A Thrift Store Find

I've been hitting some thrift stores lately.  I see so many things on blogs about turning some ugly old second hand item into something cute so I like to just browse and see if I can find something that has potential.  I went into a thrift store I've never been to last week.  It was huge, packed with stuff, and really busy.  I had both kids with me.  I was really going in there to buy some candlesticks that I could use for making cake plates so I really didn't plan to browse.  But I saw some cowboy boots up on a shelf and had to go over and check them out.  They were my size and $9!  It was evident someone had gotten their use out of them, but I just didn't care.  I little wear and tear didn't sway me.  I saw they were 'Frye' boots and was pretty sure that was a good name brand.  Either way, I was buying them.  I didn't have enough cash on me to get my candlesticks, but thank goodness I had enough for the boots!  I went home and did some googling to find out these are $200-$300 boots!  I'm sure they are several seasons old so I can't find the exact pair online.  These look comparable though.  I think I'll be taking them to a shoe shop for some leather conditioning.  I bet they'll look brand new with a little love.

ICE (and SNOW) 2010

It's become a family tradition to visit the ICE exhibit in the Gaylord Palms hotel each Christmas.  My mother-in-law is able to get her family in at no charge so we take full advantage.  It's not exactly cheap when you consider it's about a 1 hour activity. This year was extra special though.  At last year's company party she won a prize to be the FIRST family into ICE this year.  So, on opening day we were able to be the first ones in and had the exhibit to ourselves for about a half hour.  It's quite a treat since the ice slides at the end can form quite a line.  The boys went down the slides as many times as they could!

This year they added SNOW.  It was kind of like a winter carnival.  There were lots of carnival type games for the kids to play, an area to build a snowman and throw snowballs, and even a place to snow tube.  That's about as real as it's going to get here in central Florida!

Here are the posts from year's past:  2009 & 2008

My brother in law had the best form :o)

Here's a short video so you can see how big this exhibit is and of course the fun sliding at the end!

The WINNER + My Acorn Wreath

And the winner of the Countdown to Christmas print is comment #5!

Robyn THE Mama Lion said...



No give away is too big or too small :) It's still FREE!!! We put our tree up too, but it's not decorated yet. Baby steps!!

I'll get it to you this week, lady!

And here's my finished acorn wreath.  It took a few sittings to get them all glued on.  I attempted to do a pattern, but it didn't work out so they're just on there however I felt like putting them....and I think it's just fine.  I love it!  Don't really wanna do another one though....I'll be honest.

Gobble, Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Enjoy the day with your family and eat lots of yummy food!  I know I will.  

Today I'm thankful for my little family - a wonderful husband, a funny little blonde boy, and a precious baby girl.

Here are some pictures of Hunter in his turkey hat and a video of his class singing their Thanksgiving songs for the parents at their Thanksgiving Feast.  I missed it because I felt so bad, but I'm so happy to have the video of it.

Hunter brought this placemat he made home from school.  It lists the things he's thankful for.  Look closely and you'll see it says "I'm thankful for my closet".  Closet?  The only thing I can think of is that he was trying to tell the teacher 'cousins'.

Jenny & Jeff

So, I took pictures for strangers over the weekend!  They were recommended to me by a friend and I decided to go for it.  Eeeeek!  I have to say they made it really easy on me.  They're the cutest couple and very photogenic.  The dogs were very well behaved, too.  It was fun!

I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites so here's a large share.  I'm usually a sucker for black and whites, but most of this session I prefer in color.

Peyton - 14 Months

A little bit of what Peyton's been up to the last month or so.  The last clip is the best :o)

Peyton - 14 months from Dena Powell on Vimeo.

33 Days til Christmas + a Giveaway!

I told you I was going to decorate early.  I didn't lie.  And these are not old pictures, I promise!  The only thing left to do is put up my big tree and decorate it.  I've already put up 3 smaller trees though.  

I'm loving my buffet setup this year.

Did you see this cute Christmas countdown on the buffet?  Here's a closer look.  It's just a 5x7 print.  You use a dry erase marker to write the number on the glass each day.  How cute, right?  Want one? I printed an extra one and I'll mail it to the lucky winner.  I know, probably the smallest giveaway in history, but I'm saving you from have to download the print, place the order online, and pick it up (or pay for shipping).  That's worth something, right! And if you don't win you can still download the print at Life Sweet Life.

Here's another free printable that I used in my set-up.  It's from The Bonjours.

I'll keep this giveaway open until Thursday at midnight.  Winner announced on Friday.
Simply just leave me a comment!

Hanging Monogrammed Frame

Emily over at The Anderson Crew is hosting Made with Love Mondays.  She's posting tutorials on how to make several handmade gifts that will be perfect for this holiday season.  This past Monday she showed how to make a Hanging Monogrammed Frame - easy, cute, and inexpensive.  I had all the supplies I needed at home so I made one.  It'll make a cute Christmas gift that's made with love and save me a few bucks in the process.

(An easy way to make the letter if you don't have a stamp or a punch out is to print the letter onto a piece of paper, cut out the letter, then tape it to the paper you want to use and just cut it out.  That's what I did.)

Embrace the Camera: November 18

It seems I've completely forgotten about embrace the camera the past TWO weeks!  What's wrong with me?  I'm back in the game though.  
We spent Saturday at Magic Kingdom.  It was PACKED, but we managed to accomplish a lot anyway.  Hunter rode Thunder Mountain with Daddy, his first real roller coaster!  He said he liked it, but that it was scary and he didn't want to do it again.  He was pretty brave.

His first request was the Toy Story ride, Buzz Lightyear Shooters as he calls it.

I'm thankful for a child who will sleep when she needs to.  Hunter was not one of those babies.  He'd just be miserable and never give it up.