A Look Back at 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what we accomplished this year.  I am incredibly grateful that so many of you have visited to check out one of our projects...and stuck around to see more.  At the start of 2014, I wrote a list of goals that we hoped to complete.  We didn't get to all of them, but that's what 2015 is for, right?

In January, we posted a tutorial for out mantel hood project.  Hands down, my favorite project of the year.  For not much money, we took the whole look of our kitchen to a new level by removing the over-the-range microwave and replacing it with a DIY mantel shelf.

In February, we added this DIY chalkboard to our newly decorated entryway and I have enjoyed changing it with the seasons.

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Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Year.  I am so grateful for the friendship and support that you have given me.   I hope you all know that the wonderful e-mails and comments you send me are among the best gifts I have received this year.  I look forward to a New Year full of lots of fun, new projects.  But first, I will be taking a blogging break while my kids are out of school for their holiday break.

See you in 2015!

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Master Bathroom Flowers

I don't do many sponsored posts, but when I saw the e-mail from the Bouqs, I couldn't pass up the offer for flowers!  We often send flowers to our family and friends and I was happy to have the opportunity to see for myself just what we would be sending them if we ordered from The Bouqs.  I was able to choose which $40 bouquet I wanted and I chose the Killer bouquet for a pop of color in my master bathroom.  I often keep fresh flowers in bright colors in our bathroom.  It livens up the whole room and adds so much freshness.

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Stamped Shortbread Cookies

When I spotted a collection of cookie stamps on a table at my local HomeGoods, I knew that I had to try one.  Simple shortbread cookies are my favorite and I just love the way the stamp makes these look!  I purchased my stamp at the store, but I also checked out Amazon because I wanted to see what other varieties were available.  You can find the stamp here.  I used the recipe that came with the stamp and these were as delicious as they were adorable!

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Our Chistmas Master Bathroom & Bedroom

The holidays are such a busy & rushed time.   I look forward to relaxing in a hot bath whenever I get the chance.  I enjoy adding some holiday color to our master bathroom at Christmas.  I love the pop of red against the soft green walls.

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On My Mind This Holiday Season

Hello friends!  I thought I would start the week by taking a break from our Christmas home tour and take a minute to post a bit about the goings on around here.  I feel like I have been immersed in a whirlwind of decorating, picture taking and writing blog posts.  I don't enjoy getting caught up in the perfection of it all.  I have always enjoyed holiday decorating and love being able to share it, but it starts to feel a bit superficial.  And not at all what Christmas is really about.  The other evening, while I was photographing our living room tree at night, my youngest boy was practicing playing his saxophone in the room.  I was struggling to get that "perfect" glowing tree shot.  He kept standing in front of the trees, so I took one quick shot and got this.  I love it.  Sometimes, I put so much planning into getting the perfect picture.  But usually the best shots just seem to happen, don't they?  I need to remember that.

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Christmas in our Living Room

Welcome to our living room, all decorated for the holidays.  This is the main living area in our split level home.  Because we removed a couple of walls, this space is also open to our kitchen.  We have a real tree up here this year and it smells so pine-y and fresh.  This room is casual and comfortable and full of some of our favorite Christmas things.  I hope you enjoy taking a peek!

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Christmas in the Kitchen

Welcome to our Christmas kitchen!  There is lots of holiday decor in this space.  We will spend lots of time here in the next few weeks, baking cookies, preparing holiday meals and just hanging out as a family.

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Our Christmas Family Room

Welcome to our rustic Christmas family room!

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Rustic Christmas Mantel

Our family room is the most traditional room in our home.  The dark wood tones on the mantel and the stone fireplace bring a rustic and comfortable vibe to the room.  I decided to stay traditional on the mantel this year as well.  

The first thing I purchased for the mantel was the round mirror.  We don't have a lot of space between our mantel and ceiling but I have been looking for a mirror that would fill most of the space.  Everywhere I looked, the round mirrors were too big or too small.  I searched for weeks.  I gave up and bought a white windowpane mirror at Hobby Lobby, but I felt like I was settling.  Then, lo and behold, I saw this mirror tray at HomeGoods sitting on the shelf and I actually may have heard angels sing when it measured just the right size.

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