Once Upon A Messy Room

...And this wasn't even the messiest room! (I tackled that one earlier in the week.) I tell my boys almost everyday, "Go clean your room." And I can honestly say they give it a valiant effort. It always looks a bit tidier when they're finished but ultimately the mess just gets shuffled from one corner to the next. So, I decided it was time for me to get in there and not just clean but organize. This was not the first time I've had to do this. In fact it's usually a bi-yearly occurance. The biggest problem is they have too many toys so we needed to simplify!
My first step was to go through with a garbage bag...not the boys favorite step! I'm always surprised how much garbage is actually hidden among the toys. In order to make it a possibility for them to keep their rooms clean themselves I only leave a few toys (or sets of toys) out for them to choose from and the rest goes into a locked closet.

I emptied the closet out completely and put all of the toys in the middle of the room. Carefully I went through each basket and made sure the pieces were where they belong. Then I also decided whether or not we were keeping the toy or if it needed to go down the road. I ended up with a big box of toys to bring to the thrift store that have been outgrown or just aren't played with anymore.

This was the finished project...well before Tay got to pick a couple of baskets to leave out.

Look at all that room to play! He was very excited. And I always notice happier kids after a major room overhaul. It gives them a fresh, new start. A great way to ring it the New Year, I think!

Neat and tidy rooms and huge hugs!
xoxo Heather

Thrifty Treasures

One of my very favorite things to do in all the world is to go thrift store shopping. I find treasures every single time I go. I'll show you some of my clothing treasures. And keep in mind...this is just the tip of the iceberg. My closet is packed with lovely, thrifted clothes.

In the picture above are a few of my favorites...
1-A pinky/salmon colored top with a knit back. Perfect for summer. Not so much in the winter because it's sleeveless and you would have to cover up the cute back.
2-Black and white polka dot bag. Not made by a fancy designer...but I get more compliments on this bag than I do any of my others.
3-White peasant top. Comfy and feminine...and very versatile!
4-AND my favorite in the picture...Camo tank with pink bejeweled guitar. I wear it all year long. Love, love, love it!!

5-Victoria's Secret zipper hoodie- Now...I would have rather had a VS pink hoodie, but these puppies are not cheap...unless you find one in thrift store like I did. I'm certain I didn't pay over $5 for this. And who knows...I'll keep my eyes open and maybe one of these days a pink one will turn up.
6- Flowy grey top-Also very versatile and super comfy. Comfort is very important to me and is something I look for in all my clothes.

7-Tan faux suede shoes with little brown bows-Oh my adorableness! I have a huge shoe problem...that being I don't ever have enough room for my shoes! Hahaha. I found these in a thrift store in WA when I went to visit my sister. I could have shopped the thrift stores there for a week straight. They have more fashion forward clothing stores in the city she lived in than I have available to me so the selection at the thrift stores was unbelievable!!
8-Bright Green and Pink sparkly Ecko tennis shoes- Hot pink, hot green, sparkles, comfort...All my favorite things wrapped up in one shoe. Perfection!

Fabulous bargains and sparkly clothes,
 xoxo Heather

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We had a wonderful day celebrating Jesus' birthday! Our day with filled with love, laughter, family, LOTS of food, gifts, games, hot chocolate and more. Our day started with the 4 of us watching the movie "Home Alone" in bed. Then we got dressed (well...I wore my brand new jammies from the boys) and "over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house" we went.

A scrumptious almond pastry my grandma made for brunch...

...and a candyland inspired tray my sister made.

Dishing up for brunch. I love that everyone brings food so my grandma doesn't have to do all the work and spend all day cooking.

My grandparents always have such a beautiful tree! This was after all the stockings and presents had been opened and everything was cleaned up.

My grandmas table always looks lovely and elegant at all the holidays. She made us prime rib for dinner and it was to-die-for!


Hope your holiday was just as special and magical as ours!
xoxo Heather

The Fastest Cinnamon Rolls In The West!

I love homemade cinnamon rolls. I don't love making them. I'm not patient enough to wait for all the rising. Enter cinnamon rolls made without yeast! Yay! These babies were made using baking soda and baking powder instead. And oh my sweet, cream cheese frosting were they delicious.!!

This is how Tay and I spent our morning on Christmas Eve. Daddy had to work for a while in the morning and Ben went along. So, we made super fast cinnamon rolls and when they got home we ate them and opened presents with just our little family since we spent all Christmas Day at my Grandma and Grandpa's house.

This was the leftover mess after all the presents were opened. It was great fun while it lasted. I'm always excited for the kids to open presents but then when it comes time to open them I almost want to wait a little longer because I know that once it's over it will be a whole year before we get to do it again.  My favorite saying of the day was from Tay after he opened one of his presents he said ,"OH! You shouldn't have!" Hahaha! They melt my heart.

Cinnamon rolls and ooey-gooey frosting,
xoxo Heather

Presents From My Babies

I'm sure every mom must think this but I have the most thoughtful children in the world. This was my present from Taylor this morning before I got out of bed. He had "wrapped" it in a very tiny little box that he got from his Christmas party at school. "Merry Christmas, mom! You can open it right now. You can't keep the box, but your present's inside." 

They make me love notes and homemade gifts all the time and I love each and every one of them. I'm sure by the time I'm an old lady they'll call me a hoarder because I can't bring myself to throw any of them away. I'll just rent a storage unit and keep them all in there! 

 I know that whatever's inside those wrapped packages I will love because it was carefully and thoughfully selected especially for me. Not only are children a gift but they shower me with preciouse gifts each and everyday. Every "I love you mommy" and "Thanks for dinner mom" is a gift. And I know that in the blink of an eye they will be grown and gone and I will long for the days when I got to wake up almost every morning with a new present waiting for me on my nightstand.

Hugs and Presents, xoxo Heather

Cotton Candy Clouds and Candycane Cocoa

I love waking up to pink fluffy clouds out my window. They remind me of cotton candy floating up in the sky. I wish I could be outside laying on the grass looking up at them, but I've noticed that I see them mostly when its very chilly (like below zero) outside. SO I guess instead I'll sip my ...

Candycane Cocoa...(a gift from my momma) and enjoy them from inside.  Taylor is home from school again today with a tummy ache so I'm off the give him all the snuggles he needs until we snuggle his tummy ache away.

Wishing you a day filled with clouds that look like colored sugar and love in the form of warm, chocolatey goodness!
xoxo Heather