I love Pottery Barn

I hate that I love Pottery Barn so much.  I just do, so I'll have to get over it.  My "little" brother gave me a giftcard to there for Christmas.  He was quite proud of his gift because he wrapped it so I could not find it.  Pretty smart move D ;)  I already know what I am getting.  This space needs to be a little more formal.

Well, then this didn't work because it didn't set the "mood" I was looking for the room.  So these went upstairs to the "man room".

So then we did this.

But this doesn't work either.  Still not formal enough, but getting there.  We are going to leave the paper wreath and add this lovely shelf underneath with fun accessories to accent it!

(photo)

Now we have to decide if we want Antique White or Esspreso Stain.  I'm thinking Esspresso Stain will look the best with the colors in the living room and the paper wreath.

I love this shelf because it's thicker and can hold books.  I think we'll add some old books with a frame or 2.  We'll see what we have laying around :)  I'll add pictures once it's finished!

What did I do this year?

Well It's hard to think back, but here goes.

* Bought a house
* Started DIY projects because we have a new house to fill up!
* Bought a dog
* Gave away a dog (long story, but I'll share if anyone wants to know)
* Had our 2nd anniversary
* MR.P got a new job that fits him to a T!
* Stretched in our trust in the Lord
* Had my 8th niece
* Started THIS BLOG!!
* Turned 25 - half way to 50!!!
* Started working out (MAJOR victory for me because I can't stand it!)
* Started turning off the tv during dinner with MR.P - we decided we wanted our time together to be more intentional. 
* Started reading books at night with MR.P - currently waiting for Sheet Music (Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage) in the mail.  We want to read more books on marriage like Love and Respect (Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs)and Christ Centered Worship( Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice). 
* Learned a lot about myself and my relationship with the Lord
* Started searching for a new church.  I have gone to the same wonderful church since I was 3.  I couldn't have asked for a better church to grow me and love me.  But, now that MR.P and I are our own little family we feel like we need a smaller church to really get involved in, be held accountable, and grow in. 

It's crazy to think another year has gone by.  I was always told to cherish my time here on earth because once I got older time would start to FLY by.  I just didn't realize they meant it would start flying by the age of 25!  This year MR.P and I have some goals we want to stick to.  Not resolutions, but GOALS.  We think goals last longer and are easier to attain.  I would share them, but they are a little boring :)

3 years ago

On December 22nd 3 years ago MR.P asked me to marry him.  Well, 3 years later we went to visit that same beach.  So fun to remember.  I just can't believe it's already been that long! 

Flippie

On December 23rd I surprised MR.P with a Flip video camera.  He was SOO surprised.  Because Target was out of stock, I wrote him a note from "Flippie" the video Camera and wrapped it up.  He died laughing once he realized that the Flip had written him a note about how his wonderful wife had gotten the Flip for $40 off and that was why it hadn't arrived yet.  MR.P and I like to see who can make the other laugh harder, which equals who is actually IN FACT the funniest in our marriage.  I won that round :)

(MR.P with the note)

You see, the whole reason I am sharing this with you is because I myself can't wait to try using "Flippie" out.  I am hoping to do a series on each room of our house.  That way you can actually see what it looks like!  Plus, you can see that our house gets messy :)  We'll see if I can figure out and share some tours.  I love seeing other people's homes.  We get a glimpse into other people's lives, their style, and what is important to them.  I wish I wasn't so OCD about things being non cluttered and clean.  I fear that comes out in my house as something that is important to me, instead of my family.  I think having kids will be good for me because I will want to put their artwork out, keep their toys out, and show off what other people give me.  This is something I want to work on and am definitely praying through.  LESS OCD here I come!!!

Ok, so this post is turning into a hodge podge of things...sorry!  A few weeks ago MR.P and I decided to start taking our nieces out on dates.  We don't have kids yet, so our time with our nieces is precious, but rarely do we get one on one time with them.  So our first date was with Alli.  She is my 2nd sisters first child.  Make sense?  We took her to the Mall to get a special present from the Disney store and then to get ice cream.  She was soooo excited!  This is her in the car on the way!  Then us eating ice cream.  

We are looking forward to our next date with Savannah.  She is my 3rd sisters first child. 

Next on my mind is that we keep going back and forth on the whole microwave thing.  A new "friend" from Moma Thompson commented on my blog last night that we should change our mind back.  She said she and her husband figured out how to add an electrical outlet themselves.  So MR.P and I will have to keep thinking on that.  Then we'll see what kind of info we can find on how to do it!  That would be a MAJOR technical victory for us!  I would be quite proud. 

