Days 15-19 Elf on the Shelf 2013

Day 15- Sunday morning when the kids got up for church they found the elves in the comfy chair in the office reading the Veggie Tales'  A Christmas Star, I asked Hunter if he thought Snowflake or Holly was doing the reading, he said they were probably just looking at the pictures! LOL

 Maybe Hunter is right, there are a lot of words on that page. LOL

Day 16- Oh my goodness I didn't get any pictures!! Anyway Snowflake and Holly had packed the kids' lunches. Hunter had a box of pasta, the pancake syrup, a coconut, tartar sauce and a box of mac and cheese. Hailey had a bottle of vinegar, bbq sauce, an onion, coffee creamer and mustard!

Day 17- Hunter had been waiting for the elves to build a hotel with his blocks since day 1. Needless to say he was happy to see the elves had listened to him. This was the morning Hunter realized that the elves ALWAYS clean up after themselves! 

Day 18- Look, Holly and Snowflake went camping with a couple of friends! I am glad they decided to camp in the office because it was cold and snowy outside. (Although, I am sure Snowflake and Holly would think it is warm compared to the North Pole!)

 

 I think Snowflake looks so cute in Hunter's headlamp! Hunter uses that light to take the dog out at night. LOL

 Looks like they are reading another Christmas story, and I spy Hailey's light sword.

 Day 19- Time for a swim!  I'm happy they are wearing their floaties! But, what is up with Snowflake?

 Everyone else is swimming and snowflake has his fishing pole!! LOL Whatever!

 Thank you for stopping by!
Until later~

Booksneeze Book Review- NIV Essentials Study Bible

  I recently received the NIV Essentials Study Bible: Easily Grasp the Fundamentals of Scripture through Lenses from 6 Bestselling NIV Resources (Hardcover) through the Booksneeze book review program. I was pleasantly surprised at all of the study aids contained in one book.

 The NIV Essentials Study Bible offers different 8 lenses as different ways to explore God’s word.

Flyover Lens: Start each book of the Bible with the right perspective from easy-to-read introductions from the popular Essential Bible Companion. This one is probably my favorite lens. This is where you will find key concepts, information about each book and key verses.

Unpack Lens: Easily understand and interpret Bible passages with bottom-of-the page study notes and in-text charts from the best-in-class NIV Study Bible. This lens is the one I am most familiar with. This is where you will find more information and cross-references on various verses.

Dig Deep, Look Close Lens: Understand the fascinating historical significance of the Bible with articles and photos from the bestselling NIV Archaeological Study Bible. This lens offers more information about the people, history, archaeology, artifacts or reliability in the text.

Q&A Lens: Get concise, easy-to-grasp answers to your most perplexing questions about the Bible with questions and answers from the beloved NIV Quest Study Bible. I enjoy reading the Q&A lenses. The questions really get me to think about what I believe and why I believe that way.

People Lens: View Scripture from the perspective of the 100 most important people in the Bible with notes for the student of any age excerpted from the timeless NIV Student Bible. Here you will find insight about various characters in the Bible. This tool also has questions meant for reflection.

Guided Tour Lens: Get a bird’s eyes view of Scripture with a Guided Tour, also excerpted from the category-leading NIV Student Bible. This is where you will find a brief overview of the scripture and a related Life Question

Insight Lens: Find meaning in the Bible by reading these magazine-style call-outs from the NIV Student Bible. My favorite aspect of the Insight Lens is the Life Questions.

R&R Lens: Reflect & Respond with this quick inspirational focus time, which unveils the sweeping narrative of the Bible as seen in the award-winning The Great Rescue, NIV. This lens can be used for your personal devotions. Each R&R Lens is broken down into 4 different sections: Read, Think, Live and Next Level. There are page references to help you find the next devotional.

