How can I already be sharing the top ten posts from 2017? I can’t believe the year is almost over! I am looking forward to a new year and a fresh start. The new year is always exciting for me. We can evaluate our lives and make goals for the coming year. And it’s also great to look back at the past year and reflect on growth and the tender mercies shown. As a blogger I love looking through a year of my content and share my favorite 10 posts of the year.
#1-Fancy Nancy Party Ideas
This was probably my favorite party to throw! Who doesn’t love over the top fancy parties. And the young girls who came all decked out in their fanciest clothes was just too cute! My daughter was in heaven and we had too much fun with this party.
#2- DIY Family Harry Potter Costumes Ideas
Our family LOVES Harry Potter! Reading the books together and then watching the movies together is just magical. We celebrate Harry’s Birthday and throw all our kids a Harry Potter party when they turn 11. It’s our second time doing Harry Potter for a theme and I’m sure we will do it again. (I’m already working on new characters!) You can click over to see more adorable pictures of my little wizards.
#3- Hate Speech Family Night Lesson
Another way we involve Harry in our lives is to use the books as talking points for real world problems. As our children are getting older and are at risk of being exposed to hate speech we wanted to make sure we were intentional with our conversation. Pulling the unkind words Malfoy spat at Hermonie helped my children understand how hate speech was used and what to do about it. We really don’t want to expose our kids to the awful examples quite yet, but we can teach them correct principals and start conversations to help them understand how language effects behavior. This family night lesson was a favorite of mine as we were able to talk about the evil of hate speech and what we could do to stand up for what is right.
#4- Free Veterans Day Card Printables
Another thing my husband and I are trying to instill in our children is gratitude for those who serve us- in all variety. But our dear service men and women, who risk their lives, should especially be remembered. I designed some simple cards that could be printed and delivered to a neighbor, nursing home, or relative. When we spend time thanking others we find greater joy in our own lives.
#5-Churro Ice Cream Recipe
I can’t believe how great this recipe turned out! And honestly I’m not even a churro loving person. But this ice cream is amazing! I was tired of the lack of options for dessert for Cinco de Mayo as I’m not a big fan of flan. But ice cream is another story. I know this recipe will be a favorite we make at least once a year. It only lasted two days in our house before we had to make some more. And I had to make it for a Fiesta Baby Shower I threw months later. Definitely a hit!
#6- 5 Family Fun Ideas for Families
It’s so easy to feel like we need to do grand things or vacations to create lasting family memories. But I share 6 things you can do to bring your family closer together. They are perfect in the summer when you can squeeze in an extra 30 minutes of fun. (Yay for no homework!) These tips work great for working moms too! It’s all about being intentional with your time and doing little things with great love. I really hope I can help families remember we don’t need to wait for big adventures to have fun together.
#7- DIY Saint Lucia Day Crown and Activities
My daughter and I are loving the American Girl books right now! Each set takes place in a different historic period with a different American Girl. We are in the middle of reading about Kirsten, a Swedish pioneer who travels to Minnesota and her experiences she shares. I love that we are learning about history through the eyes of a young girl, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t problems. Again through reading we have the opportunity to discuss and talk about problems together. We especially loved learning about Saint Lucia Day and trying out some traditions that Kirsten celebrates in her culture. I’m sure we will be celebrating them again.
#8- Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pasties
Not surprised to see another Harry Potter post in my favorites! I made pumpkin pasties originally at my son’s 11th birthday and I was so disappointed! They weren’t nearly sweet enough. So we fixed that as we changed up the recipe and decided to use pie crust you can roll out for this recipe. Saved time for that busy time of year. If you haven’t tried this recipe be sure to pin it. It’s perfect for the fall and your house will smell amazing!
#9 Baking Your Way Through The Alphabet
We’ve been doing mom preschool this year. (Don’t even ask me how much we did in December) and I am a big fan of hands on learning. Ever since my oldest was a toddler we have months doing a letter of the week as we strive to teach my toddlers their letters. My kids loved eating foods that corresponded with that letter. But since my daughter LOVES to be in the kitchen I thought we would go one step further and make a treat for each letter. And my boys are still loving it! They really appreciate when their sister helps make treats for the family. It’s been going really great and we love cooking together. Associating things you love with letters really helps with memory building. And we made sure to switch up the recipes so we weren’t just making cookies every week.
#10-Anniversary Photo Shoot: Celebrating 15 Years
Traveling to California to take pictures with the talented Shari Hanson was such a blessing. I got this idea in my head years ago to take pictures for our anniversary while wearing my wedding dress. Why spend all this money on a dress you are only going to wear once. Wouldn’t it be fun for an anniversary shoot? And it worked out that I wasn’t pregnant or nursing and I was able to still fit into it, although my husband had to zip me up. And my arm range wasn’t quite the same as when i was married. Taking these pictures will be a treasure for our family. And I already want to do another photo session with Shari for our 20th. But no expectations that I will still fit in that dress.
And after I wrote this post I shared my favorite birthday ever. And maybe that should have been one of the top ten. Yesterday I was able to do 35 acts of kindness to celebrate turning 35.
Did I share your favorite post for the year? Which post was your favorite? Share it in the comments below! Thank you again for sharing this space with me. I really appreciate everyone of you that read, comment, like, share, and pin thing from my blog. It’s been such an adventure blogging as I have met some amazing people. Thank you for all that you do! And Happy New Year!!!
