Rent It!

I went to see "It's Complicated" today. I basically went to see the house.  It's directed by Nancy Meyers who is known for the beautiful sets in her movies. I loved the kitchen in this movie. It's even the before kitchen. She's planning a new kitchen. I can see how it's probably not adequate for a professional baker. I'd take it.

The house and the garden are basically the only really good things about this movie. 

Fabulous garden. You'd need a crew to keep up with it, though. Perfect little rows of vegetables and herbs. Really huge, red tomatoes. I always wanted a garden like this, surrounded by a cute fence. Not nearly this huge, though. I can't even imagine how much food it produces.  Btw, she makes baking croissants look really easy.  It did look like a fun date, though.  I'd give the movie a C-.  

VICTORY!

We set out for San Diego on an unusually drizzily day. 

Dressed in our finest Nebraska paraphernalia. See how high we were? Actually we had great seats at the 50 yard line, just very, very high. 

One of the best moments was the skydiving of the Navy Leapfrogs into the stadium. That is typical of a big game in Qualcomm stadium. What was unusual was that the microphone went out on the soloist who was singing the national anthem. The entire stadium started singing and finished the song. It was very cool.  

The benefits of having several military bases close by.

The first touchdown of the night.

SHUT OUT!  Probably not so fun to watch on ESPN.  Way fun for the soaked Nebraska fans who traveled across the country to support their team.

We went prepared! GO BIG RED! You can rest assured that Hunky Husband will be watching the entire game again today. Love those DVR's. 

Go Big Red!

{holidaybowl.com}

Tomorrow is a big day. HUGE! My husband's all time favorite team in the whole wide world is playing nearby (San Diego) at the Holiday Bowl. So, we're going, in all our red regalia. Going with our binoculars.  It's a sold out game and there will be a sea of red.  Check it out to see if you can find us. I hope they win.  I'll take pictures.  

Hanging Out

I think I'm just going to relax tomorrow.  

Merry Christmas

"And she will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins. " Matthew 1:21

What a difference this little baby made in our world!  Thank you Lord for providing us with such a Gift.  Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends.  I'm off to check my list and spend special time with only part of my family.  Hugs and kisses to those that are still far away. Wish you were here!  

The Light of the World

We made these favors to give away after our "Homes that Light the Way" tour last week.

We bought candles from Wal-Mart.  They were perfect and inexpensive. The candles are wrapped with copies of Luke 2 from a very old Bible, then tied with twine.  I got the idea from this lovely blog. She has a lot of beautiful ideas!  Our ladies loved the candles.

Anxiously Waiting

Do you remember when you were a child and how excited you were about Christmas?I couldn't wait till it was time to open presents. I don't remember really believing in Santa Claus, but I remember the anticipation. As an adult it became my job to set the stage for my family.Well, the stage has been set. After tonight I can relax and enjoy our traditions. 

I made these trees in the early 90's. I think they would be cute out of some vintage paper for next year.

I especially am liking this.

A good friend helped me fluff up my nativity this year.

This sled was Hunky Husband's when he was little.

I suppose, if you really want to, you could click on the photo and see what I used to look like with dark hair.  Those are our first Christmas together and each of my daughter's first Christmas.

Love Hammond's Candy Canes.

I just bought my fun bottle at the Rose Bowl Flea Market last Sunday. I think it looks just fine in my kitchen.

I found this adorable ornament at an antique store and the blue garland at Anthropologie.

I'm going to now take a step back and enjoy the days with some baking, wrapping, Christmas movies and time with my family. I hope you do too!

Christmas Close Ups

I thought I'd give you some close ups of my Snowflake tree.

Almost everything on it is related to snow, one way or the other. It's in my favorite color combination of red and blue.  

A friend made this sweetheart for me.

Even bathrooms need a little sparkle.

My bedroom has a beachy bent with blues and greens.

This is the guest room, which is pink, yellow and aqua. Sort of a girly room for guests. 

