A Farewell to 2008!

Can you believe it? It is the very last day of 2008! I guess that time really does fly when you are having fun! God really blessed me in 2008, so I thought I would do a little year in review post to “count my blessings”. (In reality, I could never begin to count all the blessings, but I thought it would be a fun way to give thanks.)

In 2008, I…..

• Celebrated my 29th birthday surrounded by friends and loved ones with an 80's party!
• Reconnected with old friends!
• Spent quality time with friends and family!
  
• Joined Weight Watchers!
• Celebrated birthdays, engagements, weddings, pregnancies, and the birth of sweet, little babies with friends!
• Celebrated one year at my new job (and I still love it)!
• Began going to The Market in Atlanta to help my mom and sister buy for their store. (This is so fun, and just a great bonding time.)
• Vacationed in Outer Banks, NC and in Hilton Head, SC!
• Celebrated two years of being married to my wonderful husband!
  
• Went white water rafting for the very first time!
• Began my blog and met so many new and interesting friends!
  
• Spent the Fall cheering on "The Dawgs" and tailgating with friends!
  
• Learned a new hobby-making jewelry!

I hope that 2009 brings more new and exciting things my way! I also hope that I am blessed enough to spend 2009 surrounded by family and friends like I was in 2008! My wish for you in 2009 is that your 2009 will be blessed, and that you and your family will experience all the love and happiness that this world has to offer! May God bless you and the new year to come!

A Christmas Shopping Tale

I wasn't sure if I should tell you this story or not because I was afraid my blogging friends would think I was a total witch. However, my family thinks this story is hilarious, and they encouraged me to retell it on my blog. Disclaimer: Please do not get the wrong idea about me. I promise I am not a witch-just a little grumpy sometimes! :)

I went for a little last minute Christmas shopping on Dec. 23. Athens was so crowded. However, I was filled with the Christmas spirit, so I didn't really mind my crowded surroundings. Obviously not everyone was filled with Christmas spirit though. I witnessed a woman get out of her car as she was exiting the Best Buy parking lot and violently cuss another woman. I'm sure what the other woman did, but whatever it was it made for a great show.

Anyway, back to my story. I was traveling down the Atlanta Highway (yes, the same one The B-52's headed down to look for their love get-away), and I was stopped at an intersection in which I wanted to make a left turn. Well, the red light turned to a green arrow, and everyone in front of me made the left turn. However, if I would have made the left turn I would have been stuck in the middle of the intersection blocking two lanes of traffic on a very busy and very major road. Instead of going and blocking the intersection (because I had no idea how long the light would stay green), I opted to stop where I was and wait for the road to clear to a point where I would not risk blocking the intersection when I turned.

Well, the guy behind me did not like this plan. He began honking and making rude gestures. He was throwing his hand up in the air and huffing. In other words, he was pitching a fit. I rolled down my window and pointed to the back up of traffic to show him that I could not go, but this did not help matters. Well, the traffic finally cleared enough for me to turn left, so I did just as the turn arrow turned yellow. Well, the guy behind me follows me up under the light and makes the left turn before the light turned red. However, this was not good enough for him. He was still pitching a fit. Now, I admit that I am not the best of drivers. In fact, I am the reason that there is a stereotype for women drivers. However, I knew better than to block a very busy intersection on an unusually busy day.

I shrug off the man's rude act, and I hop out of my car to go into Bed, Bath, and Beyond when guess who walks in ahead of me. That's right-the road rage man. Honestly, I wanted to kick him in the knee cap and call him an a**hole and explain to him how it is Christmas and he should be a little more patient, but I decide it wasn't the best approach. Instead, I calmly walked up to him while he was browsing, and said (in a very calm and sweet voice), "Excuse me sir. I just wanted to apologize for upsetting you at that intersection back there. I really didn't mean to upset you. I just didn't want to turn and block the intersection because I was unsure of how long the turn light would stay green. Again, I am really sorry, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas."

He couldn't do anything but stutter. I guess he didn't realize I caught the full act of his fit pitching. He looked like he could have crawled under the display and died. I realize it was a little passive aggressive of me to do what I did, but boy was it fun!

