Fall Into the Holidays - The Dining Room

For our last installment of Fall into the Holidays, we are moving into the dining room! Definitely an important space for so many entertaining needs, so I'm glad we are touching on this with Thanksgiving just a week away. For our dining room, I wanted to maximize the use out of the space and create a few different "stations" for entertaining purposes. To see what the rest of our dining room usually looks like, you can see it here - I did this room for the One Room Challenge this past Spring! On the vintage sideboard, I wanted to make use of it as a bar. I already had the drinks and bar tools in place, but I swapped out the coffee table books and decor that I usually have there (primarily for looks), and added straws and glasses instead. Like most people, we rarely use this room so it doesn't have to be totally functional for serving/entertaining 365 days a year! 

I tied the plaid ribbons to the liquor bottles as a fun touch! I know its a simple thing but adds a lot to the little space! I have been adoring this simple plaid this year. I think it's the cheeriest, classic that takes you from now through Christmas!

I pulled out a few of my favorite wine glasses and low ball glasses and set them on top of a marble cutting board. We have plenty more glasses stored in the china cabinet if we need them, but this is sufficient to have out for now. I also realized I needed to clean them because they had gotten a little dusty not being used! Tip - It's a good to clean them before company arrives, even if they have been stored in a china cabinet!

On the opposite wall we have another small glass door cabinet that I wanted to stack some favorite serving pieces on as a reminder. Does anyone else go through a holiday or event, only to open a cabinet and realize you completely forgot to pull out a favorite serving piece? For right now, I pulled out my chargers, some china, tartan napkins that I got as a Christmas present last year, gold flatware from an estate sale this spring (just the forks are out now, the rest is stored but at least with them in sight I will remember to actually use them!) and then a small monogrammed bowl that is perfect for snacks.

I highly recommend visiting your dining room and tweaking it to make it the most functional for your needs over the next couple months! It's a great feeling to know the dining room is ready for guests whenever that may be!

This series has been a blast and I have walked away with so many new ideas from the following ladies for prepping our homes for the holidays. I hope you all have enjoyed it too!

Shine Your Light

Dimples & Tangles

Crazy Wonderful

Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss

This Is Happiness

Simple Details

Fall Into The Holidays- The Living Room

This week we are back with another post for prepping for the holidays ahead. We've hit the kitchen and the bedroom, and now are headed into the living room! I'm going to let you all in on a little secret of mine, I love a clean slate right before the holidays hit. As soon as Halloween is over, I pack up a majority of the pumpkins and fall decor and do a little cleaning of the house. Usually our living room/kitchen is free of seasonal decor a few weeks right after Halloween and before Thanksgiving. It just feels good to do a freshen up and have a sense of calm before I add more seasonal decorations. I want the twinkling Christmas lights and sweet mementos to be the spotlight of my decor and not have to worry about clutter that has been tagging along from season to season. However, once I take away a little I add a little back that is going to get me closer to being ready for Christmas! Does that even make sense? Take a little away, add a little more back in a more sensible way...ok let's go with it!

So, for the living room prep today, I have two parts to this post. 

Part one: Simplify or clean up existing room. For me, this meant pairing down on the bookcases. I took out all the paperback books and stored them out of sight. Something I had been planning to do for a while, just never took the time to do. This cleaned up the look of the shelves so much!! I did a little rearranging here and there, but nothing big. 

Part two: Add in fresh greenery (to be added onto later in the season), switch out pillows and throws, and wash slipcover on the sofa. This year I wanted to use a few larger ginger jars on the mantel and keep it fairly simple. I added fresh magnolia stems to each jar until they looked even. (tip- I like to rinse the leaves off and wipe them down with a damp paper towel before I bring them inside) Anyway, I just love their vibrant leaves that have that heir of "Southern"...and they last so long. I don't even stick them in water, they will sit like this for weeks until I switch them out. After Thanksgiving, I will add a faux magnolia garland to the mantel as well. But, for now the greenery in the ginger jars is a great stepping stone for what is to come! 

I have to tell you too- one of my great friends - ((I know you are reading ;) )) sold me five(!) of her ginger jars this week since she just moved. You know I was on it! I have been looking for more double happiness jars for so long but couldn't pull the trigger! I'm loving my new jars!

I didn't break out any of my true "Christmas" pillows yet, but I did put away a few that leaned towards summer. These red pillows were supposed to go in Weeks' room but the red doesn't match his headboard anymore- however, they are SO perfect for Christmas! I love the bold pop of red. It has instantly transformed our living room into a cheery holiday space! The white slipcover on the sofa got washed (again) and I'm sure I will do it several more times before Christmas. Can I just say I don't know what I would do with out that slipcover?! Kids!

