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There is nothing quite like coming home after being away! Jason & I enjoyed our trip to DC so much! Pics to follow below (I won't bore you with all 5 bazillion of them!)...
The girls ran into our arms the minute they saw us! How blessed we are. My Mom & Dad took exceptional care of them & reported back that they of course were all perfect angels...what?? Don't get me wrong, our girls are the loves of my life, but they can through a whopper of a tantrum! We usually have at least one melt down per day around here, so how Mom & Dad skated through 5 days with not one, I will never know!


The White House


You know I had to lay down on a bench & take a pic of the Washington Monument looking straight up!



Our Nation's Capital


And...sorry if this isn't Mommy Blog PC, however I must include our pic with "Joe the Plumber"!

We arrived home to 8 inches of Southern snow!!! Our home town, NE of Atlanta, received the most out of the entire stat of GA! We only made it up 1/2 the driveway as it was a snowy, icy mess...no power, but being reunited with the girls made it all worth it! So happy to be thawed out & 75 degrees!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Yup, you read it right! Jason & I are going on a mini-vacay JUST THE TWO OF US!! I know, I know, I can't believe it either!! Can you hear the excitement in my typing?



This will be our first vacay, sans kids, in 8 YEARS!!! We are beyond thrilled! This worry free, relaxing trip would not be possible without my amazing parents, whom will be strapped with my sweet little darlings for 4 full days! Good luck Mom & Dad (& thank you) :)

They will never know how much we both appreciate this!

Where are we going you ask? A place that I haven't visited since my 5th grade year...



The Nations Capital! DC, here we come! Even thought my guy didn't win this election year, it will still be so much fun to be dorky tourists & enjoy the sites!

The home "beautification" projects as mentioned in the last post are FINISHED! I am so happy it was completed before we leave on our trip! Pics to come soon...

Have a great weekend!

Random Sunday Chatter

What a beautiful Sunday morning! The Wise fam has been a bit out of sorts this past week, due to a little home beautification (is that a word?...Mom, you out there?)! We are enclosing the back screened porch into a lovely playroom for the girls, complete with wrap around windows! We also made the decision to paint the inside of the house, such an easy to decision to make right?...not so fast! The painting portion has been hell! I knew, that I would have to remove pictures, etc...from the walls, well that all just sounded too easy! Oh my! My house has been an absolute disaster area & I am so obsessive compulsive about keeping it tidy, that I have been "off my rocker" so to say, the past few days! Everything, and I mean everything, in my home is in complete disarray!! I have taken many deep, cleansing breaths & counted to 10, at least 100 times! Needless to say, I will be OH SO HAPPY when the painters are finished, crossing my fingers that day will come tomorrow & I can get my home back in it's original order!!

I wanted to also share a cool website, Artsonia. A wonderful place to scan & upload all of your children's artwork from school & keep it on file! You can organize, share & even purchase items with your child's artwork! Just the site for me, as I have many totes filled to the brim with Chloe, Hannah & Shelby's art! I never have the heart to throw anything they make away, & this gives me a great place to keep it all organized! Perfect for the OCD mentioned in the paragraph above! You can find the site here, just sign up & start scanning!

These boots

Take my picture Mama, 'cause I really love my MOO cow boots that Nana gave me! ~ Shelby



Today is the third day in a row that Shelby has adorned her MOO cow boots from Nana...I see a trend :)



Don't you just love random Wednesday morning "togetherness"

Valentines Day

This post is long overdue! A quick update on CPSIA...a one year hold! So all of my wonderful designer friends can keep the creative juices flowing! I am so glad, as I have a big addiction to handmade! A real victory for them all!

I think I have been bitten by the "crafty bug", I am redesigning different rooms in my home & found some SUPER cute ideas for Valentines day in Family Fun Magazine (one of my new favorites!)

