The Weekly Capture

changes in 8 days //  hands // Santa Baby // why people move to Phoenix // traditions

 

 

8 days. That's all the time that  has passed between Tater visits. But she has changed. Her face looks different, less like her momma. And she does the cutest thing with her left hand. She wiggles her fingers, then moves her hand like a sideways snake, then wiggles the fingers some more. Not sure if she just discovered that she had some control over the movement of her fingers, or if she is doing some sort of a wave, but it sure seems like a deliberate, intentional movement.

 

Christmas was good. Most festivities happened on Christmas Eve. We crafted, we ate a ham dinner, we unwrapped present. We made lots of noise, shared tons of laughter, loved this life of ours. The tree was decorated on the Eve also, but only after a family vote helped sway me to make the effort. I like to call 2013 the year of "The Simple Christmas".

 

Christmas morning everyone slept in. Pancakes and bacon were consumed. And just general laziness happened. Then the sickness started. Mark and Alec caught some nasty stomach virus. And I wasn't feeling too great myself. Again, a family meeting was called. Do we continue the annual tradition of going to Zoo Lights, or take a pass this year? In the end, the 3 of us not feeling well stayed home and rested, and the rest headed out to meet grandparents and cousins and an aunt at Zoo Lights. It was odd being home alone. Not bad, but odd.

 

This was the year that things felt different. I can sense that our family time may be on the verge of change. What if Trev and his family move a bit further away from us? What will Christmas look like next year with Alec? As the kids get older and change is inevitable, I am holding firmly on to gratitude. I was trying to grasp every moment and enjoy it for what it was. I was truly happy to be surrounded by all those who are dearest to me this holiday season. Don't get me wrong, I would love for things to never change, but just to be safe, I am appreciating every little moment of my life......

 

And I'm looking forward to the promise of a new year and all the little moments that will come......

 

Linking up with Jeannette at Life Rearranged.

Money Jar

Now that it's the day after Christmas, it's time to start thinking about Christmas 2014.

No groaning!

I saw this great idea on Pinterest for saving a little bit every week in a money jar. You save the dollar amount that corresponds to the week of the year. Week 1 save 1 dollar, week 8 save 8 dollars. You get the idea.

Check out the full details at Life as You Live It.

It would be perfect for a Christmas fund.

The Bell Family will be starting this in the new year. Because with our growing family, we blew the cash budget this year. But next year I will rock the "no plastic" Christmas!

But I need to start now. Well, next week.

How about you? Were you a good budgeter for the holidays or did you break the bank?

Merry Christmas 2013

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

 

 

I Spy...

photos taken at The Phoenix Zoo. November 2013

 

Sometimes, if I'm lacking inspiration, I will pick a color to search for and then take a bunch of random photos. I'm always in love with what my eye spies. And no, today's color is not green.

Project Life (weeks 47-51)

Playing catch up on my Project Life album. Just a few weeks left.....

I'm really happy with the color choices for all 4 weeks. Feels like I'm starting to find "my style" with this project.

And I've been catching my kids flipping through the pages and laughing at different photos. I like how I'm capturing all the little moments along with the bigger ones. And I'm saving so many memories that would otherwise be forgotten.

How about you? Getting the bug to join in? Leave me a link in the comments if you already do PL and you blog or Intagram about it.

The Weekly Capture

childhood memory of feeding a certain family member this food rather than feeding it to my Baby Alive doll // I kinda like my adhesives to be permanent // new Target clearance finds, cause I needed another reason to prompt "What Does the Fox Say?" to run its loop in my head...google the song if you don't know what I'm talking about, if you even have wi-fi in that rock you must live under.....

 

 

found images on my camera roll of E // profile of me but looks like it could be my mom // sky porn // Fall colors now showing up in late December

 

 

scenes around the kitchen:

lots of homework to wrap up the 1st semester // afternoon light above the sink // adding a bit of color to my white dishes  // baking spree this week: brownies and cookies and chocolate chip muffins, oh my

 

Linking up with Jeannette at Living Rearranged.

 

Have an amazing weekend!



Disneyland 2013 (Day 1 )

Moments from Day 1 of Disneyland.

"Frozen" themed entrance.

Lots of time spent at Toontown.

Lots of Tater photos.

Even grown ups pose with characters (we had quite the chat with Jack).

The castle....sigh.

Sunday was Day 1. It was busy, but that was expected. We just skipped the long lines and took the crowds in stride. We hit the park at about 9 am (early for us) and stayed until closing at midnight. We did go back to the hotel for some chili, a nap, and to bundle up with coats and mittens.

Yes, there are many more photos to edit and share.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a magical day!

Christmas Printables

Because I'm super nice, I gathered a few Christmas printables for you.

Yep. I did.

Some are free, other cost a few measly dollars.

All are cute. For sure.



1.  A Spoon Full of Sugar Designs





2.  Inviting Printables






3.  Words That Express





4.  The Lion and the Lark





5.  Hoosier Homemade




Which is your favorite?

I can't decide between the chalkboard one (#5) and the simple Merry and Bright (#4)

I Spy....

 

photos taken November 2013. In a parking lot in Irvine, California.

 

One of things that I love most about blogging is that I look at my everyday world differently. I notice the little moments around me. Even in parking lots. Especially in the unexpected places!

The Weekly Capture

 

dino humor in the starbucks line // rainy roads on the way to Anaheim // dinner with these 2nd cousins // balloons get me every time // coolest store // chilling while I get my West Elm fix on

 

 

Yep. I'm a bit late this week. We spent most of the week at Disneyland, and while we had a wonderful time, I'm dreading the photo editing. Not only did I take hundreds of photos, but my kids did too and we're all going to share. Look for a post soon about our trip.

 

Today I'm sharing a few non-Disney photos from my cell phone. Made the choices a bit easier!

 

I'm not sure why I find the car decal so amusing, but I do. Made me chuckle.

 

It rained on the drive to Disneyland. We took 2 cars and the plan was to let the kids drive one until Riverside. But I always think Riverside is just outside Palm Springs. It's not. So my kids got to experience driving through some narrow, windy roads with lots of traffic and rain. They were not happy when we stopped for lunch. They gladly handed the keys over for the remainder of the drive.

 

We met family for dinner and had lots of fun visiting and letting the babies hang out together. So glad this happened!

 

We planned on taking a day off from Disney to hang by the pool and relax but it turned out to be windy and cold. Family voted to go to a mall (of course, I'm surrounded by teenagers) so I did a bit of research and off we went to the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. It's the country's 4th largest mall. Other than the holiday decorations, I was not impressed. It's too large to go from one end to the other (although we did) and I thought it was a bit snooty there. Not my scene! But they had this great bouquet of balloons. I wanted a photo op with Tater, but the kind lady in charge said NO.

 

The only store I really enjoyed was the Land of Nod. I've seen the catalog, but not a store. It was amazing. I mean, really amazing. Everything was bright and colorful and soft and fun. And the staff was so friendly. It's a bit pricey, but I think well worth it for a special gift. There was a rainbow striped throw that I can't stop thinking about (hint, hint Santa). If you get the chance, you should stop and check out the store. It is pure color inspiration!

 

We drove home through San Diego so of course we had to stop at the West Elm in Mission Valley to stock up on grapefruit scented diffusers. Heavenly. Mark and Tater hung out on a comfy couch while I touched everything in the store. That store is definitely on my "Happy Place" list!

 

Hope you are having a great weekend. Time to head to work.

 

Linking up with Jeannette at Life Rearranged.