Monday, December 5, 2011

Christmas Books!

I saw an idea on Pinterest about wrapping seasonal books that you already own and having the children unwrap them one a night. I thought that was a fantastic idea and set out to do it, too! We, luckily, had 24 (actually more than that) books on hand, winter/Christmas/Religious, you name it! 



Isn't she cute?!



Landon is totally loving this, by the way! We read a book every night, but this adds a little mystery to it! We missed the first night, because only have the books were wrapped and I wanted to take the above pictures before I had them start unwrapping. So on night one (Dec 2) we did two books, to catch up!

 This was her first time unwrapping a present!


I just love them!

 I really love this idea, but let me tell you, I fastly wrapped all of these books, wrapping books=not so fun!


Sunday, December 4, 2011

Advent Calendar




The holidays are well among us and we are excited around here! This is my favorite time of the year! I'm trying to make it extra special for Landon, this year. Hopefully starting a new tradition, as well. We have used our advent calendar for a couple of years now, and Landon loves moving the little candy cane over every day, but this year, I decided to make it extra special by adding activities to do every day! He's loving it!



I haven't filled in everyday with events, just in case something comes up and we we are unable to do a big event. This way, I can fill it in the night before! 

On Day 1 we had "Paint Ornaments!" We made these a week or so ago, so we just finished them, that night.  This was also Emmelyn's first time painting!




On Day 2, we had "String popcorn and cranberries!" Landon was excited, but quickly lost interest in this activity. First of all, it was hard to string the popcorn, it would just break... so we moved on to popcorn, what sticky mess! Then we went to cereal, which was great.  






 As you can tell, he didn't even finish the strand before giving up. Oh well, we won't be doing this one again. But, at least I can say that we tried!

Day 3 was "Movie Night" because I had a Girl's Night Out I was hosting. So, Michael and the kids watched a movie upstairs. It was a great night, we did an ornament exchange and game night. Great time, great food, great conversation... you get the idea.

I made my delicious Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes which were a hit and turned out so cute! First time trying to make the frosting stripped!

 And my awesome tortilla roll ups! Everyone brought food, but this is what I made! MmMmmMmm!


 What kind of holiday traditions do you have? We have a lot and I just love it!





Saturday, October 29, 2011

Taco Soup

One of my favorite things about fall is a nice bowl of hot soup! Yum! There's something so comforting about soup, isn't there? A favorite around here is Taco Soup! I made it a couple of nights ago, so I thought I'd share how I make it. What's great about this soup is that the leftovers are just as good, if not better, because the flavor is more intense!



1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1.25-oz. packet taco seasoning (about 1/4 c.)
3 c. water, divided
2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans, drained, if you'd like.
I throw in some frozen corn, as well.

Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic in a soup pot. When brown, add the taco seasoning and 1 c. water. Add the remaining ingredients, then, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 15 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.We like to do cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips, but this time I only had the chips on hand. Still great!

Slow Cooker Instructions: After browning the meat, place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.

Freezes very well, too! This makes a lot for my family, so we usually have to freeze some and have it for lunch a few times, too.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Halloween Jars


On Saturday, Landon and I decided to do some Halloween crafts! We took out the Mod Podge and tissue paper and got to work!
He lost interest after we finished the first one and began coloring instead.
Kids...







It was a fun and easy craft!

Friday, September 30, 2011

My Favorite Pumpkin... EVER!

My beautiful little girl was so cooperative! I had to share these!




 I love that they're making the same face here, haha. 
Love them!


Trying out the tutu I made her! She loves it!

 It's pretty tasty!









 I really love how much they love and adore each other! I'm so lucky!




Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...