Snow Day!!!

A couple weeks ago it finally snowed a good amount here in Northern Virginia. The kiddo being a first "real time" snow see'er took FULL advantage of it! She also had two days off of school... and let's be honest, we all know the real reason for getting off of school for bad weather is really just to play in it! So that's just what we did! Here's some of the pics: enjoy and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Ace is not a real big fan of the snow... lol!

It started out slow and then it started to grow...

Instead of singing in the rain, she was dancing in the snow!

First snowball!

Fun Times!

The beginning of a our winter wonderland... from my front door.

We shoveled our first snow, and then came inside and ordered a snow blower online LOL!

On our first day we received 4 inches, and then another 6 inches a day later.

Starting to make our first snowman!

Her first snowman!

Snowball Fight!!!

Daddy got in a good one!!

First snow angel!

His and her shovels! LOL!

Sledding for the first time!

It's beginig to look a lot like Christmas...

I have started decorating around the house (amongst and between everything else that's been going on around here). It's been crazy and I've been behind on getting the decorations done (which I hate) but they are finally up for the most part and done. I've got a few more items to put together and get up but for the most part I think the majority is done! YAY!

I added a few more items this year and while my mom was here she crafted me up my first adventskranz (German for Advent Wreath). It was so nice of her to make it for me and so special that she made it just for me. She is wicked talented at crafting and makings but then again she's always been a genius at stuff like that! It must be where I get it from! LOL!

So here's a few pics I took around the house, hope you enjoy the scenes too :)

My vintage milk can that I swapped out from Fall to Christmas floral decor, also arranged by my amazing momma!

Snow ball fight anyone?

Kirklands Reindeer knock off sign, crafted up by me.

Foyer decor, simple but I love it.

Vintage Lantern with Chrismtas Decor

Our amazing Christmas Tree, love how it turned out this year! I also swapped out the star topper which I've done in the past for a new and more modern look of a Snowman top hat! What do you think?

The living room looking all cozy and warm as the snow falls outside!

And of course my beautiful adventskranz (Advent wreath) made by my mom.

Catch Up! Halloween, Thanksgiving and all that's been going on lately!

 I'm am so sorry I've been absent for a while now. We have been so busy with holidays, events, visits from the parents/grandparents, work and school. So I will try to catch you all up on what's been going on.

We had a great Halloween, the kiddo dressed up as Snow White this year and the hubby and I dressed up as Beetlejuice and Lydia (from the 90's annimated TV show) and we took the munchkin to the mall for Mall-O-Ween trick or treating. It was awesome and the hubby was pretty much his own attraction becuase EVERYone and their mom wanted a picture with Beetlejuice! LOL!

My little Snow White, complete with Poison Apple and all!

Love this pic of her!

Hubby and I as Beetlejuice and Lydia

My hubby... the ghost with the most!

Lydia (90's animated tv series)

Hubby has been busy at work and has also applied to the masters program at George Mason University. I can't believe the man is going for his masters already but it's fabulous! I am so freaking proud of him and can't wait to see what great thing he does next! He is incredibly smart and can pretty much do anything he sets his mind to. The kiddo has been doing great in school as well, and is moving along "swimingly" in her swim class! I also have been taking some time and checking out a computer forensics program with SANS and am actually loving it!

Last month my parents came to visit during the week of Thanksgiving. My dad came up with my mom this time and it was our first time having him here at our new house. It was very nice to have them both here for the holiday. We went to DC and took them around to see some of the famous spots and check out the Christmas lights at the National Zoo, it was pretty and great time!

Thanksgiving 2013!

We went to see Frozen too!

And found DC's version of a "German Holiday Market"

Mom and Dad having a German before dinner at the Doener Bistro!

Zoo Lights at the National Zoo in Washington DC

Snow Tubing for the first time at the National Zoo with her Daddy.

This Friday is the kiddos birthday (on Friday) and the hubby's parents are coming up to celebrate and take her tubing up at one of the Mountains in Pennsylvania, it should be a GREAT time!

Literary Halloween Crafts

I actually own (very different) books about Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde, the classic is on my e-reader and the other is pictured below and is also a good tale written by Beth Fantaskey.

Being the book nerd that I am...The Strange Case of Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde along with a few other tragic tales has always been a favorite of mine to read during Halloween time, so this year I thought I'd tie in a extra spooky craft to go along with it! I love this particular story and I've always been drawn to Victorian Era literature style of writing, there is just something romantic about it, even in this novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this craft I decided to change the idea of Dr. Jekell being a man and created him actually into a her... cool right?!? Maybe a part of me wonders what it would be like to dabble in the realms of my subconscious and see if I have a Mrs. Hyde of my own? LOL!  These crafts were way easy to construct and were VERY inexpensive too! Most of the materials came from the dollar tree and Micheal's with their fabulous coupons that I normally get in e-mail, text message or mail anyway. I think all together I might have spent about 10 bucks total!

My Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde Skull came from the dollar tree, as did the candle stick and glass plate that I hot glued together. While waiting for those pieces to set, I spray painted the skull black first, once the black dried I then pulled a old fishnet stocking over the face of the skull and sprayed (in small bursts) a bit of the purple spray paint I had left over from making the spell books. I then let that dry completely and started to paint the paper mache pumpkin from Micheal's ($3.00 on sale). After the pumpkin dried completely I took a sharpie and one of my favorite excerpt from the book and started to hand write it over the outside. I sprayed the pumpkin with some Krylon clear coat and wrapped a Halloween ribbon (from the dollar tree) around the stem and wa-la! Once my skull was completely dried, I cut the top hat off headband I got from Micheal's ($3.99 on sale), fired up the glue gun and glued it to the top of the skull. I added the black and green flower by clipping it on the side and then painted the lettering for the sign onto some heavy card stock. I threw some of the cheap dollar tree spider webbing under neath the glass stand I constructed and placed last years cupcake sprinkle test tube rack near my new Dr. Jekell and Mrs. Hyde skull and ta-da! Instant fabulous and spooky literary Halloween craft! What do you think?

My little pumpkin patch by the fireplace. The monogrammed pumpkin is from Hobby Lobby and was bought last year and the black and orange was made by me using a maple leaf for the outline, inside it says 1692 which was the start of the Salem Witch Trials, another of my favorite non-fiction reads!