SOCIAL MEDIA

Christmas Dining Room

Well my initial plan was to have my whole house tour up on the blog by now, but I have been a little slow getting all the decor ready. Since my dining room is the only room that is really 100% ready, I thought I would start out with that. 












We have a mini tree in our dining room that has all of our special ornaments on it. And we actually had our first ornament break this year. It was a victim of Bailee's tail.




This is our big tree, in our living room. I will share more of the living room soon.


I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas season so far. This Christmas seems to have come so very quickly this year. Merry Christmas!!


Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

This year, I am determined to not wait until the last minute to shop for gifts. Here are a few of my favorite stocking stuffers for the guy or gal on your list.


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Make sure to get your orders in with online retailers soon, check cut off dates so you are not left without a gift! I have found that men, especially KJR, can be hard to buy for, but I have yet to see a man turn down a good t-shirt, or something with his lab on it. 

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Happy Gifting! 

Gift Guide: The Homebody

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Even the homebody on your list can be hard to buy for, here are a few inspiration pieces for you! And can we take about how cute that little Keurig is!


Gift Gude: Monogram Lover

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We all probably have someone in our lives that adores monograms, here are a few ideas to get you started!




Thankfulness

Wow, where has this year slipped away to! It seems like just yesterday, we were celebrating Christmas of 2013, and now here we are on the verge of this years holiday season. For me, it can be hard to take time to stop and truly be thankful for the little things around me. This year has been a roller coaster of events and celebrations that I wasn't completely prepared for. So, today I wanted to stop and just be thankful. 

With Thanksgiving just a week away, here are a few of my favorite photos from last years Thanksgiving celebration.



This picture may just look like an ordinary porch with a barn in the background, but let me tell you, It is so much more than that!! This porch is where I said "I Do!" and that barn is where we had our first dance, our first meal as husband and wife, and where we shared our special day with our family and friends!

Here is a little peak of what it looked like on our wedding day.




He is secretly reminiscing.... I hope :)


Oakley was only 5 months old here, he had jumped off the back of our couch and broke his little leg. It was so pitiful but he didn't care, he would act like nothing was there. 


And, this man! I am just thankful for everything about him, and for his life!


A Year of Thankfulness:


My dad is my best friend, next to KJR, and in August I almost lost my dad very unexpectedly. It was one of the craziest times of my life. I am thankful for his life today, and I am also very thankful for the way the Lord led me to handle everything. It was very out of character for me, however it was what my mom and my dad needed and I am very thankful for it. 


 KJR is just amazing, sappy I know... He has been there for me through all the ups and downs this year. He was so sweet and took tons of photos at my college graduation, and he selflessly gave of himself to help me and my family.

What are you thankful for? I encourage you to take a moment today and stop and just be thankful today. Let someone in your world know how much they mean to you today.



Hostess Gifts

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, hostess gifts are in high demand! Here are a few of my favorite go-to hostess gifts for those lovely ladies and gentlemen on your list this season!



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I cannot get over how cute the C. Wonder puppy tray is. Can I host a party, and have someone get this for me? What are you favorite hostess gifts? I hope that y'all have a wonderful, safe and blessed Thanksgiving week! Take time and thank your family and friends this week!


Coffee Table Books

I love a good coffee table book, and recently designers like Tory Burch and Kate Spade are coming out with their own books. Coffee table books can bring color to a space, and they are also beautiful to  look at. I decided to do a little research about the origins of the coffee table book, and it dates back to 1540! Wonder what their coffee table books were like back then?




This is my favorite book. For the guest book at our wedding, we had our engagement photos put into a book and let our wedding guests sign in. So, its a mix of our engagement and our wedding day. It is very special and a good way to preserve your engagement photos. Lets be honest, wedding pictures > engagement pictures, so this lets me keep and display our engagement photos.


Recently, I purchased the new book Tory Burch: In Color. It is a beautiful book inside and out. It tells the story of Tory's life, how she got her brand started, what her favorite colors are and why they mean so much to her. I really enjoyed reading it and looking though the beautiful photos.



An old, but good book is Blue and White Living. If you love Blue and White then this book is a must have to adorn your coffee table.


Rachel Ashwell // Lilly Pulitzer // Pretty Pastel Style // Southern Bouquets



The Kate Spade New York: places to go, people to see book is still on my wish list ( and my Christmas list). Maybe KJR will have it under the tree for me this year!


What are you favorite coffee table books? Do you like to mix and match the colors or do you keep all of the colors of the books all in the same family?



Fall Weekend Getaway

I have been labeled an over-packer. KJR reminds me each time we take a trip, that we only have a limited amount of space in the car. So, one of my resolutions for this year's holiday travels is to pack lighter and take items that I can wear more than once.

I begin every trip by making a list of possible outfits that I want to take with me. I make lists for everything, and I always have my May Books notebook with me, so I can jot down notes whenever I need to. But, when I am packing for a weekend getaway I like to keep things simple and easy.


This bag from Vineyard Vines is the perfect size for a weekend trip. I also used to use it in college all the time for my books when I had long days of classes. They don't have the open top any more, but they do have one that zips that is very similar and cute!


Outfit 1: Colored Skinnies, a tee, and Sperrys


Outfit 2: Dark denim, green tee, tartan hat, and flats

These 2 outfits are the perfect mix and match combos for a relaxing and lazy fall weekend. 


I love to pair a cable knit with my PJs in the fall, it adds warmth and comfort.


After you pack your clothes, don't forget to load up your tote with goodies. I make sure that I always have a good magazine or two and some snacks



Once your all packed, just grab your bag and hit the road. Get out and enjoy the cooler weather and the beautiful colors of fall!


Did you see that LLBean has already has a lot of their bean boots on back order until February! However, Sperry has some very similar ones. I love these, I got them a few years ago and they have been so comfortable. They have this style and 2 higher top styles comparable to the LLBean 6in and 8in boots.

8in Style // 6in Style // Moc Style

And, speaking of Bean Boots, here are a few of my favorite fall essentials. I am a firm believer in quality not quantity. Investing in quality pieces will allow you to use them for years to come, and maybe even pass them down to your children or nieces.


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I hope you can get out and take a weekend getaway. Where would you go? Where have you been?