turkeys that look like chickens. this is my life.

the kids had fall break last week...

 (i'm convinced fall break was thought up by someone who does not have children.  "yah, let's have a week of school off, go back for 15 days and then get 3 weeks off!  that would be fun!"  yah, not so much when your kids are driving you crazy and you're 9 months pregnant).

anywho, i digress.

i tried to a do a couple fun things with the kids...trying to inspire a little turkey day excitement.

my first attempt was to make their lunch cute and fun.

i took some inspiration from amy, who transforms her kids' lunch into masterpieces, all the time.

here was my turkey lunch.

please note, all 5 of their lunches took me an hour to make.

i will not be doing this again anytime soon.

and to top it all off, the kids thought it was a chicken.

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the second thing we did was make thanksgiving turkey place cards:

and everybody wrote on the back, what they were thankful for.

this one was hadley's:

 my daughter, the holy one.



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and i finally got around to finishing my advent calendar up...just in time for december!

i was inspired by this pin...

and made this:

each number card has a christmas activity on the back for us to do as a family.

i am always wanting to make the season more memorable, so i'm hoping this helps.

here is the list i created:

(i knew i might have a new baby at any point, so i tried to keep it simple)

1. drink some hot chocolate

2. make a christmas card for someone

3. read christmas books with the family

4. make festive rice krispie treats and hand them out to neighbors

5. turn christmas music up real loud and have a dance party

6. watch a christmas show together

7. write letters to santa

8. go on a walk and look at the christmas lights

9. go to daddy's work for his christmas party

10. make a christmas card to send to a soldier

11. have french toast and hot chocolate for dinner

12. read the christmas story before bedtime

13. drink some hot apple cider

14. make a christmas card for your teacher

15. color christmas pictures

16. watch a christmas show and eat ice cream

17. put on a christmas play about baby jesus (kids do the play for mommy and daddy)

18. make sugar cookies and decorate

19. put money in the salvation army bucket at the grocery store

20. make gingerbread houses

21. wrap your gifts for each other

22. take a drive and look at all the christmas lights

23. have a sleepover with the family in the living room

24. open our christmas eve presents (jammies, books)

i've learned with kids that it's not about the extravagant or material things---it's about the memorable moments.

the things i remember most from my childhood were not the material things i was given, but the moments i got to spend with my family.

my goal with this list is to make memories that become traditions...ones that our kids want to do with their families when they are older.

we have to be intentional about making the seasons special.

even if it means making turkeys that end up looking more like chickens.



helloooo 37 weeks.

as my friend amy commented on this picture "that is one belly".

you betcha.

it's one large and in charge belly.

growing by the minute.

(i will be 38 weeks on thursday).

i'm basically in that "i'm so done with this" stage of pregnancy.

do you know that stage?

i don't want to complain, but at this point, life is way uncomfortable with a ginormous belly.

there have been quite a few nights this past week where i thought i was in labor, only to have it stop---which is way discouraging.

i always tend to deliver early with my babies, but just you watch.  this one will be totally different, and i'll probably deliver 2 weeks late.  (everything about this pregnancy has been different--including getting pregnant itself--how did that happen again?)

2 weeks late would equal a 12 pound christmas baby.

sooooooo not what i want.

BUT, i do want this babe to come when it's good and ready, and if that means i wait till i'm 42 weeks, then that's what it means.

i'm coming to terms with it.

and in the meantime, eating lots of chocolate to deal with it.

made with love: DIY cute mason jars

it's time for another wonderful post for made with love---ashley A.K.A. little miss momma is here today with an adorable gift for your crafty buddies...enjoy!

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I'm Ashley and I write the blog called, Little Miss Momma. And there's nothing I love more than a heart felt, handmade gift. I first saw today's handmade gift idea in my Martha Stewart Sewing and Fabric Crafts book.There are so many fun ways to use mason jars to make gifts, and this is one of my favorites. You can even fill the mason jar with whatever craft related goodies you want--buttons, needles, scraps, tape measure, etc.

Supplies:

Mason Jars with lids that come apart.

Fabric scraps at least one inch larger in diameter than your jar lids.

Stuffing.

Scissors.

Hot glue {optional}

1. Take a larger chunk of stuffing than you think.

2.Turn the lid insert upside down and place the stuffing on the bottom side.

