Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Meet Liberty & 33rd

Today I would love to introduce you to an amazing couple who have some mad taste in furniture and are also doing some crazy cool work across the globe. 

Meet Adam and Kelsey.


Adam and Kelsey began their business from their home last year with many beautiful painted pieces of furniture and some just left untouched. At some point they were able to move into a warehouse, which made shopping easier for customers. Long story short, in January, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya for Adam's education. It's amazing to see how they have turned this truly into a mission field and have already touched many children and adults while they have been there. 

The point of this post is that they are here in the States for 2 more weeks! I had the opportunity to check out their warehouse on Christmas Eve and there are truly some great pieces in there. I would love to see you all help them unload some of this furniture before they move back to Kenya. 





There are some great rugs in this pile!




And then for my favorite part, they have partnered with a few women in Kenya, and have brought back gobs of goodies that you can purchase in order to help support these ladies and their families!






One of my favorite things that you can purchase are these kiondos. There are loads of these available, and you can actually browse through available ones here. I purchased one of these and just love it! I love the look of it, but most of all, love how my purchase gives back!


Go get yourself one of these while you can!


 For more information about Liberty & 33rd and when you can unload some of your Christmas money, go check out their FB page.
You can also follow along on their journey right here.

Stay tuned for my next post where I'll feature different ways that I'm planning on using my kiondo.

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Saturday, December 28, 2013

A Little Something to Keep the Kids Busy

We've made it through about 7 or 8 Christmas celebrations, and now things seem quiet. I was making out my grocery list and realized I actually have to make dinner from here on out. What, my family can't survive on corn salad and dessert? Those were my choice recipes for every party we went to, and about all I had to actually make for 7 days. Sickness hit our home a couple nights ago and so far, only one has been down for the count and is already feeling back to normal. 

I feel like next week when things are back to normal, and dad has gone back to work, the kids will need lots of activities to keep them busy. The idea I'm sharing is actually brought to you by my mother-in-law. This is a gift that she gave our boys, and I found it to really be quite brilliant. I wanted to share this little idea now, so you have time to pick up the supplies in time for an "I'm bored" moment. 


Supplies: Rubbermaid container, moon sand, and small imaginative toys to their liking.


She had also included dinosaur bones, so they could do an archaeological dig. They quickly searched through their toys and added in dinosaurs, trees, and stones. We even brought this along to Christmas at my Grandma's, where there are no toys. This kept my boys and their cousins busy for quite awhile. Love that a lid can be thrown on, and you can easily take it with you.

Time to get dinner on the stove. Making this amazing soup for the second time around. 
Campbell's got nothin' on this recipe!



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Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Christmas in Our Home

Whoever decided to start a blog right before Christmas is just plain silly. As if I don't have a million other things I could be doing. But, alas I'm drinking coffee, listening to the Rat Pack Christmas, and wearing my new cozy Isotoner slippers from my sister-in-law. So, it's not all stressful and such. And, did I mention I'm also munching on "fruit loop crack"?

This is my final Christmas decorating post. I give you the main portion of our home. 
Warning: excessive amount of pictures.
















Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
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Monday, December 23, 2013

Christmas Style in the Master Bedroom and a Sweet Treat

This is my first go at decorating my bedroom for Christmas. The only reason I tackled it this year is because I hosted a craft show in our home. But, I've thoroughly enjoyed the added Christmas spirit throughout every room in our home.


My hopes are to order a canvas print of my husband and I for this frame, but I didn't get around to it, so I just threw a wreath in there, and voila!


This is the most simple decorating folks, but it makes enough of a punch to feel festive.


This might be a good time to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Darla. She apparently was ready to meet the world.


I stuck with green, gold, and silver for the tree scheme. I placed it in wooden box and threw a sheer curtain from our first home around the base.


And, in case you're needing a last minute snack to take to one of your ten family get-togethers. Let me please introduce you to this. I don't know what it's even called, but it's super addicting. So, "fruit loop crack" would probably be my first thought.


You will eat this until your stomach hurts...so I've been told. My dear friend introduced me to this, so I'm totally blaming her for my weight gain.


This is so simple, I'm kindof ashamed to even post it or call it a recipe. Buy yourself some almond bark and a box of Fruit Loops or Fruit Rounds, if you're an Aldi shopper like I am. Melt, mix, and eat your heart out!
You're very welcome!
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Friday, December 20, 2013

Check Check 1 -2 -3 and a Dash of Holiday Decor in the Boy's Room

I've been weak in the knees over what to write for my first post. For real, what's the best way to start a blog? I really didn't want to introduce myself in a long boring post. I'd rather scatter information throughout this blog, just to keep ya guessing, ya know? I didn't have plans to start this today, but the kiddos had a 2 hour delay, due to fog, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and curled up with The Procrastinator's Guide to Getting Things Done. My first confession, in my first post...I'm an A+ procrastinator! This is what I read regarding getting started on a project: "If you are not sure how to get started, don't start at the beginning. Jump into the middle and go back to the beginning after you have done some work." This brings me to here and now. Let's act like we've been long friends, and I'll just join in on all the beautiful holiday homes we're seeing around the web, and introduce you to the little touches that I threw into my boy's room. Shall we??

I recently redid the boy's room in a vintage outdoor/camping theme. The antlers were just begging for some wreath love.


This one has a little bit of a, ahem, shall we say, bigger rack. I tried my darndest to get that wreath around it, but feared that I was about ready to break the antlers.


My mother-in-law had just sent home a bucket full of bobbers, and I decided that those would be the perfect ornaments for this little tree.


I'm a big anti-tree skirt fan, and love seeing trees in odd containers. Thank goodness for a garage full of who knows what! I found this adorable tin basket in there, which was more than perfect for their room decor. 


It's a simple touch of Christmas. Really just enough to make the boy's eyes light up.


While I have your attention, let's just hit up the toy room tree real fast. 


An apple basket and burlap bag for the base.


I threw together some garland with some newspapers waiting to be taken off by the recycling truck.


This tree is a compilation of vintage glass ornaments and my Old World Christmas ornaments that my aunt has given me over the years. 


Add in a few random letters and numbers for interest, and there you have it. 

Phew, first post done! Next, I'll bring you another room in my house! I haven't decided which one yet. It depends which one I will be able to clean up the fastest for some blog worthy photos. Because, let's be honest, that's how most of us roll. 

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