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Tag Archive: christmas

ornament fun

Filed Under: accessories, for the home by Jen — 10 Comments

November 28, 2011

Happy Monday everyone!! Hope everyone is all caffeinated up and ready for the Monday after a Holiday weekend (those Mondays are always the worst, don’t you think?) Today I am thankful for active parents. My parents and I run a half marathon every summer and this Thanksgiving we ran a 5k together since all of the siblings were at their in-laws. My grandma even walked the 1.5 mile race that went on at the same time as the 5k! I love it that they set a great example for so many people their age that stop being active because they’re “getting too old”. Way to go Mom and Dad (and Grandma!), I’m proud of you guys!

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It’s a Christmas tradition for me and Katie and all of the members of her family to exchange Christmas ornaments with one another. Katie and Aaron started it when the got married (maybe?) and I got added in to the tradition when I lived with them for a semester in college. I’ve gotten everything from a hot pink glittery ornament that says “Diva” (which, by the way, I am SO not a diva…haha), a peacock, a frog prince, a high heeled shoe and a basketball frame ornament with Aaron’s face in it (it actually has 4 photos of Aaron with different expressions so I can change it depending on my mood).

This year I got Aaron a school bus (he was home schooled until high school and then rode the short bus to school so we like to make fun of him), Katie a Reese’s truck (we’re obsessed with Reese’s), Matea a red guitar (since she wants to be a singer when she grows up) and Adlee a letter A made by people in Haiti. Katie and Aaron are slacking so I still haven’t gotten mine.

A while back we found this really sweet etsy store, Sierra Metal Design, that allows you to personalize hand stamped ornaments. So sweet! Unfortunately I forgot to order it so it wouldn’t have made it here in time for this Christmas (although there is always next Christmas I guess). Here’s what it looks like.

Aren’t the so neat? It is a great way to give really special, meaningful ornaments to people (unlike a school bus haha). It could be fun to start buying these for newlyweds or new babies.

Another neat thing about this store is it allows you to pick either twine or ribbon for your ornament.

{images used with permission from Sierra Metal Design}

I personally like the twine the best and I would imagine Katie would too.

Do you do any fun Christmas traditions? We love to add new things to the mix so let us know!

Tags: christmas

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you are awesome

Filed Under: for the soul by Jen — 3 Comments

November 15, 2011

Today I am thankful for coffee shops. Coffee shops have provided me with internet, good coffee and a welcoming environment for all of my needs (blogging, Skyping, email-ing, reading, hanging with friends, etc.). There is just something about walking into a coffee shop, getting a whiff of freshly brewed coffee, getting a delicious cup of java and settling down for a few hours in a comfy chair. In Duluth I used to frequent a local coffee shop that was FULL of plants which started my love for a house full of plants. I love coffee shops with character…it’s like walking into a friend’s house. Maybe Katie and I should open up a coffee house and sell all of the products that we feature here on PPS. Would you come?

Pillows and greeting cards….who knew that Katie and I were so obsessed with pillows and greeting cards? We think we love pillows so much because we don’t have any cute ones and I would guess we love greeting cards so much because we LOVE getting real mail (like I did from Steph last week..yay!).

We found these cards on Etsy and just loved them. They are the kind of cards you would want to send to a friend when you don’t really have much to say, you just want to send some love their way. I mean, for real, who wouldn’t smile and feel some love when you opened up this card:

I know I would love to see this card in the mail. It’s almost even frame worthy (just make sure to put the frame in your closet or bedroom so people don’t think you are THAT vain…;) ). This card is $4 and is from Little Gray Owl Studio on etsy. She also has lots of other cards for weddings, birthday, new babies and Christmas! I like this Christmas card (due to my 3rd obsession which is maps…)

Maps and Christmas make me very, very happy.

And last but not least from this store is a print. It’s actually and Irish Welcome. Fun fact of the day…Katie and I are Irish! I like to pretend I’m 1/4 Irish but it’s actually more like 1/16. Our cousin Emily is the only lucky one of the family who has red hair. (Well and our cousin in law Joanna does too but that only halfway counts…). On to the print:

{all images used with permission from Little Gray Owl Studio}

According to the shop’s website, “Céad Míle Fáilte is a traditional Irish greeting that means ‘A Hundred Thousand Welcomes.’” Isn’t that sweet? I hope people know that they have a hundred thousand welcomes at my place. I think Katie should probably get this and put it next to her Irish map (which now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t think has been unpacked since their move…).

