Time to Spruce Things Up for Christmas

Hello, my lovelies! 

Are you one of those types who trim their tree just seconds after the last piece of Halloween candy is dropped into a bucket? Who moves immediately from pumpkins to sugar plums? Snowplowing directly past Thanksgiving all while blaring Mariah Carey and sporting their finest ugly sweater? 

Yeah, me neither. 

In fact, I have a hard "no Christmas until after Thanksgiving" rule. For some reason, I get very defensive on behalf of Turkey Day, maybe because it's so easily looked over nowadays and I feel bad. Or maybe because I think the month of November should be filled with Fall and not Fa-La-La-La-Las. 

With that being said, once it IS the proper time to celebrate the holiday season, I. AM. HERE. FOR. IT! 

I haven't bought new decorations in a loooong while. So since we'd be adding another stocking to the mantel, I jumped at the chance to "spruce" up (see what I did there?) the space above our fireplace to celebrate Harrison's first Christmas with new garland and trimmings! 

This year I wanted bottle brush trees. I've had my eye on these cute little creations for some time, and just love how whimsical they are. You can find them almost anywhere, but the large white ones in the photo all came from Hobby Lobby. They have quite the variety, and with all holiday decor 50% off right now you can't go wrong. 

Hob-Lob is also where I picked up the garland, lambs ear clips, owl pick (how CUTE is he??!!!), and gold tree picks. The red and green berry garland, lights, and "joy" sign I already had, and the small trees I ordered from Amazon. 

My process for assembly went like so; 
1. pour a cup of coffee
2. play Christmas songs 
3. start with the big stuff - garland, berries lights, sign
4. move to medium - white trees, lambs ears, gold trees
5. finish with small - tiny trees
6. before ANY of this, drop the baby off at daycare and take a personal day from work so you can actually be productive. 

When adding picks and such to garland, think about clustering your decorations in groups of three. Mix various heights and textures for dimension, all while keeping visual weight in mind so the whole piece is balanced. 

Holy holly berries that is FESTIVE! 
Such an upgrade from the sad little strand of plastic green garland I used to throw up there behind my knick-knacks. And isn't Harrison's stocking fabulous!? I picked it up at a local boutique, and grabbed three extra in case I decide Eric and I need to match. Or we have 3 more kids...whichever comes first. 

I can't wait for Christmas morning. I dont' think Harry will have a clue what's going on, but if his excitement is anything like when he met the big man...I think we're in for a jolly ol' time. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! 


Check out all of our home improvements and decor, by visiting the OUR NEST page.

Summer Party Planning

Summer is right around the corner people! Can’t you FEEL IT!?!?

All I’ve been doing is daydreaming about laying by a pool, ice cold beverage in hand, and a sweet cabana boy named Kyle at my every beckon call...

Ok, odds are that’s NOT going to be the way I spend my favorite season. I don’t even know where the closest pool is around here. But that won’t stop me from throwing a party to celebrate surviving yet another polar vortex! So for those of you who have to make due with a regular backyard party like me, I’ve got a few ideas to help make planning a breeze.

When figuring out the details to a party, there are really just three categories you need to worry about:  Eat / Drink / Play

EAT

No one shows up to a gathering and isn’t hungry. It’s science. So when your friends arrive at the door, having something for them to nibble on is a must. I made these pretzel bites at our latest house party, and they were a huge success! They may look intimidating (hello...yeast…) but were actually pretty simple, and made me feel like freaking Betty Crocker.

You also can’t go wrong with classic chips and  dip. Break out your fun bowls, and set up a little “salsa station” by offering several different types. The only prep involved is twisting off jar lids and opening chip bags.

Once all your appetizers are devoured, it’s on to the main course! Nothing goes hand in hand with summer than barbecuing on the grill. This is also a great way to get the guys involved in the planning process. Give them meat, fire, send them outside, and you’ve pretty much made their day. A fun little twist to the average BBQ is serving kabobs. You can prepare these ahead of time, or depending on how many people you’re serving, offer cuts of meat with chopped veggies, and let your guest build their own. Everything is way more delicious when served on a stick, trust me.  

These would go great paired with our Strong and Sexy Fresh Garden Salsa, you don’t even need the chips, just eat with a spoon like a salad.

Finally we can’t forget about dessert. No backyard party is complete without a campfire and s’mores!

S'mores are my absolute FAVORITE summertime indulgence. Like seriously, don’t even get me started. But don’t think the deliciousness stops with just marshmallows, grams, and chocolate….oh no sir. Check out these 39 Life-Changing Ways to Make Better S’mores and hold on, because your mind is about to be blown.  

