Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Hope you are enjoying your holiday!

All is Merry, All is Bright

 We are soo excited that Santa is coming tonight!

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care....

 Oh no!  Our elves, "Little Red" and "Little Red Junior," are sad to leave us. They go back to the North Pole with Santa tonight. It has been so much fun looking for them each morning.

 A note from them.

 Here's where we'll leave some milk and cookies and a note for Santa tonight.  The girls baked some special cookies for him!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

 Merry Christmas!  I've been away on a trip to South America.  We visited Colombia, The Panama Canal, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.  We also went to Machu Picchu.  It was wonderful!  Now I'm home and happy to be with my family again and enjoying all my Christmas decorations.                                                       

 My girls decorated most of my tree this year.  They did a great job and had such a fun time doing it together.  As they put up each ornament they'd say, "Oh, I remember this one!" Or "I remember making this one!"        
  

                            Santa hanging in the family room.

                          

                                                                                                                                                                                       Even the little chair gets a pillow.

A cute Christmas tin!

                      

   More Santas on the mantel.

       Brooke is growing!  This will be her first Christmas.  I wonder what Santa will bring her?

Random Fall Decor

Back from Rome, getting ready now for Thanksgiving. The kids will be off school all week. We'll have some family in town from Seattle. I'm working on getting the house in shape for company and remembering all of the things I'm so thankful for. Family, friends, a home, good health, my pets, trips I've been on, experiences God has blessed me with, a promise from God that I will see my Dad again. So, so much to be thankful for! What are you thankful for as you approach this wonderful holiday?

A Weekend in Rome

My husband Alan turned 40 last Friday! We spent the weekend in Rome with a group of friends to celebrate! Here we are at the Spanish Steps.

We had so much fun eating and celebrating! The food was spectacular. YUM!

Our hotel was this quaint old place located right across from the Pantheon.

We toured the Vatican and attended the Mass on Sunday. The Pope greeted us from a window after the service ended.

We also toured the Coliseum! What an amazing sight that was! We even got to tour underneath where they kept animals and prisoners. It was my favorite sight in Rome. It was quite a whirlwhind weekend!

Meet Brooke

This is our new puppy, Brooke! She is a Portuguese Water Dog just like our Dover. They are becoming fast friends! She is a little whipper snapper! We are all enjoying her so much. Dover really likes her, too! They play together already, although as you can see he's a little big for her at the moment!

Tablecloth Curtains

So my windows were bugging me. You know how you just look at something, and think, "it needs something," but what?

Then I got inspired. I was looking at some old magazines and saw a piece about Magnolia Pearl and Robin Brown. She uses lace EVERYWHERE.... all different, too. And it looks pretty! So I grabbed some tablecloths, tacks, and ribbon.

So here's the result. I like it! I should take a photo at night. It looks pretty at night, too.

I'm all set for Halloween! I have my lighted pumpkins lit...

Found this cornucopia at Homegoods the other day... my dining room table has a more "fallish" look to it.

Here's my old one...I still like that one, too! Isn't fall wonderful! Such pretty colors!

Something About Black

There is something to adding a black piece of furniture to your decor. I found the "doilie" on this chair at Target - it's actually a placemat! I also collect old tins. Isn't this one pretty with the flowers on it?

Newest Garage Sale Find

My newest addition to my family room. I think the curves on it are neat plus I can store stuff in it!

Apple Picking and Fall Fun!

We went to an apple orchard in Wisconsin a couple weeks ago! It was so fun. The girls took a hay ride, then we picked apples and pumpkins! They had a shop that had delicious treats like apple cider, doughnuts, pies, wine, etc. YUM! Plus a bunch of cute craft tables. The weather was perfect - cool and crisp.

Here's my Maddie getting on or off the ride! I can't tell.

Bridget checking out the apples.

Elizabeth had a grand time picking apples!

Daddy made sure they picked good ones.

We posed for a picture...what silly faces!

My oldest, Brittany, with her pumpkin. She didn't want to pose for me. Ugh she is turning into a teenager and I am so uncool.

Elizabeth will pose, though!

And lastly, a snapshot of the girls on the morning of picture day at school. Bridget is in 4th grade and Maddie is in 2nd grade.

Pumpkin Bear

I have a little collection of teddy bears. Here's my guy for the season.

Cozy Spots

This is a "new" rug I found at a local antique shop...

A warm little light...

Some comfy pillows....

And a rocker that says, "come sit and relax."

More Fall Decor

Here's my Fall fireplace...

And a toolbox filled with goodies. I found the stars at an estate sale. Love 'em!

Some Fall Decor to Share

I started putting out some Fall decorations. I'm waiting with the Halloween stuff. On my mantle lots of leaves, berries, pumpkins and candles. My kids always enjoy these little lighted houses. My mom purchased them years ago!

I put a candle in a jelly jar...thought it looked cute!

Yummy smelling candles burning...my kids kept asking if I was baking something with cinnamon!

Pumpkin pie, anyone?

Aren't the colors of Fall wonderful? More to come later...