New Year! New Arrangement!

There are two things I believe about taking down the Christmas tree:

1. You should ALWAYS plan to do something fun after you take down the tree. This does NOT under any circumstances mean eating black eyed peas. Regardless of how I was brought up, I refuse to believe that Christmas being over equates to eating something that tastes like dirt. (My mother doesn't really like black eyed peas either but I think she felt a little guilt ridden at the prospect of not cooking us up a pot of good luck for the New Year...)

2. You should ALWAYS do something to spruce up your living space with the festive stuff comes down. A New Year means a fresh start and this is the perfect time to clean out and liven up your dwelling place. New pretty things that you received over the holidays should be out and visible, while the items you've outgrown or outdone should be given away, thrown away, or, in the least ideal situations, stashed away. We are absolutely busting at the seams in the Sigler household so I am using the long weekend to reorganize several "hot spots" in our home and I have spent most of my short morning at work researching furniture placement techniques and drawing up a diagram of our living room. I'm reworking our space this weekend! Much to what will be my husband's great joy, I have found that I needn't move the larger pieces of furniture. According to the rules of best utilizing a small space (and most importantly, the rules of our comfort), the couch and sofa are already in the correct placements. There are a couple of little things that can be switched out, however, and I cannot wait to see what the new arrangement will look like!

I have also scored a new piece of furniture from my grandmother! I cannot wait to get it and, if it looks as great as I think it might, show you pictures! I think my weekend may also include a small bucket of robin's egg blue paint...

I found this pretty picture this morning. I love the color palette...
http://housemartin.typepad.com/housemartin/images/2008/04/20/lushcolor.jpg

Here's hoping you all have a wonderful New Year's!
Cheers!

Christmas Eve Eve!

Just thought I'd share some pics from the "treat making" at the Sigler household last night!I know I've already posted pics of our tree, but we've set it up on cinder blocks and packed the bottom with gifts! So fun!
These are our stockings! I quilted Caleb's last year while we were still engaged and I did mine this fall...his is bigger, which I regret. :) The stocking holders were made by Caleb's PawPaw!

This is my ornamented mirror above the dining table....

and this is the dining table! I love our table suddenly looks "Christmasy" with it's red and gold poster on the top! The little linens are lace pieces Mama brought back to me from Venice last spring and the gnome napkin holders were on sale for $2.99(!) at William Sonoma.

This is a pretty shot of our apartment. Teensy but very festive, I think! It is SO cozy to lay on that couch and enjoy the tree with my hubby.

Speaking of my hubby...here he is dipping Oreo truffles into the chocolate! He's so much better at this than I am, that I let him take over while I snapped pictures.

I love this shot of our "baby stove"...that's what I call it. See how little it is? I like to say it was custom made for me. :)

NOT my best picture but when Caleb protested to having his picture on the blog, I promised him I'd put one of myself "as is" as well....

I think we did a pretty good job...

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas, friends!!

Much Much Love,

Casey

Christmastime Is Here!

I am absolutely embarrassed at how long it's been since I blogged. I've been really conflicted. We've been so busy preparing for the holidays and working and seeing friends and I'd so much rather be actually doing the things I'd blog about than taking the time to blog about the things I'd like to be doing. :)

But it's time! I want to catch up a little before Christmas. This morning felt new and thrilling...the first day of Christmas week! Despite having to go to work (even on Christmas Eve!), my heart feels full of anticipation. I love this holiday! Our pastor spoke on Isaiah 9 yesterday. The prophetic words of Christ's life just sent chills up and down my spine. He reminded us that we are living life FROM victory, not TOWARDS victory, all because of the little Child God sent to save us from our sins. How beautiful!

Caleb and I have been entertaining like crazy the last couple of weeks. It's been so fun! We've actually managed to host (including ourselves) 8 adults and two babies in our teensy apartment. The trick is 1.) Shatterproof ornaments on the tree and 2.) Having a husband who will flip pancakes or help fill tea glasses at a second's notice. It's been an exercise in hospitality in small spaces and as I say, it can only get bigger from here!

I haven't even updated on Thanksgiving! Unfortunately, I don't have all my good pictures uploaded to the net yet. Our internet at the apartment has been running exceptionally slow. I promise, however, to upload some pics of my mother-in-law's silver service soon. I took some really good shots of it and I was fascinated by it at Thanksgiving. She has an entire cabinet full of the stuff!

