Red touch up

I am finishing up getting out all of my Christmas decorations and just love this piece. 

However, overtime the red foamy berries tend to break off and leave it

looking a little unfinished trashy worn. Is that the word I am looking for? 

You know what I mean, but I have a solution.

This is what is looks like, see the broken berries where the white is exposed.

Another view, isn't the pine cone so pretty?

Red nail polish to the rescue! I picked out this red in my daughter's nail polish stash and it was 

almost a perfect match, but it doesn't have to be...use what you have.  I painted over all of

the broken berries and it worked like magic.  It's looking brand new again, love it! 

For now I have it on my sofa table behind the sofa in the family room. 

I'm off to work in Chicago for a couple of days-

A Look at Christmas 2010

Hello friends! I was looking through some old pictures and look what I came across.

My Christmas pictures from last year before I started this little blog of mine.  At this time
I was contemplating starting a blog and remember spending hours and hours on the computer
browsing through hundreds of blogs. The remember the first blog I found was Sarah at Thrifty
Decor Chick and was inspired instantly. Enjoy!!

Red and silver are beautiful together.  Found the snowflakes

at the Dollar Tree, they came in so many different sizes so I stocked up.

Not bad for my first attempt, but I have learned so much since then.

Added some colored bells to a small apothecary jar

and a simple pine cone in fake snow, I love fake snow!

Reindeer were a must have from Walmart, you could

use these guys anywhere.

Now back to 2011, I have been working like a mad man woman around the

house and getting it decked out for Christmas. It's a work in progress, and I can't wait

to get my house back in order.  How is your house coming along?  Are you done

with all of your decorating, want to help me?

Linking to Debbiedoos blogging and blabbing  

That's what (Che) Said

A bowl full of lemons

Turkey Trot Time

 Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family

We're starting something "new" in our family this year, our 1st Turkey Trot!

Yeap, it's only a 1.5 mile "fun" walk or 3 mile run, pick your poison.  I thought this

would an great way to get us all moving as a family before we eat ALOT, and

we start a new family tradition. 

source

source

source

You have to love all the creative people out there. I'm getting some great ideas and

it might warrant a trip to the Dollar Tree tonight.....more pictures to come tomorrow after

the race. I hope you come back soon and see what we came up with.

Blessings,

Simple Friday: Graditude and a Tree

 Hello friends!! I'm not sure about you, but we are having the best mid November weather ever.  It was 65 degrees today and let me tell you I was out there soaking up as much vitamin D as I could.  I even got a mile of walking in with short sleeves on, again it's mid November....grateful today for the weather.

Speaking of being grateful, I wanted to show you my Thankful Tree I threw together for my table in the foyer.  I love thinking about and writing it down what we are thankful for and not just at Thanksgiving, all the time. The tree is full of little tags now, this picture was taken awhile ago.

Here's my inspiration for my Thankful Tree done by Cassie at Hi Sugarplum. I absolutely love the

yellow branches she used, it's gorgeous. I guess I did copy a little, but put my own creativity into it.

I found this Thanksgiving Subway art here.

This sums it up, doesn't it?

We've make it a tradition in our family to always "give back' and help others in need. This year we

joined hands with Samaritan's Purse through our church to pack shoe boxes. These are sent out to

 hurting children throughout the world who won't receive anything for Christmas.

My 9 year old packed one for a girl this year.  It has headbands, socks, toothbrush/paste,

small stuffed animal, hard candy, and a New Testament bible.  She loved putting it all together along with gentle reminders from me about how blessed we are and to imagine being in these children's shoes.  Humility, it's never to early to teach this virtue to our children.

Her girly box has headbands, socks, toothbrush/paste,

small stuffed animal, hard candy, and a New Testament bible.

My 12 yr old packed a box for a boy between the ages of 5 to 9 years of age. She wanted to be sure it had a ball in there and an etch a sketch with a personal message from her saying "God loves you!"  It's amazing how much you can give without spending a ton, thank goodness for the Dollar Tree.

So the boxes are done, closed up and somehow Layla has to be the center of attention...

she just looks at me like "what, what's the problem?" 

Thank you for stopping by. I'm gearing up for the holidays, how about you? 

