Merry Christmas!

...just checking in!

Hey friends! I've been totally absent for the past couple of weeks. Sorry! I keep wanting to post but I can't find the strength or focus (or time) to do so!

I just wanted to check in and say hello and Merry Christmas! Life has gotten way hectic lately and since I only like to blog when I want to blog, I'm going to take the rest of December off to focus on family, my house, my etsy shop, and enjoying the last few weeks of 2014! I'll be back in January with LOTS of fun posts and recaps from December - including the reveal of our new floors!

While I'm out, keep up with me here, here, and here! :)

Merry Christmas!

my construction zone of life

Hey y'all!

Sorry for so much silence around here...life has been cray-zay. Well, crazy plus a little bit of boring.

Work is a little nuts, my house is torn apart (literally)...

...and my nights have been taken up working on Etsy, playing (and losing) soccer, and finishing Gilmore Girls. I cried, y'all.

We were hoping to finish our flooring last weekend but we had a few hiccups including Mark's unwelcome stomach bug and an unexpected layer of mortar we had to remove ourselves. That being said, we got SO close! Mark had to travel for work this week (he always leaves town in the middle of a major house project...funny how that works) We have about 50 square feet left to cover and the floor will be done. THEN we will be painting and installing baseboards. I'm almost more excited for this than I was for the floors. I think they are going to update the feel and look of our house SO much! Stay tuned for a recap on that!

But for now, I'll leave you with our progress pictures from last weekend. Have a great one!

if I shopped on black Friday...

I have to admit, I have never gone shopping on what we now call 'black Friday' and I have no plans to EVER brave the stores and join in on this act of failure by the American people. #nooffense

I'm totally more of a cyber Monday type of girl, or a cyber type of girl in general. I'm pretty sure I've done 99% of my Christmas shopping online. As long as shipping is free and you can find a great deal, it's so worth it!

I'm not denying that there aren't great deals out there - there are! Just to prove it to myself, I got a little curious and found some awesome deals at Target for black Friday. We all know how obsessed I am with Target so I must continue my obsession today! Here are my pics if I WERE shopping today, on black Friday:

I have the PERFECT spot for these porch trees...on my porch! Pre-lit and all! And 50% off! That means I could buy two for the price of one! :)

I have this printer and it is a good one for the price! It scans too! Everyone needs a printer...I learned that pretty quickly after getting married! Only $60!

Ok, so I didn't even know a mini-Keurig existed!!! This is so cute! Mark has the one-cup faux Keurig by Mr. Coffee and it's about time for a replacement. Love this one and the price-only $99!

I've been eyeing this cardigan forever. Isn't it so cute?! I don't know what it is about it, but I love it. They have it in black and white too, which is basically my uniform. Hello, only $18! I think it's time I spring for it!

The caption for this is just way too easy....but the fox sweater is super cute! I love it paired with her chambray shirt! It's 50% off!

I have this sweater and was THIS CLOSE to wearing for our fall pictures. It's a great neutral leopard!

40% off for black Friday!

I have this one on my radar too. Target has the best (and cheapest) cardigans! It's 40% off too!

Are you sensing a theme here? I haven't seen this polka dot number in stores but I LOVE it paired with the plaid! They have it in yellow too! And again, 40% off!!!

LOVE this cardigan! Remember what I said about black and white stripes? Uniform. They have it in tan too! This one is only online, but it's 40% off too!!!

I've been converted and I've already converted others...if you're a working girl (or even if you're not) you HAVE to try these pants out! They are ponte which means they are kind of like a thick jersey/legging type of pant. They are fitted like a legging but structured like a pant. They are SO comfortable with a flat front (which I think is flattering) and you can wear them with heels, flats, rolled up with booties, or tucked into riding boots. I LOVE THEM!!! Be sure to order up a size or try them on in store so you understand how they fit. I like mine fitted but not skin-tight. They come in black, navy, and olive green. Get you some!!!

Target is running a special deal and it's offering free standard shipping over the holiday season! Plus, get a red card (debit, duh!) like we did and save 5% on every purchase and get free shipping year round! 

If you'd rather go into the store, avoid the rush and select store pickup so you can just grab your gifts at the front of the store and be on your merry way. :)

Happy Shopping!

*this post contains affiliate links, which means I may profit from some purchases. Thanks for reading!

Thankful

I’m rounding out my blogging week today and gearing up for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I LOVE Thanksgiving, but not because of the food. Honestly, I’m not the biggest fan of turkey or ham or all the fixin’s, but I love this time of year when the air gets crisp (in some areas) and people are highly persuaded to be thankful and happy. I love gathering with family without any pretense of gifts and just enjoying time together, sending up thanks for all of our blessings. In reality, it’s what we should be doing every day!

So before I take a break from work and blogging for the week, I want to be sure I account for all of my blessings and what I’m thankful for. This is going to be a sappy post, but it’s so important to me so I had to share!