Chloe, age 9, thinks some of the store bought Valentines are "babyish" as she calls them, so I was on the hunt for some ideas for older girls & I hit the jackpot! For somebody like me, who can't sew a button, I am feeling quite proud of myself!

iPod Valentines, perfect for the 9 - 12 year old set!! The instructions call for 4" circles of aluminum foil to wrap around Reese's miniature cups, imagine my luck when I browsed my local craft store & found...guess what...4" pre-cut heart printed foil in the Wilton handmade candy aisle!!!!! Totally made the edible "ear buds" that much cuter, can you hear the pride on my voice??!! Instructions here...



And Hannah's Valentines! This just involved her fave candy: Tootsie Rolls & some card stock! Instructions here...



I am also working on a "Jar of Joy" for each teacher...I sent home pre-cut heart for the children to write sweet notes on & we will put them all together in a sweet bucket! Anytime their teachers are having a bad day, they just reach in to pull out a little joy!



Another cute teacher idea...a small tube of hand lotion, two pieces of card stock traced with your child's hand print, cut out the hand print & write...here is the clever part!!...
Mrs. so & so, you deserve a hand!!
Add a few foam heart stickers & your done! Instructions here...So cute!







This will be Shelby's Valentine...I haven't assembled hers yet, so this is the pic from the magazine, such a cute & simple idea! Instructions here...



My kitchen counter is a huge mess as a result of this "crafty bug"!
Worth it though, as I think the girls are excited about their Valentines this year!



Next, my house. I have scoured through issues of Southern Living, Better Homes & Garden, etc...and have come up with some cute ideas! I am attempting to create my own headboard for the master bedroom, more on that later. I am going for a "cottage chic" look...lots of white, some shabby, some birds, some vintage. The more I write, the more I think I am trying to combine several different looks here! We will see how this all turns out! Here is a peek...I love the framed floral canvas (yes, I framed it myself, more pride!), it screams Spring!





Send me a comment with your V-day ideas, if the "crafty bug" has been to your house!

My CPSIA Rant...

Ok, I will make my "rant" about the new Consumer Products Safety law as painless as possible, as I know many of you have been reading lot's of rants on this same issue for the last few weeks. Unless you live in a cave, you have probably heard about a new law, set to take effect on 2/10 that will shut down thousands of small businesses! I only sell resells, but I do buy my girls custom sets new from many amazing handmade designers. These wonderful people, who work tirelessly on their great products, will be hit hard when this law takes effect. Long story short: Every component of any handmade piece of clothing or toy must be lead tested! Now, this won't be hard for say Gymbo or Gap, but for tons of handmade designers, this will shut down their businesses! For most of them, designing handmade is their livelihood! I know, it sounds like I don't want children to stay safe, on the contrary, but I know that the sweet clothing these ladies make for my girls hasn't & will not poison them with lead! This law needs to be revised & I with thousands of others have signed petitions, etc... to raise public awareness & get some congressional attention, thank goodness they are starting to pay attention!

I love my friend, Kristen of Gocks Frocks take on this issue, here is her TV interview here & her fabulous $15,000 skirt here on Etsy! That is what it will cost for her to sell a $40 skirt after 2/10 if some changes aren't made to the current CPSIA law! If interested, shop Gocks Frocks on Etsy & Ebay while you can & cross your fingers for some changes, so all of these fabulous clothing & toy designers can keep designing & selling their wonderful products!

There is also a great updated article on HotAir.com here!

Nie is back...Yay!!!!!

Stephanie Nielson & her Hubby (her beloved Mr. Nielson) were in a terrible plane crash this past August. They have 4 darling children & Stephanie is author to her own blog: The NieNie Dialogues...I found "NieNie" & her wonderful dialagues after the crash. I had seen "buttons" on blogs that I love to read & decided to click & check it out, what was the fuss all about anyways?
Well, I struck Mommy Blog GOLD, the most wonderful blog read of the day! So, I spent time going through her archives & "catching up" on her story as she recovered. Her story went national after the crash & thousands of people now know & enjoy the NieNie Dialogues! Me being one of them. Well, she is back! So, if you need a "pick me up" or just some inspiration...click HERE & see what all the fuss is about...you won't regret it...I promise!

