My Favorite Things Party {2011}

I have to preface by saying that it’s a little ironic for me to join this party each year, since the majority of the things in my house were purchased at Goodwill or because I had a coupon.  :)

But I’m joining again because…..well, I can’t help myself.  It’s so much fun!

Here’s a list of the top 10 things I’m loving in 2011:

 

{1}  Lindt Dark Chocolate: A Touch of Sea Salt

You know a list is gonna be good when it starts out with chocolate, right?! You saw me talk about this in my Fridge & Freezer Vlog – seriously, SO good.  Mmmmmmmmm.  Good stocking stuffer for basically any woman in your life.  Or man.  I’m not going to judge.  lol

 

{2}  Old Navy V-Neck Cardigan {in Navy and Red}

I bought two of these earlier this year, and I love them.  They are 100% cotton and the perfect length.  They are on clearance right now for $15.  That’s a great price for a sweater that is classic enough to wear for years. 

 

{3}  Point of Grace:  A Christmas Story

It seriously doesn’t feel like Christmas to me until I pop this cd into the player (am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t have an ipod dock?  Yes?  Okay, just checking…) This cd got me through all my years of college finals.  It’s gorgeous.

79 reviews on Amazon and a 5-star rating.  You know you want to buy it…..

 

{4}  Kirkland’s Golden Rosette Mirror

I know I posted about this already, but I am crazy about my birthday-present-mirror from Kirkland’s.  It’s a little bit darker in real life than it shows online, but definitely still gorgeous.  It’s temporarily out of stock but I’m sure they’ll be bringing it back soon!  I knew I wanted a big mirror for my birthday, and at $49.99 on sale, this was way, way more affordable than a lot of the other ones I saw online. 

 

{5}  The Help

I saw this last week on my birthday and it was really, really, really good.  Like, really good.  I want to watch it again!  I was totally mesmerized by Southern life in the 60’s.  So, so so good.  Did I say that already? lol Now I totally need to read the book!

 

{6}  Anthro Farmer’s Egg Crate

{Here’s an example of how Sherry from Young House Love uses hers.}

A few months ago, I saw a blogger use this to organize her earrings on her dresser.  Brilliant!  I may or may not have a sweet sister who may or may not work at Anthro and who may or may not have purchased this for me for Christmas this year… {Hooray!}

 

{7}  Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro Nail Polish in “Burgundy Flirt”

No, it’s not a “trendy” nail polish brand, but I absolutely love this Rimmel polish for the winter months.  It’s dark without being creepy and red without being too holiday-ish.  You can get it at basically any drug store or Target, and besides the color itself, I LOVE the fact that the brush is flat.  Genius!

 

{8}  Target Cable-Knit Stockings

I already showed them in my Christmas Home Tour yesterday, but I wanted to share them again here: I love my Target stockings!  They are $13 each, which adds up when you’re buying multiples, but I realized after shopping for a few weeks online that it’s really a fabulous price.   

 

{9} “Ribba” picture ledge from Ikea

I am totally in love with these picture ledges I purchased a few months ago at Ikea.  They were $15 a piece and I am so, so happy I bought them!  They screw right into the wall and they have a little lip on the edge (as you can see), which is great for leaning frames or other objects.  If you go to the store to buy them, look in the picture and frames department (not in the shelving area).  

 

{10}  Taking Care of the “Me” in “Mommy by Lisa Welchel

A friend recently gave me this book after she was finished with it.  I am about 75% done with it and honestly have to say that it’s well worth the read.  Lisa is full of practical, real-life ideas of how to multi-task throughout your day so you can be more organized and disciplined – and thus have more time for taking care of the things that nurture your soul and spirit.  I highly recommend it!

 

Head over to Melissa’s fabulous blog, 320 Sycamore, to see who else is joining in the fun.  Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!

 

P.S. My little sister is a brand-new blogger and she’s joining this party for the first time!  It would make my day if you’d stop by and visit her!  She has a great list. ;)

 

Christmas Tour of Homes 2011

I love that I just got to type those words into my title!

