merriest christmas

 Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

Georgia (10),  Millie (1) and Graham (7)

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

    for his compassions never fail.

23 

They are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness."

Lam. 3:22-23

last 5 pins: November edition

Every year, I begin to love November more and more. The leaves are at their peak and and blowing all around and the temperatures are really starting to cool. What a special time of year it is. 

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week with your family and friends. We all have so much to be thankful for. I heard the other day that thankfulness should be the bookends of your day. Start the day by thanking God and end it doing the same. 

Here are my last 5 pins: November edition. Enjoy! 

1. Highlander Mountain House - This House hotel looks adorable. The perfect little mountain escape. 

2. Table top tree - I love a beautiful table top tree. This year I did consider only doing a table top tree because of our puppy, but we are still going to attempt at least a top half decorated tree:) 

3. Soup - 'Tis the season for hearty soups. This one looks like a good one. 

4. Ice Ornament  - This ice ornament looks like a perfect craft to do over Christmas break

5. Maxi Skirt - I love this look for the holidays. 

deck the halls

 I know several people are planning to start decking the halls this weekend. I will most likely hold off until the day after Thanksgiving, but I have been looking through old and new Christmas catalogs and looking for new decorating ideas online. 

I am especially drawn to unexpected places to use greenery to dress up a corner or a piece of furniture. Here are some inspiration photos for you in case you plan on doing some decorating too. 

Images all from Pinterest

Have a wonderful weekend! 

~Amber

last 5 pins: October edition

 Happy Wednesday! November is fast approaching so I wanted to get my 'last 5 pins' for October out to you. Is everyone already Christmas shopping? I know I have had a jump start to my shopping, which makes it feel like fall is passing by so quickly. I do want to get ahead in my shopping, but I also want to savor the beauty of fall. 

Last 5 pins: October edition:

1. Sentimental tablescape - I love this personalized runner to use for many Thanksgivings to come. How special it would be to add everyone's signature to the runner. I need to brush up on my sewing skills now. 

2. Roasted Carrots . These roasted carrots would make a delicious Thanksgiving side dish.

3. Guest bathroom - Now is the time to get your powder room or guest bathroom ready before all the holidays arrive. This guest bathroom is lovely. 

4. Cozy Reading nook - I always love a good window seat. They add so much character to a space. 

5. The shirt jacket - or the shacket:) - I keep seeing these online and in stores. It seems like the perfect fall staple especially here in the Carolinas. 

Have a great rest of your week! 

~ Amber 

last 5 pins: September edition

Happy October! Here are my pins from September. I hope your fall is off to a great start!

1. Cheekwood. This is on my list of places to visit in the fall some time.

2. Multipurpose rec room. We have slowly been 'growing up' our playroom. As sad as that sounds, it is nice to remove the cluttered toys. This picture is a little more grown up than our rec room currently is, but it has definitely been an inspiration for me. 

3. Clogs. They are back. I wish I would have kept mine from years ago. I love these from Loft. 

4. Oh Christmas Lists. My kids have already started making lists. It is never too early to get a jump start and there are some good ideas here. I am looking at the teen and tween girls and young boys lists.

5. Mushroom, Chicken and broccoli casserole. I think all of my fall magazines feature some rendition of this casserole and I love a good casserole in the cooler months. :)

Have a great rest of your week! 

Amber

last 5 pins: August edition

 Last 5 pins: August Edition

1. Straight leg jeans - Now that mom jeans and straight leg jeans are back in style, I may see if I can pull off a pair this fall:) This is just another example of fashion being cyclical. 

2. Sheet pan dinner idea. Busy activity schedules have resumed, so quick and easy dinners during the week are a must around here. 

3. Southern Living Idea House 2021. I wish this one was a little closer to home so I could tour it. I thoroughly enjoyed touring last year's Idea Home in Asheville. I love all the blues, browns and greens in this year's home. 