I am delighted to add the NIV Essentials Study Bible to my ever-growing Bible collection. It is convenient to have so many Bible study resources in one book; I can now do an in-depth study in a small space or on the go. While some may find the NIV Essentials Study Bible a bit over whelming as a “reading” Bible with so much information added to the pages, I think it is an excellent study Bible. I personally prefer a soft cover Bible, which I find easier to lay open while I take notes, but the hard cover will probably be more durable.

I was sent this book through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Days 13 & 14- 2013

Yesterday morning the kids were a little slow finding Snowflake and Holly. Hunter finally found them in the Master bathroom.

 Looks like the elves are shaving the beards off. I think they have plenty of shaving cream. LOL

 This morning we we found them in the kitchen, all clean shaven!

 Holly and Snowflake made breakfast this morning!! 

 Holly has a bowl of cereal in the microwave!!

Hummm, looks like the elves are just as messy as the kids trying to get something to eat.

It truly is beginning to look like Christmas here, it has snowed most of the day. It is not piling up quickly, but we do have a good, thick blanket of snow. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Gone Duck Dynasty Day 12, 2013

Last night Hubby and I watched the Duck Dynasty Christmas show. (We DVRed it for the kiddos to watch later.) Well, I guess we were not the only ones watching TV last night.

 This morning we found the elves in front of the TV, with daddy's Duck Dynasty DVD and Uncle Si cups for the kids and beards!  Even Holly had a beard!! Too funny!!

 Snowflake rockin' his beard.

 Holly with her beard and Hailey's pink DD cup.

Hailey used her new cup after we got home from her and Hunter's Christmas program at school tonight. Hunter used his at dinner. LOL They plan to watch the Duck Dynasty show tomorrow after school, and I am sure they will be drinking from their Si cups!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Days 10 & 11 2013

Yesterday morning we found the elves on the mantle. They had added their stockings with Hunter and Hailey's. And they had filled the kids' stockings with left over Halloween Candy!!

 Holly and Snowflake's stockings have some Halloween candy in them too.

 Snowflake's stocking.

So, this morning the kids were surprised to see that the elves' stockings were still here, and they had left the candy behind.

Looks like a good game of sorry is happening in the living room.  Hailey was happy to see that Holly is winning. (Hailey ALWAYS wins when we play sorry, she said it is because she always picks blue! LOL)

Hailey's dolls, Carly and Emma, look to be having fun playing with Holly and Snowflake.

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

PLaying Catch up Day 8 & 9 Elf on the Shelf 2013

So, Yesterday was so busy. The kids woke up to find the elves in the Christmas tree.... which had been decorated with underwear!! It was funny, but you won't see the pictures because Hailey asked me not to post pictures of her undies for the whole world to see.
 After our busy day yesterday, Snowflake and Holly were wore out. They have slept all day today.

Sneaky little elves swiped Hailey's puppy dog while she slept. As cold as it has been here I think cuddling under a blanket sounds like a good thing to do!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Day 7- 2013- Show their true colors

It looks like Snowflake and Holly are Buckeye fans too!! They are all set to watch the game tonight with their Buckeye apparel and snacks.

 Holly still needs to practice her "k"s . LOL

 Snowflake sporting that Ohio State tie.

Holly looks good in Scarlet and gray!

The elves will have to let us know how the game was, we have tickets for the Singing Christmas Tree tonight in Minot. 

Thank you for stopping by!!

Until later~

PS- Go Bucks!!

Decorating Day 6 Elf on the Shelf 2013

I guess we are not decking the halls fast enough for Snowflake and Holly! Last night as we were nestled all snug in our beds the elves were busy making things look festive.

 Really, Christmas balls on the snow people noses?? Oh you 2 funny elves. And it looks like we will not be putting our tree up tonight, they swiped a couple of the branches! It is good to see we have  at least one set of lights that works. LOL

I am not sure what the weather is like where you are, but it has been down right cold here!! This was the temperature this morning when I dropped the kids of at school. With the windchill we were at -40*!! We have about 5 inches of snow too. (It is hard to get a good measurement on the snow because of the wind blowing it.)

