He Loves Me.......

He loves me......

He loves me not......

He loves me.......

He loves me not......

Ohhhhh I think he loves me........Look what Mama J woke up to on Christmas morning........

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That's right!!!!  A Nikon D7000!!!!  

This was a HUGE surprise considering all of my hints led to a D90!  The pressure is on now!!!  I no longer have an excuse for blurry, unfocused, or poorly taken pictures!!  But, bare with me......Considering it took 1 hour to put the neck strap on, and another hour to find the auto focus button, I have a LOT of learning to do!!!  This is going to be an amazing journey, and I can't wait to dig into the manual and figure out what all this monster of a camera can do!!!

What was your favorite surprise on Christmas morning??

Grandmothers......

"Grandma's hold our tiny hands for just a little while, but our hearts forever" 

-author unknown

At 103, my GREAT Grandmother, Julia's GREAT-GREAT Grandmother has gone to live with the Lord.  She was an amazing woman, with an amazing life!!  Because of distance, Julia only met her once, but those are memories we will keep forever!!

Great-Grandma at 102, Julia at 3 months.....

I love this shot!!

So much wisdom in those hands.....

Our 5 generation picture!  We are such a blessed family!

The Vintage Window......

After looking for months for an old vintage window, I'm so excited to say I've finally gotten my hands on one!!  (thank you dad for digging in the depths of your shed for what you thought was trash, but in my eyes was a perfect accent piece to my home decor)  There are so many ways I can display my new found treasure...ohh what to do, what to do.......

I could replace each glass pane with mirrors.......or.....take the easy route and use the Krylon Looking Glass-(mirror like paint!)

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I could dig out my oh-so-loved chalkboard paint........

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I could make a wall display.......

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Or suspend it from the ceiling....ohhhh I like this idea!!!

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I could make a coffee table.....Daddy K....I may need a little assistance for this idea.....are you in??

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Or I could blow up a super cool picture and place it behind the panes.....

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Or I could save it for party decorations......

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For now, as I ponder over all of my possibilities, my new treasure is propped up against the wall behind Julia's reading area; decorated with a perfectly sparkly silver wreath!

I'm digging this look so much that I think I may want another one.....Daaaaad???  

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!!

Go BOLD or Go HOME......

Get ready!! It's time for Power of Color...round 2!!  Today's theme....Go BOLD or Go HOME!!!

Just take a look around.....the bold and the brights exist everywhere!!!

In fashion......

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In Nature......

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In animals......

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In Food......

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And Drinks.....

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In Home Decor.....

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In vehicles....

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In Music.....

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and in Holiday Decorations.....

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Everyone has that one place they go to get inspired....mine is color!!  What is yours??

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!

Silverware on walls.......??

Yes...you heard me correctly!!  Silverware on the walls!!  Pinterest has once again assisted me in thinking outside of the box for creating more kitchen decor......how cool is this......

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I love the simplicity.  I love the vintage yet farmhouse appeal.  I love the use of colored burlap.  So with all that said....and mainly because I am obsessed with burlap at the moment....I decided to give it a whirl.......

Supplies:  Frames, silverware, burlap, spray paint, and a glue gun.  The frames and silverware were purchased from a thrift store...(I painted the frames)  The burlap has a slight green tint to it....I got it from Walmart!

First, spray paint your silverware......

Then, cut out burlap to fit into your frames....

Easy enough.....

Lastly glue your silverware directly onto the burlap!  

Well.....what do you think??  I am really digging it!  I can't wait to find a spot to place them.....

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!!

Time to Brine.......

The best brine for your Thanksgiving Turkey.......

Thanks to The Pioneer Woman, Daddy K's first attempt at cooking our Thanksgiving turkey was a success!  After brining for 24 hours, then roasting in the oven, pure perfection was created!!  It would be a sin for me not to share this recipe!!   

What you will need:

3 cups of Apple Cider

2 Gallons of Cold Water

4 Tablespoons of Fresh Rosemary

5 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

1-1/2 Cups of Kosher Salt

2 Cups of Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons of Peppercorn

5 whole Bay Leaves

Peel of 3 Large Oranges

(You can see the step by step guide here!!)

Combine all ingredients into a large pot.  Stir the mixture until the salt and sugar dissolve.  Bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat......

After the mixture has completely cooled pour it into a large brining bag, pot, or in our case a huge cooler!  Place the uncooked turkey into the brining solution, then refrigerate for 24 hours......

When you are ready to cook the turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it with cold water....(Don't worry....you will not rinse any of the flavor away!)....

Now, to cook this bad boy......Our turkey was a hefty 14 pounder......

We first cooked it for 30 minutes at 500 degrees.  This gives the bird that nice golden charred look.  We then lowered the temp to 350 and continued to cook the turkey for about 2 hours.  Make sure to check the temp of the turkey.  It should read 165 when done!

I can honestly say this is the most moist, flavorful turkey I have ever eaten.....and I'm pretty sure Julia feels the same way......

Oh yes!!!  She got her own turkey leg!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!

Z is for Zoe.....

Zoe Jasmine Hopkins a.k.a. the miracle baby!  She entered this world on June 30th, at 25 weeks, weighing only 1.7 lbs.  Surviving 125 days in the NICU, we are so happy to find out she is now at home with her loving parents, two of our best friends!  Today, nearing 5 months, she is a healthy 8lbs. 12oz.  I wanted to give Zoe a coming home gift....so what better than personalized initial art for the nursery!!  I think it tured out beautifully!!

Simple, yet elegant!  

All you will need:

Frame (mine came from a thrift store), cardboard, scrapbook paper, stencil, xacto knife, and Modpodge!

.....and possibly a craft buddy!!  mine looks pretty lazy though!!  :)

The stencil I had was not big enough, therefore I free handed the letter onto my cardboard!

Next, cut out the letter with your xacto knife......

Make sure it fits like you want it into the frame....

Trace the letter onto the back of your scrapbook paper.  Make sure you trace the reverse side of the letter....

Easy Easy.....

Carefully cut out the letter......

Use your modpodge to adhere the scrapbook paper to the letter.....I then painted the sides of the cardboard with a dark chocolate acrylic paint!  

If you look closely you can see that I carefully smudged the paint on all sides of the "Z" to give it more of an antique feel.....I think it turned out fabulous!!!

It looks like Bailey agrees!!!

To see the parties I'm linking to go HERE!!!!