January 5, 2014

Scott & Erin got hitched!

Posted by Ethne~

Hey everyone!  Keeping warm?  It's predicted to be about -50 degrees F here.  The governor called off school for the kids.  Super.

Fortunately, it hadn't gotten QUITE that cold for Shaun's brother's wedding on Saturday.  Cold, but not sub-zero.

xo Erin & Scott xo

It was a wonderful affair.  Shaun's brother, Scott, married Erin - we are thrilled to have her and her daughter, Ava, join our family!  Ava happens to be the exact same age as the girls, so the three of them are pleased as punch.

The Three Musketeers

Scott & Erin are very stylish, so I knew it would be a fabulous event, and I wasn't disappointed.  Erin wore her mother's dress for the ceremony (amazing!) and then a smashing party dress for later.  Ava wore a really pretty ivory dress that made me think of a Grecian princess; I also thought the emerald green bridesmaid dresses had a Grecian feel to them.

Erin's mom and two sisters - look at those gorgeous blondes!
Heather (Scott & Shaun's sister) was also a Grecian princess; she was thrilled in the green color choice - her favorite. :-)

Shaun was best man, so looked very dapper in his navy blue suit.  I put the girls in navy party dresses and I wore a forest green dress - so we would all coordinate for family pictures.

A nice setting for cool pics - gutted warehouse with loads of crystal chandeliers!

Shaun and his mom

Having heard of the new blow-dry bar trend, I went to Blast Drybar in Minneapolis and had my hair blown out the morning of the wedding.  I'm glad I did.  I also wore fake eyelashes.  If you do nothing else, wear fake eyelashes to a wedding, my friends.

Sweet KD (and see my soft curls and the perfect lashes?)

Here are a few more pictures!! xo

Dancin' Fools!
The head table (several candles had gone out, but all lit, it was even more romantic!) (Steph, do you recognize my purse?)
My favorite wedding trend - the photo booth.  The girls had a BLAST with it.






January 3, 2014

AFTER-CHRISTMAS CLEARANCE!

Posted by Lori~

Black Friday--WHO CARES?!?  Day after Christmas sale--MY FAVORITE!  You can get Christmas items, gift sets, decorations, and so much more for over 50% off!

Mom (Crafty G-Ma) and I always have a tradition to hit the sales super early the day after Christmas (like 7:00 a.m.).

This year, we were in Florida the day after Christmas, but I did get some good shopping in a few days later (and the best part is that the clearance was knocked down even further--up to 75% off)!

I like to pick-up some little craft projects for Mur-Man to complete.  Here's a quick run-down of my finds:

Sticker ginger-bread house for Mur-Man.  ONLY 25 cents.


Ornament kit for Mur-Man.  Original price:  $3.00.  Sale price:  .75 cents!


I was hoping to save these projects until next year, but Mur-Man could not wait!


And...I bought an assortment of other items.  Perfect for crafting, decorating, and so much more!






January 2, 2014

CELEBRATING ALL THINGS XMAS ON A CRUISE SHIP (FOR KIDS)!

Posted by Lori~

Before we left for our holiday Cruise, we wanted to be sure that we were prepared and ready to celebrate with Mur-Man.  Santa does come to cruise ships too....

We packed in our suitcase several things to make it feel like home including:  Our remaining advent books, our elf Stan, our old-school chocolate advent calendar, and our Christmas gift from Santa (i-pad mini).





Before we left, my girlfriend and WOM-MOM follower Holly, had whipped up some really cute magic reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn (or better yet, over the ship edge into the water).

And that's exactly what we did....we wanted to be sure that Santa knew we were in the ocean (and could find us).



I think the reindeer food is an adorable idea.  

Royale Caribbean also did an amazing job celebrating the season...

They showed Christmas themed movies on the outdoor movie screen like "Polar Express".  Check-out the people in the hot tub with their cocktails! 

Santa made an appearance on the ship.  The staff had a listing of all the kids and their ages with a special gift for each of them...isn't that amazing!  I guess there were over 1,000 kids on this trip!

They held several church services and had hot cocoa and ice skating for families.


And, the dining room was amazing!  The meals were delicious and the staff sang Christmas songs to us.  It was truly magical.