Christmas songs that aren't {but should be}

While not officially "Christmas songs," they certainly tell the Christmas story! Enjoy.

"How Many Kings?" by Downhere. "All for me...all for you."



"How He Loves Us" by David Crowder Band. Christmas is truly all about the loooove. Let this one sink in, sisters. His affections are truly great for us.

Less talk, more pictures

We are just loving life these days! Besides being in a new house, the perfect Arizona winter weather, the boys being at wonderful ages to really enjoy the festivities, my nephew being born, my grandmother being in town...we are feeling extraordinarily blessed!!

So rather than yack about it, here are some of my favorite pictures from this holiday season so far.

Andrew telling Santa what he wants for Christmas at my friend Chrissy's annual Santa party.



Our family at the party.



The hubs and me, headed out for his company Christmas dinner. It was a fantastic, and much-needed, night out.



My mom and I fulfilling our new goal: to cook and bake together more often!




The boys decorating their gingerbread train on a rainy day (before it collapsed and we ate it).



The JOY pillow I scored at our church women's ministry Christmas party. Yes, I actually took this right off the host's couch. She insisted. Joy is, after all, my WORD for 2011.



My mom and grandmother toasting with the monogrammed wine glasses I got them. Andrew joined in, too.



We're just loving every moment of this holiday season!

More to come....

TLC Creations grand opening & giveaway

Introducing...my new Etsy shop!



I partnered up with my dear friend, Chrissy. She does EVERYthing...I just do the Etsy part!

This is us at the baby shower she threw for me in April of '09. She's on the left, obviously.



This was about two weeks before she underwent surgery to have a brain tumor removed {no kidding}.

Her story is amazing but we'll save that for another time! :)

Suffice it to say, she is an amazing woman and a person I aspire to be more like. I'm glad she's here and healthy and I am thrilled to be working with her again!!

TLC Creations stands for Tuesday & Logan Calderwood, her two kids. I love those kids!!

She has this amazing vinyl machine called "Roland."



She creates just about anything you can think of and prints it on the vinyl to use as a decal, sticker or label or to apply to clothing with her heat press.

Here she is, working at the "studio."



We used the "Grimes" above for this newborn hat for my nephew-to-be. Precious!



These name labels can be used for a million things. The vinyl sticks beautifully to paper, of course, but is also great to use on your laptop, ipod or cell phone case.

They're great for a baby shower gift, too, for moms to use to label their baby's bottles, wipes case and other belongings.



Kids love to use them to personalize their school supplies and water bottles.



These can be done in ANY team colors and with a soccer ball, baseball, football, etc.!



The possibilities for shirts are endless. This is Andrew's birthday shirt (my son, who turns 5 on Nov. 26). He's Andrew IV so I couldn't resist adding the 4!



The listing has all the details for the choices you have.

custom number shirt

We can do ANY number or letter. Tons of fonts are available, and tons of colors.



I happen to love these black onesies, for a boy or girl, with an initial inside a circle. So dadgum cute. Colors are totally customizable.



White is available, too. These are a HUGE hit at baby showers!



There's even a blue camo onesie available. My sister-in-law liked the one we made for my nephew-to-be!



CHRISTMAS ITEMS WERE JUST ADDED!!

How cute are these address labels??? Cactus or snowman.



And I LOVE these customized "To & From" labels for your Christmas gifts! Can be applied to presents or goody bags, or even right to a bottle of wine, bubble bath, you name it! Just write in the recipient's name!

Snowman...



Ornament...



Christmas tree.



These modern and stylish address labels are great for Christmas or year-round use. I love the design! We can add your kids' names, too. These make a great gift!!


~~ GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! ~~

Our shop is brand new to we'd love it if you visited TLC Creations on Etsy, glanced through our listings, then left a comment about what catches your eye.

We're also open to suggestions on new offerings or ways we can improve the shop or our designs. We'd love your feedback!

As a thank-you, we will give away a $10 credit toward any purchase in the shop, plus FREE SHIPPING on your entire order! Drawing will be held at midnight on Wednesday, December 1.

Each person who leaves a comment will be eligible. Please leave your e-mail address so we can contact you if you win!

Thanks for checking us out and we hope we have the opportunity to make something wonderful for you!

Merry Christmas!!!

This is us this year. Drew and me at 32, Andrew at 4 and Ethan at 6 months. This was at Ethan's baby dedication in November.



