FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Simplifying

10 Awesome Back-To-School Hacks For Moms

These 10 back-to-school hacks are to help Moms survive the back-to-school whirlwind that is taking place in many of our homes right now! You will find a few specifically for Moms of teens, as that is the season I am in right now. If you don’t have teens, you will before you know it–don’t blink!

Ice Cold Water Bottles

My girls love taking water bottles to school and like them ice-cold. To keep them cold until lunchtime, fill half way with water and place the water bottle on its side in the freezer over-night, then fill the rest with tap water in the morning.

Snapshot School Schedule & Locker Combo

Learning a new schedule can be easy if you keep it front and center on the first day. Have your teens take a snapshot of it and use it as their phone or screen saver. Have them take one of their locker combination, too.

Use Google In A Unique Way

Google is amazing, but to research information for school essays, try using scholar.google.com for more relevant information. When your kids are finished with an essay, have them copy and paste it into Google Translate, and listen to it. This is an easy way to find mistakes.

Refrigerator Chia Oats To-Go Breakfast

If you have not ever had chia oats, back-to-school is the perfect time to try them. They are filling, healthy–and if made in a mason jar–portable!

Keep School ID Or Library Books In Back Pack

Encourage your high schoolers to put their student ID right into a side pocket of their backpack when that take it off. It is usually in the care when they discover they forgot it, and it will be right there in their backpack, ready to put on. The same trick will work for those library books. If they are always stored in the back pack after reading, they will always be ready to be returned!

Protein After School Snack

Hard boiled eggs are a great way to get some protein into your kids as part of their after-school snack. They would also make a great addition to an easy breakfast. Have you ever tried to bake your hard-boiled eggs? I have not but I keep seeing that it is a thing!

Freeze a Wet Sponge

Sponges are an inexpensive way to keep those lunch boxes nice and cool. Icepacks can produce quite a bit of condensation, which can leave things soggy. Instead, freeze a wet sponge. Because the sponge absorbs liquids, it won’t leak while in the lunch box.

The Good Sandwich Guide

Tired of overlapping lunch meats with edges hanging off the sides of the bread? Use this trick to reduce overlapping and allow for a good bite even in the corners! Cut 2 slices of circular lunch meat and cheese and cheese in half. Lay on top of a piece of bread with rounded side facing in, so the straight edges fill the bread. Top with another piece of bread and slice down the center. I personally don’t buy circular lunch meat, as most of those have nitrates in them, but we do buy circular cheese, so I like this hack!

Pomodoro Method For Studying

Help your older kids take the most of those studying sessions. Encourage them to follow this guide.

~25 minutes hard work

~5 minute break

~Every 3rd break = 15 minutes long

Use PayPal App

If you need to pay a tutor on the spot, want to school supply shop while laying in bed, and donate to your favorite charities with a click, you must use PayPal.

We use the PayPal app all the time, and I truly don’t know what I’d do without the convenience it brings! We use it to pay our tutor, with just a push of a button I can hear her phone ding right when I send it, which makes us both smile, knowing she is getting her payment before she even leaves our home.

PayPal One Touch:

When Back-to-School shopping on an app or website that allows you to pay with PayPal, there is no need to type in credit card information or re-enter usernames an passwords. Personally, the fewer passwords I need the better life is, and I am always relieved when I see a website allows you to pay with PayPal, which I find on many sites! You can log in and then are given the choice to opt-in to “stay logged in” for the same device and browser combo, across eligible PayPal merchants. Easy shopping, paid with a click, while lying in my bed? Yes, I will take that.

Charitable Giving

I just learned that with the same easy click of a button, PayPal helps support our favorite causes with the in-app donation feature called the PayPal Giving Fund. 100% of the proceeds go to selected partnering charity organizations, such as Let Girls Learn, YMCA, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. My Todd works for a non-profit charitable organization, so I know how amazing this feature is both for the charity and for the giver.

You can donate to your favorite charities, whether responding on the spot to a natural disaster or simply supporting a local cause, in-app donations is a quick and secure way to discover and donate to certified charities around the world with just a click using PayPal.

