Every year I look forward to seeing Facebook and Instagram blow up with pictures, and read what their "Elf on the Shelf" did the night before. Some of the parents go waaay over and beyond to create something magical that their "elf" did on his or her way back from the North Pole. And we've seen some "elves" who didn't move at all, only because their parents forgot to move him or her. Parents of the year award goes to them!

And, if you haven't read Overachieving Elf on the Shelf Mommies, then stop what you're doing and go read it now! But, if you really want over the top ideas then read this list.

Why are we saying no to the Elf on the Shelf this year? Because AC won't have a clue about what's going on with the little stuffed doll. We'd probably have to buy a new doll next year because she'd have this one so messed up with her drool. I'm not even sure she'll understand it next year. And why would "he or she" make messes in the house that I'll have to clean up after she is asleep to only make another mess for the next morning? Yep, I think we will hold off for a few years.

I'll still be glued to the social media outlets to see what everyone is doing with their "elf." Can't wait to see what all creative ideas the "elves" come up with this year!

Mug Swappin'

My blogging buddy turned best friend, Darby, co-hosted a mug swap this fall and I had to join in on the fun. Basically, you enter and are paired up with another blogger to get to know. And in the process of getting to know them, you find out their likes, favorites, etc.

I was paired up with Chelsea from The Perfect Catch! We conversed through a few emails which was so much fun, and I also got to know her through her social media outlets. She has the cutest little boy, so y'all have to go follow her!!

Chelsea mentioned that she loved animal print. Now, you would think that would be easy to find in Bham, right? WRONG! For three days straight, AC and I searched store after store striking out. Being the Amazon Prime queen that I am, I decided to check there and found the cutest set of animal print mugs! Score! Y'all will have to head over to her blog today to see the mugs she got!

I got my package Monday afternoon. And much to my surprise, AC had a little gift in there, too!

She loves her new Halloween cup! Of course, the straw would be her favorite part!

And Chelsea found out I have a love for turquoise and got me the cutest mug for my hot chocolate this fall/winter!!

I had so much fun shopping for Chelsea, and I'm so happy I joined this mug swap. Thank you Chelsea for the perfect mug, and for giving little AC some love! And thank you Darby and Meg for hosting this fun swap!

Pumpkins, Minnie Mouse and Paint...

We had a little fun with our big pumpkins this year. Of course when you add Minnie Mouse and paint, you are sure to have a lot of fun... at least AC thinks so!

My mom (Ganny) got AC a Minnie Mouse for her pumpkin back in September, and when we went to Mississippi, her Grandmother (mother-in-law) got her a Minnie Mouse painting kit.

We are having to save the one she got from her Grandmother, cause it's waaay above her attention span.  It has thirteen steps, so we will wait until she's a little older for that.

She and her Ganny had fun turning her first pumpkin into Minnie Mouse!

With her second pumpkin, I decided to let her paint it. And, oh, did she have fun!!

When it was all said and done, she had just as much paint on her as she had on the pumpkin.

We added her handprints and footprints to the back of the pumpkin...

And nothing around here goes with out a monogram... (by mommy)

Football, Food, and Friends...

We love to entertain, but it doesn't happen as much as it did when we lived in Mississippi. So when the opportunity arises, we jump on it because we love it! This past Saturday we had Audrey and Kevin over to watch our Bulldogs take on Kentucky. They are graduates of MSU, too, and live here in Alabama. We've met a lot of State fans here!!

Our menu was smoked sausage and cheese, and Audrey brought a buffalo chicken dip. For the main course we had burgers, homemade fries, and baked beans. And then we wrapped up our food event with Audrey's chocolate pound cake!

AC was ready to watch the game in her lucky game day onesie. She napped for a few minutes during the game, but she just couldn't sleep knowing her dawgs were playing football on TV.

Audrey and Kevin got to test our their parenting skills on AC during the game. And, I think they will make great parents one day!

And AC had to show Audrey her favorite game on her mommy's iPhone... PeekABoo Barn.

We were all relieved and excited for another bulldog win. And AC's lucky onesie will continue on for another week! (She's about to get MORE teeth, and the drool is non-stop these days.)

 We even managed to get a family picture!!

Thankful for another Mississippi State win! And even more thankful for sweet friends to celebrate with!! #ha1lstate

Five On Friday...

What I'm loving this week...

<<<< ONE 

This weather! I've been daydreaming about fall temps to arrive for weeks. AC has some adorable fall/winter clothes, and it's just been to hot to make her wear them. She's hot natured like I am. And this week, she finally got to wear one of her Halloween outfits. Isn't she "BOO"tiful?!

<<<< TWO 

Essential Oils! We had a little class at our home last week with Nancy, and she gave us more information about the uses for essential oils. The class wasn't about buying oils from her it was more about knowledge, but mom and I decided that we wanted to try them out. So, the kit arrived this week and I'm definitely enjoying it. One of my favorite things to do is add about five drops to our free and clear laundry detergent. It gives our clothes and towels a heavenly scent. I've tried lavender and joy with it so far and love both. And I currently have thieves diffusing as a type. I put purification in her diaper pail to help with the smell of dirty diapers and drops in her trash can to help with the wet ones! Do you use Essential Oils? What is your favorite way to use them?

