SHE: Countdown to Halloween

Hey Y'all,

It is almost Halloween.  How do you celebrate?  While we don't get too crazy with decorations, I still try to make it a fun holiday with costumes, candy, snacks and movies. 

Our house isn't in a subdivision, so we rarely have any Trick or Treaters.  I know, isn't that sad....  But it just might mean we get to enjoy all those treats ourselves.  A SHE is always prepared for company to drop by, so I make sure our cute pumpkins are filled with treats...just in case.

image via google

Like every holiday, we have certain traditions
that we enjoy. Of course there is pumpkin carving and No, painting them isn't nearly as much fun ~ though they may last longer. We tried (without success) to roast the pumpkin seeds. Can not figure that out. Not being in a subdivision also meant, no door to door trick or treating. So we would dress our little girl up and off we went to see our friends and family and collect way to many treats.  We couldn't go without a quick dinner of Mummy Dogs ~ a definite family holiday tradition.  There are so many cute and creative ideas, I shared several on our Pinterest board.

No Halloween season would be complete without the scary movie marathon ~ Mike & I both love our old scary movies (ie, ones we saw when we were dating.)  They are so cheesy and predictable but I still get nervous and may or may not squeal at certain ones.  Do you have any favorites?  The Halloween season movie event must sees: "Halloween",  "The Shining", "Friday the 13th" (but only the first 1 or 2) and of course "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown". 

Do you dress up in costume?  We dress up every year at my office. It is so fun and our patients love it!  It's not a productive day, but it is definitely a fun one. We have a large group, so we try to stick with a theme. We have dressed as the Wizard of Oz, 101 Dalmatians, and this year I will be Mrs. Scarecrow. Fingers crossed I can survive the "hay" all day.  We have the best group for creativity!  Are you still searching for an idea? I have a few cute ideas pinned here.

As empty nesters, your holiday looks a little different.  And this one is no exception.  Meet our new friend "Bob", he has been riding around with my hubby for the past 2 weeks! He is a hoot!


Ok guys, the countdown is on! Let's celebrate big! Please share pictures of your Halloween pumpkins, treats, decorations and costumes.  SHE shares her tips with her friends ~ 

Happy Halloween week!!  

xoxo,  Amy

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SHE Crafts: DIY Easter Topiary

Hey Ya'll! Easter is almost here, so it's time to decorate! Today I want to share with you a DIY Easter topiary. It's so cute and super easy to make. With one quick trip to Hobby Lobby and Target (for jelly beans only!) you should be ready to get started.

I started by taking a wooden dowel and putting it in the center of my styrofoam ball. It should look like a giant lollypop.

Next, I wrapped white ribbon around the dowel, but you could also paint it if you prefer. I used my hot glue gun and glued the first end of string at the top of the the dowel right beneath the styrofoam ball and then wrapped until I got about an inch from the bottom of the dowel. I then glued the end of the string with hot glue to the wood.

At this point I wanted to let the ribbon set before I started making the actual topiary, so I painted the clay pot white. You can do this whenever, but doing it earlier allows it time to dry completely before you need it.

Now I was ready to glue the jelly beans to the styrofoam. I placed my styrofoam on a paper plate and held the dowel at the top and began hot gluing jelly beans from the bottom and worked my way up.

Sitting it on the plate allows you to turn the topiary like a lazy-Susan and makes it easier to work with! About halfway through the process I stuck the end of the dowel into some floral foam, and stuck it in the pot. I still sat it on the plate for "spinning" purposes but it made it easier to work on the top section.

I added some green Easter straw to cover the foam, and kept gluing!

I tried my best to alternate between colors so there isn't a section of mostly blue, green, etc. But feel free to decorate however you prefer! I opted for the pastel jelly beans but you could definitely use the brighter colors. It's all up to you!

Once every part of the styrofoam ball was covered, I let it dry for an hour to set and moved it to my kitchen table.

Materials

1 Styrofoam Ball

1 Wooden Dowel

Ribbon (Optional)

Hot Glue Gun

1 Clay Pot

Paint & Sponge Paint Brush

Jelly Beans (2 Bags for Medium Ball)

Floral Foam

Easter Grass

It was super easy and looks so cute! I hope you give it a try!

xo ~ Brittney

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Our Home for the Holidays

Hey Y'all !

Does your agenda tell you it is December 14th?  How can that be???  I feel like I haven't gotten started on checking off my Christmas to do lists.  (Yes lists, I love to make lists and love pretty agendas but that is a story for another day).

So let's see what is on my list:  we have shopping, and baking, and Christmas cards, and Christmas movies and gift wrapping and decorating.... all before we can celebrate.  The only thing I can really check off is my decorating.   I added my finishing details yesterday with fresh wreaths. We use an artificial tree each year but I love the Christmas pine scent so a lovely wreath goes over our mantel. When we have a fire going in the fireplace, the warmth really brings out the fresh pine scent.
 

image via Pinterest

I also burn several fragrant candles at different times ~ each has a Christmas element to them.  My most favorite is Nest Holiday candle. It is Christmas in a jar to me. These candles burn clean, no smoky residue like some candles have.  I also enjoy several from Bath & Bodyworks ~ Tis the Season is a favorite and Fresh Balsam is too.  There are also several Glad brand candles that smell very nice too.  (I have listed links at the bottom of the page.)

Holiday Candle 3 wick

Holiday Wish 3 wick Bath & Bodyworks

As for my decorations ~ I tend to be a little more traditional. the first item unpacked and arranged each year is our nativity scene. Without this what would we be celebrating?  









