Hey all! Shutterfly came out with a huge selection of Holiday Card Designs! I'm going to list a few of my favorites here! I especially like the Christmas Photo Cards.
I LOVE the Family Wall Red Christmas Card! I love that you can put multiple pictures on one card! Of course, I love that it's red--a traditional Christmas color. I also love how simple, elegant, and classic the design is. I like things to look clean, and that's what I love about this card.
I feel similarly about With Love Chartreuse Christmas (except the "What a Wonderful World" part...not Christmas-y to me...but a nice thought...), Merry Modern Collage Christmas, Classic Red Square Christmas, Elegant Modern Collage Christmas, and many others that are similar but with slightly different color combinations. I'm not a huge fan of the ones that look all crowded or too "commercial-y." But that's just my style. They're still really cute.
As far as single-photo cards (I prefer collage ones...) but I like the Holly Frame Christmas --it's simple and cute. I also like the Pretty Poinsettia Print Christmas, Pine Cone Toile, and several others, but those are really the ones that stand out to me. Some of the others are cute, but have writing going right across where the heads would be in most pictures...so while cute, they wouldn't be very practical for MOST pictures...however, with ones that it would work, they'd be cute.
I also know that grandma and grandpa might really enjoy some of the Wall Calendars or Photo Books as a gift for Christmas. What grandparent do you know who doesn't LOVE to look at pictures of their grandkids?
If you're a business owner, you may even like some of their personalized Calling Cards! They average about $20 for 50 calling cards which isn't a bad price and sure beats some of the boring designs you might find elsewhere.
All in all, I would say that Shutterfly has a great selection for any family to choose from for their Christmas and other holiday needs!
Good Luck and Happy Shopping!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!
November 1st--Christmas music starts to play in our home.
That's right! We LOVE the holiday season in our home! Right after Halloween you start seeing Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations in all of the department stores and you hear wonderful Christmas music throughout the mall. Everything goes on sale and most everyone seems to be full of good cheer! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! It's no wonder we keep our Christmas Tree up until February...even later if we feel like it!
So, this year we sp
ent a wonderful Thanksgiving with family at Josh's parent's home in Rancho Cucamonga. My mom was even able to come out for a visit from Wisconsin! We had a great time taking pictures, playing games, and enjoying each others conversation! It was a great day. We spent the evening playing cribbage and looking through all the Black Friday ads. We only went to two stores on Black Friday and both were to purchase Emery's birthday presents and Christmas presents from my mom. Emery is one little lucky guy and will be very fashionable this upcoming year! :)
Friday was also spent preparing for Emery's birthday party which was on Saturday. A great friend of ours, Trish, helped us to make and design a beautiful Toy Story themed cake! It was amazing! (Enjoy the pictures) We had so much fun working with the fondant and you know what, it actually tasted pretty good as well! It was relatively easy to work with and made the cake look beautiful!
My mom, Josh, and I spent Friday night and all day Saturday with the stomach flu, so we were not able to celebrate Emery's 2nd birthday with him. We were so sad! We were thankful, though, that Emery never got sick! In fact, the people whom we most worry about getting sick didn't! Not the kids or great-grandparents! We were very thankful for that!
Emery's birthday was on Tuesday the 30th and we celebrated by going to Disneyland the day before. My mom, Emery and I spent the day there and enjoyed visiting Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and all the rest of the Clubhouse gang! We got to ride several rides as it wasn't very crowded until the parade in the evening. Emery did such a great job with very few pouty moments!
Josh and I have so much to be thankful for this year! We especially remember our friends and family around the holiday season and how grateful we are to have them in our lives. We found out back in October that we will be expecting a baby, and now that I've almost completed the 13th week, we're feeling pretty confident that everything is going to go well this time around! Praise God! We are also thankful that we've found a new apartment that will save us a little money this next year! There is SO MUCH to be thankful for but, above all, we're thankful for God sending His Son down to earth because of His great love for us and our desperate need for a Savior! He didn't have to come. He didn't have to live as a baby. He could have chosen to live as a king in a comfortable, warm palace, but instead, He chose to sacrifice everything for us. We are most thankful for that! What an amazing God we have who is full of mercy, compassion and grace!