This weeks update was so simple but I hope it inspired you to get thinking about your living room for Christmas! Once again, it feels so good to be ready for the day I pull out those Christmas totes from storage and be able to enjoy the season to come!

Make sure to check out these lovely ladies sharing their spaces today:

• Becky of This Is Happiness • 

• Lisa of Shine Your Light • 

• Julie of Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss •

• Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles • 

• Shelley of Crazy Wonderful • 

• Pam of Simple Details • 

Fall Into The Holidays: The Bedroom

This week we are back with another post on prepping ourselves for the holidays ahead. I have to tell you all, I plan these posts ahead (hence, why I was able to do the post last week when my son had just gotten out of the hospital from pneumonia!) so, I have had plenty of time to soak up that new pantry. Let me tell you, that little pantry is our #bestlittleprojectever. It wasn't overwhelming and it made the biggest impact in our kitchen, we are positively obsessed. Anyway, thats what this series is all about. Take a little thing and make it worth its weight in gold!

This week we are tackling the bedroom, and I have to admit, I was a little stumped at first. In years past, I would change a few throw pillows out on the bed, long after I finished decorating the tree and prepping the downstairs. Our bedroom is almost always an afterthought (something we are slowly changing, bit by bit!) not only for seasonal, but for just everyday life.  I have never been able to settle on the "perfect" design for it, so I have decided to go the slow route and do it bit by bit, piece by piece as it all comes together. You know you need some decor in your bedroom when your husband says "Can we hang some stuff on the walls?" ha!

After being stumped on what in the world I would do, I had an a-ha moment on the most simplest of things to do. This "project" won't take you five minutes and will leave your room feeling so much cozier.

I love the idea of bringing the outdoors in, with greenery, flowers, branches and plants. I do this all the time downstairs- in the kitchen, breakfast room, living room, you name it. I realized I would love to add that element into our bedroom as well- enter the boxwood wreath! These are a great size for a standard window. I just grabbed one of my favorite ribbons from my rather absurd ribbon stash to hang them on. It's not too Christmasy- but definitely perfect for the season to come. If you want to go ahead and hang a wreath in your home now, I would recommend choosing a ribbon in festive colors with out bold prints- something you can stand to see for the next few months :) Instant charm, and instant cheer for the holidays to come!

On the main window, I hung the wreath right from the drapery rod. Our other window is a dormer, and this wreath makes it the cutest little corner ever! We just hung this one right off of a nail.

I want our master to feel airy, fresh, relaxing and clean. This tends to make me gravitate towards lots of shades of white. Adding in the greenery from the wreath warms it up a bit, along with our sweet little gingham sheets! Can't get enough of those. I swear they make the best sheets! I think they lend themselves so well towards the current season too- Christmas they are perfect for red/green festiveness...spring and summer they work great with coastal and floral pairings! The embroidered pillowcases were an estate sale find. I kind of feel like granny-chic with them but I adore embroidery! Don't think I am really old and outdated ok? ;)

At the foot of our bed, I keep our down duvet and this throw blanket that is perfect for keeping warm in the cooler months. Actually, I take that back- I use this throw every single day of the year it is THAT good. Put it on your Christmas list! Not only is is soft but it is so warm and cozy, and is machine washable. In the summertime I just prop it over my feet! 

duvet // throw (find similar on sale here) // bedding

One more thing that I love to do while getting ready for the holidays, or every few months... clear. the. clutter. We are prone to it,  won't deny it. We just got these refinished nightstands about a month ago and still had not taken the time to organize them. I moved my most frequently used items off the top of the nightstand into the top drawer- pen, notepad, journal, devotional and latest book. I'm glad I actually took a few moments to clean up my nightstand, the results are worth it!

I really enjoyed sprucing our room up a bit in the most simplest of ways. Lisa, thank you so much for asking me to join in on this :)

Don't miss these fun posts this week:

Lisa of Shine Your Light
Pam of Simple Details
Julie of Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss
Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles
Shelley of Crazy Wonderful
Becky of This Is Happiness

Christmas for the Kids!

