christmas decor part 1

so here's the outside of our place.

everything outside was four dollars or less! i'm pretty proud of that because decorating for christmas can get super expensive really quickly!

a close up of the christmas flag. i love charlie brown and the peanuts christmas. it's on abc next tuesday at 8 eastern time (just in case you wanted to know!)

here's the mat when you walk in the door. first christmas thing you see in the house!

up next...the living room area!

christmas craft #3

this was by far my favorite craft i made. it's a holiday pinup wreath from martha stewart. it was super easy to make and very inexpensive. plus you only need four items to do it; an embroidery hoop, clothespins, hot glue and a ribbon of your choice. plus you could keep this up all year and change the ribbon out to match your everyday decor!

i love it!

day 30

as november comes to a close i'm reminded of everything i have to be thankful for...

eternal salvation from the Father

loving and supportive family

great friends

the love of a good man

the best pup in the world

a good job

a place to live

good health

food on the table

a blessed life that just seems to get better with time!

and if you're reading this, i'm so super thankful for you! i love blogging and the fact that other people besides my mother reads this is beyond a blessing.

i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, a great november, a great fall but get ready! because it's december tomorrow and that means snow, cold weather and christmas!

day 29

today i'm thankful that the christmas decorations are up. it took awhile and i'm tired!

christmas teaser

that's all you get for now!

etsy finds

so here are my recent etsy picks. i love browsing etsy and one of these days i'm actually going to buy them!

i love these prints and so many people are making them about so much more than just the "keep calm and carry on" theme. i would love one with a lab on it. from africangrey.

cute little owl brooch from lucie0ellen,

love this reindeer and they sell the kits to make it yourself for only $4 at wellgood.

well put pillow over at alexandraferguson.

i just can't resist the lab stuff. from geministudio.

this is tape. how adorable would this be on your christmas gifts this year? love it from olivemanna.

this is a great vintage piece i'd love to have. from littlebyrdvintage.

would love this to hold all my essentials in my purse. from pillipillihandmade all the way in italy!

vintage letter from vintagejane.

vintage pyrex bowl from vintagejane also.

and some day i'll have this in my classroom. i'm sure i'm going to need it! from keepcalmshop.

free christmas printables!!!

i printed these lovelies off the other day for some more christmas crafty goodness. i'm not going to picture those finished projects yet though, because they're part of the christmas decor that's up and i don't want to give it away!!

all were downloaded for free and i printed them at target...cost less than 10 for all 6!

the first two are from craftily ever after and the other four are from mine for the making!

quote of the week...

me: "olivia, what would i do without you?"

liv: "you'd just be alone."

me: "ain't that the truth!"

day 28

today i am thankful that we finally started putting up christmas decorations around the house. we haven't finished but that should be done tomorrow and then i'll post pics! i can't even wait to show it off since barclay and i worked so hard today (for 7 hours to be exact!).

you'll have to wait until next time!!!

day 27

i missed one again!

yesterday i was thankful for barclay's family. i went to louisville to have thanksgiving lunch with her fam and they were wonderful. i love spending time with them because they are so sweet and hilarious! it was a great time.

christmas craft #2

these frames are easy peasy to make!

the frame itself came from michaels and cost $1. i then used various paints i had at home to paint them. i also added some cute little wooden pieces, such as the gingerbread house above or a snowman, christmas tree or a gold reindeer. everything for this project cost less than a dollar so it will really only cost as much as you want to put on it. the one above cost less than $2 since i already had the paint!!!

of course adding your own cutie pie reindeer inside the frame is optional!

weekend recap

thanksgiving. louisville. family. friends. driving. rain. shopping. phone calls. late night. first snow. crazy shoppers. black friday. little sleep. extra lilly time. back to louisville. barclay's fam. more shopping. sleeping in. christmas decorating. more crafts. hot chocolate. sleeping dog on cold feet. warming up. smiling. thankful for so much.

all you need is love.

i am also very much in love with these commercials...

it helps that i have a strong passion for all things beatles, know the words to every song and already own the cds!

update: liv + lilly

here are some recent pics of the girls...

watching a movie during "rest" time

liv on the balance beam. she's getting so good! she did a forward roll on it, i would never!

lilly patiently waited for class to be over, while eating a krispy kreme doughnut mind you!

tonight i spent some time with just lilly while jeremy and holly were out.

i love this face!

she's so presh and i'm so lucky i get to play with her all the time! but i did miss my big buddy, liv as she is staying with her grandparents this weekend. i'll see her on monday though and we'll catch up about our turkey days!

target

i love these new commercials for target. LOVE!

and there are just sooooo many more!

day 26

today i'm thankful for a few things...

most importantly that my momma made it through surgery just fine today. they put a titanium disc in her neck and she should be pain free pretty soon!!! praise the Lord!

i'm also thankful that i was able to catch up with my aunt myra on the phone for over an hour and a half today! i just love talking with her about anything and everything.

i also got to talk to my grandpa doug on the phone and wish him and glenda a belated thanksgiving.

i have also been talking to josh a lot in the last 24 hours because of mom's surgery and i love talking to the schwabster!

i'm also very thankful that barclay and i did not die while trying to shop black friday!

day 25

today i'm thankful for my freedom, that i am able to live in a country that is free and i can say and live as i please.

happy thanksgiving!

