Fabulous Family Fall Days in North Georgia

This morning was a beautiful, crisp Fall morning here in North Georgia. I do believe October may be my favorite month of the year. Pumpkin patches, hayrides, apple farms, cool mornings, I love it all! We started a few fall traditions when Hannah was a baby that we have kept up for the past five years. My husband, children, and I all look forward to our annual visits to Burt's Pumpkin Patch in Dawsonville and to the apple houses in Ellijay.

 

Last weekend was our annual trip up to the mountains for our fun-filled day of Fall fun. We had a great time. Now the reality of it is, that we were making this trip with our six month old baby.... oh, and our potty training three year old (these places just have port-a-potties)...and oh yeah, our beautiful, but emotional six year old. So the day had its ups and it had its downs. But overall, it was a wonderful day that was full of happy memories.

 

 

This is my Ethan posing in front of the pumpkins. Look at that happy face!

 

This is my precious Hannah. You would never know from her smile in this shot that three minutes later she would be pouting and telling me that, "Today I just don't feel like smiling Mommy." Great.

 

And this is Joshua. I don't think the pumpkins made a great first impression...

 

He decided that the mulch was pretty cool though. Awesome.

 

So I really wanted a picture of all three of my kids together and smiling at the pumpkin patch. This is basically an impossible task I decided. We got about 50 shots that looked like the above photo.

 

Ok, finally I settled on this. I mean, what can you do? Lol.

 

After our morning in Dawsonville, we headed up to Ellijay to visit the apple houses (apple donuts, apple cider, apple pies, picking apples, yum, yum, yum!).

 

We got stuck in a ton of traffic and the potty training three year old just could not wait. He had his first experience peeing in a cup. In a moving car. Oh my goodness, I just became "that mom." Wow, I will never judge again! Haha. He was pretty proud of himself though! Don said that Ethan was one step closer to becoming a man. Ethan beamed. Great.

 

We eventually made it to BJ Reece's Apple Orchard where we picked a bushel of apples.

 

Yes, I can always pick up a bag of apples at Publix at my weekly grocery visits, but I can't get cute shots like this at Publix (I think I may get some strange looks if I whip out my DSLR in the produce aisle as my kids pick apples off the shelf, agreed?).

We got home a little later than anticipated, tired, and dirty from a day outside. Sometimes outings like this may seem intimidating or overwhelming to try to conquer with young children. My advice: Do it anyway. The time will pass anyway and I want my children to remember the adventures we had together even when they are young rather than waiting until they are older. Yes, there may be some added challenges. But those will be the memories that you will look back on and laugh the hardest.

For those of you who live near North Georgia, here are a few places I would recommend that you make a part of your family's Fall traditions:

• Burt's Pumpkin Patch, Dawsonville, GA (Pick Pumpkins, Ride Hayride)
• Pick Apples in Ellijay (BJ Reece's, Hillcrest Farms, R & A Orchards are some of our favorites).
• Eat apple donuts at Hillcrest Farms!
• Get apple cider from an apple house.
• Try a delicious apple pie from R & A Orchards.
• Let your child drink out of an apple sipper cup at R & A Orchards or Hillcrest Farms.
• Spend time at a petting zoo at BJ Reece's or Hillcrest Farms.
• Do a corn maze (During the Day!!).

This year I also went with my daughter on a field trip to Jaemor Farms in Alto, GA. This was my first time to this farm, but it was great, and I would highly recommend it to people living nearby. There was a HUGE pumpkin patch, a hayride, a beehive, apple orchard, a super slide, duck races, etc. Truly fun for the whole family.

 

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Operation Christmas Child: A Lesson in Giving

 

 

This weekend my two oldest children (ages 6 and 3) started celebrating Christmas a little early... I wanted my children to pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse. My children have never known what it means to need anything and not be able to get it, nor have they ever experienced a Christmas morning where their stockings weren't overflowing and gifts spilling out from underneath the tree. My love language is definitely giving gifts, but even though I enjoy lavishing my children with treats, I also know that it is important to teach them the blessing of giving and not always receiving. I thought this shoebox project would be a great opportunity to teach them just that.

 

So off we went to the $1 store so we could get the most bang for our buck when it came to filling these gift boxes. We purchased several small toys that would fit in a small box (you don't have to use a shoebox; you can use a small storage box instead if you prefer).  

 

 

We also put in small toiletry items: mild soap, washcloths, toothpaste, hand wipes, and a toothbrush.

 

We put art supplies in each box as well.

 

Once the boxes were packed, I wrote a short note on an index card and enclosed a picture of my child in the appropriate box. My son made a box for a three-year-old boy and my daughter made a box for a six-year-old girl.

 

To print your shoebox labels and get more information, go to: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/

 

National Collection Week is November 18-25 2013!

 

Last night we prayed for the children who would receive these gift and this morning we brought our boxes to church, which is also a collection site for Operation Christmas Child. 

