Hi you guys!!
While I'm working on a different post that will go up tomorrow…
I thought I'd share with you this "Giving Thanks" book by Compendium.
I'll be using it for my own Thanksgiving Dinner with family next week and thought you might want to hurry and order one for yourself as well.

The thought of sitting around the table this year…
knowing there is forever an empty seat with the recent loss of my cousin…
well…I just figured this book would be a great thing to use to continue the healing process for all of us. I'm a believer that when we acknowledge our gratitude for the smallest of details…especially during the difficult, trying times...we continue to find things to be grateful for.

Hope you are inspired to start this new tradition with your family this year as well.

See more details and photos of the book on the Compendium website.
Although it's currently sold out on the Live-Inspired website...
you can still purchase Giving Thanks on Amazon.

Love you guys!!
xoxo

KEEPiNG iT REAL
Hand me a box of tissues please.
Between the cold I'm fighting, thinking about Holly and the emotion this video conjures up about family and family holiday traditions...I'm just not able to hold back the tears or the sniffling today! #emotional

LiFE | Fields of Wildflowers

We've got beautiful fields of wildflowers in our area during the months of April and May.

Through the years, I've taken advantage of photographing my older girls in them when they were pint-size.

This past weekend was Ella's turn to finally have her photos taken in them.

Ella was more than thrilled to be dressed up like a princess…

surrounded by beautiful flowers…

creating a huge beautiful bouquet with them...

while I was happily snapping photographs of her. 

She actually enjoys having her photos taken - polar opposite of her older sisters.

I hope she doesn't grow out of that...

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking today...

Ella Scarlet - Wildflower Fields - April 2013

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Small grasshoppers kept getting caught in the crinoline layers of Ella's dress during the photos.

I didn't DARE say anything about them - even though I was trying not to freak out.

I just quickly kept brushing them off and she never had a clue! *wink*

holiday | 2011 Holiday Recap

Since my Christmas tree is still up...(no laughing anyone)
I figured I could still get away with sharing with you my recap of our holidays...

• LOTS OF HOLIDAY BAKING • 

I'm so glad I caught these photos of Ella helping me sift powdered sugar one day...

She got a  little carried away with spinning the handle...
making it an adorable photo to capture after she unexpectedly dusted herself...*wink*

• ANNUAL COOKIE BAKING •
Our annual cookie baking was a HUGE success.
While the adults focused on making traditional cookies...
The kids had fun with their annual task of decorating the sugar cookies.
They are getting quite creative as they get older...
We had everything from a "baby elf", several melted snowmen and even a bearded gingerbread man...

Things got even better when I broke out the "Disco Dust"...
Next thing I knew the girls were using it as eye shadow and lip gloss...
(I LOVED the look so much, I just may consider doing it for my next "GLAM" outing). *wink*

• ELF ON THE SHELF TRADITION BEGINS • 
This year, our family welcomed our sweet little adopted Elf named Stuart.
He surprised us each morning with a new,  precarious hiding place...

• MINI ELF DONUTS •
Because he was such a funny little elf and added an extra element of magic to our holidays...
We decided to make him some mini Elf Donuts and left them with Santa's cookies and milk...
He must've loved them because they were all gobbled up when we awoke Christmas morning... *wink*


I know the Christmas holidays have passed...
but I hope you've taken a minute to recap/document your own festivities of 2011.

Stay tuned for our:
"Family Wishes" Project

KEEPiNG iT REAL

I. am. soooooo behind...

on absolutely every aspect of my life right now!

Stay focused Jessica!

Just. stay. focused!  *wink*

holiday | Elf on the Shelf

When my cousin mentioned Elf on the Shelf at Thanksgiving...
I KNEW it was a tradition I wanted to start with my family this year...

You get a book explaining the story...
and a cute little "scout elf" that reports back to Santa each night while you sleep.

You even have to name your Elf...

We chose "Stuart" as the name for our little Elf.
He's got quite a sense of humor...
 showing up in different, sometimes precarious places, each morning.



Today, we found him singing Silent Night while sitting
right in the middle of our Willow Tree Nativity Scene.

He's been a fun addition to our Holiday Traditions...

Here are a few videos taken straight from the Elf on the Shelf website...
I think you'll find them quite entertaining...









Hope you all are enjoying these last few days of holiday preparations...

KEEPiNG iT REAL

No lights on the house or bushes...yet.

Holiday cards ordered just last night...

Wrapping to be started...

Shopping to be finished...

Tree is up and decorated but still missing the tree skirt...

Ate a good majority of the cookies I was going to give away as gifts for the neighbors...

Still feeling jolly though...

how about you? *wink*

holiday | Happy Halloween 2011

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Love these little ghost cookies the kids made for our Annual Operation Phantom Pumpkin?

My three girls and two of my cousins spent their day off of school last Monday...baking!

And helping to prepare the Phantom Pumpkin treats we'd be delivering to neighbors and family...

