Same Name, New Look

Remember when I asked you about the blog name back in this post? Well, I debated whether to change the name and finally decided to stick with the original. I did however want to make some changes, so I changed the header and am very pleased with the new look.

I know very little about the technical side of setting up a blog, but I am slowly teaching myself some html code along the way. Don't be surprised if the blog is ever-changing in appearance.

On another note...
I really appreciate all of your feedback on the blog. Thanks to all of you who left comments.

It looks like you want to see more before/after projects, recipes, videos, inexpensive fashion ideas, DIY crafts, and more holiday-themed posts. I am already thinking of some Valentine posts, so stay tuned.

Now, for the toffee popcorn giveaway results. According to random.org the winner is...ALYSSA.

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Vintage Trunk

So, in my last post I begged, bribed, kindly asked for you, my readers to respond to a little, painless survey. Not so many of you took the plunge. If you want to boost my confidence, take the survey. Click here. Last chance to enter and win the popcorn. Giveaway ends Sunday, Jan. 9th.

I am constantly thinking about our tiny home and how we can make it our own. You know, make it ours, more JD and Mollie like. As a renter, it is difficult to put our own stamp on this little box we call home. We are beginning to like the vintage feel more and more. When we buy a home someday we would prefer an older home with some original character. Maybe some exposed brick or wooden beams? Who knows.

Last Saturday I was scrolling through craigslist and when this beauty popped up on the screen, I was quick (less than 3 minutes) to ask JD what he thought about it and contact the seller with hopes that it was still available.

Call it my lucky day because it still was. We buzzed into DC before church and picked up our new vintage trunk. It's a little beat up and worn in, just the way i like it. It's a greenish turquoise color. Not sure if I will keep it this color or sand it down and go with another. White maybe?Oh, I almost forgot to mention the best part, the price!! It was a steal. For this solid wood trunk, I only paid $25.00. Can't beat that.

Still not exactly sure where it will go or what purpose it will serve. I'll be back with a trunk update in a few weeks.

I need your HELP: Reader's Survey

I first want to say a big...to all of you who read the blog. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your readership and comments. I cherish and absolutely LOVE your comments. It helps to know that real people are reading what I write out here in the blogosphere :)

That being said, I want to make 2011 an even better year for the blog. I would love for you to share your thoughts with me. If you could comment (which I fixed, so now it should be easier for everyone to comment) with responses to these three questions I would greatly appreciate it.

...and as a thank you I will enter all of you who comment into a fun giveaway. I will randomly choose a winner using random.org to receive one full batch of my homemade Toffee Chocolate Popcorn. If you live elsewhere, I will ship it to you. Even Germany, Elizabeth!

One more thing...please don't be bashful. Even if you are from high school and we haven't talked in years or a distant college acquaintance or my brother or mom. All are welcome so humor me people!

The Questions
1. What kind of posts to do you like and want to see more of (decor? crafts? videos? spending/saving tips? cheap recipes? inexpensive fashion? How-to's?)

2. What kinds of posts do you want less of?

3. Anything other suggestions, ideas, questions, or feedback you have for me.

I thank the 5th graders

This year marks my third year of teaching. Crazy how time flies. I really enjoy my students and it is always interesting to see what they get me for Christmas. I always forget about the gifts until the week before Christmas, and then can't wait to see what I get.

This year they were SO kind to me. I got multiple (and generous) gift cards, TONS of candy, candles, lotion, a water bottle, a super soft blanket with matching socks and more. It is interesting to see how they react. Some students want me to open it right away and can barley contain their excitement, others could care less, throw in on my desk and head back to their seat, and some don't want me to open it until after they leave.

I really appreciate their thoughtfulness. This year I got more gifts than ever before which was really nice (don't get me wrong), but I wasn't looking forward to writing all those thank you cards. I'm not sure if 5th graders appreciate thank you cards like adults do because it's not uncommon to find a few on the floor crushed and bent when I'm cleaning up at the end of the day.

With a lot to write, I wanted it to be quick, cute, and cheap. I purchased two stamps on sale from Michael's for $5.40 and used ribbon, ink, and card stock I already had. This is how they came out.
I thought they turned out pretty nice. I made them on the smaller size so I wouldn't have to write a lot. A few sentences was enough for what I wanted to say.

And for all my teacher friends, I took a zoomed out picture of my table for you to enjoy. I've been doing lots and lots of grading.

