Lookin' Spiffy

I updated my blog, made some changes, and I'm loving them!  :)  Thanks for not making any rude comments while my blog was looking all wonky.  And, thanks for following in general.  I try to keep it lookin' spiffy 'round dese here parts fer ya.  {That's Southern for "make-over"}

{1}  The New Header & Color Scheme.  Check out that chair.  Isn't is fabulous?  The chair was pulled out of Mr. R's parent's garage when he moved into his first big-boy apartment.  When I saw that chair, it was love at first sight...for the chair & me.  Later, after a brief courtship, we got engaged and had engagement pictures taken.  I had my sweet fiance stuff the chair into my cross-over SUV and tote it all over the place for our pictures.  No worries, it was totally worth it.  The picture in the header is on a framed canvas in our home and that ugly, old, fabulous chair is in our living room.  & then a blog layout was born.  :)  

{2}  Tab Changes  I have a brand new tab called [Create] that you just have to check out!  It's awesome and I love it!  I'm not even going to ruin the surprise by telling you what is in that tab.  You'll have to find out for yourselves!  Also, I recently made a tab for my Pandora Bracelet that we started on our honeymoon.  One more tab change that is a must see is the [Button Swap] tab because I deleted all of my old buttons and replaced them with shiny, new buttons to match my new blog!  If you have one of my old buttons, I ask that you please replace that old, cruddy button with a sparkly new one.  

{3} Your Buttons are gone, as you may have noticed.  A lot of the buttons on my side bar were outdated.  I had a few buttons from "MegaBlogs" who never talk to me, and I don't think that's what buttons are really all about.  Not for me, anyway.  I want to try something different...I'd love to swap buttons, but let's get to know each other first.  I'd love to do a post about my favorite bloggers and stroke y'all's bloggy-egos a little.  So, starting from scratch, who is up to button swap?!  As mentioned above, I have new buttons and I've made three sizes.  If you need a different size, let me know and I'll work on it! 

{4}  Twitter  I love connecting with other bloggers on Twitter, so if you wanna be tweeterific friends, click here!

{5}  Rearranged  I moved some things around, and I just want to point out, quickly, where things have gone.  On the left side bar is some quick info about myself, as well as my largest button.  In the footer, you will find labels that I use + blog archive +  a list of my most popular posts.  On the right side bar, you can  follow me with Google Friend Connect, Google+, or by e-mail.  Pick your poison.  Beneath that is where your buttons will go soon..I hope!  :) It depends on you, really.  If you are looking for recipes or crafts, check out the [Create] tab.  If you are looking for pictures or love-dove stuff from our courtship, engagement, or wedding check out the [All About Our Love] tab.  

So?!  What do you guys think about the new blog stuff?!  :)  I'm excited, but I would LOVE some feedback, suggestions, or anything else you have to offer.  I did it all myself using pictures I had, Microsoft Word, Paint, Photobucket, and Pixlr.  So, I'm an amateur..please be nice with your constructive criticisms...haha!  You can leave a comment or e-mail me at mynewwifelife@aol.com.  Happy Friday!  

I'm Over Here....With The Girl From That Thing....Talking About A Really Important Topic

I'm sorry...Post # 3 for the day...it's totally worth it, though.  pinky swear.
Meet Ashley Marie from Chickadette

I have only good things to say about her.  And I truly hope that if I am ever a mother, I am the kind of mother that she is....she's gorgeous and nice and creative and has tattoos, and somehow still has time to blog.  Ah-mazing!  Anywho..I'm on her blog RIGHT NOW and you just have to do two things for me!  
(1)  Click Here to read the post on how to remove Word Verification from your blog.  And before you blow this off, please note that it is probably on your blog, too.  It was on mine and I was pretty sure that I had opted out of the whole Word Verification thing.  So...just DO this for us all, pretty please.  It only takes a few seconds!  I've broken it down into 7 of the easiest steps on the internet WITH pictures.  It doesn't get any better than a well written post on a pin-up model's blog with the intentions of making Blogger a better place.  So, go do it.  Immediately, please.  :) 
(2)  Become Ashley's newest follower & fan!  :) 

Tobacco Basket

I'm aware that not all of my readers are Southern, bless your yankee hearts.  ;)  Kidding.  You know I love y'all.  So first, a quick Vocabulary Lesson.

