Christmas Palooza 2012

Cousin Jodi and her family introduced us to the concept of Christmas Palooza, and we've embraced the tradition ever since. We opted out of Black Friday shopping, and enjoyed a day of decking the halls around our house. The kids woke up to our elf, Robert, who delivered a special letter from Santa...an idea I stole borrowed from here. We like the idea of mixing in a little bit of make-believe with the true reason for celebrating...Christ's birth. We enjoyed a special breakfast together and the kids opened their new Christmas pjs. We like to give them their pajamas early so they are able to wear them all throughout the Christmas season. (Again, thanks cousin Jodi for the idea!) They also got a new Christmas movie and book...we're loving our growing Christmas library!

Maren was quick to spot Robert hanging from the light above the table.

I love my Christmas dishes. This year we decided to get them out and use them everyday...not just for parties. I also collect vintage red goblets, and this year I added some miniature ones to my collection so the kids are able to enjoy them, too. (Well, Maren enjoyed hers...Truett still has tendencies to throw things, so he hasn't graduated from a sippy cup quite yet!)

And, a humorous collection of pictures of the children...

Finally...both kids smiling and looking at the camera!

Maren had her shirt stuffed with ornaments...she loved helping me with the trees this year. We have a smaller tree in the family room decorated with Swedish ornaments. We'll also put our handmade ornaments on this tree.

This is the first Christmas with our new-to-us hutch. I loved making it look festive for the season! I'm hoping to share a more complete tour of the holiday decorations sometime soon.

Maren decorated the bottom half of the bigger tree with kid-friendly (aka, non-breakable) ornaments and I put the more fragile ones near the top.

Truett mostly did this...

While the kids and I spiffed up the inside of the house, Brett lined our roof with lights. I love this time of year...the lights, the smells, the music, the celebrations and parties. I'm hoping to share some of my favorite Christmasy 'things' in the coming weeks. For now, I'm off to watch an afternoon installment of Christmas Curious George with the two cutest kids I know.

Instafriday

I love looking back at my week through the lens of my phone camera...

We're still painting our kitchen cabinets...this week the island and desk got the black treatment. Brett took the afternoon off today to finish sanding the upper doors. I can't wait to have the white kitchen I've always wanted, but this is the LONGEST project in the history of projects. And it's in the kitchen, which we use all the time, so I can't try and forget about it. Ever. If you are crazy enough to decide to paint your kitchen...estimate how long it will take you and multiply that by two. Then just maybe you won't be disappointed with how long and tedious of a job it is.

Maren is very particular about what she wears. She loves this African dress from my college roommate, and wants to wear it all the time. What you can't see in this picture is the leopard print rain boots on her feet. Sweet Maren...

She still loves to play with her butterfly wings from last halloween. Thank goodness...because those things took me a long time to make. This year she's going to be a doctor...thank you Melissa and Doug for the costume I didn't have to make.

I got my new Erin Condren calendar in the mail this week...yay! And this was one of the stickers...hmmm.

I've finally been spending some time in the craft room lately...making some fun new things for fall.

I love this set...

The house is decked out for fall...although the weather hasn't quite agreed. It's been way too hot here for September. (In my opinion.) I did find a home for the chalkboard I made for our back to school pictures. I'm loving the daily reminder to praise...something I wish I didn't need to be reminded of. But I do, so I'm glad it's there.

Brett's sister is getting married this weekend, and we've got family coming to town for the big day. It's going to be a fun, busy week around here!

Happy weekend.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We've been in a Valentine's flurry around our house. Maren and I made all her Valentines for her party at church. She used a stamp to put her name on the back of our little heart birds. I cut everything out and she glued it all together. We had such a great time working on these. Have I mentioned before how much I love that Maren is into creative projects? She is...and I love it!

I wanted to put up a few Valentine's decorations, but didn't want to spend any money. My mom gave me a square berry wreath a few years ago for Christmas. I love having it out during the holidays, and this year I transformed it (temporarily!) for Valentine's Day. I cut out letters on my cricut, glued them to some book pages and used mini-clothespins and string to attach them to the wreath.

I also strung up some vintage Valentines that I've collected throughout the years.



