[color kreyv]: Red & White

Last day of November today...do you have your Christmas decorations up?  If not, here are some pictures that will get you in the Christmas spirit.  Don't you just wish you could paint your walls red for the month of December? Yeah.  Probably not a good idea.  I'm not even going to mention that one out loud.  I can tell you right now that the hubs would not even think that was one bit funny.  Not even a little bit.  Maybe I'll go for a red couch instead.

image from Christmas Decoration Ideas

image from Carimpreza

image from House to Home

Ohdeedoh Shout Out

Click here to see Stella's birthday shout out on Ohdeedoh.  She's practically a celeb! Geez, wish I could get featured on that blog!

Like Switzerland

The other day, I was talking to the hubs about the fact that I avoid most jewel tones and other bright colors.  My closet is mostly black, white, gray, tan, and cream, and then there's a small section of corals, blues, and other miscellaneous colors. I also mentioned to him that I use almost the exact same palette of neutrals when I decorate our home.  He then said, "So you're kind of like Switzerland."  Yes. I'm kind of like Switzerland.  Neutral.  Hey, I'll take what I can get.  At least I got a response that actually related to the conversation. Do you decorate in the same palette as your wardrobe colors?  Just curious...like George.

image from Traditional Home

image from Samantha Farjo

image from Atlanta Homes

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Seriously. So. Excited! I'm so excited for Christmas this year! Stella is old enough(ish) to know what is going on, and I just can't wait for her to open her presents on Christmas morning, look at Christmas lights, visit with Santa, and do all the other good stuff that happens this time of year!

We've had our tree up for a couple of weeks, now, and I'm almost done with the rest of the decor. Stella has been playing with her Lil' People Nativity set that she got from Grammy Jude, and she just can't get enough of "the Baby Jesus song" (it plays music) and the donkey--her other favorite character. At least she gets that Baby Jesus is the most important character. And, well, the donkey...I guess he played a pretty important part, too!

image from Indiska via Live A Lot

image from Country Living

image from Crafty Nest 

image from Birch and Bird

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday, Stella! We love you more than anything! The day you came into our lives was the new best day of our lives! You are such a good little girl who is sweet, smart, beautiful, loving, and sometimes a little bit sassy! You make us smile more than we have ever smiled. We are so blessed to be your parents. We love you, our little Stella Bean!

photo by Brittni Schroeder Photography

Gather 'Round

I'm getting pretty excited for Thanksgiving. I love to entertain, and when I say entertain, I mostly mean the desserts and the decor. Really. What else do you need in life? Exactly. It's a good thing the Hubs will be around to help with the rest of the food, which really, isn't that exciting to me. This year, we are having three missionaries from our church over for dinner. They are 19-21 year old boys with big appetites. And, they'll pretty much eat anything. We really can't go wrong, and if we do, they'll just eat it anyway!  

image from Apartment Therapy

image from Samantha Farjo

image from Skona Hem

One for Me, One for You

I absolutely love the look of two twin beds for a kid's room. LOVE it.  And, quite frankly, I'd take any one of these beds.  Actually, I'd take any two of these beds.  They are all fabulous!
Okay, complete change in subject...(What? Don't act like I never do that.) Can you even believe Thanksgiving is on Thursday?  It's practically Christmas already.  And, what I REALLY can't believe is that my little Stella is going to be TWO on Wednesday (sniff, sniff).  Before I know it, she's going to have a room with two beds having sleep overs with her buddies.  I can't handle it.  (That's right, I always loop back around, and it all ties in at the end of the post!)

image source unknown

image from Bear Hill Interiors

image from Pottery Barn

[kreyv of the day]

source unkown

[so cheap, so easy]: Moss Pictures

I finally got one of my projects checked off my list--nothing much, but something. I wanted to add a little more pizazz (yes, I just said pizazz...twice) to my bedroom.  I came across a great piece of art that was framed moss and loved the texture and organic nature of it.  This is my interpretation.  I used Reindeer Moss from Michaels, and just smooshed it into the frames.  Moss is sold in sheets, which would have been a lot easier/less messy, but I liked the brighter green of this moss.  The pictures don't do it justice, but I love the texture and color of it all.