Partying @ Debbiedoo Blogging and Blabbing

DIY mirror: Sunburst

Can I just put this out there that I have been wanting to do this project forever and ever. I know there are million Sunburst mirrors out there in blog land so add another and mine makes a million and one!  I'm ok with that though.
I've admired and grooled over so many on other blogs and finally decided it was time to get one of my own done, enough procrastinating Andrea!  To be honest with you, I had a hard time finding an inexpensive round mirror, crazy I know.  I've looked everywhere, at garage sales, thrift stores, and in all of the stores.  No luck, so I had to take matters into my own hands and get creative.

 Check out Melissa's beauty, love the blue she used on hers

Catie hung hers in the Master bedroom over her bed.


  

I found a round mirror at Hobby Lobby in the candle area for 50% off so it was around $3 bucks and the wooden skewers came from Walmart.   

Here's the tricky part, spacing the skewers...umm I didn't and well you'll see.  I started with a North, South, East, and West point to have a reference point in glueing down the rest of the skewers.  Then I measured the rest of the skewers and marked them so I could try to place them evenly.  Key word here I treid...so I glued and glued and fought those awful glue strings, but I won. After I was done glueing everything down I noticed I should've staggered the skewers, oh well what do you do?   

Since it wasn't orginally a hanging mirror I had to make it one.  I used some green floral wire, doubled it up and glued it to the back of the mirror. 

  

Used Krylon Metallic because the grey I had on hand wasn't covering the wood and I wasn't going to prime, not doing it, nope.

  

Taped the mirror and went to town with the spray paint.
  

Here's a look at it with a dark background, on my daughter's dresser.

It's home over my daughter's bed.  My hubby was is worried about the skewers pointing out and if it were to fall off of the wall, huh never thought about that either.   



Thank you for stopping by.  Are you inspired to try your own DIY sunburst mirror?

I am working on finishing the rest of my pre-teen daughters room and I would love

for you to check back with me to see the progress.

Linking up with Jen @ Tatertot and Jello

Kristi @ Addicted 2 Decorating

Vanessa and Heather @ At the Picket Fence

Debbie @ Debbiedoo's Blogging and Blabbing
Beth @ Home Storeis from A 2 Z

Simple Friday on 11-11-11

Welcome to this week's Simple Friday!  Giving a BIG shout out to everyone who left a comment about what I should do with my blog design. I appreciate every comment.  Please stop by often and check out some of the changes I'm making, gotta keep it fresh peeps, right? 

Today I am excited to share with you my friend and fellow blogger Ange from The Blooming Hydrangea.  Ange is full of energy, fun loving, and such an inspiration to me.  She and her family made a big move this past summer and she hasn't stopped yet.  Here's a sneak peak of her Powder Room Gone Wild makeover.  This is just one of many projects she's completed  in their new home.  Go see Ange and I promise you'll be inspired.  Enjoy!

   Move in ready, right?  Nice oak vanity and trim...

Since she had started painting her oak trim in the hallway she brought it into the bathroom too.  Then she painted the vanity black, isn't it amazing how these little changes make such a difference.

Ange tossed around the idea of either painting stripes or using a stencil on her walls.  Really how hard could it be to stencil a 5x5 bathroom?  She chose a zebra stencil and it turned out absolutely beautiful. Her hubby added the board and batten, it looks amazing and just sets off the black and white zebra stencil.  

My jaw drops every time I look at this makeover and how quickly she completed it.  Go check out Ange and all of the details on her Powder Room makeover at The Blooming Hydrangea.  Be sure to follow her and keep up with her on Facebook too, she's a blast!  I wish I had half of her energy...

Have a wonderful weekend,

Would love some help, please!

Good afternoon peeps! 

I need your help, suggestions, and honest opinions please...I've been wanting to switch up my blog for some time now and am trying to save money by doing it myself.  There are so many blogs out there that I just adore and really just want to copy it all, but I can't.  Anyway, here's my attempt to create a header with my own photos, not bad, right?  I did add a picture of our blue front door, see it is for real...or do I just use a header like I currently have and change the design?  

If you could please take to comment and let me know your thoughts, I would appreciate it so much! 

Thank you,

I see change

Happy Fall my dear friends, I'm feeling a little nostalgic these past couple of days maybe because the weather is finally changing and everyday we are closer to winter.  It's inevitable, right? Oh well, I still love fall and how God shares his beauty with us.   



Even though it's all closed up the reflection of the leaves is beautiful to me.

I remember, but we'll see you again in the spring



My owl in the front yard has had a hard spring, summer, and fall.  He might need some

touching up next spring, but until then....

Brand new this past spring, so colorful 



Thankful for the seasons we have every year

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring.”
-Clyde Watson