Day 24

Today I'm thankful for being able to catch up with my step-dad, Kevin. I miss him!

I'm also thankful for the lovely smells coming from my kitchen because I've been baking up a storm tonight!!!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

day 23

so i've been pretty bummed lately. self loathing, being sad, thinking waaaay too much about things i cannot change, having a pity party regularly (that may or may not include eating a little debbie christmas tree snack!) but...i'm giving all that up to be happy, dream big, and be thankful for what i do have.

so today i'm thankful for the following:

a god that already knows the plan and i just have to sit back and enjoy the ride.

a job, that i love!

family that i love!

friends that i love!

my pup, he's like my child.

and the love of a man that i don't deserve.

why should i be a downer when my life is so abundant with love?

Day 22

Today I'm thankful that I get to go to sleep and start all over tomorrow.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

christmas craft #1

as i make stuff for the christmas season, i'll be posting the outcomes here and letting you know how i made them. hope you enjoy!

#1. Chalkboard Picture Frame

i bought some large wooden picture frames and used chalkboard spray paint on them. now i can write whatever i like on them and change them all the time. clearly, it's not just for christmas! i love this craft, it was so easy and pretty cheap. and now that i have the chalkboard paint, you can expect to see A LOT of stuff in chalkboard form!

update: dalpal

so i woke up to this face this morning.

and then when i got home i was greeted with glass. everywhere.

apparently dallas thought it would be great to help himself to the crumb cake i made last night. and so he pulled the pyrex dish off the counter, which then shattered everywhere. then there was the blood. not a lot but more than i'd care to see. and thus the cleaning and the crying ensued. i think we're in the clear. he seems fine and the vet said if there's not blood in his poop then we're fine.

i think we dodged a huuuuuge bullet but man, this pup is putting me through the ringer.

i still love him, though.

wishes: all things sparkly

something about this time of year makes me want everything to shine!

i love this skirt. would be perfect for a holiday party.

wish i could get away with these! both from jcrew.

i love, love, love this! too bad it's almost $400! anthropologie.

these are presh and affordable at oldnavy.

i love a good cardi. oldnavy.

pretty pretty necklace. banana republic.

for your tree, glittery ornaments. pier one.

tree topper also pier one.

sparkly serving tray at target.

sparkle your home all over with these from pier one.

and of course who wouldn't love a little sparkle on their finger?!! that would def be enough sparkle for me for the whole season!

what would you love to have all sparkly this time of year?

on second thought

so after wallowing in my own self pity late last night, i needed some inspiration to get through. so i was reading joy's hope and found this verse and i love it for my life right now. especially the end of the verse, "for what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal." i really need to remember that!

i'm so ready

3 days!

update: dalpal

the baby is doing well! what can i say he's just the best dog in the whole world!

here are some recent pics of the beast...

when he's tired he lets me do all kinds of things!

the little pink thing by the door is his baby, or i should say...

was his baby!

what can i say, he's a true lab!

here are some things dal is looking forward to:

1. thanksgiving means lots of leftovers for him

2. getting groomed for the holidays

3. going to see santa at petsmart

4. getting a christmas list together

5. presents, presents, presents

he loves the holidays!

weekend recap

relaxing. christmas shopping. craft stores. running around town. dog walks. crafting all night. video chat. early morning walk. more christmas shopping. afternoon walk. pawn stars. cat nap. ball time. harry potter. grocery. late dinner. late bed time. back to work.

I'm fine by I'm not ok.

I hears this quote in a Mandy Moore song tonight (yes I still love her. Get over it!) and I had this huge epiphany, that's exactly how I feel right now.

Everyone keeps asking me how I'm doing since Travis left. I say the same thing every time, "I'm fine. We've done this before. It's no big deal." And sometimes I actually believe myself. Sometimes.

Truth? Well the truth is it sucks. A lot.

And what's even worse is that I try to play it off like I'm ok without him because it's easier than saying the truth.

Truth? I miss my best friend, my partner, love, and honestly, my world.

Why is it so hard for me to just say, "He's my world. I love him so much I can hardly breathe at night when the weight if him not being here all day hits me like a Mack truck. He's my rock and the only person I want to tell everything. He makes me the most mad but the most happy. There's no one like him. I love him."?

Is it because I'm afraid? Yep. I'm terrified that I look weak. I promised myself I would never let a guy get to me like this because what if it didn't work out? What if he isn't perfect for me? What if I get my heart broken?

To be honest I still worry about this. I'm confident in our relationship but I still have my off days. But the truth is, I'd rather be miles apart and together than not together at all.

This holiday season is going to be especially hard on me because I'm feeling lonely. Trav is gone bit also I'm an adult, on my own, no longer a student going home for Christmas break. And unfortunately I'm afraid of being alone.

The things that keep me going?
The love and support of my family and friends, my dog and the hope that Travis and I will be together soon. Until then I'm just going to take it one day at a time, being fine but not ok.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

day 21

today i'm thankful for weight watchers...because it's working :)

day 20

today i'm thankful to have the day all to myself so i can start my christmas crafts!

day 19

today i'm thankful for lilly. she is the best baby i've ever been around. hands. down.

she is so laid back and makes my job so easy!

she loves the movie theater, too. which is awesome because now the girls and i are going to see a movie every friday, well, not every but, you know!