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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

What's that saying something about it doesn't matter where you are. It matters who you're with. Or am I making that up??? Anyway, it's really true this year. Christmas 2012 is a little bit of crazy made perfect by being with family. I hope your day is full of celebration with ones you love. Wishing you a very merry Christmas!



Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Monday, December 17, 2012

Wreaths

i love having a wreath on the front door and usually the door into the garage too. if there isn't one, the door looks empty.

i made this wreath with gumdrops a couple years ago. i really really wanted it to last through this holiday season, but it just wasn't going to happen. i hung it for a few days before giving in and throwing it away..so sad.


this was super easy and quick. i bought a grapevine wreath at the dollar store. i was a little hesitant since it was so cheap, but it totally worked. i will be buying from there more often.

i made a similar wreath for fall and knew it was easy and pretty cheap. i spray painted it silver (actual color called satin) and immediately dumped silver glitter. it's a little messy but totally worth it.

what about you? do you put a wreath on the front or any door?

finding peace

i have felt very unsettled not just this weekend but the past couple of weeks. i can't really put my finger on it. i'm sure it's a combination of a lot of things...little sleep, stress, tragedy, change, etc. as a result my mind has been racing. sometimes i wish i could just turn it off.


see this picture circulating around social media definitely brings a feeling of peace.

i had to teach sunday school at church today. the lesson was on faith. i read the material and prepared, but it wasn't until this morning that i thought to look up faith as it relates to tragedy or trials. i searched lds.org and found this conference talk by president eyring. it gave me the peace to some of the things on my mind particularly this weekend. go read it. it doesn't resolve the world's problems, but it might give you some sense of peace.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

annual GNO party

the annual GNO party was thursday night. it was a pajama party this year. we all wore our pajamas. i was most impressed with jess's silkies and all the awesome footies. we ate way too much breakfast food, and had some of the funniest white elephant gifts ever. sadly the traditional monkey cookie jar was missing. we hope to find it soon. thanks so much megan for hosting and megan and kristi for all the work. it was a BLAST!





Saturday, December 15, 2012

silence and support for sandy hook


there really are no words. when neely tweeted yesterday that she and some other bloggers wanted to organize something i was on board with whatever it was. since the only thing i can think to say is that there really are no words, this seems fitting.

To the Blog World and Anyone Else who Wants to Help,
Yesterday, tragedy struck so many of us in ways we did not foresee. An elementary school and small town in Connecticut was shattered by a mass shooting. We knew we wanted to help and we came up with this:


On Tuesday, December 18th, there will be a blogger day of silence. We will post the button and that’s it. Please try to not post anything else that day if possible.
We are also raising money that will go to an organization in the memory of this tragedy. The organization is called The Newtown Family Youth and Family Services.
Here is the official description of the support service we are donating to:
“Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. is a licensed, non-profit, mental health clinic
and youth services bureau dedicated to helping children and families achieve their
highest potential. NYFS provides programs, services, activities, counseling, support
groups and education throughout the Greater Newtown area.

ANY DONATIONS MADE TO NEWTOWN YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES WILL BE DONATED DIRECTLY TO THOSE EFFECTED BY THE SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING.”

Please visit THIS PAGE to make your donation.

We can’t imagine how they must be feeling, especially this close to the holidays. We would love for you to spread the word on your own blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Let’s make a difference and use blogging in a positive way.
Thank you in advance for participating.
Love,
The Blog World

Sunday, December 9, 2012

'tis the season

the holiday season is in full swing

bijou market came the middle of november, and i officially started shopping

came back from thanksgiving travels to find we do actually have a tree this year

made a serious dent in the shopping while obsessing over this tree

found a few good sales

more than ever, i'm dreaming of someday having my own house. i will be making these planter boxes for sure...mostly for the holidays (and the flowers too)

i love love love the holiday season! what about you? have the holidays hit yet?

Thursday, December 6, 2012

wedding shower crafts

another catch up post.

amber is getting married and moving to oregon next month. she has basically all the essentials for a house so i got a little crafty with her gift.

this is the paper mache letter from the craft store. i spray painted it gold, glued on a fabric flower, and tied a ribbon. i was getting a little sick of the yarn letter so this was a fun change.


high school friend caroline did a blog post about these questions she and her husband discuss every sunday night. they make so much sense. she created a printable so i printed and laminated it as part of my gift.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

a year ago

one year ago today I was sitting in a hospital bed recovering from hip surgery.
one month ago I ran my first post surgery 1/2 marathon.
what a difference a year makes.


maybe one day soon i will actually post that running story i keep talking about.

fave post of the (last) month

i swear i am constantly playing catch up these days. i keep hoping to get caught up, but it's probably never going to happen. even though i missed the link up day by a week i still want to post one of my favorite posts from november.

have you heard of the shine project? ashley is the cutest, most darling little thing, and the concept is amazing.

her post http://www.myshineproject.com/2012/11/how-do-i-turn-on-shine.html really hit me this month. check it out. you will love it i'm pretty sure.