It has officially almost been a year since I started this blog. It is always a work in progress. I wasn’t completely thrilled with the blog name, so after much deliberation I decided on several different alternative titles. I decided to try this one out. So from now on this blog will be “Seasoned with Style.” This title seemed to make more sense to me.


Hopefully by now everyone has their Christmas gifts bought. I finally finished my Christmas shopping today. I tried to do a lot of local buying this year. I attempted to buy as much as I could from local stores and from Etsy. Some chain stores and internet buying was inevitable. Some other stores I looked into for my gift buying were k. hall designs, the Foundrie, and other stores that I can’t give their names until after Christmas (might give away what the gift is or who it’s for). I also made a few gifts this year.

I’m looking forward to going home to Kennett this week so see the family.  I have spent Christmas in Kennett every single year of my life and I can't imagine being anywhere else.  I look forward to my family's Christmas traditions of:  going to Wal-Mart right before they close on Christmas Eve to watch the last minute shoppers, looking at Christmas lights around town, and of course the annual viewing of "Christmas in Kennett."  Through the years I have memories of the Hallelujah Chorus at the end of the Christmas Choir Concert, the high school Christmas Ball, and changing the words to Christmas songs ("we need a little Christmas house shoe" Haley).  I am thankful each year when I'm blessed enough to spend Christmas at home in Kennett. 

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in January!

{Snow Day.}

Yesterday a frigged winter blast dumped 3 inches of snow on St. Louis.  Along with the freezing temps and snow, the wind chill made it feel like at least 10 below 0.  Luckily I had planned ahead.  I bought plenty of groceries and refused to leave the house.  I wouldn't have even gone outside if it weren't for my 2 dogs.   

This was Sammie's first time in the snow and while I assumed she would freak out at the sight of it, she instead embraced it.  It was hard to even get her back into the house.  Callie on the other hand does not like anything wet on the ground.  She did not appreciate the snow.  Every time I took her out, she looked at me like "you're kidding right?".

{ Sammie in the snow.}

When I wasn't freezing outside with the dogs, I was inside making sure to stay warm and cozy.  I was thankful that I didn't have to go anywhere.

{A cup of Christmas Tea with peppermint stick.} {A fire in the fireplace.  This means Christmas scented candles.}

So far, our Christmas card photos only go back 4 years.  I'm taking a look back at the past 4 Christmas photos just for fun. 

2007 Our first Christmas together. 2008 Callie's new Christmas sweater. 2009 Christmas in a new apartment. 2010 Christmas with a new dog, Sammie.

Now that Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is upon us, I look forward to getting out all of my Christmas decorations.

One holiday staple in my house is “Mistletoe Reindeer.” Mistletoe Reindeer has lived in my grandmother’s house in Newport, Arkansas; at my parents’ house in Kennett, MO; in the counselor’s office at my high school; in my dorm room at college; in my apartment at college; and now at my apartment in St. Louis. The story of Mistletoe Reindeer is a simple one.

One year around Christmas time, my family was visiting my grandmother in Arkansas. She proudly presented us with a hideous reindeer head made out of a sock.  It had a mouth, eyes, and even eye lashes. I can’t remember if she had made it herself, or actually purchased it. Either way, she wasted her time and/or money. As my mom gasped at the gaudy thing before us, my dad explained that this “thing” would not be coming home with us. End of story. Somehow the reindeer ended up in the car with us and made its way to our house. There, my dad threatened to throw it in the trash. I saved it from an untimely death and kept it for the next several years.

I worked in the counselor’s office during high school and one year I decided to bring the ugly reindeer to decorate the office with. We ended up hanging it from the ceiling. This is where the reindeer got the name, Mistletoe Reindeer. Mistletoe Reindeer spent two years receiving attention in the counselor’s office during the holidays. I had to sneak it back into the house each time so that my dad didn’t see it. He refused to have it in his house.

When I left for college, I had Mistletoe Reindeer in tow. This is where my reindeer spent 4 fabulous years bringing Christmas joy to all who laid eyes on her. My dad refused to let it back into his house so it has remained with me through the years. It is now one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Mistletoe Reindeer continues to spread Christmas cheer even today, much to my dad’s disappointment.

After being out of the classroom scene for a while, I realized I actually missed being in a learning environment. Recently I’ve been taking some continuing education classes (or non credit) at St. Louis Community College to get my learning fix.

After loving my ballet class my last semester at Missouri State, I signed up for a ballet class in St. Louis. This lead to me becoming a regular student at ADIVA Dance for almost three years now.