It’s here – it’s finally here! 

Those of you who have been reading for a while know that we didn’t get to celebrate Christmas in our own house last year.  We had sold our house in PA, moved to CT, and were living with my parents for an undetermined time (9 months and one day, but who was counting?) until finally, finally, God brought us to our house that we live in now. 

So I didn’t get a chance to decorate for Christmas last year.  I clicked through the 2010 Tour of Homes and tried not to cry and just prayed SO hard that God would give us a house soon.

Well, here I am!  A testament to God’s faithfulness, that’s for sure. 

Let’s get started!

 

First of all, welcome to our house!  If you were here in real life, you’d probably hear the “Tender Tennessee Christmas” station playing on Pandora when you walked in.  it’s a great mix of old-school songs and newer ones.  I really, really like it –you should try it out! 

{By the way, you should be able to click on any picture to enlarge it.}

So, let’s start with our living room.  We don’t have an entry way (just a coat closet!), so this dresser/hutch is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. 

I made a SUPER easy ornament garland (I promise I will post a tutorial some time!) and then set my Willow Tree nativity on it so it’s the first thing you see when we walk in.  You can see how I made the burlap trees here. 

 

Moving on to the hallway, I just topped Chris’s grandma’s antique mirror with 4 sparkly berry sprigs I got this year from Michael’s. 

 

In the bathroom, I printed out this free page from Jones Design Company and popped it in an Ikea frame.  I put extra ornaments and sprigs from the tree into a yard sale jar. 

Oh, and keeping our feet warm is this super fun mat from Target ($2.50 this year). 

 

In our dining room, I just took branches from the lower part of our tree and added more berry sprigs and two giant ornaments that I found at Goodwill last year.  I made another ornament garland (what can I say, they’re addicting!).  Can you spot our little elf? ;)

In the frame is our Christmas card from 2007.

 

On top of the kitchen island, I took ornaments I got 90% off last year at Target (loooove the bright colors) and put them in a Goodwill cylinder. 

    

 

The candle and plate on my oven are both from Goodwill!

 

I took a piece of super-ugly “art” from Goodwill and rolled it with chalkboard paint this summer to make a moveable chalkboard. 

 

I’ve started putting up Christmas cards on my new corkboard from Home Goods (which I am totally in love with, by the way).  I would love it if I ran out of space by Christmas! ;)

 

I looooove this pillow I got at Goodwill a few years ago (and it’s sitting on my Pier One via Goodwill chair!)  Yeah, are you sensing a theme in my house?!  Mama loves her a good thrift store.  lol

Here is my sweet baby boy sitting with it TWO years ago!!

 

This photo is a little dark because it’s right in front of the window, but here’s a little wintery vignette I put together, all from stuff I already had around the house – and most of it I’ve had for years! 

    

 

On top of this bookcase I just took red tree garland (clearance from CVS years ago) and put it around a white candle.  The red and blue kid frames are from Goodwill and I’ll let Luke keep them in his room in another year or two. 

    

This picture was our Christmas card from 2009.  I’m still totally in love with it.  Pretty sure no matter how hard I try I won’t be able to top it, ever. :)

Love my little polar bear in front of his very first tree! :)

 

Since this is the first Christmas EVER that we’ve spent Christmas morning together as our own little family, I finally bought Christmas stockings! I found these at Target this year for $13. I love that they’re traditional and cozy-looking. And they’re lined on the inside, so there’s no worry about tearing a hole in them with gifts.

And no, the fact that there’s four stockings does NOT indicate any kind of announcement from me! :) I just bought four on the faith that God will grace us with another baby at some point in the future. I am literally aching for another baby and and praying so hard that by next Christmas we will have another little one in our home. (We are in the process (!) of adopting from the state foster care system – yes, I know a post on that is loooong overdue!)

