I love Santa!

So we started our wonderful

Saturday with a trip to see

Santa at the Southlands!

The boys were so excited!!

And much happier than years past..

this is Turner's first picture with

Santa!!

Parker insisted on wearing the scarf that Santa

gave him last year, and

of course we had to bring our list!

Santa was so kind and read through

each and every request!

We even got to meet Mrs. Claus!!

What a treat!

And what a fun Saturday for

the McClellans.

Turner turns Three!

Happy 3rd Birthday Turner!!

I was so impressed when my sister-in-law Stephanie arrived at

our house with the most amazing Mickey Mouse cake!

Turner was so excited to wear his shin guards and kick the

soccer ball through the house.

He smiled all day and all night!

He even found a new "side smile"

he has been sporting!

Parker sang his solo of "Happy Birthday" to Turner!

Yippee!

Now...onto the next holiday!

My new goal is to try and get our Christmas Cards out

by the first week of December...(is that too much to ask? ..maybe)

But I have had so much fun with the

cards and stamps this year, and I wanted to share!

I have discovered the joy of creating my own stamps!

I have ordered sheets and sheets of them!

It really is the easiest thing to do...photostamps.com

You even get to pick your colors!

And for those of you who know me, you know a Christmas card is

not complete without a family label!

We each get to pick the hairstyle and color that we think represents us!

Thanks familylabels.com!

Happy Holidays...

now off to the shopping!!

Amy Butler Travel Bags

I’m always on the look out for laptop bags and covers. That’s why I’m going to remember Amy Butler the next time I need any of these things. She has just released a new line for Kalencom with her signature bright hues and lush patterns.

Gorgeous colors! The line uses organic cotton, low impact dyes, the highest grade leather accents, zippers, & trims, and bulletproof construction — you know, in case you forget to get off the bus at your stop and end up on the wrong side of the tracks (ha ha).
Looking for beautiful fabric to make your own bags and things for the home? Check out Amy’s new Love line!
(images: amy butler design)

Garnet Garland!

My family is starting the decorating early this year! We love Christmas!

So grant me the joy of sharing with you the

Garnet Hill Advent Calendars this year!

(I love this magazine:)

My favorite is the picture of the elves with pockets (see above)...

wouldn't this be easy to make?

Garland Mittens with numbers!

Buckets O' Garland

And of course...Advent Chocolates!

Have fun decorating!

I heart Crate and Barrel!

I am so excited for the holidays!

I have recently received a holiday Crate and Barrel magazine..

I am in love with the patchwork ornaments!

How creative!

Aren't these the cutest birds?

Couldn't I make these?

How easy would the roosters be to knit?
(for someone who knows how to knit..)

I am imagining an entire tree of homemade knit ornaments...

do you see one in your mind??

Carrot Cake Squares

There are as many carrot cake recipes as there are carrot cake makers. Some carrot cakes have nuts, raisins and even pineapple. The spices in the cake can be anything from nutmeg to cardamom. But there's always one thing that's the same - the oh-so moist texture. My carrot cake recipe is simple with just carrots and a slight touch of spices. Not to forget about the cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes a large oven pan size cake that satisfies even a bigger crowd.

Ingredients (makes 20)
- 2 1/2 cups (6 dl) flour- 3 teaspoons baking powder- 2 teaspoons cinnamon- pinch of nutmeg- 6 eggs- 1 1/4 cups (3 dl) sugar- 3/4 cup (2 dl) brown sugar- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract- 10 oz (280 g) butter- 3 1/2 cups (8.3 dl) carrot shred
{ frosting }- 12 oz (340 g) cream cheese- 1 cup (2.4 dl) confectioner's sugar, or to taste
Peel and finely shred the carrots. For 3 1/2 cups you will need around 8 carrots. Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars and add the eggs in. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until foamy. Add the vanilla.
Start gradually adding the dry ingredients, melted butter and carrot shred into the egg foam. Alternate between the three while mixing the batter on slow speed. Mix just until combined.
Pour the batter into a big oven dish or deep oven pan (14 x 15 inches / 36 x 38 cm) lined with oven proof parchment paper. You can also make the cake in two separate dishes. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 30 minutes. Let the cake cool down.
Beat room temperature cream cheese and confectioner's sugar until smooth. Taste test and add sugar to your taste. Spread frosting on the cake, and cut into desired size squares. If you want to decorate the cake, nuts and orange zest work great with the flavors.

Stenciled!

I love Halloween, I know I say that about every holiday,

but I have a special place in my heart for any

celebration lets everyone get

hopped up on sugar and act completely silly.

So with the date rapidly approaching and I ran across this great tutorial

at Better Homes and Gardens on how to stencil a pumpkin.

It looks so easy to do and the results are absolutely fantastic!

The Pumpkin Man is back!

Wow, it has been months since I have blogged!

Many things have kept me busy,...let's see...

moving home to Colorado,

unpacking, working,

and creating a home I love.

I have Fall on the mind!

I love the seasons changing, the colors on the trees are amazing right now!

My son wants me to build a scarecrow...which may be my project this week.

I love celebrating, I love parties and dressing up..so maybe we will have another one this year.

This is a Halloween postcard I found online from 1944.

