Our 1st Elf Breakfast {And A Personalized North Pole Set Giveaway!}

Giveaway at the bottom of post!

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? Our Elf is Elephant and is pretty much the best thing since Santa Claus. He buys us a whole month of "Eat your vegetables or Elephant will have to tell Santa" and "I wouldn't want to go have a chat with Elephant about not sharing your blocks with your brother." and also "Great job! I know our Elf will love letting Santa know how good you are being!"

This year was the first time we had a special Elf Breakfast to welcome our little guy back for the holidays.

I first saw the idea at Little Pumpkin Grace and had been planning a little something for my boys when Kelsey at Snowcones and Lollipops sent over a fabulous custom set of North Pole printables!

We received custom invitations to hand out to friends, a banner, milk and water bottle labels, cupcake toppers, straw flags, custom place cards and a template for our letter to Santa!

The printable set definitely made the morning even more magical for my little man.

The first thing he saw was the special North Pole banner...

then the place card with his own name on it...

and then the powdered donuts and snow milk! My little boy was a very happy guy!

Elephant even brought the boys (one was still sleeping away) a new movie to watch.

Instead of using my straw flags as they were intended, I used them to create a scavenger hunt.

1. Santa sent me to watch what you do. I brought you some presents; to find them, let's start at the Loo.

2. You're one step closer, but where to go next? Let's walk to the room where we eat breakfast.

3. The boy who is four makes this room his place. Hop, don't walk, with a smile on your face.

4. We are halfway there, but not yet done. Go to the front door. Are you having fun?

5. Tiptoe to the nursery, where you'll find the last clue. I'm always very quiet. What about you?

6. I hope you enjoyed our little game. Run to the fireplace and pick up your candy cane!

Then we wrote our letter to Santa. I started him off, then he added quite a bit on his own.  Can you tell finishing soup was a bit of a conflict the night before? 

Really fun memories were made that morning and I have personalized keepsakes and a set of party printables to use next year, too!

Want a set for your littles?

Kelsey is giving away a FREE personalized North Pole set to one lucky family.

To enter, you must be a follower or subscriber of In Between Laundry:

Go to Snowcones and Lollipops and take a look around. Leave a comment saying what you like the best. Leave your email address. Winner announced in one week. 

Thanksgiving Recap and It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

How's that for a title?

Thanksgiving went a little something like this...

1. Tuesday... Stayed up really late to finish packing. Realized my red shoes that had just come in that afternoon and were bought specifically for Wednesday's family portraits, didn't fit. At all. Like, wouldn't even go over my toes. And then I fell to the ground trying to make them go on. Not my shining moment. Two hours or rethinking our outfits later, bedtime.

2. Wednesday... Got up really early to get dressed and take family Christmas pictures in the cold air. Tears, snot, running toward traffic-- I'm a mess without my coffee-- and had to schedule a reshoot. Actually, baby boy was NOT a fan of that cold day.

Yay for one single good shot! Here's our Christmas card picture:

3. Drove to Houston. I have become quite the fan of long car rides. The boys sleep and I can sit still for a couple of hours and read. That never happens! I even watched a little Netflix on my phone and Jeremy and I got to chat along the way. It was like a date.... words I never thought I'd speak. 

4. My sister hosted Thanksgiving and we stayed in a hotel! That is THE way to go. After supper and visiting with the family, we went back to our room, got into our p. jammies and cozied up in the big bed with a little Food Network. I love hotels.

5. Thursday... We put on our Thanksgiving clothes and watched a bit of the parade before heading to Kristin's house. Throughout the day, we cooked and more family trickled in. I grabbed a hot potato with my bare hands and chunked it straight at my brother-in-law's mother, nearly killing her, so that was exciting. After a yum-yummy meal (thank you, Pioneer Woman menu plan), the girls all went out to see Breaking Dawn. I proudly admit that I'm 30 years old and loved the Twilight books. Not as much as Harry Potter. There, I said it.