During back-to-school season, and donations made through the Pay Pal Giving Fund will receive a 1% match from PayPal! Pay Pal is partnering with select charities dedicated to providing access to education and extracurricular enrichment to children from August 12-August 31, 2016. Learn more about the PayPal Giving Fund & how to donate by going to paypal.com/givenow

……………….

Are YOUR kids back-to-school yet? Do you have teens?

Do you shop for school supplies online? Are you familiar with the PayPal App?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

HEALTH/ HOME/ Homemaking/ Natural Products

How To Get Calcium Deposits Off Of An Ice Dispenser + Keeping A Clean Home Free Printable

We are in an interesting space between summertime and back-to-school. My girls have gone back to school already, but the weather here in the midwest is still so hot and is screaming summer!

The minute my girls went back to school, I got busy and focused in on home organization, cleaning and tasks that I had put off all summer! I’ve been trying to keep the slow living attitude of summer while being pro-active and efficient, getting busy and getting things done around here!

I made myself a handy “Keeping a Clean Home” printable checklist that divides tasks into Every Day, Once a Week, Once a Month, Once a Season, and Once a Year. This checklist allows me to focus in, know exactly where I am at and what needs to be done. Would you like to print one out for yourself too? Just use the link below.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE ‘KEEPING A CLEAN HOME’ PRINTABLE HERE!

The chart is keeping me on track and I’m slowly working through it. Something that was really needing to be done on the seasonal checklist, that I had procrastinated on all summer, was my refrigerator. Especially the outside of my refrigerator, namely the water dispenser area!

We drink a ton of water, especially during the hot summer months! I rarely buy juice or sugary drinks, so water is my family’s drink of choice. This means we are constantly getting ice from the ice maker and filling up water bottles from the water dispenser on our refrigerator door. Some of our water bottles have narrow openings, which can make it hard to aim the water flow and water can splash all over.

Over time, this splashing has resulted in calcium deposits on our refrigerator, mainly in the dispenser water catch area, but also some streaking down the refrigerator onto the pull-out freezer drawer. Scaly white residue can build up over time, and everyday cleaners often fail to remove the build-up from hard water.

The build-up on our dispenser has been bugging me all summer! Not anymore! Thanks to a little DIY Calcium Deposit Cleaner, Coconut Oil Polisher & Viva Paper Towels, my dispenser, refrigerator door, and freezer drawer front are all sparkly clean!

Can I tell you why I love Viva Paper Towels for jobs like this? They are amazingly absorbent and don’t leave any residue behind. They are so strong and durable that you can actually wring them out several times & wash dishes with them! Viva Vantage has a scrubby texture and is great for shining stainless steel and glass or scrubbing counters. Viva towels are smooth and soft, almost like an undershirt material, and are so gentle and yet strong that they can wipe little faces clean! They come with the handy ‘select-a-size’ and have made my summer season cleaning so much easier.

DIY Calcium Deposit Cleaner

White Distilled Vinegar (1/2-1 cup)

Juice of One Lemon

Viva Paper Towels

Bowl

Scrub brush or Old Tooth Brush

Baking Soda

Step One:

Put vinegar in a bowl. Fold up a few sheets of Viva Vantage paper towels. Put them in the bowl and let them soak up the full-strength vinegar. You will be amazed at how absorbent Viva paper towels are! Drape them over any areas that have mineral deposits. I draped them on my refrigerator water & ice dispenser, and also around my kitchen faucet. Let sit for a few minutes, then use the paper towels to wipe away anything that came loose.

The above picture was taken after Step One. It took off a ton of the residue, but not all.

Step Two.

Empty the bowl of any remaining vinegar, and squeeze the lemon into the bowl. I use a fork poked into the middle of the lemon, then use a twisting action to get maximum juice out.

Dip a scrub brush or an old toothbrush in the lemon juice, then sprinkle the bristles with baking soda. Apply to any remaining deposits and scrub until clean. The acid in the lemon juice naturally removes mineral deposits. The vinegar loosens the deposits, so scrubbing should be minimal. A smaller brush will easily reach into crevices, and using these all natural products will keep your mind at ease as you clean around the area where water is dispensed from. No harsh chemicals to worry about getting into your next cup of water!

Wet another Viva Vantage towel. Wipe off lemon juice and any residue, then use another dry paper towel to polish to a shine!