4. Fall planting season is quickly approaching. I love this fall window box mix. 

5. Fall decorating. I love adding something each week to our house to make the house feel cozier for fall. Here are some great tips from Studio McGee. 

Happy September friends! 

~Amber

last 5 pins: july edition

Last 5 pins: July Edition

1. Christmas in July. This looks delicious and beautiful! 

2. Breakfast room. I think I have pinned this little breakfast area 3 times. I love the mixture of color, patterns and styles. 

3. Fall transition outfit. It pretty much stays hot here in the Carolinas until mid-October so cute transition outfits are a must. 

4. Cape Cod Vacation home. If you are still in vacation mode, you might enjoy looking at this beautifully decorated vacation home. 

5. Back to school list. We are just a few short weeks away from school starting which always kicks my OCD tendencies into gear. I like this list of organizational tips to follow to get back-to-school ready. 

Enjoy the rest of  your summer! 

~Amber

amazon home favorites

 1. Cotton duvet cover - We just recently updated Georgia's room with a larger bed therefore I needed to get new bedding. We went with a white duvet cover and let the pillows add the color. Typically I buy duvet covers at Tuesday Morning or TJ Maxx, but I could not find a simple white full cover so I looked on Amazon and gave this one a chance.  It is very soft and I really like that it has a zipper rather than buttons.

2. Outdoor Lights - I have been wanting to change up our outdoor lights by the garage for a while and just got around to doing that. I was looking for something simple and black and that coordinated with our front porch light. I also wanted the lights to be larger than what was previously on either side of the garage. I found these on Amazon and thought we would give them a try. They are the perfect size for our space. I loved them so much I bought another one for our back deck. 

3.Runner - I have had a sisal runner in the kitchen for several years now, but decided I wanted to try adding in a little color without spending a fortune.  This runner works well here. You definitely need a rug pad, but overall I like it. 

4. Tea Kettle - I am a nightly hot tea drinker and our previous kettle had seen better days, so I decided to try this one out. I like that it is very lightweight and the perfect size. The brass color adds some warmth to the stove too. I am now seeing my reflection in the kettle which is not flattering (ha!).

5. Drawer knobs - As I mentioned earlier, we did some updates in Georgia's room and one of the updates was switching out the drawer knobs to her dresser. These simple brass knobs work perfectly and came in a pack of 12.

What Amazon home items have you found that you would recommend?

last 5 pins: June edition

Hello July. I had to quickly put this 'Last 5' post together because July is upon us. The summer sure is flying by and I hope you are soaking it all up. 

Here are my last 5 pins: June edition

1. I cannot stop thinking about this wallpaper for my dining room. 

(room design by Amy Berry)

2. Both Paul and I have been making iced coffees almost every afternoon. It is the perfect little pick-me-up. I need to try some of these recipes though.  I am sure they are better than my leftover morning coffee on ice with cream. 

3. Happy July 4th weekend. These would be the perfect festive and refreshing snack while waiting on fireworks to begin. 

4. The shirt, the shoes, the bag, and the jeans. I'll take it all. And while we are at it, please put me outside of a cute little café too:)

5. We have carpeted stairs that I truly cannot stand. I keep debating what to do. This is a nice carpet option that I am going to keep in mind for when the time comes to change them out. 

 

Happy July 4th weekend! I am thankful for our freedom and thankful for the many men and women that have made it possible. 

~Amber

last 5 pins: May edition

Here are my last 5 pins: May edition. 

1. Pool days are finally upon us. If I was putting in a dream pool area, this would be it. I love the shape of the pool and all the grass surrounding it. The large eating area edged in hydrangeas would be magical on those early summer evenings. 

2. The coffee table is what caught my eye in this picture. It is classic with storage and no sharp edges. 

3. Peach season is here and I love any recipes that include them:)

4. I love wearing dresses in the summer. This whole outfit is so very pretty.  

5. We are in the middle of changing up Georgia's room to more of an older girl room. Both Georgia and I love this room by Studio McGee. 

 

Have a great weekend! 

~ Amber