lots of random this and thats.

the winner of the sponsor day give-a-way is:

lizzie - the dancing toad blog

holla, lizzie!  e-mail me to claim your loot :)

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this year, i told mr. anderson that all i wanted for christmas was to spend a day shopping with him (and only him---well, and maybe olive).

i felt really overwhelmed with trying to think of something that i wanted/needed...and i felt even more overwhelmed with trying to think of something to get mr. anderson for christmas.

i have it hard because his birthday is next week too.

so, i thought we decided on spending a day with each other, picking out some new clothes and maybe doing a little thrift store shopping.

little did i know that mr. anderson decided to really surprise me---and he got me an iPhone.

i had been wanting one (or any smart phone, really) for quite a while, but i was not expecting it at all.

so now, i'm quite obsessed with my phone...it's amazing all that you can do on it.

my #1 obsession?  instagram.

a friend gave me her old iPhone a while back, and i've been using that to check my email whilst at home, but i couldn't fully use it because it wasn't my cell phone provider...so, i signed up for instagram a while ago, but wasn't using it to it's full amazing-ness.

now i am!

i'm "theandersoncrew" on there, if you'd like to follow.

---------------

moving on---olive turned 3 weeks old on monday.

sister is cute...but starting to get a voice.

i s'pose it was bound to happen sooner or later.

you need a voice to compete in this house.

the totally awesome sleep sack c/o: minimalist knitter

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and last but certainly not least, i got pictures of all the littles on christmas eve.

the men:

and the ladies:

and all together:

please note, kohen's face in that picture.

classic.

 {bow ties from here}

we will see y'all in 2012.

happy new year!

embrace the camera: dec. 29th

i love this picture idea i found on pinterest, via this link.

the belly pic was actually taken the day i went into labor with sweet olive.

and then she is about a week old in the after picture.

bicycle shirt c/o: dandelion dream on etsy

they are making unique shirts to help support their adoption.

shop : blog

---------------

okay lovelies, your turn!

here's the nitty gritty on embrace the camera:

-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 :)

sponsor give-a-way day: december!

it's the last sponsor day of 2011! 

one person will win all of the loot...

if you are interested in sponsoring us in 2012, check out our sponsorship page and shoot me an email :)

now, on to the goods...

blog : shop : facebook

---------------

give-a-way: large AD space

blog : facebook

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 shop : facebook

---------------

give-a-way: large AD space

blog : facebook

---------------

leave a comment on this post for entry.

*extra entries for every shop you visit, blog you follow, facebook page you like*

(leave a separate comment for each)

i'll draw a winner on friday, 12/30.

happy last week of 2011 :)



you need some milk, sweet baby jesus?

remember our  advent calendar?

i am happy to say that there are only a few more days left of activities.

it's been fun---and a good way to count down, but let me say...i'm exhausted.

and there have been a few days where i've had to postpone the activity until the next day and i get all sorts of drama from a certain 7 year old.

"but mooooooooom.  you said yesterday we would do this today and then you said today we would do it tonight and now you're saying tomorrowwwww?"

and to that i respond with:

"be quiet, caedmon...i really don't need to hear about what a horrible mom i am right now, mkay?  i'm sleep deprived.  we will decorate christmas cookies when i say we will."

hmmmmph.

and for the record here, while i'm having said conversation with said 7 year old, i am also nursing a baby, changing a 2 year olds' diaper, and stirring the noodles for dinner...all at the same time.

i'm a master at multi-tasking not a superhero, you hear?

moving on.

we did make rice krispie treats the other day.

enjoy photos from that glorious event.

---------------

another activity on the advent calendar was having the kids put on a play for mommy and daddy.  they had to act out the christmas story.

they spent their entire rest time deciding who was to play who, costumes, songs, etc.

milo was baby jesus, kohen was the donkey who carried mary.

hadley, elsa and caedmon were all the other 20 characters.

at one point, the 3 bigs were singing a song, and i look over to see kohen with his shirt way up, leaning over milo.

he was trying to breastfeed baby jesus.

lovely.

happy weekend and merry christmas!

embrace the camera: dec. 22nd

moments with our kids are fleeting...they grow up so fast.

it's hard for me to grasp this, on a daily basis...especially when i'm totally stressed out, annoyed with every person under 4 feet tall in this house (and sometimes a certain mr. too), sleep deprived...etc.

i am thankful i have pictures that remind me of sweeter moments.

moments when i wasn't momzilla, but just enjoying my sweet babies.

sarah bray  took some photos of miss olive and i...olive is OUR LAST BABY (hear that God?) and i want to remember everything about her at this age...

here is a small sneak of the pictures...i will have a photo heavy post later, showing a bunch more--they are so sweet.

i just love this peanut.

