insight to Amanda's soul

Which could also be called "Christmas present recap".

This is a non-exclusive compiling of the fabulous things gifted to me this Christmas. Some things {ornaments, clothes, etc.} are stored away already, but these are a few of my favorite things {feel free to now hum that song to yourself while you read}. 

Let's start at the very beginning {I'm on a Sound of Music roll tonight}. Awhile back I posted about needing more scarves. In fact, I specified. Long, silky, vintage scarves. 

*insert cloud parting angelic choir sound*

Yeah, I got some. I have fabulous sisters-in-law. However, probably my favorite present this year, is a different scarf. It isn't silky or vintage, but hand made. My mother took the time to {re}learn how to crochet, look up how to make scarves, and make me a mustard colored one. Best gift hands down.

My sister-in-law Chris manages a thrift store and found me this gorgeous vintage platter. This thing will be put to good use at parties, but it's so pretty it had to have a shelf. 

I don't think I've ever mentioned that I collect salt & pepper shakers. I do. Not like the "cute" ones shaped like squirrels {though I did that for awhile}. I collect only fabulous ones. Preferably from other countries. My Grandmother gave me this strawberry set for Christmas. It's sitting pretty in our China Cabinet.

Check out our bathmat {ignore the stained tub. i promise it's clean}. Can anyone guess what we named him? 

I don't know if you can call it a collection when we only have a handful, but I adore hardback, antique books. Even more if they come in a book sleeve. That red and blue beauty is new to the neighborhood.

My future sister-in-law Jewel gave me this jewelry hanger. Yes, I'm a sucker for birds. And jewelry.

My brother Chris bought us these adorable salad tongs. We've needed them for seven months now. Aww, so round and happy looking {i'm sorry if the mismatch jumble bothers you. it's working for us}

This picture showcases our last two featured Christmas presents. If you were here in person I'd make you guess. Cup and bowl? Nope. That's our every day set that we registered for at Bed Bath and Beyond.  Tablecloth? A hand me down from my late Great-Grandmother{love}. Those yellow submarine "ice cubes"? Yes. From Bekah. I love reuseable ice cubes. 

What's the second thing? A hillshire farm "yard o' beef". We ran out of chicken so we've been improvising. Delicious improv if I do say so myself. 

{If you haven't read our diy open shelving post you should. Five of my favorite Christmas presents are there.}

So, as a review: I like home decor, food, antiques, jewelry, scarves, and whales. Yep, I'm predictably Amanda.

chip off the ol' block

As I reread the title, it occurred to me that this might {again} look like a pregnancy announcement. It's not. I stink at secret keeping and I promise when we are pregnant, you will know.

This post is related to that beautiful holiday that we just finished {and yes, I do resent Food City for having Valentine's Day decorations out the same week as Christmas}. 

We've started another tradition! Christmas tree stump ornaments. Since we climbed a mountain to get our tree, it didn't need a "fresh cut" before we took it home. However, once we took down the tree {sniff sniff}, I had Matthew saw off the tip of the trunk. He then drilled a teeny hole, and I grabbed my {every color imaginable} assortment of fine point sharpies to make our personalized chip off the ol' block.

Aw. It's the most adorable, tiny little ornament in the whole world. It's a little over an inch in diameter, and even though I plan on doing this every single year forever, I already know it'll be my favorite. After all, it is our first Christmas.

The hardest part {by far} of the project was getting the yarn through the smallest hole ever drilled. What can I say? I'm super woman. I kept it simple with this one. That's one of my goals this year; I want to keep things classy and simple.

 Have I mentioned that I love traditions? 

christmas 2011

Just like Thanksgiving was spent with the Pearsons, Christmas this year was spent with the Nowaks. Just a quick run down for everyone who doesn't know the Nowaks, their family consists of: 4 sisters {Sharon, Beth, Chris, and Katie}, 2 brothers {Danny and Matt}, 4 in-laws {Bryan, Courtney, Richard and I}, plus mom, dad, and granddad. That's 13 people even before any of us have kids. Whoa.

Thirteen people means nothing if not a triple batch of crescent cookies.

It also means tons of presents. Tons and tons. I didn't mean to take a before and after picture. I merely took a picture before we opened the presents while we were sitting around... and then one more when we were sitting around after the presents. It looks like we staged disaster. Nope, this disaster is legit.

The highlight of after Christmas digesting? A lock picking set acquired by my brother-in-law Bryan. It has renewed my desire to be something of an assassin when I grow up.

After the Christmas festivities on Sunday, we spent Monday with my family for our second "first" Christmas. It started with a longer than usual game of find the pickle. I almost always find it first, but this year Matthew beat me to it. We were the only two who found it this Christmas. Grandma really buried it. 

The highlight of this years gift giving, was my ten year old sister's face when she opened an ipod touch, cleverly disguised in a small American Girl box. I'm not saying it was an attractive face, but it lasted a couple of solid minutes, and it was sincere. Yes, I captured it for you. You're welcome. 

I suppose that's basically all. I'll give you a gift run down later once everything has a home {and we've donated enough to help it all balance out}. Just as a spoiler, I got a couple of amazing hand made gifts. I'll end with a couple of pictures of my favorite person in the entire world. 

