What's new....

Hello all!  Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  We have been busy with family in town and just working which is always good... and I do mean that!  I guess the most exciting thing that is new is this:

Yes, that is my Mr.  He went to the BBC headquarters in NYC and chalked up 2 huge chalkboards for their kitchen area.  He had a great time and was able to do a little sightseeing.  For some odd reason, he forgot to put in the contract that his wife would get to travel to the real Downton Abbey... or at least get Season 3 before it was released here.  Oh well... he did bring me back a sweet gift and some macarons.  

Anyhoo.... while the Mr was away, the baby and I stayed busy, but I managed to take off a whole day to take him to some appointments and we had a movie date as well.  I also managed to finish a few small at home projects.  

I have been making shades in linen and burlap for awhile now, but I decided to add a little more to this one, so I made some little rosettes.  Some of these will be in the shoppe very, very soon!

I also made a new pillow for the sofa... just something simple that I worked on while cursing the thunderstorm that made the Mr. get home 2 hours later than he was supposed to... I may have missed him a little *wink*

Before he left, he found me this HUGE vintage McCoy pot in this great color!  I have never seen a McCoy this big!  I like smelling gardenias when I walk in and out of the house, so I found this *perfect* specimen at our Home Depot.  Seriously.... it is pretty dinky.  Then, I went to another Home Depot and found a different species, but it still had a great heavenly smell 

That's more like it! We took the day off Thursday to have a little family time and ended up treasure hunting and came home with this little number...

...in original, perfectly chippy yellow paint.  And, some lucky girl is taking this sweetie home with her this week!  

I hope to have new shoppe photos this week... I have been really slacking in taking photos lately.  I seriously have been painting like crazy for clients and a new little venture that I will spill more about later.  Plus, I have been making nap mats and getting stuff ready for baby hughes to go to preschool next week *sniff, sniff*  I am not sure what I will do without my sidekick for a couple of days a week.

Anyhow, what's new with you?!?

off to buy more paint!

bye for now~


oh, I almost forgot... those of you who read my Facebook feeds may have already seen this, but Country Living asked me where I wanted to go in my home state this summer (slide 42)

Custom Chalk Giveaway

hello and happy Wednesday! Hope you are all having a wonderful week.  To be quite honest, ours could be a bit better... we have some weird home repair issues going on... somehow our downstairs light globe was filled with the dirty washing machine water... very strange and we aren't really sure how it happened or how I didn't get electrocuted when I flipped on the switch.  And, the hyena is sick... ugh!  So, last night was a long one.  I am sure to get it...  a 3 year old doesn't remember to cover his mouth when he is half asleep and holding you close.  Okay, stepping away from the negative and onto the positive!

 I was at the shoppe the other day and was getting together a little giveaway and all the sudden it came to me.... I had the perfect giveaway right in the shoppe... Mr Hughes!  No, not giving him away (at least not today... I need him to deliver furniture *wink*)  I asked him to giveaway one of his great chalkboards and he jumped on board and chalked up a little board to announce the giveaway!

This is the first board he did way back in August or September.  After he did this one, he quickly started getting orders for custom ones and then he opened up his etsy shoppe and he has done quite a few really great boards for weddings and birthdays and anniversaries.  It is awesome to watch him start with a chalk design and eventually work up to something permanent.  We carry ready made ones like menu boards at the shoppe and some fun smaller designs as well.  The one above though is mineallmine!  *wink*

I have been after him to do a birth announcement one and we have a few more new designs planned for that line that he will chalk up soon.  Oh, and this one is random names... trust me... baby hughes was *much* larger and born at the beginning of August (still waiting on my mommy badge!)

Anyhow, they are amazing art and I am not just saying that since he is my Mr.  And, we are so excited to give one away! So, I am guessing you would like to know how to enter....

Okay, first off... sorry... this giveaway is only open to the continental US.

Go to custom chalk on etsy and let me know which design you would like to base yours off of if you are the winner and leave a comment on this blog post.

For an additional entry, go to custom chalk.com and "like" it on Facebook.

If you want another entry, "like" Vintage Junky on Facebook

And, if you want more entries... blog or tweet about it.  

Leave me a comment for each thing you do to enter... it makes it easier for the random counter.

The board one of you will receive will be 18" x 24"  and you will work with the Mr. to create your design based off one of the ones in his etsy shoppe.  I will announce the winner February 1st!  Good luck!

okay, back to coercing baby hughes into drinking some more juice!  

bye for now!