Good news y'all...plenty of things are still shipping in time for Christmas! Saturday morning while sitting in bed sipping on coffee and feeding the baby, I ran through my list of gifts in my head for the kids and did some more last minute ordering. It was all here by 12 pm Monday. Super quick! I also have picked out some toys locally which are probably my favorites but these are the ones that I am able to find online {once again, reminding you to shop your local stores!! :) }

Alongside toys, we also are asking for some super useful things the kids need for their rooms and what not! Weeks needs a pair of nightstands for his big boy room, which I am so excited about. Matching nightstands...yes please! I don't even have a pair of those! Frances Ann needs some new shades for her room and we are thinking about wooden mini blinds for her. I loved the look of the bamboo shades in our last house, but the wooden minis might work just fine here! She also has been using a wooden antique high chair which is fine but sometimes I would prefer her to be in a really up to date, sturdy chair with no wonky straps- I like this one! Just seems simpler that way even if the new ones aren't as appealing to the eye. Also needed- a new sleepsack for the the next size up. 

FA is obsessed with tags and so a taggies doll is very appropriate. Also, very into anything that might look like a phone or computer- hence the pink tablet. My, she has learned quick! We also think its a great time to go ahead with the pink trike that she can grow into. So cute.

Fun stuff- a power wheels jeep for my boy {they come with remote controls for parents!} although the one that we ordered is now showing up as $900 which we def did not pay! He also is getting an amazon fire from Mimi and Pop Pop. He has always loved vtech toys and we get a kick out of that cute voice on everything! This play doh set is a great deal too!

Christmas Apps

We had our little work party last night and we had just the perfect amount of food. I brought an appetizer tray, themed with a Christmas tree! I know you've probably seen the Christmas tree shaped veggie/cheese/meat tray, and I had too. I decided not to be "pinterest perfect" and just buy what I wanted on my tray and put it together on one of my large cutting boards!

My grocery list included: pre-sliced gouda cheese, pre-sliced sharp cheddar cheese, sliced sopressata, red grapes, 2 english cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, ranch seasoning packet and sour cream (for dipping). Sometimes it is such a relief to not have to be referring to a pinterest link to make something- am I right?

It was just the right amount of snacks and turned out pretty cute too. My tips: buy everything pre-sliced that you can! I cut my veggies around 4:00 and put them in ziploc baggies. When I arrived at the party all I had to do was arrange it on the cutting board, which took a few minutes. {Side note- this cutting board is very similar to mine, ours has a "C" on it to make it a little more personal. It would make a great last minute gift for someone that has everything! I also love this handled cutting board!}We love our veggies with a ranch dip, so I brought that as well. I bought an organic ranch packet and mixed it with the sour cream several hours ahead of time so it had time to blend the flavors ahead of serving.

I also brought one of my favorite dips- Cheesy Hearts of Palm Dip from Laura at the Reedy Review. I can't sing the praises of this dip enough and I can assure you it was devoured. For some reason, I think it makes a great Christmas app. This is the second time I have made it around the holidays and it has been a hit both times! If you are a fan of artichoke dip {raising my hand} then you will love this one!

What are your easy go-to apps for holiday parties?

Christmas Inspiration - Colonial Style

I know, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week and I will celebrate rightfully so. But, you can't deny that we are headed full throttle for Christmas. I want everyone to take a deep breath because no matter what, y'all are way ahead of the game than me. I have a kitchen and living room to unpack first, THEN I can unpack some Christmas decor. No, it's not that I have done everything else and those are the last two rooms. I just decided thats all we need {minus bedroom setups} in order to be set for Christmas. It is my very realistic approach to the holidays this year :)

So, to catch you up to speed...our new house is a white colonial with black shutters {actually they are a hint of that Williamsburg green but read black} with traditional landscaping. The inside has gorgeous pine floors throughout most of the house. We are fixing up the kitchen to a modernized white, clean kitchen with traditional elements like a brick floor, soft brass accents. The living room is right off the kitchen, along with a little dinette. Not sure if it is my mother wearing off on me but I swear I am leaning so far towards the traditional spectrum about 80% of the time, but then I add my touch to keep it perfectly modern. Everything that is old is new again, that is the saying right? Anyway, my house may not be decorated for Christmas until late December...so maybe I will just post on here the inspiration I come across!

All images via Midwest Living

Buckeyes + My Go-To Christmas Apps + Sweets

First of all, thanks for all of your sweet congrats on our Baby #2 news, seen on instagram. We are so excited, very thankful, and I will update y'all soon! 

I'm so excited that Christmas is just a mere few days away, and we have lots of fun family time ahead. If you are like me, then food is a big part of the Christmas celebration. I love some Thanksgiving food but I reallllly love Christmas food. It's fun to have some recipes you can always rely on and make part of your yearly tradition which is why I am sharing some of my favorites today!

