Happy Thanksgiving!

Courtsey of Free Coloring Pages

Hope you have had a safe and happy holiday with family and friends!

33 days until Christmas...

Last Sunday Mr. Moore and I began to prepare for the holiday season by hanging our outdoor lights.


This weekend I continued the holiday preparation trend by almost finishing my Christmas shopping and by beginning to wrap presents.

Christmas 2009 @ my parent's home.

I am very much looking forward to offically beginning the holiday season and gathering with Mr. Moore’s family for Thanksgiving later this week.

Photo courtsey of Pottery Barn

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, Mr. Moore and I will finish decorating our home for the holday season. Then we will wrap up with holiday festivities at my parent’s home, including seeing A Christmas Story performed at the local theater.

A Christmas Story movie

Super duper fun way to get into the holiday spirit!!

Make hay while the sun shines…

…or hang your holiday lights while the daytime temperature is still reaching the 60’s:

Just be sure to ignore the odd looks from the neighbors. After all, you will have the last laugh while they are hanging their decorations in the freezing cold.

And p.s. don’t worry, we won’t be lighting them again until after Thanksgiving. (We aren’t that crazy!)

Happy...

Halloween!

For everybody’s there’s a one-a-day.

There are many 365 days projects floating around the internet these days. People are doing amazing things every single day. Here are a few examples:



1. New Dress a Day: This creative chickie is creating a new dress (or top) every day for this year….and only spending $365 for the entire year! As of right now, she is on day 335 and I must say she has made quite a few great pieces.

2. A Year of Slow Cooking: This momma is cooking up meals everyday in her crockpot and has been going at it since 2008. Guess that just goes to show that one year does not have to be the limit. She is even cooking gluten free to accommodate her daughter (*hint*hint* good recipe source). There are a variety of recipes that she has worked through and many look might tasty! I will be stopping back here for inspiration.

3. 2010 at a Glance: This young lady is taking a photo each day for the whole year….mostly of nature and food (yum!). I could get in to that.


Those a just a few examples of what many people have been doing over the past (few) year(s). A quick online search will bring up many other projects that bloggers and the like have been creating.


It leaves me to think about starting my own one-a-day project. Now I just need to come up with a concept…

Goodbye Summer…

Hello cold weather!



With colder weather comes those heating bills that we all wish we could decrease. There are many things that can be done to help reduce costs. One simple and affordable modification is to our wall outlets and switch plate covers. Outlets and switches along the exterior walls of a home can allow in a draft. The good news is that a simple fix is possible. Many stores sell kits to insulate outlets and switches like this:

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Then you can also add in child safety outlet covers for extra draft protection:

Photo courtesy of Amazon

Last winter we insulated our outlets. We were fortunate to pick up a free sample kit of the foam pieces (3 outlets, 3 switch plates) from a local power company. From there we simply saved up egg cartons (yes, you read that right) to make the rest of the pieces we needed for our home:

We simply traced the sample pieces on to the cartons and made the rest that we needed. We were able to make two covers per carton. Then we picked up a set of outlet plugs:

We took our outlets from this:

to this:

Granted, you probably could have visualized the outcome, but I really just wanted to show off my paint job. If you remember, continuing painting the house was on my summer to-do list. Plus, as you can see, no one is any wiser of the changes you just made.

Another option to help you stay warm this winter would be to find a furry friend to snuggle with. From past experience, furry friends like these are good choices:
 



Man, that is some nice looking paint.... :)

Day dreaming

Lately I have been dreaming a lot of our next home. Ideally I would love us to be able to build exactly what we dream of. Here is what I hope for one day...

Photo courtesy of hookedonhouses.net

It official… I am 26.

My 26th birthday was a few weeks ago. Looking back over the past year, I must admit, it was a rough one. I really began to notice the aging process taking affect.
 Yea. Yea. I know. Everyone is telling me that I am crazy for thinking that I have wrinkles. But I see them. And I want them to go away.



I came across an article in Real Simple that recommended this product:

Photo courtsey of Target

So I decided to give it a while. I must tell you, I love it. It works incredibly well. I am so happy with the results that I have been seeing. My brow no longer has a permanent furrow and my skin is much softer. For ease of application, I mix one pump with a bit of my daily moisturizer and smooth over my face twice a day.


While I really enjoyed the product, I decided that I needed a pair of Boots. So I also added this eye cream to my regime:

Photo courtsey of Target

It adds just a bit of shimmer around my eyes that lights up my face after too little sleep and further to help keep those wrinkles at bay. Perfection!


The final addition to my 25+ beauty routine included a heavier moisturizer that I apply only at night. I use the Target brand version of this:

Photo courtsey of Target

So there you have my altered beauty routine. Have you added any new products to your beauty routine lately? Have and recommendations to share with the class?

Confessions...Wedding Shoe Search Part 6

I have to admit something.

I have been holding out on you.

When we last spoke about my brother's pending nuptials, I led you to believe these would be the footwear I would be sporting:

Photo courtesy of Shoebuy.com

Comfortable and practical.



But, I changed my mind. I came across Endless.com and their wonderful shoe selection. And I fell in love with this pair:

Photo courtesy of Endless.com

With an online coupon, I couldn't resist ordering them and at least taking them for a test ride around my home. As it turns out, they were comfy too. And they wiggled their way in to my heart.

So there you have it. I'm no longer feel weighed down with this secret. I promise there will only be one more post about the shoes and the wedding. After all, I do have to share the entire ensemble!

Stay tuned...

Budget Finds: West Elm Wannabe

The new West Elm catalog arrived in the mail the other day. And this is what I found on the back cover:

Photo courtsey of West Elm

Doesn't it look awfully similar to this pillow that I made earlier this summer??

West Elm version: $39
My verson: under $5