Oh and the stockings aren’t hung yet because I have a two-year-old boy.  Enough said. :)

 

Last but not least, here’s our tree!  Growing up, we always got our tree from the same farm (a old family friend), and this year we got ours from there as well.  A lot of my inspiration this year for decorating came from those 90% off ornaments I mentioned before!  I love the lime green and sparkly red look.  I added more of those Target ornaments to our tree, as well as our other sentimental ones that make an appearance each year. 

I got the ribbon 50% off from Michael’s and used this video tutorial to make the bow. It reminds me of Dorothy’s slippers every time I look at it. :)

I’ve been buying Luke a Hallmark ornament each year.  In 2009 I bought him the jungle one (which was perfect because his room was jungle-themed).  Last year I got him one of those miniature pull toys. 

    

This year he got Curious George, but he accidentally broke it and I haven’t had a chance to super-glue it yet.  Life with a toddler! :)

I love having a little bell on the top of my tree, in honor of It’s a Wonderful Life, of course. :)

My favorite ornaments, hands down, are these two of our sweet boy.  These pictures were taken in December of 2008 and they will always be so special to me.  Being newly pregnant at Christmas made Mary’s story so much more real to me than it ever had been before. 

    

Well, that’s our house, everyone!  I hope you enjoyed the tour! 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011!!

Ridiculously excited to be Linking to:  

The Nester’s Christmas Tour of Homes 2011

Kelly’s Show Us Your Life Christmas Homes Tour 2011

Miscellany Monday {15}: Birthday and Cinnamon Roll Edition

People, I made the Pioneer Woman’s cinnamon rolls on Saturday.  One of the better decisions of my adult life.  I bought her cookbook this summer when Border’s was going out of business (although you can find the recipe here as well), and I’ve been wanting to make these for months. 

They are holy- cow-is-this-for-real-get-outta-town good. 

We ate four between the two of us and then had to freeze the other pans immediately, or they would have been gone last night.

I’m also planning on trying her mac ‘n’ cheese recipe this week. 

In other words, just roll me into the New Year, baby.  I’ll be taking gifts of elastic waist pants for Christmas.

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So, I turned 27 on Wednesday.  Chris made me feel better by telling me that really 27 is closer to 25 than 30, since you can round down, at least until June.  I’m allll about that.  In all honesty, though, I had one of the best birthdays I can ever remember.  Seriously.  Through the years I’ve had school on my birthday, then in college I often had finals and/or vocal juries, then one year when I was teaching I actually had to conduct TWO concerts on my birthday (not scheduled by me, clearly). 

This year, Chris was able to take off work (there was a whole big issue with him not getting his original vacation days, but this part of it I was okay with!).  We went out to breakfast (my fave), did some errands together, came home for the afternoon and then went back out after dark to get Starbucks and look at Christmas lights (I had a free coupon from Starbucks for my birthday….any size….I ordered a venti, baby.  First time ever!  I was milking that free coupon for all it was worth! lol)

When we came home we watched The Help.  I laughed, I cried.  Absolutely loved it.  I highly recommend it! 

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This is what I’m getting for my birthday and part of Christmas.  I have been wanting a big wall mirror for months now, and I looked on every conceivable website to find one that I liked.  This one from Kirkland’s won out.  I waited until it went on sale and then ordered it.  It shipped last week so I am anxiously awaiting it to get here!  I want to put it above our head since we don’t have a headboard.  Except I have visions of it crashing down on us in the middle of the night and both of us going blind.  So we’ll see.  When I went to the website just now to grab the photo, I noticed that it’s out of stock!  Whew – made it just in time! :)

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When we water our tree, it smells more piney.  Isn’t that so weird?!

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Our Christmas cards are in the house and mostly addressed and ready to go.  I was definitely getting a claw hand yesterday afternoon – wishing I had coughed up a few bucks and ordered address return labels a month or two ago!  How many Christmas cards do you all send out?  I do 50, and that’s my max.  Just because.  lol

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If I can get my act together, I will give you a tutorial this week on how to make an ornament garland.  If I can’t get my act together (much more likely), I can at least promise you that I will be back for two parties later in the week:  The Nester’s Christmas Tour of Homes on Thursday (it’s like Fall Fashion week for home bloggers), and then 320 Sycamore’s Favorite Things party on Friday (I have participated the last two years – see 2009 and 2010.) 

