I've Been Busy...

The house is all dressed up for Christmas!

I'm all worn out!

Time to go sit and put my feet up..maybe watch a Christmas movie or something.

Here's a peek at what I've been up to.

The tree is done.  It's a skinny one, but it's stuffed full of ornaments!

New coffee mugs for Bill and I from Mandy.  Such a good daughter!!

My favorite little truck, complete with tree.  Both are tiny....the truck is just over an inch long.

Did you have one of these plastic nativities? I did, when I was a little girl.
Now I have them as a big girl too!

I found the festive Kleenex box at Target.

A sweet wintry scene...in my kitchen!

More tree....more "stuffings"!

Have a wonderful day!

It's only 16 days until Christmas!

Bless This House

We're home!

It was an amazing trip!!

I'm taking a little break....but I'll be back soon....with LOTS and LOTS of photos!!

Candy Corn

Isn't this tree the cutest thing!

I don't do much in the way of Halloween decorating...but who could resist this sweet little thing!

Thanks Ants!

We've been having a little bit of an ant problem for a few weeks.  The path they've been taking into our house takes them through our pantry, so Bill decided to clean out the pantry last week.  

In the process he found a couple things closing in on their expiration dates...including a mix for Pumpkin Bars.

So he did some baking on Saturday.  Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese frosting and nuts!!  
Oh My Goodness!  So yummy!

Thanks Bill....so glad you're retired!!

Time For A Change

This is some of what's decorating my dining room these days (and a lot of days in the past too).  I think it's time to make some changes...maybe some brighter colors, maybe a simpler look.  I'm not real sure about what kind of changes, but I don't want to spend any much money!  Time to shop my basement...and maybe a thrift store or yard sale too!

Stay tuned.....

This Little Piggy

It's always fun to stop by Michael's at the end of any given season.  They mark their prices down a lot when the time for new seasonal merchandise is near.  That was the case when I stopped in several weeks ago and found this cute little pig.

I paid less than $3.00 for it...the bit of greenery was from my stash at home.

I don't put fall decorations out until the end of September....this little guy gets to enjoy living on the dining room table until then. 

The old runner is one of my favorites...$3.00 at a local thrift store!

My New House

It's a cute house...but definitely too small for me to live in!

Bright and simple...that's the look I seem to gravitate towards these days.  I found this colorful little house at Hobby Lobby...and I used a 40% off coupon on it too!

 

I don't get to Hobby Lobby very often...but when I do, I usually find some treasures....like these.

Do you have a Hobby Lobby near you...found any treasures of your own lately?

Before and During

Katie and her family have been staying with us while their only full bathroom has been undergoing a transformation.  Having 2 more adults and two small children in the house all the time has been fun...mostly!  :)  No where is the addition of them more evident (to me) than the kitchen and dining room.  The first photo was taken the day before they arrived.  The second one was taken Monday night.  This is after we cleaned up from dinner.

August 4, 2014

August 18, 2014

Yes, that is a bottle of wine in the above photo...see it there on the right?  It's still unopened...I'm saving it for the day they're able to move back to their own home.  I want to celebrate the quietness that follows their departure the completion of their bathroom!

You can see s little bit of the transformation if you visit Katie's Instagram....the link is in the sidebar.

Really it hasn't been bad at all...in fact Bill and I both commented about how we'll miss them. We'll just have to adjust to regular visits again. (and the clean counter) 

Oh, and speaking of Instagram....take a peek at my page.  Click on the photo of the white box that has arms and legs (it's actually a video). You'll get a ten second sample of some of the entertainment we got to enjoy the past two weeks!!

Busy Weekend

I love it when I have a productive weekend.  Saturday, Bill and I spent the day hanging some new wall art and otherwise adding some color to our living room.

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The sunflower painting is a new purchase form Hobby Lobby. I've really been craving some bright colors in this room...this bright area satisfies that craving!

We've had these old window frames hanging above the couch for many years.  On Saturday Bill wired these vintage paint by numbers pieces to them.  I am SO HAPPY with how this looks!

I spent some more time working on the playroom for the littles.  I'm hoping to get it finished this week. The rug is from Ikea...the littles have seen it and they LOVE it!  This is going to be such a bright and happy space! I'm hoping to share photos of all of it soon!

On Sunday, we spent the afternoon and evening working on Katie's laundry room.  When we left, it was a bright and happy space too!

Now it's back to my 9 to 5 job....good thing, 'cause I need a little bit of rest!!  : )

Instagram Dump

It was a very full weekend.

Here's a look at my Instagram phone photos from the last couple days. They're a bit blurry...but it will give an idea of what my weekend was filled with.

Hope you had a Happy 4th of July weekend!

Community fireworks scheduled for July 3rd were cancelled.

I spent the 4th working on the new playroom for the "littles".

Lulu celebrated with a flag and Cheerios at Gramma's house!

The community fireworks were re-scheduled for July 5th.
I asked them where the Fireworks would be....they could be anywhere!

Sunday was a perfect day for swimming.

It was perfect for jumping in too!

Sunday was also a great day for a photo shoot.



Caleb is such a happy boy!

Getting 6 of them ready is quite a process!

We add them in one at a time....

...and then hope for the best.

Mr. Man...Fletcher.  AKA "the drool monster".

Uncle Joe bought some fireworks to entertain us with.

Waiting for the show....

...and painting toe nails!

Sunday evening ended with a blast!



 Now it's Monday....I needed to get back to work so I could rest up from my holiday weekend!!  : )