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Tobacco Basket-   once the tobacco leaves were dried out, they were bunched and bound together then loaded onto a tobacco basket so that they could be displayed and sold at the market

Pack House-  a barn where the tobacco leaves were hung to dry

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About two months ago, I came into possession of an antique tobacco basket.  This particular tobacco basket came out of my great grandmother's pack house.  They had a lot of tobacco baskets, but there is a really good chance that my grandma, my great aunts, and even my dad have used my tobacco basket.  It even has the name of our town spray painted onto the side.   

How beautiful is she?!  

You might think that tobacco baskets are boys...but they're actually girls.  :)  Or at least this one is.  Because she is gorgeous.  

My great aunt and uncle found this in December and gave it to me, knowing my love for all things vintage and historical.  I have a particularly strong love affair with anything considered a family heirloom or sentimental.  I jumped up and down with excitement when I first saw this tobacco basket.  It is old.  It is quirky.  It is not a typical home decoration.  It is big and chunky.  It is heavy.  It's magnificent.  It represents how far my family has come - from shuckin' tobacco to owning a factory.  After almost two months exactly, I finally found a place for the basket.  I've moved it all around.  It's hung on one wall, leaned against two, and finally...

I hung her up yesterday!  She's hanging in the kitchen, which I love because I get to look at her all the time.

When we moved into this house, the house I grew up in, it was still full of stuff.  All of the walls have nails and hooks and hangers already...the tricky part is finding the right hanger for your project.  I finally found TWO heavy duty hooks that were already in the walls!  They were hiding behind a picture of us that my parents put on the wall while we were on our honeymoon, so we didn't know that what the picture was hung on.  The two heavy duty hooks are perfect for a tobacco basket, which is quite heavy.

Another thing...when I lived here with my parents, they never used their front door.  We always came inside through the mudroom because the garage is connected to it.  They always had their friends come up that way, too.  When Mr. Robinson and I moved in, we decided to put the pretty front door & foyer space to good use.  People rarely come over at all, but when they do we condition them to use the front door.  Sometimes, people still come up to the side door and enter through the mudroom - which I always hated.  BUT... now I won't be hating it as much because when they walk through the door, this is what they'll see: 

  

So, that's how I added a little bit of flair to our home this weekend.  What's your idea of a good, unique way to decorate your home or let your sense of style shine through?  

Thanks for reading! 

Wish Out Loud {for the perfect, affordable closet}

Hey Y'all!  Today I'm linking up with some pretty cool ladies for Wish Out Loud.  It's a Blog Hop and you should go join in!  You have 5 more days to participate and you can do so at any of these three blogs:
Ashley at ChickadetteRobin at Fly Far. Fly Free.Krystina at Cup 'a Hot Chocolate
If I may encourage you in one more way, let me just tell you about my opinion in link parties.  I like them, but sometimes I get bored because I feel like you are forced to blog about one thing.  You'r post has to be about Pinterest or crafts or recipes or whatever...but this linky party blog hop is AWESOME because you are not limited at all.  Just write about something you wish for.  How easy is that?!  You can wish for something and shallow like a cup of hot chocolate, because it's cold outside and Krystina's blog title got you thinking about it.  Or you can wish for something deep and meaningful like Ashley does.  It's a lot of fun, and I hope you'll go do it because sometimes a fellow-blogger can help your wish come true.  So cool.  So go.  Go now! :)  But wait...read my post first.  

