Five Favorites [In My House]

My small-ish collection of Fiesta dinnerware. I registered for random vases and platters in three colors when we got married and have picked up several pieces from garage sales and as gifts over the years. We use it for parties and big family dinners.

Found these AMAZING vintage tin ceiling tiles in a shop in Aurora, Oregon (adorable little antiques town you should definitely visit sometime) called Aurora Mills Architectural Salvage. The tiles are about 24x24 inches and reside in our formal dining (which is currently masquerading as a playroom).

This was my husband's gift to me after the birth of our second son! I suppose he knew there were lots of grass stains in my future. LOVING the red, which is outside the realm of typical Lindsay color choice. Maybe I was feeling sassy? And, they sing a little song when the load is finished. (LG Brand)

Our family photo collage now features two adorable little men! So happy with how this came together. Thanks, again, to my husband for his measuring/mathematical skills. Favorite item: matching Pottery Barn Silver Leaf First Year Frames.

*The pillow covers were $2.50 each on clearance at Target. Always watch the end caps. For $12.50, I added the pop of color our family room so desperately needed!

Pottery Barn again. If I am being honest, I can't afford to decorate my whole house in Pottery Barn and that is probably why the few items I have splurged on made the five favorites cut! This 'Daily System' is fabulous (and they have added several more options since we purchased it a couple years ago). Keeps us all organized and sits above the family computer in the den.

Christmas Around the House

Just a couple of things around the house that make the season a bit more enjoyable. I only decorated about half of what I normally do this year. At 17 months, Carter is just too 'touchy-feely' right now to do it up the way I normally do.

This Santa wall hanging is one of my favorite new things this year! I bought this old cardboard Santa decoration from an antique store for $6. Bought the 16x20 frame from IKEA for $15 and had some green fabric at home...Voila! I hung it on the way up the stairs and the boys LOVE it. They say "Goodnight, Santa" every night on the way up to their rooms.

This was one of my day-after-Christmas purchases last year. SO GLAD I bought it. Logan really liked marking off the days this year and I am sure it will get plenty of use for years to come. I hung it in the kitchen so we could mark the days during breakfast.

I can't put wrapped presents under the tree yet, so I created a little kid area instead. Every year, after Christmas, I buy a bunch of little wind-ups and small toys and put them away for the next year. I fill the small "Ho Ho Ho" enamel bowl (on the left) with all the goodies. The kids love sifting through it. The red basket houses all the Christmas books and all the holiday stuffed animals have a home too (except for the ones that get taken up for bedtime on occasion).

The wrapping paper I am desperately trying to get rid of this year. I have WAY TOO MANY old, half-used rolls. I typically like to pick two matching papers and use them on everything. My 'particular' nature enjoys the way it looks under the tree vs. a little bit of everything. But, this year, I vowed I would not buy any new matchy-matchy paper until these are GONE! I guess I'll buy some after Christmas and I can look forward to next year's matching packages for 11 whole months.

(Yes, I am THAT particular about it)

Let's liven up those chicken nuggets, shall we?

Our Starbucks and Lights tradition...

SO fun to go driving with Christmas tunes and yummy drinks. The boys are at such a fun age and REALLY enjoyed looking at all the houses this year. Carter just started saying "Santa" so he was like a broken record the whole time we were out!

One Person's Junk...

...is another person's treasure!

My mom and I often use our birthdays as an excuse for a girls' day out which usually leads to us wandering through an antique mall somewhere in the Pacific Northwest (we've even been known to stray all the way down to Oregon from time to time)!

It's a tradition...over the years our tastes have changed and our 'collections' have grown.

Such was the story yesterday. Loving my latest finds:

This guy is almost as tall as me and I am in LOVE!

Been eyeing these vintage gym lockers for a long time and finally picked one up for my scrap room. (Not sure yet what I will fill it with. Hmmmmm.......)

Couldn't leave this treasure behind! A vintage Christmas coloring book that was orginally 29 cents! I paid $1.00 and plan to photocopy pages for the boys so we can use it again and again.