Holidays/Parties Archives • Page 8 of 23 • New Nostalgia

DIY/Crafts/ FAMILY/ FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ Parenting

An Imperfect Perfect Thanksgiving Day Pennant Banner

I am almost 2 weeks out from surgery, and I’m feeling pretty well! I am sleeping great, off all pain relievers, and have just a bit of stiffness/soreness in my chest muscles and what used to be my right drain site. It is so great to feel good again.

Something I have learned from cancer and cancer treatment is how ridiculous perfection is. I am a recovering-almost recovered- perfectionist. Cancer takes the perfectionist tendency and really just steals it away. That is one thing cancer has taken from me that I am more than willing to let it keep! Nobody is perfect, and it is so freeing to just let go of needing and wanting things to be done just so.

This Thanksgiving Day Pennant Banner is just a small example of giving up perfection, and a great example of the rewards and sweetness letting go of perfection brings.

I was scrolling through my Thanksgiving Holiday Pinterest Board, and found this pin with the most beautiful Thanksgiving Pennant from View Along The Way. This was when I was still in a lot of pain from surgery, and knew there was no way I was able to make it, even though it is described as “easy.” The old me would want it exactly how I saw in the picture. Not so anymore, so I came up with a plan.

I have a very creative 10 year old Avery, who is always up for a challenge and loves to create. I wanted a Give Thanks Pennant Banner for my living room/dining room, and I knew she would be the perfect person for the job. I showed her the pin for inspiration, and told her to create one for me using whatever she wanted, as long as the colors were warm. I told her to use any color that she would see in the leaves of fall trees.

I loved watching her gather her supplies. She had pinking shears, markers, gold glitter, plain white paper, a book on how to make fancy letters, and some jute. I knew I had picked the perfect person for the job.

The above banner is what she came up with. I think it is the MOST perfect thanksgiving decoration in our home right now. My heart melts every time I walk under it, and I’m so grateful I have learned to give up on perfection so I can experience what truly is perfect…my daughters sweet, creative love expressed in this beautiful pennant banner.

Decorating/ FUN/DIY/ Halloween/ HOME/ Homemaking

Minimal Warm & Friendly Halloween Home Decor

This is a repost from last year. Little one asked to get the halloween decorations out this weekend, and it reminded me of this post. My oh MY am I glad that I sorted all the decor last year and got rid of a bunch. I will be doing the same decorations as last time. Read on to hear all about it.

When I got our Halloween decorations out, I was surprised to see that over the years my one bin of Halloween decorations have multiplied to three! I knew right away that would just not do. Why? I have been much more purposeful in minimizing, thanks to the influence of Joshua at Becoming Minimalist. I love the freedom I am feeling from both getting rid of stuff and refraining from buying more unnecessary stuff.

I went through the bins and tried to keep things that would add just a touch of festive fall. I’m not putting lights up outside. I’m not hanging messy spiderwebs. I did not keep every little pumpkin I had. I only kept things that I liked and that I knew would add atmosphere.

My kids love Halloween, and I know they delight in fun decorations the season brings. I kept things that I knew would appeal to them, like faces that light up and the sparkle of a pumpkin wrapped in white twinkle lights.

There were a few sentimental things in the bins. Paper pumpkins my kids made. I threw those away, but kept these little monster jars we made together a few years ago. They loved creating these jars and knew exactly which monster was ‘theirs.’ They look so cute all aglow in my windowsill. Click here for how-to.

I did not decorate every room. I added some decor to the living room and dining room, which is our main living space. I put a festive candle holder in the bathroom and a pumpkin in my sunroom. My kitchen got an apple cider scented candle. I let my girls go through the bins and choose some things they wanted in their rooms. Just a couple small things like a couple plastic spiders and a rubber mouse, a skeleton head. Things I didn’t want in my main living space, although they keep showing up all over, strategically placed to make Mom scream and jump.

Things I kept:
~monster jars made by little hands that bring the memories
~large lit pumpkin
~a few fake pumpkins and gourds
~festive candle holders to make our evenings at home glowy & fun

Things I got rid of:
~large outdoor decorations that take up too much storage room
~messy cotton spiderwebs that catch all things including dust and leaves
~old Halloween costumes
~old creations made by my girls, especially paper fragile ones (confession…I took a pic of a few for memories sake. It is hard to get rid of such cute little things!)
~lots of fake fall foliage that used to sit around and collect dust & get in the way of dusting!
~fall twigs for vases…I’m over it.

