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Friday, December 23, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOU!

Friday, December 23, 2016

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOU!

Wishing each and every one of you a blessed Christmas and holiday season, filled with comfort and His peace!  I rest in that thought daily, knowing that no matter what, while we celebrate the baby Jesus born in a manger, He is now on His throne and in control of even the smallest details of our lives. ...
Wednesday, December 21, 2016

CREAM CHEESE SAUSAGE DIP, THE HIT OF THE PARTY!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

CREAM CHEESE SAUSAGE DIP, THE HIT OF THE PARTY!

Hello friends!  I'm sure everyone is busy Christmas-ing this week, but I wanted to pop in and share one of our all time favorite party food/appetizer recipes with you, Cream Cheese Sausage Dip.  It could not be easier, and I promise your guests will literally eat it up! ...
Thursday, December 15, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 4- MASTER BEDROOM

Thursday, December 15, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 4- MASTER BEDROOM

Today I'm sharing my final Christmas Tour with you, our Master Bedroom.  Can it just be our little secret that I didn't share it as part of another tour because I didn't have it ready yet?  ;) *Affiliate links used in this post. Palm Leaf Fabric For the most part, my Christmas decorating in this room consists of adding a few festive accessories and a pillow swap... that's it!  It's nice that the green headboard fits right in for the season.  The red pillows are borrowed from my son's room , the greek key pillows float around the house, and I got the plaid pillow a few years ago at Homegoods, but saw it again this year at Marshall's. ...
Wednesday, December 14, 2016

INEXPENSIVE STOCKING STUFFER IDEAS

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

INEXPENSIVE STOCKING STUFFER IDEAS

I find it so hard to believe that we're only 11 days away from Christmas!  While I'm not finished shopping, I have my game plan ready and Ray and I will get that knocked out on Friday.  For me, many times the stockings are the toughest part to get finished up!  In both of our extended families, we do stockings for everyone with around a $5 limit per person.  So today, I thought I'd share some of my favorite inexpensive stocking stuffers with you, some that are my favorite to give and some that are my favorite to receive.  Sorry, mostly women's and kids' ideas here... the guys are always hard for me!  They usually get Starbucks or their favorite fast food gift cards in their stockings.  Most of these can be picked up at the grocery store or drug store, but I'm including some sources if you want to order online, there's still time if you hurry! ...
Monday, December 12, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 3- FRONT PORCH AND ENTRY

Monday, December 12, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 3- FRONT PORCH AND ENTRY

Today I am thrilled and honored to be a part of the Deck the Halls Christmas Home Tour, hosted by the incredibly talented ladies of Decor Gold Designs and Randi Garret Design .  If you found your way here via Randi Garrett Design, can I just tell you how glad I am that you're here?  Randi's exquisite style is such an inspiration to me, and after meeting her in person last summer, I admire her even more! ...
Saturday, December 10, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #9

Saturday, December 10, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #9

Did you follow along with all of the Christmas Tours this week?  I still have some catching up to do (too busy scrambling to finish up my own tours!), but there were some really festive homes in blogland!  Check out all of the homes with Blogger Stylin' Home Tours here , The Makerista ...
Thursday, December 8, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 2- KITCHEN, BREAKFAST NOOK, AND POWDER BATH

Thursday, December 8, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR PART 2- KITCHEN, BREAKFAST NOOK, AND POWDER BATH

It's an exciting day, it's time for the 2016 Christmas Home Tours hosted by Marty from A Stroll Thru Life.  Marty is the sweetest hostess, and has some of the most loyal readers around!  If you're joining us from  Life and Home @ 2102 , welcome and I'm so glad that you're here!  Vel loves color and especially green just about as much as I do, and I saw plenty of black and white stripes around her pretty Christmas living room, too. Today I'm sharing my kitchen, breakfast nook, and powder bath all dressed up for Christmas with you.  We're quickly approaching 10 years of living in this house, and have been working on something or another all along the way. I love traditional red and green at Christmas, but this year I've added some jewel tones to the color palette also, and I'm in love with the mix! ...
Tuesday, December 6, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR (PART 1)

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

2016 CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR (PART 1)

Hello friends, welcome to our home this Christmas!  I'm thrilled to be part of Blogger Stylin' Home Tours once again, this is always one of my favorite weeks of the year.  Thank you Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. for hosting this incredible group!  If you're coming from A Designer at Home , welcome!  There are so many details to see in Corinna's eclectic, colorful tour.  Today I'm happy to share a our spaces in the main part of the house with you. *Affiliate links used in this post. Sputnik Chandelier  ||   Cowhide Rug  ||   Malachite Ottomans DIY  ||   Vintage Brass Table ...
Monday, December 5, 2016

