homemade christmas presents

this year for Christmas we decided to make homemade gifts to exhance with Ryan's sister & her husband.

we had no idea what to expect.

we had no idea what to make.

we must of changed our minds 20 different times.

it was so much fun!

we are already a gazillion steps ahead of ourselves for next year.

we already know what we're going to make!

{which is half the battle!!}

this is what we made them. this past summer they bought their first house! 

horray!

so we opted for this painted black wooden sign where they could change out the sign to whatever they please!
Click here to see how this was made.

then...
look what they made me/us!
{i am LOVING this!!}

a gift wrapping station. 
how cool is that?!

click here to see how this was made.

Already can't wait for next year!

{musical family}

i come from a musical family.

Like real musical. 

my grandma was a piano teacher

my dad had an Christian Album back in the 80's & has sung w/ Simon Estes

my aunt is a professional pianest

my sister is a music teacher...

my other sister sings all the time-- no mater who is around.

...they all love to perform

 and I get that. 

 I love that. 

I really appreicate that.

I must of missed the family meeting about loving to sing in public.

i rarely do it.

i get sweaty hands,

want to faint,

& all over curse myself out when I agree to it.

A few weeks ago I fell under a weak moment & agreed to sing @ my grandparents church Christmas Eve. 

When I agreed to this I completely forgot...

...that there are usually 550+ people that attend that service

...that i want to toss my cookies

...that my entire extended Rhoads side family would be there

...that my hands become really,  really sweaty

...but after its all said and done I'm glad I did it, and don't have the desire to do it for another 5+ years.

here is the video.  quality is not that good becuase the lights were out due to the spotlight on Mary.  

We sang Breath of Heaven (I started it out, then Carly then Haley with some duets & trios in the mixI start)
I started out super shakey, but got more confident as the song went on :-)



Christmas 2010 Top Highlights

 

2010 Highlights :

Tucker turned 1! He is our little ball of energy. He loves anything that moves, especially balls, paint brushes,  anything that makes noises or sings! :-) He constantly keeps us entertained and on our toes.

Family trips. This year we headed to Chicago, Illinois --to help Ryan's sister move, St. louis, Missouri-- Cousins' Reunion on the Houck side & finally headed to Lafayette, Indiana for a family wedding on the Huhn/Tudor side.

Cyclone Football. For six weekends this fall we had the privilege to attend all the ISU home football games. (Thanks to Uncle Paul & Aunt Vickie!) We had a great time cheering on the Cyclones. Ryan is determined to make Tucker a Cyclone die-hard like himself!

Intramural Sports: This past year Ryan and I were involved in a few sports teams. Last winter Ryan played City League Basketball while I played volleyball with a few girlfriends. This summer we played together on a co-ed volleyball team. Ryan was a little nervous (since he had never played before), but he turned out to be a powerhouse player!

Financial Freedom Goals: If you don't know what we are doing right now, please click here. Last September we got serious about kicking our debt to the curb! We are making tons of sacrifices {hense this tacky inexpensive way to send out holiday cheer!} We hope to shout it from the rooftops be out of debt entirely by September.

Final duplex remodeled: In the spring we remodeled our last duplex, and boy, did it feel good! It took about 8 weeks. This project was my primary nightmare focus while Ryan made the money! :-)

Midwest Appraisals' 1st Anniversary: On May 1st our appraisal company turned one-year-old! We are constantly blown away by what God is doing & how he is blessing us!

God is so good!

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

Love,
Ryan, Ashley & Tucker

hot deal on ESPN magazine

every year for Christmas I get my Grandpa Rhoads {sports enthusiast!!} a subscription to ESPN magazine.  he loves it.

I was able to score it for $2.99 thanks to some awesome frugal blogs out there.

need a last minute gift for a guy in your life?

Get a 1 Year ESPN Magazine subscription for just $2.99.

Just use code ESPN at checkout. This is a limited time deal, so the price may go up quickly.

latest favorites.

 

{Loved DIY Paper Behind your Shelves} 

 {loved these personalized gift wrap you can print with step by step instructions!}

{ Loved candy cane bark tutorial from my friend at Homemade by Monica.}

{loved this free printable tag}

these are just a few of the ideas I'm loving these days.

 

My Craigslist corner

My "Craigslist Corner"  is a section in our house where I stash everything I am currently selling on craigslist.

This week we had a twin mattress & a chair (both sold TODAY-yeah!)

My little T-man discovered he could crawl up on the piano bench with the mattress being there.

Enter the next video. 

Not gonna lie, mainly for the family.

Enjoy our little Mozart.

(Auntie C will be so proud!)

Borders Coupon, 50% off!

Borders Books has a printable coupon for 50% off of one regular price item in their store

 (good thru Thursday)



2 BIG wooley boogers to go!

"Wooley Booger"

that was an expression used often in my childhood by my dad.

growing up on a hog farm it usually meant....

difficult, or a big challenge coming up (usually from something breaking down)

when he used that term I cringed inside. 

I dreaded it.  

since we are working HARD to become debt free, we named our student loans affectionately, Wooley Boogers.

When we started our "debt free" endeavor last August we started with 10 different wooley boogers. 

or, 10 small loans.

we have been working from the smallest loans to the biggest loans...adding momemtum every step of the way.

we have been working HARD...

...sacrificing alot.

...and as of last thursday

we are down to 2 wooley bugers left!!!!

We are excited. 

We are thrilled. 

...but  these are the biggest two left

... the ugliest wooley buggers we have to  face.

weekend plans in pictures

{Jolly Holiday Lights}

{work}

{Live Nativity}

Cornerstone Christmas Play/Musical

my 29th birthday!

amazing story.

you may want a box of kleenex by your side.

confession time

tonight I got the pleasure of running errands ALL BY MYSELF.

I should  be baking. 

but i'm not.

I went out, enjoyed an evening all by myself...

i doddled in the store asiles

I listened to the radio really loudly.

I treated myself to a pop from the bottle, not from the fountain {big deal in the Houck household!} :-)

You see, tomorrow we have my husbands side Christmas with his extended family.

...you bring baked goods to share.

.

Ryan's grandma takes great pride in baking all sorts of yummy treats.

She would be appauled if she knew I brought something from the store.

i bought a store bought angel food cake

....which I'm going to try and get away making it look like I  baked it by putting it in my cake platter.

please tell  me I'm not the only one who has done this!

hope i can pull this off!

...i love mom's night out. 

angel food cake anyone?



Hallmark Gold Crown Stores: $5 off a $5 Purchase

Free cards or wrapping paper! 

yeah!

...or whatever your little heart desires!

Use click here to print a $5 dollar of ANY $5 dollar purchase.
hurry two days only.

I am looking forward using this for a singing card from my Grandpa & Grandma Huhn for Christmas.

They. Love. Them. 

Normally those cards are $5.00-$6.00 but with this coupon...only for a buck! 

sweetness!

Valid 12/3-12/5.

a youtube party

in three weeks we are helping host our first youtube Christmas party.

There will be six small groups representing and each group will select two youtube pieces & at the end of the night we'll see who gets the most votes.

so, we've been scouring youtube for funny pieces.  

i was forwarded this youtube clip today.

loved it & thought I'd share it.