Whatcha got cookin'

What did I get up to on Valentine's Day? Cupcake baking!

If the way to a man's heart is indeed through his stomach, then my man's heart is made out of all things cherry. (That made better sense in my head). He LOVES anything cherry-flavored, and these preserves, from a nearby fruit and veggie stand, do not disappoint.

Doesn't that batter look great? I had to remind myself that it contained three raw eggs and wasn't really good for me to eat raw. Boo.

OH YES I DID. I stole this idea from the awesome Jen Lancaster, who stole it from Martha Stewart. Martha probably stole it from somebody else.

I'm pretending to put a spoonful of preserves in my mouth, but it looks like I'm kissing them. I promise I did neither.

It's blurry because it was time to EAT. Mmm, these were yummy. The preserves all ended up on the bottom of the cupcakes, stuck to the papers, so next time I think I'll let them bake a little while before adding the preserves. Still, they're delish! (I don't have a recipe to offer, because any old fool can figure out how to work a Duncan Hines cake mix and Betty Crocker frosting. Ahem.)


Stains approves!


So, what'd you do for your sweetie on the big day?

Wanna be startin' somethin'

I'm listening to my son beat on the kitchen window while my husband corrupts him with some kind of techno version of a Michael Jackson song on the TV's music channels. If that doesn't say love and romance on Valentine's Day, I don't know what does.

Actually, that's okay. That's how we roll around here. It's an overcast and chilly day out there, so it's fun to be inside with my favorite fellas, one of whom is not Michael Jackson.

(In case you're wondering, and I'm sure you're not, the rest of the word LOVE is spelled out up there on my mantle. Unfinished letters from Hobby Lobby, scrapbook paper, Mod Podge and an X-Acto knife. Voila.)

This is what it's about...

My fellas went out of town today to visit the in-laws and give me an entire day to myself. This is the first day I've had alone since the Bear was born 14 months ago, so this is also the longest I've ever been away from him. I miss them both fiercely. They'll be back tonight, and there will be much hugging and smooshing (kissing) and cuddling.

Yesterday Bear and I met two dear friends and their daughters for lunch and playtime at the park. It's been unseasonably warm, even for Mississippi. For two days we had glorious sunshine and temperatures in the 60s and 70s. Today it's back to rainy, grey and 45. Bear loved the park. He loved the sand at the swings, going down the slide, playing ball with his friends, gathering up pinecones, and touching the soft - if a bit dead - grass. Spring and summer are going to be so fun with a curious toddler who's definitely all boy!

I love this picture of him and had to share it. This is what life is all about: exploring God's beautiful creation with joy and abandon, with the sun shining down on you and the ones you love most close by. Life is good.

when the house is too quiet...

I was in the home office answering a few emails, when things got very quiet. Too quiet. I went on a hunt through the house for Bear, who, at 13 months, is into everything. I found him sitting on the kitchen floor, a mouthful and fistful of catfood, with bits of food all around him on the floor. The cat was watching him disdainfully from her perch on the kitchen table. At least he left her a gift in return. I'm sure she needs a USB camera cord, right?

Welcome!

Hi, everybody! You might be joining me here from Boomama's Tour of Homes. Happy to have you here! I'm Danielle, and I'm a happy wife and mama in Mississippi. I had every intention of participating in this little tour last year, but having a baby just a few weeks before the event kind of took over! I'm happy to play along this year, though, and can't wait to look around at all the pretties you have posted! Come on in!

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This happy Santa stands on our front porch, welcoming you into our home.

In the living room is our big tree. I highly recommend the pre-lit kind. ;)

(I'm always looking for excuses to get my two fellas under that mistletoe!)

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We have lots of fun little goodies in the den and kitchen. Here are a few of my favorites.

This turquoise bowl was a wedding gift, and I love using it to hold ornaments.An angel stands watch over it.

I know the Little People Nativity set is for kids, but we're having fun with it this year. Bear can play with it next year. :) We don't eat many cookies, so our Santa cookie jar fills his bag with pretty ornaments instead.
One of my favorite corners of our kitchen holds this cheese plate with our last-name initial. I like it so much I might just leave it up all year! Our sweet Bear's room has his very own Nativity!

Full disclosure time: Our living room is not quite as neat and put-together as it might appear in the other photos. I love a good macro shot! If you were to come over most days, this is what you would see. Life with a boy is the messiest and most fun thing in the world!

But forget the mess and just let our Elf on a Shelf wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Noticing the little everyday things...

The wise men arrived at the Nativity in Tonka trucks, right?

See more everyday moments here.

