Tag Archives: Christmas

Dec31

A Pinterest Christmas – santa hat brownies & christmas cards

Posted on December 31, 2012 by Kendra G.

This is the final installment of A Pinterest Christmas, where myself and several other friends and friends-of-friends
across the country are making fun, Pinterest inspired (Pinspired) holiday decorations, treats, and keepsakes!

The first (p)inspiration this week is Santa hat brownies!

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We needed to take a yummy treat to our annual Christmas Eve open house,
so we scoured Pinterest for fun ideas. Greg was excited about these brownies, so we headed out to get our supplies.

We opted for the easiest ingredients possible.
Strawberries, brownie mix, and easy frost(ing).

I was in charge of washing & cutting the strawberries, while Greg baked the brownies.

We used a 9×9 pan, which turned out to be a great little round bite for the brownies.
With no round cookies cutters available, we had to get creative.
We ended up using a toothpick holder to make the round bites.

The Easy Frost was just as advertised… super easy.
We frosted the brownie and put the strawberry on top, then topped off the top of the Santa hat.

They turned out very well, but here are a few tips:
Allow the brownies to cool FULLY. We got a little anxious, so the icing melted a little bit.
We ended up sticking them in the fridge to help harden up the icing.

Once you wash & cut the strawberries, put them on a paper towel to dry them.
Along with not allowing the brownies to cool, the damp strawberries were sliding all over the place.

Having a cookie cutter would be much easier than using a toothpick holder,
but I think we get an “A” for effort, right?

I think they were a hit at the party. If nothing else, they were sure cute!

***

The next two (p)inspirations are related to the many
Christmas cards we received from our amazing friends.

Cabinet Christmas card display:

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I opted to use painter’s tape on the other side of my cabinet to affix the ribbon,
because I do not think anyone will be looking at the inside of my cabinets;
and I will still be able to save the ribbon for next year.

I found this ribbon at Target early this season.
I originally used it for a bow at the top of our Christmas tree,
but I was happy to be able to reuse it!
I also looked for it the next time I was at Target, so I could stock up,
because, everyone knows how much I love chevron. But… no luck, they were out.

Maggi also created another version of this (p)inspiration on her pantry door!

***

The second Christmas card (p)inspiration comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Ashley Ann.
I had every intention of doing this last year, but somehow in the midst of having a 2 month old,
it slipped my mind and by the time I remembered, I had tossed all of our Christmas cards. Drats.

I knew I would not forget this year, especially once I saw it floating around Pinterest.

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Um, hello! Genius!
Create your contact photos from their holiday cards!
Need I say more?

***

I hope you enjoyed A Pinterest Christmas series this season.
Next year, we have already vowed to get a head start on our projects!
If you missed any projects this year, here is a rundown of what you may have missed:

DIY Pom Pom Wreaths
DIY Ornaments
DIY Yarn Trees
mistle toes

Don’t forget to check out the other ladies’ posts who participated in A Pinterest Christmas this season.

Amanda @ Without a Doubt
Sally @ Chacha and Mogo
Michelle @ this grey house
Misha @ emerald city diaries
Maggi @ Greg, Maggi & Rodney
Abbi @ The Peña Family

Dec30

my christmas vacation in photos

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Kendra G.

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since i haven’t had the slightest idea what day it has been for the last week,
i figured this would be a good way to recap our christmas vacation.
have no fear, the my weekend in photos series will continue next year.

first happy meal at the airport!

we headed to indiana in the middle of a snow storm after an hour and a half delay.
overall, kenley was so so good. and slept in the most awkward position on the flight.

she was slightly confused to find a dog when she woke up the next morning.

trying to stay warm with temperatures in the high 20s.

check out that snow outside!

we were able to meet brittney, patrick & will for lunch!
brittney and i have been friends since birth, so it was fun to see our babies together.
it was also will’s first birthday!

katie & ashton were able to come play too!

kenley and ashton are about three weeks apart,
and played together so nicely.

it was fun to watch kenley open presents even though she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on.

