{PHOTO SHARE}

It's snowed a lot here this week. Like…a TON! My kids finally got their snow clothes on today and went out and built a snowman. (Insert FROZEN song here…it's been running through my head all day!) So after I got the baby down for a nap of course I grabbed my camera and my boots and headed out to get some pictures.

It's a struggle for me to let go of the "perfect image" mentality, and to remind myself that the "perfect image" is NOT the one of them looking at me with a huge smile. While I definitely love me a natural smile…they're not the images I find myself falling in love with. Take this one for example:

Most definitely my favorite shot of the day…next to this one:

Love them both. (the pictures and the kids!) Eating snow…I mean it doesn't get more fun than that, right? Abbie actually said to me "Mom, take a picture of me eating snow!" And Gavin was just eating it more than he was playing in it. :)

So…get rid of expectations and just capture the moment. I'm talking to myself here… But seriously, the candid moments always end up being my favorites.

{AVENGERS BIRTHDAY PARTY}

Back in November, my little guy turned four. FOUR. Gah. Why do they grow up so quickly. I swear his four years has flown by and taken as much time as it did for my oldest to turn four MONTHS. It's just not fair.

If there ever was a super hero fan, this little dude is it.

Oh how I love that face! And all the mischief you see in his eyes…yep, it's 100% genuine. He's the biggest stinker, most crazy, lovable, funny kid you'll ever meet. So how could I not bend to his every request…I'm in trouble when he gets bigger. Can't say no to the kid…just can't do it.

He requested an Avengers birthday party and we planned it for about 2 months. We started out with "HULK SMASH".

I just rounded up a bunch of boxes and wrapped them in brown paper. Then when I ran out of brown paper, I just took them apart and put them back together inside out. Worked like a charm. The boys took turns putting on the hulk hands and smashing/knocking over the boxes. It was definitely the highlight of the party. I think they could have played this the entire time!

Next we broke out the Thor hammer and had a "THOR HAMMER THROW".

We had 2, one that was a foam one, and one hard one. We used the foam one and the boys took turns seeing how far they could throw if down the hall. I've also seen Thor hammers made out of a stick and a kleenex box…just in case you don't have a plethora like we do! LOL!

Then it was time for "PIN THE CHEST PIECE ON IRON MAN" (I honestly don't know what it's called…anyone?)

It's not a birthday party without the traditional "pin something on a poster" game, right? :)

And it definitely would NOT be a super hero party without having to "get the bad guys"! And my guy is OBSESSED with Loki! 

I just found a picture of Loki online and printed out a few, taped them to some gatorade bottles, and let the boys take turns throwing bean bags at them. It was a blast, and I was very surprised at how accurate they all were!! I let them each keep the gatorade they knocked over.

Then it was time for lunch.

Captain America Shield pizzas, Hulk Punch, and Thor Hammers! 

CAPTAIN AMERICA SHIELD PIZZAS:

Flour Tortillas

Cheese

Pepperoni

Tomato Sauce

Large Circle Cookie Cutter

Small star cookie cutter

Use a large circle cookie cutter and cut circles out of a flour tortilla.

Sprinkle Cheese on top

Use a small star cookie cutter to cut stars out of the middle of the pepperoni

Spoon a thin line of tomato sauce around the edge of the cheese

Bake on 350 until cheese is melted

HULK PUNCH:

Lemon Lime Soda

Green Food Coloring

Lime Sherbet

Drop a couple of drops in the bottom of the cup, fill with lemon lime soda, add a scoop of sherbet.

THOR HAMMERS:

String Cheese or Grapes

Stick Pretzels

Cut each cheese stick into 4 pieces, insert a pretzel into each piece. You could also use grapes for this, but my little man chose cheese.

And then cake and ice cream. We kept the cake simple this year and went the cupcake route! Store bought everything.

I printed out pictures of the super heroes and hot glued them to toothpicks and used those for my toppers. Easy peasy. My kind of cake. :)

And here are all of the cute super heroes:

Aren't they just the cutest?

If we would have had a little more time I was going to play "CAPTAIN AMERICA SHIELD BLOCK" and have the kids throw sponges at Captain America and he would have to try and block them with his shield. I'm sure they would have had a blast with that one too.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment and I will try my best to answer!

{ELF ON THE SHELF}

Meet our elf, his name is Cris. Cris Moss to be exact. And no, it's not a silly joke. My husband's best friend in High School was Cris Moss and the kids adore him. So when our elf came last year, a vote was taken, and Cris Moss won. Go figure. I was hoping for something fun and creative. Heck, even Elfie would have been okay, but Cris it was, so Cris it is. Cris is sneaky, but not too naughty or too terribly messy. He doesn't like cleaning up messes, and he certainly doesn't want to be a bad example. :)

So here is our first week of 2013. He didn't do anything elaborate for his grand re-entrance, just found our Elf book that he came with last year and sat by it so we could read it and be reminded of the "rules".

