These are a few of my favorite things!

My home is totally decked out for Christmas. After the holiday decorations get put away I will take pictures of what it normally looks like around here. But for now I wanted to share a few of my favorite things. Some are fun, some are clever and some are just too beautiful to describe....well at least in my eyes ;)

This is a picture of my bedroom. It is oo-la-la! Romantic, comfy and serene. Just what I need at this time in my life. The canopy I found at a yard sale. I picked it up and asked the lady if it was a tablecloth. She said, "No. That is for a canopy bed." I told her I had a canopy bed and she said, "Just take it." Sometimes I get lucky like that.



This is a book shelf I found at the thrift store for $20.00. It is perfect for my Willow Tree display. For a backdrop I picked up some pretty frames from a garage sale and put some scrapbook paper inside of them. I love it!



This is my dressing table. My mother found a bedroom suite for me, also from a garage sale, when I was 2 years old. This dressing table is part of that set. I am now 46 so it probably is borderline antique :) It has been stained wood, kelly green, white, and now I have painted it black. I love to do my makeup here each morning. Something about it makes me feel very princess like!



I love this display from my kitchen. Back when I was married, the wasbund (nice word for ex) complained that he couldn't find anything in the pantry. I assured him that not everything can be on the front row. While dreaming one night, this thought came to me. Yes, everything can be on the front row, and it can look mighty cute.



This is an idea I stole from my neighbor in my old neighborhood four hours away. Because I don't live near them anymore I felt at liberty to copy. It is a word wall. It was fun finding inspiring words in different shapes and colors. The frame in the middle is a gift from my son one Mother's Day a few year ago. He took different pictures of himself holding signs with individual words for "I love you mom". I love it.



This is my clock wall. I am at a point in life where I am having to be patient on many levels. Having this as the focal point of the living room centers me each day and reminds me of the lessons I need to learn right now. The clock in the upper left that is ivory and quite ornate belonged to my Granny. She died at midnight and that is the time the clock is stopped at. I change the other clocks in the spring and fall, but my Granny's clock I leave just as it is.



I love decorating with things that are meaningful. Most of the things I have come from thrift stores, yard sales, or online sites. I love to repurpose things, use items in a way they are not normally used. Slipcovering, spray painting, etc. can change an item to va-va-va-voom! This makes it unique and special. I hope you enjoyed some of my favorite things.

Mega Failure

So last night dinner at my aunts was a mega-failure. My aunt is so full of love and she is an amazing cook...and everything looked so beautiful. I just couldn't say no...to anything. There was ham, green beans, baked beans, funeral potatoes ( my ultimate downfall), sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top, rolls...and at each place setting was a beautiful frosted goblet filled with jello with a creamy topping. The meal was beautiful and so tasty. I decided to take small helpings of each...but then I had seconds of ham and funeral potatoes. I couldn't help myself. The company was enjoyable and it just felt good.

After dinner my aunt brought out the cheesecake with fruit topping. The other three ladies at the table refused dessert saying they would take some to go. Me, being the only other lady besides my aunt, didn't not want to disappoint her so I had a small slice of the cheesecake. She also sent us home with leftovers.

When we got in the car, I looked at Brooklyn and said, "Well that didn't go so well." She smiled. I rationalized by saying, "There are times we are going to have to eat things we wouldn't eat in the walls of our home. It is the holidays and there is much more opportunity for slipping off our designed way of eating."

I am not going to beat myself up over this. It is a lesson. One thing I need to learn is how to stick to my guns without worrying about hurting anyone else. If I had lost 50 lbs. they would know I was eating different; but being that this my first week of eating this way, I didn't feel like I could use that "excuse".

Anyway, mega failure...time to get back in the saddle.



And with that being said, I did glisten five days this week. Score!

A Proud Moment

Last night was the first of the Christmas party dinners. It was a Progressive Dinner where we went to one house for appetizer, one for entree and then back to my house for dessert.

I was so proud of myself. At the first house I had celery, broccoli and some cheese. Yep, I skipped the crackers and cheese balls, chips and salsa, and the mini quiches that looked so yummy.

We were then off to the entree. It was a selection of crock pot soups. I love me some cream soups - broccoli cheese, potato, clam chowder...but I didn't have any of those. I saw a bean soup in broth. That was my choice. I had a bowl, felt satisfied...and I didn't die from not having what I really wanted.



Then we were off to my home. Because it was my home, it was easy to stay away from the dessert table. I was mingling with guests and enjoy the company and conversation. When everyone left, I turned and saw there were many desserts left for me to enjoy. Oh great! Being a sugar addict, desserts were always my downfall. But it all turned out okay. I had limited my sugar during the day in anticipation of my failure to resist. However, I did good. I had one tiny cream puff and one peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss in the center. All the other desserts I bagged up and put in the freezer to take to my mom's house for New Years Eve as she will have plenty of people to enjoy them.

I considered the evening to be a tremendous success. I did not feel deprived...and it felt amazingly good to be proud of myself.

Now let's see how tonight's dinner at my aunt and uncle's home goes. I don't want to offend my aunt, so I am eating low on carbs and sugars today in hopes that if I do need to have a little of this or a little of that, I will not sabotage myself. Bring on the food, I am ready to be successful again.

The Christmas Buffets

Starting today, the Christmas parties begin. Tonight is our Relief Society Progressive Dinner, tomorrow night is a dinner at my Aunt and Uncle's home, and Friday is our Ward Christmas Party. What does that mean for my "design" aka new way of eating? What that means is that now I am in control of food, it is not in control of me.

I will not stand mindlessly eating all the yummies sitting around, I will not have seconds...I may not even have firsts of some foods. I will pay attention and make sure not so sabotage myself. I will recognize that there is more to the holidays than food.

I will enjoy the beautiful decorations, the entertainment, the friendships. Before I went to these parties to fill my body with delicious food...but now I will feel my soul with so much more...love for my friends...and for myself.

Those Tight Jeans

Anytime I wear jeans, I squeeze into them hoping they will stretch out as the day goes on and I will be able to comfortably wear them. This usually is the way it plays out. But without fail, at night after dinner and while I am watching a tv show, like the Biggest Loser, I will have to unbutton them. It is just more comfy not having my big belly restricted.

Tonight, I have worn my jeans with no problem. They do not feel tight. I am watching the Biggest Loser finale and they don't feel uncomfortable at all. Maybe my new "design" is working.