HAVE SOMEONE THAT'S HARD TO BUY FOR? TRY THE ARMOR ALL CAR CARE GIFT PACK

Monday, December 5, 2016

HAVE SOMEONE THAT'S HARD TO BUY FOR? TRY THE ARMOR ALL CAR CARE GIFT PACK

I've started making my list and checking it twice, and hands down, the guys in my family are ALWAYS the hardest to buy for.  But this year, I've found something to make my choice easy for all of them.  I'm picking up this  Armor All Car Care Gift Pack  for all of those hard to buy for names on my Christmas list. ...
Friday, December 2, 2016

ECLECTIC ORNAMENTS OF CHRISTMAS- DIY SNOWMAN

Friday, December 2, 2016

ECLECTIC ORNAMENTS OF CHRISTMAS- DIY SNOWMAN

Goodness, did this week fly by or what?  I don't know why, but no matter how hard I try it still takes me at least a full week to decorate for Christmas.  That's a whole week of the house being a wreck (or more of a wreck than normal)!  Remember that mantel I showed you yesterday?  Well, if we had done a 180 with the camera you would have been shocked at the state of things around here.  Real life...  But, I'll get it wrapped up by tomorrow and be ready to share with you next week! Today I'm excited to join in with some blogging pals as we each share an ornament with you.  Some are DIY projects, some are treasured vintage favorites, some are style statements.  I love how everyone's choices are so varied! ...
Thursday, December 1, 2016

CHRISTMAS MANTEL, NEW HALL DECOR, AND DIY FAUX SCONCES

Thursday, December 1, 2016

CHRISTMAS MANTEL, NEW HALL DECOR, AND DIY FAUX SCONCES

When I shifted to using jewel tones on my tree this year, I knew I would continue that through the rest of my Christmas decor this year too.  Along with the tree, I feel like the mantel is the other major player in holiday decor.  If you have a tree and you're mantel is decorated, you don't need much more!  Once again, I found everything that I needed to spruce up my mantel from At Home Stores ! ...
Wednesday, November 30, 2016

MY 15 FAVORITES- HOLIDAY WISH LIST

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

MY 15 FAVORITES- HOLIDAY WISH LIST

Today we've bumped our monthly series a up few days early, and it's super sized!  Welcome to My  *15* Favorites today!  Pam from  Simple Details , Lisa from  Shine Your Light,  Kris from  Driven by Decor  and I are all so excited to share our holiday wish lists with you today.  We had so many good things we couldn't stop at just 5! We're also so happy to welcome Courtney from A Thoughtful Place as our guest host today.  Courtney can do it all... she's the perfect hostess, does gorgeous fashion posts as well as home, and she and her family have recently moved into a new-to-them home where they made quick work of updating it beautifully to suit their family.  Her "Home Sweet Home" tree that she decorated this year was so creative, and I thought this was such a smart idea for busy on the go families, too!  I was privileged to meet Courtney in person a few years ago and she's even sweeter in real life than she seems on her blog.  Be sure to stop buy ...
Tuesday, November 29, 2016

HOW TO MAKE A STYROFOAM RING SNOWMAN AND CHURCH CHRISTMAS BANQUET TABLE DECORATIONS

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

HOW TO MAKE A STYROFOAM RING SNOWMAN AND CHURCH CHRISTMAS BANQUET TABLE DECORATIONS

Hey friends!  I hope you all had a nice holiday weekend.  Did you get all of your Christmas shopping done?  In store or online?  I actually didn't do too much shopping, I was too busy decorating for Christmas and watching the new Gilmore Girls! (What did you think?  As much as I love GG I gave it about a 7 out of 10... but it was so good to see everyone back together again!)  I plan to wrap up my decorating in the next few days and then I need to get on those Christmas lists! I help coordinate the decorations for the ladies events at our church, and we're usually trying to decorate a LOT of tables on a tiny budget.  So, I always like to share what we come up with because I know some of you might need event decoration ideas too! A few weeks ago we had our Christmas event, and I had the challenge of coming up with decor for around 60 tables for $100 or less.  We wanted to keep things simple yet festive, and were only decorating tables in our Fellowship Hall where people woul...
Wednesday, November 23, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you all have a blessed holiday, and are able to celebrate with friends and loved ones.  I'm thankful for each and every one of you, and am thrilled that we get to share this little corner of the internet together! "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods." Psalm 95:2-3 (NASB) ...
Tuesday, November 22, 2016

DIY 30 MINUTE NO SEW TREE SKIRT

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

DIY 30 MINUTE NO SEW TREE SKIRT

When I decided to use a new color scheme for my Christmas tree this year, I knew I was going to have to find a different tree skirt than I've used in the past.  Not finding what I had in mind in stores, I browsed Pinterest for inspiration to make my own.  As soon I I spotted this skirt  (no longer available to purchase) I knew I found a winner, and even more so when I knew it could be done quickly and with no sewing involved! ...
Friday, November 18, 2016

