The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas is just days away, and I am ready!


The presents are wrapped...


...and sitting happily under the tree.


The Christmas baking is under way...


...and the decorations are in place!

Christmas time will always hold a special place in my heart, not only because it's celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but because it will always be a reminder of the day Jesse proposed to me!



2 years ago today, on December 23rd, he asked me to be his wife! :)

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Comfort & Joy

Comfort and joy is exactly what we've been experiencing since we've moved to our new place. It's all coming together perfectly, and already feels like home! I still have some decorating to do, of course. (That big empty wall above the couch is just screaming, "decorate me!!") I just thought I would give you all a little sneak peek at how it's lookin'!

We just put up the Christmas tree last night. I was worried that maybe we wouldn't be able to get a tree this year will all the moving, unpacking, and painting we were doing, but my sweet mother-in-law gave us her old tree as a gift. What a Christmas blessing. :) It's my first ever fake tree, but it's just as pretty and just as special.

Now if only I could find some time to do my Christmas shopping. I haven't started and Christmas is only 11 days away... that sounds about right. I always have and always will be a procrastinator.

Out With the Old, In With the New!

Say goodbye to the outdated crusty kitchen...

And hello to my brand spankin' new kitchen! Isn't she beautiful?!

We're officially all moved into our new place, and we are loving everything about it; the privacy, the space, the newness of everything, the DISHWASHER... It's a dream. I only have pictures of the kitchen thus far because although we are all moved in, we are not all unpacked and organized. Everything is still a little chaotic, and Jesse's deer heads are laying all over the dining and living room floors. I'm sure nobody wants to see that. :)

I painted the island right away to brighten up the kitchen a bit. I used an Olde Century paint color called Buttermilk, the same color I used to paint our entertainment center.

One painting project down, many more to go. I plan on painting the kitchen, the living room, the master bedroom, and the spare bedroom. Ahh!

A Change of Scenery

Normally at this time, our house would be dressed to the nines in Christmas greenery, twinkling lights, flickering candles, and glistening ornaments. Instead, the walls are stripped of all decorations and everything is being carefully packed into boxes because...

We're moving!

I'm very excited to be able to say that. We've been searching for a new place for some time now and I think we have finally found the perfect home. Thanks to my aunt Viola and the good Lord above, we found a house for rent just 3 miles north of where we live now. I have a few pictures on my phone but for some reason it's not cooperating, so I suppose pictures will have to wait! But I can tell you that it has lots of great things our duplex didn't have... 3 acres, a pond, a big updated kitchen, central air conditioning, a dishwasher, wood ceilings throughout, and the list goes on and on.

The moving begins tomorrow. Rain, snow, or sun... it's happening. And I can't wait!

Because of my currently Christmas-less home, I've been really ooh-ing and ahh-ing at everything Christmas. I miss it!

A Little Rearranging Goes a Long Way!

Rearranging furniture is probably my favorite decorating fix. It's easy, quick, and doesn't cost me a penny. I tend to get bored with a room if it stays looking the same for a long time, so I find myself rearranging and changing up accessories a lot. (I once even dreamt all night about rearranging my furniture. Strange, yes.) You wouldn't wear the same outfit day after day, so why should your home have to look the same day after day, month after month, year after year?

I spent a little time this morning and went "shopping" in my own house to see what I could find. I decided to switch out my old bedside table (which you can read about here) for this chippy white desk.



Remember when I bought it back in April, intending to use it in our spare bedroom/office? (Go here!) Well, we rarely ever use that room so it sat in there lonesome and neglected and let's face it, it's just too darn cute for that! I'm loving the change- the extra table space on my side of the bed is very nice.

I also bought a rug for that unused room (way back when) and it, as well, went unused. So I brought that into the bedroom too.



Ahh, our feet will be so happy now!

So where did the old nightstand go you ask? Follow me!



It's now happily serving us as a small entryway table! I used to come home everyday, walk in the door, and have nowhere to plop my purse, keys, sunglasses, mail, etc. Problem solved!

So our spare bedroom/office is pretty much empty now, but that's just fine. My husband has sort of claimed it as his man cave, so he can do with it what he wants. :)