Ugly Holiday Sweater?

It's official, we have something every weekend night in December, until we leave for home, and it's only early November. Yikes. I'm sure we'll end up being double booked, being the "social butterflies" that we are, haha! Filling in the last open night we had is an "Ugly Holiday Sweater" party. Fun!


I'm totally going to ask Brian to "rock" some reindeer antlers, haha!

But, I have to wonder, where does one get an "ugly" holiday sweater? People always just say, "Oh, Goodwill. Salvation Army." Uhhhhh, nooooooo. First off, why do people think that those places have a pleathora of ugly holiday sweaters? Tons of bad looking sweaters I'm sure, but I don't know that they are bursting at the seams with holiday ones?? And second, I can't bring myself to buy a sweater from there. I just can't. Even though I know you wash it and blah, blah, blah.

So, where does one get an "ugly" holiday sweater? It's funny because I was just going through the dollar spot at Target and they were selling "ugly" holiday sweaters for dogs- and they were hideous! So, help me out. These humans are going to need some snazzy sweaters for this party!

Mom, have any of those holiday "teacher" sweaters that you used to wear many moons ago? Send em on out!

An Elf-tastic Greeting- V.1

Below is by far one of the silliest things I have ever seen. But, you better believe that I was just sitting here on my couch laughing out loud because it's so crazy! Starring my Mom, my Dad, brother Dave, and Brian and I. For your viewing pleasure!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

3 Project Week

Wow, I've just been a little crafty-bee lately I guess! The docking station last week, the feather tree last night, and just now I finished up all of the rosette pillow that I can- until I go home and can use Mom's sewing machine in December. Mine is a bit different than the project directions but I had a hard time figuring out how close to keep the rosettes to each other and trying to keep them in a straight line. So, I ended up curving them up the pillow, diagonally.

90% finished project. I think I can cross this one off my to-do list now.

A Good Sunday

I think that Ries has had a great Sunday, juding by these pictures I snapped of her throughout the day so far. Oh, a dog's life!

Crafty Saturday Evening

Ever since I saw the brown feather tree on Young House Love I've wanted one of my own.

YHL Christmas 2008 Decorating Post

YHL 2008 Table Setting Post

Unfortunately Target on-line is all sold out and the actual store isn't carrying them this year. I've checked every store and website I can think of for someone who may be carrying them, with no luck. I thought about making one but Hobby Lobby didn't have the right feathers. Much to my surprise and happiness, while I was browing Joann's today I found the right feathers and for only $1.99 a bag! I had a 20% off your entire purchase coupon so I grabbed up 3 bags and the styrofoam tree for under $10. I already had the glue gun and glue sticks at home.





It took me under an hour to make the tree and it turned out a bit less "perfect" than the ones you would buy at the store but I think it's even better- I love the way it looks! Can't wait until November 15 to put up my Christmas decorations!

Docking Station

While I was at Target on Sunday I happened upon some of those charging stations. If you aren't familiar, they have an enclosure where a power strip is and all of your cords get contained. Then you run the plug end through little openings to your devices (phone, MP3 player, camera, etc.). I have been looking for one for awhile since I have several things to charge and they're always dangling from random plugs throughout the house. You all know I'm an easy sell for anything that increases organization! When it comes at a cost of $7.49 (75% off) it's even better! Plus it includes a separate drawer to corral extra USB cords and the miscellanous.

The before was less than thrilling. A nice white unit but with purple vinyl on the shelves. Eek!





I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up two pieces of scrapbook paper and some Modge Podge- which I've never used. I assumed that I could put it under the paper like glue and then over the paper like a sealer. Not so much. It made my paper all crinkled. Needless to say I had to rip it all off a few times and start over. It's still not perfect but I think it will work. The purple pieces pulled right off so I was able to trace them and cut them out with my knife.



After a few attempts at affixing the paper to the box and getting crinkled results I decided to glue the paper to the purple piece and then to the box. Of course my paper ended up being a bit short on one side so the purple shows a bit. Agh!! But, for under $10 this is going to work out just fine.

Ries Halloween 2010 Preview

As my last Halloween follow-up post, I bring you a preview of Ries in a costume I bought for $5 for Halloween 2010. Ries was nothing this year (lucky, right?). However, next year I just may have to put her in the cute costume I found this weekend. Here's a preview of two costumes that I found. One of them I returned and one of them I kept. You'll have to wait a whole year to see which one was the winner...

Porch Pictures

I'm not a real big Halloween decorator, but for some reason on Halloween afternoon I decided that the porch needed to be spookified a bit for the trick-or-treaters (that we didn't end up having). So, I ran over to to Hobby Lobby only to find that they had nothing. There is a Big Lots next door, which I despise, but I figured they might be good in the decorations department. They did not disappoint (and I'd even go back to look at Christmas ones!) and they were all 50% off. Last year I couldn't believe how expensive pumpkins were out here (I heard there was a shortage?) and we spent about $25 on 2 pumpkins. For $40 I bought all of the stuff on the porch plus two more plug in pumpkins at Target on Sunday. We never have to carve a pumpkin again (I hate the guts, they make me itchy)! Brian wonders how we'll get the seeds though, so he's not completely sold on the issue.


