Baby jail

December 9, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

Ruari,

I found you like this the other day. I heard you wake up from your nap… You sounded happy… So, I just let you hang out in your crib. I listened to you babble and “talk” to yourself for 20 minutes. Then you started to sound frustrated… I came into your room and found you like this:

You gave me a big smile and bobbed your legs when I came in. AND, before I helped you out of your baby jail… I HAD to get a couple photos. I love your little feet. You love them in your pajamas. Talking to them like they’ll talk back.

It’s hard to believe that just 4 months ago we were wondering if you’d EVER roll over. Now your crawling and ~~terrorizing~~ exploring the whole house! Pulling up on everything. You love to walk while holding onto our hands. This kills my back, but I still love to do this with you.

Tonight you stood up on your own! You didn’t really know you did it though. You stood up and grabbed my hands to pull them to you… So I could hold you up! But, you did it all on your own. I’m sure you’ll realize that soon enough.

9 more days. 9 more days you will be 1 year old. I thought your birthday would be a sad or hard time for me, but it’s not. I am tearing up a bit remembering this time last year… almost losing my life… possibly losing you… But, that didn’t happen. We’re both alive and well.

Christmas has always been a favorite time of mine. I’ve been looking forward to sharing this love of this holiday with my children. I’m happy that even with everything that happened last Christmas… I’m LOVING Christmas this year.

Thank you for being awesome! Thank you for being so silly and crazy. Thank you for cuddling with me. Thanks for being the best baby ever.

Love,

Mama

Could we get a vote?

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Wordless{ish} Wednesday: I LOVE free tutorials!

December 8, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

{So, I’m a sort of collector of tutorials… slippers, ornaments, baby room decor, and even sling backpacks! I have a tutorial for them all. I keep a special folder in my bookmarks tab for tutorials I love…. Just hoping that SOMEday I’ll make them. Here are a few of my favorites for all of you to enjoy too. Hopefully there’s something here you could use for the holidays!}

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{Sling backpack:}

{I’d like to make a little sling backpack to use as a gym bag. Nice and small. Easy to wash and carry. This tutorial looks pretty simple!}

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{Ice Lanterns:}

{These lanterns are so freakin easy (and cheap) that I think I’ll have to give them a try! Not too sure about how long they’ll last at my place… BUT, I think they would be cute for the day of Ruari’s birthday party!}

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{SUPER simple felt tree skirt at Martha Stewart:}

{This looks SO simple! And cute!}

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{Baby booties at Martha Stewart:}

{Ok, aren’t those booties the cutest? How about this… a blogger adjusted an recreated these booties to fit her feet! Made from an old sweater. I’m in LOVE with these adult booties! Ok, someone that likes to sew should make these for me and I’ll give you something from my Etsy shop. I’m a size 7. Thanks! ;D}

{Simple Up}

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{Camera Strap Cover by Rachel at And, Then She Snapped!:}

{I love ruffle camera strap covers!}

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{Gumdrop Wreath Tutorial by the Paper Mama:}

{Yeah, I like my tutorial. 😀 Amanda at Pretty Little Life followed my tutorial and made a VERY cute green and red wreath! Check it out!}

{If you have a Wordless{ish} Wednesday, please feel free to post it below. And, feel free to link up to these blogs too… (Wordless Wednesday HQ, 5 Minutes For Mom, Parenting by Dummies, Jolly Mom, Go Graham Go, Supermom, and My Wee View.). Happy Wednesday to all of you! Don’t forget to check the announcements above the posts. Giveaways and the photo challenge: Food.}

{If you think these tutorials are TOTALLY

awesome, I would love a vote!}

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?

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Tuesday Challenges

December 7, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

Shutter Love Tuesday’s: Zoom Zoom

Photo Freak: Sepia and Simplicity: Favorite Photo

{This photo is entered in the Dumb Mom Smile Contest}

Right now, this is my favorite photo. These smiles make my holiday awesome. By the way: I am participating in the Invisalign Teen Bright Smiles Holiday Photo Contest with Dumb Mom. You should too!

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Winners of the 2010 Holiday Card Challenge

December 7, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

Wow… There were over 700 unique votes for the 20 finalists! But, there can only be four…. And, after working out a bit of a tie between 3rd and 4th place… we have our winners!

