Home Additions

I received some really awesome things for Christmas, and have "inherited" some new furniture lately.  I would say my home decor style is rustic, farmhouse style, and all of these things have added special little touches that are perfect!  Some days it feels like we are quickly outgrowing this little space, but I do love it, and want to cherish it.  I will certainly miss this place when we move out someday.  Even though I kind of hope "someday" is soon!

First of all, my sister-in-law Diana made me a really cool lamp for Christmas.  I am slightly obsessed with old books, so this is the perfect lamp for me!  I love it!  I was too lazy to use the good camera and get a better picture since it's right in front of the bright window, but here it is:

 

 Next is a new kitchen table.  This is the table where my family ate growing up.  My Parents renovated their dining area, and it no longer fit with the style of the room.  So my parents passed this table on to me.  I love it!  They even sanded and re-varnished the top.  I had to fold down one side, because we have a tiny little spot for it in the kitchen and it wouldn't fit the other way.  But it's so cozy and nice.  It's perfect timing now that Scarlett is eating real food.  I'm excited to have a table big enough to sit together as a family for dinner.

Our last new addition is this toy chest.  Another creation of Luke's.  He even put the pretty monogram on it that matches the monogram on our bed.  It is perfect, and after Christmas, Scarlett really needed something for all of her toys!  It's in our living room, and it's big enough to fit a few blankets inside, too. 

I love all the pretty pieces that Luke has build over the years.  It's funny to think back to the time we were newlyweds and every piece of furniture we owned was second-hand.  And now Luke has basically built us our own line of furniture!  Maybe I can convince him his next project should be a copy-cat version of this PBK bookshelf/dollhouse for Scarlett's room!

Source

*Swoon!*

Christmas Tree Shopping, 2013

2 posts in one week?  You can tell I had time off for Thanksgiving!

Black Friday has become sort of a holiday of its own in our house.  Not because we go shopping in the traditional sense, but because it is Christmas Tree Day!  I started the morning by making some cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa.  Breakfast of champions!

 I dressed Scarlett up in her new Christmas outfit and my favorite hat ever (it was the first thing I bought when I found out I was pregnant a year ago).  She was super excited!

 And can we all just take a minute and check out this adorable Santa on her bum?  I can't handle it.

We headed out to the Christmas tree farm and picked out our tree!  We had gotten a few inches of snow (okay, 8) last week, and that made the whole thing feel extra festive!  Here are Scarlett and I looking for the perfect tree.  I promise I am not missing teeth, and Scarlett does not have a black eye.  The shadows in this picture are weird.

And here she is with Luke...possibly my favorite picture of them together ever.

We got home and Luke put the tree up and started putting the lights on

And this girl sat completely mesmerized in her Bumbo Seat the entire time.  She's like, "I don't know what the heck you are doing Daddy, but it looks awesome."  

All of this was happening while Home Alone was on in the background.  We bought the blu-ray set of Home Alone and Home Alone 2.  Uh, for Scarlett.  Ahem. 

We hung the ornaments, and I couldn't help but reminisce about the special significance of each one.  It's what I do...

This special ornament was from my grandma the year we got married.  Extra special this year as I am missing her so much.

Here's the finished product!

Then I had to do an entire photoshoot with this cutie:

"This Christmas thing is going to be fun!"

 "Wait a minute, I get presents?!"

"I didn't know there were going to be presents!"

 "I better be good this month!  No more screaming like a crazy person when I get mad!  Or getting distracted or falling asleep while Mommy's trying to feed me!"

"Okay, turn me around so I can look at these lights some more." 

"You think you can just sit me here when you want me to be occupied, don't you?"

 "Hahaha!  Not a chance!  The novelty will wear off by tomorrow.  But right now, I think this is pretty cool!"

Today I went out to do some Christmas shopping, and couldn't pass up the chance to buy a little tree for Scarlett's room.  I told Luke, I know she's too young to really appreciate it, but I waited enough Christmases without a baby...we are going to do it up right now that she's here!  And she really does seem to like it.  If nothing else, we can see it glowing in the background while we all hang out in the living room each night.  It makes it feel extra cozy!

 A few other Christmas touches in her room:

 I can't imagine a more perfect start to the Christmas season.  I have about 90% of my Christmas shopping done, and all the gifts that are here are wrapped.  I am determined to enjoy this Christmas season, and not be out shopping and stressed at the last minute!  Now the rest of the month can be spent baking, watching Christmas movies, hanging out with my family, and oh, finishing up the semester.  I am not looking forward to that last part!  But at least I am 3 weeks from being done with another semester.  and then I'll have 2-3 weeks off!  I've never been so ready for a break!

