Christmas Scenes Around Our Home

Christmas this year was great -- quick, but great. I'm racking my brain, trying to remember if the whole "this holiday season REALLY flew by" mentality is one we adopt in a cliche way each year (and then forget) or if this season really, really was as lightning-fast as it felt.

Luckily, Ian's cool with keeping our Christmas decorations up through my birthday this Wednesday. That's one of my birthday wishes each year. I certainly don't get tired of shuffling out of the bedroom each morning to fix a Sugar Plum tea and making a quick detour first to the tree to turn it on and admire its beauty. I love it.

This year we went with colored lights which I think really suits our eclectic ornament collection. As you can see, I'm not a themey-tree girl unless your theme is "the crazy look."

And the true reason why we went with colored lights is because our white pre-lit tree, only one year old, decided to only light up the very bottom row of lights this year. Too lazy to try to fix it, but too optimistic that one day the white lights may start working again, I just threw a strand of 600 colored lights right on top of the non-functioning white ones. If they ever do start working again, then we have a choice of colored or white! Problem solved.

We are rarely in our dining room so I didn't go all out with the decor, but I did keep it decorated simply with some white glittery pinecones, leaves and fruit on top of our hunting print and my beloved Swarovski ornament collection displayed on my gold tree. This year I received my twelfth ornament, and the 2013 snowflake is absolutely gorgeous. We have a lot of natural light in this room, so it's the perfect spot for these ornaments.

     

On our chest in our foyer, I have our mini-tree with some silver balls and crystal drops. I also decorated the botanical prints above the chest.

Our living room mantle looks so great and I know it will look so bare when the decorations come down! I may start leaving a wreath hanging over the mirror at all times.

The wreath is from AC Moore and the gold leaf garland and gold bead strands are from Michaels. The gold deer are from Target. My mom made our stockings! Once we have a name for Baby Girl, I'll get our monograms embroidered on the stockings. For now, wooden snowflake ornaments from Michaels hang from the stocking holders.

By the way -- most of my holiday decor is purchased at the end of each season for 75-90% off!
 

  

Our breakfast room table is kept simple with some gold deer (which remind me of my mom), ornaments with black and white ribbon, and some faux cranberry garland.

I already mentioned that we chose three different Christmas cards this year based upon sales going on ... the constant between all is that we used our photos that were taken by Stacy Reeves while we were in Paris for our second wedding anniversary. Best money spent ever!

I might need to pump the brakes on my mini-tree purchases but this one in our den is a favorite. It came from Michaels in a gold vase which accidentally shattered a few years ago. Rather than trashing the tree, I just bought a new base for it and stuffed the empty spaces with green moss. I love it even more now!

Tomorrow I'll share more photos from our Christmas with family in Columbia! I hope your holiday was nothing short of lovely.

Merry Christmas, Y'all!

May your Christmas day 

be merry and bright.

Cheers!

-April

Week 21 Pregnancy Journal

How Far Along? 21 weeks

Size of Baby: A banana (10.5 inches). Did anyone else notice that my little banana is now (according to my BabyBump app) 4 inches bigger than last week's measurement?! Unbelievable!

Gender: Baby girl.

Weight Gain: Lost a half of a pound from last week, so +3 from my pre-pregnancy weight since I'm reporting in whole numbers.

Maternity Clothes: Yesterday I treated myself to a few things at Pickles & Ice Cream, and boy, is it an adorable shop. I got a dress that is so beautiful and I can't wait to find a reason to wear it!

Nursery: Still an office, but I think I've got my color scheme nailed down. We saw an adorable dresser at Sleepy Poet last week that would make a great changing table.

Movement: Yes, a good amount! It's not uncomfortable at all (yet), just way cute.

Symptoms: One day last week I had a super-itchy belly -- must have been that 4" growth spurt she had. No stretch marks at all so far, which I attribute to a combination of genetics (thanks, Mom!) and three different belly oils that I use depending on my mood. :)

Sleep: Sleeping really well and waking up a little ahead of my alarm clock most mornings. Still going to bed around 10:30 or 11:00.

Cravings: My sweet tooth sort of subsided in the last week, noted mostly by my reduction in hot chocolate consumption. Probably a good thing -- it was getting a bit out of control.

What I Miss: Sitting down on the couch easily without sighing and grunting.

Best Moment This Week: My experience at Pickles & Ice Cream was so cute -- I was the only one in the store and the lady who was working there was just so sweet. She wanted me to model everything I tried on for her! She sat in an armchair outside of my dressing room and was just so much fun to talk with. It was such a fun way to spend an hour.

Looking Forward To: Baby's first Christmas (albeit in belly)!

