Outdoor Decor

Welcome back, everyone!!  I hope you had a delightful, family-filled Thanksgiving!  Pardon my absence these past few days.  I've been getting spoiled by getting to spend these past 5 days all with my husband, getting to be off work and spending time with family.  Celebrating our thankfulness.  We have a lot to be thankful for.  God has provided us with so many blessings that it's hard to keep track!  I've felt him working in our lives these past few months, bringing us closer together and closer to him.  I can't wait to see what He holds in store for us in the next year.  

  I can't believe it's December already!  That's just crazy.  It's starting to feel like winter and look like it.  Though I've been listening to Christmas music for about a month straight now, I'm still not tired of it.  Christmas is such a happy time of year.  Lights are slowly going up on people's houses, including ours!  We were busy Christmas bees this weekend.  Our house is all decked out and feels so cheery.  

Husband braved the roof to hang up the Christmas lights for me! They went up in no time.  He's so good!  I went up on the roof for a little bit just to prove that I could do it.  It really wasn't too bad...until I had to get down.  That was a little scary.

Once, when I was like 6 or 7 years old, my dad was repairing the garage/laundry room roof and fell off of it...right on me!  That was scary.  None of us were hurt though.  I went off crying into the house because I hadn't known what to do.  It was a life changing moment.

Husband has just been surprising me more and more lately.  This cross was his idea.  He wanted to put it in our backyard so that people could see it from the road.  He made this!  It's 7 ft tall.

"And presents under the tree...."  I've been waiting 2 years to finally put these out.  I got them on mega after Christmas sale from Kirkland's Home Decor back when I used to work there. I didn't put them up last year because I'd forgotten about them.  But this year was the year!!  They look really neat at night.

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??)

Dave and Busters Date

As you know, yesterday was mine and Husband's one year wedding anniversary.  To celebrate, we went out to Dave and Buster's, ate some really good food, plaid some games, won lots of tickets and spent them on candy, iPhone speaker and a to go coffee cup.  We had so much fun together.  Just being in each other's company was enough for me.  

 {We know each other so well that we ended up getting each other the same card!  There's actually a really funny story behind these possum cards.  One that makes me kind of hate possums.  It involves a dead possum, a crawl space and lots of crying.}

{This is a dress that I've had for months!  I got it at Tiger Lily in Edmond while killing time before a friend's wedding.  I couldn't resist.  As you all know, I'm big on sales.  This dress was originally $40.  I got it for $10!!!  I've been keeping it safe in the backseat of my car ever since July.  And it still fits!  I wanted to wear a special dress for a very special occasion.}

Owl Always Love You

Happy Friday!!  I've been waiting all week to wear this outfit.  Fridays are jeans days at work. The tank top is one of the ones I got on mega sale from the LOFT.  It was one I got the same day I got the pink shirt from a couple of posts ago.  It was after a stressful morning of trying to get out of downtown after dress rehearsal while the Tulsa Run was going on.  Every way was blocked!  I called my husband, frustrated.  He had his handy dandy map pulled up and was trying to help me get out but everywhere I turned was barricaded.  It was rough.  Tears were shed, steering wheel pounded.  It was not one of my prouder moments.  All I wanted to do was to get from point A to point B as easy as possible.  Of course, all of the 'east as possible' routes were blocked.  I had to go WAY out of my way to get out and around and to the LOFT where my mom and a friend were waiting.  Actually, they were already there and I just invited myself along.  That was before I knew it was going to take forever to get there.  And once there, in the presence of Mama and her friend Marianne, I could relax.  And buy things.  I got a cute blue dress, two tops and a necklace.  All under $40!  Like I said, things were on mega sale.
 
    Once you buy things on mega sale, it's hard to go back to buying full priced items.  I hardly buy full priced clothing any more.  I'm a sale girl through and through.  And there's nothing wrong with saving a buck or $20 here and there.

  The owl necklace was a Christmas present from a roommate in college.  It's funny.  She and I got each other the same necklace, but she gave me a gold one and I gave her a silver one.  Win-win situation!  That same year, and from the same group of roommates I also got another owl necklace, a wooden owl totem pole (which is really cool and unique!  I'll have to post about it sometime...) and an owl t-shirt.  Hmmm One would think I like owls or something...though 'like' might be a slight understatement.  Our guestroom is decorated in owls.

  The earrings.  Yes, those are .22 caliber shells.  Made by my honey.  Who crafted all of those metal links himself and put them all together.  Gifted them to me in a little green jewelry box.  They were the icing on the top for my Steam Punk costume that year.  I have loved them and worn them ever since.  Such a crafty Husband.

  Thank you for stopping in!  I hope you all have a fun, fashionable and crafty weekend!!

