Creative Spaces Vol. 2 - A Must Have!

If you're like me, you long to have a room that is perfectly organized, reflects your personality, and beautifully displays everything. Since that dream is not close to coming true I live vicariously through other people's rooms.

Creative Spaces vol. 2 is the perfect thing for a vicarious room fix! It has tons of rooms that got me thinking about things I could do now, even though I'm not in that "perfect" place yet.

Here's the list of who was involved with links to their blogs (there were a couple that don't have blogs, so don't be alarmed if you can't click on their name/image).

Enjoy!!

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Happiness is...

The pursuit of happiness seems to be a constant in my life or maybe rather an adjustment made on a regular basis. Either way happiness is my focus for 2013.

I started reading The Happiness Project several months ago and loved it! The concepts were eye-opening and I was so impressed with Gretchen's experiences. So this year, rather than setting goals/resolutions I am focusing on my own happiness project. So far, I have my personal 12 commandments created and now I'm working on my plan for the year.

And so I look forward to 2013 with happiness and enthusiasm, with a hope to discover more about myself on this journey.

Happy 2013!

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Christmas Day

I am grateful for the chance to celebrate the birth of Christ and recognize the impact it has on my life. I am also thankful for the opportunity to be with family and friends, to reminisce, and enjoy a day together.

This year was different than the last few years have been. Our dear friend Dayna's father is in the final days of his life as he battles cancer. Typically, Dayna's family joins us for dinner, as well as her parents and my mom. But with her dad's health situation they spent the day with her siblings, their children, and her parents, which was exactly where they needed to be.

So our day was much quieter. We still had dinner with my mom - Prime Rib, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, brussel sprouts (blah), frog-eye salad, homemade rolls, and banana slush with banana cream and coconut cream pies for dessert. The meal was delightful! We exchanged gifts and had fun chatting with my mom.

The quieter day also gave me time to reflect on what is important, what I value, and my many blessings. I am so grateful for Christ's sacrifice for me. I am thankful to be surrounded by people that love and support me. Life is good!

Merry Christmas!

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Stockings were hung with care

We have a variety of stockings in our house. Two are hung on the mantel - the cross-stitched with love ones (mine and J's).

My stocking that K made for me two years ago

We have baby stockings hanging from the corners of the TV hutch. Four puffy, playful stockings hanging over the french doors to the deck. There are three or four more in the downstairs hanging from various surfaces.

But not a single one of these stockings is actually filled on Christmas morning - they are for decoration only (I'm too afraid to use my cross-stitched one - it's too beautiful!). On Christmas Eve we each place our stockings out on our designated seats in the family room. Mine is an Odie stocking (Garfield the cat's dog buddy) that says "The More the Merrier" that I've had for 20 something years. We each take turns filling the stockings of the other two, while our sock remains hidden beneath a towel. The last person to fill the stockings removes the towels and turns out the lights.

Christmas morning we go through our stockings first, which contain practical items such as hair dye, shower gel, lip stuff, and other needed items as well as a few fun items like iTunes cards, movie tickets, and goodies. J's sock always has an orange, because that's what her childhood stocking contained.

I love our stocking tradition and also enjoy the variety of stockings that grace our home.

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Winter Wonderland

The snow has arrived! Our neighborhood is coated in a snowy, white blanket that has enhanced the Christmas lights and other lighted decor. Mabel and I took a ride through the neighborhoods and captured a few favorite sites (she hung her head out the window while I tried to find strategic spots to take the photos without looking like a stalker). Enjoy!

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The Feast

Growing up the Christmas Day feast centered around a turkey with all the fixings. As an adult, our meal consists of prime rib, scalloped potatoes, and a lovely array of salads and sides. At one time we also included ham for those that weren't prime rib fans, but we've either converted people or they take the ends, which are cooked more.

The funny thing is, I can't remember when or why we started having prime rib, but I'm certainly happy with the decision. I wish I could take credit for the meal, but my contribution involves frog-eye salad, slicing potatoes for scalloped potatoes, frying bacon for the green bean casserole, and making the pretzel salad. The heavy lifting for the meal is handled by J and she does a fabulous job (although every year she stresses about getting it done enough without overcooking it).

The excitement over the anticipated meal is building as the days count down. I'm just grateful I'm a grown-up and DON'T have to eat the brussel sprouts. I'm off to dream of prime rib and other delights.

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'Twas the week before Christmas

And the packages are shipped!! Time for the happy dance. Best part, it didn't cost an arm and a leg to ship everything. I think I'll need to try this again next year :)


Life is good!

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