So Merry Christmas!!

This is just a quick family update so you know our latest and greatest!

Drew is in his second year at Baker Commodities and enjoys his job very much. He only has a 30-minute commute and never brings his work home with him. It's a blessing when you enjoy your work! He still serves as an elder at our church and enjoys his video games, reading, watching football, keeping up with politics and playing with the boys. Drew and I are both planning to start running in 2010 and hope to encourage each other in our efforts!

Us in November.



And Drew and the boys recently.



My year has largely been occupied with Ethan. We call him our redemption baby because he came home from the hospital on May 13, a year to the day that I miscarried in '08. God is good! Ethan Ryan was 8 lbs. 6 oz. and 21" long and his birth was remarkably "easy."



He's still measuring very tall but because he's so active, he's never been as chubby as Andrew was. He is an incredibly easy-going and cheerful baby and brings so much joy into our lives.



Ethan adores his big brother! He just cut his first tooth, is crawling and cruising and loves to chew on everything! He's a "morning person," and brings a smile to my face every morning when we wake up next to each other! We just can't imagine our lives without him.

At our visit with Santa at my friend Chrissy's house.



I'm still serving at church on the women's ministry team, the prayer team and the teaching team. I'm taking a break to do some studies of my own and will do my "How to Study the Bible" class again in the fall. I just hit 100 sales in my Etsy shop and hope to get it fully stocked in time for Valentine's Day. Drew's sister, Sarah, moved out after six years into a nearby home of her own and her former room is now my craft room/guest room. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of crafting in 2010!





I love hosting events (like Christmas dinner for the family, pictured below) and have a big Peter Pan-themed Valentine's Day tea party in the works! I want to really embrace my "Domestic Goddess side" in 2010!



Andrew is a typical 4-year-old and still obsessed with all things Thomas the Train. He loves to play in his sand box, trips to "Popcorn Target," doing artwork at his easel, watching videos and crafting with me. He loves hearing and telling stories, singing and dancing and wrestling with Drew. He always makes me smile and he loves making his baby brother laugh.



We enjoyed getting together with Drew's family the week of Thanksgiving and took all the kiddos to the Phoenix Zoo.



Our family also took a trip on the Verde Canyon Railway in November. Andrew even got a birthday cake on the train and the entire train car sang to him! It was marvelous!







Here's the boys at our neighborhod's annual Christmas party. We take this picture in the snow every year!



Here's us at our nephew's Cardinal's birthday party!



Drew and I feel incredibly blessed this year and have so much to be thankful for. Besides our home and our boys, we are blessed with loving families, wonderful friends, a terrific church home and so many other things. To God be the glory!

May you embrace the peace and love that only Jesus can bring during this Christmas season. Wishing you a prosperous and joyful 2010!

Lastly, Drew and I are both on Facebook so that's the best way to keep up with us and to see our latest pictures.

E-mail me if you need our address or phone numbers--please keep in touch!
tabandrew@hotmail.com

Handmade Christmas

While I didn't officially announce, "This year is going to be a handmade Christmas!" to my family (and frankly, I didn't follow this 'rule' myself!), three savvy female relatives "got it," anyway!!

Check these goodies out. Make a mental note: giving handmade gifts doesn't necessarily mean laboring over some super-complicated sewing or art project for months--it can take on many forms.

Example #1: My mom purchased this from a fundraiser craft show, benefiting the crisis pregnancy center where she volunteers. It's a handmade apron, named after women of the Bible and this one, featuring my current favorite color, happens to be "The Tabitha."



Here's the story, from the Bible in Acts 9:36. Yes, my mother named me after this woman and NOT Samantha's daughter on "Bewitched!"



Example #2: My sister-in-law (hubby's sis') knitted (crocheted??) this shawl during a car trip! We'd seen one like it in a boutique over Thanksgiving weekend so she duplicated it (she's quite talented, she is), right down to the over-sized buttons! It's perfect just to throw over your shoulders when you're chilled. I keep it by my favorite chair for those chilly mornings.



Example #3: My other sister-in-law (my brother's wife) gave the ladies in the family this jar, which includes the recipe for her grandmother's shortbread! Just add butter! I can't wait to try it!!



Pretty neat assortment, eh? It inspires me to REALLY go handmade in '09!!