<<<< THREE 

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel! Every girl loves pretty nails, and if I had my way (and an endless bank account) I'd go get a mani and pedi every week. My favorite is to have a shellac french manicure on my nails. But, with a baby and a tight budget that doesn't happen very often. Instagram is great in many ways, and (larpuckett) posted a few months ago about this polish. She tried it out for a week and reported back that it was a hit and actually lasted. So, I decided to give it a try! This is my favorite color (and it's currently on my nails). What I love most about this product is it dries fast! 

<<<< FOUR

SOUP! While shopping at Sams last week, I came across packages of Panera Bread soups. It came two to a package and the choices are Loaded Baked Potato, Chicken Tortilla, Broccoli Cheddar, and Tomato. I decided to try the Loaded Baked Potato, and it is delicious! All you do is pour it in a heavy pot and warm. Quick and easy, and one pint will serve two people! I think we will try the Chicken Tortilla next!!

<<<< FIVE

Mississippi State Football! If you've followed our blog for any length of time, you'll know that we are die hard Mississippi State fans. And yes, we live in Alabama. I grew up wearing maroon and white, and went to games when we had losing seasons. (Which is more than I care of mention.) But this year, and for another day at least, Mississippi State football is #1! Even though they are always #1 in my book! We love watching the games here at home with our little girl, and hope to attend a game with her in the coming years. We just feel it's a little too soon for us to take her right now. She has plenty of MSU outfits and onesies, but we will continue to wear the solid maroon onesie every game because it's the one she wore for the LSU, A&M and Auburn win! Good luck charm? Maybe! We can't wait to watch our team take the field tomorrow against Kentucky with friends!

Happy weekend, y'all!!!

 

Cluttered to Organized

I love a clean and organized bathroom. What I'm not a fan of is actually cleaning the bathroom. Just ask my mom — one of my chores growing up was cleaning all three bathrooms in the house. I would seriously take at least four hours to clean all of them. Not to mention the breaks I would take during. Oh, and I would use a whole can of bathroom cleaner in each bathroom.

We keep our bathroom clean, but it's rarely organized. In other words, my husband would say it's just organized chaos — especially on my side. What can I say, some people love shoes and clothes, and I'm a sucker for hair and makeup products.

While at Target last week I spotted something that I thought we could use in our bathroom. Something had to give, and it wasn't my stuff that was going anywhere. So the two-drawer lined wicker basket was purchased, and then sat on our dining room table for a week. You can tell how much I was dreading tackling this project.

I finally got around to organizing the bathroom. Thankfully AC sat in the middle of our bed and watched Mickey Mouse while I got busy. Every few minutes she would look in from the bedroom to see what I was doing. (Little does she know that when she's old enough, her chore will be to clean the bathrooms.)

So, here is the before....

And here is the after...

I gave the Mr the top drawer, and I took the bottom. And I still need to do some organizing in my drawer, but another trip to Target is needed for that. I'm hoping I can find little dividers to keep my makeup, makeup brushes, hair accessories and skin care organized.

I'm proud of my little project, and even happier that the bathroom looks neater, and more organized. Thankfully AC kept busy watching her show and I was able to complete the project in thirty minutes. That's even going ahead and cleaning the bathroom, too.

Henson Camp House Shenanigans...

Our weekend in Mississippi wrapped up with my family gathering together at the camp house.

We hadn't all been together since last January on that bone chilling day when we buried my Papaw. In July, I sent a group message to our family on Facebook and told them that we have always gotten together four times a year — Father's Day, Papaw's Birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas — and even though Papaw wasn't with us anymore, we still needed to make time to see everyone. Plus, I want AC to know my side of the family... even the crazy ones. Ha!

We decided on a date that everyone could meet, and that was a challenge in itself. We decided on this past Sunday, and we had everyone present! I don't remember the last time all of us were together. And yes, we can be a rowdy bunch.

Uncle Bob, Aunt Beth and Callie were already at the camp house when we arrived late that morning. And then everyone started trickling in. We made AC a pallet on the floor with all of her toys, and everyone crowded around her to watch her play, and some even got in on the action.

The guys stayed outside and grilled the food while the ladies stayed indoors. Once Aunt Beth finally sat down she had to hold AC, and she decided to tell her a story. I've never seen anything more precious that AC watching her so closely!

Once the food was ready everyone gathered around to pile their plates to the sky. This was the first time that Papaw didn't lead the line. Usually he went first, and by the time the older kids and aunts and uncles were going through he was back in line for more. So many memories of him, and I'd give anything to have one more!

After everyone was stuffed, we gathered outside for the group picture, and some friendly football. And just so you know, the Mississippi State team always won!

The picture above makes me smile. They are now the elders of the bunch, which means they have taken over being responsible for the Henson side of the family. But this picture also makes tears fall down my face because three people are missing from this picture — Papaw, Mamaw and Uncle Jim. Can you just imagine what Sunday would have been like to have them in person with us? I know they were looking down smiling at us all together having fun.

This is the first cousin picture we have taken in a long time. It seemed like for the longest time it was just Jennifer, Brian and myself. Then Calvin, Amelia, Callie and Zoie came along, we added a few spouses, and now this year we added AC, too.

And everyone wanted to hold their newest cousin.

Of course, a few decided to hijack my camera...

We love each other... can't you tell?

I took family pictures outside, and when we came back in Uncle Bob and my dad were looking at old pictures they found at Papaw's house.

We had a great time being all together again!! Hopefully we can make this a yearly tradition, and add a few more get togethers in between!!