I’m thankful for a large, loving family that has always been there for me and supported me and loved me through my ups and downs. I’m thankful for the laughs we have together and the inside jokes and silly quirks we all share. I’m thankful how we come together when one of us needs a support system and how we love each other unconditionally. I’m so thankful that my family has loved Mark without asking any questions from the very beginning and they’ve always treated him like one of ‘us’. In fact, I think they love him more than they love me!

I’m thankful for Mark and the fact that he was brought into my life at the perfect time. I’m thankful that he is the perfect balance in our family and he always provides for me, be it financially, emotionally, and even for lots of laughs. I’m thankful that he’s happy to fulfill my to-do list requests and excitedly dives into DIY projects with me. I’m thankful for his family that loves him SO dearly and that have included me in their close-knit group. I’m thankful that they share their lives with us so openly!

I’m thankful that I have a job, two cars, a beautiful house, three silly pets, and the ability to shop and decorate and cook whenever I’d like. I’m thankful that we can rip out a kitchen or tear up our floors whenever we please because we know we have the means to improve them. I’m thankful that I can share my love and my joy and buy gifts for all of my family members for the upcoming holiday without worrying about putting food on the table the next day.

I’m thankful that I can worship God freely without persecution and share in that joy with other bloggers and women and people around my community and the world.

I'm oh so thankful for my girlfriends for providing laughs, moral support, someone to always vent to, and an escape from the world when things get crazy whether it be a fun dinner out or a girls' trip elsewhere. I'm blessed to have some great friends.

I’m thankful for this beautiful season and the leaves turning colors and the air turning crisp. I’m thankful that we are reminded daily of all of our blessings through our surroundings and the smiles on people’s faces and the laughter that comes from them.

I’m thankful that I have the ability to share my thoughts on this blog freely and to connect with so many wonderful women. I hope that you all count your blessings and remind your families and your friends how important this time of the year is. Put aside the Christmas gifts and trees and plans just for a few more days and be thankful!!!

I hope you all get to spend quality time with family and friends tomorrow and enjoy every moment. Happy Thanksgiving!

the great debate

Hi friends!

I am just about halfway through my work week. Like I said yesterday, aren’t short weeks the best!?!

My favorite holiday is quickly approaching so be sure to check back here tomorrow for my last post for this week and my thoughts on Thanksgiving.

We have plans to spend a cozy evening with Mark’s parents, sister, and family on Thursday night. Their Thanksgiving meal never disappoints. Friday morning we will be up bright and early with a cleared out living room, entry, and kitchen all prepped for demolition!

I’ve mentioned it a few times already, but we recently decided to replace our flooring in about half of the house. Our house was built in 1960 and has been renovated (poorly) a few times already. We’ve already taken a sledgehammer to the kitchen, but this time we are ripping out floor tile in our entry and kitchen/breakfast room area as well as taking up the carpet in our living room. We have decided to go with a wood laminate flooring over hardwood for many reasons:

-ease of install

-wear and tear that comes from dog claws, to be specific

-rate of return in our specific neighborhood

-cost of product in relation to the possibility of future rental

We aren’t prepared to tackle this project completely by ourselves so we opted to hire out for the demolition (the hard part) and we will be installing the flooring ourselves (the easy part-we hope). I am personally hoping to be done by the end of the weekend, but it’s going to be  a lot of hard work!

We also plan to replace all of the base trim in the house, but we will start with the areas that are getting the new flooring and pace ourselves from that point. We are going to do something tall and simple, something a little craftsman-like similar to this (but maybe not that tall):

...and similar to what we had in our apartment:

SO that’s what we will be up to this weekend!

Anyway, with new floors come new rugs, am I right? I have rugs under my kitchen table and living room furniture right now to simply define the space, but I think we will need them for sound control and slippery floors after we make the flooring switch.

Here's the house as of this summer when I did my one year recap:

living room looking into breakfast room

living room looking into entry

kitchen and breakfast room

I’m really liking the idea of a jute rug and also the cowhide rug, but I need your help! Should I replace both the kitchen rug as well as the living room rug? I’ve done my research and here is what I’ve come up with:

my case for a cow hide rug

I love a cow hide rug. It would add a little bit of an eclectic vibe (which I love) and also a tiny nod to Texas, all in our little bitty living room! I think I would definitely choose to use this in the living room instead of the kitchen. 

I've seen these on craigslist and Ikea for the best prices...any other tips on where to score a nice one? Maybe Overstock?

my case for a jute rug

I also realllllly like the jute rug. I think this would be a nice contrast against our floors and sofa in the living room, but I could also see it in the kitchen.

my case for a layered look

Or what about a layered look?  I see this everywhere-it’s obviously quite a trend!

What are your thoughts? Should I spring for it and do both rugs or should I pace myself and just do one for now? Thanks in advance!