Day 2 he found a few supplies lying around the house. A green marker, some string and tape. With that he made himself a trapeze. We were worried all of the blood might rush to his head, but thankfully he made it through the day.

Day 3 he located some red pom poms in my craft stash and a little masking tape. He gave us all rudolph noses! See...not too terribly naughty, just silly! If he had it to do over, I think he'd probably give himself a rudolph nose too!

Day 4 Cris found the sugar. He'd heard of other elves doing snow angels with flour, but he thought that might stick to his nice red suit a little too well. Since he doesn't want to be too messy, he decided that sugar would be a MUCH better option. I think he was right.

Day 5 Cris was a little lazy in the creativity department, and decided that a Christmas drinking glass in a glass front cupboard would be the perfect perch to sit observe all the comings, goings, and happenings at the Miller home.

Day 6 Cris found my Christmas M&M's. Good thing they weren't for anything special. He ate a few and even managed to get chocolate on his face! We caught him red handed...or chocolate faced! And...if we're being honest...I may (or may not) have eaten almost the entire bag. They were just sitting there. ALL.DAY.LONG. #ihavenoselfcontrol ;)

Day 7 he raided my gift bow stash! (truth be told...I bought the bows for him, just in case he wanted to use them for something.) He decided to stick them all over the wall! It happened to be the 'perfect' decor for the family Christmas party we had that day. :) Thanks Cris!

That's it for week one! Stay tuned next week to see what Cris has been up to!

{CONFESSIONS OF A DESIGNER TURNED PROJECT LIFER}

Confession #1: I have not created a single traditional kit this year.

WOW!  I have made this entire year of 2013 dedicated to Project Life. Why? Because I believe in it. I know that sounds silly, but I do! Maybe it was the arrival of my fourth child, maybe it was my ever increasingly busy life as a mother, maybe it was a move to a new home, I don't know, but whatever it was, it worked for me. And here is why it works. To me, scrapbooking is, and always has been, about keeping memories. Creating something for my children to look back at, to laugh, cry, and remember. I felt like so much of that was being overrun with creating the 'perfect' page, and that sometimes the photos would get lost amidst all of the embellishing. So...was I keeping a memory book, or creating a work of art? Don't get me wrong, I LOVE a beautiful page where all of the shadows are fine tuned, every element perfectly placed, and the combination of papers is to die for, but I didn't have time for that. I wanted my memories preserved, but I just couldn't keep up. Enter Project Life. An easy to assemble format, focused on pictures and journaling. Yes please! Once I started I KNEW this was what I had been looking for.

Confession #2: I have failed miserably.

Once we moved into our new home in August my Project Life album went down the drain. I have some major catching up to do, but I will be done by the end of the year. :) And I will share all of my pages, I promise! :)

So there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed my PL creations this year, and I hope that I've even helped some of you be able to keep up to date preserving the precious memories...or "golden moments" if you will...in your lives. Memory keeping truly is my passion, and I hope that shows through in my designs and pages. It's not about creating a piece of art, it's about creating a keepsake.

{OUR ELF ON THE SHELF}

I can hardly believe that Christmas is upon us! As I was searching through photos I happened upon all of our Elf on the Shelf photos from last year. I thought I'd post them here just in case I had any clever ideas that I could share with you...although I'm pretty sure I got most of mine from Pinterest!!

I compiled some PL style collages, mainly so you don't have to sift through a bajillion pictures! If you'd like closer up views of any of them, please let me know!

And here's a copy of the goodbye letter he left for our kids:

{TOTALLY MIA}

Wow friends, I indeed did NOT drop off the face of the planet, I did NOT die, BUT...I did move! :) I looked at my last post and it was...what...the beginning of May? Yeah, with end of school craziness I just didn't find time to blog. Then the second week of summer we found this little beauty and decided that we just had to have her.

We spent the rest of the summer fixing her up and making her ours. We're not even close to done yet, there is SOOOO much I'd like to do, but as my husband keeps reminding me "One project at a time". :)  I'm super excited to share before and after photos with you all as we finish. I'm so thrilled with it, words can't even express. It's the perfect home for our  family, it's like it was sitting there , just waiting for us. 

So, I haven't forgotten about or given up on Project Life. I think I'm about a month behind still, but I promise to post pages soon as well as more Project Life Collections in the shop.

Until then, keep scrapping, keep creating, and have a fabulous day!