We have a busy weekend ahead of us, lots of exciting things for the kids (and us too!!) I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas with Elf on the Shelf Day 5 2013

Snowflake and Holly enjoyed watching A Charlie Brown Christmas with new friends last night!!

Looks like everyone, even poor old Charlie Brown is having a good time watching Christmas movies. It looks like Holly was not a very good hostess, I do not see any popcorn or sodas.

  Oh Snoopy, you are too cute!!

 So, now Hunter and Hailey wonder if the Peanut's gang will hang around, or if they will head back to the North Pole with the elves tonight. I told them we will have to wait and see.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Cleaning Day with Elf on the Shelf Day 4, 2013

This morning the kids were up and looking for the elves 30 minutes before their normal wake up time. After a quick search of the living room, kitchen and office Hunter gave up and crawled into my nice warm bed. Hailey is more persistent and didn't give up until she found them.  She gave a yell to let us know she found Holly and Snowflake. I asked her where they were and what they were doing. She said they were in the bathroom and it looked like they were having their hair done?? Hunter jumped out of bed and went to see for himself. He reported back that the elves were not getting their hair done, but that they were cleaning the bathroom!! Yea, I may have done a little happy dance!
This mommy could get used to having the elves help out with the cleaning around here!!

 Looks like I won't have to clean the tub for a while, with Snowflake using all those cleaning products!

(By the way, this is the kids' bathroom. We ALL agreed on the frogs, the only thing we ALL agreed on. LOL)

 LOL, Holly is busy cleaning the mirror. I hope she doesn't leave any streaks!

The kids were supposed to stay after school today and work on Christmas stuff with the FFA students. Hubby and I were taking advantage of the extra couple of hours to do our Christmas shopping. Because of the weather the thing for the kids had been rescheduled for next week, well since hubby had the day off we went ahead and headed to town. I told Snowflake and Holly we would be gone several hours, for them to feel free to clean other rooms while we were gone. Yea, they didn't. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Day 3, 2013 Under Construction!! Paper Towel Cabin

I guess fixing Hailey's Barbie car was something Snowflake enjoyed doing, and since he had daddy's toys out...............

 Hunter and Hailey have been getting up each morning, on their own- 30 minutes early, just to see what these 2 are doing!!
After finding the crazy elves this morning Hunter had to check the stockpile, only to find Holly and Snowflake had already found it and had borrowed a couple of things. Hunter thought it was hilarious that there is a roll of tp inside their paper products cabin!

 Yep, looks like the perfect size for two silly elves.

Holly, that hammer looks a little heavy for you. 

I hope that cabin withstands the windy/snowy conditions which continue to be in our weather forecast through tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Is there a Mechanic in the House? Elf on the Shelf Day 2, 2013

 The Barbie Bug has a tire that likes to fall off. Looks like Snowflake decided to take matters in his own hands and fix it, or at least try to. 

I am not sure what is wrong with the scooter, but Holly has it for Snowflake to work on next.

Hunter and Hailey loved the bandana. Nice touch, Snowflake.
A level? I guess it is important for the car to be level once the tire is back on it. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf Day 1-2013

 The kids were so surprised and happy to see Snowflake and Holly had made their return some time during the night. A few times during the past couple of weeks Hailey and Hunter had mentioned various things about our elves, but I think it was a total surprise to find them this morning.
  Hunter walked over to them several times and whispered some of his ideas of things for them to do.
 (I wish I had gotten a video, he was so sweet leaning in close, but not close enough to touch them, talking to them. It melted this mom's heart!!)

"We're back!" Spelled out in M&M's  Holly needs to practice making her "k's" the correct way.

I guess it must be a tradition now that the first morning is when the elves bring breakfast- Donuts and chocolate milk. (At least Hunter and Hailey were not heading off to school after that breakfast!!)

