It Will be Happier

Merry Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! God bless!

Thursday 13: 2014 Etsy Christmas Finds

Since next week is Christmas and I love Etsy, I thought I would see what wonderful items should be under my tree.  I do believe this is going to become an every-holiday, every-year kind of post.  So much fun!

1.  Pretty Christmas tree necklace.  Lots of other really great necklaces in the shop, too!

Etsy shop

2.  I love holiday garland!

Etsy shop

3.  Charming vintage jewelry Christmas tree.  So many gorgeous arrangements in this shop!

Etsy shop

4. Beautiful nativity scene.

Etsy shop

5.  Cozy quilt.

Etsy shop

6.  I love holiday pillows!  Mr. Rudolph's nose would even match our couch.

Etsy shop

7.  I am so in love with this painting.  It's so magical; I wish I could jump right into the scene!

Etsy shop

8.  I own no holiday wreaths and think I should probably change that in 2015 since wreaths always seem to make it on these lists of mine.  How pretty are those felt flowers?

Etsy shop

9.  I would never wear this but I thought it was absolutely adorable!  Such a fun, festive dress!

Etsy shop

10.  What an easy little change to make a room more festive!

Etsy shop

11.  How charming is this Santa train planter?

Etsy shop

12.  Vintage carolers.  I don't have any carolers in my Christmas collection and think I should probably fix that by getting these lovely ladies.

Etsy shop

13.  Noel candle holders.  I'm kind of a sucker for anything with holly.

Etsy shop

2014 Ornaments

I'll be the first to admit that shaping and fluffing the Christmas tree is an infuriating process for me; I turn into someone even more rotten than the Grinch.  It is the only thing I don't like doing at Christmastime.  Once I open the boxes of ornaments, though, I can't help but cheer up; my heart grows three sizes.  So many pretty baubles and charming characters that bring memories flooding back.  I absolutely love the collection Mitch and I have made and add to every year.

This year Mitch and I continued our tradition of bringing home a Christmas ornament from every vacation destination; this little guy joined our assortment in February after our trip to Las Vegas.

Our 2014 Hallmark Keepsake ornament is a combination of two of my loves: popcorn and snowmen.  When you activate the ornament, the machine illuminates and popcorn falls as "Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!" plays.  It is so adorable!  Go watch the video here.

Poppy Holidays

It's a blizzard of popcorn!

All fluffy and white,

it blows and it drifts - 

what a magical sight!

A "snowman" pops up

to complete the cool scene,

as the fun just keeps falling

in this merry machine!

Did you add any new ornaments to your collection this year?

Six Years Old

Our little girl turned six years old today!  Where has the time gone?!

To help Crickett celebrate her special day, Mitch and I got her a little cake from a local dog bakery specializing in healthy, all natural products.  The cake was made of ground buffalo and rice with a mashed potato frosting (yum, huh?); it smelled absolutely disgusting to me but must have been quite delicious because it sure didn't take long for Crickett to gobble it up.

Best picture I could get as the little girl was way too excited to pose nicely.

  

Happy Birthday, our beautiful little Crickett!  We love you to pieces!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas treats have been made (and devoured).

Christmas decorations have been put out.

Christmas movies have been watched.

It truly is the most wonderful time of year.  Hands down.

November Happenings: Crickett

I thought I should write a little about November while it's still November!  I attempted to summarize this month a couple of time before but got overwhelmed (doesn't take much some days) and gave up.  To help my scattered mind I thought I would break the month up into a couple of different topics.

So, here is the first - and cutest! - installment of November Happenings: Crickett!

At the beginning of the month I caved and turned my existing Instagram account over to Crickett.  The account is now all about Crickett and only Crickett; photos and videos of my little girl with captions told from her point of view.

Crickett only follows other animal accounts, mostly dogs and the majority of those being other Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.  There are certainly some clever people out there; I have laughed to the point of tears on more than one occasion.

I know this whole thing might sound a little crazy to some but the experience has been absolutely joyful for me.  There is nothing better than scrolling through photos and videos of adorable pets; it's a high point in my day, a place with so much happiness and positivity.  The world needs more of that.

Sunday Smile

Sunday Smile

Sunday Smile

The month of Thanksgiving is upon us!

Thursday 13: 2014 Etsy Halloween Finds

I tell you what, friends, I'm pretty happy to be back in blog-land!  It feels wonderful to be capturing and recording little snapshots of my life again.  I'm also extremely excited to do another Thursday 13; always one of my favorite posts to write up (lists are always great!).

Since tomorrow is Halloween and I adore Etsy, I thought I would peruse the site for Halloween items that should be in my collection.

