Fresh Wintertime Home Decorating

 In the stillness of the winter, our little heart patters for peace after the excess pleasure of the holidays.  The winter months following Christmas bow humbly beneath other celebrated months and breathe quiet simplicity and fresh starts into our lives.

We all organize, set goals, and create a fresh canvas to create another masterpiece new year.  It's an opportunity for each of us to make our house that winter snow painting of a cozy home of comfort!

Time is reset to a refreshing word: BEGINNING. 

passions of making a house a home rest around these walls

 Wintertime is the season of baking in a toasty kitchen 

with the oven heat and sugar smells warming little spirits

White chili, traditional chili, hot chili, mild chili...

just please pass the chili and a square of cornbread too! 

 

Paperwhites standing in full bloom

in the breakfast sunshine

And new paperwhite bulbs peeking out,

ready for their waltz with winter.

 My sweet best friend surprised me

with this candle with a wick made of wood! 

It crackles as it burns, sounding like a real deal fire.

Ice skates and felted snowballs

Snow covered pinecones
circled into a wreath

This mild winter has me 

wishing for sparkling snow

and a winter wonderland.

A giant pinecone plays peek a boo

Chalkboard messages

A huddle of live greens stand out

during the months of brown landscapes

A jar of fresh handmade soaps by Sarah on the bathtub

ready for a fresh new year!

Fun, bold striped mittens tied around a lamp

And what really matters...

anthropologie sweater pattern candles 

on pedestals 

(just like they deserve!) ;)

 

And one of my very favorite things! 

...you all know it by now!

you better...

please fill my arms with lots of

cozy

warm

soft

furry

snuggles.

Because soft cozies rates almost as high as diamonds.  

My always showcased UGG pillow! 

Double love it.

Titus working hard on a table full of home school stuff 

while Mama teaches take pictures for her blog.

My Pottery Barn heaven cloud that my parents spoiled me with for Christmas!

 Currently reading on this heaven cloud...

And with this

cartful of winter snuggles,

we are ready for sledding days

and fireside game nights!

Pier 1 sweater pillows stuffed in a cart...

My newest pastime is knitting.  

I keep my knitting supplies in an

antique water bucket 

right next to my heaven cloud bean bag.  

This is just SO perfection. ;)

super soft knit hat I made
for my favorite guy for Christmas

However, instead of knitting or other cool stuff,

I spend so much time...being Facebook crazy 

(and blogs and pinterest and...everything else online). 

Go ahead, say I have no life.  

Say it's a useless waste of time.  

I still love it. 

So there. 

 

That's a wrap on winter in our 

home sweet home.

For more:

Cozy Textures of winter

Winter Whites and Fresh Starts

Decorating with Wintertime Cozies

Snuggle up

and be blessed!

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This post is linked to: Jennifer Rizzo Refresh Your Room,  Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Organize and Decorate Everything, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design

glitter rains over my heart

Glittering confetti of compassion

rained over my heart

because of YOU.

 

 via Pinterest

A sincere thank you to every single one of YOU who reached out in love to me this week in regards to my previous post.  I am humbled and overwhelmed with the gentle human love I've been given and the support coming into my life in big waves!  Raw compassion is a treasure.  I'm thankful for PEOPLE.  I have been wrapped with the warmest blanket of care and it has given my spirit rest.  Your prayers and kind words are worth a closet full of Uggs to this girl!

hearts all over the world
previous post sharing similar sentiments

You have each inspired me to reach out in love to others when they need it! It's those simple acts that we often forget to do that could make all the difference and YOU have reminded me to reach out the next time I see a human in need.  One friend of mine inspired me beyond words! Stacey, (who blogs loveliness HERE) and is also a neighbor in my little Colorado town, is a woman with a full heart of clear diamonds.  She went one thousand steps beyond and started a daily prayer journal for me.  She has committed to pray daily for me until I have overcome this personal thorn.   I am speechless, humbled,  and opened raw with emotion because of this selfless act she is doing.  She has demonstrated love in the most beautiful way. 


Those who reached out to me in so many ways this week reminded me that even though I am just a small girl in this little-big world,  human compassion is alive, and we are never alone.

lissyelle 
via Pinterest

but God is big.