 

 Holly

Snowflake

I had promised Hailey that after church today we would get her tree up. So, the second she got home she reminded us about the tree. (The girl was a sight heading to the garage to get her tree- in her baby doll pj's and snow boots and coat.)

 Last year the kids each had a tree in their bedrooms for the first time. Hailey has a cute little  white tree with purple lights and pretty pink decorations.

LOL, funny girl!

 A little fairy.

All done.

 Hunter's has a skinny tree. A very skinny tree!! LOL

Hunter working on His tree. Snow on the ground does not mean you have to wear a shirt! LOL  (And YES!! my kids would live in jammies if possible!!)

He decorated it just like he wanted it!! 

Well, now that the kids' trees are done they can help with the rest of the decorations, and the other 2 trees.

With bad weather in the forecast for the next 3 days (maybe a foot of snow and -40*???) the elves left a little early this evening. It was a surprise after showers tonight to see Snowflake and Holly were already gone. We are hoping they use their magic to come back before morning.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

DIY Wooden Candle box

Every now and then I get bitten by a different bug that causes me to lay my paper, ink and stamps aside temporarily. Such was the case yesterday. In the middle of cutting cardstock for my Christmas cards another project started calling my name! Actually, it was a project that had been started a few weeks ago. I had been cruising around Pinterest and saw some wooden candle boxes that made me drool.  I found basic candle box directions after a Google search. A quick trip to the home improvement store for lumber, paint and stain and a handy husband resulted in my brand new candle box. But, being the primitive kinda girl that I am that new candle box was in need of some love. So, yesterday, in the middle of Christmas card prep that lovely box started call out to me. I dry brushed a little paint on it and then put a coat of Early American stain on the whole thing. Now am am so happy with my "old' new candle box.

The box is just under 3 feet long! I went a neutral color so I can change it out for different seasons. I will be adding a coat of wax at some point, and maybe some vinyl text? Oh yea, and I need to pick up some AAA batteries for my candles.
 Ok, now that the candle box is no longer calling my name maybe I can get back to my Christmas cards.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Christmas Tag Swap

I am a part of a great group of scrapping ladies. It is no secret that there is some serious talent in that group! We recently completed a card swap, and having the creative juices flowing decided to do a tags swap. We needed to make 10 tags, and I can hardly wait to get 10 tags back!

I did 5 each of 2 different designs. For my first tag I went "old school." LOL

I started with a pre-made tag that I have had in my stash forever. I stamped my image (one of my all time favorites!!) and colored with my Prismacolor pencils. I have used my Copics almost exclusively for the past 3 years and almost forgot how much fun it is to color with the pencils. I used some white Liquid Applique that I have been hoarding forever. Again, I had forgotten how much fun it is to play with that stuff! I love this tag! I hope the ladies do too!

Supplies- 

Stamp- Perky Penguins- Red Rubber Design, "To/ From"- Christmas Circles- Red Rubber Designs, "be merry" from my stash

Ink- memento Tuxedo Black, Vintage photo Distress Ink

Misc- Liquid Applique

Misc- white Liquid Applique, Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol, Crystal Stickles, red rhinestones, red & white Bakers Twine

My second tag is a little more formal, and has lots of layers.

I chose to used lots of die cuts on this one, thank goodness for the Big Shot. I started with Spellbinders Labels 8 cut in Ripe Avacodo. I stamped it with a small snowflake with Versamark ink for a tone on tone effect. The scalloped circle and the "bookplate" were cut with the Make it Memorable dies from Taylored Expressions. I then used the Circles Spellbinders dies.(I love how dies from different companies work together so well!) All edges were inked with Landscape Palette ink. A tiny rhinestone and a little Ripe Avacodo ribbon finished my tag. Not only did I use lots of layers, but I pop dotted each of them too. I enjoy layering up my tag because I have to watch it on my cards.
Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~