i was visiting my family in atlanta this weekend to help with a little organization around the house, meet with my sister about a start-up company we're forming, and celebrate my dad's 60th bday a week late, and my mom turned me onto this awesome blog that i hadn't yet heard of..."hooked on houses". if you enjoy looking at houses and decorating as much as my family members and i do, you'll love it too! plus, i'm always impressed with people that actually make a living by blogging!!
also, i'll post more about our company as we move forward with the launch, but we're super excited to get started on it! :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Christmas pics
i never had a chance to post our pictures from the would-be-Christmas-card photoshoot we did with jefferson but thought they were kinda funny and wanted to share...
this was our family Christmas picture (even though i didn't actually get around to sending out cards this year :))
for our Christmas cards, we usually try and get jefferson to do something creative or funny, so this year, billy had the great idea of getting him to be santa with a bag of toys. read force him into his santa suit that he hates, put a couple of brooks shoeboxes in a pillowcase, and see if we could somehow get him excited about dragging the pillowcase around. it didn't work quite as well as last year's santa pictures, when he tried to go into the chimney and stood on the roof, but we still had a good time with it. maybe next year we'll perfect it, and i'll get my act together with some cards too!
so cute!!
we also thought it would be funny to have a picture of santa eating cookies, but this didn't make the cut for our e-card :)
every time i tried to put the hood on, it would just cover his eyes, and he would look ridiculous
very tired (traumatized?) after his santa photoshoot
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Christmas 2010
in addition to being a little delayed posting snow pictures, i never posted pictures of our house at Christmas this year, as i was out of town the day the blog i sometimes link up with for house photos did their Christmas tours and didn't get around to doing it afterwards. i always love getting our stuff out and decorated for Christmas! the ornaments are especially fun because we have a great assortment of ornaments from our childhoods, ones we've gotten on various trips we've taken, and ones given to me by my mom's and my friends for a wedding shower (one of the perks to a december wedding :)). it's great to think about the people, places, and memories associated with each ornament, so that's one of the parts of decorating i love the most. on a side note, i am constantly reminded of everyone's extreme generosity at that shower (and others) when i get to use all of the wonderful gifts they gave us each day in our house! i feel like i should be continuously writing them all thank-you notes, as i have loved getting to use their gifts over the past 4+ years.
we kind of do the same decor each year, but i guess as long as it looks nice, that's ok! whole house: candles in the windows, front railing decorated with garland and lights, this year billy put up lights on our crepe myrtle; main level: mantle decorated with the nativity (which stays there year-round) and some other decorative elements, Christmas tree, Christmas books, fall/winter centerpiece in the dining room, etc.; basement: snow village, Christmas palm tree (that also stays up all year round); upstairs: little decorative items (since basically no one except for us sees that area); porch: little Christmas tree.
here are a few pictures from around our house...
we kind of do the same decor each year, but i guess as long as it looks nice, that's ok! whole house: candles in the windows, front railing decorated with garland and lights, this year billy put up lights on our crepe myrtle; main level: mantle decorated with the nativity (which stays there year-round) and some other decorative elements, Christmas tree, Christmas books, fall/winter centerpiece in the dining room, etc.; basement: snow village, Christmas palm tree (that also stays up all year round); upstairs: little decorative items (since basically no one except for us sees that area); porch: little Christmas tree.
here are a few pictures from around our house...
i made little tags for the stockings this year out of some scrapbook paper we had that coordinated well with the colors in the room :)
jefferson was really excited to get into his stocking Christmas morning!
snow village
living room mantle
mantle after i added kel's gift (the stars for the nativity :))
our tree and large, pretty nativity that was a gift from the hostesses of my above-mentioned shower
i guess i didn't do a great job of getting Christmas photos of our house this year, but we think it looked pretty :) (and still have most of the decorations up...guess i'll get to taking them down this weekend!)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
snow days
So with the busyness of my brother's wedding, Christmas, and getting year-end stuff finished up around the office, I never posted any pictures from our several December snow days. We rarely have snow before January here, but this year, we've gotten 4 days of snow so far (and the latest one still has some remnants around town even now, a couple of weeks later!). And it's supposed to snow again today, but so far, it's just rainy and super cold.
Here are some pictures we took from the snow days...
digging in the snow
billy built jefferson a tunnel so he could go potty and run around a little bit
he LOVES the snow!
what i had to dig my car out of before going to work
our neighbor's snow-covered backyard
Kendall took these when she was hanging out with Jefferson...they're better action shots than we have :)
favorite :)
So I guess we're slightly obsessed with our dog, since almost all of our snow pictures are of him :) But he does make the snow much more fun!!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
my brother is married!
last weekend, we had the pleasure of heading to chapel hill for my brother's wedding! it was such a wonderful celebration, and we are super excited that God brought him and his new wife together in marriage - we love her, and she fits in very well with our family :) all of us were in the wedding, so that was fun, and there were several great events throughout the wedding weekend that we enjoyed.
we drove to chapel hill after work on friday, met my family for a late dinner, and got jefferson situated at the "guys' house" - my sister-in-law's brother's house where most of the guys were staying for the weekend. apparently jefferson had quite the time bunking up with the 15 or so guys. he even spooned with one of my brother's friends on the futon, so he felt right at home (since he usually sleeps curled up against my stomach).
saturday, my mom, sister, and i got mani/pedi's and walked down the street to the bridesmaids lunch, which was at this cute little restaurant called four eleven west. it had great food, and we sat in this little greenhouse-like area that was perfect for the eveng! while the girls were at the bridesmaids lunch, the guys all went to the "guys' house" for a bbq lunch hosted by some of our best family friends. jefferson got to partake in that lunch too! after the lunches, a bunch of us helped get the rehearsal dinner room decorated. it looked so pretty! the restaurant/bar, top of the hill, now has a great event facility that was perfect for their rehearsal dinner!
we headed back and got dressed for the wedding rehearsal, which went very smoothly, followed by the rehearsal dinner. because it was somewhat of a "destination wedding", all of the guests who were in town that evening were invited to the rehearsal dinner, so we had a little cocktail hour with just family and wedding party members before the rest of the guests arrived. the rehearsal dinner was great - yummy food, sweet (and funny) toasts, and a fun time with our family and friends. after that, we headed upstairs to the bar area in top of the hill for a few hours before heading back to the carolina inn for bed.
sunday - wedding day!! we got up and hung out a bit before heading to the wedding day brunch at this great little restaurant called the armadillo grill in carrboro, which is right next to chapel hill. after the brunch, it was basically time to start getting ready for the big event :) kel did my hair and makeup, which looked great - i really think she could go into business doing that!! the guys convened in the hotel lobby around 2 to head to the church in this cute trolley, which came back for the girls afterwards. kristin dressed at the church and was such a beautiful bride!! what a happy, exciting day!!
we took some pre-wedding pictures at the church - it was a cute church in the country, antioch baptist church, with a pretty steeple and lots of pretty poinsettias inside. gotta love weddings close to Christmas that get to take advantage of places being so nicely decorated (we did the same thing :))! i got to spend some time with my dad, brother, and sister before the ceremony just hanging out in one of the rooms while billy and the other groomsmen ushered people into the church, so that was kind of nice.
the wedding was wonderful! the ceremony was so sweet and personal, and i think most people in the room got a little teary as kristin walked toward bryan, both of them tearing up a bit. so sweet!
afterwards, we took lots of pictures and then the whole wedding party piled into the trolley for the trek back to the carolina inn for the reception. the hotel was decorated beautifully for Christmas, and the ballroom where the reception was held was so elegant! we had great food and drinks, and the band was awesome! they had the band liquid pleasure, which is a great wedding/party band in the area - so fun!! bryan and kristin started out with a choreographed first dance that was very impressive, then the father/daughter and mother/son dances. everyone ate dinner after that, and then the dancing began and didn't end until almost midnight when the bride and groom had to leave! it was such a special weekend and fun time with our family and friends, and we are so thankful that we have expanded our family yet again!
i'll post more pictures later when i get them too :) i think they're spread out on several of our cameras! these are the only ones i have for now...
we drove to chapel hill after work on friday, met my family for a late dinner, and got jefferson situated at the "guys' house" - my sister-in-law's brother's house where most of the guys were staying for the weekend. apparently jefferson had quite the time bunking up with the 15 or so guys. he even spooned with one of my brother's friends on the futon, so he felt right at home (since he usually sleeps curled up against my stomach).
saturday, my mom, sister, and i got mani/pedi's and walked down the street to the bridesmaids lunch, which was at this cute little restaurant called four eleven west. it had great food, and we sat in this little greenhouse-like area that was perfect for the eveng! while the girls were at the bridesmaids lunch, the guys all went to the "guys' house" for a bbq lunch hosted by some of our best family friends. jefferson got to partake in that lunch too! after the lunches, a bunch of us helped get the rehearsal dinner room decorated. it looked so pretty! the restaurant/bar, top of the hill, now has a great event facility that was perfect for their rehearsal dinner!
we headed back and got dressed for the wedding rehearsal, which went very smoothly, followed by the rehearsal dinner. because it was somewhat of a "destination wedding", all of the guests who were in town that evening were invited to the rehearsal dinner, so we had a little cocktail hour with just family and wedding party members before the rest of the guests arrived. the rehearsal dinner was great - yummy food, sweet (and funny) toasts, and a fun time with our family and friends. after that, we headed upstairs to the bar area in top of the hill for a few hours before heading back to the carolina inn for bed.
