Would you like to move to a little farm with me?

Truly I'm a city mouse, but every once and a while I read a blog like Meadowbrook Farm and I think maybe it would be nice to be a country mouse.

Image is of about two blocks away from where I grew up right around the turn of the last century.

Merry, Merry, Merry!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! These are just a few shots of the Christmassy things that are decking our halls. My mom and dad's tree.

A little button wreath I'll do a tutorial for next year.

These wood ornaments were made by my mom's aunt and hung on my parent's tree the first year they were married. (love!)

This years wrapping paper from Ikea.

Paper snowflakes on my dining room windows made with the help of some little Wills!

May your next few days be filled with just the right amount of hustle and not to much bustle.

xoxo until next week!

Hello Dolly!

We have talked before about my love of tiny things right. Over Thanksgiving I even spent some time reminiscing with my Aunt Jane about the trip we took to Chicago when I was 9 or 10 and how in love I was with the Colleen Moore Fairy Castle at the Museum of Science and Industry. I think that I even had a coloring book depicting the castle, gosh I have got to get back to Chicago soon my list of things to do there just keeps getting longer and longer. Anyway back to the post at hand it should come as little surprise to you that I was smitten from he get go with these dolls from DangerCat Dolls.

It is things like this that make etsy such a fantastic thing. The artist of these little cuties has taken some greatly loved TV characters and turned them into something lots of grown-up girls would like to play with. They sure make me want to spend a cold winter afternoon hanging out in my bedroom playing with dolls, how about you?

From top to bottom; The Pie Hole gang from Pushing Daisies, Emma from Glee and Mad Men's: Roger, Betty, Don, Joan and Peggy.

I really love this video and song. I think about it every winter when the days get short and cold and I get a little meaner. So this year I'm going to try and keep a warm heart even when I have cold hands!

P.S. I know that both the song and video are kinda sad, but aren't those little depressed stick figures so cute. I think I fell in love with the video the same time I fell in love with the little depressed rock thing from those Zoloft ads. (My mother even got me a tape dispenser with his image on it for Christmas)

This is my something Christmassy

My self imposed rule says that I need to stop by here today and leave a little Christmas related note. I don't have much to say this week. Gifts are starting to trickle in, but one for my brother James will not be shipped until after the 1st of the year so I guess I am going to get something else and save that for his birthday in February. My other big issue is that my wrapping paper in all in my trunk that three days after our big snow storm is still frozen shut.

The image is what I made for an ornament swap. I'm rather happy with how they turned out!

I plan on heading out to D.I.Ypsi today to finish off my Christmas Shopping! Today from 11-7!

Get into The Christmas Spirit

In my family we call it "The Christmas Spirit" and it is treated like some mystical element a lighting on us or our homes sometime after Halloween and before Christmas Day, it is when you switch from feeling like Christmas is a chore to seeing it as something to be enjoyed. Sometime it hits you right away and other years you might not see it until the 11th hour. It is that thing that inspires the random singing of carols as you take out the trash or shampoo your hair, its that jolly feeling that makes you want to just hop into a store and look for a gift for your mom, or that glee that fills your heart when you hang ornaments on the tree. I'm a big fan of The Christmas Spirit and really want to share it with you, so just think of this as my little Friday afternoon germ spreading hoping you all get the Christmassy bug.

You can get the free desktop wall paper above from How About Orange right HERE.

Trimmings for your Tree

Not much of a post today. After being a bit of a Christmas dud when it came to pre-shopping for gifts this year I have set my mind to have all my gifts purchased and wrapped by the end of the week. So here are a few Christmasy pretties for you to ogle!

Group A from: Anthropologie

Group B from: Urban Oufitters

Group C From: Seltzer Studios

Group D From: Crate and Barrel

A small little industial row

Here is the thing I love tiny little items. Who owns a set of mini pewter chairs? That would be me. How about a collection of itty bitty marble elephants, yep this girl. So I of course instantly fell in love with these mini factory sculptures from PearsonMaron.

If I didn't already have a soft spot for miniatures, I think I would have fallen in love with the whimsical idea of these tiny factories manufacturing love, luck and innovation.

Ideas do keep us moving a long don't they.

Cuteness is blooming here!

(I was going to make a joke about being able to say "I make love for a living", but that doesn't seem like the kinda thing you would find on my blog does it.)

As if I didn't already have slight balloon obsession, this would put me over the edge!

I have just the place for these little guys. Maybe I should do some little Christmas shopping for me!

(Did you notice all the exclamation marks? See what major cuteness does to me!!!)

What I did was almost nothing!

Yes it is true, I was not much of a getting things done gal this past week. Somehow the post holiday/1st of the month thing took over my life. Oh well, better luck next time!

So here we go . . .

For real deep clean the bathroom, no really I'm going to do it

Return all my way past due Library stuff

Start wrapping gifts

Dust

Sweep

Maybe shovel some snow (ugggg)

Christmas shopping

Do all my bill paying for the month so that I don't have to worry about it over Christmas

Okay awesome!

You guys, you guys exciting news! I think I have finally (FINALLY!!!) settled on colors for my living room. Ez over at Creature Comforts posted this inspiration the other day and I was smitten. I have gone back and looked it over again and again and think it is the one for me. Even with the red, okay yes I will add in some washed out pink (I don't think I could have a living room that didn't have at least a little pink in it). Soon I'll post about the couch that I am for real, like really real, going to get this winter.

The original image can be found here.

Oh Come Our Dayspring from On High

Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel!

Well that time of year has come Advent is upon us. I awoke this morning to snow and a bitter cold, but it is just in time for our thoughts and hearts to turn to a new season. A season of hope and joy, of answered promise and salvation! I am really looking forward to church tonight, I love attending church at night, even though my church is a newish building (the section our sanctuary is in is less than 10 years).

Anyway real quick on my lunch break I wanted to share a few advent calendars with you. I had great plans to make my own little project to count down the days, but it never happened. Maybe if you have a little free time and fast fingers you could whip up one of these for yourself. (Love the little birds, so cute!)

Yea! Happy Christmas All!

Magnetic Advent Boxes

Little Birdy Advent Count Down

Embroidered Felt Pockets from Purlbee