These little angels must just be good buddies.  She's only kissing him on his forehead. But both of them have their eyes closed, so neither is paying attention.  

*I'm joining in on the Holiday Tour at Rhoda's today.  Check and see all the other beautiful decorations here.  See more of mine here and here.

A Little Progress

I made my mantle more neutral this year.  For some reason the larger photo won't load.  

This little reindeer was my Memaw's. 

I added a Wendy Addison Star to my Nativity this year.

Bows are from strips of toile that I had, upholstery webbing from ebay, tarnished ornaments from JoAnn's, and stencils from ebay.

These little mittens were my youngest daughter's. The cute ear muff got eaten by a puppy a long time ago.

Luke 2 in the old family Bible.

Antique ornaments and pine cones in my apothecary jars. This table isn't finished, that's why you have a close up of the jars. I think I need a poinsettia to finish up the table or photos or both!

Mona Marie

I thought I'd share a photo of the lovely Mona Marie wearing the scarf I made for her. She feels warm since it's turned chilly here. I think she looks lovely on her beautiful toile chair. Her Mom told me that Mona feels really beautiful. Buddy's really jealous now. Maybe I'll make him one for Christmas.  Do you think he'd like that better than the stocking from PetSmart that he gets every year? Doubt it.

Armchair Travel

You can take a little trip today without leaving your laptop. I just took a delightful tour of Hudson, NY; Napa and Sonoma Valley's in California via Pottery Barn. Check out these beautiful locations with PB stylist Jeffrey Moss here. I've shown you just some glimpses to whet your appetite.

Handmade Bracelet

I wrapped the bracelet I made around a hem tape card insert that I sewed a little Christmas tree onto. I had almost as much fun wrapping it as making the bracelet. I wrapped the entire thing in an old pattern piece, tied with string and a Hemlock pine cone. She (the recipient) loved it, but doesn't want to remove it from the card. It was very easy and quick repurposing. 

Puppy Gift

Isn't this just the cutest thing?  Well, the puppy is for sure, but the scarf?  SO CUTE!  

I bought this book from Gooseberry Patch the other day.  I was on a Christmas magazine/book frenzy. Always looking for new ideas. This is full of cute decorations, gifts and yummy food. I think it was the dog that sold me. I decided to make one for Mona.  

Mona is my boss' dog. I used yarn from my stash. Isn't it adorable? Let me tell you that pompoms are much more difficult to make than you'd think. Now I need to make a boy version for Buddy. He's kind of jealous. Hopefully soon, I'll have a photo to share of Mona in her scarf.  

Ornament Wreath Redo

Eddie Ross posted the tutorial recently on how to make this beautiful wreath. He used vintage ornaments and a coat hanger. You can see the tutorial here.

This is my ornament wreath that I made over 5 years ago. The ornaments are not vintage, some are glass and some are plastic.  Mine is made on a wreath base wrapped in ribbon. It needed a little facelift today. Out came the glue gun to repair all the loose ornaments. I added some upholstery webbing behind it for contrast.

The bathroom decor is  a little more neutral this year.

I found this plate at Home Goods and changed out the Transferware plate. That's my first peek into my Christmas decor. Isn't the powder room a great place to begin?  

Simple and Subtle Christmas

I absolutely love the juxtaposition of nature and glamour. It is so simple. Isn't this photo above GORGEOUS? I love subtle color, but somehow I just can't be subtle, in decorating, that is.  

{country living}

Now this I can do.  I love the beautiful time worn colors in this silver compote.

{ciel.d.range.canalblog}

Such a beautiful door.

{bhg}

More gorgeousness.  Simple and subtle gifts for guests.

{coastal living}

Maybe this doesn't fit under the subtle title, but it is simple and beautiful. It kind of fits with a natural room. I live fairly close to the coast. Maybe I could pull this off. But then, the rest of my living area would need to have a coastal theme. I just like way too many things! Very fun, isn't it?