Just chilling with Jacinda on Christmas, and with a blueberry {non-beer like} drink in a fun little coffee shop in Richmond. We never take pictures of the two of us together. I need to fix that. Sniff sniff. I'm pretty sure I smell a New Year's resolution. 

ornament exchange

I love remembering to appreciate the little things. Things like a husband who joyfully does the dishes, a table all set for company, and a new ornament for the tree. I bask in the little things. I thrive for the smiles that they bring. Smiles like these.

Count your blessings name them one by one. 

400 little white lights.

Selah is singing "What child is this?" while my husband and I sit on our couch feeling pretty accomplished. When I rearranged the living room last week, I thought it was just for a change. It wasn't. It was so we could enjoy the starry glow of our Christmas tree from the perfect angle.

It's like a thousand happy fireflies. It's perfect.

Matthew took the job of "electrician".

I decorated some of the white bulbs a month or so ago.

We bought a couple of ornaments at Target.

Here's a closer overall view.

You can barely see the ornaments from the glow of sheer awesomeness, but we only have a handful. A couple from England, a couple from Target, and then I have one random pineapple ornament that I'm pretty sure my Grandmother gave me... but I don't remember where it was from. Hey, speaking of my Grandmother...

Today we got mail. Not a bill {either for us, or some dude who used to live here}, a magazine, or a coupon page. Legit mail. Two Christmas cards and an early Christmas present. My Grandmother {Hill} sent us a Christmas table runner from Germany.

Pretty and festive, huh? Here's the dining room table set up.

Just a little Christmasy ribbon hot glued to canning jars, filled with berries and pine. The center thing is {randomly} a German advent tradition that my mom had when we were growing up, and I got one because I think it's awesome. Cutest little spinning wooden manger scene ever. {Yes, I know it's supposed to have candles, but we're poor ok?} And for those of you who are the curious type, the books are "The pastor in prayer", "Alice in Wonderland", and "Farewell to arms." Yes, that's a pretty wide range.

Christmas decorating is finished here in apartment number eight. Have ya'll finished? Did you know that those tacky huge blow up things people put on their front lawns cost over $100 a pop? Do you like to use the same theme every year, or change it up?

oh, christmas tree

It's our first Christmas really together. This is the year to start our traditions. Here are some things we've done this month that may or may not become traditions.

1. Climb a mountain and saw down our own Christmas tree.

It's a little sparse, but it couldn't be more adorable. Judging by the rings on the bottom, this little guy has been living on the mountain for eight years, watching the traffic below and hoping someone would fall in love with him. We love you, little guy.


2. Make our own tree topper.

A cardboard "N", some green yarn, and some broken headband bling. A $4 personalized tree topper. I don't know if we'll make a new one every year, or keep this one for awhile. Who knows? Maybe eventually we'll go all traditional and settle for an angel or a star.


3. Not buy nearly enough lights on the first try.

This tree is a grand total of six sparse feet, and we bought twenty-one feet of white lights to don him. Yeah, not even close to enough. Oh, and target, walmart, lowes, and walgreens are sold out of normal white lights. Bleh. Hobby Lobby will save the day tomorrow.

4. Agree on the ornaments we needed.

Hopefully every year as we add to our collection, we will agree, but this year was especially important. This year, we bought a glass pickle. My Grandma always had a pickle ornament that she hid in the tree (normally buried), and the first kid/grandkid to find it "won". We didn't win anything, but it was still amazing fun. To continue the tradition, Matthew and I picked one up. Matthew was actually the one who remembered. Does anyone else's family do this?

5. Buy a tree stand for $1.

I just love how round, white, glittery, and not in need of a tree skirt it is. Matthew grabbed it at the thrift store across the street. Score. We will not be making this one a tradition since we now have a tree stand, but it was still worth telling ya'll.

I'm sorry we have no finished product to show you. All of Powell appears to have run out of white lights. Hopefully, I'll be back for the sequel tomorrow. I'll leave you with one of the "ornaments" our tree came with. He's just so cute.

it's christmas time in the city!

That is me pretending that we live in the city, instead of the dinky quiet little town we actually live in. 

Today, I took my last final for the fall of 2011, and officially secured the title "Mrs. 62.5% Finished with College". Happy dance. I also officially began being in the Holiday Spirit. It's beginning to look, smell, taste, sound, and feel like Christmas around here. 

Peanut butter cookies, peppermint stick ice cream, an awesome holiday wreath, Christmas music, and................ wait for it. Snow! No, it didn't stick, but it completely made my day. Plus, I got to decorate my boss's Christmas tree. Here's a little proof of how festive it's starting to get up in here.

Welcome to Apartment 8; It's the best time of the year.

christmas list

This is my first year making a Wish List. It's pretty fun, I'm not gonna lie. Most of you won't buy me presents. It's all good. This is for my family members, and so you can get a little snap shot of my taste.

What to buy Amanda for Christmas <----- There it is.

Yes, I have noted my addiction to the mustard yellow color that appears often throughout. Noted, but not dealt with. :)

25 scarves

When today started, I was unaware that I needed more scarves. I am now aware. I need long, silky, vintage scarves now. I need them so I can tie them. I need them so I can stop doing the European Loop. Most of you will not be buying me Christmas' presents. I suppose this post does not apply to you. But for everyone it would apply to, you may put "long, silky, vintage scarves" on the list you are making for me.

And then you may watch this video so that you can understand my New Need.

I promise as December approaches I will help you to expand the list you are making for me. No worries. :)