I'll Remember

I have been keeping some exciting news all to myself and I am thrilled to finally let you all know that we will be heading to Disney World the day after Christmas!!!! It was a last minute thing, well last minute as far as planning for Disney goes and it's official we will be heading down to Florida on the 26th. Ahhhhhh!!! I am so excited especially since we got our magic bands today. Check 'em out!!

One thing several people have said to me when we were contemplating taking this trip is why don't you wait until Liv is older because she won't remember the trip at this point. For those of you who are new around here Olivia is 2, will be 3 in February. Now this is a valid point one that crossed my mind when thinking about taking this trip but here is why I still decided to go forward with planning.

I went to Disney when I was in 4th grade and I only vaguely remember it. I remember that I had a fantastic time but don't remember too many specifics. Of course there are a couple of things I remember in more detail than others but the fact that I was 9 didn't give me crazy memories of every thing that happened on the trip. And another plus of taking Liv while she is 2 is that she is FREE!! She gets into the theme parks for free and for all you who have been to Disney, you know this is a huge savings. And she'll basically be 3 when we go being that her birthday is only a little over a month after we go. Score!!

So okay, Olivia might not remember our trip years from now but while we are there I know she will be having the time of her life. Experiencing Disney through the eyes of an innocent and joyful child is something I will always remember. I will remember her jumping up and down when we see Cinderella's castle, I will remember her squealing with joy when she sees Mickey and Minnie, I will remember her singing "Let It Go" at the top of her lungs in the Frozen sing-a-long. Point is although she won't remember much I will remember experiencing true joy through the excitement of my child and that will make the trip more than worth it. xoxo

Never Too Late To Be Grateful

Hi friends! Since I haven't done a post since before Thanksgiving I found the need to take some time out to mention a few things that I am thankful for. I felt awful about the fact that I didn't have a Thanksgiving post but since I am usually am not organized enough to have my posts written ahead of time it wasn't in the cards for me. But I tried to look at this in a positive light because I decided to really enjoy time with friends and family instead of worrying about a blog post. Sometimes I think it is good and healthy to take a step back from Blogland.

Anyways, here are a few things that make me truly thankful.

1. My family.
My life, my world. Love these two with all my heart. Although, my daughter is a sassy little thing her spirit keeps me smiling and it makes me happy to know that she has enough spunk to get through whatever curve balls life may throw her way. And my husband works so hard to provide for us, his work ethic and family commitment is really something many men need to emulate.

2. Thriving businesses.
I may feel like I am losing my mind between all my holiday photo sessions and my Etsy shops getting slammed with holiday orders but busy is good. The fact that I have practically no time for sleep means I am doing something right and maybe next year I will need an assistant. We'll see!!

Here is my current sale!! Shop here.

3. My blog friends.
I love you guys who keep checking out my blog even when I am not posting regularly and not able to keep up on all my blog reading. My crazy season is September to December and I miss everyone from the Blogosphere during that time. I may not be reading and commenting on your blogs like I wish I could be during this time but I truly am thinking of you guys and it puts a big smile on my face when you guys stop by to leave me a comment. You are truly the best!

Lastly, I am grateful I just discovered Ember Grey's Grateful Heart Monday link up and think this post makes it perfect for me to join in the positive fun!

5 Reasons I Will NOT Shop On Black Friday

I'm getting old. One thing that reminds me of that little fact is the fact that I have no desire to participate in Black Friday craziness, unless of course it is online. Here's why:

1 - Don't want to get arrested.
People are down right rude and inconsiderate and now that I have gotten older I have absolutely no tolerance for it. I have no problem calling a b*tch out if they conveniently didn't see the line of ten people waiting to be rung up and "cut" everyone. I have no filter and will put someone in their place but usually these people won't go down without a fight usually a verbal altercation but I would not be afraid to throw a punch if necessary. Or those people that when you are patiently waiting for a parking space with your blinker on and they swoop in and take the spot. I will hunt you down and give you a verbal tongue lashing. So I rather not get an assault charge so I'll just stay home.

2 - Buying way more than I need.
Did I really need four of that sweater in four pretty ugly colors? Absolutely not, but it was only $10 so why not? Or did I need to pick up ten of that hot chocolate gift set that was 60% off? No but I'm sure I'll find ten people to give it to. The problem is these sales get us in a trance and we just buy, buy, buy and we end up spending more in the long run on unneeded or impractical items.

3 - Want to enjoy Thanksgiving.
I don't want to spend Thanksgiving sitting at the dining room table with the map of the mall or outlet center trying to plot the best Black Friday plan of attack. In addition I don't want to anxiety of the anticipation of one of the craziest days of the year tainting my meal.