3. Wrap your fabric scrap around the lid insert.

4. Now, place the outside of the lid over the fabric.

Use your scissors to cut away the excess fabric. If you fabric seems a bit haphazard you can also glue down the extra pieces to the inside of the lid. Then put all the goodies inside your jar and replace the lid. And that's it! You can even add a cute handmade gift tag or some fun trimmings. I decided to spray paint one of my jars white to create a different look.

I know I would be excited to get a jar full of buttons!
Here are a bunch of other handmade gift ideas for your favorite gal pals.

-Victorian Ruffle Cuff Bracelet

- Lace Flower Bib Necklace

-Vintage Yo Yo Earrings

-Anthropologie Knock Off Bobby Pins

- Pom Pom Necklace

-Cottage Chic Checkerboard

Even more projects can be found on my DIY page here.

hey hey, you're the winner.

congrats beth!

you are the winner of our sponsor give-a-way.

email me sister, and i'll get you hooooooked up with all your goods from our lovely sponsors!

come back tomorrow y'all for another made with love post!



so thankful.

no embrace the camera today---

happy thanksgiving to you and your family!



sponsor give-a-way day: november

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i love  sponsor day around here---it's so fun to show off some lovelies!

if you're interested in sponsoring in december, i have some room left--check out our sponsorship page  for all the details.

without further ado :)

blog : shop : facebook

anderson crew readers:  FREESHIP will get you free shipping on all orders through christmas!

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anderson crew readers:  GIVEAWAY15 for 15% off all orders!

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anderson crew readers:  Emily10 for 10% off all necklaces!

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anderson crew readers:  ANDERSON15 for 15% off all orders PLUS a free ornament with every order!  (expires 11/29)

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lovely stuff, eh?

one lucky person will win all the loot!

to enter:

leave a comment on this post (you must be a follower of my blog).

extra entries:

follow/like/visit any of the above blogs/shops/facebook pages.

you can leave an individual comment for each!

the winner will be announced on sunday night 11/27!

good luck to you :)

hadley and her 6 year old pictures.

check out hadley's 5 year old pictures---to see how much she's grown :)

this is my favorite reason for taking pictures of my littles each year, around their birthday...i love to see how much they have changed.

especially when they are little---they just change so much from year to year.

last year, hadley had a bit of a baby face going on still...this year, i feel like she looks like a young girl.

growing up, i tell ya.  growing up.

yes, i am well aware of the dirt that is lingering underneath her neck.

the girl has a serious tickle thing going on and it's nearly impossible to clean it.

pick your battles, people.

she has such a mixture of sass, spunk, tenderness, joy, attitude and love swirling around inside of her.

i often think, "if i could just be more like hadley..."

she is such a joy.

we love you hadley bean---you are precious.

made with love: DIY fabric flower pins and felt bows

welcome to week 2 of made with love (posted a little early for ya).

last week you saw some cute painted plates...this week, you'll learn how to make a fabric flower pin, and a darling felt bow...

hi!  my name is danielle and i blog at  take heart.

i have got two girl gifts up my sleeve for you today.  one can also be used for women of all ages and the other?  for boys, even!  just call me a multi-tasker, would ya?

girl gift #1: fabric flower pin

i love it a lot.
make it a pin, make it a headband, throw a few of them into a cluster and add them to a belt…the possibilities are endless.  little girls can rock these and you can also make one for your grandma and aunt betty for christmas.

without further ado, here are your DIY instructions.

supplies:
scissors, hot glue gun, two different color (but coordinating fabrics), small felt circle, embellishment for the center of your pin, and pin.

step 1:
gather enough fabric to cut 7 large circles and 7 small circles.

step 2:
cut out your 14 circles.  the bigger circles will be behind the smaller ones once your pin is made.  the larger circle will be around the same size as your pin will be, so cut your fabric accordingly.

step 3:
 fold circle in half.

step 4:
fold up one corner of the circle.

step 5:
fold up the other corner of the circle to create this folded cone shape.  i believe this would be called in thirds, but i am not really sure, so i am not going to say.

step 6:
make a hundred of these.  no, just kidding. you just need to make 14.

step 7:
put some glue on your felt circle and lay your seven larger cones in a circle and glue those babies down.  it will seem like seven is a little too many to fit, but squeeze them on…trust me.  it gives the flower a much fuller look.

step 8:
um.  i guess this is the same as step 7.  just a finished picture.

