Noah's Orange Tree

On Friday, we put up Noah's orange Clemson tree. He is so excited to have it back in his room again this year!

Once again all of the ornaments are sports themed, Clemson themed, or orange and purple.

I love that he loves it.

Linked to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

 and
5 Minutes for Moms

Snow Patties

The minute I saw this version of what I have come to call "Snow Patties" I knew that I had to make them.

Here's how mine turned out.........

Aren't they adorable? I think they'd make a great stocking stuffer or a sweet little gift for a neighbor, friend, teacher, or co-worker! Want to know how I made them?? Let's get started!

You will need:
Round peppermint patties (I admit that these were difficult to find! I searched about 6 stores before I finally found the round ones. The Christmas ones that are red and green are not in round packages, they are in square packages and I don't think they'd work too well for this.)
Black cardstock
White cardstock
Adhesive of your choice (I used glue dots and my Xyron machine)
Pretezel Bags (You can find these in the cake decorating/candy section of your local craft store.)
Ribbon
1 1/2 inch circle punch
2 inch scallop circle punch
Snowman face printable which you can download here
Tape

1. Print your snowman faces out and punch one out with the circle punch. Punch 2 more circles out of white cardstock with the circle punch.
2. Punch 6 scalloped circles using the scalloped punch out of black cardstock. Punch 6 circles out of the black cardstock using a regular hole punch. These will become your buttons.
3. Adhere each of the white circles to one of the black scalloped circles. I ran the white circles through my Xyron machine but you could just use glue dots for these as well. Now, using the glue dots glue these to the front of your Peppermint Patties.
4. Adhere the small black circle "buttons" to the middle and lower part of your snowman and a black hat to snowman's face. (I cut the black hat using a shape I created in the Silhouette software but you could free hand one or find one online to use as a guide.)
5. Adhere the three remaining black scalloped circles to the back of each of the Peppermint Patties.
6. Grab the middle and lowest part of your snowman and turn those over. Put a small piece of tape on the back to keep them together. Slide them into your pretzel bag.
7. Loosely tie a piece of ribbon around the bag to be your snowman's scarf.
8. Add the snowman's face to the pretzel bag. Fold the bag down in the back and tape it closed.

And you are done!

I big puffy heart these snow patties!

(Linking up to the craft parties listed in my sidebar)

Making Trees with Noahie

Noah's new found love of art is going strong and I'm still loving it too! A couple of weeks ago, we made trees! I found the original idea at Artful Parent and I just adapted it a little bit so that it would work better for Noah's skill level.

Instead of having Noah make the tree himself with masking tape, I made the tree while Noah was sleeping using brown ribbon that I ran through my Xyron to make it sticky. I just stuck it down on cream colored cardstock.

Then when Noah was ready, I gave him the closest colors we had to "fall colors" of his beloved paint markers. (They are still his favorite - and mine too!) He used the paint markers to make "dots" for the leaves. He had a great time doing it and they turned out really cool. I even framed one and put it up with my fall decor which he just thought was the coolest thing ever!

Here's a few pics of Noah making his trees......

Getting ready to paint! 

 Look at that smile!   

Finished paintings!!

Carrying his paint basket back to his room like a good boy!

Linking to Magic Marker Monday at Five Minutes for Special Needs

Quote of the Week: Out of the Lowest Depths

"Out of the lowest depths, 

there is a path to the loftiest heights." 

- Thomas Caryle 

Weekend Wonders: The One with Christmas Countdowns

Well, the official countdown until Christmas is on as of December 1st. Lately I have seen lots of cute ways to countdown the days until Christmas. Here are some of my favorites......

Snowman Advent Garland

This snowman advent garland from Whimsy Girl is an adorable way to count down the days until Christmas. Each little snowman holds a small trinket.

Clipboard Countdown

The gals at Eighteen 25 created this cute Christmas countdown clipboard.

Clothespin Advent

This clothespin advent by Kristie Wisemen is so unique. She shares a free printable for the numbers.

Santa's Beard Advent

As you count down the days to Christmas with this cute advent at Brandy's Crafts, Santa's beard will get shorter and shorter. Fun one for the kiddos!

Do you make something to count down the days until Christmas? 