A Give-Away In Honor of my 100th Post

Last week, I hit 100! That's right-100 posts! How exciting! When I began blogging, I had no idea that I would enjoy writing so much and make so many friends through my blog! Blogging has really opened up a new world to me! In honor of my 100th post and to thank all of my blog friends for being so wonderful, I wanted to host a give-away.

This Christmas I had one silly thing at the top of my Christmas list. It really was the only thing that I wanted-lambie slippers from Bath and Body Works. I have actually posted about these before. Well, my husband gave me the lambie slippers that I wanted. I wear them around the house constantly. They are so cute and so comforable! Since I love my lambie slippers so much, I thought I would give away a pair on my blog! The slippers come with a 2 oz. Sleep Soak, 2 oz. Body Lotion, and 4 oz. Pillow Mist.

To enter the give-away, simply leave me a comment on this post. The give-away will end on Sunday at 11:59 pm (EST), so make sure to get your comment in. The winner will be announced on the following Monday. If you post about my give-away on your blog, I will give you an extra entry. Also if you are a follower, you get an extra entry. Please do not become a follower just for the give-away. It always hurts my feelings when people become followers and then stop following me.

P.S.-I forgot to mention that I am including a gift card!

Awards

I was so excited to come back from my Christmas break to find that I had received some awards! A big thanks to Diary of a Southern Belle and Good Gals Inc for this award. Diary of a Southern Belle and Good Gals Inc are new blog friends of mine, and I just adore reading their blogs!

Diary of a Southern Belle is a fellow Georgia girl and is also a Jennifer! I love reading her blog, and I amazed at her craftiness. You should visit her blog and see the cute lamp she made!!!

Good Gals Inc. is precious! I am so impressed by her creativity! The chef-themed gift she gave her boyfriend was so thoughtful and creative!

"This blog invests and believes in proximity - nearness in space, time, and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award."

I want to pass this blog award on to:

• All Things Fluffy, Fashionable, and Famous
  
• Downtown Southern


• Learning to be a Wife


• With Love from New Orleans


• Confessions of a Control Freak


• Weight For Me


• Newlywed Stilettos


• First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage

I also received an award from Amanda C. Bee. Amanda and I are also new blog friends! I enjoy reading her blog. She always posts the cutest things on her blog. She is also keeps a smile on my face. She is too funny!

Merry Christmas to All!

Wishing all my blog friends a very Merry Christmas! I hope that your holidays are filled with love, laughter, friends, and family!

*Above is our Christmas card. It was designed by my good friend, Heather Maynard at H & M Photography.

I Love The Pigeon!

The other day while shopping, I ran across a very funny book. I told myself that I was buying it for my future children, (Nope, not pregnant or even thinking about being pregnant) but I have to admit that I was really buying it for myself. I have read it over and over, and every time I read it I laugh out loud. If you have a little one in your life or if you just love children's books, check this one out! It is too cute!

Celebrating 100!!!! (And My Favorite Things)

Guess what!!! This is my 100th post! How exciting!!! To celebrate my 100th post, I will be hosting a giveaway! However, I have decided not to begin my giveaway until after the Christmas Holidays. Everyone is so busy right now, and many of my blogging friends will be away from their computers this week. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on my giveaway, so I will begin my giveaway on Monday! Make sure to look for my giveaway post next week!

On another note, thank you so much for all the sweet comments about my Christmas decorations!!! Y'all are too kind! One of my sweet blog friends asked if the chairs in my sitting room are antique, so I wanted to answer her question. They are not antique. I found them at a locally owned furniture shop (Austin's Furniture) in Athens, GA. Oh how I wish they were antique though! I have a few antique pieces that I adore.

I also want to apologize if I have seemed a little MIA these past couple of weeks. I have been swamped, so I haven't had a lot of time to blog or read my favorite blogs! I am still trying to catch up on my reading, so please don't disown me. A few readers have already disowned me, and that makes me a little sad. I will be out of pocket a little this week because I am going to my parents for Christmas. They live in the land of dial-up Internet. I just can't handle it!