Our tree has colored lights along with white. All types of ornaments, most all with a story. But I also have lots of "do-dads" or "knick-knack" items we have collected over the years.
 I realized looking at all of them, so many have been gifted by friends I have worked with over the years.  Aren't these pretty? 

Charles Dickens Story Book given to me by my niece Kaity 

I also have 3 singing snowmen given to me probably 10+ years ago by a sweet friend I worked with for many years. As I unpacked them this year I was reminded that she is no longer with us. I guess bittersweet memories are part of life aren't they...
A small glimpse into our home....  How do you decorate?  Homemade items? Everything coordinated?  or are you a little more like me- a hodgepodge of sweet memories?  

dining room tree ~ a little more structured

Always choose JOY

Family room tree -gifts are coming soon

 I would love to see your Christmas home ideas!! Am I the only one who feels like my house is "empty" after the holidays when all the decorations come down? Please post a picture so we can share your ideas.

Oh, and here are the links I promised...
Nest Candle

Bath & Bodyworks 3 wick candles

                          
                                   Merry Christmas ~   

                                                    Amy

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Christmas Decorations: Brittney

Hey Ya’ll! Happy December, I can’t believe we’re in the home stretch of 2015, and the countdown to Christmas is on! Andrew and I will be celebrating our first Christmas in our own home this year so we have enjoyed decorating and getting ready for the holidays. It has definitely been an adjustment though! At my parent’s house, there have always been multiple Christmas trees, (at one point, 7…) decorations, garland, etc. It’s basically magic.

So in order to recreate some of that magic, I went to all of my go-tos: Amazon, Etsy, Hobby Lobby, and Target. No surprise, I’m sure.

 

We found our main tree on Amazon and went with a red and silver theme – our cat, Millie, sure loves to investigate it…

For our fireplace, we took cardboard letters, sprayed them with metallic spray paint found at Hobby Lobby and added a wreath to spell out Noel.

Our tree skirt and stockings came from Etsy and I absolutely love them! The shop owners can customize them for your needs and they ship fairly quickly! I would definitely recommend both shops.

Our final tree is my “Barbie” tree. Since I can remember, I have always had a Christmas tree in my room, but for the past few years I’ve had a theme tree with pink ornaments. Each year I would add a new ornament and it was always from the Barbie collection at Hallmark. Well, as of last year, Barbie stopped making annual ornaments – I know, heartbreaking. So for now, my Barbie tree will not have any additions, but I still love to look at it all season long. Andrew’s feelings aren’t exactly the same as mine… :)

 

I hope you enjoy our Christmas decorations as much as we do!

xo ~ Brittney

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It's The Holiday Season

Hey Y'all!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We sure did!!  We enjoyed our time with family and friends and played cards, ate way too much, and then set out for a night of shopping.   If you have been following us, you know my husband, Mike,  fries our turkey (and several others).  This year's was the best! I don't think he did anything different to them, but oh my goodness, it was so juicy and tender. A delicious turkey and all the fixings make for a wonderful Thanksgiving.  But we don't stop there...

We love to go "Black Friday" shopping.  Not because we want anything particular, but we always run into sweet friends we don't see very often and it's so fun catching up.  I think the cool weather and the official start of Christmas carols (although our stations have been playing them since early November) really puts me in the Christmas spirit.   How about you?  How do you kick start your Christmas season?  I love the decorations and activities and try to cram as much in as we can in the 4 week span.  We put up multiple trees Thanksgiving weekend...  I have 1 in our living room- very family friendly/ hodgepodge,  1 in the dining room- a little more structured, and 3 small ones in our foyer- lights only.  I have scaled back on the trees this year as Brittney's pink themed "Barbie" tree moved to her new home with her. It is very cute, I am sure she will post a picture.

I admit, I do not enjoy setting up the tree, especially fiddling with all the lights.. & Yes I do have 3 sections of my pre-lit white lights not working at this time...argh. But I love each and every one of our ornaments.  There is a story with most all of them and I cherish the sweet thoughts and memories that come with each one being unpacked and hung prominently on the tree.  This one is the most special one we have.  We had been married less than 3 months. It was so much fun setting up our tree and decorating our home. 

Our First Christmas ~ 1982 Hallmark

I try to make sure we have an ornament each year to add to our collection and that it has the year on it.  Last year we had a little mishap and lost a few... I was very sad, but things happen.    Here are a few that hold an extra special place in my heart... what do you think? 

 

This was from my Mom, Janie, the year I was 

pregnant with Brittney. She got a "Dad to be" one for Mike too!

These treasures have been a source of fun every year.  Brittney made these in preschool when she was about 2.   They have cute little sayings on them and were made to her height that year.  As she got older and could help us decorate the tree, each year the "chain" made its way higher and higher. She loved for it to be in the most prominent spot on the tree so everyone could see it.  We have laughed about it each year when we see if survived another season.  I couldn't imagine our tree without it. And though not in the very front of the tree ~ it definitely is on our tree this year too.   

       

And this one is a picture of Brittney & Andrew at the venue they chose for their wedding.  They got engaged in 2013 ~  It was certainly a year we will remember.

I haven't selected our 2015 ornament yet, but it has been an exciting year and I hope our ornament will reflect that too.  I will be sure to post a picture when we select one. 
 
What type of ornaments do you use? Do you coordinate all your packages and tree decor? I love that look, but am never that on top of things to make it happen... Maybe one day.
 
All month we will be sharing some of our holiday ideas, recipes, traditions and tips.  Please feel free to leave us a comment, let us know your decorating ideas and your go to recipes.  We would love to hear from you.  Be sure to sign up for our emails ~ you don't want to miss out.

  

                                     Amy

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