Christmas Contentment

Merry Christmas!!

My parents are here, and it's so nice.  Though, like Josh said, when you don't come down and start opening presents, it doesn't "feel" like C-mas.  Monday will be our "C-mas" with Elijah here to open his, but the adults opted not to do C-mas this year.  Mom & Dad paid for plane tickets to get out here and that's a C-mas treat for me!  And we just bought a house, and Lindsey & Steven have only been in theirs less than a year (plus plane tickets to visit his family aren't cheap), so it's a kids C-mas.

So today I strapped on my new Vibram shoes and headed out for my first "barefoot" run with my dad.  I walked at least half of it and jogged very slowly to stick with daddy (and he even jogged some!), but it was a good first go.  The soles of my feet are sore in a different way than regular shoe runs b/c they had to work a little more, responding to what was under them.  And one of the shoes has a little spot that caused a minor blister, so that'll need to be addressed.  But otherwise, I like them.  My feet were surprisingly not too cold once I got running and the blood got pumping, even though the temps were in the 30's.

Anyway, I'll snap some pictures of the C-mas decorations, my new shoes, and our C-mas celebrations on Monday, then I'll post again with a few shots of everything.  I hope that your C-mas has been filled with peace and love.  Happy New Year! :o)

Whirlwind of Wonderful

I love the holiday season.  I love that people take it as an excuse to get together.  I'm so excited about my upcoming month.  Here's how it's going to play out, with additions along the way as new invitations roll in.
12/9 - Watching baby E for 7 hrs.  Say a prayer for us; she's not taking bottles well yet.
12/10 - Breakfast with Mindy.  Pizza with M&M, then Scrooge too.
12/11 - Matinee date with hubster to Voyage of the Dawn Treader
12/13 - Hanging out with Lindsey & Elijah
12/15 - Hearts Like Hannah's at church - nervous b/c it's my first time; I hate strangers.
12/17 - Dinner and Secret Santa with the ladies from the CDC.
12/23 - Another full day with baby E
12/24 - My parents fly in for a week
12/27 - C-mas dinner with parents and Lindsey & fam.
1/8 - I fly out for a week in Jax with my beloved Palmieri's.

Now doesn't that sound like a good month to you?  Lots of fellowship with friends and family, and even branching out to make new friends too. 

Oh, and brownie points for Josh - he got me a Kindle for C-mas!  Now I just have to get a cover so I'm not afraid of using it!! :-D  I have the best hubs!

The "Finished" Product

I think anyone who's a homeowner knows that when you buy a house, there's always another project on your list.  I did a video walkthrough around the time we had our housewarming, but it refuses to post here.  I've tried posting pictures and they've been a pain.  That frustration is a big reason why this post is two months overdue, but I'm going to give it one more try before I move on and post about other things in life.



The cupcakes I made for the housewarming; they were FUN!

The party spread: CFA nuggets, cupcakes, and punch.

The computer desk; you can see we've gone with an asian theme in the living/dining area again.

The view of the living room from the kitchen/dining.  This open floorplan was critical when we were house shopping.

One side of the kitchen; I LOVE the counter space!  To the left of the fridge is the laundry closet.

The other side of the kitchen opens to the dining/living, so convenient.

We hung pictures along the stairs and put my bottle collection up b/c we couldn't find a better place for it or anything else to go in that space. :)



African safari guest room just waiting for our first guests to visit.  Can't wait to see mom & dad at C-mas! :-D



Our headboard is a room divider screen put to a more practical use.



The guest bath.  We have towel hooks hung up now and everything.



Our finished master with pictures and everything.

We finally broke into the wardrobe and can use it for clothes, so it's now Josh's closet.  I get the whole walk-in to myself :)

And the master bath with whimsical whales and the same paint as the bedroom.

Rest in Peace

On Saturday, Melissa and I painted the master bedroom. Josh and I had picked out a new comforter set to replace the old one we had. Then I grabbed a bunch of paint strips and Josh chose the darkest choice for the wall color. I think everyone was a little nervous about the choice, but in hindsight WE LOVE IT!

It looked pretty good that night, but Monday morning I was even more impressed. Then we got the bed and some art from Jane's garage sale set up and I'm completely convinced we made a great choice. It's my favorite room in the house!

I also chose to paint the master bath the same color since there is no door on the frame. I painted the walls and the ceiling which makes it very cozy. I love it! The new whimsical shower curtain and hand towel make it just perfect. It's not as luxurious as the bedroom, but very fun.The whales are SO cute!

The First of Many

This is the beginning of a new thing. A new blog. A new hometown. A new house. A new life. Everything up until now has been leading to this, and everything after this will make today seem less relevant. But today, this is what's new. I thought it only fitting that my very first post include pictures I've already posted on FB of our new house.

The view from the front

(I'll post pictures sometime of a new paintjob)

The entryway

Our dining/kitchen area

The adorable backyard