Supposively the pumpkin man is emerging from the cake!

This is a photo of the 40 foot pumpkin man someone created!

Creative!



And then the Disneyland parade of Pumpkin Men is always worth mentioning.


So light your pumpkin spice candles,
open the screen doors and listen to
John Denver...does it get any better? No way.

As John says, "Hey, it's good to be back home again"....

Goodness.

You know how I love Amy Butler. I'm also in love with her new collection of handcrafted rugs. View the slide show here... and be prepared to drool.GEORGIA

Cotton blooms create a cloud of soft circles for resting, stretching & lounging. Enjoy these clouds in either green or blue.

FIELD POPPY
Big and bold poppies and leaves create fresh & modern accent to your favorite spaces. Two color ways to choose from

ACANTHUS

A deep rich organic pattern in charcoal brown and blue. Heavily sculpted pile in an artistic and lush tapestry for your floor.

CARACAS
joyful and passionate flower in deep red, burgundy and magenta. A romantic accent to warm up your room!

(in) courage

(in)courage
Well. You may have already heard the buzz of excitement hovering around the blog-world this week. If not, let me tell you what the buzz is all about: It is about courage. It is about our girl-made mess and the God who redeems it. It is a place to be inspired, rejuvenated, and accepted.
So what is it? Well, on Monday August 10th, you can see for yourself. For now, check out http://www.incourage.me/ for a preview. The girls at Dayspring (a division of Hallmark) have been tirelessly working to launch a new site for you and me, a place to call home.

Personalized Pillows

Imagine coordinating all of your child’s bedroom pillows -- with some personalization to boot. With Bella Marie's personalized pillows, you can.

Seamstress and Etsy shop-owner, Marie Villa, loves personalized items, as do her children. To Marie, her name pillows are "the perfect projects to make that not only coordinate with a room's colors, but also personalize it at the same time.”
Marie used an assortment of Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics for the “Emme Pillow” below. Other materials include a background fabric (Marie used a solid, pre-quilted fabric) Heat n' Bond™ Lite, stuffing, and lots of thread.

According to Marie, this is a simple design to make. Each pillow takes about 2 hours to complete. "The letters are the only thing that can get tricky – but with practice you can get them just right."
Marie's pattern is from one of her favorite websites, http://www.youcanmakethis.com/info/featured-products/Personalized-Name-Pillows.htm, for $6.95. However, if you don't have the skills nor the time to make your own customized pillows -- but you love homemade, you’re in luck. Marie will make a custom one for you. Contact Marie through her Etsy shop, Bella Marie Designs, to place your custom order. Keep in mind, longer names such as Savannah can be fit onto a slightly longer pillow.
If you don’t have a little guy or girl in mind, Marie suggests a “Mom” pillow for mother’s day or a special “Grandma” pillow with grandchildren’s names hand-embroidered around the pillow's front. For pillow inspiration, comb through Marie’s Flickr set here.

The Wedding Chicks

The Wedding Chicks
Forgive me, but I’ve been on a wedding kick lately. I promise, it’s nearly over! :) My anniversary is on the 14th but I’m still thinking about weddings and I’m guessing it’s due to all the photos I’ve been looking through lately.

Have you heard of The Wedding Chicks before? No? Oh you will love me for sharing these ladies with you today! This is such a beautiful place on the web to visit for wedding inspiration. I must confess though, that even for us married girls it’s a great spot for simply viewing lovely things and dreaming up ideas on how we can use some of the ideas and color schemes in a non-wedding sort of way.

Here Comes the Bride!

My baby sister got married this weekend!

She was the most beautiful bride!

Here is my mom, sister and I at the beginning of the festivities...

the Rehearsal Dinner!

My mother delievered gift bags to all of the out of town guests.

This is the homemade sign for the back of the getaway motorcycle!

My beautiful sister at the personal shower.

The spread for the personal shower.

So many pink boxes!

The 'Studmuffins' at the Rehearsal!

Her dream came true as she got married at the

amazing Washington Park in Denver Colorado.

Here they are!!

The future Dr. and Mrs. Coleman Eich!

Rehearsal Dinner shoes.

Aren't they cute?

My oldest son, Parker.

My baby Turner.

Our dad did a fabulous job.

The table centerpieces.

She loved the mason jars.

The acorn (=Eich) name cards and candles.

Vintage stencils as table markers.

Where to sit....just find your name!

The fun memory table at the Rehearsal Dinner.

The beautiful Boat House!

The Rehearsal Dinner Site!

The wedding attire for the 1940's style 'Studmuffin'.

The wedding day!

My husband officiated the wedding and I was the matron of honor.

Instead of a guest book, they had everyone sign their vintage skis.

Our family!

The Wedding Centerpieces.

Gerbers .

The women's corsages.

The men's boutonnieres.

The stunning bride Kalee.

The pictures in the park were so fun.

They are so photogenic!

The siblings.

The wedding party.

My husband and our son.

Coleman's brothers and the studmuffins.

Sweet Aunt Stephanie and boys.

Shaun sang "There is love" while Lanny York played guitar.

The cake.

Every guest got to leave with a jar of Grandma T's jam~

Turner enjoyed each bite.

What an amazing weekend!