tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81223209638801610402024-03-13T06:37:12.178-04:00Still Keeping On The Narrow WayAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.comBlogger156125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-32939955121635316932015-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:002015-01-30T07:00:04.492-05:00A Valentine Spark<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully I'm coming out of the January slump I've been in. I spent the day sprucing up the house for Valentine's Day and getting a little crafty. It's a start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started with the shelf in the kitchen. I decided to use the </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/02/an-easy-valentine-banner.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">heart banner</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that I made last year and it just kind of went from there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I find that as I "steal" items from one part of the house, then I work on filling in that empty space. So often it is total chaos as I move things around. For example, I took the ironstone pitcher with greenery in it from off the TV cabinet and moved it to the kitchen shelf. Once I got things how I wanted them on the shelf, I moved back to the living room to work on the TV cabinet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent a little time working on this little chalkboard that I made a couple years ago from a plastic "silver" tray from the Dollar Tree. I kept it simple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent some time making a new banner for the living room. I had a couple banner kits from Target and I just personalized them with my own hugs and kisses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's very simple, but I have to admit.....I kind of love it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So then I just went around the rest of the room sprinkling some red and some hearts here and there</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm happy for something a little different. You know how I love to change things up around here. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How about you? Do you feel like you're finally breaking out of the January doldrums? Got any Valentine décor going on?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you'd like to see our house decked out for Valentine's Day last year, you can click <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/02/paint-house-red-valentines-day-decor.html">HERE</a>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-54723629192799796002015-01-16T12:34:00.000-05:002015-01-16T12:43:37.739-05:00Filling Up The Creative TankHello Friends!<br />
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I've been wanting to post something here to show you that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I wanted to tell you that I was making great progress on one of my <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2015/01/new-year-home-goals.html">2015 home goals</a>. But nothing has even been started, sadly. (I even thought of a couple more things that I forgot to put on the list!) I woke up with a cold on Monday morning that has thrown me, my energy, and my creativity for a loop. I even tried this morning to come up with a <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/search/label/Four%20Things%20For%20Friday">Four Things For Friday</a> post....but I didn't even have enough for that! <br />
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What is it about January? I find that all I really want to do is wrap up with a blanket and something warm to drink and just TRY to keep warm. I think that all the creativity that I use to make Christmas special just totally zaps my "creativity tank" too.<br />
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I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. (Read <a href="http://sally-drinkingfrommysaucer.blogspot.com/2015/01/friday-farrago-11615.html">Sal's post</a> today!)<br />
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Maybe January is just meant to be a refueling time. 'Ya think?<br />
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One thing that is helping me refuel is the free course that <a href="http://www.jeanneoliverdesigns.com/">Jeanne Oliver</a> is offering on her site called <a href="http://jeanneoliver.ning.com/group/becoming-the-unfolding-of-you">Becoming | The Unfolding Of You</a>.<br />
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This course (and I use that term loosely, because it's really just a video series....you can watch at your convenience, no homework) has been a blessing to me the last two weeks. There will be about 20 ladies sharing over 8 weeks. They each share in a video their story about becoming their unique self in Christ and then each one also shares a creative project video as well.<br />
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Here is a link to what Jeanne herself had to say about <a href="http://jeanneoliverdesigns.com/blog/2014/11/18/becoming-unfolding-free-study-starting-january/">Becoming | The Unfolding Of You.</a><br />
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If you are struggling through the month of January like I am, I think it will be such an encouragement to you.....both in your spiritual walk and in your creativity.<br />
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Today is the completion of Week Two, but it's not too late to jump right in because, as I said, you can watch whenever you like. There is no cost.(Thank you Jeanne!) You simply have to go to the site and register and then "JOIN" this specific course. It's that easy.<br />
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If you are feeling like your tank is a little empty right now, I hope you will take advantage of this wonderful resource!<br />
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You can even watch while wrapped up in a blanket, drinking a warm cup of something! Trust me, I know.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-49071153647107138272015-01-08T07:00:00.000-05:002015-01-08T07:00:02.515-05:00Playroom Update: The Furniture Story<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This little playroom update is LONG overdue. I've been wanting to share this story with you since around Thanksgiving time, but then the Christmas season arrived and it just didn't feel like the right time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So.....Back in the Fall, Hubster finally gave the official thumbs up to buying a new couch for the playroom. A couple days before Thanksgiving, he took the day off work and we made the two-hour trip to our closest IKEA store. I had IKEA's </span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79908555/#/S89046250"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ektorp love seat and chaise</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in my mind from the beginning of the playroom project and that's what we decided to go with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We left as soon as the kids were on the bus for school, made the drive, and arrived in plenty of time to get some 99 cent breakfast. That's Hubster's favorite part. And I don't mind starting the shopping adventure with that if it keeps him happy. Haha!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">My <a href="http://instagram.com/jillc12/">Instagram</a> photos help tell the story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After breakfast, we headed to the showroom floor. The sofas were all at the beginning of the IKEA trail (If you've been to an IKEA you know what I mean.) There was a group of employees in that area rearranging and setting up a new furniture display. I wanted to show Hubster a sample of the fabric cover I had chosen, but couldn't find it among the samples. I asked one of the employees about it and she kindly showed me a cushion from a sofa they had just moved out in that fabric (Nordvalla grey, by the way.) Hubster approved and we were directed to another employee who helped us order it. So, with a printout in hand of what we wanted to show the cashier, we were on our way along the trail to enjoy the rest of our shopping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I picked up a couple smaller things along the way and when we reached the checkout area, Hubster discovered the "as-is" area and wanted to take a look.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And there it was.....the Ektorp loveseat and chaise in Nordvalla grey that had just been brought down from upstairs where they were doing all the rearranging. It was still on a cart with all the cushions piled on top and hadn't been re-priced yet. We approached the gentleman working in that area about it and he went off to check what the marked-down price would be. In the meantime while we waited, Hubster sat down on a </span><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90251659/#/40273102"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strandmon wing chair in Skiftebo orange</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that was also marked down. I had been considering this chair for the playroom as well, but figured we could only afford the couch right now. I mentioned it to Hubster. Then the man came back and told us the price of the Ektorp. With as much as each piece was reduced, we could get both for less than what we were planning on paying for just the couch! We gave both pieces a good look-over to make sure they were in good shape and everything looked good. The decision was made. It was pretty much a no-brainer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Except for the fact that we had to figure out a way to get them both home in our mini-van.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hmmm. I was skeptical, but Hubster was confident we could do it. (I love that man!) Even the guy whose job it is to help people load their purchases into their vehicle expressed his concern that it would fit. But Hubster was not discouraged! He managed to cram both in and we headed for home!