WHW: Family Pics

Hey ya'll and happy link-up Wednesday! It's that time of year again.....Christmas card time! My husband dreads the stamp cost between these and our annual Christmas party invites and I just adore designing a new keepsake. I keep each year's card and display them every holiday season. It is so neat to look back and see the changes over the years. This year I had my parents come over and snap some pictures and I had no idea how much of a good idea that was until we were done. My Dad was jumping up and down and being silly behind Mom who was snapping the photos. Andi was laughing so hard and hammed it up for basically every single pic. I can't get enough of the Andi show ya'll and it was definitely the Andi show! I can't wait to see everyone's cards and start receiving them in the mail - tis' the season!

Had to include this one of Emma Jo!!

Grab our button and link up below to join in with Jenn and me for What's Hap-'Pinning' Wednesday 

Weekending

Hey ya'll and happy Monday! I'm getting a late start today but a start nonetheless. Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful and I'm still dreaming about all the good food we had and excellent leftovers as well. I'm bummed I have to start cooking again this week because we've been so spoiled. We've gotten all of our Christmas decor up, including a new little tree for Andi's room and I can't wait to share pics of everything later this week!

So I'm thinking her visit with Santa may be an absolute disaster this year. For small business Saturday, we took her to see the Grinch (she loved him last year) ..... this year ya'll was meltdown central. It was funny, of course, but also awful because I have NEVER seen her freak out like that. whew! Anyway, after black Friday shopping, small business Saturday, and a birthday party for my brother-in-law, we went to church and then relaxed all Sunday at my parent's house and helped them deck the halls. Overall it was a fabulous weekend and I hope ya'll had a great one as well!

Linking up with B & Meghan for Weekending

TGIF

Hey ya'll and happy Friday! There are so many awesome things going on around these parts lately and I can't wait to share them. First of all, last weekend I forgot to share my best friend from high school and I took a road tripd down to SC for another one of our best friend's wedding! Harry was my best guy friend and did everything with us. I'm talking, he was even one of the guys on our senior beach week trip that rode down with all of us girls! Harry has been one of my favorites since basically the 8th grade and seeing him get married was awesome! (especially because his new wife is super fabulous and I adore her! And did I mention, Harry's wedding gift to me and my husband was setting off a fireworks show at our own wedding? Love!) The road trip was so much fun but can I just tell ya'll how old I felt the morning after? I'm talking hungover with a capital H - ugh! I guess in the grand scheme of things it was totally worth it!

Look at that handsome groom!!!

Tuesday, I decided to start making the up and down trek from the 3rd floor attic and bring all of the Christmas decor down. I have two of our three trees up, mantle down and staircase and I am over the moon. I know, I know its before Thanksgiving...but hey, three trees takes a toll on you! Turning the lights on makes me so happy - there's really nothing like the feeling of Christmas ya'll. I'll share some pictures once I finish!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! See ya'll back here on Monday for a recap and some big news!

WHW: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays—it’s a time where my family and friends gather around the kitchen table to eat delicious food, share what we’re thankful for and make new memories. We get to have Thanksgiving twice in one day which is a little much at times but I wouldn't trade it for anything! My family does more of a Thanksgiving lunch around noon and then we head to my in-laws for a traditional dinner. I'm talking leftovers for days! I brainstorm a new dish to bring to each gathering and that's where Pinterest comes in. We're so thankful that both of our families are local and that we get to spend time with both! 

Since food is the centerpiece of Thanksgiving, it’s fun to create a personalized and welcoming tablescape to present all of your tasty fare to your guests if you happen to be the one hosting.

I recently came across an interactive Thanksgiving decor tool by Tiny Prints, which allows you to sort through 100 photos with filters such as modern, rustic and traditional to find inspiration for your celebration this year—Below are some of my favorites! Check them out and see if you get inspired! 

What plans do ya'll have and what are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? I hope ya'll have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a great rest of the week!

Link up with us below for What's Hap-'Pinning' Wednesday

WHW: Entertaining

 Hey ya'll and welcome to another What's Hap-'pinning' Wednesday where you can link up with Jenn and myself to let us know anything that's currently going on in your life. Just grab our button below and join in!

