Any Soldier

I'm not big on New Year's Resolutions. I think they are silly promises we make to ourselves, and an excuse to do something you should have already been doing. Well, what started out as a Christmas well-wish, has turned into my very own New Year's Resolution. Here's how it began:

Every year during the holidays we are inundated with charity options. Something about the holidays puts people in a giving spirit - and the charities count on that spirit. I try to be charitable throughout the year (insert cashier: "Ma'am would you like to donate $2 to children with Cancer/starving puppies/homeless vets". Well geez, how do you say no to THAT?) but I try to up the ante at Christmas time. Each year I try to pick one charitable cause to focus on and really put thought and feeling into my donation. Last year I chose Toys For Tots and went buck-wild on arts and crafts - what child doesn't love busting open a fresh pack of Crayolas?? This year a few have crossed my mind - and with the clock ticking 'till Christmas I needed to decide.

The second I stumbled across the website for Any Soldier I knew this would be my charity. Any Soldier's mission is to provide letters and care packages for our service men and woman currently serving in Afghanistan. The point is - they're cold. They're hungry. They're bored. They're lonely. They're fighting for US. Many of them rarely (if ever) get mail, much less a care package. When you send an item through Any Soldier, it gets specifically delivered to someone in need of a little love. Their website is amazing and you can pick specifically who to send your package to. They tell you what they are in need of, their favorite items, etc. and you get to bundle whatever you want and send it off!

I was especially touched by an entry made by a female soldier. She commented on the number of mothers in her group and it tugged my heart strings. The mere thought of being away from my child in that capacity brought tears to my eyes. (ok, I silently cried at my desk for a good 5 minutes - lay off me.) She mentioned wanting to have a "girls night" and they would love supplies for such an event. This would be too much fun - a shopping spree at Ulta for a bunch of woman more deserving of a girls night than anyone could ever be. So here's my loot:

- Organix Shampoo and Conditioner
- Organix body scrub
- A variety of OPIs in all my favorite girly shades
- Nail files
- Polish removing pads
- Cotton Rounds
- "Stress Reliving" face masks (this one was too ironic to pass up)
- Shick Quattro razors
- OPI travel hand lotions
- Burts Bees lip balm
- December Issues of Glamour and Allure

They request that packages not be more than 10 lbs - but I wanted to be as close to that as possible - so I added some junky snacks (pringles, gummy worms, etc) - and sent my package on its way!

One of the first things they tell you on their site is not to expect anything in return. The soldiers are all extremely thankful of contributions, but often they have a lot more on their minds than writing thank-you notes (...like staying alive.) So I wasn't expecting anything. But yesterday when I went to get the mail, I see a red-enveloped holiday card. I tear it open, and it's a Christmas card from the solider my package was delivered to!! I couldn't believe it, it was so exciting! She even sent some pictures of their unit, and one of all the girls at their girl's night. In grinch-like fashion, my heart grew three sizes.

That's all it took - and now I'm hooked. I've decided to break my own rule about silly New Year's resolutions. I've decided to send one package a month to a different solider. I realize I probably won't get mail from each of them - It only took that one. I'm pretty excited and have already started perusing the site to decide who my next package will go to. (I'll send two in February to make up for January).

So if you're looking to make a charitable contribution, please consider writing letter or sending a care package to one of our service men or women. Any Soldier accepts mail all year-round - let's show them some appreciation.

Take That, Pottery Barn!

As we all know, Christmas is rapidly approaching. I'm a huge proponent of not decorating until after Thanksgiving (12:01 am the next day is totally acceptable) but that means I have to have all my decorations ready to go come that Friday. Last year I waited until after Thanksgiving to start shopping and it was a rude awakening. I didn't get half as much done as I wanted - and partly because all those Christmas freaks out there cleared the shelves by Halloween - (see: A Blunder-ful Life, a blog by my dear friend Stefani).