Journaling Christmas - the setup

I read several scrapbooking and stamping blogs for inspiration, and saw an idea on one that caught my attention. The challenge was to journal and scrap everything you can about Christmas this year, from December 1 until January 6 (the 12th day of Christmas). The challenge cost $30 to join and included prompts, layout sketches and access to discussion among other scrappers. Well, I know how to keep a journal and how to scrapbook, so I don't need to pay somebody $30 to tell me what to do! It's a great idea and I'll make it personal by doing it all my own way.

The first order of business was finding a suitable journal for the project. I didn't want something too small or fancy, and I didn't want a traditional scrapbook. I wanted this to be something that could bear my handwriting mistakes proudly and would end up stuffed with photos, embellishments and trinkets from the season. This is Bear's second Christmas, but the first he'll really be aware of, and I don't want to miss a thing.

I happened upon this journal at Target, and it's absolutely perfect. It's 8x8, spiral-bound, and has lined pages. There are even some heavy cardstock pages with pockets for storing bits of things that won't fit on the page. And at $2.79, it was a complete steal. I bought two others but might see if they still have a few more. There's so much that can be done with these journals!

(Aren't my placemats cute? I practically stole them from Kohl's. I got four of them for $2.00!)

My personal challenge is to journal and scrap every little thing about Christmas this year. I started the day of my son's birthday (which was the day before Thanksgiving), because Christmasy things happened that day. I think I'll finish on whatever day we put away our decorations. I hope to carry my camera with me everywhere, and if I see pretty decorations or something festive, I'll snap a photo and write about it. We have concerts, parties, lots of good food and a sweet baby's excitement to capture. I want to remember it all!

It's not too late to do this if you want to. Just find a journal and start writing. Your decorations haven't been up too long, so snap a few pictures of them and write about the experience. Did one of your kids break a pretty glass ornament? Write about it! Have you tucked into the eggnog already? Journal it! is there an awfully gaudy house in your neighborhood? Sneak out at night and take its picture! If you're not a scrapbooker, who cares? Just have fun.

Be present this Christmas. Remember it all.

Totally rad!

My mom is a total hoot.

My husband and I have been taking a photo of the Bear every day in 2008. I upload them all to my Flickr account, and my mom looks at them faithfully each night and comments on them. Here's tonight's photo, with oh-so-clever cropping:

Her reply?

Hey Dude, Those red socks are the bomb!

Mimi

She cracks me up!!!

more autumn decor

Despite the fact that it's hovering close to 85 today, I am welcoming the first day of autumn with a little house-sprucing. I'm not going to show you the coffee table that's never cleaned off, or the piles of laundry that haven't learned how to wash or put away themselves. Nooo. None of that. I'm going to show you my little bits of fun. Showing off your home decor is all about creative staging, girls. Nobody has to know about the clutter. We all have beautiful, Southern Accents worthy show homes if we know how to use the macro setting on our cameras.

Enough with the chatter that my husband will never read.

I'm kind of tickled about this. I took a heavy crystal cake plate (read: useless but pretty wedding gift) and turned it upside down. On the base I set this happy little pumpkin, which I think was originally purchased at Hobby Lobby for my classroom a few years ago. It needed a little something else, so I pulled out some pretty picks I got last year and arranged them around the upturned plate. Voila!

Is a pineapple a summer thing? Don't tell me. I don't care if it is. My mom gave her to me when we bought our house, and she usually sits on the mantle. The hurricane is filled with little pinecones I picked up on the playground of the church where I work. I'd be some kind of fool to pay $5.00 for a bag of pinecones when I can spend a few minutes picking them up, dumping them in a Walmart bag, and washing them off at home for free. I am cheap, y'all.

Yes. I like pineapples. This is usually on my mantle, too. The pitcher is Gail Pittman (any self-respecting Southern girl knows who Gail Pittman is) from my days as a Southern Living at HOME rep. My mom got the little bird for her yard but never used it, so she gave it to me. It has a friend around here somewhere.

I know they're awfully trendy, but I love me some white pumpkins. This one came from Hobby Lobby. Of course. I hear the Dollar Tree has some cute ones, so I might get a few and spray-paint them white. I need more pumpkins!

What, you've never seen a little bird in a compote bowl before? Well, here you go. I got him on clearance at the end of spring this year at Pier 1, and the bowl is also from Southern Living At HOME. It would appear I have a thing for birds, too. Hmm.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to have cute things, nor do you have to decorate the same way every year. My autumn decor was completely different last year, using mostly the same stuff. I haven't spent a penny out of pocket this year, but everything feels fresh and new to me. I love making our home comfortable and pretty on tiny or non-existent budgets. That's much more satisfying to me than spending big dollars on high-ticket items. Where's the fun in that?

Anyone reading who's decorated, leave your links here! I love looking at other people's homes and need to do a better job of showing mine off here!

Happy fall!!