I loooove both of these parties and seriously look forward to them every year.  I love to sit down with coffee or hot chocolate and browse through the links.  You get such great ideas! If you’ve never joined before, you definitely should this year!

 

See you then!

P.S. Chris actually has tomorrow and Tuesday off (hooray!), so we are going to watch Elf tonight.  I love that movie.  I actually saw it on my first date ever with Chris!  Except it wasn’t a date, because we were “just friends,” but he planned it and paid.  So…..basically yes, a date.  :)  It’s on sale this week at Target for $7.99!

Our Fun Weekend

What a fun family weekend we had together! 

On Saturday morning, I made pumpkin pancakes for all of us (Luke calls them “caycakes” and they are one of his most favorite things to eat.  Plus I love hearing him say that, so it’s a win-win.  lol)

(My boy is always in motion.)

Then we loaded up in the car and headed for the tree farm!

We had decided that we weren’t even going to mention the animals there to Luke until after we got our tree (see last post!), but unfortunately he heard some of the dogs barking before we got down to the field.  Pretty sure he said “Doggie!” about 17,000 times while we were looking for the right tree.  Luke may or may not have gotten spanked in the Christmas tree field.  Yay for happy family memories!! haha (But hey, you try finding a run-away toddler in a a giant field of trees!  He kept trying to run away to the dog, even after we told him “not yet” repeatedly – unfortunately it had to be done.)

We did let him play with the dogs and see the chickens after we paid, though. (He calls chickens “chichens” right now.  So cute.)

 

After we got our tree, we decided to go to Five Guys for lunch since we were starving.  My husband loooooooooooves that place (burgers and fries and root beer are his love languages), and one recently opened up somewhat near our house. 

Not gonna lie, girls…..I enjoyed every last bite.  I got mine with grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and barbeque sauce.  Delish. :)

We came home and set up the tree while Luke took his nap.  I listened to Harry Connick’s Christmas cds while I put on the ornaments.  It just feels sacrilegious to NOT listen to Christmas music while you decorate your tree, doesn’t it? 

We had leftover chili for dinner and then after Luke went to bed Chris humored me by watching The Family Stone with me.  I looooove that movie.  I’ve seen it probably 5 times now…and it just.never.gets.old.  I love movies that can make me laugh AND cry.  Chris asked me why I love it so much…I love the beautiful New England house, how crazy the family is, how much they all love each other, how it’s funny and sad at the same time, how it’s about Christmas time, how it stars Rachel McAdams……do I need to go on?!  (Chris calls her my “girl crush” lol).  We turned off all the lights and I made hot chocolate and we sat there together.  And of course I cried at the end. 

I told Chris he was allowed to play a game on his phone as long as he sat next to me so I could lean on him.  hahaha!  He did play a game for about the first 20 minutes but then he turned it off and watched it with me.  :)

Yesterday we stayed home from church because Luke’s nose has been really nasty and runny lately so we certainly weren’t sending him to the church nursery.  I was contemplating going by myself so that I could go to choir practice, but I keep waking up with a really bad sore throat in the morning (??) so I decided not to go either.  We just had a lazy morning together, playing with Luke and organizing the playroom some more.  It was great.  This afternoon I did run a few errands by myself though – I went to 9 stores allllll by myself!  It was glorious. 

I did a little bit of all different kinds of shopping (groceries, home stores, etc.) – I stopped at Michaels to get ribbon for our tree topper and some pretty glittery berries to make garlands out of (like my fall garlands here).  I am really into glittery reds, greens, and whites this year.  (Doesn’t that ribbon totally make you think of Dorothy’s ruby slippers?!)

 

I popped into Hallmark to find Luke his yearly ornament.  I ended up finding this George one – perfect for my boy!  It only ended up costing me $4 and change after coupons.  I let him hold it when I came home AND it’s already broken.  Yup.  Hopefully hot-glueable, though.  Just keepin’ it real!