Maren dressed herself for her party yesterday. She was sure to wear plenty of red.

In other news...Truett is completely mobile. He has been for over a month now. He has been quite pleased to discover every nook and cranny around our home. We're working with Maren to keep her little things up off the floor. Nothing is safe from this little guy. He is so curious and quiet, which is an unfortunate combination for such a small boy. Or, maybe just unfortunate for his mother. I think he quite likes it, actually!

Red Door {not the perfume}

We did something brave a few weeks ago. Actually, my husband did the painting {as usual!} and I instigated the project and bought the paint. That's typically how it goes around here. Brett is my hero-painter and I love him for it. Well, I love him for that and a million other things. Remember when he rescued August? He's such a good man.

I originally found my inspiration on Pinterest. Aren't these red doors fabulous?

{1, 2, 3 via Pinterest}

Believe it or not, this is the only 'before' picture I could find! That's baby Maren with her Gigi when we were first looking at this house. The color we chose is Caliente by Benjamin Moore. It was a recent Pottery Barn color and it really was the perfect red for our door. {Thanks, Mom, for suggesting it!}

Here's our shiny, red door. I love how unexpected it is in this space. I also love the cheerful pop of color it adds to the front rooms in the house. You can actually see the door from the family room and kitchen area, too.



Ah! Please excuse the crooked shade on our dining room light. We really don't like this light. I think it's too small, and those shades are always crooked. I've thought about painting it, but I'm not sure what color. Suggestions are welcome. Please...share your 'bright' ideas. {Sorry...couldn't help myself!}

Have you painted any interior doors in your home an interesting color? If you've thought about it, I say go for it! And let me know if you do...I'd love to see!

Linking up here this week:

Labor Day Weekend 2011

As I was driving home from Target this afternoon, I was thinking how ironic it would be for someone to go into labor on Labor Day. This is what happens when I'm left alone in the car...I think brilliant thoughts. Seriously, I am so grateful for a husband who works so intently to provide for our family. It is because of him that I am privileged to spend my days home with our little ones and that I have the time to pursue my creative endeavors. He is our champion!

We've had a lovely weekend. Can you guess what Brett did for me?

The kids enjoyed time in the pool and bath, respectively.

On Sunday evening we joined some friends downtown for the 'balloon glow'. The weather was just brisk enough to hint that autumn is on it's way. Maren spent the evening in a dancing, rolling frenzy with her dear friend, Abby. Brett commented tonight that these girls play like brothers. They were wrestling and rolling all around the ground. It does a mother's heart good to see her little girl enjoying a sweet friendship. And yes, Maren wears that pink tutu nearly everyday. I love the contrast offered by her distinct feminine fashion preferences and her willingness to play rough and tumble. There's something quite endearing about a little girl wrestling about in a flouncy pink skirt!
We also enjoyed some time with Brett's parents and plenty of hours of outdoor play with neighborhood friends. As far as weekends go, this one couldn't have gotten much better. Happy Labor Day!

Vintage tells a story

Each room in my house is infused with a hint of vintage flair. I love the conversationalism [I just made up that word!] offered by a great vintage piece. Visitors often ask me about the quirky hat on the shelf in the guest bath, the great box purse on my mantle, or the various collections of vintage toys and books scattered throughout my home. Nobody ever comments on the lovely Pottery Barn clock sitting in our family room. I'm quite certain it's because the clock doesn't yet have a story to tell.

The hat was my grandmother's. I like to imagine which occasion might have inspired it's purchase.

My mantle is home to another of grandma's hats. There's also an old tin discovered at a flea market by a twenty-something version of my mom. I love thinking of what her life was like when she was a young mother. The marbles were my dad's when he was a boy and the milk bottle came from the dairy where one of my grandmas was raised. My parents actually brought me home from the hospital to that same old dairy house, and my mom rescued the glass bottle from the farm before it was leveled and the land sold for town-homes. The dairy farm is long gone, but a few treasures remain to tell it's story.

My grandma's box purse...again, I wonder what sorts of things she carried with her in this purse and where she might have gone with it in her hand.

