From Turkey to Lights

Well Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was a very good one. The food was scrumptious, the four days of relaxation and quality time with Hubby was amazing, and being with family was joyous.  Thanksgiving morning I woke up and began baking. I made corn casserole (my favorite) and peanut butter pie (a new recipe I tried that turned out so delicious). My very first pie I've ever made!

Then we headed to my sisters to have a whole feast.

Turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole.. it was all there.

Of course I snapped a few shots of my nieces and nephew...

Sleepy Bailey!

Olivia giving Bailey kisses.

Handsome Hayden cheesing...I think I bribed him with something for this shot ;)

Friday was a full on shopping day in the madness. As I've said, I love Black Friday. I really do. It's the only day of the year I will wake up before 8am and embrace chaos with open arms. I got so much of my list done. Friday evening I went back out with Hubby to search for our perfect Christmas tree. Our ceiling is a weird height so we decided we wanted a 7ft. tree with clear lights. Yeah, nearly impossible. Every single tree was either 6.5 or 7.5! After going to six stores we called it a night. We went home and watched 3:10 to Yuma, a really great western movie- I recommend seeing it. Saturday morning we tried two more stores, and failed again! So we went back to Sears, where the prettiest 6.5ft tree stood, and made the purchase!

And decorating was what we did the rest of the day, well I did.. Hub pitched in here and there while watching college football. And of course I had to take a few pictures of Roxy by the tree..

Hehe, probably too many pictures. But hey I don't have a kid yet. Though I'll probably still take as many pictures of her then :)

That night we cozied up on the couch, turned on the tree and lighted garland on the fireplace, put on the Poinsetta Pine Scentsy bar, and watched 2012 (I do not recommend- one of the worst movies I've seen lately). But it was a nice evening.

Sunday we had friends over to watch the Redskins game. Another loss. Boo. They're now 5-6, I had much higher hopes for them this year. But we made chili, rotel, and baked reindeer cookies. That made it better :)

I so enjoyed every minute of this Holiday time off, I can not wait for Christmas!!

I feel behind on blogging, with a lot to catch up on!

Flashback/Black Friday

Is it conceded of me that I think I was a pretty cute baby??

I also love the lighting this photo has! Momma did a good job :)


Happy Black Friday! This was the third year I participated in the craziness. I was up and out at 5:30am shopping around! I have a lot to shop for so it's not easy! But it was a lot of fun, as always. We went to Kohls, Children's Place, AE, JCPenneys, Toys R Us, and Target!  I got a lot of very good deals! The lines weren't as bad as previous years and most people were in good spirits! One store was having 30% off everything, and someone had a extra 15% off coupon- after using it they gave it to the next person in line. And it kept going down the line and a lot people ended up getting 45% off their entire purchase! How nice is that?! The cashiers were laughing and the customers were all pleasantly surprised when they got to check-out. I love Black Friday! 


Hope everyone was able to snag a good deal or two!  If not, then hopefully you are fully relaxing in a turkey-coma on the couch! I'm getting ready to pull out the Christmas decorations...!!

I am Thankful.

I am so thankful for many things in my life. It's not just during the Holidays when I realize this. I very often think to myself how lucky I am. This would be a very long post if I listed everything, and possibly quite boring to most people, so here's the short version! 

I am thankful for...

My husband. I don't know where I'd be without him! He means everything to me. I'm so lucky to have met him at the age of only fourteen. We are one of those few first true loves who made it, who beat the odds. We literally grew up together and have gained so much strength as a couple through the years. I'm so proud of how far we have come. We still have a lifetime ahead of us that I look forward to every day. 

Our family. All of our Siblings, Parents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins. I'm grateful for all of them! They have affected us in positive ways which have led us to make good decisions in life. My Nephews and Nieces (all five of them!) make me smile daily and I love them with all my heart.  I'm very lucky to not only have a wonderful family, but a wonderful second family.  

my bachelorette party

My friends. Some I have known my entire life, some since high school, some I've known for only a few years. They're each very important to me. Many have been there for me through thick and thin. They're great people to be around and I'm happy to call them my friends. We've shared belly-aching laughs, tears of joy, and tears of sadness. It's always a great time when we're together. We have so many memories that I'll never ever forget. I love my girls (and guys)! They're the best anyone could ask for. 

