How to Make a Magnolia Garland

Y'all, I saw a magnolia garland last year and it was so gorgeous. It was about a foot thick and over the top beautiful. I knew no matter how many trips I visited Hubby's grandfather's magnolia tree, I didn't see myself getting enough leaves to make a 12 inch thick garland...so here's the simple version which I think turned out pretty darn cute. (And a big thank you to my sis-in-law for figuring out how to do it!)

First, gather your leaves. Find a cutie patootie niece like the one below to help you. She helped my sis-in-law and I gather as many as we could stuff in her car since we were going to use them for three or four houses. (Hey, when the word gets out that you can decorate with free magnolia, people notice and you become an instant magnolia magnet). I'm totally estimating here but I'd say that the garland took about 200 leaves to make.

I'm not saying anything about the greenery sticking out of the bottom of the magnolia. I'm just saying that if you see it out and about in a field where it is growing in the wild, it may end up in this car. The niece is an innocent bystander.

Second, take three leaves of similar size and staple them near the stems into the shape of a fan.

Take a small rope the length of the garland you would like (I used what I had on hand, which was 18 ft of piping, and that worked out perfectly for around the front door) and starting at one end, wrap the stems around the rope with thin floral wire.

Keep repeating this process by layering the next set of leaves to hide the wire from the previous set until the entire rope is covered. Watch The Crown on Netflix while wiring, it makes it more fun.

My magnolia garland is hanging on top of a 'background garland' to give it fuller look. A faux garland here will work perfectly, I admit I couldn't find mine that I usually use, (imagine me being unorganized! Shocker!) so I made one using fir limbs.

I took limbs that were about two feet or so and wired them together every few feet toward the cut end of each branch, making the lengths that would hang down each side of the door first. Then I created what would hang over the arch by hanging a limb over the top of the door and wiring branches to it to fill in the gaps from there. (Lowe's and other places that sell live Christmas trees will have bundles of extra pieces for sale if you don't have any evergreen trees to trim). 

Both garlands are hung by wrapping wire from the greenery onto 8 screws that Hubby put into the brick above the door's arch. (He used a 1/4 masonry drill bit).  I put lights on the fir garland, then layered the magnolia garland on top. When you hang your magnolia garland, note the direction it's going. I ended up hanging mine up the left side of the door and then over the door's arch.  I cut the rope at that point and hung the remaining piece of garland down the right side so that the leaves were pointing downward. I wired the two garlands together once on each side about midpoint, just to keep the magnolia garland from flipping backwards in the wind. Once that was hung, I wired in a few of the extra greenery pieces to the top at the center to give it a little more depth and then added a wired bow.

As most of you know, I like my projects to be quick and simple. This one took a little time but wasn't too difficult, and I love how it turned out! Last year I decorated with magnolia and fir and it lasted outside close to a month without withering. The magnolia doesn't always last as long as the fir, but even if it turns a little, it's still looks a pretty, velvety color.

Please comment if you have any questions or if I wasn't clear on any detail.  And I'd love to post your pics if you make your own garland!

So glad you came by! Next up is how to make an arrangement in a dough bowl (or any bowl!) with real greenery. See you then!

Love,

Elizabeth

I have to admit that I do look cute in my new Christmas sweater.

PS- we found out if you put fake poinsettias outside and it rains, it turns your staircase red. Just sayin'.

Christmas in the Master Bedroom!

Sooooo, the halls are decked with holly and I'm looking for some mistletoe to hang, but other than that, the Master Bedroom is finished.....

It's cozy and sparingly decorated because for Hubby and I, this is our retreat. No kid's stuff allowed. No clutter. It's the one room in the house that I can depend on to wake up and go to bed in peace. 

Speaking of Hubby..while I show you the bedroom, I've GOT to tell you what he did. You remember that movie, Pretty Woman?  I used to just swoon watching Julia Roberts being romanced by Richard Gere....this was my favorite movie for years until I grew up a little and realized my favorite movie was about a prostitute. Oopsie. So not me.

Anyhoo, so there's Hubby. 

Y'all, Richard Gere can't hold a candle to him.

I know, how is this possible?

Let me tell you!

So we left church Sunday night driving separately (I was too lazy to come early for choir practice) and I had announced I was stopping in at Kroger before going home. Bear was with me...the Kroger employees know Bear and look forward to him stopping in because he's sooo wild and entertaining there. I've often said if I ever have a stroke, it'll be because I had Bear at Kroger.

