Christmastime is Here

     It is really and truly the most wonderful time of the year!  We’ve been decorated since a few days before Thanksgiving, and it’s all I can do to drag myself away from the decorations to go to the mailbox, or grocery shop, or work.  I’m in favor of a worldwide, month long holiday for all of December so we can settle in and be cozy.  Who’s with me?

     Our tree…oh our tree.  So we bought our tree at Lowe’s Thanksgiving night.  It was dark. It was rainy. I ran a buggy into the sliding glass door on the way out and knocked it off the runner.  Once we got this thing home…y’all, I think it kept growing.  I think it’s still growing!
     It’s kind of bald and skeleton-y, but it has charmed me.  It’s significantly more humongous than our tree last year, and it was not easy to attach ornaments to it…but its personality has spoken to me!

     

     My shelves are probably my favorite part of our entire house. They make everything feel so cozy and inviting, and I love decorating them for Christmas.  The giant nativity on the left is on loan from my mother.  My Nana made it, and it is huge. the camels are probably the size of a kitten.  The mantel is much more full this year, but I stuck with the “woodland Christmas” theme from last year. The shelf on the right has been one of the most fun little nooks in the house! Davis’s Christmas books and toys are on full display, and he has had the best time playing with them.

     I bought Davis several Christmas books at TJ Maxx right around Thanksgiving, and when I got home and started opening boxes to decorate, I found all of these that I had totally forgotten about from last year!  He is still really into his nativities, and will even find baby Jesus and tell me that he has a blanket and is in a “manket” (manger)…then he stares at me until I sing Away in a Manger…

     

     That wraps up the living room.  It is so homey and glowy and perfectly us.  We don’t do fancy Christmas at our house.  We do gaudy, overdone, and busy, and we LIKE it!

     The dining room hasn’t changed much since last year.  We still have the carpet.  We still don’t have chairs.  I did add a giant mirror, so there’s that.

 

          I also added a giant green cabinet and the basket tray.  Weirdly enough, our dining room houses some of my favorite things in the whole house, but still hasn’t quite gelled in my mind yet…I think it’s the carpet.

     The kitchen has a few little happies sprinkled around, but it’s mostly the same as last year.  We’ve got the sparkly bow on our front door wreath and the ceramic carolers (also made by Nana) in the back bathroom…because who doesn’t need to be serenaded in there?

     I am so thankful to have this home and this life to do Christmas in.  When Davis gets excited to play with his nativities, my heart could burst!  The fact that he knows baby Jesus is in a “manket” is almost too much for me.  I know it’s just a “trick” right now, but more than that, it’s a foundation.  How marvelous, how wonderful, how incredible that our God wrote His story for all of us. As an adult I experience a new aspect of Christmas every year, but it’s simple enough for our children!  As I get older, I’m more and more aware of the fact that it’s not the “Christmas story.” These were real people who lived a real life in a real place in service of a REAL God. 

     The same God who formed the earth is the same God who sent his only Son to the broken world, and He is the same God who is still writing His story!  I am in awe of His first coming, and filled with hope and joy at what He is still doing and will do when He comes again.  Christmas is the best kind of reset for our spirits.  A time to rest and refocus on the fact that the Jesus in the manger, however lovely, however worthy, however precious will not return as a gentle baby but as a conquering King!  We will turn our eyes on Him in a wholly new kind of reverence and awe!  I can’t wait!  Christmas isn’t the end of our year, and it’s not the end of the story.  It is the most beautiful beginning!

Merry Christmas!

Halloween Home Tour

     Soooo…these decorations will be coming down probably tomorrow, but since they’ve been up for a month, it’s high time I blogged them!  I love Halloween, and I’ve had the best time making our house a little spooky.  Also, I couldn’t find my camera, so these are just plain old iPhone pictures.

This is on our front door.  The wreath I made right after we got married, and I love changing out its accent seasonally.  The bat is a little wooden hanger I found at Hobby Lobby a few years ago.  I just twist tied it to the wreath.

