Monday, November 25, 2013

Christmas Vacation

Christmas is in full effect at my house.
We put the tree up on Saturday, and I'm embarrassed to tell you the other holiday decorations have been up for a couple weeks.

It all started the weekend I got home from being in Iowa.
I bought a few Christmas things while antiquing and I thought, I'll just keep these out since it's almost time anyway.
Then my brain said to me, maybe I should put up my Santa's since it seems strange to only have a few decorations out.
And Santa's really don't look good without stockings around the fireplace...yada yada yada...vicious cycle...everything's up...Christmas in full effect.

Decorating the tree with the kids is really fun, sort of.
I'm a visual person, I like ornaments spaced just so, I like glass ornaments, I like kids not to touch them, I wish I had velvet roping so I could rope off my tree.
Alas, that's not realistic and kids like to help and it's part of making holiday memories, 
so Hubs tells me.
So I let them put up everything on their own and then I rearrange everything after they've gone to bed that night.
I figure that's their penance for making me put up their homemade preschool ornaments on the tree.

We also watched 'Christmas Vacation' which is a holiday tradition at our house.
Us and every American family.
I realized something while watching this last time.
If I hadn't married Hubs or had kids, I would be just like the yuppie stuck-up neighbor next door to the Griswold's.  
I'd be Margot, aka Elaine from Seinfeld.
I'd judge and watch in horror at the crazy antics of the family who lives next door.
Everything in my house would be white, and clean, and my freezer would never know things like chicken nuggets or frozen waffles.
My pillows would be perfectly karate chopped down the middle and my kitchen cabinets would look just like the ones in 'Sleeping with the Enemy'.

That would be...bad...really terrible.
{via}

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Emily Henderson's Curbly Family Makeover

There's nothing quite like 'before and after' pictures.
New paint and a new furniture layout is so transformative in a room,
beautifully done here by Emily Henderson.
This is the home of the Curbly family in Minnesota.

Family Room
 {images via}



Dining Room


Sunroom

Lucky Curbly's.
See more of Emily's pictures and source list here.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Milwaukee for a Weekend

Last month Hubs and I spent a weekend in Milwaukee.
We had a ball roaming the Third Ward and eating whenever we wanted,
which I know doesn't sound like a luxury but for me is since most days I eat when my kids are eating...which translates to never when I want.

We stumbled into an art gallery/antique store called Art Asia that was like falling down a rabbit hole of Asian awesomeness.








We also hit the Milwaukee Art Museum.




This weekend I'm heading to Des Moines to visit the amazing Kiki, whom I've mentioned here.
We shall see what shenanigans we come in to.