Don’t have a fire ring? No worries, this brilliant contraption sits right on the grill.

DRINK

Now that you feel a serious food-baby coming along, it’s the perfect time to sit, relax, and sip on a nice frosty drink. To keep things easy (and portable!) fill up a wheelbarrow with ice, and use that to keep all of the drinks chilled. It also totally beats lugging heavy coolers around.

A drink that looks as cool as it tastes, is a Crescent Moon (shown above). Fill your glass halfway with Blue Moon, and top the rest with Guinness. Be sure to serve this in a clear glass, the contrast of the light and dark beer is what I love most about this drink.

PLAY

What is a party without some fun!?!? If you have the space, Cornhole is a great game to play outdoors. Another crowd pleaser is Giant Jenga. Write tasks the players have to complete, or quirky rules to add to the game on each block for an additional challenge.

So when are you throwing your next party?!?!

Can I come???

Pleeeeeaaase!

I’m a SUPER fun person, I swear.

Image credits: A Beautiful Mess / Simply Scratch / The Southern Trunk

Decking Our Halls

I am a firm believer that Christmas does NOT start until AFTER Thanksgiving. No music is played, and not a single decoration is put up until the turkey has been devoured. I just feel so bad for Thanksgiving when everyone else has already  moved on to the next holiday without giving it a passing glance. It's such a fantastic day filled with love from family, tons of food, and the true joy of the Fall season. 

But! With that being said...

IT'S OFFICIALLY CHRISTMAS TIME!!! 

This year I was tremendously excited (as soon as it was acceptable of course) to get started  putting up our decorations. We have a WHOLE HOUSE to fill with holiday joy! 

During the "Must decorate all the rooms!" process, I did come to a few realizations:

1) Old houses do not have NEARLY enough electrical outlets to fulfill my twinkle-light visions.

2) It's not as much fun to decorate rooms that still have boxes strewn randomly inside them.

3) Why didn't the people who built the house 109 years ago think to put electricity outside! Geez.

4) We're going to need a LOT more decorations. 

So even though I could have done with about 10 more outlets, I still had an absolute blast putting up our decor. It has plenty of room to grow over the years, that's for sure!

The first thing I did was put together my new wreath I got at JoAnn Fabrcs. All of the pieces were 60% off, and I just kinda of placed the gold where I thought looked nice then tied it down with some floral wire. 

Of course we had to put up our nativity scene, complete with festive balls. 

Swapped out the mini pumpkins and leaves for some super sparkly ornaments! 

Eric finished putting up our new TV last night just so I could decorate our mantel. And can I add how adorable our little fire looks under the stockings!!!! Picture perfect :)

And last, but of course not least, we finally decorated our tree! 

Yes we have two TVs in our living room right now. 

While all of this holiday cheer was going on inside, this is what was happening outside.

But this is just as exciting because that was the LAST COAT OF PAINT!!!! We even were able to bring in the drawers and get those back in the kitchen. 

So what is tonight's goal?

You bet I went there! 

Anyone else deck out their home with some serious holiday cheer? Seeing every one's lights and decor is one of my favorite things to do this time of year. 

Let the Christmas season BEGIN! 

New Year Resolutions

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 

I for one had a fantastic time bringing in the new year, and I hope you all did too! 

Having those extra days off work to spend with Eric, family, and friends was absolutely wonderful. 

Last year was a blessing. I got married, Eric and I moved in together and started our lives, I spent the whole year at a job that I truly enjoy, and just had a fantastic holiday with everyone that I love. 

Today though, I thought about what I want from 2013...and came up with a few resolutions. 

(these pictures are from Instagram, you can follow me at blynnwellman) 

Holiday Happiness!

Happy holiday season everyone! 

I am one of those sticklers who refuses to acknowledge Christmas until after Thanksgiving. I believe every holiday deserves some love, and listening to Christmas music and having your tree up a week after Halloween is just crazy ridiculous. 

Sorry, it just is. 

That  being said don't misunderstand my attitude as not loving Christmas, I totally do! Especially this year since Eric and I had our very own place to decorate! Thanks to my mom who gave me a lot of the decorations she just doesn't use anymore, we were able to turn our little apartment into a cute little winter wonderland :) 

Here's a peek at the decorations we put up. 

DIY trees skirt tutorial: Tea and Lime 

DIY wreath tutorial: Mr. Kate