Christmas At Our House...Decor Time!

By no means did I have ample time {or energy, let's be honest} to devote endless amounts of holiday decorating around the abode this year, though I did manage to get most of our decorations out to make the house festive. There is just something about coming home, turning on the Christmas lights, lighting some candles, and snuggling on the couch to watch classic holiday movies...doesn't get much better than that.
You will notice very quickly that I love any and all nutcrackers...something my Mom has a fascination with as well--must be from all those years when my parents would take me to see The Nutcracker at the Ballet!
Here is a little peak at our house, all decorated for Christmas!

The entryway...ho ho ho!

The favorite silver reindeer...courtesy of none
other than Pottery Barn {surprise!}

 Our new nativty set...I have been on the hunt for a small,
simple one for years and I finally found it

 Our gold and silver tree...the real frasier fir!

 Our sentimental tree...filled with ornaments from
our travels and our childhood heirloom ornaments

That was all I could manage to do this year...outside we did simple white Christmas lights wrapped around our columns and on our landscaping and trees paired with fun and festive berry wreaths and a burlap nutcracker. Now I just have to remind myself to take pictures of the outside so you can see ;)

Home Status As of Late

In case you've been living under a rock recently, you know Jeff and I are on a serious mission to finish decorating our house... I am so ready to finish what we have started and we've made some serious progress lately:

Living Room

mastered a lovely console table ensemble (with a FABULOUS mirror) + hung some fun new pieces of art + put up a picture ledge...

yes, we need actual pictures to put in them =)

now i'm experimenting with mantle pieces/decor and searching for side tables

Dining Room

table + covered parsons chairs + rustic bench + my candlescape and runner + 2 prints from a homespun Franklin store + colorful buffet wall clock= one happy girl

**to finish the room, we'll be installing a new chandelier and either a mirror or a wine rack/glass holder on the left side of the window

Kitchen

after we painted the kitchen a different color, we began to love this room
that we use everyday even more...  

now we're on the hunt for backsplash for the counters, new pendant lighting to go above the island and sink, and a fun pot rack for the island

Guest Rooms
#1: added a gorgeous upholstered chair and now looking for small decor bits and pieces as well as a TV to call this room done!

#2: just brought home an fun oversized lamp + mustard yellow coverlet + ready to hang an oversized mirror... now we need a dresser, curtains, TV, and prints for the walls and then this one will be complete as well

Office
the desk, rug, and hutch are all there, but loads more to go...

i need to add a bookcase/filing cabinet + boards and supply holders to the walls + and fun accessories + a sophisticated upholstered chair and then I can retreat to "my space" whenever I like 

Such a long way to go, then I remind myself that we have made tremendous headway given the fact that we have only lived in our house 1 full year as of February... at least this gives me excuses to scour my favorite design blogs and websites and renew my home magazine subscriptions for added styling to the abode =)

Final Days of 12 Days of Christmas Challenge

I fell behind yet again... this month is flying by friends, which makes me super sad as I am loving this winter filled with seasonal treats, lots of shopping for presents, coats, and scarves, and everything that encompasses Christmas time. So today I promised myself I would finish Aly's blogging challenge--better late than never, right???

Day 11: New Years Resolutions for 2011

I am working on these currently so this will have to wait a few days while I sit and ponder =)

Day 12: Holiday Decorations

It's not anything special, but I am loving the way our house feels during the holidays...so comfortable and "homey" to me--love having a mantle to finally hang stockings on, too!! I have so many crafty projects I want to complete for next year, but with so much hustle and bustle, we didn't get to do as much as I originally hoped for this Christmas

The Man Cave Tree--our special ornaments/"artificial" tree ;)

 Before we decorated our real tree upstairs in the formal living room

 All lit up for the holidays...

 Our other tree is my favorite... white, silver, and gold!
And of course my favorite PB stockings embroidered with our names

 Our entryway table with my new mercury glass lamp

 Outside...we ONLY do white lights and kept it very simple this year--candles in the windows, too! Next year, I can't wait to add wreaths and nutcrackers to the front porch!

Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe

I love anything with peppermint so these are RIGHT up my alley!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies via Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things:

What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

I'd take any and all of the following please Orpah...

Black Christian Louboutins

Louis Vuitton Luggage

Custom Letterpress Stationery

Nikon 3000D Camera

Patagonia Fleece Vest

CMA Recap and House Updates

Alright, if any of you are followers of me on Twitter, sorry about last night--I got a little carried away, however I just couldn't contain myself... makes me so happy to be from this little small town of Nashville and can't help but show some pride.

Here's my recap of the 2010 CMAs:

Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton racked up the awards {they are SO cute}, Lady Antebellum were on the stage quite a bit which was well deserved, Zac Brown Band took home Best New Artist, Kellie Pickler looked awful poor thing, Brad Paisley inched out the competition to take home the coveted Entertainer of the Year, Carrie Underwood looked {and sounded} incredible, Reba tried to re-do Beyonce which I was not a fan, and I am happy to report that Gwyneth Paltrow most certainly held her own--looks like her hubby isn't the only one with singing talent in that family!

Gwyneth looking gorgeous

Look at her--it should be illegal to look this gorgeous ALL the time

 P.S. I NEED this dress

Alright, here it is {for those of you who have been patiently waiting}--the kitchen/dining room finally painted with our new furniture... I cannot believe how much it changes the entire dynamic of our house and just how much bigger the space looks--I couldn't love it any more! Obviously, there is still lots to do--adding backsplash to the kitchen and accessorizing with art and details to make it "homey" and lived in, but the color is the perfect transition for us from the formal living room and it really brightens our space. What do you think??

