Blondie 'N' SC

ChristmasTime~

I honestly can't believe it is already time for Christmas. I was sitting on my couch on Sunday night and looked out my front windows to see the familiar red christmas lights our neighbors adorn their house with every year, and I said to the pool man, doesn't it feel like it was just Christmas? And he nodded his head as he usually does, as he is not one for many words.

And as I sat there watching my 4.5 year old zoom cars across my completely dung up coffee table, and watched my 8 month old with his newly sprouted two front teeth pull himself up on the edge of the table to see what his favorite big brother was doing...I felt like life was passing by way too quick, and I reminded myself to slow down...to take in the moments of each day, and stop for just one second and look at my surroundings and thank God as my blessing abound...especially for the blessings we have accumulated in the last year!

I was asked by my friend Jennifer Rizzo to be a part of a "Housewalk" she is doing during the month of December, and let me tell you, she has a wonderful, actually amazing line up of homes to share.  I actually don't know why she asked little ole me...but for some reason, I said "yes"...darn it... why did I say yes?

I don't go all out for the holidays, I never really have. I don't like to spend a lot of money on Christmas decorations. I have one, yes one measly little ole box of Decor...and each year I vow to only buy a couple new things...& donate things that i have grown tired of.

Therefore in hopes to have a decorated house on a budget, I have scoured websites & my favorite blogs to see what I can do with natural elements such as flowers, herbs and branches. I have tried to find inspiration in the simplicity of christmas decor such as burlap bows, old trucks, vintage bottle brush trees, old string lights we have had for years that make our tree sparkle...decorations that still make a statement but don't break the bank so to speak.

I guess you could say I have been trying to pull it all together on a measly little budget...hoping I can fake it to make it!

Yeehaw!

We have a dinner party at our house on Saturday, which has given me the much needed motivation to get things decorated and wrapped. Although this post just reminded me that we need to get a Chrismas tree asap!

 I will snap a bunch of photos and be back to join in on Jen's amazing "Housewalk"!  Ekkk, just saying that makes me a little anxious...ok, a whole lot anxious, but I am up for the challenge!

Did I also mention I have to cook a turkey on Saturday!

What?

Let me repeat that, I have to cook a turkey on Saturday...

{eek, just saying that makes me anxious....jittery to be exact!}

Me cook a turkey....?

I really need to stop saying "yes" to things....seriously!

{is anyone else thinking that those wood stocking are too close to the fire??}

Here is hoping you take a moment to look and around and thank God for your blessings this Christmas season!

Be back soon...unless I have burned the house down cooking a turkey...ahhh, I kid, I kid....

{she says with her fingers crossed!}

Muwahhh~

{photos 1-2, photos 4-8}

 p.s. The day after Thanksgiving, we found out that we get to keep our house!!!  After a few months of being on pins and needles and doing a whole lot of work, we can finally inhale deeply and rest assured that our house will be ours for a little while longer...a HUGE blessing...and it couldn't have come at a better time for our little family! {she sighs}

p.s.s. Our littlest slept through the night last night for the first time in a loooonnnggg time!

A HUGE blessing~

I feel like a new woman! Amazing what a full nights sleep can do~

Black Vintage~

Happy Friday lovelies

What a crazy busy week and to think next week is Thanksgiving, how in the heck did that happen?

I have to remind the pool man weekly of his duties and our schedule because for some reason he doesn't think it really matters, and well that leaves me worrying he will forget to pick up our punk from preschool or my babies will be parked out on the curb in front of daycare because he was too busy and forgot to pick them up before 5 o'clock. Thankfully it hasn't happened yet!

I had to remind him yesterday that next week is Thanksgiving...and that got me to thinking about Christmas and how I have not given too much thought about decorating or buying gifts...honestly the thought overwhelms me a tad & makes me anxious.

With all of that, I got sidetracked this morning as my mind usually does and I started to think about decorating. You see my brain usually goes to decorating when it feels overwhelmed or anxious or threatened or tired or sad. I think it is a coping mechanism I acquired some time ago, and honestly it works, you should try it.

On to decorating we go, which brings me to the subject of "black vintage"...at times i am completely smitten with whites, creams, aquas and pinks or what some might equate to as "white vintage".

Items like this:

{love vintage finds}

{love vintage finds}

{love vintage finds}

{love vintage finds}

My heart pitter patters at photos like these:

 

 

{vintage decor}

 Items and decorating that give my house a light and airy feel, a little texture, a little feminie elegance and whole lot of character....

but, and you knew there was a butt, I mean but coming, right?

Then I come across photos like these:

{Country Living}

Still light and airy but each photos has a piece of black furniture that grounds the room, makes a statement and pops!

