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!