Here they are……………………. Starting with the 4th place:

Fourth Place:

{Entry}

The lovely Ashley Sisk from Ramblings and Photos! Ashley won this spot with 68 votes (which was tied to Mama and the Dudes below… and broken with a tie vote off!). Congrats Ashley! You are welcome to grab the fourth place button below for your blog post!

Third Place:

{Entry}

The lovely Mandey from Mama and the Dudes! Mandey won this spot with 68 votes (which was tied to Ashley Sisk… and broken with a tie vote off!). Congrats Mandey! You are welcome to grab the third place button below for your blog post!

Second Place:

{Entry}

The lovely Jessica from Tart! Jessica won this spot with 91 votes! Congrats Jessica! You are welcome to grab the Second place button below for your blog post!

<a href=”https://thepapermama.blogspot.com”><img src=”http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/5241950372_2bb446ab59.jpg” alt=”The Paper Mama” width=”150″ height=”150″ /></a>

AND, the winner of the 2010 Holiday Card Challenge is………….

First place:

{Entry}

The lovely Chana from Mamma Town! Chana won this spot with 101 votes! Congrats Chana! You are welcome to grab the first place button below for your blog post!

I will be contacting you four shortly to discuss the prizes you’ve won!

And, here’s the list of the top 10 this year:
First: Mamma Town
2nd: Tart
3rd: Mama and the Dudes
4th: Ashley Sisk
5th: Holly Days
6th: Chronicles of Corbin
7th: Luvin Life
8th: The Daily Wyatt
9th: West Word
10th: Barely Measured

Thank you to everyone that entered a card! They were all so awesome! If you were in the top 20 and would like a button for your blog too, here you are!

Looking forward to: The 2011 Valentines Day Card Challenge! Once again…. Many prizes! Start planning now! The challenge will be up and running in January. I hope to see you all again! The rules will pretty much be the same… Photo required! 😀

If you thought the Holiday Card Challenge

was the Bees Knees… Could we get a vote? 😀

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?

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Tree hunting.

December 7, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

Our little family went tree and ornament hunting this weekend! Mike and I started a tradition 3 years ago. We always go to Sleighbells Farm (it’s a sort of year round Christmas shop/tree farm) and choose an ornament that best represents our year. First year: A ring for our engagement… Second year: a just married ornament… Third year: a little photo frame with a picture of my pregnant belly. This year we chose a little bundled baby.

A little family photo. Ruari and Mike make the same smirks!

How much would it suck to have this view everyday? So horrible…

Sooooooo…. we don’t actually BUY the trees at Sleighbells… Just the ornaments! The trees are a bit too spendy for us. We always head out to a store to buy our trees. This year we went to Fred Meyer.

Since we’re on a budget this year… we were planning to go with the cheapest trees available. Apparently this would be an “Elf Tree“. YEEEeeeeah. These trees are tiny! Most are shorter than Ruari!

So, my Mom thought these trees were a bit sad… she offered to help pay for a larger tree. 😀 We now have a little 4 foot tree on a table. We have to keep it away from the baby that eats EVERY SINGLE THING!!! In fact… one of her favorites are pine needles.

Can Ruari get a vote for our blog?

By the way…. I have the winners for the Holiday Card challenge! I’m working on the post. BUT before I can do that we have to fix a little tie…… There are 4 winners. First, second, third, AND fourth… But, the third and fourth place have tied. I’ll be posting a VERY quick poll real soon for a little “vote off”.

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?

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Help me break the Card Challenge tie!

December 7, 2010 | Posted by Chelsey

Ok, I’m not going to announce the First and Second winners YET!!! But, the Third and fourth spots have tied! They were going back and fourth ALL day yesterday… but, ended up in a tie! Could you help me determine who’s third and who’s fourth?

Here they are:

{Entry}

The poll WILL close VERY soon. I might leave it open for an hour or two. Whoever has the most votes by the time Ruari is down for her nap… wins third place! The other wins fourth. 😀 Good job ladies! And, thanks to everyone for helping me break this tie!

Would ya could ya? Vote for me?

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