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December 2015

Personal

Reflecting on 2015

Can you believe 2015 is at its end? I know everyone says that every year, but I do think its important to reflect on the year and thank God for His blessings and grow from the trials. 2015 has been, for me, a year of learning new routines. This year I started this blog, and through that I really believe God has placed new dreams in my heart. We’ve made our house a home this year, and I’ve worked to be intentional about what our home looks like and feels like. We’ve been able to travel to new places together this year, and try new things (like my first time being a vendor at a craft market!). This year has been our first full calendar year of marriage, and in this year we’ve continued to chip away toward our goal of becoming debt free. We aren’t finished, but we’re moving. We’re getting there. Paying off debt is a life of sacrifice, saying no to things, and saying yes to contentment. Did I mention it’s also really hard?  We’re doing it though, and we’re proud of our progress.

Lest you think this year has been perfect, I can assure you it hasn’t been. We’ve faced disappointments, mulled over really tough decisions, emotionally prepared ourselves for a big move only to have it fall through at the last moment. I’ve felt frustrated with the slow rate we’ve been able to pay off debt, I’ve struggled to find contentment in our home, and I’ve felt unfulfilled creatively. I’m so thankful to have had Ethan by my side every step of this year. We’ve walked together, cried together, prayed together, and hoped together. This year has had highs and lows, and I know next year will be no different in having imperfections. However, I’m looking forward to a fresh start and the things that 2016 will bring.

This year, I want to work on all of these things. I want to paint more, make more, and fall in love with the place we call home. I want to blog more, pay off more debt, be more intentional with my time and my goals for the future.

When it comes to our house, I have big plans. I want to get rid of the excess, and purge all the unnecessary items. My husband might not be prepared for it yet, but I’m deeming this year the year of the garbage bag. By that, I mean, I’m bagging up as much as I can and getting it out! I want to spend time organizing, clearing out, and enjoying space. Because (as embarrassed as I am to tell you this), we actually have a room in our house called “the back room.” It’s an unused bedroom off the master that houses my closet, a plethora of guitars, amps, laundry hampers, an ironing board, and senseless piles of workout clothes and gym bags. I think most people probably have some sort of space like this in their home, but I’m telling you, ours is bad. We haven’t touched it since we got married, and this year I want to abolish the mess.

I’ve been meaning to read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I’ll be doing that soon and getting a move on things. I am looking forward to the calmness and freedom that cutting back will bring. I’m not about to get crazy and move into a tiny house or anything, but I am looking forward to being serious about a change in our lifestyle. Those are my thoughts on the New Year. What are yours? I’d love to hear about what your plans are for 2016! That’s all for today, friends! Have a fabulous day!

DIY Projects, Holidays

The Importance of Wrapping

When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was a big deal. Our family tradition was that everyone would sleep in the living room on Christmas Eve night, so that on Christmas morning, we would wake up right next to the tree. I remember how much I loved this tradition. I remember the year I pretended to still be sleeping as my parents rolled our new bikes into the living room from the garage. I also remember sitting in my nightgown on my sleeping bag opening my first “grown-up” tape recorder (and by grown up, I mean that it was a normal tape recorder, and not a Fisher-Price one). I spent hours in my room with that tape recorder making my own “radio show,” where I would be the DJ, playing my favorite songs, talking about my favorite things, and interviewing very interesting people (my brother and sister). I wonder if I still have those tapes somewhere.

We all have childhood memories associated with “the best gift we ever received.” Now please don’t hear me say that giving and receiving gifts is the most important thing about the holiday, because we all know it’s not. However, as we do give and receive gifts, we form emotional memories of years past. The feeling you have as a child of tearing open the package is a beautiful feeling. To me, giving gifts is a way of showing you love and appreciate someone.

So why in the world would we not do our best to make our gifts as presentable and beautiful as we can? Again, I am not implying that gifts must be perfect, or that pretty wrapping makes a gift any more meaningful. For me, it is simply another creative outlet. So here are a few of my tips for pretty (and inexpensive) gift wrapping.

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This paper came from Hobby Lobby last year or the year before, and everything else I had on hand.

Gift wrapping has three important factors: the paper, the ribbon, and some type of embellishment.

Let’s talk paper. I never pay full price for wrapping paper. I re-use the same paper from previous years most of the time. I also pick up a roll or two the day after Christmas when everything is marked down 50-70% off normal retail prices. If you’re without holiday paper, have no fear! One of my favorite things to use is plain brown craft paper because it works for all occasions. Baby shower? Check. Christmas? Check. Birthday? Check. Wedding gift? Check. You get the point. You can also use black and white newspaper (I have seen some GORGEOUS wrapping using newspaper), wrap your gift in a scarf (both pretty and reusable!), or in a real pinch, use any themed paper on its opposite side so that it simply shows white.

Next up is ribbon. The options are unlimited! I do occasionally use normal cloth ribbon, but my favorite things to wrap a gift in is regular twine, or colored baker’s twine. My suggestion is to look around your house and see what you can find. Thinly sliced strips of a coordinating wrapping paper can work as ribbon as well. A thin scarf can work here as well. Don’t go out and buy something new every time you have a gift to purchase. Look around your house and I’m sure you can come up with some thing to wrap your gift in. There’s a reason Julie Andrews mentions “brown paper packages tied up with string” as one of her favorite things…the string is an important detail!

