Thanksgiving and the Nutcracker

Hey Girlies! Long time, no write- again! Oh, but I do love to visit your blogs and see what you are up to...

Here's a look at what we have been up to...

I was in a Thanksgiving Swap with my dear friend, Elise and she made me this AMAZING cloche! LOVE it! My pumpkins are so cozy inside their new home.:)

She also made me this FABULOUS pumpkin, a lovely tag and a sweet Scrabble set that spells out "grateful". I am so grateful for you, Elise! Thank you again for the goodies!

This is Mr. Turkey that Katie made for Thanksgiving. I got the idea here. Great ideas!!

Grandpa John and Grandma Patty spent Thankgiving with us and stayed for the Nutcracker. They are always so much fun!

There's Elise's cloche and Val's pumpkins gracing the table at Thanksgiving!

Another fun idea found here.

The Nutcracker was amazing. It was such an honor for Katie to take part in the production! This is Katie and her dear friend that came to see her perform.:)

Jeff bought flowers for both his girls.:)

I love this picture...

The "Katie twins" both were bumblebees!

I wanted so badly to take a picture of Katie in her costume, but parents were not allowed back stage. Sooo, I had to settle for pictures before and after the performance.

Nutcrackers displayed in the lobby...

Well, I was back stage for a second. SO MANY fabulous picture opportunities! Gorgeous costumes were everywhere! sigh... All I was able to get was a picture of the bumble bee tu-tu's and a sign showing where the Bees and Candy Canes got dressed before I was "escorted" out. I would never make it as a spy.

One last picture (below) of Katie and her friend, Lillibeth who was a Block. What an amazing experience...

Happy 101

I received the sweetest award today from Nancy! Isn't it darling? Cupcakes with sprinkles! Could it get any better??? Love it! I adore Nancy, too! She is SUPER creative, cute as a button and has fabulous shoes.:) Not only that, she is a fabulous Mom (with cutie patootie girlies!) and REAL. She likes "Ice, Ice Baby" and not many are willing to share that. But you know what? I like it, too! I also love disco (Donna Summer!) and Ricky Martin! Somewhere deep down inside me I was meant to be a dancer, ladies.

Now, I need to tell you some things that make me happy. giggle. smile. feel joy....

My girlies. What would life be like without them? I never want to know. Did you know that before I got married I never wanted children? I was so afraid that I would not survive labor, as my Mom had a terrible time with me. It was worth it- every second. They are my world.:)

Whose Line is it Anyway? This show is so incredibly hilarious! I never fail to have tears in my eyes over the comedy that these people create. How do they do it??!

The Karate Kid. Never wanted to see it. THE dumbest name. Oh, but what a story! I know the lines by heart- no joke. Daniel Laruso and Mr. Miyagi are true heroes in my book.

My husband. He cracks himself up (and me too). Adore him. He wants to see New Moon with me, too.:)

Fabric. Someday I will sew. I want so badly to join Julie in her Scarf Along. Maybe I will. Yes, fabrics make me happy!:)

The ocean. We used to live near one and never went. I thought we would always be close to it. How the sea calls to me...

Buttons. What a love affair I have with them!

A cozy fire on a snowy day. What a luxury! A snuggly quilt, good book and a mug of hot chocolate and I am set...

Books. I am addicted.

The movies. Especially matinees. Sneaking away while the rest of the world works is the BEST.:)

Now, I would like to pass this award on to some friends that make me truly happy!

Jill- Pocket Full of Posies

Heather- Six Scavos

Lindsay- The Cross Stitch House

Robin- The Robin's Nest

Elise- Nest Sweet Nest

Val- Yarni Gras

Jes- Kadyhope

Jen- Lipstick and Laundry

Tristan- Tristan Time

Thank you so much, Nancy, for this wonderful award! Enjoy, dear friends! Thank you for making my days just a little bit more creative, happy and full of joy!:)

Big 7!

The Big 7th!

Tinkerbell/Pink and Green theme. Love party prep, but hostessing is not my true calling. Not sure what my true calling is...

Anyway... The party was fun! Time for Show and Tell!

I got the fabric lollipop bouquet craft idea here. Aren't they fun? (Thanks Nancy!)

Paper lanterns- Inspiration from the American Girl Fashion Show. Found at Hobby Lobby, of course. Ornaments add that extra sparkle.

Fairy/Cake mugs found at TJ Maxx. Used as party favors/place cards for the guests.

Wish I had a Cricut when I made these! I almost called you, Elise, but I ran out of time.:( They were worth the effort....

Favors for the little girlies.:)

Ready for the doorbell to ring!

Slumber Party/Autograph Books! If you'd like to print some out, just go here.

Here's a peek inside... The girls loved filling them out! A great "ice breaker"...

Fruit Kabobs with Strawberry yogurt for dipping. We got the idea from The American Girl Cafe.:)

Katie put the fruit kabobs together. My future party planner.:) Look Lindsay and Jessica, she is wearing the darling owl shirt you sent her for her birthday!

Heart shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches...

First thing we did was make custom bath salts. Gardenia, Vanilla, Honey Almond, Coconut or Lemon Verbena... We even added food coloring!

Then it was time to sign autograph books!

Amanda was the BEST helper! I could not have done it without her. She welcomed all the guests, took care of the girls that arrived a bit late and was even my Bingo caller. What a rock star.:) (Jeff was the pinata hanger, dish washer, popcorn popper and cake cutter. He even offered to run out (away?) and get me dinner from P.F. Chang's. Love you, Honey.)

Can't believe she is SEVEN.

Tinkerbell Bingo.