Here are some pies at the Cannon/Overton feast. Caleb took this shot and I thought it was particularly pretty.




We're presently hosting some of our friends from Asbury this week and I have it on my schedule to make Oreo truffles with them tonight or tomorrow. I whipped them up last year and they were a pretty big hit. I'd love to hear from some of you ladies as to what recipes you'll be making/giving away this year.

Only three more days until THE Day!

Much Love,

C

Christmasing

This weekend was the weekend we've been waiting for!

Brother Josh came in town and we sought out, cut down, and put up our very first Christmas tree. There's a nearby Christmas tree farm that offered a great variety, including some cypress that research tells us will outlast the 5 weeks 'til Christmas!

It was the perfect day on Sunday...cool and cloudy. We brought along our dear friend J to help us out. It was both my and J's first time cutting down a tree from a Christmas tree farm. So fun!
I love this picture of Josh running. It looks like we were in the middle of the mountains somewhere. We were in a suburbs, instead... :)

J and Caleb cutting down the perfect tree...

We picked out a little tree that's short and stumpy but our living room is so tiny that it fits in nicely.

J pretending to have pulled our little tree up by it's roots...which he actually probably could have done.

Me and Caleb with the tree! We did not intend to match...


After lots of this....

There was this!

Our glorious little itty bitty (and slightly crooked) tree all decked out for Christmas!

The apartment feels so cozy. We decided on a bright red and gold theme for everything, although we're looking forward to having more "odd and end" ornaments as the years go by.

Thanksgiving this week! How exciting...I love this season!

More holiday decor pics to come...

Much Love,

C

Glasses from my Great-Grandmother

This past week Caleb and I went to my grandparent's for dinner with our family and I happened to comment on a lovely set of amber glasses I spied in one of Mimi's cabinets. "They're yours'!" she said, much to my amazement. As she took them down she explained that they are a set that my great-grandmother collected from flour sacks!!



Now can you imagine opening your little bag of Gold Medal and finding one of these beauties in the bottom? I can't wait to use them. My first thought was that I would hide them away in my hope chest but I just can't help but think that life is too short and these glasses have been used for decades. They should always have a place at our table.

This weekend has been so relaxing. We've had good times with friends, some family, and it looks like the Sigler team has finally found a second car! Praise the Lord! He has provided once again!

Now for a little more resting up before another crazy week...

Much Love All,
C

My Bouquet's New Home

Pretty, yes?
I am so happy with this!

You can't see it in the picture, but I've also set a large apothocary jar next to my bouquet. It's being filled with dried petals from all of the flowers Caleb has given me. I put this in a very visible spot because it's can't hurt to be constantly reminded that it needs several more bouquets to be completely filled... :)

I got up this morning in a cleaning frenzy! Before I even woke up my husband, I had done the usual (shower, coffee, kitchen freshen up) and had also rearranged the large bookshelf in our guest room, "lifted" the entire guest room (as much stuff off of the floor as possible! We've had books just sitting around, being piled up and leaning up against things...driving me crazy!), found new little homes for all sorts of odds and ends, and then completely tackled our utility closet. I know now exactly where everything in our utility closet is...including the old box of light bulbs that fell behind the water heater and upon which I will never cast my eyes again. If I didn't have to come to work today, I'm pretty certain that the entire house would be cleaned out and reorganized.

When Caleb and I began moving our things into the apartment, we were in a real hurry and we ended up literally stuffing drawers and closets with things we didn't have time to really think through and throw out. I am determined to get to this task completed before Christmas. We'll be bringing new things into the house so we need to get rid of some old.

Still looking for that second vehicle, friends! Let me know if you come across anything! We are just trusting God will provide for this need as He has met every other.

Loving this cold weather and can't wait to see friends this weekend. It's already starting to feel like the holiday season...!

Much Love,
C

Montgomery, Alabama

Greetings from LA (Lower Alabama)!
Just a quick post to share our day with you. Caleb and I came down to see the his mama, daddy, nephew Josiah and brother Josh (who marvelously played the role of Schroeder in his high school's production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" this weekend) and here are just a few highlights of the day.