**Tip: After cleaning, fold a Viva Towel into thirds (or whatever size fits best) and place on the water catch area of your ice and water dispenser. This will catch and absorb the drips and keep things clean! Change it out at least once a week. This tip will keep it looking great between seasonal deep cleanings.

……….

DIY Stainless Steel Polisher

Water

Coconut Oil

Viva Vantage Paper Towels

Viva Towels

Clean your stainless steel appliances as you normally would. I just use water on a textured Viva Vantage paper towel. Then put a spoonful of coconut oil onto a soft and smooth Viva Towel, and give them a good rubdown.

Rub into the surface until it’s not greasy to the touch, but all of the stains and streaks have disappeared. No need for expensive, harsh stainless steel cleaners!

What about you? Do you have issues with hard water mineral deposits in your home? Where?

How is your seasonal cleaning going? What would you like to get to with the help of Viva Towels?

DON’T FORGET TO PIN!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

DIY/Crafts/ FUN/DIY/ HOME/ Organizing

Organizing Tips With My Pastry Chef

This is going to be a fun post, where I get to show off my little pastry chef and give organizing tips on how to literally organize tips–pastry bag tips that is!

My 13-year-old Avery is my little pastry chef, and has been for the last few years. I’m amazed at her baking skills and have to say, it is quite fun having someone who bakes in the house! Every holiday, birthday, or event gives her an excuse to make something beautiful and delicious. Her creations show so much love & make a simple gathering something special. The following photo is a cake she made for her Grandpa’s birthday–Chocolate Cake with Cookie Dough Filling, Chocolate Ganache & Piped Peanut Butter Buttercream. Amazing!

We are having out-of-town company this weekend and she already has decided on what she sweet she is going to greet them with. Vanilla cupcakes with thickened Chocolate Ganache filling and piped Nutella frosting. Oh my!

As her baking hobby has grown, so has her collection of baking supplies. I have made it clear that I don’t have the space to store all of her supplies in my small kitchen. We have kept all of her baking supplies in her room, but it has been difficult to keep everything organized and carry it all downstairs when it comes time to bake. That is…until now.

I found the perfect solution to her needs while shopping at Michaels craft store. They carry the Creatives Options organization line and it was exactly what I needed. I desired a system that was portable and that would fit a variety of baking items, large and small. It needed to fit measuring cups & spoons, cupcake liners, cake pop sticks, piping bags, piping tips & more. We also needed storage for some of her larger cake pans. I picked up both the Creative Options Large Rack & the Creative Options Project Box at Michaels, which I knew would fit all of her supplies, big and small.

{To Pin}

The Creative Options Rack comes with individual organizers that have adjustable dividers that worked great to give each little pastry tip a home of their own. I kept the dividers out of middle organizer to store cupcake liners. The individual organizers slide easily into the rack, and there is more great storage at the top of the rack under the lid.

When I showed her the Creatives Options Large Rack organization system with all of her supplies organized, her eyes lit up, and she loved it! Having a little compartment for each size piping tip was her favorite part.

{Creative Options Project Box}

She loved that the Creatives Options organization system is portable, so she can easily carry it up and down the stairs from her room to the kitchen. She can even take it to Grandma’s house to bake with her cousin during sleepovers!

It fits perfectly in her room and even matches the decor. It is the perfect system!

Here are a few other organizing tip ideas for you, using the Creative Options Organization Rack:

Crafts–the obvious

Home Office Supplies

Makeup Storage

Hair bows, brushes, elastics, & headbands

Organizing receipts & coupons

Pantry Storage

Playroom Storage –for all those small toys like cars, doll clothes, dress up supplies

Jewelry

Under the Bathroom Sink

Garage Organization — nuts, bolts, zip ties

Garden Organization — seed packs, plant markers, garden hose attachments

What about you?

Do you have any favorite organizing tips for me?

What would you use the system for?

Keep an eye out for the upcoming post featuring the recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache filling and Nutella Buttercream!

“This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® & Creative Options, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #Storagewithstyle http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV”

HEALTH/ Homemaking/ Natural Products

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Before & After They Enter Your Home

Getting Rid Of Fruit Flies

We eat a ton of fruit around here, especially in the summer. We up our green smoothie game with all the wonderful fruit available. The past 2 weeks I’ve noticed our fruit attracting fruit flies, and I had to do something about it! Fruit flies are harmless but a nuisance. It was time to get rid of them!

