love came down

i always thought this photo was taken on christmas morning (circa 1970)

when i just looked at the back, however, i read in my mom's handwriting 

(i love reading my mom's handwriting now that she's gone)...

"cathy loving me for some reason"

{gosh, i do love my mom!}

so it seems i wasn't loving on my mom because i had gotten a toy or trinket i wanted

i was loving on her just because i adored her

GOD adores us...

so

Jesus came

merry christmas 

xoxo

Cathy

outside my window {peace}

Outside My Window from The 5 Stones Group on Vimeo.

sometimes God plunks a kindred spirit right into your lap

i met my sweet and spunky friend liz at a retreat where she and her husband were performing

enjoy their christmas gift

xoxo

H o M e

did you know you can buy display props at anthropologie?  these antique marmalade jars made me jump for JoY when i saw them...i've been wanting one for years....i'm sure they hadn't been snapped up because people don't realize you can buy the props

they had to do some digging to find a skew no. for the little one...and then i bartered...ha!  they were busy, so the clerk said "oh, all right...but we never barter, just so you know"

and hobby lobby, how do i love thee?

hadn't been for months but popped in the other day and fell in love with Bessie here (or Buford)...with my 40% off coupon, she/he was a steal

i bought my mom a ceramic cow just like this one (only bigger) when i was 16...guess i've always loved my bovine

and these little anthro spice jars...on sale now for $2.95

i love all things ceramic...swoon

my husband has really outdone himself this christmas...

now, i must remember to tell my boys that when they are married someday, they should be the ones to shop, buy, and wrap their wives' gifts...our system is a bit unconventional but i love it

and my husband does too because he doesn't have to set foot in a store :)

christmas past

it's funny when i look at photos of our home

i realize i move things around a lot

and i move things on (to new homes with friends) a lot

it's how i've always been

just like my mom before me

party table, 2010

last friday i helped a friend by sprucing up her home (made a sitting area in her kitchen!) and decorated her home for Christmas (everything but the tree)

she is busy with work...aging parents...nearly grown kids

i was in absolute heaven...my sweet spot...i L O V E interior decorating

she arrived home from work and wa-la!

wish i could have been there to see her face...she sure was excited on the phone

as for Christmas...the decorating is okay

we have a smaller home so it all comes down quickly after the big day

this year the kids scattered after cutting down the tree

so my husband and i decorated our evergreen very simply with white and cream ornaments

i crave fresh...streamlined...clutter-free

like the simple beauty of these paperwhite flowers my friend Julie gives me every year

i love stuff

and i love simple

trying to find the balance

and the beauty

let it faux

i may be getting carried away...

loving the faux right now...

{ha! didn't notice 'til this moment that i'm standing on the leopard rug i acquired a few years ago} 

guess my faux fur love has been a few years in the making 

i ordered two of these throws

oh my!

they don't even compare to ones you find in stores

used this one as a tablecloth for an alaska information table we had at church on sunday

everyone touched it...some didn't even realize they were handling it! 

{one woman thought it was real}

been rainy here so no pictures of my leopard slippers or my leopard socks...or my leopard eternity scarf (guess i'm partial to leopard)

furs add that little pop of wow!

provide that big puff of warmth

and communicate a little bit of spunk and surprise!

December

december is the time for H O M E

i do believe i'll try to capture those 4 lovely little letters in photos this month

yes, there are parties and junior high basketball games and over-the-river-and-through-the-woods traveling in december

but home has always been where my heart is

and because i'm sentimental

{i have another dormant blog all about home}

i'll give you back stories and sources, too

{because i know some of you are home-bodies, too!}

angel: homegoods a few years ago

the letter "B": country living fair, summer 2010

*barn door: antique store, indiana

*my husband lovingly picked the door up for me and had to move it to the trunk half way home. animals must have rubbed against it and he ticked off the miles by sneezing.  i love that door because it's got great color and rustic charm, but i cherish that door because it represents L O V E.  my husband sees no beauty whatsoever in it and he still bought it, hauled it, and sneezed many miles

...just for me.