Tuesday, December 13, 2011

:: A Little More Christmas Decor ::

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great day! Thought I would share a few more photos of our Christmas decorating. Just a few snapshots here & there.  

Living room shelf ::

 living room shelf ARLH

Sleigh stitchery ::

Sleigh ARLH

NOEL ::

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Master bedroom ::

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Window with wreath ::

window wreath xmas 2011

window ARLH xmas

Wreath tart made by my friend Dana. In the scent ‘Christmas Tree’. I can’t bear to melt it, I like it displayed in this bowl too much!

wreath tart ARLH 2011

Pinecones ::

pinecones bedroom ARLH

Just a touch of greenery ::

bathroom basket ARLH 2011

Sparkly snowman on the porch. He greets all of our guests ::

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Enjoyed my Fresh Balsam candle from Bath & Body Works today. We may have an artificial tree, but a good candle helps to give you that scent of a real one!

Fresh Balsam ARLH

So are all of you done decorating? I have been having fun! Feels so good to have the house all decorated! It's the little finishing touches I love doing! Putzing around, placing a few pine cones, jingle bells, greenery & berries here & there. I sprinkled  just a bit more holiday cheer around our home today!

Time to start thinking about shopping & baking!

Until next time, take care.

~Sarah~

Monday, December 12, 2011

:: Christmas Decorating 2011 ::

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you are all doing well & enjoying the month of December so far. It is flying by! All of the decorating is done here. Now we can start thinking about shopping & baking. I thought I would share a few photos of some displays around our home. I really had fun decorating, tried to keep it simple this year. Welcome to our home. I hope you enjoy.

In the kitchen. HO :: HO :: HO ::

xmas 2 2011 ARLH

Bowl rack that my Dad made

bowl rack xmas 2 2011 ARLH

Shelf in the foyer ::

Foyer xmas 2011 ARLH

Above our kitchen cabinets ::

kitchen cabinet collage

A little touch of greenery & a charm light to make my kitchen utensils more festive ::

utensils xmas 2 2011 ARLH

In the basement . Old Homestead tote ::

old homestead tote 2011 ARLH

Kris Kringle ::

olde santa xmas 2011 ARLH

Computer cabinet ::

computer cab xmas 2011 ARLH

Master Bedroom ::

master bedroom xmas 2011 ARLH

master bedroom 2 2011 ARLH Soften

Wreath with skates ::

wreath skates 2011 ARLH

I have had this Santa for years. He is one of my favorites ::

Santa 2011 ARLH

candle bits and pieces xmas 2 2011 ARLH

Santa tarts from my sweet friend Dana ::

danas santas 2011 ARLH

Jingle bell tarts also from Dana ::

danas jingle bells 2011 ARLH

Beeswax Santa & candy canes nestled into some mixed greens ::

beeswax santa arrang 2011 ARLH

Fruit, greenery & cinnamon sticks on my doughboard for the holidays ::

xmas fruit collage ARLH

The stockings were hung ::

stockings 2011 ARLH

I was out shopping & found some old fashioned tinsel! The kind that was always on my childhood trees growing up! Now it's on OUR family tree & I love it! The tree just shimmers! 75 cents for a box of tinsel that brings back SO many warm, wonderful memories! ♥

Tinsel 2011 014 ARLH2

Village Candle’s Balsam Fir . So fragrant, festive & wonderful ::

Balsam Fir VC 019 ARLH

Tin punch lantern with greenery & clove studded oranges ::

tin punch lamp xmas ARLH

Our outdoor lights ::

Outdoor Lights 2011 Collage ARLH Edited

We enjoyed our first snow. So beautiful ::

First snow of the season ARLH

The kiddos went sledding ::

Sledding 2011 FB

And built a snowman. So cute ::

snowman 20115 ARLH Pro Pic

I so hope you had fun on our little holiday home tour inside & out! Take time during this busy season to sit & enjoy the sights, sounds & smells of Christmas. I love sitting down after the kiddos have gone to bed when it is quiet, nothing but the tree lights on, Christmas music playing, Time to wind down at the end of a busy day.