I have realized there are a few projects I did that I never shared:

1.) The Dining room Chandalier - It did get it spraypainted and it looks soo much better!  I still have to fix a few places on it though before I reveal the outcome. 

2.) Christmas gifts for my nieces - I made them the cutest little chalkboards for their bedroom doors.  Sadly I didn't get a good picture.  I'll try to get a better picture later from my sisters.

3.) And a few that I never mentioned, but I will share once I get some good pics.

Ok, so sorry for the random post.  MR.P and I are looking forward to some NYE celebrations!  We have 2 parties we are going to.  We are quite excited about spending time with friends and family!  Happy almost 2010!!

Changing our Minds

It's amazing what a short lunch with the hubs can do.  During that lunch today we decided instead of spending money on the Microwave ordeal we would just save it and buy a microwave for the counter top.  That way we are saving a good amount of money instead of putting money into the house that we aren't sure how long we'll be in.  Sorry for changing my mind!  Life happens though ;)

Christmas

So Christmas came and went very quickly.  Like I mentioned before, we headed to AL for the funeral then onto FL for Christmas with MR.P's family.  13 hours in the car that day!  We had a great time with everyone but are glad to be back home.  MR.P traveled most weeks in November and December so he is VERY happy to be home. 

I have a few "projects" up my sleeve for the next few months.  I am planning on painting our bedroom a color similar to this one from Behr Paint.

Cumberland Fog - which has a good amount of gray and Blue. 

Our bedroom is a dark khaki right now with Green bedding.  The accent pillows are cream, blue and cream striped (trust me, it goes).  Our bed is dark wood as are the accent pieces of furniture.  So picking out the right paint color is project #1.  Project #2 is actually painting our room.  We are contemplating painting the master bathroom as well in a lighter color of whatever we pick.  We discussed doing stripes, but I think it would make things a little more difficult. 

Project # 3 will be mounting the microwave above the stove.  The previous owners of our house left their microwave for us.  It was so sweet of them.  The only problem with it was the size (SOOO BIG that it took up too much counter space) and that it broke about a month ago ;)  No biggie.  We were planning this project anyway.  We chose the perfect microwave.  The fake stainless steal so that no finger prints show up.

Before we can do this though, we have to get a new electrical outlet installed.  Wish I could do that myself!  We'll definitely be having someone else do that work for us.  Then we'll probably have Home Depot put the microwave in for us as well.  Neither of us are pro's at this kind of stuff.  And even though I am a fan of saving money wherever you can, this is one area I think spending more in the beginning SAVES MORE in the end!

Ok, so these are the projects going on at the Peele house hold.  This will keep us busy for a while.  Just ready to have our microwave back so we can make popcorn!!

All Done!!

I can't believe it but I am ALL done with my Christmas stuff!  I can't tell you how many lists I have made in the past few weeks of buying one last gift, wrapping this present, or getting one last finishing touch for a gift.  Yeah, I made a lot.  You see, I LOVE lists.  They really help me to focus on the next task at hand before jumping to the next thing.  Plus, lists make me feel less like a mad, crazy lady who can't sort out life.  So yeah, I am thankful to be done. 

So tomorrow MR.P and I will meet up with my sisters around 6:30 am and head to AL for my great Grandmother's funeral.  From there we are headed to FL to be with MR.P's family.  The funeral time is definitely a blessing because it allows us to be with his family 1 extra day!  Definitely thankful for that extra time with them. 

Ok, so on to a little funny for the day.  Last night MR.P asked me if I wanted to play hot or cold with my Christmas gift.  So OF COURSE I SAID YES!!!!  We aren't very good at keeping secrets from each other let alone keeping gifts from each other.  I have always struggled with this, so I have rubbed off on him a little ;)  I very quickly found it, but only with his help.  He made me go sit on the couch and close my eyes.  When i opened my eyes there was this!!!!

I am not one for labels, but I was quite excited about this purse!!!  MR.P found it at Belks for 30% off!!  What a treat. 

Once he surprised me with the purse (to which he was quite proud of) I decided to surprise him as well.  You see he was with me when we bought his gifts.  He had wanted a pair of Toms

and a rain jacket.  We found both at GREAT prices.  So he was happy.  Well he also wanted one other thing, but we said we'd wait on it.  Well he was SOOOO surprised when I surprised him with this!

