looking forward...

When i stumbled upon this picture tonight ...I thought that is exactly how I feel after all the holidays are over. Now that we aren't dreaming of a white christmas, we are just waiting for it to warm up again so we get to the beach! This girl is even wearing her white jeans with her winter coat. All this coming from a girl who thinks of the beach as home away from home.

Have you made any resolutions yet? With two sick boys I keep forgetting about New Years let alone a resolution.

loafs of love...

This Christmas season I wanted to gift a little something that was thoughtful but  wouldn't break the bank.  I usually bake sweets more than anything, but sometimes a simple homemade bread is a nice change from the puppy chow and sugar cookies.  I was gifted a sourdough bread starter and made a few loaves.  David and I decided it would be a nice gift to handful of teachers, neighbors, family, and friends.  It takes about three days to make the bread and it is quite the process...but what is they say..."the good things take time."

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one week out...

To say my boys are train obsessed is an understatement.  Another train was just delievered by the UPS man and we are on our way to the Adventure Science Museum for Ethan's second train exhibit this week!  Apparently, we just had to have the Polar Express Train since that is Ethan's favorite movie.  

I am spending this last week before Christmas prepping for Christmas Week.  We tend to celebrate for a week...a few days at home in Nashville and then a few days in Atlanta.  This year it is my goal to have my Christmas Eve/Day groceries ordered online early so I can literally drive by to pick them up.  So in the next few days I am making my ingredients list and placing an order online to be picked up on Christmas Eve.  This is the first year we will be home just us on Christmas Eve...I am hoping for a nice night by the fire with some red wine with my love.  That is why Santa has been working on wrapping early (does Santa wrap for you?).  Big debate every year at our house!

This past Saturday we hosted my extended familys Christmas.  It was my first year to host and it went really well.  My mom is one of eight children so you can imagine how many uncles, aunts, and cousins we have to celebrate with!  I kept my Grandmother in mind and served her favorite red wine (the only alcohol she drank once a year) and my mom's traditonal foods.  A favorite cousin flew in from Texas with her three kids and we all managed a group photo!  It was a holly jolly good time.  

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bits of red...

Bits of red are popping up all over our house.  Thanks to Pinterest I keep finding new ideas

to bring Christmas cheer into our home...so back to the craft store I go!  We took the boys

to see Santa, made a gingerbread house, and saw the Nutcracker this past weekend. 

We are in the spirit!  

Our 1957 Train around our tree

baby its cold outside!  Wish it would just snow!

my Christmas cheer

my favorite holiday decoration...garland on the stairs

Saturday morning I bundled up in the freezing temps and shopped with three great friends

at Tinsel and Twine.  It's a shops that are set up in barns and tents at the beloved Gentry Farms.  

It is Nashville Country meets Etsy kind of thing.  It was awesome.  They had the cutest 

Santa set with a real tree, big lights, outside of a barn... remind me about this next year!

It was there an old golden retriever came running up to me that was running loose 

around the farm.  It always think of my beloved Alex at Christmas and him sleeping 

by our tree.  I know this was his way of saying he misses me too.  

I don't know about you but my list gets longer each year...

I found this free printable to keep me organized.  Find it here

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Promo code please...

I must admit...I hate the Black Friday crowds.... butI loved the online sales! I managed to mark two people off my list during my lunch break today shopping online . I somehow sent my poor husband to the mall to grab Christmas sweaters for the boys while I shopped my little heart out online up until midnight.

My most impressive sales were Gap
Kate Spade, Tiny Prints, and Mini Boden.

What was yours?



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give thanks...part I

Today we are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner at our home with my side of the family.

This is David's first attempt at a turkey{he choose to insert a pineapple into the turkey}
 and my first attempt at a traditional, homemade chess pie.  We are trying out this coctail as the turkey roasts if my blog post makes no sense that would be why.  

If I could give thanks for one thing this year it would be having
both my mom and dad at my table sitting beside my boys.

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this October day...

this October day marks the third day that the hubby has been gone.   in all honesty..I don't dread him going on his annual hunting trip.  I think the 'only child' in me enjoys the alone time.  Each year I tackle something big...potty training or marking 90% of the Christmas shopping off my list.  however October seems a bit early to Christmas shop.  I must admit its kind of driving me crazy...not having a big project to accomplish.  
today I dressed the kids up in their halloween costumes to take a few photos.   halloween eve always is busy with and brewing with excitement, so its hard to get a few good shots and be in the moment.  we had the best time running around, middle of the day dressed up, just being silly, laughing.  its true what they say...the simple things in life are the best.  
so if it rains on halloween {60% chance here as of today} it will be okay. my halloween was made today.  just me and my boys.  hearing them laughing at each other, leaves crunching under their feet, was perfect.   

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Gentry's Farm...

one of my favorite things to do in the fall is to visit my favorite pumpkin patch.  

I always think back to the years before and think about how life

has changed since we first came here with an itty bitty Ethan.   

i love how thanksgiving comes right after fall...

it is during the fall that I start to slow down and see

how much I have to be grateful for.  

Ethan's new favorite "face"

brother like brother...

my boys at 19 months...I used to think they looked totally different...

one brown eyes, one light blue.  One blonde the other light brown.  

but these days they look and act more alike everyday.  

finally its fall...

its here...its finally here!  Its no secret fall is my favorite season and 

with it this year I have become unproductive.  I can't seem to keep

up with the laundry and grocery shopping.  Instead I am

potting mums, taking the kids to the zoo, fall shopping, watching too

much tv (our new fav), and taking the boys on walks.

Last weekend we celebrated two birthdays at a local vineyard.  I brought 

 these Pumpkin and Nutella Swirl Bars with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting.  

They were pretty yummy if I say so myself.

I recently made these Nutella brownies which seem to be a hit with the kids and adults.  

they were perfect for a neighborhood grill out!  Just grab and go.  

I have had too much fun ordering the boys fall clothes.  I shop online and only 

with a promo codes!  I saved 35% off everything I ordered from Gap Kids.  I must

say I can't get enough of their colored jeans for the boys.  However, 

mini Boden hold my wallet in their hands!  They are my all time fav.  

list maker...

it's monday...do you make you weekly to-do list on monday's like me?

here is mine for the week...

*buy flowers to enjoy all week just because - CHECK

*make a homemade dessert

*go on a few walks...perhaps even a run or two

*spend wayyy to much at the grocery - CHECK

*try a new recipe for dinner...dinner is getting old around here

*order a few prints of the boys to frame

*blog a few posts I've been putting off forever

*get up earlier...this one is the hardest one yet

I hope your week is off to a great start...

what are you hoping to accomplish this week?