Bring on the Cards!

I love getting Christmas cards. I enjoy seeing which of my family and friends gets them out first. FYI: This year's winner is my girl Amanda who always finds the most adorable cards.

And I get a fun chuckle out of whomever gets theirs out last (don’t worry, I won’t mention any names - you know who you are).

Somewhere along the line I inherited this Christmas cardholder, complete with an angel at the top. Two days ago it stood empty; not so today.

(Please excuse my yucky door; new doors are on our current home improvement list.)

{On a side note, if you collect the Christmas cards throughout the season like I do, take a look at what Brittany over at Pretty Handy Girl made to display her cards. I am all over this idea for next year. Anyone want dibs on my over-the-door angel cardholder?}

Last year we did our cards at Shutterfly. Their selection is awesome!

Would you look at how little my kiddo was just one year ago?

Our photos were taken by my talented sis-in-law, who has now started her own photography business: Andrea Lopez Photography. (Andrea: If you are reading this, I want to schedule another family shoot with you sometime in the very near future.)

But I digress.

I LOVE SHUTTERFLY! Not only is it the greatest (and easiest) place to upload and share your photos with family and friends, but they have fun projects and gifts that you can make with your photos. My all-time favorite is the photo book I made for my kiddo earlier this year that includes pictures of all the members in his immediate family. Most of our family members live at least a few hours (if not 2,000 miles) away so I wanted Kendry to remember their names and faces. The best part is that this book has become one of his favorites, which makes it worth every penny.

I have also used their photo calendars as Christmas gifts the last few years. This year I am contemplating making one for myself.

Did you know you can also do invites on Shutterfly? These will come in handy for my Tacky Christmas Sweater party next year. Yes, despite the hubby's protests I am determined to host one of these parties some day.

So why all the talk about Shutterfly? I just signed up for their giveaway of 50 free holiday cards when you blog about them. Yes, I am a sellout. But free is free, baby! And I am already in love with their cards, so why not?

Here are some of my faves from their huge collection of Christmas 2010 photo cards:

Now if only I knew which photos I want to use for the card.

No pressure, but when can we expect to receive your Christmas card this year?

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

"...a man after midnight!"

Oh, how I love ABBA. But thats not what this post is about today.

Nor is it about dealing with a greedy child during the holiday season; although I might recommend The Berenstain Bears book "Get the Gimmes" if you are dealing with that problem yourself.

Nope, this is about MY greed. You heard me right - I am greedy. But before you judge me, allow me to explain.

A few months ago when Justin and I decided we were ready to do another IVF cycle we agreed that in doing so we would be making the cycle itself our 5th anniversary and Christmas gift to each other. Now, when its only August, and you envision yourself pregnant by Christmas, this compromise seems perfectly logical. But as the holidays near and you start seeing the beautiful (non-maternity) winter sweaters in the store window, the awesome kitchen gadgets in the Bed, Bath & Beyond catalog, and the leopard-print Snuggies on sale at Rite-Aid - I already have one Snuggie, but I am convinced the leopard-print would make my collection complete - you start to wonder why you agreed to let your husband off the hook for buying you a Christmas (and anniversary) gift. Oh right! Its because you can't afford it after dishing out more than you care to admit for fertility treatment. (Don't get me started on the fact that it is now December and our IVF cycle has been postponed twice!)

Alas, an agreement is an agreement. And to be honest, I have no desire to track down a Christmas gift for Justin only 23 days before Christmas. The man wants for nothing - or at least he never vocalizes his wish list items - so he is impossible to shop for. A mission like that requires at least 6 months prep time, which I don't have.

So whats a girl to do in a predicament such as this? Sign up for some awesome giveaways, of course - and then blog about them to increase my entries in the giveaway!

The first giveaway is from Wonderfully Wordy and Perfectly Imperfect for some incredible vinyl lettering. Here is a peek at what Shelley can do:

This scrolled tree is my fave:

LOVE IT!

The second giveaway is from The Frosted Gardner for some adorable office organizers. And we all know how much I love to organize. How cute would this be on my desk?

And last, but definitely not least, is the $25 gift card from Dream Home DIY. I just love watching them complete project after project in their home, and I have already got my hubby brainstorming on how to build me a hutch just like theirs. I would use the gift card for Hobby Lobby, a store that everyone keeps raving about and I have yet to visit. But I have recently discovered that there are - wait for it - 2 Hobby Lobby stores about two hours from my house. I sense a road trip coming on.

You can't win if you don't enter, right? Gimme gimme gimme (please)!