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xBQj_R-pXKI/VKg_KCO9ChI/AAAAAAAAC7A/dDvAs0edur8/s1600/2015%2BIKEA%2Btrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xBQj_R-pXKI/VKg_KCO9ChI/AAAAAAAAC7A/dDvAs0edur8/s1600/2015%2BIKEA%2Btrip.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are STILL so beside ourselves at what a great deal we got and are really happy with our purchase. I have always loved the idea of having a sectional, but in a room this size it was just not practical, so the Ektorp loveseat with chaise is a perfect alternative.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And an orange chair!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know....isn't it awesome! Hehe!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Despite having been floor models, both pieces are in excellent condition with no wear. This makes me feel good about how the fabric will wear on them over time. (The fabric on the couch is amost like a grey denim.) I don't know how long IKEA keeps their furniture displays, but you know people had to be sitting in these things....trying them out, waiting for their wife to finish shopping. I mean, I know I do those things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another perk to buying floor models was that (even though we had to cram them in our van) they were already assembled. And on the Ektorp, the cover had already been steamed. I hear that those are a bear to handle straight out of the package.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are definitely using this room more. The Ektorp is especially comfy and I LOVE the chaise part. It is a nice quiet spot to read or watch TV by yourself. But honestly, there have been times when all five of us have been in this room watching football or something together. So it was a win, win, win situation for us and we are very happy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I still have a couple of loose ends that I want to tie up in this room though. I need to tackle window treatments. It's looking pretty blah at this point with only mini-blinds. I would also like to get one or two side tables, maybe a floor lamp, and something for on the wall over the chair....a mirror perhaps. But these things will all come in time. I'm not in a hurry now that the room is back to being comfortable and usable again.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-63460090358174530362015-01-05T07:00:00.000-05:002015-01-05T07:00:02.379-05:00New Year Home Goals<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy New Year everybody! I hope 2015 is off to a good start for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have had a wonderful post-Christmas week. Fortunately, Hubster was able to take off all the same days as the kid's school break, so we have all been together enjoying some down time. We've been playing games, watching, movies, sleeping in.... a little Christmas clean-up thrown in....no pressures, no place to be. It's been nice. Usually I'm ready for the break to be over and for the kid's to get back into their school routine. But we've had a good time and they've all been able to hold it together for the most part (for being out of our normal routine, that is huge.) So getting back to some "normalcy" today is coming just at the right time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The blogiverse is already abuzz with home goals, resolutions, and organization. I've had that on my mind too as I've packed all the Christmas away. But I must be honest. I'm not great at keeping resolutions, commitments, or whatever you want to call them. I'm not a resolution person or a "word of the year" person. Honestly, I just hate to fail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BUT......that doesn't mean I don't want to get organized and accomplish some home projects this year. I just need to take it at my own pace, not according to someone else's schedule. Change is hard for me so it's better if I take it in chunks instead of all in one fell swoop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have found that it is good to put some things in writing though. A couple years ago I went around our whole house, room by room, and really looked closely at it. I made a list of all the things I'd like to accomplish in each room, from small repairs that needed to be made, to painting projects, to big transformations. Surprisingly, when I look back over that list, we have accomplished a lot in our home. And some of the ideas of what I wanted to do and what my priorities were have changed in that time too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is my list of things I would like to accomplish in our home this year. My ideas may change, and more things may come up, but these are a few things that feel like priorities to me right now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>1.) De-clutter our main bathroom. </strong>We have a tall cupboard in our bathroom that, with the exception of two small drawers and a very small area under our sink, is our sole storage area. About two years ago, I emptied the whole thing out and implemented some organization. That has actually served us pretty well. It's just time to clear it out a bit and start fresh. It's not a huge project. I'm sure there are just some things that can be thrown away or rearranged. It just needs to be done. And while I'm at it, I also need to clean out those small drawers and find a better way to use that space. Hubster's goal is to do some major renovations in this bathroom this year. I would at least like to get it painted. We'll see if that happens, but having things more organized would help that project get off to a good start.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>2.) Reorganize and de-clutter our laundry area. </strong>I am fortunate to have my laundry area on our main floor. When we put on an addition about five years ago, we moved the laundry from the basement to a laundry "closet" in the mudroom. I had great intentions of getting this space more organized at the same time I took on the </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/finallythe-mudroom-closet-reveal.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mudroom closet</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> in late 2013. But that project took way longer than I thought it would and by the time it was completed, I was not ready to take on the laundry area. It mostly needs de-cluttering. I also need to move some things around. For example, I have a laundry basket on a high shelf that is for clothes the kids have outgrown and are ready to be given away. The basket tends to get full quickly and when it's full and hard to pull down, I tend to just toss items up there and hope they don't fall back down on my head. I need to find a better place for it so that it is easier to manage and so I am more likely to actually donate the stuff when it gets full. (Which reminds me. I also need to go through all the kids clothes and figure out what they have outgrown. Why can't they just stop growing?!?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>3.) The basement. </strong>Yes, the dreaded basement. This has been hanging over my head for years! But when I put away our Christmas decorations, I started working on getting things straightened around a little bit. I got Hubster to move a couple large shelves for me that made them more useful. I started to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It will still take a long time probably. And this is one of the areas that I just need to do in small chunks. But if I keep at it, it will get accomplished.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>4.) My son's bedroom. </strong>Since my son is unable to really keep his own room clean and organized due to his physical limitations, it pretty much falls to me. His room is a good size to accommodate his wheelchair and it has become a drop spot for me. It's easy to "hide" stuff there when company is coming, or to "temporarily store" things that I don't know what to do with or am not ready to tackle. Hubster also made some accommodations to his room and bathroom this year and some things just never were put right after that was all done. So the room really could use a good de-cluttering and deep cleaning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>5.) The playroom. </strong>This room was one of my main goals last year. It has come a LONG way, but there are just a couple loose ends that I would like to tie up to really finish up this room. More on the playroom later this week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>6.) Have our living room painted. </strong>We've been in our house for ten years now and the living room and bathroom are the only rooms that haven't been painted, I think. It REALLY needs it. Because of the high ceilings it will be a pretty big project. Hopefully I will be able to convince Hubster that this is too big for us to take on ourselves....but then there will be the cost. So we'll see.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's my list for now. And it may change. You just never know when things will come up that cause you to adjust your priorities. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how about you? Do you have goals for your home this year? I would love to hear about your plans!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-59985760335013599242014-12-29T10:38:00.001-05:002014-12-29T10:38:26.060-05:00Where The Wild Narcissus Grow<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did! Ours was filled with lots of family get-togethers.... good food, giggling cousins, playing games, fun presents. We also had a beautiful and meaningful Christmas Eve service celebrating and contemplating Jesus at His birth. It was a great Christmas!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, it's about time to wrap this year's Christmas celebration up. Soon the decorations will all come down. (We usually wait until New Year's Day around here.) </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I wanted to give you a funny little update on something you may have noticed was missing from my </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-christmas-home-tour-mudroom-and.