Thank you to each and every one of you for stopping by my blog. I love reading your comments & I appreciate you taking the time to visit!

Until next time, take care.

~Sarah~

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

:: Happy Thanksgiving ::

Happy Thanksgiving to each & every one of you. Cherish the time with family & friends. Wishing you bountiful blessings. Approach every new day with a grateful heart.

Gratitude Thanksgiving Table ARLH

Until next time, take care.

~Sarah~

Monday, November 14, 2011

:: Finally Posting My Trip Photos ::

Hello! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Ours was uneventful. I have been under the weather with a sinus infection & it has been a doozy. I am on my second round of antibiotics, I am hopeful that this will finally take care of it. I have had no energy, and that is no fun. Haven’t had the energy to do the everyday chores, laundry, dishes etc. Let alone have the energy to do my workouts & yoga. That does not make for a very happy me, so I am very much looking forward to feeling 100% and getting back to normal! We recently celebrated three birthdays in our family so it has been a BUSY time! No time to be sick that’s for sure!!

Happy Monday! None of us were ready to get up & going this morning. But, everyone got up & out the door for school & work, the house is quiet and I thought I would finally post my pictures from my trip out East. Just looking through them again made me miss it, and wish I was there again, can’t wait to go back! I hope you enjoy coming along with me on my photo journey. Lots of memories & fun times.

I was mesmerized by all of the tall trees. They are so beautiful. These photos are from a hike we took.

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The mushrooms were so pretty. Here is a purple one!

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Such a funky looking mushroom!

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Look at that last photo, we were way inside all of the dense trees. Then, the next photo. Such a contrast.

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So beautiful, lush & green.

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Our first day out. Dinner on the water in Gloucester.

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Love this

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Here is where we ate.

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I tried the seafood pizza with shrimp, scallops & lobster! Go me! I don’t ever eat seafood, but I was willing to try. It was delicious! I also tried lobster roll & fried shrimp & scallops.

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Then it was off to Rockport MA. One of my most favorite stops! So incredibly beautiful!

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I fell in love with the lobster buoys. So colorful!

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A little shack with a crooked door.

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The sun was setting. It was absolutely gorgeous.

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I thought this was just cute.

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Me in Rockport, MA.

Sarah Visit MA

Then it was off to Maine. My first stop was to see my friends at Village Candle in Wells. Too much fun!  Greatest people, greatest company, greatest candles you will ever find!

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Maine is SO beautiful. After we left our friends at the VC factory we had some fun at the ocean!

In Chatham a nice fisherman let me photograph his fresh lobsters!

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Here is his boat heading back out.

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One of the fishing boats swarming with seagulls.

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Beauty is all around you!

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Ahhhhhh….Heavenly!

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A little writing in the sand for my amazing hubby who was back home with our five kiddos. He’s the BEST! 

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Me in Maine!!!

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The next two photos my Brother took of me on the beach. I was in awe of my surroundings. The ocean, the little critters, the sea shells. You name it, I was like a little kid again! I was amazed!

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Sarah Visit MA7

Here are a few photos that I snapped on the beach.

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A little more writing in the sand. All Roads Lead Home. And it was time for me to make my journey home.

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There are SO many more photos. I took both of my cameras with multiple memory cards. SO many beautiful photo opportunities. But, I won’t show you ALL of them. Can you tell that I fell in love with New England?!! It was a magical, memorable trip for me. Full of wonderful new experiences, meeting new friends and spending time with some family too. Just a perfect trip all around, a trip I will never forget. I hope you enjoyed coming along with me!!

Have a great day and I will be back soon! Now that I am feeling better I hope to post more often. I have more goodies to post about & I haven’t forgot about my giveaway. I have my thinking cap on & am planning some kind of festive, holiday giveaway! So stay tuned!

Until next time, take care.

~Sarah~