The "Yay, it's the Christmas Season" Tradition

My Mom has a tradition that I love. (Confession: I love just about any tradition that involves presents.) My Mom doesn’t like to give us Christmas things (ornaments, decorations, shirts, etc) for Christmas because we have to wait a whole year to be able to use them. So, years back she started a tradition where she gives us a gift on Thanksgiving Day that I have dubbed the “Yay, it’s the Christmas season gift.” It could be any of the afore mentioned things like ornaments, Christmas clothes, decorations, and what not.

Since my Momma is the queen of gift baskets and usually makes me a gift basket for just about every holiday, I received a cute green and red gift basket yesterday full of little Christmas trinkets. My favorite thing in the basket was the gingerbread man and woman salt and pepper shakers. (I collect salt and pepper shakers.)

Anyways, it’s a fun little tradition to celebrate the start of the Christmas season. Do you have any fun traditions to celebrate the upcoming holidays?

Thankful Thursdays #4

The last Thursday in November....... I'm kind of sad to see it go. It's been nice making notes of all the little blessings in my life.

(continued from here)
23. Family recipes
24. Pets
25. Cherry coke
26. Help with Noah
27. Family around my table
28. Thanksgiving cards
29. All the love in my life
30. Our yummy turkey dinner

Guest Blogger: NOAH!

I have blog-napped Momma's blog! 

I'm very excited that my family is coming over today to eat turkey with us. Uncle Andy is bringing Baby Mabel (his new puppy). I love her! 

We even bought turkey doggie food for Paisley to eat! 

Last week, Momma and I made turkeys. I painted the feathers. 

Happy Thanksgiving!! 

Grandma's Dressing

Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I am the person responsible for making the dressing (we don’t call it stuffing because it doesn’t go IN the turkey) in my immediate family. I use my Grandmother’s (my Dad’s Mom) recipe although it wasn’t ever really a “recipe.” It was more add some of this, add a bit of that, and a little of this, and a taste of this. But I have perfected it in my own way over the years.

I’ve never seen or tasted another dressing quite like this one. It has rice in it along with the cornbread which I think makes it totally unique.

To be quite honest, it’s a pain in the bootay to make! You have to cook the rice, cook the corn bread, boil eggs, boil celery and onions, etc. etc. It freezes beautifully so at Thanksgiving I always make a double batch, and then just freeze a portion of it for Christmas dinner. It just wouldn’t be the holidays without this dressing!

I’m sure there are short cuts I could take or perhaps a simpler recipe I could try but I’m not going to mess with something so good plus since it is a family recipe it has more meaning to me.

My Mom always makes her Mom’s sweet potato casserole so with that and the dressing on the table, we have a little piece of past generations with us each year at the dinner table.

Do you have a family recipe you that it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without making it?

Angel Tags

A friend I met while in college (Kami) and I both have both lost babies (mine to miscarriage, one of hers to miscarriage and the other to subcrionic hematoma) before they were ready to be born. It’s something that we have talked about and tried to help one another through.

Kami decided to participate in a Fantasy of Trees in her town and create a special angel tree. (In 2006, J and I sent in an angel ornament to Share Atlanta and participated in a special Christmas tree that was full of ornaments sent in by other parents who had lost children. It was very meaningful to see Darcy’s angel ornament on the tree.) So when she asked if I would help by making some tags, I of course said yes. She chose the theme “Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets its wings” and decided that a jingle bell would represent each of the angel babies of her friends in her support network. Each tag would have a baby’s name and the date of when they went to heaven and then would be tied to a jingle bell.

Kami ended up with over 100 names. So I stayed up till the wee hours of the night/morning a couple of nights last week finishing the tags up so I could mail them to Kami in time. It was bittersweet making the tags; so many beautiful names and beautiful souls that never had a chance at an earthly life but will be waiting with outstretched arms when their Mommas get to heaven.

Acrylic Frame Post It Note Holders

I recently made some acrylic frame post it note holders for an upcoming craft fair and thought I would share. They are inexpensive and easy to make up. They make awesome gifts for teachers, co-workers, friends, etc!

Using an acrylic picture frame, which you can find at most Dollar Stores and other stores like WalMart, you can make a cute little spot to hold your post it notes for your desk like this...............

