Happily Ever Mock

Archives for December 2016

Tips on Celebrating NYE with the Littles

Celebrating New Years Eve with kids might not seem as exciting as the glamorous parties you may have once attended or might even seem a bit stressful when your kids have a set bedtime that you want to keep for your sanity, without being a party pooper! Well you are in luck, because I have some tips that will make celebrating NYE with those littles fun and stress free!

1. There’s no need to skimp on the fun and the glamour! Put on a fancy party dress and scour your babe’s closet for some festive clothes and accessories to dress up their NYE look! Grab a few looks if you want! That’s a plus of partying at home! Costume changes are totally acceptable!

2.) Hit your local Hobby Lobby for some fun decorations and party supplies! I got some party poppers, blowers, adorable headband and tinsel door curtain!

3.) Create a fun photo booth with some wrapping paper taped up on the wall! Go wild with party poppers and blowers.  Dance to some fun music and start the party! Hallie had so much fun creating silly memories and can’t wait to do it all over on NYE!

4.) Still stressed about being a party pooper by forcing that 8:30 bedtime? You can countdown to midnight at anytime with the Netflix New Years Countdown. Celebrate midnight with the kiddos at 8:30, then put them to bed and ring in the New Year with your sweetie and some champagne!

So just make sure to make the evening your own and have a little fun! I promise, you wont miss those wild parties too much!

 

Happy New Year!
<3 Kelly and Hallie

Just a few of my favorite things (Kids Accessories)

I love when I find quality products for Hallie! I have two recent favorites that I want to share with you today:

Turbans for Tots: 
I have been using these bows for Hallie for a while now, and I just can’t stop buying MORE! The colors and patterns are vibrant and fresh. The style of the bow is classic and pretty, but better yet the quality is absolutely AMAZING for the price. If bows aren’t your thing, there’s a variety of other accessories listed in her shop: Bow ties, turban hats, headbands and even scarfs.
The best thing about this shop by FAR however is that the sweet shop owner, Jenna is a real GEM! She is one of the nicest ladies I have worked with through Etsy.  She is a doll to converse with and always ships out items with lightning speed! If you have a girl or a boy, you should definitely check her out! 

Little Stocking Co:
Little Stockings Co makes hand dyed Knee High Socks and tights for girls and let me tell you, they are TO DIE FOR! The colors are absolutely vivid and GORGEOUS and the quality of the Stocking itself is AMAZING. The solid colors are perfect because they pair with seriously everything in Hallie’s closet! I definitely am going to need them in every color!  I love that they are thick enough to wear right now in this chilly weather, but also not too thick so that Hal will still be able to pair them with her dresses this coming spring and summer! I am kicking myself for not ordering Bashful Blue! It’s going to be a must this Spring! I am having such a hard time not pulling these out of Hal’s Stocking so she can wear them now! You need some!  Head on over to Little Stocking Co now and Sock up….I mean Stock up (See what I did there??)

What are your favorite kids accessories?
<3 Kelly

Last Minute Have To Do’s

Last Minute Have To Do’s
I love this song, because as much as there is to do this time of year and as CRAZY as it gets, I could NEVER skip it! It really is the best time of year! 
So, here’s a few tips, thanks to Erin Condren to help things from getting to stressful! 
1. Keep everything in line with an Erin Condren Life Planner
If you know me, you know that I am a planner snob, and the Life Planner’s block system keeps everything and everyone in line!
2. Make your “To Buy” lists on this Snap in “What to buy/Meal Planner” Dashboard
Check off your To Do’s with these Wet Erase Markers
3. You can even make your Life Planner festive with these adorable yet useful Stickers
4. Last but not least, Forget to send someone a card? Having trouble keeping track of who you still need to buy for? Well Erin Condren has you covered with these Festive Printable Cards and Envelope Liners and Holiday Gift Checklists! 

Make these last few days before Christmas easy! Let Erin Condren take care of you this Holiday Season, and every one after that!
<3 Kelly 

Hallie’s visit with Santa

This year is just SO MUCH FUN! Hallie is really in the Christmas spirit! She wants to be a part of every preparation: making lists, shopping, wrapping, baking cookies! She gets so excited looking for Jovie every morning demands Christmas music in the car, and Girlfriend was totally awestruck when meeting Santa! It was like she was meeting a celebrity or the queen of England!


