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?