12 Days of Christmas --> Day 8

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks
Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles
Day 11: New Year Resolutions
Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outside)
Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe
Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

Via

In case you couldn't tell from my Day 2 post, I really really hate shopping on Black Friday. But more than that, my all-time absolute least favorite thing about the Holidays is fluffing Christmas Trees and garland. I worked for a florist for several years and they had more Christmas trees than you could count in their store, PLUS they were often hired out to decorate the homes of wealthy families in town. When I first started working at the florist I wondered why anyone would hire someone to do their Christmas decorating for them. Isn't it fun to get the family together to decorate and hang ornaments?! Then I fluffed a tree. When I have a real job, I am definitely hiring someone to decorate my trees and fluff my garland! That is the absolutely worst thing about the Holidays!

The Most Perfect Fall Tree

My Tree

'Fall, leaves, fall' by Emily Bronte

Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.

I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day. 

I am so happy to say this tree is right in front of my home! There are so many colors including green, red, orange, yellow, and purple. Is this not the most perfect Fall tree? I'm one lucky girl to get to come home to this every day this Fall.

12 Days of Christmas --> Day 7

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips & Tricks
Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles
Day 11: New Year Resolutions
Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outside)
Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe
Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

If you missed my tutorial on how to make yarn wreaths and trees bop on over to the lovely Moonbeamwishes blog to see my Guest Post DIY Tutorial:

Here is my gift wrapping Holiday Craft and DIY. How to make beautiful gifts quickly and easily!

Step 1: Find wrapping paper you love and buy it all. We did. This wrapping paper perfectly suits our decor so we bought all that was available!

2. Wrap your presents and be sure to label them with beautiful tags! I used simple stickers with gold trees. They make a lovely statement but don't over shadow the wrapping paper or the bow you are about to make!

3. Take a roll of tulle and wrap in around your present and tie a simple knot. I used my ivory tulle because it was the least expensive of the tulle rolls I purchased.

4. Choose a few other colors of tulle. Cut equal strips of the tulle about the length of the present you are wrapping.

5. Bunch them together and then center them over the knot you made with your first color of tulle. Tie another knot over the strips of tulle to create a lovely bow!

6. Ta da! You now have beautifully wrapped gifts that everyone will be excited to open!

 

 

Happy {Belated} Birthday!

I forgot to post about all of the great birthday festivities that took place on my 25th birthday! I've now been 25 for a whole month (and a couple days) so I can now wisely look back on my 25th birthday and reflect on life....ha! Here's what went down:

Chef Dad cooked a fantastic meal for the Mizzou Homecoming/Ashley's 25th Birthday Tailgate.

 

I enjoyed some fabulous treats from my parents (above) and my friend Laura who brought delicious peanut butter and chocolate kiss cookies.

Spent some quality time with the people I love most!

Played around with my poor puppies who I decided to make into a purse dog. Truman looks a bit overcome by this massive bag.

We thought Wilson might fit better in the large bag, we didn't anticipate how heavy he would be.

At the Homecoming Parade, Truman the Tiger waved at Truman the dog (now in a different purse...see below)

Galen and Regan took off work to be with me on my 25th birthday! They are such wonderful friends!

Laura came in a matching sweatshirt (no, not planned!) but made the most delicious peanut butter and chocolate kiss cookies.YUMMY!

Julie stopped by, she's been tailgating with us for as along as I can remember. Love this girl. We met in Middle School and we're still friends!

Not the best picture, but one of the best birthday presents! I've been needing an ugly Christmas sweater! Just so happens we're having an ugly Christmas Sweater party this year. YES!

Beth and her new husband John came, too! Beth's birthday is just a few days after mine and we once celebrated together by inviting all of our mutual friends to a hotel room to party (this was back in Middle School or early High School.)

On my actual birthday, my Dad cooked this fantastic meal. I can't even explain how wonderful it was. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Eric got me this amazing cake from our favorite bakery in my hometown. It looks just like the cake Marilyn Monroe had in her birthday picture (see below).

Everyone sang "Happy Birthday."

A truly lovely way to celebrate my mid-20s. Loving this time of my life!

12 Days of Christmas --> Day 6

Day 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
Day 2: Black Friday/General Shopping Tips and Tricks
Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season
Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Show Special
Day 6: Gift ideas (what do YOU want? We all have family/friends reading our blogs...so let them know!)
Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY (If you don't make anything, what do you WISH you could make?)
Day 8: Least favorite thing about the Holidays
Day 9: Favorite Holiday recipe
Day 10: Favorite Christmas Songs/Caroles
Day 11: New Year Resolutions
Day 12: Show us your decorations (indoor/outside)
Day 13: Favorite Cookie Recipe
Day 14: Oprah's Favorite Things: What item(s) would you want if you were in the audience?

My Christmas List 2010:

1. Fun tights from Anthropologie:

2. Hair accessories from Much Love, Illy or Sandy a la Mode or Cotton Lane:

3. Clothes from J.Crew or Anthropologie:


4. Fun tote:

5. Columbia Map in Gray on a white background:

6. Cowl:

7. This skirt:

8. Hair accessories or a bib necklace from:

9. Splurge:

10. Practical: Hy-Vee Gift Card: