day 79- it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

day 79- November 15, 2009
it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
What a beautiful day in Charlottesville! The temperature is almost 80 degrees outside! Despite the warm weather, I have been seeing and hearing signs of Christmas throughout the day! Sundays are usually a catch up day for me while Chad works on school work. I began putting all the fall stuff away since next week, we will be going home to Maryland. When we return after Thanksgiving, I will be bringing back all of my Christmas decorations! So exciting. I went to Michaels and JoAnns today to pick up a few more materials for my handmade gifts. The stores smell of cinnamon and Christmas music was playing!! When I came home this afternoon from my shopping adventure, I noticed how bright and vibrant the holly tree is. I LOVE LOVE LOVE making holly arrangements throughout December! Our holly tree is HUGE! So I will have plenty for the holiday arrangements! 35 more days until Christmas! I cannot wait until the big, long break! No work! Yay!

day 78- dog shelf

day 78- November 14, 2009
dog shelf
I have been so irritated with the entryway of our house. I would keep a big basket and some wooden pot stand beside the door. Inside the basket and stand, we would keep the doggie poop plastic bags, leashes, brushes, towels,treats, and shoes. Most of the stuff ended up on the floor in a ball, because there was just not enough room. Today, I decided to try out a bookshelf in this spot. It actually turned out looking kind of nice and a lot more organized.

day 77- buttons and boys

day 77- November 13, 2009
buttons and boys
So I have been in a crafty mood lately! My goal is to make 1/2 of all the Christmas gifts we give this year!!! The problem is, I have all these great ideas for gifts that I would like to make, but by the time I get home from work, walk the dogs, make and clean up dinner, make lunches, etc. I have NO energy to be creative. Christmas is not too far away. I have a lot to do!!! Well, I have TONS of buttons that I have been wanting to sort by color (I know I am OCD. I sort everything by color. Clothes, ribbons, shoes, scarves, everything!) My kids at school started sorting some of the buttons for me. Then, they got bored. Real fast. So, I brought the button box home and sorted the rest. Then, I placed each color button in a cute jar and displayed them on my shelf in the craft room. Now, I need to use the stinkin' buttons!
Today, my nephews made my day! I got a big envelope in the mail from my sister. She had lots of goodies inside for me! Adorable photos, a digital scrapbooking cd, and the most cutest crafts that the boys made. I moved around lots of papers on the fridge to make the boys work stand out! My little artists.

day 76- rain, rain, PLEASE go away!

day 76- November 12, 2009
rain, rain, PLEASE go away!
It has been so wet and rainy lately. It stinks having to walk the dogs in the morning and night in the rain!!! Our house smells like wet dog!!!

day 75- my money!

day 75- November 11, 2009
my money!!
My little diva, Gabby, came to school today with her purse, puppy dog, baby doll, hair clips, pad of paper, and nifty pen (the kind of pens that have 4 or more colors where you pick the color ink and press the button down! I loved those pens when I was little!) EVERY day she comes to school with her tote bag filled to the brim of trinkets from home. The other day she brought her tiny pink spiral journal. She ripped out the papers, scribbled something on each one, and handed them to each friend in the room saying "Here's your credit card"! Well, today as she was playing during free play, I was the lucky one who held her purse. I decided to take a peek. Inside there was mini M&Ms, a hair clip, a tiny play cat, some old crumbs, and two dollar bills. I was first surprised that she brought money to school. But when I straightened the crumbled up bills, I began laughing hysterically! She made sure her name was written on both of them! So cute!!!

day 74- still sick

day 74- November 10, 2009
still sick
The pups are still not back to their normal eating and pooping just yet! I am sick of chicken and rice. Think about how much of this stuff I need to make for TWO SAINT BERNARDS!!!!! Never ending.

day 73- ugh.... paint!

Day 73-November 9, 2009
ugh.... paint!
I have always had a hard time with painting. I love it, but it seems like whatever I do turns out wrong. I have this vision and it ends up looking bad!! So the red coffee table had to go. It just did not look right in the family room. There are many reasons why (I think): mix match furniture everywhere, the end tables are white, and it was just too red and shiny. SO I am going to try out a few things (when I feel up to painting again). Maybe it will look better after some sanding and stain (thanks Aunt Denise!!). In the meantime, I brought up a chest from the basement. This chest used to be at the end of our bed (at our Fallston house). It is one of my favorite pieces. Chad made it out of an old door we found in our barn. I love how the hardware is still on it! It is a little too tall and too long, but it will do. Oh- the best thing about the chest is that I can just throw the quilts inside without folding them!!