It's been a good year! While I have SO much learning and growing to do, this year I've been a bit more consistent and serious about blogging.  It's a constant battle of what I want to do vs. what I'm realistically able to do with two little ones at home and zero childcare.  It's also a battle of taking a leap of faith vs. being comfortable.

I've been so inspired by my BBF (best blog friend) Jessica over at Live the Fancy Life, in terms of growing my blog and brand.  Before this year I thought unless I could be Young House Love I'd never be able to turn blogging into a business.  Yet I am so passionate about blogging (and the stuff I blog about--child rearing, family fashion, DIY, frugal living, and party planning to name a handful) that I dreamed of turning my passion into an income stream.  I'm only making tiny strides at this point, but through others' examples I see that it IS in fact possible.

And to that end, I have to thank YOU!  Thanks for visiting, commenting, sharing, pinning, and simply telling me (in person at times) that you "love" Taste{Full}.  Not to be dramatic but you have no idea how encouraging it is that someone is finding inspiration or entertainment in my itsy bitsy corner of the blogosphere!  So that was sort of a long winded intro to the top 10 posts of 2013. I've never looked back like this before and I was really excited to see what piqued your interest! So without further ado:

Going to a NYE Party?  Now that you have the perfect outfit [oh just plugging my Tall Snob work],  it's time to find the perfect hostess gift.  If I'm being honest I don't always bring hostess gifts but I think it's just so classy to be the person who shows up with one.  A bottle of wine is nice but how about something sweeter?

I was recently introduced to Merci chocolates.  And I'm not lying when I tell you they are delicious.  Each box of Merci includes a delicious selection of rich European chocolates made from the finest ingredients.  Flavors range from Milk Chocolate and Hazlenut-Almond to Dark Cream and Praline-Creme.  Now that they've entered my life they're not going anywhere.  Indulgent? Check. Flavorful? Check.  Buttery smooth? Check.


-her home felt welcoming and festive
-she was relaxed and had a good time at her own party--is it just me or does it put everyone else at ease when the hostess is having a great time?!
-the food was delicious and plentiful
-most importantly you left feeling uplifted- perhaps with a happy sigh?

It's not to late to thank her with a box of Merci.  Merci's tagline "Thank you for being you" is just so sweet and perfect to thank someone for going out of her way to make sure you enjoyed yourself this holiday season.


Now comes the fun part! You can win a box of delicious Merci, fresh roasted coffee, and 2 coffee mugs by commenting below! Just answer one of these questions:

-What makes the perfect hostess?  
-If you bring a hostess gift, what do you typically bring?

For extra entries, like me on Facebook, follow me on twitter, follow me on instagram, and/or follow me on Pinterest, and leave a separate comment for each letting me know that you have.

Disclaimers
*items pictured are examples only.  Mugs and Coffee selection are at the discretion of Merci and will not be personalized.
*I was contacted by Merci and asked to review their product. I received their amazing chocolate, coffee, and mugs (no financial compensation).  All opinions are my own.

When my church's youth director asked for help making DIY sheep and cow costumes for the Christmas recital, I didn't hesitate! I love using my DIY skills for worthwhile causes. These costumes take some time but are really not difficult. And how cute would they be for a Halloween costume?! I didn't grab detailed shots along the way, but honestly you don't even need those detailed shots. This is EASY!  Here goes!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Not only will your loved ones appreciate these gifts, but they are on sale!  I've loved Shutterfly for awhile now (my most recent project is here), but I've only used Shutterfly for Christmas shopping over the past several years.  Now I know not everyone wants my big toothy grin all over their Christmas gift but what grandma or nana or gigi or whatever they are calling themselves these days, doesn't want to show off their oh-so-adorable grandkids?!  I know my parents and grandparents appreciate it!

My mom always said "Jesus is the reason for the season," and while I might have rolled my eyes in response, once or twice or lots, I agreed then and agree now.  But even though I say that, sometimes my actions don't show it. One small way I want to reiterate that refrain with my girls is to give them at least one gift that nourishes their little souls.  Here are my picks for spiritual books--most of which we own and love. It includes a range of ages from little babes to big kids.

I may not have time to share gift guides here on Taste{Full}, but I am pretty happy with the ones I've created for Tall Clothing Mall and Live the Fancy Life!

Today I'm sharing a simple and quick fall vignette! Although I am very festive I sometimes get overwhelmed by choices and then end up doing nothing.  That describes me in general, but is definitely true when it comes to my seasonal decor.  So take my tiny budget and my proclivity to buy something because it's inexpensive vs. because I really like it, and well you get a general lack of progress.  I end up not using items I bought a season or two ago because I no longer like them.  I'm getting better by buying one item a season to build up a collection, but it's slow going!  Just keepin it real folks.  I'm sure someone out there can relate.  Anyone?  

First off, I will admit this post will be short and will barely qualify as a blog post. But when I have an a-ha moment, I have to share.  I have two daughters.  With lots of hair.  I also have a mom who likes to buy hair things.  Oh and I am a mom who likes to buy hair things.  So I have bows, headbands, barrettes, and hair ties everywhere.  It's crazy.  I really needed some bow organization.  I know you can find many DIY bow holders on Pinterest.  But I didn't want to do it myself. I know; check my pulse.

