bybmg: 2013


Today I sponsored the Dads in Ed podcast. You should definitely check them out!

Dads in Ed is a proud friend of By BMG! Dads in Ed is three midwest educators - Devin Schoening, Brent Catlett & Josh Allen - who chat about education, being a dad, and other random musings that guys enjoy. Check out their website or subscribe in iTunes!

I enjoy listening to them, and I'm not even a dad. They talk about relevant topics in education and just in life. 
Here are some glimpses from our Christmas!

 

We wanted to start some traditions - I think easy Papa Murphy's pizza may be our Christmas Eve meal. On Instagram, I learned we aren't the only ones who desire easy and tasty.



We were going to go to church on Christmas Eve, but we got back from Minnesota at 3:30. I still had to get groceries, and we all had colds. We realized out health and sanity were more valuable. So, we stayed home, ate pizza, read the Christmas story, and watched a movie.


It was cozy and just what we needed. In the future, I do want to go to church, but this year it wasn't in the books. 



We woke up on Christmas Day in our own beds for the first time in Russ and my 9 Christmases together. It was glorious, and I'm pretty sure we're going to make sure we keep doing it each year. Wesley wasn't too into gifts, but he waved some paper in the air and tried to eat it.


Henry was a whirlwind! He loved his presents and was content to play with them most of the day.


Russ's Grandpa Bill, who passed away this year, is famous for his crepes. Russ carries on the tradition well. We had strawberry and banana crepes with whipped cream.


Henry put on his own cinnamon sugar, as you can see by the dusting on his plate, but he ate almost the whole thing!



On the 26th, we headed to my parents' farm. Wesley was excited for another celebration!


We put a lot of miles on the SUV over break. Russ was an awesome driver. I was awesome at playing Candy Crush and tending to the boys. 


I got the Conair Curl Secret as gift from my parents. his is a pic of the first time I used it by myself. Woah curls! I think I may tone down the settings next time.


http://etsy.com/shop/bybmg


Also, don't forget to hop over to my shop for the after Christmas sale!



Linking up with Funday Monday.



I've marked down many items in my Etsy shop! Trying to clear out some inventory.  Lots of great deals!

Gray Chevron Pacifier Clip - just $2!

Yellow and White Chevron iPad Mini Case - $10!

Toms Flag Mittens - $12!

Toms Flag Zipper Pouch: Lace with Pink Zipper - $6.50!

There are other items (not pictured) marked down, too.

Toms Flag iPad Mini Case with Red Zipper - $10!

Repurposed Handkerchief Pouch - $4!

Toms Flag Pouch with Green Zipper - $5!

That's just the short list. Head over there for more great deals!


I heard about Goody Goody Giftswap via instagram. I thought it would be a fun way to give and meet someone new. I was paired up with Chelsea. It was fun shopping and making things for her! She expressed she likes nautical things, teal, and has two sweet little guys.

Here's what I sent her:


This fun scarf from The Printed Palette - I've seen many anchor scarves, but this was a fun twist on it that I hadn't seen before.


I made this pouch for her incorporating teal in the lining, zipper, and on the fabric. I feel like I always need another pouch.


I made some felt envelopes for her little guys, too. Pretend post office anyone? 




Chelsea's package to me arrived right on Christmas Eve. What sweet surprises! She's such a talented, creative, loving gal! A beautiful canvas, boot cuffs, crochet bowties for the boys, some sweets, a key fob (little did she know, I have the sunglasses case in this Thirty One print!), and a Bead for Life bracelet. I'm thinking the canvas will be a great testimony to add to my wall by my desk in my classroom.







May your day be filled with family, food, relaxation, and fun.

Love,
Becky
I decided to post my What I Wore a day early, just to get it out there before Christmas. We're up in Minnesota with the in-laws today and heading home in about an hour. This will be our first actual Christmas Eve/Day that we will be at our own home since Russ and I have been together - 10 years! We're really excited to begin our own traditions as a family.

 

Russ and I took the day off to go to Henry's preschool Christmas program and get some gifts wrapped. 

Top - Old Navy - I feel like it's too short for me. It's been in the donation pile and I pull it out. I think I need to donate.
Jeans - thrifted - Gap
Shoes - Ash Gray Toms



It was Christmas sweater day at school. I found this lovely petite medium fleece at Goodwill. 

Tank - Old Navy
Jeans - thrifted - Gap
Shoes - Red Polk-a-dot Toms


Friday before break at school!

Scarf - Old Navy
Flannel - thrifted - A & F
Jeans - thrifted - Gap
Boots - Payless


Cozy day at the in-laws. Donthcha love their pink bathroom?!

Sweatshirt - Old Navy
Scarf - by me


Jeans - thrifted - Gap
Socks - Gap


A fun day of shopping - this is what my hair looks like when I let it just air dry.

