Merry, Merry!

I hope everyone had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend with family! We enjoyed a wonderful few days in Louisiana with the in-laws. Ate too much food, watched football - Go Dawgs and Tigers (LSU Tigers, that is), played with the dogs, and toured some museums. But, the entire ride back to Atlanta, all I could think about was how excited I am it's finally time to decorate, shop, and celebrate!

This is kind of a random post because mostly I just can't contain my excitement that December is here! I noticed as a I strolled the aisles at Target tonight how literally everything gets turned into Christmas this time of year! You can have festive Palmolive, red and green Oreos, and about 10 more kinds of M&Ms than other times in the year. It's wonderful how every aspect of life gets infused with Christmas cheer!

As we finally enter the month of December and count down to Christmas, I wish you all a month of cheer. Smile at those around you, bring treats to the office, decorate your desk and sing along to Christmas music in the car! There is no better time of the year than Christmas and it's wonderful to celebrate all month long the birth of Jesus.

Merry, Merry!!!!

PS: Check back tomorrow for a Christmas giveaway!!!!!

Thanksgiving

I am so excited Thanksgiving is almost here! Even though I'm sitting at my desk this morning writing this, I'm thrilled the Holidays have approached us. I'm working a half day today, visiting some family at my parents' house this evening and then hitting the road with MJB and Tucker in the morning to visit his family in New Orleans! We're hoping to arrive around noon, just in time for a delicious afternoon feast!

Though 2009 has most certainly been a struggle with the economy, I still have so much to be thankful for. MJB and I, like many couples, faced the challenges of the recession this year, but the experiences, lessons and mountains we had to climb were truly humbling. Times like these are when you discover new meanings for love, appreciation, and gratitude.

I think this year's Holidays will offer new meanings to many people. I am thankful for so many God-given things right now and am excited to experience the Holidays with a new-found sense of Peace and Grace.

Happy Thanksgiving! May it be filled with love, laughter and memories...and a table full of food!

Something to be Thankful for

No words. Just an afternoon happy.

Ahhhh. Sigh.


Have a good afternoon!

Double Delicious

A few months ago, my mom and I had too much fun online shopping and ordered a few of these Happy Homemaker cupcake kits. I pulled mine out last night to decorate cupcakes for our friends Jenny and Wade who came over for dinner. They are engaged and getting married in July, so I thought the cupcakes would be a fun little touch to the evening.

I love to make cupcakes, but am far from a baker or talented cake decorator. But they were yummy and cute. Of course, MJB and Wade steered clear of the baby cupcakes, even a little freaked out by the sight.




On a different note (but just as yummy...), I saw New Moon today. There are no words. No words.

However, despite Jacob's magnificent transformation into hottie, I'm still Team Edward. Already looking forward to June 2010.

Bah Humbug?

I can't believe I haven't written a post all week. I really don't know where the week went. Day after day, I had great intentions of blogging about some recipes, a book review, Thanksgiving traditions. But, the days slipped by and I never made it to the computer once I left from work.

To re-cap, I'll do a quick synopsis of some thoughts from this week. I know it's not nearly as fun or enjoyable as a post with pictures and deep thoughts, but whatever. This is how my week is going - endless bullet-pointed lists.

• Read the book The Help. Seriously. It's a great, great book with meaningful insight into a world to which I never gave much thought. It would make a sweet Christmas gift also to a dear friend who enjoys reading.
• Traffic really is bad in Atlanta. I live two miles from where I work - regardless, some days it takes 30 minutes.
  
• Bath and Body Works has delicious Christmas scents for the season. I don't think I'd been in that store in years, but mindlessly walked in the other day on my lunch break. I love the hand soap for the bathroom and kitchen. Always fun to have seasonal soaps out for guests.
  
• Which brings me to my next point, living in a condo is not really conducive to entertaining. You have to deal with concierge, guest parking passes, sending the names down for them to come upstairs. It's ridiculous.
  
• Tucker started daycare this week. Yup, I am officially one of those people who paid $20 for my dog to play with some other pups during the day. He was a devil the nights we worked late and couldn't get home, therefore earning himself a trip to doggy daycare. In all honesty though, it was fab and he loved it, and we are adding it to the budget for him to go once or twice a week.
• Christmas cards. I did a post about some a few weeks ago, but now can't decide. We're really watching our Christmas funds this year...you know, because it's a recession and all. And, dang those pretty cards are pricey. Plus stamps. I don't know. Maybe I'll just send a Christmas text? Better yet, a Tweet.
  

I apologize for the scrooge-like mood of this post. I didn't intend for it to turn out this way. I guess I need a day to unwind. Oh, I can't. Tomorrow I'm cleaning the condo because it's upside down a mess.

Wine, anyone?

Gobble Til You Wobble

This Wednesday is the first Board Meeting for my new job where I'm in charge of the planning - it's being held at my new office and I'm arranging the catering and details. Since it's the week before Thanksgiving and I'm trying to make a good impression, I'm going with a Thanksgiving themed luncheon. I've arranged for Honeybaked Ham to cater it and knew some fun table accessories were necessary for the event. It may be a little over the top for 9 Board Members (8 are men) and some other community representatives, but what the heck, it's fun to go all out sometimes! I knew my favorite "happy" place - Swoozies - would have just the accessories I needed! I picked up these cute Thanksgiving accessories for the meeting and can't wait to share them. I bet no one will really comment, but I still think it's fun to be festive and hope it will add some fun to the Board Meeting.

Entertaining Platters

As we approach the prime season for entertaining, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite platters I have on display. I adore entertaining platters and have a collection of close to 30. However, many of them are in storage right now because our china cabinet does not fit in the condo. I did reserve a few for display and to use through the holidays. I can't believe I only have three in the condo right now; it's a little sad because I have so many beautiful platters that were given to us as gifts, but they'll be used and on display again one day. For now, I have these three to share that I love and are perfect for this season:

Georgia Cities Platter (given as a goodbye gift from co-workers in Thomasville). I love the state of Georgia, and not just because I'm in tourism, so this platter is perfect for me!

This beautiful fall platter was a shower gift from my friend Becky. I remember her saying she thought it would be great to serve Thanksgiving on and she was right. I plan to take it to New Orleans with me for Thanksgiving with the in-laws.

The detail on the fall platter

I love this platter! It's a melamine tray by Fontaine Maury and my friend Bunny gave it to me as a goodbye gift when we moved. It will be precious at Christmas time and is very light, so it's easy to carry to others' houses.

And, just because I ADORE this little guy...some puppy love. (He got wrapped up in a scarf when I was unpacking. Precious!)