A Case of Hero Worship

Our little Ryder has a definite case of hero worship for his older brother! Last weekend Taron was with us and Ryder could hardly stand to not be by his side! Taron is wonderful to play with both he and Cooper and let them cuddle up to him. I love this pic of them...

The little boys think their Dad is pretty great too- I got a laugh out of them building this fort right on top of him asleep in the chair!

Liebster Award

Recently, I was extended the Liebster Blog award

from the thoughtful and talented Judy from Visual Interest!

Judy's descriptions were great, but I did wonder about the origin of  the award,

so I searched and found this:

What does Liebster Blog mean? The origin of this award is obscure, but it's probably German as the word "Liebster" translates into "dearest". The award is given to blogs that have less than 200 followers and deserve more recognition and encouragement.There are some guidelines that have to be followed while giving or receiving the Award.

The rules for receiving the award:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.
2. Reveal your top five picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
4. Hope that the people you’ve sent the award to forward it to their five favorite bloggers and keep it going!

I'm thinkin' Stephen will get a kick out of the German translation- that's where he served his mission!

I had no problem choosing five blogs to extend the award to from here...

Balancing Home

I actually only just found this blog that began last summer.

Megan and her hubby have some great printables and a style that just draws me in.

I was inspired by them for my neighbor gift tags that I'll post about soon!

this heArt of mine 

Simply cute ideas! I'm actually in the process of making a version of

her great lap desks for my niece and both my boys right now!

Sweetly Made Just for You 

First connected with Emilee through whoopdwhoop and am glad that

winter is finally here so I can wear the adorable ear warmer headband I got from her!

Been There, Pinned That

I found this blog through Pinterest (imagine that!)

and can hardly wait to make their sweet jet packs for Coop and Ry!

Craft Whatever

I really enjoy Kate's genuine tone in her posts- her blog feels comfortable and real to me :)

I love how she recently turned her kids' art into an ornament!

Alrighty... hope you all will know that your blogging is enjoyed and share from here also!

Thanks again Judy!

Dipped Honey Wheat Pretzel Sticks

Have you ever had the Rold Gold Honey Wheat Braided White Dipped Pretzel Sticks?

I think we've had them twice and both times, I've thought- I want to duplicate these!

 When I saw a generic bag of honey wheat twists, I grabbed them up! I thought the boys would enjoy helping me and using the sprinkles... and they probably would have, but for some reason not right at the time I was set to do it. :/  So, I didn't end up spending much time on this little treat, but they were yummy and cute! We'll be doing this again through the holidays no doubt :) Would make a nice addition to a party or neighbor gift :)

Love These Boys...

Glue guns as little boys weapons... I was a proud Mama as I took this pic :)

Just thought I'd share some recent everyday pics of Coop and Ry lately... I've had more than my fair share of craft fails these past few days so I'm boycotting my craftiness for a little while! Really until, ya know, tomorrow, when I realize I have to book it on Christmas gifts... :)

Cooper's letter from Santa! He wasn't feeling well the day he got this and it shows, but he really was pretty stoked about knowing his letter was received! Gotta love small town life and awesome mail ladies :)

Lately I've been so struck at how my baby is a little boy these days! I could just kiss his soft, chubby cheeks all day and a part of me still refuses to acknowledge he's not a baby! He'll always be baby to me :) Isn't that a sweet Batman cape/ mask combo- we snagged it at DI just after Halloween!

He loves rolling little cars and trucks, and even bouncy balls, across the kitchen floor to me- 

these are some of my favorite moments in the day!

Red Burlap Wreath

Awhile back I saw THIS wreath idea on Pinterest. I wanted to make a wreath to go at the back of my mantle and decided this one would be quick and pretty. I really like how it turned out! I didn't think of it when I added the star at the bottom, but it ended up blending into the nativity really well, like the Star of Bethlehem :)

I used just one wire hanger to make a wreath form and then folded back and forth, piercing the burlap through each fold. Once all the fabric was on, I placed glue dots on the hanger in several places to catch the fabric from all falling to the bottom. I was a bit stumped on how to get the star and spray sticks to stay, but ended up setting them were I wanted with the wreath lying on the table, then hot gluing in spots that connected. When this isn't against the wall to support it, it does want to fall forward some. Anyhow, super simple, but pretty :)