These are a few of my favorite things.

Wow, almost 2 months since my last post.  Let's just say life's been a little busy.  Ok, CRAAAAZZZZYYYY busy.  Life has been a whirlwind lately and I am SO incredibly thankful to enjoy the rest and relaxation that the holidays bring.  And this Christmas, I am feeling like one incredibly blessed woman.  We're only 3 weeks away from sweet baby Kate's 1st birthday and I can't believe it.  I love that baby girl more than words could ever express and I wouldn't trade this season of life for anything.  The Lord continues to lead and guide our little family and I thank Him everyday for where He has placed our little family in this journey called life.  I am amazed at His faithfulness and as I look back over this past year, it has been ever so present in my life and the life of my sweet hubby's.

With the craziness of life, my didn't get done list for this Christmas season is about 2x's my want to-do list. And strangely, I'm okay with that.  No, I didn't get those seasonal pillows made for my couch and no, I didn't spend the time I would have liked to on decorating my home for Christmas and like I said, it's okay.  I didn't want to let the didn't get done list put a damper on my Christmas Spirit, and that's a good thing cause this momma could use a little less stress.  Massage for Christmas anyone? Yes, please :)

I thought I would blog a little about the things I'm really loving this season, some Christmas related, some not.  Some of the things may be a few of your favorites too....

 sweet Baby K's Ballerina tree!  I already had all of the ornaments, tutu for the skirt, and garland. 

 I only had to purchase the star on top!

I'm a hodge podge type of Christmas tree girl.  I love ornaments that have been around through the years and carry special memories. My mom is a Crazy Hallmark ornament lady and we all have series that she has started for us over the years and adds to every year.  The angel on the left is the Hallmark Mary's Angels Series. I have 23 of them. Yes, for 23 years I've added a sweet little angel to my collection every Christmas.  This year my mom waited too late and many of the ornaments in our various series (bt the 3 siblings we have a total of 7 series) sold out at many of the Hallmark stores, BUT my sweet little momma couldn't let her sweet little children not receive their sweet little Hallmark ornaments this year so between 6, yes, 6 Hallmark stores in the Chattanooga area she found them all. Glory.  The other two are just special ornaments that represent the early years of our little family. Our first Christmas (2006) and the year Molly Bojangles joined our family (2008).  I'm sure I'll be receiving a commemorative Baby's First Christmas and new series to add for sweet baby Kate :)

Totally not Christmas related, but finally feeling like I have time to relax and catch up on my reading a little bit.  I'm on the second series, Firstborn Series, of Karen Kingbury's Baxter Family books and I'm absolutely LOVING it. I'm on book 3 and I really hope to finish the next 2 books over Christmas break! If you're looking for some good reading, get started with her Redemption series and be prepared to read like crazy!!! You can't put them down. My mom and I are reading them and I keep telling her to slow down.  I can't read them fast enough for her so she has to check them out from the Library :)

If you didn't already know...

I. LOVE. THIS. DOG.

Molly Bojangles is the sweetest little lady you will ever meet.  Her and Kate together are quite the pair and I love watching them.  Kate has started just wrapping those sweet little arms around Molly Bo and she'll just lay there with her head on her and it makes my heart melt.  And Molly Bo could not be any more gentle with K.  Can't wait to watch them grow up together. (Please notice the red finger nail polish. The groomer's daughter decided she need a little pampering for the holidays. LOVE it!)

Who doesn't love a little Holiday decor in their bathroom? I trimmed those Evergreen branches above the mirror from a tree at my parent's.  Our bathroom is one of my favorite rooms.  Steven and I did all the tile work ourselves, ripped out the massive double vanity and installed the individual sinks, replaced the lightning, and I recently finished our little personalized curtains.  We are definitely DIYers and we are way proud of our bathroom!

Please look at that smile!!! Santa AND baby Kate are cheezing it up and I LOVE it! 

And last but not least, who's excited about a Sweet Little Girl's First Brrrrthday Party?!?

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

That's right, we're celebrating Penguin Style and I can't hardly stand it. The wheels are continuously turning in my brain and I'm in serious party planning mode.  I'm starting to get some things I've already ordered in the mail and I'm like a kid on Christmas morning every time a package comes!  Here's a sneak peek at the bow (you know it's a very important part of an outfit) that I got in the mail today that Sweet Kate will be sporting on the big day.

oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention my absolute FAVORITES :)  My sweet, sweet Hubby who's love for me is so evident it makes me wonder how I got to be so lucky, my beautiful Baby Girl that looks so much like her daddy it's ridiculous (in a good way), and our precious pooch that turned me into the crazy dog lover that I am today.  One blessed lady for sure.

 May we all enjoy sweet time with family and friends and most importantly, remember why we celebrate this special time of year. Thank you Lord for sending your precious baby boy.  May we never forget how much you love us and may our lives be a reflection of that love.

From My family to Yours,

Merry Merry Christmas!

Whooooo's the cutest baby girl?!

I spotted the most adorable Halloween costume a couple of months ago when Pottery Barn came out with their costume line for this season.  I knew I had to have it. I knew sweet baby Kate would be the cutest Hoot Owl for her first Halloween. 

