Budget Friendly Christmas Decor :)

So, this year I am trying to keep my spending on Christmas decor to a minimum so I will have more to spend on my favorite little boy.  :)  I used mostly what I already had but wanted to do a couple different things this year.  Like with my set of candle holders that I got a few years ago.  They came with these hideous white ball candles.
Lovely, aren't they?  I don't know why it never occured to me to get something different...

But this year, I decided I wanted some faux cranberries (or any red berries) instead of the ugly candles.  Well, the faux cranberries were not easy to find and I was getting impatient (as usual.)  So, I decided to go with real cranberries.  I'm not sure if they will last until Christmas but they seem to be holding up ok so far.  And at $2 a bag, I can afford to change them out if I need to.  I'm glad I decided to go with the real ones since faux cranberries probably would not have been cheap.  I love how much better these look now  :)

Best $2 I ever spent  :)  Well...maybe.  haha!

Ok, so that brings me to budget-friendly item #2!

I loved the wreath on my chandelier for fall so much that I wanted to do one for Christmas, too.  I had planned on buying a small, artificial wreath for it, but...today I had an idea when I was looking outside at the rain.  :)  We have Cypress trees at the back of our property that the builders planted when they built the house.  They have grown quite big and I saw them towering above my fence and thought, I could totally cut some branches off those and make my own little wreath.  So, I put my rainboots & hoodie on, grabbed some scissors (couldn't find the pruning shears) and went out back to cut me some greenery! 

I fashioned a little wreath out of some branches & wire and added it to my chandelier.  I piled on more greenery till I thought it looked ok, but it needed some color so I got out the ol' glue gun & added some of my leftover cranberries :) 

Me likey  :) 

The best part about this wreath is that it was FREE!  yay  :p

And...just for kicks...here are a couple pics I took of my little cutie yesterday.  He was being an angel and actually cooperated while I took his photos!  I was overjoyed! 

(He was showing me his 'ear.')

p.s. I'm linking up to...

Christmas Time is Here!

Today I started putting up our Christmas decor!  Well, technically I started a couple days ago with my Christmas card holder but today was the day we put up the tree (which has yet to be decorated with ornaments) and got out all of our things from the garage.  I am using mostly things we already have this year since I got a bunch of new decorations a couple years ago but I have added a couple newcomers including my DIY wreath  ;) 
I had planned to finish pretty much all of the decorating today since Jeff had the day off, but I ended up sleeping in (I was up till about 4am last night) and being a little lazy early on in the day so we got a late start.  I guess we'll be finishing up tomorrow!  Anyway, here is a little bit of what I have done so far. 

I love changing the decor of this table in my entry each season.  I decided to hang my wreath from last year above the table and I really like the added touch! 

These canisters in the kitchen are normally filled with faux pears but I thought it would be fun to do ornaments ;)  They are a little bright and shiny but I just used what I had. 

More to come when I get the rest of the house finished as well as the tree!  I love Christmas time!!!

My new Christmas card holder!

So, Pottery Barn has this gorgeous gilt frame card holder that is perfect for displaying Christmas cards!

  It's perfect in every way...well, almost.  The price is $199!!!  :-/
THEN, I saw where one of my favortie bloggers, Lemonade Makin' Mama made one of these!  (Tutorial found here.)

(*img used with permission*)
Isn't hers gorgeous???  I mean, it turned out amazing!  So amazing that it inspired me to make one of my own!  Mine was somewhat of a simple project since I decided to use a frame that I already had.  It was only a 16x20, so I knew that it would be a much smaller version than the original PB and LMM's but I was ok with that if it meant I didn't have to build a frame  ;)  So, I painted the frame red, distressed it a little, added some wire & mini clothespins and voila!  I LOVE it!!!  Here are a couple terrible photos of how it turned out!  :p

My 'joy' letters are a little large, but that is the size they came in.  I was so happy to get them 50% off at Hobbly Lobby.  They had discontinued the 'Y' and it was in a completely different aisle.  I had to ask for help to find them but I am so glad I did because I almost gave up on getting it!   

