A Few Christmas Peeks

A new home is always exciting and fun to decorate for Christmas and to be honest, I was pulling out my Christmas decor before Thanksgiving.  I really needed to take stock of what Christmas decor I still had after the big move, but I couldn't resist putting a few things out.  I was sad to see that all of my wreaths that I used on the outside of my previous home didn't make it.  I don't remember donating them, but when the moving truck was filling quickly, I had to be picky about what went in.  Darn, I had big plans for those... maybe next year.  I've feel like I've been knee-deep in pine needles, glitter, and Rubbermaid totes for the past few days, but I only have a few little areas to finish up and I'll be done!  Here's a bit of what I've been working on:

A Great Day with Miss Mustard Seed and Fellow Bloggers

I've always been so inspired by Miss Mustard Seed.  Not only is she amazingly talented, but her blog is so authentic and a joy to read, so when she put the call out to do some shopping and socializing in Raleigh this weekend, I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet her and some fellow creative women from the area. 

My Favorite Collection Ever

As I've slowly been settling into our new house by unpacking, painting, and moving furniture around, but there is one box that has remained unpacked though it's contents are my favorite collection ever.  I actually didn't trust putting the box in the big U-haul truck, so it rode with me all across the 3,000 miles it took to get here... Until this past week, these guys have just been waiting for me to unpack!  

Vintage Show Love

When my husband and I were deciding to take the plunge and move across the country for his new job, a big factor for me was that I would be missing so many incredible vintage and antique shows that are a part of the Pacific Northwest.  Since The Farm Chicks Show began several years ago, the Pacific Northwest has become a mecca for these incredible shows.  I knew that I would miss them.... a lot!   Sure enough, now that I'm mostly settled in the new house, I'm pining to be a part of the shows again and I certainly miss all my wonderful and talented friends that pour their hearts into these shows, like Jennifer and Kathy Walker of Unexpected Necessities.  This mother and daughter team have their annual show this weekend in Nine Mile Falls, WA.  Even though I won't be able to be there, I'm living a little vicariously through my oh-so-talented mom and step-dad of Angel's Attic right now.  As they've been getting ready for the first show in which we haven't shared a booth, they've shared some of their projects and I'm in love...

Raleigh Historic Home Walking Tour

Despite the fact that our new house in the Raleigh area is brand-new construction, I would have loved to have settled into an older home that is full of charm and character.  When my husband and I first visited Raleigh this past May, we drove around the city to explore a bit.  We'd heard that there was a pocket of beautiful, older homes from our realtor and it didn't take us long to find it...

This is my all-time favorite house...My mom and I call it "The Storybook House".  You can read more about it here

Happy Autumn!

 

The leaves are just beautiful in North Carolina right now and it's been one of the most beautiful October's that I've ever seen. I usually associate the colorful leaves with cold, chilly weather from the Inland Northwest, but it's been so warm and pleasant here this past month that I'm still wearing shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. I think I can get used to this!

The New House

If you've been following my blog you'll know two things:  1.  I haven't posted in a long time!  It's difficult to blog without having the Internet and I haven't had consistent Internet since last June and it took six weeks to get the cable company to come out to the new house to hook it up.  Yes, it's been torture :)  2.  We have finally, finally, FINALLY settled into a house!  I was going to go crazy there for a bit... I'm definitely a "put down roots" kind of a gal - a real nester.  I have a whole new appreciation for military families.  To cut to the chase, this is my last year of moving in review:  Last October - Spokane, WA to Sandpoint, ID, June - Sandpoint, ID to Fayetteville, NC, August - Fayetteville, NC to Raleigh, NC.  We had to live temporarily at a family member's house with the bare minimum while everything else was crammed in a storage unit in Raleigh until we could find and close on a house.  This was our summer....