Suzie Says: Holiday Special...

Suzie Says: Life was so much easier when I was shallow!

My amazing mama coined this little family favorite quite a few years back... when it seemed like everyone was going through a rough time. You know that point (or many points) in your life when the weight of the world just seems so heavy? How much easier it would be if you were shallow... not a care in the world... no one caring for you!
Easier... YES!
Better... NO!
There is no guarantee of an easy life only the hope that life can be better with faith, family and friends (friends=family in our little world).
This has become a bit of a mantra for our family because it reminds us that there is so much more than us... the world is so much broader than our decorating or thank you notes or play dates. And though the world is a gigantic place, we are loved... we are children of a King!

Baby Food and Twitter...

Check out my Baby Food post on Blessed Nest.

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I have also joined Twitter... I'm a little confused. Twitter has been talked up so much, I thought when I joined I would loose 15 pounds immediately and Eli would be potty trained... this was not the case. First it asked what I was doing, then it said I was a loser with 0 followers. If you want to follow me go here. I promise I don't update ever 15 minutes. And I'm kinda funny... at least that's what my mom says!

Christmas Crafts Final Chapter: Make Cards into Ornaments

You know how you get so many adorable cards for Christmas and then you have to throw them out? Don't do it... Make a Christmas ornament instead! It's EASY and you can use the ornament as a gift for next year.
(I had to save this craft till after Christmas because it was a giftie for my mom and I didn't want to ruin the surprise!)

This is what you need:
hole punch
glue stick
embellishments
and...
~Cut the picture and the cardstock into ovals (cardstock a bit bigger) and glue them together.
~Cut two circles out of the Christmas card (I used a can of peaches as a guide), and glue them together
~Add metal embellishments (hot glue gun)
~Punch holes to lace the ribbon through for the Christmas tree hanger and to connect the oval and circle together.
~Tie a loop of ribbon on the top to hang on the tree and a loop between the circle and oval to connect.
~DONE... you can do about a bazillion different things with this... so have fun.
You can also use the cards as gift tags on your gifties.
Here are two of the ones my mom did this year. My favorite is the vintage card below.

Christmas Craft Gone Wrong...So do you remember my grandiose plans to keep my pumpkins all the way to Christmas? If you don't, go here.

Well, I did attempt it.

I thought this was going to be the funnest craft for Eli and I to do together. I mean, we had paint (lots), pumpkins and room to get messy! I was sick with Kleenex up my nose and Eli was sick and cranky and could care less about paint or pumpkins.

Then I thought, this will be great for Cora and I to do together. She didn't like it either... but I did get the awesome picture below. So the pumpkins and paint were on the table for about a week before I tossed them... I do still have two of my comic pumpkins... I mean New Years pumpkins!

Needless to say this craft never made the cut!!!

Christmas Evening Review

My family puts clues on the gift tags and the person has to read them aloud before opening the gift... this is SUPER fun and one of my favorite family traditions. The clues can rhyme or be hidden in the wording.
Example... one gift tag read, To: CoooooooooraThe gift was Cheerios... her favorite snack!
One of my favorites this year was... Brad and Kara Noel: To keep your kisses sweet!The gift was Listerine... funny huh!?!

Some of my favorite gifties...
~A cake pan that makes the cake into the shape of a giant cupcake... awesome... I know!!!

~The ShamWow... you know you have seen the commercial and thought... "does that work?" Well I'll be able to let you know in a few weeks. The guessing clue on it was... It's a girl's best pal, she's using her S_ _ _ _ _ W!!

~An adorable apron with vintage cowgirls all over it... love it :)

~Gerald's long lost cousin Gweneth has just arrived. The guessing clue on this one read: An old friend has heard your plight and will help you in the decision to turn Left or Right.

Gotta use that camera timer and get a group shot!!

The Grand Finale was an old fashioned gumball machine that my parents restored and filled with Eli's favorite, M&M's! The best part is that you don't need coins to get candy... just turn the knob and you're in 2-year-old M&M heaven. In case you're wondering, this little ditty is staying at Nana and Nonno's house!!

Christmas was amazing this year. Brad and I both agreed that this was the most peaceful Christmas we have ever had.

Special loves and hugs to our friends who are just fantastico! We are looking forward to another year of fun fun fun as the kiddos get older!!

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Coming soon:

All that stuff from yesterday

and

a Special Holiday Suzie Says!!!

Christmas Morning Review...

Christmas morning was wonderful! Seeing this magical holiday through our little one's eyes is like seeing it for ourselves all over again!!
This video sums it up... priceless!!!!

Thank you Cuma and G-pa for the best giftie ever!!! I will me sewing Cora and dollie matching dresses shortly!!

After Cora Jane went into nap-time dreamland (clutching her new baby doll) we played in the rain and blew bubbles...

Then Eli went to sleep and we got to snuggle...

Coming Soon:

~Christmas Evening Review...

~One final Christmas Craft...

~A Christmas craft that didn't make the cut...

and New Years Resolutions for the Eli's Lids Blog!!

Christmas Eve Review...

We have been sick (cough cough sniffle sniffle) so going to the Christmas Eve service would have given us many mean looks as we dropped our booger nosed kids off at child care. So we decided to spread our germs around at the mall instead.
We started off the night eating at our favorite place...
... then headed over to the mall to par-oose the shops and ride the choo choo train...

Got home and asked...
"Eli, what would you like for Christmas?"
Lots and Lots of Choo Choos...

Bob the Builder stuff and

a guitar!!

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We were thinking... "got you covered son!"

Bed time
then

time for...
---->>>

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!

We could have chosen this one...

or this one...

or this one...

But we went with...