Well, that's all for now I have lots more decorating to do and a little boy that needs a nap  ;) 

If you want to make one of these card holders, be sure to check out LMM's post, she did a great job explaining how to make them! 

Happy decorating!  :)

Thankful

So, technically it's the day after Thanksgiving (a.k.a. Black Friday) but I am planning to dive right into my Christmas decorating and my blogs will be consumed with that for a bit so I didn't want to forget my blog of thanks. 
Unfortunately there are many things in life that I simply take for granted.  For instance, my health, home, family, friends, cars, etc...  And sadly, though I have a lot, I often want for more.  A bigger house, bigger car, newer home furnishings, more money, etc...  It's so easy to compare what I have to others who have more and feel sorry for myself, yet if I compare what I have to the many that have so much less than I do, I quickly realize how blessed I truly am!  And though I have moments of selfishness, I know that I really am very blessed with much more than I deserve. 
God has given me so much but here are a few things that top my list!  A wonderful, patient and understanding husband, a beautiful, amazing little boy who has changed my world and the opportunity to live my dream of being a stay-at-home-mommy.  This is something that has not always been easy financially, but it is very important to us and God always provides.  I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the opportunity to spend every day with my son who grows WAY too fast.  I don't take for granted this precious time with him.
 
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and took some time to thank God for His many blessings. 
I wish I had something eloquent and profound to say in closing, but it's 3am and I am just exhausted!  Did I mention I spent 3 hours in the craziness of Toys R Us (most of which was spent in lines) for a Christmas gift for Hayden?  It wasn't all bad, I had my sweet hubby to keep me company and we kept each other entertained.  ;)
p.s.  Sorry for posting with no pics, it's terrible of me to do so since I myself do not like reading a blog post that does not include at least one picture.  Forgive me!

Mellow Monday

Cheesy name for a post?  Maybe, but it describes my Monday.  Hayden and I have spent most of the day just relaxing and hanging out here at the house.  I think it's a pretty good way to spend a Monday  :)

Please excuse the crappy quality of some of these, I think I had my ISO's on the wrong setting...

I broke down & started giving the kid fruit cups since a lot of fruit is out of season right now & well...it's just easier!  BUT, I drain all the syrup and rise it first  ;)  My hubby said "the syrup is the best part!"  Umm, yeah!  It's pure sugar!  :p

I have also been getting inspiration for, daydreaming about, and planning my Christmas decor for this year.  One of the projects I have in mind includes doing something fun with this frame!  (and no, its not a wreath!)  *wink*

It's a 16x20 and as you can see it needs a little dusting  ;)  I can't wait to show you what I have planned for it!

Happy Monday!

Round 2!

Ok, I have a problem.  Not sure if you would call it perfectionism or just crazy, but I obsess over things if I think they are not 'just so.'  Like for instance, if I re-decorate or re-arrange something in the house, I will not rest if I think something is 'off' about it.  It drives me insane because I can't just let it go.  I have to keep messing with it until I am satisfied.  Sometimes it means staying up half the night, making an extra trip (or two or three...) to the store, having Jeff help, searching on the internet for hours, whatever it takes.  Well, the same applied to our Christmas card photos this year.  I was so upset about Hayden not cooperating and our outfits not really matching that I decided I had to re-do them.  So, I set out to find new outfits for all of us and begged my sweet friend Taryn to take them.  She happily agreed (being the sweet soul that she is) and I was excited to have a second chance at our family photos. 
Um....the only thing that went better this time was the outfit situation (we coordinated better this time.)  Hayden on the other hand...was in no mood for pics...again.  Taryn was trying desperately to make him laugh, smile, look at the camera, etc. but he was very resistant!  We did, however,  manage to get a few where he was not crying or flailing.  Here are a couple that I didn't use for the card, but turned out cute :)


As you can see...he was resisting in this one  ;)

(sigh) I know I'm a total nut, but I guess there are some things I will just have to let go of since being a mom.  One of them:  having perfect family photos  ;)