step 9:
glue your seven smaller fabric "cones" onto the first layer of larger "cones".  i like writing the word cones in quotes.  mmkay?

step 10:
glue your button or embellishment to the center of your pin.

step 11:
 glue your pin onto the back of the felt circle, and voila!  you're done.

girl gift #2: felt bow headband

the felt bow headband is my favorite.  i have some i made as clips that i wear in my own hair.  and as i am typing this i am envisioning them on little girl shoes...be still my heart.  also, my next rendition will be a bow tie for my boys.  i am going to swap out the small middle piece of felt for fabric and my boys are gonna be stylin'.

here's yo DIY:

supplies:
scissors, hot glue gun, felt & headband elastic.
the elastic i used was similar to these.

step 1:
cut four pieces of felt. (1) a long strip about 1 inch x 4.5 inches. (2) a smaller strip about 1 cm x 1 inch. (3 & 4) the two little pieces to go behind the bow...i just free handed those.

step 2:
 make a vertical line with hot glue down the center of your long strip of felt, fold in either edge to create your bow.

step 3:
before the glue dries, pinch the middle of the bow, so the glue will dry and hold the creases you created.

step 4:
take your small strip of felt and glue it onto the center of your bow.

step 5:
glue the last two pieces onto the back of your bow.

step 6:
admire this cute thing.

step 7:
 glue your headband elastic together if needed.

step 8:
glue your bow onto your headband. and you're done!

thanks so much for having me, emily! 
happy creating, my friends!

i am still pregnant.

hiiiiiiii.

i know, when i don't post ya'll think i've had the baby, or am in labor, or something.

no, i was just lazy last night.

so sorry.

the winner of the featured sponsor, MarigoldRoad, give-a-way is:

Ruthie Hart!

holla ruthie. 

 sister, email me and i'll get you hooked up with your goods!

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my lovely friend, sarah, posted another prego pic of me---

she does amazing work...can't wait to see them all!

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and hey, just so you know...i don't always look like that.

here's a more accurate depiction of me, at nine months pregnant:

mismatched clothing...still in my robe...eating a big bowl of ice cream, while resting said bowl on my big belly.

there ya have it.

real life.

happy weekend, friends!

embrace the camera: nov. 17th

i am recovering from a few days of being a single mom.

mr. anderson returned yesterday after being gone for business---and i am so glad to have him home.

9 months prego, PLUS 5 small children equals exhausted.

(as if i wasn't exhausted to begin with)

seriously, all the single ladies...how the he-zeck do you do it?

many props and fist bumps to you.

so, i didn't get a picture with any of the littles this week.

i know, GASP.

so, i pulled an oldie out...one from when sweet baby kohen was just a few weeks old.

i picked this picture because 1) it's so dang cute and 2) i'm gonna have another nugget really soon and this picture gets me excited.

i love my little nuggets.

isn't he scrumptious?

i have a feeling this nugget in my belly is getting ready to make an entrance.

i have been early with all my babes (milo, born at 36 weeks weighing in at a whopping 7 lbs---fatty).

and i am officially 36 weeks today...i have been having contractions all this week...but they always stop.

a few have been pretty painful, which freaks me out because it reminds me of the impending pain i'm about to go through.  (i give birth naturally)

mr. anderson says i shouldn't be scared but i tell him to shut his mouth. 

he would be scared too if someone said "in a few days/weeks you will be hit with constant pain for 12-15 hours, and then you will proceed to push something way too big, out of your body.  and it's gonna hurt.  a lot."

so yes, mr. anderson.  allow me to be a little bit scared. 

cause you would be too, mkay?

someone just give me an epidural and i'll pretend i'm not a hippie for one day.

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okay lovelies, your turn!

here's the nitty gritty on embrace the camera---PLEASE READ:

-if these guidelines aren't followed then your link will be deleted---ETC is not about promoting ourselves or our blogs so please don't use our link tool to do such a thing.-

1. take a picture of YOU with your kids, spouse, friends, etc. the point of embrace the camera is to get in front of the camera and to document a bit of yourself.

2. link up your POST, not your blog.

3. link back to our blog by a text link or using our button IN YOUR POST.

4. and lastly, have fun and visit each other!

leave each other lots of love---it's not easy to get in front of the camera---bravo to all of you who join us every week! your family will thank you for it one day :)