Yesterday I mentioned my walk-in closet plans and, like a spaz, I didn't link up when I said I did.  Silly wabbits.  Sorry about that, ladies.  So...here is the link.  For real this time.  Wait for it....
Click Here! 
Did you look?  Did you read?  I hope so, because this week I am wishing for some help.  I am horrible at making decisions.  My husband has decided that I can turn an extra room that we don't love into my dream closet.  The problem, though, with dreams is that they cost money.  Don't worry...I'm not going to ask for money.  Haha.  I would just like some input, some ideas, some suggestions.  And like 99% percent of the world, I've got to find a way to create & live a dream {closet} on a budget.  
I've created a Pin Board.  That's not really helping me out, though.  I have SO many ideas!  I have so many choices...
the choicesDo I want to (can I afford to) paint the walls first?There are a lot of nails in the walls, can I use them or am I going to have to pull them out?Can I pull the nails out without having to repaint? Do I want a more permanent hanging system, like wire racks?If I get a wire rack that is drilled into the wall, that room will always be a closet.  What if we have kids?  We won't have a room to use a down-stairs nursery.  Then we'd have to put our baby or toddler upstairs, alone, with the possibility of throwing him-or-herself down the stairs and dying.  Should I just go with a rolling rack then?Wouldn't I need several rolling racks?Or what about stationary racks?Can I display my wedding dress in my closet without spending 7 billion dollars?Should I put a vanity in my closet so that I can put my make-up on in the room?My make-up gets kind of messy...or I can get messy, rather.  Shouldn't I just leave my make-up station in the bathroom?What about my scarves - how can I store/display those?What should I do about my accessories?Where can I put my purses?Should I hang up everything - clothes, bathing suits, lingerie? I wish I knew what would work best without having to go through the whole trial-and-error thing.  It's hard to make all of these decisions with no prior experience to base my judgement on.  Oh, and calling in a professional is absolutely not in the budget.  So, if any of you have ever worked on a walk-in closet or a closet-room, or anything of the like, will you lend me your advice?  I'm a little scared.  And I know I'm over-analyzing and just making a huge, dramatic issue out of something I should just be THANKFUL for and happy about.  But, I'm a girl & I'm pretty sure all of you are girls.  So you get it, yes?  
Thanks your help in advance, beauties!

Saturday Snipit!

Good Morning!  I am SO pumped about today because my husband had to work a half-shift, which leave me home alone, which means I get to start working on my WALK-IN CLOSET ROOM EXTRAVAGANZA!  :)  Oh, you don't know what I'm talking about?  Click Here.
So, that's how I'll be spending my morning.  I am having SO much fun!
Later, a movie date with my Mother-In-Law.  We didn't start out on the best of terms, but I think things are getting better.  My husband was her only child.  Her husband worked and works a LOT of crazy hours.  So...it was just the two of them a good bit of the time.  She had a hard time accepting that she wasn't the leading lady in his life anymore.  I was, afterall, his first girl friend.  Anyway.  What-evs, we're going to see The Descendants.
ALSO...Ashley from Chickadette made a new  button & is looking for eager swappers.  Her new button is cu-u-ute!  I love her writing style.  She seems totally uninhibitied and awesome.  And she's tatted up.  I have mad respect for an inked-all-over momma.  So, she' cool and you should go check her out & consider swapping buttons with her.  K?  
<a href="http://chickadette.blogspot.com/" style="border:none;"><img alt="Chickadette" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgbwaLt_GVk3vh8kjP5uObqTXFu-0-VkD2WuGz7QRInkRYzNgxbqgvKh_rDvsih326GQ8jtII9MsoGSmyNaZkp_iIi8QsJKrUlSh0-nF9uYa3oAqcm2jt65fAuszTHcAlRzTHA7R5J2o/s144/click.png" style="width: 125px; height: 125px;"/></a>
Have a perfect Saturday, errybody! :)

Walk-In Closet

My husband I are blessed in the sense that we have somewhat stumbled upon a HUGE house!  We are living in the house my parents built in 1998.  It's enormous and we have plenty of room to grow.  However, I've already lived there.  I lived in a house that my mom decorated, so it's been really difficult for me to think outside the box she created.  I'm running into problems such as...
Books go here.No, the phone book goes in this drawer.That's not where cups and glasses go.This room is a tv room - not an office.
Do you understand why this has been so hard?  I am all about thinking outside the box.  Heck, I live outside the box.  I love everything odd and quirky and weird and different!  So why I am having such a hard time with this is beyond me!  
The closet in the Master Bedroom is amazing.  It's huge.  Hubby has one side, I have the other side, and we still have room for all of our suitcases and a huge gun safe.  But our bedroom just feels so TIGHT.  I hate it.  Beside the master bedroom is a a teeny-tiny bathroom.  Beside the teeny-tiny bathroom is what I have always called "The Den."  My parents used it as an extra TV room and had my dad's PlayStation hooked up in there.  Here's the basic floor plan.