So there you have it, a fun little shop with some fun little products in it!! Any of these strike your fancy?

Tags: card, christmas

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gifts for coffee lovers

Filed Under: for the girl, gift ideas by Katie — 7 Comments

November 15, 2011

Today I am thankful for my girls. One came through adoption, one is biological, each is a miracle to me. They are both “my own” and I am thankful, so thankful, for how God is putting our family together. It is unique and different and wonderful. Matea is so perfect for us and I love watching Adlee show little parts of her personality more and more. I hope those two grow to love the Lord and to love each other as much as I love my sister. (Just a quick note – adoptive parents love it when you use the term “biological” instead of “your own.” For example, say “do you have any biological children” rather than “do you have any children of your own.” ALL our children are “our own” regardless of how they come to us!)

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You didn’t think we’d do a “gifts for ________” series and NOT include coffee lovers, did you? Of course we’d do this one! Here’s what we’ve got – you’ll for sure want to read the descriptions for this one. As a side note – I was at Caribou (twice) this past week and not only do they have all their Christmas cups out, but they were also playing CHRISTMAS MUSIC!! LOVE IT!!

WHOLE BEAN COFFEE! Do NOT buy a coffee lover pre-ground coffee. Whole bean coffee is the way to go. Coffee prices are going up right now, so a bag of coffee in your friend’s favorite roast (light, dark, flavored) would be a fabulous gift! If you can, try to find coffee that is fair trade or specifically is making a difference in the coffee grower’s community.

Coffee canister clay – GARDEN TRADING – Cookshop – Home & Leisure -…

12 - selfridges.com
A cute coffee bean canister would be a great gift. This particular one has a vintage-y feel to it which we like. Otherwise check your local Caribou or Starbucks. Jen and I almost always like the coffee accessories they have, which means you probably will too!

Sweet Simpli-city Mug

$13 - modcloth.com
This mug represents A UNIQUE COFFEE MUG. Take the time to find out what style of mug your friend prefers. Short or tall? A big handle or a small handle? A classic shape or a funky one? Then look all over for a mug with a personality. DO NOT GO TO TARGET. Order something off etsy!

Planetary Design Travel French Press

$30 - amazon.com
This travel mug rocks. It is a french press! AND, most of these styles of travel mugs have a hidden canister in the bottom where you can put some coffee grounds to make yourself a second cup! Our local Dunn Brothers was selling these for right around $20 last winter, so be sure to check around.

Buy a gift card

Need I say more? A medium mocha at Caribou is now $3.99. Jen and I would love a coffee card. Your coffee loving friend will too.

Looking for more gift ideas? We have ideas for the new mom, runners, and travelers!

Tags: christmas, coffee, gifts

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merry christmas blogger friends

Filed Under: for the girl by Jen — 14 Comments

November 9, 2011

One of Katie and my favorite things about starting this blog is all of our “blog friends” that we’ve made. We’re seriously contemplating a trip to Texas to hang out with Marissa, Faith and Jess, we’re basically sisters with Erin and we think that Stephanie over at Red Letter Paper Co. is the next best thing to sliced bread.

Seriously.

We feel incredibly blessed to “know” these fabulous women (ok, I actually do know Marissa in real life…but the others we only know via the internet). It brightens our day when we get comments or emails from these ladies and all of our other blogger friends! I actually got REAL mail from Stephanie on Saturday and it just about made my day. Not only did a get my first RLPCo card but also a sweet note from a fabulous woman who I met via the internet. So today, I am thankful for blogger friends. Blogger friends are like that extra scoop of chocolate chips in your ice cream or that delicious cup of coffee that your friend just happened to bring to you. Katie and I love blogging (otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it) so to make friends on top of doing something that we love is just amazing. So thank you blogger friends for being such encouraging, fantastic women. We hope to meet you all someday.

