it's not too early

As the weather cools, warms, storms, then cools again, all the while bringing down a multitude of leaves, my mind tends to skip from Labor Day all the way to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've got lists made, supplies are being gathered, and plans are being formulated.
One thing I always try to plan ahead is my Christmas cards. Since having children I have found that sending a photo Christmas card is more fun. The recipients of the photo card enjoy seeing how much the girls have grown and changed throughout the year. Choosing the right photo isn't always easy. I used to dress the girls up, have them sit in front of the Christmas tree, smile, wiggle, whine, cry, fake smile, scowl...you name it...they've made the face. All of which sucked the joy out of creating one wonderful shot of girls. And, in addition to the fiasco that capturing a great Christmas card photo became, it also often got lost in the shuffle or forgotten because I had to wait until the Christmas tree was up, but then it was already after Thanksgiving and the busyness of life took over and the cards got sent out super late (like after Christmas) or not sent at all. Not any more. Last year I chose a great picture of the girls taken on our beach vacation. But still, it was just a picture...not really a Christmas card greeting. Well, things are achanging here at the Clothesline. This year I will create a wonderful photo Christmas card greeting the likes of which my friends and family have never seen (from me)! I will use Shutterfly. The variety of Christmas photo cards that they have available is astounding. There are cards where you can have just one photo or you can have several photos. I'm leaning towards several photos this year just because I can. The cards vary from whimsical to modern to traditional. It won't be easy to choose. See for yourself. I really like the square photo cards but still there are so many to choose from. Thankfully your choices can be narrowed down by the size of the card and the colorway that you prefer. It really does make things easy.
And while I was checking out the Shutterfly site I also found that they can make personalized gift tags. In my house we call them From & To's...it's just more fun to say. But what beautiful gift tags they have with your family name and lovely designs. Click here to see them...they're pretty much irrisistible. Seriously.

So, marking things off the list, creating a Christmas photo card, making my life easier...nope, it's not too early. So what card design will you choose? Don't you want to mark something off of your list? Come on...join me. And this year I may just win the annual contest to see who sends out their Christmas card first (Mama & Mel---I may very well win it this year!)

(all pictures from Shutterfly.com)

pumpkin patch

Well, there's no denying that it's fall when we make our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We enjoyed the company of our dear friends and also my Mom with my second cousin. The kids had so much fun and the weather was beautiful. Here are a few pictures.

Happy Saturday! xoANG

16

Today is my wedding anniversary. Sixteen years.

I can't believe that 16 years have gone by already. It really doesn't feel like it. I mean, when I was a kid it seemed like it took forever to turn 16. Then it took forever to turn 20. But these 16 years were fast. It is amazing to me that Tim and I were married 8 years before we had our girls and now we've been married 8 years with our girls. The first 8 years are a blur and it's difficult to remember how we spent our time. Sure we finished college, worked constantly, moved around a lot, and worked some more, but time seemed to fly. However, those first 8 years were life-changing. Three of those years we spent far away from all friends and family. God placed us in an amazing church with an amazing pastor. We were blessed to be surrounded by some great people that helped shape us as individuals, as a married couple, and as the parents we are now. I wouldn't change a thing. Not one thing. What a wonderful blessing it is to have a husband who is loyal, loving, God-fearing, honoring, funny, understanding, encouraging, supportive, a wonderful provider, an extraordinary father, the leader of our home, and it doesn't hurt that he's downright handsome. Happy Anniversary!

lingering

Just as I was mentally and physically prepared for full-on fall weather there has been a reprieve. Yesterday the temps reached 80 degrees. I donned flip flops with freshly painted hot-pink piggies. And today? Well, today is just as warm. Short sleeves, flip flops, and shorts...oh my! I am always, always, always grateful for warm days. And I do love it when the warm days linger well into the fall. A bit of advice though for you clothesline users out there...even on the warmest of days in the fall, even when there's a great breeze to fully dry every article of clothing...remember that fall means spiders, and there has been an abundance of stink bugs, so shake every single thing you take down off the clothesline. And if you want to be doubly sure that you're not carrying any stowaways into your house it's a good idea to give each load a 5-10 minute ride in the dryer. You can never be too safe. Trust me on this one, I speak from experience.
Enjoy the lingering warmth, my friends. Soak it up. happy friday xoANG


(and because you should see a pictures with every post...my girls with every cat toy in the house...the only live cat in the house didn't make it into the picture)

embracing

Fall is upon us. There is no turning back. So, this year, instead of living in denial and continually hoping for one more week of summery weather, I have decided to embrace it. Embrace the clear, blue skies. Embrace the cooler air that beckons a warm, snugly sweater. Embrace the smell of molasses cookies baking. Embrace the planning of baking all things pumpkin. Oh yes, I am embracing. So I'm wearing socks instead of flip flops and I'm layering my shirts, but I am embracing fall. On Tuesday, a beautiful, sunny yet cool fall day, we went to a nearby apple orchard with our friends for a fun field trip. We had a great time together. The kids were so well behaved...all 7 of them...they enjoyed the animals, and the apple picking, and each others company. Here is a ridiculous amount are a few pictures from our day.

I know, I know, that was a lot of pictures. Believe me, I narrowed it down to save you from about 40 more pictures. How are you embracing fall?

Happy Thursday xoANG