I asked my followers on Facebook for some tips, and used their suggestions & some ideas on Pinterest to decide what would be the most simple, easy and effective way to get rid of fruit flies.

Here is what I did and it worked!

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies With a Trap

You simply need a jar, balsamic vinegar, a drop of dish soap & some plastic wrap. Put some balsamic vinegar in a jar, add a drop of dish detergent, top with a piece of plastic wrap, screw jar ring to keep it in place & poke holes in the wrap. Set it out where you have seen the most flies & in time you will see less and less flying around and more floating in the jar.

I like using balsamic vinegar because the sweetness really seems to attract them, and the soap will reduce the surface tension so the flies sink to the bottom. Apple Cider vinegar works too, but I like how the dark color of the balsamic vinegar hides the flies so I don’t have to look at them! It gives me the shivers!! I tried just plain vinegar and it did not work.

How To Get Rid Of Fruit Flies Before They Enter Your Home

I hate to be there bearer of the MOST gross news, but often fruit flies come into your home because their eggs and larvae are already on the fruit you buy. Then, once in your kitchen, they thrive because the have a beautiful place to breed–your kitchen sink drain. I know…yuck!

If you want to get ahead of the battle and make sure your fruit is clean, when you bring it home fill a bowl with water & add 2 Tablespoons of vinegar. Place fruit in this solution & gently scrub with your hands. Rinse with cool water. You could also use a store-bought solution made especially for cleaning fruit.

How To Keep Fruit Flies From Hatching In Your Drain

I have not done anything to my drains except pour a bit of vinegar down and then chased it with a pot of very hot water from my electric tea kettle. I have read that filling the sink up with bleach water, letting it soak, then emptying the drain is also a way to deal with drains as breeding grounds, but I don’t like dealing with harsh bleach. I find that keeping my counters clean & the dishes in my sink rinsed and free from fruit or anything sweet is key to keeping fruit flies away from my sink area.

How To Keep Your Home Fruit Fly Free

The above methods work! Less than 3 days ago I created a trap and today I have not seen one fruit fly, but there are at least 30 floating in my trap if I look closely through the dark vinegar. I’ve made sure our kitchen is clean and been vigilant with my teen girls about keeping food put away and rinsing their dirty dishes right away.

Once your infestation is under control using the above methods, the best thing to do is keep it that way by keeping a clean kitchen, so don’t let food sit out, especially sweet food and bruised fruit. Bruised fruit is like a magnet, the flies will find it, will breed and swarm! I’ve been vigilant with my teen girls about having them keep the food put away and rinsing their dishes right away, especially when they make fruit smoothies! Teen girls are very grossed out by any type of bug, so they have been quick to oblige!

…………

{for your pinning pleasure}

Do you struggle with fruit flies?

What are your tried and true methods for getting rid of them?

Decorating/ FAMILY/ Homemade Gifts/ Kids/Family/ Sponsored

Office Makeover Surprise For Father’s Day With Snapfish

I recently surprised my husband Todd for Father’s Day and made over his work office. I had the help of fun personalized photo gifts from Snapfish.

My Todd spends much of his time serving and giving to others, especially to our girls. He works at a non-profit organization helping under-resourced youth & then comes home and is the most hands-on Dad with our 3 teen girls. There is a lot of estrogen in our house and he embraces every moment– especially the dramatic ones–and brings a beautiful calm.

I wanted to do something super special for him to honor him on Father’s Day and to thank him for being such an amazing Dad to our 3 girls. He is the best example of the modern dad who is engaged with his kids, redefining what being a great dad looks like. I know he is so proud of his girls and is going to love showing the world that by displaying it in his office. The only thing close to decor that was in his office before I tackled it was one small picture of his girls, so I knew he would really like being surrounded with more photos of wonderful family memories.

I asked for the keys to his office and told him not to ask questions. I like getting bossy like that. I loaded my car with a hammer, nails, a few select decor items, and my personalized Father’s Day photo gifts from Snapfish, and drove to his office after-hours.

