Our Little Girl's Bedroom

Sadly, I don't think I ever took before photos of this room... at least I can't find them; if I did, it was right after we moved in and they are lost in our photo abyss. So the somewhat finished product will have to do.

If you have any questions, please ask and I'd be more than happy to answer! enjoy :)

The bookshelf/Princess dress-up stash is my old CD rack that I bought at Pier1 when I was 16... I could never seem to part with it, and was determined to find another use for it - my hubby safely mounted it on the wall for me.

This tiny plaque was given to me as a baby(1985), and my mom found it in their home and returned it to me this past year.  

Guest room/Office BEFORE & AFTER

I have waited way too long to post this. It has been finished for months now, and I'm finally getting around to uploading the pics. I think some of these "Before" photos I took in 2012!! Oh. My. Gosh.   I'm happy that I finished, and it's definitely a huge improvement.

If you have any questions about anything you see, feel free to ask! Enjoy.

BEFORE....

AFTER = our Guest room & Office.

      

My Hubby's Surprise 30th Birthday Party!

We had so much fun! Let me just tell ya though.... it was a TON of work to keep it a secret from the husband, it was especially hard to keep my own mouth shut and not ruin the surprise myself, haha!
The actual surprise when he returned home was perfect....  if I'm honest I was relieved when it was finally over so I could relax and not feel like I had a ball in my stomach...  surprises are hard to keep, even when you have no desire to tell.

                                       

ok, for those of you who are wondering, he's holding a bottle of Orange Cream Soda... just to clear that up...  :)

Almost everyone dressed up in 80s theme attire, and it was hilarious! We have plenty of evidence to prove how funny it truly was.

                                                 

Then it was time for his bday cake prep... I made him a cake last year that he raved and raved about, so when it came time to choose a cake for the BIG 3-0, I just decided to make it again, but go WAAAAYYY bigger!

It's called "Peanut Butter Butterfinger Blizzard Cake", ya, that's right.

Here is the link to the original source:  http://www.confessionsofacookbookqueen.com/2013/04/peanut-butter-butterfinger-blizzard-cake/

While pouring over the Ganache, I bumped it and almost sent it to it's "Death", but somehow I managed to keep it from falling? Don't really know how but thankfully it was saved.

My sis made the 30 by cutting them out of thin cardboard and spray painting them cream.

So with the big "Happy Birthday" song and the cake reveal, I also surprised him with his gift.... it took me a long time of searching on Etsy for thee perfect one, but I think I made the right choice. Recently he has taken a liking to Chess, and so I felt it appropriate to purchase him his first set, in style. The chessman are hand-forged by a blacksmith in Ohio, and the chess board is an antique from the late 1800's.... no big deal.

Here is the link to his Etsy Shop if anyone is interested in his work: 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/EchoHillForge?ref=shopsection_shophome_leftnav

We were all completely worn out by the end of the night, it was well worth it... but that said, I told him that that was IT for his whole life, no more surprise bday parties for this lady... sheesh, I guess I can't handle the excitement or something.

Alrighty, that's all for now, hope you enjoyed looking through our latest fun!

Have a great weekend :)

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It's Christmas Time...!

The kiddos and I have had a fun time putting up our holiday decorations... slowly but surely it's all done. Nothing extravagant, just some simple things to make it feel "Merry and Bright" around our living space.

They helped me wrap and ship our packages...
                                       

We still need to add the fourth stocking for Aspen, coming in the mail soon! :)

Replaced my regular mug display, and in their places, a collection of beautiful ornaments. I believe this was the kid's favorite part, helping to hang them.

My piano got a few new touches...

In October, our two year old, Capri, drug this branch home all by herself... wouldn't take any help, and insisted on dragging it the whole 1 mile to our garage - crazy lady ! ;)

Jubalee & Tremain held it in place while I secured it for decorating...

Our tree is a simple one this year...cute lil chubby shape. The kid's chose him :)

Daddy and kid's dressed the tree up, did a fabulous job!

I'm loving to update my wreath each season and holiday... could become an addiction if I'm not careful.

Merry Christmas to each of you. Remember the true meaning of the season.... Jesus Christ came to earth for us! :)

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift"!

II Corinthians 9:15