 May God be doubly good to you,

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I need a thousand tiny miracles: getting naked with my soul

As a girl, I kept a diary with a silver clamp and a tiny key. I stashed the key in a top secret hiding place and tucked my diary under my blankets. I've always needed a channel to use my voice, to be heard, to release my heart's words.  Back then, it was a secret and quiet audience...just myself, using a diary...with a lock and key. Now, in true spirit of our current generation, my platform is my blog. There is no lock and there is no key. My audience is everyone and the secrets are none. I am an open book. 

My real life is exposed by choice. 

This is me, my life unveiled.

me 2010

Sometimes along this blessed path of life, we have hellish barriers that bind us, preventing us from moving forward.  These barriers threaten to destroy all the beautiful things we usually experience.  I have a thorn in my side that I have shared about in a previous post here. I am a happy girl, that is true.  But I am a happy girl with a burden I keep compartmentalized in it's own box.  I rarely open this box unless forced.

This quiet health condition I carry gives me many physical issues.  I have lived with my burden for a long time but the threats it is currently shoving in my face are requiring me to take new action. My issues could be corrected if I do what it takes.  You all know I usually love to share beautiful things here on Moore Minutes.  Well, this isn't pretty.  It's ugly.  One of the side effects of my health issue is causing me to lose a lot of hair.   I have always had a LOT of hair too.   I never in a million trillion years thought I would be sharing this here for everyone to read, but life is funny and I feel strongly that I am meant to write this post.   Rapid hair loss is a humbling experience for a woman.   I twirl my fingers through strands of my hair and cry dry tears.

It's just hair.  

Just hair.  

Just hair.

I silently repeat those words to myself over and over and over again.  But I remain attached to my vanity and the comfort it brings so the hair loss still sinks my spirit.

But then Jesus whispers to me and says...

source

 So I chin up and carry on.  I am still knee-deep in the middle of this, just as I was the first time I shared this on my blog a long time ago.  I have no happy ending yet.  But it is a journey, a process that I learn more about every single day.

This is real life.  
This is authentic humanness...
open vulnerability. 

A lot of days I doubt.  Hope and healing aren't tangible.  But then part of me awakens and I see some light fighting to peek through the door. 

source

What I really want to ask is if you'll pray for me,

pretty please.

I would sincerely appreciate it.

And if you don't pray, 

throw a thousand wishes into the big sky for me to catch.

But I do prefer the prayers. ;) 

 

It is Well, With my Soul

old hymn penned by Horatio Spafford in the 1800s 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, 
 when sorrows like sea billows roll; 
 whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, 
 It is well, it is well with my soul. 

It is well with my soul, 
 it is well, it is well with my soul. 

 ...though trials should come, 
 let this blest assurance control, 
 that Christ has regarded my helpless estate... 


 And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, 
 the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; 
 the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, 
 even so, it is well with my soul. 

 

 source

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Our year of Family Vacations and TIPS too!

At the beginning of last year, Chris and I made a resolution to make more memories traveling together as a family.   Chris is a workaholic provides well for us and most of his time is spent in the office.  (I actually LOVE his strong work ethic!) ;) However, we still found a way to accomplish our goal! Instead of lonnnng refreshing family vacations, we took a few a TON of short weekend getaways.  We also took advantage of every holiday weekend.  Chris is still on his little smartphone and laptop doing business on our vacations, but it works for us!  Taking mini getaways is also helpful for families because it doesn't interrupt kids' school and extra activities.

source unknown, please advise

When our kids were this little, we started a luggage collection for each of them from Pottery Barn Fairfax luggage collection.  We slowly added new pieces to their collections until they had the complete set. I strongly recommend this to any family with kids!  It has helped keep our vacation packing and traveling very organized and simple.  Organization is KEY to successful family vacations. 

look at my cuties!!

2006

With this luggage, each child has different bags for different needs: snacks in the small bags, toys in the duffle bags, and clothing in the suitcases.  We don't usually take EVERY luggage piece on all our vacations, but they are all still helpful when we need them.  

 Pottery Barn Fairfax luggage

Each boy gets a different color and their names are embroidered onto each piece.  This is also helpful in staying organized. 

We followed the same color pattern with sleeping bags.  These warm sleeping bags from LLBean also have their names monogrammed on. We've had these for years and they have held up so well!

LL Bean

I've put together a quick list of travel tips before taking off on your next family vacation!
For more info on finding treasure spots to dine while on vacation, see this previous post.

Chris and I feel it is important to show our boys the area RIGHT around and near us so they can understand where we live, and grasp the history and geography of it.  Integrating learning with travel is also a priority for us!  I was raised traveling and learning a lot and I want the same for my boys!  The more they experience the land where they're being raised, the more they can identify with it as theirs. 