{GENERATION AWAY}

I'm a country music fan through and through. That being said, I like other types as well...I can appreciate pretty much anything (but rap). However, country is where it's at, Lady A being at the top of my favorites. Their new album "GOLDEN" came out last week...and of course I had to buy it. ;) It's fabulous, but I expected nothing less, really. But there was one song that I REALLY loved called "Generation Away". You can listen here:

The part in particular that struck a chord with me was in the chorus where it says "Hey, what can we do? Here we are, just me and you. So let's take all the pictures we can take for the generation away".

Why did I like that so much? That's EXACTLY what I'm trying to do. It's my goal with "Project Life"...to take all the pictures I can take for the generation away. I want to be remembered. I want my life to mean something to those who follow me. I want my children to remember, I want their children to be able to know what our lives were like. In essence, I want to leave a legacy.

So...are you taking all the pictures you can take for the generation away? I certainly hope so. When it's all said and done, all we have are the memories, and what a better way to help us remember. Go take some pictures of the everyday, mundane, and EXCITING things that make up your life. You won't be sorry. :)

{THE EASIEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...EVER}

I'll be honest, when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, I struggle. BIG TIME. Just ask my husband...he'll freely admit it right along with me!! So a couple of weeks ago when I stumbled across this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff, I knew I better at least try it. I am SOOOOO glad I did! They turned out perfectly the first time and have every time since. (yes, I've made them 4 times in 2 weeks...don't tell!)

So today I'm here to share the recipe with you. Seriously people, it's awesome. Perfect for when you want a quick sweet fix and don't have anything in the house. I can make 3 dozen cookies in roughly 30 minutes from start to finish.

Okay, so here's what you need:

The original recipe called for Bisquick, but I used this pancake mix instead...worked great!

Oh, and just a quick tip: If you're using real butter (which I always do), 15 seconds in the microwave is perfect to get it perfectly softened.

THE EASIEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cube butter - softened

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

2.5 cups pancake mix

Semi-Sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Combine butter, egg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Beat using an electric mixer until smooth. Then add 2.5 cups pancake mix. Beat on medium speed until dough comes together, add desired amount of chocolate chips. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Okay...so just a few pointers that I learned.

#1 - if the dough is a little crumbly, try adding an extra egg white. It does the trick for me every time.

#2 - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE use semi sweet chocolate chips...you'll be glad you did!

#3 - I make my cookies on the small side so I can fit 20 cookies on a baking sheet. Makes cooking time SO much faster...plus you feel like you can eat more because they're smaller!! :)

#4 - I cook them for 11 minutes because we like our cookies on the "done" side. They are by no means burnt, just done.

Then package them up cute and take some to a friend! :)

{WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - MY LITTLE COWBOY}

{MONTH ONESIES}

Okay, so I originally wrote this post LAST month...when my baby turned one month old. However, I never got around to finishing the free download portion, so I'm just posting it now...that he's 2 months old. :) Haha!

With Gavin (my three year old) I took a picture of him each month on his "month birthday" in the same spot...which happened to be the rocking chair in his room. I LOVED going back through these photos and watching him grow. Naturally, I decided I wanted to do the same thing with Mack. Only this time I decided I wanted him to be dressed the same in each picture. A white onesie was obviously the only choice I had! :) Then I decided to take it one step further and make little month "signs" for each picture. Then inspiration struck, and I realized that I had an entire package of sticker paper sitting down in my office. Why not print them on sticker paper and stick it to the onesie?? Awesome...right? It worked so well and I was so pleased with how it turned out!

And, in true blogger fashion, it just wouldn't be nice for me to share this with you and then not give you a download...right??

::CLICK THE IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD::

And here is a link to where I purchased the sticker paper on Amazon:

Avery Sticker Project Paper, White, 8.5 x 11 Inches

{HELLO KITTY BIRTHDAY PARTY}

My daughter is obsessed with Hello Kitty. And rightfully so I suppose...I was too when I was her age. There sure are a lot more products out now than when I was little though. :) It was no surprise to me when she requested a Hello Kitty themed birthday party. And in true "Golden Girl" fashion, we went all out...especially since she is my only girl. I don't think I'd be able to keep up if I had more than one! :)

Just thought I'd share some photos and a few printables with you...just in case YOUR daughter is as obsessed as mine.

My cute princess on her special day...

And the party details:

And this is what the invitation looked like:

It was great fun, and all of the girls had a blast. We played Hello Kitty Bingo (free printable at the end of the post), Pin the bow on Hello Kitty, had a Hello Kitty bean bag toss, and duck, duck, goose...or in our case, Hello, Hello, Kitty. (I know, so original, right?) But party games are party games. :) We had a small candy bar with Hello Kitty: candy necklaces, fruit snacks, ring pops, and Pez dispensers. This stuff is out there in ABUNDANCE people, everywhere I looked there was something Hello Kitty! The party favors contained a Hello Kitty: bracelet, hand sanitizer, fingernail polish, and chap-stick. 