(I feel weird that I’m writing about having blogger friends…like I sound like a big nerd. Oh well, I guess my secret’s out of the box…I’m a nerd.)

Today we wanted to show you something that Katie and I love more than most things we blog about. We found these like a month ago and have been waiting for the perfect moment to blog about them. That’s right folks…today’s post is on CHRISTMAS CARDS!!!! When we saw Red Letter Paper Company come out with a new set of Christmas cards we could hardly contain our excitement. I know you will probably jump out of your chair with excitement when you see them as well (just make sure you don’t read this at work…we don’t want anyone to get into trouble when they shout “Falalalalala” really loud when viewing these amazing cards).

Inside: The gift of Christmas is yours. To enjoy. To share.

Christmas cards - Oh, Baby - Set of 5 blue, yellow and white simple, modern Christian religious Christmas cards

Inside: Miraculous things come in small packages. Merry Christmas

I think this one is funny. If you are someone who is attached to your iPhone, Blackberry, or Droid you may want to consider sending out this Christmas card this year.

Christmas card - Not sent from my iPhone pixelated green Christmas tree - Set of 5 Christmas cards

{all images used with permission from Red Letter Paper Co)

Inside: Merry Christmas

All of these cards are $16 for a set of 5. And according to their site, “your purchase is helping more than our bottom line. RLPCo isn’t just about cards, it’s about giving back. Ten percent of the purchase of Christmas cards goes to World Orphans. World Orphans is committed to rescuing millions of orphaned and abandoned children”. I bet the Christmas cards I usually buy don’t give money to World Orphans.

So we hope you haven’t already bought your Christmas cards yet so you can get some fabulous ones from RLPCo. Or if you have you could always just buy a set anyway…I can think of 2 girls who really love getting mail.

Tags: card, christmas, etsy

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gifts for the traveler

Filed Under: for the girl, gift ideas by Jen — 2 Comments

November 8, 2011

Today I am going to fit in with what we’re going to be talking about and say I am thankful for traveling. I love to visit a new country or state and experience a new culture, new food, new climate and new language. I think it shows God’s imagination when you see all of the different types of plants and animals, languages and fashion and everything in between. I have been so blessed to have traveled to a wide variety of places all over the world and I can’t wait to experience God’s creation more and more.

Moving on…I am really having fun with this Christmas list thing!! Maybe it’s because I love Christmas. Or love buying gifts. Or love polyvore. Or something.

As girls who love to travel, Katie and I have learned a few things about what to and not to bring while traveling. We absolutely love getting gifts related to travel because it makes that first trip with your new items all that more exciting! We both have lots of friends who are big travelers so we thought we’d share some fun gift ideas for any traveler on your list.

And just so you don’t forget, everything on this blog is PPS approved (meaning Katie and I both love it so we basically guarantee that everyone will like it) so it is a risk free way of buying gifts for everyone on your list.

Antipast knit socks
$55 - shopbird.com

Let’s start with something simple and cheap (ok, we realize $55 is NOT cheap for socks but you can always find cute socks like SmartWool, Darn Tough or even a Target brand for much cheaper…the ones listed are the only color that fit my theme…). Socks are a MUST for any traveler. Even if you are going to a warm climate if you are flying or driving the chances of your feet getting cold are high. Your traveler friend would love to put a pair of cute socks in her carry on for chillier than normal flights. (And also, she can pull them on when she has to take her shoes off going through security if she has is a germ-phobe. Katie and I don’t do that but many people do.

)

Pieces logo luggage
$232 - asos.com

A nice piece of carry on luggage. WIth most airlines making you pay for a checked luggage, a lot of people (including Katie and myself!) take a smaller suitcase that I can carry on and a large carry on bag (that I use as my “purse”). Again, $232 is probably much more than you typically spend on your friends (and if it’s not I think I would love to be your friend). But once again, you can find great carry on’s at any number of places; Target (which is where I found my new one for about $25, Marshall’s, TJMaxx, Macy’s or Nordstrom Rack. Find a good quality bag with a few seperate compartments and a good handle and your friend will love you forever.

