The Leg Lamp

Happy Tuesday!  

  It's that time of year again.  The time where red, green, white, silver and gold are the primary colors seen everywhere,  Christmas trees, ornaments, and snowy window-scapes adorn every store display window, children's eyes are wide with wonder as they walk the mall being toted behind their parents, songs like O Holy Night, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, and Mariah Carey's  All I Want for Christmas is You can be heard all over the radio, 24/7, (94.1 the Breeze is Tulsa's 24/7 Christmas station.)  Husbands can be seen scaling ladders and hanging precariously to satisfy their wives by being the first in their neighborhood to put up their Christmas lights.  Churches prepare for their Christmas pageants, with little angels and snowflakes running around, the birth of Jesus, our savior being fully celebrated.

   And then out come the Christmas decorations.  There's so many varieties that it's hard to keep track of: traditional, rustic, vintage, funky, girly, and I'm sure there's some Ducky out there somewhere!  As for us, we mostly have traditional.  Except for our entertainment center.  That leans more towards woodland.  Woodland!  That's one I forgot to mention.

This is one of the more fun pieces of decor we have.  We got it from Dick's .5 & .10 while on our honeymoom in Branson last year. (Which I still can't believe it's been a year already!!)  It's from one of the classic, iconic Christmas movies, A Christmas Story.  I'm sure everyone is familiar with it.  There's a station on TV that plays a 24-hour marathon of it on Christmas day.  And from it, the iconic leg lamp, which full sized ones cost upwards of $80!!  One day we will splurge and get a real one.  And yes, we will find a way to put it in our front window, even though the window doesn't really have a ledge. There will be a way!  Husband loves this lamp.  He also has a leg lamp puzzle that came in a much smaller version of the wooden shipping crate. 

Of course, even though it doesn't really match I had to put on the ornament for my alma mater.

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.

My Week at a Glance

As I move into having been at my job for a year next week, I get overjoyed at the little things.  Things that make my job easier.  Such as this headset that i got to set up yesterday.  I was a little skeptical at first, but after that first call from a client, I was in love!  With the headset.  Hands-free.  Mostly.  I do have to drag my finger up and push a little button on the earpiece to answer the phone.  That's ok.  It gets my little finger some extra exercise aside from typing on the keyboard all day.

    After one call, I was hooked!  There's a little box with an arm on it that attaches to the phone and lifts up the receiver when I answer it.  Caught me off guard at first since it was my first time to use a headset and didn't know what to expect.  As I said, it's the little things.  It allows me to immediately start typing when a client calls in without having to juggle the phone on my shoulder at the risk of dropping it. (Which I've done a couple of times.)  Plus, I think it makes me look a little more professional!  What do you think?

Tuesday was a very important day: voting day! My voter registration was the last thing I forgot to change when I got married.  Luckily I smarted up the day before and thought to get a temporary voter i.d. and update everything so I could vote.  

Last night was a fun night!  Husband, Grandma, Sister and I got together for dinner at Mexicali in downtown Tulsa.  The food was, as always amazing!  I got the breaded tilapia fish tacos with cabbage relish, avocado, pico de gallo and a delicious, sweet mango pico de gallo.  Ah, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!  Grandma, Sister and I then went and saw Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the PAC.  It was a wonderful show!  Great music, beautiful staging, costumes and lots of dancing!  They had spectacular tap numbers that made me want to get up and dance...if I knew how to tap or dance...

  It was a good time spent with some of my family.  I enjoy doing that a lot, spending time with family.  Our parents were on a cruise, having left last Saturday and getting back last night.  It was good being able to welcome them back after we got back after the show. I miss my family when they are gone!

  I hope you all have a happy Friday!!!

One Year of Bliss

This may be my longest post yet.  I have so much to share, so much for which to be thankful.  A year ago today I married the man of my dreams, my best friend, my partner in crime, and the love of my life.  I feel so blessed to be able to call such a wonderful man Husband.  All of our family and friends were in town, (some of which [family] I was meeting for the first time.)  It was such a joyous moment and one that brings a smile to my face and butterflies in my stomach every time I think about it.  I'm excited to see where this God-given journey takes us in the years to come.  Looking forward to sharing many more memories and making so many new ones.  Thank you to everyone who has helped us along this path and who helped make this day so extra special for us!

                               {I love this one of Mom putting on David'd boutenniere.}

                                        {How many girls does it take to put on a wedding dress?}

 {That's right.  Part of my dress fastenings broke as we were putting it on and I had to be pinned in!}

 {Hand-made invitations. Mom and her group of friends put so much effort into them.  They even made the clay leaves themselves.}

 {Some of my wonderful friends whom I am glad could be there.  They sang one of my favorite choral songs in the wedding: Where Your Barefoot Walks By David Childs. (See a YouTube video of the song here)}

 {Our photographer Ruth Reese told the bridesmaids to pretend like they were throwing their pumpkin at David.  One bridesmaid actually threw it and Ruth caught the pumpkin mid flight!}

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!!