Have a happy day & be thankful for family, friends & those that you love...

Jennie

Gettin' my Craft on & Vote for Chloe!

I have been a bad blogger lately, totally neglecting to update with posts, pics, etc...
I have finally gotten my act together & have something fun to share today! No-Sew fabric covered accent pillows! A few posts back, I had said that I would be making these beauties with Patty Young's new gorgeous line of fabric: Andalucia! As soon as the girls were back in school last week, I took the fabric (that had been sitting in the closet for a month) & pillows (cheap, purchased at Target) & got started! I was so excited & prayed that I could make pillows that looked half-way decent!
I am so happy with the result & the yummy colors in Patty's delicious fabric were perfect for our brown suede-like couch & overstuffed chair! Instructions below...if you aren't too crafty (like me!), you will love this easy way to punch up your living room, bedroom, etc...I know that you amazing custom designers out there, my pillows probably look a bit pathetic, but for someone who can't sew a button onto a shirt, these suckers look fabulous, LOL! Check out Patty's blog to find out where to buy Andalucia!










On to the second part of my title above...is it really time to vote again already? Well, sort of. My sweet Chloe (age 9, 3rd grade) is participating in her classroom election this year! Sounds like fun right? However, for my ultra-sensitive Chloe, this has proven to be quite a task! She truly wants ALL of the voters in her classroom to love her & will totally stoop to bribing them if necessary! Who do you think she enlisted to help her with this bribery? Me, of course! Below are pics of the cupcakes we (I) made for her to pass out to her class & hopefully impress the heck out of them! Her "running mate" is her sweet friend Katie & they both have a bit of a competitive edge & will cry if they lose...This Mama has her fingers crossed for a solid win for my girl, as I know heartbreak will ensue if she doesn't. Pray for me!!





Pillow Instructions (per Family Circle magazine) ~

*Buy a standard size accent pillow at your local discount store (Target, Walmart)

*Use one yard of your favorite fabric

*Wrap pillow in fabric as you would wrap a gift

*Secure ends with fabric glue or even better; Velcro! If you use Velcro, you can change out the fabric easily

I want one!

Ok, as soon as these cute Hurley Benny cable knit beanies are NOT sold out (at least the color I want: parchment)...I will be clicking "buy now" faster than you can say Katie Holmes!



How wonderful is cozy cable knit in the Winter?

Bring on 2009!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We did, however, as usual, I forgot to bring the ol' camera to almost every single Christmas event we attended! Yup, my camera was absent during the following festivities: Christmas parties (all three girls), Girl Scouts, a fun family Sunday at Stone Mountain's Christmas Village, Christmas Eve, and GASP! Christmas morning! Sweet Hubby did get video of most of the above, thank goodness! So...no lovely after-Christmas post with sweet pictures in front of the tree, or pictures of my girls giggling with delight Christmas morning with their treasures from Santa (although, they did really giggle with delight!)...so a Happy New Year post is in order here!

I have now moved on to taking deco's down, the tree (it was so dry) is gone, etc...I have had to sweep my hardwood floors a gazillion times since the tree left us...where are all of those old tree needles coming from??

I am so ready for 2009! Jason & I probably won't make it until midnight tonight, as usual, we will enjoy our New Years kiss tomorrow morning! Sleep is too important! Out with all of the craziness of 2008! No more bailouts (yea right!), election is over, hoping for a better economy, less crime, etc...ya know, the typical wishes we make every year for our Country!

2008 was a great year for our family! I feel so blessed with each years passing, to have my beautiful girls, my amazing Husband, my incredible family, our health & happiness!

I am just ready to start a new year fresh & enjoy watching my girls grow & learn, enjoy my marriage, travel & see new places (sorry Disney, we are seeking a new vacay spot this Summer!), catch up with old friends (I say I will do this every year!), continue mentoring, volunteering, more lunches with my Mom (just for you Mom, LOL!), more family time...

I hope you & yours have a very Happy New Year & that 2009 brings only the best!