Needless to say, as I parked I was dreading going in with my big list and dreading even more opening my car door out into the rain with no umbrella, no coat, no nothing. 

I open the car door with a sigh....as I waited for my hair to turn into a huge frizz ball, out of nowhere a large umbrella is held over me as I get out. 

There, in the rain, stands my Hubby, holding the large umbrella above my head instead of over himself. 

Swoon! My knight didn't want me out in the rain...or having a stroke in Kroger, so he stopped in to save me.

Y'all, it was the stuff out of movies. I felt like I should be wearing a gorgeous medieval dress as I pranced across that parking lot under my knight's protection.

And then, he got the majority of the groceries and pushed the cart! 

I know, it's a dream come true. Sounds like no biggie, but I have a bad back, so it IS a big deal. I felt a little teary. Had he come home and completed the night with vacuuming, I don't think I could've handled it.

We got home, put Bear to bed and retreated to our bedroom, our little sanctuary.

Hubby's closet is on the left, mine is on the right..leading to the master bath

It's where private conversations take place, it's where Hubby whispers sweet nothings in my ear and listens to my deepest fears and greatest victories. 

Most of all it's the place for resolution and rest. We try our best to follow Ephesias 4:26 - Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry.

We are pretty good at this, especially after a night like that... I mean, how could I ever be angry with my knight with the umbrella who pushes the cart? Well, there is this one thing...

A couple of weeks ago, Knight 'accidentally' cancelled HGTV.

Oh, no he didn't! 

Oh, YES HE DID! And Fixer Upper just started the new season.

He's claiming he had no idea it was in the group of channels he cancelled. Good thing I adore that guy, seeing how he's my hero and all. 

He gets several free passes after the umbrella move. That was classic. I still get a little misty about it, so all is forgiven. Now, if I could just figure out the girl version of that move so he'd forget about the Christmas shopping budget. 

Let me know your ideas... :) 

Now go snuggle with your knight.

Or your Ellie.

Or, make me jealous, snuggle and watch your HGTV. 

Love,

Elizabeth

Mr. Kroger Bandit asked his mom for a pot belly pig for Christmas...I must draw the line at this point.  He's also just pretending to be asleep.

Cozy at Christmas Holiday Blog Tour!

Welcome! I'm thrilled you are here to see the Cozy at Christmas Holiday Blog Tour today!! I'm so excited! A great big thank you to Katie of Let's Add Sprinkles for inviting me to participate this year. I can't wait to peep into all the bloggers homes and be inspired by their beautiful Christmas decor! Today, tomorrow and Wednesday will feature several bloggers listed below who will show you how they've decorated for the Christmas season. 

Cozy At Christmas Blog Tour

MONDAY: Let's Add Sprinkles/ Hyacinths for the Soul/ Southern DayDreams/ White Spray Paint/ Garden Up Green/ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson/ Ellie and Elizabeth  

TUESDAY: Brookhollow Lane/ At Home With Jemma/ My Heart Lives Here/ The B Farm/ Botanic Bleu/ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen/ Art and Sand/ Ash Tree Cottage

WEDNESDAY: Sweet Nothings/ At Rivercrest Cottage/ Opulent Cottage/ Decor to Adore/ Fern Creek Cottage/ The Dedicated House/ Bluesky Kitchen

So bring on Christmas!! If you are new here, I'm Elizabeth and the sweet, sassy dog you'll see throughout the tour is Ellie. Hands down, Christmas is our family's favorite time of year. Michael Buble, hello? We decorate all over the house, play Christmas music and snuggle by the fireplace. I've included a couple of areas that have never been seen before on the blog. 

My obsession with Joanna Gaines and shiplap shows here in the garage hallway  :)

Bear, 10, requested a real tree, Christmas sheets and has claimed the reindeer blanket as his own. 

I wanted the reindeer blanket.

Ellie is so full of joy to be wearing that ribbon <insert sarcasm>.   :)

This is the family room, which is open to the kitchen. I still need artwork and a rug, but Christmas decor sure does make it homey. (Yes, I believe that could be the longest couch in America, lol).

Tutorial for this wooden tree is coming soon...Cost less than $1 to make!

How to Make the Magnolia Garland is coming next week!