The Talented Mr. Hughes

Happy weekend!  Just popping in super quick in between projects to show you something that my Mr. completed last night... this chalk art is keeping him pretty busy.  I commissioned one for baby hughes' big boy room... I will show you that one once that room is finished... but for now this:

He is also participating in the Franklin Art Crawl at Scarlett Scales' shop on November 4th from 6-9 pm.  So, if you are local, come by and see his latest work.  If you aren't local, you can visit his etsy shop.

Is is shameless self promotion if you are promoting your honey? *wink*

Okay, I am finishing up the curtains for the big boy bedroom.  It is almost finished!!

bye for now!

Cupcakes~

Hello all!  Hope you had a great weekend!  I think I finally kicked the flu on Friday.  Just in time for the Mr's birthday.  In which I made these:

They were pretty yummy and I think they look pretty too.  I just learned a month or so ago that if I started in the center instead of the outside that the cakes look like roses.   The rose ones are golden cake with fudge frosting and the light swirly ones are golden cake with salted caramel frosting... sprinkled with just a bit of salt.  YUM... I love sweet and salty.

If I had all the time in the world, I would perfect my cupcaking abilities and have a little cupcake store... maybe out of Hazel!  Ah... but until I figure out how to stay up all hours and still be a good mommy and wife, I will not pursue cupcakery.  

I didn't get much painted last week due to the nasty bug, but I made up for it today... 2 pieces!  And, I hope to start on another before the bambino awakes tomorrow.  I also listed the propaganda poster

in my etsy shop today.  So if you want one, scoot right on over there and grab one!  I also bought some navy paint to start on some things for baby hughes' big boy room... I hope I can start it soon... we will see.  Have a great last week of September... sniff... I can't believe I wasted a whole week of my favorite month sick!!

bye for now!

Propaganda

Hello all!  It is a rainy, rainy day.  I have quite a few things to show you, but it is so dim in here (and I am not.so.great with messing around with the camera.  Impatience some may call it.) Anyhow, I haven't taken any photos of finished projects.  But, don't worry... I will share some more Barn Show sneak peeks very soon.  You may remember that Mr. Hughes designed some posters for Bella Rustica that he is selling out of sweet Hazel.  Well, the other day, one of us was talking about vintage propaganda... and then on another phone call, I mentioned "Save the World. Buy Vintage." and low and behold, our very own propaganda campaign was born.  

I am a bit young to remember true propaganda campaigns on television and during movie previews, but I love the look of them.  Those really jumpy Super 8 videos are awesome!  Look for our very own video sometime in the future.  In fact, if any of you in the middle Tennessee area have a Super 8 camera that you would like to rent us, let me know.  I really think our slogan is catchy... along the lines of "Only YOU can prevent forest fires."  He is going to have some of these posters printed as well for Bella Rustica.  ***edited: the posters are now available in my etsy shop.

Now, I must get out in this rain, towing a recovering baby hughes with me.  Apparently during one of my cleaning sprees I have thrown out all but 2 of his socks... and they don't match.  Plus, he needs non flip flip shoes.  The kid hasn't had his toes covered since Easter.

bye for now!

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

....don't hit me!   I don't care for seeing Christmas stuff out in July either.  So, I waited to almost September. Last year, I had a few people admire my stockings that I made for us.  And, recently someone contacted me to create some for her sweet family.  So, I thought I would offer them as a custom order in my etsy shop.

I love how her little ones' silhouettes look!  This is actually a collaboration between the Mr. and myself... I make the stockings and he cuts out the silhouettes.... he is pretty handy with those scissors.  Okay, I will try not to talk anymore about Christmas decorating until at least after October. Oh, and that wasn't me pinning Advent calender ideas about a month ago....

I will be back soon with some new furniture redos... a new color that I bought months ago and finally found the perfect piece to use it! 

bye for now~

Weekend Learnings

Hello all!  I hope you had a very lovely weekend.  My weekend was filled with just great things.  And not the kind of things you can buy (well, one of them you can.)  I learned a few things this weekend.  

I learned that my husband is a genius.  Yes, I said it.  He is smarter than the average bear.  You see, we have been working on potty training.  I know they will do it when they do it.  And that boys take longer. Still, that didn't stop me from making a goal in my head: age 3.  Well, sweethearts, age 3 is rapidly coming down the track (hahahhaha!!) and we are still in pullups.  He had one aspect of it down... always peed.  It was just the other.... okay, I will say it...poop!  He would not poop unless I just caught him at the right time.  We were having major issues.. their were tears... bribing.... yelling... some things were thrown.... nothing was working.  So, my GENIUS husband told baby hughes... if you go on the potty, we will take you to see a caboose.  Every time you go. 

