I just realized. . .

That I never finished my ABC posts. I am left with the letter Z.

Right now all I can come up for Z is Zzzzzz.....


Because I am whooped! We have had a busy week and I am ready to catch up on my Zzzzz's. LOL

We had a wonderful Christmas with family and I will have to give you the 411 on that later this week.

My mom woke up Friday morning really, really sick so we rushed her to the ER and found out her gall bladder was bad so we have spent everyday since at the hospital. And if you have ever spent any amount of time at the hospital you know it completely wears you out! Which is pretty much the reason I need to catch up on my Zzzzz's!

Thankfully, she is doing MUCH better now and hopefully will get to come home today. I do believe she is more than ready to sleep in her own bed again.

Anyhow, today is my Friday at work and I am off for the next 5 days (YAY!) and I am so so glad!

Hopefully I will get my Christmas post up and get to catch up on my blog reading as well. :)

In light of my recent post. . .

I wanted to post this video that my friend Becky shared with me.

It really puts things into perspective and really makes you think so I wanted to share this with anyone else that has yet to see it.

I think this concept is amazing and really is what this season is all about.

It's called Advent Conspiracy.





Really makes you think, doesn't it?

My Christmas *wish* list!

Just thought it would be fun to post a little Christmas *wish* list!

Plus, I wanna know what you are asking Santa for. :)

FYI-I am sure I will not get many of these items but a girl can dream, right?

First, I want a new camera! I want one of these bad boys.

It's $$$ but pictures are priceless and I would love to be able to take great pics of my family. Plus, I think it would be a blast to take some photography classes. I know I won't get this for Christmas but maybe when Uncle Sam comes? :)

I also want a pair of Ugg slippers, I have some Ugg clogs and they are worth their weight in gold. Seriously, I love them! Don't these look so cozy?

I have been wanting this for a while to go with my Wii. (I already bought it for myself. ;))

But, it is wrapped under my tree. I can't wait to play with it though!

Ummm. . . I mean get in shape with it!

I do know that my mom bought me some Fiestaware so I am also hoping for some additional pieces to go with it.

I love all the bright colors!

Don't I have good taste?? :)

In all actuality, I will be thrilled to get any thing.

Jeff and I don't do much for each other but it is always nice to get a little something. I did manage to get him a good deal on some Ugg slippers so I know he will be excited. He has wanting a pair for a while so I am excited to give them to him.

So, what are you asking/wishing for?

It's beginning to look a lot like. . .

Christmas!

I heard Kimba was having a party and I wanted to play.

So, here are a few pics of my decor. We are definitely a hodge podge family but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is our tree. I was a good mama this year and let Maddie decorate it all by herself.

Boy, was she proud of herself. :) I happen to think she did pretty good for a nine year old, don't you?






I have to admit that I had to fight myself from fixing it b/c I can be a bit anal at times. LOL


Here are some close ups of some of our recent ornaments and some of our fave ornaments.








This is the newest addition to our family. His name is Kringle and he is an Elf on the Shelf. He reports back to Santa on a nightly basis and moves from place to place in our home. He is a new tradition in our home and we have enjoyed seeing where he pops up each morning.

If you hadn't heard of the Elf on the Shelf, you should check it out.

It's really a cute and fun idea. I wish we had started this years ago!



I found these apothecary jars for $5.00 the other day (YAY!) and needed something Christmas-y to put in them. So, I pulled out some curling ribbon and stuffed it in there. Gave me just the pop of color, I was looking for!


I have had this Santa forever. He is one of those that swings his hips and sings.

Maddie used to love him when she was little. He is a little outdated but I don't have the heart to get rid of him plus, he is still pretty cute.



I evidently have a thing for Santas because here a couple more.





Here are my fave snowmen with a few HUGE Christmas balls stashed behind them. I originally bought the balls to decorate my wreath with but they are WAY to big. So, I stuck them up above my tv behind my snowmen. Gives it a little splash of color up there.



Lastly, here is my advent garland I was soo excited to find. I had been eyeing something very similar in Garnet Hill but could not pay $78 for it. It was cute but not that cute!

So, when I found this at World Market for $14.99 I was stoked and I happen to think it's just as cute!




Oh and I can't forget about my neat star I found that lights up!

I love this and this picture does it NO justice!

I think I will keep it up year round. I love it, I wish you could see how pretty it really is in person.




Thanks for looking, now I am off to see your holiday decor.