Scarf - Old Navy, but sewn into an infinity scarf by me.
Tank - Target
Cardigan - Target 
Jeans - thrifted - Gap
Shoes - Metallic Brown Toms Cordones


I picked up this hat at the Mall of America. I'm excited to get a cute little hat. This isn't the best angle to capture it, but I'm sure I'll wear it again over break.

Merry Christmas!! 

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy

Happy Wednesday!  Every Wednesday I link up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday. Join me! Link to your blog post in the comments and I'd love to jump over and see what you've been wearing!

Just two outfits for you this week!

I've been getting better at having Russ snap my picture quick in the morning, but with this first outfit, that didn't happen. It was gold day on the Edufashion Challenge that I participate in. Gold was represented in my shoes.


I love the lace detail on this top - from Forever 21


I wore it under a cardigan from Old Navy. You can't see it in the pic, but the top is just a little short. I layered a long tank underneath, but it still bothered me all day long. I need to find a way to fix the top.


I wore my mint Gap skinnies. Love them. The gold flats are from Gap, too.




Thanks to my wonderful husband for humoring me when I do come into his classroom and ask him to take my picture!

Necklace - Lia Sophia
Cardigan - Target
Top - thrifted
Skirt - Forever 21
Tights - Target
Boots - hand-me-down 





 We had a nice weekend at home. We hung out with some friends Friday night, but then had Saturday as a family.


I'm pretty sure I got the LAST bag of pretzel rods at the grocery store. They were all out of store brand, and this was the last of the name brand. I wanted to do dipped ones with sprinkles because it isn't as encompassing as sugar cookies and I could control how many we made.


Henry was my lovely helper to sprinkle them.


Russ and Wesley supervised. Dontcha love the messy table? Real life, folks... gotta get the "baking" going before it gets too close to bed time!


Henry did pretty well with the hand-sprinkle technique.


But, when it came to actually shaking sprinkles from the shaker, it was more like pouring.  Oh, Henry...



I got a LOT of sewing done this weekend - all Christmas gifts. I wanted to make a zipper pouch for someone, and the fabric and lace just came together. I love it. I may have to make one for myself soon since I just discovered my lotion leaked all over my current one in my purse.


I saw this organizing tip for t-shirts as I was blog surfing, and applied it to my tank top/"nice" t-shirt drawer. What a difference from the piles and mess it used to be!





 Also, random, but I'm participating in a BzzAgent campaign for Claritin-D. I felt like a creeper buying it from the lock-and-key cabinet at the pharmacy, but wow, who knew allergy meds helped with colds?!  We've had the cold bug racing around our house like made lately, and this helped a ton! 

How was your weekend?



The creative ladies over at A Beautiful Mess shared an idea to make instagram pics into gift tags using their app, labels, and your own color printer.  I modified this to meet my needs with supplies I already had on hand, and wanted to share it with you.




Last year for Christmas, Russ got me an instagram calendar from Printstagram. I've LOVED it, and I'm pretty sure I want to order another one for next year. If you don't have this calendar and want to do this project, you can also order just prints from Printsagram or Walgreens.

 

I previously posted how I used Mod Podge and some of the prints to make some fun art for our home.


For this project, I used my white correction tape. It's like white-out, but much cleaner than the liquid stuff. This one actually ran out, right after I'd made a few tags, so I'll be replacing it ASAP.



Here's one of the pictures I chose.


I cut the date off the bottom to make it a square.


I used the correction tape to make two lines.


Then, I used a pen to write to and from.



Simple as that and oh so cute! Though they aren't sticky tags, one piece of tape or a hole punch in the corner, and they're easily attachable to a gift or ribbon.


Linking up!

The DIY'ers
Happy Wednesday!  Every Wednesday I link up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday. Join me! Link to your blog post in the comments and I'd love to jump over and see what you've been wearing!

I've been participating in the Edufashion Challenge from my friend, Kristina. Each day has a theme. It's definitely been a challenge, but it gives me a direction when picking out an outfit. If you want to participate, tweet Kristina, and she'll share the calendar with you.


 
Edufashion Challenge: Beige

Necklace - Etsy (old) 
Cardigan - Target
Dress - Target (old)
Belt - AE (REALLY old)
Tights - Gap
Boot Cuffs - Bootcuff Susie
Boots - Payless


Edufashion Challenge: Pattern

Scarf - Old Navy (I shortened it)
Top - Thrifted - Gap
Cardigan - Old Navy
Pants - Old
Shoes - Aldo

Edufashion Challenge: Holiday Cheer Red

Scarf - made by me - I picked out the fabric at Joann and made it into a scarf the next day
Top - Gap
Cardigan - Target
Skirt - Thrifted - Old Navy
Leggings - Kohls
Boots - JCP





Edufashion Challenge: Holiday Cheer Green

Cardigan - Target
Scarf - old
Top - Gap
Skinnies - Gap
Boots - Payless
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