happy st. patty's day!

look what my little leprechan left me...

these happy, hoping for spring, green canisters from tar-jay! if the color is called "guacamole", how it could it ever be bad!?

"A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have."

-Author Unknown

"and a happy new year"

...the words I've been clinging to to justify leaving my Christmas cards up for SO long! Yes, Christmas is over, but surely I can continue admiring them because afterall...it is a happy new year, right?

Well, I gave myself a month, and decided it was time to take them all down. I am always so sad to see all of the cards go...

...but not nearly as sad as my naked bulletin board! 

The only thing that made it okay was the "happy" I got this year out of my love for all things Christmas Cards. This year I decided to start a little tradition for us by creating a place for us to keep a copy of each of the Christmas cards we send out. My hope is to add to this book each year, one day filling the book with a growing family, special memories and have a place to look back at all of our cards year after year.

I ordered the book from Jenni Bick Bookbinding and I was thrilled the day it came! Isn't it fun when something you order arrives just as you pictured it?!

This book is called the Classic European Bookcloth Photo Album. It is available in so many fun colors, sizes and personalization options. My wheels are already spinning on other fun ways to used these books! I love them! How much fun to have a book of photographs for each year? OR if we're dreaming a book for each season! Lime for Spring, Yellow for Summer, Orange for Fall, Sky for Winter! And don't forget you can emboss ANYTHING on the front cover. TOO FUN.

My book is beige and was embossed with gold. I bought inexpensive gold picture tabs from Hobby Lobby and put our cards in right away. My only regret is that we do not have a Christmas card from our first married year. Sadly, this would have been the easiest year because we could have used a wedding picture, but for some reason it just didn't happen. I've left a spot for 2005 and will have to use a picture from our first married Christmas in place of an actual Christmas card.

2006

2007

2008

2009

cheers to 2010

I think "low key" was the universal theme for this year's New Year's Eve. This could either mean a) that people just weren't in to 2009, or b) quite possibly be yet another sign that we are growing up. I'm thinking the answer is b). We hang on to phrases like "low key" meaning we could be doing something wild and spectaculor, we just choose to do something a little more "relaxed"...I think I like getting old.

New Year's Eve is a holiday that I always want to want it to be a bigger deal than it is. This has been quite a problem in the past. I have no desire to spend a fortune to stand in the freezing cold with millions of strangers with no restrooms to watch a ball drop in New York, or be oblivous to the rising sun in a dark, smoky bar, but I do love champagne, glitter and sequins. I am thrilled as a late twenty something I have reached a stage of life that I can put on my bling and do nothing....delightful.

This year we rang in the new year with a few of our favorite friends at Chop House. The food was better than excellent and the company was hard to beat. Low key and perfect.

After dinner we counted blessings for 2009, and made predictions for 2010. John scribbled our predictions for ourselves, as well as our predictions for each of the other couples present. The envelopes are sealed, but I am already looking forward to seeing what predictions have become blessings as we say farewell to 2010.

Happy New Year!! Here's to 2010 and all that it has to bring!

merry christmas!

What to do this Christmas

This Christmas, mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty with word and deed. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate others. Be kind; be gentle. Laugh a little.Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Take up arms against malice. Decry complacency. Express your gratitude. Go to church. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love. Speak it again. Christmas is celebration, and there is no celebration that compares with the realization of its true meaning - with the sudden stirring of the heart that has extended itself toward the core of life. Then, only then, is it possible to grasp the significance of that first Christmas - to savor in the inward ear the sweet music of the angel choir; to envision the star-struck sky, and glimpse, behind the eyelids, the ray of light that fell upon a darkened path and changed the world.
- Author Unknown

Friday's Festive Favorites

I hope we all know that Christmas is not about THINGS....

....BUT here are five things that sure do make all things merry and bright!

1. Christmas tree light timer If there is ever a time John and I are at home at the same time and waking up at the same time (hello shift work!) I often (always) ask him if he will turn the Christmas tree on before I get out of bed...brat? yes. wonderful husband? YES! My sweet friend Ashley MADE MY DAY when she brought me this handy gadget! People, you can set this amazing invention for times to turn on and off...AND you can do more than one during a day. BRILLIANT. Thanks to Ashley our tree magically turns on a with my alarm...off when I go to work..on just before I get home from work and off at my bed time...now how's that for festive!?!

2. O'henry's Christmas Blend
OH how I love O'henry's!!!..shameless Homewood plug...and their Christmas blend has to be my favorite! It tastes and smells like Christmas AND home, which to me, is a combination that can't be beat!

3. Peppermint mocha creamer
Pretty pathetic I have already blogged about this creamer multiple times..but in case you missed the memo, I LOVE THIS CREAMER! Spotting it in the stores is a sign Christmas is coming soon!
Peppermint Mocha + Christmas Blend = Perfection

4. Federal platinum Christmas mugs
ALL is right in the world when "PERFECTION" is served in THIS mug! Doesn't it just give you warm fuzzies just thinking about it?! Christmas, China, Coffee...goodness gracious!! Build a fire, look at that tree...and this girl might bust at the seams with happiness!

