Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christmas Cookies!

I love Christmas cookies. Really, how can you not? Cookies are great on their own, but cover them in icing and sprinkles and they just get better. 

Today was cookie decorating day with my niece, Alaina.

She is all prepared....


and excited!




The finished products.



I think the sprinkles on her plate match the amount that made it on the cookies!


Uncle Andrew has some vacation time, so she was very excited to spend time with him too.

She got to watch Wild Kratts...


hunt for Oliver...


and draw with chalk!


It was a fun day. I think this could be a new tradition, and next year maybe Ruby can join us!









Friday, December 16, 2016

Magnolia Farms

I don't know how many of you have watched the tv show Fixer Upper, but it is one of my favorites. I love Chip and Joanna. They have a great relationship, not only with each other, but (from what I can tell) also with God. I love their style. I would love to have them redecorate my house. Since I can't have that, I always try to get things that they might use. 

I have always wanted to visit their store down in Waco, but as money hasn't allowed that, I have done the next best thing and bought from their website. 

In the holiday spirit, and since we didn't have any, I bought some mistletoe. It ended up being larger than I anticipated, but I still like it!


I also saw this cute little desktop calendar and couldn't say no. It is just too cute!


I also made a purchase not from Chip and Joanna. This is something I put on my Christmas list. I don't have a cookie jar and have wanted one for a while. My mom saw this one and thought of me. 


Isn't it cute? 




Saturday, December 10, 2016

Christmas Tour


I love my job. I have great co-workers and a great job. It does have some drawbacks, though. I see way too many things that I would like to buy! I have added to our supply of Christmas decorations this year.


Our tree is still in need of a good topper. We haven't found one we like yet, so we stick with the santa hat.



No Christmas is complete without our little santa carving from dad. 


I love the splash of red from the sign. 


I had to find some Christmas filler for my table centerpiece.


Our reading nook got some Christmas cheer, too. I got a new pillow. I love the little bells on it.


And a new little tree.


I have yet to write on my new chalkboard, but I think it will stay out all year. The little stuffed animal, Snowball, is something that I saved from my childhood. He was always out every Christmas growing up and I just couldn't see him gotten rid of.


And finally, this window is also new. I am going to find a place on the wall and keep him out year-round. 








Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tree Skirt

We have finally found a tree skirt that we like. This year will be the third year that we have had our tree and have been without a tree skirt. I grabbed the last of this design from work last night. 

Guess who else likes it?


After I took this picture he decided to burrow underneath the skirt. At least this is all I have to deal with. He doesn't really care for the tree or bother it at all. I consider myself lucky!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Thanksgiving


I'm sitting here on this cold November morning thinking about Thanksgiving this week. I'm very much looking forward to being with family and enjoying the day. 

I think all too often, though, we make light of giving thanks. Maybe your family goes around the table and everyone says what they are thankful for. That is a great practice, but do we really take the time to stop and think about it and are we really thanking God for it?

If you are anything like me, there are always things you want. I want a new camera, a new couch, new clothes, something for dinner that isn't what we have in the fridge. I want to buy a house, have kids, have the option to not have to work when we do have kids. I'm sure you all could make a list of things you want, too. 

But then I think about what I have. I have a warm house, plenty of clothes, food in the fridge so I never have to go hungry, money in the bank, a car to get to my job, a cozy warm bed, an amazing husband who loves me, a wonderful family, a church family that cares for and loves me, and a heavenly Father who blessed me with all this and loves me no matter what and gives me grace in every circumstance. How can I not thank Him? 

Have a wonderful thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Baskets!

As many of you are aware, I work at Michael's. While it is a great place to work and I love my job, it can be dangerous. Yesterday, while I was at work, I was cleaning up the basket section. There are a lot of great baskets, but one in particular caught my eye. (It didn't help that the baskets were on sale 50% off!)


Since we moved, I have been wanting something to put the toilet paper in. We have two bathrooms now and making sure that there is enough tp in both has been a small issue. When I saw these, on sale for $10 each, I couldn't resist. They are perfect, One in each bathroom, so no one runs out!


Questions

I just saw this on my mom's blog and thought it was interesting and fun, so I'm sharing it with you with my answers!

