Home Tour Tuesday---My Peaceful Place

Happy Tuesday, friends! Can you believe that we are just a few hours away from December first? The holiday season is shifting into high gear, even though it feels like just yesterday that I was decorating for Fall and passing out candy at Halloween. Now the pumpkins are gone, replaced by greenery, accents of red, and all the tell tale signs that Christmas is near. As we speak, I'm knee deep in decorations and every room is in complete shambles, looking more like a crazy-elf version of Animal House rather than a home for the holidays. Tinsel, garland, and ribbon everywhere, oh my!

And in the middle of all this holiday hullabaloo, this week's theme for Home Tour Tuesday, couldn't have come at a better time! Everyone, no matter what it looks like, has a spot where they go to escape from the stresses of the day, even if it's just for a minute, or for me, in my mind...

My cozy reading nook(s)

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Amazing, right?

And while I'd love to claim even just one of those cozy spaces as my own, it's just not so. But, you can't blame a girl for dreaming, can you?

With an active toddler underfoot most hours of the day...

My peaceful place isn't decorated with designer furniture or expensive cashmere throws, and certainly doesn't resemble anything out of the pages of Southern Living. And while it'd be nice, my peaceful place doesn't need any of that. These days my peaceful place is where ever my tired worn out booty lands, be it on our overstuffed bedroom chair, or hiding away in the bathroom for an extra long shower.

Comfy is as comfy does! Okay so it's not quite quotable, but you get the point. Comfy is, for me, a state of mind. Though I must admit, having one of those beautiful rooms, wouldn't be so bad!

Oh and just for the record, I will have a room like one of those to call my own someday. And when I do, you better believe y'all will be invited for a tour!

Without further adieu, what kind of host would I be if I didn't actually welcome you into my home for a real look at my peaceful place. It may not be glamorous, but it's relaxing all the same!

This is my little space nestled in the corner of our master bedroom. What it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for in comfort! This is one super snuggly chair!

One of my favorite things about the chair is the hand-made accent pillows my mother made for us! My mom is so crafty (and thoughtful)! I'm also a huge fan of the custom made draperies in this room and throughout our entire house (more on those in future posts).

Of course it wouldn't be my space without the phone and computer! Not saying I'm always on them when in this chair, but the odds are pretty good that you'll usually find me on one or the other whenever I have any "down" time! 

Speaking of holiday hullabaloo, don't forget there's still time to join Karen and me for our first ever Ornament Exchange! We're thrilled with the turnout so far and hope that more of y'all will join in between now and tomorrow when the exchange's enrollment will close.

Please check my sidebar or click here for all the details! Join us, friends! I promise you it'll be fun!


Now, it's your turn---show us your relaxing space! But before you do, be sure to grab our button and check out our list of upcoming Home Tour Tuesday topics. With all this advanced notice, there's no reason not to participate each week with Daphne {Flip Flops and Pearls} and me!
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12/7
Deck the Halls---Show us your Holiday/Christmas Decorations, plus bonus Holiday recipe share (Any good Christmas morning casseroles?)

12/14
Trim the Tree---Share 3 to 5 of your favorite Christmas ornaments, plus the story behind what makes them special

12/21
All Wrapped Up---Show us how you wrap and share a favorite gift you've received as well as one you've given

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

{First, a little housekeeping---

Congratulations to Mommyto2 for winning the Two Tots giveaway! Please email.

Tomorrow's Home Tour Tuesday topic: My peaceful place (Where do you go to relax and unwind?) Come by tomorrow morning to link up.}

With not much left to remind us of Thanksgiving except a few diminishing leftovers in the fridge and jeans that now fit a little snugger, it's time to now shift our thoughts and prepare our wallets for the rush that is the busiest shopping season of all---Christmas!

And while there are, and will surely be, exciting Christmas celebrations throughout the blogging community, I couldn't let my most favorite time of year slip by without getting in on a little holiday action myself! My good friend, Karen from Karen at Home, and I have teamed up to spread a little holiday cheer of our own with a first annual Ornament Exchange.

With all the craziness that's sure to accompany the holidays, we've tried our best to keep the rules and timeline for our inaugural exchange as simple as possible.