These shirts were quick and easy-- I used faux suede for the ties and felt for the turkey faces, then fabric-glued everything right on the shirt. I saw the inspiration in a flash while browsing Pinterest, but don't remember where exactly.

6. Then we watched the last ever Texas A&M vs. UT Thanksgiving Day game. We're Aggies fans around here so it was a sad defeat for our team.

7. Friday was spent doing some Black Friday shopping, polishing off leftovers, visiting Santa at the Bass Pro Shop and driving home.

8. Laundry, laundry, laundry.

I love our tradition of spending the rest of Thanksgiving weekend, decking our halls. 

It's the hap-happiest season of all! 

Our first real tree (non artificial)

When it comes to decorating, Christmas is all about traditional reds and whites for me. I experimented with pom pom trim on the tree and love it so I need to go get some more.

Snow Village

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Shopping Event

I hope you all had a wonderfully relaxing Thanksgiving meal with your family!

Are you ready to do some shopping with a few amazing stores?

It is Black Friday, afterall! I am a strong believer in staying in my jammies and shopping at my computer with a warm beverage close to my side. Any time I can get stuff scratched off my list without having to put on makeup is a good time.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee and check out the fabulous vendors below. Just click on the store name or the image to be directed to each site.

After you shop, come back and leave a comment below to tell us about the awesome items you found. It'll be like a virtual show-and-tell after a good shopping trip! So fun!

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Amanda Burns, Independent Scentsy Consultant

Hey y'all- I'm Amanda. I fell in love with Scentsy last year & knew I had to make it into a career! My favorite scents and wishlist get longer every time I open the catalog. 

I'm running a special today- all orders placed on my website will receive a free bar of Comfort & Joy AND be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate. 

Drop by, do some holiday shopping or just treat yourself to a gorgeous gift! Happy Holidays!



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Rose Is A Rose Designs

Hi, I'm Ellie.  Rose is a Rose Designs specializes in one of kind handmade items including Ties, Suspenders, and Hair Accessories for all sizes. I love creating custom looks for your photography sessions, wedding parties, and special events.  

Friday through Sunday at 5 pm CST, use coupon code LAUNDRYBLACK to receive 20% off your total purchase!

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Poofy Cheeks

I started Poofy Cheeks as an outlet for my shabby chic, craft paper, and baker's twine obsession. I enjoy putting the items together and I am so excited to share all of the Christmas tags and stocking stuffers I have available. I hope you will stop by and browse around!

Use discount code 'inbetweenlaundry' to get 15% off in the shop this weekend!

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Yellow Plum Blossoms

Here at Yellow Plum Blossoms you will find handmade baby blankets and quilts, hooded towels, burp cloths and bibs, lunch boxes and other delightful and adorable items. Ask me to make you something custom!

30% off for all In Between Laundry readers, November 25-28, with the coupon code LAUNDRY (enter in at check-out).

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Artworks By Amy

Personalized and hand-painted gifts for all ages

Each item is a one-of-a-kind creation, made especially for you! You choose the design, you choose the colors, you choose the name that goes on it!


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Christina's Creations


Christina's Creations is a place for all things pretty. I love making personalized clipboards, hair accessories and menu planners. I work really hard to keep my prices low--there's nothing over $10 in my shop. I also love working with you to customize almost anything you see at Christina's Creations.

Use coupon code BLACKFRIDAY2011 to get 15% off your order!

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Cicale T Designs


Jewelry made with Swarovski Crystal Elements
Natural Gemstone Necklaces
Mixed Medium Statement Pieces
Bold Designs
Modern and contemporary jewelry
Original and one of a kind.

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Bale and Twine


Gifting made easy with limited edition handcrafted goods from Bale and Twine. One stop shop for gifts that are thoughtfully made and packaged with care. Support the tradition of handcrafted artistry made in the US.


30% off sale for Cyber Monday!