Here is the one & only (very blurry) pic taken from my Blackberry while visiting Santa! Might as well share, as it is the only pic I have :)

Merry Christmas to all...

Wishes from the Wise family for a very Merry Christmas & a healthy, happy New Year!

Jingle all the way...

The following tune is Shelby's favorite! She belted this little ditty out for 30 minutes while sitting in mall traffic the other night in the car...so funny!

(Insert twangy, southern accent here):
"Jingle Bowel, Jingle Bowel, Jingle all da waaayyy!"
"Oh, what fun it is to horse in open slei-gh, Jingle Bowels, Jingle Bowels...did I say dashing tru da snow yet Mommy?" "No, not yet sweetie" She continues: "Laughing all da waaayyy, ha ha ha ha ha!" "Is dat where I put da ha ha ha ha ha Mommy?" "Yes, that is where it goes, I tell her." Jingle Bowels, Jingle Bowels, & on & on & on...

Whew, that was a long ride for me, my sweet Shelby is as tone deaf as I am! We are brushing up on our Christmas carols tonight! Our family singing all together...aahh, music to my ears :)

Where did all the chocolate go?

Tale of the Wise girls annual Advent calenders (lovingly bought by me, every year for my girls to enjoy!) Remember these cute calenders? You open a little paper door each day from 12/1 - 12/24 & find a sweet chocolate treat inside! I loved these as a child, my Mom always bought them for us...
All previous Advent calender traditions have gone off without a hitch, each of my darling children only enjoying one chocolate per day until Christmas...following the Advent "rules"! NOT this year!

Chloe (9 yrs) - Very carefully eats only one piece per day, delicately closes each paper door back into place, then scolds her Sisters for the way that they handle their Advent calenders...

Hannah (6, almost 7 yrs) - Forgets to eat her chocolate treat most days, as she is our latest sleeper...usually gets into the car for school half asleep! Will catch up on chocolate eating as soon as school lets out this Friday...

Shelby (5 yrs) - All of her chocolate was gone by 12/6! The picture above is of her calender...It seems Shelby's self control was null, that's ok...She says she "won" as she finished her calender first...I guess she thought this was more of a "race" than a tradition...She is still learning days of the week & what an actual "time frame" is...Everyday asking me from 12/1 - 12/6, "Can I eat next years piece now, Mommy?", translate: Can I eat the entire calender today, Mommy?

You better watch out...you better not cry

Every year I buy these super cute "Letters to Santa" at our local boutique...I know, nice touch right? Well, Jason sits the girls down this past weekend to write out their wishes to send to the "big guy" that lives at the North Pole! I think he imagined the girls drinking hot cocoa, happily writing down their secret wishes, lovingly looking up at him with a hopeful look in their eyes...they would ask him "do you think I have been good this year Daddy? He would respond "yes sweetheart, you have been good". I think he was smacked back into reality when Hannah looked at her letter & the space provided for her wishes & exclaimed..."8 lines on this letter to write my wish list, what a crock"...
I guess it's time to go back over "the reason for the season" lecture with sweet Hannah!

Ahh yes, Christmas at my house, you can't make this stuff up! Thank you Hannah for keeping us in stitches...daily!

They grow up way too fast!

My sweet angel Chloe will be 9 on Tuesday!! I remember the moment she was born, my first born, like it was yesterday! I had the nursery finished at 3 months preggo, as I myself wanted to be a "Mommy" since I was a young girl! She was my dream come true...and still is! I am so lucky to have her at my side every single day, she is a blessing, as all of my girls are! She is polite, incredibly smart, beautiful, loving, a wonderful Sister (even though she tells me occasionally she wishes she was an "only child", LOL!), kind & considerate. I adore her...I love you sweet Chloe...Happy Birthday sweetheart!

**Sorry for the picture overload, I get extra emotional during the Holiday :)

O Holy Night...

