Hallway Update!

I have been wanting to decorate our hallway basically since we moved in, but as a homeowner, you just have to prioritize and take it one project at a time. Our hallway decorations have been on the back burner for a long time. Well, a few weeks before Christmas, I mentioned that I found a table at World Market that I really liked. I described it to Will, and told him I would show him a picture later to see if he liked it too. After that I kinda forgot about it, and figured I would show him after the holidays, especially if I got a gift card or had a coupon.  

Well, when I opened my Christmas presents from Will, turns out the boy was really listening! He picked out the exact table I wanted, and I was super excited about it! He wasn't crazy about the idea of a table in the hall anyway, so it meant a lot that he was willing to try it out. 

Hall table, some assembly required. 

Well, I figured Will would put the table together, but after a hard day's work on the deck, I knew the last thing he was going to want to do was assemble furniture, especially if it was anything like the last piece we got from Ikea. So....I decided to try to assemble it myself. It was super easy to put together, and the perfect fit for where I wanted it to go.

Then, I just needed to decide how to decorate it. I had the print of us made a few weeks ago and was hoping it would eventually go in the hallway. The candles and candlesticks I got from Pier 1 with a Christmas gift card from my MIL. I pulled the basket out of our unused decorations in the 3rd bedroom, and grabbed the pottery off another shelf. Then, I just needed something small in the middle. I tried this wedding gift from my dad (one of my favs!)....

then I tried this glass container with some colored rocks (also from Pier 1)....

but I think I decided I liked this "B" that was originally in Will's bachelor pad.

Then, my sweet husband hung this awesome mirror I picked up at TJ Maxx this week, and we are done!

I can't help but smile everytime I want through the hallway now. Up next in this space, a fresh coat of paint!

Christmas Recap

Will and I had a great time at our many Christmases this year and I wanted to post a recap! This year, we had 6 Christmases, which was a lot, but nothing compared to the 8 Christmases we had last year!

 Our Christmas adventures started on Sunday with a Christmas lunch with Will's mom's family. Almost the entire family was there! (1 grandmother, 5 siblings, and each of their families + 4 dogs makes for a busy and fun gathering) While I didn't bring my big camera, it was a great time to be able to see cousins/aunts/uncles/Granny we don't get to see often. And, aside from a minor ham-eating dog issue, it was a great lunch! 

 On Christmas Eve, we started with breakfast with my mom's family at my Nana's house.

 

Mom and Gatlin in their matching flannel!

Showing off his sister's purse

Ready to open some of those presents. 

Listening to the Christmas story....this is a must at Nana's house. Usually we do the Christmas story and a round of what we are thankful for before presents. This year it was torture for Campbell!

Guarding his pile of presents

So excited for her soccer ball!

Look! That dump truck can even haul Gatlin!

Future baller in the making!

Campbell's giant cardboard castle that can be colored however you want. 

On Christmas Eve night, we went to Will's parents house. We usually have a big dinner, do our presents, and then make cookies! They used to make cookies for Santa, and then to take to their grandmother's the next day, but now we just do it because it is fun! 

I'm not saying any of these cookies would win a 'best decorated' award, but they tasted good at least... :)



Christmas morning at our house! Will's stack of presents

A giant present for me that I couldn't figure out what the heck it was

Will opening his jeep stuff!

Finally! A hallway table! Another post coming about this soon!

Then, like always, I made a big breakfast at our house, which Will says is "almost better than the presents". Too bad this year I totally screwed up the biscuits, so Will had to wait until the next day for the sausage gravy and biscuits part of the breakfast. 

Then, we went to my parents to open presents. It's always a fun time to be back at my parents house, and this year, my sister Sam was patient enough to wait on us to open all of our presents together! Plus, then we got to watch Home Alone, one of my stocking stuffers from Mom.

Finally, we headed over to my Grandmothers for Christmas dinner. 

Sam showing off a new scarf.

And the beautiful painting that Grandmother did for me and for Samantha. She did one for our mom several years ago, and we both said we would fight over it when she was ready to give it away, but now we each have our own!

I hope your Christmas was wonderful! Now, just a few short days until my birthday!

Deck Progress

It occurred to me the other day that I haven't posted a good update on the deck since the deck demo. Will and his dad have been working hard on the deck every good weekend they have had. Like any good project, it's been taking a little longer at almost every step than they planned for. The good thing is, I think they can almost see an end!

