Christmas On Willie Mae Lane

Can you believe November is over and December is here? This year has flown by! 

Looks like my Sadie Lou is saying goodbye doesn't it. She is actually looking forlornly out at her pop (the hubby) and wishing she was outside with him. She is pop's girl.

And silly Rooster couldn't figure out why he couldn't get to this kitty on the TV. I was listening to music on Hallmark several days ago. They had this yule log programming on which was just music with cats and dogs wondering on and off screen. He was so confused by it and so cute trying to look behind the TV and smell it like it was real.

Last weekend I had fun decorating the house for Christmas. I kept it pretty simple again this year. I was proud of myself for going through all my Christmas stuff and getting rid of several items, including my artificial tree. I'll share what I did with you now.

In the kitchen, I used a variety of objects I had on hand. I didn't purchase anything except a real tree this year.

I think the shelves turned out super cute. 

The windowsill had a little decor added as well. 

I kept things very simple in the kitchen. I am really enjoying it. 

This is a living room vignette.

And another one. All I added was the plaid runner and the ornaments. I recently repainted my mirror from coral to copper and I love it!

The coffee table got a runner and a cute red lantern. I love the cute pillow I got for free at Target. They were $5 in the dollar spot but I had a coupon for $5 off $10 or more, so I bought a couple of things I needed and got the pillow for free!

The clipboard got a new print for the season.

This table has a few Christmas books, some fresh cedar, and a tiny lantern.

My little area is cozy with my plaid blanket scarf draped over the back. Excuse the laptop cord.

The dining room chalkboard got a new saying. Beneath it is where my little coffee cart will be housed when we finish it. We're still waiting for the pipe to come in.

The top of the china cabinet is where my snow teacher and students reside.

The table houses a copper painted tray filled with my Christmas Carol book collection and bowl. Some balls and fresh cedar finish it off. This will change throughout the season.

I love this adorable little snow family tea light holder. I've had it for years. It was a gift from a Secret Santa at school 7 or 8 years ago.

The rest of my snowman collection is scattered around the bookcase.

I placed a few deer themed items on this rustic charger and sat it on the plant stand in the hall.

My nativity collection is on the buffet. I love this area.

I especially love this little one Miranda picked up for me in Bratislava, Slovakia before I visited her in Prague last year.

I used a set of copper wire twinkle lights from my bedroom around the picture. It is so pretty at night.

On Monday evening, Joey and I went to Home Depot and purchased a real tree. I love it!

I finally got it decorated Thursday. I had a busy week and was gone both Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, but Thursday I came home from school early because I wasn't feeling well and later that evening, I decided to decorate the tree. It turned out really pretty. I love all the memories hanging on the tree....things the kids made when they were little, ornaments I bought for them when they were growing up, ornaments from vacations and special events, some from the ornament exchanges I hosted, a few from my childhood, and so on. So many wonderful memories.

While we're on the subject of Christmas, check out the adorable Rudolph drawings my kinders completed with me earlier this week. SO stinkin' cute. Directed drawings are one of my favorite things to do with them. They are all similar but each one is unique. LOVE! They were so excited about the red glitter noses too!

And one last thing for today. Have you ever heard of Pentatonix? I discovered them a couple years ago and they are an amazing A cappella group. If you like A cappella and Christmas music, order their CD! Little Drummer Boy is my absolute favorite! I have listened to it several times already this year!

Here's the YouTube video...you have to listen. I promise it's worth the few minutes it takes. 

And speaking of music...guess who we are going to see again this year? Yep...Trans Siberian Orchestra. Miranda and Slade are going with us this year. I am so excited! This is hopefully going to be an annual tradition for Joey and I. And I know Miranda and Slade are going to love it as well! I can hardly wait! 

I am so happy you stopped by to visit. I am really trying to get back to posting and visiting more often. I am always so thrilled to hear for all of you and think about you often. If you have an Instagram, come follow me. Just click on the link on the right in the side bar. I would love to follow you and keep up with you there! 

Until next time.....

 

 

A Bookshelf is Not Just for Books!

Hello friends. I decided to squeeze in time for a post this evening...even though I really should be working on things for school. I need this though...it's a release for me to type up a post and share my life. Remember when I shared my new built in bookcase? I believe it was in that post that I mentioned sharing close-up photos of each shelf. So, here I am on this lovely evening to do just that.

Forgive the poor quality photos...it was night time when I took these and it is hard to get a good angle of some shelves due to the new chandelier hanging in there.  Some of the shelves hold more than others, but I love them all. They hold some special memories. 

These are the upper right hand side shelves. The top one holds some children's books that belonged to my kids when they were little. My bronzed baby booties sit on top of a stack of Disney classics. The second shelf holds many novels as well as a photo of my family at my daughter's graduation from Florida State University a couple of years ago. The flag frame holds a photo of Dakota and I on his 5th grade Safety Patrol trip to Washington DC. A replica of the Washington Monument bought on that trip stands beside it.

