Friday, December 23, 2016

{Merry Christmas}

From my house to yours...
Merry Christmas!

Monday, December 19, 2016

{Brrr....}

Happy Monday!  There is less than one week til Christmas.  6 days!!  It makes me so sad knowing that it's almost all over.  =(

Thankfully Mother Nature finally cooperated & it FINALLY feels like Christmas.  A front blew in Saturday night & dropped the temps almost 50 degrees within an hour or two.  Yesterday we stayed in the 30's with windchill temps in the teens & this morning it was 25!  No snow & unfortunately it doesn't look like it will last long {70's & rain on Christmas day}...But I'll take it while I can get it!

Last week was our company Christmas party...I received my 15 year full time {20 year total time} service award.  Hard to believe I have been there over half my life.  It's definitely been a roller coaster ride, but I wouldn't have wanted to ride it with anyone else but these folks!

Nola went to doggie daycare on Wednesday & they had a Christmas party so she got her picture with Santa.  Clearly she was not a fan. =)
I found out on Thursday that I was one of the winners of the house decorating contest that a local organization holds.  Made risking my life standing on the top rung of the ladder worth it! Ha! 
Before the front blew in Saturday night it was miserably hot.  Like turn the A/C on & wear shorts hot.  I went to a birthday party for my neighbor & then headed out to my grandma's to help her get ready for Christmas.  I came home & went to the grocery store...my goal is to not go back until after Christmas.  Around 8:30, the front blew in & then the rest of the night looked like this... {& yes, my lights on the garland on my mantel blew out Saturday afternoon...couldn't they have waited one more week?!}
Sunday was basically too cold do to anything so I decided to bake some goodies!  Only I wasn't prepared & had to break my pact not to go back to a store until after Christmas.  With Starbucks in hand, I made a quick Wal-Mart run & it surprisingly wasn't too bad.  I came home & spent the rest of the day baking & making goodies for a few neighbors & friends.
And last night, Nola discovered her love for the electric blanket.  Homegirl was NOT budging. =)
Five more days of work & then it's 10 days off for me!  Time to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year!

Thursday, December 8, 2016

{Life Lately}

Winter has arrived in Texas!!  Well, for 2 days at least.  I am ignoring the fact that it's supposed to be in the 70's by Sunday.  Tonight will be a taco soup & fireplace night for sure!

Here's a little look at life lately...

Last Thursday, I helped host a shower at my house for a co-worker's daughter.  We invited 34 & 31 came...needless to say, it was definitely a success!  I stressed all week about my house being too small & it was "cozy" at times but it all worked out.  I think everyone had a great time & Kacey got lots of fabulous gifts.  We did a "deck the halls" Christmas shower for her so she got all sorts of Christmas goodies.
It rained most of the weekend so I decided to make a quick trip to College Station Saturday morning to finish Christmas shopping. Saturday night I wrapped {which Nola did not find at all entertaining}.  Y'all - for the first time in my life - I am DONE shopping almost 3 weeks before Christmas. It's a Christmas miracle for sure.  Gift buying stresses me big time so let me tell you how good it feels to not have to stress over it anymore!  No second guessing what I bought.  Everything is wrapped & under the tree...no going back!
Sunday was church, a band concert for Mason, lunch & the grocery store.  And more rain.  Once I finally got home late that afternoon, I put on my pj's, Hallmark Christmas movies & attempted to make homemade potato soup for the first time...which turned out REALLY good I might add!
Monday evening a group of ladies I work with & I went to a beginner's cookie decorating class.  The cookies were baked & the icing was made, but they showed you piping techniques, etc.  I learned a few things & we had a blast! {& yes, we went for margaritas beforehand...figured it might help get our creative juices flowing}
I picked up my favorite girl after school on Tuesday & we spent the evening decorating a gingerbread house.  She did almost all of it {including the piping} all by herself & it turned out GREAT!
 
That's life lately!  

Monday, December 5, 2016

{Christmas Home Tour 2016}

Welcome to my 2016 Christmas Home Tour!  Christmas is my absolute fav & I'm not ashamed to admit that I start decorating the first of November.  It's a LOT of work & I want to enjoy it as long as I can.  There is nothing more magical than the glow of Christmas lights inside & out and if I could, I would leave them up all year. =)

Let the tour begin! {Be prepared...there are LOTS of pics!!}
Come inside!  One of my favorite additions to my Christmas decor this year were these $3 houses from the Target Dollar Spot...love them!
 
My office is fairly simple...a nativity & a tree with all of my favorite ornaments!  I collect ornaments from my travels, special events in my life, etc.  Love that each one of them have meaning.
I kept my guestroom simple as well with a few black & white touches.
The laundry room got a few Christmas touches too...the Cheer pillow is from Kirklands & I made the sign with the help of Erin at Erins Craft Days on Etsy.  She made the custom vinyl stencil for me & then I painted it (I got the Christmas Tree Farm stencil that is seen on my porch from her as well).
My bedroom is one of my fav's...come on in!
  
  

A very close second as my favorite room is my living room.  I absolutely LOVE my tree this year...and didn't spend any money on it!  I reused everything I had from year's past.
 
 
 
I continued the black/white/red into my kitchen/breakfast room.
{ps: I've also loving my new light fixture!!}
 
That's it!  It makes me so sad just thinking about having to take it down in a few weeks. But, for the first time in my life, I am actually done shopping & the gifts are wrapped so I am going to enJOY the next few weeks.  No stressing...just me, Nola, the Christmas tree & Hallmark movies! =)

Thanks for stopping by & Merry Christmas!  You can follow me on Instagram here.

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