Moving on to my favorite things, I wanted to share with you one of my new favorite authors-Mary Kay Andrews. I love a good chick read, and this author is perfect at writing them! Her books make me laugh out loud. If you love an easy, fun read, definitely check her books out! My favorite book so far is Hissy Fit.

P.S.-Today, Heather and I went to Jason's Deli for lunch. Guess what my order number was? 100! What a coincidence! I had to take a picture! Of course, people looked at me like I was crazy for taking a picture of my order number (pictured above). :)

Christmas Decorations

I just finished decorating for the holidays, so I thought I would share a few pictures with you. Our house has a very open floor plan with the living room, sitting room, kitchen, and dining room all open to each other. I add little touches of Christmas all over the house, but the sitting room is Christmas central. These pictures are of our sitting room. Please excuse the glare from the overhead light in many of the pictures. I need to work on my photography skills.

Our tree is usually taller and fuller, but this is the best we could find this year. It is a little Charlie Brownish, but I love it.

Another view of the sitting room. I love burning candles in the fireplace. It gives off such a pretty glow.

I purchased these precious stockings from Pottery Barn last year. The red stocking are for me and Michael, and of course the green ones are for the dogs-Porter, Boone, and Scout.

Happy Birthday Nanny!

My Nanny (my mother's mother) is celebrating her birthday today! She is 89 years old, but you would never know it! She has more energy at 89 than I do at 29! I can't be with my Nanny today to help her celebrate her birthday, so I thought I would use my blog to let her know that I am thinking about her and remind her how special she it to me! I love you so much Nanny! I hope you have a very Happy Birthday! See you at Christmas! Speaking of Christmas, I have a really cute picture of Nanny from Christmas last year that I wanted to share with you, but it isn't on my work computer. I'll upload it when I get home.

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

Sorry for being late on my Monday post. Yesterday was so crazy. It wasn't a bad day. It was just crazy. I did get a bit of bad news yesterday though. I found out that it is going to be around $2000 to fix everything that is wrong with my car. I was upset at the thought of spending $2000 on repairs, but I have accepted it and I'm moving forward.

Today, I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite gift ideas for the Holidays.

For the younger children in your life, I adore these finger puppet that I found on etsy.

I paired these three adorable puppets with a farm animal book for my special little friend.

For older children in your life, I think Webkinz are a great gift. They are reasonably priced and a lot of fun. Here is the explanation of Webkinz they give on their website: "Webkinz pets are lovable plush pets that each come with a unique Secret Code. With it, you enter Webkinz World where you care for your virtual pet, answer trivia, earn KinzCash, and play the best kids games on the net! " My nieces and nephews adore Webkinz. They are available at most gift shops, and they also come in a variety of animals. Below is a picture of the Cocker Spaniel Webkinz.

I have a lot of coffee lovers in my life. I, myself, am not a coffee lover, but I enjoy giving the gift of coffee. This year I found a Starbucks coffee variety pack at Barnes and Noble. It has 6 different coffees in it, and it makes a perfect gift for one special coffee drinker in my life. I didn't purchase these, but they are oh so cute-Starbucks has Christmas ornaments. They are pictured below. I also enjoy buying coffee from Jittery Joes, a coffee company based out of Athens, GA. You can order from Jittery Joes on-line. A fellow blogger also has an on-line coffee store. You can check it out here.

For my female coworkers, I adore giving fun stationary. Last year I found the cutest notepads at Target. They still have have them this year. Below is a picture, but trust me they are much cuter in person. This cute little (well, it's actually rather big) notepad adds spice to any "to do" list!

For my male coworkers, I always give the gift of food. Last year I gave them green pepper jelly from Bird Cookie Company in Savannah. It is delicious served over a block of cream cheese with crackers. This year I am giving them a can of boiled peanuts. The peanuts were grown and canned in South Georgia.

My favorite gift I am giving this season is to a married couple that are dear friends of mine. They have been very busy with their jobs this year, and I thought I would do something special for them. I am putting together a date night basket to give them. So far the date night basket includes a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant, a gift certificate to Blockbuster, movie candy, popcorn, a cute popcorn tub, and a few other munchies. It looks so cute all put together. I hope they will enjoy it and have lots of fun on their date night.