Five On Friday

Today is Friday (obvi) but it is extra fun for me today because it's tacky sweater day today at work and there is some major money on the line. Keep your fingers crossed for me; I've got nursery decor calling my name and I wouldn't mind taking first, second, or third place in our contest!

Time for another Five On Friday and as we near the end of 2013, I just have to send hugs and a huge THANK YOU to all of y'all who consistently link up with us each week ... this fun link-up has been a true highlight of the year!

O N E

I (mostly) wrapped up Christmas shopping and wrapping yesterday on my day off, and what a treat that was! I had Miracle on 34th Street playing on television while I sat on the floor and got all of the gifts tied up in pretty bows. Anyone who knows me knows that I was in pure bliss. :)

 

T W O
We are big fans of stockings in my family and we get creative. I'm so giddy over this fun idea I did for Ian's stocking. The two of us are huge Breaking Bad fans (we're Netflixing it and on the last season now). I knew my husband would get a total kick out of a little baggie of his own "blue" so I got some cotton candy rock candy from Michaels ($1.29/stick) and twisted it off the stick into a little bag.

He's gonna flip. I can't wait.

 

T H R E E

Christmas food ... I'm so excited!

Here is a beloved holiday recipe from our family.

 

Bacon and Cheese Muffins

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 TB sugar

10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

 

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine egg, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately.

 

F O U R

Tonight is Friday which means pizza and couch snuggles. It's A Wonderful Life is on TV tonight and Ian has never seen it! I'm really excited about him seeing this classic for the first time. What about you -- is it a favorite?

F I V E

This is our last Five On Friday before the Christmas holiday so I just want to wish you and yours a MERRY MERRY! I can't wait to see you all back here after the big day!

I hope you will join this link-up along with me and my wonderful co-hostesses -- Darci, Natasha, and Christina. Playing along is simple! Just write a post about five things on your mind today, anything goes really, post the logo below on your blog, and then enter your post address below in the link-up section. It's a great way of meeting new friends and getting more eyes on your cute blog :)

Clink Clink Cheers! My Perfect NYE Party Outfit

I'm so excited to be partyin' today with Sam and Khala as we prepare for New Years Eve!

The best part for me is picking out what to wear ... and it has to be absolutely fabulous, because at midnight I'm officially a birthday girl! I think having a January 1st birthday is one of the most fun birthdays of the year. Think about it ... friends, sequins, champagne, a day off work, collards, black eyed peas. Perfect.

Today's link-up topic is the perfect NYE party outfit. I put together two different looks, one for those bumpin' it up as I am this year, and one for those who are not scared of drawing attention to your waistline (ha).

Maternity dress: ASOS, $32 (sale)

Lace dress: ASOS, $70 (sale)

Nail polish: OPI All Sparkly And Gold, $9

Rhinestone earrings: Topshop, $15

Heels: Tory Burch, $245 (sale)

I featured ASOS dresses due to the free shipping and returns -- the only way to shop online. Who wants to hit up a mall around this time of year looking for a dress? Not this girl!

Thank you to Sam and Khala for a fun theme today! It's not too late to link up today or for the two future link-ups!

Thursday, December 19th- The Perfect New Years Eve Party Outfit 

Thursday, December 26th- New Years Eve Party Ideas & Decor 

Thursday, January 2nd- Hopes, Dreams & Resolutions for the New Year

Our Christmas Cards (Well, One Of Three Designs)

I may be strange -- but I always end up ordering a few different versions of our Christmas cards. (Are any of you similar?!)

Sending out cards this year has been, ahem, a work in progress -- meaning some have gone out, but not all. That sort of drives me nuts. The remaining ones to mail are the ones that require address updates. And spare time. Both of which I do not have.

The reason why I have a few different versions this year is as follows:

+ Shutterfly ran a deal for 10 free cards in October, so I pounced on that.

+ Then I bought a Groupon deal for 40 cards from Zazzle for $19.99.

+ Then Ian told me he wanted to send cards to his doctors so I purchased 20 more cards from Walgreens (using their 40% off deal).

Below are the cards from Walgreens which were actually way better quality than I was expecting, and you can't beat same day pick-up! They are glossy, but they are not printed on traditional photo paper, which I think makes them even nicer.

We used a photo from our photo session in Paris with Stacy Reeves. I went with a pretty classic design and photo for this card since it was heading to doctors' offices.

I have to share with you my favorite trick for addressing pretty envelopes!

I like doing calligraphy for the card addressing, but I'm fairly particular about making sure it looks fabulous. Here is where an index card and a Sharpie will be your best friend. I trace the lines on the index card (they don't have to be perfectly straight, but follow the lines as well as you can). The card is then slipped inside the envelope, and you should faintly be able to see the lines through the front of the envelope. Then, just grab your pen and start addressing, pull out the index card, and you are set! No more slanted or caddywhompus addresses.

