merry christmas

So last night I couldn't sleep (as usual), so I went downstairs to the kitchen to get something eat and I looked outside to see lots and lots of fluffy snow falling on the ground. It was so pretty and quiet...winter is here! Which means that Christmas is coming soon. (eek)






I thought I'd share this banner that I made for a class that I taught at my church on Saturday. This is one of the only projects I've done in the last few months...and it's making me want to do more! If only I had more time. Anyways, here are some closeups:















Really, you can't go wrong with a banner, right? We all know how much I love them! The ladies in my class were lots of fun, it was just very laid-back and casual and we listened to Christmas music, too. I love this time of year. Only I'm stressed because it's almost the middle of November and I told myself that I wanted to get ALL of my Christmas shopping done this month (ya, right), and I've barely started. We'll see how that goes!



And in regards to my last post, I spoke too soon about getting better! I've totally lost my voice and have been struggling with a cold since Thursday-ish...oh, man. It's been one thing after another. Luckily my kids have somehow escaped the cold and have been fine, so it's just me. Pregnancy is so much fun!



So if it's snowing where you are, why not take a little bit of time and make your own Christmas banner. Perfect for gifts or perfect for you. Here are some simple instructions:


1. Cut various patterned papers into circles and squares, measuring no larger than 5.5"x5.5".
2. Distress edges.
3. Mount pieces on chipboard with a gluestick.
4. Embellish pieces with jewels, stamps, glitter, and letters, spelling whatever you desire!
5. Punch holes in pieces using a crop-a-dile or hole punch.
6. Attach pieces with zipties and/or ribbon.
7. Tie ribbon on end pieces and you're done!


Have fun!!



Tal:)

(P.S. Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my last post! We are very very excited to be having another girl, even Payton is adjusting to the idea. hehe. Life is good.)

we're having a...

...GIRL!!!



No surprises here...I guess that's just what Graham and I make best. Haha! This has been a very eventful week(ish). Halloween came and went and was lots of fun. The girls had fun trick or treating and I even went with them this year. Gabby was hillairious...very overwhelmed, but once she figured out that she was getting candy, she was all good.



Then we went for my ultrasound on Monday...I was very excited and when it came down to it, I was just assuming that it was a girl...so was daddy. So we just laughed when the tech told us that "they're never 100% positive, but it looks like a girl". Of course it's a girl, what else would it be? It was awesome to see her little body and her heart beating...to know that this is all for real, that there IS a baby in there. When we got home and told the girls that they would be getting a baby sister Payton started crying and said "but I want a baby brother!!". She's been wanting a boy from the get-go, so we've been talkin' up girls big time...I'm sure she'll get used to the idea. (wink) I know I'm excited for another little princess.



Anyways, I hadn't been feeling well all weekend and when I got home from my ultrasound things just went downhill. Payton was asleep by 5pm 'cause she wasn't feeling well, Graham wasn't feeling well, and then the puking started. To make a long and yucky story short, I had my mom take me to the hospital after midnight 'cause I was so sick and totally dehydrated. They gave me fluids and gravol by IV and today was the first time I was able to get out of bed. So it's been a yucky couple days, and thank goodness for my parents and sister who took care of the girls for us. Being sick sucks!!! I'm hoping I'm on the mend and that the flu has come and gone for this little family for the rest of the year.



Hope it doesn't hit you all the way it hit us. Be back soon.



:)

too cute to spook!

We hope you have a spooky and fun Halloween!!!



Love,
Talia, Tinkerbell and Wendy xo

it's not too late...

...to whip up some Halloween stuff. I made these cookies using this recipe from Martha Stewart. So easy and yummy. Payton and I made these from start to finish in about 45 min and I even tripled the recipe. (it only makes about 12 cookies, so if you're wanting to give some away then you'll want to double or triple it for sure!)





And a 30 second card. Literally. Folded a piece of scrap paper in half, stuck on a cute sticker, word and decorative tape. Done.




Things have to be simple for me lately if they're going to get crossed off my list. I'm trying to do fun things with my kids without putting too much pressure on myself...then I just get overwhelmed. Simple is better, right? The rest of this week will be fun. Tomorrow Payton has her Halloween party at dancing and then we're carving pumpkins tomorrow night. I can't wait to see Gabby in the gooey pumpkin guts...scary! She'll love it, I'm sure.



Just wanted to pop by to share my simple Halloween ideas. Drop someone off a spooky card and plate of treats...it'll make their day, and it's fun, too!



