What kind of Blogger am I ?????????

I read somewhere that when you chose to blog you have to choose one topic and stick to it. You can not blog about a bunch of different things. (like DIYs, recipes, decorating, faith, family or egads! -opinions!) oops! haha...I guess I've blown that...

Here we go again...BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So..............I'm just going to say it. BLACK FRIDAY. If you don't want to shop on Black Friday, don't. But I don't get all the negative posts on all the social medias and judging and mocking of others about it. Now don't get me wrong I am NOT talking about Thursday. -That's different. Thursday is Thanksgiving and family time and I too hate to see it commercialized and I won't be a part of any shopping on Thanksgiving Day..

But Friday? C'mon it is NOT a holiday. It's just another day. It has nothing to do with family or holidays. It is no different than shopping on Dec 13th or January 23 or any other day. Now don't think I am taking offense because I take it personal. I don't...

Double duty for all those Pumpkins laying around from Halloween???

Here's what you do  -Paint them! I simply took a spray can of primer and then sprayed them with a bright white paint. 2 coats for a really white look. While it's a little damp you can sprinkle it with gold or silver glitter if you want. They look festive with the glitter. I chose not to this year. I did last year and I am so done with glitter for a while. That's just me but so done... lol  A very fun and CHEAP decoration for Christmas and I really love the look of them white. 

SWEET CHILI

Sweet Chili -see this particular recipe here or go to the recipe's tab above to see all my recipes!!!

ha ha ha...

Do I have to post my own thing today or can I just give you a link to a hilarious story I read a while back? lol..I will post later but I have to share this. It's just to good not to. :)

http://hahasforhoohas.com/the-fart-that-almost-altered-my-destiny

Holiday Decor

Horrible pic (new camera on the way!)

So.... the holidays are coming. YAY!!! I love this time of year!!! I also like to decorate for the holidays. Well, I love to decorate for anything! And I think I do a pretty good job for an amateur in home decor, (unless my friends are all lying to me! cuz I seem to get a lot of compliments). But I seem to have a hard time with tablescapes and mantles. I always have the best of intentions and then when I put them together they just don't seem to quite impress me. In fact, they fizzle. I get no "wow" factor. So I could really use some pointers if anyone cares to give me some????? :)

This is my fireplace now. It's kinda barren -if you saw my previous recent post you'll know it's because we just re-did it. And I just felt like less is more for right now. And that is VERY odd for me.
Here are a couple ideas I have. I walked through Pottery Barn the other day and saw some decoration ideas but whoa......they are pricey! So I'm gonna make my own. Here is a sign I ran across on Pinterest which led me to a great little blog called http://growingupgardner4.blogspot.com/

I just love this sign and the simplicity of the mantle.

So that's one idea. I really like the sign and might try my hand at making one. Don't you love it? She also has an etsy store where she sells them. And I'm thinking some different size poinsettia's to the left, maybe 2 and an over sized candle on the right or a basket of pine cones?

At almost 40 bucks for these at Pottery Barn, I can make them myself cheap!

 










Or maybe...

...this potted Christmas tree on a much smaller scale next to the sign? I usually do lots of reds, greens and blues but I think I want to do more "natural" this holiday season. What do you think?

Healthy Eats!

OK  -TIME TO START EATING HEALTHY AGAIN! I GOT OFF TRACK FOR A WHILE OVER THE SUMMER AND GAINED FIVE  SEVEN POUNDS! AND I AM SO MAD AT MYSELF. SO....

BACK TO IT!

YOU CAN SEE THE RECIPE HERE.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES!!! ( And 30 bucks! )

YES!!! ONE DAY LATER... AND MY FIREPLACE LOOKS LIKE THIS....!!!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE....DID I SAY IT ENOUGH???????

INSTEAD OF THIS PLAIN JANE LOOK THAT IT HAD YESTERDAY !!!  

YAY! Love it!

AND IT COST JUST UNDER 30 BUCKS!!!  And let me tell ya...

By the Sea...by the sea.

North End Pier

Every time I go down to the ocean, God shows up! I live about 1 mile from the ocean. ( although I have to drive 5 miles to get access!). That's one of the reasons we moved from cold Northeast Ohio here to the beautiful ocean side city of Wilmington, North Carolina. We love it here! We've been here now just over 6 years. You can read about that journey here.
But back to the ocean. It is simply inspiring. I go there and I am truly amazed how blessed I am to live here. Every time. The city of Wilmington is surrounded by water and I am a water person. I don't mean for swimming or surfing. I mean it quiets my spirit. It is peaceful to me. And it reminds me

My New Curtains!

Impressions Curtains 

I LOVE these curtains I bought from Wayfair. Overstock carries them too. They're called Impressions and I love them! A lot! Only sad point is my daughter Jessica (we usually like the same) hates them! So am I wrong about how beautiful they are???? haha...
And why does my wall look so aqua-ish blue? Its not an aqua color hue at all it's actually a deep darker blue...hmmm...but it sure makes my beautiful curtains stand out!!  :)

Fireplace Mantel Surround

I can't wait! Tonight I am starting on my new fireplace "surround". My fireplace is very bland with just the wall above it. None of that beautiful white moulding. My daughter has an amazing white surround and crown moulding around hers and it looks beautiful. I always wanted mine to look like what I saw it pictures and then when she bought her house it definitely made me want it more! So, thanks to the internet and Pinterest ideas...... It starts tonight. :)

HERE'S THE BEFORE....

STAY TUNED FOR THE AFTERS TO BE PUT UP HOPEFULLY TOMORROW.... 

AND YOU CAN SEE THE AFTER HERE