Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #358

Messy Messy Fail - So I had bought a giant hubard squash from an Amish farm in the fall to make soup.  Until it was time to cut it up, I left it on the front porch with the other pumpkins and gourds to serve as a decoration for the fall.  As Christmas came upon us, I moved any of them that were still in good shape to the backyard to make way for Christmas decorations.  Well, now it's the middle of January and guess what I forgot about?  I'll check and see if it hasn't been compromised, but we'll see.  

Tidy Victory - All Christas decorations are put away and the house is in pretty good shape!  Do you agree that Christmas is more fun to PUT UP than PUT AWAY? :D

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #357

Messy Messy Fail - Why do I make so many Christmas cookies that my family does not eat?  Because ya know, I feel obligated to eat them so they don't go to waste.  I'd throw them out but I'd still feel wasteful, so instead I eat them at an alarming rate.  

Tidy Victory - Christmas trees are either put away or undecorated (is that even a word?).  Although I do love having them all up and looking so beautiful for the holidays it's nice to have the house back.  Just to be clear, I am NOT one of those who takes all the holiday decor down the day after Christmas, but that's only because I go it all up only about 2 days before Christmas. :D

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #356

Messy Messy Fail - We certainly got a great deal on our tree this year - his name is Fatty B. Spruce.  However, a good portion of Mr. Spruce is now a pile of short, sharp needles on the ground.  No amount of water was going to keep Fatty on this planet any longer.  

Tidy Victory - We made it through another holiday season, I DID NOT put up all my holiday decor and I DO NOT FEEL BAD ABOUT IT.  I always felt as though all of it had to go up, have a place.  But honestly I think it was better just getting out what I wanted and being okay with that.  

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #355

Messy Messy Fail - We had a fantastic Christmas at our house - lots of food, presents and time spent together not worrying about the daily hustle of life.  The one thing I forgot?  The batteries - I ALWAYS forget to buy more batteries.  Only about half of the gifts required them so there was still plenty to do.

Tidy Victory - In past years I felt like I was making food all day, but now I've got my recipes down pat.  I always make a nice breakfast and a dinner.  Breakfast for the kids is pancakes (they're so picky anyways) and eggs Benedict for myself and my husband (Pioneer Woman's recipe of course!).  Dinner is always a ham with gravy, green been casserole, Paula Deen's potato casserole with rolls.  Dessert - Christmas cookies of course!  Dinner is especially easy because I can prep most of the food ahead of time so that on Christmas day, much of it just goes in the oven to cook/warm through.  This makes for a much less stressful day!

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #354

Messy Messy Fail - Biggest fail this past week was my lack of SLEEP!  If I can get to bed my midnight, it's amazing.  And not that I was going to bed really late this week (probably 1 am on average, alarm starts going off at 5 am) but DANG did it really catch up with me.  Looking forward to Christmas break is all I've got to say about that.

Tidy Victory - I've got all of my 4 Christmas trees up and decorated - our big main tree in the library room, a small flocked Little Red Truck tree in the living room, a white Places We've Been Tree with Snowmen (don't ask) in the kitchen, and the front porch tree.  Do you just have one tree up or several?  I say, you can never have too many :D

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #353

Messy Messy Fail - We had a beautiful assortment of pumpkins that we bought at a local Amish farm for dirt cheap and had arranged all over around our StarryAcres sign, our side porch and side entrance.  So as not to confuse myself any more than I already am, I figured it was best to finally get rid of them so I don't have dueling holiday decorations up.  However I couldn't bear to throw away perfectly good pumpkins, so I had the 6-year-old arrange them around the Japanese maple in the backyard.  I totally compromised!

Tidy Victory - I currently have 5 balls of dough in fridge and ready to make cookies.  I have discovered the quickest way to Christmas cookies: dough one day, cooking making another.  This year's assortment includes molasses, cutouts, peanut butter blossoms, cinnamon roll and spritz cookies (which I've never made!).  I may throw in a few other types as we get closer to the big day just for fun.  OH - due to overwhelming amounts of marshmallows in the pantry I will also be making Christmas rice krispies.  

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #352

Messy Messy Fail - Let's talk about how I walked around half of my morning on Friday with a giant shot of white dry shampoo on my forehead. 

Tidy Victory - Christmas shopping is nearly done and I am so excited about it!  Last minute shopping can be so stressful and it seems as though I am successfully avoiding it this year!

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #351

Messy Messy Fail - So, you know in my effort to always be looking for a smokin' deal, I picked up a few bags of white tulips to plant in my moon garden for next year.  For those that don't know, a moon garden is composed of all white flowers to give off a beautiful white moon glow.  Still haven't planted those bulbs.  Sitting on my potting bench.  Just waiting.  For me 

Tidy Victory - I don't know about you but I was able to get so many projects done around the house over Thanksgiving break!  We did not travel like we normally do, so I was home for every day but one.  These included a major cleaning of the dining room (from ceiling leak), cleaning up and finishing the upstairs shower (although I did not do any physical work, I simply had the vision), went through the first grader's clothes, took a big pile to a second hand store and taking an even bigger pile to the Salvation Army this week!  I've said it before but I'll said it again - it feels SO GOOD to get rid of stuff!

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #350

Messy Messy Fail - Is it only me or is EVERY movie I want to watch on Netflix/Prime/Hulu NOT free?  I'd go down the list but it's too long, although most notably today we wanted to watch Elf tonight, but it was $2.99 and I refuse to pay :/

Tidy Victory - The camper is emptied out and ready to sleep for winter!  We stuffed dryer sheets AND bars of Irish Spring soap everywhere last fall to help keep any winter visitors away and it seemed to work, not to mention it smells Irish fresh lol.

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #349

Messy Messy Fail - I really do do (insert immature giggle) my best to try to keep on top of the random piles of stuff in the house, but that has gotten the best of me lately.  I had hoped to tackle some of those today, so I am quickly finishing this post to do just that!

Tidy Victory - I got the garlic cloves into one of the raised beds last weekend and I am SO EXCITED to see if they take next spring.  I've read that store bought garlic doesn't always produce the best, so if it does not work I'll know next year to get some from a garden center.  Wish us luck!

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #348

Messy Messy Fail - I just cannot seem to put clothes away lately - I can wash, dry and fold all the live long day, but then it sits in a basket waiting to be put away, sometimes for weeks.  Anybody else?

Tidy Victory - Our shower remodel/fix is nearly complete and I am SUPER happy with the tile and grout I picked out.  We wanted something very neutral that would go along with anything we do with the rest of the bathroom down the road.  

Happiness Is Homemade Link Party #347

Messy Messy Fail - I was so excited to plant garlic in my garden over the winter.  Now is the time, but do you think I've done it yet?  I hear the weather this week is going to be nicer so I am banking on that :D

Tidy Victory - My first born is nine years old today and I cannot believe it!  It was like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital.  Time sure does fly, happy birthday to Ryan the Hawaiian!