playing with my camera

I was playing with my camera today taking some pictures of my boys for a possible christmas card picture. I wasn't going to send one out this year but decided to take some pictures and see.

I liked this one after I edited it.

I was playing with the aperture settings and got this shot.

this would have been a great picture if it wasn’t blurry.

Hubby got me a nice, expensive camera for mothers day and I still have yet to learn how to use it…pretty frustrating. I am super motivated to learn and take some really great pictures of my family.

I am big fan of  meg, ashley, and jennifer who take some amazing pictures.

I will be taking a photo class this january and am super excited.

thanks for putting up with not so great pictures and blurries.

maggie

more christmas decorating

i was able to take some shots of our outside decor

we do not go all out

 simple and white

my iceberg roses continue to bloom, they are beautifully illuminated by the lights

a grapevine moose and a reindeer hubby bought me one year

two topiaries and a gingy pillow on the couch

i like to just hang simple white lights

my baby frolicking with the animals

thanks for stopping by!

christmas decorating

after taking jenn rizzos holiday house tour this week

i was inspired to take some pictures of some of the holiday decorating i have done so far

it all started with going to buy a christmas tree last weekend

we buy a fresh tree, i just can't seem to go with a fake tree

{saying fake even sounds bad}

 i love the way the pine smell permeates our home

my job is to string the lights, all twelve of them

every year i seem to need more lights

i took some pictures of my doggie max, he didn't seem to mind all the lights

he likes to be in the action and near me.

here are some of the things i have been working on

a bible verse for my dining room

a vintage angel that my sister gave me one year for christmas

 a cute musical birdie i found last year at target

every year hubby and i buy a family ornament,

 this year we added this lil guy

hubby knows i have been loving owls lately



my tree does not have a theme and i don't usually decorate with just one color

though i like theme trees, i like to use ornaments that we have collected year to year

each ornament comes with a memory of that time and is special

the boys each get to pick their own ornament

when they grow up and leave the nest {tear}

they will be able to take their box of ornaments to hang on their tree in their home

a whimsical santa

here is the best shot i could get of the entire tree

because our house is cozy {small} we have our tree in the dining room

who knew photographing a tree was trixxy

 another {not so good}shot of the entire tree

moving on to the boy's room

number one's tree

i found these cute mini ornaments last year

number two's tree, he hung all the ornaments himself

a small nativity for the boys

a cold chickadee in the boy's bathroom

a small wreath for my bedroom

a white nativity that hubby bought me for christmas one year

hope you enjoyed my little tour.

tonight i hope to take pictures of the outside before it gets too dark

have a great weekend.

how do you do christmas?

i have been on pinterest {addicted!} looking at christmas decor

so i have been wondering?

how do you do christmas?

all white with an accent color

vintage and colorful

small and understated

accented with silhouettes

in a baby buggy

all are so beautiful yet so different

however you do Christmas may it be enjoyable and beautiful

i'm off to do some of my own decorating.

all images via pinterest

 click on the pinterest button to the right
 to see more of my chrsitmas inspiration board

a cup of tea

i love a good cup of tea

i am also a coffee drinker

 but after my two cups {mugs}of coffee in the morning

i still crave a warm sip of something but i don't allow myself three cups{mugs}of coffee

my heart starts getting racy...it does not feel good.

i especially crave a warm cup of tea during the cold winter months

before going to bed i drink another cup so i thought i would share with you

my favorite teas

i enjoy celestial seasonings

these are my favorites

i drink the country peach during the day when i crave a cup of something warm

this is my habit on my days off when i am home cleaning {blogging}

at night i like to drink the tension tamer or as my hubby calls it my dragon tea

the tension tamer has a peppermint taste that i really enjoy

if i am really tired the sleepytime and the sleepytime extra are good choices

sleepytime is a chamomile blend and the extra has valerian, an herb that helps promote relaxation

having a single cup brewer also makes tea time super easy

i just pop in the tea bag and push the brew button and wah-la

tea is ready in an instant

did i mention that tea is good for you and helps decrease the risk of heart related illness

i know i love it and it does help to relax me before going to bed.

what about you..do you drink tea? what are your favorites?

master bedroom

i took some pictures of my master bedroom for a consultation.

i want to change and add something to our bedroom but haven't really figured out what

so here are some pictures of what my bedroom looks like now

{when it is all clean}

i love the look of the bed

dark and chunky especially since the room is pretty big

{ i know the fan is not nice and pretty, i would much rather have a nice

and pretty chandelier but in california, the summer and fall gets pretty hot 

 and i don't like to have the ac running all night}



i want to repaint the room

the color looks a bit yellow and buttery which i do not care for any more

i also want to get new curtains and maybe even bamboo blinds for the windows

i like looking out the french doors

seeing my roses and the green from the bougainvillea i planted this summer

you can read about it here

did i mention how i want new nightstands that are taller

these are too small but we really have not found any i like

i don't want them to match

ideally, i would like antique dressers, if my budget permits

 {speaking of budgets, i really don't have one, ha!}

and since i am pointing out some of the flaws of my bedroom

 i should address the elephant in the room

yes, our dresser which serves as a media center for the

tv, dvr, dvd player, and wii console

tried to convince the hubby about the tv, no luck

i must confess though that i like having the wii in my room

our house is small and when the kids play and cousins come over

they play and have a good time in the room

while the adults are in the living room

it works out, just doesn't look so pretty

so there you have it,

 our humble master bedroom

i look forward to posting some after photos

edit: i changed out a few things for the holiday

 here are a few more pictures of what my bedroom looks like now

i just really like the look of the white matelasse coverlet with the brown pillows

 my favorite bible verse framed on my nightstand

thanks for stopping by,
i am open to any suggestions, and comments are always welcome!