let's face it....teachers want gift cards

There are an abundance of adorable homemade teacher gift on Pinterest, lots of token things you can give your teachers for Christmas, but as a former teacher, I know what teachers really want........gift cards.  It's sounds a little selfish, but it's true!!  You can only have so much decor for your classroom, chocolates, mugs or candles.  I gave Pearson's teacher's what I know I would have loved as a teacher.  I tried to be a little creative and give them their giftcards in a cute way though.  Here's what I found on Pinterest.  

For his spanish teachers, music teachers and the director of the school, we gave them a $5 Starbucks giftcard.  I have seen this printable on Pinterest a million times but the original one from eighteen25, was green and teal and not very Christmas-y. I decided to put it into photoshop and chang all the teal to red to make it a little more festive for Christmas.  

Here is the updated version if you are still in need of a Christmas Gift for a teacher or co-worker. 

For his two classroom teachers,  I got them some foot scrub from Bath & Body Works and a gift certificate to get a pedicure.  I found this cute little printable here.  

I think all of his teachers loved their gifts and I loved how easy it was getting them all together!!

countdown to christmas

This year we are going to start a new tradition with Pearson.  We are going to countdown to Christmas by unwrapping and reading a Christmas book each night.  I can't take credit for this idea at all.  I first got it from a friend in college, but since then it's all over Pinterest.

 This was an easy tradition for me to get started because I have an abundance of children's books from when I was a teacher.  I had way more than 25 Christmas books to choose from this year, however some of them are not the greatest.  Pearson won't care this year though.  He doesn't understand all of the stories we read to him, plus he mainly likes to just look through all of the pictures.  Each year I'm going to buy a new Christmas book to add to our collection.  I'd like to get more books that focus on the birth of Jesus.  I don't really have any since I taught in a public school.  I'm totally okay with having Santa books, but I'd like to have a good mix of Jesus and Santa books.  

This year our new book was a Search and Find book that I found at Sam's.  Pearson is totally into these books so I thought it would be a fun book for him to open on December 1st.  

 Here are a few of my favorite books from my collection.........

Fa La La by Leslie Patracelli

We  bought this book for Pearson last year and he absolutely loves it.  He calls it the "La La" book.  I love all of Leslie Patracelli books.  They are perfect for toddlers.  Quick easy reads!!

 The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt

This book isn't totally a Christmas book but it is definitely Jesus centered.  It kind of has a little Christmas story part and an Easter story part, but it's a neat book so I threw it in the mix. 

 The Christmas Alphabet by Robert Clarke Sabuda

This was always a favorite of my students.  Each letter has a page you open with a pop-up illustration to represent each letter.  They are all such neat pop-up and my kids always loved guessing what was behind each page.  While this book is really cool, we'll have to open it and then put it high on a shelf to only read with Mommy & Daddy.  It's a fragile book that I would hate to have messed up. 

 Merry Christmas Mom and Dad by Mercer Mayer

This is just a good ole classic Christmas book.  I remember reading this book as a kid.  It's short and simple and I know Pearson will love it this year!

One of my very favorite Christmas books has gone missing.  I just might have to buy a new copy of it because the story is just so cute.  It's called How Santa Got his Job by Stephen Krensky.  It's all about the jobs that Santa had before he got his "real job" as Santa.

If you don't have 25 books to start this year, here are a few places you can check out before you go to Barnes & Noble and spend $15 per book.  

1.  Library

2.  Scholastic Book Orders

3.  Half-Price Books

4.  Amazon

5.  Facebook Garage Sale Sites

And also, I found this link on Pinterest that had some great ideas for Jesus Centered Christmas Books.  I will definitely be checking some of these out for our family in the future!!

What are some of your favorite Children's Christmas books?? I'd love to know so I can add them to my list for our collection!!

diy foaming soap

Oh my goodness........it's been WAY too long since I've done a "Pinned There Done That" post.  I feel like I just haven't had time to browse Pinterest lately or doing any fun projects, crafts or recipes.  My blog has been strictly used for Meal Planning, Pregnancy Updating and Life Scrapbooking lately.    I'm ready to get back into sharing fun ideas, crafts and recipes.  We'll see how long that lasts though since I'm in the thick of decorating Nash's Nursery and starting to get busy with holiday stuff!!  

Today I want to share with you a recipe that my Mom found for refilling your foam soap dispensers.    

You know, the $12.00 foaming soaps at Bath & Body Works, does anyone actually pay full price for those? I don't know about you but I hate paying full price for anything.  Obviously I would never pay full price for a bottle of soap, but even when you get them on sale, they can still run you $5 a pop.  This DIY recipe will cut you way down in cost and it's so nice to just be able to fill your bottles up when needed!! With this recipe a big bottle of refill soap can last your FOREVER.  I'm not sure where the original recipe is found on Pinterest, but here is the one that my Mom likes best!!