While we were waiting in line, it zipped through this arctic room with “snow” falling from the ceiling and TV screens with Arctic scenes and animals. Hallie LOVED playing in the snow and pointing at all of the Polar Bears and White Tailed Foxes! Of course it was difficult getting the snow out of her hair before our turn with Santa, but totally worth it to get this sweet picture! She had a blast!
When it was our turn with Santa (despite the screaming terrified child before her) Hallie calmly walked up to Santa and smiled at him.  He asked her a few questions and she answered gracefully! Honestly she was acting like a total grown up! Then it was time for the photo. I put her on Santa’s lap and she smiled right at the camera.  Then she got down, Thanked Santa and said Merry Christmas! I was totally blown away! It really was the PERFECT experience!
<3 Kelly and Hallie

Hallie’s Stocking 2016

Filling Hallie’s Christmas Stocking is one of my favorite Christmas To Dos! It’s almost more fun than picking out her BIG gifts, because it is full of fun little things that I just KNOW she will LOVE! 
Here’s what’s in her Stocking this year:

 

1. Stickers 2. Frozen Coloring Pack (Dollar Spot Does it again!) 3. A Hairbrush 4. Russel Stover Santa 5. My Little Pony 6. Bath and Body Works Bath Fizz 7. Princess Hair Bows (Made my ME!) 8. Freshly Picked Moccasins (I actually have a pair of Neon Pink ones for her Stocking) 9.Turbans For Tots Bows 10. Little Stocking Co. Knee High Socks! 
The Moccasins, Socks and Bows are definitely my favorite buys! Be sure to check out my full reviews of Turbans For Tots and Little Stocking Co next week! But while you are waiting, RUN to their sites and grab yourself some stocking stuffers for the sweetest girl in your life! You WONT be disappointed!  

Last Day to order Turbans for Tots in time for Christmas is Friday 16th DONT MISS OUT! 
<3 Kelly 

Christmas with Purple Moments Photography

I love that Larissa has been there since Hallie was itty bitty to capture all of her special moments! First Christmas, First Birthday and so on! This years Christmas Photos with Purple Moments Photography were no exception.

My Mom saved some of my baby clothes and gave them to me when we found out that she was a girl. One of the things she saved was a darling Christmas dress that I was so excited that Hallie would fit in this year! Around October I tried it on her just to be safe! Thank Goodness I checked because, GIRLFRIEND IS TALL!! So much taller than I was at this age! Luckily if you look at it from the front only it worked for a photo or two, so I called up Larissa and made sure it was okay if we included it in our Christmas photo session and I quickly found a Christmas dress that would work for the rest of our Christmas festivities!

I just LOVE how the photos turned out! Larissa is just so amazing and I am so thankful for her and the special moments she has captured for us!

The dress looks so precious on Hallie!
And of course so is the dress we picked out from This and That For Kids

I couldn’t be happier with these special photos! And as an added treat, I leave you with this sweet comparison!

<3 Kelly and Hallie

Christmas Pajama Party

Hallie and I have been having a lot of fun preparing for Christmas! And with this new sweet Christmas gift for Mommy (hello new backdrop) I thought I would try my hand at some Pajama party photos in Hallie’s Christmas PJs from her Memi!

Now I am totally an armature and will for SURE continue to use my 2 favorite photographers for all our important Holiday/Birthday/Mommy and Me photos, but I do like the idea of learning how to use my camera, and this was step one in the process…enjoy!

Now to learn how to edit!
Any tips?
<3 Kelly and Hallie

Christmas Cards 2016

I am blown away by our 2016 Family Photos and Christmas cards this year! Between an AMAZING photographer (Our Great Friend Whitney) and Shutterfly we have the perfect card!

Shutterfly has some great deals on their site right now too, so if you are behind on Christmas Cards, be sure to check their site!

Now enjoy some more Mock Family Photos:

<3 Kelly and Hallie 

Holiday Treats

Hello Friends,
I know it’s been a while. I went from working pretty heavily on Socklings to distancing myself from the brand for personal reasons,  Now I’m back here and ready to blog!

For my first post back, I thought I would share the delicious treats Hallie and I have been baking!
This time of year is so fun now that Hallie is old enough to really help and get excited about all the Christmasy To-dos!

We of course have had so many requests for the special Linzer cookies, that I have been making batch after batch of them.  You can find the recipe here! They really make the perfect Holiday treat!

If jam isn’t your jam, Hallie and I also created these DELECTABLE Brownie Bites, that were really a hit!

INGREDIENTS:
1 package of boxed brownies (prepared according to package)
2 1/2  bags of milk chocolate chips
Sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare brownies according to directions on box and let slightly cool.
While still warm crumble brownies into a bowl.
melt 1 bag of chocolate chips in a large measuring cup/ bowl slowly. (I do 30 seconds at a time stirring after each time until completely melted)
Once melted completely, stir into brownie mix and refrigerate for 30 minutes,
Once cold, form balls of dough into bite size pieces. Refrigerate again while preparing chocolate dip.
Melt the remaining chocolate chips using the same method as before.
Once completely melted, dip the brownie bites into the melted chocolate dip until completely covered.  Tap side of the bowl after each dip to remove excess chocolate.  Drop onto plate.  Repeat until all covered in chocolate and top with sprinkles.

These were so easy and so delicious!

What are your favorite holiday treats?

<3 Kelly and Hallie