Christmas in Kentucky

So I know I am a little late but I wanted to show you all some pictures of Christmas at my house.  Now I didn't get to go completely crazy like I wanted to because we were just so busy still settling in and everything but I definitely made Christmas happen as much as I could this year for sure!!  It was AMAZING being home for Christmas not just visiting home but really being home in my own house.  It's so funny before I left for Jersey my house in Georgetown was just that "a house" it didn't feel like home for some reason.  I could never figure out why though.  Not sure if it was because we never decorated it or if because we couldn't afford to furnish it so we had everyone's furniture in the house except our own.  Regardless what it was it bothered me that it never felt like home.  Now though after being away from it for a year it is the ONLY place that I want to be.  It was like a warm comfy hug when I walked back in those doors.  I never knew you could love a house so much.  It has been almost 4 months I think since we have been back and I still sit at my kitchen table and look out my window at my backyard and look at the lake and the land that I own and I think to myself how lucky I am to be able to be here and own this little piece of heaven.   I honestly couldn't pinpoint the main reason I love Kentucky so much but being away from it has really made me respect it that much more.  There is just something about this place that makes you feel special.  No, we don't have gorgeous snow covered mountains, or a nice sandy beach.  We don't have perfect weather most of the year and we don't even have amazing winters.  But there is something about the way the sun comes up over the rolling hills and the miles and miles of horse fences that just makes me smile each day.  The way some old barns look like they are barely going to stand through the next storm but other horse barns look like million dollar mansions.  I love the way that everyone always ask you WAY to much about your business and that they are always preaching to you about something.  I love the way that there is a sea of UK blue anywhere you go and you can gaurantee that anytime the game is on you might not be able to find a table at any restaurant with a TV.    That doesn't even include the people I am surrounded by down here.  I love being only an hour away from my best friend and her amazing intelligent little girl.  I also love that when I am having a bad day I can literally walk to my mommas and have her make me one of her amazing meals.  Trying to explain my family of neighbors is next to impossible but is something you have to experience to appreciate but it just wasn't the same without all of them in my day to day life, so I am very grateful to have that back.  I guess with everyone you really do just belong somewhere and I believe that I just belong here in Kentucky.  



Anyways I am getting off on a tangent here.  My main reason is I wanted to post some pictures of my house this year at Christmas.  I can't wait to compare these with next year though since I am hoping by next year that I will have my house painted and hopefully updated the way that I want it. 

 My hubby did an awesome job decorating the outside this year.  However he wouldn't let me go on the second roof to put lights so I will have to come up with something next year so that the top of the house doesn't look so dark.

 Next year I will have to make something for all the Christmas cards but this year I just put them all on the front entry table.

 I couldn't get this tree to show how awesome it looked in person in a picture but this was by far my favorite tree yet.  I have already picked up a couple things this year to add to it so I can't wait till next year.

 I couldn't believe how well this table and hutch ended up fitting in with my house but I am so in love with its old charm.  I can't believe I scored this and the table for only $150.  However it still needs some TLC and a little paint to bring it back to life.

 My awesome nativity set!  Thanks to my mother in law for buying me this set.  I absolutely love setting this up ever year.

 This was a big hit with the kids when they come over.  Thanks to my mom for all the plush reindeer with each name on their scarf now every time I go down in the basement I have to sing now Dasher, now Dancer, now Comet now Blizten, etc... hahaha

 This is my favorite couch I finally splurged on after three years of drooling over it.

 This is a view from my kitchen into what I call my fireplace room.  This tree still needs a lot of ornaments added on it but that will happen over the years as I have a serious problem spending full price on Christmas decorations.  Not really sure why.  I typically just blame it on my cheapness as I have a need to find a bargain on just about everything!!

This is to the right in my fireplace room.  I saw this table at a Pottery Barn outlet in Lancaster, PA when I was there earlier this year but for some reason couldn't convince myself nor my husband to let me buy it because it was 7' long and we weren't sure we would have the room for it in the house much less the truck.  However as soon as I moved back home I knew that it was exactly what I wanted.  So we trucked up to the outlet in OH just to find out they were all sold out.  Again we waited another month and I decided that it was too perfect and I wouldn't be able to find another table this long and perfect anywhere so we ended up buying it full price at Pottery Barn...I hate that we had to do it but I LOVE this table.  Plus for Christmas it was able to fit all of my Christmas store houses which is getting pretty hard to do as we keep buying a new one every year.

Well that pretty much summed up my Christmas decorations for this year.  I am hoping to add at least one more tree and a little more stuff here and there for next year.  I can't wait!!!  Stay tuned though cause I will be adding some pictures of the renovations Kenny my awesome hubby has been working on lately.  We have new paint, new lights and scraped ceiling so get excited!!!  :)

Officially in the TEENS!!!!

