America's Thanksgiving Parade

Can I bore you with a thousand pictures from the Thanksgiving Parade we went to on Saturday?  Yes?  You are too kind!!

It was in Plymouth, MA which is home to the Plymouth Pebble and all things Mayflower.

This is part of the huge line I was waiting in for coffee and donuts.  Turns out America really does run on Dunkin'.

Phil and our offspring and one of my sister's offspring.

"Step away from the munchkins."

Of course, the boys played America's pastime (that is football, right?) while they waited for the parade to start.

Cousins and BFF's

My goddaughter and my first born:

How New Englandy do we look...geesh:

"Eat my finger."

The Clan showed up!

I wish I could tell you all that transpired between these two, but Cari guilted me into not overindulging the budding romance for fear of embarrassment and retribution one day:

Beautiful Veronica, the most petite baby ever:

And the parade finally starts...only 2 hours late...

Santa!  Santa! I know him! (quote that movie)

There's nothing like a picnic lunch in Novemburrrrrr:

Two minutes into the drive home.  Boom.

And if you don't hear from me before Turkey Day - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

What I Wore Sunday

Lies.

This is actually what I wore Saturday to America's Thanksgiving Parade in Plymouth, MA and then to Mass and a Spaghetti Dinner/Talent Show at our church that evening.   It's a multi-puposed go-go-go casual outfit...no judging.

 Cream Sweater: Old Navy (30% off with code Merryday)

White Tanktop: My Mom

Green Courderoys: JC Penney

Cream Shoes: KMart (not kidding!)

Maggie was all "Mom, I actually know how to strike a pose.  Move over."

Shirt: JC Penney

Skirt: Hand me down from older cousins

Polka Dot Leggings: JC Penney

Lip Gloss: $2 makeup kit that Daddy let her buy at the school's holiday fair

Princess Tiana Socks: Her drawer filled with princess socks that she insists on wearing even though they clash with everything.  The girl's got class clash.

Join up with more stylish woman over at Fine Linen and Purple.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1) Here is Maggie directly after waking up from a nap.   Look at that bedhead and that face. Yes she's almost 5 and she still naps on the weekends.  I think we'll keep her!

2) Have you all tried Garnier BB Cream?  The stuff is awesome.  It really does what it says - renews, brightens, evens and highlights.  I just squeeze a tiny dab of it with a dab of this moisturizer and I'm done.  Try it and love it with me.

3) Our faculty retreat was last Friday and we went to a huge warehouse that has been converted into a gift giving facility.  People drop off used clothes, toys, books, anything (except socks and underwear - those have to be new) and volunteers come in to sort and clean and fill the orders of kids that are in need.  It's such a wonderful organization, and it was so touching being able to serve there for a few hours.  Phil and I definitely want to bring the kids to help. They take volunteers as young as 3 years old and have them decorate wrapping paper that they wrap birthday gifts in. How sweet is that?  Giving feels so good that I'm thinking it's almost selfish?!?!

Some of our great coworkers

The Martin Duo

 4) Andrew made this turkey apple at school and I was thinking it might be a good activity for all you crafty homeschooling mamas!  It's just toothpick legs, a paper accordion for feathers and he drew a turkey neck and face and stuck that on a toothpick.  Cute, yes?

5) The great Christmas lists have begun.  We told the boys to list only 5 things:

John-Paul's (age 9)

Andrew's (age 8)

Eamon's (age 6)

 I like Eamon's first item the best...a "super safe target game" as if any target game is safe in this house.

6) Maggie (age 4) made her list and only asked for one thing, a La Dee Da doll.  I have no clue what they are, but she poured through all the toy catalogs and fell in love with the Lollipop girl.

John-Paul (our family's resident materialist) saw her short list and said "You can ask for 4 more things!" and she said "But I only want one!"  Like I said before, I think we'll keep her :)

7) I will be planning and cooking my first Thanksgiving meal this year.  I've never cooked a turkey before!  I don't even like turkey, and I never eat it, even on Thanksgiving.  Just pass me all the delicious sides, thankyouverymuch!  Phil's brother and his wife and their 6 kids are coming to visit us, and luckily my sister-in-law is a great cook and will be holding my hand through the whole process.  It should be tons of fun and my kids are dying with excitement to see their PA cousins.  One question, how many pounds of turkey do you buy per person eating?

Have a great prepping-for-Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

GIVEAWAY!!!

Have you all heard of Printcopia?  It's a website that offers some exciting options for your photos.  Here's their story:

"We're visual people, and so are you. Photos and snapshots mean a lot to us.

That's why we created Printcopia.

If you're looking for a way to transform your photos into stunning pieces of art to display and share (and maybe show off a little), Printcopia is the one-stop resource for you.

At Printcopia, you can turn your photos into eye-catching wall art with a variety of printing materials and options to choose from including gallery-quality canvas, sleek acrylic, and glorious panoramic printing.

But don't worry…there's nothing too techy here. Making Printcopia easy (and fun) to use has been one of our main goals.

If you're decorating a room or a whole house, Printcopia can take your photos and turn them into wall-worthy pieces of art. Our easy-to-use print tools make it fun to upload your photos and turn them into stunning prints. Our canvas and acrylic prints offer unique ways to turn your photos into mini-masterpieces.

Plus, we offer a full selection of custom frames to get your prints ready for the wall.

Want to turn your Facebook and Instagram photos into cool prints? Printcopia has a built-in feature that lets you upload images from these sources – quickly and easily.

Searching for the perfect gift? Printcopia is also a great way to send custom prints to friends and relatives. With our express delivery options, you can be sure your order will get there fast.

Printcopia also offers basic photo prints with a variety of finish and sizing options – for when you just need to order prints with no bells and whistles.

Come and explore Printcopia – a new way to turn your photos and snapshots into works of art."

  I love to display photos (because they are more precious than art), and so I ordered a canvas print to review, and I love it!!

I actually hung this in my office at work and I've gotten a lot of compliments on it already.  And now you can win one for yourself!!  In fact I'll give you a choice of four prizes and you can pick the one you want, sound good?

The winner can pick one of the following prizes:

1.  An 8" x 10" canvas print like mine

2. A $50 gift card to Magnets On The Cheap (put them on your car to advertise a business)

3.  A $40 gift card to Banners On The Cheap (great for parties, announcements, and advertising)

4.  A $30 gift card to Signs On The Cheap (great for lawn advertisements)

We're going to do this giveaway the old fashioned way...just leave me up to three comments:

First entry: Which of the four prizes would you pick?

Second entry: Become a follower of Martin Family Moments, or tell me that you already are.

Third entry: Leave a link to show me where you blogged/tweeted/facebooked (is that a verb?) about this giveaway.

The giveaway will end at 11:59 pm on Friday November 30th to give the winner time to receive their prize before Christmas.  Good luck!