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Posies In My Pocket


Fun, colorful gifts and stocking stuffers!  Posies In my Pocket specializes in unique accessories for the girly girl in all of us! I hope you enjoy my items as much as I do making them!


The weekend of Black Friday, all orders placed will receive a free hair pin stocking stuffer and 15% off the entire shop!!  Use code BLACKFRIDAY at checkout.

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Table Talkers and A Year of Sugar Scrubs

Kids grow up fast-- enjoy supper together with easy and fun Table Talkers!

24 original recipes for sugar hand and foot scrubs, using common kitchen ingredients.

This weekend only, my eBooks are on sale for $2.99 (regularly $5.00). Click on the images above for more information. 

Christmas Tie and "Spenders"

You know I'm a sucker for little boy's neckties. Since I can't put bows in their hair, I frequently insist on decorating their necks. It's so stinking cute, I can't help myself.

So I was ecstatic to receive a new Christmas tie and matching suspenders from Rose is a Rose! Oh, her little ties and suspenders make me so happy! Ellie makes the most gorgeous lace suspenders and hair accessories for girls, too (even grown up girls).

We've never done suspenders before, so I was a little unsure of how my oldest would take to them. Um. I don't think I can put into words how much he adored his new "spenders." Ha!

You'll have to see for yourself.

He's going to hate me for that one day.

A few more of my favorites...

I ordered Jeremy a grown-up Christmas tie, too (not in polka dots). When we get our family photos made, I'll share them with you. 

Make sure you stop by Rose is a Rose and check out Ellie's fun blog! She's great!

By the way, if you're wanting some cute ties and suspenders for your guys, don't wait. Ellie's closing up shop mid-December so get those orders in now. 

And here's a little secret... Rose is a Rose will be participating in my Black Friday Shopping Event. Woo-hoo!

This was a sponsored post. All opinions are completely my own.

I'm Thankful.

I am the world's worst at getting my boys' handprints. They're not in daycare (those teachers are so GOOD at documenting handprints, aren't they?) and I just never think to do it.

After seeing this on Pinterest, I recognize that I do need to be better about getting those precious fingers in ink every once in a while.

The truth is, thinking of my boys growing up makes me sad. I'm just not one of those mommies who can't wait until the next stage. I'm nostalgic. I cling to every stage and beg it to last forever. I guess that doing fingerprint crafts scares me a little. It's silly, I know, but I feel like one day I'll look back at these little turkey and tree paintings and I'm not so sure I'll swell with joy. I'm pretty sure I'll be reaching for a Kleenex.

So, why do them? Because, if the Lord blesses my little men with time and years, they will grow up. It's good. And if I don't have anything tangible around to remind me of when they needed Mommy's strong, sure hand in their much smaller one, I'll regret it.

Don't misunderstand, making the pillow together was a memory that I'll look back on fondly. We had fun and laughed together and talked about color and art. I praised my four-year-old for stifling his giggles when I painted his hand to keep it steady. I was shocked at how the one-year-old was able to slowly place his hand on the fabric without wiggling his fingers into a blurry mess.

Right now, I love looking at my pillow every day.

But ten years from now? We'll see how it goes.



Shared with: Tatertots and Jello

Sneak Peak-- Black Friday Event

I have a great little surprise for you on this beautiful Thursday!

In one week, we'll celebrate Thanksgiving.

In one week plus one day, we'll celebrate Black Friday.

You definitely want to stop by In Between Laundry during that weekend because I have rounded up some fantastic shops to check out for Christmas shopping. 

A lot of these ladies will be offering some pretty amazing discounts and free products (as will I) on Black Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Cyber Monday! I'll post the shops and their deals at midnight Friday morning so make sure you come by early before they're sold out.

1. Scentsy by Amanda Burns

2. Rose Is A Rose

3. Poofy Cheeks

4. Yellow Plum Blossoms

5. Artworks by Amy

6. Christina's Creations

7. Cicale T. Designs

8. Bale and Twine

9. Posies in My Pocket