1 - Did you have an accident last year?  No   
2 - Do you have any famous relatives? Not that I'm aware of
3 - Did you ever have a kiss under the moonlight? Yes!
4 - Have you ever been jealous? Unfortunately, I have.
5 - How can you prove your love to someone? I have to agree with my mom; they just have to trust you.
6 - What are you thinking right now? That I could use a nap!  
7 - Have you ever sacrificed something important to you for someone you love?  Yes  
8 - Can you live without internet? Yes, but it wouldn't be easy.
9 - Have you been so emotional that you can’t find words to explain how you feel? Yes  
10 - Did you ever badmouth someone? Yes, unfortunately I have
11 - What do you prefer, jeans or skirt? Jeans!
12 - Do you have trust issues? I wouldn't say I have trust issues, but it does sometimes take me a little bit to trust new people
13 - What's something that you made all on your own and are incredibly proud of? I don't know that there is something I am incredibly proud of, but I have made some jewelry and I enjoy that.
14 - Who’s the person who first comes to your mind when someone mentions “love”? Andrew
15 - Who was the last person you hugged?  Andrew
16 - Do you believe in the phrase “If it’s meant to be, it will be”? I believe that, while God gives us free will, He also has a plan for our lives.
17 - Do people praise you for your looks? I am incredibly lucky to have a wonderful husband who does so often!
18 - Do you believe in destiny? I believe in God and His plans for my life
19 - Have you ever thought “I already found my soulmate”? Yes  
20 - Do you like nicknames that are from your name? Nope
21 - Could you ever be a vegan? No, I love meat and I love dairy. I couldn't live without meat and cheese!
22 - Do you currently have bruises on your body? No  
23 - What should you be doing right now? Nothing. I've been up since 3am for work. I think it's time for me to relax!
24 - I read in a magazine that shoulder pads are coming back. Are you happy to hear this or do you not find them to be very attractive? No! That was not a good look!
25 - Did you ever feel like you’re not good enough? I did when I was a bit younger, but I know that God loves me and sent His son to die for my sins. I try to remember that when I feel like I'm not good enough.


I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed answering!

Friday, November 11, 2016

Our new home

   I am excited to share some pictures of our new apartment. You'll have to excuse any mess. It has been a busy week!

When you walk in the front door you first see the kitchen which leads into the dining room. We finally have a full size oven and a dishwasher! Plus we get a dedicated space for our dining table. That I love!


On the other side of the kitchen and dining room is the living room. One part you have seen, the reading nook. I love this space too. So much room to spread out. We have room to have company over too. If you look close you can see that there is a ledge that runs under the window. Oliver loves to sit there and watch the world go by.


This is the other new table lamp that we bought the other day. 


And the last bit of the living room:


We finally have a spot for the ladder bookshelf that my dad made for me. So glad to have it here!

Down the hall is the bathroom and bedrooms. 

This is bathroom one of two. The other looks just the same, but is in the master bedroom.


Try to look past the clutter here. This is the spare room. It is kinda our dumping ground/storage space for all the stuff we don't know what to do with at the moment. Andrew works in here when he works from home as well. It's nice to have a space for that.


Last but not least is our master bedroom. Nothing fancy here, but room enough for our bed and a couple dressers. We also have a small walk-in closet which has been great!


Thanks for coming on a tour with me! Come and visit sometime. My door is always open!













Wednesday, November 9, 2016

I'm back!

Hello all my bloggy friends! I've missed seeing you. Life has been busy, what with moving to a new apartment and all. We are mostly settled in. There are still some boxes and things in the spare room, but all the essentials are in place. I'll give you a tour in a day or two, but let me show you one of my favorite spots. 


This is our reading nook. We got the two recliners from my parents when they redid their living room. They are perfect for that spot! I also have to point out the lamp. That is a new addition. We have poor lighting in the living room, so we had to go out and get a couple of lamps. I loved the blue color!

Oliver has settled in. He had a hard time adjusting to the noise of people walking around above us. Having the stairs right on the other side of our kitchen/dining room wall was difficult too. Poor boy did hide a lot the first few days, but i think he is happy here, now. 

I'll get some pictures taken here and see you all back here in the next day or two for the grand tour!

Thursday, October 6, 2016

What a steal!


