movin' on up.

come join me over here, k?!

sewingcommonthreads.com

you'll be so glad you did.

we found love.

sitting in my cozy chair after a fab day with the bestie (p.s. thanks again for coming. we're getting the Bible characters plates next time, k?!)-we've got a football game on & i'm about ready to dig in to my apple crumble pie. good day? yes. thankful for quiet weekends with fun trips around town & quiet nights tucked in. no plans, no agenda, no pressure to get our to-do list done. wonderful. tomorrow is filled with more down time-i'm expecting to get some sewing in & finish up some of those website edits i've been working on for the last few months!

------------

ready for some ptljcif favorites? xuan's are here (hello, wonderfulness! so adding the file box to my growing "let's do this!" list.)

dying. we got our first REAL table this past week & now i'm dreaming of this.
what a perfect mix of colors!
found here via here.

why, yes, i love this idea.
some version of it is most definitely going in our gallery wall.
found here via here.

woo piggies. you made our friday night a GOOD one.
found here.

------------

p.s. thanks, razorbacks, for the BEST season yet. cotton bowl champs!

can't wait for next year. this article got us all super excited.

snapshot thursday.

my life right now:

1 of 3 blankets in the works.

filing, filing, filing.
my organizational self is going crazy right now.

walk in our house and you're going to see paint chips everywhere.
we're slowly narrowing it down.

etsy favorites: home.

yall, i'm turning into a grandma. early bedtimes, birds, doilies, what's next?! seriously, it's getting a little out of hand. i shrieked when i opened up a christmas present that contained a small (plump) birdie. yes, shrieked.

grandma would have been proud.

lovin' these sweet, little doilies right now.

found here.

 one day i'll use them to make this:



found here.

and also this (you know i can't resist a good mason jar project!):

found here via here.

happy tuesday. back again soon with a new weekly feature!

always hope.

a very happy new year to you! with just hours to go, i'm tucked in with family enjoying some down time. it's been an incredible year for us--we survived a huge snowstorm, we celebrated our first year of marriage, a long, long job search finally came to an end with a great new job for me, we grew as a family through kerrie's accident and recovery, we bought a house, we celebrated with family. 

highs & lows. good & bad. grace & mercy. thank you, Jesus, for every single thing You brought our way. thankful to lean on You alone through it all. 

excited about the coming year-so many fun things on the horizon & i can't wait to share them all with you! sewing projects, home improvement ideas, and even a NEW website. hoping to launch this in the next week or so with some fun surprises along the way! 

enjoy tonight. hope 2012 is merry & bright & happy. 

found here via here.

happy christmas.

i'm currently sitting in a cozy chair at my in-laws-it's dark, no one else is awake (not even the hubs whose alarm woke ME up), and i've got a little time to spare.

beyond excited to be spending our christmas weekend here in the lovely natural state with our family. praise Jesus kerrie is HOME. praise Jesus we are together for the first time in 4+ months. praise Jesus for family. praise Him alone for His wonderful blessings throughout this eventful year. praise God on high for sending His only begotten Son to earth so that we may have life...an eternal life.

wishing you & your sweet families a very merry christmas.

found here via here.

etsy favorites: home.

i'm just in love with this whole living room. can we have it?

the couch and the pillows are fab. that mirror is almost too wonderful for words.

oh, and that coffee table? done & done. i need it.

found here.

this everyday love.

one week. one week. one week.

who can believe christmas is right around the corner? this year has absolutely flown by. it doesn't seem real that christmas is 8 days away & that 2012 is mere days after that. i don't know if i ever really understood how fast time could travel...those years in school sure drug along, but whoa-now i'm almost 7 years out of high school & 3 out of college. unreal. it all just seems like it was yesterday.

i think i tend to live in the past-or, at least, hold many of my favorite memories there. (obviously, thought, right? memories are things of the past, duh, ash.) maybe the more correct way to say this is that i tend to live in my memories. dreaming of days past, fun adventures & trips, moments of laughter, sweet family time, etc. grateful for those MANY memories & so excited for the coming days, months, & year to create even more memories. 2011 gave us so, so, so many blessings. thankful for whatever comes down our little path in the next year.