COLORFUL SNOWMAN CHRISTMAS TABLESCAPE

Friday, November 18, 2016

COLORFUL SNOWMAN CHRISTMAS TABLESCAPE

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hobby Lobby. The opinions and text are all mine. I am thrilled today to have been challenged to create a Christmas tablescape with products from one of my favorite stores- Hobby Lobby - and to do it for less than $100 (it's a cinch with their great sales!). You all know that I love putting tables together staying true to my colorful style and keeping everything simple. Even if there are a lot of layers and parts, nothing is difficult and is usually easy to replicate with what you might have on hand. ...
Thursday, November 17, 2016

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS STYLEMAKER EVENT

Thursday, November 17, 2016

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS STYLEMAKER EVENT

Several weeks ago I attended the Better Homes and Gardens Stylemaker Event held in New York City.  This is an annual event that 75 home and food bloggers along with other creatives are invited to attend.   I thought I'd take you through the event and give you a little peek into our time spent with the BHG team.  The BHG team did a phenomenal job of taking care of and even spoiling us for the day! All images courtesy  David Keith  Photography unless otherwise noted underneath the photo. The event was held at the stunning Gramercy Park hotel.  The design was absolutely exquisite.  I couldn't take it all in... photo via  Gramercy Park Hotel ...
Wednesday, November 16, 2016

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE... PECAN PIE RECIPE

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

OUR FAMILY'S FAVORITE... PECAN PIE RECIPE

Alright, ladies (and gentlemen?)... one week and counting!  Today I'm sharing a staple of our Thanksgiving (and Christmas, and Easter, and sometimes weeknight dinners) menu, my Mom's pecan pie! This is such a basic recipe, I like this one because the filling isn't custard-y or buttery like some.  I like to reduce the sugar just a little bit from the original recipe too, because I prefer it not quite as sweet. Pecan Pie 3 eggs (beaten) 1 cup sugar (I cut back to 3/4 cup) 1 cup white Karo syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla pecans prepared pie crust I've shared this before, but I have no problem using a pre-made pie crust (I like Pet-Ritz deep dish frozen the best).  If you're sneaky, you can even transfer the crust from the aluminum pie tin to one of your prettier pie plates, and no one will be the wiser!  Another trick is to thaw a bit and re-crimp the edges from the pre-made way they come so the crust looks like you have worked it by hand.   ...
Tuesday, November 15, 2016

JEWEL TONE CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

JEWEL TONE CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATIONS

'Tis the season! As I thought about what I wanted to do for my Christmas decor this year, I was ready to switch things up a bit.  Usually, I stick with traditional Christmas red and green , and I've even done a more neutral metallics color scheme.   This gorgeous tree that my sweet friend worked on last year has been stuck in my head for months, and I knew that using jewel tone Christmas decorations this year was the direction I wanted to go.   There are a lot of colors there that I haven't used before, so I needed to stock up on some new ornaments and decorations.   At Home Stores  has a huge seasonal selection, ranging from trees and floral to outdoor displays to ornaments to decorative accessories to gift wrap. ...
Saturday, November 12, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #8

Saturday, November 12, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #8

If you happened to miss the One Room Challenge reveals, you've missed Christmas morning of the home blogging world!  Check out the twenty featured designers' rooms here , and browse hundreds of guest participants here .  Lots of great ideas in a huge variety of rooms if you're looking for new ideas for a makeover. My friend Gwen of The Makerista delivered her beautiful baby girl in between weeks 5 and 6 of the challenge- I teased her that she had the baby a little early just so she could include her darling new accessory in the room reveal shoot!  ;) ...
Friday, November 11, 2016

HOW TO ARRANGE FLOWERS LIKE A PRO (TIPS FOR MAKING GORGEOUS ARRANGEMENTS)

Friday, November 11, 2016

HOW TO ARRANGE FLOWERS LIKE A PRO (TIPS FOR MAKING GORGEOUS ARRANGEMENTS)

In my last post about Restore House, I mentioned a retreat that I attended last month.  Other than hearing from the Parkers about their passion of restoring houses and running their store and event center, we also spent some time learning from darling sisters who run their own florist shop, called The Wild Mother. ...
Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A TOUR OF RESTORE HOUSE- BROKEN ARROW, OK