Here's what you need.....

3 Tablespoons of any kind of soap

(I just use store brand hand soap)

2/3 cup of warm water

Directions:

Microwave the 2/3 cup of water in a glass measuring cup for 2-3 minutes.  Put the 3 Tablespoons of soap in the water and stir. 

Pour the liquid mixture into your foaming soap container.

 Voila!!  DIY foaming soap that is super easy and cheap!!

Enjoy!!

pin-spired #4

I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, & Sheaffer, to post a few outfits that I created this month!! 

 I really look forward to this post each month because I've had alot of fun mixing and matching my clothes to make new outfits!  

Here are the three outfits I created this month..........

Outfit #1: Mint, Coral & White

Coral is my absolute favorite color and I'm really loving how it looks with mint this season!  It's sooooo springy!!  I wish I had a cute coral bubble necklace like the picture shown above, but my 8 year old necklace from college sufficed.  A cute coral necklace is on my wishlist though!!

Shirt: JCPenny's // Capris: TJMaxx // Sandals: Target // Necklace: Who knows?

Outfit #2: Black & White Maxi with Coral Accents

I LOVE maxi dresses!! I love how I feel cute and dressy, but I can still get down on the floor with Pearson and play.  I normally just wear black sandals and my "Pearson" necklace with this dress, but I thought the coral added a fun pop of color to this old dress.  Again, my coral necklace is not my favorite, but it does the trick and makes this look like a new outfit!

Necklace: Who Knows? // Dress: Ross // Sandals: Target

Outfit #3: Nautical & Green

Someone pinned this outfit last go round and I remember that I had the outfit pinned too.  I love how this outfit is long-sleeved and pants but still looks springy!!

Jacket:  Target // Shirt: Old Navy // Green Skinnies: Walmart (Clearance $7) Sandals: Rue 21

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Sit down, stay a while, and feel free to follow along!!

pinspired #3

 I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, & Sheaffer, to post a few outfits that I created this month!! I was hoping to have more spring things this month but our weather is just starting to warm up here in Texas.  However it's supposed to get back down to 50 degrees this week.  Blah. I'm so ready for Spring!!!

Outfit #1: Cream, Leopard, & Boots

We had a little cool front last week after a week of being in 70's.  I had mentally packed away all my boots and winter clothes.  When it got back in the 50's I got onto Pinterest and found one last winter outfit to create with my new boots.  I found these boots on Clearance at Target for $13.48.  I didn't really need new brown boots, but I couldn't pass them up for such a good price. I'm glad it got cold one last time to so I could wear this outfit.  I'll definitely pull this one back out next winter.  

Cardigan: Old Navy // Scarf: Marshall's // Black Skinnies: Nine West (Ross) // Boots: Target

Outfit #2: Lace & Pink

I love how light and Springy this outfit looks.  My friend was selling a bunch of her clothes and I swiped up this lace shirt from XXI. It has seriously been one of my favorite shirts this Spring so far. I love wearing it with any color of skinny jeans.  

Lace Shirt: XXI // Necklace: Rue 21 // Pink Skinnies: Rue 21// Wedges: DSW

Outfit #3: Chambray, Hot Pink & Leopard

I'm normally not a pink person, so I think it's funny that I'm posting two outfits with pink!!  I was picking up some pictures I had printed at Wal-mart and I just browed through the clothes section.  I found these hot pink jeans for $7 on clearance.  They fit perfect so I just couldn't pass them up!! 

Chambray Shirt: Kohl's // Bubble Necklace: Online Deal // Hot Pink Skinnies: Wal-Mart // Leopard Flats: Ross

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Sit down, stay a while, and feel free to follow along!!

closet clean out

I've been doing some Spring Cleaning around our house lately.  Have you?? 

It's crazy how every Spring we feel the need to clean, purge, and organize.

One of the main areas I have cleaned out recently is my closet.  I got rid of so many clothes, yet I still feel like there are so many clothes that I didn't get rid of that I don't wear that often (or even at all).  I guess I'm just not quite ready to get rid of them.  Ya know, I might need them for something!!  

So to get rid of all the clothes I don't wear but I'm still holding on to them, I'm going to do a year long cleaning out project. I turned all of my hangers the "wrong way".  This indicates that I haven't worn these clothes. After I wear/wash each item, I will turn the hanger around.  

 This time next year I'm going to get rid of all the clothes that never got turned.  

Check out the website where I got this idea, there are alot of other great home organization ideas that I hope to try out as well. 

pin-spired #2

I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, & Sheaffer, to post a few outfits that I created this month using clothes I already had in my closet!!  

Here are the three outfits I created this month.  Looks like I had a chambray theme going on!!

