart-wrenching news, and have spent a lot of time talking, praying and dealing with it all.

 

Nonetheless, it was a happy Christmas.

 

What did you do for the holidays?  Any traveling?

 



I'm still alive.....

October and November have tried to suck the life out of me. 

But they lost.

I will survive.

 

There have been some major changes.  I'm trying to stay optimistic.  I'm looking for the bright side.

 

And, with all the downs, there certainly has been a lot of brightness in my life.

 

 

My sister had her twins.

Boy: Daxlee Sabo

Girl: Bodie Flynne

They are perfect.

And they are a miracle.

 

Which means...

 

 

Justin is an uncle.  For the first time. x2.

 

Also...

 

Justin turned 30!

Lots of people showed their love for Justin and I think he was overjoyed.

We had a bar crawl.

Which was a blast!

 

 

My BFF's came to celebrate Justin's 30th.

We've been best friends since elementary and middle school.

And every time I see them, I remember why.

 

We also had 2 perfect Thanksgivings.

 

One with my family, which just grew by 2.

 

 

And then later on with Justin's family

 

 

 

We are packing for the Caribbean.

We'll be there for a few days next week and I can hardly breathe I'm so excited.

Just one day at a time until then.

 

 

And I want to be a blogger.

So, I'm coming back.

I promise you and myself.

 

But until then, here's some baby adorable-ness.

 

 

They wear precious baby clothes and hats with ears.

Little snuggle bears.

 

 

They snuggle.

Lean on me.

 

 

Bodie likes her hand above her head. She always wiggles it out somehow.

 

 

And Daxlee thinks I'm number one.

 

 

I'll be back with a better post soon.

Like I said...

I promise.

:-).

 

 

 

 

 



Sorry, Rachel Zoe

So, I was looking through my Pinterest board, 'I Die' and I realized that a lot of the outfits I pinned weren't so high fashion. (Maybe I should rename my board) In fact, a lot of what I had pinned was actually achievable.

Pinned here



Pinned here



Pinned here

Here's my problem:  When I shop, I buy pieces, and don't think about what I'll wear them with.  I don't put outfits together and then end up just wearing the same old things.

I always covet the way my friends put together outfits, mixing and matching pieces and creating different looks.  On the contrast, I have some really great pieces that never get worn because they don't match anything. I need to amend how I shop.

My solution:  I figured out what in my 'I Die' board I would need to create a good mix of outfits for fall. Things that I could mix and match and use in multiple ways.  Things that would compliment some of the things I already have.  Then, taking it one step further, I set a budget for each item.  A maximum amount that I would be willing to spend.

Here's my list:

Cognac Flats- budget $30

Chambray Shirt - budget $30

White looser-fitting layering tee - budget $15

Longer Cardigan medium thickness - budget $30

Statement Multi-Colored beaded necklace (with some plum in it) - budget $20

Shorter Trench coat - budget $50

Straight leg Navy blue cords - budget $50

nicer layering top with button sleeves - budget $20

Cognac purse - budget $30

And if I stay on my budget, I'll spend $275 total!

This has made shopping more fun and has kept me searching for the versitile pieces that I need.

I've found 3 pieces so far, and stayed under budget.  I've found a few of the others, but have been over my budget.  So, I'll just keep them in mind and keep my ears open for a sale!

Do you think it's do-able?  What do you think of my strategy?

Okay, okay....

I don't like fall....there, I said it.  Go ahead and tell me all the reasons why I'm crazy.

I just don't.

It means the end of summer and leads into winter (my most hated season).  I get sick, like I am now, every time fall rears it's ugly head.  I don't like bulky clothes, and I don't look good in sweaters. My dogs track in leaves, and the days start to get shorter.  whining finished, promise.

However, there are some things that I do like about fall.  Pumpkins being the largest one.  I like Halloween and Thanksgiving, but wish it were warm outside for both holidays.  I love football.  and I like to lay outside and read in pajamas in the early fall/indian days of summer.

That being said, I have a number of activities that I'd like to accomplish this fall.  So, I made a bucket list. I know, I know, join the club, right? who hasn't made a fall bucket list yet?  Whatever, I jumped on the bandwagon.

looking at it now, I should have made the heading larger.... I feel like I'm never done editing.

I will say, though, this list makes me a lot more excited about the season ahead of us.

My plan is to frame it and use a dry erase marker on the glass to cross out everything as we accomplish each activity.

What do you think of Fall?  What's on your bucket list?

Weighing in on The Replacements.

And it's goooooood!  They're back

And here's what I have to say to the replacement referees (with warning that I have a tendency to root for the underdog)

Dear Replacement Refs,

First off, thank you.  Without you, what would have happened to football for its first 3 weeks.  Maybe we would have missed out.  And so, thanks for stepping up.

Now, I forgive you for the weird, confused, and bad calls; if you forgive me for hating on you so bad.  I know it's not your fault that you aren't experienced.  You should see me trying to do things I'm not experienced at (like calling football or tailoring shirts).  I may also need to thank you again, because without you, not sure what I would have talked about with the boys in my office, besides Fantasy Football, and the baby panda at DC Zoo (tear).

I'm glad to have our regular refs back, especially muscle man Ed Hochuli.  I've missed him, especially.  Although, even he makes bad calls sometimes  I'm sure you're glad to not have to get yelled at anymore.  Take some time off.  Watch some football.  Enjoy yourself.

source, funny article

At the end of the day, you have given us 3 weeks we will never forget.

Sincerely,

Claire Jacyshyn

NFL Football fan

And, of course, in case you missed them, here are some of my favorite responses to the replacement referee disasters

source

"we've all made bad calls"

"Call it maybe?"

Fall photo session mood board

I've booked a photography session for Justin and I at a friend's farm in a few weeks.  I. AM. SO. EXCITED. 

As a kid, we didn't do family photos every year, and I wish we had.  So I'm determined to do so!

These pictures will also be used as our christmas photos.  So, since this session will have to be a double whammy.... I created a mood board for it.  Just so I can try to achieve the vibe I want.

1. source
2. source
3. source
4. source
5. same source as #2

So, this is my mood board.

Pictures 1, 2, and 5 were found on Pinterest.

Picture 4 is from one of my favorite blogs, A Blog About Love.

And, lastly and bestly (I made that up, and it's staying), Picture 3 is of my adorable best friend, Betsy and her husband Paul.  You should check her blog out too.  She's over at Peony and Gray.  Her adorable-ness may be contagious; pop over there and try to catch some.  I do as often as I can.

You like my mood board? Ever created a mood board?  What do you think about using one to plan a photography session, or anything else?

============================

(I know I've been gone forever, but I never gave up, I was just not being motivated.  I needed a little nudge from the before-mentioned BFF to get back into action.  Maybe I'll do a nice, long, where I've been entry.  Maybe I won't. Haven't decided.  What do you think? )