--------------

i realized this week after several friends asked (yes, you, you, & you!), that i've never filled yall in on the meaning of ptljcif. all credit goes to xuan for coining praise the Lord Jesus Christ it's friday. we joined forces (sounds SO official, right?!) several months back to post our weekly faves together-one from oklahoma & one from arkansas.

so, with coffee in hand, here are my ptljcif favorites for this lovely december weekend. hope you enjoy. be sure to check in with xuan's faves too, k?

i love, love, love these colors. basing my sewing room on them for sure.
found here via here.

going to try to convince hubs to help me recreate this look for my sewing machine.
smaller scale, yes, but this is perfect for the space we have.
found here via here.

using this tutorial to paint a rug. it's probably going
in the sewing room, because that just where things go these days.
found here via here.

hope yall have the best weekend.
i'm off to finish some sewing, shopping, & baking.
see you back here next week!



merry little christmas.

with just a few short days left before christmas, i've got several different projects up my sleeve. want a peek into some of them? ok, good! here you go.

hi, plaid. you're my new best friend.

sketching up a new blanket design.

the latest t-shirt blanket coming from my little sewing machine.

thanks, little blackberry, for taking these shots for me.

forgive the quality!

happy hump day.

etsy favorites: home.

slowly building up my collection for our gallery wall.
this would look so fab in a white frame cluster.
goal for 2012? spray paint frames to match & fill with fun pieces.

found here.

p.s. HAPPY news! kerrie is back in arkansas tonight. praise the Lord her continued progress & recovery. christmas is going to be so sweet this year.

let them eat cake.

someone special is turning 25 today. eeeek! 25. it's hard to type that and truly believe it--mostly because my own 25th is coming up next week. how in the world can we be a quarter of a century old?

happy birthday, hubs.



today is going to be filled with relaxing and celebrating-and hopefully there will be cake too-we love, love, love cake.

-----

ready for my ptljcif favorites? christmas on the brain = you getting a peek inside my head. annnd, go. be sure to check out dear xuan's picks for the week too.

pretty, pretty wrapping. goal for next year, ok?
found here.

hellooooo, vintage christmas. i LOVE.
found here via here.

christmas craft? maybe i can squeeze it in this year.
found here via here.

umm, YES. these are definitely going on my christmas craft list.
found here via here.

happy weekend, friends. i'm off to find coffee and pancakes.

etsy favorites: home.

this little scale is too cute for its own good. how fun would this look in a cheery red & white kitchen?

found here.

tees & things.

this lovely was shipped just a few weeks ago & i couldn't help but share. a cute girl had saved all of her soccer shirts & her momma wanted to make sure they were kept as a memory. from her very first soccer team to her state championship shirt, we've got them all & this blanket is begging to be used on a chilly night!

first soccer shirt ever.

done & done.

interested in clearing some of your drawers out? send me a quick email here & we'll get started!

making a list.

falling behind on life these days. our to-do list is a mile long and i can't seem to motivate myself to do much more than sit & relax after work. i've got, got, got to get busy checking things off.

on my list? unpacking the last few boxes in the house. finish christmas shopping. start & finish three blankets. find birthday presents for a few special people. make & send christmas cards. finish my new site. get groceries (kind of a key item, yes?). find a working oven and/or microwave (ugh, two weeks with neither of these is killing me). clean house. yall, i've GOT to get moving.

so here are my ptljcif favorites for the week. you can find xuan's here. ready & go. kicking off this coming week with a real drive to get things done.

my christmas card inspiration.
found here via here.