Let's just say that we have high fived this caboose several times this weekend!  At one of the trips, Mr. Hughes looked over at me and said... so, our boy really loves trains.  Yes, yes he does.  That is another lesson I learned.  How much my baby loves trains.  He takes this deal quite seriously... he asks for a dollar as well ( previous deal struck.)  And we give in (since we are enabling parents and he is an only child.) We aren't saving any money on the pullups since we are giving him a dollar and a car trip at least once a day.  The thing is though, I can see it clicked.  And, he is so excited and proud.  The house is a happier place.  I also learned that while I love being right and finding the perfect solution to problems, especially with our child, I am okay with not being the one that thought of it.  I concede to Mr. Hughes.

I have also learned that with me, one obsession turns into another... got the camper (she is looking pretty spiffy too... needs just a bit more spiff!) and then I move on to another.  Dollhouses!!!  I have had this saved in one of my many folders on my desktop before I found pinterest.  Then I re-found it on there... now I am obsessing again!! The above idea?  Now that is something I wish I would have thought of first.  Mr. Hughes went to the flea market without us and I begged him to find me an old wooden dollhouse.  I have plans, ladies.  Big plans!  I really, really want a dollhouse.  Trust me... it is a good idea.  So, if any of you has a wooden dollhouse, please, give it to me!!

And I just learned in the past 20 minutes that I adore Nutella.  Why did I wait 32 years to try it?  Why?  It was always right next to the peanut butter... I remember passing it and wondering what the heck it was...  I blame my parents.  They failed me *wink*

Okay, I need to sort of clean up the various messes in the house.  I have been bff's with the sewing machine all weekend long.  I will show you some of the new creations this week! (muahhahahaha! that is an evil laugh!)

bye for now!

And So It Begins: The Invites

Hello all!  I gave you fair warning a few posts ago.  Vintage Junky has officially entered into Birthday Party Land.  Where all I can think about is if my treat bags are big enough and what needs to come down off the walls to make this thing happen the way it is in my head.  So, here is a little peek at the invites, designed by the oh so talented Mr. Hughes

He designed them to look like how tickets are sent... letterhead, tickets and in a utilitarian looking envelope.

The front of the invite.. the ticket part.  We included tickets for each member of the traveling party.

A little letter explaining logistics of traveling on our railway.  

And since baby hughes is so fond of going around yelling "tickets, tickets please!!" a la Polar Express, we thought it would be cool to punch out the date on the tickets.  This is all Mr. Hughes!  He is pretty wonderful (and JUST as wacky as me when it comes to the parties.  You should see what he has bought to wear!) Okay, I better get chugging along and work on some projects.

bye for now!

He gets me

Hello everybody!  Hope you guys had a great weekend!

We didn't get a chance to work on Hazel as much as we wanted, but I hope to get her here this week to wash her and work on some things.  I did pick up some yellow paint to give her a little splashy stripe though.  We really love her.  I can't wait to get started.  And, to think, she wouldn't be with us if it weren't for Mr. Hughes.  

I have talked about him being my cheerleader and my best friend, but the guy really gets me.  And we feed off each other... wait.. that sounds kind of gross.  You know what I mean though, right?  I really wanted a vintage camper, so he went and found me one.  He went and checked it all out.  He is all for me fixing that girl up and doing stuff with her.  Not only does he help me follow my dreams, but he adds to them.  The man is full of great ideas.  Some of them I am not always on board with, just like he thinks that some of mine are off the wall.  One of his latest great ideas for Miss Hazel?  Showing 8 mm movies on the side of her... he happened upon a projector the other day and got it working.  He bought an old reel at the flea market to test it out and it works. 

 It is just little things like this that I just know.  We were meant to be, as cheesy as that can sound.  If I would have ended up with anyone else, I probably wouldn't be doing what I am doing... I wouldn't be who I am.  I think that is what the perfect match is... it is imperfect.  But that person brings out the best in you (most of the time *wink*)  That person lets you be who you are.  Sometimes it is so hard living with another creative soul.  The messes in this place can be completely out of control.  And the hours we keep can be wacky.  I wouldn't trade it for anything though.  I love our little life.

