Christmas card time!

No, it's not Thanksgiving yet, but YES, it is time to order your Christmas cards!  Get on it!  You don't want to be cramming it in last minute and you definitely don't want your cards to be delivered after Christmas!  I actually love it when people 'over achieve' in this area because I like to display the cards I get all season long!  I can't do that if your cards come right before it's time to take them down ; )


If you need some help, or new, fun ideas... and who doesn't??  Head over to Shutterfly.com and check out the cuuuuute holiday and christmas cards they have!


There are SO many really great options, this is one of my favorites and I would love to get this card in the mail this season (I would actually love to send it, but I can't think of 10 moments this past year!):

click on card!

A trend I've noticed this year is stationary cards.  They are printed on cardstock!  Good-bye Glossy McGloss Face!  and fingerprints!  Here are some more of my favorites:

click on card!

click on card!

This is the card I think we'll be using this year ; )

click on card!

Or this one:

click on card!

Really, there are so many to choose from, and I don't think you could go wrong : )  Personally, I'm digging all the patterns!

Now you're in love too, right?  The best part is that Shutterfly is giving bloggers 50 free holiday cards, so sign up!  

Thanks to my sister Kim for the heads up!  

Try this!

I might be a self proclaimed unofficial expert on the products at Origins.  Since I was born with the worst skin on earth I've tried a lot of different things to try to make it better or even just bearable... like, a lot, like, over the past 10 years.  During my research I've found that Origins offers some really great products, they are made with high quality ingredients and without harsh chemicals.  Blah blah blah... so anyway, I was in the other day and was given a sample of their new moisturizer VitaZing, it's a moisturizer with SPF 15 AND it's 'tinted' (in a technical way... seriously!  Check it out).  I didn't think it would work for me and my 'bad skin' (read: it wouldn't have enough coverage) but it did, it feels great (not a thick cream, not greasy or SPF-y) and it has antioxidants (to help *ahem* aging skin).  Yes, I would say my skin looked energized and I instantly saw more radiant skin ; )  I tried it on a day that I wasn't going anywhere important and thought it would be perfect to wear on days I didn't want to wear makeup or even to the gym, but after adding my regular bronzer and a touch of blush, it looked better than my regular makeup!

Try it!  

No really, you can go into Origins and get a free sample of anything in the store and they always last 3 or more uses, sometimes more, depending what you get.

*Note that I am in Colorado where is it drier than most places, this may not work in August in Florida... but it might, because you don't have to wear makeup over it ; )

Can you tell I'm really excited about this?  I can't wait to actually get the full size... do you hear me, Origins?  Hello?

Fads: Volcano Edition

Yes... volcano.

When I say Kyla is obsessed with volcanoes, that is an understatement.

When driving in the car, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

(Larkspur)

When looking through a magazing, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

When watching tv, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

(notice the top right corner)

When driving down I-25, "Mom!  Watch out!!"

(power plant in Colorado Springs)

When eating dinner in our kitchen, looking out the window, "Mom!  Look!  Pikes Peak is like a volcano!"

(Surprisingly, when the sun sets, there are quite often clouds over Pikes Peak that look like this)

What did she want for her birthday??

What did she get for her birthday??

"Lava" included


Looking at a picture of Stephen and I on our Honeymoon in Hawaii

"There's you and dad and I was in your tummy so the volcano smoke can't get me"


"No. You weren't in my tummy then."


"I was!"


"ok."

With all this talk about volcanoes, I've even learned a bit more. Did you know volcanos can steam, smoke and erupt lava? They do all three. Kyla and I talk about volcanos a lot. She tells me that volcanos look like mountains and that not all mountains are volcanos, but look like them. She also tells me about underwater volcanos.

But lets not forget about the full on eruption with flowing hot liquid magma, or lava!

Even as I'm writing this, Kyla is watching Dora. She just told me, 

"A volcano is a mountain that EXPLODES! KA BOOM!"


I like this one, it's pretty

I wish I could find the real (non istockphoto with X) picture of it, I've scoured in interwebs the best I know how and this is the best thing I can find!

I ask Kyla if she wants to go to Hawaii to see a real volcano.  She says she'll just get back in my tummy so the smoke can't get her.

Um, no.

Fads: Flamingo Edition

On our trip to south Florida in the late fall of '07 Stephen and I picked out a Flamingo beanie baby for Kyla, who was 10 months old at the time (gah!!!  seems like last week!)  Little did we know, that flamingo would be just the beginning of an interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal! (A fad.)

Crazy how many pictures I have of her with the Flamingo from this trip and want to post them all!

  This is the sunrise on Key West.

Here's where we got the Flamingo : )

Shout out to my West Palm Peeps!

Spring of 2008:  Bought Kyla some new pajamas that were light weight for the summer, size 18m

Fast forward to August 2009... still wearing the "Mingo PJ's"

November 2009:  Kyla is *still* wearing her mingo pjs.  Shorts are getting shorter, belly starts to hang out.  Becomes increasingly difficult to get arms in and out.

December 2009:  eBay to the rescue!!  The ONE and ONLY pair of Carter's 'you make me blush' Flamingo pajamas left in the world are in a size... 3T!

December 2009:  Purchase 3T Carter's 'you make me blush' Flamingo pajamas for $1.99

New Mingo pjs come in the mail!!   aaaaand... Kyla wants to wear the OLD ones!?!

Stephen makes the switcharoo and all is good.  Kyla thinks she has the old ones, but her belly isn't hanging out anymore.

see?

Okay, so that was me sneaking sweet Colby-man in there... but still, no belly shot ; )

Here she is in all her Mingo pj glory!

aaaannd... the Flamingo pose

I don't make her do this stuff folks.  She comes up with this all on her own.

It was my fault, I curled her hair and she turned into a supermodel.

See?  Flamingo, again!

Those pj's are cute too ; )