Last night was the first night with our minimal fall decor out. I really am starting to believe in this “less is more” thing. It was so warm and glowy and festive and fun in our home. The girls loved it and did not comment on missing any of the things that I didn’t put out. Love it!

4th of July/ DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY

A 4th of July Greeting + 4th of July Treat Holders Written by AveryBowman, Age 9

I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th of July day. Our day has consisted of lots of swimming, great food and wonderful family time. I feel full in every way, and incredibly thankful for my freedom and health! Happy 4th of July!
…….

***photos by Avery Bowman (my 9-year-old)

My Avery girl is always up to something crafty. She loves searching my Pinterest boards for crafty ideas and then making her own versions of what inspires her.

I woke up this morning and she was in her room at her desk, putting the finishing touches on these cute little 4th of July treat holders. Her desk looked like a firework full of glitter and paint exploded on it, and the creative mess made me smile, especially when I saw the July calendar she made. I love that she marked church on Sundays and family nights on Fridays. So sweet.

I handed her my phone and asked if she would take some photos of her work. She did such a good job. I think it is only appropriate that SHE is the one who tells who how she made these cute little Fourth Of July Treat Holders.

Hi Everyone!

It is Avery here.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope you enjoy it.

Here is what you need to make Fourth Of July TP Treat Holders.

*Toilet paper roll

*Red, white, and blue paint

*Glitter (optional)

*Paintbrush

*Scissors

*Tape

*Plastic bag, tissue paper or wax paper

*String

*Last but not least, Candy!!!

First, what you do is take the toilet paper roll and paint it however you want.

After that sprinkle, a little glitter over it before the paint tries so it sticks.

Then cut the plastic bag or tissue paper into a rectangle

Add tape to the bottom of the paper.

Tape the paper to the end of the roll, then twist and tie with string.

Fill with any type of treat or candy. Could also fill with confetti.

Tape the bottom of the TP roll closed.

I used Starburst candy and the cool thing about it is that if you think of the word, it has the word “star” in it, which is good for the 4th of July!

I can’t wait to see the look on my family’s faces when they see what I made for them. Hopefully my sisters won’t see this post before I give it to them!

Happy 4th of July Everyone!

4th of July

Favorite 4th Of July Ideas

1. Fruit Flag

2. Fruit Punch (no directions, just stock image)

3. Patriotic Mason Jars (linked to pin, no instructions)

4. Patriotic Utensil Holders

5. Fire Cracker Bark

6. Star Braid (linked to pin, no instructions)

7. Patriotic Ice Cream Pops

8. DIY Paper Snack Bowls (uses paper plate + rubber band)

9. Patriotic Pedicure

10. Flag Cupcakes (pic only, no instructions)

All of these great ideas were pinned on my 4th of July board at Pinterest. I could not find the original post of some of them, which is frustrating, but still wanted to share the ideas with you!

For more, visit my pinboards and scroll down to Holidays: 4th of July…or just click here.

Mothers Day

Mother’s Day Gift & Wrapping Ideas + A Video All Moms Should See

Are you needing a gift idea for the special women in your life for Mother’s Day? There is something for everyone on my Mother’s Day Pinterest board. There are so many great ideas…I’m in awe of the talent of others and what they come up with. Keep your eye open for a few ideas from yours truly! {hint…Love In A Jar, Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub, Homemade Lipbalm}

{source}

I’m really drawn to the simplicity of these photos in glass. I think my Mother-In-Law would love this. I may just go get some copies made of pictures of my husband and his brother when they were boys.

This is a must watch video for Mothers, words written by the lovely Lisa-Jo Baker.

Click Here For More + A Free Printable For Mighty Mothers From Lisa-Jo Baker

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Don’t miss this post, also by Lisa-Jo Baker, where she talks real and raw about

The (real life) Dictionary Definition of Mother.

“I have lost it, yelled it, fought it, cried it and apologized it all before 9am.”