---------------

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 :)

florida decembers and some other stuff.

we live in a place where our winters usually consist of shorts and tank tops.

we do get a few weeks of cold weather (and by cold, i mean 50's)---and we definitely pull our winter coats out for that.

but here it is, the week before christmas, and the highs this week are in the 80's.

i do miss the snow that i experienced my whole life, growing up in kansas...but it's nice to be able to spend time outside...especially when your kids have been cooped up and you think you might go bald from pulling all your flippin' hair out if you stay inside for another minute.

so, anywho...we like to spend a lot of time outdoors during this nice weather (cause come summertime, we aren't setting foot outside).

 milo and his NASCAR hair-do.



even olive got in on the outdoor action.  just chillin' in her daddy's lap.

sister is so good...she sleeps all.the.time.

one might ask, "how can you sleep when there is SO MUCH CHAOS going on around you?"

who knows?  but she rocks it.

actually, she might have the right idea. 

 i'd love to sleep through some of the chaos.

we love the outside.

------------

i wanted to introduce one of our new sponsors this month:

mavuno market.

i love what they are about, and i'm sure you will too...

Mavuno Market is combating poverty and changing lives by helping lift families out of poverty, one purchase at a time.

i was thrilled to receive a fun and funky bracelet from them.

i'm normally not a bracelet kind of person, because i have the worlds smallest wrists...but this one fits perfectly!

this bracelet was handmade by the apparent project artisans:

Apparent Project artisans hand roll paper beads out of cereal boxes, magazines and other paper products. These beads are combined with glass and ceramic beads to create unique pieces of jewelry.

The Apparent Project currently has over 150 Haitians making beads and designing their own jewelry. With their earnings, they have been able to move out of their tents into small houses. They have been able to provide food for their families, and schooling for their children.





fits perfectly!

and i love an accessory, especially for a good cause.

check mavuno market out!

---------------

olive turned 2 weeks old on monday...and she is gaining weight like a champ.

7lbs, 14oz at birth...and now she is weighing 9lbs, 4oz.

my little chunk.

mama must be making cream.

and it doesn't hurt that she loves to eat...she's a girl after my own heart.

okay, and one last thing...i need some suggestions on the name of my blog, now that i have 3 little ladies.

what do you think?

3 boys and 3 little ladies?

or should i change it completely?

give me your thoughts.



success.

a picture of all 6 of them...

finally.

and yes, olive is on the verge of crying, but we'll just pretend she's smiling.

and let's be honest here.

this is the only way i was able to get a picture of all of them smiling and looking.

i promised them "jump and wrestle on the bed" time.

plus a sweet treat.

milo doesn't respond unless it's got chocolate in the reward.

or joey logano. 

 and i couldn't get joey to come by.

don't worry.

olive is NOT under that pile of kids there.

i'm pretty sure olive is praying in that picture---lord help me....i have a lot of crazy brothers and sisters.

this is my life now.

6 kids.

6 kids!

made with love: DIY fingerless gloves

this is our last week for made with love--i hope you've enjoyed all the fun and cute gifts that have been shown!  thanks to all my fabulous friends who contributed :)
last but not least is miss chelsea...she is a friend in real life...super sweet, super crafty...just an all around awesome person.
enjoy her fabulous tutorial!

---------------
Hello! So happy to be here today as a guest on emily's fabulous blog!
I'm Chelsea and I blog over at skc At Home.
I have a confession to make before we begin...
This is my very first tutorial.
What?? Totally serious.
So thank you em for asking me to do this, forcing me to overcome my fear. ;)
It needed to be done.
Moving on!

I absolutely love handmade gifts and try to do as many as I can for Christmas each year.
Especially for all the women in my life - they seem to appreciate the effort the most. :)
So this is what I have for you today...

Fingerless gloves!

They're everywhere right now and the perfect accessory for the chilly winter weather

but what better gift to give than ones that have been personalized and embellished by YOU! :)

So let's begin.

Here's what you'll need:

1) some cheap gloves

I found these at Wal-Mart for $1.40

(hence the $1.40 tag still attached for your viewing pleasure).

Just make sure they have long enough arms to add your embellishments! :)

2) a needle & matching thread

3) scissors

4) embellishments of your choice

Now you have a couple of options.

You can cut off just the tips of all the fingers

- or-

the entire 4-finger section, leaving 1 big hole.

