A Look Back at 2009....

Some memories from the past year, in no particular order. Gingerbread Train
Happy Harvest!
Fairytale Town

Annual Harvest Festival photo (not the best this year!)

DD first (and hopefully only) "self" haircut

Our beautiful Patches, who adopted us. She is the best cat.

State Fair 2009

Family fun mini vacation

Me and Hubby

DS's first MLB game, SF Giants, they lost:(

Fun at Bass Pro Shop (that place is huge!)

Unexpected sweet moments

Trip to local firestation

Trip to Folsom Zoo

Lots and lots of fun at the park!

Lots of water play

First self built (with a bit of help) box car

First two wheeler

DS lost first tooth (and the second, a day later)

Fun trip to kid's science museum

So many fun and happy memories...what will 2010 bring? I hope lots and lots of the same!

Let's See...

10 days and counting 'till Christmas.

House is a B.O.M.B. Majorly. Nothing that can't be cleaned up in a good solid hour, but still unnerving. Why is it that I can't craft, teach and clean in unison?

Have my official "to do" list now. I try to put those off, but now I have one. Mostly gifts I need to finish up, shopping to do. I don't have a ton left, but need to keep track of it so I don't get more overwhelmed than I already am.

Remembering to include the fun stuff too. Today we decorated Patches "house" with wrapping paper and colored pictures. Her house is a over sized box. She tends to hide in it to escape all the hands that are constantly coming at her each day.

We still need to make our gingerbread men, have for a few years now. Our "tradition" so to speak, will make sure to make them GF.

Have my fave holiday movie waiting for me to watch. "Christmas Vacation" is my yearly holiday guilty pleasure, I always watch it while wrapping a big batch of gifts. I won't get to it tonight, but hopefully will tomorrow. It's so much fun.

More to do....it'll get done, if not then that'll be ok too!

Special Touches

How are you using special touches in your Christmas decorating? How are you repurposing things for holiday decorations? Can you see the cake stand, changing table basket, cookie cutters, salt shaker, cookie tin, planter, fruit stand, dip bowl, egg platter, dishtowel and glass platter that I've incorporated?

Living Room Refresh

Ok, so I started pulling out Christmas stuff today to decorate. I posted awhile ago that I was going to redo the living room. So, I did that and now wanted to show you my "after" pictures with the house almost decorated (still need the tree). So, before we start:

• Ignore the hopelessly dirty/fuzzy carpet
• Ignore the hubby reading his Sports Illustrated
• Ignore the fireplace play "house" in the far corner of the first picture. The plus side is it makes a great table for my purse!
• Ignore the stray toys that the kids missed at pick up time tonight
• Ignore the big 'ol pile of toys behind the end table shot, still trying to figure out where to stash those. Ok, so this is the "fireplace" area. I bought this recently, one of three purchases I made when "refreshing" the living room. Don't you love the stockings hanging over it? Good idea Momma!This is my second purchase, my new wing back chair. I *love* it, so very pretty. Love the pattern, love the upholstery tack trim, love the cherry legs, love her curvaceousness. Yes, you'll notice anything that's mine is a she.

The new kids "playroom" that I carved out. This is the front of the living room, by the front door. I didn't necessarily want a play area as soon as you opened the door, but that was the best way to configure it. The dresser in the back corner was my last purchase, going to repaint it black this summer. It has beautiful antiqued copper knobs.

The end table. Have my basket of library books on the bottom, right across from my wing back chair for reading. Love the little area for displays, remotes, coffee.

Entertainment center. I don't like the computer on top, but I don't want to move it by myself so for now it stays. Folding screen hides our unused wall heater.

The little end table by the chair is just hangin out right now until I figure out a new place for it.

All in all, happy with the outcome. I still am determined to make a removable cover of some kind for that horrible eyesore of a swamp cooler smack dab in the middle of the wall. I'm thinking wall art of some kind. A project someday...