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Christmas Home Tour.</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> If you remember, back in November I planted some </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-rebel-gardener-and-paperwhites-for.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paper white bulbs</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (also known as Narcissus.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I took the photos for the home tour, they were growing well, but didn't have any blooms yet. Since they weren't quite ready for their beauty shot, I left them out. I thought I would write a separate post when they bloomed and looked perfect like I had imagined. Remember <a href="http://www.stonegableblog.com/christmas-paperwhites/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">my inspiration</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That didn't quite happen though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two of the three containers grew and grew and eventually they each had two blooms....that's it. The other container was a little stunted and didn't grow very tall at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two grew so tall that I had to stake them up. And eventually they were even too tall for that!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess you could say that paper whites were a bit of a FAIL for me. I mean, they mostly grew, but I didn't get tons of blooms. We haven't had a whole lot of sunshine lately in northeast Ohio, so I wonder if that was part of the problem. I also read somewhere where you can add alcohol when you water them to keep them from growing too tall. But I will have to look into that a little bit more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So even though they didn't turn out as I planned in my head, I just have to laugh. And maybe we'll do better next year.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-37520816687195693972014-12-19T07:29:00.001-05:002014-12-24T08:03:55.098-05:00Merry Christmas<div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">I've so enjoyed sharing this Christmas season with you! Getting the house all decked is a lot of fun. Traditions are meaningful and remind us where we've come from. The time spent strengthening connections with family and friends is important.</span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> <a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TkpxTn5q8Rc/VJq5klkQ7lI/AAAAAAAAC5k/1lUqAIcqHa0/s640/blogger-image-1164569887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-TkpxTn5q8Rc/VJq5klkQ7lI/AAAAAAAAC5k/1lUqAIcqHa0/s640/blogger-image-1164569887.jpg"></a></div> </span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">But it all comes down to this.....</span></div><br><p style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><i>In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.</i> (Luke 2)</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Jesus, the Savior of the World, has been born!</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Emmanuel has come! God is with us!</p><p><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><i>Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!</i> (2 Corinthians 9:15)</span></font></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">Merry Christmas!!</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iCc0ZsKXO2I/VJq5o89vzSI/AAAAAAAAC5s/XD6EQ6utzMo/s640/blogger-image-873769606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-iCc0ZsKXO2I/VJq5o89vzSI/AAAAAAAAC5s/XD6EQ6utzMo/s640/blogger-image-873769606.jpg"></a></div><br><p></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-44762386048073979392014-12-18T07:00:00.000-05:002014-12-18T07:00:07.846-05:00Passing Down the Christmas Spirit: Part 2<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/12/passing-down-christmas-spirit-part-1.html">Part 1</a>, I told you a little bit about how the Christmas spirit was passed down to me from my maternal grandmother. Today, I want to tell you about my Dad's mother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll be really honest, I don't have many memories of Christmas shared with my paternal grandparents. You see, when I was very young, they became "snowbirds" and would spend winters in Florida. And eventually they moved there year-round. Most of my memories of them when I was very young are summertime memories of when they would come north and spend weeks with us at a time. Or when we would spend time in their summer cottage on Lake Erie in Canada.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A picture I took of my Grandparents, my parents, and my sister on a visit to Florida. About 1980.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I was so young, I'm pretty sure most of the Christmas memories I do have are in my mind because of photographs I've seen and stories that have been told.....like the one about the Christmas when my sister ate too much of Grandma's Christmas fudge and, well....you can just imagine how badly THAT turned out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so when I found these photos from Christmas at their house, I was delighted. What treasures!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyN5RzrtgEw/VJBC1_B8FQI/AAAAAAAAC4g/3aQNkd3gFUI/s1600/2014%2Bsisters%2B-%2B0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyN5RzrtgEw/VJBC1_B8FQI/AAAAAAAAC4g/3aQNkd3gFUI/s1600/2014%2Bsisters%2B-%2B0002.jpg" height="640" width="482" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my sister at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Christmas. I'm the short one.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9bzUMNNfaAk/VJBCyZzN9NI/AAAAAAAAC4I/gbi2dN62Gco/s1600/2014%2BGrandpa%2Band%2Bme%2B-%2B0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9bzUMNNfaAk/VJBCyZzN9NI/AAAAAAAAC4I/gbi2dN62Gco/s1600/2014%2BGrandpa%2Band%2Bme%2B-%2B0001.jpg" height="640" width="624" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, my Grandmother still managed to instill some Christmas spirit and memories into me, my sister, and our cousins. She did this through the special Christmas ornaments she hand-made for all of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have memories during visits to our house, of her sitting in front of her "program" (General Hospital) and constantly working with her hands. She loved sewing and crafting and was always trying new things. One of the results was the collection of ornaments she made for us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my tree I have snowmen,</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--L78gJOpphs/VJBC0XxCdsI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/ujvpKYwW-98/s1600/2014%2Bornament%2B-%2B4411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--L78gJOpphs/VJBC0XxCdsI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/ujvpKYwW-98/s1600/2014%2Bornament%2B-%2B4411.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">beaded bells,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and all the cousin's favorites....the felt chickens!</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G090wrY-_CQ/VJBC2Ip9PxI/AAAAAAAAC4k/R1xMsqyWzIg/s1600/2014%2Bornament%2B-%2B4418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-G090wrY-_CQ/VJBC2Ip9PxI/AAAAAAAAC4k/R1xMsqyWzIg/s1600/2014%2Bornament%2B-%2B4418.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last Christmas, one of us (I can't remember who) posted a picture of one of Grandma's chickens on their tree on Facebook. What unfolded was so sweet. We began talking about our ornaments and memories of Grandma making them. One cousin even shared how they always have a "Grandma tree" at their house.....a small tree that holds only those special ornaments made by her. Isn't that great?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole Facebook conversation made me think about how blessed I am to have had the influence of Grandparents in my life and what a heritage they have given us. I sit here with tears in my eyes writing about it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my Grandma also passed down her Christmas spirit to me. Maybe not in the memories of Christmases spent together, but when I place those ornaments on the tree each year, I'm reminded of how important her family was to her and how much she loved each one of us. That is a true blessing indeed.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-19417673331784286122014-12-15T07:55:00.000-05:002014-12-15T07:55:49.074-05:002014 Christmas Home Tour: In The Kitchen<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Monday! As promised, I'm bringing you the second part of my Christmas home tour today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C'mon in to the kitchen!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The table is set for Christmas breakfast.....which is really kind of funny. We have never sat down as a family for a big Christmas breakfast....ever! With celebrating our own family Christmas at home and then preparing to make the rounds to both Grandparents', we usually wind up having a quick Christmas cookie or maybe something leftover from our Christmas Eve gathering. But I wanted to set a pretty table for you today.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the last couple years I have fallen in love with these Better Homes & Gardens Christmas dishes from WalMart. Each year I've collected a few more pieces. This is the first year that, mixed in with my other china, I have enough to set a whole table</span>. <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are several different Christmas-y scenes on the salad plates.