favorite things — Smalltown Lovin

December 30, 2011

Christmas 2011

3 little girls stayed at their GREAT grandmothers house for Christmas – that was magical in itself

a home with 12 people from one family all snug in their beds

30+ family members gathered to celebrate

catch phrase was played

LOTS of food was eaten

the piano was pounded and played by tiny little hands

my sister in town

my cousins singing in the band

my brother making a special SANTA appearance Christmas morning – he makes one VERY legit santa. Scared the patootie out of Lucy – a moment i know she will never forget

the sheer joy of discovering what Santa brought

so many memories, such special times

all wrapped up into 3 little days

i’ll tuck it into my pocket and never forget

santa gave me this ring – i love it so!

he also dropped these in my stocking – which by the way, he is one good stocking stuffing santa!

the girls received so many fun, creative and girly things!

I loved turning my gift cards into snow globes as gifts {so easy}

a new tradition was started – will post about it next

my sister – in – law introduced me to this magical face glowing stick

santa gave my toes and upgrade – shoes i highly suggest. they are slippers but i wear them around town too

i hope merriness filled your Christmas

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some things i liked this week

August 19, 2011

i loved this photo and need to replicate it – we often go to the store dressed in theme {kids – not me}

i loved this outfit and it made me way to ready for fall

LOVE reading this book to lucy – i get to make up the words:) genius!

loved this home

have a lovely weekend! this week went by fast!

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giveaway

August 2, 2011

if we are not already friends on facebook then click here to like our link. if you want more info on how to purchase a necklace shoot me an email and i will give you the deets!

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t r o u b l e

July 14, 2011

peas and queues

loving this line of clothes – i am thinking the lu needs some harem pants for fall

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i was thrilled, when my friend melissa asked me if i wanted to do a giveaway! she a top stylist at stella and dot and has soooo much cute jewelry to choose from. all my life i have been a fan of turquoise – i think it is flattering on everybody and such a classic that will always be around. to win these lovely earrings you need to do 2 things:

1. go and “like” this page – make sure to leave a comment simply typing in {STL} so she knows you came from small town lovin

2.leave a comment in this post {on small town lovin at the top} so i can have your name to draw from – if you only do step one i will not have your name:)

that’s it! simple! if you want to do more shopping then go here! winner will be announced july 8th – don’t you just love giveaways ~

also, i am guest blogging here today! go check out this wonderful blog for making motherhood simple! my friend janann has a perfect place for keeping it simple ~ and i am a firm believer in simple!

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favorite things {kiki}

June 16, 2011

i am so so excited, that kiki {from kiki creates} joined in here today to tell us her ”favorite things”. remember the amazing dinner time doodle mats i posted about here? well she is the beautiful creative lady behind those! she is so creative and i always look forward to reading her blog. thanks kiki for sharing, and here are her favorite things:

Hi everyone! I will formally introduce myself…I’m Kiki from Kiki Creates and am so excited to be here on KK’s blog to tell you a little about me through my favorite things! I am a girl who loves color, texture and excitement in my life CONSTANTLY! I keep myself busy with my blog and etsy shop, but my greatest excitement and love for life come from raising my 3 little munchkins and being a wife to the best husband on earth. My faith is always close to my heart and dictates decisions I make constantly in my life and has helped me become a better person. I rely on my family and on my best friends and have been blessed with an amazing group of both in my life. I am a fairly sarcastic person and tend to love people who don’t take themselves too seriously…now for the rest of:

MY LIST OF MUST READ BLOGS:

eighteen25, whipperberry, a beautiful mess, simple as that and a list of about 25 more that i check everyday (a lot of them are on my sidebar on my blog!) I love reading new blogs…blogs that uplift and are happy are by far my favorites.

ETSY SHOPS:

PearsonMaron- love their little factories..my favorite is this one.

SlippinSouthern- i NEED this sign in my house.

Simple Serendipity- everything in their shop is $5 and under. STILL love this necklace.

The things I love about etsy is that I can find personalized gifts for everyone on my list..and feel good that I am supporting a handmade artist.

ACTIVITIES:

park playing, watching my kids play sports, running, dancing crazy with my kids before their dad comes home from work, and creating. (I really LOVE creating)

FOODS:

I could eat a big salad every day of my life. I love making zucchini lasagna and chocolate chip cookies in the same meal. I love Italian food and have a hunt on for the BEST eggplant Parmesan around. My top two right now are 1-Grape Street Cafe and 2-Olive Garden. Do you have a favorite?

FAVORITE CITY I’VE LIVED IN:

Columbus, Ohio. There is not a close second place yet. It boasts amazing parks, a huge children’s museum..a fantastic zoo, the best library system I have ever seen..and friendly people. People sit out on their porches at Halloween and say hello at the store (even when they do not know you.) There are more festivals and family activities around Ohio then I could ever dream of going to. And it’s green. And has Rita’s.. Living in Las Vegas now..I really miss the green and Rita’s!

MAKEUP:

I am boring. I am happy to only wear mascara (Lash Blast Volume by Covergirl)..in of course, waterproof..because I can be an emotional person sometimes!:) I am “dressed up” when I add a little eyeshadow, blush and lip gloss.

FAVORITE PROJECTS I’VE DONE IN THE LAST YEAR:

US Map Pillow. A fun and quick project that can personalize your space!

