Happy 2012!

Necktie Napkin Rings

When Alberto and I were in Maine last summer, we saw a set of napkin rings that were super adorable. They were made out of little preppy belts that used D-ring buckles. Alberto looked at me, and I saw the light bulb above his head. He said, “our old ties!” I was a little dubious, but why not try it, right? It turned out to be a great idea and the tie we used was not really preppy, but it was perfect for the holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Wood Shingle Christmas Tree

We host Christmas dinner at our house every year. (Well, I host while Alberto cooks. You definitely don’t want to eat my cooking!) This year we wanted something special for the center of the table. We kept tossing around ideas, but nothing really seemed right. So to help us with our inspiration, we headed down to the basement to see what we could find. (Weird, I know, but it seems to work for us!)

We were rummaging through when we saw a bundle of wooden shingles left over from when we had the house painted a few years ago. Immediately, Alberto said “Christmas tree!” and just as quickly, I said “Of course!” (Don’t try to figure out how we do this, it just is…)

The Christmas Trees (2011!)

We’re ready for Christmas and here’s a few pictures of the trees this year. The one in the family room (above) always has the most history. We always make sure that it features ornaments from all the trips we’ve taken, along with personal photos of our family and dogs. You can see (below) some of the ornaments we’ve picked up in Spain, Maine and Arkansas.