My mother and I signed up for a Saturday class about the 1904 World’s Fair not too long ago. This ended up being a day of traipsing through Forest Park with strangers while listening to cassette tapes explaining when and where events took place. The day ended with a 1904 World’s Fair feast including ice cream cones, iced tea, and hot dogs; all of which were invented at the 1904 World’s Fair. This class kept my interest for most of the day. Did you realize that Forest Park used to house 1000’s of buildings but were demolished after the fair was over? Insane!

Last month I took at class on haunted castles in Ireland. Because I can’t turn down a good ghost story, I knew I had to take this class. I learned that I want to visit Ireland and that I want to stay the night in a haunted castle.

My most recent STLCC experience involved a class about Christmas during the Civil War. I love history and most importantly I love learning about the Civil War. I think watching Gone With The Wind at an early age sparked this interest. My mother was originally going to take this class with me, but I ended up going alone.

So on a cold, rainy night in November, I wandered through the Meramec campus of STLCC, pepper spray in hand (just in case), and tried to fit in as a student who knew where they were going. I was headed to a science building so I wouldn’t fit in for long.  Science and I never got along. Once I was in the “Science West” building, I was beginning to think I would never find my classroom when I saw a room filled with older adults with their eyes fixed on a 70-something-year-old man dressed in a Civil War (Union) uniform. Great. This must be it.

I cautiously made my way into the classroom where I signed in, took my information packet, and made my way to the desk in the very back on the room, all while trying not to hit people in the side with my giant oversized purse. I quickly realized I was the youngest one in the room by a good 30 years. As the “instructor” rambled on about the Civil War (all of this information I either already knew or could easily read about on the internet), I was thankful for the grande peppermint mocha I had previously consumed that afternoon; without it I would have no doubt fallen asleep. While the “Union Officer” was a very sweet, knowledgeable man, he was also very boring. He didn’t really start talking about Christmas during the Civil War until almost 45 minutes in. The other adults in the room seemed mesmerized and hung on his every word. It must be a generational thing. I doodled in my notebook for what seemed like forever, sketching a detailed drawing of the Civil War soldier before me. After an hour we were dismissed for a short break, after which we would resume for another hour. Unfortunately I couldn’t take it anymore and dismissed myself from the building.

While I miss the hustle and bustle of the college campus, I do not miss the boring lectures. At least I didn’t have to take a test on it afterwards.

With everyone getting ready for Christmas already, I feel like poor Thanksgiving gets ignored. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for several reasons.

Of course one reason is the food. Years ago my family would go down to Newport, AR to have Thanksgiving at my mother’s Uncle “Hobo’s” house (I forget why he was called “Hobo.” His real name was Bill). Uncle Hobo had an entire building behind his house just for food gatherings. There was always more than enough food, and more than enough people I may or may not know. When the meal was finished and everyone grabbed their plates, Uncle Hobo would sit off to the side and watch everyone. After preparing such a feast all he wanted to do was rest. I remember the organized chaos of that day; with everyone running around and talking over each other. These days Thanksgiving is a little less theatrical. My mother prepares Thanksgiving food now and more often than not, it’s just my parents, brother, and Jason and I.

For me, Thanksgiving is like the calm before the storm. It’s the last day before the holiday season officially kicks off. It’s the last day you can get away with not having any Christmas gifts bought yet. After Thanksgiving is over, you’re expected to have started your Christmas shopping or even be close to being finished. This is another reason I like Thanksgiving; a last good meal before you run yourself ragged getting ready for Christmas.

I don’t think we should wait until Thanksgiving to think about what we’re thankful for. Over the past couple of years, I’ve found myself having pity parties almost daily. I had to stop and realize all that I really did have to be thankful for. I try to remember everyday how blessed I truly am. Thankfulness is another reason I love Thanksgiving.

Every year, before I get the Christmas decorations out, I try to devote at least a couple of weeks to Thanksgiving by putting my Thanksgiving decorations out. There aren’t a lot of them and they usually don’t stay long, but I want them to at least see the light of day. This will probably be their last week on display.

I don’t remember the first time I ever saw The Wizard of Oz. It must have been when I was very young because for as long as I can remember, I thought I was Dorothy.


I remember my mother making me a “Dorothy dress” when I was little. I wore the blue and white gingham dress everywhere. And I do mean every where. I wore the dress to the store, to church, to play in, everywhere. When I outgrew that dress, my mother made me another one a size bigger. This dress got as much attention as the first and was eventually accessorized with red shoes and a basket purse with a stuffed dog inside. I was never Dorothy for Halloween because I was Dorothy all year round.

