Obsessing over Lenox Chirp Dinnerware
Have you all seen the Lenox Chirp Dinnerware series? It’s really gorgeous!
My favorite piece is the seasonal salad plate:
I might have to buy this as the first plate in my collection. I have wanted to start a plate collection for awhile. I have no desire for a collection of matching china. I want all different and unique pieces!
Changing things up a bit and Christmas decor
Today, when my husband walked through the front door, our living room looked like a war zone. The plan for today was to clean downstairs because I am having a group of girls over tomorrow for dinner, but instead I decided to rearrange my living room at 2pm. It probably was not the most productive use of my time, but I love the result! 
Here is our living room before:
And this is what it looks like now:
It’s much more open than before, but the best part is simply that it is DIFFERENT. Sometimes you just need to change things around!
Also, I have decorated some for Christmas. Here is our mantle, and a few other decorations pictures. I love Christmas!
Sorry for the blurry picture! But my new favorite decorations are the stockings with our names on them and the 2009 “first Christmas” ornament. So exciting!
Life is busy, but what’s new?
It has been a world and a day since I updated, and for that I am truly sorry! Last week I worked the entire week to make a little extra money to pay for Christmas. I thought things would return to normal this week, but they needed my help Monday and Wednesday as well. I’m glad I was able to make enough to cover all of our Christmas gifts, but I’m so incredibly glad to be back at home!
Today, I am baking cookies for a cookie exchange on Sunday. I made snickerdoodles and chocolate mallow pies. The snickerdoodles are really good, but I’m not sure how the chocolate mallow pies turned out. (I still have to make the filling and put them together.) If they did not turn out, then I can just take the snickerdoodles. There are enough of them for the party.
The thing I missed most last week was cooking! I am so excited to start cooking again – and especially excited to plan our Christmas dinner! I think we are going to have pork loin, but don’t quote me on that quite yet. I might do game hens or something else. I still have a few weeks to decide. Are you cooking Christmas dinner? If so, then what are you making?
We did really well on our budget last month. In fact, I was able to roll our thanksgiving trip into the budget instead of taking it out of our travel fund! We also took $50 out of each of our allowances this month and went out to eat at Taste of Texas (if you live in Houston and you haven’t been there – go – seriously! It’s amazing.). The dinner was to celebrate our one year dating anniversary. I know it technically shouldn’t count because we’re married now, but seriously – we needed to go out on a nice date – and David needed to eat steak. I think men start to fall apart if they haven’t had red meat after a few weeks. 
This weekend is going to be crazy. My dad and brother are coming to stay with us tonight, and we are taking them to the Star of Bethlehem presentation here in Houston. Then, we are going to my cousin’s wedding on Saturday afternoon. If we’re not too tired we are going to hang out with a friend that evening, and then the cookie exchange is Sunday.
If I haven’t died from running in twenty different directions after this weekend, then I hope to tackle the ever-growing tower of laundry in the closet and clean house next week. I miss cleaning the house. It’s relaxing – and honestly, I have a lot of fun because I dance around to Christmas music!
Christmas Cards
I absolutely love Christmas; therefore, I also love sending Christmas cards to our friends and family. This weekend we took some pictures for our cards, and today I had them printed! I couldn’t be happier with the way they turned out!