Its Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!!

I thought I would share a little Christmas cheer from around the house with you guys since I've been in the Christmas spirit since about October!!! (yea, I don't really speak in exclamaitions all the time I'm just addicted to exclamaition points for some reason).

Anywho, here is the mantle. I think we should add a big mirror behind the three wisemen because it needs some height, what do you think?

And the dining room table.

And here is the Christmas Tree, we used all gold ornaments last year, but decided to add some lime green this year and it looks AMAZING!!! So pretty! Sorry,the lime green doesn't really show up in this picture.

Here is an up close of the sparkly green.

And if you are in the mood to get crafty and make a few ornaments of your own, here is a great recipe:

What ya need is:
2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

3/4 cup water

cinnamon

Before I start, let me just say this makes a LOT of ornaments.feel free to cut the recipe in half if you are only looking to make a few. Also, this is a great project for kids! Its not really messy and is fun like play dough.

So alls ya have to do is mix the flour, salt and water together and add cinnamon (or nutmeg, or allspice) as desired. Now just go for it like a bull rider at a rodeo. Use some cookie cutters and personalize your creations as desired. Don't forget to add a hole to hang by. I sprinkled mine with extra cinnamon because when the lights from the Christmas tree warm the ornament, it gives off a yummy scent. Place ornaments on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Cool and add some pretty ribbon.

Hope you enjoy your ornaments! By the way, everyone does look at you funny when you are crawling around the Christmas tree with a camera trying to get a close up, I'm sure you can picture it and yes, it looks ridiculous.

Thanks for reading!

Love until next time,

Ramsey

Linking up to:

A Season for Giving

Today after church, me and my mom decided to go and see "The Blind Side." The movie is about a wealthy couple (Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw) who takes in a homeless boy and helps him to become a football star who goes on to play both college and professional football. The movie really made me think about the ways in which we are capable of helping those who are less fortunate. God gives us physical, spiritual, financial, and emotional gifts not to be used for our own personal benefit but for the benefit of others. God does not call us to be selfish and hoard our gifts, but rather to spread them and in doing so, spread His love. God calls us to love one another regardless of race, ethnicity, size, gender, or social status. Through our love towards other people on this earth, we are showing love to Christ.

Romans 12:3-8 (NIV)
"For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully."

I think that the Christmas season is a good incouragement to remember to give. Give of your time, your leadership, your talents, and your prayers. Give financially, physically and spiritually. Remember that you are greatly blessed and that God has called you to bless others. I highly encourage you to see the movie if you have not already!

Love,
Ramsey

From Junky to Funky

My sister has been wanting to redo her room for some time now and we finally got around to doing it! She has the coolest personality and she wanted to do something different with her bedroom to match. With nothing more than a little (okay, well a LOTof) paint and a few accessories, we took the room from kid/tween to studio apartment/lounge.

Before the walls were a pale green color and the whole room just had a cluttered feeling with posters and memorabelia EVERYWHERE. The idea was cute but it was definately time for an upgrade.

View from the door

Here is the new look!

One wall is cement gray all accessories kept simple in pink and black.

2 walls are an awesome shade of apple green. LOVE LOVE LOVE this color!

The other wall is dark magenta. (don't be stupid and anxious like we were! PRIME!!!) The 3-wall combo looks amazing! LOVE the records on the wall! We also did away with the headboard to give the bed a more loungy look.

Here is an upclose of the fab black chandelier that we bought for 1/2 price at Hobby Lobby ($25!) and Handy Manny(aka my boyfriend, Dusty) hung it for us.

So what do you think? Isn't it amazing what a little paint can do?

Now I'm off to Gainsville to go watch this

V.

GOOOO SEMINOLES!!!!!
P.S. I still love you Gator fans too!

XOXO
Ramsey

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Giveaway

I thought I'd share some pics from Thanksgiving of my wonderful family who I am very thankful for!!! We definately stuffed ourselves with AMAZING food, but hey, we worked it off putting up Christmas decorations. (Yes, I'm sure you are totally not interested, but I am stalling to make you wait on the giveaway...wouldn't want it to be anticlimactic now would we?



Me and Mr. Awesome Boyfriend (Do I get brownie points for this?...jk he really is awesome!)

Me and me lovely mommy




The ladies (Me, mom, and sis)


Me and my gorgeous sissy







Lots of LOVE

Dad missed out on the pics cuz he was carving turkey.



Here are the DEVOTED shoppers this morning at Target...I AM TIRED!!! However, I did get some good shopping done. I'm almost competely finished!!! I'm soooo excited, I got Mr. hottie a recliner sorry, MAN CHAIR (imagine that said in that big booming voice over that you hear on commercials). He is really excited/mad at me for getting him a big present/excited to get it early and break it in watching the game tomorrow!





And now, for what you've all been waiting for!
The winner is.....drumroll please......dadadadadadadadadada.......CHERI from Its So Very Cheri!!!Congrats!

Everyone else, thank you so much for entering and I promise I'll be having more giveaways soon!
Come back and see me tomorrow, when I'll be posting my sister's awesome room transformation!
Hope you had a Happy Black Friday! (or at least didn't get trampled on your way into Walmart)
Lots of Love from me,

Ramsey

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Gobble gobble gobble...here's something to gobble on OTHER than turkey this Thanksgiving!

Mystery Pecan Pie!!!MMMM

Let me just let you in on the mystery: CHEESECAKE! I know, now you have to make this, right?

