A Very Happy Birthday!

Today is Lily Potter's 2nd Birthday!

I know, I know. Another dog post so soon you ask? Yes. She's two. Duh. Annnndddddd.... I have some very interesting photos to share with you. They are photos of her very beautiful mother; her canine mother, not me.

Last night after B and I finished watching a very exciting finale of "The Event", we were snooping around the website that we found Lily Potter from. http://www.godsgoldenacres.com.  This place breeds beautiful golden retrievers and is located close to St. Louis. Anywho- we stumbled upon Lily's mom and they look identical. Yes, I know they are dogs and for them to favor each other probably isn't as remarkable as I think it is but IT IS HER BIRTHDAY. Ok, enough anticipation.

Cinnamon, 2 years old

Lily Potter, 2 years old

Lily Potter, 1 years old

And this is Lily Potter's very own sibling! They look so similar. Sweet babies! 

Rosie, Lily Potter's half SISTER!

Cinnamon, 2 1/2 years old

The breeder described Cinnamon: She is a real beauty and has a great personality. She likes to try to talk 

to daddy a lot. She is one of the smaller, more petite females.

Just like Lily!

Ok, I promise I will chill out on the dog pictures. Thanks for reading friends!

Cheers,

Sarah

I should be a character of "WHOville".

This post will continue to highlight some of my uber colorful Christmas decor including our dining room. For all of you who know Brady, you don't need me to tell you that his favorite color is something like tan and that all he ever wears are earth tones. Brown, fall earth tones- not spring earth tones. :) But that is A-okay because guess who gets the job as holiday elf? Me. Therefore, decorating schemes and themes are my decision. Ok- enough of me defending my choices. Everyone who is reading this is on my side right? Right.

Continuing on....

Here is a pic of my lovely centerpiece and chandelier. I added gold leaf garland and attached christmas balls in varying colors and sizes. Super fun!

Anddddd, a close up.

The colors are a little off from the lighting but I am in love with the crazy colors. I used the black and white feather balls from my Razorback centerpiece, as well as some of the red and silver disco balls that are in the glass vase. Same candles and tablecloth. And I added some super fun plates I ordered off-line with red chargers.  

In real life the blues on the plate and napkin match perfectly. The napkins are Bagley Mishka and are the same pattern as the black tablecloth and we can thank my fabulous sister Meghan for giving them to me. 

The above picture is a close-up of the buffet. I still need a fab mirror to hang above it but I'm not going to settle! I love the matching little serving plate that goes with the dessert plates. Yay!! Can't wait for my first holiday party!!

Until later I leave you all with a quote from one of my favorite holiday movies. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

Dr. Seuss
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store? What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

The light of my life. Lily Potter

Forewarning: No one loves anyone's dog as much as the owner does. That's fine. But since this IS my blog, I will post about my LP as much as I want.

Lily Potter is my baby golden retriever that will be turning 2 on November 30th. Two years old!! My she has grown!! Get ready for her photo montage!!!!

Puppy Bellyyyyy!!!

Lily Potts is a spunky girl weighing nearly 60 pounds. Brady says she is "Sarah-sized". What she lacks in normal golden retriever size she makes up for in attitude and spunk. I have never heard a dog "talk back" or grouse about being told what to do but this one does. Look, you can actually see her attitude in this picture.

Mama, I hate car rides......

Lily Potter is my favorite thing in the whole wide world! She likes to talk to you in the mornings and eats reallllly slow.  She will only eat her dry dog food if you put warm water on the top to make it soft. Her ears crimp up when wet and she has only one favorite toy. Pink pig. This is her with pink pig.

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Lily used to be sooo so tiny. We used to drive to St. Louis to visit Brady every other weekend and this is what she would do the whoooollleee time. Until the time she got car sick ALL OVER my dash and shift thingy spot. Then she started riding in the back. 

"I love you Sarah!!"

The following picture was taken after a very funny incident. Anyone who has ever raised a puppy knows that they have to be taken out to pee literally every 1 1/2 hours. Brady was in town and we were hanging out on that red sofa that Ms. Lillers is sitting on in the pic. So Brady is laying with Lily on his chest and I say "Brady, it's probably about time for Lily to go out.." He replies, "No.. I bet she's fine. She just went out". Thirty-two seconds later, Lily Potter empties her peanut sized bladder all over Mr. Brady's shoulder and chest. Good times.