Fall Touches

I usually do a fall decor blog post.  This year I'm having such a hard time just keeping my house clean, my thoughts were, "What's the point of decorating?!"  But I did add a few little festive touches:

These are delicious. Also, I'm wearing my favorite fall nail polish (at the moment): OPI - I'm Not Really a Waitress.

8 of these coasters for $1 at Target

Lost track of the salt shaker, but this is cute enough to be out on its own.

 Wait, how did that get in there?  (Just kidding.  I couldn't resist).

I like to keep a basket full of seasonal goodies on the counter

Right now I've got apple cider K-cups,

Starbucks Hot Cocoa - Cinnamon dolce (delicious!),

And random candy.  I don't usually buy candy, but as I said on Instagram (jessicaw1106 -- follow me!), Halloween is a good excuse!

 Scarlett has some fall decor in her room as well.

We read these books just about every day, and she loves them!  She is really getting to the age where she is actually paying attention to the pictures at least.

That's it for my fall decor this year!  

And a little life update since I NEVER post anymore: I finally decided that I can't worry about getting all A's and also clean the house and spend adequate time with Scarlett.  So I've given myself a break, and decided that, who cares if I don't have all A's?  What difference does it really make?  My employer will care much more about my experience than GPA, so why kill myself?  I feel like a giant weight has lifted from me, and I refuse to be a ball of stress during this time of year, especially with Scarlett.  She can sense when I'm stressed, and I think it makes her grumpy too.  Life's too short!  

Coming up later this week:  Scarlett in her very first Halloween costume ever!  I love this time of year!

Fall Favorites

All right fellow bloggers...I recently came up with a genius plan.  Are you ready for this?  Here it is: every company that sells a product or a service must pay a fraction of their revenue to a "blogger" fund.  Then everyone who has a blog gets paid from that fund.  Because I've realized that I am a million times more likely to go out and buy something if a blogger *who is not endorsed by the company* recommends a product than if I see an advertisement for that product.  So us bloggers will be compensated for promoting the things we like without biases based on payment from specific companies.  

Anyway, that's a silly idea.  But to me it makes sense!  I love hearing what products bloggers recommend, because I know you are just normal people like me.

I decided to do a "Fall Favorites" post today.  This might become a monthly thing, or a seasonal thing here at "Something Beautiful."  I'm sure you all could use a break from the Scarlett posts anyway!  

Favorite Home Fragrances:

My favorite home fragrances right now are all from Bath and Body works.  These 3-wick candles can be a little pricey, but I try to buy them during their 2 for $22 sales (one is going on right now). They last for a long time, so they're worth $11 in my book. 

 Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin.  The scent description from Bath and Body Works says, "A fall harvest favorite inspired by delicious treats found at the local market: pumpkin pie, vanilla cream, and spice." (source).  I've written about this scent before because it's been one of my favorites for years.  I would say I smell more cinnamon than pumpkin in it, but it is just perfect for fall.  And I LOVE all the labels in the Fresh Picked line.  I never use candle holders, because I think the labels are so pretty themselves.  Perfect for fall!

Leaves.  As you can see, I burn this candle a lot!  It's almost burned down.  And this is hands down my very favorite fall scent.  The scent description says: "Celebrate the Brilliant colors of autumn with this rich blend of golden nectar, red apple, and spiced berries." (source).  I definitely smell the apple and the berries, and even a sweet, perfumey undertone.  I have the scent portable in my car for this scent too because I love it so much!  Again, the label is beautiful!

Cranberry woods.  I have yet to burn this one, but it smells amazing cold!  I thought it would be perfect as a fall or Christmas candle, so I'm kind of saving it until later in the season.  The scent description says, "A mysterious blend of cranberry, rich blackcurrant and raspberry delicately layered with notes of cinnamon bark, cedarwood and warm amber inspired by the magic of the woods during harvest time."  I would say it smells a lot like cranberry with a little sweetness and spice to it.  It will be the perfect scent for Thanksgiving! 

Favorite Body Care Items

All from Bath and Body Works.  We'll start with anti-bacterial gel:

 I'm not a germaphobe or anything, but since it will be cold and flu season soon, I thought it would be good to keep some pocket bacs on hand.  I like to hook them to Scarlett's diaper bag or my school bag.  I bought a bunch a few weeks ago, but these are three of my favorite fall-specific scents.  I had to take a close-up picture of each, because they are so adorable!

Pumpkin caramel latte.  Again, I love the label!  What a cute picture!  The scent description says, "Gather with friends and celebrate the season with this warm, rich blend of creamy pumpkin, spiced caramel, and sweet cream."  (source). Honestly?  this smells like none of that.  It smells like pure maple syrup to me.  But I still think that's a nice scent for fall.