Ingredients:

1 block cream cheese

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup pecans

2 piecrusts

Layer both crusts together in a 9" pie pan. Mix together cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and one egg with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour mixture into crust. Lick the spoon (and the beaters and the bowl and your fingers) trust me, this stuff is delish! (as long as you aren't one of those people who doesn't eat raw dough and batter because it contains raw eggs! Who does that?) Next, sprinkle chopped pecans over the cheesecake layer. Mix together corn syrup, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 3 eggs together and pour over pecans . IMPORTANT: put this on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet!! It overflows and I'm still trying to scrape the sticky off the pan right now. Put in oven at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until set. NOTE: cover edges of crust with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning. NOTE #2: I didn't do this...spray aluminum foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking...it pulled some of the crust off of mine. Finally try to wait until the family comes over for dinner before you cut into the pie and scarf it down enjoy it slowly with a cup of coffee!

WARNING!!! Don't drool on your computer!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Lots of love,

Ramsey

Journal Tutorial

First off, I went to Hobby Lobby today and I must say, THANK GOODNESS I don't have one where I live cause I would be BROKE! They have soooo much amazing stuff but I was a good girl and restrained myself. I only bought some scrapbook paper to make more of what I'm about to show you and some fall foliage picks which were 90....do you read me 90% off!!! That means that I got $20 foliage for under 2 bucks!!! Also, I indulged in a Christmassy peppermint chocolate shake from Steak'n'shake. MMMMM perfect for a tired shopper pick-me-up!

IMPORTANT.....if you are reading this and respond when I call you by the name of mom, dad, Hadley or Dusty. STOP READING IMMEDIATELY! PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER.

Everyone else, please continue.

I decided to get everyone in my family a devotional-style Bible for Christmas and I thought it would be nice to include a journal with them in which to write thoughts, ponderings, questions and prayers. Instead of just buying them, I embarked on my first journal-making adventure. You are fortunate enough that I am sharing some things I learned through trial and error with you.

First gather supplies:

Scrapbook paper (I got the booklet of it that includes embellishments for 5 bucks at Walmart)

Composition books (the plain ones you can get for $1 at the dollar store)

Spray adhesive (you could use mod podge but the closest thing we have to a craft store is dollar general and they don't sell fancy stuff like mod podge)

Scisors

Pencil

P.S. Elmers spray adhesive works just fine!

I really don't stink at taking pictures this bad...it just seems like my crafting tends to get done at like 10:00 at night when there is not light and I'm beyond the point of caring.

First, trace align composition book with edge of paper and trace around it like so:

next, cut carefully around line, you want to be precise.

Then spray the PAPER with spray adhesive, do not drench, just a light spray. I tried spraying the book directly, but that was MUCH messier. BTW take my advice and either do this outside or somewhere other than the kitchen counter. You think that because its just elmers it will clean up easy, but you are WRONG!

Do the same step to trace the back of the book but leave a slight overhang to wrap aroung to the front (see pic). Cut out, spray and adhere.

Press the whole thing down to make sure its smooth. Now all you have to do is embellish and voila! Your own personalized journals.

Here are my creations

"Delight in this unforgetable journey"

"Pray everyday"

"Christ Love Family-The best things in life aren't things at all"

"Take time-Be not afraid of moving slowly, be only afraid of standing still"

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

God Bless!

Love from me,

Ramsey

Linked up to :

Be Inspired

So I've been up to some craftiness today but due to a dead camera battery, lack of good lighting, and utter laziness, I will not be posting those beauties until tomorrow (hopefully). Also, Thanksgiving CLEANING has taken a bite out of my crafting time. : ( However, here is some delish inspiration for your holiday enjoyment. HOPEFULLY I will be making some of these very soon.

This gorg ornament wreath has been popping up around blogland and here are a few lovelies I have seen:

From My Backyard Eden

This one from Eddie Ross (can u say ADORABLE)

Love love love the brown boa on this one from Silver Trappings!

Go visit Damaris for some amazing PINK Christmas decor inspiration. It'll make you do that little dance where you jump up and down flapping your hands like a chicken shouting ooo ooo ooo!!! LOVE! Yea, don't blame me when your husbands wonder why your house looks like a pepto bismol ad.

Now, off to bed love you all! Gotta go to work for 1/2 a day tomorrow...then off for a girl's afternoon trip to the HOB LOB!!! YAY! I'll post for you if I find anything. Maybe you will even get a video of me doing the happy dance.

Night Night! XOXO

Ramsey

Toboggans...Check

I FINALLY finished (well almost finished) sewing fleece toboggans for ALL the kids in the family (that's 12 toboggans). I saw these on Martha and thought that it was an adorable and thoughtful idea. Little did I realize, until after I started, that Martha has these little craft elves that work behind the scenes and do all the cutting and pinning (aka: dirty work) and she comes in at the last minute, sews one stitch and makes it look easy as pie. (No, I am not bitter) Anywho... thank goodness I started these in JULY. If you are feeling overly ambitious, here is a link to Martha's website with the full instructions on these beauties

Yeah, mine aren't quite as cute as hers, but then again, I don't have those nifty little hat stands either. They really aren't hard but I am an impatient sewer (I don't think that's a word) and the pinning kinda takes forever. Here is the Ramsey version:

For the boys

And the girls

And of course a gift is only as good as its packaging


Here is an up-close of the gift tag I made

Linking up to:

Its So Very Cheri