The giant basket tray is from Dirt Cheap (originally Target I think), and it is everything.  The yummy pumpkin waffle candle came from WALMART.  I instagrammed about them, but these fancier candles are back with the cleaning supplies and are changed out seasonally.  They have three wicks and smell so pretty.  The 4x4 canvas is mine, and I kind of want to carry it everywhere I go.

I looooove decorating our mantel.  Our fireplace sticks waaaay out in the living room, so if it’s going to be a little obnoxious, I might as well help it out…right?  I’ve seen paper bats everywhere, and call me #basic, but I love them.  Mine are a little cartoonier than I was planning, but I still think they work.

     Keith bought me the Halloween tree last year for Christmas (because he knows the way to my heart).  I was going to dress up the bottom with some sparkly green and purple tulle, but it was stuffed away in a box, and I didn’t have the energy to dig it out.  I have big plans of printing Halloween pictures each year and stuffing the tree.  Maybe when Davis is a little older and doesn’t hate crafting, we’ll make some ornaments for it too!

     If you squint or zoom, you can see my Halloween village on the mantel.  I bought a Christmas village from Dollar Tree and sprayed it black (and added GLITTER this year).  I really want more pieces, but our Dollar Trees have been kind of pitiful lately.

     Davis has been surprisingly well behaved with the decor! I have a glimmer of hope for my Christmas tree(s)… He hasn’t bothered the tree at all, and only occasionally stops to point out the cat’s eyes or tell it “nooooo noooo” (which is apparently what all cats say).

Aaaand a wide shot…which I mostly include to remind myself how pretty the house looks when it’s picked up.  Sigh.

     The clock is ticking y’all!  This week I’ll get my cozy cottage all Thanksgivinged up, and in about three weeks, it’ll be a straight up Christmas wonderland in here!  I’m going to attempt to get some pictures of Davis at our Fall Fest tonight, and maybe I’ll get my tail in gear to blog a little more.  My mother told me today that I may just have to “burn the midnight oil…” #wisdom

Friday Favorites

     I have got to get on some sort of schedule with this blogging thing.  Every time I post, I’m reminded how much I love it, but every afternoon after work I’m reminded of how much I love turning my brain totally off.  I’ll figure it out one of these days…#imlying.
     But let’s not dwell on that.  I know I’m squeaking this in at the last minute, but Friday is a time for favorites!  Let’s get down to talking about some of my favorites.  This is my favorite time of year, and right now, everything is a favorite, but I’m going to narrow it down for you.

one

     This squishy, little peanut is going to be six months old next week.  He is my favorite favorite.  I can’t even believe that the growling, sitting, squealing, almost crawling wild thing in the floor is the same baby!  He is so fun and so silly and just the best little part of our family.

two

     So this happened…y’all, I can’t even explain how over-the-moon excited he was over this.  Definitely Keith’s latest favorite.  As I type, this guy (the deer, not the husband) is at the taxidermist being mounted.  That’s right, full shoulder mount.  I’m embracing it.  Also, he promised that it could be decorated for Christmas every year.  Welcome home, Rudolph.

three

     No pictures because I was too busy eating everything in sight, but Thanksgiving.  Food is one of my faaaaaaaaaavorites, and the family’s not so bad either.  This year has been so special, and I have been extra thankful for my sweet, little turkey.  As good (really good) as the food is, how much greater is that incredible peace that comes from being thankful?  I have been reminded so much lately of what there is to be thankful for.  Even when circumstances are not what I would prefer or when I’m frustrated or when things are overwhelming, there is always something to be thankful for.  I love carving (see what I did there?) out a special day to be thankful, but every every every day is bringing so much to be thankful for.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  Colossians 3:15

four

     It’s been Christmas here for a few weeks now!  All we have left to do is get our real tree (tomorrow).  I am so looking forward to having our first real tree since we’ve been married.  Once everything is all done and lit, I’ll have to get back to you with some pictures.  I have loved having a new place to decorate and am so happy with how everything is looking.  It is so perfect, and every one of my shelves has a sprinkling of Christmas.  What more could I ask for?