1.  I'm not really one to wear holiday themed clothing but I would totally wear this black cat shirt.

Etsy shop

2.  These witch boots are wonderful!

Etsy shop

3.  Who couldn't use some spider garland in their home?

Etsy shop

4.  For some reason, I just love this little bloody eye muffin.  So weird but so cool.

Etsy shop

5.  Unfortunately this is just the pattern but this little Dracula doll is so cute he might be worth learning how to sew and such.

Etsy shop

6.  I adore this miniature cemetery set and it would work perfectly on my window sill.

Etsy shop

7.  A rib cage lamp?  Disturbing?  A little.  Perfect for Halloween?  Absolutely!

Etsy shop

8.  These black cat luminaries are so enchanting.

Etsy shop

9.  This quilt would be perfect to snuggle under while watching Halloween movies.

Etsy shop

Etsy shop

10.  We don't decorate our yard for holidays but I wouldn't mind having this witch and cauldron out front.

Etsy shop

11.  This spider headband would be fun to wear to work or someplace where a costume might be too much.

Etsy shop

12.  I love signs and this Broom Parking sign is so fun.  I even have a toad (with a broom!) that I could set by it.

Etsy shop

13.  This book folding pattern is amazing!  May be time for me to grab some old books from the library's used book sale to attempt some patterns!

Etsy shop

Las Vegas, Day Three

Time to catch up on some vacation posts from February!

Mitch and I began day three in Las Vegas by hitting up two History Channel hot-spots.  Our first stop was the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, home of the show "Pawn Stars."  Not only was it cool to be in the store where the show is filmed (one of the few shows Mitch watches that I actually enjoy myself) but it was very interesting to see some of the items for sale (lots of history in there!).  For example, if you have an extra $95,000 laying around, you can purchase Johnny Cash's license.

Our next stop was Rick's Restorations.  We took a little tour of the different work areas and got to see some of the items that are waiting to be restored as well as some items that had been completed.  So many cool, retro items at the shop and the fact that they look brand new after Rick and his crew get done with them is absolutely incredible.  Apparently there is a two year waiting list for items to be restored; that is, unless you have something truly unique they want to put on the show.

Brettly and Mitch

After our television show location visits, we headed down the strip to the Stratosphere.  Did you know that the Stratosphere tower is the the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States?  I certainly didn't know that when I was standing over 1,000 feet above the nice, sturdy ground.  And I thought the 460 feet of the Eiffel Tower got my heart racing and palms sweating!

The views were certainly breathtaking (or maybe that was just me hyperventilating).

As if the height itself wasn't enough, Mitch decided he needed to get my heart rate up even more by riding all three rides the Stratosphere had to offer and then to top things off by jumping off the tower.  You know, it's no big deal free-falling 829 feet; a descent from the 108th floor!

Landing pad

That evening, Mitch and I took it easy on the adrenaline rushes (yes, I count the mini panic attack I had looking out the window of the Stratosphere as an adrenaline rush!) and headed back to the Luxor to visit Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition.  This exhibit shed a whole new light on one of the world's most famous shipwrecks; I highly recommend visiting if you have the opportunity.  I've always found this piece of history to be interesting but seeing actual artifacts recovered from the wreckage was a very moving experience.

We saw a huge variety of awesome items from all areas of the ship (unfortunately cameras were not allowed in the exhibit so no photos to share), from silverware and toiletries, floor tiles and windows,  to what many consider the crown jewel of the collection: "The Big Piece."  "The Big Piece" is the largest Titanic artifact ever recovered; a 26 foot long, 15 ton piece of the Titanic's hull.  Definitely an incredible feeling to stand next to a piece of history like that.

In addition to artifacts, the exhibit also featured replicas of the grand staircase (so beautiful and elegant); the promenade deck where you could hear waves crashing, look at a starry sky, and feel the cold evening air; and the third-class and first-class rooms (what an insane difference between the two types of accommodations!).

 
At the beginning of the exhibit, guests receive a "boarding pass" that contains the name and a brief summary - age and itinerary - of an actual passenger that boarded the Titanic back in 1912.  At the end of the tour, guests find out if that person survived by finding the name on the memorial wall.  The boarding pass I received was that of a first-class woman traveling with her father in search of perfumes for their business; she survived but her father did not.  The boarding pass Mitch received was that of a third-class male traveling with a friend; neither he nor his friend survived.  It was mind-blowing to see how few people survived this tragedy and how important class was in determining which lives were worth saving.

To read about the first two days of our trip, head here (Day 1) and here (Day 2) and stay tuned for Day 4!