michael, rachel & arie

we were so thankful that the peña’s braved the weather to come down to visit.
kp, jack & kenley… nothing but trouble!

besties.

cozy on the couch, all snuggled up, home for the holidays.

reading my christmas gift on the way to the airport that inspired us to get to work when we got home.

kenley trying to stay occupied on the way to the airport, too.

yet another awkward sleeping position.

more christmas presents once we got home to florida!
the little apron kills me.

kenley and kyler have been enjoying christmas break.

a trip to homegoods means lunch at which wich! so happy about both.

and an ikea trip means frozen yogurt!

four days worth of clean diapers and one cute helper.

***

we had a wonderful trip to indiana and a great christmas,
and have enjoyed the extra days off to do several house projects,
which i am anxious to share!

how was your holiday? and weekend? (it is the weekend right?)

Dec25

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Kendra G.

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Merry Christmas from our new home to yours!

For unto us a Child is Born
Isaiah 9:6

Dec25

A Pinterest Christmas: mistle toes

Posted on December 25, 2012 by Kendra G.

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Merry Christmas!
It’s week four of A Pinterest Christmas, where myself and several other friends and friends-of-friends across the country
are making fun, Pinterest inspired (Pinspired) holiday decorations, treats, and keepsakes!

I really enjoy making homemade gifts and I wish I would do it more.
Time is always an issue and homemade gifts are not always conducive for packing in a suitcase
to travel here or there for the holidays.
Last year, I put together a sundae kit for our neighbors and their kids.

With that being said, here is this week’s (p)inspiration:

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As soon as I saw this, I knew it would be perfect for the ladies in my office.
Of course, I waited until the last minute to put them together,
and I was worried they would be time consuming, but much to my surprise, they were not!

I didn’t have the supplies I needed on hand, but I had no issue buying them
because I know I will use them for future projects.
I purchased rubber alphabet stamps, a red ink pad, card stock, and ribbon
from JoAnn’s for around $15 after coupons.
Surprisingly, the ribbon was the most expensive! Thank goodness for a 50% off coupon.
The nail polish was obviously a tad more pricey, but I still chose to get Essie because it’s my favorite.
I cleaned out Target’s selection of red and got two shades: she’s pampered and fishnet stockings.

I cut one sheet of card stock into four squares and hole punched two holes at the top.
I used wire ribbon, so it was easy to form and look pretty.
Stamp the phrase onto the card stock and put it with the nail polish.
It’s that easy, but also adorable and my coworkers loved it.

Did you make any homemade gifts this year?
I’m going to make it a goal to do a couple more next year.
What do you think?

***

Don’t forget to check out the other lovely ladies’ posts this week in A Pinterest Christmas:

Amanda @ Without a Doubt – Christmas Cards & Wrapping
Sally @ Chacha and Mogo –
Michelle @ this grey house – Sock Vase
Misha @ emerald city diaries – magazine bows & chalkboard art
Maggi @ Greg, Maggi & Rodney – Yarn Trees

Dec16

my [long] weekend in photos

Posted on December 16, 2012 by Kendra G.

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Thank you so much for the sweet, congratulatory comments about the half marathon.
Ya’ll are awesome!

***

our weekend began on thursday night as we headed to grammy’s house for an early christmas

kenley and her cousins at grammy camp!

no smiles from kenley and cullen. can you tell these two are related?

it was a gorgeous friday & kenley loved strolling on the beach

mama loved it too!

kenley loving her present

the other gilbertson kiddos

testing out the new wheels on our way to breakfast

my store!

adventures in the wagon continued at the beach

cullen teaching kenley how to play in the sand

testing the water…which was freezing

jumping off the dock!

manatees in the water in the distance

adventures in the wagon continued. dinner time downtown.

my favorite niece

***

we had a great, early christmas celebration at grammy’s house,
which is one of our favorite traditions.

now it’s time to unpack and repack!

how was your weekend?

Dec11

A Pinterest Christmas: DIY Ornaments

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Kendra G.

