It turns out that I'm a little bit country.

For the first time in my blogging career, I was really too busy/sick to blog.
But I'm back, and I have a few things to show you.

a. We didn't quite finish our backyard, even though I nearly killed myself hauling wheelbarrow-fulls of dirt, gravel, and rocks, but we are really close. We just need a bit more gravel (if you had seen the huge pile of it on our driveway, I don't think you could believe that we need more) and some plants. Here is a sneak peek, and also Mike's turkey frying setup. Thanksgiving was a rainy and beautiful day. We hosted it at our house for the first time and I think it turned out lovely. We had good food and good family and that's really all you need for a good Thanksgiving.


b. Here's where I show you just how country I can be. I made my ideal advent calendar and I think it definitely classifies as country decor, but I love it.


I mod podged those numbers I blogged about here onto little paper mache boxes. I could have painted them, but I really liked the brown paper bag color. I stuck them on the wall with poster tack and will fill them with nativity figurines as soon as I make them out of felt. Because I love felt. And I really wanted a nativity advent calendar.


I made the background for the nativity scene from an old frame that I spray painted red, of course, and roughed up a bit. I mod podged paper onto a metal backing (metal shingles- whatever those are- I picked up at the Home Depot) so the whole scene would be magnetic. The figurines will have magnets stuck to the back so they can be placed anywhere in the scene. My kids seem to like it. So that's good.


c. Mabel is a girl after my own heart. She saw me making one of my never ending to-do lists last night and wanted in on the fun. I had to take a picture of her list for posterity. (Just don't tell her I posted it. I don't want to embarrass her.)

The end for now.