I've been thinking ALL YEAR about what kind of wreath I wanted to make for my door this year. Last year I made the beginners mistake of buying a live boxwood wreath from Ballard for eighty-seven-freaking-dollars that was dead by the 26th. To my dismay, I found them for $25 the next week at our local nursery. FML.

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon these at Pottery Barn.

I thought "jackpot!" one of these, hung from my door with red plaid ribbon would be perfect! Until I saw the price tag. SEVENTY- NINE DOLLARS. This must be a joke. I frantically checked the tags on every other letter, positive they had been mis-marked. Nope. The scrooges over at Pottery Bran really are peddling their adorably shabby moss letters for nearly $80. I hate you PB. (Just kidding, I love you! Please, I take it back, I didn't mean it!)

Over the next few days I couldn't get the idea out of my head. I wanted a moss letter like I wanted oxygen to breathe. On more than one occasion I found myself on their website with trembling hands, praying for the strength to not "add to cart". Then it dawned on me. My moss clouded mind had prevented me from thinking of it sooner. I can MAKE this!! How easy would it be?! Wooden letter. Hot Glue. Moss. Done.

14'' wood letter - $9
2 yards premium wired ribbon - $2.50
2 bags live moss - $6
TOTAL - $17.50

Here are a couple more pics of my fantastic holiday creation:

Debating what my next PB knock-off project will be. Perhaps a few of their insanely overpriced ornaments?

Thankful.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. In fact, in might be my most favorite. I have a very large and extremely close family and it is one of the very few days of the year that we are all together. Even when we  were younger I would look forward to Thanksgiving every year. Each November we would make the 4-hour trip down to Smithfield, Virginia to where my grandparents were living at the time. I have a gaggle of cousins all in my age group and we had such a blast together. Every Thanksgiving after everyone had stuffed themselves sick, the kids would put on a little skit for the parents - which we cleverly referred to as"Turkey Night Live". Even now that we are all adults living our separate lives all across the country,  I am so grateful that most of us are still able to get together for Thanksgiving. (All thanks to my entertainer-of-the-year step-mom who puts on a sit-down dinner for 45).

So in honor of this wonderful holiday, here are a few things that I am especially thankful for this year:

- My amazing family. Immediate and extended. Near and far. I love every single one of you.
- My beautiful house in a neighborhood filled with close friends.
- My job and my co-workers that make my every day enjoyable.
- Dr. Clayton - Jack's pulmonologist who was finally able to make our child healthy.
- Our troops - past, present, and future. You all are the reason I have so much to be thankful for.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! I Hope you all have a safe, blessed holiday!

Let the Nutcracking Begin!

Growing up, my mom collected Santas at Christmas time. It started out with a few decorative Santas, then came the themed Santas (Hokie Santa, Beach Santa, you get the point) - people would give them as gifts, or she'd pick up a new one at a post-Christmas sale. My dad must have some sort of Santa-loving-radar or something because when he married Patti, it was revealed that she also had quite a few Santas of her own. Good thing they've got that big ol' house to fill with Santas, otherwise one or two of the kids might get axed from the Christmas invite to make room for their little seasonal visitors.

I joke about it, but I'm actually a little jealous of their vast collection. It was really fun as a kid unpacking the Santas each November and arguing over who got to strategically place each Santa around the house. For the last few months I've been mulling over starting a seasonal collection of my own. Something our children can contribute to, and look forward to unboxing every year. After all, it takes a while to get a good collection going, so I need to get on the good foot!! So what to collect? Clearly, Santas have already been claimed, and it just wouldn't be the same. Snow globes crossed my mind, but that just seemed like a disaster waiting to happen with a toddler running rampant. There are those tiny villages where you buy each house or shop to create your own little winter wonderland - but we're talking $120 a pop so that was out. WHAT AM I GOING TO COLLECT!? Then finally, last night, it dawned on me. Nutcrackers. They are easy to display, the varieties are endless, and for the most part, can be found for pretty reasonable prices.

I've decided to kick off my collection by purchasing my first Nutcracker just in time for Holiday decorating. After an arduous internet search, I managed to find the perfect Nutcracker to honor my collection inspiration.

