my friends are the coolest.

for seriously peeps. this little beauty came to live with me last night. i'm still sort of in shock. i'm so grateful and so excited it's a little unreal. thank you thank you!

Christmas Survey Thing-A-Ma-Bob

This little survey thing is pretty fun and as a bonus it could win me the thing Kimbal wants most for Christmas (not like "I could really use this..." more like, he would literally pee his new Christmas pjs if I surprised him with this stuff) and a bunch more stuff we hadn't even thought to dream of!

TodaysMama and GameStop are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What is your holiday wish for your family?

My biggest wish for my little family this year is to make some amazing memories and start some meaningful traditions. This is the first major holiday we'll be having with just the three of us so I'm really excited!

2. What is your Christmas morning tradition?

Our little family doesn't have one yet, but my family growing up had a few fun elements. We girls all got up and got ready together (pictures are taken, you don't want bed head), then we call my parents to make sure they're up. My dad calls downstairs to us with some playful taunting "Santa must have forgotten you this year..." and then lets us know when everything/everyone are ready for us to come up. I love it because we all rushed in to see the gifts and sparkling tree together. There was a lot of build up, but it's worth it!

3. If you could ask Santa for one, completely decadent wish for yourself, what would it be?

I can't think of one solely for myself, so for all of us... A home of our own (red brick with white trim, big backyard, lots of trees) or to have Kimbal's degree(s) done and over with or both, both would be nice.

4. How do you make the holidays special without spending any money?

Being the wife of a poor college student, I'm getting pretty good at "without any money". I'm making a bunch of our decor and gifts, I'm planning some free/cheap Christmas activities, and just keeping Christmas music playing makes a big difference in the level of spirit I have.

5. What games did you play with your family growing up?

We play a lot of card games; Progressive Rummy is our very favorite! We also played things like Scene It, trivia games, and a few PS games.

6. What holiday tradition have you carried on from your own childhood?

We're still at the stage of deciding what traditions from each we'll be carrying into our family, but so far we're doing similar goodies for neighbors, reading some of the same books, and taking a drive to see Christmas lights at least once every season.

7. Where would you go for a Christmas-away-from-home trip?

We're kinda "home for the holidays" kind of folk. If we were to go away though, we'd probably want to hole up in a cabin in the mountains someplace. I think Kimbal would really get a kick out of that and so far Logan adores the snow, so it'd be a good fit.

8. Check out GameStop and tell us, what are the three top items on your GameStop Wish List this year?

The Xbox 360 with Kinect is the top of our list (we actually spent at least 45 minutes playing with one in a store yesterday), I'd love a DSi for me, a Wii for all of us, and a bunch of games for each! My favorite games I saw were Zumba Fitness, Lego Harry Potter, and Epic Mickey respectively. Ok... That's way more than three. Forgive me, math is not my forte.

Project Day!

Yippee! Kimbal has the day off today and we're gonna work on projects. I'm so super excited that I'm already awake. Lame? Probably. Crazy? Yes. True? Definitely! I'm hoping to get all of soon to be nephew's presents together/done and start working on my older nephew's big brother gift. Cam's gift is "the coolest toy idea ever" according to Kimbal and I FINALLY found the last thing I needed for it. I think it's gonna be pretty awesome. I'm not sure what other projects we're going to work on today, but I'm thinking probably my shelves and organizers for my craft area. If we have time maybe we'll work on some of the chairs as well. Or I'll sew some covers for the ugly pillows that have been glaring at me lately. YAY!

P.S. I still have one more spot for the hand-made-present-for-no-reason post that's going around. Speak now or forever hold your peace here.

Who doesn't love presents?

I got this from my sweet cousin Savvy and couldn't resist passing it on!

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Completely one of a kind and just for you!

Restrictions, Limitations, General Warnings-

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. I fully reserve the right to fail while trying to make something lovely.
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done some time this year. (I'll try to get it done soon)
4. You have no clue what it's going to be though if you so desire you may give me a list of color suggestions, current loves, inspiration, etc.
5. I can't make any promises as to how or when I get your something to you.
6. You must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to do so, and leave a comment telling me they did, win a potentially fantastic something made by me!

*Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it!*

oh. my. word.

Someday kids... someday.

http://www.slipperybrick.com/2008/02/coolest-home-theaters/

i'm addicted

to "projects". For seriously. It's ridiculous.

