Camp Lejeune Tour of Home 2013

Hey Everyone!  Sorry I went a little MIA on you last week. I had every intention of keeping up with my regular posting schedule, but there are only so many hours in a day…and preparing our home for our local Holiday Home Tour took every last minute and every bit of energy I had. I know I owe you all tons of holiday home photos now that the house is done (as I’ve been promising for a while now), but while I sift through all the many photos of our Christmas-i-fied house (and catch up on some much needed sleep!), I wanted to write a quick little post about the Home Tour itself…specifically, a little message to all my readers out there, new and old, who came through our house last Friday night.

We were on the Holiday Home Tour last year; it was such a blast that I eagerly signed up to be part of the event again this year. For a gal who loves to decorate and takes immense pride in her home, this event is made for me! Even so, both last year and this year, I was filled with nerves and jitters as I opened our doors to well over one hundred people to walk through our home. As the night went on, I found my groove as I explained my holiday decor and showed off our home. (Ha – I guess these photos show how much I talk with my hands!!)

But as much as I love to chat decor and craft projects (and could do so all night!), it was the lovely ladies (and few gentlemen!) who came through our home that made the night so special for me. To all of my guests, your incredibly kind words and compliments simply overwhelmed me. As a stay-at-home mom of a toddler, I sit and stare at the walls of my home and critique and analyze every nook and cranny more often than I should! With all the amazing bloggers and decorators out there (and that darn Pinterest full of flawless photos!), I am guilty of not truly seeing and appreciating the hard work and accomplishments that sit right in front of me. But by the end of Friday evening, I was left with not only a huge sense of pride in my home, but also immense gratitude for the kind-heartedness of (mostly) strangers. I heard and will forever cherish every single compliment you all showered upon me. All I can really say is thank you for making me feel so gosh darn good!

For all my readers, especially those of you who couldn’t come through the house on Friday night, I know you’re antsy to see what all I’ve been working on the past few weeks. So while I pull all of my holiday posts together, here’s a peak at our 2013 Holiday Home.

One of the absolute biggest thrills of the night on Friday night was how many people came through the door and said “I read your blog!” Although I know I have great readers out there, it was so neat to see actual faces of people who read my words and look at my pictures each week. To all my readers, both near and far, I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you for reading. I do take a lot of pride in my home and my projects and I LOVE sharing them with you. Thank you for taking the time to visit me each week, it really does mean a lot!

I hope you are all having fun getting ready for the holidays. I PROMISE, I’ll be back later this week with a the first stop on our Virtual Holiday Home Tour!