A "SPRINKLE" Shower

Today, we celebrated Courtney and the upcoming arrival of baby Grant.  We had a small group in a cozy, eclectic setting at Spoons Cafe in Historic Downtown McKinney.  Am I the only one that didn't know that showers after the first baby are called "sprinkle" showers? Hmmm...

Grant will be here in about 2 weeks!!!  We can't wait to meet him.  Big sisters Hannah and Lauren are going to be so excited to have a little brother around.  We love you, Court!

A Baby BOY Shower

This past Sunday, we celebrated Jenny and the upcoming arrival of her first baby, Miller.  It was a really sweet party for a very dear friend.  My parents (so generously) opened up their home and the precious hostesses worked together to pull off one very special party.  A BIG "thank you" to everyone involved!

Her nursery is blue and orange, so we decided to keep that color theme going for the shower.  With this as the inspiration, here's what we came up with:

 

 The indoor pictures are pretty dark.  I'm slowly learning more and more about my camera and thanks to Kassie (another party hostess and photographer) I learned a few new tricks for my next party!  She also recommended a different lens (that I'd like for Christmas...Scott, mom, dad...anyone?!?).  Check out her website...she's incredibly talented.

We love you, Jenny, and can't wait to meet that little guy!!!

Say "CHEESE"

I really enjoy taking pictures (you may have noticed).  Yes, legit photography is one of the many things I long to do when I grow up.  I have a LOT to learn.  Thankfully, I have dear friends with precious little "subjects" so that I can practice.  My good friend and co-worker, Melissa, allowed me to do just that with her adorable daughter last week.  I give you: AMELIA.  Could she be any cuter?  I think not.  Here are just a few of my favorites...

We spent 2 hours chasing after this sweet girl.  She was TOTALLY in control of every move we made...it was, well...HILARIOUS.  I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  A big THANK YOU to Amber and Addy for the extra hands, energy, props (HA!) and for opening your home.  It was quite an afternoon.  Let's do it again sometime...SOON!

~Caroline~

MOSTLY Decked Halls

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!!!  After the Fall Decorating Procrastination Debacle of 2011, I decided that Christmas was happening and it was happening FAST...all before December 1st, that is.  And here we are...and I'm almost finished (promise).  

Traditionally, there are 3 parts of the holiday decor that always seem to test my patience: the hutch, the tree and the mantel.  This year proved to be no different though I'm pretty happy with how they all turned out.  Each year, I take pictures in an attempt to make the following year's decorations a piece of cake.  Successful?  Meh.

This year's hutch looks very similar to last year's with the exception of the banner (purchased on Etsy).  Gosh, I love Etsy.

Each year we put up 2 trees: the "fancy" tree (artificial...much to Scott's dismay) and the "eclectic/memory" tree (the REAL deal...but usually a noble fir from Lowe's...don't know if that counts?)  

As I unpacked the "fancy" tree ornaments, I couldn't believe that I had used these in the past.  What was I thinking?  Yuck.  So, I challenged myself to redecorate the ENTIRE tree without spending a dime.  GREAT SUCCESS!!!  I cut extra burlap (left over from the headboard project) into strips and intertwined them throughout.  I added grapevine garland (left over from a shower),  I threw in my spring hydrangeas, found a few crosses around the house and some gold twig stars that I purchased after Christmas last year.  Then I placed a few of the non-condemned ornaments from last year's tree on to finish it off.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, really.  The only thing I may add are some mod podge ornaments...like these.  Oh, and a burlap tree skirt...and by tree skirt, I mean $4.99/yard burlap that I'm wrapping around the bottom of the tree.  We'll soon see if that will work or not.  What I REALLY wanted was this...maybe next year.

Yeah, I don't have too much to say about the mantel.  I kept it super simple this year...I may add a little if I get bored before Christmas, we'll see.

Here's part of our growing collection of  nutcrackers.  Scott loves these things and I've grown to love them over the years.  We buy at least 2 new ones each holiday season.  Basically, our home will be over-run by nutcrackers someday...creepy.

And here's a view from the front...only in Texas do you have sweet potato vine thriving in December!!!  My sweet husband had these lights up the day after Thanksgiving.   Thanks, babe! 

There's a lot more HOLIDAYness to be seen around the house...but it's all still a work-in-progress.  Hopefully I'll get it done soon.  If there's anything fabulous, I'll be sure to share.  Until then, enjoy decking your halls and a happy December to you!

~Caroline~