Snooze-a-Palooza is a great book for party games and crafts. Published by American Girl, of course.:)

Hot Potato is fun to play as long as everyone wins a prize. I'm all about warm fuzzies and photo opps.:)

Then we headed upstairs to see Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure! None of the girls had seen it yet so they were all excited.:) Pillows and blankets were set out for snuggling, pinata candy was ready for munching and popcorn was popping...

Such cuties!

Target $1 aisle:)

Pajama parties are a blast!

I prefer a traditional birthday cake myself, but Katie was all about the Cookie Cake this year. Why not?:)

No puffy cheeks!:)

Now I can rest for another year. Wait, I do believe another birthday is right around the corner! I'm going to take a nap...

Pumpkins and Presents

Hello Sweeties! Long time, no blog...

We have been busy beavers here in our house. The elves are trying to get a jump on the holidays...

Before I get to that, let me show you what we did the other day at the park. "Pumpkin Math" with Friends!

We met up with some dear friends to estimate the size of our pumpkins as well as the amount of seeds inside. The kids did a great job! What a mess, but it sure was fun!

Look at those orange fingers!

Joshua and Katie are so cute together. Puppy love at it's finest.:)

The weather was perfect- breezy and warm...

Now on to a fun project! I saw this on Blonde Designs... Bath Salts! An inexpensive and oh so fun gift to make with your children!

You will need some wonderful scents. We purchased essential oils ($8-$20) at the health food store (quite expensive and VERY strong) as that is what the recipe calls for, but ended up using fragrances purchased at Hobby Lobby (soap/candle aisle). They are much more reasonable in price and the scents were lovely!

We found some cute containers for wrapping the finished product...

Then you need to purchase Epsom Salts and Baking Soda. Two cups of Epsom salts and 4 tablespoons of baking soda (softens skin and adds bubbles!) are mixed together and then fragrance is added. The girls tried it out and loved it!

We found these glass containers at Hobby Lobby, too. $1.47 each. Blonde Designs has darling labels you can print out, too! Buy some sticker paper (scrapbook section of Hobby Lobby) and print your own!

Mandy's play was last week. She played a vendor and did a wonderful job. Our co-op classes are now over for the semester so I can rest for a bit.:)

That's all for now! Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!

Snow Globes and a Winner...

Hey Cuties! I am here to answer the call of the Snow Globe! Doesn't that sound MIGHTY?>:) They are really quite easy to make, you just have to be careful with the adhesives that you choose....

1) Get some baby food jars, jam jars, etc. I have used both and they both work well.

2) Find a cute item as your feature piece. Be sure that it will fit as you don't want something too puny (been there, done that) or something too large. I used trees from Hobby Lobby (40% this week in the Christmas craft aisle).

3) Rough up your inside lid with some sandpaper.

4) Glue your item to the lid with epoxy, Liquid Nails or Super Glue. Let dry for a couple of hours.

5) Fill your jar with distilled water and 2 drops of glycerin. Do not use too much glycerin or your glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar.

6) Shake in your glitter. We used the white glitter with big flakes as it looks like real snow.

7) Use caulk to seal the lid of your snow globe. Let dry overnight before turning snow globe over.

**Have FUN!**

The winner of my follower giveaway is TOO MANY HATS!! Woo HOO! Please e-mail me your address and I will send your prize to you... toosillysisters@cox.net

If you did not win this month, I will be doing another drawing next month.:)

Flurries of Fun

Things are hopping here at our house! The countdown to Christmas has begun, as well as birthday parties, end of the semester co-op classes, Nutcracker rehearsals, karate testing and on and on.... Are you as tired as I am??

This week we are discussing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Princess Academy in my Book Club classes. The beginning of snow globes are scattered around my kitchen...

Katie has decided to have a Half Slumber Party for her birthday. We are going to do all the fun things that slumber parties are famous for- games, crafts, food and a movie- and then everyone gets to go home and be cozy in their own beds.:) The colors will be hot pink and black- like the American Girl Place! There will be a focus on Tinkerbell, too- Katie's favorite.:)

Katie and I had such fun making the invitations! Choosing fabulous paper, punching out shapes and coordinating sparkly brads- LOVE it!

I am hoping to put some new pretties in my shop, but with the flurry of activities I am not sure when....

I am currently taking special orders and completing them as quickly as I can- for those smart early shoppers.:)

If you see something that you like or would like for me to make something unique for you, feel free to contact me. Lori toosillysisters@cox.net

OH, I ALMOST FORGOT! I will be having a giveaway tomorrow for my lovely followers! I adore you all! You don't have to do a thing- just be one of my followers and you are entered.:) Isn't that fun?

Wish List

It's time to make my Wish List! Yippee! Do you all make wish lists? I figure that I am now 40 so I am not going to hold back. I am going to wish like I have never wished before. Why not? I have the most fun buying gifts for my girls, but it would lovely to get one or two things that I am secretly (not anymore!) wishing for.:)

Love, love, love personalized stationery and stickers and this lady delivers!

Gorgeous, absolutely amazing pictures and stationery! I have been wishing all year...

I purchased "Good Mail" stickers before and everyone wanted to know where I got them! My dear friend, Heather, got me started and now I can't stop! I am all out now so...

I want one so badly. Please Santa....
Just once in my life I would love a trinket in a tiny blue box. You know the place...
My sweet friend, Denise, sent me some of this last year. I finished the whole box in about a month! YUM! Will they make it this year? If so, I am stocking up!

Yes, I reeeaaalllyyy want one.

You know me and Nancy Drew. I would love to add these to my collection. Now, if I could just find some time to play them....

What is on your wish list?