First Mrs. Terri took me to Carol Brooks Antiques in Pratville, AL! My favorite shop down there! It is beautiful...I could have kicked myself for forgetting my camera, but luckily, I will probably be back before the holidays and will get some good pictures of their lovely stuff. This is where I purchased the bell jar I've been wanting for my bouquet! Can't wait to get it home and will post pics soon...

Here is the beautiful Jim Shore ornament from Carol Brooks that Mrs. Terri bought for our first Christmas tree!

Then we were off to the Pike Road Arts and Crafts Fair...


It was a really pretty day to be out. We didn't buy anything...but there were some pretty sights over all.

Some lovely quilts I found. I love the benches that just happened to be sitting underneath them. They say "Be Thrify" and "Be Cheerful"!










Our precious nephew Josiah looking adorable in a fire truck.





Later in the evening, we went to Josh's play and enjoyed the rest of the evening home with family. Such a fun time!

We're headed back in about an hour and looking forward to the holidays...!

Much Love,

C

Planning Ahead

I'm beginning to feel like I'm always a week or two ahead of myself these days. With the holidays coming up and all of the preparation, shopping, and festive-fying that that means, I am already scheduling our little household three weeks ahead of time. I called Caleb earlier this week and told him the exact date we need to set up our Christmas tree.

Any earlier, it will be dead before the 20th of December. Any later and it isn't going up...we are travelling, working, etc.

Isn't that crazy? I feel like a nut.

Speaking of planning ahead, I have decided that planning our weekly meals a week in advance is really the only way to for us to function and keep to our grocery budget. We both hate the thought of running to the store on the way home from work to gather up the necessities for the evening meal and I find that we spend far less money when our menu is thought out and everything purchased at once. I am a huge fan of Aldi!! There is nothing flashy, nothing shiny to catch my eye and distract me (or my wallet), and the prices are dirt cheap. The only thing we've found it cannot purchase there is coffee. We are pretty snobby about the coffee.

Anyway, while planning my meals for next week, I've found that the only option for Thursday evenings is really something cooked up in the new Crock Pot! I need some good recipes! I'd love to hear from some of you, if you have anything you'd like to share! Has anyone ever made a dessert in the Crock Pot? I've heard of this but it remains a mystery to me...

Have a lovely afternoon and check out Life at Home's Tablescape Thursday...love the Blue Spode!

Breakfast at the Siglers

This post is a little late...but I made homemade chocolate chip waffles last Saturday morning and took a picture of the feast!

My sweet brother-in-law Josh gave us a Belgian waffle maker last Christmas and we had so much fun trying it out last weekend. The maker came with a little recipe booklet and I was shocked at how easy homemade waffle batter is. I am of the opinion that anything calling for stiffened egg whites makes you feel like a real cook...

In case you haven't heard, the Siglers are now a one car family. Caleb's Buick died beyond resuscitation last week and we are presently looking, discerning, and praying for a new ride. Life is such an adventure...

In other (and better) news: Best Wishes to our precious friends Jessica and Matt on their engagement!! Like I said, life is such an adventure... :)

Much Love,
C

Down with the Sickness

The delay in blogging is due to a severe sinus infection!!
Hubby is urging me to rest when at home and last night the only productive thing I got done was finishing at entire meal of tomato soup and a grilled cheese.

Things are looking up, however! My mother gave me one of her wonderful pep talks last night, I slept well (thanks to the ever comforting and loving husband I have) and even got up early enough this morning to "bless my home" a little and shine my sink! A bit of coffee and Ricola and I'm set for the day!

Favorite thing about my job: the huge glass windows in our showroom. The leaves in Memphis are really rather spectacular this year! I'm staring at maroons, golds, deep greens and bright oranges this morning and am in awe of God's promises.

Until next time (and hopefully that is quite soon!)...
Much Love,
C

Show and Tell Friday

This is one of the prettiest new additions to our home...



My wedding bouquet!

My dear friend Allison Smith whisked my bouquet away after our wedding (while we were on our honeymoon!) and had it preserved for me. Didn't it do well? I think it's just beautiful. I have my eye set on a bell jar I saw at a gift shop in Prattville, AL and we are going down to see our family next weekend in Montgomery...I'm going to try to figure out a way to make that bell jar mine!

Have a happy happy Halloween weekend, friends!