At this moment I can look over at my craft table and see two partially finished aprons, the bits and pieces of my would be organization system for all my supplies, partially completed pin cushions, jeans that need mending, an in-progress hat, several completed hats, a baby Gray present that still needs work, and a ton of random craft supplies.

Besides all of that we also have a tendency to bring home sad, lonely, stray furniture pieces that were abandoned by the dumpster and need to be fixed or refinished somehow.

Current count: 1 highchair, 2 door/things (not sure what they were originally, but we're going to use them as room dividers), 3 chairs (one huge and iron, one normal sized and painted wood, and one teeny-tiny and unfinished wood), and 1 coffee table.

Yikes. Just yikes.

i might also need

these two patterns by my hero ashley over at make it and love it (easily one of my favorite blogs ever)...

love the lil' guy tie. love love love. must have one in every color for boog and my (soon to be) two nephews.

also needing these bradley booties. do you know how long logan was able to wear his first two pairs of shoes? probably about five times. total. lame sauce- the kid's feet are just too huge. with this i could make my own!

in desperate NEED

do you ever have days where you just NEED to make something? to make anything? today is one of those days for me. but every project i come up with i need something. something i don't have. something i can't afford. yikes. crafting is pricey. not the materials as much, but the tools. here's a few of the things i really want/need to own some of them are someday (as in if i win the lottery which would be cool since i don't enter the lottery) and some that i kinda need asap (as in preferably now)-

pinking shears. perhaps multiple pairs... i've seen some that are scallops that were so cute i nearly passed out. and of course i need the standard zig-zag-y kind.

a dress form. in my size but adjustable. because i'm adjustable too. have you seen how pricey these things are?! oh my.

a new sewing machine. i love mine and i'm SO grateful for it, but i want one that's a little nicer and that has more stitches.

a serger. yum.

rotary cuter and mat set. with a very BIG mat. thank you very much.

a large supply of... supplies. i'd love to have cute fabric and notions on hand so when days like today strike i can just go to work.

embroidery machine. yeah right... maybe when i'm 90 and can't even see what i've embroidered.

really, really good scissors. like my mom's scissors. she let me use them once. it was like butter. practically a spiritual experience.

lessons. because let's face it... i could use some work in the skills department. desire- check. inspiration- check. creativity- check. ability to read a pattern- um. no.

if you happen to know of anyone who's going to throw out/donate any of these things please let me know. we'll skip the middle man and they can donate them to me directly. please and thank you.

ok. now i'm going to get off my behind and hopefully i'll actually make something instead of just whining about how i want to. stay tuned and i'll tell you what i create!

i just might need this

what a fantastic pattern. too bad i don't actually know how to use a pattern that well. dang it.

martha stewart

i want to be as awesome as martha when i grow up. but maybe not so scary... (seriously, she gives me the heebie-jeebies sometimes). i'm currently embarking on a fairly ambitious list of projects to make our little place more livable and today i open up marthastewart.com and the first thing is see is "96 reasons to sew it yourself". rock on martha.

faves so far...

towels turned shower curtain-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects-for-the-home

and of course the matching caddy- http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/easy-sewing-projects#slide_11

a very handy pincushion-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_18

simple sewing machine cover-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_27

this leaf table runner- http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/summer-sewing-projects#slide_20

and i might need to make these baby booties in about a million different colors and styles-http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/sewing-projects#slide_9

Sometimes I am such a lucky duck!

So... you all know I'm a blog stalker right? One of my personal faves is a fantastic design blog called Design Dazzle. Well, back in December Toni (the lovely writer) offered a giveaway of a $150 gift card from Pearl Paradise. I entered because, really who doesn't love free stuff?! Especially free jewelry! Love it. I didn't think too much of it though because really... who ever wins these things? As it turns out- I DO! Haha... sorry I'm still pretty psyched.

Haven't heard of Pearl Paradise? Don't feel bad. I hadn't either until Toni featured them. Not to brag but, there are a few things in the world that I know A LOT about. Jewelry is one of them. I love the stuff. So when I got over to the Pearl Paradise site I was floored. The pieces are gorgeous and the prices are phenomenal. Needless to say, it took me a while to decide what I wanted. I eventually decided on a bracelet and stud earring pairing in black freshwater pearls. I got them in the mail the other day and I have to tell you- they are even more gorgeous in real life! Not gonna lie, I squealed like a little kid on Christmas. They're amazing! They came in a beautiful velvet lined box with a little kit to help you take care of your pearls so that they'll last you a lifetime. I love them. I love having a gorgeous little present to me. Love, love, love.

