It's a Start

 I am SO NOT COMPLAINING.  Just stating a fact that I have three mantles to decorate for Christmas this year.  Compared to one for the last 5 years, it's a little bit fun and a little bit CA-RA-ZY.  I'm still loving these thrift store books I used in my Fall decor, so I'm working off a red and brown color palette this year in the Family Room.  

A little glitz, a little nature and some great red cardinals from Target's Smith and Hawken collection.

I also love my fun and funky wire and pearl tree on the left side of my mantle.  There may be some stockings hanging on here before all is said and done.  I haven't decided where to put them yet. We have our kiddos all here this year so we'll need FIVE stockings!!!  YIPPEE!

The Christmas tree is only partially decked.  There are a ton more ornaments to put on it.

 I decorated the Living Room mantle with a little less color because of the dark brown walls.

 I don't think the stockings will fit on here. It just may be good enough for this year.

Later I added some sparkly birds and garland for a little more bling.

This little entry table will see a poinsettia and probably some fresh greens soon. 

Well, toodle ooo, I've got a lot more to do.

I'm participating in the Mantle Linky Party today. Come check out the beautiful mantles.

I'm also participating in Rhoda's Holiday Mantle Party.  Make sure and visit!

Christmas Inspiration

 I've started to decorate for Christmas.

 It's going to be a long process.

 With the new house, I'm basically starting from scratch, using what I have for the most part.

It's going to be a beginner year, again.

All pictures bhg

Girlfriend Time

After my college reunion I headed to Florida for a little girlfriend time.  

We now live in three different states, so time together is precious. 

 This is Oscar.

 He was loads of fun to be around.

 We cooked a little.

 We went to a cooking class.

 Where we tasted this amazing Apple and Cranberry pie.

 We had a lovely lunch at the beach.

 Of course there was a little shopping!

I don't watch sunrises on my vacation, or any other day for that matter.  I am, however, willing to watch a beautiful sunset. On the beach. In Florida. Eating a fantastic dinner, with special girlfriends. 

College Reunion

 I went to a small Christian college where we knew almost all of our classmates. So a reunion for our college class is a pretty big deal.  Last weekend was a "big" reunion year for us.

This guy, not the cow, and I go back much further, to my 5th grade. He and his brother used to call me names, "Twiggy Tree Truck" sticks in my mind. I think they added the "tree truck" because they realized that Twiggy was a compliment at the time.  

 We had many meals together.  This one at the Taco Truck was very fun.

 Blurry picture of me and one of my BFF.  She was in my wedding 31 years ago.

 The old dorm, which is to be knocked down for a newer version soon.

 We dedicated this gazebo to a special classmate that lost his life in a tragic accident.

I was even surprised by my cousin, that popped by to say hello.

Sorry for all the self portraits. I just wanted to give you a sense of the special weekend I had where there was laughter and stories shared.  Lots of memories were stirred to the surface and we concluded that God is good and we are blessed. I traveled on to Florida for a few days after that. More on that tomorrow!

Buried

Hey there, I'm back from my lovely visit with friends and will be back to blogging soon. Above is the beautiful sunset from Naples, Florida where I was visiting friends. This is probably the prettiest photo I took.  So, I'll show you a little of my travels next week, but won't bore you with my vacation photos yet again. I hope all is well with everyone. I'm off to restock the pantry and refrigerator and tackle the mountain of laundry that has accumulated. Have a great weekend!

Gone Again

I've gone to my college reunion and to visit close friends. I should have fun things to share when I return. I hope all is well and I'll see you soon!

A Little This and A Little That

I promised I'd show you what I bought last Friday at the Matilda's Mouse Antique Sale.

 This little corner just called out for an old birdcage. Can you believe I didn't even have one? 

Surprising, I know.

This is a small, dark powder room. I recently painted it Sherwin Williams Sedate Gray (SW6169) to lighten it up. It looks green in this picture, but it's more of a blue gray. It was dark brown. This is the room I want to stencil to give it some interest. The mirror that you can only partially see is a recent thrift store purchase that is a perfect fit. Still can't find my stencil, I went to Bora Bora instead of looking.

 I found a couple of old clocks to add to the shelves.  I think my cousin had some influence on me here.

This old egg basket is going to eventually be filled with old baseballs for the Man Cave. I'll show you that another time. It's sort of out of my decorating comfort zone, you could say. Good thing DH isn't picky.

I ordered this bench from One Kings Lane a couple months ago.  

I thought it would be perfect for the end of the bed. I'm so glad I was right. It will come in handy.

Looks good here, don't you think?

Christmas Antique Sale

We made our monthly trek to Matilda's Mouse this past weekend. There were six of us this time. I think everybody went home with some treasure. The theme for the month was, of course, Christmas!

I loved this belt tying up the books.

Lime green and pink was a common color palette. The place was packed.  It was impossible to take a picture without somebody in the background. This cute tree was "planted" in a plant stand, featured moss, pots, tools and sprinkler heads.

 You should've seen this massive frame around this angel.  

It was pretty difficult to get a picture of, but it was really beautiful.

This bowl was below the beach tree.  It had big, fat, weathered rope around it's base.  

I really should've taken a picture of it. 

 Baby Jesus was not for sale.

An owl tree.  Owls are still everywhere these days.

 This was another very clever book display.

 Need a hand?

I'll show you tomorrow what I came home with.