Two for one post and some exciting news...

I haven not blogged in so long. I mean really so long!

Since I started working back in October.

Life can get so crazy sometimes.

Everything speeds up and happens really fast.

Instead of panicking I decided to slow down as much as I could and just....

breath.

Find balance.

Focus on what matters most.

I found out I was pregnant in September.

Such wonderful and exciting and beautiful news!

But our lives are about to change forever.

I wanted, no I needed to find balance.

Balance of all the important things.

After all life is a balancing act...

So I started simplifying.

I stopped cooking as much

I use cake mix from a box now

I don't mop or even sweep my floors as often as I should

I started sending more emails instead of handmade cards.

And you know what?

Balance and simplifying feels good.

It feels really good.

Dreamy Whites

Better Homes and Gardens

These are two places I would love to spend some time on a gorgeous spring day.

So I just thought I'd share the beauty with you.

Spring is so close, it's in the air.

Tell me you can feel it too?!

I love spring!

This year we are in a new state so I am excited for a "new" kind of spring.

What do you love about spring where you live?

I am so flattered....

The so sweet Allison over at

Gave ME an award! I am seriously shocked! I think I have the lamest blog ever!

But being so sweet she saw past all of my lameness to give me...

I am completely flattered and honored!

So the rules...

1. Thank and link back to the person that gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to at least 4 fellow bloggers who inspire you.
4. Let them know you gave them an award.

So 7 things about myself...

1. My husband means everything to me, he is my world!

2. I love Christmas, I mean adore out of control love Christmas!

3. All I ever wanted for my life was to get married, have a beautiful family, and stay at home and be an awesome mom.

4. I love sleeping in, and I do almost ever day :) I know you're all jealous ;)

5. There are 8 kids in my family

6. My grandmother taught me how to sew and quilt, some of my most loved items are quilts she helped me make or gave to me at important times in my life (one when I turned 12, one we made together, one when I graduated high school and one when I got married.)

7. When I was little (alright like 13) I used to pretend to be Marianne and Eleanor from Sense and Sensibility and take walks with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders like a shawl. I was one silly girl!

Alright! Now I would like to pass this award onto...

Miss Sew & So

Beauty in the Attempt

A Place for Tea

The Inside Story

Veranda Interiors

I adore the above blogs, I mean they are just gorgeous, so inspiring and the women who write them are equally wonderful!

Enjoy!

xo Annastacia

P.S. I would like my house to look this fantastic when it's messy, I mean seriously com'on!

I won!

I won a giveaway!

I seriously am and was giddy! Like called my husband at school just to tell someone!

I never win anything, and I seriously mean ANYTHING!

I won the darling sign below.... I know so cute!

Glitter and Bliss

I can't tell you quite yet why it's so perfect, but trust me, it is!

And I will show you when I have it in it new perfect sweet little place :)

So thank you Wendy at the Shabbynest for hosting such a fabulous giveaway and letting me win!

(Not only are her giveaways fabulous, but so is she and her blog so go on over and take a look!)

Have a great day friends!

xo Annastacia

Be Still My Heart

Oh this week, or I guess the last few weeks!

Have just been so busy and crazy and overwhelming and emotional!

Not even all in a necessarily bad way, just a lot....

but also a lot of good.

My heart is so happy right now, but also so very overwhelmed.

Image: Pretty and Posies to read her post about this new room and her mother go here, it is truly inspiring.

I haven't had very much time to truly breathe or connect with my husband lately,

and I am really in need of both those things right now.

I woke up a few days ago wanting Christmas music.

I'm also anxious to start putting Christmas gifts together for our family and to make some stockings.

I may just have to skip the fall decor and go straight to Christmas.

My birthday is the end of October and we may just put the tree up then! I know, it's crazy and totally unacceptable but the idea is really speaking to me so who knows...

Hope you all are doing wonderful and having time to breathe as needed :)

xo Annastacia

Tasty Tuesday at A Beautiful Mess

Alright, today I am linking up to Tasty Tuesdays over at A Beautiful Mess

Now I love to cook and bake. I think I would consider it a passion of mine.

But I'm not claiming I'm good at it. I very rarely share any of my recipes or how I cook because, well I just don't.

But I got this recipe from my sister who got it from a friend who got it from who knows who. But it is so good I just had to share! I mean so good I forgot to take pictures which is why you only get one lousy picture of my half eaten lunch :)

I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Croissant Sandwhich

Ingredients:

1 package cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 10 oz can of canned chicken

1-3 rolls of pre-made croissants (It makes enough for 3 to 4 but I make mine one roll at time and the mixture saves well and even freezes)

Mix the cream cheese, the cream of chicken and the chicken well in a bowl. Lay the croissants out flat. Spoon chicken mixture onto end of dough and wrap. (This is a loose concept so just do whatever works). Place wrapped croissants onto ungreased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

If you try this please come back and tell me what you think. I know I'm practically obsessed so I hope you all like it too!

xo Annastacia

Our Front Door

Hello!

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

I sure did! It was our anniversary, more to come on this weekend later :)

Today I wanted to do a post about our front door. It sounds a little silly I know, but Kristin over at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia is hosting a front door link party.

She showed what a little paint can do for a front door, her's looks amazing!

I'd love a black door, but we live in a rental so ours is a faded looking blueish gray. Not my first pick, but it works.

Enjoy!

Our front door!

I may not love the color but I love our jute rug, the WELCOME sign, and the little topiary.

The "view" looking out our front door.

Our little topiary. We have a small space so this is about all that fits out there. As you walk up to the front door you can also see the patio, (don't you just love apartment building :) We do have some pretty cute lanterns and lights out there and some "new" patio furniture. Maybe I'll post about that later.

Hope you enjoyed!

xo Annastacia

Fall Decorating I'm dying to try

There is gorgeous stuff all over blogland right now of amazing fall decor!

I mean gorgeous!

But a girl has to be realistic and can't decorate with it all....

(due to the unseemly lack of room and funds :)

But here are a few things I am dying to try this year....

French Larkspur

I love this cork idea! Corks just seem so fally (Ha ha not a word but you know what I mean :) to me!

I don't drink alcohol but I just put a wanted ad up on craigslist for wine bottles and corks and got plenty for free, good ole' craigslist.

Also loving the twine bottles. I will definitely be trying this one.

Centsational Girl

This is so pretty! I love how she just got leaves and branches from her yard.

I'm adoring white pumpkins this year! Aw, and that stenciling is gorgeous and brilliant.

Better Homes and Gardens

I've posted this image before but I can not get it out of my mind! The terra cotta is just screaming fall!

Acorns, aw so cute. And so many ways to use them!

Song Bird

Books tied with twine, purely decoration but it seems so worth giving up the precious space!

This little collage was found over at Beautiful Mess, I am drooling over the stenciled pumpkins, the smore carmel apples and the little pumpkin pops!

This just might be my favorite image.

I'm buying apples this weekend just to do this, it's just so simple, pretty and even flirting with practical (I mean we do actually eat apples at our house) so I think it's perfection.

Hope you enjoyed some of the things I've picked out for the fall

I have a whole other list for Halloween :)

What stuff do you have picked out?

xo Annastacia