After a long day of moving furniture to and from booths and storage units, before he did anything else, he downloaded and emailed me this:

A beauty shot of Hazel in her before state at our friends' place.  Doesn't she look so happy out there with the hay bales in the distance and enjoying a great sunset?  So, Mr. Hughes, if you are reading (and you probably are!) Here's to you.  I love you for sharing and making my dreams better than I could have imagined.

bye for now~

Single Girl Sheets

It is a rare quiet time at our house... the Mr and baby are still asleep and I am enjoying a cloudy day on the back deck, hoping that it won't rain just yet.

As I was folding the mountain of laundry last night (even with more time at home, the laundry is still a mountain.) I started folding these sheets... we must have used them recently to cover some furniture or to "build a house."  And I started pondering all the meaning behind these happy, girly sheets.

You see, these are my single girl sheets.  These are the sheets I slept on most nights with my beloved puppy before the Mr. came along.  These sheets are the ones I slept on when I had little more responsibility than to pay my rent and show up to work on time.  I slept on them when I came home from nights out with my friends.  I slept on them when some silly crush hurt my feelings.  I slept on them happy and sad.

It has been 5 years today since those were my single girl sheets.  And I love them and all they represent to me..... mainly being able to have loud, girly sheets

 *wink*

But, I don't miss them at all.  I am completely happy sleeping on my soft, boring white, 32 year old sheets (me, not my sheets) with my Mr. Hughes, happy.  I am happy those sheets are in the closet waiting to be pulled out to make a house over the dining room table.  I do think it is important that married girls remember their single days and be happy for where it has brought them.  And, it is important for single girls to enjoy that carefree, spending every dime on new shoes because you can phase.  And, it is important to keep a little pink when you live in a house full of boys.

So, every now and then open up your linen closet or your scrapbook or your suitcase full of single girl memories and then go give your love a squeeze.

Happy 5 years Mr. Hughes... 

bye for now!

Sometimes it is good to be a hoarder...

 Hello there!

It is raining here... finally!  So I think I may take a quick nap.  

Did you know that stay at home mom's still get up early... to paint before their hyena wakes up?  Neither did I, but I am tuckered out today. I have been painting every free moment I get... I will show you some new pieces soon.  I just wanted to pop in really quick and show you something I made for the Winchester booth from Mr. Hughes' stash.

Yes, he has a bit of a problem with paper... he sort of hoards it.

Amongst other bits and bobs of stuff.

So, I decided to raid it and find some thing to fill some frames that were old and beat up looking...but not in a good way.

So I basically painted the frames my new favorite blue and distressed them as usual.

Mr. Hughes pulled these great maps the other day from vintage encyclopedias for me to line some drawers of a new desk that I was working on.  I decided that I wanted to use some since the color was perfect for the frames.

Then, I remembered how the Mr. bought these butterfly wings off of ebay awhile ago... what's that?  Your husband doesn't buy bug wings off of ebay...hmmmm 

And then I raided a box of old letters to make a little mixed media art.

The butterfly bodies are made out of a piece of twisted jute (my stash... I have a problem with ribbons and strings!)

I love how they turned out.  If they don't sell, I am sure I can find a good spot here for them.

If you happen to want to make these yourself with the wings that your husband bought off ebay, be careful placing the wings... they are quite delicate and want to stick to you like they have static in them... use tweezers and the tiniest amount of glue.

Okay... I am going to try to take a nap while the hyena is napping.... I don't know that our weather radio is going to let me though!

bye for now!

Organizing My Thoughts

hello there!  How are you?

My head is so full of *stuff* 

Are you ready? Here we go!

• See the above photo.  That is straight out of the camera... did you have any doubt? heehee Anyhow, my peonies have exploded this week.  I feel a strange pride that I planted them from tubers and that they have flourished enough for me to cut them and bring them inside.  I love fresh flowers and the selection at the Kroger is unsatisfying.  Plus, these are free.  I am wondering if there is any reason I shouldn't be cutting them all and bringing them in though.

• Have you ever had so much to do and things you want to do, so you decide to do nothing?  I really mean, nothing... except fold laundry and get lost in pinterest? Okay, I believe there was also some bubble blowing and a trip to Target and a walk, but really nothing that needed to be done.  And, you know, I am started to wonder if lazy is my true nature and that it is coming out now.  Not worried, mind you.  Just wondering.

• I am also wondering what my "schedule" is going to look like when I am at home all the time. I am laughing inside because while I like to plan things like birthday parties months (ahem... years) in advance, we aren't really scheduled.  We will be in big trouble when the hyena starts school, as I hear they encourage school age children to be on a schedule.  Right now, we are rolling with it.