The third and fourth shelf on the right side hold a variety of things. The top one in the photo below holds more novels, a piece of stone purchased at the Smithsonian Museum in DC, a pewter horse head bookend, a jar filled with stones collected on my trip to Utah several years ago. My mom and dad bought the stone vase and red rock arch back to me from one of their trips out west. The leaf is one my Aunt Loretta brought back from Europe. This little vignette is done around my western books.  The shelf below holds my armillary and a pewter family tree with small frames filled with pictures of my kids. It also holds my favorite authors...Charles Martin and Nicholas Sparks!

The bottom shelf holds even more children's books and Dakota's bronzed baby booties...:)

This is the middle, bottom shelf. It holds a vintage globe, a jar of marbles, my Galileo thermometer, and a vintage ink well.

The two shelves above it hold my classics, and my Christian books. My alabaster doves sit on top of my classics. A framed photo of my Granny Willie Mae and Grandpa sit on the same shelf. My husband's grandpa's watch is encased beneath a dome and a glass apple with NYC inside sits beside a picture of Miranda and I on our trip to NYC when she was younger. We went with her Girl Scout troop...such fun! The little wooden box has leaves hand-painted on it by Miranda when she was little. 

Above that one is my angel, and a large plate with my favorite scripture on it. Miranda bought this for my office the year I took on the role of guidance counselor at my school.

More kid's books and my galvanized orb on the top, left shelf. My little gold leafy tree sits atop a stack of books. The cube with the 4 and 5 on it is new...just bought it at Tuesday Morning over the weekend.

The next two hold a frame with baby photos of the hubby and I, lots more books, and my A to Z bookends that my parents bought me when I graduated college. Love them! A garnet and gold jeweled frame holds a picture of my daughter sitting on lawn at FSU.

And here is the same daughter as a pudgy 3-month old baby wearing the same booties that are bronzed. So sweet. 

Well, that's the tour. I'm sure a few little things will change with the seasons. I look forward to decorating them for the upcoming holidays as well. Prayers for a safe and beautiful end of the week my friends. 

Until next time.....

Mobile Home Makeover: Built In Bookshelf Edition

Hello and happy Wednesday! I am so excited to be sharing the project the hubby and I have been working on for the past week or so. I have long been wanting (and needing) a large bookcase to house all my books.

I love to read and I love to collect books. I saw a bookcase similar to the one we built on The Thrifty Decor Chick's blog a while back and knew I had to have one similar to it. So....let me show you mine.

Drum roll please.......

We built this on one of our dining room walls. Originally I have planned to use one end of my dining room sectioned off for a library, but after we removed everything from the room and opened it up, I decided to include the library in the dining room. I googled library dining rooms and found some gorgeous inspiration pictures, so I knew I wasn't the only one to decide to combine these two rooms. 

My unit is a little over 8 feet tall and 9 feet wide. I may someday give a tutorial on how we built it, but for now I will just say that we started with three upper kitchen cabinets to use as the base and built up from there. We installed lighting in the top which is so pretty when turned on. 

I have three 36" sections. The first and third sections have approximately 12" shelves, and the middle section has two 12" sections and two taller...around 19" sections to house bigger things. 

I am truly in love with this piece. I literally had tears in my eyes thanking my hubby for making my dream come true. He worked so hard on this project. He has worked hard on everything we have done so far. He works outdoors in the Florida heat and humidity every day and then comes home and puts in another 4-5 hours each evening in the house. I am so blessed!

Some day I will take some close ups and share the items on the shelves. They are full of memories and a few things just for fun. I love style and design, but I am a sucker for sentimental things and I hope my home reflects my love for both when I am finished. I think so far it does. 

I love the handles I ordered from Overstock. I have ordered many things from them over the past few weeks and am very satisfied with the deals and service I have gotten. These handles are so pretty...they remind me of fancy old silverware. Best thing is they came in a set of 10, so I have four left to do something fun with!

I also love the lighting we chose. All the hardware and curtain rods, door knobs,  lighting, etc, are nickel finish. I got a great deal on these at Lowe's. The folks at Lowe's should know us by first name...lol!

My camera doesn't take the best pictures, but here it is one turned on.

Another feature of my bookcase that I love is the cabinets at the bottom. They are a blessing! I had very little storage before, but now, I have room for all my junk dishes, glasses,  and serving pieces.

I have caught myself just standing and staring at my new bookcase more than once. It just makes me smile knowing the love with which it was built and that it is filled with so many memories. It is perfection to me...from the aqua blue wall, to the white painted shelves, the dark walnut stained shelf on top of the cabinets and the trim on front to frame it out,  the cabinets, the hardware,  & the lighting. Perfection! 

And....I can just see it at Christmas....:)

So, what do you think of my new built in bookcase? 

I hope you are having a lovely week my friends. I'll be back to share more soon. We are getting things done, but I won't do full room reveals until we finish the trim and that is very time consuming. It is all coming together though, so keep checking in!

I'm partying at the following blogs.....

French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday

Redoux Interiors for The Handmade Hangout

Kathe for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday

Marty for Inspire Me Tuesday

Until next time.....