{read more}

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Counting Gifts/ Easter/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family

Our Easter Sunday & A Powerful Video

I didn’t know what to expect this Easter, as I have not been feeling well and our usual family extended family plans didn’t happen this year. I did have a sense of relief that I could rest if I needed to, but I wanted the day to feel important…because it is.

The Easter bunny usually is on top of things at our house and has the baskets ready and waiting when our girls wake up. This year I woke up in a panic, realizing I had completely forgotten to get their baskets ready. I made an announcement that they would receive their baskets after they got ready for church to buy myself some time!

Our baskets contained jelly beans, some chocolate, & a golden egg with a few bucks in it. Our girls are getting older and prefer cash instead of junk food or gifts, so that makes things easy.

Church this morning was amazing. Our 2 older girls sat in with us this week. I loved having them next to me. We also got there early enough (miracle) to say hello to my in-laws. I love them so much and it was good to see them on such a special day. The service was beautiful & a highlight for me was a video that they showed, which I will share below.

Another highlight for me was listening to my sister-in-law play the violin. She played through the whole service, but her part in the song “In Christ Alone” was my favorite. It gave me chills.

I felt a bit lightheaded during the service and had to hold on to my Todd or sit down for a few of the songs. I didn’t like that and hoped that food would help.

We went to the early service, so we were out of church by 10:30. We planned to go out for brunch. My goal is to only cook hard boiled eggs for coloring later this afternoon, so going out to eat was perfect.

I enjoyed my veggie omelet. My little one loved her silly face pancake. I definitely felt better after eating and continue to feel better this afternoon than I have in days. Maybe eating all this high-potassium food is working?!

My middle girl was not too into having her picture taken, so I had to be sneaky. Isn’t she cute?

We got home and it has been a beautiful, super chill afternoon. We have the windows open and everyone is just hanging out. I put some eggs on to boil and my girls are dipping them as I type. I plan on using the extra eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for tonight’s dinner, which we plan on eating while watching recorded episodes of The Bible. Seems appropriate for the day, don’t you think?

I’m sitting by an open window and I hear my Todd busy outside. One of my girls just told me he is getting our bikes all pumped up and ready to ride. This makes me very happy and eager to get my energy back up!!

Oops..got girl drama at the Easter egg table so I need to sign off. It is a good reminder of how broken we all are, especially me, as my blood pressure starts to go up at the first sign of bickering.

I’m also reminded of this beautiful video that was shown this morning at our church service. It shows how broken is made whole in such a beautiful way. I’d love if you took the time to watch it.

I would love to know what you think of the video.

I’d also love to know what you are up to this Easter day!

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Valentine's Day

Captured Life Tidbits – Our Life In Instagram Photos Valentines Edition

So thankful for these moments– these tidbits–that make up life.

Capturing the moments visually is a gift.

It keeps me present, it keeps me thankful, & reminds me to live NEW!

………………..

I went to kiss Lil’ One goodnight and had to walk through these first. I love how she gets so excited and has to decorate before a holiday!

More decorations by my girl, she surprised me and had this all waiting for me when I got home.

{no our Christmas tree is not still up, that is our small ‘winter’ tree}

Had a lovely date with this middle child the day before Valentines day. I took her to her favorite Noodles & Co. & then for a brownie at a coffee shop.

Valentine sweets from our local health food store.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 9 year old.

Valentine breakfast place setting for my 12 year old.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 13 year old.

“Chevron” Brownie making with dear friends. Pretty huh? So easy. They actually made these for our super bowl party, but I thought they looked pretty Valentines Day-ish, too!

I pulled out the high heels for my Valentines date night.

I found an ombre shirt at Target and a fun necklace that matches the bracelet that was given to me by a special little girl in my life.

I’m a lucky lady. The cucumber lemonade is so fresh and light. I could drink gallons!

Pepe’s. A local vegetarian restaurant, perfect for our Valentine dinner out.

Todd had the Sweet Potato Quesadilla. I had the Vidalia Zucchini Enchilada plate.

I had Strawberry Coconut Cake & he had Chocolate Cake with Coconut Fudge Frosting.

Pepe is an incredible chef and just relocated his restaurant (my fav in town) to my neighborhood!

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