Decking my halls, soccer .....{and a winner!}

My halls have begun to be decked......I love the  driftwood wreath I picked up at Homegoods about a month ago.  My cabinet loves it too. Truth be told, I have been known to be critical of those who decorate for Christmas {sorry!} the minute after the turkey is eaten. Can't we just enjoy ONE holiday at a time? However, my big girl has a soccer tournament in San Diego this weekend...

Nature's tree lot...

One reason I love reading blogs is to see regional traditions and ways of life.  This country of ours is diverse! We are so lucky! I know some southern friends cannot believe I have never had grits......but I bet they have never traveled up to 4000ft and hiked at the base of a mountain to find their Christmas tree!  I never take the beauty of Oregon for granted.  It is...

Cyber Monday holiday giveaway!

My wardrobe is limited to mostly casual stuff,  so when any dressy/fancy occasion rolls around I sort of panic.  I am a jeans/boots/sweater kind of gal, it's just the way I feel most comfortable in my  daily life as a work from home mom.  However, I do love a beautiful dress every now and again! Shabby Apple is a wonderful source for vintage-inspired clothing and...

My list.....

I'll be honest - the gift giving part of Christmas stresses me out! Of course, it has always been important to get our girls enough to make them happy but not too much as to over-indulge them.  My husband and I have usually kept to a couple simple gifts - but he is completely hard to buy for!  My parents are generous so you always want to try and match their generosity and also...

On Thanksgiving...

Our little family is headed over the mountains and through the pass to Grandma's house in Bend, Oregon. Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday....I love the pause it blesses us with.  I love the food and time to hunker down and enjoy my family.  We have so much to be thankful for this year..... May your weekend find you surrounded by those you love and counting your many...

Tag Sale!

Inspired by all the upcoming sales....and the bit of  purging I have been doing in my home, I thought it would be fun to offer a few treasures to you! In my humble opinion....this type of shopping is way more fun than standing in line at  midnight at Walmart.......but that's me. Please email me at jillbeth{at}aol{dot}com to let me know what item you would like to purchase....

A new project...

Ever have one of those weeks where you just don't know if you  are coming or going?  Yea, that pretty much sums up my week. It's all good, but phew, it was a doozy! {I am speaking 'grannie' tonight.} I took the photo above at a friend's home this week.  This friend is now a client and I look forward to helping her 'finish' {her words} her family's home.  Believe me,...

Bead Board....{oh how I love thee}.....

Here is a sneak peek of our first floor guest bath in all her bead board glory. Yes, she is quite incomplete - I had not even changed all the knobs on the cabinet when I snapped this pic!  But it is such  an improvement from where we started. My handy papa worked super hard this weekend - so  "thanks dad"- if mom happens to hand her iPad to you so you can see this blog...

Busy...

I am a mom.....by definition that means busy. We are all busy......I know..... but right now I feel overwhelmed - perhaps it has something to do with the Christmas music playing at Anthropologie, the aisles FILLED with everything holiday at Target...... or the field trips, games, homework, social commitments, volunteer commitments, business stuff, sports practices, laundry, dishes...

I've been keeping a secret....

A big UGLY secret......this is our first floor powder room bath! We moved into our home exactly a year and a half ago.  You would have thought that this ugly dated wallpaper would have been one of the first things to go.....but no, we have lived with it for all this time...... Sure, various members of the family have taken their turn ripping the wallpaper off the wall.....classy,...

Down Pipe....improving a challenging area of the house.

Accent walls......I'll be honest, I have never been a fan. This weekend, I made an exception......due to a love affair with a paint color and desperation to improve the hallway in my home with SIX, yes SIX doorways. The photo above is a great representation of the view I have  from my kitchen island - a place I stand for about 5,954 hours a day and I always felt the view to the...

Weekend thoughts...

image via Katey Daisy Remember, we live in a country many risk their lives trying to get to.   So many of our brave great grandpa's, great grandma's, grandpa's, grandma's, dad and moms, husband's and wives, son's and daughter's have fought hard for the freedoms we enjoy today. Democracy and liberty are the world's citizen's greatest goals - something we get to enjoy...

Random...

It is November 1st!  Holy cow! As I drove out my neighborhood today, one neighbor was having a professional service hang their Christmas lights -  definitely not ready for that!  We are still eating our Milky Ways, Snickers and Butterfingers over here at the old Forever*Cottage..... The photo above is my big girl - just when you think they are too old for dressing up,...