Then fold the rough edges inside the glove about 1/4" and stitch.

If you are going to do each finger individually, I would recommend using elastic thread.

Unless you want you're loved ones fingers to lose circulation and fall off.

Once all the rough edges are finished the real fun begins!

Now you can embellish any way you choose!

Use scraps of fabric to make flowers or ruffles

or use beads, ribbon, buttons - anything you have lying around!

Here are a few ideas to spark your creative juices:

Some hints:

* I would recommend stitching on embellishments

but I know SOME OF YOU  have a love affair with your hot glue gun

so that is a no-sew option

* for fabric bows I used the tutorial from this series - click here

* for yarn pom poms I found a super easy tutorial - click here

* ruffles can be made by cutting a strip of fabric,

sewing a loose stitch all the way down the middle

and pulling one thread to gathering the fabric

* I would recommend elastic thread for ribbon, ruffles, anything that you're
going to wrap around the whole glove

Fun right!?
I love that the possibilities are endless
and you can really have fun making these you're own!

Thanks again, Em, for having me!
Merry Christmas everyone!
6 days & counting... :)

---------------

thanks chelsea!
here are the previous made with love projects:
DIY painted plates
DIY mason jars
DIY fabric flower pins and felt bows
DIY felt cupcakes
DIY star wars paper characters

featured sponsor december: living in yellow

today i have erin from living in yellow writing...she is our featured sponsor this month.
if you don't read her blog, you should.  you will laugh and laugh and then laugh some more.
and if you are interested in sponsoring our blog, check out our sponsor page then shoot me an email!


---------------
Well hello there lovelies.

My name is Erin and I am the fingers behind Living In Yellow.

I have a husband whom I have spent over 1/3 of my life with.

Miraculously, I still adore him.

Together we look like this:

I also have given birth to one child.

She came out black and had way more fur than I expected.

She also barked instead of cried, so that was weird.

Anyhow, Maggie is her name.

She is pretty cute so we decided to keep her.

I could keep going, but instead I'll allow you to click here to learn more about me.

Let me just be honest here for a second-

Guest posts are awkward.

For starters, I am taking up somebody else's blog to write a post to readers that I do not know.

And I know that when you clicked on Emily's fabulous blog, you were hoping to hear from her.

Because after all, she is fabulous.

But instead, you see it's somebody else {in this case, me}

trying to win your hearts over and hope that you will think I am at least half as cool as Emily.

So first off, my apologies that you have to hear me ramble on.

Maybe by the end of this you will think

"You know what, for a guest post..I guess it wasn't all that bad"

....And now I just set really high expectations for myself.

Speaking of high expectations, I just learned the whole first three verses to Nicki Minaj's Super Bass.

Impressed?

Me too.

Anyhow--I thought and thought about what I should write about today.

I first came up with "Well, I could do a giveaway..."

But then I quickly remembered, I have nothing to give away.

I am not crafty.

Nor do I have a husband who is down with my spendin' our money on items just to give away in

Blogging world.

So scratch that idea.

Then I thought I could share with you all my "Blogging Lessons Learned"

But why would you want to take Blogging lessons from somebody you've never met before?

That's risky business y'all.

Last but not least, I thought heck..if all else fails, share a recipe.

And then I quickly remembered how boring recipe posts are to me.

I mean sure it looks fantastic, but the chances of me actually making it are slim to none.

More so, none.

Unless it is macaroni and cheese.

In which case, I will make it.
The same day.

Obsessed is an understatement.

So here is what I came up with-

You should probably just come over here and read my own words on my own blog.

There are all sorts of fascinating topics that will hopefully tickle your fancy.

Like for instance, how I keep my bowel movements regular,

 how to dominate your next family function,

and all the inside scoop all about my secret love affair.

True story.

Can't wait to see you on the other side....

Peace Out.

*comments turned off so you can leave erin some love on her blog*

embrace the camera: dec. 15th

embrace the camera.

it's about documenting memories within your family.

looking back, don't you want to be a part of your families memories?  regardless of what you look like, or how you're feeling.  they won't care about that.  they will only care that you are actually in photos.  once you're gone, what will your family have to remember you by?

we are embracing with olive this week.

i want to remember these sweet moments.

those squishy cheeks, kissable lips, snuggle time, the squeaky noises she makes, late night breastfeeding (when i know i need to be sleeping, but rocking her is just too precious)...i want to remember these first, precious moments we have with her...our daughter, that we never expected to have.

 {i could just eat her}

{passed out on daddy's shoulder}

---------------

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 :)