My puppy. I can't imagine my life without her. She's such a great dog. How many dogs will sleep in with you until 11am without making a peep?! or not have to eat at a specific time? or has been fully potty-trained since 3 months old? Okay, I'll stop bragging ;)  Plus she's my best companion when hubby works. I love her sooo very much.

Our house that gives us great comfort every day. We were very blessed to become homeowners at fairly young ages (21 & 22)!  I love this place we call our home. It's so warm and inviting, peaceful and relaxing (at least till a baby comes along!). I'm very proud of it, even if it does take a chunk of our income!

Our jobs, in many ways. I work at my parents company that they founded in '88. Through their hard work my siblings and I had a great life growing up. It put food on our table and clothes on our bodies, enrolled us in every sport imaginable, helped pay for our first cars, got us through college, and enabled us have family vacations. So my job is much more than a 9-5 prison just to get a paycheck. I care very much about it. Jimmy has a very stable career with great benefits and good pay. It has provided us with enough to pay our bills and go on vacations on occasion. So thankful for that.

That's already a lot to be thankful for and there is honestly so much more. But I would go on and on forever! I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving, filled with family, love, and yummy food! Enjoy every minute of it!

Goodbye Fall!

Our last leaves are falling. Winter is slowly appearing. 

And though I love Fall, I'm ridiculously excited for the Holiday season.

So I'll take the frigid cold, the snow, the ice, the traffic all to have Christmas.

I don't know what this little plant is but I thought it looked cool enough to take a picture of.

The other night Hubby made us Oreo milkshakes. (He's awesome). They were to.die.for. He even made them pretty by drizzling the chocolate syrup on the sides of the glass.

Roxy really wanted some too..

She's normally not a beggar, so it was funny to see her trying so hard for a little taste.

"Come on Dad, let me just get a lick"

*notice her paw pulling his hand towards her* But of course, since it has chocolate in it, she didn't get any!
Poor Rox :)

My Beaut Made It On Oprah!

...for her Ultimate Favorite Things for 2010! :)

Oprah said "May I say, it is one sexy camera!" 

Isn't she though?! 

I apologize, I'm still in the swooning stage of our relationship. 

Some other items on her list of giveaways: Royal Caribbean cruise, Sony Bravia 3D HDTV, Apple iPad, 5 year Netflix membership, and a Coach bag! I think I'd faint if I were in that audience. Soo... I'll be figuring out how I can get there next year... or on Ellen, I'll take either.

Question! (With Random Photos)

I had quite a few pictures I wanted to share today but I was only able to upload two..

We still have it. And I love that. One day we will purchase another bottle to enjoy for a special occasion. 

And my make up bag, just to play in manual, I know random.

 Blogger says I have ran out of space :) and I need to buy more.  It's only $5 but is there any way around this?  

(Upload through Photobucket or Flickr?)

Thanks!

Pretty Eyed Livi

I'm playing along with the photo challenge this week on The Paper Mama. I know I have very tough *professional* competition, but I'll only learn by doing! The theme is eyes. I recently took this photo of my niece Livi and thought it was such a cute shot of her being her silly self.  She was sticking her tongue out at Hubby :P  I love how her eyes are focused and how in them you can tell she's having fun! Click below for more beautiful eyes.

This was my other favorite! 

Niece Bailey at 2 weeks.

P.S.

Thank you for all your super nice comments on our Fall photos! They made my day :)

Our Fall Photos!

I made a last minute decision to have Fall photos done for Christmas cards. My sister has done some photography before and I wanted to put my new camera to use so off we went! Actually they were done at our house! These are a few of my favorites!

(You've probably seen this one on my header or new button but I think it's my absolute favorite- just so candid and casual. Roxy's a great walker when I have the leash but when Jimmy walks her somehow they always get tangled up! Haha)

There were two others I really liked but forgot to upload. So you just get these three for now :)

P.S.