As we prepare to enjoy this Christmas season, it is our prayer that you would enjoy time with your families and friends. It is our prayer that you would remember how blessed we all truly are--no matter how bad you may think you have it, you area truly blessed person just because you can read this post! If you're reading it, it means you have access to a computer, internet, have sight, and have been educated! There are so many around the world who don't have those benefits! So appreciate them! Enjoy them! And share your joy with others!
Happy Holidays!
That's right! We LOVE the holiday season in our home! Right after Halloween you start seeing Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations in all of the department stores and you hear wonderful Christmas music throughout the mall. Everything goes on sale and most everyone seems to be full of good cheer! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! It's no wonder we keep our Christmas Tree up until February...even later if we feel like it!
So, this year we sp
ent a wonderful Thanksgiving with family at Josh's parent's home in Rancho Cucamonga. My mom was even able to come out for a visit from Wisconsin! We had a great time taking pictures, playing games, and enjoying each others conversation! It was a great day. We spent the evening playing cribbage and looking through all the Black Friday ads. We only went to two stores on Black Friday and both were to purchase Emery's birthday presents and Christmas presents from my mom. Emery is one little lucky guy and will be very fashionable this upcoming year! :)Friday was also spent preparing for Emery's birthday party which was on Saturday. A great friend of ours, Trish, helped us to make and design a beautiful Toy Story themed cake! It was amazing! (Enjoy the pictures) We had so much fun working with the fondant and you know what, it actually tasted pretty good as well! It was relatively easy to work with and made the cake look beautiful!
Bottom Tier:
Center Tier:
Top Tier:
Alien Cupcakes:
My mom, Josh, and I spent Friday night and all day Saturday with the stomach flu, so we were not able to celebrate Emery's 2nd birthday with him. We were so sad! We were thankful, though, that Emery never got sick! In fact, the people whom we most worry about getting sick didn't! Not the kids or great-grandparents! We were very thankful for that!
Emery's birthday was on Tuesday the 30th and we celebrated by going to Disneyland the day before. My mom, Emery and I spent the day there and enjoyed visiting Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and all the rest of the Clubhouse gang! We got to ride several rides as it wasn't very crowded until the parade in the evening. Emery did such a great job with very few pouty moments!
Josh and I have so much to be thankful for this year! We especially remember our friends and family around the holiday season and how grateful we are to have them in our lives. We found out back in October that we will be expecting a baby, and now that I've almost completed the 13th week, we're feeling pretty confident that everything is going to go well this time around! Praise God! We are also thankful that we've found a new apartment that will save us a little money this next year! There is SO MUCH to be thankful for but, above all, we're thankful for God sending His Son down to earth because of His great love for us and our desperate need for a Savior! He didn't have to come. He didn't have to live as a baby. He could have chosen to live as a king in a comfortable, warm palace, but instead, He chose to sacrifice everything for us. We are most thankful for that! What an amazing God we have who is full of mercy, compassion and grace!
As we prepare to enjoy this Christmas season, it is our prayer that you would enjoy time with your families and friends. It is our prayer that you would remember how blessed we all truly are--no matter how bad you may think you have it, you area truly blessed person just because you can read this post! If you're reading it, it means you have access to a computer, internet, have sight, and have been educated! There are so many around the world who don't have those benefits! So appreciate them! Enjoy them! And share your joy with others!
Happy Holidays!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Changes
Our family seems to undergo changes by the hour! There is never a dull moment and it is always so exciting to see where God brings us. God seems to continuously test and bless as we walk through life with him.
Talk about changes! Emery is now 19 months old and seems to be getting bigger and smarter by the day! He is such an amazing little man! He starting to say more and more words, although I can't always understand him. When I focus I can tell what he seems to by trying to say. I love hearing him say "mama" and "dada" and just love watching him jump into Josh's arms when he comes home from work! They have such a wonderful connection with each other and it is so special to watch! There's nothing like watching a boy and his daddy!