I started by hanging the above wood panel that I created on Snapfish with a photo from one of Todd’s favorite places on earth–Universal Studios. I love this captured memory of Todd and the girls walking down the street toward fake studio buildings. I love that it captures movement and the backpack that Todd insisted on carrying the whole trip–my sweet gentleman husband! It shows us wearing matching, made for comfort shoes, something that would never happen now that my girls are teens & too cool to match Mom & Dad!

Snapfish allows you to make one-of-a-kind gifts & embellish your photos with just a click. I kept it simple with this wood panel. I used a small background black rectangle, faded it so the image could come through a bit, and added text saying “BEST DAD” on top of it in white.

Here are examples of what you can do:

Photos: Upload pictures from your device, Facebook, or Instagram.
Layout: Layouts vary per product, so check out what is available for each
Designs: Pre-designed templates make it easy to create. Edit and switch out designs to your liking.
Backgrounds: Select colors, patterns, or designs as a background
Embellishments: Hundreds of cute embellishments, sassy sayings, and themed collections
Text: Add phrases that help caption the moment.

I also made a personalized aluminum photo panel that sits upright on his desktop. This is the coolest! It is a super thin & modern metal panel, and looks great with the round silver platter I put on his desk to gather his supplies.

I chose one of my favorite photos of Todd and the girls when they were little. We were at the lake standing on a dock and were about to go on some paddle boats. I remember it like it was yesterday! Look at their curls! Look at how happy they are with their Daddy! Look how little Avery hugs his leg! Be still my heart…so precious.

I added a pendent-type overlay embellishment to this one, and chose a text template that says “Dad,we love YOU.” It was already created, I just had to drag and drop. So easy!

I spent some time organizing his bookshelf & added a plastic plant & grey storage box at the top. Fake greenery is good as my Todd does not have a green thumb! I put a second silver platter on a middle shelf and put his water bottle & some supplies that will be within arms reach from his office chair.

I added another brown storage bin at the top of his tall file cabinet with a gold himmeli that I handmade. I also hung up a bulletin board that had been leaning against the wall on the floor for a couple of months.

I added a plastic but pretty green succulent to his desktop and put some pens into a personalized photo mug, also made on Snapfish. I made two mugs for him, one to store pens and one to drink out of. I added a heart embellishment to one of them and font to both of them. So much fun!

{for your pinning pleasure}

Todd went to work the next day and walked into his office to find my surprise. He loved it. He told me “everywhere I look I see family. I’m surrounded by family & I love it.” Aww! I love HIM!

…………………

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE YOUR OWN SNAPFISH PERSONALIZED GIFTS?

Check out all the cool photo gift options at Snapfish and enter to win one of thirty-five $50 Snapfish codes below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

18+, US Residents Only and only one winner per household. Winners will be selected and notified by Clever Girls and/or Snapfish by Friday, June 17th. Good Luck!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

HOME/ Homemaking/ Simplifying/ Sponsored

Kitchen Savings Tips

7 Kitchen Savings Tips

I love spending time in the kitchen, but if I’m not careful, it can go from a place where we eat to a place that eats up my time and money!

I’m all about simplicity, efficiency and saving money, and a kitchen is a place that offers many opportunities to practice all of these things! Below are 7 of my favorite tips saving in the kitchen.

Use Quality Trash Bags

Hefty Ultra Strong is the trash bag for me. I have ditched cheaply made bags and now use Hefty Ultra Strong trash bags because of their outstanding quality and their new, lower price. Their name says it all, they are ultra strong are tear and puncture resistant, which means no more ripped trash bag disasters!

This saves money in the long run, with no need to double up on bags. I love a strong trash bag, but my favorite thing about these trash bags is that they use Arm & Hammer odor neutralizers– they smell great! I love opening my trash cupboard and catching a whiff of an invigorating, clean scent.

My favorite scent is their Citrus Twist. For those of you who prefer unscented, Hefty Ultra Strong offers that option, too.

Want to try them out too? Here is a Swagbucks offer for you..purchase two or more Hefty trash bags at Walmart and earn a $10 Walmart gift card!

Freeze Lemon Slices For Instant Lemon Water & To Keep Them From Going Bad

I always buy organic lemons, as I don’t want pesticides swimming around in my water. I have noticed organic lemons do seem to go bad faster than non-organic.