Christmas shopping can be so hectic, but it is also so much fun! I hope you have lots of fun as you finish your Christmas list! Feel free to share your favorite gifts that you are giving this year! I always love hearing your fabulous ideas! Merry Christmas!

Crazy Monday

Hi all! I usually post on Monday with my favorite things, but today has been a super crazy day. Sorry for missing my Monday post, but I will be back tomorrow with my favorite things. I hope everyone had a wonderful Monday, and I look forward to catching up on all my blogs tomorrow!

A Funny Story For Your Birthday

Today is my middle sister's birthday. Her name is Kelly. Kelly and I didn't always get along when we were kids, but now we are the best of friends. In fact, both of my sisters (Denise and Kelly) are my best friends. I am so blessed to have sisters. Well, in honor of Kelly's birthday I thought I would either post an embarrassing picture of her or tell a funny story about her. I opted for the funny story because I was a little afraid she would cause me bodily harm if I posted an embarrassing picture of her. :)

A few weekends ago Kelly and I went shopping. We spent the whole day shopping, talking, and laughing. At the very end of our shopping trip, we were in a department store waiting to check out. Near the cash register they had a table set up displaying a heated foot massager. Kelly and I walked over to the foot massager and placed our hands on it. It felt amazing. I was daydreaming out loud about how nice it would be to have one at home to massage my aching feet after a long day at work when Kelly quipped, "I would want to sit on it!". We both laughed so hard that people began to stare.

Happy Birthday Kelly! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! I also hope this coming year is filled with love and laughs and heated foot massagers!

More on Gift Wrap and Bows

Heather sent me a wonderful link from The Container Store detailing how to make beautiful bows. I just had to share it with you! Check it out here. There is also information about creative packaging. Check it out here. The pictures above are from the two links! Enjoy!

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

When I was in college, I had the pleasure of working at a Hallmark store (a big shout out to Wanda’s Hallmark). I loved working at Wanda’s Hallmark. I met many friends there. I spent most of my paycheck there, and I also learned some valuable things while working there. One of the valuable things I learned was the art of gift wrap. Beautiful gift wrapping really adds something to a package. A small, insignificant gift can be turned into something special with beautiful gift wrapping. (By the way, I am not implying that anyone gives insignificant gifts. I was just trying to support my point.)

For my favorite things, I thought I would share some of my favorite gift wrapping tools and ideas with you. First of all, your most important tool is wrapping paper. I love to coordinate my wrapping paper this time of year. My two favorite places to buy wrapping paper are Hallmark and Hobby Lobby. Both of these stores usually have cute holiday prints and good quality paper. A good quality wrapping paper will save you a lot of headaches when wrapping. My wrapping paper this year came from Hallmark. It is red with large white dots. My coordinating wrapping paper is a print with antique ornaments. I purchased it from a PTO fundraiser.

As far as bows go, I really stink at making beautiful bows. I have found that raffia is really easy to use when making bows. It is also rather economical. You can get a spool of raffia for under $5.00. I used both red and white raffia with my gifts this year. Last year I used green and tan to match my Christmas tree wrapping paper. You can also use ribbon to spice up your packages. A simple bow made from grosgrain ribbon is always pretty. My mom and sister’s store uses a simple tan wrapping paper this time of year tied with a large red or green grosgrain ribbon. It is simple, but it makes a beautiful present. You may even want to experiment with tulle.

It is also fun to think outside the box!

• You can use a pretty, reusable shopping bag as a gift bag. Place your present inside and tie shut with a pretty ribbon.
• Buy a few yards of material, cut the material in squares, place your gift in the center, bring the material up around the gift, and tie with a pretty ribbon.
• You can also find cute bags and envelopes made from recycled magazines on etsy. These are super cute to use for small items.
• A pretty hat box can be used as a present and to “wrap” a present.
• Use pretty tissue paper to wrap your present in, place in a clear cellophane bag, and tie ribbon. You can also use shred with the cellophane bag instead of tissue paper.
• Christmas stockings can be used to hide a special present.
  