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Welcome to week two of A Pinterest Christmas blog series happening this December,
where myself and several other friends and friends-of-friends across the country will be making fun,
Pinterest inspired (Pinspired) holiday decorations, treats, and keepsakes.

We put up our tree just two days after moving into the new house over Thanksgiving.
It was high on my priority list, because, who doesn’t love decorating for the holidays?
Once it was up, I realized that you can now see almost the entire way around the tree,
unlike in years past when we put in a corner of the room and just had to decorate the front.
With that being said, we needed more ornaments!

(P)Inspiration – Scrabble Ornament

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Knowing I didn’t want to take Scrabble letters from my game,
Michelle and I searched for replacement letters, only to find,
it is more economical to purchase Super Scrabble and get 200 letters!
This worked out well since there are only two “K” letters in the entire game,
and both of our girls have “K” names.

Michelle’s hubby cut the the Scrabble trays to fit each name and
we hot glued the letters on to the tray and added ribbon.

We also tried to create other fun, Christmas themed phrases and words.
They looked adorable at first, but I soon found myself re-gluing the tiles together,
and then, again.
So, I’m not sure how long these will last on the tree.

(P)Inspiration – House Key Ornament

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This ornament could not be more perfect!
I got the Baby’s First Christmas kit from TJ Maxx and was able to get 4 ornaments out of it!

Since we have not closed on our old house, I still had my house key!
I was able to do an ornament for our first home and for our new home,
it worked out perfect.

We ended up having more putty to work with, so we got creative.

His + hers wedding rings with our anniversary date.
I really love it!

(P)Inspriation – Keepsake Ornament

Misha made this for Kenley’s first Christmas last year,
so I made it a point to save the birth announcements we’ve received over the past year.

for miss lindsay

and miss kyler

I also made one for Ben for his 1st birthday in November,
even though it wasn’t his first Christmas, but failed to take a picture of it;
and I am planning on making one out of our wedding invitation.

Have you made any fun ornaments lately?

***

Don’t forget to check out the other fun posts for the week:

Amanda @ Without a Doubt – DIY Ornaments & Alternative Christmas Tree
Sally @ Chacha and Mogo – Ornaments & Junk
Michelle @ this grey house – Ornaments & Scrabble
Misha @ emerald city diaries – Clay Ornament & Pom Pom Santa
Maggi @ Greg, Maggi & Rodney – Ruffle Tree Skirt

Dec4

A Pinterest Christmas: DIY Pom Pom Wreath

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Kendra G.

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This is the first post in A Pinterest Christmas blog series happening this December,
where myself and several other friends and friends-of-friends across the country will be making fun,
Pinterest inspired (Pinspired) holiday decorations, treats, and keepsakes.

DIY pom wreath (p)inspired from the little things: cute, crafty, and candy coloured

This is what we like to call the lazy girl pom pom tutorial. All you need is yarn and scissors!

Sally and I started this project a couple weekends ago when we should have been packing up our house.
Instead, I unpacked my craft supplies and we had ourselves a crafternoon.
Kenley and Margot joined, but they were not much help.

To make your pom pom, start your yarn with some slack and get ready to wrap around two fingers…
or three or four, if you want your pom to be bigger.

Wrap, wrap, wrap the yarn.

Continue to wrap until you have a good chunk. If you think you should do more, do it.
You can never have too much, but you can have too little.

Slide the yarn off your fingers gently creating some slack on the other end.

Wrap the slack from the end around the center and pull very tight.

It should be wrapped tight enough that it should look like a bow.

Once it is wrapped tight, tie a knot in the middle with your two ends of slack.

You should still have some slack after you have tied the knot. This will come in handy later.

Cut open the yarn on each side of the tie.

You should have no loops after you’ve made all the cuts.

Gently roll the pom between your hands to give it some fluff.

Getting closer.

Trim the ends of the pom all the way around so they are all the same length, giving the pom a rounded look.
The “haircut” is really what makes the pom look great.

Ta-da!

I got a plain wreath at Jo-Ann’s for 40% off, so it was around $11!