My solution? Slice the lemons, stack them in a mason jar, and freeze them. It keeps them from going bad, it makes your lemon water nice and cold, and they can be used in teas & cocktails, too.

Prefer limes? I have found limes super refreshing in a glass of sparkling water with just a touch of real organic maple syrup. It is like making your own healthy lime soda, and limes can be sliced and frozen, too!

Tomato Paste Saver

Most recipes call for only a small portion of tomato paste, using just a tablespoon or two, and the rest often goes to waste.

To prevent this, open both ends of the tomato paste can. Remove ONE end, BUT LEAVE THE OTHER IN PLACE. Store in a mason jar in the freezer overnight.

The next day, use the metal end to push the paste out of the other end. Slice into one-ounce disks, place back into the mason jar and store in the freezer up to 3 months.

Use Mason Jars For Storage to Save Money on Plastic Bags or Containers

I have very little plastic in my kitchen, thanks to mason jars! I use them every day for food storage and boy, do they make me happy!

Food looks pretty in them, I don’t have to keep buying plastic that just gets thrown away, it is easy to see what is in them when they are in the refrigerator, & glass does not stain like plastic containers do!

I keep all lids and rims in one big bowl & the jars on a shelf in the cupboard.

Make Your Own Taco Seasoning

Never buy over-priced, way-too-much-salt, sometimes ‘msg added’ taco seasoning packets again! This taco seasoning mix is so easy to make and tastes so much better than store-bought packets!

It gives a much richer, “homemade” flavor to every recipe I use it in. I have used it to season ground beef for tacos, nachos, and taco pizza. I have used it to season refried beans or lentils for vegetarian tacos. It is great to season shredded chicken, too!

Taco Seasoning Recipe

Taco Seasoning

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

Save money by making your own taco seasoning. This tastes much better than any seasoning you will buy. It is worth making your own!

Recipe Type: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: taco seasoning

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Mix all together & store in an air-tight container. I use--yep, you guessed it--a small mason jar. Use 3 teaspoons (more if you want a stronger flavor) per pound of meat. Add 2/3 cup water and simmer down until water is absorbed.

Use Cloth Napkins

I have two dear friends who taught me to do this by doing it themselves. Whenever I would go to either of their homes, even just for coffee and snacks, they would set out their beautiful printed, cloth napkins.

I loved that they gave a bit of a fancy, special feel to our little get-together, & the prints that each of them chose showed off their individual personalities.

Cloth napkins are so pretty & one can save a bunch of money by not having to buy paper napkins over and over!

Simple Curtain Hack

I’ve featured this Simple Curtain Hack here at New Nostalgia before, but it is so good I gotta share it again! It is so inexpensive & easy.

All you need is a tension rod, two tea towels, and some drapery hooks. No sewing or tools required!

………………..

{For Your Pinning Pleasure}

So there you have it, my 7 top Kitchen Savings tips. Do you think you will use any of them? Do you prefer scented or unscented trash bags? Which Kitchen Savings tip is your favorite?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

HOME/ Homemaking/ Organizing/ Simplifying

Documenting My Preteen’s Room Before Updating

We just updated my Avery’s room & I’m in awe of how time just keeps passing us by. I am eager to share the update with you, but before I do, I want to document what her room looked like BEFORE the update, when she was still a pre-teen.

I took these photos January 2015. Avery requested a room makeover for Christmas so “Santa” brought her the new bedspread you see in the photos, the dot pillow, new containers for her shelves to hold all the things, a soft pink blanket to keep at the end of her bed, and the big furry prop up pillow you see her relaxing on. He also brought her the fuzzy robe you see hanging below, the blue side-table lamp, a soft new puppy with floppy ears, & even those fluffy socks you see on her little feet–that have grown a full size since these photos were taken! She was really into cozy comfort those days and as you can tell, loves all the “soft, fuzzy, fluffy, furry & floppy” things. She was delighted!

Her pile of Christmas gifts that year was huge, especially compared to her sister’s gift piles, who are both older so their Christmas gifts turn into Christmas GIFT–singular–like a new phone or a new guitar. If you don’t have teenagers, know that when you do their gift lists get much smaller but more expensive!

Older Posts

Newer Posts