Wow where has time gone?  Today was 18 days till we head home to KY.  I am mostly excited about this move.  However there is a lot I am going to miss.  Take this week for example.  I am on the road all week for work but since there isn't much for Kenny to do at home he came along for the ride also because it would be a really long week if I had to do it alone...but we are heading to Boston tomorrow so after work we will be able to tour our favorite city for the last time in a while.  I am super stoked to hit up my two favorite restaurants one more time though.  The Boston Sail Loft and Giacomos.  Let me just start by saying WOW for both of these places.  Both places are literally holes in the wall but they both are by far some of the best food I have ever had for decent prices.  Giacomos (hopefully I am spelling this correctly) ALWAYS has a wait around the block to get in, which kind of stinks but it is well worth it.  The sail loft however is a fun bar hang out but it is a little shack right on the harbor so you can eat your fish and chips and watch the fishes swim too!!  By far the freshest fish and chips I have ever had.  Ok that is enough excitement about Boston cause my trip gets even better.  We also get to go to Portland and eat at our favorite pizza place Otto's.....mmmmm margherita pizza ::drooling:: Then from Portland we are heading up to Bar Harbor for the weekend.  Just going to do one day and one night unfortunately but it should still be fun.  I am hoping to go hiking all day and take some GORGEOUS fall pictures.  Apparently Maine is perfect this time of year.  Anyways back to what I will miss about being up here.  My job has allowed me to see parts of the world I would have otherwise never got the chance to visit.  I mean I can't believe I have favorite restaurants in parts of the country I used to only dream of getting to visit.   That is just crazy to me. 

I came to a proud moment for myself about a month ago.  I was sitting in a cafe in NYC and I was having lunch after just giving a presentation about our fans.  I started thinking and was like if you would have asked me when I was in highschool if I EVER thought I would be giving presentations in NYC or traveling the whole north coast I would have said....yea right.  I just can't believe I am only 26 and I can not only drive through NYC in a car but I can also navigate the city without much use of a GPS.  I have seen broadway shows, Niagra Falls, Fenway games, toured Vineyards out in Longisland, swam in the ocean, played in the sand for a whole summer, shopped at some of the coolest places, walked the streets of Boston, eaten some of the best food in my life, and seen some of the prettiest sites I could have ever imagined all within a short year.  That just baffles me, no wonder I am exhausted all the time.  I definitely do not regret this experience at all and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.  However I have seen enough of the world to hold me over for a while and now I am just ready to curl up on my couch with my two pups, have a fire in the fire place, have my family over for dinner, and hang out with my besties and of course their awesome and amazing children.. It is time to go back to my roots and settle in.  So NORTHEAST you will be missed but I am ready to go HOME!!!

Can't wait to start decorating my house!!

So I found a Pottery Barn Outlet in my travels out in Amish land.  It's sad but I didn't even know they existed...So after digging through the clearance rack I came across this.  Two shams and a really soft burnt orange blanket.  I have been hoping to do a orange and blue theme for my guest bedroom and this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. OMG I cannot wait.  The walls are going to be the blue you see in the pillow.  Also will be on the lookout for a nice fluffy downs comforter to make the bed look super inviting.  CAN'T WAIT to show you all the finished product...Stay tuned only 36 more days till I get started.

Cedar chest/bench for my entry way

Found this little gem at a habitat for humanity.  However it was pretty bad looking.

The inside however was immaculate pure cedar!!

Finished her today with the help of my loving husband.  I really hated the fake drawers so we actually found these decorative ceiling/wall plastic tiles from home depot.  They were a little pricey at like $20 a piece but they really make this chair pop, don't you think? 

My First Chair Project

I found this chair at a yardsale for $6.  It was a DIY project gone bad.  Fully equipped with gold stickers and hunter green tassels OH MY!!

I prime all my furniture first with white KILZ primer in a spray can.  Next I picked out a basic red from Krylon because their sprayers have a nice dispersion on them and it gives you a little more control. 

I use Ralph Lauren Glaze tinted with Black or whatever color you might want to tint it.  The glaze on the chair really just made the chair detail pop. 

I found this fabric online for $8 I believe for a yard.  Could have been cheaper but I have bought a ton of fabric lately.  I think I have a small addiction :)  Either way I never spend over $10 a yard on fabric as of yet.  This fabric was a canvas indoor/outdoor fabric so very durable!!

Brand New Blog!

Hey this is my first post and I wanted to create this blog to keep in touch with my friends all over the world.  This way they can stay in touch with me and my family and of course all of my fun decorating adventures and mishaps since I am sure I will have some!  However I am the worst writer so you all will have to please forgive me for my grammer and run on sentences.  :-P  So anyways keep in touch and keep checking back because we only have 36 days till we move back to the bluegrass!!! It honestly can't come soon enough.