Tie the pom onto the branch with the slack that was cut.

Progress!

Here is the final product! I am obsessed.

For the adorable bow tutorial, head over to Sally’s blog to find out how I did it.
It’s easy, but not as easy as our lazy girl pom poms.

***

Don’t forget to check out the other fun projects happening each week during A Pinterest Christmas:

Amanda @ Without a Doubt – DIY Sweater Wreath
Sally @ Chacha and Mogo – Pom Poms All Around
Michelle @ this grey house – Quick & Easy Wreath/Garland
Misha @ emerald city diaries – reindeer wreath & felted garland
Maggi @ Greg, Maggi & Rodney – Letter Wreath

***

Have you made any fun wreaths lately?

Nov25

my [very long] weekend in photos + giveaway winner

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Kendra G.

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Let’s cut to the chase. The winner of the $15 shop credit to Sally Sarah Designs is

Shauna E.

Congratulations Shauna! Be expecting an email coming your way soon!

***

our weekend started on wednesday.

it was moving day! yes, that truck looks bigger than our house,
yet it still took two trips to the new house.

greg drank is coffee out of a measuring cup,
while i opted for panera coffee when i stopped to get bagels.

luckily, i got to be the one who unpacked and organized,
while the men did all the heavy lifting.
i thought i was making real progress, until the second load of stuff came over.

then, it looked like this by nightfall.

thanksgiving morning, kenley and i had to run to walmart for diapers and milk.
priorities here, people.
shockingly, the place was packed!

we spent most of the day organizing and getting more stuff from the other house.
thank goodness starbucks was open.
it, too, was packed.

it finally started to feel like thanksgiving around 5pm.
fried turkey is seriously the best. hands down.

kenley agrees.

we enjoyed thanksgiving dinner, just the three of us.
it was kenley’s first real thanksgiving dinner & she is a fan.

after taking almost the entire week off from running, unintentionally,
kenley and i went out for my last saturday run before race day. (yikes).

the rest of the weekend has been unpacking and organizing,
and of course, christmas decorating.

***

we had a wonderful, hectic, busy, thankful holiday weekend,
and are so happy to be (almost all the way) moved into our new house.

many pictures & projects to come!

how was your holiday weekend?

Dec30

Indiana Christmas [Part II]

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Kendra G.

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The day after Christmas we were able to meet the other side of my fam!
Lower Christmas!

Not all of my cousins were there, unfortunately, but we were able to meet most of them!

There were other babies there that we got to meet too!

Jack just turned one!! He is a little 1 lb. 10 oz. miracle baby!
We were able to visit Jack in the NICU last Christmas when we were home just days after he was born.
He has come a long way!
You can read about his journey here and follow the Pena family here!

Landon is just a couple months older than Kenley!
We were so excited to see David & Jodi and fam who were in from North Carolina!

We got to meet Frankie too, who is 9 months old!
Look at that hair!!

Here are all the great grandchildren who were there!
Yes, we got them all in one place at the same time!
A true Christmas miracle.

Kenley (2 months), Maddie (5), Kendrick (4), Jack (1), Teddy (4), Frankie (9 months), Gavin (5), Landon (4 months)

The mamas and the babies!

Marge & I
Here is a good shot of the hair on the back of Kenley’s head!

We had a great time visiting with the fam and having everyone meet Kenley!

Dec29

Indiana Christmas [Part I]

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Kendra G.

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Kenley’s first Christmas was awesome!
Granted, she slept majority of the day, but it was still fun.

We opened presents with our immediate family on Christmas Eve
after coming home from the annual Garner Christmas Eve bash.

On Christmas Day we would normally head to Indianapolis to my aunt’s house,
but we played the “baby card” this year and my parents hosted Christmas at their house!

We opened presents, had dinner, and played games,
which is always a treat.

First Christmas as a family!
Kenley, 2 months.

Four generations over 71 years!
We really have five generations living,
but my Great Grandma, who is 92, couldn’t make it for Christmas,
so Kenley has a Great-Great Grandma!