Here's the scoop:

{one} Sign up will run today (11/29) through Wednesday, December 1st at 9 p.m. EST.

{two} To sign up, please email me at shannonywebb@gmail.com. Click here to email.

In your email please include:
-Ornament Exchange in the subject line
-Your first and last name
-Your mailing address
-Your blog address if applicable

{three} Ornament Exchange partners will be revealed on Friday, December 3rd on my blog (Webbisodes), as well as Karen's blog (Karen at Home). All participants will also be notified by email with their partner's name and mailing address.

{four} Please purchase an ornament for exchange up to $15 in value.

{five} All ornaments must be mailed between Monday, December 6th and Wednesday, December 8th.

{six} We ask that all participants with blogs, grab and post our button on their sidebar until the Ornament Exchange is over.

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{seven} All participants are asked to post and link up with pictures of their received ornament on Thursday, December 17th. A link up will be provided on both hosts' blogs (Webbisodes and Karen at Home).

Both Karen and I hope that our first Ornament Exchange will be a huge success and encourage you to not only join us in a little holiday gift-giving fun, but help us spread the word as well. After all, the more the merrier, right?

Even Gillian Grace is getting in on the fun!

If one ornament is good...

Two is even better!

Here's hoping you're this excited when you receive your ornament!

So y'all, what are you waiting for? Join us and let's get shopping!

Almost Wordless Wednesday---Thanksgiving

Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day

We bow our hearts to You and pray.

We give You thanks for all You've done

Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.

For beauty in nature, Your glory we see

For joy and health, friends and family,

For daily provision, Your mercy and care

These are the blessings You graciously share.

So today we offer this response of praise

With a promise to follow You all of our days.---Mary Fairchild

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Home Tour Tuesday---I'm thankful for...

Welcome, y'all and thanks for joining Daphne and me for our second week of Home Tour Tuesday. With Thanksgiving only a few days away, today's theme sent us in search of two things we're thankful to have in our homes. And, with Sweet Bean and the Hubs off limits (everyone knows I'm thankful for those two), limiting my search to just a couple items might have been more difficult were it not for yesterday morning's unexpected fiasco!

Oh and my apologies in advance for a less than exciting share. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that the rationale behind my picks earn me a few points, or at least, a little sympathy!

I'm so thankful for...

{one} My washing machine

Boring, I know but the truth is, behind every clean child, is a good mom and an even better washing machine! Though my old friend, the washer and I haven't always lived in complete harmony (Remember the bubble incident last Spring?), my trusty machine can usually tackle most anything I throw its way. And, trust me, this machine has seen just about everything, especially since Sweet Bean joined the family!

 

Even GG is a fan of our washer and dryer! (This video was taken back in April. See how much she's changed?)

And, after last night, I'm especially thankful for...

{two} My dryer

Well, I should clarify---I'm thankful for my dryer when it's 100% melted crayon free.

Imagine my surprise, as I prepared to fold yet another load yesterday morning, to find a lovely shade of green splattered on almost everything from a few of Gillian Grace's towels and smocked outfits to one random brassiere that accidentally made its way in the pile. Utterly confused at first, it took a few minutes before I began piecing together what had happened to my formerly clean load. And, then I found it! A lone, rogue, green crayon half melted, lying in the dryer drum---mocking me!

While, I'm fairly certain that I'm not the first momma to dry clean her child's Crayolas, and I'm almost positive that I will not be the last, it wasn't until the Hubs shared his Google findings and the hundreds of hits for "crayons in dryer" that I began to feel a little better about my morning mishap!

With our dryer still coated in crayon, I had no choice but to hang up yesterday evening's final load of wash, the old school way, while praying that this Southern humidity would allow everything to eventually dry before becoming a mildewy mess. And it was in that moment that I realized---

Thank goodness for my washer and, most-of-the time, crayon-free, dryer. Life's just so much easier when you surround yourself with good people and well-functioning appliances!

Now, let's hear it! What household items have you feeling grateful today?

{Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway from Two Tiny Tots! Click here!}

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Miscellany Monday

sharing is not always caring

{one} It seems Sweet Bean will share just about anything these days---including her cold! Now the Hubs and I are both a sneezing sniffling mess and trying our darnedest to kick this bothersome bug before Thursday!

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home tour

{two} Don't forget to get your pictures and post ready, tomorrow is our second installment of Home Tour Tuesday! Tomorrow's theme- 2 things around the house you're thankful for (besides the kids and your spouse).

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bite me

{three} GG's teething...again! This weekend was a mixture of skipped naps, cuddling, and out of nowhere, temper tantrums! But the good news is, we all survived, no worse for the wear. And, fingers crossed, we are nearing an end to this round of teething. At best estimate, I've counted at least  four new teething setting up residence in Gillian Grace's mouth, poor baby! Teething is stressful, and Sweet Bean's crib has the gnaw marks to prove it!

{It goes without saying, but this is NOT Gillian Grace}

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two little tots

{four} Giveaway, giveaway, giveaway! Melissa from Two Little Tots is giving away a $25 store credit to her online shop. Melissa sells all sorts of handmade goodies for momma and child. All comments on today's post will automatically be entered to win, it's that easy! But for an extra entry, swing by Melissa's shop and leave a separate comment telling me about something that catches your eye!

brown delivers

{five} Thanks to my bloggy (turned real-world) friend, Laura, Gillian Grace is going to look super festive this Christmas in her custom made red, green, and white tutu! I honestly don't know how Laura finds the time to make anything with her busy household of four (soon to be five) kiddos, but I'm sure glad she decided to surprise us with this one! Now any ideas for a family Christmas card? After reading so many cute ideas, I'm seriously drawing a blank when it comes to something original!

Hmm! Anything else in here?!

Hope your Monday is off to a great start! And, let the countdown to Turkey Day begin!

Friday Fun--Short and Sweet!

Not wanting to break from tradition (you know I'm nothing if not a creature of habit), I decided to still participate in all my usual Friday Fun, but in the interest of time, keep it short and sweet! And before I forget, I wanted to share our topic for next week's Home Tour Tuesday---"Two things in the house I'm thankful for..." Now with the weekend to think it over and snap your photos, there's no excuse for not linking up with us on Tuesday!

Alrighty, on with the usual Friday happenings---

Five Question Friday (with Mama M.)

1. What Christmas song do you loathe?

While I love practically every thing about Christmas, I cringe and immediately flip the station each and every time that horribly annoying song featuring dogs barking to the tune of Jingle Bells plays! Talk about ruining a perfectly good song! {No offense to my animal lover friends!}

See what I mean?

2. Do you and your significant other (HUSBAND) cuddle at night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed?

I get hot easily, prefer total silence when I'm sleeping, and need my own space---I'd sleep in a different time zone if humanly possible!

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3. Have you ever had surgery?

I am so lucky to have never broken a bone (knock on wood) and to have only been in the hospital once, and that was for Gillian Grace's delivery, which was my first and only surgery. Sweet Bean is a c-section baby, and I'd do it again in a nano second! Don't judge, I'm a wieney!

4. When do you typically have your holiday shopping done?

Like a clockwork, every year around the end of September my mom and I vow to have all our holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving. This year I'm about halfway done at this point, and hope to have all my shopping wrapped up by the end of the first week in December. Not quite Thanksgiving, but far from a frantic Christmas Even sprint through the aisles of Walgreens.

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5. If money were not an issue (and you HAD to pick something), what would your ultimate luxury item be?

If I could be completely selfish and had unlimited funds at my disposal, I choose a new home. It wouldn't necessarily be a super ginormous house, but it would be brand spanking new with all the bells and whistles, including closets big enough to host a dance party!

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Fun Phone Photo Friday

Sweet Bean having her Dorothy {Wizard of Oz} moment in Target---

There's no place like home! There's no place like home! There's no place like home!

Guess I know what GG may want for Christmas. But who could blame her? Every girl needs a pair of ruby slippers!

Now here's your chance! Link up and share your fun phone photo! I'm waiting...

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{And congrats to Mommytomason for winning the Royal Blue Papers Giveaway! Please email as soon as possible!}