5. Glade Apple Cinnamon Candle
It's glade'...fan-cy...and don't you forget it! Smells so yummy, but is SO cheap! All you "Candle snobs" turn your nose up to this candle and one whiff will change your mind!

merry christmas darling

One of my very favorite things about Christmas is Christmas Cards.

I can remember being a little girl making the mental note...when I'm a grown-up I am going to send our Christmas Cards!

I love papers, I love pictures, and I LOVE real mail...and I LOVE Christmas what a better combination?!? I love getting them, I love sending them I love everything about them.

I got nostalgic revising my Christmas card list...the list! Oh, I even love the list! As scattered as I typically seem, I do have a very fine appreciation for an organized, color coded, check mark box included list!

It is so amazing to me to see what a difference a year can make. My Christmas card list is another reminder...

I changed addresses of friends who were so excited to move in to a new home this year, I was sad to change some addresses as their exciting new homes meant homes further away. I added new friends many who seem like we have been friends for a lifetime. Hard to believe I didn't even know them to add them to the list previous years. I was sad as I remove loved ones who have past away. Excited changing the last names of friends who got married this year and started their life together as a couple..what a difference a year.

One little difference for me this year was finding "Lettergirl" on Etsy, who also seems to share my love of all things paper. Gina is the owner and she was truly a joy to work with! If any of you share my love be sure to visit Gina's store. I had her make us this stamp


if John were to sit still long enough I would probably stamp him too...I LOVE it! Thank you Lettergirl!(not that she will ever read this!)

I hope all of the "differences" for you this year, both little and big are everything you dreamed they would be.

Here's to all next year will bring.

Savanah & Payton

What a wonderful weekend! Savanah and Payton made the first of hopefully many visits to their Aunt Laura and Uncle John's house! We SO enjoyed spending much needed time with these super fun girls and of course Aly and Pat!

We didn't have a thing planned, so we...

dressed up like fairies

watched out the window and waited for trick or treaters

played in the Halloween candy

took Barley for a "walk" on his leash

looked at the babies in the mirror

played on our bed

...a lot!!

played in the boxes

shared a bottle of water with Uncle John

"loved" on Barley

wore funny "ball hats"

and completely wore ourselves out!

It was by far the best weekend of Barley's life! ...and we had a blast too! We are so thankful they made the trip to see us and hope they all come back again soon!

it's back....

Happy 4th of July!

Good Friday

John and I were so thankful to have Good Friday off from work! My office was closed, and luckily it fell on John's "weekend". Thursday after work we drove to Hartselle to spend time with family. It was an over due visit for sure! We loved getting to spend some "down time" with family, and loved getting to spend time with our perfect nieces. Sadly, we had not seen the girls since Christmas so we were thrilled to give them lots of love!

We took the girls a little Easter "happy" of bathing suits and sunglasses. They will be beach babes in no time for sure! Uncle John did not seem to think babies need sunglasses (what does he know?!)...but lets be honest...every girl needs a new pair of shades with a little bling for the spring!

Savanah liked her new shades a little more than Payton did....but Payton seemed to LOVE all the bright colors and the ruffle on her bathing suit! It is so much fun to see their little personalities coming out...we have two girls as different as night and day! I am so proud to be your Aunt and it is a joy to watch you grow! I am so excited to see who each of you become as you continue to grow in to little girls! If I had to guess based on your reactions to your new "beach gear"... Savanah I am looking forward to RELAXING with you at the beach one day, and Payton we are going to have so much fun being busy at the beach! We love you both and can not wait to see you again soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have never really been the biggest fan of Valentine's day for some reason. I guess my "Valentine" does not need to be prompted by a commercialized holiday to make it a special day, so it all feels kind of forced and cheesy ...but this year we had an excellent Valentine's Day! John and I had the pleasure of sharing the evening with some of our favorite people! Conveniently, The Masker's Ball was Saturday night, so we had the perfect excuse to get dressed up and dance the night away! Here are a few pictures from the night!

(back row) Caroline, Dorothy, Me, Claire, Jessica (front row) Susan and Annie

My Valentine and Me

All good things must come to an end.....

Sad, but SO true...all good things must come to an end...even Christmas. This year I fought it. My dining room table looked like this for an embarrassingly long time. Largely due to busy schedule and laziness, but also because it always makes me sad to pack away the glitz and glam that is Christmas, but now it is all reluctantly tucked away in the attic waiting for its next big debut.

John and I had an incredibly wonderful Christmas...we really, really did. We got to see a lot of our family,and really enjoyed our time with each other. I will not bore you with the itinerary but it was very nice...ideal..a lot of I-65...BUT ideal. how wonderful we can get to both of our families during the same holiday. WONDERFUL

On another note...there is one other thing that I hate to think will come to an end along side the Christmas holidays...



THE coffee mate Peppermint Mocha Creamer...sigh...yes, I know there is Black Cherry Streusel, Hazelnut and of course the old faithful Italian Sweet Cream...but it will just not be the same. One of my many favorite things about this time of year is curling up with a yummy cup of Peppermint Mocha Creamer with a little coffee (and yes, that is what I meant) or driving to work feeling just a little more festive because of the yumminess in my coffee cup. Petty I know...Silly, probably, but it is sad. Our Publix seems to have already sold the last...so, until next year...Italian Sweet Cream it is...

From our home to yours....Merry Christmas