I'm a new reader to Pizzazzerie but I love the site and some of my favorite bloggers/party planners have had work featured on it.  If you need a fresh party planning resource, this is it!  So you can imagine my delight to have Nadia's party featured there!  I'm so thrilled and honored!  Check out the full feature here (and since I haven't blogged the whole party just yet, you'll see some "new" details)!

Oh and Nadia's nursery was on Disney Baby Blog a few days ago.  See that post/slideshow here.  It includes some awesome thrifted nurseries and fun blogs to boot.  And I honestly didn't realize how cool that blog has become.  I've visited it when searching online but never frequented it.  Until now!

Well I hope not! Because I have another to share! And it's not even because of the $10 coupon they give you for sharing.  Apparently that doesn't happen anymore (boo!).  It's simply because there are so many great deals on the site that I can't help but take advantage.  After losing all of my photos taken from May through September (except for 1000 that happened to be on my SD card at the time), I'm realizing how lame it is to take tons of pictures and then just leave them on my computer.  I'm trying very hard to actually print them to put in albums (so old school right?) or make books of them.  And Shutterfly is making it easy!  They recently had a 50% off hardcover books of any size coupon (sorry- it expired tonight, or last night by the time you read this), 101 free prints coupon, and a $10 off of $20 coupon.  That means I just ordered a 20 page hardcover book for $20 including shipping!  This time I decided to make one of our apple picking excursion.  Fun memory + picturesque backdrop = great photo book fodder.  Take a peek and keep reading for special offers.

We recently had our family photos done by the amazing Simply Mella.  At this point, it feels like a tradition that can't be broken.  Not that I want to break it...It's just this year was tough.  And I was SO tempted to skip it.  Genevieve has been being much more cooperative with photos but is currently in a naughty phase and Nadia...oh Nadia.  She's starting to turn a corner.  I can see it.  But for now...she's 2.  She's busy.  She's fiesty.  She's high energy.  But despite all that there's one constant: She's smiley.  Like always.  Except for that day.  Let's just say she was how old is too old to reveal digestive issues? uncomfortable.  In addition, the girls had a very busy day beforehand (definitely not wise on our part) going to a birthday party and a church function and crashing late.  So all that to say, this wasn't our best "shoot" ever and I was genuinely embarrassed at their lack of cooperation.

I honestly don't know how many parts there will be, but we should probably start with Part I right?  I'm sort of sad that it's taken me THIS long to share her party with you!  I was behind from Nadia's party.  Then my computer crashed and I was behind from that.  Then I was sick (and so were the kids) and I was behind from that.  Then I started attending a bible study requiring daily homework and am always behind in that (though it's a huge blessing).  I'm starting to think "behind" is just my typical state of being lately and I should just roll with it. Anyway, here I am ready to share some party deets.  Starting with the dessert table of course.  (Because that's my favorite part.  I think).

I know it's late...but if I "save" this post for next year it will never happen.  So if you like this idea, you have about 72 hours to make it happen or you can pin now and use later!

This deal goes along perfectly with yesterday's first post (and this constitutes my 4th post this week.  virtual pat on the back please?).  Shutterfly is currently having a 40% off of EVERYTHING sale! And even better?  You can combine it with their free shipping deal!  Check it out here.  And order some prints! Or Christmas cards! Or a photo book!

I am called to be a stay-at-home mom.  I know that.  I have peace in that.  And yet lately the refrain: "I don't have what it takes," and the thought: "I'm not cut out for this" has been plaguing me.  Well today, God spoke to my heart.  I was reading an article in the "Mercy Triumphs" Beth Moore study by her daughter--a super smart bible and theology genius (I think that's her official title) in which she discusses perfection, wholeness, and living a life true to our identity as children of God.  This section and scripture particularly struck me:

Just thought I'd share my latest Shutterfly Creation.  I'm totally behind in making the girls' books.  I made Nadia's baby book and Genevieve's baby book (via How Fast Time Flies), and that's it. I honestly don't think it's realistic for me to try to make one per year per kid but I'd love to at least do their first few years and then switch to just including their photos in a family year book.

Do you make family yearbooks?  I take so many pictures that's it's really hard to boil down an entire year into one book, so we'll see how/when/if that will happen! For now it's a bit random.  I made a Father's Day book for Joe that I loved, a book of these family photos, a book of Nadia's month by month photos, and a random one of a few pictures of her.  I totally need a more organized approach!

That said, at least I'm doing something with my pictures. That will be a huge goal for 2014.  I have way too many images just sitting on my computer.  Anyway that was just a brain dump of my photography organizational woes.  But I'm happy to finish it off with this fun flashback of Genevieve from 1 to 2 years old!

I'm over on Live the Fancy Life today talking about my new favorite clothing line! I'm a tiny bit obsessed. Between JCP adding this line AND opening a Sephora...I'm smitten with a store with which I never thought I'd be smitten! Check out the full post here.