Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas!


xmas scene

Love came down at Christmas;
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Stars and angels gave the sign.

Christina Rossetti

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Weekend Fun

IMG_3615.JPG.jpeg
Thank you for your comments on our new family room! Yes, we are enjoying it very much. We are having a family of five over this evening and thanks to a couple of table leaves (and a piano bench for extra seats) we have room for everyone at the table. I'm making roast chicken, potatoes and carrots.

IMG_3619.JPG.jpeg
For dessert I made Mrs. H's Cream Filled Cinnamon Coffee Cake. I made a few changes: I left out the pecans, only swirled the topping on the bottom cake and made half a recipe of cream cheese frosting for the filling.

IMG_3621.JPG.jpeg
We have some Christmas baking planned for tomorrow, along with our church's Christmas Carol service and potluck. I'm most excited about my parents and brother arriving early next week. It will be our first Christmas together since 1995!

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Garage Conversion Family Room

IMG_6747.JPG.jpeg
Good morning! I'm finally sharing pictures of our garage conversion project. It is now our new family room!

IMG_6766.JPG.jpeg
My favorite parts are the tray ceiling.

IMG_6773.JPG.jpeg
And the large closet for shoes, coats, and extra storage.

IMG_6780.JPG.jpeg
There is a small reading corner behind the couches.

IMG_6772.JPG.jpeg
We have our second fridge and snack area tucked in the other corner.

IMG_6783.JPG.jpeg

IMG_6778.JPG.jpeg
Thank you for taking a look a our new room!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Friday Night Fun

IMG_3501.JPG.jpeg
An old fashioned style popcorn popper (thank you, Target!) and fun containers (thank you, dollar section!) make a Friday evening extra enjoyable.

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

December 8, 2009

IMG_3490.JPG.jpeg
The first dinner on our new kitchen table. A hot bowl of chili and apple cider.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Peanut Butter Blossoms

IMG_3485.JPG.jpeg
I like having a daughter who can bake all by herself. Grace made these delicious Peanut Butter Blossoms for a Christmas party this evening. I hope they last until then!

Saturday, December 05, 2009

New Living Room Bookshelf

Hello! I've been so busy since my last post, I hardly know where to begin. Our new family room is finished and we all love it. New couches arrive on Tuesday and I will be sure to share pictures. I got the kitchen painted and in the process of starting one project, 10 more seemed to pop up. Phillip had a week off around Thanksgiving and we have cleaned, decluttered, and organized the whole house.
IMG_6240.JPG.jpeg
Some of you may remember the wet bar area in our living room that I needed help with.

IMG_3481.JPG.jpeg
We were able to find an unfinished bookshelf that covered it perfectly. Phillip stained it to match the wood walls and we are very happy with it.

IMG_3462.JPG.jpeg
Now that the TV is out of this room, it's the perfect spot for relaxing!