Kalie, my 15 year old cousin, frosted most all of the cookies.
 Then between her, Ema and Beau, (my 12 year old cousin),
they added the little black eyes to create little ghosts.

We waited until it was dark and then it was time...
The usual dark shirts, black under our eyes, treats and signs printed & ready to go.

We decided to wrap all of our treats (cookies & candy) in tissue paper rolls this year. *wink*
The girls did a GREAT job wrapping them and tying them off with curly ribbon.

It's an annual tradition we all look forward to every year...
I just can't believe it's been over 15 years I've been doing this!
I don't even feel 15.
(most days anyway) *wink*
It's nuts!!

Thanks Kalie & Beau for the extra help this year!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
Be safe everyone and have fun!!

KEEPiNG iT REAL

Aside from preparing the paper printables and making the frosting...

the kids really did everything else. 

Oh...

I forgot.

I did have to clean up the mess...

I'll have to work with them more on that next year! *wink*

12 days of SIMPLE holiday gift giving • day 12

Day 12.

Can you believe it's the last day of our "12 Days of SIMPLE Holiday Gift Giving"?

If you are like me,

you still have shopping to finish...

neighbor treats to deliver...

and presents to wrap.

I could easily get bitten by that Scrooge Virus I mentioned a couple of days ago.

But I'm warding it off by being true to my daily dose of holiday music...

my pot of "simmering Christmas"...

and I'm determined to meet my "Holiday Surprise Challenge" I posted on Day 10.

I'm looking forward to reading our Christmas Story tonight with the girls...

having them open their Christmas pajamas (our annual Christmas Eve tradition)...

and wrapping things up. (literally and figuratively).

We've accomplished a lot over the last 12 days.

I think it's time to wind things down and

prepare ourselves for a little bit of...

Day TWELVE

One of my most favorite things to do during the holidays is to sit alone near the Christmas tree...

snuggled up on the couch with a warm blanket...

Everyone else asleep...

everything quiet...

and lights off...

except for the ones on the tree.

I'll occasionally put on some Christmas music - depending on my energy level...

And I'll just sit.

There's something that's so peaceful about looking at the tree and all of the pretty white lights...

Just sitting there contemplating...

I haven't had that opportunity yet this year.

But I will be doing that tonight.

And my thoughts will more than likely start and end with reflection.

Reflection of my childhood Christmases...

the magic...

the traditions I love and remember...

the silver tinsel my grandparents used on their tree...

the annual Estee Lauder makeup kits my grandmother always picked out for her daughters...

the mini bottles of liquor my grandfather would have me wrap up for the mailman and others...

the year I got a puppy for Christmas...

the one Christmas Eve night my mom awakened me to point out Santa's sleigh in the sky...

(I still remember not really seeing what she was pointing to but believing he was there)...

my grandmother's cream cheese cookies and her cookie press...

(we use it every year at our annual family cookie baking night)

Reflection of the Christmases over the past 14 years as a mom...

the traditions we've started as a family...

the gifts for my kids that seem to get more and more expensive each year because they are growing up...and because we live in a world of ever-changing computer technology...

the homemade ornaments that are now a "completed collection" because the girls no longer bring them home from school.

the "Christmas" pre-school plays that have now evolved into "Winter" band concerts...

the annual tradition of taking the girls to see the NutCracker ballet that I haven't done in almost 4 years. (so much for tradition...*wink*)

and of course...hoping the girls will experience true excitement opening their gifts...

and most especially that they'll be sincerely grateful.

Reflection about my grandparents...

How very much I miss them...

the wonderful Christmas memories they provided that were rich in tradition.

how much I wish I could share another Christmas with both of them.

the many things I would say...

the things I would thank them for...

the questions I would ask if I had the opportunity.

the hugs and kisses I would shower them both with.

Reflection about this closing holiday season...

things that helped make it all the more meaningful:

our movie night together...

the cups of hot chocolate and marshmallows I made for the girls...

the tree falling over...

the holiday card from the "recycle man"...

being anonymously "elfed"...

our "self-timer" holiday cards...(I'll share those tomorrow)

the annual cookie baking night with my girls, my mom, my aunt and two cousins...

our trip to "Santa's Tree Forest" where the girls picked out the most PERFECT tree EVER!!

watching my older girls put real thought into gifts for other people this year - without my encouragement.

personalized homemade "letter" cookies made 100% by my 11 year old, Ema.

gifts created and wrapped 100% by my 14 year old Clara -

all of the baking...

and so much more.

how grateful I am for being SO blessed...

with so much.

my heart really is full.

and my holidays couldn't be more "happy".

I've enjoyed these 12 days of SIMPLE holiday gift giving...

they've done more for me and my family than I ever expected.

I hope you found it to be the same for you!

Happy Christmas Eve everyone...

Take some time for reflection...

even if it's just to count your blessings.

