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It is about that time in the winter where I start to really hate our weatherman. They are predicating another storm this afternoon and when I see that snow start to fall again I very well may loose my mind. This is also about the time in the winter when I start to say to myself, "Why do I live here?!"

So I'm going to ask a question that always causes a debate. And don't let my obvious preference sway you in any way.

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Are you a beach person?

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Or are you a mountains person?

If you had your way, which would you prefer year around? Do you need seasons? Do you like being snowed in? Do you like having sand in your house? (Or whatever the equivalent would be to being snowed in)

Remember that first day back to school after Christmas break? When you would spend the day saying "how was your break?" over and over again? Good times. So...how was your break?

I had an absolutely wonderful vacation. We ate, we wrapped, we partied, we unwrapped, we drank, we shoveled and we cuddled. General merriment all around. And best of all, I didn't open up my laptop once. Truth. Full disclosure, I did occasionally checked Instagram, but I was 'off the clock'. And it felt great.

Like any great love story, I think sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder and I missed you all and my little corner of the virtual world. So I'm excited to be back and in action. Can I get an amen?

CieraDesign

And the good thing about a little time away, is that my brain has been going wild with ideas, projects and things to share. So let's hit the ground running my friends, we've got a new year in front of us!

She returns!

Is there any day worse than the first day after a glorious two week vacation? I think not. But I did miss y'all terribly and it does feel good to see a computer again (sort of).

We didn't get home last night until about 10 pm thanks to a three hour delay around Chattanooga, so I feel behind already. A dead stop on the highway in the mountains with two antsy girls (three if you count me) is not a prime Sunday drive, let me tell you.

So as I dig everything out of the car and start the mountain of laundry, imagine I'm spending my day working at this lovely spot.


Ahh, memories.

But have no fear, I had many projects going before I left, so I'll have plenty to share with you in the coming days!

So tell me, what did I miss while I was gone? Anything good? I need details people!

Do I look really tan? It could be because I'm on vacation (wahoo)!

I was so excited to get down here I totally forgot to let y'all in on my plans. So this is me saying, I'm off to enjoy some sand and sea air. Ahhh, I feel better already.

Be sure to follow the fun on Instagram, as I've got some big thrifting plans while I'm down here!


Cheers!

As you might have guessed, I like to do a little bit of shopping on vacation. (last vacation related post, promise) But I never really gravitate toward souvenir type things. We've already got enough crap at home, we don't need any additional t-shirts or koozie holders.

But there is one exception. Sea shells. For some weird reason I'm wicked psycho about seashells. It is physically not possible for me to walk down the beach without bending over every two steps to pick up a shell. It's great cardio. I even have a type of shell that I look for each year - this year was sand dollars. (told you - psycho much?!)

This means however that each year, at the end of our annual beach trip, I have a huge basket of seashells that I can't bring myself to leave behind. So I also pick up these old glass canisters from the local architectural salvage thinking I'll store all my shells like some awesome organized person.

And each year they sit in the garage of some awesome unorganized person.

So this year, damn it, I was going to get these things cleaned and put in their place.

First things first, I followed these steps to clean the shells. I had to do them in batches and they took forever to dry, but otherwise not hard at all.

I wanted to add a label to mark each year but I didn't want to stick or spray anything on the canisters. So I went to Michael's and picked up some labels Martha made some for me, and grabbed the twine from the garage. (which ironically was right next the the shells on the shelf)

I didn't want anything to precious or perfect but rather relaxed and easy - just like vacation. So I just wrote the year on each label and tied them around the top of the jar with the twine.

Voila.

Each year lined up and ready to go.

For now they are living on the bookshelves in the family room so I can look at them while I watch TV and remember good times. (the trips, not the tv show) Dynomite!

btw - I HATE taking pictures in the basement. Crap lighting.

What do you bring back from vacation? Does it end up in the closet? Have you found a special place for it?

I missed you!

To be totally honest, I think I miss the beach a bit more, but it is good to be home. We don't believe in easing back into things though as we got home and immediately are in to doc appointments, client meetings and of course, back to school. Pre-K is "super cool", in case you hadn't heard. (I feel the same way about Mother's Day Out)

Once I sift thru all the photos and goodies we brought back, I'll be sure to share. Two quick things learned on our trip though: #1- If I even win the lottery, I'm going to travel the country and go from flea market to flea market and #2 - The hubs has an untapped gift for making sand animals. Who knew? I'll save that last story for cocktail hour.

Back to my mountain of laundry, but I will leave you with this.
The living room fabric story has been decided and we are going for COLOR.

Prepare for lots of photos :))) yes! photos for our little vacation at Ricketts Glen State Park . We have enjoyed 4 days at the mountain and beach. We went fishing and hiked everyday, discovering the wonderful waterfalls,  preparing good food and relaxing on the chaise lounge under  the sun.  Of course we had a little bit of an adventure with the rain, but that made the vacation more exciting, right? And if the meaning of vacation was  r e l a x a t i o n , we were totally disconnected from the reality world ( away from internet and phones) and it was great !
I 'm back now with many lovely memories and ready to create new ones ...
Have a wonderful Sunday everyone !

My 8-days-away-from-being-5 year old has been counting down the days since...December and it is finally time to hit the road! We are off for two weeks of quality beach time (and possible hurricane excitement).

Our trip from last year

No worries though, I've left you all in good hands. I've got several wonderful ladies lined up to entertain and educate while I'm gone. You never know, one of them might even dance for you or something.

So be sure to stay tuned and I'll be back in September with lots of projects to show and (hopefully) some good finds from my trip!