Aspen Autumn Day.  This is a very unique scent.  I like it a lot.  So much so that I have it in scent portable and foaming hand soap forms as well. But I would imagine it could be hit or miss depending on your taste.  I can't find the scent description for this one, but I would say it smells like apples with a hint of something else.  I can't figure out what that something else is, but it's good!  

Pumpkin Cupcake.  Honestly I am not a huge fan of bakery scents for body care items, so I mostly like this one for the cute label. Ha!  The scent description says, "Satisfy your sweet tooth with the scent of a freshly baked pumpkin covered in loads of rich buttercream frosting." (source) I'd say that's pretty accurate to what it smells like -- just very heavy on the frosting.

Now here are a few body care items that are not fall-specific, but I've been using them this fall, so I'm including them.

Pink Chiffon lotion and shower gel.  This is from their signature collection, so it's sold year-round. This scent is so sweet, and it just makes me feel really pretty and girly whenever I wear it.  It almost smells like cotton candy.  I know that sounds strange for a body care item, but trust  me, it's good!  The scent description on the back of the bottle says, "This whimsical scent is a delicate blend of sparkling red pear, jasmine petals, and tiare flower whisked with vanilla orchid and chiffon musk."  

I also love these little hand creams that are $5.  

Vineyard Berries is my favorite.  It goes from my school bag, to my purse, to the diaper bag.  Basically it travels everywhere with me, because my hands get insanely dry this time of year.  I can't find the scent description, and I can't even find the words to describe it.  But it smells amazing!

Sweet Clementine is also amazing.  I leave this one in the bathroom and use it in the mornings a lot.  The scent reminds me of orange juice, which is just a pleasant smell in the mornings! Actually, I'm sitting here smelling it again, and I think it smells more like an orange creamsicle than orange juice.  Which is even better if you ask me!  Again, I cannot find the scent description.  But yeah, just think of an orange creamsicle.

Favorite Clothing Items

 I'll start with my favorite fall clothing item for me, and follow with a few of my favorite clothing items for Scarlett. 

I have not been shopping for clothes for myself much lately.  But yesterday I found this Ohio State t-shirt at Old Navy.  It was 50% off this weekend, so I got it for an amazing price!  I needed a new Ohio State shirt because my old ones don't exactly fit my new body.  I loved this one, because hello!...it says "scarlet"!  And it's really soft, comfortable, and long.  I didn't know Old Navy had college team gear!

This is also from Old Navy, but it's obviously for Scarlett.  I like Carters, but honestly get sick of animal and sayings on everything.  We get it...you love mommy.  Do we really need to print it on every piece of clothing you own?  So this was a nice change.  I think she's going to wear it to church next Sunday with black leggings, and I can hardly wait to see her in it!

I know I just said I get sick of animals printed, or embroidered on everything for babies, but this is different.  Because it is just so cute!  This is also from Old Navy.  It's made of thick fleece, so I thought it would be good for the colder weather I'm hoping will eventually come our way in Ohio. It's extremely soft, too.  

This is a little sweater dress, and it came from Gap.  And I want a matching one for me, because that's how much I love it!  My mom bought this for Scarlett a few months ago, so I'm not sure if they're still available.  But doesn't the little elbow patch just kill you?  It's my favorite part!  This is still a little too big for Scarlett, but I literally try it on her once a week to see if it fits her yet.  I'm just so excited for her to wear it!

 Favorite Home Decor Items:

I bought a few of these little owl banners for $1 apiece last year at Walmart.  I love them!  I  hung a few in random places in Scarlett's room.  She needs fall decorations too!  (Although I guess we could keep them up year-round).

And I found this owl chalkboard at Family Dollar, of all places!  And it was $3!  I put it on my bathroom sink because that room needed a little touch of fall.  I love it!

 Favorite Nail Polish

Essie's Master Plan.  This is my favorite gray polish that I've bought to-date.  It has a bit of a purple tone to it.  I think it's perfect for fall.  

Essie's Bahama Mama.  The name sounds like summer, but I think this is the perfect fall color!  I love dark colors for fall, and this is such a warm, rich, purple.  I think this might be my very favorite color in  my entire collection (which really is quite small, but still...) at the moment.

I think that's it for my fall favorites!  I've had a bit of a Bath and Body Works obsession lately.  I'm finding that after having Scarlett, I just don't feel pretty or girly anymore.  I think it's because I'm a few pounds heavier, my clothes don't fit like they used to, and I just don't have time to worry about my appearance.  But if I smell good, and if my nails look good, I feel much more feminine and pretty.

What are your fall favorites? I would love to know!