sunday - wedding day!! we got up and hung out a bit before heading to the wedding day brunch at this great little restaurant called the armadillo grill in carrboro, which is right next to chapel hill. after the brunch, it was basically time to start getting ready for the big event :) kel did my hair and makeup, which looked great - i really think she could go into business doing that!! the guys convened in the hotel lobby around 2 to head to the church in this cute trolley, which came back for the girls afterwards. kristin dressed at the church and was such a beautiful bride!! what a happy, exciting day!!
we took some pre-wedding pictures at the church - it was a cute church in the country, antioch baptist church, with a pretty steeple and lots of pretty poinsettias inside. gotta love weddings close to Christmas that get to take advantage of places being so nicely decorated (we did the same thing :))! i got to spend some time with my dad, brother, and sister before the ceremony just hanging out in one of the rooms while billy and the other groomsmen ushered people into the church, so that was kind of nice.
the wedding was wonderful! the ceremony was so sweet and personal, and i think most people in the room got a little teary as kristin walked toward bryan, both of them tearing up a bit. so sweet!
afterwards, we took lots of pictures and then the whole wedding party piled into the trolley for the trek back to the carolina inn for the reception. the hotel was decorated beautifully for Christmas, and the ballroom where the reception was held was so elegant! we had great food and drinks, and the band was awesome! they had the band liquid pleasure, which is a great wedding/party band in the area - so fun!! bryan and kristin started out with a choreographed first dance that was very impressive, then the father/daughter and mother/son dances. everyone ate dinner after that, and then the dancing began and didn't end until almost midnight when the bride and groom had to leave! it was such a special weekend and fun time with our family and friends, and we are so thankful that we have expanded our family yet again!
i'll post more pictures later when i get them too :) i think they're spread out on several of our cameras! these are the only ones i have for now...
beautiful birdcage with two live doves in the hotel lobby
gorgeous bride!!!
wedding gift from bryan - they'll be on their honeymoon for Christmas, so he got them stockings :)
steed (& chorey) girls
my mom looked so beautiful!
ridin in high style :)
trolley!
cheers!
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
peppermint bark
a few weeks ago, i tried some peppermint bark my friend had made for her pampered chef show, and it was delicious! so i decided that would be a great, easy thing to make for our co-workers for a little Christmas gift. here's the finished product!
i used "candy melts" from michaels, which worked great, and put them in little to-go containers (like decorative chinese takeout boxes) for everyone at the office to enjoy.
here's the recipe (and there's a more complete version on leslie's facebook pampered chef page :))
put 3-4 candy canes in a plastic baggie and pound with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer (this will probably make kind of a mess because as the candy canes start to break apart, they tear the bag a little bit) - set aside for later
melt one bag of white candy melt chips (or whatever color you want to use) in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to make the candy completely melted/smooth
melt one bag of red (or other color - leslie's recipe had used chocolate, but i thought i'd try out something different just to see how it worked) candy melt chips in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to completely melt candy
leslie's recipe suggested adding peppermint extract to the chocolate candy melts, but i didn't have any, so i left it out - i'm sure it would have been a nice addition though :)
line a baking sheet/pan (with edges - not the totally flat kind) with a parchment paper, allowing the paper to cover the edges
scoop alternating spoonfuls of each color on the baking sheet (so it looks kind of like a checkerboard) with a little bit of space between each spoonful
run a knife, spatula, or small spreader through the melted candy in both directions to make marbled lines
tap the baking sheet on the counter to make the candy spread out and form one solid sheet - then pour the candy cane pieces over the top and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to harden
break up the pieces, and it's ready to serve!
very easy and inexpensive recipe (under $15 for 2 batches, which i used for 9 people) and it looks really professional!
i used "candy melts" from michaels, which worked great, and put them in little to-go containers (like decorative chinese takeout boxes) for everyone at the office to enjoy.
here's the recipe (and there's a more complete version on leslie's facebook pampered chef page :))
put 3-4 candy canes in a plastic baggie and pound with the smooth side of a meat tenderizer (this will probably make kind of a mess because as the candy canes start to break apart, they tear the bag a little bit) - set aside for later
melt one bag of white candy melt chips (or whatever color you want to use) in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to make the candy completely melted/smooth
melt one bag of red (or other color - leslie's recipe had used chocolate, but i thought i'd try out something different just to see how it worked) candy melt chips in the microwave for around 2 minutes - stir to completely melt candy
leslie's recipe suggested adding peppermint extract to the chocolate candy melts, but i didn't have any, so i left it out - i'm sure it would have been a nice addition though :)
line a baking sheet/pan (with edges - not the totally flat kind) with a parchment paper, allowing the paper to cover the edges
scoop alternating spoonfuls of each color on the baking sheet (so it looks kind of like a checkerboard) with a little bit of space between each spoonful
run a knife, spatula, or small spreader through the melted candy in both directions to make marbled lines
tap the baking sheet on the counter to make the candy spread out and form one solid sheet - then pour the candy cane pieces over the top and place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to harden
break up the pieces, and it's ready to serve!
very easy and inexpensive recipe (under $15 for 2 batches, which i used for 9 people) and it looks really professional!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)