John Masters Organics Travel Set
$18 - asos.com

New traveling toiletries set. Maybe your friend is like me and has tons of small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, lotion and body wash from the different hotels you visit or maybe you scramble every time you are going to be flying somewhere. Either way, fun new toiletries can make your friend’s next trip a bit more exciting when she can use some nice shampoo or lotion that is more hydrating and less watery as many hotel brands (does anyone else hate those hotel lotions that basically glide right off??)

Travel Blanket by CoolMax – TravelSmith
$35 - travelsmith.com

We’ve already talked about these amazing blankets here. Go read it and buy one for your friend. If she isn’t thrilled beyond imagine when she receives it don’t worry, she’ll thank you in years to come for such an amazing gift. I promise.

par avion passport cover
$25 - shopruche.com

A sweet passport cover is a must for any traveler. I don’t care if your friend is leaving the country for the first time or the 50th time, it is so much more fun (and stylish) to whip out your passport that is nestled in a cute passport cover to hand over to customs. (It also might make customs a little less scary…my heart always pounds a bit when I step up to the line…I can’t imagine how criminals feel!)

Flip Video Ultra Coming To Australia : Nurdz
nurdz.net

And last but certainly not least, the Flip camera. If your friend is headed out on a new adventure she would love a fun little camera to bring along with. I love to re-watch all of the old videos I shot while on the World Race and makes me wonder why I didn’t take more.

So there you have it. A PPS approved traveler girl Christmas list. Are any of our readers big into traveling? How do you think we did?

On a side note, I pulled out my old sewing machine and went TO TOWN this weekend. I can’t wait to show you all what I made!!

Tags: christmas

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gifts for runners

Filed Under: accessories, for the girl, gift ideas by Jen — 9 Comments

November 3, 2011

Today I am thankful for heat (you Texans won’t understand this…). My apartment building is doing repair work on our boilers which has caused our heat to not work since last Wednesday. It should be coming back on today or tomorrow. Having no heat makes getting out of bed that much harder because your nose is cold from the brisk air. It also makes getting in and out of the shower that much more treacherous because you’ll be hit with a cold front. It also makes changing into pajamas not fun because I just want to sit in the warm clothes I wore all day. Brr. Aaron’s distribution center is also without heat so the first 5-10 minutes of working there is quite chilly (since it is a garage after all).

(On a side note, one year in college we tried to go as along as we could without turning on our heat since we had to pay for it ourselves. I remember wearing hats, mittens, multiple sweatpants and sweatshirts with about 50 candles lit while doing homework. Miserable.)

So today I am thankful for the ability to heat my apartment, car and any other establishment that I choose to visit during these cold months. Yay for heat!!

As you all know, Katie and I love Christmas. Like LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas. (When something is repeated 3 times and in caps you know it is serious.) So this Christmas season we decided to give you all Christmas gift ideas (since obviously if we like it, whoever you’re going to give it to will like it…it’s basically a scientific equation). We were just going to do random things but we wanted to make it easier for you to shop for specifics on your list so we’ll break them up into groups (for example: for runners, campers, coffee lovers, cat lovers, etc). If you have a group that you’d like to see just let us know!! We’d love to help you out if we can.

Starting off this series is gifts for the runner on your list. (It’s kind of on the top of my brain these days…)

Here is what I came up with:

energy bra | women’s bras | lululemon athletica
$48 – lululemon.com

To start off with, the Lululemon sports bra….I love Lululemon, hate their prices. They have a pretty good clearance section though so I’ve been able to purchase one sports bra for myself. I also received a pair of capris for climbing and yoga and a tank top for my birthday. Their stuff is really nice and really durable. And cute. Maybe you wouldn’t think about buying a sports bra for a runner friend of family member but it is something they will wear ALL the time and it’s typically cheaper than a jacket or pair of pants. (And don’t feel awkward…a bra to workout in is MUCH different than a bra you would buy for a bachelorette party ).

Nike activewear
$65 – nike.com

Next up, the Nike jacket. If your runner friend (or yourself) lives in a cold state and hates the treadmill (like me) you WILL be running outdoors so you better dress warm. I think any jacket that is cute, made out of dri-fit or any sweat-wicking fabric and has thumb holes you can’t go wrong with it. This jacket actually has a lined, scuba style hood which I have never tried but I bet I would like it especially when the wind is blowing! Katie would obviously choose a different color combination for this jacket but lucky for us, she’s not a runner so you can just stick with the one that I picked.

