Meet Floyd...

He's a grumpy 12 year old mini dauschund.  Tipping the scales at 18 lb's, I think the "mini" part might be a stretch.  His weight fluctuates more than Oprah's.  
He doesn't like most kids, strangers, the vacuum, rain, cold, etc. etc. etc(list is so long).  


He's not especially cute. In fact, lets be honest pictures don't lie, with out the Christmas tree hat, he's on the ugly side.  


BUT... he has character and that goes a very long way!

We got Floyd over 12 years ago and he had it good.  REAL GOOD!!!  He slept in our bed, was toted around like one of Paris Hiltons dogs, fed organic food, and was walked all the time.

That all changed when kids came along(3 kids in 4 plus years).  He was demoted and he was not happy! In fact he was probably a good candidate for puppy prozac. 
BUT as the years have gone by he's forgiven us and lightened up, a bit.  He sleeps more, bites less and rarely leaves "surprises on the floor".  


He's getting pretty old and we're realizing his days are numbered. 

So, lately we've been spoiling him, All 5 of us.  He's been getting tons of treats and lots of love, and this year he may even find a thing or two in his stocking. 

Lucky dog, we love you!!!

This holiday remember.......

Source

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, furry ones too!

xoxo

Megan

The tree & more...

Every year I pretend that it's a family project to decorate the tree and every year I take over.  Sure, I'll let the girls put the ornaments on here and there, but as soon as they're off to bed I "tweak" it to how I want it to look.  

NOT THIS YEAR!!!  This year I let the kids decorate the tree, right down to that fu fu angel on top (hubby did the lights).  Not bad if I do say so.  They had so much fun!   I really wanted to put our star on top instead of the angel but I was out voted 3 to 1.  So there she sits in all her glory.  I smile every time I walk by it!  Letting go feels good.  

My daughters "Santa" portrait

I'll show you mine if you show me yours......

I've been working on holiday decorating and gifts for teachers, family and friends.  I'm lovin' the amazing ideas I've seen on so many of your blogs.  It seems these days we're all getting more creative and resourceful, especially when it comes to gifting. I thought I'd show you a few things I've been working on. 

Ornaments

Natural Linen Euro Pillow Shams

Holiday cards

Garland

festive window boxes

mercury ornaments & my sea shells, in perfect harmony

My Jack in the bean stock amaryllis(stop growing already and bloom!)

Ok...I showed you mine, now you show me yours!!!

Paper Whites.....

I just love paper whites, simple, cheep, and cheery. Happy Tuesday.

Sweet surprises....

The other night I was being picked up by a friend to go to a Christmas dinner. My little one, Molly(6),was "helping" me get ready and she was playing dress up right along side me, waiting for her usual lipstick and blush application.

The door bell rang, the dog was barking, I was giving last minute instructions to my hubby about homework and bedtimes. In all the commotion I forgot to say "good bye". Within minutes I got a teary phone call from Molly, I felt sooooooo bad. I assured her that when I came home I'd make sure to give her lots of kiss and hugs even though she would be sleeping. That's just what I did!

But the best part of my night was when I went into my room to get ready for bed and I saw my PJ's set out. I looked a little closer and there was a note saying, "ME, MoLLy SEt it OuT". Could she have been any sweeter?

advent calendar.....

Every year on November 30th it hits me, "Oh no! Tomorrow it's Dec 1st". So I sit down and write 24 bible verses, questions, or short story's that have to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Then, I roll each one into a small scroll, tie it with a ribbon and I place them in an antique wooden Pepsi crate(exactly 24 slots)that my mom gave me.

Each night before bed, in front of the tree, the kids alternate taking turns reading one of the notes. They LOVE it because it prolongs bed time and allows for a few extra minutes of snuggling. It's fun for my husband and I because it encourages conversation and reminds us all that Christmas is so much more than just receiving gifts.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

The BIG reveal!!!

Well here's the table that I've been working on over the past couple weeks. It took me awhile but it's finally complete! Thanks to some pointers from Lori @ Paint, decorate, design on the cheep and Lisa @ Humble pie .