Now, please tell me I'm not the only one with some Christmas cards remaining to be mailed?!

I'm so excited to be linking up with Faith of Walk With Me By Faith for her sixth annual Christmas Card Carousel. Visit her blog to see other fun Christmas card designs from fellow bloggers!

Week 20 Pregnancy Journal

How Far Along? 20 weeks, halfway there sweetpea!

Size of Baby: A small cantaloupe (6.5 inches). That seems large -- a lot larger than the heirloom tomato last week.

Gender: Baby girl!

Weight Gain: Up two pounds this week, so +4 from my normal pre-pregnancy weight, +7 from my lowest pregnancy weight.

Maternity Clothes: I stopped at Goodwill to look for a tacky Christmas sweater and ended up spotting a maternity rack -- no shame in my game! I found a hardly-worn pair of Pea In The Pod khaki bootcut pants for $3.99! And they have a full tummy panel which is so comfy on me. They are in the wash now and they will be perfect for the work travel I have coming up in January and February. When you see how much stores charge for maternity pants, you know how much of a steal this is -- most Pea In The Pod pants are $85 and up.

Nursery: Still an office.

Movement: Baby girl moves around quite a bit, especially when I eat something sweet or change positions from standing up to sitting down. It's so dang sweet. Love this feeling.

Symptoms: Besides this growing belly, not many symptoms to report upon. No wonder people love the second trimester!

Sleep: Sleeping really well and loving my Snoogle pregnancy pillow.

Cravings: I still love sweets. Ordered Belgian waffles with bananas and walnuts for breakfast Saturday morning when we were in DC and they were the jam. Not exactly "normal" April, though. I typically would have gone for an omelet!

What I Miss: Can't think of a thing. Well, maybe an occasional glass of champagne. ;)

Best Moment This Week: Talking about baby girl with Ian's grandparents! They are so excited and happy. I can't wait for them to meet her.

Looking Forward To: Deciding on a name. Ian and I have knocked a few ideas around but committing to a name is certainly overwhelming! For someone who has always kept a running list of baby names in her phone, you'd think it would be easy for me. :)

A Christmas Washington DC Visit

We had the most magical weekend visit to see Ian's grandparents in DC.

I can't describe how fortunate I feel to have these special people in my life. Grammie introduced me all weekend long as her granddaughter. I haven't been referred to as a granddaughter since my sophomore year of college when I lost the very last of my grandparents. She and Grampa Jim call Ian and I "our Will and Kate." The love we feel from them is just so heartwarming.

Ian slyly tried about eighteen dozen times this past weekend to sneak the restaurant bills from them, but his grandparents were on him every single time like hawks, insistent that "we were theirs for the weekend" and our money was no good in DC. It was just so sweet.

I arrived Friday afternoon, and after lunch I went with Grammie and Ian's sweet cousin Megan to Tyson's Corner for a little holiday shopping. Ian arrived later that evening due to an afternoon case in Charlotte he had to attend for work. That evening we ate at home and took it easy. We had a busy day planned for Saturday!

We had a great breakfast at a nearby family-run diner that Grammie and Grampa Jim visit every Saturday morning. The true highlight of Saturday, though, was seeing the Washington Ballet perform The Nutcracker at the Warner Theater. We had great tickets to begin with, but we received a last-minute upgrade to VIP tickets which included premiere seating and drink tickets. I know you are so jealous that I got a free ginger ale. :) Almost back to the champagne days, almost. Only twenty more weeks.

The theater was so lovely, and I loved the DC spin that this ballet corps put on the traditional Nutcracker story. I teared up at so many points in the ballet just reminiscing about the days when I used to dance in The Nutcracker and the wonderful people I miss from the ballet school. 

Following the ballet, we braved the 37-degree temperatures and rain and headed to the White House to see the National Tree. It was a beauty!

They also have trees set up for each state, so here we are with the North Carolina tree. 

That evening, we were treated to a fantastic dinner out. I had a steak with lobster mac & cheese and roasted brussel sprouts with prosciutto and a mustard sauce. We came back to the house afterwards and sat around the tree, just chatting. Grammie brought out a tray of decaf mandarin orange tea and homemade cheesecake slices. 

All of that food + a growing baby equals one large tummy.

I'm still smiling as I reminisce upon the highlights of the weekend and the unconditional love I feel from these beautiful people.

I hope your weekend was filled with loved ones as well. This is a great time of year to reflect upon the important family members and friends in our lives. Cheers!