Thankful Thursday

Wow, I can't believe Thanksgiving is one week away! I thought today I would make this post about thankfulness. I know that I take a lot forgranted and am not as thankful as I should be for my life and many blessings.
I am thankful for my wonderful husband and beautiful little boy. They are my world. I am also SO very thankful for the opportunity to be a stay-at-home-mommy. It's truly a wonderful gift that I try to never take for granted. There is no other job in this entire world I would rather have. And today, I am thankful for friends. I have some great ones and I couldn't make it as a SAHM without the adult interaction & support I get from them. Good friends are hard to find and I'm so lucky to have mommy friends that have kids the same age as Hayden. We are all going through 'stages' together and it helps to have other moms that I can relate to. And it makes me so happy that Hayden has playmates since he stays home with me and wouldn't otherwise get lots of interaction with other kids (except at church in the nursery.)
Anyway, we had a little playdate at the park today and it was nice to chat and let the kids play. I took some shots of Hayden with his friend Bryce. His friend Victoria was there earlier and I wanted to get a picture of all the kids together but that didn't happen (it tends to get a little chaotic at a park with toddlers & other kids running everywhere.)
The boys were so cute together and my friend Taryn (Bryce's mommy) was being silly and getting them to ham it up for the camera! I think I need to bring her along whenever I get Hayden's photos taken... ;)
Here is a little bit of the cuteness that went on between the boys...
(they were pointing to their body parts in a lot of them. Taryn would ask "where's your tongue?" etc...) It was pretty adorable.

Paci Love

Ahh, it's a rainy Monday afternoon and my little man is taking a nap. I love having this little bit of alone time during the day and it gave me a perfect opportunity to blog :)

I have known for a while now that we need to take Hayden's paci away. He is not a baby
anymore and I don't want him to still have it when he is 5... Of course, that was a bit of an exaggertation, but there are plenty of kids out there who have them for way too long. Before I had Hayden, it always sort of annoyed me when I saw a kid over the age of 2 with a paci (or a bottle for that matter.) But, Hayden is now 18 months and I see myself inching closer and closer to being one of 'those parents.' ;) Although I took his bottle when he was 12 months, I have found it more difficult to get rid of his paci. He needs it for sleep and I just dread trying to put him down without it. Plus, I happen to think that he is totally adorable with his paci, which is maybe another reason why I have yet to take it. And he just loves the things. He will have one and if he finds another one, he wants that one too. He will have one in his mouth and one in his hand and switch them out. It's hilarious. I have no idea what goes through that kid's mind.
Last night, I was playing with him in his room and he had 2 pacis. He was trying to give them to me, then all of a sudden, they both ended up in his mouth at the same time. It was so funny and I immediately yelled for Jeff to get the camera so he could snap a few shots.

But seriously, we need to take the paci for good. Soon. :(

The Reality of Family Photos with Children :)

So, I was pretty excited to do our family Christmas card photos today. My friend Candace, who is a photographer, and I decided to do a little 'trading' and take each others family pictures so we met up at the park with our families for a little photo session. Sounds easy enough, right? ;)

I've been looking forward to doing these photos and spent a lot of time planning and purchasing our outfits, imagining how cute they would be and what our cards might look like this year. But, the reality of it was far different than I picured (isn't it always?) For starters, I was disappointed that my red scarf was not the same red as Hayden's shirt/vest and mine actually looked orange in comparison...of course I did not realize this until afterwards when I looked at the pictures. :) But, that was the least of my worries. Hayden was in no mood for pictures and was pretty uncooperative. He would not be still for 1 second so I could compose a half-way decent shot and refused to look at the camera and stop biting on his nail for the family shots. Poor Candace had the same issues with her little man not cooperating. We both quickly realized that this was not going to be an easy task, nor were we gonna get the shots we were hoping for. Thankfully, I think we both managed to get a couple where the kids aren't trying to escape or looking angry.