The above is absolutely my favorite Christmas song! We have several radio stations here in Atlanta that play all Christmas music from Thanksgiving until Christmas day! Driving my little elves to school today, O Holy Night came on and it always, always gives me chills! Goosebumps galore & my eyes always well up at the end of the song...

O Holy Night...
Fall on Your Knees...
Hear the Angels Voices...
O Night...O Night Divine
O Night...That Christ was Born

I don't know what it is...the fact that the night Christ was born is something so lovely to think about, that my faith sustains me daily, that Christmas is after all a celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ...

That song just gets me every time! My favorite version...by Josh Groban...is so moving!


May your Holiday be divine!

Oh yes...I am so thankful!

What could be better than living in the most amazing country God has ever created, loving my Husband, my partner for life & knowing he loves & adores me back, three beautiful, healthy little girls (I always wanted all girls)! As I look at the big picture, all of my dreams have come true! Wonderful friends & their families, even my own crazy family members (come on...we all have at least one!!), I am so blessed, & incredibly lucky! I am so thankful...not just this weekend, but daily. I know this all sounds really rosy & perfect...however, I have days when the girls are fussing with each other or running circles around me & TONS to do; I literally want to pull my hair out (mostly the gray ones that pop up between highlights!), I am a normal Mama, but I love normal (crazy busy)! It starts after Halloween, the inevitable stress of the season! School programs, gifts for everyone (we always deliver homemade cookies to the fire & police stations in our area, because they always work so hard!), Girl Scouts, Pre-k functions for Shelby, wrapping, baking, picking up take-out for dinner (did you actually think I was going to say "cooking"?), the list goes on & on as all of you fellow Mama's know!! But don't we all secretly enjoy the craziness...even if just a bit?? I promise myself that I will slow down every single year...haven't done it yet!! The hustle & bustle does provide an extra excitement during the holiday season running around shopping, etc...Those visions in my head of Hubs & I sitting together fireside on our couch (ya know, on the SAME couch, he is usually in the overstuffed chair, LOL)! We would listen to Christmas music & just enjoy each others company...that vision is so fleeting, but a nice thought!

So, I am thankful in so many ways, to so many people in my life, & look forward to my favorite time of the year with my family, no matter how busy we are! I hope you enjoy yours too! I also welcome any funny holiday stories that you might want to post in the comments section; I can always use a good laugh!! I am sure I will have a few to share before Christmas!

Got Leaves?

Well, if you don't...I have plenty!! Any takers? Who in the world is going to rake 2 of our 15 acres...all full of lovely, dead Fall leaves? Probably not me & Hubby, LOL! We promise ourselves, every year that we will rake & make our yard beautiful for Winter...we never do it! God bless the person who invented the leaf blower!



I was ready to take my shower the other day & pulled the curtain back to find this!!!! Yikes!!



After Hubby heard me scream...& he finished laughing, he admitted he forgot to tell me when he & Shelby made a recent trip to the Garden store, that Shelby picked this out to take home...it's still too scary for a garden if you ask me! She wanted to play "alligator" in the bathtub while I wasn't home & clearly Hubby hung him up to "drip dry"! Shelby very simply told me "Mama, that is just Chompers, he won't bite you, he's pretend!"

Some cute customs have come our way over the last few weeks!

Shelby in maddie*kate (thanks Kandy & Kacey)...my darling loves puppies, so much so that she refused to take a pic without her beloved, "Mr. Biscuit"!





And a darling knit Fall set! Sweet knit hoodie by Jenn (little*red*wagon) & the amazing jeans by Laurie (kandy*Kisses*)



I know this post is totally random, but I feel like I have neglected my blog lately...more Holiday happenings from the Wise family to come!

Black Friday Fun!

Want to have some fun the day after Thanksgiving? The busiest shopping day of the year! All while staying in your pj's! Could this get any better? YES, it does! Laurie of Kandy*Kisses (ebay id), is having a fabulous Black Friday event on her blog! You can check it out here: Kandy Kisses Blog
Tons of fun givaways...just grab a number! Check it out!
Laurie does AMAZING custom work...you can see her designs on ebay & on etsy!