So, now for the free download portion! I created 6 bingo cards, an invitation, and a birthday banner that are available for you to download HERE. :) ENJOY, and I hope you have as much fun with YOUR Hello Kitty extravaganza as I did! Happy Partying!

DOWNLOAD BANNER HERE

DOWNLOAD BINGO HERE

DOWNLOAD INVITATION HERE

{BABY ACNE}

I hate it. I absolutely HATE it. Gavin (my 3 year old) has been the only one of my children lucky enough to escape it. Baby skin is supposed to be soft and smooth, not red, blotchy and bumpy. :( As I'm sure many moms do, I went looking for something to help...and this is what I found. I'll be honest, I was TOTALLY skeptical to be sure, but I thought, what the heck, it's worth a shot.

Make a 'runny' paste out of the baking soda and water. Not totally watered down, but not too thick either. Enough that it stays put on baby's face. I just dab it all over his sweet little face while I'm bathing him, let it sit for 30 seconds - 1 minute, then wipe it off, making VERY sure not to get it in his eyes. Then I follow up with the Aquaphor. This is what my Pediatrician suggested I use for the acne, so that's why I chose it. I've read that Eucerin works well too. I bathe him in the morning, and by the next morning the affected areas are mostly clear. He's still getting new spots, so I'm still using it, but it's almost gone, and it's only lasted a few days. HOORAY!!

So there you have it. Greatly reduce the length of time baby acne affects YOUR precious little one, and get those kissable cheeks back in no time!

{MACK}

Just a picture share today, I'm totally and completely smitten with this new little guy. He's absolutely PERFECT...in every way imaginable.

{WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO}

So I caught some sort of flu bug, who knows what it was really though. Basically I came down with a slight fever with chills and some MAJOR body aches...and my suffering put me into contractions. Unfortunately, Baby Mack is only at 35 weeks and 5 days (too early in my book) so away to the hospital we went to be monitored and stopped. And what kind of memory keeper would I be if I didn't take at least ONE picture to document the event, right?

I did kind of start freaking out as we got closer to the hospital, as the contractions were getting more intense, thinking "Oh my gosh, we could totally have a baby tonight and ...GASP...I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!!" But it was not to be, thank goodness. Instagram post from this morning:

So there you have it, my adventure for the day. :) Feeling VERY thankful for a sleeping pill that got me through the night and feeling MUCH better and very refreshed this morning. Thanks to a fabulous husband who totally cleaned the house and did all the laundry while I was sick in bed all day, maybe life can continue on as we know it today.

{PICTURE SHARE}

Like I've said before, my goal this year is to capture more "moments" rather than events, and to do so using my Nikon, NOT my iPhone! :) I think it's going pretty well so far. Granted it HAS only been a month...but a successful one, nonetheless.

A neighbor brought over some frozen cookie dough (along with about FIVE blankets she'd made for the new baby) and my kids could hardly wait to cut it up and get those cookies in the oven. (I think maybe it's been too long since I made cookies...) Anyway, Gavin wanted to watch them bake and promptly went to get his little stool from the bathroom. He then, of course, wanted Abbie to join in his excitement and she was so cute to humor him. I love how much she loves him. She loves giving kisses and hugs and it was no surprise that she snuck her arm around him as they watched the cookies bake. Oh to be little again and take time to enjoy the little moments...like watching cookies in the oven.

{ANOTHER SICK DAY}

I think yesterday was the worst of this nasty cold (I hate being sick and pregnant at the same time). Gavin and I are both feeling MUCH better today. And even though I'm sure I could have cleaned bathrooms and mopped floors, I decided to just take it easy and have another lay around jammie kind of day.

I've been wanting to start a blanket for this little baby boy coming in March. I decided today was the perfect day for that. And what do you know? I actually had all of the colors of yarn I needed! Perfect, no need to run to the store. :) I'm really excited about getting the nursery put together, it looks pretty cute in my mind...hopefully it all comes together the way I've envisioned. Anyway, here's a little sampling of what the blanket is going to look like.

Aren't the colors pretty? It was kind of an afterthought to add the blue, but it really brings the color scheme to life.

I also whipped up this cute little elephant print to hang on the wall as part of a photo collage that will go above the changing table.

And this is what Mr. Gavin did while I crocheted in my bed:

Super Hero setups. I love it. I especially love how he has to put them in order. The Hulk's have to go together, the Zurg's have to go together...etc. This was just before they all got "HULK SMASHED"! Now the big kids are home and I suppose life turns to homework and reading. Still hard to believe sometimes that I have a 1st AND a 3rd grader...I so don't feel old enough!