4 - Better things to do.
Like anything is better than having my blood pressure skyrocket and having serious buyer's remorse.

5 - Cyber Monday!
Why push through crowds, wait on long lines and be disappointed when I can sit home in my PJs with snacks and a drink and do some serious sale shopping from behind my computer screen? Need I say more?!

What about you? Are you a Black Friday shopper? I used to be so I totally get why people do it but I've just grown tired of these shopping wars and rather sit home and eat leftovers. xoxo

Holiday Photo Tips For Photos With Toddlers

This weekend I had many holiday photo sessions and many of those included at least one toddler. As we all know toddlers are unpredictable and not always the best listeners which can make photo sessions very stressful. I have compiled a few tips for helping the session go a bit smoother, albeit not perfect but any little bit helps in trying to get that perfect shot.

1 - Don't Over Plan. 
I have had parents come to me with laundry lists of poses and shots that wanted for their toddler and all this does is cause extra stress for the parents, the children and the photographer. While it is good to have a few ideas, parents need to realize their child might just want to run and not sit with his or her back against a tree. If we are so consumed with trying to make those photos happen we miss out on getting the carefree candids that were happening while your child was joyfully playing.

2 - Happiness Is A State Of Mind.
They smell your fear. If you are stressed and yelling and and freaking out over everything, they will feed off that and are less likely to cooperate. Try to keep it light and silly at least on the outside. If they see you are having fun, they will eventually want to join in the fun.

3 - Snacks (Okay Bribes) Are Good.
Do I believe in regularly bribing your child? No. But in some instances it can help. Many of the children I photographed today smiled when they were reminded they were being taken for icecream or lunch afterwards. If your child needs instant gratification, bring their favorite snack. Every time they sit or pose where they are supposed to they get some of their snack. This works wonders a lot of the time.

4 - Don't Be Afraid To Get Silly.
I had parents playing peek-a-boo behind me, others were singing their kid's favorite song, others dancing around like crazy and a lot of these tactics led to smiles.

5 - Go With It.
Photo sessions with toddlers are hard work and as I mentioned above, highly unpredictable so the best thing you can do is roll with the punches and do the best with that day's scenario. And I get it, that is easier said than done if your toddler is screaming his or her head off but what can you do?! You can get some crazy screaming photos and make a hilarious Christmas card. I swear the greatest Christmas card I ever got was two children screaming with a clever caption. Was it ideal for the parents? Probably not but I am sure they have a good laugh over it now.

I know there is no science to getting great photographs with your toddler but I am hoping these tips make things a little less stressful on your big photo day. Best of luck for getting great holiday photos this season!! xoxo

Selfie Confessions

Selfies: Gorgeous photos one takes of themselves. Okay so maybe only like 1 in 50 is presentable at least for me. That is my confession: for every fabulous photo one sees of me there are at least 20 awful or goofy ones. My phone is chocked full of selfies and almost all of them look horrific, kind of like these gems below.

My other selfie confession is that every time my hair and makeup is actually done I find the need to take a selfie. It doesn't happen too often so I need to document that it even happened. So if you don't see any photos of me for a while you know I am just chilling in my PJS with thrown up hair and with blotchy makeupless face for days on end. Rock on! xoxo

Monster On The Way

Okay, don't get excited, the monster on the way isn't mine. I'm going to be an Auntie again come January and I am so excited. This past weekend we had a monster themed shower for my sister and I was thrilled with the outcome. As soon as we decided we were doing a monster theme, I picked up monster things whenever I came across them. It also helped that it was right after Halloween so monster stuff was available in plentitude. Here are some photos to check out the monster goodness my mother and I put together.

She was actually surprised!!

The onsie design station

Favor buckets!

Mike Wazowski wreath I made!

The adorable cake which was delicious!!

The diaper monster my hubby created!

The beautiful guest of honor!

The day was a bit chaotic but I believe a good time was had by all and I am happy that all the planning stress was well worth it. xoxo

DIY: Cute Monster Wreath

Time for a fun do it yourself project! This monster wreath is easy and can put a smile on anybody's face.

The supplies: a foam wreath, tulle, googly eyes and colored foam.

Cut tulle in approx. 12" strips in all colors desired.

Get a good amount all cut up.

Start double knotting strips around wreath and push "poof" downward into circle as shown above,

Do above step about half way around wreath.

Wrap one of the colors of tulle tightly around bottom half of wreath.

Cut some teeth out of white foam and hot glue them on back of wreath.

Cut a round piece of black foam and glue to back of wreath.

Add googly eyes to black foam.

I decided my wreath needed a little something more so I added pigtails. I bunched together tulle and used foam to hep me glue it down. I then tied bows around the two bunches of tulle.

My cute monster wreath!!