One of my very favorite sweet treats to start out with, Buckeyes, or as most people call them, Peanut Butter Balls! This is our family recipe that I grew up having and exactly how they should taste {in my opinion!} Certainly, one of those recipes everyone has a tweak for, but I really do love the tried and true recipe below. If you make them, let me know! My neighbors are enjoying half of the batch I made so we didn't eat them all before Christmas!

Buckeyes {Peanut Butter Balls}

Mix together:
1 stick butter
1 lb box confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Roll into small balls the size of a buckeye {about 1" round} Refrigerate for about 1 hour until set. Melt together in top of double boiler:
1 6 oz package semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 of 2 oz. bar of paraffin wax

Insert toothpick in top of each peanut butter ball and dip into chocolate mixture almost to the top of the ball, leaving the top uncovered so it will look like a buckeye. Place on waxed paper until chocolate hardens.

Mom's Oyster Crackers

These oyster crackers and a family Christmas gathering almost go hand in hand. They make a big batch {think the size of one of those big bags of oyster crackers} and are perfect for setting out on the counter in a small bowl for a quick, light bite to eat. They are also dangerous though, we always go back for one more handful, one more, and go back again, and again :) I also bagged some up yesterday for neighbors as a little Christmas treat.

Christmas Cheese Ball

This is my go-to cheese ball recipe. It's very simple but the flavors are perfect for pleasing everyone. I just made one ahead of time to be served on Christmas day. An appetizer that is homemade, but waiting in your fridge for the right time is key for holiday entertaining! Serve it with wheat thins or your favorite crisp cracker. Recipe note: I only wanted one cheese ball so I cut the recipe in half.

Pepper Jelly and Cream Cheese

No recipe required for this one and that is so ideal for this time of year. You can't spend hours on everything you whip up in the kitchen and this is just so easy, tasty and everyone loves it. Definitely a southern staple in our family! Take one block of cream cheese and empty a small jar of pepper jelly {I like red} on the top. Extra points if you find a gourmet pepper jelly made locally or at a specialty store. Serve with crackers. I already served this on Sunday night for a quick appetizer and it does not disappoint. 

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I made this recipe last year and they were a hit. I know there are a ton of versions of this cookie, but this one seemed to hit it on all the marks. A definite keeper!

Sticky Pecan Mini Buns

I also made these last year and I would definitely keep this recipe close by. A perfect sweet mini bite to bring along when you are visiting someone out of town, a baby shower, bridal shower, brunch, you name it! I also used ready made crescent dough to keep it extra simple.

I would love to hear any of your tried and true favorites! Hope you all are having a Merry Christmas week!

Christmas Around the House 2015

Welcome to the Chalk House for Christmas! I hope you enjoy what I pulled together this year. I did a lot of bright red and green, with pops of gold in Weeks' playroom and then kept things fairly neutral in the redesigned living room! I love having two different looks but they flow really nicely. I cannot believe Christmas is next week...how about you? Come on in!

A new ornament as of last year that my Mom got for Weeks....

similar ornaments

Comfy and cozy with throws and pillows!

Peeking over into the living room. I knew I had to have garland and bows on those beautiful bookcases this year!

Sweet little figurines and a musical mailbox that Weeks got for Christmas last year. It plays so many Christmas tunes and lights up- he loves it!

I moved my desk around the corner into the living room and set it up as a temporary gift wrap station. It is so nice to have everything I need right there and not to have to go plundering for tape and scissors! Make sure to check out the Christmas tags. My sister opened her own shop, Golden Script, and is a really talented calligrapher. They are beautiful!

wrapping paper / gift tags

The sleeping pup pillow...I adore! A new birthday present for me this year.

My sister also did the print in the gold frame, you can contact her for special orders! Can you tell I like seasonal throw pillows? Never met one I didn't like.

The little angel below is one my Mom made umpteen years ago for me when I was really young. I still adore that sweet thing! 

jamil leopard pillow

Into the kitchen!

Fresh rosemary is potted in a new blue and white pot I found at Ross- this is my secret spot for finding really, really cheap blue and white pots. Shh!

I painted the blue and white chinoiserie ornaments :)

The zebra in the frame is actually a tray I bought last year and framed! Cheap art! 

The other painting is done by me.

In the mudroom my paperwhites are going crazy and just beginning to bloom now.

Thanks for reading along and I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season....