 

•  Are you wondering if anything has made me question my decision to live frugally and not have a job? Well, true to form, it would be the clock above.  Gorgeous.  Love it.  I could work 2 more weeks and afford it.  That is assuming that the Mr. would let me spend that entire paycheck on it.  It is Swedish and while it isn't a true Mora, I love it all the same.  It is different and has a lovely face.  I did mention that the traditional gift for 5 year anniversaries is a clock. (Back me up here, ladies!)  I know that it isn't really, but it didn't stop me from saying it. Oh well, being with my bambino is better.  And just so you know, I consider true friendship anyone who is willing to scheme with me on how to fulfill my vintage cravings.
• As of Mother's Day, I am a proud owner of a Kindle.  Now, I did tell Mr. Hughes that letting me quit the full time gig was enough of a present, but he went above and beyond and got me one.  Which makes me think he wants me to ignore him and get lost in book after book?  Not only did he get me a Kindle, but he also bought a cute case off of etsy.  And, just so you know, I consider a mark of a great spouse to know that the cute cover is just as important as the technology... and that I like my margaritas with extra, extra salt.
• I recently wrote an article for Busy Bee Trader (page 32, if you want to read.) I gave parenting advice.....hahhaa.... from me?  The unscheduled mom?  Well, I gave some tips on how to antique with a 2 year old.  And in the weeks since I have written that article, baby hughes has really tried to prove me wrong.  I wonder if he can read.
• And, speaking of the hyena, he is turning out to be almost everything that I wished for... almost. Does that sound too mean... let me finish.  Before he was born, before I even knew he was a he, I wrote down some wishes for him.  Like that I hoped he would be friendly... the type of child that will befriend the new kid in class. I prayed that he would be confident.  He will walk boldly up to child or adult and introduce himself with confidence. That he would be a lover of animals... he is a regular St. Francis, actually petting a baby bird last summer. And, most important than any other traits, I wished he would be positive and funny and happy. And he is.  However, I neglected to put on that list.... not scared of riding in a wagon... or swinging... or sliding... My child is fearless when it comes to sticking things in outlets and running into the street (I promise, I watch him, he is just FAST!) When it comes to the playground, he prefers to just talk to people. When I try to put him in a wagon, he screams and wants to pull it.  And I can roll with it. My only concern is that I like to ride rides and the Mr. doesn't.  I was sincerely hoping that with such a tall, bold child that I would soon have a partner in crime at amusement parks.  It isn't looking good.
• Just to give you another little insight on baby hughes and my wonderful parenting skills...let me preclude this by saying that we are mostly careful about what we watch in front of him.  Case in point, no guns.  Last week at the park, baby hughes was playing with his friend and they both had sticks.  His friend had a "gun" and baby hughes tried to "disarm" him with his "wand" shouting something that sounds a lot like Exspelliarmus.  I told him that I sincerely hoped for his sake that magic works faster than bullets.  Now, before you think I am on my high horse with "no guns" I can assure you pro-gun mommas that he will have water guns when he is older.  I can also tell you that I laughed about the difference between the boys with my friend.  And I can also give you this nugget to make you feel superior to me in parenting strategy.  Have you ever seen 500 Days of Summer?  You know the part where they are picnicking in the park and they take turns saying a certain  word, gradually getting louder each time?  Well, last Sunday at CHURCH, the little man thought it was a good time to recall the word and say it louder. And louder. Now, mind you, I know that word is fine in the proper setting... like a medical office. We just are not that ultra hip family that uses the proper terms of anatomy. And half of me was proud of him that he instinctively knew the best time to use such a phrase for maximum comic impact. The other half of me that worries about listeria and brown recluses, well, that half was mortified. 

 Well, that is all folks. I will be back soon with a less wordy, less insightful post!!

bye for now!

Copycatting and Some Other Things that I am Excited About!

hello there!
How are you? 
Well, I thought I would share the other things sweet Mr. Hughes did for me the other day, besides the mirror. Without me nagging or whining!
I saw these rolling crates a few months ago, and I just thought they were the greatest!
But, check out the price!
And I thought... well, I have one of those in my laundry room...
and I am sure they have casters at Home Depot that would work.
So, my Mr. attached them for me and we have additional storage for baby hughes' books.

Inexpensive too... I think I paid $15 for the crate and maybe $5 for the casters.

One of my must reads, Holly Mathis,  converted some soda crates for lego storage here.

