Christmas Decorating Trends 2013

Usually way before you are even thinking about Christmas, I've already been decorating for the season. Decorating for several of my clients, that is. Because I have many clients that are retail stores, they insist every year that Christmas go up before Thanksgiving. (I'm just the messenger people.)

And every year, as I teeter on ladders and spend hundreds of dollars on Christmas decorations, people will say, "Christmas before Thanksgiving? You've got to be kidding!"

No kidding here.

It doesn't bother me too much since Christmas is my favorite time of year. The benefit of decorating and shopping early is that I get to see what the new trends are for the season. Pinecones are still the rage and look beautiful in the above blue and white wreath.

This year, with all our DIY efforts, we've taken to getting creative, like with this simple, but tasteful twist on the advent calendar from Real Simple magazine:

Pottery Barn embraced the cloche trend and turned it into a Christmas ornament; if you like more traditional ornaments, you'll love Ballard Design's mercury glass ornaments; for us decorating fanatics who love to try new things, we'll give these adorable owl string of lights from Anthropologie a try.

As much as we're willing to try something new, we might still long for items that remind us of our own childhood Christmases like this Santa ornament from the tree (and blog) of Kelly Ash.

I remember this kind of felted Santa from when I was a kid! How adorable!

Whatever your style, there's something for everyone out there in the Christmas decorating world. And if you can't find it, then make it!

How are you going to decorate this year? What's your decorating style when it comes to Christmas?

She Said, He Said

I used to hate emailing or texting Husband because his responses were so sparse (Definitely a man thing) in comparison to the thoughtful (<-- long-winded) emails I would send him. But after awhile, I learned just to get to the point.

(Thought I'd share this pretty view from my "office," for no reason...)

And maybe that is what we ladies need to do, instead of making our husbands guess or test their mind-reading abilities, just be short and to the point instead of dancing around for answers (or compliments.)

Anyway, here's an email I saved, well, just because...

From: Suzanne [mailto:suzanne.andmyhouse@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 10:10 AM
To: Husband
Subject: Please answer these questions

Suzanne 10:09 AM (11 minutes ago) to Husband:

Is your tracking number on the PC email?
You are going to grill burgers right?
How do Dark Chocolate Brownies and Mini Lemon Tarts sound?
Do you think I'm smart and pretty? (heh, heh)


From: Husband 
Sent: Thursday, April 04, 2013 10:17 AM
To: Suzanne [mailto:suzanne.andmyhouse@gmail.com]
Subject: Please answer these questions

Husband 10:17 AM (3 minutes ago) to me:

Yes.
If you want.
Good but not a fan of lemon with beer.
Yes!!!


Can we get an awww...? :)

AMH Welcomes: EZ Living Home

As many of you know, as well as being a mom to three children, I am also a mom to Juno, The English Mastiff, our 135 lb., three-year-old dog.

As you also know, And My House (AMH) is a blog dedicated to all the happenings in our home from DIY projects, tried and true recipes and the occasional goings on of Juno. (I once mentioned she had a blog, remember?)

But back to what I was saying, I'd like to welcome the awesome pet-friendly and very decorating friendly line of dog beds and coordinating throw pillows and curtains from EZ Living Home.

EZ Living Home offers a stylish way to include your pets' beds into your own style of decorating. No longer does Juno have to hide her bed when company arrives, but instead showcase it! :)

Doesn't she look happy? More like she wants to take a nap. Juno is lounging on the Honeycomb Memory Foam Topper Pillow Bed in Tangerine.

The high quality and easy care of EZ Living Home's products make this mom very happy, because even Juno's stuff needs to get washed every so often. (And I'm even happier because now that she has her own bed, she might just stay off the furniture…)

This is the perfect time to buy your pet something special for Christmas (and you can get the matching pillows and curtains too!)

Check out EZ Living Home, read how their brand was born and Like them on Facebook!

Time for Juno's nap now...


*Disclaimer: I was sent two pillows and the dog bed from EZ Living Home to review. I received no monetary compensation for this post. Any opinions stated are strictly my own.

Pumpkin Pie Layer Dessert

First off, I take absolutely no credit for this recipe. Whenever my family likes a new dish or dessert I make, I ask "And where did I get this recipe from?" They all respond with "Piiiinnnnnterest!!" Yes, Pinterest, where all us foodies gather for inspiration.

When describing this to friends, I struggled to say what it was. Is it pie or cake? Um, it's both? This magical dessert features a pumpkin pie bottom, a vanilla cake layer and a vanilla-pumpkin spiced whipped topping. (The magic is how the pumpkin pie filling sinks to the bottom!)

The only thing I did to this recipe is rename it for when I want to make it again. If you want to make it, you have to visit Shawn, at I Wash You Dry, because she created it and I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this is!

This will definitely be served at Thanksgiving this year! Hope you try it!

It's Fall At The Lakehouse

This is one of my favorite times of the year. There is nothing prettier than the changing colors of foliage in our area. (The only place that rivals this one is when I used to live on the East Coast.)

Aww, even Juno, the Big English Mastiff, enjoys the last warm days in the Midwest!

The beauty of this season outweighs the amount of raking that we have to do, and that's okay, soon enough we'll be engulfed in s-n-o-w and chilly weather. Brrr.

Everyday Husband and I are so thankful for the view and the quietness of our cul de sac.

And sometimes, even in that quietness, we get surprise visitors like the bear cub that ran through our backyard last year and this out-of-place beach ball. Happy Fall ya'll!

Sweet Sixteen?

Last month we celebrated our youngest daughter's 9th birthday. At nine, life is fun and pretty and mom is still potentially the one you run to when you need a hug.

But what about when you're on the cusp of being 16? Our oldest daughter will be 16 in exactly 10 days. This is somewhat monumental.

Not because there will be a big party, not because it's a cultural tradition that our family celebrates, but because this is the time she will always remember.

There are days when I'm driving by myself and a Madonna song comes on the radio and I feel like I'm 16. I know all the words, whereas I can't remember what I did two days ago. I'm semi-dancing in my minivan (if you're a Gilmore Girls fan, picture Lorelai grooving to "Jive Talking" by the Bee Gees while sitting in her jeep outside her parents' house!) and for 2 minutes and 30 seconds (or however the long the song lasts) I am 16 again.

Those minutes are easy. But the rest of the time, can be like climbing up the proverbial mountain with rocks on your back.

This is not what I signed up for.

My first clue should have been with the on start of labor when my mind screamed "get me off this train!"

Parenting at times can be so painstakingly difficult. I've been thinking about that fine line of being a mom and still be "friendly" with your kids.

Are we good moms and who is defining what is "good?" Would your spouse say you're a good mom? Would your best friend? How about your kids, seriously, if you could be the fly on the wall when they're with their friends, what is your child saying about your role as mom?

Two of my closest friends feel the same way. Where do you draw the line? Are we too harsh, too compliant, are we fearful that our kids will turn on us and eventually write a biography about how their parents ruined their lives?

Time will tell I guess.

For now, I will tell my daughter this:

Even if you can't see it, we will always be connected. This bond between mother and child which at one time was physical, is still there and always will be.

If he breaks your heart, let him go, cry, eat ice cream, listen to breakup songs, watch a sad movie, hide under the covers and then move on...because there will be someone else.

Real hardships will happen, battles will occur and life will feel unbearable, but you will be able to get through these moments if you realize these moments are but temporary.

When your heart hurts, my heart will hurt as well. :(

Even if you think I don't understand, I understand perfectly, because I've been there.

Know that I will always love you. Unconditionally. No matter what.