this year's christmas cards.

i have a love hate relationship with christmas cards. i want the picture to be just right and the design to be cute enough without being too expensive. it's a process haha.

it seems like all of the usual sites have gone up in price. even shutterfly is trying to charge upwards of $50 for 30 cards. that just seems nuts! that's a christmas present wasted on cards! so i'm trying something new this year. i don't know the quality of vistaprint but at this point i don't really care. i've got a 50% off coupon and it makes the cards less than $1 a piece! that's too good to pass up. so i'm hoping the pictures take the focus off of the paper quality.

i didn't love any of the vistaprint designs because i'm nit-picky. i love birdesign's shop and have used her stuff in the past so i ventured over there for a card template this year. we settled on this one.

we took the girls out a few weeks ago for some fall photos and i just couldn't land on one that fit the christmas card look, so we tried again last weekend!

we got some seriously cute ones.

i'm pretty happy with how they turned out and i'm excited to see the finished product in person. here's what the card will look like after i added our photos and tweaked the color a bit:

sweet, right? just enough happy to make you split a grin when you open the envelope. now i just hope the quality is passable. fingers crossed! ho ho ho!

christmas morning happies for moi.

while i'm prepping to take some more christmas card pictures of the girls, picking a christmas card to order, getting the house thanksgiving ready, planning the thanksgiving food schedule...i've been thinking about what would make me happy on christmas morning. that's not an un-fun job!

in some ways i just want general girly goodness but then there are a few specific things i'd love to have. of course, i just had a fantastic birthday -- minus the hair, but the idea that i was getting pampered was the good part, so i feel a little selfish actually thinking of more things. but here i go anyways!

earrings // camera // curling wand // speaker // popsugar musthave

i think of all of them, the earrings are the most spectacular. i only rate them over the musthave box because i've had the box all year so the earrings are a new spectacular thing to lust over. they come in the multicolored, gold sparkle and silver sparkle. i want all of them! they're way too expensive for mom earrings but just inexpensive enough that i'm tempted so on the wishlist it goes. aren't they pretty?

the fujifilm camera looks so fun! i'd rather print my instagram photos directly, but i'm not a stranger to carrying a camera around with me! it would be so fun with the girls.

i got my sister a curling wand for her birthday and i've been wanting my own ever since. i don't know how to use it, but kara certainly looks good using hers and i want to try!

and a little speaker since i'm always turning on pandora with the kids in the playroom or playing an audiobook for myself while i do the dishes or fold laundry.

in general, i'm loving painting my nails lately. it gives a little pep to my day to glitter a little. and since i'm a solid color shirt kind of girl, bib necklaces are what i've been craving to dress up my outfits these days. and last in the "in general" category are workout clothes, or giftcards for workout clothes. i've been going steadily the last few months(!) and while i don't necessarily see big differences, i'm working towards it and have started the habit successfully. and i've noticed a definite need in gear when i'm running around in the dark in the morning looking for clean workout pants.

and last but certainly not least, the popsugar musthave box. i have absolutely loved getting it each month and am going to be seriously sad when it's over. i wish the holiday box isn't $100 because i'd love to give them to everybody i know! i'm sure it'd be a great special edition box.

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so, that's the scoop on me! some are sweet, simple things i peruse at target while others are more what i window shop for. that's the fun of the christmas list!