Materials Needed: 

• Acrylic Picture Frame (You will need the type of acrylic frame that has a stand on it. Both 4x6 and 5x7 work great and are about 1.00 at Walmart and Dollar Stores.)   
• Scrapbook Paper 
• Ribbon 
• Embellishments (Stickers, flowers, buttons, rub ons, etc. You could even personalize with the recipient's initials)  
• Scissors 
• Glue 
• Post it notes

Instructions: 
1. Trim the scrapbook paper so that it fits inside the frame. Once it’s trimmed, place it inside the frame. 
2. Glue some ribbon to the top of your frame.
3.  Embellish if you desire.
4. Add your post it notes. When I make them for craft fairs, I actually glue the post it notes on since they were being transported and shuffled around but when they are just sitting on your desk, you really don't have to glue them on, they stay on just fine without the glue.

Here's a few more I recently made:

Go Tigers!

I decided to do something a bit different with the one above and below and added a little calendar instead of an embellishment. 

Sometimes there is a little confusion about how these post it note holders sit so I tried to take a couple of pics to better show that.
 

This is how it looks when it is standing normally as a picture frame. 

And this is how it looks when you turn it to use it as a post it note holder.

Hopefully, those pics better clarify! 

(Linking up to the craft parties listed in my sidebar) 

Quote of the Week: Thankful People

"It is not happy people who are thankful. 

It is thankful people who are happy." 

- Author Unknown

Weekend Wonders: The One with Thanksgiving Printables

Thanksgiving is next week! Are you ready?? This week I'm featuring some great free Thanksgiving printables!

Give Thanks Printable

Just pop this adorable "Give Thanks" printable from Darling Doodles into a frame and you have instant Thanksgiving ambiance.

Thankful For Printable

Just print out this "Thankful for" printable from The Scrap Shoppe Blog, pop it into a frame, and use a dry erase marker to write what your family is thankful for.

Be Thankful Banner

String up this free printable "Be Thankful" banner from Sweet Anne.

Thanksgiving Party Package

This free printable package from Dimple Prints has lots of stuff perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner party including a printable banner, food labels, straw flags, cupcake wrappers, and much more.

Keep Calm and Gobble On

I love this fun Thanksgiving spin on the classic "Keep Calm" poster created by Crafitly Ever After.

Thankful Thursdays #3

Continuing from last week

15. Crafting
16. Cards in the mail (for no real reason besides "just because)
17. My "seeing eye driver"
18. His giggling
19. Medicine
20. Good school and good teachers
21. Online support groups
22. My patience (most of the time)

One thing I'm NOT thankful for this week, is Noah's new self imposed wake up time of 5:45 AM; a full 45 minutes before the alarm!

Thanksgiving Menu Printable

Are you ready for Thanksgiving? We are having Thanksgiving dinner at our house again this year and I'm getting excited for it.

I was planning my menu last night, gathering recipes, and such when I decided I didn't want to write my menu on a boring old legal pad, so I quickly made a cute little menu printable. And then I made a matching shopping list printable. I thought I'd share them with you in case you don't want to plan your menu on a boring old legal pad either!

Download the menu printable here.

Download the shopping list printable here.

All Bundled Up

My Mom makes fleece scarves and recently Noah told her he wanted one so of course she was more than happy to make him a Clemson scarf. Noah's never been a scarf wearer in the past so I really thought he wouldn't keep it on but I guess I should have learned my lesson after all the hat wearing he has done this year.

Last week, one morning it was finally cold enough to break out the scarf. He kept it on and seemed to like it. It probably doesn't hurt that it's orange and purple! 

Linked to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

 and
5 Minutes for Moms

Snowman Ornament and Gift Card Holder

Christmas is just around the corner (eeek!) so I thought I’d show you how to make this cute little snowman ornament. 

He's adorable isn't he!

But he’s not your average ornament.......

Flip him over and he’s a gift card holder too - he has a little pocket on the back to hold a gift card! 

So wanna know how to make him? Let’s get started!

You will need:
Round coasters (I used cardboard coasters from Michael’s that I bought on super clearance (20 cents for a package of 10!) over the summer but they typically have these types of coasters all the time in the dollar section.)
White, Orange, and Black Cardstock
Patterned scrapbook paper
Black buttons
Ribbon
Thin gold or silver cording
Glue dots
Tape runner
Black sharpie
Embellishments (I used some plastic holly stickers found in the scrapbooking section at Michael’s as well as some snowflakes that I think are actually buttons.)

What you’ll do:
1. Trace your coaster and cut out 2 circles out of the white cardstock. Cut out one circle out of the patterned scrapbook paper.