On Thursday, I will finally show the master bedroom, all Christmas-ed up! I got a little behind so I apologize that it was supposed to be on here sooner, but I promise, it's a-coming! And all the 'how to' posts including the garland above, the dough bowl arrangement and the tree table centerpiece will follow shortly. I'm usually just a post once or twice a week girl, but shew, it's hard to get it all in before Christmas!  

It is getting crazy around here, but amidst the flurry of wrapping paper and Christmas lights, let us not forget the birth of our Savior.

Let us not forget to slow down and show love to one another, to forgive, to share, to comfort those in need. Let us be able to lay our heads down every night and say, It is well with my soul.

Love y'all. May your Christmas season be filled with joy and peace.

Elizabeth

Ellie: And may I never have to wear this sweater dress again.

**I hope you'll head over to Katie's Christmas tour at Let's Add Sprinkles and the other wonderful homes listed for today at the top of the post! Be sure to check back tomorrow and Wednesday so you can follow the links to those homes too!**   ***Most will post by 6 am Mountain Time

Y'all It's the Price Is Right!

Have any of you wanted to go on a game show like The Price Is Right? Guess what, you can! 

OKAY, it's not the real one, but it's as close as I'm going to get. It was the Price Is Right Live!

Hubby, Bear, and our friend, MaKenzie, and I went to a traveling game show version about an hour from our home. It was all just like the real show! They had the wheel, the showcase, and A BRAND NEW CAR!! COME ON DOWN!!!

What I learned from this experience is that people filmed on the real show must be prepped a head of time because in real life - not a lot of people are good at pricing things. LOL!

For instance, one lady had to price a normal size container of Crayola crayons in a caddy.

Crayons.

Her price....$65!

Good night lady, we also want to sell you some swamp land in Florida.  The host (who was not Drew Carey, but Todd Newton - Bear is a fan - he hosted Family Game Night on TV) got so tickled that he said he had never in years of doing this said this before, but had to say,

'Lucy, there's no way in "BLEEP" that those crayons are $65. Try again.'

At this point our crew lost it and we were about in the floor laughing. The crayons, which "Lucy" (I forgot her real name already) thought were made of gold, were actually $15. Lucy then redeemed herself and guessed the next price dead on! But then blew the last one and did not win her prize.  By the way, she also didn't hear her name being called to come on down and did not see it written on the two big screens on either side of the stage, so she had to be called down twice. It was just not Lucy's night.

One lady won a washer and dryer, one won $1000 cash, another lady blew a chance for a trip to Las Vegas, then we got down to the Showcase Showdown...This was it. They only had one prize package, and both contestants bid on the same thing. Whoever got closer without going over wins. Our whole group whispered and planned what our bid would be - around $21,000 for me, Hubby, and MaKenzie, $1,000,000 for Bear. He was pretty impressed with the Versa car and the 4 day trip to Hawaii. It also included a Mac computer, a grill and a smoker.  Definitely a million dollars.

Both ladies bid around the $30,000 range. Actual price? $21,800. Both overbid, no winners. Must be Lucy's cousins. However in our minds, we all won big time (we'll just throw Bear in the winners circle) and actually on the real show, we would have won both showcases. We rocked it. 

Which doesn't count at all if your name is not called. :) But so fun it's definitely worth the $40 ticket even if you don't get to come on down (they choose randomly from the audience if you are over 18). Numerous people from the audience were chosen to win gift cards throughout the night as well. They travel all over so you might want to check the schedule of cities at Price Is Right Live if you want a great family friendly event to attend (the one 'bleep' episode was the only risqué part of the night, haha).

And yes, they did play Plinko! That guy won about $350.

Sorry, my iPhone and I don't take good quality pics 

If you make it to the show, don't forget your family's matching homemade T-shirts! Oopsie! We forgot! Listen closely for your name to come on down!  

I'd love to see how many crayons you could buy for $65! :)

Love,

Elizabeth

P.S., Ellie will be back next post, she is getting all ready for our Christmas decor post! I hope to give you a sneak peek of our master bedroom before the whole Christmas tour on December 5th!

Also, most importantly, a little note about MaKenzie...she is 19 and has suffered with Crohn's Disease since she was 9 years old. She has been hospitalized more times than I can count and sadly more than once the doctors didn't know if she would survive. Does she wallow in self pity? Does she live her life as if she is owed something? Nope. She continues to give back, encouraging others who also suffer from chronic illnesses and encouraging young women to maintain a positive body image. She recently set up a Facebook page where she is selling jewelry. One hundred percent of the profits are going to buy goodie bags for children who are in the hospital during the holidays. If you'd like to support MaKenzie and her cause, please visit Crafting For A Cause.  Have a great week!

