FF: Shelly of The Queen in Between

Hi y'all! It's Friday, so you know what that means... Friday Favorites! But this week we have a twist...we have a guest blogger - Shelly of The Queen in Between! We are so excited to introduce you to Shelly. She is one amazing lady. She is fun, funny and trendy. But more importantly she is a lovely person inside and out. And we met because of this blog...how fun is that! The internet can be a mean ol' scary place, but it can also be a wonderful welcoming community. Enjoy reading Shelly's favorite things about Christmas!

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Get Organized!  I don't care how many lists I jot down or how many excel spreadsheets I've created over the years, I always, always end up somewhere without my list which leads to frustration.  I love buying gifts ahead of time but y'all, am I the only one who has forgotten what I purchased in July only to figure it all out the day before Christmas when I start wrapping and pull everything out? Worse yet, sometimes I remember that I purchased it but have no clue where I hid it from myself the kids and hey...there ain't an app for that!  Blowing the budget is also an area I excel in and since I am a visual person, having an app that will show me right there in color how much I have spent keeps it on my mind.

Last year, I found the Santa's Bag - Christmas Gift List.  I was a little late in finding this last year so I did not use it to the full potential but I loved being able to set up a list for each person and track what I was purchasing along the way.  I also loved the password options so that sneaky little eyes who way too often grab my phone cannot be naughty and sneak a peek.

One of my very favorite gifts to give is the gift of time!  I don't know about you but my kids pretty much have all they could ever want.  I feel like every year the grandparents are spending time trying to find the perfect gift that will create lots of smiles but truly, once kids are a certain age it becomes harder and harder to get the wow factor.  Instead why not give the gift of your time?  This works for your friends, your children, the husband and even for hard to buy for parents.  The gift of time also works with every budget!  Here are some examples from one extreme to another but at the end of the day the end result is great memories and you can't really put a value on that.  Here are a few ideas! 

•   Tickets to a sporting event you can attend together! My sister-in-law gifts Dillon a ticket to the bowl game in the years A&M is lucky enough to go.  It is a special treat for him and a special memory they will always have together.  

•   Coupons for mommy & me or grandma & me dates for painting or pedicures 

•   Plan a year worth of date nights for you & your significant other.  Read about how our very own Merry Momm, Katy, planned this last year here.  

•   Buy tickets to a concert or a play for a mom or grandmother to attend with you.  

•   Prepare a meal to deliver to a friend as a special Christmas treat.  

•   Plan a trip!  This is obviously a bigger ticket item but enjoying time away at a cozy cabin in the mountains or a condo on the beach would definitely make for a lot less stress and fun memories all the way around.

Everyone loves a good party right?  The holidays are always full of invitations and opportunities to gather with friends, family and even coworkers and celebrate the joy of the season.  Does your calendar begin to feel overwhelmed?  One thing I always struggle with is getting the shopping and gift wrapping accomplished while still making time to celebrate.  Could there be a way to make both happen simultaneously?  I love, love, love the idea of hosting a gift wrapping party.  All you would need is to set up plenty of tables and provide the tape, paper and ribbon and invite your friends to stop by!  Adult beverages are always an option and would definitely help the packages to be a little more creative and of course some light snacks and sweets.  You could even "hire" a few little helpers to provide the actual gift wrapping service.  Here are a few ideas I found! 

•   Holiday Wrap & Yap 

•   Love all these ideas from Elena at 'a Casarella

•   I love the idea of an invitation that is worded like a "Rap" but  a normal invite idea here

•   No time for a party?  Offer to a kids day out and let your friends drop off their little's for some playtime while they wrap up their shopping! 

There are Christmas card people and then there are not and there is room in the world for both!  I happen to be a lover of the annual Christmas card.  I love creating my card and I equally love receiving the cards from all my friends!  During the holidays my cards are part of my Christmas decor and I love seeing them displayed around my house.  Here are some creative ways to display Christmas cards during the season and save them from year to year that do not take to much time.  

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Love the idea of using the shutters!  Painting them red adds to the holiday decor and is funtional!

  

Thyme is Honey has a super cute wall display created with Washi Tape & clips that I think the kids would have a fun time with. 

I am really digging this display as it would be perfect in my breakfast area or living room.  

When it comes to the Christmas card itself, I'm a sucker for a good play on words.  Something that can grab attention and give a little glimpse into what might be going on in our family.

Seriously, how cute is this idea for a busy family?  I absolutely love this idea.  Be sure to visit the source to see how she pulled the entire card together.  

Probably my very favorite card of all time!  Cheap, easy to pull together in a short amount of time and we finished baking cookies together when we were done!  Don't worry, no husband was harmed in the making of this card it only appears he is unhappy about it.  #thisishisrealsmile

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Lots of great captions on this page!  

I won't spill the beans but this year my card will definitely use a play on words to portray our year!  

Hint #Baseballismyseason

Thanks so much for inviting me to guest!  This was a treat. 


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Awww...Shelly! Thanks so much! We loved reading your post and can't wait to see your Christmas Card (Go Astros!) (Y'all Shelly's son is a for real professional baseball player...so cool!) Question, can we be invited to your wrapping (or rapping) party? And you know we LOVE a spreadsheet! And don't be surprised if you get a card from one of us that says, "We're hanging on...for dear life!" Ha! And one more question, can we go in Dillon's place if he is too busy for the bowl game? Thanks Shelly! WE ADORE YOU!

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci