Turkey and Tinsel and Time-Outs, Oh My!

Somehow over the weekend, I've gone from decorating a paper turkey, to decorating (at least starting slowly) my house for Christmas!! Yes, I am a little insane...but, hey, that's what keeps things interesting, right? LOL :)

I love doing little easy crafty things with my girls, and they made the paper above at our church class 's Fall Feast (a yummy potluck) this weekend. It now has a spot of honor on the fridge! I hope to make some Happy Thanksgiving cards with them this week to mail to family--I'll show pics of those when we make them!

And the Christmas thing already?? Well, I normally don't get started decorating anywhere close to this early in the season! But since we trade off every year which holiday is spent at which family, and more often than not we aren't home for Thanksgiving or Christmas, last year we decided to decorate for Christmas right before we left for Thanksgiving holiday. Follow me so far? :) It made for such a stress free, enjoyable December! So, this year I'm getting a bit earlier start and just taking my time with it...even more stress free!!

The above pics are things I have hanging on one of my trees :)!!! I have several, all of them decorated differently...this will give you a little preview!

I decided that over the next several weeks, I'm also going to be giving LOTS of time-outs. Yup, you heard me! But not to my children (although with them home right now from their year-round school on track out, that remains to be seen!)....to me, myself, and I! I need a time-out every now and then to BREATHE, ENJOY, and RELAX!!! I think I'll take one later today with some hot cocoa and a book -- Yum!

THANK YOU to everyone who left a comment about my sunroom decorating!!!!!

The advice you all gave was amazing, and very much appreciated! I love having so many great decorating friends :). You're going to have to wait and see what I end up doing! I'll have pics for you after Thanksgiving of the end result!!!

So, what are you waiting for?! Give yourself a TIME-OUT today!! What will you do during your time-out???!!

Decisions, Decisions!

Ok, chickadees! I need some decorating advise!!

Remember this post here about making over my sunroom?! It's time to get started! I shared with you that I've chosen white duck slipcovers from Ballard Designs for my Christmas gift (which thanks to Santa coming early for my side of the family this year, we'll be getting Thanksgiving weekend! :).

And I've settled on bamboo roman blinds/shades from Bed Bath Beyond for the windows.

But here comes the part I need help with....

You like?!! :)

Would you recommend that I paint the walls or leave them as is???

If I paint them, I would use a very soft shade of sagey green.

Here's the dilemma:
I really like the current paint color...it's the same as the rest of my living spaces (I have an open floor plan). However, it's the same as the rest of my spaces!

I want to enhance the view of gardens and natural green space/wooded wetlands and woods.

and here's the big one:

There is a very good chance we'll be moving within the next year. Yes, again. Maybe I'll get into that in a later post. But for now, I would like your advise as to whether I should paint a neutral "color", or leave the neutral color it is now for a faster sale?! I would be competing with a lot of lovely, brand new homes in the area, and even though we've sold our homes VERY quickly before I need to step up my game on this one!


So, what should I do?! I could use some advise from all of you out there! There are some amazing decorators in blogland, and I need your advise!! :)

So, don't be shy, tell me what YOU would do!

Thanks!!!!!

Creating A Welcoming Home Thursday

Ahh, the 5 senses of the autumn season are among my favorites of the year! On this Creating A Welcoming Home Thursday, let's focus on a few little things to enhance our family's enjoyment of this month of Thankfulness!

Sight -- Switching just a few things around from the "Boo" objects of October to items of fall bounty will do the trick! Leave pumpkins and gourds, scatter fall leaves found on a family walk, and place bundles of wheat or branches on the mantle or table. Light the 1st fire of the season! Add some of the accent colors found in nature: reds, oranges, browns, golds...it'll make everyone feel warm and festive! Do a family craft time and have everyone write down something they're thankful for on a paper leaf...add to a pretty branch placed in a vase for a table display/centerpiece, then add the leaves to your scrapbook later!!

Smell -- Light a lovely smelling candle (I'm just a wee bit partial to Yankee's Home Sweet Home scent!), bake an apple or spice cake, and air out the house on a day that's a little warmer for some fresh, crisp fall air before the house gets shut tight for winter!

Taste -- Carmel apples, pumpkin pie, s'mores, pecan pie, pot roasts, chicken pot pies, chili & cornbread...and let's not forget the turkey dinner! Yum!!! My mouth is a-watering already! These foods give our families a warm, cozy feeling -- they call it comfort food for a reason, y'all! :)

Sound -- The sound of a crackling fire, crunchy leaves during a walk, and prayers before a family meal are all blessings! Take time to enjoy each sound during this season, and be Thankful for the little things!

Touch -- Place a cozy blanket or quilt on the beds and one by the couch for snuggling on chilly evenings. Use fabric napkins in a fall color for meals...they are sturdy, pretty, washable, and less wasteful than paper! Pull out the fall/winter clothes and place away the summery things...a warm sweater is wonderful! Give lots and lots and lots of hugs to family and friends this Thanksgiving!!! Touch someone's heart by giving a donation to a local food pantry, coat drive, or shelter.


Let's focus on the simple things this November, and be THANKFUL for all of the blessings in our lives!!!

How are you going to enjoy this season to be THANKFUL???

To Be A Kid Again!

Doesn't this just make you wanna jump in a big pile of fall leaves yourself?! :)

I hope you don't mind seeing a few more pictures of my girls from when we were in MI!

They had so much fun raking up all of the leaves and then jumping exuberantly in the big pile!! This is the kind of thing I loved doing myself as a kid, and we try to catch a photo memory or 2 each year of our girls doing the same thing!

Some of you asked about the girls: No, they aren't twins -- they're 15 mo. apart! Although they are the same size, cause the oldest is a tiny little thing! I get asked if they are twins at least once a day!! :)

Have a wonderful day today, and take some time to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches of this Autumn Season! I think I'm going to make myself a cup of tea now!!!

Home Again

Wow! Thanks so much, everyone, for your kind words and prayers for our family during this past week!!! It means so much to have friends that can lift you up in prayer!

I thought I'd ease back into being home by showing a few pics of the past week!

Aren't these little ones above cutie-patooties?!?

My 2 girls (the black cat and the artist) with my nephew (the puppy) on Halloween!

These fall pics were taken at my in-laws home in Michigan.

The girls love to visit some of the local parks and the nature centers there when we visit. Below is a picture of them on a HUGE rock there!
They had a great time walking the trails around the park!


God is good, even in times of sorrow. We really felt everyone's prayers at work this week! It was hard to say good-bye to Grandpa, but we know we shall see him again one day in Heaven!

Thanks again for your kindness :), and I hope to get back into things here at

The Blessed Nest

this week!