 

While we were at the $1 store yesterday, I wanted my children to have happy hearts the entire time and not desire to have all of the toys to keep for themselves. My oldest did pretty well... She did ask for a few items and I had to remind her that we were there to shop for another child that day. My three year old did not take correction quite so smoothly... He was screaming and throwing a tantrum in the middle of The Dollar Tree for all of the other customers to see. For any of you momma's out there reading this blog, you know the feeling (or if you don't yet, you will!) of having a child having a meltdown in the middle of a store. Not Fun. But I did feel it was an incredible teaching opportunity to continue to repeat to Ethan that he could ask for these items that he was picking out for Christmas and perhaps he would receive them, but on this day we were Christmas shopping for another child. He did not really like that response, but oh well... maybe he will do better next time. I think we will plan to do it again next year!

 

Hannah's Mermaid Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated my firstborn child's sixth birthday. She loves all things "The Little Mermaid" these days, so we went with a Mermaid theme. Because several of her close friends are little boys, we included them by making it a Mermaid and Pirate Party.

 

We had lots of goodies for both girls and boys!

The girls received "Mermaid Treats" with their goody bags: fairy wands and starfish headbands. I made these headbands with supplies I found at Hobby Lobby.

The boys received foam swords and pirate hats with their goody bags. I found these items at Hobby Lobby as well.

The children played games at the party including Pin the Starfish in Ariel's Hair. I drew a picture of Ariel and cut out pink starfish out of cardstock for the children to put in her hair. Other games we played included Pass the Seashell (like Hot Potato), Sea Shell Relay Race, and Mermaid Freeze Dance.

This was definitely one of the highlights of the party... My beautiful redheaded cousin dressed up as mermaid and read a story to the children and posed for pictures. She was a natural! I found this costume on Ebay. The book she read to the children was "Mermaid Sister" by Mary Ann Fraser. Such a cute story!

I used cardstock to make a birthday banner and cut up plastic table clothes into streamers to make a colorful backdrop. I hung the "streamers" to a shower curtain rod that we hung in the doorway.

This was an afternoon party that was not at a meal time. We served goldfish crackers, cupcakes cookies, ice-cream, and juice. The juice boxes were kept cool in the treasure chest which was actually a Styrofoam cooler that I painted to look like a treasure chest. I topped the homemade cupcakes with adorable Ariel and Flounder cupcake toppers that I found on Partycity.com.

I made sand dollar cookies by baking sugar cookies and then frosting them with white frosting and adding almond pieces. They turned out delicious!

Here is a closer shot of the treasure chest. I hung some plastic costume jewelry over the side to add to the look.

It was an unseasonably warm day for October, so I decided to set up a table on the back deck for overflow in case it got too crowded inside the house during the party. I decorated the table with a blue tablecloth and a silver platter that I picked up at Discount Dollar. I sprinkled on some sand from the kids' sand box and added a few shells that I picked up Hobby Lobby. I thought it added a nice touch!

I painted a sign that read, "Hannah's Mermaid Lagoon" that I placed by the front door. We set up a bubble machine by the door also to create a fun atmosphere as the children came to the door for the party and to set the mood for being "under the sea."

I created photo props for both the Pirates and the Mermaids. For the pirates, I drew a body and hat of a pirate on an Elmer's White Foam Board and cut out a space for the children to put their head and one hand. This is one of my son's posing as a pirate. Adorable!

For the girls, I created a "sea shell" backdrop using a white board and set a small chair in front for the girls to sit on.

 

So every birthday girl needs a fabulous themed outfit to make her day complete! I love the purple starfish hair clip we purchased off Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/100791091/ariel-the-little-mermaid-starfish-hair?ref=shop_home_feat and I purchased this absolutely precious customized shirt and tutu from NatalisPalace on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/158674857/ariel-little-mermaid-birthday-tutu-set?ref=shop_home_active 

I thought they turned out perfect!

 

We had a great day! Happy sixth birthday my sweet Hannah! May all your wishes come true, my love!



Jumping Aboard the Blogging Frenzy

Hello World!

This is my first time trying out a Blog... I am a published writer that has had what I've called "Writer's Block" for well, the past six years. I have actually been just a little too busy to sit down and type anything much longer than a Facebook status update during that time though! My husband and I have had three children in the past six years, so while I have always had a joy for writing, it has definitely slipped lower on my priority list. We will see how much I decide to keep up with it now between chasing around my three kids, keeping my house put together, being the Premier "Jewelry Lady," and spending time with my husband. I have a pretty full plate, but I am learning that it's okay to not have things totally together all of the time!

I decided to name this Blog Site "Crafty in the Chaos" because despite how nutty it can be sometimes between chauffeuring my children to school/preschool/Choir, doctor appointments, potty training my three year old (why are boys so much more difficult with this??), unloading and reloading (and repeat) the dishwasher, getting dinner on the table, etc., I still do try to make the most of each moment I have with my little ones. I have a six-year-old daughter, a three-year-old son, and a six month old son. This blog will feature some of my favorite projects I have worked on with my children, favorite recipes, special activities, and different creative ideas to make each day special.

So let's get started!

 

Here we are! I absolutely adore my family.... but I would be lying if I said I didn't live for 7:30 pm (aka "Bed Time") some days! The Preschool Minister at my church has said many times to me, "In parenting, the days are long but the years are short." Oh how I have learned this to be true! May we enjoy each moment we are given.

I've also recently begun trying my hand at photography. Nothing serious, just another one of my passions. Check out my photography at www.jennybaldwinphotography.shutterfly.com