Lastly, let’s talk about embellishments. I think a gift looks perfectly topped off with anywhere from one to three finishings. The amount, of course, depends on what it is that you’re using. I like to use a lot of natural things, such as small pinecones, sticks, dried citrus slices (see my tutorial for that here), cinnamon sticks, leaves, pine clippings, wood slices. The possibilities are endless. I also often add a name tag of some kind, just so that I don’t forget who the gift is for after I finish wrapping it. For kids, you can add a tiny toy as embellishment, or a pretty piece of candy. This is the step that brings it all together, so it’s an important thing to add. The good news is that you can add just about anything you want here, so you can certainly find something you have at home or go out into your yard and find something just as easily.

How do you wrap your gifts? What’s your go-to accessory for finishing your wrapping? I’d love to hear about it! Be sure to follow me on Instagram @rumfieldhomestead for the latest updates on what I’m doing! That’s all for today, friends! Have a fabulous day!

Holidays, Home Decor

My Christmas Decorating Secret

Christmas prep is in full swing over here! I’ve been super busy with the semester winding down at school, and the buzz of Christmas is alive and well in first grade. Thankfully there’s just ONE WEEK left of school before it’s officially Christmas vacation! Our home is fully decked out for Christmas, and I am *almost* done with my Christmas shopping. There are always those last minute things to get accomplished, but I can’t deny that I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.

Today I want to share with you all what I’m deeming THE BEST KEPT SECRET OF CHRISTMAS (y’all know I’m dramatic). Seriously though, if you’re cheap like me, you’ll want to keep reading.

I was too impatient this year to wait around for the real Christmas trees to come out, and so we caved and bought an artificial tree in early November. I don’t regret that at all, however, we missed the homey scent that comes with a real tree. Ever the optimist, I came up with a plan to get the best of both worlds: get an artificial tree early in the season, and still have the homey smell of a real tree. I was inspired by some friends who used tree clippings from their yard to make garland for their staircase. Now, I have neither a staircase nor the proper tree (nor the money to spend for that matter). But that has yet to stop me!

Here’s what I did. THIS IS THE SECRET, SO READ CLOSELY. Did you know (I didn’t) that Home Depot has their own tree selection (0kay this part I knew, but the rest I didn’t)? Each time someone purchases a tree, they trim the bottom/excess and put the clippings in a large bin. Here’s the cool part: the clippings are FREE for anyone to take. I said they’re FREE!!! How awesome is that?!

We simply asked the kind gentleman at the cutting counter for the clippings, and he directed us to the free bin. I may be the only person on the planet who didn’t know this, I don’t know. But if there’s someone out there who is like me, you might be excited to find this information out. I broke the boughs down when we got home and placed them in various places around the house.

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I spread them out all around my home in jars, vases, wreaths, and mixed in with my decor. It smells amazing! We’ve had our tree up for weeks, but now it smells like Christmas in our home too! I think my favorite look is in the first picture, the cuttings in a big bucket. Having these clippings around makes the house not only feel homey, but it also adds to the rustic/primitive look I was going for this year.

I got mine from Home Depot just because that was the closest thing to us locally, but I’ll bet you could ask just about anywhere trees are sold and you’d be able to take some some clippings free of charge. I’m a pretty budget conscious gal, but this is big even for me! The clippings make an impact in several rooms in our house and it cost me nothing at all!

Have you done this before? Did you already know about The Best Kept Secret Of Christmas? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or if you plan on trying it this year. That’s all for today. Have a fabulous day, friends!

Holidays, Tutorials

DIY Citrus Slice Ornament

HAPPY DECEMBER Y’ALL!!!! Okay, I’ll admit I’m excited. It’s officially the Christmas season now that it’s December. I can post all the photos of my tree and Christmas decor without shame! It’s a wonderful world, friends.

Today I wanted to show y’all the last of my DIY ornament ideas. My Christmas decor this year is super rustic and primitive, and so this last DIY was the one that I really think brought the whole look together. If you haven’t seen the other two ornament DIYs, you can check them out here and here. I remember seeing photos of dried fruit as Christmas decor years ago, but I never really thought anything of it until this year. I needed something with a pop of color, and so it was time to test out this project!

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The first thing I did was slice several oranges and lemons. I think I did four of each. I wasn’t sure which I would prefer, so I did both. I cut the ends off and simmered them on the stove using this recipe so they wouldn’t go to waste. citrus slices2

I separated the oranges and lemons on my (badly stained) cookie sheets so that if they cooked at different rates it would be easier to remove them from the oven. I placed them on the lowest setting on my oven (I think it was about 150 degrees) and put the slices in. In total, I cooked them for about five hours. Every hour or so, I would turn the slices over so that they would dry evenly. I really don’t know if this necessary, but I’m a little paranoid. The good thing about the temperature being so low is that I could turn the slices over with my bare hand. In general, the lemons cooked a bit faster than the oranges did, because they were thinner I think.

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After they were fully dehydrated came the fun part! I cut little pieces of red baker’s twine, the same twine I used previously on our pinecone ornaments, and hot glued it to the back to make a loop. Easy.

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When they were finished, they looked like this, and I am so excited about how they turned out. They have just the look I was hoping for. As it turned out, I ended up liking the orange slices better than the lemon slices because the oranges had a thicker rind (is that the right word? I don’t even know.). I did these a few weeks ago, and they’ve lasted just fine, which was an initial concern of mine.  I love the way the tree lights shine through the fruit. It feels super cozy! I also placed some of these slices on the wreath I have on the front door, and I love how it feels there too! I’m deeming this year “the year of the fruit” when it comes to decorating.

I’d love to hear what you think, and if you’ve tried this out. That’s it for today. Have a fabulous day, friends!