Spray paint makeover

I meant to share this before Christmas but I couldn't. Oh why you ask? Because I never finished the project until today. Oh well, I had the best intentions but the business of the season and perhaps some laziness got in the way. It probably didn't help that my first attempt ended in a disaster. Remember back in this post, when I explained how I encountered 2 DIY disasters. Well this was one of them and spray painting in high winds was not a good idea. Anyway, back to the current project at hand.

In early December when I was unloading our Christmas decorations from our storage bin, I cringed at the color of our nativity scene. I love displaying Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and crew but the mixed rainbow color was not ideal. I didn't want to buy a new nativity scene and for $2.40 I fixed the problem. JD couldn't stand the fact of spray painting baby Jesus but I convinced him the chemicals would not cause any harm.

Weeks ago I painted the first coat, and then for weeks it sat on the ground waiting to be finished. Today, no wind and a temperature of 43 degrees was perfect for applying the second coat.

I let it dry and now it is all shiny and white.

BeforeDuringAfter
I had to laugh when I was comparing the before and after photos. Can you tell who is missing?

Somehow I lost the third wiseman. It must have been during the wind storm. He never made it inside. ha. Maybe he blew away.

Next year I will display my nativity scene with pride, but now it's time to go back in the box.

Goodies from the Douglas Kitchen

Now that Christmas is over, I can reveal the homemade gifts we gave this year. Once I stumbled on this post out in blogland, I couldn't wait to try both recipes. You can't go wrong with edible gifts right?

I made the butter first and it was delicious. I ended up making 2 batches. I found the little glass jars at Walmart and they were the perfect size. The post I already linked up in the first paragraph has the recipe and great step-by-step pictures, so check there if you want to make your own. I bought some twine, red fabric and made some tags to finish it off.
Once the butter was done, I moved onto the popcorn and again it was very good. We made a test batch a couple weeks ago to make sure we liked it and we did! I followed the same recipe on the link posted above so check there for the recipe and step-by-step process. The only thing I did different was add some melted chocolate. I melted it in the microwave and spooned it into a pastry bag, cut off the tip and squeezed it onto the popcorn. If you don't have pastry bags on hand, a zip-lock baggy will do the trick.Once it dried (about 10 minutes), I put it into clear bags and tied it up with a tag and some ribbon.

I put both treats into these cute bags I found 70% off at JoAnn's fabric, added some tissue paper and another tag and they were ready to go.We made a total of 7 bags. They were fun to make and great to taste. I'll be back with more Christmas details soon...

A look back at 2010

As another year comes to an end and I reflect on 2010, I realize how many blessings the Lord has given me. I put together a list of some of the best moments this year.

January 2010
Making my first two sock monkeys


February
The Snow BlizzardMarch
My Surprise Birthday Trip to the National Harbor
April
Celebrating Dawn's Wedding
May
Little T turns one
June
Beach Vacation Want to see our entire trip? Check our our beach video.
July
The 4th in DC
August
Spending Time with Friends
September
3 Weddings

October
A trip to Oklahoma to see my good friends and meet baby PattersonNovember
Thanksgiving

December
Wining an Eagles jersey
I wear this baby with pride. Did you see that game last Sunday?

It has been quite the year and I'm excited to see what 2011 brings.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas is in the air

It's almost Christmas!! I can't believe it's almost here because I feel like Thanksgiving was just yesterday?! I am happy to say all our shopping is done and all the presents are wrapped.

I'm feeling very Christmasy and here is why...

1. We baked some Christmas cookies and the sweet aroma filled our little condo with joy.

2. The presents are all wrapped, and I love to watch people's reaction when they open my gifts.
3. Christmas youtube videos keep popping up in my inbox. Like this one below. I love that they use the song Amazing Grace; not your typical Christmas song but perfect for this.


4. We went into DC last night and saw the city all decked out for Christmas. We had dinner with two good friends and went to the wizards/heat game. We saw LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. LeBron is arrogant, but I must admit very entertaining to watch.
5. Most importantly we rocked out at the Frontline Christmas service tonight. It was nice to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas and the birth of our Savior. Words can't express how blessed I feel to know Christ and to understand the importance of his birth, death, and the gift of salvation he offers. We also enjoyed the hot cocoa in the lobby afterwards.

On another note, I have been busying DIYing some Christmas gifts. I have some great ideas and pictures to share. Unfortunately, I won't be able to share them until after after Christmas because I don't want to spoil anything for those family members who read the blog. :)

What have you been doing to soak in the joy of Christmas? Any fun festivities? Family traditions?