Here is the deck a few weeks ago after a nice rain storm, all the boards have been put down, but need a few more screws in each board.

Now, Will and Dan are moving on to the handrail posts and stairs. Getting there!

Framed out stairs!

Hard at work putting in the last few handrail posts in. 

Good thing is, we have lots of wood for scrap projects, right?

We only have a few more steps before our new deck is ready to go!

2012 Reading Challenge

This year, I challenged myself to read more, even though I feel like I read a lot. I originally set a goal of 40 books, and eventually bumped it up to 52 books. 1 book per week. And yesterday, I finished my 52nd book.

I think I have mentioned the website Goodreads, which really helped me keep track of books that I wanted to read. Plus, I jumped into a bookclub with my co-worker Kristin, which helped expose me to different books I might not normally pick up. This year I have read classics, fiction, non-fiction, young adult, science fiction, mystery, and I have loved the variety!

Below are some of my favorite books I have read this year. 

 

 "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil" by John Berendt - Love how each chapter is about a different character and then how each character comes together at the end of the novel. Great mystery novel. 

 

 "The Night Circus" by Erin Morganstern - Wonderful imagery in this novel. Seriously, I think this was my favorite book club book of the year.

 

 "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett.  - Rich beautiful story set in the Amazon.

"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson - True story of a man building schools in order to help change the world.

 

 "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green - Best young adult book I have read in a very long time. 

 

 "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn - Crazy good mystery novel. 

 

 "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand - Another brilliant non-fiction novel. This book details a WWII POW's journey through war, POW camp, and the return home. Very powerful story. 

Any of these books would make a great read. I highly encourage you to pick one of these up!

Some Favorites

You know you have them. Your favorite Christmas ornaments. The ones you can't wait to unwrap and the ones that get prime real estate on the tree. I wanted to share a few of the Blackmon home favorites. 

I love this funky snowman!

Got this at an ornament swap from my friend Kristi

 

A fun Disney ornament without being too "little kid". Will and I try to get a special ornament anytime we go to a special place, and this is our Disney ornament. 

Gotta have a Clemson ornament!

This might be a bit hard to see, but Will's parents started giving us glass ornaments with important dates or events that happened in the last year. This was our first one, with our anniversary. 

And the one from last year, that has "Home" on it.



My aunt Carey made this awesome ornament the year we got engaged. It always gets a good spot on the tree. 

And another engagement ornament, such a special time :)

The finished product

Not a great picture, but we love our tree and all our special ornaments. Merry Christmas y'all!

Before Pinterest

Whenever I have a creative project I want to consider or start to attempt, my go to is Pinterest. I know it's only been around for a few years, but already it is part of my routine for new or creative ideas. 

However, there was a time when people had to be creative before Pinterest. Enter my mom.

 At my parent's house, we have always had the most beautiful tree skirt. For years and years I just thought it was a pretty tree skirt they picked up one day. Then, I found out my mom actually made it. So, when I went out looking for a tree skirt when Will and I first started putting up our trees a few years ago, I realized nothing I could find would be as pretty as one my mom could make. 

 So....I asked her to make me one. About two years ago. And now, I have my own tree skirt!

   

 Part of what took so long was simply finding the type of fabrics we wanted to use, especially when it wasn't during the Christmas season. Then, there was a whole lot of cutting and sewing for my momma. But the end result is beautiful!

 

It is so nice to have a proper tree skirt, and not just pile presents around the tree in an effort to hide our huge tree stand. Plus, this is something I can use for years and years and know that it was handmade by my mom!

Thanks mom! I love it!

Dad's Birthday

Well, it's been a while since I wrote, but I wanted to catch you up on what's been going on in the Blackmon household. Last month, we celebrated my dad's 50th birthday! His birthday fell on a game day (the life of a basketball coach with a winter birthday). My mom and sister ended up reaching out to several former players of dad's and invited them to come and watch the game and celebrate with us. A few guys were able to come back and celebrate with us, and it was a big surprise to dad. 

The Generals faced off against Southside, played well, and ended up winning!

And, due to a new rule, when mom keeps the books at home, she has to wear a ref's jersey. After years of dad screaming at refs, I am not so sure she likes it, but rules are rules...

Sammy acting like an angel....acting being the key word ;)

The enormous cake!

Cutting his cake

Happy birthday Dad! Love you, mean it!