Sconces

I want this light in my house!  When we lived in the duplex a few years ago, the only lights they had in every room were wall sconces.  They weren't nearly as beautiful as that one up there, but I did like the way they lit the rooms.  I am a sucker for anything black, which is probably why I like this one. I would use them as accent lighting here, because we have ceiling lights in the apartment.  I just think they are pretty, even as just a decorative touch to my living room. Or my dining room.  Or my bedroom.  Well, you get the idea. 

It's Almost Time

I can not tell you how excited I am that it is almost time to decorate my house for Christmas.  If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that at the Holidays, I tend to go overboard.  This year, since it is the first Christmas it will be just the kids and I, I want to do it up big.  I was in the dollar store the other day and I found the cutest Christmas Tree magnet set to put on my car.  It has several pieces, and trust me, when I put it on my car I will take a picture to show you how adorable it looks.

I am also searching for more decorations for my house, because while I do have a bunch, I kind of want to avoid using the stuff that will remind the kids of their dad.  I want this to be a special time for them, not a stressful one.  I found these Christmas Designs that you can put on the wall of your home, and I fell in love with these red balls.

I have the perfect place for them to go, too.  I also want to find some of those decorations that go on your door jams.  Do you know what I am talking about?  This is the first place I have lived where I would be able to use something like that.

What special decorations do you have for your home?

My Feet Are Happy

The last house we lived in didn't have a single room that was carpeted.  It didn't have real hard wood floor, but the flooring was made to look like hardwood.  I hated it.  In the winter, the floor was always cold, and I had to wear slippers or socks all the time, which made my feet sweat.  I am looking forward to winter in the apartment, because every room, with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms, are carpeted.  My feet will be very happy.

I used to have two area rugs at the old place, and they were not picked out by me.  In fact, they were display models that we got for a really good price that we just couldn't pass up.  These rugs looked almost oriental, and I am more of a contemporary rug girl.  I have a thing for squares when it comes to rugs which is kind of weird, I think.  I also like subtle colors better that bright or bold colors.  If I could pick any rug, without worrying about the price, I would want this one in my house:

It's beautiful, isn't it?  I used to lean more towards grays and blacks (I know, that's a pretty bold color, but mixed with grays it can be beautiful) but these days, I am more into neutral colors.  I guess as we get older, our tastes change.  Goodness knows my taste in men sure has changed.

Clocks And Tablecloths

My house is the cleanest it's been since we moved in.  I did so much cleaning and organizing to get ready for the photo shoot yesterday, that now I don't want anyone touching anything.   I want to keep things the way they are for as long as I can.

The funny thing is, they didn't take many shots of me at my desk.  They liked my kitchen better, and did most of the shooting in there at the kitchen table.  I am so glad that I repainted the cabinets.  The are a couple of  other things I would have liked to have replaced before the shoot, and one of those things was my kitchen clock.  The one hanging on my wall is so old.  We bought it when we first got married, and it has hung in the kitchen of every house we've ever lived in. I think it might be time to buy a new Large wall clock.

I found this gorgeous Decorative Wall clock online, and I want it to replace my old kitchen clock.  Isn't it pretty?

 

My kitchen is black and white, so it would  match perfectly.  

I also want to get a new tablecloth for the kitchen table.  The shoot designer asked if I had anything other than the Valentine heart one I am currently using, and I don't.  I need to get an "everyday" tablecloth that will look good in every season, but I can't decide between black or white.

Which color would you use?

We Found Our Holiday Spirit!

 This is how we spent the weekend.  The girls and I decorated the house for Christmas.  The hubs and Ryan put up the tree when they got home Saturday night, and the girls decorated it yesterday.  Sort of.  There are still a lot more ornaments that need to go on, but they got bored doing it, so they left the rest for me.  Hopefully, I will get them on there before Christmas Day.  No promises, though. :)

I Need A New Rug, So I Made One Myself (With A Little Help)

My house has all "hardwood" floors.  There is no carpet at all in any of the rooms. Luckily when we moved in, we had two rugs.  We put one in the living room, and it covers enough of the floor to look good.  The second one we put in the kitchen under the table, and for some reason, the corners are falling apart.  See what I mean?

I'm not sure if it's because of the placement of the rug or if it is just because we've had it for a few years now.  The corner in the picture is right in front of the refrigerator, and it is walked on every time someone goes into the kitchen.  It's a very high traffic spot.  I was going to try and sew it up so it stops tearing, but Junior said it's pointless, and we may as well just start looking for a replacement.

As much as I hate to shop, I am looking forward to picking out a new rug.  We aren't allowed to paint the walls here (because it's a rental) so I am hoping to find a rug that has some color in it.  I found this website where you can make your own custom rugs, and check out the one I made:

Isn't it awesome?  My kitchen has black appliances with silver accents, and purple is my favorite color, so this is what I think would look great in that room.  This website has so many different designs to choose from, and once you decide on a design, you get to pick all the colors.  It's seriously like coloring for adults.  Once you have that all done, you can customize the size so that it is a perfect fit for your room.

Now the tricky part is going to be convincing Junior that this rug will look amazing in our kitchen.  He seems to be opposed to anything purple.

Decorating The Tree

We finally started putting the ornaments on the tree.
There is still another box full that need to be put on, but the kids got bored and I just haven't found the time.
The picture over on my sidebar is what it looks like now.
I'll try and update it when all the ornaments and candy canes are on.

Here's Brandi putting on an ornament.

Kasi reaching high (about ten minutes later she almost knocked the whole thing down!)

Here's Ryan...he didn't want to help, but Junior convinced him to put on a few.

I am getting a little excited now...finally!

It's Beginning....

...to look a lot like Christmas! Can you see all the chains? I have spent the past hour hanging them, with the kids stockings. Brandi and kasi are in their rooms making more. I don't know where I am going to put them all!

I love decorating! (she says now...come back in a few hours and see how she feels! lol)

When To Decorate

There seems to be a burning question in the blogosphere right now...when do you decorate for Christmas? Not just your house, but your blog, too. For me, I usually do it the weekend before Thanksgiving. Yes, before, because we used to have family come from up north for Thanksgiving, and they would stay the weekend. I didn't want to be putting up decorations while they were here. It's been a few years since they have come, but I still like to do it early.

Now, for my blog, I have my Christmas header all ready to go. But since I have the Thanksgiving one up now, I may as well wait until after to take it down.

So tell me. When do you decorate?