It's pink, glittery, bedazzled, and amazing. Not to mention, the proceeds go towards breast cancer research. I've got a long way to go, but the tradition has officially begun! Let the Nutcracking commence!

Picture Day

Just a little sneak peek for my blog followers out there (all three of you...). We trekked over to Ashburn Park bright and early on Saturday morning for a shoot with Jenne Barron of Bright Eyes Photography. A couple friends have had some pictures taken with her over the last few months and they are amazing. She captures the best candid moments, which are my favorite. Anyone can take a good staged picture - but it takes a really great eye to get those unexpected shots. She posted a few sneak peeks for me, so I figured I'd share a couple of my favorites. More to come!

 

Happy Monday everyone!!! (Stay tuned... I have an amazing recipe to share later in the week involving bacon AND dessert. you don't want to miss it!)

Winter Preview

So I'm not going to drag on and on about the weather. We got snow in October (for the first time in like 34 years or something crazy) but whatever. It's all melted and gone and we're back to our typical fall weather. I'm not gonna lie though, for a snow-hater such as myself, even I enjoyed it just a little. A LITTLE. Did you hear me Mother Nature!? No more cruel jokes like the last few years. This is Virginia, not Minne-freakin-sota.

I just LOVE the holiday season, and a little bit of snow really adds that extra bit of cheer (especially when it is completely melted and gone within 48 hours.) We cranked up the fire place - and by cranked up, I mean we flipped the light switch that turns it on - and cozied up on the couch with some freshly baked goodies. It was a pretty great, relaxing, snowy weekend.

So in the holiday spirit, I have TWO super duper easy recipes - both tested out over this wacky winterish weekend. The first I whipped up as a great little snack for the football game. Sweet potatoes are in season right now and you can get some really delish ones at your local farmer's market. They were practically giving them away at ours.

Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes
2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs of your favorite seasoning (I used a yummy mix of sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, garlic powder, and a dash of cayenne - but anything will work, even cinnamon/sugar for a sweeter snack)

Peel potatoes and slice into strips. FYI, sweet potatoes are much harder than your normal russet or yukon. Get a good knife out for these puppies. Toss in a large bowl with olive oil and seasoning. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake at 425 for about 30-40 minutes, flipping halfway through. DONE. Told you it was easy :)

This next one isn't quite as cut-and-dry as the last, but soooo worth it. And still generally very easy.

Spiked Cider

1 quart of water
3 orange spice tea bags
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 c. apple cider
1 1/2 c. rum (I used Capt Morgans Spiced 100 proof)
3 whole cinnamon sticks
1 tbs butter

Bring water to a boil - remove from heat and steep tea bags for about 10 minutes then remove. At this point I just dumped everything into the crock pot and turned it on high. Let the ingredients mingle for a good 30 minutes before serving. I know, the butter sounds weird/gross but it really adds something. I promise, your cider won't be weird and oily. This was a HIT so I suggest doubling/tripling this recipe if you plan on serving more than 4. (I doubled for 6 and it wasn't nearly enough... ). Word to the wise - this stuff is potent. I'm sure the 70 proof would have done the trick - but we like to party.

Trash to Treasure

I am so excited to share my most recent craft because it was so easy and CHEAP! I found this frame on the side of the road (yes folks, you read that correctly - ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD) and decided it would make the perfect chalk board frame. It was pretty beat up, but it was a nice solid oak frame. I bought a large piece of matting from the craft store (essentially super thick poster board) to use as the backing.

A can of this:

And a bottle of this:

And now I have this:

It hangs perfectly in the kitchen on the laundry room door to remind of things like what day of the week it is, who I am, and to remind me to tighten the screws that attach my head to my neck. I knew the sidewalk chalk we put in Jack's Easter basket would get put to good use.

And in completely unrelated news (and for the sake of cuteness) we trekked out to the Corn Maize at Temple Hall Farm over the weekend (with the Shepherd clan, obvi.) Here is Jack preparing to fearlessly get us completely lost lead us through the maize.