SIMPLE HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING IDEA

Take a minute at some point today and share one of your favorite holiday memories with your kids.

And then ask them what their favorite holiday memory is.

The gift of sitting with them, listening and sharing is by far the best gift you could possibly give them.

Need a recap?

Day ONE - holiday music

Day TWO - holiday scents

Day THREE - holiday lights

Day FOUR - holiday greetings

Day FIVE - holiday cheer

Day SIX - holiday movie

Day SEVEN - holiday warmth

Day EIGHT - holiday sentiments

Day NINE - holiday baking

Day TEN - holiday surprises

Day ELEVEN - holiday stories

KEEPING IT REAL

I was completely caught off guard by the rush of emotion I experienced while typing this post; the tears wouldn't stop.

I really am so grateful.

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!

I love you!

French Farmer's Market Thanksgiving - the decor

It's the very last day of November...

I figured I'd better hurry up and post about our Thanksgiving before we are officially into December.

I've got so many photos to share so I'm hoping you'll get lost in the imagery...

The idea to host Thanksgiving this year began with the purchase of our new home back in April.

Having never hosted Thanksgiving or any other holiday before...we knew we finally had a home that would accommodate a large crowd comfortably.

So the planning began...

After deciding on a French Farmer's Market theme...(a theme I was originally going to use for Ella's 2nd birthday party)...I started researching Farmer's markets and focused on finding little details I could incorporate to make our Thanksgiving feel authentic. (baskets, fabrics, etc.)

Here's where we would all eventually gather...

at the 11x3 foot custom harvest table we had made.

(more details on this in a separate post)

I wanted things to feel simple and organic and

I chose fabrics, dishes, utensils and decor that felt "French" to me...

I LOVE this French ticking I found in ivory/brown...

I felt it added a nice contrast to the floral fabrics I'd picked out

And that's how the color palette evolved into creams, brown, orange and vintage blue...

which then led to the creation of the Fall 2010 Kids' Table Collection.

With the table for the kids figured out...

it was time to move on to the adult table.

I opted for a cotton fabric that resembled vintage flour sacks for the table runner - it was PERFECT.

(even though burlap would've looked great - I felt it's distinct smell would be distracting during dinner)

My mom sewed it together for me and then we worked together to create the fringed ends.

(She and my older girls also worked to make all of the coordinating napkins too).

I kept the centerpiece decor pretty simple by using small fibrous pumpkins

wrapped in the coordinating fabrics and twine.

Mason jars were filled with lentils and a simple tealight

and were surrounded by a few acorns the girls and I had collected weeks prior...

The grapevine wreath design element I created for the invitations...

was carried over into the decor

by using mini wreaths to wrap the silverware...

hanging two large wreaths on the front doors to greet people as they arrived...

and incorporating two large wreaths on the french doors in the dining area.

When my search for goblet-style drinking glasses didn't turn up much, I settled on the stand-by mason jars.

I also created chalkboard place card settings by spray painting pre-cut triangular wood pieces from Hobby Lobby

and then hot gluing a small square wood piece to the back to keep them standing upright.

I wrapped fabric around the scented soy candles strategically placed throughout our home...

I wrapped the wheat bundles I had diplayed on the fire place mantle in the dining room...

I used chicken wire and an old window to create a place for everyone to write down & display

what they were most grateful for...

and the sentiment I'm sure we all were feeling...

Now...

the dessert table deserves a post all on it's own...

Stay tuned for all of the details...

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving Day celebrations with your own family.

I know I have a lot to be grateful for and I intend to carry that spirit of gratitude into the December holidays as well.

hugs!

Jessica

KEEPING IT REAL

• I was still adding floral picks to the wreaths in the dining area after family began arriving...

• I was fighting a cold/allergies that was zapping me of energy and was seriously wondering how I would get through the entire night...

• I had wanted the mason jars wrapped in fabric but ran out of time...

• The 25 pound turkey we cooked provided enough leftovers that I don't want to look at turkey again - for a LONG time.

AND.....

• I could NOT have pulled this off without the tremendous help from my mom and stepdad, Rick.

They worked for weeks helping me create the foundation for the dessert table - you'll see that later...

along with creating the table runner & napkins.

But it gets even better...

I showed up to my house late Wednesday afternoon to discover a squeaky clean home - accomplished by the group effort of my mom, Rick and my two older girls. WOW!!

Could there have been a more perfect way to come home and prepare for the hours of baking ahead of me?

Thanks Mom, Rick, Clara & Ema!! I love you!!!

And thank you Grandpa Wayne & Grandma Debbie from Illinois for watching Ella on Wednesday so everyone could finish up all of the preparations!!

It was seriously a group effort!!

I'm SO lucky to have so many people in my life who were willing to help!

I of course can't forget to mention J...

the man who overlooked the chaos during planning...

helped keep us on a budget...

and supported, encouraged and uplifted me through the entire process!! Love you!!