And, when I am bored at my desk at work, shhh don't tell my boss...I hunt through Etsy and find myself attracted to items like these:

 

{Ruedeslouves}

{sassydogs}

{englishtransferware}

{redhenstudio}

{enhabiten}

Each one just as wonderful as the next...

So I am confused, which happens often...am I pretty and feminine or more black vintage?

Can I love it all the same?

Can I decorate with both, or am I breaking some decorating rule?

{ya know i don't follow rules well at all....just not in my nature...}

I'd like to think I can have the best of both worlds, that there is a grey {and yes it is spelled grey, not gray... she snickers} area where I can have a wonderful black typewriter sitting next to a pair of pretty pink pointe shoes...



{artbyafton}

What do you think?

Are you pretty and feminine, light and airy {white vintage} or do you fall more towards "black vintage" or....

are you the Best of both worlds?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, I need to run...I have to remind the pool man of something I am sure!

Ta Ta!

 p.s. have you seen these...a d o r a b l e!

p.s.s. Can you believe that "etsy" has still not been incorporated in the dictionary?

Tragic really.... 

oh and my signature is having an off day today....doesn't feel like being centered but more to the left....obviously it doesn't feel like following the rules either! Sheesh~

A Labor of Love Farm Wedding~

A few months ago, a sweet girl contacted me via e-mail asking me where I got my "welcome" banner that adorns the entry way of my home as she wanted to use one for her upcoming wedding...

I sent her the information and she promised me she would send me photos of her wedding. A few days ago she made good on her word, and sent me a link to her wedding photos.

As I clicked over to the link I was completely blown away at the amount of love and personal touches that went into this amazing wedding that was held on the family farm she grew up on in Canada.

Hollis, the beautiful bride describes her wedding as a true labor of love...as her family farm was transformed into a gorgeous venue by her family and friends filled with vintage and personal touches. Her wedding was everything she had envisioned and more since she was a little girl...

I asked her permission to posts photos of her special day here so all of you could feel like you were part of the magic of that day...that is exactly how I felt after looking at these photos and seeing all the hands that made this such an incredible day in her life...

{her Grandmother made 10 wedding cakes all by hand for the ceremony}

{Hollis made her own bouquet out of vintage brooches}

{ how sweet are these photos! }

{I love the brown boots with the beautiful creme & lace dresses}

From her own words, "I would say almost the entire wedding was DIY! The projects covered all aspects of the wedding. We sewed bunting, painted signs, made our own cakes, designed our ceremony site in the woods, renovated our barn, my mom created the bar out of an ash tree, handmade bistro tables, my mother in law made the flower girl dresses, scrap booked our place cards, designed maps, we made a vintage brooch bouquet, made our own favours, wrote our own vows and grew the produce that was served at our meal. And beyond that we collected antique dishes from thrift stores, auctions, antique stores and flea markets and used vintage pop bottle as vases for our centerpieces."

{simply gorgeous...}

Isn't she just darling!!

You can see more of her wedding here & here~ along with a sweet video of her day & a list of resources!

Thank you Hollis for letting us sneak a peek at your wedding day...truly one of the most thoughtful and romantic weddings I have seen in a very long time.

I wish you and your hubby lots of happiness and love!

 {all of these amazing photos are from Made you Look Photography- & used with permission}

Audrey~

Lookey there Monday came and went and here I am sitting at my computer late at night uploading pictures of a mannequin {I promised last week}, I named Audrey and thinking yo myself she would be much prettier with a vintage horse ribbon tied to her waist...

It's a wonder the pool man thinks I am off my rocker half the time...he just might be right!

Thankfully I have you girls  that understand my obsessions and late night posts!

I would like to introduce you to "Audrey"...our newest member if you will to the family....

I scouted her out on Ebay, and ended up buying her directly from an older lady that had stored her so nicely just for me {or at least that is what I tell myself}. I have wanted a true "Wolf" dress form for some time, but couldn't afford the large price tag most Wolf Dress forms come with.

 After Searching for some time, I got "Audrey" for an amazing deal...and I hope some day, she can be part of my other "d r e a m"...

Having a little space of my own to sell vintage treasures and what nots!

Audrey is hoping my dream comes true as well, so she can be prettied up in a rustic space surrounded by ruffles, chippy paint and found vintage treasures.

But, for now I think she is pretty just the way she is!

 

As for Lucey, she is staying put in my bedroom! {she grins}

Hope you are having a fabulous week, it finally cooled off here and I was able to pull out my scarves and boots!

Ta Ta!

 p.s. I am so proud of this girl for following her dreams, she went and did what most of us only dream about!