But....I didn't order it as early as I should have and they sold out. Bummer. So I hopped over to ebay where I hoped someone had bought one and changed their mind. Wrong. Yes, people had them for sale, but they were jacked up to over double the original price. That's right, over $100 bucks for a stinkin' Halloween costume. Uh, don't think so!

Sooooo, the crazy mom that I am, that was determined to dress my child as a hoot owl did what only one can do and made it.  I love to sew, but making sweet baby Kate's costume was never really on my to-do list due to the LiviKate's Collection orders that have required my time and sewing machine lately.  But, I'm pretty sure sweet K trumps anything else I have going on, so the creation of a hoot owl began.  I used a pic of the PB one as my inspiration and a combination of a bumble bee costume pattern for the body and one of sweet K's bonnets as my pattern for the head piece.    Honestly, I didn't know how it was going to turn out when I dove into this project, especially since I didn't really have an owl pattern. But after a couple of late, late nights and having my own model to "fit" every so often, I am SO incredibly proud of how it turned out. Take a look.....

our sweet lil' hoot owl.  at the mall to see some friends in their costumes too.

look at that "mom, i'm really hot, can't even turn my neck"face :)

With the Duncans- Woody and Jesse from Toy Story. 
Poor Eli was sick :(
Abbey made all their costumes too!

there's my sweet smiley girl.  

LOVE. THIS. SWEET. BABY.

so glad Honey and Poppy came over and spent the evening with us!

And Aunt K

And we can't leave out sister ;)

Happy Halloween!!!

Love,

The Johnstons :)

Procrastination Pays Off

Remember in my Gone post I told you how sick I was about the tragic day I dropped my Mac and lost EVERYTHING?!? Well, that day is now a little less tragic.  See, I take a lot of pictures on my iPhone.  It's convenient, always available, and the pics have a pretty decent quality.  I was about to text my big bro a next pic of sweet baby Kate the other day when I realized, "I bet I can retrieve all the pics I've sent him through my text history."  And then I realized something even better- "I haven't uploaded my pics to iPhoto in a very, very, very long time"- like March. like 1,546 pics to be exact.  AND even better, not long after the tragedy, I realized I had a lot of pics on my camera from the summer. Like 2, 372.  (I know I'm a crazy picture lady that should upload more often.)

I discovered not only do I have pictures from every month that sweet baby Kate made her arrival, I have one for every month in her green chair. WAHOO!!! My procrastination paid off in a big way this time!

All pics are uploaded safely into iPhoto now and the hubs is going to back them up soon (right, honey?!)

So rejoice with me if you would and let's stroll down memory lane! Can't believe Sweet Baby Kate is almost 9 Months old!

The happiest day Ever- January 12, 2010 

1 Month Old & one massive scratch :(

2 Months Old- we def. got the Holiday theme going on :)

3 Months Old- growing like a weed!

4 Months Old- There's that beautiful smile!

5 Months Old

6 Months Old- Miss Personality!

7 Months Old (last pic before surgery to have white bump removed!)

8 Months Old- One happy, happy baby girl!

When I look back at the early pics, she looks so little bitty! I mean, she was, but it's still hard to remember! Thank you Lord for these pictures.  Even though they are just pictures, they're important to me and I thank you I was able to recover them!

Hailey's House: It's Fall Y'all

I cannot even describe how excited I am that Fall is here!!! The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing (ok, mostly dying), and pumpkins and mums are everywhere! 

I really like the whole "Hailey's House" concept so I've decided to incorporate it into my blog from time to time!  One of my favorite things from blogging is coming across ideas about home decor, crafts, and ways to simplify your home and family.  

Here's a look at some of my favorite ideas for Fall and how I've incorporated them into our home.

Found these beautiful chairs recently at Homegoods. 

Love how they add an extra sitting area in our living room!

 

Also found these nifty leaf placemats at Homegoods (can you ever go in there and not find something?!) BUT I totally stole the idea to use them in a different way from the fabulous Mrs. All My Love.

  Here's a look at my kitchen- almost complete! LOVE my curtains, the color, the print, and of course the incredible price I paid for the fabric!

Saw a basket similar to this one last season from Pottery Barn and loved it.  I was thrilled when I found this one at Hobby Lobby this year for a whopping total of $4.50.  I did the monogramming myself.  So glad I didn't order that one last year cause I'm pretty sure it would have cost me a little more :)

My wreath is a combination of about 3 different ideas for a Fall wreath.   Mine consists of about 90 feet of ribbon and a lot of time.  It was one of those things that I dove into, then realized it wasn't turning out how I originally imagined, but it works.  I also made the "The Johnstons" piece.  I found a super easy tutorial on how to print on burlap.  I of course can't find the link to share with you, but will be glad to give you the "how to" if you want.

 

And I'm absolutely LOVING that I can display all our maternity pics from Last Fall.  The "Kate" pumpkin is my favorite and I look forward to it making it's appearance in our home for many Falls to come!  Thank you Kristine Neeley for this creative idea and of course the gorgeous pics!

