free santa

hope everybody is enjoing the holidays with your family & friends. my parents are here visiting and the boys are loving it!
sharing some santa pics and crafty stuff :-)

i cannot believe what luck i had this year...free santa pictures AND i didn't have to wait in line!! i hate going to mall places and paying $7+ for only 2 shots with your own camera or choosing one of their outrageously priced photo packages. this santa was at nordstrom's and i rushed over there after brandon got out of school at 11:23 since santa would only be there until 1. i was expecting a looooong line but i strolled my kiddos right up onto santa's lap!

santa did everything i wanted....1st brandon, then the 2 boys on santa, then brandon off--bryan on, and then, FINALLY, it was my turn! i mean, since no one else was waiting in line, i might as well ask santa for a few things for myself!! i didn't even have to be one of those moms that bossed santa around! santa knew the "mommy drill".

this santa was super patient and fun! i hope to see him next year!

i've been a good girl....................................

after i got all my pics in, santa solicited me-----for business! he also does birthday parties. that's what he solicited me for :-) he gave me his card. brandon kinda had a funny look on his face....i think he overheard santa talking to me. oh well...this santa thing can't last forever right? if you need a santa for hire or need a magician, balloon animal artist, birthday entertainer, get in contact with me. i have his card! apparently, santa wears a lot of hats!
tags i made for eddie's gifts to his coworkers (thanks cheryl---tags are super handy) super fast & easy cards. no stamping when i am short on time! mini tags that went along with the treat bags from brandon for his class mates cards for brandon's teachersthese 2 altered gifts were for the other teacher that helps out in brandon's kinder class.

cutified a plain notebook covered an ugly datebook calender

rubber heaven

never too early to get started on gifts for the upcoming holidays!
i recently got to go to a Stampendous warehouse sale. i found this cute teacher set and scooped it up (along with a bunch of other crafty goodness--see below).

the above is a plain ol' calendar covered and embellished with the stampendous set (worm is from imaginisce).

to the left is an altered composition notebook all prettied up. very easy to make!

for you teachers out there, what DO teachers REALLY like besides giftcards? food? sweets? any ideas would be greatly appreciated. i am thinking these would be useful but IS it really? or just crapola?!

i got to go to the Stampendous warehouse sale this past weekend with a friend. it was a great sale. i was given cash from my hubs (thanks!) and i didn't spend it all!! i came home with $$ which bought [only] 3 drinks from starbucks. the deals were great and the ladies who rang me out were super nice & generous! i won't even tell you how much the stuff i got was total cause i really got all of this for practically NOTHING!

i bought extras of sets so i can give to some of my blogging/crafty friends

:-)

unmounted rubber and wood blocks.

look at all that rubba goodness! oh-- the little things that make me happy!

brandon's holiday party @ pre-k pics

here are some pics from brandon's party at school. he had lots of fun---eating all this sugar and junk! the above pics were sets of an altered calendar & notebook that i made for brandon's 2 teachers. i gave this to them on the day of the party that included antibacterial soap from bath & body works. i love that stuff and i bet the teachers can use this with all the boogies & germs they deal with day in and day out!

brandon at his table. all the girls just started sitting with him!

standing in line to wash their hands. again....all the girls!

giving ms. marisela her gift

giving ms. genevieve her gift

had some time to play

i made "mr." owl into a "mrs." owl.

my hand made lolli flowers. i've had a lot of requests for this.

a christmas card. my photography skills suck so you cannot see all the glitter on the snowman.


an altered tea tin & notebook that i made for my SS. she already got it so i could post it.

*****an update on brandon...... he has been acting better and realizes when he gets too rough & outta control. he hasn't been whining about the things we took away from him but then again----it's only been 2 days since the "incident".

no mental notes around here

thank you to everybody who came to brandon's party & for all his presents. here's just a handful of brandon opening his gifts.

amazing what a simple composition book can look like once it is altered. i made the changito monkey one for a good stamping friend i met on SCS for her birthday. i wanted to make sure she received her birthday package before i posted.

this other little notebook was altered also. i find myself constantly writing notes here & there. i cannot remember things for the life of me! be it getting older or living in a house full of boys. i made those "lolli" flowers myself.
cannot leave out cutie bryan. he is starting to talk a lot more & not letting big brother push him around. in fact, bryan is showing signs of being a bully!! yes, this sweet little face backhand hits, steps on books while people are reading them, snatches things from brandon's hands, runs & leaves the scene after doing something he shouldn't have. hmmmm, and we all thought brandon was our 'problem' child. not so much.....looks like bryan is the future bully in school.

today, i took off work to spend it with brandon at his pre-k class. they are having a pjammie party for halloween. they'll be watching a movie & eating healthy snacks all day. i don't think they are allowed to have sugary snacks. most of you know that brandon does not need any sugar to make him hyper and/or active!!! it should be a fun day!