Last night, we were laying in bed and I told my husband that we need to just get rid of the den and make our bedroom HUGE.  He said that would be a great idea.  OR I could just take over the den and make it a walk-in closet!  Famous last words, folks.  My brain immediately went into over drive!  I gave him the Husband of the Year award.  I kissed him.  I was so excited!  He drifted off to dream land and I laid in bed, wide away, for hours.  Day-dreaming and drooling over what I will soon make a reality.  I am SO excited!! It's an idea I never would have thought up on my own because, in my mind, that room is an extra TV room.  Do we use it?  Nope.  Will I now?  Ab-so-lutely.  
SO, I've been on Pinterest.  There are tons of amazing ideas there for walk-in closets.  They key will be finding ideas that I can use in the space I have.  Also, we have no money so we won't be calling in a construction crew to change the build or structure of the house.
Okay, enough yappin'!  Are you ready to see the pins?!?!
You are creating a dressing room for only one person... you. Let your imagination run wild and create the best possible room that is not only practical but suits your personality perfectly.
Wall Color = White

Source: houzz.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Can I pretty please frame my wedding dress & have it displayed in my dream closet?!

Source: ckeventspassionateforweddings.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

I'll also take a dress form and the biggest mirror ever, please.  :)

Source: restorationhardware.com via Kristina on Pinterest

A wire closet system would probably be my most affordable option.  

Source: google.com via Dana on Pinterest

After doing a ton of research, I think that this is the system that would best suit my room.  It's $99 and I would need two of them.  Click Here to see it on the ClosetMaid website.  

That will take up two of the four walls.  Then another wall will be used for the mirror & dress form.  And The fourth wall for my framed wedding dress or accessory storage?  Can't forget accessory storage!

Source: 6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: shelterness.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: realsimple.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Source: thisbirdcansing.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

I also have a black cedar hope chest that I would move into my dressing room.  I would want a chair.  There is a built-in bookshelf type nook thing that I could use for shoe storage.  It current houses books, while I'm SO excited about moving into the living room!  My mom kept books in that little nook, so I put all of our books there.  However, books in the living room = a million times more me!  I'll of course want a chair or a bench in my dressing room.  
I've seen where some people create a vanity and make-up table in their dressing rooms.  I don't think I'll do that.  I make such a mess & our bathroom is huge.  I don't really need my own space for just makeup.  That would completely CLEAN OUT our bathroom.  Haha.  Besides,  I enjoy sharing space with my husband.  I just need more closet space.  We are good on bathroom space.  
SO, what do you think?!  Anybody have any pins or pointers they'd like to share?  Or just compliments?  You know I just looooooove a good compliment.  
Oh.  & I have a brand-new Pinterest board for my closet!  Check it out if you'd like!  
Oh, & I know that I already did a Pin-Party link up today.  I know.  I'm doing ANOTHER one.  This is a post full of pins.  You can't stop me from linking up.  ;)

Under Construction

My blog is a little over three months old.  I started it toward the end of October and if you don't mind me tooting my own horn for just a brief moment, I'll tell you that I've come a long way since MNWL first "went live."  Sounds official.  haha :)
My first header looked like this..

