2.05.2011

.Simple, Rustic, Valentine Inspired...Dinner Party.

Last night was perfect.
 Adam and I hosted our first official dinner party and we could not have been any happier.

Our theme: Make Your Own Ravioli Night

It's February and LOVE is in the air.
 What better way to celebrate than a house filled with amazing couples, adorable babies, and delicious food..
not to mention some Valentine inspired decor :)

The best place to start is decor and set up (at least I think so)..cooking is a blast, but for me--
it's the part of "making it pretty."

Here is my making it pretty:
Time for a few close ups!
This simple heart garland was made by scraps and only took 30 minutes to make. I used scrapbooking paper and created a heart pattern to trace and cut out all of the hearts. Once cut, I simply made a heart sandwich using hot glue as my jelly around the twine. Final look is simple and sweet, perfect for Valentine's Day :)
As my table runner, I was planning on using some simple brown paper. A trip to the Dollar Tree led me to this beautiful wrapping paper..it's simple, regular brown craft paper with white flowers..how delicate and such a lucky find! Did I mention it was a $1? I used white table cloths, also from Dollar Tree, to brighten the room up while keeping simple and rustic! I just love the romantic touch the white flowers added :)

Centerpieces. My heart loves centerpieces. 
For under $2.00 each, I made these beauties (look up now look down):
My lovely ladies got to take home a candle and a heart bouquet home as their little Valentine.

Are you all still with me? I have more photos..let's just say I was a little camera happy :)

Sitting by candlelight is nothing but romantic and sets the mood, you know which one, perfect for the month of LOVE, ow ow.......okay okay, let's cool down and remember, this is Make Your Own Ravioli Night, we need light!!
Ready for our guests: 
Living Room rearranged, CHECK!
Cooking Stations ready, CHECK!
Food Station ready for food, CHECK!
Coffee Station ready, CHECK!
(note: the creamer made an appearance for the picture and then
 went back to it's home in the fridge until it was time to come out.)
I hope you have enjoyed my "Simple, Rustic, Valentine Inspired...Dinner Party" making it pretty portion. It was a blast designing and decorating for our dinner party. Remember, you do not need RED and PINK when doing Valentine's Day decor, think outside of the box and use soft color palettes. For all of you newly weds and stay at home moms--this party was fun and AFFORDABLE! Look through your house before shopping for any items and materials that can work for your party. Dollar Trees are a fabulous place for table cloths, plates, cups, utensils, decor, etc. It's important to pick and choose where you want to spend money..I chose to splurge on yarn ($1.29 for each color at Michaels) and mason jars ($1.19 each at Michaels) while everything else came from my home, outside, or the Dollar Tree. 
Be inspired and get CRAFTING!


"Cooking, eating, smiling. laughing, cooing, walking" pictures coming 
later this afternoon :)

2.03.2011

.3 Years Old.

Meet Christian, he is the first boy to steal my heart.. 
This dear baby boy pictured can no longer be called that, he's a big boy now at age 3. Age 3, did you hear my heart breaking when I said that? Our amazing friends James and Lynette gave me the honor of watching their baby for an entire summer back in 2008. 
He looked like this at the time:
On Saturday of this past weekend, we celebrated Christian's 3rd birthday. "3" I have to keep telling myself "3"..I will forever look at him as he appeared that summer and simply enjoy getting to know his big, talkative, hilariously cute personality and fall in love all over again..
he has my heart after all.
Meet big boy Christian, age 3.
Not the greatest shot of myself but look at that handsome fellow, what a smile!
Christian James Banks you are loved. 
Happy 3rd Birthday!

2.02.2011

.Happy Night.

Tonight our calendar reads: 
Adam late night


So far my day has been productive..I caught up on a few tv shows thanks to hulu, completed 2 loads of laundry, and got my house cleaning finished for the day. Problem?--It's only 7pm and my hubs is not due home until 10pm.