Much Love,
C

Wedding Wall

Ever since Caleb and I begin moving our things into our little apartment, we began visualizing a large display of black and white pictures of our wedding on the wall to the right side of our bed.

At last! It is done!

At first I bought itty bitty flimsy frames from the Dollar Store. These looked AWFUL. They were far too small, there wasn't near enough of them and the minute Caleb brushed up against the wall, one jumped off of its nail and smashed to bits on the floor. They were attractive, generally speaking, but they probably did look very much like Dollar Store frames when it came down to it. This is a perfectly acceptable trait when displaying small pictures in a group...maybe on a tabletop. But Caleb convinced me that these particular frames absolutely would not do.

We then got some gorgeous black frames and I am very very pleased with the result!



Not my best picture, but hopefully it gives a good idea.

Cold and rainy night and we have to be up at 4:30 am for class!!

To bed, friends. To bed.

Much Love!

My Wedding Fans!

Look familiar, anyone?!

Can you believe this? In Martha Stewart's latest Wedding Magazine!!

We did this! Back in June!

How fun...

Rainy Tuesday

What a great day it has been!
DownLine hosted a women's luncheon to drum up interest in the big women's conference coming up in February (keynote speaker Kay Arthur!). I helped with linens and such from work and I think everything was a huge success!

It is rainy like crazy right now and I'm desperately wishing I had a peppermint mocha to tie me over to 5 pm.

Caleb and I did some fun updates last night on the little apartment! I plan to post pictures this evening. He is so creative! Sometimes I have to reign him in a little but he never runs out of ideas.

Check out Nesting Place today. LOVE her fall pedestal idea.

What's your favorite fall decoration? I would love to gather more ideas.

Hopefully be back tonight with some pics!

Much Love,
C

First Tablescape

The garage sale is over!! We are so thrilled...and we made a little money, too. So everything turned out just fine, we met some nice people, and as hoped, the weather was great.

Caleb and I had a busy day but we did find a little time to do a little work on this here blog. As you may have noticed, my incredibly talented husband did a design for my title! So pretty! And I set up my first tablescape to post! My husband is so kind has been very patient and kind today.

I like this tablescape a lot because it gives me a lovely way to showcase some carnival glass that Mimi (grandmother) has given me. The candy dishes are made of colorful glass in amber and emerald green and they add a little height and shimmer to the table. I also got to use some antique silk napkins from Spain (passed down through Mimi as well) that I have never used before. I love the delicate fringe around the edges. The green glass coffee cups came from Germany and were given to me by a dear friend from the theatre, Lisa Hayes.

The red and green table linen is a small cloth I made to cover up a vintage poster that is lacquered onto our table. The design is fun and bright but I have found that there are definitely times when I would rather have a more formal table setting and so this small linen works nicely. It's hard to see but the green border is a sage grosgrain ribbon. It's not exquisitely made but it does the trick!


Pumpkins and some small glass candle holders really pull off the centerpiece, I think. I bought the candle holders at Michael's on sale for $0.79 and the flowers were from a bouquet that I dried several months ago. So inexpensive! And I love using handed down things that have been given to me...they reminded me of people I love every time I pass the table.

I'm really enjoying decorating our little apartment on a dime. Budgets birth creativity! It's so rewarding to see a home come together with things you already have only now rearranged.

I've also included a picture of our bedroom. It's my favorite place in our house, I think. We still have some work to do on it, but I think it's really cozy.

That's all for now!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I can't wait to post more!

Have a great day, friends.

New Dishes!

It is driving me crazy that I don't have any photos updated yet!

Last night I swung by the nearest TJMAXX and landed some gorgeous red willow dishes massively discounted. I got an dinner plates for 6 and I cannot wait to pair them with the antique milk glass appetizers that are still hidden away in my hope chest. Should be perfect for the holidays!

I'm starting to view all of extraneous decor in my house as possibilities for centerpieces these days. The nice ladies from Between Naps on the Porch and Life at Home are becoming inspirations.

Unfortunately, the excitment of my weekend is becoming somewhat weakened by the looming garage sale. Hopefully it will at least be beautiful outside and we'll make some green!

Tonight is date night with husband and maybe at some point this weekend some hardcore scrapping on my wedding album.

Hope your hearts are happy this weekend!

Here's hoping I return soon with some pictures from home...

