Wednesday, November 23, 2011

A Thanksgiving Table

Ya’ll, it has been two weeks since I’ve blogged. I haven’t fallen off of the face of the earth, but I sure haven’t had the time or the energy to muster up a post. To be quite honest, there hasn’t been too much happening other than just life in general. School gets busy this time of year with tons of activities for the kids. You know the ones I’m talking about…..Christmas play practice, Thanksgiving dinner with parents, Santa pictures, etc. With all of those things going on, it puts us in a hurry to make sure we get everything in.

This week I have been enjoying a break from all of the craziness, but it will start right back up again next week. While rest is what most everyone would do on their week off, I have been tackling some home projects that have been screaming to be done {or re-done} in this case. I’ve also been on edge for the past week. A rather large {in my opinion, of course}  lizard got into my house somehow. I swear I wish I knew how he got in, so I could put a stop to that. Anyhow, I’m terrified of lizards or any kind of insect or reptile. Ugh. They just gross me out.

After he continually caught me off guard by appearing in various places in my laundry room and bathroom, I decided enough was enough. Every time I would go into the laundry room, I would be stepping carefully and looking everywhere to spot him. Then, no matter how hard I was looking, he would still pop out, and I would scream and run the other way. It was a sad cycle that I have no idea why I’m admitting to. Of course, I got to hear everyone say that they won’t hurt me and that they eat bugs {as if I didn’t know that}, but that doesn’t do anything about the fact that I still hate them.  In response to the sneaky lizard, I spotted him and hopped up onto our freezer that is in our laundry room. I tried my best to scare the dickens out of him with a broom. To no avail though, he was still in there and still alive and well. Knowing I had to get ready to go eat, I bravely entered by bathroom to touch up my makeup. I keep all of my makeup and hair supplies in a basket. The shower curtain had gotten tucked under something and was stuck in it just a little bit. As I was carefully loosening it being fully aware that the lizard was probably going to pop out, I looked up and there it was on the shower curtain. Needless to say, I threw the basket, and everything went everywhere. Colby finally came home, and I sent him in to assess the situation. No lizard. As he was brushing his teeth though, he spotted him….hanging from the light fixture!!! Thinking that Colby was going to chase me with him or tease me with it, I ran out into the yard until I saw him throw him out. The neighbor kids probably thought I had finally lost my mind. The good news is that I’m not longer on high alert while walking through my house.

Anyhow…this post got way off base. I guess it’s what happens when you haven’t posted in two weeks.

Even though Thanksgiving dinner is not at my house, I still wanted to set the table and share it with you in case you were looking for a budget friendly option for setting your table.

To start off, I set the mood by hanging this bunting on my china cabinet. I used a printable bunting template from BusyGirl. Super easy! All you have to do is print, cut, and attach with some kind of ribbon or string. I used twine, and it worked for me.

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Then, I moved on to the table.

For the centerpiece, I used a burlap runner that I made myself. My tip to you is to use a runner that you already have and use it as a template to cut out a runner from burlap. You will want to make it just a tad bit wider if you are planning on using some hem tape to press it down to make a nice, clean line. I also used three pumpkins {one I picked up in Tennessee on our trip and the other two were given to me from another wedding I was in….thanks, Erin}. The greenery is made up of cedar tree greenery and fresh pine needles. I just kept tucking it in until it was nice and full.

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I then tucked in some pine cones, and some of them held another printable that came from Bird’s Party Blog.

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For the place settings, I chose to use a set of dishes that my mom was trying to get rid of in yard sale. When she offered them to me for no charge at all, I hopped on them with the intent of using them during the fall.

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The napkins are just plain orange ones that I picked up on the clearance aisle once that are tied up with twine with the utensils tucked inside.

To add in a personal touch to the guests, I attached this printable from Simple As That. They are actually supposed to be toothpick flags, but why use them for their intended purpose?

On the front, it has a Thanksgiving word or print, and on the back you can write the guest’s name.

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So that’s my Thanksgiving inspired table! I hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving. Count your blessings and be thankful for all of the things big or small that God has provided you with this past year. Spend time with your family, and don’t let this Black Friday that is slowly creeping into our Thanksgiving festivities fiasco interrupt the true reason that this holiday is celebrated.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From,

My Family to Yours

Monday, November 7, 2011

The Cold Kit

Over here on Travis Street, the cold has taken one of the two Langhams down….and it’s not me.

Colby has gotten a terrible cold that has made us both miserable. He’s miserable for the obvious reason, and I’m miserable because he’s not himself. Neither makes for very happy people. Despite that, I’ve done my best as his wife to make sure he is taken care of when I’m here and while I’m away at work.

The solution? One I found while perusing Pinterest {surprise, surprise}.

A Cough and Carry

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The cutesy printable came from the blog that originated this idea.

