Homegoods find

Any trip to Louisville or Nashville requires a stop at Homegoods.  It is by far my favorite place to shop.  You never know what you will find!  Not that I was really in the market for anything, but I had some Christmas moolah burning a hole in my pocket.  I found just the right thing for just the right price and after a few texts and pics sent to the husband in Iowa (deer hunting, of course), it was loaded in the back of the SUV.  

When I returned home, I found the latest issue of the Arhaus catalogue in my mailbox, so I got a little inspiration and here you have it!

One of my favorite Christmas presents from my wonderful sister!

Seashells from our first family trip to the beach.

A shell one of my children found and more books.

Old books I've picked up through the years.

All Alone

I hate clutter.  I mean I am constantly cleaning out and organizing everything in sight.  I noticed the clutter a lot less when we were in our old house, but when you lose the square footage equivalent to a small house, you just have to have some clutter.  The other thing is, as much as I hate clutter, I love to be surrounded by things that I love.  My husband often laughs at me as I walk from one end of the house to another carrying a picture frame trying to find the perfect spot.  
So, when I find myself with some alone time, I spend it cleaning the house (and moving things around).   For the last four years, Daryl has gone on a hunting trip right after Christmas.  It's a good time for the kids to visit the grandparents and me to clean and move picture frames.  : - )  As a sat down for a minute to take in the view of my newly cleaned floors, I noticed some "clutter".  It was the refrigerator door.  There are so many things on the door you can't tell if it's stainless steel or avocado green.  A picture of Briley that hung on the Leader in Me bulletin board at her school, Brady's certificate for being named Leader of the Month, Briley's reindeer she made for her Dad, Brady's letter to Santa, the chore chart, and many other masterpieces and momentos.  Just as I was about to clean it all off, I realized, there will come a day when I don't have these precious pieces to display.  They are a sweet reminder of the beautiful gifts I have been given.  I think they shall stay a bit longer.  

Getting there. . .

We're finally getting there!  I love the touches of Christmas sprinkled around the house.  I left most of my Christmas decorations in storage since we just don't have room for them.  The little pencil tree used to be in Brady's room but fit nicely with the decor in the living room.

I love the glass pine cone ornament.  I found it at Wildflower Gifts at Lost River Cave.

This is the top of the TV cabinet.  The hubs had a box full of sheds and I decided to do a little decorating with them.  The family picture in the background is our first and only.  We had them done last year at Limestone Lake.

 The living room still needs some work, and obviously some things added to the wall.  I haven't hung ANY pictures.  I really think I need to live in the space for awhile before I start adding too many nail holes.

 The kitchen island from World Market is one of my favorite purchases.  It was affordable, the right style and provided room for storage and display.

 Another great purchase from World Market is my kitchen table and the two slipcovered chairs.  The light, as you can see, is still waiting it's new placement above the kitchen table.

Merry Christmas!!

Buddy

Buddy hangs here!

Not long ago, Buddy the Elf made his return.  I gotta say, my kids aren't really threatened by Buddy reporting back to Santa.  It does, however, motivate them to get out of the bed in the morning.

Buddy doesn't do anything fancy.  He's not really creative and not really mischievous.  He basically does what he's suppose to do and moves from shelf to shelf, occasionally staying in the same location for more than one day.

However, I had noticed on Pinterest and Facebook that some Mommies were really taking it to the next level.  At first I just laughed it off, knowing it wasn't something I had the time for.  When do they do this anyway?  I'm sometimes in bed before my kids are!  Then, I happened to see this article about the very same thing I was noticing.  It is too funny!

Overachieving Elf On The Shelf Mommies