Outfit #1: Chambray, Black & Brown

Chambray Shirt: Ross // Black Leggings: Old Navy //  Brown Boots: Steve Madden Bangles: Rue 21 // Necklace:  Heather's Happys // Watch:  Michael Kors  

Here is a closer look at the necklace.  It says K (heart) M and underneath it says October 11, 2008 (our anniversary).  I actually won this necklace on a Giveaway from Mel's blog!!

I'm pretty sure we have all seen this pin floating around Pinterest.  This was the pin that actually inspired me to get a chambray shirt.  I just loved how it looked with black skinnies and brown boots. However the one I'm wearing in the pictures is from probably 5 years ago.  I bought it long before chambray was in style and it had actually in my garage sale closet for quite a while. I was digging through stuff I was going to sale to see if there was anything I could use to recreate outfits and this little beauty was saved and brought back to my closet!! 

Outfit #2: Mustard & Chambray

Cardigan: Forever 21 //  Shirt: Ross //  Skinny Jeans: Paige (Saks Off 5th) Boots: Steve Madden // Bangles: Rue 21 // Watch: Michael Kors

I have had this outfit pinned forever and I just now got around to putting it together.  I tried it with a white shirt, but it was a little to harsh contrast for me so I paired it with a teeny tiny white and navy pinstripe shirt.  It almost looks like a chambray shirt in the picture, but if you look closely it's stripes.  I put on some cute brown heels, and they looked cute, but I just couldn't pull them off.  I never wear heels.  I used to teach Kindergarten so they just aren't practical to wear to school.  And now I'm a stay at home mom......definitely not practical to wear around the house.  The only time I would wear heels would be at church, but I work during the 2nd hour at church in the preschool every Sunday, so I have to have comfy shoes.  I thought my brown boots still looked pretty cute with this outfit. 

Outfit #3: Purple & Leopard

Cardigan: Old Navy //  Chambray Shirt: Rue 21 // Black Skinnies:  Nine West (Ross) // Boots:  Steve Madden // Scarf: Marshall's // Bangles: Rue 21 // Watch: Michael Kors

Last weekend when I was at Dot Mom, my friend wore purple and leopard together and it totally reminded me of this pin that I had pinned.  I immediately put this outfit together and wore it to church the next day!! It's obviously not exactly like the pin, but I love how the leopard and purple took together in my outfit!!

So there you have it!! 

I made 3 new outfits this month without setting foot in a store!!  

I can't wait to see all the outfits you created.  I love getting ideas from others Pin-spired posts!!

If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!!

Sit down, stay a while, and feel free to follow along!!

get pin-spired #1

For a while now I have been doing "Pinned There, Done That" posts, but n the 1st of every month I'm going to be doing a special "Pinned There, Done That" post call Get Pin-spired.  I'll be joining in with The Larson Lingo (one of my favorite blogs), Mix and Match Mama (the Bachelor's-Sean Lowe's sister), and Pinterest Told Me To (a pinterest fashion blog) in the "Get-Pinspired" Linky.  I will be posting outfits I recreated from my own closet from inspiration that I found on Pinterest. 

First up.....Red, Black & Leopard.  I've worn my red jeans with a black top before but I had never paired it with leopard scarf.  Why in the world had I not thought of that?? I have leopard shoes too, but the print was a little different from my scarf, so I stuck with black flats for this outfit. 

The left picture Pinterest inpiration......it is a sleeve of a sweater turned into a leg warmer.  Genius huh?  Well, I didn't have a sweater I wanted to cut up, so I just cut off the top of some of Matt's old socks and made some cream leg warmers to go with this outfit!! Sadly I didn't get a close-up picture, but you can still kind of see them!!

I always wear this tan sweater with a scarf.  I had never thought to put a vest over it, but I think it turned out pretty cute.  And of course I love the leopard shoes as an accent!!

This was my favorite Pin-spired outfit.  I would have never though to put stripes with leopard.  And I wouldn't have even put the grey sweater with it either.  I thought she looked super cute, so I must have looked cute too! Ha!!

The last outfit I create was inspired by a few different pins.  Printed jeans are all over the place.  I didn't think I was brave enough to do them until I kept seeing lighter colored (not so crazy) printed jeans.  I found these mint green and grey jeggings at Kohl's.  I had a sweater that I bought before Christmas that I hadn't worn, so I exchanged it for something I would wear!!

So there you have it.  I was able to create 5 new outfits with things I already had in my closet.  And I have to say I had alot of fun changing up my wardrobe a little bit.  I hope to be back next month with more fun Pin-spired outfits. 

If you are new around here, sit back and stay awhile.

I normally blog my life as a stay at home mom with lots of pictures of my sweet boy!!

Feel free to follow along!!

Thanks for stopping by!!