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a secret about my "tablecloth." I actually used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper to create my own tablecloth. Who has the money for those pricey ones that you only use once a year? It was a simple project.....well, except for having to wield an unruly roll of paper....and that whole "measure twice, cut once" thing. But really, I just rolled the paper out, taped it down in a couple spots to hold it secure while I traced around the oval shape of my table, and then cut it out. I even made a runner for my table. I loved the script paper I found in the Target Spot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For my centerpiece, I used these fun red house lanterns that I got for 80% off at Target after Christmas last year. I surrounded them with some faux greenery and pinecones. Cute!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The shelf above our table doesn't look that much different than last year. But a new addition is the platter that is part of the BH&G dishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My kitchen cart even got a quick little holiday makeover!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And it's all against the background of our December calendar on the chalkboard wall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over on the other side of the kitchen there are some Christmas touches as well....fresh and faux greenery mixed with some ironstone and pretty dishes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you enjoyed my little tour today. If you missed it, you can also check out </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/12/2014-christmas-home-tour-mudroom-and.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part 1</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of this year's Christmas home tour. And last year's home tour is </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-traditions-at-our-house.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thanks for stopping by and Merry Christmas!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-46017124947426743502014-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:002014-12-12T07:00:07.833-05:00A Quick Christmas Wreath Re-Do<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year I posted about how</span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/four-things-for-friday-122013.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> one of our traditions</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> is to put up Christmas lights inside and outside the house. Well, I'm just going to be honest here folks.....unfortunately it ain't happening this year. <sad face> With the combination of a late Thanksgiving, lots of family birthdays, a wedding, and sick kids home from school, the time has gotten away from me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did manage to get a Christmas wreath put up on the door. I love this frosted berry wreath. I've had it for a few years and with the lighted garland and mini trees that I usually put out on the porch it looks fine. But all by itself it looks a little lonely and said, don't you think?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other day when I was supposed to be Christmas shopping at Target, I found this cute Christmas sign. I knew I could do something with it, so I brought it home. This was the perfect project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I gathered together my wreath, the sign, and some burlap ribbon I already had at home.</span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ten minutes later, my wreath was transformed into this.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A wreath that can stand alone on the door.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-37981640545302204852014-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:002014-12-10T07:06:23.660-05:002014 Christmas Home Tour: The Mudroom And Living Room<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings and welcome to the first part of my Christmas home tour! I took so many photos that I decided to divide up my tour. Today we'll look at the mudroom and living room and next week I'll show you the kitchen.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kX71kCPeuGw/VIMKjRMIGFI/AAAAAAAAJ08/s8g0BoRN9Kk/s1600/Link-party-holiday-house-walk-tag.jpg"><img alt="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kX71kCPeuGw/VIMKjRMIGFI/AAAAAAAAJ08/s8g0BoRN9Kk/s1600/Link-party-holiday-house-walk-tag.jpg" border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fopq3wbk5dA/VIdrnoSm9EI/AAAAAAAAC0I/sNfrOMQQrTY/s1600/Link-party-holiday-house-walk-tag-250x250.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">If you're here for the first time...welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm so excited to be joining <a href="http://www.jenniferrizzo.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Link-party-holiday-house-walk-tag-250x250.jpg">Jennifer Rizzo's Holiday House Walk link party</a>. Did you see all the amazing homes in last week's House Walk? Oh my! Such inspiration! Make sure to take a look at all the other amazing home tours that are being linked up this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now normally I would off you a hot beverage when you arrive. And today....everyone gets a squirt of hand sanitizer on the way out as well. Ha! Yep, I have sick kiddos at home this week. Fever, stuffy noses, coughing.....blech! Seems that there is a bug going around their whole school district. Having the kids home made my little Christmas photo shoot a bit of a challenge as well. I'm quite sure you didn't want to see kids bundled up on the couch or thermometers and medication taking up room on the kitchen counter. But I did my best!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So let's start with our mudroom!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love these little trees that I purchased at Target a couple years ago. I use them differently each year. This time I "planted" one in an old galvanized bucket and dressed it up with some burlap and ribbon. You'll see another one in my kitchen in the second part of my tour.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's move into the living room. I love tradition and I use most of my decorations from year to year in different ways, with maybe something new thrown in. This year I used a lot of the ironstone that I've accumulated over the last few months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I also generously used fresh greens from our back yard. I MAY have gone a little overboard....NAH!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As much as I enjoy seeing other homes decorated with non-traditional colors or neutrals, I love to decorate with the traditional colors. I always find myself drawn to some black and white with pops of red, real or faux greenery, and a little bit of sparkle as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our mantel and hearth are pretty much the same as last year. I did add a couple little ironstone syrup pitchers with some pine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also added these little chalkboard tags with our names to our stockings. You may remember seeing them on my Thanksgiving table as name cards. After Thanksgiving they quickly made their way over to the stockings. I didn't even have to rewrite our names!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some more pine and ironstone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And our tree....covered with ornaments that mean so much to us because of the memories they hold.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's it for this part of the tour. Join me next week for a peek at my Christmas kitchen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can click </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-traditions-at-our-house.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for a look at my Christmas tour from last year too.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-29387819993866239292014-12-09T07:00:00.000-05:002014-12-09T07:00:04.124-05:00Passing Down The Christmas Spirit - Part 1<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think we've pretty much established that I love to decorate our home for Christmas. Some people look at it as a chore, some look at it as an expectation, and others choose not to do anything it at all. For me, it is a joy. (Not to say that I wasn't exhausted the other day when I was all done.) but I love doing it, I really do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also love to Christmas shop (although I am VERY behind this year.) I love to buy thoughtful gifts for people. I try really hard not to buy something for someone just for the sake of giving them a gift. I love to give gifts that are thought out based on what I know somebody really wants or needs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've said before that my parents always made Christmas special for us. From the tree to the decorations to the gifts to special times together with family and friends....as a kid, it was a magical time. I have wonderful memories of Christmases past. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over the years I've also realized that a lot of how I feel about the celebration of Christmas was passed down to me from my Gramma. (Yes, I know that's not how you spell it, but that's what she was. Not Grandma or Grandmaw....just my Gramma.) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She loved Christmas! It would actually all begin on Thanksgiving day. By then she had received the Sears and J.C. Penney Christmas catalogs in the mail. It was a given that we would write out a wish list for her to shop from. So my sister and I would pour over the catalogs and make our lists.....dog-earing pages, circling toys we hoped for, writing down sizes. Then we would have to explain our list to Gramma, so she knew EXACTLY what she was looking for when she went to the store. We didn't have extravagant Christmases. We didn't get everything on the list. But what we received from our grandparents came directly from those lists we made because Gramma knew it was our hearts desire (at least for that year anyways) and she loved to make us feel special.</span><br />
