Day 605 | Secret Stash Book

One more Christmas present craft to share before I put an official end to the holiday blog posts. Today's feature? The secret stash book. My teen+pre-teen nieces are getting tougher to buy for: they just want gift cards. Boring! I still wanted to give them what they wanted but decided to gift the cards inside a seemingly plain book.

Surprise! There was a secret compartment for stashing all those super awesome and secret teenager things. I was happy with how they turned out. I hope the girls are, too!

Here's the tutorial I used if you're feeling inspired.

Day 604 | Book Lovers

After much thought and consideration, the boys decided to spend part of their Christmas money (thanks great grandma and great great grandma!) on new books. Robbe selected a giant truck book (even his shirt expresses his enthusiasm for transportation) and Chase picked out a Frozen book (with 12 separate stories). He's discovered a new interest in the movie since receiving the soundtrack in his stocking and watching it for the first time with his cousin (his first ever full-length movie) back in Wisconsin. Chase did make it clear, however, that this is the only Frozen book he wants. He clarified that this one has so many stories that he doesn't need anymore. Smart kiddo.

Yay for reading!

Day 603 | Candles

I'm sure you've been dying to see the candles Mary Catherine and I made back in November. Since I gave them as gifts, I needed to keep the final product under wraps.

Aren't they cute? We made purple lavender citrus candles and green peppermint vanilla candles. I have to say, they smell amazing.

Here's a basic how-to for candle making. It's super easy, I swear! And I've been ordering my supplies from this website lately and have been happy with the options+shipping. I recommend the soy wax. It's the best. :)

Day 602 | Back At It

We're all happy (well, mostly happy) to be back in our normal routine! Lots of quality time with my little man today.

Day 601 | Best Friends

See, I told you these two are best friends.

Day 600 | 600!

Posing at our favorite breakfast spot.

Yep, another 100 days has flown by. You know what that means: another team update.  Enjoy!

Name: Sara
Favorites: SmartWool socks (now that winter has finally arrived, super warm socks just couldn't make me happier), lattes (there’s nothing better in the chilly afternoons), going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: dealing with attention-deprived kiddos after the last two weeks of constant family distractions. Eek!
Dreams for the future: crafting with my boys more often…this whole school five days a week is really cramping my style. Goal for 2016? Craft more all around, with and without the babes.

Name: Chris
Favorites: giant ice cubes (and now we have a circle mold in addition to our square ones!), kringle (good thing he got to eat it three times in the week he was in his hometown), writing notes on his brand new old typewriter, horsing around with the boys, going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: how to spend his big fantasy football earnings (he won his league…no big deal)
Dreams for the future: the first snow day. It’s DC, we’ll have one eventually…but when?!?

Name: Marshall
Age: 3.5 years (45 months, to be exact)
Favorites: Paw Patrol & trains (at least he’s consistent), puzzles, practicing his writing, saying “I really love you so much, [fill in the blank]” (it’s the sweetest thing ever), negotiating…anything and everything, going out for breakfast
Biggest hurdle to overcome: finding the time to play with all his new toys (thanks, family, for spoiling him like crazy over the holidays) in addition to all the old toys that he hasn’t seen in 2+ weeks.
Dreams for the future: going diaper-free. He’s gone one day at school with no diaper for nap (he’s been doing it at home for a couple of months) and last night was his first diaper-free bedtime. We’re so close!

Name: Robbe
Age: Almost 2 years (22 months, to be exact)
Favorites: Miga (for some reason, these two are best friends lately), his brother, giving the best hugs, offering up smooches, tucking in his toys before naps/bedtime, trucks, reading, saying “mama”, going out for breakfast (have you noticed a family trend?)
Biggest hurdle to overcome: whining and screeching. It’s a new development since we’ve been on vacation. Not sure how it came about but let’s just say no one is a fan. Hopefully once we’re back in the routine of real life he’ll realize it’s not a great attention-getting option.
Dreams for the future: talking. He’s so close to actually being able to express himself. I see an explosion of words in the not too distant future. Stay tuned.

And, if you're interested in looking back over the past year and a half of team blog posts, here's your chance:

• Day 500
• Day 400
• Day 300
• Day 200
• Day 100
• Original posts: Chase, Robbe, Chris & Me

Day 599 | Card Crafts 2.0

Aside from a lot of family time and yummy food, what does a trip back to Wisconsin mean for me? Card crafting with Chris's mom. My favorite!

Making these silly cards just makes me so so happy. Thanks for letting me use all your supplies and expertise, Bibi! I can't wait 'til next time.