Merry Christmas from The Phillips Family!

As you may know, Taylor is quite crafty with the Photoshop. You may remember last year's Christmas card with Lola. This year we had the challenge of getting 2 puppies to be cooperative, so Tayphill had to get a little creative...First, he buys a tripod. Then we head to the grocery store for props, and fortunately had the festive attire provided by my Mom (she went through a phase in the 90's).

Taylor actually started with 3 pictures: Tuffy and the bowl, Lola and the Bowl and then the 2 of us. After a little cropping and much patience, we have our 2012 Christmas card!!

Merry Christmas!!

What's under your Christmas Tree?

I'm really digging the non-conventional tree skirts this year! Tree skirts have never really appealed to me, so the past couple of years I've just been wrapping burlap around the base of our tree and tada, Tree skirt (super creative...I know). But after seeing these ideas, I might just be a changed woman. 

And for gift wrapping I have always loved craft paper. I use it all year round to wrap, but around Christmas I like to add a little pizzazz. Some of these ideas will quite possibly end up under my tree this year. 

Happy Decorating!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday to you!!! 

If anything, my parents are becoming more active as they "grow up". You see, they have a new friend, Will, who lives in Dulac, LA and takes them Redfish fishing. They met in early September and have been back to fish with him many times since then. I was shocked when I found out how much my Mom enjoyed herself. Their sleeping quarters consist of a trailer on stilts near a Bayou and a bathroom covered in LSU paraphernalia. She is not one to enjoy camping or anything resembling, but for some reason she loves this and I have a feeling they will be back MANY more times. (Which is good, because redfish are yummy!) 

Happy Birthday to my "Fisher-Mom"! I hope it is the best one yet!

Just for fun, Mom's 2011 and 2010 Bdays:

Maaa!!!

MOMMA!

Happy Birthday Lola and Tuffy!

Happy Birthday to our sweet girls!! Lola for sure was born 10.29.10, but Tuffy we are just not sure about since she was adopted. We figured, what could it hurt to celebrate their birthdays on the same day?

Baby Lola!

 Our first day together :)

 Sweet Puppy love

Lola had her share of incidents....

figuring out how to get in and out of cages without loosing a toenail

figuring out spiders are not your friend

And... then there was Tuffy!

and they became best friends!

Tuffy loves sleeping under pillows 

Happy Birthday sweet girls!!!

I've been hanging around this town..and this town..and this town...

3 cities, 3 hotels and now back at home with far less pictures than I realized :( 

So, here is a sub-par recap of my journeys:

First stop, Austin for Austin City Limits.

Avett Brothers were so great Live

ART! 

Downtown Austin

Alabama Shakes!

Next stop...Highlands NC

LOVED the new colors!

goodness gracious this was good looking

Tommy Mitchell-one of the cooler people I've ever met. His art isn't too bad either :)

Then off to Tuscaloosa for a FABULOUS WEDDING!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell!

while I was gone...Tayphill dressed my baby up like this and sent me a picture :)

hanging out in my shopping cart

Lucky for Tayphill, I am really not a huge shopper, but every now and then I'll get the itch. I'd say my shopping cart is pretty random at the moment. Nothing crazy, just a little leopard and some flannel :)

1. LivFit Clothing: I am relying on these fabulous workout clothes for some much needed motivation. I figure they are worth a try. And hey, if I not, I'll still get a pretty sweet sports bra out of the deal.
2. Leopard Flats: So excited about these and their little tassels.
3. Dakota Eyeglasses: more of a necessity....until this weekend I did not realize how bad my eyes were. YIKES.
4. Urban Outfitters Flannel Top: I think I want this shirt just because of how cool that girl looks in the picture...and because I love flannel.

Friday Favorite: Surprises

I love to pull off a good surprise. Unfortunately, I am not very good at keep them. Until now:)

My sisters and I schemed a little Surprise Birthday Party/Dinner for my Dad Wednesday night at Sinclairs in Montgomery. 

Here's how it went down:

My Dad wanted a quite Birthday. Maybe no one would notice he turned 60? It took Adrienne, my older sister, saying she was coming into town to sort out wedding details for him to agree to dinner. I told Dad that I would ride down with A and we could have a quick dinner before she and I had to drive back to Bham.

Little did he know there were 15 of us waiting at the bottom of the stairs when he and Mom walked into the room. Complete surprise I tell you!

surprise!!

It's a BIG One!

Happy 60TH Birthday to my Dad! 

I could get all sappy today, but I am just not going to do it! 

I love you Dad. Thank you for all you do for our family. Because of you, our family has so many wonderful memories already, and I know there are many more to come! Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hope you have the Best Birthday yet!

Love ya, Pops!!!

Friday Favorite: Dog Tired

Happy Friday :)

Floors Like Pattern, too.

I love a good pattern, and not just on fabrics. Something about seeing a pattern under my feet makes me happy! ONE day a want floors like this (are you listening Tayphill???) :

Classic Herringbone:

Until I do get this fabulous floor, I will settle for this fun rug in our dining room, arriving tomorrow!

Hey girl, let me see that skirt

Can I just tell you I have been doing so many skirted consoles here lately! No complaining from this girl. They can be perfect for many different reasons. They can soften a room with just the right amount of fabric. Have a room that needs juuust 1 more surface, but the space is starting to look like a national forest with all the wood case pieces you've got going on? Skirted Console. Have a foyer that is uninviting? Skirted Console. 2 twin beds and you need the perfect bedside table? Skirted Console. Want something unconventional for your dining room sideboard or buffet? Skirted Console. Want to add some color/interest to an otherwise dull room? Skirted Console.

 Are you convinced, yet?

If not, maybe these will help.

contrasting trim 

use a bold fabric 

top it with stone

keep it simple