If you're looking for a gift for some lucky lady in your life (including yourself) you really ought to go check them out. They have jewelry in any price range really including earrings starting in the $20s and full sets (necklace, bracelet, and earrings) starting at $140. Pretty amazing.

I'll put up pictures of them as soon as I come up with the energy to do my hair and makeup I promise. :D

Look What I Did!!!

Ok... the list of things I CAN do does not include figuring out how to put pictures on my blog in the order I intended. Yikes. Please just deal with the fact that they're in an odd order. Thank you.

Introducing my sweet little nephew Cameron's Christmas Present. The felt mail bag. I'm in love with it. Seriously- it was really, really hard to pack it up so he could have it on Christmas morning.

I based the bag on the pattern I found here. She's amazing. I'm jealous of her mad skills and so glad I found this in time to do this instead of making up some not-even-close-to-being-as-cute bag myself. Love.

Mini Van for the car magazine.

Bug.

Sports Car.

"Truck-uh!"

The cover of my Car Magazine.

They fit so perfect!

The whole bag of mail. I'm obsessed with how the red ric-rac looks as the post mark. The hand embroidery for the "addresses" took forever, but it's adorable. I can't wait to make a new letter once we know what Baby Van Allen's name is! P.S. We sister's each have a shorter, easier name for the nieces and nephews. Mo is Morgan. I am Nelly. Now you know.

I love how the lettering looks! You can't see it, but there is top-stitching all around the letters. I also love the little flag. It added so much for under a dollar.

I hope the little guy had a Merry Christmas and that he learns to love his new toys!

Smarty Pants

I LOVE when I know things that Mr. Joseph doesn't know.

I've always been a smarty pants. I don't know when or how it happened, but it's true. I know random crap and retain most anything I read. Sometimes it's super, odds are good I'll kick your butt at trivia games, but sometimes it just makes people hate me. I think it made Fate want to spite me a little too because I married one of the few people I've ever met who not only knows most of the stuff I know, but a ton of things I never even thought to memorize. Dang. I never feel like the smarty anymore- after years of hiding behind that it's a tough blow to the ego. So when Mr. Joseph asks me a question I sometimes instinctively rattle off the answer in true know-it-all form (you know, absently- as though the k.i.a. is clearly contemplating deeper things and is a. too important to be bothered by your mundane inquiry and b. judging you for not knowing something so basic in the first place). Then I have to stop- frequently I literally stop whatever I'm doing, especially if it's walking- and stare at him for a moment. Is he serious? Do I really know something he doesn't know? Or is he just trying to make me feel good about my intelligence for one brief, shining moment in my day? Sometimes I ask him, "Did you really not know that?" because I can tell when he's lying most of the time. Then if he didn't really know I proceed to gloat until the next time I have to ask him a question I don't know the answer to and surrender that elusive pair of smarty pants.

Second DeeLovely Blog!

I've FINALLY started a blog about weddings- colors, trends, diy, ideas I love, etc. I'm pretty excited about it. I plan to blog at least three times a week with a different theme for each one and will be basing as many of my post on requests from friends/readers as I can. Please send in anything you'd like to see and DEFINITELY go check it out sometime soon! LOVES!

http://deelovelyday.blogspot.com/

Have I ever told you...

how INCREDIBLE my sister Jess is?! I don't think I have. She's amazing. Seriously... Pretty incredible in every way- She's adorable first of all. Stylish beyond belief with the hottest little momma body you've ever seen. Wickedly jealous of that. Second- She's an wonderful mom to possibly the cutest kid on earth. Third- She's absurdly talented.

She's a photographer. Weddings, babies, preggo ladies, families- the whole shebang. I'm not just saying she's good because she's my sister... She's really very good. (I'm not nice enough to lie like that) You should check out her site for about a million different pictures basically guarenteed to make you smile. Her site is momentscapturedbyjess.com and her photography blog is capturedmoments-jess.blogspot.com. Not kidding... Check it out.

http://momentscapturedbyjess.com

I'm currently blogging

From my living room. Does anyone else find this as exciting as I do????

Woot.

It's official... I'm obsessed.

With weddings. I think about them all the time. Plan them in my head. Critique ones on movies/in pictures/on TV. I crave the magazines. Want to know all the details about friends' upcoming weddings. It's sick. Just sayin'.