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<em><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">(I'm sure my mom has lots of pictures of Christmases past with Gramma, but this is the only one I could find that I had. It made me laugh though because this was so typical. Gramma was down on the floor, making sure all the grandchildren's gifts were passed out.)</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And the house would be decorated too. Usually it was the same decorations that were pulled out, including the many ceramic figures that Gramma had painted. There was a Santa that played "Jingle Bells," and a set of carolers, amongst others. Every year she would buy a new ornament or two to add to the tree. Part of the tradition was that when we arrived at their house we had search the tree to find the new ornaments for that year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She also did a lot of baking and bought lots of candy for Christmas. It was also tradition that on Christmas Day, it was my and my sisters job to arrange all the cookies and candy in special Christmas dishes that she had also painted in ceramics class. Maybe that is why I love Christmas dishes so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We would have a big Christmas meal and the main dish was roast beef. Always. (And I've discovered over the years, that is not common.) Gramma would send Grampa to the meat market (not the big chain grocery store) ....where they knew the butchers by name....to buy the roast for Christmas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a lot of traditions and it was always very special. Gramma put her heart into every detail. She passed down her spirit of Christmas to everyone in our family. I miss her often, but never so much as at Christmastime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And so I do what I do at Christmas, not to try to impress anyone or because I feel like I have to. I do it because I love my family. I was given a great gift from my parents and grandparents and I hope that someday my children will realize that I passed the Christmas spirit on to them as well.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-34710938889712179062014-12-03T07:52:00.004-05:002014-12-03T07:52:31.029-05:00The December Chalkboard Calendar: It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday I decided that since it was December 2nd, I'd better get started on the December calendar for the chalkboard. So in the morning, I erased November. And then I stood there and looked at the blank wall. And nothing came to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I decided the best thing to do was to walk away and come back when I was feeling a bit more inspired. I really loved </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-december-calendar.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the December calendar from last year</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and I wanted to make this one special too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the boys came home from school the wall was still blank and they commented how "weird" it looked. As soon as everybody was settled in with a snack and doing homework, I tried again. I looked on my </span><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/stillkeeping/chalkboard-love/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Chalkboard Love</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> board on Pinterest for some inspiration. I tried to copy a couple things and it just wasn't working. I needed to do my own thing, and....FINALLY....it all started to come together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I present to you.....the December chalkboard calendar.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy December! It's the most WONDERFUL time of the year!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-18069266482957370072014-12-02T09:49:00.001-05:002014-12-02T09:49:43.322-05:00Moving Forward With A Clean SlateHello lovely readers! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hopefully were able to enjoy an extended weekend.<br />
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We had a wonderful day! Grandma and Grandpa came over, we feasted on good food, played cards, and watched a movie. What a blessing!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday was a nice, relaxing day. No crazy Black Friday shopping for me! Nope! This girl stayed in her p.j.'s. All. Day. Long. Hubster did his job of putting the Christmas tree up and putting on all the lights. I spent most of the day removing all the pumpkins and signs of Fall....which left THIS.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....a clean, neutral slate to welcome Christmas décor with! Hurray!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yesterday the kids were still off from school, so we had an extra bonus day at home. I spent a good bit of time trimming the tree. I also pulled a couple Christmas things out for the kitchen. It's a process for me. So things will start to take shape over the next few days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a busy week ahead. Hubster's birthday is on Thursday. Then I will be preparing to celebrate our oldest son's (16th!) birthday with family this weekend. So that will include some cooking, cleaning, and shopping. I hope to get some Christmas spirit tossed about the house too. Because, as you can see, except for the tree, it's pretty boring in here right now. But it's good to have a clean slate to start with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm excited to share this season with you! I have post ideas swirling around in my head.....kind of like visions of sugarplums. Hopefully next week I'll be sharing Christmas décor with you. I have a couple posts I want to share about Christmases when I was growing up. And I still haven't told you about the adventure that Hubster and I went on last week! I can't wait to share THAT story! Let's just say it involves the playroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I hope you will choose to come hang out with me this Christmas season as we prepare to celebrate the greatest Gift given to this world!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-17678881842400914432014-11-24T09:09:00.002-05:002014-11-24T09:09:09.666-05:00This And That And Giving Thanks <div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Time sure is flying, isn't it? Thanksgiving week is already upon us! I have a busy few days ahead, so I thought I'd better check in here with a post before the week gets away from me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First up, a little update on my </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-rebel-gardener-and-paperwhites-for.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">paperwhites</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> They are pretty amazing to watch actually. The bulbs look like they're just thrown into the dirt, but when you look more closely, you can see how strongly rooted they really are. They seem to grow every day. In a few short weeks, I should have beautiful blooms. I'm excited!</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q0JidWHypA4/VHM5qmZkQpI/AAAAAAAACwc/2y_vyBRXUWs/s1600/2014%2BPaperwhites%2Bgrowing%2B-%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q0JidWHypA4/VHM5qmZkQpI/AAAAAAAACwc/2y_vyBRXUWs/s1600/2014%2BPaperwhites%2Bgrowing%2B-%2B1.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm also excited that my dear Hubster is taking a couple extra vacation days this week. We are going on a little adventure tomorrow that I'm looking forward to and Wednesday, we will be doing some preparations for Thanksgiving. Of course I'll be making</span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-thanksgiving-recipe-sweet-potato.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> my favorite sweet potato recipe</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. YUM!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Friday </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-traditions-at-our-house-tree.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the tree</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> goes up! Yikes! And Saturday, we have a wedding to attend.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also wanted to let you know that I'm trying to use Instagram a bit. I haven't gotten around to adding a link here yet, but you can follow me @ </span><a href="http://instagram.com/jillc12"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jillc12</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> if you'd like .</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have so much to be thankful for this year. God has been so faithful to me. I'm so grateful that in all the ups and downs of life that HE never changes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving and that you are able to take time out of the busyness of the season to consider all you have to be thankful for.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-50411991128405190012014-11-14T08:31:00.001-05:002014-11-14T08:31:02.852-05:00Setting The Table For Thanksgiving<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year I will be hosting my family for Thanksgiving and yesterday I decided to do my table's dress rehearsal. I love puttering around, mixing and matching, and grabbing things from around my home to make a pretty table</span>.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I fell in love with Lauren's table over at </span><a href="http://www.theendearinghome.com/2014/11/05/thanksgiving-tablescape/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Endearing Home</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">....especially the beautiful Thanksgiving napkins she found at Pier 1. They were a bit of a splurge, but I kept reminding myself of all the "fraying" Mom and I did for napkins for my Easter table....so I went for it. Thankfully, they were on sale and I had a coupon, so that helped. And they were the only thing new that I purchased for the table. Everything else I already had.