     Happy Friday! I hope yours was what you wanted it to be…maybe a little shopping?  Or if you’re more like me…pajamas all day and nonstop Hallmark/Lifetime movies.  Tomorrow we’re decorating my mother’s tree, and then Keith and I are getting ours!  I’m on a holiday high, and I don’t plan on coming down any time soon!

Red, White, and Blue

     Happy late 4th of July!  We’ve been busy spending time with family, crafting with babies, and eating.  I love any sort of holiday, and I’ve had all sorts of red, white, and blue warm fuzzies for the 4th – the music, the pageantry…the food.  This was Davis’s first big holiday, and the cousins were fully decked out in their red, white, and blue!

We love these sweet cousins!

     Della loves to decorate for any holiday, so after she adorned the house in streamers and shiny garland, we got busy crafting.  Della and Suzanne made one for my sister.  Davis made one for me, and all the cousins made one for Granny’s house.

     My sister found the boards at Walmart in a 3-pack for just a few dollars.  We used tempera paint, and if we made any mistakes, we were able to wipe the paint off with a wet rag and redo it without ruining the board! #winning  Also…in case you were wondering, Davis loathes crafting and having his foot painted was apparently pure torture.  Luckily, babies have a short memory, and I love my art!

Look at those sweet feet!

The big girls did some firework art (shamelessly pirated from Momfessionals).

     I love how our art turned out.  Davis may be making me a firework picture in a few years!  After our crafting and photo shoot, we spent the afternoon playing outside (the weather was so nice) and eating.  We didn’t go to a firework show, but there were sparklers and smoke bombs to be had in the backyard.  I figure we have a little time until Davis is begging for the big show!
     I seriously cannot believe that it’s already July!  I am soaking up every last minute of this summer with my baby because I know August is coming too soon.  If you need me between now and then, I’ll be staring at my baby.

Happy Fall, Y’all…and a Crafty

     Happy first day of fall!  In honor of one of my favorite seasons, I’ve got my house all decorated for our first fall holiday – Halloween!  I’ve already introduced you to my first, fun purchase:

   She’s sitting proudly on the counter (glowing like a creep in the dark).  Anyway…so I’m browsing Twitter this morning when I see this link and fall in absolute love.  Y’all know how I feel about a bargain…and holiday decorations (hello…just take a look at my Pinterest), so first thing after church, I hightailed it to the Dollar Tree and gathered up a few Christmas village pieces and some creepy cloth.

     They look so sweet…for now.  After stopping for this little photo-op (you’re welcome), I put these on the cardboard and introduced them to their fate (or just a can of black spray paint).  To make sure they were all coated, I turned them upside down and hit them with the paint again…especially on the edges and the trees.  While the glue is still wet it would be so cute to fancy them up with black glitter!

The finished product nestled among some creepy cloth.

     This was such a fun little project and definitely has me excited to keep decorating my little space!  I also love that this is so versatile.  You could do as much as you want and make it as fancy as you want.  I may keep adding to this throughout the season (or even within the next few years…as long as Dollar Tree keeps stocking the village)! 
     I’m still looking for a fall or Halloween pretty to go on my burlap wreath, but for now, I am pretty satisfied with my décor!  Here’s what else is going on…

     Coordinating tea towels for the oven handle…every holiday should have them (the one with the words all over it is hanging there now…I’ve got to find a cute place to put the striped one).  The plate is just a little cutie I found at Hobby Lobby years ago.  It’s just been waiting for me to have a house to decorate. 
     I hope you’ve all been decorating up a storm today!  My plan is to keep the Halloween stuff up during October, switch to fall/Thanksgiving the first of November, and then make the big jump to CHRISTMAS (possibly taking advantage of the Dollar Tree village again using this fun post) the day after Thanksgiving…if I can wait that long.  I do have some other fall cuties scattered around so they’ll get their fair share of use too.  Happy fall, y’all! (Let’s keep our fingers crossed for cooler temps!)

