christmas card fail

I staged an impromptu photo shoot this afternoon.It may or may not have involved a little of the following:

 "Here put this on! No, not that shirt, this one! now smile! where is the dog? smile! no, not like that!"

I did manage to get a few for the photo card, genuine smiles and all, but here are some that didn't quite make the cut...

The fact that I took photos and ordered cards all in one night, is a Christmas miracle in & of itself!

Now, just to gather my addresses...

lucky gal

We hosted family for Thanksgiving this year, as we've happily done for three years running. Kelly's Aunt Pam, Uncle Roy and Nana were with us through the weekend. We ate, visited, took the kids to a movie, ate some more, enjoyed the fireworks, climbed trees, climbed on the roof (!), relaxed and had a great time all around. Uncle Roy, being the handy guy that he is, gave us the early Christmas present of free labor! Thanks to Roy, Daisy now has a doggie door, we have gutters on the back of the house and a pull out kitchen garbage drawer (you know, the awesome kind that looks like the rest of the cabinets?!). I am a very lucky gal!

Uncle Roy!

 Sky high!

'Boy in Tree'

Last weekend we caved and bought a... fake faux Christmas tree. We've always always had a real tree, until we moved to Louisiana, that is. Since we've been here we haven't had the room or desire to put up a full-sized tree. After a trip (or two) to Home Depot, we came home with a beaut. She's up and dressed!

 I made book-page garland. Through The Looking Glass and Swiss Family Robinson.

The tree may not be real, but I added some greenery from the backyard. Texture, dimension, blah, blah, blah.

We head back to school tomorrow for a short week (yay!) and look forward to the Christmas Festival next weekend (watch Steel Magnolias if you're not familiar). It's party/cookie/baking/shopping/wrapping/travel season - and I couldn't be more thrilled! Happy Holidays, people!

giving thanks

i am blessed. beyond even the tiniest scope of measure. here are just a few of the things i'm most thankful for:

a family in perfect health

coconut cream coffee creamer

a pool in our backyard

a few fantastic friends

a house that is truly a home

the spann van

daisy mae (even if she barks like a mad-dog)

a job that i love

my jesus

peppermint ice cream

our guest room

my sewing machine

my amazing husband

san luis mexican restaurant

my extended (and far-away) family

that kelly loves his job

christmas decorations

magazine subscriptions

a god that rules the universe & loves me more than i can imagine

and that's just the tip of the thanksgiving iceberg.

new (old)

Since we moved in February, I have been picturing... dreaming... fantasizing about making changes. Changes to our living room, kitchen, bedroom - okay, like everything. I've made a few teeny, tiny changes here and there, but nothing too noticeable.

This week, the changes get bigger. New pillows, curtains, art (well, the DIY crafty kind), decor, oh - and TV (which changes EVERYTHING). Some things are old and are just being repainted, repurposed or recycled to have a new purpose.

Is it silly that these changes bring me such joy? Yes, I'm sure it is. But isn't it amazing that these small differences change the way I feel about my house, myself? Silly? Yes. Wonderful? Yes sir!

adventures in fall

Last weekend, Claire and I headed to Shreveport for her last softball tournament of the year. I knew it was going to be chilly, but had no idea that it would be downright freezing! It was a long day, as the girls played 6 (count 'em - SIX!) games! It was too cold to come out from under the blanket to shoot too many pictures, but I did manage to capture this moment...

This pretty much sums it all up, I think. I was proud of the girls, who hung in there, even when our last game started at 9:15 pm.

On Friday, our Running Club took seventy 2nd - 5th graders across campus to the Middle Lab School to run in a 1 Mile & 5K race. Nolan and I ran the 1 mile, (which ended up being closer to 2 miles due to a slight error in the route markings - argh! kill me now!) and Claire ran in the 5K. She took 2nd place in her age division! It was another cold, cold morning, and another reason to be proud!

Our adventures over the past few days have also taken us to Alexandria, Chuck E Cheese, Shreveport, Olive Garden, and Christmas Tree shopping! The kids are at a 2-day basketball camp while Kelly & I clean, paint, volunteer, cook, shop and relax! It's going to be a great week!

playoffs

As I type, Kelly is coaching the NCHS Chiefs in their first 5A Football Playoff game in over 10 years. They are 5 hours away, playing the #3 team in the state. I'm listening to the play-by-play in our bedroom. We're down thus far, but not out. No matter the outcome, it's been a fantastic season and am thrilled with the team's success this year. GO CHIEFS!

bliss

What is 'bliss' these days?

Sleeping until 9am after my husband's team wins to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

Making a quick trip to Goodwill and find a few treasures.

Crafting - making a Book Page Wreath, to be exact.

Baking an autumn batch of snickerdoodles while my husband naps and the kids play Legos, quietly.

Assembling ingredients for chili on a chilly evening.

Plans to hunker down with the family to watch a movie before getting up for church in the morning.

In other words: A Saturday without any commitments. Next weekend brings another football game and an all-weekend girl's softball tournament. Today... we rest.

i won, i won!!

So, I've shared the fact that I love a good blog. Really, I do. I have a list of favorites that I peruse on a regular basis. One that I've come to know and love is Jones Design Company. Emily is an extremely talented designer - of stationary, family & home. Her blog is a generous one, she features simple tutorials like this gorgeous little flower pin that I made.

She features a monthly giveaway that is not one item, but a collection of new & vintage items that are absolutely perfect for each season. You won't believe this, but I WON the November giveaway! Can you believe it? Take a look at my loot:

Pure gorgeousness, no? Thank you, Emily, for the giveaway, but even more so for the daily dose of inspiration I receive each day! xo