A shelf in Maren's room is home to other favorite items. My mom's glass baby bottle holds more of dad's marbles. [My poor dad...he's lost all his marbles!] I can't imagine carrying around a glass baby bottle! A charming copy of Peter Rabbit was a gift from one of my aunts and the other books came from my mom's childhood library. I'm sure that many chilly Minnesota afternoons were spent curled up in a chair reading these books.
I do love having bits of the past scattered about our home. My family has been blessed with a rich Godly heritage, and I am grateful for these reminders of the generations who have remained faithful in order that we might be here in this place, clinging to the truths that serve as our anchor today.

Each week Gussy hosts an Inspiration Workshop. I recently started reading her blog, and I have discovered plenty of creative inspiration within her pages. If you have a spare moment, you should go see for yourself!

A little fun and a lotta sad

My mom left this morning, and my eyes are all tired now from crying. I dislike 'good-byes' very much. Before all the craziness with Truett's heart surgery, we had planned a nice long vacation to the family cottage in Michigan. We were supposed to leave today. So, I'm double-sad...sad that my mom isn't enjoying an afternoon cup of coffee with me, and sad that an entire summer is passing without a glimpse of my favorite summer destination.

I spent a few minutes perusing bhg.com this afternoon and came across this fun little organizing quiz.
I am a 'Schoolteacher'...orderly but not rigid. After you find out your organizing personality you have the option to read up on some organizational ideas for your type. It's a fun little way to spend a few minutes between loads of laundry. *wink*

Happy weekend!

Truett's Room

I am so excited to share Truett's nursery with you today! I have to admit that I was less than thrilled to decorate a boy's room after having such a great time with Maren's room. Then I found this fabric collection. I knew it would be a great jumping-off point for our little man's nursery. I chose to use the cars, pebble, and blue asterisk fabrics from the Birch Circa*50 collection. I found supplemental fabrics for the crib bedding and quilt from a fabulous little fabric boutique. Angie stocks a great selection of modern fabric, and I love being able to see and touch the colors and patterns before I commit. My mother-in-law generously offered to make the quilt and crib bedding. It was such a gift, and I love how it all turned out! The walls are Pale Avocado by Benjamin Moore. I can't remember what color the ceiling is, but I'm so glad we painted it. We found the crown molding on Craigslist for super cheap. Seriously, I think we paid about $10 for all of it. It was just wood and Brett painted it to match the rest of the trim in the house. I love how much it changes the room!

Let's start the tour!

We used the same furniture that was in Maren's nursery. The one thing we didn't buy the first time around was a comfortable chair. I found the Pottery Barn rocking chair on Craigslist for a song. I can't say enough good things about this chair. If you are having a baby...buy a nice chair! You will not regret it! The rug, lamp, basket for diaper-changing necessities, and black shelf are from Homegoods. I love that place. The shelf has little wood milk bottles, a vintage puzzle and a turquoise ball jar with dominoes...all toys that belonged to my dad at one point. I think vintage items that have special meaning are such treasures. The print above the chair is from Studio Mela and it's the sweetest thing.

The corner shelf isn't my favorite in here, but it will work until my sweet husband can execute my other vision for that space. *wink* There's a variety of fun little things on the shelf for now...a vintage globe from a thrift store, a piggy bank, a few more vintage toys, a neat picture from a dear friend, a special little carved Noah's ark that my grandpa made. I'll have to remember to get some close-up photos of those things someday. The little rocking chair was mine when I was a girl. I thought it would be nice for Maren to have a place to sit while I'm nursing Truett.

Isn't the crib bedding so fun?!



I love the simple little collage above the crib. I wanted to keep it neutral because I knew the bedding would be bold. The large 'T' is from here, and the smaller one from here. The 'I am a child of God' print came from here. I love Etsy, and was thrilled to support these great shops. I found the little scooter print at Target. I thought it added a little whimsy.

This is the quilt. Isn't it awesome?! The quilt pattern came from Modern Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots. If you are a quilter and have not seen this book, you must take a look! It has some wonderful patterns and ideas.

The back of the quilt is even fabulous!
So, there you have it...one special room for a pretty amazing little guy. For now he's still sleeping in our room in a cradle, but he'll be spending some quality time in his room before long.

Thanks for stopping by!