1, 2, 3, 4

     It’s official…I win the lame blogger award.  I took zero pictures this weekend.  In fact, I probably haven’t taken a picture in about a week.  So instead of feasting your eyes on some photographic artistry you get to read.  I’ve heard it’s good for the brain or something.  Weekend recap anyone?

1. I love patriotic holidays and food.

With the wedding in T minus 25 days, I should probably at least care a little about what I eat…

2. We have a couch! (Also, I scrounged up a terrible cell phone picture for you.  You’re welcome.)

Hello, bargain!  We found this lovely lady in a consignment store perfectly clean and spot-free just waiting on us!  Ignore those ugly pillows.  I’m going pillow shopping this week.

3. This bag?  Love.

I am practically obsessed with GiGi New York bags right now.  A personalized leather bag is so versatile.  My new fashion philosophy is “Anything is a neutral if I want it to be,” but if that’s a little extreme for you, the black version of this is beautiful too!

4. In case you didn’t catch it the first time, the wedding is in 25 DAYS!  I am so excited!  I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to absolutely fly.  I’m working a lot and Keith is taking his boards (finally a light at the end of the nursing school tunnel).  We still have things to move into the apartment.  I have more decorating to do.  We have to apply for our marriage license and finalize a few more details and then………..WEDDING TIME!

     I hope all of you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  I love that our summer holidays marry two of my favorite things patriotism and family…and food (okay, three).

Pretending

     When I started this little blog of mine, I thought I would be sharing fun little crafties all the time.  Then…I realized that crafting is hard, and I have a limited skill set.  After this realization, I revamped and let you all follow me through life and watch me realize how it works.  In spite of all this, I still love crafties, and desperately wish I could just whip up beautiful things like so many of you.  It has been so hard for me to keep up with pretending to be a crafter while I’ve been in school, but this weekend got me back into the swing of things!

My sister and I made…

an ornament wreath…which I love,

a poofy wreath…love,

AND

applesauce cake…stay tuned for this recipe.

     This cake…is incredible.  I have a feeling I’ll be making it more often…or never because I could eat the entire pan.  Oh!  I almost forgot.  Do not ever make these…

because you will eat entirely too many.  I’ll have to share this recipe too!

     I hope your Thanksgivings were incredible!  Mine certainly was, and now I am 10,000,000% ready for Christmas (…let’s not kid…I’ve been there for awhile now).  This weekend is tree weekend; after that I’ll be revealing all the decorations!

Be Mine?

     I don’t have a ton to share with you, but I wanted to give you a little Valentine’s happy!

Picture credit

     First things first – why are cards nowhere near as cute as they used to be?  I went card shopping yesterday (way too late, I know) and was really disappointed.  The cards were just not good…a lot of them were labeled as “flirty,” but were really kind of tasteless, and the rest were just…blah.  I did get one…but it’s not GREAT. 
     I got the fiancé a card and some candy…simple (boring…maybe), but then to piggyback on a conversation we had a few days ago, I made -

     I’m aware that this is not a great picture…but they were still delish!  I know they don’t compare, but the idea came to me while we were talking about Dinstuhl’s chocolate covered strawberries (or as Della calls them – strawbabies).  If you are in Memphis (or anywhere close) then you have got to go – right now!
     The final thing…which is totally unrelated to the previous two…and probably of no interest to you unless you are a teacher or an education major – Praxis test scores went up today!  I’ve taken three of the four I’m required to take (and of the six that I might take just because).  The first one I took was Content Knowledge…and I passed! 193!  A month ago, I took Reading Across the Curriculum AND the PLT…in the same day…aaaaaaaaaaaaand I passed! 181 and 199, respectively!
     I am so relieved that I’m almost done with these, and I feel so much less anxious about the next one (or ones) I have to take!
     There you have it.  Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you, and good luck to anyone who might be taking a Praxis test (soon or not)!

Allyson