Horrible.  If you remember those days, I am so sorry.  But hey - thanks for sticking with me! 
Kitty from A Law Student's Journey and Randee from Randee's Organized Chaos had separate linky-parties that I participated in recently.  The parties were basically the same thing.  I linked up and once the link lists were closed, Kitty and Randee each e-mailed me two blogs to go check out and review.  So, I went and looked at 4 blogs and typed up a review for each of them.  I e-mailed my reviews back to Kitty and Randee, who then forwarded my thoughts/opinions anonymously to their respective blog owners.  Soon, I received anonymous blog reviews of my own!  So far, I've received 3 out of 4 reviews for MNWL (so I'm still waiting on my fourth one to come through).  Here's the feedback I received:
The Good

• Pretty header, nice colors
• Simple, colorful, easy-to-navigate layout and design
• The "Pages" bar is right under the header
• My pages are great and help you find what you are looking for
• "Our Story" is an easy and comfy read.  You like that I have it documented before I forget, and it's written so that you imagine me talking.
• My lay-out is easy to read, the middle column is wide and makes my posts easy to read
• 3 column layout evenly distributes all of my stuff 
• My side bars have a lot of "good stuff" in them and seem to be ranked in order of importance
• Big pictures!
• The posts are published in an easy-to-read font
• I write about a good variety of topics, so there is something for everybody
• My popular posts are fun to read and easy to see why they are popular.
• My Pinterest posts are "fabulous" in content, and are a great length.
• My stories are cute and personal. :)
• I'm open and honest in my posts, so people can relate to my well.  I'm not afraid to talk about the hard stuff - which people like, apparently.  Cool.  
• My "Coo-Coo-Kachoo" signature
• I come across as sweet.
• I share myself on my blog.
• It's very pretty :)

The Bad
I have crossed out the issues I've already corrected.  :)   Consider the remained bullet-ed points here to stay.  

• My header and buttons are too traditional for my funky personality
• The green-ish box around my header is too big for the image inside of the box
• I have a lot of "Pages" and could maybe combine a few to downsize
• The "About Me" in the right side-bar should be moved up to the top and my button should be moved down.
• My buttons tend to run together with the other info I have in my side bars
• The font in the "Pages" bar is hard to read.  Either change the font or increase the font size
• My craft and recipes photos should be larger
• I should consider making the Post Title font larger
• My posts seem too long & wordy, thus not grabbing the attention of potential new followers
• I should proofread better to weed out those pesky typos!
• I should consider making my middle column even wider
• Sometimes my content tends to be a share a little "TMI."  While it's important to stay true to myself, I should consider keeping some intimate things out of cyber-space.  
• Some of the pictures I post are small, so you have to squint to see them.  Bigger = Better!
• I have my blog set up so that 5 posts are on my first page.  This was noted as a problem because my posts get kind of life, so I need to consider reducing the number of first-page-posts.
• There was some confusion as to what my blog's purpose is - is it a journal?  it is for family/friends?  is it for the public?  Some of my posts get very long & are filled with details, which may not interest the general public.  So I need to do some major condensing or break up long posts into smaller stories.
• I really need to work on CONDENSING 

So...I'll be picking and choosing through these, trying to figure out what I can do to best improve my blog while staying true to the odd-ball locked inside of me.  If you have any suggestions you'd like to add to the above lists, go right ahead!  Leave them anonymously if you'd like or you can publish it as your actual self.  I don't mind, I'm not easily offended, and I will greatly appreciate the input or help you have to offer!  :)  
Happy Monday!  Have a great week.  And try not to be too critical of my blog because it is officially....

   

DIY: Vinyl Record Bowls

I found an amazing idea somewhere online before I discovered Pinterest.  It was to melt down records, mold them into cool shapes, and use them as bowls for candy, snacks, or whatever.  :)   I don't remember where I found the idea because (again) I wasn't on Pinterest yet.  Sorry.  =(

So I did it!  And we gave them to our parents are Christmas presents, as both sets are lovers of music.  I also made a few for hubby's Man Cave.  &&&&&&& here's how:

First, preheat the over to 250 degrees F.

While the oven is preheating, turn two oven-safe bowls upside down on a baking sheet and place the records on top of the bowls.

Once the oven has preheated, place the baking sheet in the oven for about 7 minutes.

  Using a pot-holder, check to make sure that you can bend the record(s) before pulling the baking sheet out of the oven.  If the record isn't flexible in the oven, it won't be flexible when you pull it out of the oven.  

