Merry Christmas

It has been almost a full year since I have logged into this little space. Time seems be spinning much faster as the kids are growing up and I cannot blog like I used to, but I wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope you and yours take time to slow down this Christmas to think of all the wonderful things the Lord has done for you! 

 

last 5 pins: january edition

 Here are my last 5 pins for January. I thought I would just go ahead and post a few things that have already caught my eye this month. 

1. Sherwin Williams Color of the Year - The color of the year for Sherwin Williams is Evergreen Fog. It is a lovely shade of green. Green is popping up everywhere. Over the past few years, I have added more green into our house with accessories and a wall painted SW Retreat. I may have to incorporate it a little more this year. 

2. Beautiful bedroom reveal - This bedroom reveal is lovely. I think you will enjoy all the details. 

3.  Windowpane sectional -  This windowpane sectional caught my attention. If you scroll through the whole project, you will see that it is piped in blue too. What a stunning piece! 

4. Free Assembly Sweater - Speaking of green, here is a shade of green in a sweater that I may have to check out in person. I have been pleased with the quality of Free Assembly items I have purchased so far. This sweater from Walmart looks very cozy. 

5. Super Bowl bread bowl - The Super Bowl will be here before we know it and let's face it, we pretty much are only into the game for the food.  This looks delicious and perfect for the big game.

new year

Happy New Year! 

I do not know about you, but this time of year tends to be a time to regroup for me. I finally take the time to organize those closets or drawers that have been causing me stress.  I try to find newer and healthier recipes to add to our weekly meals. Lastly, I reflect on goals for the new year. Some of the goals are work and personal goals and some are family goals. 

Over the past two weeks, I have found some tools that have been useful to me as I get pepped up and prepped for the new year. I wanted to share them in case you are also in the prepping stages.  

1.  Chip Ingram's Balancing Life's Demands -The Peace and Power of a Prioritized Life.  Our small group at church has been going through this series. I always like reminders for myself this time of year about keeping my priorities straight and realigning where needed. 

2. A friend introduced me to Jefferson Bethke. I just started reading his book 'Take Back Your Family'.  I like several of the tips and tools on his website. I especially like this Family Scouting Report tool centered around Family Teams. We absolutely plan to sit down and do this for each of our kids. 

3. Simon Sinek motivational podcast. This speech has so many good takeaways to keep in mind for the year! My favorite line of his was "learn to be the last to speak". 

4. Mediterranean dishes - My doctor always tells me to eat more of a Mediterranean diet. There are several delicious recipes here that I plan to try! 

What are you focusing on this year?

Make it a great week! 

~Amber

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