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt-M9RxZPWM/VGX-Te4Y1LI/AAAAAAAACvo/WgekiPqBy5o/s1600/20141112_131657_PerfectlyClear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt-M9RxZPWM/VGX-Te4Y1LI/AAAAAAAACvo/WgekiPqBy5o/s1600/20141112_131657_PerfectlyClear.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So the napkins were the jumping off point and I knew they would look nice with my black and white dishes. I never intended to use the turquoise dishes though. We could have as many as eleven for Thanksgiving dinner, and I so I started experimenting with different place setting combinations so I would have enough for everyone. That's when I started pulling out the turquoise. And as I looked around my home, I started finding more....first the Ball jars (fancy, I know), and then the candlesticks and tray....and it all started coming together. Once I had that all in place, I started contemplating adding some Fall colors, but I decided to keep it simple with just a wire basket filled with pinecones.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are the three different place settings I came up with. The clothespin chalkboard tags I used for place cards came from Target (okay, so I did purchase those too. I forgot.) You can see the details of the napkins better in these photos too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If everyone does wind up coming, we will set up another table for the kids. I love Thanksgiving! The good food and time spent with family is special. I love when there's a chill in the air and everyone is just content to stay inside and spend time together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last year, I wrote a post about </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/our-thanksgiving-traditions.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">our Thanksgiving traditions</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> if you'd like to read about that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And if you need more inspiration for your holiday table, here's </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-thanksgiving-table.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Thanksgiving table I put together last year</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.....just for you!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-19058985734870483862014-11-10T09:45:00.000-05:002014-11-10T09:45:31.559-05:00A Rebel Gardener And Paperwhites For Christmas<div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a confession to make. Halloween was only a little more than a week ago, Thanksgiving is still a couple weeks away, but I've got the Christmas bug. I know, I know....bad, bad, bad!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I blame it on the boys in my family. One son has a birthday next week, and my other son and Hubster have theirs in the beginning of December. I start shopping early and have thoughts about what gift ideas will be for their birthdays and what will be for Christmas. And you know what happens when you get in the stores this time of year. You get bit by the Christmas bug....at least I do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So on Friday I succumbed to the bug and bought some Christmas decorations. It was out of necessity though...really! Last year I fell in love with Yvonne from Stone Gable's paperwhites at Christmas time. I knew when this year rolled around I wanted to try my hand at them. The thing is, paperwhites take about six weeks to grow and bloom. So if I wanted them to bloom by Christmas, this was the week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aren't they beautiful? Make sure you check out the </span><a href="http://www.stonegableblog.com/"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stone Gable</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> blog when you get a chance. Yvonne has created such a gracious home. It's really lovely.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here's where the rebel part comes in....since I pretty much have a brown thumb, and I'm all about being frugal, I bought paperwhite kits at WalMart rather than going to the garden center and purchasing bulbs and dirt or rocks like I'm pretty sure Yvonne did. (Did I mention how precious my time is to me too?)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's actually a good deal and super easy. For five dollars, each kit comes with 4 bulbs, a pot (although I chose to use my own pretty containers....more rebellion), and potting medium.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r_4RZuVd7fM/VGC8SISR4ZI/AAAAAAAACuQ/9DV5Gw_RGE0/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2B%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r_4RZuVd7fM/VGC8SISR4ZI/AAAAAAAACuQ/9DV5Gw_RGE0/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2B%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4132.jpg" height="482" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You place</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the 1-inch potting medium disc in your container, add water, and in about a half hour your disc expands and fills the whole pot. It's pretty impressive!</span> </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM0KN6hem4/VGC8XBxlmvI/AAAAAAAACuY/8ldoYd6kV40/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeM0KN6hem4/VGC8XBxlmvI/AAAAAAAACuY/8ldoYd6kV40/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4126.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once all the water is absorbed, you can "fluff up" the soil a bit and then you can place your bulbs, sprout side up and root side down, in it. The bulbs don't need to be deep. From what I've read, the dirt is just to hold the bulbs upright so the roots can grow deep and gather nutrients from the water. Some folks don't actually use dirt at all, but simply place the bulbs in pretty stones.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QXJ0aQ9sw7U/VGC8byI36CI/AAAAAAAACug/utFSjO5gdPw/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4142.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QXJ0aQ9sw7U/VGC8byI36CI/AAAAAAAACug/utFSjO5gdPw/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4142.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So....hopefully I will have gorgeous paperwhites for Christmas. I'm crossing my fingers and my brown thumbs too. I'll let you know how it goes.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWdYwV6jygY/VGC8fOUQGYI/AAAAAAAACuo/qeOiO2NHuGs/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JWdYwV6jygY/VGC8fOUQGYI/AAAAAAAACuo/qeOiO2NHuGs/s1600/2014%2BPlanting%2BPaperwhites%2B-%2B4149.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll leave you with a couple more displays of paperwhites to inspire you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, they were planted in a silver urn and incorporated into a beautiful hot cocoa bar</span>.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6eMw0fiXj6o/VGC_d_f535I/AAAAAAAACu0/dYFFq5V1NYA/s1600/sNovember_893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6eMw0fiXj6o/VGC_d_f535I/AAAAAAAACu0/dYFFq5V1NYA/s1600/sNovember_893.jpg" height="640" width="436" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/hot-chocolate-bar-and-new-chalkboard.html">source</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Flanking a staircase.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQyKpYS65tQ/VGDN9sENaXI/AAAAAAAACvU/joVPAAYtskc/s1600/christmas-bulbs-s3-medium_new.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQyKpYS65tQ/VGDN9sENaXI/AAAAAAAACvU/joVPAAYtskc/s1600/christmas-bulbs-s3-medium_new.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/christmas-floral-accent-narcissus">source</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aren't these a sweet little favor for a Christmas dinner?</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pfWFJrX2MG8/VGDB_IPLJrI/AAAAAAAACu8/acRjYrZQNgs/s1600/2012-12-16_023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pfWFJrX2MG8/VGDB_IPLJrI/AAAAAAAACu8/acRjYrZQNgs/s1600/2012-12-16_023.jpg" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/2012/12/18/paperwhite-christmas-party-favors/">source</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Planting them in a jelly or mason jar makes for a cute little gift too!</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YCudPruDmn4/VGDDPQ6GQLI/AAAAAAAACvE/YYu6dSLidiM/s1600/53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YCudPruDmn4/VGDDPQ6GQLI/AAAAAAAACvE/YYu6dSLidiM/s1600/53.jpg" height="612" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://domaphile.com/2011/12/24/diy-holiday/">source</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope you all have a great Monday!</span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-25752848812756263962014-11-04T08:56:00.001-05:002014-11-04T09:01:43.135-05:00November Is Here!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's hard to believe that we have already flipped our calendars over to November! The weatherman is already predicting cold and snowy days in the near future. Our calendar is filling up with birthdays to celebrate, doctor's appointments, days off school, a wedding to attend, and of course <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/11/our-thanksgiving-traditions.html">Thanksgiving</a>.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The kids are already getting excited about putting up </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-traditions-at-our-house-tree.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the Christmas Tree</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. But it seems to me like we just took it down a couple weeks ago!</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82vahOGORGs/VFjXdk76N2I/AAAAAAAACtw/i9Frdewm9uI/s1600/2014%2BNovember%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-82vahOGORGs/VFjXdk76N2I/AAAAAAAACtw/i9Frdewm9uI/s1600/2014%2BNovember%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4098.