Are you guys enjoying your Christmas break? It’s been a long and lazy last few days around here and I don’t know how many more cookies and cake and goodies I can eat! I’ve been indulging in everything, but I feel like I need to go on a veggie cleanse soon! I kid! I know it’s all part of the holidays and soon enough it will be back to the grind. But for now, we’re definitely partaking in all the goodies!
I’m one of those people that wholeheartedly enjoys every season and holiday, but there’s that extra special meaning about Christmas that makes it so beloved.
Hello friends! It’s the weekend before Christmas and I hope you are winding down and getting ready for the Christmas cozy. I think I will be right there with you AFTER today. There’s still some things to do before I feel like I can really relax and slow down. Do you feel like that too?
Thank you to Kohl’s and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post.
Okay friends, just one week to Christmas, is anyone else out there freaking out just a little bit?! The kids and I are under the weather right now and I always take that as a sign we need to just slow it down. But it’s especially hard to do that this time of year! It feels like there’s so much do to and not enough time! Please tell me I’m not alone.
I’m thisclose to getting all of my shopping done though!
Thank you to REI Co-op and ShopStyle for sponsoring this post!
How’s your week going friends? I hopped on the struggle bus yesterday with a sudden eye infection #really?! #now?! and then Jordan was running a fever. Those always make me worry because I know they can turn bad quickly. We’re watching her closely and she’s still in feisty spirits, so I think we’re good for now.
We’re making progress on the gift front and even started wrapping yesterday! I gave Jordan some wrapping paper and strips of washi tape so she could “help”
Last week, Ali-Shaun and I hosted our 3rd Annual Favorite Things party and I swear, they just keep getting better and better! We have the planning down and it’s an easy party to put together because it’s pot luck, so the heavy lifting doesn’t fall on any one person. I’m so thankful for these women in my life and have the best time with them. If you’ve been thinking of hosting your own Favorite Things Party, I encourage you to do it. I bet it will be one of the highlights of your holiday season.
Thank you to Macy’s and ShopStyle for sponsoring today’s post!
I think most of us love the holidays, but the season doesn’t come without it’s share of stresses and trigger points. This time of year is festive, joyful and fun at best, but at worst, it can be lonely, stressful or downright depressing. I’m not immune from experiencing every one of those feelings at some point. I credit my faith, family, and keeping a positive attitude for not letting the ‘down’ moments ruin the holiday season.
If you need a bottle of wine, few tips to get you through the holidays without losing your mind,
Good morning friends! Can you believe we’re already into December?! Only 2o days ’til Christmas!! We got a late start on our Christmas decor this year (by blogger standards;), but that’s okay because I went with a much simpler approach this year. Before putting out our decor, I went through all the bins and donated several things and kept the stair garland in the bin for another year.
For the last few years, I’ve enjoyed putting our tree up before Thanksgiving, but this year, when we went to put up the tree, there was no tree there! We forgot that we donated last year’s tree that had bit the dust,
Are you already in Thanksgiving vacation mode? We are! It’s only two days away! I’m looking forward to an agenda full of nothing but being with family, eating, relaxing and eating some more!
HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
This time of year, I’m especially mindful of the important things in life and as I get older, the holidays are more and more about simplifying and doing less with more meaning.
It used to be more about all the fun activities I’d want us to do, but we could never seem to fit them all in! Then, I’d feel slightly disappointed that we didn’t get to go/see/do everything I had planned.
Tomorrow at noon officially starts our Thanksgiving break and we’ll be so excited to have James home with us all week! He and Jordan are the lights of my life and I’m so honored to be their mom! Raising little kids (and big ones) is a responsibility I don’t take lightly and I always hope I’m doing the best I can with them. It’s been so interesting to see how similar and yet so very different they are and to try to parent to each of their specific needs.
Good morning friends! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kind condolences about my dear Grandma Nola. It’s a tough loss and we miss her terribly, but I’m comforted knowing she lived a long, wonderful life. She had friends all over the world, many of which she’s being reunited with in heaven. I can only imagine what that must be like. I also feel her presence with me and she will always be a part of me, no matter where she is.
We actually took some mommy/daughter Christmas photos recently, and I know she’s gonna LOVE how they came out!
From our family to yours, we’re wishing you the merriest Christmas and sending you loads of love! I can’t even begin to explain what your friendship and support over the years has meant to me. I appreciate you so much and think the world of you! May your Christmas be the brightest and merriest ever!
Hello, friends! I’m excited to welcome you into our holiday home again! Last week, you saw the first floor of our 2-story home all decked out for Christmas, and today I’m bringing you upstairs! This tour is especially close to my heart because I’m joining my old school friends for this one! These are the women I first admired and met when I began my own blog almost 8 years ago! Since then, so many things have changed about blogging and as is often the case with changes, some things are good, and some make me long for those old days!
Last week we hosted our second annual Favorite Things party! If you follow along on Instagram or Instastories, you got some behind-the-scenes action of setting up and preparing for the party as well as some live-shots during the exchange! We had a great time, it’s a fun girls night (#noboysallowed #untilweneededagrouppic) and a great opportunity to get to know your friends a little better by learning what their favorite things are!
If you’ve never heard of it, a Favorite Things party is SIMILAR to a White Elephant gift exchange –
Hello friends! How was your weekend? We had a special one with Jordan’s first visit with Santa! I can’t believe I didn’t take her to see Santa last year, but for whatever reason, we never got around to it. So, this year, when our friends invited us to a brunch with Santa, I was all in! But, as perfectly imperfect as life is, the boys had a hair appointment scheduled for that morning, thus we were late and missed the brunch part! Ahhh! BUT, we still got to take pics and go on a hayride with Santa, run around the tree farm and play outside in the fresh air.
Are y’all in full swing holiday mode yet? I spent yesterday morning volunteering at the school, helping the kids get their picture taken with Santa and it was the cutest thing! At age 7, the magic of Santa and Buddy the Elf are very much alive and bring so much joy, but James also understands the reason we celebrate and is all about that too. It’s a precious time in a kid’s’ life and I want to soak up ALL of it.
For this month’s December Loves, instead of focusing on the physical items I love, I’m thinking about all the things I cherish about the season and the things I enjoy doing with my family.
Happy Friday friends! Didn’t it feel like this week flew by?! And now it’s officially December! I love this time of year, but I don’t feel ready for it to start and then be ‘over’ in just 25 days! And the crazy thing this year is that our son’s holiday break doesn’t start until the Friday before Christmas, then goes until January 9! Soooo, I guess we’ll end up being in slow and lazy mode until the beginning of the new year! Is your Christmas break late too?
Did y’all have a good weekend? I mostly fought with our Christmas tree and I’m not sure who won! I guess I did, because I salvaged it from the broken-down-tree-graveyard, but I couldn’t get the burned out lights lit, even with this tool. It showed the lights working, but not when they were on the strand. Soooo frustrating! So, I bought several new strings of lights and got busy restringing! In the end, it looks pretty good- I can’t wait to show you the pics soon, but if you want a sneak peek before then, see Stories this afternoon!
Hi friends! It’s been almost 10 days since I’ve gotten to chat with you and I’ve missed you! How was your Christmas?! We had such a fun time with both Jordan and James this year. A baby’s first Christmas is always a special occasion and our son is at the very tender age of 6 where he understands that we are celebrating Jesus’ birth and also still believes in all the magic that Christmas brings. I had to pause several times over this Christmas break just to take it all in and savor every adorable moment. My heart almost burst out of my chest with love for my family and I’d say it was one of my favorite Christmas’
