It's the Simple Things....

You've heard the saying "It's the simple things in life..." before right?  Each year around the holidays I really take this to heart.  Most people are rushing around searching for the perfect gifts, attending parties, going to performances and baking lots of goodies. I try to take some time out and think about the simple things.....snowflakes on my nose, hanging ornaments on the tree, spending time with family, drinking hot chocolate by the fire...I could go on and on but I'll stop now.  

I hope you get a chance to take some time this holiday season to find simple joys.

Stripes in the Sewing Room

I remember the first time I entered my sister's house.  One of the first things I noticed was her striped wall in the living room.  The stripes were like nothing I'd ever seen before because they were all the same color, just different paint finishes: Flat and Semi-Gloss.  I love the contrast that was so simple.

Back when I was painting and re-arranging the basement (see here), a friend showed me the bathroom that the Petersik's painted. Here's their wonderful post and tutorial on their stripes.  I opted not to put them down there, but I just knew I had to put them somewhere.  

So here they make their appearance in my new Sewing Room! 

Pretty subtle right?  I just love sewing and ironing now, well not ironing.  I still have to work on that one.

Here's a peek at that corner to the right there. 

I'm so excited to finally have some stuff set-up in there.  That beautiful sewing table is from my Great Grandmother.  I feel so blessed to have it in my possession.  See, about 6 years ago, my parents had a garage sale and sold it because at the time I had no interest in sewing, nor did I have a place to keep it at college.  About a year ago they were helping their neighbors move and their neighbors gave it back to them! My parent's didn't even remember who'd bought it.

Anyways, it's definitely a beauty in the room. Now I just have to make room for my 1949 Singer that Hubby fixed up for me, and hang a bunch of art and other stuff on the walls.  So, what do you think so far?

Thoughs Today

I ponder a lot.  I think about things that mean something to me.  Sometimes I think I think to much.  I guess it's kind of a meditation for me.  I think about work, home, friendships, but mostly life in general.  Ya know, big picture things.....

Baby Boy Fabric

Oh Boy!  I am just SOOO excited!  A good friend of ours and his wife had their baby!  Mr Jacob was a bit early and I have no quilt made.  But that's okay.  On Black Friday I headed out and picked up this adorable flannel fabric that is just oh so perfect for little boys.

I love the bright, primary colored alphabet and the coordinating solids I chose.  I am VERY excited to get this project started!  I still have no pattern though, so what do you think?  Any suggestions?

Fall Decor

Fall is beginning to be my favorite season.  I love the jewel-toned colors, the warm scents, and the cozy blankets I bring out from our blanket box. I created a list of my favorite things for Fall, but unfortunately I wasn't able to splurge on any of those items, but I do see some DIY projects for the future.  This year I got some new flowers to brighten empty corners.  Here's some of the fall things you spotted around my house this year.  Seeing as it's November 30, my Christmas Tree and decor start going up tomorrow.  I'm pretty excited about seeing all the lights around the neighborhood, but that's another story.

Anyways, here's our dining room.  The table runner is from Crate & Barrel, so are the tea light candle holders as the centerpiece.  The orange tea lights are from Yankee Candle Company.  The black place mats are also from Crate & Barrel and are actually the backs.  The orange place mats I made last year and have fall leaves on the other side, but no one knew that!  I'm sneaky sometimes.

Joe had a good idea to put some flowers I'd gotten to coordinate with the table runner over here in the corner.  I thought it was a great idea and it looks fantastic and really finishes out the room.  I'm not sure if I'll ever move it. I might just rotate the flowers. These flowers are from Hobby Lobby and the vase is from Marshall's.  The frame I picked up on clearance at Bed Bath & Beyond and filled it with my favorite wedding pictures.

You saw this up in the dining room picture. I used contact paper, cut into shapes to give our door a frosted look.  I LOVE the way it turned out but it was a TON of work.  The windows next to this won't get the same treatment.  I think it'll make the room look to dark at night.

Here's another view of the dining room to view our finally completed photo wall and buffet decor.

Here's the little set-up.  The green vase I got from Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas.  The purple bowl is from Hobby Lobby.  The fake goards are from Jo-Ann's last year.  The vine ball is from Pier 1.  I made the runner for the buffet just out of linen from the fabric store.  It's the same color as the one on the table.

And here's our Photo Wall!  FINALLY! We've got a bunch of miscellaneous pictures and prints up there.  In the center we've got some scrapbook paper in Fall Theme, of coarse.  Starting to the right of the "S" and working clockwise we've got:
- Photo strips from weddings we've been to
- A picture of river rocks I took myself
- An image of the River Market downtown Kansas City from an old calendar we had laying around
- A picture we took during our vacation to Atlanta Botanical Gardens of a Lily Pad
- A sketch-up of our pooch, Daisy that my Hubby created on Picnik
- A piece of scrapbook paper
- A printable saying
- A Picture of a waterfall at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas
- A poem that came with the frame
- and finally, A picture of the pond at Forest park in St. Louis

We'll change out the three slot frame along the way.

Last but not least, here's our mantle and fireplace. Nothing fancy.  Just a cute little turkey hanging out there I picked up from Hobby Lobby.  I got the Owl from Nebraska Furniture Mart.  The Pumpkin from TJ Maxx, The leave garland from Jo-Ann's, The white vase from Target.  The candles and the holders are from Kohl's.

So Happy Fall Everyone!  Hopefully, you enjoyed my little fall decor tour.  What did you think of it all?

Quote of Inspiration

Today I need a bit of inspiration, so I thought I'd pass some along to you also.

It's almost Turkey Day!

My favorite memories of spending time with family are always at the holidays.  Thanksgiving is no different. As a child I remember driving 5 hours from our home in Kentucky to my grandma and grandpa's house near St. Louis.  It was always exciting to see our aunts, uncles, and cousins. So much so that my sister and I would stay up as late as we were aloud before being forced to go to bed, where we would wait until we heard the front door close and RUN out of the room to see our cousins that always arrived long after we were supposed to be sleeping.  Over the course of the weekend, we would play dress up, get our hair french braided, and watch movies with grandma and grandpa while all the parents went out to catch up, I kinda wish I new where but I really think it was dinner and the casino. When it comes down to the meal, I remember having tables in every room to seat the 50 or so people ready for sit-down dinner.  We'd have SO much food: turkey, sweet potatoes, canned cranberry sauce (with the lines and all), pumpkin pie, cool whip and much more.

I'll never forget the year that the sink got clogged and the dishes had to be washed in the bathtub.  HOPEFULLY nothing like that will happen on Saturday when I am hosting Thanksgiving at our house for the first time EVER!  It's not going to be huge, but 10 people is quite a bit more than the standard 2 in our household.

I won't lie, I'm pretty nervous.  Thankfully, since I'm a list-maker I think I have everything under control.

I've got a few lists going right now, including:

• Dinner Menu
• Shopping List
• Cleaning List
• Timeline for Cooking
• Decorations and Serving Dishes

So what am I cooking?  A ton of things!  I am just so excited, but I'm still trying to figure out how to have everything ready at the same time.

Our Thanksgiving Dinner Menu:

Main Dish
Herb Roast Turkey

Sides:
Old Fashioned Stuffing
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans with Toasted Almonds
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Creamed Corn
Fresh Made Bread 

Desserts:
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Apple Pie
Whipped Cream

What's on your menu?  Do you think there is anything I'm missing for our dinner?

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day!

A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a check payable to "The United States of America" for the amount up to, and including, their life.

So thank you, to those who have served, who are currently serving, and especially those who gave everything.