Do I dare ask which one you like best??? Before or After, TRUTH! I hope you'll let me know, this could be the beginning of many future painting projects!

Before

After

It's the first time that I've actually followed ALL the steps. The hardest part was waiting between coats of primer/paint/or the protective finish to dry. In case anyone wants to start a "little"painting project I'm listing the steps below.

1. sand

2. wipe down

3. prime

4. lightly sand again

5. wipe down again

6. apply (2 coats) of paint

7. paint a polycrilic protective finish.

Here's my latest holiday creation!

xoxo,

megan

I can't live with out......

My favorite candle, Seda France Candle, French Tulip

My KitchenAid

Home made chocolate chip cookies

Glassybaby's

My Miele coffee maker

Le Creuset

Hope you find a few goodies to add to your wish lists!

Painting project 101

I'm constantly being teased by my husband, friends, and family that our house is "always changing". My response, "I like to keep things fresh".

I usually do a big switchieroo when my husband's out of town for a few days.
Guess what? He's in Vegas and I'm itching to get started on my next project.

I mentioned in my last post that I'm going to paint my dining table white, I hope in time for the holidays.
Can anyone recommend blogs or help that may get me started with the painting wood process? Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and for sharing any comments you may have!

Pillow talk????

I love projects and crafting, the problem is so many times I spend to much money and time on them and I don't end up liking the end product. The pillow I just finished may be another example of this!

I bought some vintage ticking on ebay, some clean, crisp, white linen and a sewing lesson(by this time I totally could have bought the original pillow I wanted). With a few goals in mind, like learning to do ruffles, button holes and putting in a zipper, we set off to create a work of art!

The teacher had some ideas of her own and well, needless to say, the "vision" and the outcome were 2 totally different things. Note to self: less is ALWAYS more, !!!

My next project is to try to paint my kitchen table white. Ideas or tips gladly accepted!

Follow the shells.

My girls are always looking for ways to show their dad how much they love him.

This summer they decided to make him a surprise pick-nick dinner. They planned the menu, a bucket of KFC, grapes, a blanket, candles and of corse sparkling cider. No detail was over looked. He came home that night to a note at the front door saying,"follow the shells, please". The girls had placed shells all the way from the front door to the back deck, where our pick-nick was set up. The best part of the night was dads arrival. He was happily surprised and they were elated to see him enjoy their hard work.

Life's a beach!!!

I came across this picture recently. It's a picture of me awhile back at a women's week long surf camp in Oregon, it was one of the best weeks of my life! The beach, the sun, waves and a group of unforgettable women(who I still keep in touch with). I would highly recommend it.

I don't usually like pictures taken of me but for some reason I like this one. I think it's because I'm "really" smiling. The photographer shot this after I caught my first wave. What a rush!

Things weren't easy then for this stressed out stay at home mother. I had 3 young kids and a husband who traveled almost weekly. Unfortunately, smiles(from me) were hard to come by. The days were LONG and nights were LONGER.

Several years later I'm smiling, but this time it's at how far I've come. My "baby" started kindergarten this fall and I have six hours a day to myself. My hubby still travels tons but we're closer than we've ever been.

I guess it's really all about perspective, and now I'm looking ahead with an open mind and a thankful heart to whatever comes my way;)

looking for light in all the wrong places

I've been on the lookout for a new light fixture for above my dining table for a long time. I'd see one in a magazine and it would be out of the budget or I would look for a custom shade that would be perfect for my casual space and something about it was "just a little off". Finally I bit the bullet and decided to make my own. I found an old lamp shade frame, some burlap, a cheep home depot hanging light and a few hours sewing and pasting and "Taa Daa". This is the outcome. Pretty easy, cheep, and just what I was looking for!

Amazing wedding in Walla Walla.

Bye, bye summer..

Fall's in the air. This morning I sat on the back deck with my coffee wishing that summer could stick around at least for a few more weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love the lazy fall days where I run around drinking coffee until late afternoon, but I'm not ready to pull out the puffy North Face yet.

I posted this picture of my girls because it makes me smile and brings me back to the warm LAZY days of summer, no schedules, no homework, no alarm clocks!