Elf on the Shelf Ideas (Featuring Ellie the Elf!)

Sunday, December 7, 2014


Ellie was recently featured on Freebie Finding Mom's blog post, 25 Easy Elf on the Shelf Ideas. I loved that one of my ideas that made my little sister so excited was shared for others to try. 

With the elves back from the North Pole, Ellie has been getting quite a few hits and repins on Pinterest bringing lots of traffic to my blog and Pinterest page. 

So, I wanted to bring all of Ellie's most poopular ideas to one page. Here goes nothin'! 

Ellie playing Regan's video games. 

Roasting marshmallows.

Getting into Regan's makeup.

Pouring Dad a cup of coffee.

Broke in to watch tv in Regan's Barbie house.
Enjoying a big Thanksgiving dinner.

Taking a nap in Regan's American Girl bed.

Being captured by the other toys for being Regans favorite at the moment. 

Hittin' a few holes.

Hanging out with the wine.

Enjoying one of the Elves main food groups.

Seeing Santa.

Getting into the leftovers.

Being the messenger. 
This has been the most popular Ellie idea. 
It has been repinned on Pinterest about 3,000 times and has brought thousands to my blog.

Enjoying Mom's favorite afternoon snack. 
This Ellie idea has been the third most popular on Pinterest with about 1,600 repins. 

Hanging with the fellas. 
This Ellie idea has been the second most popular idea on Pinterest having just over 2,000 repins. 

Showing love for our favorite family movie.

Riding the reindeer.

Calling the hogs! 


Hope some of these get your creative juices flowing!

Christmas Wreaths and Elf Returns!

Thursday, December 4, 2014
It's time to bust out the Christmas wreaths and make everything smell like cinnamon. 

When I graduated college, I went for about a month and a half of unemployment. I was waiting for Jordan to finish his temp. job with Iowa State and we were planning on moving to Arkansas. During that time I decided to keep myself busy and bring in a little money making wreaths.

(I made hair-tyes and baby headbands too but that story is for another time.)

Anyways, when we moved to Arkansas I stopped selling and don't do it anymore. But when your Aunt requests a unique Christmas wreath for her front door, you make exceptions!

She sent me a few images of what she wanted and I tried to create a balance between all.  
Here is what I came up with...


Everything was bought at Hobby Lobby. (I played with the chalk part.)

If you decide to do something similar you will need the following items.
A mini chalkboard
Roll of red burlap
Red striped burlap ribbon
Some fun/funky Christmas tree stuffers
Scissors 
Zip ties 

THE BOW: Go to The Domestic Diva's blog to see how it was done. I only did 4 loops instead of 6 but that's all up to you! 

The Christmas decor isn't the only thing coming back right now. Ellie the Elf is back as well!!! Although, last year Jordan and I were staying with my parents until we found a place to live so I got to set her up everywhere. This year it's all in my Mom and Dad's hands. I'm pitching ideas but it's slightly killing me not to drive over there and set her up for fun. :(

Here is what she has done so far...

Day One: She's back!!!
The image is a little dark because my Dad took it while Regan was sleeping. 


Day Two: Ellie packed lunch! 
It includes some of the essentials, candy and syrup.

Can't wait to see what shenanigans Ellie get's herself into this year....;)
Hope you're all having a great week and returning your elves from the North Pole! 


Christmas Gift Ideas for Men (Made by Men!)

Monday, December 1, 2014

I did what I think every girl does this time of year. I turned to Pinterest for stocking stuffer and gift ideas for my husband but I came up short. 

Everything I saw was FAR from what Jordan would actually want and use. 
An expensive cardigan? HA! 
A high class shave set? Nope. 
An infinity scarf? Are they serious? 

To be honest, I think half the women that create those on Pinterest only put all that stuff together because the colors coordinate. Seriously though. Go take a look and tell me I'm wrong!

So, I took it upon myself to come up with a list of Christmas gift ideas for men and the most important part of this post is that this list was made by men

I asked guys (from our close friends and family to Facebook friends) what they would love to see under the tree this year. I wanted ideas from stocking stuffers to big gifts. 

Don't worry ladies, I didn't include the requested cars, guns and riding lawnmowers. (I got your back!) ;)

One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten | Eleven | Twelve | Thirteen | Fourteen
(You can click on the corresponding number to purchase exactly what's pictured!)

One | A bottle opener
It seems so simple but it tends to be one of the main things men love and use but rarely buy for themselves. At least, they rarely buy themselves a nice one that will last them forever.

Two| A giftcard
Jordan loves to hunt and fish so his ultimate place is Bass Pro. In fact, most of our guy friends who I reached out to put this at the top of their Christmas list. Another big one was a giftcard to Home Depot or Lowes. 

Three | Beer
Duh! Another obvious one that men want. I suggest their favorite beer or a beer they have been wanting to try but always forget to buy until they have swiped their card and are heading back to the car.

Four | Whiskey Stones
Jordan's drink of choice is Whiskey (if you skipped ahead and saw the bottle of Templeton, we will get more into that in a bit).  We got whiskey stones for our wedding but this was another one that our guy friends added to the list.

Five | Mini Nerf Gun
This is a little something fun for Christmas morning. If I dare get this for Jordan, I know he will be ripping that thing out of it's packaging so fast and will be shooting everything in sight. So, maybe make this the last thing they open if you go with it? Ha!

Six | Yeti Cooler
Yeti! Oh, Yeti. The nicest cooler around. Seriously. Jordan and I want one so bad but they are not cheap folks! So, this is more of a big gift idea for your guy but one I think every guy would love to get. 

Seven | Thermos
Jordan has many Thermos' but "many" isn't always enough. Almost every one of our guy friends owns one of these but they tend to get beat up after awhile.

Eight | Slippers
This one wasn't as "manly" as the rest of the gifts but it's definitely one most men enjoy whether they admit it or not. Who doesn't love toasty toes?

Nine | Stocking Hat
Carhartt is the way to go. They are so warm and come in a million colors. Another gift that the guys put in the safe bet category.

Ten | Beard Pack
This was strictly from Jordan. His beard has been getting out of hand. No matter how much I bug him to trim it, his stubborn side get's more stubborn (didn't think that was possible. Psh!) and he refuses. The only win-win outcome is to tame the beard. 

Eleven | Zippo
And again, another top gift idea from the guys. A zippo lighter. Not only did almost all of them want this but it's a good gift idea because most men want it but won't buy it for themselves.

Twelve | Bodywash
I always try to throw in a little something like this for Jordan when I can. However, when I do, I need to make sure it's "manly" enough for this manly man. That's why Sasqwash is a safe bet if you go this route.

Thirteen | Wool Socks
Like women to shoes, Jordan is to wool socks. The man could fill an entire dresser with just wool socks. But, he's not the only one! A lot of the guys I got help from requested these as well. They are awesome for hunting season. If you live in the frigid North, this is a must have. I would be lying if I said I didn't own a few pairs myself.

Fourteen | Whiskey
And last but certainly not least, Templeton Rye Whiskey. A household favorite between our guy friends and family. This Iowa whiskey is Jordan's all time favorite. So, if all else fails I buy him this because he's always thrilled.


If you have other ideas, please throw them my way! 
I would love to keep accumulating this list for the next few years to come.
Happy Christmas shopping!!!


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