[color kreyv]: Turquoise

In honor of my guest post today at The Turquoise Piano, I thought I would feature more turquoise. Kelli obviously loves turquoise, and I don't blame her one bit. It's pretty much amazing and it goes with everything. (Speaking of amazing, let's talk about that art in the first picture. How hard could it be? Someone should make it. I would, but I'm out of walls, and the hubs is out of patience.) Anyway, Kelli is a super talented DIYer. We also went to middle school and high school together, which makes her extra cool. So go check out her blog! (That sounded bossy. Let me rephrase, if you would like to, you should visit her blog. I strongly recommend it. Better, right?)

image from Lonny Mag

image from Phoebe Howard

image from Studio Ten 25

Oh Yeah...Thanksgiving

I think someone forgot to tell me that Thanksgiving is next week. NEXT WEEK! Wow. How did that happen? Man, I was really hoping to savor the month of November--reflect, reminisce, you know, all that good stuff. Life just gets away from me sometimes. Good thing it's not too late, but I should really start thinking about a grocery list for Thanksgiving.

Now for a bit of reflection. November is such a wonderful month to remind us to give thanks for all of our blessings that we have been given. I, for one, am one of the luckiest people I know. I have SO many things to be grateful for. About two years ago, one of our greatest blessings came into our life. Read about our our adoption story here. And lucky for me, my list of blessings just goes on and on...

image from Brown Paper Packages

image from Martha Stewart

image from Midwest Living

image from Jenny Steffens Hobick

Loser

Luh-hoo-zuh-her. I am so glad that last week is over. I was such a loser. I was sick to my stomach all week. Each morning I would wake up thinking that I was over it, but alas, I was not. I'm still not completely well, but my body has no choice. I'm not going to be sick anymore. I got absolutely NOTHING done, and on top of that, I was mother of the year (again). Actually, I am being a little bit hard on myself. I did accomplish some things. (Don't be jealous that I was so productive even when I was sick.)

1) I successfully went a full week without washing my hair. That's a LONG time. Even for me. Even the hubs said I had reached my all time greasiness.

2) I accidentally made a payment using an account that we don't use. Yup. Thirteen HUNDRED dollars overdrawn. I'm sure the bank totally bought my story. I don't care if they did. I told them if they didn't remove the overdraft fees we were switching banks. I can still be sassy, even when I'm sick. (Big loss for them, I'm sure, since we hardly use the account.)

3) I think I wore the same PINK lounge pants for five days straight. Not as cool as my greasy hair, but still an accomplishment.

4) I put Stella down for a nap, but I think only one of us napped. I found her having a good time in her crib. With no diaper. And wet sheets. She was putting on her pajama pants commando. The diaper she took off was still completely dry. (Does that count as waking up dry?)

5) I didn't cook and couldn't have even if I would have had the strength to do so. I've never seen our fridge so bare.

See? Who said you can't get anything done when you're sick. I managed to be sick, be a great mom, and look fabulous doing it! (I made you kind of jealous, didn't I?)

image from Skona Hem

image from HGTV

image from Casa Sugar

[kreyv of the day]

image from Alice Lane

[so cheap, so easy]: Anthro Blooms

Holy Cow! What in the world is going around? Everyone is sick, and unfortunately, I wasn't left out of this one! The 24 hour flu may only last 24 hours, but it then takes two more days to recover. I am so weak and tired still, but I think by tomorrow, I will feel like a new woman. Perhaps, the hair might even get a washing. Perhaps.

What better way to lift the spirits than these dee-lightful Anthropologie-inspired blooms? So. Freaking. Cute. Styrofoam and Q-Tips, people. Who woulda thunk? Go to Homemade Ginger for the original tutorial.

image from Homemade Ginger

[color kreyv]: Tiffany Blue

Beautiful--the color AND the jewelry. I've only received Tiffany's jewelry once, but it really was one of the most exciting days of my life. Seriously. My wonderful hubs surprised me with a Tiffany's necklace for our fifth anniversary, and let me tell you, there is nothing quite like seeing that little blue box sitting there from across the room. It was so much fun that perhaps I should paint a room this color. It would be just like living inside of a Tiffany's jewelry box. Now, that would be exciting!

image from Casa Susegad

image from Interior Designing Blog

image from FJ Design

In the Dark

How long will it take me to stop thinking,"Well, it's really an hour later than the clock shows." It's not. The time on the clock is the right time. I need to deal with Daylight Savings and the new getting dark at 5pm business! The darkness in these rooms, though, is something I could definitely get used to. Ab-so-lute-ly stunning.

image from D Magazine

image source unknown

image from Candice Olsen Design

Symmetry Love

Something about symmetrically styled rooms really speaks to me. (Not in a crazy I hear voices kind of way.) They're clean, they're organized, and they're pleasing to the eye. They calm me down, which is what I need after my mini trip to Utah.

I had such a fun time once I got to Utah, but traveling to and from wore me right out. Here are some of my best moments:

Pulling away from the house feeling like I forgot something and then getting to the airport and remembering that I forgot diapers. (Luckily, I had three in my purse.)

Long flight to Utah, long layover, and a delay. (Luckily I met a nice family who gave me two more diapers.)

Bathroom trips on the plane with a two year old--got walked in on once (of course while I was going to the bathroom). Don't worry, it was even more awkward that the man who walked in on me waited outside the door until I was finished. Hi again. I would have run back to my seat and not made eye contact, but whatever. 

Climbing over two people to take Stella to the bathroom only to have her poop ten minutes later and having to climb over them all over again.

Walking out of the airplane bathroom with a long trail of toilet paper sticking to Stella's fleece blanket. I didn't even know the blanket made it to the bathroom. 

Flying on a four hour flight only to have Stella fall asleep as we were landing.

Driving to the airport and being slowed down by icy roads, detours, and yes, a puking child. Nothing like starting a flight smelling like puke. Unfortunately, the smell didn't keep people from sitting by us.

I need more symmetry in my life. But first, I need more sleep.

Pinterest (Source Unknown)

image from Blossom Interiors

image from Cococozy

[kreyv of the day]

image from Katie Ridder via Cococozy

[so cheap, so easy]: Live, Love, Eat Picture

I'm not one of those cool people who have a Cricut or Silhouette, so I have to do my typography old school style. This was a super easy project (of course). The frame was actually a dry-erase board, but any frame can be used. (Mine obviously doesn't have glass covering it. I'm ghetto like that.) I Mod Podged scrapbook paper onto the back of the frame. Next, I printed each letter on the computer. Yes, I used lots of ink, and yes, in hindsight I should have printed it out at Kinko's. Oh well. I cut out each letter (which wasn't hard, because they were so big). And, the last step was to Mod Podge the letters onto the background. There you have it!

[color kreyv]: Pink & Yellow

It was a long day today (Tuesday) without my computer. I'm very glad to have it back. How pathetic am I that I can't function without it?  I mean, really, it felt like a family member was undergoing a procedure, and quite frankly, I'm glad he's it's okay. We took our Mac to the Apple Store thinking we were just going to get more memory.  That visit turned into, "Your battery is expanding (luckily not leaking), you do, indeed, need more storage, and oh, your hard drive is about to fail. Don't even turn your computer on until this is fixed." We had 27 days left on our warranty that neither the hubs nor I remember even having.  Man, that was smart of us to buy that thing! 

On top of the computer issue, our dryer belt broke.  Perfect timing. ALL the laundry was still wet, AND, Stella and I are leaving for Utah tomorrow morning. Oh well!  I'm just so happy about the Mac, I don't even care about the laundry. I will care about it more if I come home and it's not fixed! 

Anyway, with all of that rambling and craziness, here are some very bright and happy pictures!  Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to back up your computer!

image from The House Home

image from Casa Pinka

Source Unknown