Tal:)



P.S. Kim and I are teaching a class at the Urban Scrapbook on Saturday, Nov 15th. Head on over to their website for details. Spots are limited!

scrapbook stuff

It has been sooooo long since I've shared any scrapbooking projects, so I updated my scrapbook album for anyone who wants to take a look. These are all layouts that I've done over the last few months and just haven't had a chance to share.




Enjoy!



Talia:)

a little bit of halloween...

With how crazy my life has been these last few months I've missed "making stuff". I finally tidied up my room the other night, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to find some time to scrapbook again...GASP!! I know, I know, it sounds crazy!! Anyways, I found these little buckets at Walmart for less than a buck for my kids for trick-or-treating, but they just weren't cute enough on their own. I think a little ribbon and tulle did just the trick! Sad that I'm considering this a halloween project this year, but they do make me happy! (haha)




I love Halloween and fall. I've had my house decorated with all of our fun decorations since September, it's nice to enjoy them for a while. Next week will be busy busy with Halloween parties...one at playschool, one at dancing, one at church, plus trick-or-treating...my kids will definately get to wear their costumes! It will be fun.



I always have lots I want to blog about, it's just finding the time lately. Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later. We'll see. (wink)



T:)

san francisco

So, I have been away. Like, actually out-of-town. That is my excuse this time for my lack of blogging. (haha)



Back in September sometime Kim and I booked a trip on a whim to San Francisco...we've both always wanted to go there and we found cheap flights and a good hotel, so off we went. It was lots of fun. San Francisco is an amazing city...lots of touristy stuff to do and CRAZY shopping. Like, every store you could imagine. So that's basically what we did...shopped, ate, walked around and ate some more. It was nice to have a little getaway...my last one for a loooong time, I'm sure. And yes, I am getting fatter...ugh. I'm just at that stage that I just look FAT, not quite pregnant yet. Oh, the joys!








It's always so nice to come home after being away...as soon as we left the airport, we headed to Red Robin's for dinner for Gray's birthday. Going to restaurants with the girls is always interesting, we never quite know what their behavior is going to be like. But luckily I had "presents" from my trip to keep them busy and patience as I hadn't seen them for a few days, so it was fun.



I have been soooo busy since I got home on Friday...my to-do list is piling up, and the next thing after blogging is cleaning my studio. It's become nothing but a dumping ground for the last few months and it is time to get organised. Aaaahh!




Have a good week!!



Tal:)

a sneak peek...

So one thing I've done for the past couple years is take pictures of my girls in their Halloween costumes waaaaaay before Halloween, 'cause living where we live, you never know what the weather is going to be like when the big night is actually here. So we went out on Friday morning and I am sooooo glad we did 'cause it was BEAUTIFUL outside, and now the weather is currently rainy and cold. I'm glad I crossed that off my list. (Not to mention the fact that it takes away the pressure of trying to get pictures on Halloween...too stressful and all kids want is their candy, not to be smiling for mum.)



Anyways, here's a little peek at their costumes this year...so cute if I do say so myself. I wanted to wait till Halloween to post them, so instead I thought I'd just post one, and more will come later. This year we chose characters from one of their favorite Disney movies and sprinkled "pixie dust" on them before we left the house so they could "fly". I love having little kids.



Off to bed now...goodnight!
Tal xo

finally...

...I got some cute pictures of Gabby. Yay! I didn't get too many, most of them she was moving around, but I did get a couple that I'm happy with. There was lots of running involved trying to chase after her and keep her in one spot!








And some more with Payton and cutie cousins, Molly and Harry. My sister was in town this past week for a quick visit from Houston...it wasn't nearly long enough! The 3 little girls were in heaven playing with eachother, it's so sad that they live so far away. We had lots of fun, though and Payton loooooved baby Harry. She couldn't get enough of him. I will definitely have a little helper when our baby comes!









Wow, can you believe I posted again so soon? Haha. (I know, I'm surprised, too.) That's what cute pictures do, I guess!


Tal:)

i'm still here!

Why, oh why is it so impossible for me to blog lately? I am so lame. First of all, I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who left such nice comments on my last post. Yes, I am officially crazy...we are going for number 3. Haha! I'm about 14 and a half weeks right now, and the pregnancy is moving along, I guess...honestly, pregnancies are NO FUN for me. I am just super-sick and super-tired and super-lazy. Sounds like I'm a ton of fun, right? Oh, my poor husband. So honestly, that has been the major reason for my lack of blogging, and basically my lack of doing ANYTHING all summer! I am somewhat starting to feel better, but like I said, just not a fun time for me...I've been busy trying to stay on top of the day-to-day...and it seems like I haven't been able to do much else. Don't worry, things are good and I'm very happy, I'm just an exhausted pregnant momma lately!