Bomber Jacket

Happy Wednesday, y'all!  (I refuse to call it happy h day.)  Today is nice and dreary.  To cheer me up I went with a neutral colored sweater with a lacy camisole, cozy leggings and boots, and my bomber jacket.  I'd been wanting this jacket from Target for so long.  The first Black Friday I actually got out for was with Husband and Rayah Sunshine and her husband.  This was their Christmas present to me.  I have loved it and used it a lot ever since.  For a pop of color I added a bright turquoise and gold necklace that I got at Vintage Market Days when it was here in town earlier this year.
  The iPhone case is another one that I made myself. You can read about it in an earlier post here.  It's my Halloween case.  I guess I'll have to be coming up with a Christmas one before I know it.  This hear has been going by so quickly!  Our one year wedding anniversary is going to be in 12 days!!  That's so hard to believe.  It hasn't felt like it's been that long.  I told Husband that there must be a time conspiracy afoot and that it's been increasingly getting faster.  Thanksgiving, then Christmas will be here so soon!  But until then, I think I'll enjoy my Halloween decorations just one more day.  Then I'll be putting them away and beginning the process of sorting through my Christmas decorations!  I have a lot of fun new ideas for this year.  I can't wait to share them with you!

Red Phone Booth- A Tardis?

What a good weekend!  Got some shopping in with mom and one of our dear friends, had a concert, attended our other church's Fall Fest and got crafty. (I'll show pictures once it's completely done!)

  I was excited to break out one of my Halloween shirts.  I don't know why I haven't been wearing these all month.  Last night, I broke out my little orange and black owl nightie shorts.  The shirt I'm wearing in these pictures is one of my favorite ones.  I got it at Target back when they had really cool Halloween shirts.  I haven't seen many like this in a while.  Then again, I kind of stopped looking when I didn't find any cool holiday shirts two years in a row.
  The green upholstery-looking coat I got from Wal*mart yeeears ago.  I haven't found one like it since.  I snatched it up while I could.  the first coat I picked up to try on like it, I stuck my hands in the pockets and found a couple of pills. *gross*  But that didn't deter me from such an awesome coat.  I simply chose a different one from the rack.  Problem solved.  It actually came with a detachable faux fur collar that I stopped wearing because I felt a little ridiculous wearing it.  Maybe since my style and tastes have changed I can try it again.  Now all I have to do is find it...

                                                3 days til Halloween, y'all!!!

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!!

Happy 100 Posts!

It is with excitement that can say I've finally reached 100 posts!  To commemorate, I am going to repost some of the milestone posts from our lives.  These were some pretty exciting moments!  Proposal, getting our house, decorating house, our puppy's first birthday... So many wonderful things and big changes have happened since starting this blog way back in the day. Hard to believe I've had it for about 3 years now.  (Though really it's like it's been one since I wrote in it mostly this year.  But 3 years sounds better.)  I hope you all enjoy the walk down memory lane.  Thank you for reading and I'm glad you could join me today in celebrating my 100th post!

         September 26, 2011

"David and I spent most of the 4th of July at my grandmother's house popping firecrackers, baking cookies and spending time with my family.  That night, we went to Riverpark's big fireworks show.  My cousin and a couple of mine and David's friends were in attendance.  One of his friends happened to be taking photos of the fireworks.  David casually asked his friend to take pictures of us.  So we stood up and hugged for the pictures.  David began digging in his pocket and before I knew it, he was kneeling down on one knee!  With the fireworks blossoming in the background, David asked me to marry him!!  I squealed as tears sprang to my eyes and said YEEEESS!!  That was the happiest moment of my life!  I was completely and utterly surprised.  I cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together.  I could not ask for a better man to be my husband and take care of me.  Say hello to the future Mrs. Linde!!"

February 1, 2012

       The house is ours!! 

"We closed on Tuesday.  And by 'we' I mean David.  I was unfortunately stuck in Edmond doing mundane things such as choir and opera rehearsals...(during which we did get a lot accomplished.)  It is move in ready and we (and again I mean 'we' as in David and my Parents) have begun moving things in.  My parents came down yesterday and help load up the bedroom suite that we got from EARC Thrift store.  It's very nice!  A 5 piece set at a very decent price.  We also got to enjoy a delicious dinner at Earl's Rib Palace, (home of Oklahoma's best BBQ!!)  Though I will be going there this weekend to help with the moving process.  Maybe now would be a good time to clear out a few of my holiday decoration tubs that are sitting in my kitchen in Edmond and taking up space in the shed out back... Surely there's room for 4 tubs somewhere..."

                                                              January 31, 2013

"Pardon the mess, but it's almost heard to believe that this is the same living room.  Everything in the house was white, white, white!  We needed some color in there ASAP.  The paint color is Pomegranate I believe, and it was a perfect match for our red barn paintings.  The paintings actually have a fun story behind them.  The first one shown in the corner with the table lamp (from Kirkland's, love that place) was from a place in Tulsa called Persimmon Hollow Village.  It's a neat place full of rustic buildings containing anything from wood working to Coca Cola memorbilia.  We got it for about $5!!  The 4 small ones, we found on one of our antique excursions somewhere in Oklahoma. They are all 5 painted on what looks to be linen, or a fine burlap, all bearing the same signature.  I call this my Christmas room because of the red and the snow pictures.  Decorating this house was just so much fun!!"

                                                                       February 17, 2013

"Today, our little puppy turned 1 year old!! Back in September, we adopted him from the SPCA. One of the best decisions we made! He is so precious. We couldn't have chosen a better dog. Actually, he's the first dog I've ever had, so naturally we spoil him rotten! Both of his grandmothers came over today with precious gifts for our precious puppy! I baked a cake for the special occasion. (None of the ingredients harmful to dogs.). And it was super easy to make!! And it didn't taste half bad, only a little bland: natural peanut butter, flour, shredded carrots, being the main ingredients.  The recipe can be found HERE."