I'm REALLY in the Christmas spirit this year already. Last year I wasn't- I don't think I ever got in the mood. But I've already turned on the station with Christmas music, I can't wait to decorate and put up a tree (I will NOT put our old tree up again it's a serious pain in the butt- but I WILL go buy a new one ;) I can't wait for Black Friday to do some serious shopping. Oh and if you stop by Starbucks on Black Friday and I think the day after you get "buy one get one free" from 6am-9am! Who doesn't love that?! 


OH and if you love Shutterfly check out a tale of three poags! Kaley is giving away a free 8x8 photo book coupon code! Low entries- ends tonight- hurry!

Christmas Card

This is one of the Christmas cards I made on Shutterfly! 
It isn't the actual one I'm sending out, but I do like them a lot!

Retro Plaid Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Have you made yours yet?!

Scenic Drive

I love my drive home, especially in the Fall. Maryland is so beautiful in the Fall. I think we're nearing the end of all the pretty colorful trees so I decided to take a few shots before all the leaves have fallen.

I just love how the setting sun warms the trees and barns along this road. It's always a nice view.

I also love this little girl that rode in my car the other day. 

My beautiful niece Livi Grace.

(Do not worry we were at a complete stop when this picture was taken!) 

*I used Pioneer Woman's Seventies action on the above & below pictures (I'm loving it)!

And finally, I retouched this photo a bit..

To this...

Gives it a kind of haunted feel, right? I think it has more 'emotion' than the first photo now and puts the focus more on the birdhouse too.

Which do you like better?

P.S.

The wonderful Ashley Sisk is hosting her first giveaway for one of her beautifully edited photos! She does some amazing work! Check her out! Click the button below to enter!

On Cloud Nine

linking up at Pastor's girl's ponderings On Cloud Nine
I took this of my niece after my sis did our Fall pictures! I wish I had the skills to do something with the background. I love her facial expression (Roxy was making her laugh!)


P.S. I have a new button! Feel free to grab it :)

Operation Shield

I often say I want to move out of this area I live in. The people can be rude and the traffic can be terrible. But yesterday I was proud. Today I am proud. You see, we had a nineteen year old fallen Solider come home to be buried in peace. But a group called Westboro Baptist Church out of Kansas came to protest the funeral. Yes, protest a Solider's funeral. With sign such as "Thank God for dead Soldiers" "God hates fags" "God hates America" "Thank God for 9/11"... I won't go on. It's despicable. It's disgusting. There are children with this group holding these signs, protesting. Their strong belief is that our fallen heroes are dying because God has grown angry with America because it is too permissive towards homosexuality. 


The church posted the following notice to picket at Honeycutt's funeral on their website: 

WBC to picket the funeral of Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt, JR. to remind the living that God hates america, He is your enemy, and He is killing your troops in His wrath! When the Lord cuts off the youth of a nation in their prime, it is not a blessing, it is a CURSE!

"Except the Lord build the house, They labor in vain that build it; Except the Lord keep the city, The watchman waketh but in vain." Psa. 127:1.

The Lord no longer builds the American house; nor does the Lord watch over and protect America. You have wearied the Lord worshipping your idols and false gods. These soldiers are dying for the sins of doomed america. God is your #1 enemy, and God Himself is fighting against america. Your destruction is imminent! If you have ears to hear - obey today!

When our town heard this hate group was coming to our area people rallied together. The plan was for everyone to come together and shield the family and friends of the Solider from seeing a single sign or a single protester, by holding an American flag. The news spread like wild fire.


 The outcome was moving. Truly remarkable.

(photos from a friend who drove by)

People were rows deep for a mile long. They stood in peace, waving our country's flag.
The hate group didn't even come close. They saw all the American flags from a far away gas station and later headed back home! They didn't stand a chance!

Please read this short article.

I believe the ignorance of that group has only strengthened our community and made us realize that we all stand on one common ground. A free land of promise and pride. We were all united yesterday. It makes my heart want to burst at it's seams. 

I'm proud of my community and I love my America.

God Bless our troops.

RIP Marine Lance Cpl. Terry Honeycutt