Best Southern Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

It's the recipe that makes me a rock star. The one that everyone wants afterwards and the one I'm expected to bring for every holiday dinner. It's the bomb.com.

I'd like to say I made it up and it's my secret recipe...but it's actually from a little country church cook book. Hello southern ladies, gorgeous AND can cook!

So that's one dish on the Thanksgiving menu. Don't let the fact that there's a vegetable in the name fool you, it's totally pie in disguise. 

Meanwhile in our house, I'm living with Buddy the Elf - aka Bear. There's no one more excited than Christmas than Bear and he's totally skipping Thanksgiving. He has played Michael Buble's version of 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' exactly 52 times, insisted we all sit down and watch 'Christmas with the Kranks', (and snuggle under a reindeer blanket and hold hands) and has already dug out the Christmas decor. He got mad at me yesterday because I wouldn't take him Christmas shopping to buy everyone he knew Christmas presents with his nonexistent money. Oh yeah, and he pranced through the house early Saturday morning blowing a trumpet. I'm not sure that one is related to Christmas, but knowing him it was wrapped in mistletoe. I totally wouldn't be surprised if I wake up to a house full of paper snowflakes and find him eating spaghetti with syrup.

So on that note, below is the pie...er, I mean, casserole recipe. 

I gotta go finish decorating for Christmas, and hold hands and snuggle. And thank the Lord above that my child loves Michael Buble, because I do too.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3-4 cups cooked mashed sweet potato*

1 cup sugar

1 stick melted butter

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup milk

*Don't cheat and use canned sweet potatoes, it won't be as good. Boil  3-4 sweet potatoes with the skins on, let them cool and the skins will peel right off). 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine all above ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

TOPPING:

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Combine and mix well...P.S.- this topping also tastes good without the nuts if you have a nut allergy to deal with like me :)

Spread topping over the baked casserole and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU TRY THE RECIPE!

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Love,

Elizabeth

Elizabeth thinks if you call a pie, 'a casserole', it's healthier. I just hope she drops some. Delish.

Thanksgiving Tablescape and a Big Ol' Laugh

Getting Thanksgiving on here at our house! I wanted to write the typical Thanksgiving post, I'm thankful for family and good health and freedom. Of course, I'm thankful for those. But then I spent Thursday night at a Bible study with a group of friends where I was belly laughing so hard the tears were coming, and I decided I just have to tell you a funny story about Hubby instead because there's no better way to spend your day than laughing.  

It was years ago and my sweet grandmother, MomB, had just passed away. Many family members came in town to stay with us for her funeral. We had almost an hour's drive to the funeral home and several of us rode together. I ended up in the backseat of Hubby's truck on the ride there and back.

When we arrived back home after the funeral, I was the last one out of Hubby's truck. Just as I was about to hop out, I noticed a little white strap sticking out of the pocket on the back of the passenger seat. I slowly pulled on that strap which revealed...a bra. 

Oh dear.

It wasn't mine.

Here was a bra in my husband's truck and it was not mine. (Because, you know, I don't keep my undergarments in his truck!).

For a second I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. My Hubby, who I loved dearly and I thought loved me back dearly, had a female's undergarment in his truck.

What to do?? What to do? I mean here I am in the midst of my family staying here and we all are mourning my grandmother... 

So I sat on the discovery. Not a word to Hubby about it.

 All. Day. Long. 

Longest, heartbreaking day ever. My dear Hubby. My Hubby who has been the love of my life since I was 14 years old. How can this be happening? I couldn't believe it to be true, he's just not that kind of guy.  Could there be any other explanation other than another woman in his life?? I was in disbelief, but how could I explain this underwear away?

Finally, I went to a close family member and said as casually as I could manage, 'Hey, yeah, um, I found this bra in Hubby's truck today...'

She was like, 'Whew! There it is! I've been asking my daughter where she left it. I forgot she rode in the back of the truck with you guys. She just started wearing a bra and I can't get her to keep it on throughout an entire day! Sheesh!'

LOL! In my dramatic moment, I hadn't notice it was very small. 

Sometimes things are not always as they seem. May we all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to wrath.

Today, I'm thankful for a loving, faithful husband. 

And a big ol' belly laugh.

Love, 
Elizabeth

Poor Hubby had no clue he was really close to living in the doghouse...

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