Blog Numero Dos

That's right kids... I want to start a new one. Kinda trying to ease myself into the idea of being a wedding planner- I want to have a blog of wedding stuff I love. Ideas, colors, dresses, decor, etc. I want to stick with the same theme of this one. Using lyrics from the Cole Porter song De-lovely... I can't decide what to call it and which three to use for the address. Anyone have any ideas? Here's the lyrics to help you out...

I feel a sudden urge to sing the kind of ditty that invokes the Spring
So, control your desire to curse while I crucify the verse
This verse I've started seems to me the 'Tin Pan-tithesis' of melody
So to spare you all the pain, I'll skip the darn thing and sing the refrain

The night is young, the skies are clear
And if you want to go walkin', dear
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely

I understand the reason why
You're sentimental, 'cause so am I
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely

You can tell at a glance what a swell night this is for romance
You can hear, dear Mother Nature murmuring low 'Let yourself go'

So please be sweet, my chickadee, and when I kiss ya, just say to me
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's delectable, it's delirious,
It's dilemma, it's de limit, it's deluxe, it's de-lovely

Time marches on, and soon it's plain
You've won my heart and I've lost my brain.
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.

Life seems to sweet that we decide
It's in the bag to get unified.
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.

See the crowd in that church, see the proud parson plopped on his perch.
Get the sweet beat of that organ sealing our doom. 'Here goes the groom, boom!'

How they cheer and how they smile as we go galloping down that aisle.
It's divine, dear. It's diveen, dear. It's de-wunderbar. It's de victory.
It's de valoop. It's de vinner. It's de voiks. It's de-lovely.

The knot is tied and so we take
A few hours off to eat wedding cake.
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.

It feels so fine to be a bride and how's the groom?
Why, he slightly fried.
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.

To the pop of champagne off we hop in our plush little plane,
'Till a bright light through the darkness cozily calls, 'Niag'ra Falls.'

All's well, my love, our day's complete, and what a beautiful bridal suite.
It's de-reamy. It's de-rowsy. It's de-reverie. It's de-rhapsody.
It's de-regal. It's de-royal. It's de-Ritz. It's de-lovely.

We settle down as man and wife
To solve the riddle called married life.
It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely.

Computer time! Yay!

So I'm in the library again... yayayayay. And I have so much I want to tell you all right now.

First. I have the best husband in the whole world. Really. Don't you other married girls try to argue with me. Mr. Joseph wins hands down. He's so good to me. I want to cry every time I have a second to think about how blessed I am to have him. He's just amazing and he understands me more than I understand myself sometimes. Today we went to Albertsons on the way to the bus stop. We realized we didn't really plan in the fact that it was lunch-ish time when we left. So we stopped and got some things there and then got on the bus and rode to the school. We had a lovely little picnic by the library. It was wonderful. I'm not doing it justice at all but the important thing is I love him. And us. And this beautiful life we're building every day.

Second. I keep thinking about what I want to be when I grow up. A mom first and foremost. And a darn good one if I have anything to say about it. But do I want anything else? I've known for a few years now that if I do have a job... I think I'd be happiest in the wedding industry. Really I'm obsessed. It's a little sick. So Mr. Joseph and I got talking the other night and I'm now thinking that I want to maybe do wedding planning as well as doing wedding cakes. I don't exactly know how to break into the biz though... Any thoughts? Tips? Anything?
You all know me... Do you think I'd be any good at that?

'Tis the Day Before Christmas and all through the house...

I'm running around with stains on my blouse.
I chew on my lip, pencils shoved in my hair,
breathing as though I can't get any air.
"The gifts are not finished" my hubby had said,
"but nevertheless I am going to bed!"
I thought homemade gifts would be done in a snap
and they'd help us escape from the big buying trap.
"You're so good at crafts" my friends all did flatter
but now I'm facing Christmas looking paler than batter.
So in my last tries to give gifts with flash
I'm staying up all night though I'm sure I will crash.
Tonight these presents I've worked on below
will be wrapped 'neath the tree with hope and some show.
But what is the thing that right now I most fear?
That no gift from me will bring joy or a tear.
For some gifts were made badly, a little too quick
and some were found by a husband who's slick.
No matter the outcome the mantras are the same,
"it's the thought that counts" and "what's in a name?"
So on I keep working (though by noon I might fall)
to provide pretty presents for one and for all.
Oh yes I'll keep hoping, I really will try,
and pray that one gift will cause a smile or a sigh.
But now I must leave, and bid you adieu-
Who knows? I might be working on a present for you....