Friday, December 31, 2010

Friday's Foot Fetish: Gap does Glitter

I bet these are a big hit among pre-teen girls! I love the bright pink color and that they come in navy, remember my hunt for cute navy shoes!
Gap Glitter flats, on sale for $39.99

Be safe tonight and enjoy closing out 2010 and ringing in 2011. I will be warm at home, enjoying yummy food, and time with my husband. We are hoping we can stay awake until midnight! I'll never tell :)

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Milk and Cookies Party: Invite

My daughter is 2 today. I am officially the mother of a toddler and not a baby. She is the greatest gift I have ever received and she brings my husband and I so much joy.
To celebrate her special day, we are having about 40 of our friends over for milk and cookies next Saturday. I can't wait to share all of the party pictures with you after the party. I have lots of simple and inexpensive ideas!

Until then, here is a look at the inspiration post from A Party Style.

Happy Birthday Abby Lu!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Images from Christmas

We have had a wonderful Christmas season full of family, fun, food and the joy of watching all the season encompasses through the eyes of a toddler. She knew who Santa was this year and she knew it was Jesus' birthday and that combination made for a wonderful few days.
We attended Christmas Eve service with both of our Mothers who were visiting from out of town. Abby knew it was Jesus' birthday, especially after seeing the nativities at church the previous Sunday. She loved getting down on their level and kissing the baby Jesus.
She knew we needed to bake cookies for Santa and had fun laying them out on the baking sheet and pouring on the sprinkles. Too bad we forgot to lay them out for Santa!
We munched on goodies galore including my Mom's peanut brittle
and, my favorite pretzel M&Ms while playing games.
Thank goodness Santa didn't mind the missing cookies and left us a whole house of pink goodness anyway.
We enjoyed staying in with the cooler weather outside since it gave us the opportunity to use our fireplace, a rarity in Texas.
Finally, we enjoyed a whole slew of craft projects as we prepared for Christmas, Abby's new toddler room, and her upcoming birthday party.
My Mom made these napkins for me and numerous others this year- they are a simple half circle made with two coordinating prints and ric rac and the folded like a tree. Love them!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Friday, December 24, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Shoes!

I love shoes more than any other clothing item. My shoes are most often the item I pick out first and often cost the most of my whole outfit. Please tell me someone else spends more on their shoes than the rest of their outfit? I love nice shoes and Target or Old Navy clothes!
My favorite places to buy shoes?






Happy Shoe Shopping!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Digital Scrapbooking Resources


My digital scrapbooking software can be bought here. It is super easy to learn and very reasonable.

These are my favorite sites to purchase digital kits: Sweet Shoppe Designs, Scrap Matters, and Funky Playground Designs.

I go here to select my font color to match my digital image or blog.

I print my own digital scrapbooks annually here. You can use their templates or just select white and upload your digital pages all made up to cover the white.

I like to print invitations, stationary and notepads here.

Email me if you have any questions, I honestly use these products on a regular basis. Nobody paid me to tell you about them ;)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Favorite Scripture

I have a couple of favorite scriptures that have been meaningful to me at various times in my life, but part of my 2011 resolution is to really store more scripture in my heart so that I can recall it when speaking with others. Nothing like the Top 10 Words application on Facebook to make your realize you talk about lunch and bed (weird!) more than Jesus.
The scripture that I have recalled many times is taped to my computer at work to keep it in front of my mind.
Romans 12:12
What I most love about this verse- in good times and in bad, pray! I find it so simple to pray when I want something, but when things are going well I lose focus on praising.

To help with my 2011 resolution, I am joining my friend Heidi on the Beth Moore Siestas Scripture Memorization Team. Read all about it here!

I'd love to hear about your favorite scripture- it'll give me ideas for my 24 verses in 2011.


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites: Favorite Hobby Lobby Items

I spend a crazy amount of time at Hobby Lobby. When I have no lunch plans, I always end up there before buying a Wendy's large chili with extra crackers and sweet tea for lunch :)
Here are my two favorite supplies!

My friend Johnna introduced me to Steam-A-Seam about 2 years ago and my life is so much better because of it! This is an iron on product that you cut into the shape you want. The sticky iron on part is layered between 2 sheets of a wax like paper. You remove one sheet, stick the back side of your fabric to the sticky part and cut it out. Remove the second sheet and iron in on. It is inexpensive and goes a long way!

My favorite Steam-A-Seam projects can be found here.





Oh how I love thee Mod Podge! If you haven't ventured into trying it, you should! It is white paste like substance much like Elmer's school glue. You brush it on with a sponge brush and it will dry clear. You can use it like traditional glue or to harden paper by applying it on the outside.

My favorite mod podge projects can be found here.
In addition to these 2 craft projects, you'll most often find me buying cute picture frames, ribbon by the roll (at half off!), funky fabrics, and scrapbooking papers and stickers at Hobby Lobby!