So just what have we been up to? Oh, the usual...we have settled into our fall routine and I am loving it. Payton has playschool on Tuesday and Thursday mornings which she is loving. I am so happy for her when I pick her up and she tells me everything she did...it is great. And on Wednesday mornings she has her tap/ballet class which she is loving as well. Look at how cute???






Gabby and I have fun running errands and just doing whatever while Payton is busy in the mornings...I am thankful for this time I have with "just her" until the baby comes. It is still hard to believe that my little Gabbs is going to be a big sister...aaah! She is my baby. I wish I had a perfect picture of her to share but the child will NOT let me photograph her! It is quite funny actually, she sees the camera and runs...*sigh*...she going to have learn sometime soon!



And this was cute...while I was cleaning the kitchen the other day the girls were using my little water spraying thingy at the sink as a microphone...this kept them busy forever!








Thanks for stopping by! I wish I could promise regular posts, but like I said, I'm just taking things day by day right now...I'll be back now and then, and hopefully things will start getting a little more normal for me.


Later!!



T:)

playschool, a 2 year old and a scrapbook page

Well, September is officially here. Payton had her very first day of playschool today and she was soooo excited! I have to admit, I was, too. I remember back in the spring when I was debating on whether or not to put her in playschool this year and I am so glad that we did! This girl is ready. She loves playing with friends and doing crafts and activities...things that I can't always guarantee at home. And I'm excited for somewhat of a schedule around here. Tomorrow she starts her ballet and tap class as well, so 3 days a week I actually have to get up and get out of the house...imagine that! So here are a few pics of my big girl...





with her teacher, Mrs. Hardy...


and the cute little classroom...




It's funny how I am totally remembering my own playschool days now! Man how time flies. And let's not forget about my adorable little 2 year old...




Gabby continues to be impossible to photograph. This chickie has a mind of her own. She is a busy busy girl and is really starting to babble...she has lots of words now. My favorite is how she says Payton's name: "Tay-ton"...it's so cute. She looooves her big sister.


Oh, and a typical mess that she leaves for me lately...




And last but not least, a scrapbook page that I did back in July. (yes, I do still scrapbook sometimes!)





!!!!!!!



Tal:)

wow...

I've really fallen off the blogging bandwagon haven't I? Oops. That's what summer does to me...I'm just all about being lazy lately! We got back from Montana on Saturday night and we had such a good time. The weather was perfect...hot and sunny everyday and nice and cool in the mornings. It was so nice for the girls to have so much family around to keep them entertained. Well, and they entertained all of us, too! Our days were full of all the good stuff that you do at the lake...swimming, playing in the sun, tubing and being lazy! We even had helicopter rides over the lake, that was lots of fun. Payton was so brave, she hopped right in that thing, no worries at all! And Gabby is just a water baby. We always had to make sure she had a life jacket on 'cause she had no problems with just walkin' right into the lake. Very very cute. Graham even bought a tiny little dirtbike that the girls loooooved having rides on. And yes, even I can drive it! That will be the extent of my dirtbiking! haha.



So now we're home and just trying to get into some kind of schedule. Both of the girl's sleeping is just totally off which is very frustrating for us at bedtime. It's at this point in the summer that I kind of start getting exited for fall...I love the weather the leaves, and most of all getting into a schedule.



Sorry my blog has been so boring! To be honest, it's been nice to take a little break...hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things sometime soon! And if you're looking for some creative inspiration, you can head over to the Goodie Box where Kim and I have been posting ideas every Monday.



See you soon!



Tal:)

a quick post...

I'm sitting here on my couch unable to tear myself away from the tv and thought I would do a quick post. I just finished watching "so you think you can dance" and oh, my!!! Amazing. I am so sad that this season is going to be over tomorrow, it has by far been my favorite. In my honest opinion, I want Katee or Joshua to win...they have both been amazing ALL season. I think Katee hit the major jackpot for awesome choreography every single week! Anyways, I just love that show...I wish I could vote!!



I haven't exactly been feeling "on top of the world" for the past little while and Kim came by this morning with a picnic for the kiddies to eat and play outside...it was so nice! Thank you, Kimmy! It was nice to visit and to have a change in our routine. (and thanks to my mama for helping out with my kids so much, too!)



We're off to Montana on Sunday for a week at the cabin...I can't wait. Sunshine, relaxation and Target. Oh, ya.



Be back soon.
Tal:)