.This Blog.

I will be the first to admit this blog has been forgotten.

My husband and I were blessed with conceiving a child and giving birth to that precious life, our beautiful daughter Penelope, and life changed..

Our lives have changed in every way possible and for the better. God gave Adam and I the desire to become parents years before we met and then gave us the greatest privilege and gift with Penny.

This blog used to be a large source of joy and affirmation in my life but now things have changed. Now I am a mother and my heart has been filled with purpose, love, adoration, gratitude, and confidence. I know who I am and know who the Lord is continually molding me to be. It's the best wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend I can be to glorify Him.

For the past few months I have been devoted to my baby, my husband, and my Savior. We have all bonded in ways I did not know were possible. I have experienced love I did not know existed. I have found the absolute light in my life and it is Penny. Adam shared the other night as we were talking this statement that has made my heart burst--He said, "Penny is filled with joy."

She is.

And so am I.

This blog will still be up and running. There will be more posts. Some deep sharing about my life and faith, some showcasing a new craft or room in my home, and some simply a picture of my darling girl. This blog will have posts out of order, will have random topics, will have weeks and months pass with nothing new, will be messy at times..but it will be here.

This blog will be here for me to look back and reflect on. To remember what God was teaching me in the different chapters of life. To remind me of my creative juices and to act upon them. And to remember you.

I appreciate you for checking in and reading what I have had to say over the years.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me through this blog. Thank you for giving me the encouragement I needed in the years past. Thank you for sharing your life with me.

This blog will remain and will always be about the little things that bring smiles..after all, it's the little things that are the biggest things in life.

.Geometric Christmas Wreath.

I'm back with another post! 

After sharing my Christmas decorations with you yesterday (in February--I know), I was pretty surprised over a few emails I received. Well, that is if you can count 3 as a few :) Thank you for reading my posts and taking the time to write me. I will slowly be getting back to blogging and sharing my life as a new mommy with you all as well as the updates we have completed on our home. The emails asked for a tutorial on how to make the wreaths that were pictured. Unfortunately, I did not take step by step photos and was not planning on writing a full tutorial..HOWEVER..this craft was easy enough to quickly jot down the process for those special 'few' who asked! 

Geometric Christmas Wreath

I started this craft by purchasing 2, 8 inch foam wreaths from Joanns. I then chose small ornaments and glittery berries (that were part of the winter/Christmas greenery section) in varied sizes and colors of my choice. After my supplies were bought, I spread everything out at home.

Here is a photo I posted on my personal instagram:

Before I began assembling my wreaths, I used wire cutters to snip the berries off of the greenery. The glitter was a little too messy for my liking but the sizes and colors were spot on for the design I had in mind. Next, I detached the metal ornament tops. This left me with lots and lots of Christmas balls to hot glue onto the foam wreaths.

I started with the larger Christmas ornaments and actually used the shape of their top (where the metal top and hooks attach onto) by sticking them into the foam. This allowed me to arrange the ornaments before committing them into place with hot glue. Once my ornaments were laid out, I began hot gluing. I glued the Christmas ornaments first then glued the smaller berries to fill in gaps where the foam wreath was showing. 

This craft was not difficult to complete but it was time consuming. It took me 2 nights to complete the wreaths working about 2-3 hours each night. This does include breaking for snacks and a nursing session with my baby girl so the time can be cut down if you are able to work straight through.

To display the wreaths, I attached 3M hooks upside down to the backs of the white frames and hung the wreaths with red ribbon. I swapped out the art inside the frames with simple silver wrapping paper to ensure the wreaths would pop and be the focal point. 

Overall, this craft was affordable and pretty straight forward to make. I love being able to customize a craft to fit a certain room. Here is a look at the wreaths with the rest of the Christmas decorations: 

 To see more of our living room at Christmas, click here.

Thanks for reading and happy crafting!

.Our House at Christmas.

Valentine's Day is almost here which means it is my last chance to FINALLY share my Christmas decor with you! 

(As I shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes..)

The goal was to have my house decorated, pictures taken, and post published before Christmas when everyone was in the festive mood..then reality hit. Life with my little babe suddenly took my "spare" time away and stole my attention and heart from other hobbies and necessary house cleaning. I found myself wanting to simply play with Penny, make her laugh, tickle her tiny feet, and hold her while she slept instead of doing anything else. I still have a desire to do other things but the truth is..

..my kid rocks!

She is so much fun right now and I am soaking her in every single day. 

Now back to the awkward Christmas in February post!

Our decorations only made it into the living room and only one Christmas craft was completed this year. You know what?--I'm actually quite proud of that small victory. Adam and I hosted my family this year and the morning before they arrived (while the house was actually clean!) I was able to snap a few pictures to capture our house at Christmas. 

Enjoy our simple, modern decor and pretend it's mid December ;) 

My sister-in-law Kim crocheted this beautiful blanket for me as my Christmas gift last year. It is as soft and warm as it is lovely! The sunburst pattern pairs well with the mirror I made a few years ago.

Pictured above are the new Christmas wreaths I crafted this year next to my felt trees from years past.

Target stopped selling these stockings so poor little Penny does not have a matching one. I'll have to find new ones for next year.

 No fuss wrapping this year, I was just thankful to get all the gifts finished in time!

 Christmas lights are pure magic.

When Adam and I lived in our rented duplex, our Christmas decorations were very rustic. Our new house is brighter and more colorful so our Christmas decor matches those fun, playful qualities. The white trees and couch pillows are from Ikea. The stockings, stocking holders, snowflake pillows, and the majority of ornaments are from Target. The felt trees and wreaths were crafted by me. The blanket was made by my sister-in-law. The deer were purchased at an antique store and spray painted white.

Thanks for reading and getting back into the holiday spirit for one very overdue post :) 
I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!