Monday, December 20, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Christmas Card Linky Party

Don't you just love checking the mail right now? Amongst all the catalogs of ideas and presents, there are real live pictures of your friends and family on Christmas cards! We sent out about 100 cards and get close to that back. Poor busy cold mailmen :)
Here is our card for 2010. We had our pictures taken in late October so it gave me plenty of time to make my card! I was nervous to make my own card- I didn't want it to look like I made it. At the same time, when did Christmas cards get so expensive? Wow, I knew I had to make it to stay under $100 before stamps!
I had them printed as 6x9 flat cards with a linen finish. You can print most anything at Vistaprint. You give yourself plenty of time. Quick shipping is pricey! They even ship include the envelopes in your order. Hallelujah!

Here is my happy shutter holding all of my Christmas cards. I made it last year. You can see the before pictures here.
Join in- post your card on our linky party! No Stamps Required!


Sunday, December 19, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites-Baby Shower Gifts

Today, let's talk babies! I bet most everyone knows someone expecting a baby in 2011. I am at that season of life where there are lots of announcements, pregnant bellies, newborns and toddlers in my circle of friends. I was one of 15 people I knew pregnant when I was expecting Abby. Needless to say, I attend lots of baby showers. I have 2 coming up in January including one I am co-hosting with a woodland theme that I'll be sure to share.
Here are my three favorite simple crafts to give the new parents something handmade:

1. Alphabet Blocks
I have made many variations of these and just love doing them, well not the sanding part! Depending upon your time, supplies on hand, and finances, you can do initials, their full name or the full alphabet. Step-by-step directions are here.
2. Beaded Baby Spoons
These take no time at all and this idea could easily translate to other areas- serving pieces for a hostess gift, red and green beads for Christmas dinner. Everything you need to know to make your own beaded spoons is here.
3. Alphabet Flashcards
Give them a head start and learn letters, spelling and common objects with these flashcards. You can buy the full set online here and just print and laminate them at Kinkos.
Some other favorites include




Don't forget tomorrow is our linky party- share your Christmas card with your bloggy friends.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Fav Ornament Linky

Our second linky party- I'd love to see your favorite Christmas ornament. Is it a beautiful piece of shiny goodness? Holds a memory of a trip? A pipe cleaner treasure from your children?
Here is my Christmas tree. It is in the entry of my formal dining/living room and is a tall skinny tree. We had a big fat 6 foot in our old house and it just didn't work here. I love the skinny tree in this space and with my new red walls, the area looks so festive!
My tree has a theme- Americana maybe? I use lots of plaids, flannel, mittens, and sweaters. I have very few breakable ornaments. This Santa is my favorite- he is big with a sweater like yarn for his beard. I love the deep red of his hat and the porcelain of his skin. I don't think I bought him anywhere special, maybe Michael's?
Your turn! I'd love to see your tree and ornament.


Friday, December 17, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Fav Shoes

My favorite thing to buy is shoes! They always fit, make an outfit, come in so many colors and styles and are often very inexpensive!
I have shared both of these shoes before- they truly are my very favorites and I wear them often.

Leoni flat from Jessica Simpson, on sale at Nordstrom's
Sanuk Yoga Mat Sandals on Zappos

Thursday, December 16, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Fav Person

I hope you are enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas Favorites!
Today I am leaving the shopping, cooking and craft projects behind to tell you about my favorite person- Abigayle Lucille. She is also known as Abby, Abby Lu, Abs, Toot, Punkin, and most recently Chica. She made me a Mommy almost 2 years ago and I will be forever grateful.
Abby is the result of a 4 year infertility battle, lots of prayers, and a successful IVF on our first try. My husband and I were married more than 9 years when she was born. I am very blessed to be married to a strong confident man who went through so much to be able to make us parents- from invasive surgery, to giving me daily shots, to allowing me to blog about it all on our family blog. He is my second favorite person ;)
Abby is a smart, kind, spunky, funny kid! She is will be 2 on December 29th and is almost potty trained, can count to 5, knows 10 colors, and can spell Abby, Dada, and Mama. She likes to beat box like Biz Markie and sings back-to-back Jesus Loves Me and Rock and Roll All Nite by Kiss like they are one song. She prefers to do all this while standing on top of the bathroom counter or kitchen table and dancing. Her new favorite word is "Hallelujah" and she proclaims it with such joy and always says it twice!
She makes me laugh, makes me act silly and makes me smile more than I ever have. I sing only for her and make up funny songs on top of that.
I am forever grateful for the gift of Motherhood and love spending time with my favorite person in the whole world.

If you are struggling with infertility, know that you are not alone. I'd be honored to pray for you or share more details about our journey. Just email me at annajenk@yahoo.com.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

12 Days of Christmas Favorites- Blog Post and Linky

Welcome to Day 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas Favorites and welcome to my first linky party where we can all share our favorite blog post!
My very favorite blog post comes from one of my favorite days- my daughter's first birthday party. We had an Abby Cadabby party which must be a popular party idea since it is the most viewed post on my blog! (love the new Google stats!)
Click here for all the details from the day including: inexpensive front door sign, birthday garland, ice cream punch recipe, giveaway bag ideas, chandelier decor, and tissue pom poms.

Join in and share with us your favorite post from the past- the one with the post hits, most comments, most emotion, you decide!