I also stopped at Home Goods and ending up spending my birthday money from my grandmother there.  I picked up this giant corkboard frame:

 

Isn’t she SO pretty?!! I have been wanting something for the empty space above our phone and answering machine.  I know what you’re thinking:  Why wouldn’t you just make one? 

Well truth is….I just don’t feel like it.  hahaha!  I love this color and I love how heavy and solid it is.  I wouldn’t be able to spray paint well for a few more months since it’s cold outside and spray paint doesn’t set well when it’s cold like this.  I love it, I had the money to spend, I bought it, the end, amen.

Today I think Luke and I are going to spend a day at home.  I intentionally plan on at least one day a week to be at home (both to save gas and to give Luke a break and to get stuff done).  I always schedule it on days when Chris isn’t working overtime, though….because otherwise mama starts to feel a litttttttle bit crazy by 5:30! 

Have a great day, everyone!

Christmas: It’s Not All-or-Nothing.

I am a first-born child who grew up to become an elementary teacher.  To say that I have issues with perfectionism is putting it lightly!  lol As a kid, though, I was waaaaay more high-strung than I am now.  God has worked in my heart a lot over the years to realize that perfectionism isn’t really the best way to go through life.  I find being laid-back to be a LOT more fun….plus people seem to like you more!  haha :)

 

One area I still struggle with, though, is with events and family traditions.   I love making memories and having yearly things to look forward to and I make a big deal out of holidays and birthdays (and yes, the actual day on the calendar is SUPER important to me). 

I tend to build up certain days and events so much in my head…and then when one part of the “perfect plan” goes wrong, I am crushed.  My sweet husband has coached (?) me through this a lot over the past 7 years that we’ve been together.  I’ve gotten a lot better about letting things slide and finding the  joy in the unexpected.  I really have. 

However.

It has been TWO YEARS since I have been able to decorate for Christmas – not to mention that we have never, in all the years we’ve been married, spent a Christmas morning together alone as a couple (we’ve always been visiting in CT, and thus staying with my parents). 

So, needless to say, heading into this season, I’ve had a LOT of expectations on the line.  (Pinterest, while I am more than obsessed, definitely doesn’t help with that.)  But God (and my husband!) have really been working in my heart the last few weeks as I’ve been thinking about the upcoming season.  And you know what I realized? 

The great thing about Christmas is that it comes every year. 

That perfect photograph of the three of us that I wanted for my Christmas cards that didn’t happen because my toddler didn’t get the memo about photo shoots being happy? 

Another year!

The gorgeous Advent calendar I was going to make to help us celebrate the season, before I realized that my 2-year-old could care less about things like that right now?

Another year!

I can go on. :)

Tomorrow we are going to get our Christmas tree from the tree farm my family always went to when I was a kid.  I love it there – it’s so pretty, there’s animals, plus the nostalgia-level is basically overflowing for me. 

I have visions that we will get coffee/hot chocolate on the way over, our son will laugh delightedly over the animals, we will get a gorgeous tree and also get some awesome shots of us at the farm. 

In reality?  Luke will probably cry when we have to leave the animals to get the tree, and odds are he won’t want to be in the picture with us because all he’ll want to do is go back to the animals. 

But two out of four isn’t bad!  hahaha

You see my point?  It’s never going to be perfect, and those ridiculous expectations I have rob me of the joy of living in the moment.   

At some point, I will have a 10-year-old who will understand how to smile nicely for the photo….but he won’t giggle when the chickens run away from him. 

At some point, I will have a beautiful Advent calendar made for my child(ren) to enjoy….but I won’t have a toddler who is fascinated by the very presence of our resident Elf-on-the-Shelf. 

Christmas will come and go every year….and each year there will be new things to enjoy and new things to experience with my family. 

It’s not all-or-nothing, and I don’t have to do everything, every year.  What a freeing thought!