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Back in the Summer, I wrote about <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/06/being-intentional-about-summer.html">being intentional</a>. This season of the year is also an important time to do that. It can become so busy with activities and things we THINK we have to do. It can become really easy to forget the importance of and the reasons why we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas if we aren't intentional about how we spend our time and what truths and memories we want to instill in our kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I've actually had the idea of making a "Holiday List" (incorporating both Thanksgiving and Christmas) to try and focus our attention. We'll see how that goes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">What are YOU doing to prepare for the last two months of 2014? (Yikes, I can't believe I said that!)</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gGy8FjrP6xg/VFjaAIrklmI/AAAAAAAACt4/YnkNYe5QpvY/s1600/2014%2BNovember%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gGy8FjrP6xg/VFjaAIrklmI/AAAAAAAACt4/YnkNYe5QpvY/s1600/2014%2BNovember%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4116.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-53900657725673526392014-10-31T09:26:00.001-04:002014-10-31T09:26:23.425-04:00Playroom Gallery Wall<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been gathering items for a gallery wall in the playroom for a little while now. Yesterday I finally took the time to put it all together.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rDAz5mMNGw/VFOHF-Y10MI/AAAAAAAACtM/_Ktylo1ros0/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rDAz5mMNGw/VFOHF-Y10MI/AAAAAAAACtM/_Ktylo1ros0/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4063.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I had a good idea of where I wanted things to go, but I still decided to use the paper layout technique to preview it first. This worked great, especially since I marked all the hanger points so I knew where to put the nails. A tip though....don't outline your gallery items with pencil. I wound up with lots of graphite smears on the wall. Not a big deal, but just a little tip for you.</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Iqz7bhU-6Q/VFOGHD7b5VI/AAAAAAAACtE/Q-Z_-xHhvYA/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Iqz7bhU-6Q/VFOGHD7b5VI/AAAAAAAACtE/Q-Z_-xHhvYA/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4051.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks ago, I purchased some inexpensive vintage state postcards on eBay. I matted them myself using some manila folders I had laying around. They were framed in $2 frames from WalMart. So as wall art goes, they were a pretty cheap project.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsPm23MtOlU/VFOHKx-rh8I/AAAAAAAACtU/DxuNV0yXITQ/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsPm23MtOlU/VFOHKx-rh8I/AAAAAAAACtU/DxuNV0yXITQ/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4064.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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The Empire State Building and Eiffel Tower canvases were Hobby Lobby finds.</div>
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And here's what I did on the other side of the door to the kitchen.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fgS-YwXozf8/VFOIxREpuZI/AAAAAAAACtc/RERW1P6g-Ls/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4083.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fgS-YwXozf8/VFOIxREpuZI/AAAAAAAACtc/RERW1P6g-Ls/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4083.jpg" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The "It Is Well With My Soul" (one of my most favorite hymns) wooden sign was a clearance deal at Hobby Lobby a few months ago and the big letter is from there as well. The clock is a special as it was made by Hubster for his grandparents when he was 16 years old. He didn't believe I would use it, but I knew it would make him happy. Plus, it helps personalize the space a little bit.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fXtIIuxnbUs/VFOI0zPicsI/AAAAAAAACtk/Qg9yr1ZT1a0/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4077.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fXtIIuxnbUs/VFOI0zPicsI/AAAAAAAACtk/Qg9yr1ZT1a0/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BGallery%2BWall%2B-%2B4077.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there you have it....another playroom project completed this week. Yeah!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-68289200381125512592014-10-28T10:41:00.000-04:002014-10-28T10:41:09.397-04:00Playroom Update: What's Goin' On?<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hey look.....it's a post from me! I know, I know. I've been a little MIA the last couple weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what have I been doing lately....well, besides watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix (Can you say "addicted!"?) and killing all the mums I bought to decorate for Fall? You know....all those real life things....parenting three special needs teenagers, school activities, church activities, family activities, holding down the fort while husband is on business trip. It's been my occupation for quite some time now, but I've officially given myself the title of "Person Who Holds Down The Fort." I'm a Fort Holder Downer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the last couple days I haven't needed to hold on quite so tightly to the fort, so I've been working on some details in the playroom. This is what I consider the fun stuff.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rV7w2NqoKQ/VE-kdZ8wrpI/AAAAAAAACsU/lMzC6vMXbYY/s1600/2014%2BIKEA%2BKallax%2Bwith%2BTarget%2Bbaskets%2B-%2B4035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rV7w2NqoKQ/VE-kdZ8wrpI/AAAAAAAACsU/lMzC6vMXbYY/s1600/2014%2BIKEA%2BKallax%2Bwith%2BTarget%2Bbaskets%2B-%2B4035.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've been trying to track down some baskets I like for in the new Kallax shelves. I didn't know they'd be so difficult to find....or so expensive. After looking in several stores and online, I had resigned myself to the fact that the least costly option was to wait until the next trip to IKEA (who knows when that will be) and purchase the ones they have. I wasn't too excited about that option because, 1.) I wasn't completely in love with them, and B.) We all know I'm not good at waiting. :-)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But last week I came across these baskets at Target. I can't believe I hadn't seen them sooner! I used Target's Cartwheel app (Have you tried it yet? It's great!) and was able to get them at 15% off, so they wound up being less expensive than the ones at IKEA.....and I like them better. So, two days and 4 Target stores later, I finally have six baskets to fill the cubbies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm excited about the extra storage that I'm gaining with these shelves. Three of these baskets already hold all my candles that were taking over a closet. Yep, three baskets.....one for pillars, one for jar candles, and one for Christmas candles. I lined the bottom of the them with parchment paper to protect the candles from the rough basket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Besides the baskets, I've been trying to gather some fun wall art and accessories. I'll share more details on all that when the room is more complete.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's what's going on around here. It's a slow process, but that's okay.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-29750997546832208552014-10-08T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-08T07:00:07.976-04:00The October Calendar<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, after all that painting last weekend, I finally got to the October chalkboard calendar. I know, I'm a little behind. The kids kept reminding me of that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I DO honestly miss the calendar when it isn't up to date....besides all the extra math I have to do to figure out dates based on the previous month. Ha!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay, so now we're good....for the next three and a half weeks anyways.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_eiFoYHz28/VDQCBS9RQ5I/AAAAAAAACsE/ECzSZBAMoPo/s1600/2014%2BOctober%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v_eiFoYHz28/VDQCBS9RQ5I/AAAAAAAACsE/ECzSZBAMoPo/s1600/2014%2BOctober%2BChalkboard%2BCalendar%2B-%2B4020.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-29681801263350647062014-10-06T09:11:00.001-04:002014-10-06T09:14:07.445-04:00A Playroom Update<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Monday morning everyone! I hope you had a great weekend!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ours was....I'm tired of saying "busy," so I'm going to say "full."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It actually started on Friday when Hubster took a day off from work to help me....you won't even believe it....PAINT THE PLAYROOM!!!! Hooray!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We worked hard on Friday. Hubster continued to work like a dog on Saturday while I went and watched our daughter run in her cross country meet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sunday morning we had our normal church activities. After church we celebrated this guy's <a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-season-of-celebration.html">Gotcha Day</a>. It's been fourteen years! FOURTEEN! I can still remember the excitement mixed with panic when they first placed him in my arms in that Kolkata hotel room and I became his Mom. He has come such a long way since then. And my, how the time flies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(He loved that Dad picked him up a crown at Burger King. He wore it until he went to bed last night.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So back to the playroom.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I would give you a little update about what was accomplished over the weekend.