Josh has been continuing to work hard at Harvest! He's doing so well and it's always fun to see the new projects he's working on. I can see how much he's grown as a designer in the last year of working there and it's amazing! I know that this job is exactly where God wants us right now. Josh has also been playing softball on the Harvest league. He has been doing really well and was even asked to lead the Bible study last week! What an honor for the new guy! We have also been playing co-ed softball together and have been doing OK with that too!
As for me, being in California has been an interesting and long adjustment. I am still not used to the heat but it's getting a little better. I feel like I'm finally starting to really make some friends that I can fit in with and have fun. I've been praying that God would put people in my life so that I could feel more connected and I think He's beginning to really put those people into my life in a bigger way. Moving to another state as a married adult with a child is nothing like moving to another state as a student. It's not as easy to meet people and actually build relationships when you're a stay-at-home mom. Most women my age are busy with school, work, or the friends that they've had for a long time...sometimes they just don't have room for more, and that's OK. I respect that. I was so excited to hang out with friends last weekend to watch the first two movies in the Twilight Saga. It was in preparation for us all going to see Eclipse on Friday night. I'm not a
big movie-goer and I wasn't ever really into the Twilight Saga, but I do enjoy them and it's worth it to make connections and build relationships with some fun and awesome women.I am very ready to head out to Wisconsin for 20 days! I'm really looking forward to spending time with my friends and family! I haven't had a good visit for a while and it will be nice to just relax together. I can't wait to see my parents and I know they're all excited to see Emery (and me) too! I am also attending the Pampered Chef national conference in Chicago while I'm out in the Midwest! Until then Emery and I will continue to spend time out in the pool and play with toys in the house!
The last month or so Josh and I have been blessed by an amazing friend. He works at a bank and runs some wonderful programs at a local church that help people to manage their finances in a responsible and biblical way. It has truly been a blessing to meet with him! I feel like our family can finally breathe now that everything is under control. It is amazing what can happen with someone else looking into our lives! I never knew that such a small amount could go such a long way! We will be forever grateful for his insight and his service to our family!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
New to Blogging
Ok, so we're new to the whole blogging thing, but want our friends and family (especially those back in Wisconsin or Northern California) to feel connected to us! So I will just give a quick update on our family and how things are going periodically.
Let's see. Emery is not doing so hot this week. Poor guy. He hasn't been feeling well for about a week and half. I finally took him into the doctor yesterday expecting to hear the same thing I always do. "He's just fine. It's only a cold. It will pass." Well, we weren't so lucky. The poor guy has bronchitis. I'm so glad we went in when we did. Outside of that he has been great. He's getting bigger and bigger and he is just as smart as a whip! He doesn't say much but he sure knows what you're talking about. I know that his little mind is just soaking in everything we say and do and he'll eventually realize his verbal abilities and he'll be a fountain of words. He is seriously the most beautiful thing in the entire world. I know that I'll have to stop saying that when we have another baby in the future, but I just can't help but looking at him and melting every time.
Josh is doing great at his job. He is so talented and I get so excited to see the things he brings home. We both like the people he works with and the environment too. It is such a blessing to know that he is working towards an eternal purpose. I'll have him put some pictures up of things he's done lately. I know you'll all be impressed too. By the way, he designs business cards and logos for anyone who is interested. Trust me--he won't leave you disappointed. He works hard to make his bosses and clients happy. He is so conscientious. I'm really lucky to have a husband who works so hard to provide for us.
As for me, I'm doing well. The last few months have been a roller coaster. Around Thanksgiving I found out that my grandpa was getting sick with fluid build-up around his lungs. He had cancer back in May of 2005 and so we were all on pins and needles. We didn't get any definitive answers until December 11th. Sure enough. It was lung cancer and it had come back very aggressively. Less than two months later he was gone. I miss him like crazy and think about him every day--all day. He was such an amazing person with a wonderful heart and spirit. He left an amazing legacy of hope and redemption. He taught me that it is never too late to start fresh and do the right thing. He also taught me the importance of forgiving others and forgiving myself. If I don't forgive someone when they've wronged me, what reason am I giving them to change and do the right thing? I know that there will be a spot missing from our lives, but I know that I will see him again someday in Heaven. Other than that, things have been going well. I signed up to be a consultant with the Pampered Chef back on December 1st and have been loving every minute of it. Anyone--I mean anyone--can do this job. I love that I can get paid and still have time to spend with my family--That was so important to me! I look forward to my future with the Pampered Chef. Of course, as a new consultant I'm always looking for hosts and hostesses for cooking shows and catalog shows...so if anyone is ever interested, let me know!