Perfect Fall Day

 Saturday was such a beautiful Fall day!  Mom and I got to spend the first part of the day at our church Christmas choir retreat.  We had a workshop with the amazing Dr. Bill Green and his wife Linda. (You can read an amazing article about them here.)  They were both a big blessing to have.  Dr. Green led the choir for many years at Oklahoma's Baptist church camp, Falls Creek.  He is most known for his rendition of  the song "Life is so sweet and my joy is complete, for I'm 'Saved, Saved, Saved!'"  It was really inspiring to see how much our choir stepped up.  I am very much looking forward to our Christmas production in mid-December!!
     We had our retreat at a beautiful Episcopal church tucked away amid the colorful Fall leaves in Sand Springs, nestled along with a duck pond where a lot of Sand Springians go to feed t he ducks.  It was truly a perfect day.

 {Top, necklace: the LOFT-here and here; Sweater: from my Mother's closet.; Jeans: Old Navy; Purse:Target here}

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Monday, y'all!!  This weekend I took down all of my Halloween/Fall decorations.  For some reason, I'm extra ready for Christmas this year!  But don't think I'm completely skipping over Thanksgiving.  I did leave up our dining room centerpiece and added a hand crafted turkey made by my late grandfather.  Mom and Grandma would always find craft projects they loved at craft fairs and would buy one to bring back for Grandpa to make.  He would do all the woodcutting/woodworking and they would do all the painting/decorating of it.  So this turkey holds a special place in my heart.

{Big bowl of leftover Halloween candy since we had NO trick-or-treaters.  Call me crazy, but the more readily available candy is, the less I will eat it.  We still have a mostly full bowl of dark chocolate kisses that I got for Husband's birthday back in September. (Well, minus the several several pieces our doglet snuck out during the night when he thought we wouldn't notice.  I noticed.  I heard his little dogtags clinking against the metal candy bowl...)}

Waving Goodbye

 And so we wave goodbye to the close of another fun Halloween season.  I got ready for work early today so began the process of removing some of my Halloween decorations and preparing them to be packed up for another 325 days until next September. (Halloween decorations go up mid September at our house.)  I put out the one thanksgiving decoration I have.  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

    Next begins the process of sorting through Christmas decorations, (I know, I know, I did the unthinkable and mentioned Halloween and Christmas in the same post,) deciding what to keep and what I can share with my sister and her new apartment.  Finding things to add and sorting through the numerous Christmas craft projects that I would like to do.  Not to mention the list of inside winter projects that Husband and I have lined up. (Built in bookcases and built in entertainment center?!?!)  It will all be a fun process.  For some reason I am already in the Thanksgiving/Christmas spirit, but don't worry, I'm not quite to the point yet that I'll start the non stop Christmas music.

                                             {A Peacock, a kitty cat, and a marathon runner!}

                                         {Miss Farmers.  Yes, I had a midday costume change...}

{I had a delicious bowl of assorted chocolates all ready for trick-or-treaters last night.  We had none!!  I was very sad.  I had put up purple lights around our front door and everything.  *sigh* guess that just means more chocolate for us!  (Like we need it...)}

War Eagle Mills

This weekend was a fun-filled weekend.  I went on a roadtrip to Rogers, AR with my mom, grandma and sister to visit the War Eagle craft Fair.  It was tons of fun!  This was actually the first time we'd been in years.  The first picture is the view of  the fair from the above winding road to get to it.  Traffic wasn't all that bad either.  Only a short wait to get into the parking lot.  We went through row upon row of tents filled with fun goodies, crafts, lots of Halloween decor (of which I managed to leave without having bought any) and many other things.  The day started off cool but soon warmed up a bit as the sun climbed higher in the sky.  It was good getting to spend time with the ladies of my family while we jostled through the crowds to see what all our eyes could take in.
  We ate lunch at the beans and cornbread restaurant located on the 3rd floor of War Eagle Mill.  It was delicious!  The perfect meal for a cool fall outing.

 {I have bad luck with sunglasses, with them breaking so we had to make a pit stop at Walmart once we rolled into Springdale so I could get some new sunglasses.  While there, Mom spotted this wonderful sock bun ring for only $2.88 that I had to buy!  It came with the ring, several bobby pins, a couple of hair ties and instructions.  It only took about 10 seconds to whip up this hair creation.  I loved it so much that I wore it the next day as well!}

 {I realize that my sister and I, along with all of the others that we saw doing it were minorly exploited, but it was worth it.  When Mom was younger, she had this beautiful silver ring made out of a recycled spoon handle.  I don't know what happened to it, but it seems to have been lost forever.  It was always fun to wear.  At the fair, there was a booth with an older gentleman selling this exact type of ring!  All sorts of varieties.  Above his booth, there was a wooden sign that said if we showed him our hidden tattoo and let him take its picture that he would give us one of these rings for free.  Apparently he was making an album of the tattoos he'd seen at the craft fair.  I have a fall tree on my side with Psalms 23, my favorite scripture written beneath it.  It's the first time our tattoos have paid off, Mama said!}

