Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope your Christmas was spent with loved ones celebrating the birth of our dear Savior.  Through all the gift giving, getting caught up in traditions, and all the excitement the season of Christmas brings, it's hard for me to remember sometimes the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  One day before Christmas break I listened to a sermon by JR Rushik of Storehouse Church (check them out-good stuff) titled "Getting this Christmas Right: The Why's of Christmas."  He gave very practical ways we can be reminded throughout the Christmas season of why we are celebrating. Here are a few:

• every time you use a credit card to buy something remember the moral debt that I owed that He took away and paid.
• when you drive by nativity scenes remember that that really happened- Jesus was really born in a manger with livestock around and 3 kings really came and brought him gifts. It's a real story.
• read the story of the birth of Jesus everyday or couple of days each week so the message of Jesus' birth is washed over you
• every time you receive a Christmas card remember that God chose to have you on His friendship list and rejoice in that.
• every time you receive a gift remember that Jesus Christ is our Christmas gift with my name written on it.
• when you hear Christmas music, remember the song the angel's sang (Luke 2:14) 

Really thinking about these things was a sweet reminder to me during this season and hopefully will be all throughout the year too.  

Our Christmas was busy as usual.  I told someone yesterday I could write out a minute-by-minute script of Dec. 24-Dec.27 and it would be right on from year to year with maybe a few changes.  But I love it like that.  Tradition is my thing.  We went to Clover where my great aunt, CC, lives for Christmas Eve and Christmas day with my mom's side of the family and the day after Christmas we went to Winchester to celebrate my grandma's 75th birthday and did Christmas there with my dad's side of the family.  We had a blast and I was given way more than I deserved.  Here's a little video recap of our Christmas: 

Happy New Year's Eve!!  

xoxo,

erin with a p and a double r

Before and After: My Room

Ok, so I have been dying to show this for months now.  I haven't been able to because I had to finish a couple of things I started this summer before I could show the finished product.  Now don't get too excited.  All I did was clean up a few things, rearranged some furniture, painted the walls and trim, and added a few things like new blinds and carpet.  But just by doing these things I feel like it made the world of a difference.  I love my room now.  It just feels so me.  Pink and green with white furniture and little things that mean a lot to me.  Ok enough explaining for now.  Here are some before and after pics... 

It's hard to tell in the after pictures, but the room was actually painted a lot lighter green than it was original.  It's still a bit limier than I wanted it, but I

One of my best friends while doing this.

Doesn't this look awful?!

Nothing some hardware from Home Depot can't fix!

My closet had no doors for a while.

My bed for a few nights.

 Here are a few more pictures of what it looks like now:

This is one of the only original invitations left to Roy Perrin and Mamie's (the people I talked about in the post before) wedding.  They were hand painted invites and this was found when cleaning out Jeanie's house.  The nightstand and lamp were also from Jean's house.  

Distressing became my new obsession. These letters, found at Michaels, were repainted and distressed as well as all the frames above my desk.   

New knobs were put on the nightstand and on my closet doors.  They were bought at Anthrolpologie, the best place to find fun, unique knobs.  

My new reading nook!

I had these closet doors for at least 5 years and they were never painted. They were only primed in this ugly gray color that was horrible, so I finally gave them the paint job they deserved.

That's all!  Redoing my room was so fun for me and I learned so much from doing it.  Hope you enjoyed!

xoxo,

erin with a p and double r

p.s. only 4 more days until Christmas!!!!  

Duvall family dinners

Saturday was our annual Duvall family dinner.  About 75 of us took over the Winchester Country Club and enjoyed a delicious lunch.  These dinners are so special to me.  When your granddad is the youngest of 16 and your dad has 23 first cousins and 36 second cousins, it's hard to keep up with everyone and know who everyone is.  This annual gathering was started by my great aunt, Jean who passed away about 2 years ago.  She was almost like the matriarch of our family. She had first started having these gatherings in her basement over 50 years ago and when the basement became too small for everyone we had to find other places.  When she passed away, she left a trust for these dinners in hopes that they would carry on through many generations.  


This year was very special in that we honored each of the 16 children belonging to Roy Perrin (my namesake) and Mamie Duvall in a candlelight ceremony.  I had the privilege of lighting Jean's.  There are only 2 left now, my granddad, John Wesley, being one of them.  Him and his sister, Betty, were able to visit their childhood home, Silent Mills Farm, over Thanksgiving and the owners let them tour it and have an interview in the house.  They recorded all of this and played a video of it at our dinner.  It was so interesting.  The stories they shared were fascinating.  I cherish my family and respect them so much.  When my granddad was asked in his interview, "What word would you use to describe your family?" he said, "Love. The love we have for our family is unique and incredible.  It isn't shown by words of endearment or affection, but one of us would take our own life for another in a heartbeat."  I agree with him.  I'm so proud to be a Duvall.

I have some good lookin' parents.  Dad was going for the Pee Wee Herman look.

My handsome granddad's war picture.

Roy Perrin and Mamie 

Jeanie- The one who started it all

This was a black and white photo that was tinted by hand.  My granddad and his brother were in the war at the time, so a picture is taking their place.

Uncle Mark and my dad

3 lovely ladies...including my new future Aunt!!! So excited to have you in the family Liz!

My granddad tripped and fell last week.  Not once, but a couple days later he fell again.   It's getting a little better each day.  We were pretending that he got in a fight with my grandma and that she caused the damage on his face.

Granddad and Betty lighting Roy and Mamie's candles.  

Braxton was able to light his namesake's candle.  

This one, Bobby's, and another, Dougie's, were tougher to get through because they both passed away within the year.  

Dad lighting it in HONOR OF Granddad!

I'm home now and it is SO great! Looking forward to finishing some projects I never finished this summer today and finishing some Christmas shopping!  Hope you're enjoying this wonderful season!
xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r