Thankfully, I now have a blog to keep up with and follow the many many wonderful lives of fantastic bloggers. After reading all of the new posts for the day, I went back to my blogger dashboard to call it a night..and then I noticed my friend Anna just posted. She was awarded the Stylish Blogger Award by one of her blogging friends. I read through the entire post, enjoying the 7 facts about her, and was pleasantly surprised when I got to the bottom of the post. Anna nominated my blog for the same award! I know this award has been making it's way all over the blog world and I am so happy to say it made it's way down to VA to my little blog. Thank you Anna for passing this along, it certainly made my "Adam late night" a "HAPPY NIGHT" (as well as giving me something to post to help pass the time!)


Friends, here it is:

Because I received this sparkling award from a dear friend, I decided I should play the game and stick to the rules! Here are 7 random things about me:

     1. My name is Katherine, but everyone calls me Katie. I used to be a 
          Morrow, now I am a Miller. My middle name is Theresa. Put them 
          together and you get KTM. Say it out loud.."Kay" "Tee" "Em"--
          Katie M! (If you got that, I sure hope it made you smile or at least 
          smirk!)
     2. I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, and mind and believe Him to be 
          my personal Savior.
     3. My family means the world to me..did I also mention it's HUGE and 
          very, very close?! Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Parents, 
          Siblings, Nieces, Nephews, and those few honorary "members" I LOVE 
          you all!
     4. My heart is filled with God's love and I "love" spreading it to others and 
          believe He has given me a special love for children and
        teaching.
     5. Sorry to break the news this way, but I am the luckiest girl. I 
        married my best friend.
    6. I think Shiba Inus are the most beautiful breed of dog. Please see 
          here ;)
     7. Coffee. Coffee. Coffee. What is better than just coffee?--Hazelnut
        coffee.

It is now the time for me to pass along this award to 15 blogs I have enjoyed reading. These particular 15 are rather special..they belong to just a few of the amazing women God has put in my life. These women have encouraged me to blog and to keep it going. Thank you ladies for the love, support, and for sharing your stories on your beautiful blogs. 

     1. Anna at Blissful Whimsy
    3. Aimee at the Queen of Prussia
    4. Traci at Holm Family of Four
    5. Dominique at Where the Sand meets the Sea
    6. Kirsten at In a New York State of Mind
    7. Annie at Ninja Wifery
    8. Rachael at Meet the Wadsworths and All kinds of yumm
    9. Hillary at Hodge Podge of Happiness
    10. Danielle at A Life of Perpetual Probability
    11. Rachel at McLean Ever After
    12. Brooke at The Gordon Gazette
    13. Cassandra at Fly with Me to Distant Lands
    14. Kim at The Jet City Disconnect
    15. I do not know this woman personally, but her story has changed my  
           outlook on life. Kelle at Enjoying the Small Things

Friends, you ALL have just received the Stylish Blogger Award. I hope this brings you some little happiness tonight. Thank you and sending my love to you. 

I am also happy to report it is now 8:25pm which means I am getting closer to wrapping my arms around this sexy man..


Happy Living--Happy Crafting
and remember 
--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.Our House Part 4.

Welcome to the Millers--Bathroom Style.


We have not 2, not 3, not 4 but ONE bathroom in our home! (Please note I said that with an incredibly large grin on my face) This may be rather odd I am sharing pictures of our bathroom, but here it goes! 


View as you walk up the stairs.
The coolest part of our bathroom was put in by the first landlord..it's the shower curtain rod! It is just like the ones used in hotels, it bows out in the middle to make more space..genius! My 6'3" husband LOVES it! 

.Our House Part 5.
Coming soon!

2.01.2011

.Sneak Peek.

Can you believe...IT'S FEBRUARY?!

Things I am looking forward to this month:

- My baby niece or nephew being born!
- Starting (and hopefully sticking to) P90!
- Bedroom move and makeover!
- Weekend getaway with Adam!

Yes, they ALL have exclamation points because I am truly excited :)

And now for your Sneak Peek:
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You have to wait and see ;)