To make things even better, my grandmother’s name was Dorothy. So when she bought a Yorkie puppy one summer and offered to let me name it, she should have known what was going to happen next. Yes my grandmother, Dorothy, had a dog for seventeen years named Toto.

I watched The Wizard of Oz so much that I completely wore out several VHS tapes. I could watch it over and over. I would sing along with the songs and dance with the music. The Emerald City was the most beautiful place I had ever seen.  The Emerald City make-over scene was one of my favorite parts. Dorothy’s house landing in Munchkin Land was too exciting to comprehend. This is also probably where my fascination with tornadoes came from. And I am still to this day, a big Judy Garland fan (although her best work will always be playing Dorothy).

I wanted to follow the yellow brick road and hang out with the Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion.  I wanted to be somewhere over the rainbow.  But as I grew up, I realized that I was not Dorothy, that I would never visit Oz, and that the characters from my favorite movie were just that; characters.

It was around this time that my Wizard of Oz collection took flight. Through the years, I’ve acquired many, many items. Because I live in a small apartment, most of them are crammed into a tiny cabinet with glass doors. This at least keeps them dust free. I hope to eventually have a better place to display these items.

I still watch it when it comes on TV. I even own a collectors edition DVD. Even though I know I’m not Dorothy, I still like to pretend sometimes......

On Halloween, I celebrated my 27th birthday (hence the Good Charlotte reference in the title). Because my birthday fell on a weekend I decided to go home to Kennett and spend it with my parents. My mother hasn’t had a chance to go all out for my birthday in many years so this year she really did it up big. I had a Wizard of Oz (my favorite movie) cake, cupcakes, plates, napkins, and center piece on the table for my grand Wizard of Oz birthday party. Most of the items from the party can now be added to my ever growing Wizard of Oz collection.


With Halloween now over, I’ll take a quick glance in my holiday closet to find my Thanksgiving decorations. These few items will grace my living room with their presence until Jason decides he can’t wait any longer for the Christmas tree to go up.

With Halloween a mere week away, I spent the weekend getting ready. In addition to carving my two pumpkins I got at Pumpkin Hollow last week, I also made some pumpkin spice cookies, and a spooky cookie haunted house (without a roof). The roof on the house refused to stay put so there isn’t one, but the pumpkin spice cookies were delicious. I can’t take credit for them though because I used a mix, but I did top them with cream cheese frosting and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.


Last weekend I met some friends I hadn’t seen in a while at Pumpkin Hollow in Piggott, Arkansas. We all used to work for Pumpkin Hollow in college and met up to meet the newest member of the PH team, Mabry. After some daytime fun in the pumpkin patch, we headed to Holcomb, Missouri for some Strawberry’s BBQ, then back to PH for Horror in the Hollow. After dark, Pumpkin Hollow becomes a haunted wonderland including three haunted attractions: “Forrest of Fright,” “Bubba’s Butcher Barn,” and “Mad Skull Mine.” After taking pictures with some “spooks,” we made our way through the ghastly locations, but not without our annual “RIP treatment” including line cuts and a ride in a hearse. No month of October is complete without a trip down south to Pumpkin Hollow. I am now officially ready for Halloween!

Pumpkin Hollow Reunion 2010 (Me, Julie, Emily, Mabry, and Brooke) Horror in the Hollow (Me, Julie, and Emily) Bubba's Butcher Barn  Pumpkin Spice Cookies Slightly altered haunted house made from chocolate graham cookies. Carved pumpkin.

This past weekend, I once again accompanied my mother to another storytelling festival. This one was labeled a ghost storytelling event so I willingly went. Because this event was in Cape Girardeau, home to my favorite antique store (more on Annie Laurie's here), we had to stop by there first.


I was able to introduce my mother to Annie Laurie’s for the first time and we ended up spending an hour and a half in the store. She bought jewelry to complete her Halloween costume and I bought another clutch/change purse and a fall scarf to accent my True Religion snake skin purse.




Inside Annie Laurie's Antiques

 With our lawn chairs in tow, we then headed down by the Mississippi River to hear ghost stories. They were serving hot apple cider and kettle corn so I thought this was exciting. It was the perfect October night.

Cape Girardeau

I had forgotten how theatrical storytellers could be (my previous storytelling adventure here) and how the stories wouldn’t seem true at all. The first storyteller was a guy who told a long drawn out story about a witch on a mountain. This story actually kept my interest for most of the time he told it. He played the guitar and sang a couple little numbers and then he was done. The next storyteller was a woman who entered the stage playing bagpipes. That was my first clue that she was going to annoy me. She proceeded to tell several short stories that almost sounded familiar. By the third story I leaned over to my mother and said “these are songs that she’s turned into stories.” One story was about a fiddle player who sold his soul to the devil (“Devil Went Down To Georgia”). Another story was about a dead husband who tapped his dead foot when he heard music and his foot turned to dust (“Dem Bones”...a song my mother was familiar with). At intermission, we were told that the second half of the “show” would be really scary stories. I anxiously waited for the next part to start, but was horribly disappointed when the second half was just as weird as the first.