I found it on sale at Target...but only bc they were out of stock online.  Oh well, I'll take it!!

We are terrible!  We can't even wait 4 more days!  You know, we are the only adults in our house so I guess we are allowed to break the rules here and there :)  We had fun!

Christmas isn't just about gifts, but you know what?  It's really fun to give them and see the face of the person receiving.  I really enjoy giving and hope to learn to be more thoughtful during the year.  I will be MIA for a few days, but will try to post a few updates here and there.  Hope everyone has a wonderful and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

108 and gone

On Saturday my Mom called and informed me that my Great Grandmother Perry had passed away.  She was amazing.  At 108 she went to be with her Heavenly Father, her Husband, a Son, and an unborn Child.  I can't imagine how hard it must have been to lose that many family members before she passed away.  She was an amazing artist...blessed with the talent of painting and making porcelain dolls with intricate lace.  She loved the Lord with all her heart and passed down a lineage to our family.  I know that she prayed for us daily.  I am so thankful that she is in pain no more and has a healthy body!! 

Wasn't she cute?

I am so glad MR.P was able to meet her.  She was such a special lady.  We are headed to her funeral Wednesday in AL.  She's kind of famous there ;)  She and her husband owned a general store as well as a restaurant.  Their quant little house was across the street.  I used to LOVE going to her house and playing in the fields, shucking peas, and playing with stray little puppies.  Oh and of course walking across the street to the store for a coke and a game or 2 of dominoes.  Sadly, when she was 98 her house burned down.  They put another house in its place for her, but it's not the same.  I look forward to seeing everyone in AL and celebrating the life of my Great Grandmother.  She's Home now and I couldn't be more thankful.  108 years is a LONG time to live. 

Project gone bad

People never share about projects gone bad, so I thought I would!  I was doing a little Christmas decorating and cleaning when I came across some glass light covers for our fan in the guest bedroom.  They look like this.

I figured we would never use them, so I decided they would be SOO cute spraypainted white with some cute Christmas scented pine cones and a candy cane striped ribbon tide around each one!  I went to town on spraypainting these things and was excited about the outcome and my creativity.  Or so I thought!  I went to check on them a few hours later thinking they would be dry to the touch.  Nope I was totally wrong.  They were still very wet!  This was my first attempt to spraypaint something glass, so am I missing something?  Does glass not do well with spray paint?  Oh well.  I ended up just throwing them away instead of trying to salvage them.  You see, I have a problem.  I REALLY like to throw things away.  It makes our house WAY less cluttered.  So to me its easier to throw things away than to store them some where just in case. 

So there you have it.  My project gone bad, and no happy ending to the story...except getting to throw something away!

Christmas is very quickly approaching!

I have never had Christmas approach sooo quickly!  Have you?  I still have a few things left to buy and a few things left to throw together.  MR.P and I are headed to FL again to celebrate Christmas with his family.  I think this will be his 4th time to FL this month.  WOW!  I am thankful he is home with me now though.  It makes our time together so much sweeter :) 

I haven't done many projects this Christmas.  MR.P and I decided to keep the decorations simple.  We didn't buy anything extra for the house this year.  We just used what we had.  Now don't get me wrong, I wanted to buy a few little things from Pottery Barn or make a few more projects, but we were trying to keep it simple.  Especially since MR.P has been out of town so much AND we won't be in town for Christmas. 

I am working on these Christmas Cards though.  This is our card...

My sweet sister gave me this over Thanksgiving as an early Christmas present!  I can't tell you how much I LOVE it!!

(Perfect, not too dressy, not too casual...just our style!)

This is the design she gave me.  It's just perfect.  I have to admit, this gave me a little boost of energy to get going on our Christmas cards!  This stamp makes them 10 times cuter!  These can be found by searching PSA Essentials - Peel and Stick.  They range in prices and can be a great gift.  You can buy different stamps to add to your collection later on!  I plan on buying 1 more for myself with our monogram! 

Craft night with my Mom!

Craft night with my mom started out with a bang!  We decided to get take out from P.F. Changs.  Best decision ever!  Then we went to town on our project.  We decided to make some cute banners for Christmas! 

Here is the cute ribbon we picked out from Hobby Lobby.

My mom already had the fabric for the triangle part of the banner so that was nice!  Here she is making a triangle out of paper for us so we could trace it each time!  Oh and the Diet coke is important too!  Can't forget that!