The lights above the door were only $5 and very neat! When kids yelled out "trick-or-treat" they started flashing and playing spooky music- very fun!




Little pumpkin and spider votive holders.


My little Home Goods stool/table works out well for displaying.

We don't have any outdoor Christmas decorations, but wouldn't two of those topiary trees look real nice flanking the front door? And a real pretty wreath with a spot light? I think so. We'll have to see! Stay tuned to see if there are any porch pictures in the holiday season...

Back On Board

I left off on our lives about a week ago... a long time for no posting from me, right? Things have been busy, that's all. Or maybe that snow storm that whomped on us just put me in a funk and I haven't felt like writing lately. Probably not. I just felt the need to mention that lovely October snow storm one more time. Almost 2 feet. Ugh.

Halloween weekend was a busy one for us. Friday night we finally celebrated Brian's birthday with the tickets to Putnam County Spelling Bee that I got him. He has been wanting to see this for a few years now. He gives it an A+ and I give it a C. I don't know why it won so many awards. But, the Boulder Dinner Theater was surprisingly acceptable. The dinner was nothing to write home about (I had mac n' cheese and chicken and he had fish) but it was certainly better than expected. They also had Riesling (+1 point!) and the cheesecake dessert was delicious! The talent of the actors was also very quality. I just didn't like the story.

Moving on, Saturday morning Brian did his first session of Cross-Fit (I think that's what it's called) at 9am. He came home exhausted... at least he'll get what he pays for! Then we went into Boulder to watch UM create an on-field embarassment, yet again this season. Enough said. It was such a beautiful day out that I could have hung out on Pearl Street and people watched but trick or treating time was coming soon! We bought 3 bags of candy and I spookified the porch a bit (pictures later, I forgot my camera cord)... all for 7 kids. Yep, I said 7. I don't know where all the neighborhood kids go but apparently not in the neighborhood. Oh well.

We also saw the Michael Jackson "This Is It" movie on Saturday night. I had no desire to see it and was surprised to hear Brian really wanted to, so I agreed to tag along. It was amazing. Seriously, he is a creative genius. He could still sing and dance. He was hands-on throughout the entire concert creation process. There is no doubt in my mind that his concerts in London would have been epic. I'm so glad I saw the movie.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous outside, sunny and crisp- a perfect fall day! As I previously mentioned, November 1 also lends itself to being the day after Halloween and CHRISTMAS SHOPPING begins! I don't know why I picked November 1 to be my starting day but that's neither here nor there- I just did. As I'm typing this I realized that I actually not only already started shopping in Michigan but I also bought some gifts in August in Ojai. So maybe November 1 isn't my "real" first day of Christmas shopping. But it's the beginning of the "major" shopping. I bought 1 gift on November 1. Something for Brian. I got distracted by Ann Taylor Loft and Anthropologie... and the Christmas stuff at Target. Oops. Then I was running late and had to be home to go see David Gray. He put on a great concert but for me it's a see it once and I don't need to see it again type of show.

Work this week has been.... busy... but not the good type of busy. More the "busy-work" type of busy that you used to be when you had a substitute teacher in school that would give out worksheets all day long. I have just been tracking airfare to be sure we haven't missed anyone in a group of 500 that is arriving this week. Nothing too exciting...

Brian is leaving for Atlanta tomorrow until November 12. I'm not sure what I'll get myself into this weekend. Likely some more packing since the moving truck is ordered for Saturday the 14th. I don't have that much left to pack though, really. Just kitchen stuff and a few odds and ends. It will be my last weekend at my place, which is kind of bittersweet. My first apartment. My first place away from home in Michigan. My place. I like my space, but I think I'll be alright sharing and starting a new chapter. We're two very independent people so it works well because we both sometimes like to have our space and our time... and "get" that sometimes people just need that. We don't have to be together all of the time. He gets that I like quiet time to watch my TV shows on Wednesday or Thursday nights, or that I like to just go browse Hobby Lobby on a whim by myself for hours at a time. And I get that he likes doing his own thing sometimes too. Moving in to Brian's is kind of like a re-fresh on life after being out here for 2 years. It's exciting to be starting a new "adventure" yet it makes me anxious and can be stressful at the same time. But in the end, when everything is settled, I think I will be able to take a step back and smile knowingly to myself, certain that we've made a well thought out decision.

I've been moving in over the past few weeks, bit by bit, and I've been working on pulling together my office at home too, utilizing my door find. I ordered the glass top today and will have to coerce Brian into making me some desk legs when he gets home. I'll get to work from home on Mondays and Fridays every week. I am so thankful because driving to his place these last couple of weeks as I've been back and forth, during rush hour, is enough to make me go crazy. It's exhausting spending 2 - 2 1/2 hours per day commuting, let me tell ya! So hopefully having 2 days at home will help. I just need to check a few more things off my office list and I'll be good to go: desk chair, phone, chair mat, shelf, blinds, and hang my curtains.

Well, that's pretty much been about it around here, nothing extremely exciting to offer. I'm really ready for almost a week off at Thanksgiving. I'm pretty tired of going, going, going for what feels like several months, so I'm ready for a nice fall break. T-19 days until we leave.