Christmas Parade of Homes Linky Party

I'm SO excited about this linky party!  I absolutely adore Christmas decor and I can't wait to see yours.  So, grab some hot chocolate, eggnog, candy canes, or whatever Christmas treat you happen to be craving right now, and have some fun!  Let me start the party by welcoming you into my East Tennessee home decorated for the Christmas season!

Here's my front door decked out with my sparkly ice skates, my snowman family, lighted trees and door swag; it's much prettier at night when all the lights are glowing!

My front porch is dressed up with wreaths and a garland swirled with huge old-fashioned Christmas lights.

Inside the door is my entry shelf with my two festive signs, my lighted cottage, my J (usually for our last name; Jackson, but now I say it's for the birthday we're all celebrating...Jesus).  Our elf, Nutmeg, decided to perch here for the day after his flight to the North Pole last night.

Our tree has always been simple, decorated with ornaments that each hold a special memory in our hearts.  Each year, I find an ornament frame for Noah's Christmas picture.  I love seeing how much he is growing & changing with each new year.

Our nativity sits on our bookshelf.  Notice anything missing?  Yep, the baby Jesus hasn't arrived yet.  When my husband was a child, his parents always placed the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas Eve and he looked forward to seeing Him on Christmas morning.  So, we are continuing that tradition.

Our mantle always holds our Christmas village.  We have collected houses since we've been married.  Last year's family Christmas picture hangs front & center.  

Since Noah's first Christmas, I have bought a new Christmas-y frame for his Santa photo.  I love displaying them all.  

One of my favorite Christmas displays is in my kitchen.  My kitchen is pink, so my little pink sparkly corner makes my happy every day!  

Ok, now it's your turn.  Just write up a post about your decor and link directly to that post.  Here we go!

Happy September!

Happy September, Teacher Friends!  This is one of my all-time fave months because it marks the beginning of FALL!!!  I canNOT tell ya'll how much I LoVe fall!  The cooler temps, the bright blue sky, & all the harvest fun are just a FEW things I love about this month!  

To start off our September days, I just finished making my new September calendar set.  I've decided to offer a new calendar set FOR FREE each month to all our beautiful readers!  I know I'm a little late getting September to you, but I promise to get the next ones to you much sooner!  Enjoy!!!

Sept Calendar

I'm preparing to do an apple unit with my little one in a couple of weeks.  So, I've been doing some late-night blog stalking to find the best and cutest ideas out there.  Check out some of the fun things I've found...

Ten Apples Up On Top activity from I Can Teach My Child

Apple Transferring from Getting Messy With Ms. Jessi

Cork Painting from Getting Messy With Ms. Jessi

Johnny Appleseed Bars from Frites & Fries

Johnny Appleseed Counting from Handprint & Footprint Art

Oreo Cheesecake Apple Truffles from Raising Memories

Ok, so no matter how much I blog hop, I still miss so much cuteness, so now it's your turn...

Tell us what fun apple activities you have planned for your classrooms or your homeschool.  We would LOVE to see your ideas!

My Favorite Things Linky Party

Thank you to Jodi over at Fun in First Grade I am joining her linky party and letting you know some of my favorite things:

Love me some Dr. Seuss, and my favorite story/movie is Horton Hears a Who!

I hate that I love Dr. Pepper so much, but it is one of my favorite things. I only allow myself one a day and oh what a joy that time of day is!! 

Even though I'm on a very tight budget, I still seem to be able to save up money for a new Coach purse at least once a year. This is the one I am currently saving up for! 

My favorite place to  shop. I could spend thousands of dollars in this store which is why I am so glad I do not have one right down the street.

I love sleeping in late! What more can I say?

I love ANY and ALL pastas. I'm actually craving pasta as I type this. Yummy!! I REALLY enjoy Cara's recipes over at Pearls-Handcuffs-Happyhour. She definitely keeps me coming back for more!

I love spending time with Mr. Perfect. Coming home to him is one of my most favorite parts of the day....another would be going to bed beside him.  AHH!! 

The Pampered Chef is FABULOUS. I am just simply ADDICTED! I just had a party and won over $1,245 in merchandise and I'm actually making another list of things I want/need. 

Guess you could say I'm a sucker for home parties, but I love anything that is cute, pink and monogrammed and this is ALL THAT and more wrapped up in one. Love it!

Aren't fonts FONTABULOUS? I love them all and could probably tell you the name of more fonts while I'm driving down the interstate on billboards than any person I know. My husband thinks it's talent, but I think it's obsessive.

iT! Jeans! Love them. I do not wear anything but these and Big Star (I don't really care that much for Big Star because they are not very durable). You can dress them up or just hang out at home in them, but they are SUPER comfortable and very CUTE!

one word: F*A*N*T*A*B*U*L*O*U*S!

Yes, I'm addicted and so is my husband. :)

This was the best decision that Mr. Perfect and I could have ever made together. It has strengthened our marriage more than I could have ever imagined. No more fighting over the budget and Mr. Perfect can actually discuss money heartburn free! It's fabulous and I love the cash envelope system. It is also an awesome witnessing tool as well. Many people ask me how I manage my money and it's a great time to tell them about finding peace through God, and with his help we have found ours! Complete marriage-saver. You must run over and find the next one in your area! 

Financial Peace University Website