Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What I'm Pinning Wednesday


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Linking up with The Vintage Apple today!


I still can't believe it's December already, but I am totally in the Christmas Spirit now!  The house is decorated, I get to listed to nothing but Christmas music on the radio in the car & at work all day, AND I can see the end of my Christmas shopping!  Yay!

Here is a little bit of my Christmas Pinspiration this week!

Wish I could see some of this stuff this time of year!  
No such luck in Alabama =(
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Christmas Countdown for my hubby!
Love the idea!
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DIY Doggie Seatcover
....umm NEED one ASAP!
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Pantry Room <3
Need this too.  My stockpile is starting to take over out kitchen.
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Love love love this wall color.
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So classic.  Love it.
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Silent Nigh Martini
...yes please!
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Garlic Mushroom Bruschetta
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[singing] Sisters. Sisters. There were never such devoted sisters! 
I could type the words to this entire songs from one of my favorite Christmas movies, White Christmas!   Mom and I used to sing it at the top of our lungs at Christmas time. What am I talking about....we still do!
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Yes it's true.
(as much as I don't want it to be-j/k Mom!)
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Sunday, December 4, 2011

It's looking a LOT more like Christmas!

So the boys were off hunting this past weekend, AGAIN, which meant 3 things for me:
1.  I got to leave all of my half-completed craft projects out all weekend.  
2.  I could leave my clothes on the floor/bed/chair/where ever they ended up after I took them off--yes my hubby is a neat-freak--crazy right?
3.  I got to pull out all of our Christmas decorations and Winter Wonderlanderize our house!  Yay!

I will spare you the pictures of my half-completed craft projects and my un-put away clothes.  

Eric was so sweet and made sure we had a Christmas Tree to decorate before they headed for the hills.  I am a real-tree fan, so getting our tree takes a little more effort that pulling it out of the closet.  I put our 4 strands of lights on the tree, but soon decided it looked a little bare, so I picked up a couple more strands for the tree and another one for the mantle at Wally World.  I was pretty pleased with the results!

Such a beautiful tree!  I am white lights kinda girl, but our ornaments are a mod podge of red and white balls (from the Lady Hawk tree my roommates and I put up every year in college), to nutcrackers, to homemade ornaments, to our dated ornaments Eric and I get every year.


The mantle was a bit of a struggle for me this year.  The mounted television was not there last year, so my nutcracker collection was displayed on the mantle.  For obvious reasons they would not fit up there this year, so I had to improvise.  You can't see from the pic, but there is green christmas tree garland, sparkly foliage garland, votives and some random Chrismas knick knacks up there, too.


This is the top of the bookcase next to the mantle.  The smaller photo on the left if a picture of my dad around age 5 (middle) and his two brother at a church Christmas function when they were kids.  A few years ago someone gave this pic to my dad and told him someone found it in some old files at the local newspaper in Arkansas (where he grew up).  The guy who gave it to him said that some people at the newspaper found the pic but didn't know who the kids were and there was nothing written on the back of the picture.  I guess the pic made some rounds until someone who had known my dad and his brothers growing up said there was no mistaking that it was a picture of the Jones Boys.  It is one of my favorite pics and actually stays on our mantle along with some other old pics of Eric's granddad and Eric and his brother as kids.  


I am hoping that I have finally created a wreath that I will use for a couple of years.  I have two others I have made in years past, but they just don't do it for me anymore.  I blame Pinterest.  I was pretty pleased with this one, so maybe I'll use it for 2 years before moving on. =)

Christmas Puppy Cousins!
No we didn't get another dog.  That sweet face with the red and green collar is that of my FSIL and BIL's puppy dog Junior.  They got him a few of weeks ago.  Isn't he precious?!?  We had a bit of an adventure with him this weekend when he decided to chew through the screened-in porch and escape while my FSIL and I were shopping on Saturday.  After several anxious hours, she found him at the back door wagging his tail, waiting for her to let him in.  I guess dogs really do know how to find their way home! 

I am still not completely done decorating, but I am pretty pleased with my progress so far!  More pics to come later!

Friday, December 2, 2011

Food Rediscovery: Hot Ham and Swiss

Dear Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwich,

I know that you and I have not always had the best relationship ever since my mom made me finish you in the car before I could go to Girls Scouts when I was 7 years old.  I'll be honest.  I have avoided you like the plague for the last 20 or so years. But, it was all me.  It had nothing to do with you.  I enjoyed the heck out of your pal, the turkey sandwich, during that time.  However, over the Thanksgiving holiday this year I had a change of heart, and decided to give you another go out of sheer curiosity and a really yummy-sounding Pinterest recipe:  Hawaiian Ham Rolls.

Is your mouth watering yet?
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Well, what can I say?  You showed out, Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwich.  You were absolutely the most delicious thing I ate last weekend (besides the fried turkey--sorry that will always be #1 in my book). I don't know if it was the fresh Wisconsin Swiss Cheese-thanks Sarah!- or the Hawaiian Bread (which was not a part of the sandwich I had to eat 20 years ago), but you were fantastic.  I have had a version of you every night for dinner since.  Obsessive, maybe, but so delicious!

please excuse the poor cell phone quality photo, but it was just as delicious as the one in the picture above!

I want to thank you, Hot Ham and Swiss Sandwich for making your way back into my life, and thank you Pinterest for bringing us back together.  I promise to never stay away from you for that long again.

Til dinnertime!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

My Nutcracker Collection

I have collected nutcrackers as long as I can remember.  It started with a nutcracker that my grandparents had in their house when I was a little girl.  It looked just like the nutcracker that Claire dances with in the Nutcracker Ballet.  We had The Nutcracker Ballet on VHS and I would watch it every year (still do).  When we'd go to my grandparents' house I would dance around their house with it. I usually get one nutcracker per year and at last count I had 43 nutcrackers and counting. It's just not Christmas for me without having them around the house!

The nutcracker I started it all!


One of my most favorite nutcrackers from when I was a little girl.

Some of my themed nutcrackers.