Happy Holidays

Ok, I confess that I started my holiday decorating early this year.  I started on some projects the week before Thanksgiving and we got our tree on the 17th.  I've really been into the holiday decorations this year.  It's nice to have something to look forward to.  It's also helped me find ways to include Leo in our traditions and to make sure he is always present in our home in one way or another.  

I've made several new things this year, mostly inspired by Pinterest of course.

I made these red berry wreaths from grapevine wreaths and berry garland.

Yes, the ceiling fan is hideous.  Hopefully we will finally get around to replacing it sometime next year.  We also plan to repaint the living room and change the photos above the couch.

 A new Leo inspired ornament.

And the personalized ornament I ordered for him.  I love it!

I think this is the best tree we've had so far!

My makeshift mantle with Isabella's and Leo's stockings.  I made the "Peace" letters,  red berry tree, twine tree, and bronze hurricane candleholder to the right.  I also made the "snowy" candleholder on the left.

 I need to find something else to go here, but haven't found what I'm looking for yet..  I made the glitter tree.

The red berry door hanger I made.  I need to tie a better bow. :)

 Isabella's tree, pink of course.  You can't see the ornaments, but they are Dora and Disney Princess.  She picked it all out herself.

I'm hoping to find some things to add.  We really don't have much in they way of holiday decorations and now that Isabella is older I feel like we need more.  Of course, Sparky the elf is expected to arrive December 1 so that will help

Through the years

 With the exception of Isabella's newborn session we have taken a variation of this photo at each photo session since our wedding.

2008

Lindsay Wilson Photography

2009

 Lindsay Wilson Photography

2010

Cupcakes and Champagne Photography

2011

 Kim Davis Photography 

2012

Kim Davis Photography

Family Photos: 2012 Edition

Every year since Isabella's birth we've had family photos taken.  This year we contacted Kim Davis, who had taken our photos last year, to schedule a session.  In the past we have taken the photos near Isabella's birthday, but with the brutally hot summer we had I decided to wait until fall.  I thought the cooler weather and changing leaves would be nice for photos. I scheduled the session for October 13 because my 20 week ultrasound had been scheduled for October 12 and I thought it would be fun to incorporate a few gender reveal photos.  Things change, huh?

We wound up taking these photos a week later because the 13th was a cold, drizzly day.  It was definitely chilly the day these were taken, but I'm happy with how they turned out.  I did tease Clint about the fact that he seemed to screw up all the photos I looked good in. :)

I wanted to make sure Leo was included in the photos in some subtle way, so you'll find little nods to him in these photos.

Sometimes it's hard to go about life as planned when everything has changed, but I'm glad I went ahead with this photo session. My little three year old is at such a fun and frustrating age, and I feel like we were able to capture the sweetness and joy she brings to our lives. I honestly don't know what I would do without her.

Busy work

Thank goodness for Pinterest!  These little projects are helping to keep me sane.

Installing peel and stick tiles under sinks to protect from leaks.

Making my own spice mixes, from left: Cream of chicken soup, Italian dressing mix, meatloaf, quesadilla casserole, taco, and chili.

Condensed and reorganized my spices.

I ditched the spice rack in favor of more counterspace.  My commonly used spices are now in magnetic tins on the side of the fridge.

I designed a command center for the fridge complete with a calendar, menu, to do list, and a cleaning schedule (which I've actually been following!).

I cleaned up the fridge and setup a new way to display Isabella's artwork.

And I turned old candles into Scentsy-like bars.

All Pinterest inspired, of course.  I have a never-ending list of projects on my to do list thanks to Pinterest.

2 Months

Today marks two months since we lost lost our little Leo. I can't really find the words to describe the feelings behind the milestone, but I felt it was worth noting.  Life goes on, but it will never be the same.

Bathroom Remodel

I've been taking on a lot of household projects to keep myself busy. One of these was finally starting to decorate the three rooms we haven't really touched: the main bath and the master bedroom and bath.  We started with the main bathroom.  The only problem was that I couldn't do much of the actual work because well, power tools freak me out a bit. Ha!

Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a before photo, but I do have one taken before we moved in.  We hadn't painted or changed a single fixture, so it essentially looked the same, even the cherubs.  You can't see the flooring, but it was white vinyl and was impossible to get really clean.

I did decide to take on one project myself: staining the vanity. (Using the tutorial found here.)

One coat. (These were all taken on my iPhone.)

Two coats.

Clint snuck past me and did the third coat and applied the poly. I might touch it up because I think it could use another coat, and a shinier poly coat.

Ta Da!  I also sprayed the hinges with a satin nickel spray paint. That's pretty much the extent of my manual labor on this project.

Here is the whole bathroom after:

The backsplash:

In all we changed:
paint color
new tile flooring
stained vanity
cabinet hardware
new counter
new faucet
new lighting
new medicine cabinet
new towel bars






I plan to add some floating shelves above the toilet soon. Hopefully soon we will start on our bedroom and bathroom.