Working Quickly:  Use your hands to mold the record into a bowl shape.  The records will  be hot, so be careful and use a pot-holder.  It also works well to use a bowl.  You would need a bowl that is pretty large, bigger than the bowl you're trying to make.  Place the flexible record on top of the bowl, and press the record down into the bowl.  Don't worry, it won't stick.  

If you aren't completely satisfied with the shape you end up with, pop the record back into the over!  This will make it flexible again and you can continue experimenting with shapes until you're happy.  :)

We gave our parents the records and the record sleeves they came in for Christmas.  They loved them because we chose records by artists they like AND everyone loves a homemade gift!  :) 

My husband has his record-bowls in the man cave, and his Star-bursts stash lives in the bowl.  

Have you made these before?  Or received them as a gift maybe?  They were really easy to make!  And I ordered the records off of Etsy.  They were between $1 and $3 each (plus shipping).  So, it's not much of a tutorial I guess, I didn't take many pictures.  But...I hope maybe you'll try it out for yourself!  :)

Our Back Porch is Finished!!

We finally finished our back porch.  Like, just a little bit ago.  Mr. Robinson and our precious puppy are currently napping out there while I blog.  

We are living in the house I grew up in and when we moved it, it was fully furnished.  One day I'm going to write a post ONLY about our house.  Not today, though.  Today is all about our back porch.  When we moved in, there was nothing on this porch but a warped, old ping-pong table.  It had such potential.  It's everything a good back porch should be.  It's screened in, it's overlooking a lake, and it stretched the entire length of the house with doors leading to the porch in every room.  

We got rid of the ping pong table (it was completely useless), did some light cleaning, and made magic happen to a once-bare back porch.  Meet The Back Porch:

Yes, these are pallets.  :)  5 of 'em

Aren't they adorable?!  I love, love my cuddle bugs!  

So, for those of you wondering what this amazing contraption is...it's a Le Beanock and it's British and we love it.  

And no it is not a "kinky swing" or anything of the sort.  It's a cross between a hammock and a bean bag.  And it's huge, we can both lay in it and snuggle.  :)  

He is absolutely the most handsome and precious man in the world!  Ever!  

And the Le Beanock is mega-comfy.

And after living here for very nearly 4 months, we finished the back porch!  

YES!

A Craftolution

Hellur.
I hope all of you had a wonderful time ringing in the new year.  I can't believe it's 2012.  I'm tired to talking about it, but have not yet started believing it.  Interesting.  I'm also refusing to come to grips with the fact that I'm 23 years old, and have been 4 days.  So, there.
I spent NYE sleeping, for all of you who are interested.  We did go to a party of sorts.  I woke up with a scratchy throat yesterday....and we did something 4 times....those two events left me feeling very sleepy.  BUT my wonderful husband woke me up at midnight and gave me some sugar.  And we took some photos.  

In the spirit of making NY Resolutions...I thought I would share with you what my husband and I have resolved to do in 2012.
I'm going to tell you first that this idea was all his.  Mr. Robinson came up with this all on his own.  I suggested doing a 365 project, or just making a resolution together - something to spend time together and something we both will enjoy.  (Not like running or an other form of torture, although we need to be doing that as well).  
He said....we should do one craft project each month together.  
Shut the front door! 
I love him so much  :)  
So...that's what we'll be doing!  How bout that!  We are calling it our CRAFTolutions (not resolutions, craftolutions).  Now...give me your suggestions for 2012 crafts!  What are your favorite crafts?  DIY projects?

Chocolate Covered Cherry Delights

You have not tasted an amazing cookie until you've tried these.  I am making three different kinds of chocolate covered cherries for my grandmother's Christmas gift.  CCC are her absolute favorites and somebody always buys her some for Christmas.  This year, I decided I would make her some from scratch.  :)
The first recipe I followed, for true chocolate covered cherries is here.
This recipe is actually for a chocolate cookie, with a cherry in the middle, topped with chocolate-cherry icing.  Mmm-mmm-good.  

The "I Love You" Board

I feel like all of my great ideas come from Pinterest.  Maybe one day I'll have an original idea.
Not today!  :)  Have you seen this on Pinterest? 

