Thankful, Thankful, Thankful!

A fellow blogger (that I enjoy reading) decided to make a post on ten things that she's thankful for (you can see her blog--Dressing Our Nest here). Needless to say, I thought that it was a pretty cool idea. Apparently, thankful post are a thing right now, so I figured I'd go ahead and throw my hat into the ring. Why not? With Thanksgiving just a day away, it's the perfect time to reflect. So here's my list of ten things that I am incredibly thankful for.

1. My family.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my family. I am blessed to have people around me that love & support me, & have my best interest at heart. The women in my life are my guardian angels--always going above and beyond. My son gives me my fair share of giggles and kisses, and my husband is truly dedicated to our family and enriching our lives. Honestly, I hit the family jackpot--if I do say so myself ;-)

 

My granny, my mom, and I enjoying ourselves in good ol' San Juan.

2. My Friends. Whether I talk to my friends everyday or not, we can always pick right up from where we left off. I am fortunate to have people in my life that "get me" and my many quirks. They will forever hold a special place in my heart.

 

Friendship is like wetting your pants, everyone can see it, but only you feel the true warmth, lol  :-P (and yes I included my mom and husband in the pics because they are two of my very best friends).

 

3. My Health. Its one of those things that can sometimes be overlooked, but I am extremely thankful for my health--and the health of those that I love. Being equip with reasonable strength, in my right mind, and being able to do for myself is priceless. I DO NOT take it for granted.

 

 

Throwback. Chasing my little guy around the park.

4. My Home. Even after all of our renovations my house still needs a ton of work. Everywhere my eyes land I can pinpoint something that needs to be fixed, but it beats the heck out of being out on the streets! God blessed us to be able to become homeowners last year and honestly it's been a trying ride. However, at the end of the day I have someplace to call my own and my son absolutely loves the space, so it's all good!

Home Sweet Home!

 

5. Music. It's the soundtrack to our lives. Music has gotten me through some pretty tough times as well as set the tone for some pretty amazing ones. Without music I would be lost! There is nothing quite like the joy I feel when I discover a "new to me" tune or simply jam to some of my old favorites. The feeling is glorious.

 

I Miss You is one of my all time favorites!

6. A Clean House. I can't relax until my house is clean, so for me a clean house represents peace & who doesn't like a little peace of mind?

 

 

 

My son enjoying his Kindle after a fresh house cleaning.

7. A Hot Shower. Is there anything better? If there is then I truly don't deserve it. The aroma of the shower gel, the feel of the water massaging your body, the idea of being clean...it's all so intoxicating. I have a sneaky suspicion that hot showers come straight from heaven ;-)

 

Simply magnificent...maybe one day...*sigh*



8. Trips. It's always nice to get away and experience something new. There's nothing better than your only responsibility being to have fun for a couple of days. As equally as good as the trip is the excitement leading up to it. Knowing that you will be able to "peace out" the job for a few days is a treat all of its own.

 

Hiking through the rainforest. There's nothing like new experiences :-) & I love building fond memories.

9. Pictures. I loved them before they were hot. Before Facebook, before Instagram, it was just me and my disposable camera. To me, pictures are sort of like time capsules. They capture a moment, a memory, a feeling. I'm not sure there are many things (if any) that bring to the table what pictures do. I am without a doubt a stone cold fan.

 A old Father's Day Collage, and YES I print my pics!

10. Me Time. Whether I am quietly sitting with a book, writing my own novel, listening to music, doing arts and crafts, or spending a meaningful moment with someone that I enjoy, my "me time" is something that I TRULY look forward to. It's not often that I get to do what I want--the responsibilities of adulthood often dictate my day. So those rare moments that what I do is solely up to discretion is magical, and I couldn't be more thankful for them.

For my 30th I had the ultimate 'me time' experience at the Wickwood Inn. I did nothing but read, write, and sip wine in front of the fire on the cold winter's day. Go here to see more of their rooms.

 

So there you have it, ten things that I am extremely grateful for. With so much going on in the world and in our personal lives, sometimes it's nice to just take a moment and reflect on the many things that we have to be grateful for--big and small. I could have easily made this list go on and on--and that, I believe, is a blessing. So now it's your turn, what are some of the things that you're thankful for?

 

More Rooms With A View

So, after my last 'rooms with a view post', I found that you guys preferred the rooms that incorporated natural elements the best--so I figured I'd do another post that specifically focused on that (let's be honest, I enjoy looking at these pictures). So here goes, ready for more of my corny captions? :-)

 

I would always want wine with dinner here, wouldn't you?

Ahh, nothing like a good book, a little sunshine, and a comfy nook!

Rise and smile ;-)

 Another good morning sponsored by God

 



Love the way this window nearly becomes a piece of art for this neutral-hued room

Gorg!

I would love to have my family here. Looks like just the place to tell stories, sip hot chocolate, and enjoy each other's company.

Here's another room that instantly made me think of my mom :) I can literally see her in that chair watching the ships go by or at that table writing a bestseller :) The detail on the top of the window is awesome too!

Man, what a nice spot to take in the breeze

Not really an extravagant view, but it is lovely. I could happily sit in this room for hours.

Wozers!

 

...& chill...

What a view!!! I can almost feel the sunshine and warmth

This is contentment--at least in my world

 I like the simplicity of this design (décor), you really don't have to do much with a view like this



Minus the severed head on the wall, this room calls my name. Love the vaulted ceiling and huge window

 Heck yes!

 



What an amazing place to retreat to at the end of the day

The view, the hot tub, the fireplace, what's not to love about this space?

What a beauty, I could wake up here a happy woman all year long

This is a bit much for me--not sure how comfortable I'd be underwater, but this definitely is a view

I could live in just this one room. It kinda puts me in the mind of a conservatory, but with a lot less plants :) 

I'm not into the all white everything look, but I'd be lying if I said this space wasn't amazing...

 

I instantly fell in love with this picture. From the aged window seal you can tell that the home is pretty old. I can imagine sitting here looking out of the window and eating coconut stacks--yup I pretty much just summed this up as my granny's place ;-)

 

 

So there you have it, more incredible rooms with a view. Maybe one day I'll have a pretty cool view of my own. Until the next time folks...XO.

Thanksgiving Flair

Well ladies and gents, the holiday season is upon us again :-) It feels like just last week everyone was wearing shorts and tank tops and now we're gearing up for winter festivities, crazy! The first week of November we experienced some unusually beautiful weather around these parts, I'm talking 75 degrees--that's unheard of here. Of course I celebrated it with a picnic at the park with my baby king:

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves :-)

But now the cold winds have blown in once again, and I've turned my attention to Thanksgiving. You know the drill, Dollar Tree, make it cheap, do it yourself ;-) Since I started decorating for the holidays I focus mainly on two things: the mantel and the dinning room table. Because these two areas are so central, I allow them to speak for the entire house (and of course my scarecrows are still holding it down outside).

Me and the little guy are also in the process of making these old-fashioned hand turkeys for the windows. Perhaps, I can share the finished thing in another post.

Again, I waited a little too late to begin shopping for my decorations, but luckily, I was still able to find some really good deals.Nothing really ever turns out the way I imagine it in my head, but I think I did alright with the things that I picked up. At the end of the day, I'm decorating solely to create memories for my son (& I kinda enjoy it too). When I was a kid, there was some type of mysterious joy about pulling out the holiday decorations year after year. After some time I knew what to expect, and those simple pieces, whether a dollar or a hundred dollars, became nearly sacred to me. That's what I'm trying to create for my son. Anywho, let's get to it.

The first thing that I purchased was these orange carvable pumpkins from the dollar store.

 

If you're interested in these I suggest getting them BEFORE Halloween. They were all gone afterwards--even after seeing them the day before. I think the store took them off the shelves. So like, people only use pumpkins for Halloween now???

 

I had the bright idea of painting the pumpkins gold (I paint everything gold, right?). I found out the hard way that if you want a smooth, sleek look to your painted pumpkin then you probably have to buy a real one or possibly use some other type of paint. I used my old standard spray paint and the Styrofoam didn't actually love it. *Shrugs*

 

The spray paint actually caused the pumpkin to bubble and prickle. I'm a fan of texture so it was all good with me, but if you're strictly going for a smooth look chances are you won't be happy. Let's take a look at the finished mantel, shall we?

 

Can you see the texture on the pumpkin? :)

I decided to keep the left over Spanish Moss from Halloween--without it the mantel looked a bit bare & the moss still works great for a fall harvest theme. The lantern was a Mother's Day gift to me from my mom (LOVE IT). Normally I keep the lantern in my writing room, but I felt that it fit in well with the theme. The picture in the back is just a image I printed off of the net, cut it to size, and threw it in a frame. The view is a bit obstructed, but it says: Family, together we have it all :-) 

Love, love, love this old-fashioned flower bouquet and the material of the flowers is awesome--not sure what it is though.

 I came across this fall colored bouquet at Home Goods in the clearance section and instantly fell in love with it. While I normally like to keep my holiday décor pieces to a buck or less I made an exception for this and still got a great deal!

Introducing Mr..& Mrs. Quail...

In total In have 4 pumpkins. I decided to top my candle holders with two of them, & I kinda like the way it looks.

Dashing!

 I liked these little brides because they really have style AND they were 50% off the day after Halloween ;-)

Dapper

 They were originally $5.00 a piece at Target, so I figured $5 for both wasn't too bad.

 

 

 

I love my little cornucopia sign! Another Dollar Tree find.

I would have loved to have a Cornucopia as my table centerpiece, but it was just too costly to make or to buy :-( So speaking of centerpieces what did I get?

 

Dollar Store Stuff!

I picked up 3 different types of florals, 2 packs of Christmas bulbs (that aren't too Christmasy and the kicker is I only needed one pack), more moss, a bird, and the foam to stick my pieces in. Luckily I had just happened upon a free vase that day. I also had white candles already on hand.

 

Humm, I just thought about it, after adding everything up my centerpiece cost $8 to create...much more than I ever want to spend. But that being said, it was MUCH cheaper than the ones in the store and I also had the added benefit of creating it myself, hands on work is a great stress relief for me!

 

I started by cutting the foam into 4 pieces (I used 3). I then stuck the candles into each side of the foam and began to wrap the moss around in the hopes that none of the foam would show. Next, I placed the Christmas bulbs on top. Lastly, I randomly began to place my florals and set my bird in place. TIP: buy florals that can be separated to get more bang for your buck.

 

 Once I was satisfied with my arrangement I put that to the side and set my table with a table

set I picked up last year on clearance after the season. I still need to YouTube a pretty fold for my napkins though :-( Here's the table:

 



Unfortunately, my main piece was not the scale that I would have liked (I wanted something a bit larger), but it works--especially since I built around it with other pieces. Obviously I won't be burning the candles in the centerpiece, so I added lighting  options around it. All in all, I like the centerpiece and it looks gorg in the daytime when the sun shines on the glittery branches :-)...if I say so myself.

 

After all that Holiday Spirit, the hubby and I decided that it was a fine time to take our little guy to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. Basically Bronner's is a huge Christmas store with about everything you can imagine and even some things that you can't! It's open year round, but since it's so close to the season it was really crowded. Crowds aren't exactly my thing so it made our tip less enjoyable, however, our little guy had a blast looking at all the sights and he even got to pick out his own ornament. On the bright side it was a pretty day (even if it was cold) and I'm always down for a nice, long car ride (Bronner's is about a hour away).

Amazed ;-)

 

I don't think there's many places that you can have a picnic by the water and then head to a Christmas Wonderland all bundled up in the same week--but in Michigan, it happens.

Well, that's it for my Thanksgiving décor. If you've decorated already be sure to leave a pic in the comments. Until the next time, XO!



 

Let There Be Light!

Finally, a home improvement post! :-) So for the last year and some change my family hasn't had a light in the dinning room. Eating by candlelight is all well and good when you're trying to be romantic, but when you're sitting with a glow between you and your loved ones chomping down on some Checker's it begins to feel a bit silly. The only other option was moving a floor lamp from the second level to the first at dinnertime, and let me tell you, that wasn't too appealing either. Needless to say, we've spent a lot of time eating in the living room these past few months. Well, all that has changed because we now have LIGHT!!!

When we moved in we had this ugly thing:

Not that bad, but it shouldn't have been over the dinner table, and that ugly plug? Nope! Aesthetics aside, the fixture just didn't work because we had no power.

I could have lived with it (for awhile)--if it would have worked. Unfortunately, like so many other things in our house it was completely defunct. So, not only did we have to find a chandelier, we also had to fix the electrical problem--which of course meant, more drywall removal, new lines run, and drywall replacement, because, as you know if you've been following me--nothing is ever easy in my world.

Jesus take the wheel, the car, and the road!

 

Contractors step up in our house like:

Oh Happy Day!



 



*Rolls eyes* Regardless of the setbacks I was just happy that the work was finally getting done. To me, the dinner table is an experience, and should be an important staple for any family. The table fosters conversation. And while we all still ate as a family, the intimacy was interrupted as we had the T.V, laptops,  cellphones, kindles, and other distractions within arms reach.

 

When I imagined lighting for the dinning room I always pictured something sparkly. I absolutely love some of the modern lighting, but being in a historical home I didn't want to deviate too far away from the feel. I figured that sparkly was always in style and I wanted something that would give me the light we had been so badly missing for the pass year.

 

Instead, I steeped into a second hand shop and fell in love with a wrought iron classic. The chandelier that I purchased looked nothing like what I thought I wanted, but even when the cashier uttered the shockingly high price tag it wasn't enough to deter me. I didn't even go into that store for a light! Darn it!

Side Note: I'll save the Cash Money (bling bling) chandelier for my room :)

 

I liked the chandelier because it was vintage and dark. For those who know me, you know that I'm a romantic and the light reminded me of smaller version of something you might find in a old castle. #Swoon! Fun fact: when we visited the Toledo Zoo this summer the reptile house had a chandelier extremely similar--I was over the moon about that.

 

Next came the issue of the chandelier possibly being too heavy.  I'm so clueless yall. I had no idea there were weight requirements (duh!)--I just figured that if something was meant to hang from the ceiling it should hang. It never dawned on me that there are all different types of structures. So now the whole time I'm looking at the electrician like this:
 

Oh please let it work!

Luckily, whatever we needed (technical terms are long forgotten) was already in place so it worked out, finally--something worked out. Ok, so enough talk, here's the light:

 So happy to have my chandelier up and working!!

Close up of the details...

& most importantly, I'm overjoyed that we have our "table time" back :-)

 

At some point I assume having a light in the room will become normal, but for now...

This is how I feel when I hit the switch. :-P

 

And that, my dear friends, is that! Until the next time, XO!