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngEqKLnTwR0/VDKLx-4negI/AAAAAAAACq4/RgcWklFIW7I/s1600/2014%2BPlay%2BRoom%2BSW%2BSea%2BSalt%2B-%2B3974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngEqKLnTwR0/VDKLx-4negI/AAAAAAAACq4/RgcWklFIW7I/s1600/2014%2BPlay%2BRoom%2BSW%2BSea%2BSalt%2B-%2B3974.jpg" height="438" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gV8foUfQUWM/VDKPhdDDA1I/AAAAAAAACrY/jvfW8A3VSW4/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BUpdate%2B-%2B3983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gV8foUfQUWM/VDKPhdDDA1I/AAAAAAAACrY/jvfW8A3VSW4/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BUpdate%2B-%2B3983.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, we had to finish cleaning the room out a little bit. Then we got to the painting (SW Sea Salt. You can read my process in choosing this color </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/08/finding-perfect-paint-color-for-playroom.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/08/playroom-update-sampling-paint-colors.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">HERE</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can see, we also took a big step (for us) and painted the doors "black." The color is actually a very, very deep brown, Fired Earth by Valspar.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It took a little convincing for Hubster to see the vision, but we're both really happy with how they turned out. There are three doors....our front entry door (which hardly gets used), a bedroom door, and this coat closet door. On Friday, we also went out to Lowe's and purchased a new door for the closet. The original door didn't match the others, plus it had been painted over a couple times and wasn't in the greatest shape.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here are the before and after photos.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Saturday, Hubster finished painting the trim, </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cleaned the carpet, and put together</span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-road-trip-to-ikea-and-playroom-update.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the IKEA Kallax shelves that I purchased back in June.</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I told you he worked like a dog!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I can't wait to fill up these cubbies and make them look pretty. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I found this wall art at Hobby Lobby a while back at 50% off. I thought the cheerful colors would be perfect for this room. Plus, the kids love maps so it's perfect.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aCiew0yIROk/VDKPwkOwCaI/AAAAAAAACro/9lfMqr8zuEc/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BWall%2BArt%2B-%2B3985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aCiew0yIROk/VDKPwkOwCaI/AAAAAAAACro/9lfMqr8zuEc/s1600/2014%2BPlayroom%2BWall%2BArt%2B-%2B3985.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obviously, we still have some projects head of us. I'm thinking about what kind of window treatments I would like. And in the meantime, we are seriously considering replacing the windows in this room. There is a crack in one that has been there since we moved in (eleven years ago this month!) So hopefully we will get that taken care of before the weather gets too cold as it does cause a bit of a draft in the room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Plus, I'm still in negotiations with Hubster about a new couch and chair, so we'll see. The ones we currently have are still pretty sturdy. They were handed down form my in-laws, but we've had them going on twenty years and between three kids and a dog, they have seen better days. And I'm a little over the country blue plaid, you know what I mean? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So there's still a list of things to do before we can call this room "DONE," but I finally feel like we've made some progress.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-31377963570366781772014-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-03T07:00:01.191-04:00Beauty To Share<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The other day I made a trip to Trader Joe's. I love Trader Joe's. Do you? I have a weakness for their frozen food aisle. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, the closest store to me is about a half hour away. Every once in a while I get the urge to make the trip up there though. Another perk of going to this particular store are the beautiful flower beds and containers gracing the shopping center that it is in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though Fall has arrived, I was fortunate enough to catch their Summer flowers before they are spent. I don't know how they are able to keep them looking this good for so long. The only sign of Fall were the dried hydrangeas.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was a creative display. All the different plants are planted in little "pockets" on a wooden frame. I loved all the little houses</span>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trader Joe's own pumpkin displays outside the store looked lovely too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All the colors were just stunning and I wanted to share them with you. Have a great weekend!</span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-27243790596336999312014-10-02T07:00:00.000-04:002014-10-02T07:00:06.652-04:00Decorating The Porch For Fall 2014<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On Tuesday, I finally got our porch decorated for Fall. It was a rainy day though so I had to wait until yesterday to take some photos.</span> <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcv8KEf0hNI/VCxatVxGlLI/AAAAAAAACpE/5BPKu3BjYok/s1600/2014%2BFall%2Bporch%2B-%2B3935.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bcv8KEf0hNI/VCxatVxGlLI/AAAAAAAACpE/5BPKu3BjYok/s1600/2014%2BFall%2Bporch%2B-%2B3935.jpg" height="640" width="490" /></a></div>
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It's just a little different than last year's porch. I knew I wanted the leaf garlands to go all the way to the ground this year so I picked up a couple more this year.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg5x1ZWhtx0/VCxdHJvxPsI/AAAAAAAACpM/YnTfgO3Zhog/s1600/2014%2BFall%2Bporch%2B-%2B3956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hg5x1ZWhtx0/VCxdHJvxPsI/AAAAAAAACpM/YnTfgO3Zhog/s1600/2014%2BFall%2Bporch%2B-%2B3956.jpg" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The </span><a href="http://stillkeepingonline.blogspot.com/2013/09/presto-change-oa-fall-wreath.html"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">burlap wreath</span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that I made last year didn't stand up too well to the elements. But I found this fairly inexpensive corn husk wreath at my local craft store and just reused the sunflower picks from last year's wreath that I loved. And then I hung it with some wide burlap ribbon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought a large potted mum and put it in a galvanized bucket. I pulled this little stool out from our living room. Both the bucket and stool came from my grandparent's house. The stool was made by my great grandfather. And of course I added some pumpkins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love all the bright Autumn colors that welcome people to our home. Are you getting ready for Fall at your house?</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-66756475081050022872014-09-24T07:00:00.000-04:002014-09-24T09:40:47.601-04:00Fall Home Tour<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fall is officially here and the house is decked out in its Autumn glory! I love bringing these colors into my home for the season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">C'mon in and I'll show you around. Someone is taking a little nap, but he won't mind if you come in. Despite how it looks, he LOVES having guests.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's head into the kitchen first. I tried to tone down the orange this year, but I just couldn't help myself in the kitchen. I love using these preserved leaves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some mums in a basket for the table. They are a really inexpensive way to decorate the table for the season.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And some more mums grace the dresser.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved these green pumpkins that I found at Michael's</span>.</div>
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As usual, I kept the hearth area simple.</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I gave this guy some leaves to play in.</span></div>
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(Looks like someone decided to move to a more comfy spot.)</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, that's about it. I hope you enjoyed our little tour! Next week I'll have some porch décor for you. Stay tuned!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8122320963880161040.post-41008056146235766652014-09-23T08:18:00.000-04:002014-09-23T08:18:53.532-04:00A Sneak Peek....And A Winner!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Morning!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just wanted to pop in announce the winner of the Mom's Night Out DVD. Thanks to the faithful readers who left comments!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Congratulations to Sandra who left a comment on Facebook! I hope you enjoy the movie!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have been busy Fall-ifying the house! I will share photos later in the week, but I thought I would give you just a little sneak peek.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am going to putter around my house a bit more today and then I am off to another cross country meet this afternoon to see my daughter run. Have a great day everybody!</span><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13001239907173715774noreply@blogger.com0