2. Cut out 2 hats from the black cardstock. (I used a hat from the Silhouette store and had my machine cut it out but you could easily free hand one or find one online to use as a stencil.)

3. Adhere one of the white circles to the front of your coaster and the other to the back of your coaster. (I did this using the tape runner.)

4. Take one of your snowman hats and wrap a piece of ribbon around the brim of the hat. Glue it down on the back side of the hat. The hat with the ribbon will be the one that goes on the front of the ornament. Adhere it at the top of the ornament.

5. Cut a piece of your cording to use as the hanger for the ornament and glue it down to the other hat. Glue the second hat onto the back of the ornament and glue the two hats together.  

6. On the front of your ornament, create the snowman's face by gluing down the two buttons for eyes. Then cut a small triangle out of orange cardstock and glue it on for the nose.  Freehand a few black squares of “coal” creating a mouth for the snowman.  

7. Take your patterned circle that you cut earlier and cut it in half. Place glue dots around the edges of the circle. Now adhere the patterned circle to the back or your ornament lining it up with the bottom. This creates the pocket to hold the gift card.

Add any embellishments to the front of the snowman that you may want to add such as a snowflake button on the brim of his hat. 

Love him! 

Don't have time to make him but need him? I have a couple listed in my Etsy store! 

Linking to the crafty parties listed in my sidebar
and

Shabby Apple Give Away Winner

The winner of this 

beautiful necklace from Shabby Apple is.......

comment number 22!!

Lindsay from Diary of a Crafty Lady!

Lindsay, please email me your mailing address!! 

Quote of the Week: Give Thanks

"Give thanks for unknown 

blessings already on their way." 

- Native American Saying

This Year's Thankful Frame

Last year, I made a thankful frame but I didn't do such a hot job of packing it and it was cracked when I pulled it out this year so I decided to make a new one but went about it a smidge differently.

I decided not to paint or decorate the frame so that I could easily use it for other holidays and everyday. It was so simple it feels like I'm cheating by calling it a craft. I simply found a fall themed piece of scrapbooking paper that I liked, opened a Word Document and typed "Thankful for" in a font I liked and then printed it on to the scrapbook paper. I popped it in the frame and called her done!

I've got a dry erase marker sitting behind the frame and we will change what we are thankful for every day.

Simple, inexpensive, and meaningful!

(Linking to the craft parties listed in my sidebar)

Five Minute Friday: An Unexpected Life

It’s Friday – the day where I join other bloggers and take five short minutes to just write from the heart. Five Minute Friday is hosted by Gypsy Mama and this week’s prompt is unexpected. 

Sometimes I feel like Noah's whole life has been one unexpected circumstance after another. Becoming pregnant with him was unexpected. Pregnancy complications were unexpected. An early birth was unexpected. His Cerebral Palsy diagnosis was unexpected. 

There have also been so many unexpected blessings and life lessons along the way.

Yes our lives may be different than others and they may be harder, although that's debatable, everyone has their own obstacles but there are so many little unexpected blessings along the way. I've learned to take life slower. I've learned what true love is all about, not only my love for Noah but my family's love for me. It's brought me closer to God. I've learned what sacrifice is all about. I've learned that life is never what you expect it to be.

No matter how unexpected this journey has been, I know God made me for this and I am right where I am supposed to be. 

Thankful Thursdays # 2

I'm continuing to list the things I'm thankful for daily and them share them here with you each Thursday in November. 

(Continued from last week)

7. Fun socks
8. Pina colada slushies (my fave) soothing a sore throat
9. Random text messages from friends
10. Friendaversaries 
11. When he does the motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider
12. Date night
13. When he turns off the lights
14. Blogging & Bloggy Friends

Turn the Lights Off, Mom!

Every morning after Noah is dressed and in his wheelchair, we head to the living room to wait on the school bus. I purposely leave on the lights in my bedroom, the hallway, and Noah's room. Once I start to walk into the living room, Noah who is noticing I have left the lights on (and has recently learned about conserving energy) will say "Momma!" in this fussing like tone and then go turn the lights off.

Yes, I could just turn the lights off myself but this A. gives him something to do that kills a few minutes of time instead of just sitting there waiting on the bus, B. gives him a small task in which I can say "Good job, Noahie!" and C. it's just cute! There was a time he couldn't do this and it's nice to seem him have a bit of pride and  independence.

Linked to 5 Minutes for Special Needs

 and
5 Minutes for Moms