Sorry Dad...

And this is Lily's first experience with snow. In Fayetteville and not too sure of what is going on.

I have feather ears!!

This is Lily Potter on her first boat ride! Shhh- don't tell his parents the puppies were on the boat. We definitely didn't let Lily jump out even though the picture looks like she is about to. It took her about 6 months to figure out that the upright-vertical swim isn't the best option for a dog that is made to be in the water. Hello webbed feet!

And this picture was taken when she about 3 months old. We were in Nashville visiting our friend Ross. We were hanging out on his back patio when this huge black crow set up shop in a tree right above us. And let me tell you- crows are LOUD. We were all getting very fed up with this bird; trying to shoo him and throw pebbles at it. It didn't work. Well Ross is a southern kinda guy and decided to take care of it. He went inside, came back out with a very large hunting rifle, shot the bird dead, and all was peaceful. This picture documents that my puppy girl is and never has been gun shy.

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas!!!

So over the next few blog posts I will be highlighting some of our home's Christmas decor that I so quickly and efficiently have put up over the past week or so.. Thanksgiving is a fabulous holiday but I truly heart jolly St. Nick's day oh so much more and that is why our humble home is almost completely bedazzled.

Last year I went with a more regal theme: the whole peacock, blue and green, woodsy idea.. So much more manly, than this years: whimsical, think Grinch meets Sarah's favorite color (rainbow, duh.), glitter and feathers. I've been trying to keep my project messes under control and quarantined to my craft room so as not to have to be vacuuming up mirrored sequins off of our floors until March.   Sometimes this proves difficult when I get caught up in the moment after a large trip to Hobby Lobby or better yet Michaels.  And, yes, our home does have an entire room devoted to my crafting. It's actually supposed to be our "music and craft room" but that room has a mind of it's own.

Today's project was front door decor.

This is what has been on our door.

And this is what will go on our door.

I made two of these this afternoon by first, wiring together two spruce sprigs. 

Then I added that mesh stuff that you see in all the stores during the holidays. I cut a piece about 6 feet long and made a bow and tucked in the edges.  After the mesh, I added the ribbon accents. 

And after that step, I added the shatter-proof Christmas ornaments and wired them in. And TA-DAAA:

You have whimsical Christmas swaggs.

Tomorrow: Maybe I'll post about my dining centerpiece and chandelier. Happy decorating friends!!!

-Sarah

Wooo Pig SOOIEE!!!

This evening I am showcasing my fabulous Razorback centerpiece that currently resides on our dining table. I put this festive little vase thing together early August when football season was a beacon of hope leading into a fabulous much anticipated fall.

My first step in creating this little shindig was to paint wooden dowels in red and white and then attach fun ribbons in coordinating colors to the top. I then made a whimsical flag out of scrapbook paper and a razorback I printed from off-line. Filled up the fabulous vase with styrofoam junk from Hobby Lobby (love this place!!!) and added some disco ball Christmas ornaments (X-mas ornaments in August, yes. And of course EVERY art project either needs glitter, feathers, or disco balls. This project just happens to have all three. Jackpot!) 

FYI: Hobby Lobby had all of these great black, white, and red feathered items that will probably be a staple in all centerpieces in my home from now on. 

Hope you enjoyed my humble craft project. WOO PIGS! 

All I can be is me- whoever that is.

The title of my blog and it's first blog post is a quote from Bob Dylan. For anyone who doesn't know me (but is creepily reading my newly born blog), I love Bob Dylan. I love his music, his writing, his artwork (yes he is an artist), and his life philosophies.

Bob Dylan can be attributed with writing so many of today's most popular and classic songs. Anybody love Adele's song "Make you feel my love"??? Yes, Mr. Dylan wrote that song... Case in point.  Willie Nelson, Cher, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, Hendrix, and even the Grateful Dead have covered his music.. He's awesome.

"All I can be is me- whoever that is." So with his philosophy in mind, I challenge each of you to live in that regard, as your best person. Cheers!