 

Rain~

It is raining here today in Southern California, and for some reason when I hear the pitter patter of the rain as it hits my windshield while I drive down the highway for work, I am reminded to slow down. Lately, my world has been in fast forward, me striving to attain my goals, working to the bone to support my family as much as I can in these hopefully last few months of work.

When I told the pool man of my desire to be at home full time, he was not in support of my decision at first. Not that he didn't want me to be home raising my babies, but I think the fear set in of what about money, and benefits and our routine that we have lived with for over 4 years. What about all of that? I didn't think he was really afraid of change but I think deep down, he is a creature of habit and longs for the familiar. However, he sees my desires and knows my dreams, and supports me 100% now. Will it be a cake walk? Absolutely not...we will have to learn some new, news. I will have to learn to trust someone else 100% with our financial stability, something I haven't had to do in the past. I have always been self sufficient and knew I would be able to take care of my babies if God forbid something happened to the pool man. But I can't live in that fear...it can be paralyzing if you let it. So I am taking his hand, and together we are going to do this, and together we are going to succeed.

With that in mind, I have had to do a lot of planning in the last couple months. Quitting a full time career is not something I take lightly. This has been my life for almost 12 years, so waking up and walking into my bosses office and stating that today is my last day, well that is just not in my makeup {althougth it would be pretty liberating}. I, however wasn't raised that way. So in the last couple months, I have reviewed our finances, looked at where we can make cuts in our daily living, and where we just can't. When I do finally take the plunge, we will be down to basically one salary, and that in itself can be pretty scary when you are used to two incomes.

One of our biggest obstacles has been health insurance. Right now I provide the health insurance for my whole family. To pay out of pocket for health insurance {especially since my son carries a label of Epilepsy} can be very costly per month, and honestly, we just couldn't stomach the cost when we reviewed our finances. I didn't want to be defeated that easily or see my dream fade that quickly so I pursued {and obtained} a part time job. Working 20 hours a week, where I will be able to obtain health benefits {after 3 months of employment} that won't break the bank. For the last 4 weeks, I have been working two jobs, breaking my back to get into a place I felt comfortable, and knew would work for me and my family. Working over 70 hours a week has given me a bigger appreciation of so many things. Most importantly my family. I will be working two jobs until about the end of January {maybe February}.  

Then once I am done with my day time job, I will work three shifts, two nights and one weekend.

The last obstacle we have is our home. About 2 months ago I was set on selling our house. I thought it was the right decision, and it still could be, but I took the plunge and am in the long process of trying to get our home loan either refinanced or modified. I have spent countless hours worrying about where we are going to live, & if we can afford our home when I am done with my day job. Wondering if busting our butts to live where we do is really worth it. I thought I was ready to sell, I thought I was ready to move on, but when I told my oldest punk the possibility of moving, I could see the disappointment welling up in his eyes, as he started to cry he said to me,  "but, momma what about my friends?"....and "momma, will I still get to see my grandma?" My heart broke in a million pieces. To a 4 year old this is "his" home. This house is all he knows. And believe me when I say, I know a home is where ever your family is, home is where your heart is, but this momma is doing what she can to save the only place my son has known as home, because let's face it....we all feel embraced by our house and where we live.

However, if at the end of the day it just makes more sense to move, and that is our only option we will make the best of it...and embrace our new surroundings.

I knew this was going to be a long post, and I have been reluctant to write it all out. I prayed last night, as I crawled into bed at 10:30 wide awake from a night of work, I prayed that I was making the right decision for my family. I prayed for stillness and excitement in new possibilities. I prayed that my children would understand that in the end what their momma is doing right now stems from the love they pour onto me daily.... love that I want to bath in...love I want to seep deep into the creases of my heart...love that is unconditional, and ever lasting. And I prayed, that after this whirl wind of activities and worry comes to an end, I can cool my heels, take a deep breath and be completely still in the abundant love of my family.

As for today, I will be still in the sounds of the rain...and as I drive to my second job tonight, I will remind myself that tomorrow, when I have whole day with my babies, I need to slow down. I will remind myself that laundry, sheet changing and toilet cleaning can wait, there is always another day for those chores...

Tomorrow, I will pull my camera out and take photos of my littlest crawling across our wood floor littered with dog hair. I will make messes with my son as we pull all his toys out of the toy closet. I will grab the pool man's hand as we sit in front of the tumbling ocean eating our bagels in the morning, while the dog sits in the back of our car happy he could be along for the ride.

Tomorrow I will sit in the still of knowing I am on a journey of really, completely and truly loving the life I live and following what my heart knows is right and true.

Peace and love to you on this rainy day...

 p.s. This story moved me to tears.

p.s.s. In the hussle of life, I of course managed to bring a new friend home...she already had her photos session, and now I just have to find the time to introduce her to you, hopefully on Monday!

{all photos from Alicia Bock}