{ Christmas Time, Pics, Elf on the Shelf! }

Thought I would catch you up on a few goodies...I have more than a few pics to share...had some fun with these pics....

 

I have been having alot of fun with Bre this year and Christmas, she is so innocent, I love it! I think I am having more fun than her! Oooh if she only knew the tricks that are up my sleeve! Just found out about this darn Elf on a Shelf which I will share more when you scroll down...

 

One of Santa's elfs came by and visited Bre before she woke up and we woke up to chaos in the bathroom....scroll down...you will see!

 

Enjoy!

 

1. The day we decorated the trees with "plain" lights. Lol...if you missed that post, you may want to go back and re-read the prior post about my Shenanigans!

 

 2. Bre wrote on a post-it note her letter to Santa. I mean that's not bad for a 5 year old...one thing...I like it. She has been learning how to write her sentences out without help..we teach her to just sound it out! And she is doing great! Her post-it reads, "Der Santa, wut a Bike"! Well you go girl! You got it!

 3. The elfs came!!! Mischievous little boogers!!! Wrote in LIPSTICK on the bathroom mirror...
The elf wrote..."Hi bre! I saw your PJ's! Ha! Ha!, Elf"....The next day was wear your PJ's to school so, supposedly the elf saw her PJ's...and Bre was trippin out...lol...she walked in the bathroom and said, "Oh boy!" LOL!

 4. Yours TRULY!

 5. Last but not least....thanks to friends and Pinterest...I heard about the Elf on the Shelf....for those who do not know...here is the little story on the back of the box. Its really cute...(written by the creator Carol V. Aebersold.

"This charming tradition began for our family when my children were very small.  Like most children through the ages, they wanted to know how Santa really knew who was naughty or who was nice. Their answer, as in my own childhood, came in the form of a small pixie-elf.

The first time the elf arrived at our home, my children officially adopted him by giving him a name. Each year he would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving.  His sole responsibility was to watch the children's behavior and report it to Santa each night.  The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned him from the North Pole and was not resting in a new and different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.

To preserve the elf's Christmas magic the children were not allowed to touch it; however, talking to the elf was encouraged.  My children shared many secrets with their elf and while he was under strict orders not to talk to them, the elf was under no such orders where grown-ups were concerned.

Unwittingly, the tradition provided an added benefit, it helped the children to better control themselves.  All it took was a gentle reminder that the "elf is watching," for errant behavior to be modified.

**Carol V. Aebersold

Im sorry! Yes, I was having a little fun with the elf! LOL! Bre is not here....so I thought I would acquaint myself with him! I will have her name her (yes, its a girl), and the pranks shall begin immediately!

Ok...The Things We Do For Our Kids!

Ok, the things that we do for our kids...

I took the task of going to storage and fetching the Christmas decor and tree. Well I forgot that I put my Christmas Tree in my parents storage so there were two trees in there. Well I just grabbed mine, not remembering that one had the clear lights and one had the colored lights.

Let me rewind for a sec...we have never put up Christmas decor up this early before, usually its maybe the 2nd week of December. Well you know how we (society) rush right through Thanksgiving and get right into Christmas right? Well if it wasn't Thanksgiving Day or the day after, neighbors were putting out decorations, putting lights up, just pumping little Bre up! It didn't help that Adriana my sisters friend from Arizona dropped off my sisters gifts to us from her. Of course they are all sparkly and blinged out and Bre's wrapped all bomb in princess wrapping paper...so Bre is super stoked like, "OH YEAH! SANTA'S COMING! SANTA'S COMING!" My poor child thought Santa was for sure coming that night. She knows Santa is in town becuase she "Saw Him" at Victoria Gardens Mall and we took a $16.00 5x7 pic (yeah, thats sarcasm!)....Anyway...baby girl is SUPER HYPED! Ok!?

So anyway..picking back up to the tree business. I promised her after church, we will decorate, and put up our tree and the Christmas lights will go up. So...we put up the tree and she looks a little disappointed. I'm thinking to myself, "What now!?" lol...I ask her, "Whats wrong Bre?", she says, "Mom, how come we don't have colors on our tree?"...when she asked me this, I forgot the fact that I grabbed mine and mine had clear and moms which was still in storage had colored lights. I tried to tell her, "Baby, our tree is still beautiful it has lights like snow, cute and cool ornaments and a beautiful star! We will get colored lights next year...", she seemed to be satisfied. She also made a comment about our clear outdoor lights and everyone else has colored lights...are they ever satisified? Im like, man!

Woke up this morning, and mom realized that I grabbed the wrong tree, and also moms tree had a easy toggle switch as we made it Bre's responsibility to push the easy button which turns the lights out on the tree. Grandma said she would go to storage and get the tree with colored lights...ok cool!

Sooo.....fast forward to this evening.....I get my mind right to take down ALL the decorations off the tree, to have the new one up by the time Bre gets home tomorrow as she was with her dad this evening. I take the other tree out the box only find out that it was perhaps packaged or stored wrong, all the branches were bent, making the tree look sad and unloved....Needless to say, we had to take the colored tree BACK DOWN and we will be putting that bad boy in the trash! I'm a little tired at this point, but then put the old tree BACK UP and dug out 3 strands of colored lights...we threw those bad boys on the tree and WAH-LAH! Operation tree make over! Lord, I am tired now...

The things we do for our kids! You know what, I jsut have to realize that it is not all about me... =)
It's all good...cuz my mama would have done the same for me!