After Candace and her family left, I attempted to get some shots of Jeff & Hayden together and Hayden by himself. He let me get one or two of him with Jeff but the cutesy little sitting-nicely-and-smiling photos I had envisioned proved elusive. Hayden had made his mind up that he was not in the picture-taking mood (this had been a trend lately.) He was in the same 'mood' when we had his 18 month/Christmas pics as well as the Strasburg pictures.
Anyhoo, I guess that's life with a toddler ;) I'm posting a few 'out-takes' of some of the photos that won't be making their way onto our Christmas card this year. As for the ones that will, I am keeping those a surprise for our family and friends that will be receiving them in their mailboxes. :) So, make sure I have your address so you won't miss out on our little card this year <3 Out-takes from Scarbrough family Christmas pics:
Take one:

I look ridiculous but I was trying desperately to get him to look at the camera...
(Photo captured by Candace Wilson)


Take two:
Attempting to get him to cooperate for a family pic...
(Photo captured by Candace Wilson)


Take three:
Yep.


Take four:
Not. interested. at. all.
(Photo captured by Candace Wilson)

Awe, it was fun times :p (Oh, and notice the difference in reds? Ugh, its killing me!) I may have to go black and white...hmmmm.

Dear Blog Readers:

To my faithful 'followers' (all 17 of you!) and the ones that read it but aren't official followers ...shame, shame ;)
I have not been purposely neglecting my little blog. I had an unfortunate 'incident' with my beloved Mac. Long story short, it suffered some "moisture damage" and several letters (sort of need those) and my trackpad little mouse thingy do. not. work. *tears* SO, I scored a sweet deal on a laptop (PC) *more tears* at WalMart because I can't live without a laptop. I mean, I just can't. (You fellow SAHM's understand.) BUT, I don't yet have my beloved photo editing software installed on the new computer and I don't have a way of transferring my photos from the old computer even though I can still access/edit them on the old one. (Apparently not all flash drives are compatible with Mac and PC's?) I don't know, I am not a computer whiz, I just miss my blog and I can't bring myself to post without fun little pictures. I mean, who wants to read a blog with no pics? Not me.
I hope to be back in bloggy land soon. Miss me yet? ;)

18 Months Young

18 months...wow! I remember when I used to describe his age in days, then weeks, then single digit months months...soon I will need to start saying it in years (I think I'll do that when he turns two...I just can't bring myself to be the weirdo that says "he is 29 1/2 months.") I can't expect people to do that kinda math, plus I'm sure I would get some strange looks ;)
Back on the subject... I can't believe it has been a year and a half since I became a mother. Now that I am one, it's hard to remember life before I was! I can't imagine my life without that little boy. He makes every day bright. He can make me smile & laugh even on my worst days. There are so many things I love about him. ~how he gets the absolute biggest grin on his face when I start reading a book that he brought me to read to him.

~how he hugs me and feels sorry for me when I (fake) cry
~how he dances when he hears music that he likes
~how he has a cold mouth after he drinks his milk
~how he calls babies 'bobb-y'
~how he loves to imitate mommy & daddy
~how he loves to kiss the page on his favorite book "A Mother for Choco" that shows the Ms. Bear kissing Choco.
~how he says 'ball' when we pull into Target parking lot because he loves to slap the big, red 'balls' that they have near the entrance.
~how he smells in the morning (even if it is mixed with a slight pee smell...)
~how excited he gets when he sees 'daddy.'

Well, I could probably go on for years with that bit, but I'll spare you all ;) It's just that he has brought so much joy into our lives. And even though before you become a parent you know you will love your child, you don't realize just how great a love you will have for that child and how you will no longer really care about yourself but only protecting, loving and nurturing this little person. What an amazing gift God blessed us with!

Then there are days where I lose my patience and am not the mommy I should be. I don't like those days. I hope that I can be a better mommy every day because that little boy deserves the best mommy in the world.

And lately, he has been amazing me with how smart he is and how fast he learns. Here he is showing off a few of his 'body parts' that he has been learning.
"Ear"

"Hair"

"Nose"

"Belly Button"

"Teeth"


Sorry again about the enormous pictures, I am still having issues re-sizing them once I upload them... :-/

Halloween Weekend

We had a great time this weekend dressing our little man up in his costumes and using him to get candy letting him trick or treat! :) He looked totally adorable in both his costumes and seemed to enjoy himself although he doesn't yet understand Halloween. I think next year will be a lot more fun for him and I'm already excited about it! he he.

On Thursday we took him to Boo at the Zoo and he was Spiderman...

Then, for Trunk or Treat at church, he was a giraffe...



Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween as well!