The old man came back out and sang/told a story about what I can only guess was a vampire slayer. A majority of the beginning of this story was about how old the storyteller felt so he went on a hitchhiking trip. My disappointment continued when the lady came back and sang a song about a “scary” mother-in-law and a wax baby with glass eyes or something like that. I was so confused by the end of this story that my mother had to explain what had just happened.

Because it was late and cold, we left shortly after that story. This storytelling event was better than the last, although I would’ve liked to hear stories that were actually interesting.

I’ve said before that I love fall. My mood always lightens in the fall. There are so many things about fall that I love. I decided to list them to remind myself how much I love this time of year.




*Pumpkins

*Halloween

*Thanksgiving (or should I just say Thanksgiving FOOD)

*The leaves change colors

*St. Louis Bread Company’s Pink Ribbon Bagel

*Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks

*TV shows premiere their new seasons

*Going to Pumpkin Hollow

*Homecoming season

*Going to Haunted Houses

*The weather gets cooler (normally…not this year apparently)

*My birthday (I still love my birthday)

*Going home in early fall and seeing the cotton in the fields

*Making popcorn balls and pumpkin bread

*Football (yeah I know…weird right?)

*Baseball playoffs

*I see my family more

I love October.  It's my favorite month of the year.  The air turns chilly, the leaves start to fall, and Halloween comes around (and my birthday).  I've always loved Halloween because it's also my birthday.  My mother was always great at making a national holiday my day too.  When I was younger my birthday party and cake always matched my costume.  When the trick-or-treaters rang the doorbell, I assumed they were there to see me on my birthday.   

I liked to help my mom get out all of our Halloween decorations and help her place them throughout the house and yard.  Our yard was a spooky wonderland that was featured in the newspaper several years in a row.  Everything from a fake coffin to a witch riding a flying bicycle could be found in our front yard. 

One year when vandals tried to ruin our decorations, my dad dressed up like a pumpkin headed dummy and sat in the front yard among the other decorations.  When the assailants returned to finish the job, my dad jumped up to grab them.  Needless to say, they never returned. 

These days, I do my own decorating.  I have almost has many Halloween items as I do Christmas.  Some things I've had for years.  My collection grows a little every year.  One of my favorite places to get Halloween stuff is Dollar Tree.  Last weekend I transformed a normal apartment into a smaller scale of what my mother used to accomplish. 

Halloween village.

Halloween village.  This haunted house music box is from the old James Cohn Department Store in Kennett, MO.  I've had it for years!

The spooky fireplace.

 

Bowl of tiny skulls from Dollar Tree.

Mantel over fireplace.



Glitter skull, black bird, and black roses from Dollar Tree. I got this Halloween tree for my birthday from Mr. and Mrs. "Neighbor" Barnett when I was 10.

I put spider webs on just about everything.



I did a little more bargain shopping this past weekend with my mom.  We went to a couple of flea markets and although it wasn’t one of my most successful bargain hunting outings, I still found a couple of unique items.  I found a rotary dial address book (which I never knew existed) and a jukebox salt and pepper shaker.  I love flea markets!





Do you know what this is? Its an address book! Jukebox salt and pepper shakers.




    

As I may have previously stated, I love a good bargain. On my days off from work, you can probably find me Goodwill hopping or visiting many of my favorite resale shops. I love the thrill of the hunt for the right thing at the right price.

Among my favorite resale shops in St. Louis are Dos, Clique, The Scholarshop, Women’s Closet Exchange, and Next. In these shops, you can find high end designer items for less than half of its original price.

I recently stopped by my local Goodwill store where I found this awesomely intriguing bottle. Because I love art and collages, this was the perfect piece to display in my office.

This collage soda bottle was $1.00 at Goodwill.

 

This dress was a great find at Back On The Rack.



Queen Bee Necklace.








A perfect fit.



Clutch by J.Faith





I love these earrings! I am also a huge fan of Etsy.  On this site, you can find handmade and vintage items.  I absolutely love this site and have several favorite sellers.  I got this chic bee necklace from My Lavaliere.  I wear this necklace with almost everything because I love it so much.  Visit her shop here.