Irony and a Jacket

My husband splurged and bought me an adorable jacket this week.
I cannot believe he did it....there was no good reason apparent, other than his absolute sweetness. It's gorgeous. I'll post a picture soon.
Of course it warmed up today a bit, so the new jacket remains hanging on a door knob in our living room...I like to think of it as new autumnal decor.

This is the weekend of our fall yard sale! I'm dreading it with every fiber of my being, but hopefully we'll have some success and a bit of cash in our pocket at the end of the day (not to mention, the ultimate relief of being a little less burdened down by earthly accumulations). My vote is that we do something deliciously fun afterwards to make up for getting up early on a Saturday. Like a child, I apparently need to bribe myself with treats after each unpleasant experience. I need to get over that habit pronto.

I made a yummy hot chocolate mix this past weekend (will post the recipe soon!) and whipped up a Duncan Hines spice cake with cream cheese frosting. So easy and yummy! Smells amazing while it bakes so make it right before company comes over.

Can't wait to be at home in my pjs this evening! DL started at 5:45 am this morning....amazing study on God's unconditional covenants and Moses....but I am tuckered out!

Fall Favorites

1. My Circle C fall candle in Spiced Apple
2. Red & white flannel pj bottoms
3. Easy recipe for homemade rolls (directions to follow)
4. The Crock Pot!
5. Trifle bowl centerpieces (green and red apples, walnuts, etc. in your trifle bowl on the center of your table...easy, pretty, edible fall decor)
6. Candy Corn
7. "Breathe" - Track 10 on U2's No Line on the Horizon album
8. Pumpkins and mums on your doorstep, of course

It's frigid today! Can't seem to get warm and I am seriously considering some new shoe alternatives...my summer, sockless flats aren't working any longer. I can barely feel my toes.

Our weekend is nuts. Caleb's at the DownLine Men's Summit all weekend...little rest and lots of go! The talks should be incredible, though. Tommy Nelson spoke to our DL class last night on the book of Daniel and it was amazing!

If you're interested, feel free to post your favorite 8 items of the season! I'd love to know what they are.

No meal is complete without the bread and Caleb and I love these...they go without almost everything.

Easy Rolls:

4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Cups of Self-Rising flour
1 Cup of milk

Mix batter thoroughly and pour into greased muffin tin (I spray with Baker's Joy).
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 400 degrees
Makes 8 rolls in a large muffin tin

Autumn, Here I Come!

First post and new beginnings!
Irony for the fall season. We've been plunged into an early chill. I so enjoy the changing weather, the approaching holidays, and the promise of something new...sinus headaches and all.

I am hoping this little blog here will be an outlet for my thoughts on homemaking and hospitality. I am brimming with ideas all of the time these days and I am dreaming of a space where fellow crafties and myself can share the love of making a home and exchange tips and creative ponderings. I expect strong convictions will sometimes escape out onto the typed page, but I will try my utmost to keep the rants brief. My new husband looked at me this morning with a smile and called me his "little almost-activist". Oh my.

Things you should know about me:
1. I love Jesus. I am being redeemed daily and am committed to learning His Word (exciting, amazing!) and building His kingdom. My husband and I are thrilled with our new marriage, look forward to growing our family, and are awed each and every day at the Lord's flawless plan for our lives and His unfailing faithfulness. We experience about a miracle a week, it seems.

Now for the less important stuff.
I work at a small event rental company. This is fun for me, as I get to help people create the look of their weddings and parties.
I love baking. Am a stage actress at heart. Love reading...presently indulging myself in an incredibly nerdy personal study on Arthurian legend (can't believe I admitted that). Fan of biographies. Can read a cookbook with the interest of a novel. Art history buff. Amateur-quilter-want-to-be (my mom is a master quilter!). Could eat bread as an entree at every meal. Am fascinated with fashion. An early riser. Huge fan of finger nail polish. Coffee addict. Enjoy word games (bananagrams, anyone?). Clean freak (thank you, marriage, for revealing this trait). Busy bee (have a hard time sitting through a movie without working on a project). I have an unexpected fondness for Batman and I really really love U2. My husband, Caleb, and I have an incredible community of friends who we consider part of our family.
Although I certainly have some musings about life and home, I am presently at work...so I'll be keeping this post fairly brief. Glad you read this, whoever you are. Hopefully I'll get to write a bit more later...