Because of this, we traveled a lot in our home state of Colorado, in Utah, and also in Arizona, the state Chris and I were raised.

To kick off the year, we went to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and visited Garden of the gods,  the Air Force Academy, the Olympic Training Center, and Focus on the Family headquarters.

Later that spring, we took a road trip to Arizona to spend Easter with my grandparents.  The boys just adore them and look forward to visits to their home sweet home! It was a cozy place to spend Easter.  On our way there and back, we made a lot of memorable stops.  We traveled through Indian land, touring Monument Valley and also Montezuma's Castle Indian ruins.  But our favorite stop was at the GRAND CANYON!! It was the boys' first time to see it and I will remember it forever.  It was such an exciting family time.  We surprised them by taking them on a helicopter over the canyon!  It was an experience of a lifetime for each of us!

 

For Memorial Day, my other set of grandparents came to visit our family.  I'm so appreciative that they make the long road trips to come see us all! The boys get giddy anticipating their visits.  We took a day trip to a neighboring town, Glenwood Springs, via AMTRAK train!

For our anniversary, instead of just the two of us escaping, we took the whole family of FIVE to Aspen, Colorado, for a western, horseback riding adventure.  We loved every second, experiencing life as cowboys on a sprawling mountain ranch.

One of the best trips of the year was a weekend trip to Park City, Utah!  Park City is my new lover.  I want to marry it and live there forever.  It is beautiful and full of my interests!  Chris and my brother had a long distance rifle shooting competition there (which I shared about here) and we also attended an INCREDIBLE table styling main street event (which I shared about here).  Aside from those events, we took the super fun alpine slide down the mountain, we did a zip line, and we watched talented athletes train for the Olympics. This is where the 2002 Olympic Games took place. This vacation ROCKED.  Seriously.

 In midsummer for Father's Day, we took a couple traditional camping trips and got dusty.  No shopping malls or nice hotels, just tents and fire smoke.  The boys kinda sorta like this type of thing.

A huge travel highlight was our houseboat trip on Lake Powell! Thankfully this vacation was longer than just a weekend. ;)  Chris and I were born and raised here and it will always be HOME. (I've shared about a previous trip there here) These incredible houseboat experiences are compliments of two incredible people that we are blessed to know! I will be sharing a lot more about this summertime vacation and these friends in an upcoming post!   Our time spent on the lake were some of our most loved moments of the year. The peace found there is unlike any other. Our entire family agrees that there is no place like Lake Powell, there is no place like home. 

Ohhh, that's not all!  We have been a giant traveling machine! To see BEAutiful photos and details of other vacations in 2011, you can visit these following links.  I have entire blog posts dedicated to a collection of other favorite travel we did in 2011!

 click on any link below to see details

- Our *once in a lifetime date* to Outstanding in the Field: A Restaurant without Walls in Vail, Colorado

- Fall Colors in breathtaking Telluride, Colorado

- Thanksgiving R & R in Gateway, Colorado

 - Aspen Holiday kickoff (part I) and snow day (part II) and sleigh ride (part III)

When the vacations are over and bags unpacked, collecting memories in jars is the perfect way to hang onto vacations for always.  To make your own Vacations in a Jar, see this previous post.

Okay lovers.  That is a wrap for this family on wheels 2011.  I think Chris and I accomplished our goal.  Maybe just a tad overboard...just a bit...but I have a crazy habit of that anyways. ;)   But time and experiences are the most valuable of all, and looking back, we are thankful that we made these times for each other and our aDORable boys. 

Because before long, our little people go from these little guys...to much bigger guys.  :(  So, as I always say: make every minute COUNT.

 2006

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This post is linked to: House of Grace Best of,   Under the Table & Dreamin, Think Pink Sundays, Seasonal Sundays,  Met Monday, Making the World Cuter, Tuesday Tutorials and Tips, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy, Tip Junkie, Get Your Craft On, DIY Design, Works for Me Wednesday, Blue Cricket Design, Transformation Thursday, House of H, Tablescape Thursday, Show off Your Stuff, Strut Your Stuff,   Show and Share Day, Foodie Friday, Frugal Friday, I'm Lovin It, Tickled Pink, Friday Flair, Design Dazzle, Be Different Act Normal, Funky Junk Interiors, Weekend Wrap Up  DIY by Design