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Kristina on Pinterest

I just thought this pin was the cutest thing, ever.It is decorative.It is romantic.It is a great way to keep the romance alive!  :)  
So I made one out of scrap pieces of paper in coordinating colors.  I hand wrote "I love you because" because we don't have a printer at home and I'm Cricutless, and I was being impatient.  We are constantly leaving sweet little notes for each other.  :)  

Mine is not as cute as the one I found on Pinterest, but I've accepted it and moved on.
I know that handwritten decor is not as perfect or photogenic, but (to me) there is just something special about it.  
We proudly display our "I Love You" board on the dresser in our bedroom.  It's right in front of the light-switch, so we look at it every day.  Excuse the mess on the floor.   

Do you have an "I Love You" board?Do you leave love-notes? 
Is your floor cluttered and gross?  :)

Guest Post ~ Making a Christmas Ornament

Hello!

So there are two really exciting things about this post!  :)  The first exciting this is that this is my

.....wait for it..... 

One-hundredth post!  

So..thank you to all of my faithful readers & commenters & lovers for reading!  :)  

The second exciting thing is that today I am featuring a fellow blogger and this is her first guest post!  

How exciting?!  

I certainly hope that all of you follow the blog "My Beautiful, Crazy Life" because Breanna is just precious.  We've been e-mailing back and forth for a few days now and I just think she's great.  

{And I'm not the only one who thinks so!  She just won The Versatile Blogger award!  So yay Breanna!)

Anyway.

She has done a tutorial for all of us on making Christmas ornaments.  :)  So...here's Breanna.  

Wedding Cards

Even though my husband and I had a relatively small wedding, we still received a ton of wedding cards.  

So many cards.  

And they were all so beautiful.

Each card was full of love, hope, well-wishes, and promises of prayer.  All of the cards were beautiful and delicate and bridal, and I love them.  

However, I had no idea what to do with them all!

Spaghetti Jar, Olive Oil, Picture

We've all seen the picture in a jar of olive oil on Pinterest right?  If you haven't, all you have to do is go to my Pinterest page and look through my boards.  You'll find it.  :)  You should totally be following my on Pinterest anyway.  I'll forgive you just this once.  :)  Anyway, this is my little take on the project.  Enjoy!

Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments

We made ornaments out of salt dough, painted them, and hung them on our tree.  It's a great alternative to spending a lot of money on expensive ornaments, it makes our tree our own, and it gave us some extra QT together!  But let me start from the beginning...

Dandelions and a Tobacco Basket

Mr. R and I are living in the house where I grew up.  It's been a very long process of moving our stuff in and moving my parents' stuff out.  Last week, my mom came over and cleaning out the curio cabinet.  She left behind some glasses that they received as a wedding gift from some friends of theirs.  For now, they are still in the curio cabinet.  They have what looks to be dandelions etched into the sides.  Aren't the amazing? 

Source: google.com via Sara on Pinterest

(A dandelion, for reference)

Today, my grandma brought me over a basket of goodies!  I can't wait to go through it after work, wash everything up, and check out the treasures!

You might not be able to see it, but behind the basket is a black umbrella.  Guess what.  It was my great, great grandmother's!  How amazing?!

Also, I have come into ownership of my very own tobacco basket!  I didn't get a picture of it yet...but here are some pictures I found on Pinterest.

Source: asoftplace.net via Amy on Pinterest

Source: shoppingcandy.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: asoftplace.net via allison on Pinterest

The one that I now have?  Well...it's on it's way to my house.  :)  My grandpa is taking it by and dropping it off while I'm at work.  It won't fit in my car... But it came out of my great grandparents' pack house.  My grandma and my dad both worked out of that pack house when they were younger.  The basket even has our town's name stamped on the side!  It's is great shape, and I am so excited about having a piece of our family history to display as decor.  It amazes me that this is apparently a trend?  I had no idea.

I'm thinking of making a coffee table out of it?  I can't find anyone else who has done this and posted pictures online.  You guys know I've been looking for a cool coffee table.  :)  Or I could just hang it on the wall.

They look pretty awesome.

I'm so excited!

What kind of family heirlooms do you have in your home?

What would you do or what have you done with a tobacco basket?