Valentine Bubble Cards & FREE printable

I'm not your typical valentine card buying kind of girl. The best cards and gifts are always the ones that are well thought out, original and in most cases made by hand. This year's Valentine card creation was just that. With a lot of love and creativity I came up with these:

In only a few simple steps they can be yours too!

1) print the valentine cards on thick card stock & cut them out. (link to FREE printable: here)

2) have your little valentine write their name on the cards

3) wrap washi tape around the middle of the bubble bottles (washi tape from Michaels craft store $4 for 2 rolls & bubbles from Dollar Tree $1 for a pack of 6)

4) punch 2 holes in the corner of the card

5) use craft string to tie bubbles to cards.

TA-DA! It's that easy. 

A Divided Home: Football Sunday

Today it gets a little crazy in my house. We are a house of loved ones usually harmoniously cohabitating until  twice a year when the San Francisco 49ers {my team} battle it out on the football field with the Seattle Seahawks {my husband's team}. We become a house divided. Today's game should be interesting both on and off the field! The Seahawks with an 11-1 record...the best record in the NFC and the AFC. It is sure to be a tough game {but not impossible} for the niners. Regardless, I believe they  will overcome and their defense will be stronger than ever. They know what they are up against especially only having an 8-4 record. Today we have something to prove. To defeat the Seahawks and gain a big win & prove that they are a playoffs worthy team like last year. I predict the final score will be 21-13 niners. Let's go red & gold!!!

Even Fluffy got into the spirit of our household rivalry, but he's obviously on my side.

Fun with Fluffy: Our Elf on The Shelf

Fluffy is our Christmas Elf on the Shelf. He came to us only one year ago on a chilly winter morning circa 2012. He travelled from the North Pole to watch over my little kids and report their good and sometimes bad behavior back to Mr. Santa Clause. It is a big deal and my kids love it! Especially my youngest who has been waking up extra early for school just to see what Fluffy has been up to....a definite bonus in my book.

I discovered the Elf on the Shelf craze on social media when it blew up my Pinterest feed last year. It looked like so much fun that I had to make it a tradition. It's hilarious and heartwarming to see my kids light up at the sight of him and all his shenanigans. Even my husband (shhh don't say I told you so) has gotten into helping me! 

If this is the first you are hearing about it you can read the back-story here  and can purchase your very own on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Target for $30. 

This is what our Elf has been up to since zip-lining back into our home on December 1st. 

Fluffy's Grand Entrance

He and a few of his friends got into a sticky situation with army men.

Fluffy is all about education and is teaching all of his fellow BFFs (best fluffy friends) the importance of reading & Christmas.

Caught racing down our hallway in honor of Paul Walker & The Fast & The Furious Movies #RIPPaulWalker

Holiday Home Tour

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Iman house! My tree is shining brightly, the mistletoe and stockings are hung with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there. Okay, before I break out into Christmas songs and a lot of fa la la la la...let me give you a virtual tour of my decked out holiday home.

This year's color inspiration came from none other than one of my fave apps {Pinterest}. I loved the modern twist on classic colors and that is just what the pop of aqua/teal did. It really complimented the classic red & green. 

My Color Board

I created a fun winter wonderland chalk-scape on my pantry door. Added cut tree branches {they give them away for free @ Christmas tree lots} and some ornaments to the chandelier above my kitchen table and strung red ribbon and wreaths along my windows. 

I took my DIY glitter banner idea from a few weeks ago and made a similar one for above my mantle.

My favorite addition to this year's decor

The tree all decked out.

and last, but most definitely not least...our Elf Fluffy. He kicked off the holiday season by sailing in on a zip line and brought snow from the North Pole for the kids. :)

Black Friday Fab Finds

I'll be honest...I went out to a certain store on Thanksgiving night at 8 PM. It was against my better judgement, but because I couldn't let Santa down. He asked me to do him a favor & pick up the kid's Razor Scooters which were to be marked down to under $20 as a doorbuster. I figured it was a kind gesture so the slave elves could focus on making two less toys this year. However, I had no idea what I would be walking into. It was crazy. Not sure how crazy...this link is on point. Click here.  I don't know if it was the bulls-eye hypnotizing normal citizens into becoming crazy savages like wild hyenas attacking innocent prey or a fat kid vying for the last piece of chocolate cake, but it.was.nuts. Needless to say I may not do Santa anymore favors next year. 

Despite the entertainment of my "Grey Thursday" adventure...my favorite BF deals were of course for my big kid {hubby} and kids. The best part about it was that it was done from the comfort of my own home. No crazy mob of doorbuster drama kings and queens. No sir. Just me, my bank card and the amazing World Wide Web. It was amazing & a big sigh of relief. I scored a Madden 25 video game...you can only guess who that is for...and a street hockey set. The video game was the exact sale price {only $35; normally $59} as an in-store ad. Also, the hockey set was $39 a week ago and was only $17.99 today! Thanks to Amazon and my FAB Amazon Prime account I got this amazing deal and got 2-day FREE shipping! Can I get an AMEN to the Black Friday Gods?!?! My next writing assignment will be to Santa to let him know that he need not send his parent-helpers out into the wild when they can get the same deals right @ home.

Hope you scored some Fab Deals and happy holidays!!!!!

Thankful

I woke up this morning contemplating what to be thankful for and then I stumbled across this little gem on Pinterest. 

It really put things into perspective.

I remember in my not so distant past (circa 2005) I was a single mom. I wished to be able to finish college and find a great job to support my son Tyler on my own. To someday travel the world and own a home and to "complete" our broken family. To spend more time with him because every second together matters.

Through some rough times I graduated college with a 2.5 year old son and a 3.4 GPA. I was and still am very thankful for my amazing friends & family that helped me through it all.

Then Mr. Dave Iman came along and he fell in love with us. He even followed us around the world and met us in Italy the summer after I graduated! I had known him for 6 years prior, but this was the year that changed everything. He came along and loved us and cared for us. He completed our little family...until Miss Audrey came along in 2008. She was the icing on the cake!

In 2012 we said enough is enough and I was able to quit a job I loved to spend more time with my kids and raise them. We bought a home and here we are today. 

I am SO thankful for my broken road that lead me to where I am now <cue Rascal Flats song> I could have never imagined being where I am today because of all the trying times. So instead of being thankful for all the stuff I already am thankful for (health, friends & fam, etc.) I am thankful for my past and where it landed me on this very day. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

cranberry cravings

I don't know about you, but I am so excited about Thanksgiving and all the delish food that will be in my belly this time tomorrow! 

One of my favorite foods is cranberry sauce. It's not too sweet and a little bitter yet completely savory. mmm.

I hate to admit that a 30 something like me has NEVER had homemade cranberry sauce. I've only had the canned stuff. I figured this year would be my cranberry coming out party and my chance to break away from the fake stuff. I did a little online surfing and found so many easy recipes! I took a bit from all of my research and starting cooking.

I am proudly tooting my own horn because even my kids loved it...Here's my {new} favorite cranberry sauce! 

Ingredients:

2 bags fresh cranberries (24oz)

2 cinnamon sticks

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 TBS vanilla extract

1 TBS salt

Juice from 2 Satsuma Mandarin oranges 

Directions:

Dump all ingredients into a medium pot on medium-high heat. Listen for cranberries to "pop" open. They will literally make a popping sound. Stir occasionally. Remove cinnamon sticks once all cranberries are popped & saucy. Remove from heat, put in serving dish. You can refrigerate and serve later OR serve warm right away. It's that easy and I will NEVER buy canned cranberry sauce again.  

Hope you all have a great Turkey Day!