wowwie what a break!

Just wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas to everyone.  I can't wait for this time to come around every year.  I have always loved drinking some delicious vanilla chai and enjoying a board game with some family and friends.  The anticipation for a snowy morning when you wake up has still not gone away.  I used to beg God for some snow so I could go sledding on account of a school cancellation.  Now, I just like watching the snow fall and relaxing in some cozy pj's.  Although I am still up for a good sledding adventure.  Just keeping in touch.  Tis' the season.  God Bless. 

problem

Been having a problem with the blog and haven't been able to post.  It's given me a nice break and time to store up.   Hope that you check back in soon for updated postings.

Toys

Found these pictures that I had laid a side a few months ago.  Sorry I am not sure of the source, but how cool are these toys. 

Happy Thursday! bw

Cool and Convenient Furniture Idea

I love this idea.  It's a whole new level of flat stacking with more uses than just storing paper/files.  This wonderful furniture piece is designed by Elina Jarvinen.  I think this could help many clutter problems in peoples' office, kid's room, and crafting areas.  This will make clean-up way faster because the drawer is the workspace.  I also think it'll make it much easier for kids to keep things organized without needing much guidance.

How great would it be to have such a useful storage solution that looks so neat at the same time?

Black Friday

I have become some what a lover of Black Friday...although I never really buy anything on sale.  It's more the experience and the time shared with my mom and whom ever else decides to come.  Some people may say we are crazy if we just go for the fun of it, maybe we are.  We eat breakfast out and walk around and look at lots of pretty things.

Here are some things I will be keeping my eyes out for if it's at a good price.


1 New kitchen accessories for my mom and dad.  Yes, they already know. No surprise this year.  The kitchen has never really been touched hmmmm 20 years maybe.  Besides, the wallpaper with bread and baskets on the border needs to go.  Nice touch at the time, but ready for an upgrade.

2 Lighting

2 Beautiful pillows for our sofa.  I seem to always purchase a pillow or blanket on Black Friday.

3 Simple shoes for Nolan

4 Ceramic Knives

5 Lounge wear for hubby...always good sales for his stocking stuffers.

6 Anything baby for my brother and sis-in-law's new arrival in January! Number three for them.

7 PJ's for Nolan

8 Any other secret gifts for family and friends!

Happy Friday.  I encourage you to start thinking about your list of presents this year that you get to buy.    I already bought two presents and they were for great prices.  It's way easier than doing it all at once.  I promise.  It's also cheaper because you can keep your eyes out for when it's hits the price you want it at instead of the manufacturers before Christmas prices that can be ridiculous.  Good Luck. bw

Been Out for Awhile

Well, sorry for not posting for so long.  I have not been very good at planning out my posts or blogging my days.  Here's a little of what you've missed.  

This past weekend we took fabulous short vacation with my husband and 3 other couples from church.  We rented out a cabin in Branson, MO.  No computers were allowed :)and tv was going to be forbidden except for movies, but the World Series Championship got moved to that Friday.  It ended up being ok though.  We ate tons of food and played game after game.  Loved it.  I only took a couple of pics.

Derek was able to take off for a few extra days after the vacation so we got some much needed family time in.  We ate out a couple of times, enjoyed the weather at the park, had a trunk or treat celebration at church, and viisited some friends on Halloween. For church and Halloween we dressed as the Willie Wonka clan (The old Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).  Derek was Willie Wonka, Nolan was an umpa loompa, and I was Violet the blueberry girl. Thank goodness for friends.  I have forgotten to take pics of our Halloween costumes two years in a row. Thanks to my dad and Vicki, we have some to share.

Park:

 I was able to rearrange our living room for the 100th time last night....I think I really like it.  It seems to be more conversational friendly instead of tv only friendly.   Every time I change something it's carries into the rest of the home and motivated me to get some avoided things down.  I would love the figure out some ways to organize my dreaded overstuffed entry closet next.  We need to have it coat friendly instead of packed with Nolan's infant swing and toys.
Yesterday I started raking the leaves and realized that it was going to rain shortly and we would have a crazy windy day today.  That was such a waste of time.  Today my wonderfully raked piles are scattered throughout my neighbors yards.  Whoops.  This weekend we will try and make a compost in our back yard to keep everything looking tidy in the yard. This may be a weird post but useful indeed.

Compost ideas below:

1. Site Your Bin
Proper siting means easier management. Full sun necessitates frequent watering; full shade slows decomposition. The bin should be convenient to a water source.

2. Start with Brown
Begin your pile with an airy carbon layer, ideally a loose pile of fallen leaves.

3. Add Green
Aim for half as much green as brown. Too much green can lead to malodorous, slimy conditions.

4. Spring In Some Soil
A scoop of soil in the pile encourages microorganisms. Some experts recommend adding fertilizer, too, but a well-built pile will have enough nitrogen without it.

5. Repeat Brown and Green Layer
Continue layering browns and greens in a 2-to-1 ratio, ending with a layer of brown. Small pieces decompose faster, so consider cutting down any large ones.

Green, Paper, Dried Leaves, and Soil

 Sounds easy enough.  

                                    We'll see how it goes!

Whoalaa Beautiful Soil

Enjoy your day and I would love to hear that you too can make use of the season and create your own compost by  re-purposing leaves and greens into compost for the summer gardens.  Holiday cooking is in the midst and their will be plenty of peeled 

veggies to add.  

bw

Crazy Modern/Retro Bed

This is a super modern/ retro bed! 

Buonanotte Valentina : Italian Beds from Ceccotti Collezioni 

I am not sure if I would use this for our house but it very fascinating.  I can't imagine how long it took to make this design.  I love the tables and book shelf behind the bed. 

That would be really neat to design something so artistic. Have a happy Wednesday. bw

New Camera!!!

I just recently got the Nikon 7000 camera and I love it.  There is so much to learn, but it's totally worth taking time to learn.  I have been doing photo's on the side for a little while for friends and family.  I have always loved it ever since my photo classes in high school.  College classes were mainly black and white courses, so not a lot with digital. I bought a 50mm/1.8 lens for my older camera, but it didn't allow me to use the auto focus and I had to do everything manual....with Nolan moving around all the time....very difficult.  Now, the newer camera corresponds with the auto focus on my lens and it's been fun exploring it's abilities.  For those whom may not work with camera's, the 50mm allows for more blurred background and sharper foreground.  So many new possibilities.

So..........anyone who wants any family, baby, or senior photo's or anything for the matter, let me know.  I would love to give my new camera some attention. 

Here are some samples of my new camera and lens.

Kiddos:

Camping:

Have a wonderful week and enjoy the evening.