And Last but not least- I may have a small obsession with The Nester.  I have gone back and read almost everyone of her posts.  She is thrifty, creative, wise, and I'm pretty sure is an incredible friend.  I totally want to have coffee with her.  She inspired the wall over my couch and my white slipcovers. I know I have an almost 9 month old- So what?!? I can wash them when needed :) 

 oh yeah, and how gorgeous is this fabric?!? I have yet to make the two pillows for my couch with it, but it's on my list! It's perfect for Fall.  It will have cost me a total of $7.00 (I found the Fabric in a clearance bin and I'm using pillow inserts I already have!) Wahoo. Hopefully they will be on my couch soon!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

Hailey's House: Go Green

One of my favorite things to do in my home is re purpose.  I get tired of things really quickly so when I can take something I already have and use it in another room, paint it, reupholster it, etc etc...I LOVE it.

Enter China Cabinet from 1976 (Seriously, 1976)

It was Steven's parents and it's been in his possession for a while now.  When we got married, I removed the gold lattice that covered the glass doors (sounds beautiful, huh?), changed out the hardware, and used it to display my grandmother's china.  I decided the other day that I was ready to give it a major face lift.  I wanted to paint it, take the doors off and whatever else I felt like doing.  

If you're an HGTV fanatic like me, you're familiar with Sarah's house.  Sarah is a ridiculously talented designer that takes old homes and transforms them into the most gorgeous spaces you have ever seen.  This week my space is my china cabinet and I think it's seen quite the transformation.  I. LOVE. IT.  I am so loving the color green right now.  I knew right away I wanted to go with a deep shade of green, but not too dark.  The second sample of paint I purchased was the perfect one.  Thank goodness for the small sample jars because I am horrible at picking out colors until I can actually see it on the surface I am painting.  I'm also in the process of painting and making new curtains for the kitchen so I'll share that when I'm finished.

Can't help but love when 'lil sweet pea crawls over to be in the pic too :)

Gotta love the early morn bed head- we may need our first haircut before our first birthday!

Just so you can see how big the transformation is here's the before...

Quite the improvement, huh?!? Please notice the floor in the before and after- I finally got rid of the horrible laminate!!! Thanks to the hubby who is a jack of all trades around the house! I love the new flooring SO much!!!

GONE.

Gone. Like Elvis and his mom.  Gone. Like never coming back. Gone.  Like makes me sick. Gone.

What am I talking about?

(Big BIG Sigh)

Every picture, file of music, picture, word document, picture, video, picture, DID I MENTION PICTURE?!?! Yes, every single picture that has been taken in the past 6 years and was not printed or put on facebook or my blog is gone.

I figured if I blogged about it, it could be my therapy for coping with this huge tragedy.  The tragedy of my precious MacBook taking a very small tumble off my ottoman onto the hardwood.  Who knew my hard drive (Which I've never backed up, Yes, I'm kicking myself now) would totally fail and ALL my data would not be able to be recovered.  Apple products, unfortunately, are not indestructible.  I mean I am the one who recently left my iPhone on top of my car, then retrieved it when we noticed going 80 MPH down the interstate.  Fortunately this iPhone was not harmed.  I've been through 2 already and I promised the hubs this one would be my last.

Well, a BIG fee later, I have my MacBook back.  When I picked it up, the Tech told me how sorry he was and then started talking about something, but I quickly said, "I can't talk about it" then busted into tears.  Poor guys waiting on me didn't know what to do.  I paid and got out of there as soon as possible. Yes, there are many, many, many precious pics that are gone and will never be recovered, but I can't dwell on it anymore.  I may not have every single picture or video that I have captured of my sweet baby Kate, but that's not what really matters. Yes, I would have loved to have displayed her "watch me grow" pics at her first birthday or have them displayed nicely in a scrapbook (my stomach churns) but I never printed all of them off because they were so neatly stored in a special "Kate" folder on my desktop and in iPhoto. Major UGH.

I feel like Carrie in the SATC episode where her Mac crashes and due to lack of backing everything up she loses all her writings.  And everyone asks her, like she's an idiot if she says no, "you've got everything backed up, right?!" Uh, Nope.  Guess I never took that episode seriously.

Lesson learned- Back up all your stuff. (I'm not even going to tell you we own 2 external hard drives. Ugh!)


Yes, I love the convenience of digital film, but on the other hard I hate it because stuff like this can happen.  Remember when you would rush to get your pictures developed as soon as you finished a roll of film?! Then you had all your pics right there in your possession.  The good ole days.

but....


I've got one healthy baby girl and hubby that reminds what really matters in this life.  Yes, pictures are nice to have, but it's the here and now and the memories we are making and continue to make that really matter.  At least I keep telling myself that for now :)

Trick or Treat Sneak Peek...

Clothes Designed and Made by Yours Truly and the fabulous Abbey Duncan.  A first look at LiviKate's Collection's Halloween Line. (Fall, Winter, and Christmas are coming soon)  Can you tell we Love Halloween?! We just adored the Fabrics and Appliques we found for Halloween this year so we went a little crazy. Everything pictured can be made in any size from newborn to junior. This was our first sneak peek at the pics (aren't our "models" ADORABLE?!?!) so I thought I'd share a few.... Thank you Mme photography