As you know, I work at Michael's. I love it. It is a great work environment and I work with a lot of great people. Getting a discount on purchases is just a bonus!

 Yesterday and today we had some really awesome sales. 


I have had my eye on this since I started at Michael's. It was on sale 70% off! Between that and my discount I was able to purchase it for $7.78! With a normal price of $34.99, I'd say I got an amazing deal!

I haven't decided, yet, what I am going to put in it. Any ideas?



Monday, October 3, 2016

I have to apologize!

Time has gotten out of control. It is already October and we are moving a week from Saturday. We have started the packing process, which is going better than I expected. Between that and my schedule at work getting crazy, which happens when it is October and you work at a craft store (hello holidays!), I have let my poor little blog go. I will probably be a little off and on the next few weeks as we get packed and moved and settled, but I will try to keep up!

It has gotten cooler here. The weather is more fall-like. We have had to pull out a blanket for our bed. The other night we were enjoying a movie in bed and Oliver decided to join us.


Isn't he handsome?

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Too Busy!

 Wow. Life has been crazy busy lately. I keep hoping that it will quiet down, but it just keeps going.

Andrew and I are starting to plan for our move next month. Even though we have a small apartment right now, we have a lot of stuff that will need to be packed, and that takes a bit of planning. As I have never moved an entire household before, I was a bit overwhelmed at the thought. But, once we put pen to paper and figured out what all we need to pack I realized that it is doable. It will be a lot of work in a short amount of time, but it is doable.

Which all made me think that maybe I need to clean out my closet. I'm not the only one, right? You all know how it is: you have pants and jeans and shirts that are all too small, but you keep them with the plan of loosing weight and being able to fit into them. But, that doesn't seem to ever happen and they just take up space. I'm thinking, with an impending move, maybe now is the time to start cleaning and getting rid of all those clothes that either don't fit or I just don't wear. No sense taking up the space to move them.

Anyway, I am off to do laundry today. Have a great day!

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Good Eye!


I hope you all had a good Labor day. Andrew and I had a relaxing morning before I went to work at 4:30. 

The other day Oliver was going crazy, trying to get something behind the blinds on one of the living room windows. I kept telling him that nothing was there but he kept trying to get it. Finally, in an effort to make him stop I pulled the blinds up. 

Boy was I proved wrong!


This praying mantis was just hanging out on the outside of the window. 


Oliver was very interested in him, but he did not seem to care that Oliver was there. 


Thursday, September 1, 2016

All's Quiet


Things have been fairly quiet out my way lately. Not much going on, but there are a few things rolling around my mind. Let's wander through them.

I have to take Oliver to the vet today. He needs some of his shots and he has an ear that is bothering him again. This happened once before and we had to put drops in it for a week or two. He didn't appreciate the drops, but his ear stopped bothering him! Anyway, trips to the vet are not always a pleasant experience for him. Hopefully it isn't too bad!

Our current lease is done the end of October. We have been on a waiting list for our next apartment since July. They have called us a couple times with available apartments that we had to say no to because it would have been way to early. But....they finally had one that we could take! We get to move sometime mid October to a bigger place. It is first floor, 2 bed, 2 full bath. Laundry is on every floor, so we don't have to lug that full basket around anymore. Plus is has a dishwasher, so I don't have to wash everything by hand anymore! I'll be sad to leave our first little apartment, but so glad to move somewhere closer to my job and that is quieter and not so full of college students. I think it will be a great place for us.

I've been thinking of trying something new. Have you heard of string art? You put the nails into wood and wrap the string around the nails. It comes out looking like this:


Isn't that cool? I just have to find the wood. I'd like to find some old barn wood or some that just looks old. 

I've also started my new job at Michaels and am loving it. I have already been able to get a better grasp of where products are and what we have or don't have. I think I am really going to like working there.

Thanks for roaming around my wandering mind with me. Have a great day!

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Mushrooms


We have some crazy mushrooms growing in the yard by our house. I have no idea what kind they are but they are big.


(Andrew's foot for scale.)



A few more pics...


Here are a few more random pictures.

The moon was so big and bright Wednesday night. I loved the look of it over the water.


Not only does this campground have sites to camp on, the also have cabins you can rent, and they have this. An icopod. It has 20 sides and each side is made of triangles.