And I am super duper excited about this little sign that the Mr. found... does anyone know what it could be from?  I originally wanted to put it on the garage door, but it is metal and didn't want to drill holes into it.  So, it marks our coat closet for now.  

And this... I finally convinced The Man to let me move this downstairs.

It was in the office/playroom/library/trainroom/recroom

covered in papers.

That is no way to treat a vintage type-r-writer!

It moved downstairs and I love it there.

And this... this is part of my growing stack.
It isn't quite finished yet... but it is getting there.
I haven't decided if I am going all the way up to the ceiling or not.
So, if you are dying to get rid of any fabulous vintage luggage, feel free to send some my way!

And I am still excited about the Music Valley Antiques Show this weekend!  It is supposed to be pretty here and I am ready to go treasure hunting.
If you are going on Friday, look for me... I will be the one with the incredibly cute and incredibly wild hyena and handsome husband.... there can't be to many ladies with cute kids and good looking husbands out there, right?
*wink*
here is the info in case you missed it the other day

 

It is February 17-19.

Tennessee State Fairgrounds
625 Smith Ave
Nashville, TN 37203

 

Well, I think that is all I am really excited about... oh, I almost forgot about my Valentine's present.... I will share that later!

bye for now!

Sunshine and Rainbows

Hello there... how have you been? Well, I would be lying if I told you that I have been *fine*

You see, I am still coming down off a perfect sort of day high.  There was sunshine ( and 50ish temps,) but no rainbows on Friday.  Actually, at one point, there were birds flying in a perfect heart formation.... I turned to Mr. Hughes and told him it was a sign that we were *meant to be*

Now, If you know me or Mr. Hughes for that matter, that isn't something that either of us would say.

Still, I said it.

It was that kind of day.

We started off our day with a trip to Starbucks... they had told me 2 days prior that they were finished serving the pumpkin scones this year.  Guess who had a pumpkin scone Friday morning... 

Then, we made our way to the mall.. I know, yikes, huh?  Well, I strategically planned this outing so that it was the perfect time between the mall opening and Ole St. Nick's lunch break.

Barely had to wait in line.

baby hughes did not scream.  That in itself was not surprising... he is pretty friendly and social.  And cute too.  But, in case you are thinking of taking him off my hands, just know that he also punches and throws fits like no one else. 

So, after we got our adorable 2010 photo (Kris Kringle had a real beard... that is a requirement) 

we got these funny little reindeer antlers..... and what was inside the reindeer antlers?

A Build -a- Bear coupon.  Genius marketing strategy.

Well, why not?  We rode the incredibly fun *ride* up to the 2nd floor.

And what ever did we find to build?

A snowy owl.

perfection.

We are still deciding what to name it... 

After doing a little more browsing/ shopping, we headed to a Christmas Tree Farm that Mr. Hughes found online (oh, and we picked up a Cherry Coke along the way.  A real one.)

We had a slight little problem with forgetting the camera card.  A trip to Walgreens fixed that.

You can't take a 2 year old to his 1st ever trip to a Christmas Tree Farm and not photojournalize it.

This farm was the real deal.  Lots of trees.  All Sizes.  

They give you a saw and a measuring stick.

And, turn you loose. To run in and out of rows of trees, searching for *the one*

And, when you found it... and passed it up to search a little longer... well, you never found *the one* again.

That's okay though.

We did find a tree.

The perfect one.

And, when Mr. Hughes put down the camera to saw the tree down, I picked up the camcorder to document my manly lumberjack man sawing through the tree (very anticlimatic... it took him like 2 minutes, tops.)

Well, wouldn't you know, somehow, I didn't record the *timber*

So disappointing.

The treefarmhands got the tree ready and tied it to the top of the Jeep.

What an SUV is made for....to haul Christmas trees.

Then, we had one of them snap our photo in front a vintage truck... yep.... that one at the top.

We don't have many family photos.  This one happened to turn out.

And, will be on our Christmas card this year.

If we had hired a photographer, and bought clothes, and fixed our hair the way we wanted, the photo would have been awful.

This one... perfect.

We left... made a stop for some lights and Mexican.

Then a long afternoon nap for baby hughes while we got the boring tree stuff underway.

All the decorating still isn't quite finished... it will be very soon.

Right now, I am watching my hyena engrossed in his Thomas trains with a green food coloring goatee from a *surprise*

Mini Christmas mints.

He totally gets surprises.

Here's hoping you all have a few days here and there that put all other exciting days to shame.

Bye for now!