                                                         {War Eagle Mill, which is still a functioning mill}

   {Cooler Fall weather meant I got to break out my winter tub of sweaters and throw on boots and a scarf!}

            {Sister and I listening to a good bluegrass band that hailed from our part of Oklahoma!}

Misty Morning

God is love.  Love is beautiful.  God, the god of love makes beautiful things.  Sometimes something happens in nature and I'm just left speechless and in awe.  Saturday morning was one of those moments.  A long moment.  As I was driving to my grandmother's house at 6am I was fascinated by all of the fog and mist that was suspended in front of me and around me.  On our way to Arkansas we saw misty fields where you couldn't really see into them beyond the roadside, beautiful ponds that had mist suspended in little clouds above them, and then the sun making its magnificent rise to start another day.
    How can you see all of this beauty, all of this wonder without knowing there is a god.  The God.  The same god that made the smallest molecule all the way up to the vast, vast outer space.  Planets, stars, all light years away.  I am thankful for the diversity, thankful for the creativity, and thankful for the care with which my God created everything.
  I don't even remember the last time that I was up before 7am, let alone before 6am!  But if I hadn't been, then I wouldn't have been able to witness the beauty that God created in the 'quiet, misty morning.'  Next time you're up earlier than you usually are, take a  moment to just observe and soak in the creations that you wouldn't normally get to see.

  Happy Sunday, everyone!  This is the day that the Lord hath made!!

"Olive juice!"

   Have you all ever tried the mouthing of "olive juice" across the room to someone?  It's supposed to look like you're saying 'I love you.'  Kind of like in the movies apparently all of the extras on set when filming busy cafe scenes or need filler words, they're supposed to say 'rhubarb' or 'watermelon' to give filler sound.  Ever notice how you can never really understand what any of  the extras are saying in the scenes?

    This dress is one of my favorite pieces of clothing.  Not only is it a beautiful shade of olive green, but it's good to wear in the warmer months and the cooler months.  Not to mention it goes with practically everything!  It's one of the few articles of clothing I own from Anthropologie.  It was on major sale.  $10!!  Paired with an animal print scarf and warm boots, I felt very fallish in this outfit.  Apparently Mom had the same idea!  We both showed up at choir last night wearing matching animal print scarves!  This is another case of the 'twinkies.'  I love these moments. I'll have to go back through my old pictures and find some of my favorite twinkie moments to share with you all!  though I believe one of my favorites had to have been several years ago when I got together with a group of friends and not only was there a set or two of twinkies, but there were 3!!  That's right folks.  3 sets of twinkies walking around my house.  How often does that happen?  Can't say that I've seen it too much.  But it really made my heart happy.

 What are some things that really make your heart happy?  Twinkies? Spending time with friends?  Making goofy faces at your friend across the office?  I'd love to hear what it is!!

Kansas, the Fair, and Us

We had a blast this weekend.  Friday night we went to the new McNellie's pub/restaurant in Tulsa for a friend's birthday dinner.  I had fish and chips paired with a Boulevard Whet 80 Acres Hoppy Beer.  It was the perfect pairing of flavors and fun times with friends.
    Saturday, Hubby, Bandit and I left for Wichita Kansas early in the morning to spend time with his grandmother and uncle.  It was a great one day trip.  We sat and caught up on life and current events.  We hadn't seen her since Christmas!!  Much too long.  We had the most delicious lunch I've had in a long time at P.F. Chang's then a light dinner at Jason's Deli.  I love little and big road trips and love getting to spend time with family.  We got to kill two birds with one stone this time.  Grandma Sandy just loved getting to see us and Bandit.  It's a shame we can't see them more often.  I feel the same way with all of our family that's spread throughout the East coast; In Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Georgia... I wish we could visit them all all the time.  Why hasn't someone come up with a way to apparate yet?  You know, like in Harry Potter.  You think real hard about where you want to go, and with a pop and "feeling as if a hook has just hooked you behind the navel and pulled you into darkness" you appear at your thought of destination. Actually, the hook behind the navel bit I think I am getting confused with portkeys, which are a whole other story all together!
"Oh honey, how about we apparate to Boston this evening and then spend the weekend in Wilmington or Raleigh, NC."
 "Why yes, darling.  I would love to!"
"Alright, don't forget to pack your swimmin' suit, I think we'll go to the beach this time."
Of course, along with apparating would come certain rules being imposed, such as not being able to apparate into establishments or amusement parks...you get the idea.  But then again, if we could apparate, then there would be other magic to put limits on where people could apparate into. But really, I digress...

We also went to the Tulsa State Fair last weekend.  And then I went again with my sister this weekend.  My stomach is in hate with me! I came back into contact with the amazing BBQ Parfait that I had back in May at Mayfest.  Baked beans on the bottom and layers of mashed potatoes, pulled pork and BBQ sauce on top of that.  How can you say no to that??