Object of Maya*ffection

Deck the Halls and call me Holly....

Fa la la la....as per our yearly tradition, we put our tree up the night after our yummy Thanksgiving dinner (I was having a holiday / craft brunch for a few girlfriends from h.s., so the pressure was on!). Last year after Christmas I bought a pre-lit tree for our family room...we traditionally get a live tree, but with a live tree we don't get to enjoy it as long....so we went the artificial, pre-lit route. AS I was putting the tree together, I was starting to worry (it is a "slim" style) it was looking pretty skinny....I like my trees to have a nice round bottom and be plenty full....after some re-adjusting, I am pleased with the results. It is slim, but I think it suits the space well and I am loving it! The Nester inspired me to fatten up my garland (truth be told, she inspired me to take a shot at a real mantle garland...years past I had a few small swags laying on top of the mantle). Anyway,over the summer I went to a store that was closed and got my hands on a bunch of garlands that already were decorated with a pretty lime green silk ribbon, terracotta and peacock colored poinsettias...perfect colors for my home...so after a little re-adjusting you will see what I have come up with (I am posting the pics all at the end cause I have been having a hard time getting my pics and text to lay "right"). I will be psoting more pics later this week of my holiday decor, so be sure to come back!

Nesting

When there's a chill in the air, I feel inspired to make the inside of my home inviting and comfortable...start or tie up loose ensds on projects I have been collecting over the summer (cause you know in the summer months we tend to spend more time outside working in the garden, watching the kids games, hanging out at the pool, grilling)and we don't get as much done inside as in the cooler months...at least that's how it is for me...how about you guys? I'd love to hear what nesty projects you've been up to! Over the weekend I accomplished a few very MINOR (so minor that when they were done I wondered why it took me so long to get to them)....as usual I have before and afters AND I am looking for your opinion.... Here is the lamp with the original shade (which I LOVE and I have moved one to my new bathroom lamp) After So, which one do you like better....lamp shade no.1 or lamp shade no.2? Leave me a comment! Then I was working on putting knobs on a drawer face (I posted about the cabinets we installed in our loft awhile ago and in that post I mentioned that when I went back to get the RIGHT drawer front faces, they were gone....since the cabinets were on cleareance when we purchased them and it took Gil FOREVER to put them together by the time I went back....GONE). What's a girl to do? Come up with a clever solution of course!! I attached knobs to all the holes....I orginally only bought 3 cause I thought there were 3 holes BUT No, there were 4....so luckily when I went back, there were a few moe knobs available! While I ran downstairs to get a screwdriver, I came back and found this... Mickey my little Bob The Builder just suck the screw right through the hole...He was proud as a peacock that he "helped" me....these are the moments to treasure!

Blessed

Yes, I am! Despite the job situtation,the failing economy and personal problems that we all have....I am blessed. I have my health, two beautiful healthy children, the support of family and friends...life is good! I have been quite a lurker the past few weeks in blogland (I will finally be a more regular poster now that I will have some spare time on my hands)and saw these great framed words that everyone's been making, so I figured I'd try my hand at one....EASY PEASY!!! I got the magnet / wall hanging at Michaels on clearance for DRUMROLL please - .49 / each!! I bought a ton!! This is the one I made last night....in honor of my renewed outlook on life as well as the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.... So, remember, when things are hard and it feels like life is gettin ya down...we are all blessed...just look around you and find your blessings. God never gives us more than we can handle...he may test us from time to time, but it's never more than we can bear.

When life hands you lemons....

....make lemonade - right? Unfortunatley this won't be a post about a fab before or after or contain any happy pictures. As you may or may not know, at my "real job" I am a Proeprty Manager for two properties here in Illinois. With the economy being the way it is and building slowing down, these factors have trickled down to me....effective November 14th, I will be laid off. My boss was just here to deliver the news...I still don't know how or what I feel....I am scared, nervous, wondering how I am going to pay my bills...I need to call daycare (they require a 2 week notice), my car payment is due next week...I am asking for all ym blog sisters to send out the power of prayer....if you hear of anyone in the SWestern burbs of Illinois looking for someone, shoot me a message, I will hve some more free time, so I will be stocking my Etsy shop...comeby and see if there's something you just can't live without ....any suggestions on how to swing the finances without starving? (there is humor hidden in there somewhere...)