The purpose of it is to contain all of the items that one tends to make a nest with while sick and make it easier to move the items from one room to another {a.k.a. the couch to the bed}. Its contents include a variety of things to ensure that recovery is on the way…

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So far, so good. Colby is on the mend. The cough and carry is getting carried to work tomorrow, too. The man has no shame. I love that about him.

If you’re experiencing any cold symptoms, get the one who loves you the most to make a you a cough and carry, and don’t let them forget the Reese’s Pieces. No one can get well without them!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

No Thank You, Movember

Have you heard about it? Movember? It’s now taking place in November. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. As a matter of fact,  I feel quite certain that your boyfriends or husbands may actually be participating in it.

Let me just say this. I hate it. There’s no in between or just a strong dislike. I hate it.

You see, my husband looked like this just a couple of weeks ago.

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Quite handsome if I say so myself. Just a little facial hair that happens between a day or two shaving. Now though, thanks to Movember, my husband has decided to grow a mustache, which is driving me absolutely insane.

I love him. I do. That facial hair is getting on my nerves though. It’s pokey and prickly, and I hate it with every ounce of my body.

It comes at the most absurd time. Christmas card pictures can’t be taken because I refuse for it to be a part of it. Holiday photos will have it in there. I don’t want a mustache. I want my handsome husband sans facial hair.

Can you blame me?

For all of you women that have husbands with facial hair, more power to you. I guess I’m just not used to it, but I’m not sure I ever will be. Vote me in for a smooth face that won’t give me a rash!

Because he wouldn’t cooperate, I don’t have a picture of it {yet}. Give me time.

 

Hope you all enjoy your short work week!

 

Wedding Four of Four: Wrapping Up Wedding Season!

On the weekend of October 29th, my friend since kindergarten, Erin, got married to Colby’s friend from high school, Hunter Hobbs. It was definitely a celebration not only because of their marriage, but it was also my other friend and fellow bridesmaid’s birthday!

What’s funny about this is that Erin’s wedding was at the same place that Ashley’s was one weekend earlier. Same place. Two very different weddings. Ashley’s was a black, white, and pink theme. Erin’s was all about fall, which makes my heart sing. They had really thought out all of the details. I loved the casual(ness) and comfort that Erin’s wedding gave.

Here’s an overview of the few photos I had time to capture that day:

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I loved this idea! Instead of a guest book, she chose to use an address book and have everyone fill out a card with all of their info on it. At the bottom, everyone wrote a note for them. A quite clever idea, I thought.

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Boiled peanuts = favors. I have a feeling that there were none left at the end of the wedding.

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Ignore my out of control hair that day. My hair is not favorable to 20 mile per hour wind gusts. I’m not even kidding either. That made for a windy and freezing cold wedding, but we all survived.

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In my opinion, the boys have done great in the ring department! For that, we are all grateful!

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Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Hobbs!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Wedding Three of Four: Gaining a Brother-In-Law

Because I’m so behind on the blogging wagon, I’m going to use my lazy day of laying in the bed and doing absolutely nothing to recap the wonderful events that the two previous weekends have held. My sister and best friend tied the knot, which has resulted in one exhausted Brenna. However, I feel that with this weekend and next weekend of being lazy and just enjoying being at home, will help me recover. I wouldn’t have missed these events for the world though!

So….let me introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Sheffield.

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My sister’s wedding was the total opposite of mine. As you can see, she is a lot less traditional and a bit more modern that her stuffy-conservative sister. While I would never have the guts to do the things she does, I couldn’t imagine her being any other way. Everything at the wedding screamed her personality, which is the point of any wedding. It was a reflection of who she has become. So, let me stop my jabbering and give you an insight of the day that was one of my sister’s best days of her life.

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I can’t explain how much I love this next picture! I think it’s my favorite of all of them!

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Congratulations, you two!

We’re so happy for you both!

 

FYI: I took only the photos that have my watermark on them. The rest of the photos were taken by Hunter and Erin Hobbs and Kate Williamson. They were edited by me though.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

My First Halloween Experience

For the first time since Colby and I have had our house, Colby has actually  been home on Halloween, which meant that I could have trick-or-treaters that weren’t family. I could actually turn my lights on!

I’m not going to lie. I was so excited when they started showing up. Of course, it pays to be a teacher because you end up knowing the majority of the kids. They were all so cute in their costumes.

Since I’m not in the mood so much to narrate the entire night, I’ll just share it in pictures.

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My very first trick-or-treater with her homemade pirate costume! So cute!

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And the others….the always dependable family….

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If you’re wondering about the pumpkins, it was one of the few fall projects that I actually got accomplished. I painted our street numbers on the pumpkins.

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Now, on to Thanksgiving and a week long vacation!