Dream Dollhouse. This is one of the funnest projects I have done in awhile. It took a long time, but I looked forward to working on it every day!

Bedroom Makeover. I needed a makeover on my bedroom, and this one turned out just like I wanted it.

Baby Book. I made this for an online crafting competition, but have wanted to make one forever. I am still in the process of redesigning and getting it printed.

Rosette Wreath. Loved how quick and easy this one was to put together..and i love how it looks hanging on my wall at home.

FAVORITE MUSIC

I LOVE country music. My favorite pandora station is Dierks Bentley, but I also love a mixture of top 40 ( as long as it is clean), Mindy Gledhill, Train, Michael Buble, and love rocking out to oldies like The Beach Boys with my kids. I love a good mix and usually have some background music on in my home.

INSPIRATION

I love looking at random places to find inspiration for my up and coming projects. I love going to fabric stores to see the patterns and colors all together in one place. I love going into little quaint shops to see how things are set up. I love craft fairs. I find inspiration from wedding magazines, kids magazines, and home decorating magazines. I get inspired walking into my friends homes who are so trendy and whimsical with their decorating. I am inspired being in a clean house, but my favorite place to be inspired is while I am running. My mind is clear and I love breathing in clean fresh air…it really is inspiring. I truly believe this message about creating and womanhood and feel that in no matter what or how we create, it is important and can bring us closer to a loving God.

Thanks, KK, for having me to your sweet blog. I love this series and feel honored to be a part of it!

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favorite things {betsy}

June 9, 2011

betsy is a dear friend of mine and our friendship started way too late in life:) she is SUPER crafty, beautiful on the inside and out, and a wonderful momma of soon to be 3. i am so thankful to have her in my life as a strong Christian friend.

betsy writes:

i am in love with Jesus, my husband, and my 3 kids (one of whom we wont meet until november, im pregnant!) our cup overflows with a huge loving extended family and an abundance of good friends. i love being friends with kk because our friendship humbly reminds me of the great grace of God and the healing blood of Jesus. i am so glad to share some of my favorites with each of you.

mascara- i love covergirl lashblast waterproof mascara. i am becoming more and more low maintenance and am happy with just mascara, a little bronzer, and brushed teeth. (i cry frequently so it has to be waterproof mascara)

earrings- putting on a pair of earrings makes me feel pretty and put together…which is so nice and needed in the everyday wardrobe of a stay-at-home mom. my very favorite pair are dangly chunks of raw turquoise, the only other jewelry that my sweet husband has given me besides my engagement ring and wedding band

starting the day with a smoothie- we start most every day with a green smoothie. i love getting the raw spinach into our diets…how else do you get a 1yo and a 2yo old to eat spinach? it is fast and easily adaptable to what you have in your fridge. here are several recipes:

my recipe

KK’s recipe

Valerie’s favorite recipe

blue bell ice cream- i ate a generous bowl of blue bell ice cream every single night from age 8-18. the habit has slowed a bit but there is no better ice cream than blue bell

chips and guacamole- give me julios chips and a simple guacamole (avocado, lime juice, garlic salt, cilantro) at least once a week or else

hand-me-downs- all my kids wear is hand-me-down clothes. thank the lord, all of my sisters-in-law had kids before us and we are benefiting from their closets. we have ALOT of clothes…more than one kid needs. if you have friends or family with older kids, ask for their hand-me-downs…if not, pass yours on! my son is the 3rd boy and my daughter is the 5th girl to be wearing these clothes, and they quickly get passed on to younger cousins after us. i do buy them a new shirt or dress for easter and for their birthday.

summer- i was a nutrition teacher (at the high school that i went to) before i had kids. i am married to a high school soccer coach who pours out his whole heart and soul for his players and students. our life still works on a school schedule…we have spring break, two weeks off at christmas…and best of all, we have summer! people always ask me what we do all summer. i really dont know what we do except enjoy each other and enjoy the down time

being outside- my favorite thing is to be outside. everyone is happier outside. we play in the backyard, in the frontyard, in the neighbor’s yard, in the rain, in the mud, in the cold, in the sprinkler, it doesnt matter….i try my hardest to get outside every day of the year. parents in sweden have a pretty radical view of childhood spent outside, so interesting to read about

creating- whether it is making a delicious dinner out of the hodge podge that is in my fridge or sewing a gift for a friend, i love creating. we all have creativity in us because we were made by the Great Creator of the universe. creating, whether its braiding hair or working on the engine of a car, is a way that we become more like Jesus

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friday finds

May 27, 2011

she thought is would be fun to chase bubbles {thanks to our bubble machine, i don’t have to blow them}

she could have cared less about hundreds of bubbles flying around! she found the only circle of dirt in our whole yard and plopped down to play

whatever they like to do, i love that they stand by the back door and step out together ready to explore

my brother is getting married this weekend – so excited to celebrate, but nervous about traveling with 3 kids! yikes!

1~ i am pretty much obsessed with this ring

2~ i gave this to ryan on our anniversary! what a treasure and a great idea for fathers day coming up

3~ my lu loves purple and i love lavender. i the that is a mixture for a perfect bath

4~ this summer is going to be full of crafts for my little lu. i can’t wait to do this

5~ dinner time doodle mats found here - LOVE these and they are free {thanks kiki}

6 ~ a tune for you that i am lovin

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