Merry Christmas!!

It really is the little things. . .

that matter, isn't it?

We have been without an essential necessity for 5 days, it was bad.

Seriously, bad.

We were having to go to strangers homes to get it (well, they were really friends of ours but strangers sounds so much more dramatic). We were desperate for this item and last night we finally got it back! Can you guess what it was??


It was. . .




HOT WATER!

Omgosh, ya'll. Our hot water heater busted Monday night and we FINALLY got it fixed last night. It was pure heck going without hot water and there was NO way I was gonna or could even make myself take a shower in the ice cold water we had. I tried, I really, really did.

I lasted all of 5 seconds.

I seriously wanted to shout to the Heavens with all my might when we had hot water again. I even thought Jeff and I were gonna fight about who got to take the first shower. But, he wisened up and let me go first.

Smart man, I married!


Hot water, it's a good thing. Now, I am off to go take me a shower!

A few more of my favorite things. . .

This is part two of a few of my favorite things.

I just also wanted to share a few things around my home that I love.

I love barn stars and I came across these a couple of years at Kirkland's and just had to have them!




I have several of these handmade signs in my home and this is my fave.

The lady that makes these does a FAB job!



These are a couple of recent purchases.

I got the grass on clearance at Target and I love it and the snowmen I actually found for 50% off at the grocery store, of all places!




I bought these guys at a local craft fair several yrs ago.

They are actually made with paint stirrers and felt!

How cute are they!?! I love pulling them out every yr!




This is one of my most cherished possessions. Maddie made this in Kindergarden and I wish I could have gotten a better pic of it but unfortunately this is as good as it gets.

Anyhow, if you look close you can tell it's her handprint in white on the ornament.

Then, they took paint and made her little fingers into snowmen!
I thought it was the cutest thing when she brought it home. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

It's definitely my fave ornament!






Lastly, I LOVE clocks. Seriously, I have a ton of them and this by far is my favorite!

I actually won this in a chinese gift exchange a few yrs ago and it's been over my mantle ever since. I love it!





Other things I also love are:

Hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and bits of peppermint!
Fall
My daughter's freckles.
My husband's silly grin.
The Hills
D. Morgan paintings
Flannel jammies
Margaritas and mexican food
Candles
Blogs
Good friends
Flavored sparkling water
My uggs

and the list goes on and on!

Thanks for humoring me and now I am off to look at what your fave things are as well!

A few of my favorite things. . .

Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick is having a few of my favorite things party!

All you have to do is link up to her post with a post about your fave things. It can even be an old post and it doesn't matter what those things are! It can be anything from your fave tv show to your fave food.

Come on and join in, it will be FUN!!

I will be linking this post as some of my fave things. :)

NEVER, EVER, EVER AGAIN!

Will I be at Target at 6 am on Black Friday to shop!

NEVER, EVER will I make that mistake again and it's sad because I LOVE Target but it's just not worth it! The line just to get IN the store was 4 stores down, it was insane!

Thanksgiving day I was perusing the BF ads and came across the new Guitar Hero World Tour Bundle kit for $59

! I was so excited b/c Maddie has been really wanting this and it was 1/2 price!

YAY, right!?! WRONG!!!!

Apparently THIS was the hot item at Target b/c once I made my way through the crowd and finally found where the my sought after item was stocked, there were NONE left! Not a single one!

Of course, on my way out the door I saw no less than 50 people with this same item in their hands and some of them even had at least 5!!!

I just wanted one, just one!! I was so bummed to leave there empty handed.

But, there is a happy ending to this story.

A fellow member of my message board happened to have an extra one of these and is going to sell it to me at her cost! So, Maddie will get it after all. (I have to admit it, I love Guitar hero myself and am just a little excited too!)

I did venture to a few other stores and scored an amazing deal on some Fiestaware. Merry Christmas to me! Thanks, mom and dad! :)

I did also manage to get a few good deals but I honestly am not sure I am cut out to be a Black Friday shopper. Don't get me wrong, I love a good deal but sometimes it's just not worth it, ya know?!

What about you? Do you venture out on Black Friday??

Drink, anyone?

Ok, I hit the awesome sale TJ Maxx was having last week and was ecstatic to find this candleholder that I had been eyeing for some time now on clearance. Not only was it on clearance but it was an additional 25% off the marked down price! WOOT, right?!

Anyhow, I was toying with the idea of putting it on my mantle so I placed it up there nonchalantly and thought it looked fine.