 Yes, mucho wall decor needed pronto!

 The view of our kitchen cabinets--backsplash coming soon!

 The view from our front door entrance

 Color transition from formal living room to dining room/kitchen

Alright, so here is where I need your help... I need ideas on simple, yet classic decor for the walls... what are your favorite stores? Sure I love Z Gallerie, PB {obviously}, Homegoods, Target, etc, but I need to think outside the box here and come up with some fresh ideas--all are welcome please!! Hope you have a great rest of the day!

Ramblings on a Fall Thursday...

1. In all things home design and decor, we are picking up our buffet today and I couldn't be more anxious... our dining room table {seen above} was delivered Monday and I am absolutely in love with it--however, we are painting the kitchen and I am totally undecided on what color I want. Seeing that our formal living room and kitchen/dining room are all one open area, we need cohesive colors that blend well...looking at a light brown or a mustard gold so please wish us luck... I want this to be a one-time paint job =/

The current color of the kithchen, and to put it nicely, I am NOT a red person

2. I just bought a new shampoo... don't get me wrong, I am a loyal lover and usually switch between Aveeno and Paul Mitchell, however, with the transition to fall and it completely drying out my hair, I needed something fresh--I am trying out the Organix Pomegranate/Green Tea blend and am loving it--makes me smell like the holidays {I know, weird!} and my curls hold all.day.long!

3. I've been taking hair vitamins for a solid month now, and I am totally seeing a difference... my hair is most certainly growing faster and it's not breaking nearly as much. Come next June, I better have some Rapunzel-esque hair for the big day--haha!!

4. And in other beauty, so as you all know, I made the switch from my beloved tanning bed to the spray tan a few months back. Even though I don't get my weekly dose of vitamin D {does that mean I'll get depressed??}, I can visually see a difference in my skin and I know I am doing the right thing to prevent faster aging and more wrinkles... hail to the mystic tan and versa spa!!

5. If I had one hobby I wish I could master, it would totally to become a sewer--there is something so "Suzy Homemaker" about being able to craft masterpieces out of simple fabric and I am quite jealous I can't quite attain this--we all have our gifts, right?? If I could, I would so be making some of the lovely gifts featured over at Life in Grace for her "12 Days of Handmade Christmas" series

6. The other night, Jeff wanted me to cook dinner and I was at a loss for what I wanted... I perused through the pantry and stumbled upon a fresh container of Italian Breadcrumbs which led to Homemade Chicken Parmesan... oh so tasty and VERY easy {Shannon, feel free to "steal" this as well--haha!}

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1 egg
3 pinches of italian seasoning

1 clove of garlic

1 cup marinara sauce

2 servings pasta noodles (optional if you want to make it a pasta dish)

Directions

Crack egg into bowl and add chicken, breadcrumbs, garlic, and italian seasoning--coat evenly

Cook chicken breasts in skillet at medium heat, approx. 4 to 5 minutes or until done, turning every minute

Add marinara sauce to skillet and simmer on low heat until done

Serve with (optional) pasta noodles or with a salad and bread like I did

That's it for me... I'll be back with more shenanigans tomorrow, including a post dedicated to all things Black Friday!!

The House as of Late

I am abandoning ship this week for Wedding Wednesday...frankly, I am a bit overloaded in that area and don't feel like spending any amount of time dedicated to the "w" word right now so we're taking a small break and I promise to provide more bridal fun next week--until then, I am focused on what shall we call them..."other things" AKA my abode:

When we last left off {see this post}, I showed the final product of the master bedroom, progress on the formal living room, 1/2 bath, guest room, and upstairs full bath.

Well, after searching high and low for the perfect lamps, my Mom and I stumbled across exactly what I was looking for this weekend at Homegoods--needless to say, they landed in my buggy in 2.5 seconds before another crazy woman snatched them up! I came home, put them in their proper place, and then Jeff and I hung the pictures we had gotten from ZGallerie... oh how I want to sleep up there because I heart that room so much! Still a few things to be done including a sitting chair, a few more accessories, etc, but then I can move on to another room to occupy my time.

The office... well, my desk is all nestled with my calligraphy goodies, loads of stationery, and backups for tissue paper and gift bags, but you may notice I am missing a little something: a chair! I am on the hunt for a proper sitting chair, but haven't found the perfect one just yet--well, one that doesn't cost $500! I am seeking an upholstered arm chair so if you stumble across something uber fabulous, send it my way please. I am also waiting on this chic little rug to make its debut, but sadly the shipping date was moved back to the end of the month... and so I wait.

This poor little office wants some love...and attention! I promise the walls aren't really THAT bright... poor picture taking abilities from yours truly...haha! I know it will look MUCH better once I get storage, items on the walls, and add some personal touches

 LOVING all the storage in my desk!

My rug that better arrive ASAP!

And finally, the downstairs living room AKA man cave. It was no shocker to my friends that I wasn't too keen on the colors I had formerly chosen for our entertaining space. The brown couches with bright orange pillows just wasn't my "thing" persay, so out with the old and in with a much more muted palette--blue, khaki, and ivory....ahhhh much better! I added a new lamp, some new picture frames, a plethora of pillows {which will be the death of my decor budget}, and a new throw for added comfyness. Still a work in progress as we need more on the walls--including a photo collage I can't wait to work on, a few knick knacks, but we're getting closer all the time. Obviously this room is all about comfort since it's where we spend the majority of our time when we're home relaxing.

My little picture nook

 Jeff's priority and BFF...the HUGE television ;)

Bare walls=no fun, but a fun project to occupy that space soon!

 I love that it's very "lived in" and homey