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

A TOUR OF RESTORE HOUSE- BROKEN ARROW, OK

A few weeks ago we were in Tulsa, OK for one of my son's band contests.  During a break we drove over to Broken Arrow, which is a suburb of Tulsa.  We lived there for two years while serving on staff at First Baptist Church, and our oldest son was born during that time.  Broken Arrow's downtown has experienced a beautiful rebirth.  When we lived there it was nothing special, but now it's a thriving quaint and charming Main Street. I know that many of you that read today will never be anywhere near Oklahoma, but I wanted to encourage those of you who might be within driving distance to consider a day trip to the area.  This would be such a fun girls' trip if you're only a few hours away!  However, even if you'll never visit, I know you'll get lots of inspiration and ideas from the photos today. I visited Broken Arrow with my daughter earlier this summer, but this time wanted to bring Ray along so we could enjoy lunch and stroll through some of the shops....
Monday, November 7, 2016

BLOGGER STYLIN' HOME TOURS THANKSGIVING TABLE 2016

Monday, November 7, 2016

BLOGGER STYLIN' HOME TOURS THANKSGIVING TABLE 2016

It's time for another round of Blogger Stylin' Home Tours, and I'm so happy to be helping kick off the Thanksgiving Table tours today! Fall is my favorite time of year, and it's always a joy to prepare for the season.  As always, many thanks to Lindsay at The White Buffalo Styling Co.   for putting this tour together.  If you're coming from her blog, welcome, and I'm so glad you're here!  I always love seeing what gorgeous eye candy Lindsay has for us, and she definitely didn't disappoint this time with that stunning candlelight table! We have had such a mild Fall (still more like summer) that I jumped at the chance to set up my outdoor table.  We finished a patio makeover in the Spring, and are truly enjoying the outdoor living space that it provides. ...
Saturday, November 5, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #7

Saturday, November 5, 2016

SWEET SATURDAY #7

This gorgeous  white and gold kitchen  makeover is breathtaking.  Don't you wish your coffee was brewing on that luscious marble counter right about now? ...
Tuesday, November 1, 2016

MY FIVE FAVORITES: RECIPES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

MY FIVE FAVORITES: RECIPES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Hello friends, it's time for another round of My Five Favorites with Pam from  Simple Details  and Lisa from  Shine Your Light .  Kris from  Driven by Decor  is hard at work finishing up her family room for the One Room Challenge, she'll be back with us next month. Today we're sharing our favorite recipes for the holidays.  I focused on the recipes that are my go-to, tried and true winners to take to parties or to serve when hosting a gathering in our home. We're so happy to welcome our guest Mary Ann from  Classic Casual Home . She truly does have a classic, casual style that is evidenced in her home and the homes she works on for her clients.  I love how she helped one client freshen up her dining room and entry without spending a lot of money or replacing key pieces.  You must see  the before and after,  truly a remarkable transformation with not much more than paint and hard work! ...
Monday, October 31, 2016

LIFE LATELY AND MY WEEKEND SCORE

Monday, October 31, 2016

LIFE LATELY AND MY WEEKEND SCORE

Hey friends!  I took a little un-intended break for a while, so I'm so glad you're here today.  We took a few days off for Fall Break last weekend, and this past week I just needed a bit of space away from the online world.  But, I'm back in gear and ready to share some good things with you this week (come back tomorrow for this month's My Five Favorites !). The kids were out of school for a few days a week and a half ago, so we took a quick road trip to the Ozarks and spent some time at Silver Dollar City and around Branson.  It's SUCH a good trip to do in the Fall, everything is beautiful and the weather is so nice. *Affiliate links used in this post.   Similar plaid shirt  ||   Boyfriend Jeans  ||   Sneakers  ||   Headband  ||   Similar Mexican Hoodie ...
Wednesday, October 19, 2016

FALL PORCH DECORATIONS

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

FALL PORCH DECORATIONS

I've shared my Fall decorations  around the house  and  on the patio  with you all, but I'm just now getting around to decking the front porch out for the season. ...
Monday, October 17, 2016

D&T INSTAPEEK #2

Monday, October 17, 2016

D&T INSTAPEEK #2

Hey you all!  As much as I love posting and following friends on  Instagram , I realize that many of you don't use it.  Or, even if you're on IG, you might miss posts when IG is deciding what will show up in your feed (boo-I know I miss lots of posts this way too!).  So, I thought I'd give you a peek of what goes up over on my Instagram feed here on the blog occasionally.  Today, here's the highlight reel of our past few months... One evening while in the area we stopped by the new  Wheeler District in OKC.  It houses a ferris wheel and picnic and game areas, providing a fun spot for friends and family to hang out.  We just checked everything out and are looking forward to returning soon to spend a little more time there. After last year's holiday season, rather than trashing a poinsettia that was past it's prime I stuck it in the window in my bathroom, then moved it to a shady spot on the patio when the weather warmed up. Other than occasionally wat...