Then we took black pant and used a stencil to pain the letters of our choice of words onto each triangle.  Not going to lie...I had to try mine 3 different times before it looked right.  Cookies were also enjoyed.  Can't do without a little something sweet!

My mom working hard!  We used twine and a hot glue gun to put the triangles together. 

 

Then we used the ribbon and tied knots between each letter. We left a little space so the knots tied better.

Here is the finished product!  While I was putting this together I decided that I'll have to make a GO DAWGS sign for MR.P.  He would absolutely LOVE that!!  I love how the red ticking stripe compliments the banner. 

Christmas is such a neat time of year.  Yes, we get to enjoy all the pretty decorations, lights, shopping and such.  And believe me, I LOVE IT!!!  But this morning, while getting ready for work, I was thinking about the real meaning of Christmas.  Can you believe that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was born in a manger?  That he came to SAVE us from our sins as a tiny baby?  Even though I have known this my whole life, it still amazes me.  I am so thankful to be called one of his children.  I pray daily for MR.P and my future children, that they would also be called to Him.  Hopefully that day will come soon!!  Merry Christmas!

I forgot!!!

I can't believe I forgot to post about this!!  My mom and I are having a craft night tonight to make some Christmas decorations.  She so generously bought some really fun stuff to make CUTE, and I mean really cute stuff.  I'll try to catch our night of fun.  I think we'll start out with a little starbucks, then turn a good Christmas movie on and sit at the table and just crank out some decorations.  I have been so blessed with a mom who loves me and takes the time to spend time with me.  She's got great advice and admits when she's wrong.  I love her a lot :)

Thursday Smursday

It's one of those days...cold, windy, and cold again.  Thank goodness the sun is out!!  I now have windows so I can enjoy the weather while I work!  The holidays have made for almost zero creative outlet time, but I plan to jump back on the band wagon as soon as possible.  I have a project I am in the middle of for my nieces Christmas gifts.  I am pretty excited about them and will share as soon as possible :)  In the mean time I'll share some cool things I found on our trip to Seaside, FL.  I have been looking for a chandalier for over our bathroom tub.  I LOVED this iron one.  It had space to put some fun decorations in a basket as well.  It was priced quite well I might add.  Only $60.  The best price I have seen before this was $80.  I almost bought it, but I decided not to.  Tough call ;)

I also found this cute Merry Christmas Sign. 

I decided I could probably make it myself.  It would be made a little differently, but that's ok.  I think its adorable! 

Kitchen Window Ideas

Happy 9th of December!!  Nothing special about today, just another Wednesday in the books.  As I was thinking of the next few projects the house needs I was pondering how to do them for the least amount of money.  The most important project on my list has the potential of being around $100 if I don't make it myself.  The positive of buying one is that it will work well and I can actually pull it up and down quickly.  The negative is obviously the price tag.  If I make it the price would be great, but not so sure it would work well.  I'd like to stick with Roman shades, so it limits my options, but here are a few ideas. 

I found this idea at Pickets in Seaside, FL.

It would be very easy to make.  I just have to find the right fabric to complement the Restoration Hardware Silver Sage and the red accents in the living room and kitchen.  Then I would need the right things to hang from the ribbon.  What about some cute, rustic stars?  Or what about old silverware?  That one just might work!  I'll keep thinking.

This is also some inspiration for me.  It's from Pottery Barn a few years ago. 

I absolutely love the colors and how fibrant it is.  I've been searching on ebay for it, but it just can't be found :(

I searched on ebay and overstock as well.  They've got some great prices, but not very many options.  Most are quite plain.  We'll see what I can come up with! 

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas!  MR.P and I are headed to FL again, but this time with his family.  We'll be visiting his grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousin....and so on.  You get the picture.  We are looking forward to seeing them!

Sorry for my absence!

Hey sweet blog friends!

  I am so sorry that I haven't been able to post each day.  Life has gotten a little busy which makes it hard to blog.  Here is a little update of our life.  We decorated our Christmas tree :)  It took us a whole 3 days to actually have the time once December hit to get it put together and decorated.  Life just kept getting in the way.

Before we started decorating we went to starbucks to get our Christmas in a cup.  I like to make everything an experience so this MADE our decorating experience.  It was so fun! 

(MR.P putting the tree together while I just document)

Yes you did read Put Together.  We are actual fans of fake trees because of the money that we save each year!  Ours is pretty tall and full, so we like that.  One day we'll buy real ones, but for now the fake works just fine.  We get the Christmas tree scent from candles...which we also LOVE!!! 