(hi, preshie baby)
those canvases are fab and i'm going to recreate
something similar for my sewing room.
such a great reminder of the Lord's peace.
found here.

off to finish watching the ou/osu game with some super cool guys (hubs and father-in-law). happy weekend. see yall on monday with a cuuute t-shirt blanket.

always a memory.

i'm struggling to put words to my (many) emotions today.
16 years ago today, my dad passed away. 

i remember coming home from school & running across the yard to see my mom standing on the porch. i hit the dip in the lawn by our garden (funny how something so insignificant as that stands out) & knew in my heart he was gone.

the years have eased the pain in part, but there will always be a hole in my life. i miss him dearly and wish that he could have been an intricate part of those growing up moments-basketball games, first dates, graduations, & wedding days.

so incredibly grateful for the memories.
for the legacy he left behind. for his love of the Lord. for being MY dad.

dad, much love. can't wait to join you in heaven one day soon.

with a grateful heart.

thanksgiving 2011 is in the books. oh so thankful for another year full of the Lord's blessings. we've had our ups & downs this year, but Jesus has been our Rock through the good & the bad.

we're grateful for: sweet family, dear friends, a new home, marriage,
our relationship with Christ, and so many other things.

i'll keep it short & sweet in today's edition of ptljcif.

be sure to check in on xuan's arkansas edition this weekend too, k?!

cheering the hogs on today with the hubs & bestie.

go hogs! beat tigers!

found here.

etsy favorites: home.

hello, hello! i'm back again...just in time for thanksgiving break! moving is DONE. unpacking is DONE, well, mostly done. we have a few more boxes here and there to organize, pictures to hang, a whole lot of organizing to do.

whoa. it's a weird feeling to know that we own a home.
you'll probably catch me have a nervous breakdown somewhere along the way!

for tonight, though, this is what i would LOVE to hang in my kitchen.
the colors are perfect and i heart this coffee pot illustration.

found here.

happy tuesday, y'all!

early in the morning.

yall. the sun isn't even up yet...and i am. hello, 5:45.
thanks for getting me up so early today.

big weekend ahead: heading to fayetteville for the LAST home game of the year (cue tears), seeing dear friends, cheering on the hogs, and celebrating the win with a long drive home to THIS beauty:

don't even worry, we BOUGHT A HOUSE! eeek!
cleaning, painting, and lining the shelves this week before moving.

posting is probably going to be super light this coming week. forgive me?!

i'll try to pop in with some of my usual posts AND to
show you a presh tshirt blanket just finished.

can't seriously believe we have a house. holy moly.

oh, and puhlease, check out xuan's ptljcif arkansas edition!

adding this to my DIY list. christmas presents, anyone?
found here via here.

paint colors? done.
well, at least for the master bedroom.
found here.

our to-do list is growing, growing, growing. can't wait to get started.

happy saturday!

go hogs go!

etsy favorites: home.

i couldn't help but post these christmas tea towels,
regardless of however early it might be.

your kitchen would just sing jingle bells.

found here.

overcome.

i had a tiny little meltdown on the phone with my bestie tonight. tears don't come easily for me (& i'm totally ok with that). every couple of months, i'll get really emotional & cry, but other than that, tears don't really make their way to the surface all that often.

overcome with stress, to-do lists, a fear of not being intentional enough, worries & anxieties about not quite fitting in yet here in our new (a year and a half is still new, right?!) state, and the general toll of the week brought tears. i was thankful for sunglasses so the other drivers didn't see some hysterical girl with mascara running down her face. thankful for a best friend who listened & understood. thankful that the Lord brought the tears to surface so i could move on & embrace the end of the week.

that said, i'm currently typing this from the comfort of my bed. lounging in leggings (no hoodie tonight, diana, maybe next time...just for you) with a cup of hot chocolate sitting nearby. typing my heart. hoping to overcome worries of "do they see the real me?" "am i doing this right?" "is anyone listening?" the art of blogging is growing in me. i hope that shows.

this weekend? no big, just homecoming. it's a brenof reunion (best roommate ever night of fabulous, duh. are you telling me you didn't know that acronym?!) and it's going to be aaamazing. can't wait to hug their necks.

xuan's edition of ptljcif is here. yall just have to check it out.

my favorites are below.

happy weekend.

hugging EACH of you tomorrow. can't wait.
p.s. can we go back to the beach, please?!

add these to my DIY list. presh, presh, presh.
found here via here.

a girl can't have too many pairs of boots, can she?
the chocolatey brown ones are a must have!
found here via here.

i have kitchen nooks on the brain right now. this is absolutely perfect.
found here via here.