Here are a few holiday pics...

 

Inspiration Sunday {At The Start of the Day}

Its important to know why we woke up this morning...don't forget to give praise and thanks to him.
HE deserves more than a bedtime prayer...don't give him only your left over prayers....start your prayers in the beginning of your day. If you are in need of a daily prayer to to jump start your day....here ya go!

Heavenly Father, thank you for the night's rest you gave me. I am grateful for the renewed energy and enthusiasm it has brought.  Accept my gratitude for bringing me to the beginning of this new day.  I accept it as a gift from you. May I use it minute by minute to do your will.  Guide me in every problem I face, every decision I make this day.  Help me to treat everyone kindly, fairly and thoughtfully.  If I should forget you during this day, please do not forget me.
Amen.

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

Source:
A Prayer for Every Need

Project Life

Okay, so I feel like I am late with just about everything these days. Was late on Pinterest, was late on Instagram, and I have been late on Project Life. I would see the photos of others Project Life, but really had no clue of what the hell it was, but it looked rather cool...So anyway, one of my good friends talked me into joining her in on the challenge with her...and we dove into some prepping today. We will start on 1/1/13.

Here is what they look like: (snagged this from a google search)...not mine!






What is it? I guess its basically a really easy way of chronicling the days of the year, places you may go for lunch, the price of gas, what you cooked for dinner, childs art from school, funnyisms your kid may say, etc...anything! It's completely up to you on what you wish to do.

A few other challenges we will be incorporating into our 365, Project Life Album. We will incorporate the following challenges, hopefully I remember them...I kinda feel like she posted my arm somewhat...but I am going to try!

1. 64 crayons - We will pull a color from a box of crayons and take a photo of what color we pulled
2. 52 walks - We will take a photo on different walks we do. If its once a week, we will take a photo, and it can of course be of anything, the scenery, maybe someone you are walking with, etc.
3. ABC's of me..- Self explanatory

And who knows maybe I will through out the above and just do my own thang! Who knows but I am going to try and just do whatever flows! LOL!'

Here are a few sites / blogs that have inspired me below. If you are interested in doing it for 2013, visit the sites below or even search on Pinterest!

Becky Higgins

Elise Blaha

Ali Edwards

Thanks for stopping by!

Love Me Some Ledisi!!

I have been sleeping on Ledisi....love her. I keep my Pandora locked on Ledisi station. I have a co-worker that would speak highly of this artist and I never paid too much attention I guess...but I shoulda. This is true music talent. Unfortunately, true talent doesn't get the hype, glam, and attention as they should. I can tell I am growing and maturing in the music I am choosing to listen to.

Anyhow, if you do not know who Ledisi is, you may want to check her out. Her lyrics are real!
She also has a pretty inspirational published journal which is pretty bomb I have to say!




Here are the words to one of my favorite songs...listen on YouTube..Enjoy!

This life can make me so confused
But it's alright
Living day by day I feel so used
That ain't right
I just wanna run and hide
But I don't have the time to cry
And it's alright It's alright, alright
Many thoughts are runnin' through my head, It's alright
Wishing to be somewhere else but here
And it's alright
I can't wait to see your face
I need a smile and your embrace
I'm alrightI'm alright, yeah

Life can bring us through many changes
It's alright
Just don't give up, know that it's gonna be alright
People come and they go
It's just the way that it goes
Everything is everything
It's alright

Sometime the rain, it makes me sad
And it's alright
Some things in the world they make me mad
And it's alright
In the mornin' when I see the sun
I know I'm not the only one
And it's alrightIt's alright, yeah
Wish I had some money to pay my bills
I can't even buy that dress on sale
But it's alright
Having money don't mean a thing
Loving you is everything
And I'm alright
I'm alright, yeah

Life can bring us through many changes
It's alright
Just don't give up, know that it's gonna be alright
People come and they go
It's just the way that it goes

Everything is everything
It's alright
Everything is everything
It's gonna be alright
Everything is everythingIt's gonna be alright

Life can bring us through many changes
It's alright
Just don't give up, know that it's gonna be alright
People come and they go
That's just the way that it goes
Everything is everything
It's alright

Life can bring us through many changes
It's alright
Just don't give up, know that it's gonna be alright
People come and they go
That's just the way that it goes
Everything is everything
It's alright

I Know...I'm Sad...

Wow! Well I truly do not know what to say!
I honestly enjoy the whole idea of blogging I really do, I was alot better at it when I didn't have other time suckers around, such as Pinterest and Facebook...and then catching up on my shows with my awesome DVR system. I have to keep up, as I have so many shows to talk about with my girlfriends!

Anyhow, tis the season to be Thankful and jolly and such. While many folks are out with the public I have chosen to be at home and chill...maybe cuz I didn't have no funds! Yeah, that sounds about right! I MIGHT join the crowds next year, maybe. I heard some people do it for the fun of it all..

I have a total of 5 days off before I return back to work on Monday, and I think I truly needed the time. I have been doing a lot of laying around, spending time with my mini me, spending time with my family, eating, watching tv, reading and more eating. =)

I am currently reading a book by Joyce Meyers called, "Never Give Up!: Relentless Determination to Overcome Life's Challenges"...its a pretty awesome book. I think it is a perfect book to start off my new year.




If you are looking for a good book to read and looking for some spiritual inspiration, check it out!

Anyhow, I will try to make sure my visits are not too far and far in between!
Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday!