Early Spring Cleaning

    Spring cleaning has begun in the Linde household!  I've done the same thing at my office.  Decor has been updated, cleaning started and finished, (though decor not so much at the office, still have a little ways to go!) We went through a huge filing project and went through at least 15 years worth of files.  Good news is it will now be much much easier for next year when we only have to throw out a few files.  They are now nicely and neatly organized by year. 

     I wish I could say we were done cleaning and organizing at our house too.  This year I am going to focus on de-cluttering.  It will be hard.  My husband and I like things.  We like stuff.  And that's ok.  We just need to get choosier about the kind of stuff that we keep.  Like the out-of-sight stuff.  But really we need to clean it all out.  I think it's gotten a little out of hand.  I will feel so much better once I have all of our surfaces cleaned up and cleared off.  It really isn't as bad as it sounds.  But lets be honest here....any flat surface is a stuff magnet: mail, dishes, nick-nacks, discarded purse items, bullets, writing utencils, coats, clothing....you name it.  

  Our formal livingroom was in much need of an update.  While the furniture in it was comfortable and nice, let's face it; it was the furniture that Husband had had from his single days apartment.  Bottom line, it was time for an upgrade.  Everything else in the room is pretty much light and airy so we needed something that was going to stand out and not just blend in.  

    After a little looking around, we finally found the couch at Sunshine Furniture.  We really liked the contrast.  I think you all will agree.  We also kept the old pillows (for now,) and added a few more to tie in the lighter colors.  The two cream ones with designs came from one of my favorite stores, Garden Ridge.  They were on sale!  The one in the middle was hand drawn by a man at the Vintage show called 2 Girls and Junk that I posted about a few weeks back.  I love it! It says "If Vintage is wrong then I don't want to be right." $15 and he could write anything you wanted on it.  

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Don't you love it??

    My coffee corner is a constant work in progress.   I'm never happy with it for long.  But I'm starting to like it more and more. These canisters were $29.99 from Cracker Barrel and were just sitting up in our attic in a box ever since our wedding.  (We used them at the wedding in which to put candy.)  The coffee sign was $5.99 from.....Garden Ridge!  Cow creamer $4.99 from Target, and the double stacked teapot/teacup was a Christmas gift from one of my best friends!

Our pantry was my first home organization project this year!  Just a few toes, some labels, and some patience helped lead to this wonderfully organized pantry.  Storage cubes were $6.99/piece from Target.  I separated them into Pasta/Rice, Breakfast, baking, condiments, and one the shelf not pictured- snacks.  Snacks actually got 2 cubes.

    A new springy tablecloth from....Target! $4.99 on clearance!  You will notice a couple of recycled pieces from my Christmas/Winter tablescape.

     {And a sneak peek at my next project for my booth!!}

New Years Soireé

We finished last year out with spending time with friends and family.  What better way is there to spend it?  I had a fun time organizing and planning a little intimate party at our house with some of our closest friends and family.  I made several dips, (all of which was my first time making them,) and had lots of munchies to dip in them, made a signature sparkling Apple Cider Punch, and had a wonderful time socializing.  Surprisingly the cheesy artichoke dip was a huge success!  Never have I worked with artichokes more than just ordering an artichoke dip while out.  But I promise I made this one my self!  It was easy!  Too easy... I also made a Mexican corn dip and a Mint Avocado dip, (whose recipe I got out of a Better Homes and Garden magazine whilst frantically cleaning for the party.

{A sweet picture of Daddy with his 'grand-dog, Bandit on New Years Day}

{Some of the delicious dips I had fun making!}

{ My theme was red/white/silver.  Funny story about the drink dispenser.  It was something I'd gotten from Kirkland's with a gift card from our wedding shower.  The party was my first time to use it.  Who would have thought to check and make sure the nozzle was completely screwed in??  Certainly not I...  Drink made, bacon cooking in the over, mixing up another dip; I noticed a little pool of punch under the dispenser, which was sitting on the stove top.  Hmmm, I must have spilled some while I was pouring the various ingredients into it... Wrong!! 

 Upon further inspection of the pour spout, I spied with my little eyes a small rivulet of punch flowing from beneath the spout.  I put my finger under it, it stopped.  I took it away, that little rivulet was back.  "David, come quick!  It's sprung a leak!  I don't know what to do!!"  Were a few of my frantic cries as I summoned my husband to the kitchen.  Looking at the stove top, I then saw that there were puddles of punch...everywhere!  

Good thing there was a lip on the stove or it could have been a lot worse.  

  As Husband was trying to figure out how to help me, I continued frantic cries of it's leaking, it's leaking!  All the while, our puppy was staring at me very confusedly... like Daddy, what's wrong with Mommy?  Why is she acting all crazy?  That is a very good question, Bandit.

  For our wedding, we had also received a beautiful clear glass serving bowl.  And guess what?  It was the perfect size to pour the leaking punch into.  And I mean purrr-fect.  Crisis averted.  I was thinking I was going to have to wrap the spout in electrical tape, upon thinking so, I began looking for a roll of electrical tape which I knew had to be there somewhere.  I'd spotted it earlier in the day, I just knew it!  Thankfully, it all came down to having to screw the nozzle all the way in.  Crisis averted, Mommy calm down, and happy Husband.  You are welcome, for a delicious punch!  Who knew so much went into making it??

Happy Tuesday!!

New Year is Upon Us

I can't believe that tomorrow we will stop writing 2013 and commence writing 2014.  It does not feel like a year has gone by already. This year has been filled with so many new and wonderful things.  God has blessed us so much this year.  I am so incredibly thankful for all that He has done.

I was in my first mainstage opera with Tulsa Opera through TOC...

Traveled to Boston/Vermont/New Hampshire for my first time, with my wonderful husband and got to spend time with his amazing family!...

Celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary...

Got my very own concealable handgun for my birthday...

Witnessed beautiful snow and got to enjoy half a snow day...

Got to be a blessing to others and ourselves while volunteering at Church on the Move's Christmas Train...

 Spent tons of time with my Handsome Husband...

Finally got my dream red leather jacket (Thank you, Husband!!)...

...and so many more things!!  Thank you to those that lent to a fantastic 2013!  I couldn't have done it without you.  Your memory will live on in my heart.  I hope to make 2014 and even better year!  

Happy New Year, everyone!!

Cupcake Garland

     I cannot believe that Christmas is in 2 days!! 2 DAYS!!!  We still have a couple of more gifts to buy.  I know, I know.  I tell myself every year that I'm just going to start buying stuff throughout the year so as to have it all done before December.  Well guess what?  Maybe that'll happen next year...  I'm just a big procrastinator.  They don't call me Sarah Procrastinator Linde for nothing...  Actually, nobody calls me that.  I just wanted to see what you'd say.  I used to do that at my college job all the time.  Someone would say something nice about me and I'd say "Well, no one calls me Sweet-Spirit Sarah for nothing."  They'd look at me and say "No one calls you that."  They liked to keep things real.  I appreciated it.

    Lately I have been staying up way past my bedtime.  I think it could have something to do with Season 4 of Vampire Diaries that I recently got.  Once I start watching it's hard to stop.  Oh, just one more episode...ok, one more...now I really mean it, this is the last one...  you know how it goes.  I can't be the only one that has an obsession with finishing a a show like that!  What's sad is that I'm now on the last disc of Season 4.  Season 5 is on TV.  I can't handle using the CW website because I don't have the patience for my slow computer.  And I don't like commercials.  So I guess I will be waiting until next Black Friday to get a $50 DVD set for only $10.  

  The good thing about staying up later is that  I now have more time to craft.  Though I have to be careful and not craft anything too noisy, otherwise I wouldn't be able to hear the already lowered volume of the show.  (Husband goes to bed before I do.  I get in trouble if I go to bed before I'm actually ready to sleep because I'll lay there and play on my phone.  I think I'm quiet and still about it.  But Husband seems to know when I'm on it and accuses me of game playing because it wiggles the bed.  [I really do think I'm quiet and still.  I can't think of what I would be doing to move the whole bed. I must be pinning exuberantly or something...])

  One of my late night crafting projects was this cute cupcake liner garland.  Idea courtesy of the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  (The original idea and video tutorial can be found here.) It was actually pretty simple!  I didn't use the glue dots like they did in the video, (namely because they didn't seem to mention it in the article,) but I think I did just fine in hiding the staples.  I couldn't imagine making enough of this to line an entire doorway, but I did stay interested enough to make a garland long enough for our kitchen island.

  All you need are varied sizes and colors of cupcake liners, a stapler, and (according to the video) glue dots.  But I'm sure double sided tape would work just as well.  I like the contrast of metallic wrappers and  normal colored wrappers.  It lends a nice balance to it.  

Two Shows and a Shop

I had such an inspiring weekend!  I got to go to two different vintage/craft shows with my family. I got a lot of neat ideas that I can't wait to try out.

This is part of the mural on the building of the antique mall in which I have my fun booth.  They are still going to be doing a horse drawn buggy on the blank part.  Pretty cool, eh? It's in a neat location in historic downtown Sapulpa. Brick pavement, old buildings...nostalgic surroundings.  Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era.  I think the late 1800's/early 1900's would be really interesting. Not to mention the cloooothes.  Really, the clothes is all I'm thinking of in those centuries.  And maybe a few other things.  but when I really think about it, I'd miss the modern conveniences such as cars, cell phones, computers, the internets, airplanes and so on.  But then again, if I'd lived then I wouldn't have known what I would be missing...

The other craft/vintage show I went to with Sister, the indie art show across from the new Guthrie Green in downtown Tulsa.  Beautiful, inspirational things.  My cousin had a booth there selling her handmade purses and leather pins.
  All in all it was a wonderful weekend.  We finally got rid of our old living room furniture so that we could arrange our new chairs and couch.  I will have a post about that as soon as we get it finished.

                Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Christmas Tidings

In fun news, my little booth at Back Alley Bygones in Sapulpa officially opened today!  Super excited!  It contains the seasonal recycled wine/beer/Pellegrino bottles decorated for Christmas, some canvases I've painted and some of Husband's photography.  Y'all should come and check it out.

I made some paper chains out of beautiful wrapping paper I snagged from Big Lots for $3!  Once I started, I couldn't stop.  And I wanted to make more!  One for every doorway. But I stopped myself...just barely.

I love the combination of the natural colors of brown and tan and green.  It gives a very neutral, natural feel that's very soothing.  

Deck the Halls

Is everyone in Tulsa surviving all of the snow?  I must say that I do love winter accessories very much.  And I like a little cool weather.  And I do like white Christmases.  But Fall is still my all-time favorite season. Though I think the snow is beautiful, this biting weather is just too much.  

My husband and I volunteered at Church on the Move's Christmas Train for our first time this year.  It was amazing!  And cooold!  I got to go around as part of a 10 or so person group caroling throughout Dry Gulch.  Husband was a train conductor!  I had to do a double take when he came out of his dressing room all dressed to the nines like a conductor straight out of the late 1800's. He looked so good!!  I wanted him to keep the costume and wear it all the time.  It could fit into an electrical drafter's office environment, right?

  It was so rewarding getting to walk around and see the happy looks on people's faces.  They requested Christmas carols, sang along and took pictures with us.  It's something we would definitely do again, though hopefully it won't be so cold next time.  They said that it was the coldest it's ever been while still keeping the Christmas Train open.  It even snowed a little!  

Our children will love us.  They will love being dressed up in little outfits and being paraded around as the most precious kiddos in the world.  Bandit on the other hand...he was shaking as I put his little Santa jacket on before her went outside.  I don't know if it was because he was already cold or if he was so ashamed to be seen in it.  That was his shortest little trip outside since it snowed.  He did his business then was ready to come back inside.  Mommy's sorry you were embarrassed....but you looked so cute!!

I am proud of how this little tree turned out.  It was a very sad looking tree when I pulled it down from the attic.  All flattened with branches going every which way, and was missing 1/3 of its little legs to stand on.  Husband came into the sun room to find me sitting on the floor with the tree in my hand, woeful look on my face crying, how do I make it stand up?!  Husband, in all of his logical-ness said "Why don't you put it in something..."  So I did.  An orange insulated mug that I found on the kitchen counter, wrapped some burlap around it and called it good!  Know one will ever know....except for y'all because I just told you...shhh.

Since it's in our sun room and our sun room is nautical themed, I did a halfway nautical themed tree with seashells and little blue and cream paper accordion bows.  I was pretty pleased with myself and my resourcefulness.    

Sister's Tree

We had such a fun time the other night helping Sister decorate her Christmas tree.  Three generations coming together to celebrate such a wonderful season.  I had to make myself slow down and take a step back.  I noticed I'd had the tree up and started putting ribbon on it before anyone else had gotten there.  I get a little excited and on a roll when it comes to decorating.  They made it in time though and Mama helped wrapping the ribbon around the tree.  

It was a lot of fun.  We had Christmas music playing in the background, pine tree scented candle burning and decorations spread out everywhere.  It was so peaceful.  We used a combination of mine and Grandmother's ornaments.  The fun thing about Grandma's ornaments are that each one has a story, or she made some of them.  Mom and Grandma would go to craft shows, buy a prototype of something they liked then have Grandpa make it for them to put the finishing paint and decorating touches on.  I come from a family of crafters.

The finishing touch on the tree.  Sister putting on the last ornament.

Anyone else remember how delicious this ribbon candy is?  I've actually never had it this big before.  I just remember at my church growing up, around Christmas time they would pass out bags of candy to all the little kids.  Bags full of the mini ribbon and pillow candies.  All bright yellows, oranges, reds, pinks and greens.  Much like this:

I could eat it all day...or until my teeth were so covered in the candy that I couldn't open my mouth any more to chew.  

  What are some of your favorite Christmas memories?

Winterscape

I'm pretty proud of every component of this table setting.  There's still more to be added, but it's coming right along.  Each piece has a story.  Well, mostly...  Really each piece was just a lot of fun to find.  I didn't know what I would be using some of them for until this display just kind of fell into place.  The stump looking candle holders have actually been used in just about every season except for Summer.  They were part of my Easter centerpiece in a tray with moss and pastel Easter eggs; they were part of the previous Fall centerpiece with the clear canisters filled with leaves and pinecones; and now they're part of this Christmas, wintry centerpiece.  This whole thing was done in probably about 5 minutes or less.  

    We had company coming over.  So naturally, we hurriedly spot cleaned the house.  (Husband said we should have company over more often because it caused us to tear through the house de-cluttering and cleaning.  Maybe when it comes time to clean house again we will invite people over before we start so that we have a little motivation to clean faster.  

This table display was just the icing on top.  Previously, I had Christmas decor that was waiting to be dispersed just flung all over the table.  Very messy.  So I whipped that stuff away, gathered the remaining things that didn't have a home, gathered up the china and poof!  Instant table decorations!  I've been told before that I have an interesting way of helping clean.  Storytime:  Back when I lived in Edmond with 3 other girls in a cute little 1910 farm looking house just a couple of blocks away from campus, there was a night when we were all cleaning to have people over.  I think we were going to be holding my recital reception there.  I had bought my first white pumpkin, or ghost pumpkin that year and loved it.  It matched everything!  The girls had been getting onto me about needing to throw it away.  It was after Thanksgiving, bordering on December, (well now that I think about it, if it was that time then it wouldn't have been for my recital.  Must have been cleaning for a Christmas party!) I wasn't quite ready to let it go.  So...I sat down, got out my painting supplies and painted a nice little snowy scene with snowmen on it.  My best friend walked by, looked at me and said "you sure have a funny way of helping clean!" I smiled at her, finished my painting, cleaned up my supplies, (that counted as cleaning, right?) and set the pumpkin back where it had been.  Voila, Fall decor turned Christmas decor!!  

This was one of those same instances.  Except we'd actually finished cleaning already before I started on this.  And the timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Just as I was setting the last plates, our friends pulled up in the driveway.  Couldn't have turned out more perfect even if I'd planned it that way!

This is our wedding china.  I got it at an antique store in Atoka, on our way to Texas.  We love it!  Perfect for Christmas.  And absolutely beautiful.

What are you all thankful for this year?  I'm thankful for a loving and supportive husband, a precious puppy, a great job with a fantastic boss and coworker, friendly clients, a roof over our heads, supportive family, new family, fun friends, old friends and new friends.  I'm thankful for coffee, breakfast, coffee, decorating, cold weather, coats, running water and indoor plumbing.  (Could you imagine using an outhouse in this kind of cold weather??)

Trip Time!

This weekend was such a fun weekend!  It was filled with family, laughter, shopping and good food.  We Forrester/Henderson/Linde women took our bi-annual shopping trip to Frisco, Texas where we stopped at IKEA,  Sam Moon, and Trader Joe's.  It was a little rough start with Mom and I both having left our purses at my house.  Luckily we'd stopped right down the street to get some dinner on the road so we were close enough that Husband could bring us our purses.  Since Mom couldn't find her driver's license once we got there, I got to do all the driving.  Surprisingly, I maneuvered us around town pretty smoothly.  Even deviated from the GPS to find us the most direct route to places.  I felt like mighty driver. Hoo-ha-ha!
  

  Sunday, we got to spend time with our dear family friends from Philadelphia.  (Originally from here.)  I got to meet my newest niece, who has the most precious round chubby cheeks that make you just want to pinch them!  She and I had a rough introduction to start with her crying as soon as I approached her.  I chalked it up to her being around a lot of new people and just didn't know what to do.  Later I got to hold her, tears free.  Than Husband and I went on a date with the momma and daddy, my best friends.  They don't have Hideaway Pizza in Pennsylvania, so we try to go there together every time she's in town.  

{Some cuddle time with Bandit before leaving town}

 {Lunch in Texas at In-n-Out Burger}

 {Grandma and myself outside IKEA}

{These little carts were so much fun to push!  So maneuverable.  They could turn on a dime.  I of course had to jump on the back and scoot myself around the store.  Too much fun!} 

{Texas shopping centers were all decorated for Christmas.  It was very cheerful and briiiiight.}

I hope you all have a Happy Monday!  Thank you for stopping by today.