Adidas sports activewear
25 – johnlewis.com

On to the Adidas capri pants. I actually own a pair very similar to this. I love capris because typically my legs stay fairly warm so I only have to wear pants in really really cold weather. I think black is a typically great color for pants because tops are usually far more bright and colorful so it’s easier to match (yes, I try to look decently cute while running…you never know if you’re going to run into the man of your dreams on a run although I’m I look ridiculous when I run so I hope that never happens). Get your runner friend black bottoms…they’ll like them.

Work Hard Run Home
25 – howies.co.uk

The t-shirt is from a country in the UK. I just like it. And I think your runner friend, family member, or you might too.

The Cliff Bar is a no brainer. Runners eat lots of protein bars, gel packs, shot blocks, etc…great for stocking stuffers!

So there you go! A plethora of gifts that you could buy for any runner on your list. What do you think? And seriously, let us know what sort of people are on your list and we’ll help make shopping a little easier for you this year!

P.S. Yes this has been updated since it’s original post…who know polyvore was so amazing!!

Tags: christmas, running

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f.r.e.e. that spells free

Filed Under: accessories, for the home by Katie — 10 Comments

November 1, 2011

Hey Everyone!

I’m just going to cut right to the chase: Today I am choosing to be thankful for my messy, messy house. I am sitting here on my couch looking around and seeing nothing but chaos. I didn’t get a chance to clean up too much before heading out for Halloween festivities last night. We then got home, put Adlee to bed (Matea had a sleepover at Aunt Jen’s!) and Aaron and I watched American Pickers on Netflix. Second. Best. Show. Ever. (behind Psych). ANYWAY, I was just sitting her feeling annoyed at how messy everything is and irritated with myself for not being more motivated/organized/ambitious with housework, when I realized that a lot of the mess is from my kids. And so I will be thankful that I have children in the house who make messes that I haven’t cleaned up…because someday I’ll wish they were little again, right? (that’s what they all say) So I’m going to choose to just soak it in and enjoy this time. So there you have it!

So on to what we are loving today:

I know, I know, this is a Christmas item. Well, hold onto your hats because you will be seeing TONS of Christmas stuff coming up. Jen and I are really having a difficult time holding back all the massive fun Christmas stuff to share. BUT, I am sharing this with you now, and you will probably thank me later. This AWESOME print comes from Less Cake, More Frosting. And you want to know how incredibly fantastic Ellie, the blogger is? She is offering this print as a free download. FOR REAL. She is thinking about charging a small fee for this print as Christmas gets closer, so you might want to head on over to her blog and check it out. Plus, you might want to just check out her blog in general!

This brings me to several points, in no particular order:
1. Elf is an amazing Christmas move. Thank you, Buddy the Elf, for all your endless quotes
2. It is so fun to see people GIVE AWAY things. WOW. It encourages me to want to give, give, give!
3. Once again, it pays to click through on the items you find on pinterest.
4. I love blogging. It is so much fun.
5. I love having internet friends. (is that nerdy or what? but I love it!)

Jen has a quote up on her fridge and part of it says that “we are blessed so that we can in turn, be a blessing to others.” Its the little things, like a free download, that makes me feel blessed. Now I, in turn, want to go and do the same for others! It is so awesome how we can spur each other on to doing good things. Isn’t it amazing to see that once again, the Bible speaks truth? “Now let us consider how we may spur each other on to love and good deeds…” Hebrews 10:24. God created that in us, isn’t it awesome! And so often people think its just “being nice.” So the next time you are blessed, and want to turn and bless others….remember Who put that desire in you!

See you tomorrow!

PS – We have a poll going on over on our facebook page – we are wondering if people have time to read everything we write. Head on over and give us some feedback if you have 20 seconds – we’d appreciate it!

Tags: christmas, decorating, free download

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Tag Archive: christmas

ornament fun

you are awesome

gifts for coffee lovers

merry christmas blogger friends

gifts for the traveler

gifts for runners

f.r.e.e. that spells free

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