Well, my dear husband was asleep when I came home from my shopping spree and the first thing he said the next morning is "Stephanie, why are there shot glasses on the mantle?"

I was like "WHAT?" and sure enough he was talking about my new found candleholder.

Of course, now everytime I look at it I see shot glasses.

I still like it though, but I think it may find a new home in my home.

Maybe once I put some votives in it, it will look more like a candleholder?!

Whatcha think, shot glasses or candleholder? :)

WOW!

Thanksgiving is ONLY ONE WEEK AWAY! How crazy is that?!?!?!?

I have to say and I am proud to admit that I am close to being done with my Christmas shopping! YIPPEE!!

Are you?

I started a bit early and that helps tremendously. I am even going to venture out on Black Friday, crazy I know.
But, there are couple of items I would love to get and I can get them at a fab deal.

You know how I love a good deal!

BUT, I must say none of the items that I want or need are the hot ticket items so I think I will be fairly safe out there. LOL

Anyhow, I hope y'all are ready b/c the Holidays are QUICKLY approaching!

Oh and Court-your gift should be here soon! :) I will mail it out ASAP!

I hope you love it!

A little recap. . .

OK, I have five minutes to blog. YAY! :)

In the last two weeks, my husband was in a wreck and our cute little red car was totaled. Thankfully, Jeff was not seriously hurt. He did get a little banged up and we had to have some xrays done on his shoulder and he missed about half of a week of work but he is on the mend and back to aggravating Maddie and I. So, we know he is gonna be ok! :)

We had a great Halloween and Maddie had a blast trick or treating. She has been studying the Asian cultures and just had to be a Geisha girl and I thought she turned out pretty cute. She even won a costume contest at our church and of course, she loved that!

Here are a few pics. . .

We also had a great Veterans day and my parents and I met Maddie at her school for a mini parade. The school had asked for veterans to participate and to walk in their parade so my dad obliged.

Maddie was able to walk with him and was tickled pink about that.

She is definitely a papa's girl!

My batteries were dead in my camera so I was not able to get any pics but we really did have a good time!


I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks too!

I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

We are slowly getting ready for the holidays, how about you? Are you ready? :)

Just for fun!

Sorry, life has been crazy hectic and we had an eventful last week so blogging was put on the back burner.

I will fill you all in later this week and post a few Halloween pics!


In the meantime, I am just gonna post a little fun quiz I just did.

My results totally hit the nail on the head!

Here is the quiz!

This is really neat...try it !

When you click on the link, a series of about 15 pictures will come up.

Click on a photo in that category that appeals to you.

Again 15 pictures will come up, click the one for you and move on. Just continue to keep picking.

At the end it will give you a profile of yourself.... It's called a visual
DNA.... Your choices dictate your profile.

Click on the link
Http://DNA.imagini.net/friends

Anyhow, here are my results! Very much me!

HAVE FUN and GO VOTE! :)

Another fave song.

My friend Becky, who has AWESOME taste in music shared this song with me a while ago.

Well, I came across it again today and had forgotten how much I loved it.

It's one of those songs that you could just listen to over and over.

So, I wanted to share it with you! :)

Enjoy!

Drum roll please. . .

Sorry, I am a couple days late with this but it was a busy weekend!

Anyhow, I put all the names in a hat and our winner is. . .


COTTAGEMOMMY A.K.A COURTNEY!

She is an old friend of mine from high school that I have been able to get back in touch with through facebook and blogging.

It's been so fun to catch up with her!

So, congrats, Court!! :) I will email you to get your addy to mail your prize!


Thanks everyone for playing, I will try to do something again soon!

Handmade Holidays = FUN FUN FUN!

How cute are these totes and how handy would they be?! We could all use an extra set of hands at one time or another.

Well, if you leave a comment on Faith's blog, you could win one these cuties!

She is also having a 100th post giveway! So, be sure to stop by and leave a comment on how and why you could use one and you may just win one! Lots of luck to you!








Also, The Nester is hosting a Handmade Holiday party and let me tell you there is some SUPER CUTE stuff to be had!





We have some amazingly talented folks here in blogland!

I have definitely come across a few things that would be awesome Christmas presents and a few things I would love to buy for myself! :)





Good luck ladies, and be sure to check out all the FABULOUS sellers that have participated in the Nester's Handmade Holiday party.

I am sure you will find something you love as well!

Y is for. . .