I hung the stockings.  We bought them our first year of marriage from Pottery Barn.  Surprise, surprise, they are ticking stripe :)  Mine has my name monogrammed on and so does MR.P.  I haven't bought any stocking hangers yet, but I think putting nails underneath the mantle works out great for us.  I think it would look a little cluttered if we had anything else. 

This is how tall MR.P is :)

Actually we've lived in apartment every year until now.  We are just excited that our tree can stand tall without touching the ceiling!! 

MR.P and I think this is all our tree needs.  jk...GO DAWGS!!  This ribbon I got from Hobby Lobby our first Christmas.  We'll retire it one year, but until then, I get A LOT of use out of it.  I'll post a few pictures of the entire house decorated later.  Until then,  I am going to try and catch up on everyone's beautiful projects and such!

How to make your work cube more "A-Peeling"!

My work recently moved and in that move came 2 changes for me.  One change was I went from an office to a cube, BUT before where I had an office I had no windows.  So now I have a cube WITH windows!  Definitely helpful when checking the weather before heading to lunch :)  Everyone knows cubes can be a little boring.  They are however, easier to decorate than an office on the cheap.  Here are the little updates I made to mine!

I started out with some burlap looking string...sorry, not sure of the real name.  About a year ago I grabbed it from Target in the $1 section.  This year I have used it a TON!!  I then used some clothes pins and hung a few pictures.  The flowers were actually cut out from an old gift bag.  I put some push pins in the middle of them so they are useful as well as cute!  The folders I bought a while ago from one of my favorite stores, La Ti Da.  Their prices are very fair and have a lot of cute things! 

(Diet Coke is a must @ work!)

Then I had a large black frame with nothing in it.  So I decided to use one of the above folders in it and use it as a "white board".  My sister gave me the cutest stamp with a "P" from PSA Essentials.  I used that on a piece of paper, cut it out and placed it at the top of the folder.  I closed the frame all up and was quite suprised that I liked it! 

(Look how much work I have ;) hahaha)

I decided to do the string + clothes pins + pics on this side of my cube as well.

Lastly, my little sister gave me a Korner Keeper for my work computer.  I have to say, she did a great job picking out all the paper.  It's quite cute!  Makes looking at the computer all day enjoyable!

(Yes I have 2 screens...I am quite important! Ok, actually its just so I can be more efficient at work!)

So there you have it.  My cube.  Hope everyone has a great day!

Merry Christmas!

If you are interested in a Christmas card like this please leave a message on here or email me @ designapeele@gmail.com.  I'd love to help out!

Thanksgiving Break!

Thanksgiving break was such a nice relief.  MR.P and I went to Seaside FL with my entire family.  Growing up we went every summer.  But eventually we got too large and stopped going.  Plus, the more people, the harder it is to coordinate everyone's schedules.  Anyway, Thanksgiving was the perfect time since we all had time off.  MR.P and I left around 6:30 am and got there around 12:30.  It was perfect timing.  We went and ate at the outdoor hamburger/chicken place called Pickles.  We like that place so much we ate there twice!   Then walked around the shops and enjoyed the start of our vacation. 

(Waiting for our food)

Once we got back everyone else started arriving!  Let the fun begin!  We walked down to the beach for a little stroll and some fun!

MR.P, me, my brother-in-law, and my brother

My cute parents

My mom and I.  How stylish is she?  So cute with her little scarf!

Me and 2 of my sisters with baby Lizzie :)

Then the babies playing in the sand!  This was the only day it was warm enough to really enjoy the sand.  That didn't stop those girls though!

We haven't had a family picture taken in years so we decided to get a good one.  We decided Seaside shirts were the way to go.  We helped the Seaside store out A TON that week!!!  So fun to have a picture with everyone!

Then we took family pictures.

The only Pelletiers left at home...great pic guys!

Sister #1 family

Sister #2 family - Gracie didn't feel like smiling!

Sister #3 family

And our oh so lovely Christmas card pic :)  We like to do funny instead of serious!

My parents with all 8 of their granddaughters!  Soo precious!

Sisters

Brothers-in-law

And what would picture time be without a little pantsing!  We have to pick on our brother a little since he's so tall!

So that is our Thanksgiving in a nutshell.  I didn't do any crafts with my nieces so I don't have any pics to share of that.  But I'll leave you with my favorite shot of the week.  I just love it! 

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family and food :)  We sure did!