The rest of our family is doing great. Ryan, my brother, just moved back to the states from Curacao. He's been living out of the country for quite some time, so it's nice to know he's back home. My parents are all doing well. Between family, church and work I know they're constantly busy! Joy, Jeff, and Gracie are also doing well. Gracie is so beautiful. She really is. She's only 10 months old and has enough hair that I can french braid it! Needless to say I really enjoy getting to be her aunt and playing with her! Brad and Susan are enjoying "retirement." Susan is busy with substitute teaching, book club, and church and Brad is busy with his business, Bible studies, sports ministry, and softball.
Well, that's all for now! Bye for now!
Let's see. Emery is not doing so hot this week. Poor guy. He hasn't been feeling well for about a week and half. I finally took him into the doctor yesterday expecting to hear the same thing I always do. "He's just fine. It's only a cold. It will pass." Well, we weren't so lucky. The poor guy has bronchitis. I'm so glad we went in when we did. Outside of that he has been great. He's getting bigger and bigger and he is just as smart as a whip! He doesn't say much but he sure knows what you're talking about. I know that his little mind is just soaking in everything we say and do and he'll eventually realize his verbal abilities and he'll be a fountain of words. He is seriously the most beautiful thing in the entire world. I know that I'll have to stop saying that when we have another baby in the future, but I just can't help but looking at him and melting every time.
Josh is doing great at his job. He is so talented and I get so excited to see the things he brings home. We both like the people he works with and the environment too. It is such a blessing to know that he is working towards an eternal purpose. I'll have him put some pictures up of things he's done lately. I know you'll all be impressed too. By the way, he designs business cards and logos for anyone who is interested. Trust me--he won't leave you disappointed. He works hard to make his bosses and clients happy. He is so conscientious. I'm really lucky to have a husband who works so hard to provide for us.
As for me, I'm doing well. The last few months have been a roller coaster. Around Thanksgiving I found out that my grandpa was getting sick with fluid build-up around his lungs. He had cancer back in May of 2005 and so we were all on pins and needles. We didn't get any definitive answers until December 11th. Sure enough. It was lung cancer and it had come back very aggressively. Less than two months later he was gone. I miss him like crazy and think about him every day--all day. He was such an amazing person with a wonderful heart and spirit. He left an amazing legacy of hope and redemption. He taught me that it is never too late to start fresh and do the right thing. He also taught me the importance of forgiving others and forgiving myself. If I don't forgive someone when they've wronged me, what reason am I giving them to change and do the right thing? I know that there will be a spot missing from our lives, but I know that I will see him again someday in Heaven. Other than that, things have been going well. I signed up to be a consultant with the Pampered Chef back on December 1st and have been loving every minute of it. Anyone--I mean anyone--can do this job. I love that I can get paid and still have time to spend with my family--That was so important to me! I look forward to my future with the Pampered Chef. Of course, as a new consultant I'm always looking for hosts and hostesses for cooking shows and catalog shows...so if anyone is ever interested, let me know!
The rest of our family is doing great. Ryan, my brother, just moved back to the states from Curacao. He's been living out of the country for quite some time, so it's nice to know he's back home. My parents are all doing well. Between family, church and work I know they're constantly busy! Joy, Jeff, and Gracie are also doing well. Gracie is so beautiful. She really is. She's only 10 months old and has enough hair that I can french braid it! Needless to say I really enjoy getting to be her aunt and playing with her! Brad and Susan are enjoying "retirement." Susan is busy with substitute teaching, book club, and church and Brad is busy with his business, Bible studies, sports ministry, and softball.Well, that's all for now! Bye for now!
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