YAY! YAHOO! It's my 100th blog post! Who'd have thunk it?

I can't believe I have actually made it this far!

This calls for a celebration!!




So, in honor of my 100th post I am gonna do a give away!

Who doesn't love giveaways?!?!!?

BUT, here's the deal. You have to leave me a comment and I wanna know, if you had $20 to spend on yourself, what would it be?!

This $20 is to be spent on YOU, not your kidlets, and not bills.

It's to be spent on something totally frivolous just for you!

So, the burning question is, what would YOU spend $20 on?

Inquiring minds wanna know!





I will do the drawing on Saturday, 10/25! So, be sure to post by then!

So thankful. . .

Since the economy has really put a damper on Jeff's business, we told Maddie that Christmas was going to be smaller this year than it normally is.




I have a few friends that follow the 3 gift rule (which I happen to think is brilliant) and wanted to do something similar with Maddie this year.





I explained to her that mama and daddy (and Santa) were not going to be able to do as much this year for Christmas and to please think of 3 things she would really just love to have for Christmas.

She was actually very understanding about getting just a few things, in fact it was a little heart warming.

I thought WOW she really understands, this is fab!

I was beaming in fact, at how understanding she really was.








That was until, I got her list. LOL








First, she wanted this.



She has been wanting a laptop for the past year or so. But, quite frankly Jeff and I just couldn't afford to get her one right now and if we did it would be the ONLY gift she received.




Then she wanted this. . .




Which is actually feasible. We love the American Girl dolls and she has quite the collection. In fact, I think I like them as much as she does. :)






Then, she wanted this.

It's cute but no can do,at $250!





Well, I am excited to say that she is actually going to be getting 2 of these 3 items for Christmas because of a dear friend that offered me a deal that I could not refuse.

I honestly can NOT wait for Christmas now and am eager to see the grin on my little girl's face when she opens her gifts.

She will be in for the shock of her life. :)

Totally lovin' this song. . .

I came across this artist via Cjane's blog and she had posted about this artist and her video.

OMGOSH! I love her!

Here is the video in case you hadn't gotten to see it yet.





Love her music!!

A few before and afters. . .

Here are a few little projects that I have been working on.

First, I totally stole this idea from the ever so talented Kimba. I just love this little bird so much that I have quite a collection of him in different colors.

This is what he looked like fresh from the dollar store.



Here he is with extreme makeover #1.




Extreme makeover #2. PERFECT for Halloween!



Extreme makeover #3.

Love the red and it will totally work with my Christmas decor.



Here is my flock all together!




Next, I got these super cute star hooks from Burke's for $1.25.

This is what they looked like when they came home with me.




A few coats of antique white and VOILA! Much, much better!



Spray paint can work wonders, I do believe it's my new addiction!

Junk Pumpkins

A few days ago, Jen at Sanctuary Arts was hosting a "pretty your pumpkin" party.

Now let me tell ya, there are some talented folks out there!

But, there was one post in particular that made me think that I just HAD to try it!!

It was Mindy's post at showing her junk pumpkins Primitiques n' poetry.
How neat are they?!?!?!

They actually remind me of some of the robots in the movie "Robots".

Anyhow, I knew Maddie would love this idea so off to the store we went.

I emptied out my junk drawers and found all sorts of inspiration.

Here are the final results and I must say this was WAY more fun than carving!

It just may become a tradition in the Huntley home!

Mine.

Maddie's




Jeff's




Side view of his mohawk. :)





This was a super fun project! Thanks so much Mindy for sharing this!

Just a wee bit more. . .

Here's a little more of my Halloween decor.

These are a couple of iron candle holders that I got at Big Lots.

One is an acorn and one is a pumpkin. I thought they were super cute and would work for Halloween and Thanksgiving. The leaves and pumpkin are from an old fall wreath I had, that was falling apart.




This is a ghost and pumpkin garland that I couldn't find a place to hang it from so I casually threw it in this bowl and thought it was cute!



Just a couple of older decorations, I had.



I love this garland but I can NOT get the witch's face to stay up right for the life of me!



A few odds and ends on my coffee table. There is that spider candle holder that I have seen several of you ladies with. :)



A few things on my porch.

A local potter makes these jack o lanterns and I love it lit up at night! Soo cute!



My mom bought me this wreath last yr and I thought it was so festive. I added the Happy Halloween sign to it and thought it turned out pretty cute.



Isn't Fall fun?? Thanks so much for looking!