 The holidays are just around the corner (you know, next week to be exact!) and it’s time to start planning this year’s festivities! If you’re hosting a holiday party this year, you’re going to need plenty of time to plan ahead. From preparing a guest list to floral decor, there are lots of things that you’ll need to put on your to-do list. This year we'll be hosting our 3rd annual Christmas party for all of our family and friends and I absolutely love it! 

How cute are these invites I got this year from Vista Print? I put
our information in red to add a pop of color and they turned
out so cute!

To help you plan the most memorable party of the year, FTD compiled the top 11 holiday entertaining tips from pro party planners including celebrities, chefs, and designers like Gwyneth Paltrow, Nate Berkus, and Ina Garten. (I love a cooking channel binge!) The tips are organized into a helpful timeline so that you know what items can be prepared ahead of time and when to do it. Follow these stress-free holiday entertaining tips and get inspired to start planning your own holiday party! We mainly do finger foods and heavy hors d'oeuvres and some of my family brings larger dishes as well. We do a full bar usually and this year we want to add a signature drink so give me your favorites and any suggestions ya'll might have! 

Click here to see more tips from your fav celebs and more!

Weekending

Hey ya'll and happy Monday! (if there's such a thing as happy Monday) Today is pretty happy because it's Hubby's birthday today! He's the big 31 but don't tell him I told you. He'll be working this evening but we'll be celebrating all week with family dinners, presents and cupcakes of course! (Ya'll I really like exclamation points and I apologize) Happy Birthday Babe!

This weekend was fabulous despite the fact that I had to go to driving school on Saturday. I went to bed early Friday night after binging some Walking Dead in anticipation of the long day of drivers ed. I stopped by Starbucks of course and fueled up and the guy gave me my caramel macchiato for free! He said he felt bad that my Saturday would be spent in an all day class so he said it was on the house. I love good people! It gets better - I get to class and the instructor tells us she's so sorry but we have to cram everything and if we're ok with skipping lunch, we can leave at 1:00pm (it was already 9am) Heck yes lady! She unfortunately had some family issues to deal with but lucky for us our Saturday wasn't shot. Now that the class it completed, that pesky little speeding ticket will be off my record for good. Done and done. 

Sunday we went to church and that is an entire blog post in itself. We've been searching for a church family for over a year and just haven't felt deeply connected to one. We decided to try the church I grew up in where I am still a member two weeks ago and I completely fell in love just like I had always been before. I hadn't seen some of those folks since high school and I cried with overwhelming joy three times during the service. I knew! I know we had found it and it is so silly because the church was always just right there. I just wan't sure if hubby wanted to go that way, etc. etc. I count down the days until Sunday and I can't wait to raise Andi in the same church that did so much to shape me as a pre-teen, teen and young adult. I mean the people are so friendly, find you on facebook immediately, invite you to everything, make you feel at home and welcome and this is what I was looking for. Man the holy spirit in ya feels good! 

Linking up today with Biana & Meghan for Weekending

WHW: Lately

Hey ya'll and happy mid-week link up day with Jenn and me! Also, happy election day! Can ya'll honestly believe that today is the day we, as a nation, decide the next candidate of the USA? I'm floored that this is real life and even at the polls this morning, I was so uneasy. I'm very happy I got out early and after much reflection, I'm happy with my vote. Despite your feelings about either candidate, go out and be heard!

We've had a lot going on around here lately and I apologize for being MIA. Last weekend we headed down to the bay for the annual oyster festival and as usual, it was super fun and the weather was just right! We ate so much seafood and Miss A loved the parade and vendors! Afterwards, I headed to Norfolk for baby Olivia's baptism. Her Mama, my college bestie, asked me to be her Godmother and my heart was so full! It was a beautiful service and her Mom through one heck of a luncheon afterwards. It was good seeing everyone and catching up but after all that driving in one weekend I was definitely ready to get home and relax. Cheers to a good rest of the week and God bless America tonight - I have a feeling its going to be a long night! Snap or text me to keep me entertained ya'll!