H & H - Pillow

For Christmas my mom and dad got me a personalized pillow from Pottery Barn. They had it monogrammed after my two kiddos - H & H. Love it.

sweet pecan breakfast rolls!

before the holidays i found this pretty great sweet pecan roll recipe. they are super simple and would be great to make for breakfast or brunch. i happened to make the on christmas eve.  they were a hit! you can find the ingredients and directions here. seriously it could not be an easier recipe!

put the yummy sugary goodness and pecans in the bottom of the muffin tin. roll up the puff pastry with butter, brown sugar, craisins and yellow raisins and cut into chunks like you're making cinnamon rolls. put them upright in the muffin tins.

bake until they're bubbily and light brown

flip the muffin tin over onto a baking sheet lined with parchment! watch out for hot bubbily sugar...it can burn you. let them rest a bit. if the sugary pecan goodness spills over just scoop it up with a spoon and put it on top of the roll. they will set as they cool off.

behold. the babysitter

we are just entering the winter season here in kansas. in fact i think the first day of winter may be today or tomorrow.  which means - we have about 2 - 3 months left of cold, icy, snowy weather and the occasional  random 60 degree day that is comes out of no where. my pups are missing the nice weather - i know they dream of going on walks when we get home from work. they follow me to my room where i change out of my work clothes, hoping that the workout clothes i put on really means they can go on a walk. i think winter literally takes over their mind and they get ants in their pants. they will wrestle with each other at night, run up and down the staircase practically ripping the carpet up. they chase the daylights out of each other.

but behold - the babysitter. the trick that calms the ants.

the fireplace. one flip of the switch and they are set.  there is no begging to throw the green ball across the living room. no bones being chewed.  just peace and relaxation. they cuddle, put their feet up and chill.

by no means would i trade them for anything.  i love hurley and harper and i would throw the green ball till my arm fell off. one of my dearest friends is a vet and she happened to come over for dinner tonight. and well i happened to ask her after dinner to examine their teeth...and look at their tails that are losing hair and ask her about dog food.  but hey - anything for my hurl and harp.  love you dr. weeks.

Christmas Decor!

I love decorating at Christmas time.

This year I changed it up a bit and tried a few new things. 

Many thanks to Martha Stewart and pinterest.

The mantle - (past: garland with lights) Today: red, white and silver and throw in some cute glass holders from C&B.

The Tree- same as last year ++ a few new ornaments! 

The Entryway - garland and lights - love. I would normally line this table with holiday cards and it would just get too cluttered.

Now I put the Christmas cards here! I love it!!! I used a piece of ribbon and attached it to the back of the wreath, then I pulled the tail down under the basement door and taped it. I used clothes pins to hang the cards off of the ribbon!

Last but not least the kitchen window. I added two strapping reindeer with matching ribbon scarves (leftover from other projects) and a tall cranberry christmas tree.

tic * tac * toe

I have been crafting it up this holiday season. I got the following idea from a coworker. She made hers out of denim as well. This little gift is going to my 4 year old nephew. I figured it would be a good game for him to learn how to win and lose and also develop different strategies for winning. I love all things educational - thanks to all my teacher friends.

I used 2 pairs of my dad's denim overalls. Cut the legs into 7 inch squares. I even figured out how to thread my new sewing machine. I have not sewn anything for quite some time so this was a big deal. I am very pleased how they turned out. Each bean bag has a X and an O. I ran out of beans so I have 2 left to make. 

pinterest craft #2 - Poinsettia Ornament

I am really loving this time of year as we approach the holiday season.

There have been some really neat ideas on pinterest lately for making your own ornaments and wreaths.

I found this idea on a college friend's pin board. It is from Better Homes and Gardens.

I tried it out last night and gave them to a sweet lady that I work with.

She loved them.

I think they turned out lovely.

pinterest

I am a big fan of Pinterest. I found out about this online pinning tool a while ago from a friend who loves to be crafty. I am always looking for DIY projects, recipes, etc. To find inspiration I just look at pinterest. If you have not checked it out - head over there now!

I found this cute idea to make your own coasters out of tiles from Home Depot. I thought it was the cutest idea and would be a great little hostess or housewarming gift. I made some of them this week to give to a few family members. I think they turned out pretty great. I also think there is some room for improvement - backing of the tile - but overall I am pleased. Here are a few pictures of the completed project.

next up - shelving for the guest bedroom :)