  Thanks for letting me share my love for wrapping gifts with you. Please feel free to share your ideas with me! I would love to hear how you make your gifts extra special!
  
  
  
  
  

Possibly Cute Christmas China

For the most part, I have pretty decent taste. My taste in clothes, shoes, and home furnishings usually lean toward simple and classic. However, deep within me lives a tacky streak. The worst part about this tacky streak is that I can't tell when it crops up. I have the inability to tell when I am being tacky. When in doubt, I always ask my husband or my friends, and they are always quick to tell me if I am indeed being tacky.

On a recent trip to Target, I discovered some Christmas china that is really pretty. Of course, it could be horribly tacky, and I just don't realize it. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you. It is different than normal Christmas china, but there is just something about it that I love. I think a set of dessert plates in this pattern would be so cute for the holidays. I don't think I would want the full set. However, I will not be purchasing the china because it is a want and not a need. My Christmas budget only allows for needs. Stupid budget!! However, if you like this Christmas china (and your Christmas budget is kinder than mine), you can find at Target (in store and on-line). For the record, it does look prettier in person and in the Target weekly ad than it does in this picture. I guess it isn't very photogenic. :)

Heather is Hosting A Giveaway!

My friend, coworker, and partner in crime (okay so we don't really commit crimes-we just goof off a lot), Heather, is hosting a giveaway. She is giving away adorable holiday enclosure cards and stickers (that she designed)(pictured below). This girl is so talented! To enter the give-away, all you have to do is visit her blog and vote on which photo she should use on her business cards. Be sure to visit and enter!

A Great Deal!

I just found out that Kohls is having a sale on coats today. All coats are 50% off. It is an on-line deal, so I am not sure if they have the same sale going on in stores. They are also offering free shipping on orders of $75 or more. Here are two coats I found on their web-site that are absolutely precious.

I also got a great deal on a coat yesterday. I happened upon a cute, black wool pea coat yesterday. Guess where I was? I was in Sam's. Can you believe it? A really cute jacket in Sam's! It was only $59. It is made by Calvin Klein. I am pretty sure Calvin Klein isn't that popular any more, but it is still a good quality brand. I love a cute, warm coat-no matter where it comes from or who makes it! I will try to post a picture of my new coat later.

Also, Don't forget to visit all my fabulous blog friends who are hosting giveaways. See post below!

Just Call Me Lucky!

I have been extremely lucky these past few weeks. I have won two amazing blog giveaways! Can you believe it? I never win anything-except that one time I won $100,000 dollars on a scratch off ticket. Only kidding-that was the woman two offices down from me. Maybe her luck is rubbing off on me. Maybe I need to start playing the lottery!

Anyway, I have decided not to enter any more blog giveaways for awhile. I want to give other people a chance to win. However, some of my wonderful blog friends are hosting fabulous giveaways, so I thought I would share them with you! Oh, and I am thinking about hosting a giveaway soon in honor of my lucky streak. Not sure what I am going to giveaway, but I promise it will be fun!

• New Girl On Post
• All Things Fluffy, Fabulous, Fashionable, and Famous
• Monograms and Manicures
• Newlywed Stilettos

Monday Edition: My Favorite Things

I had no idea what I was going to tell you about this Monday, but as I was trying to catch up on my blog reading this morning I found inspiration. I can't remember which blog I saw it on (and I read so many that I don't have time to go back and look), but whoever inspired me this morning I really appreciate it! Thank you! Thank you!

My favorite thing today is a web-site where you elf yourself. I did this last year, and I couldn't stop laughing. I elfed myself, my husband, my coworkers-I went a little out of control! Take a break from work, and go elf yourself or someone you love. It's fun and easy! Here is a picture from when I elfed myself last year!

Side Note: A big thank you goes to Tara at Tara in the ATL for providing me with inspiration for my Monday Edition blog!

!!!An Award!!!

I was so excited to receive this award from Sarah at Downtown Southern. I love her blog, and I am so honored that she gave me this award! Thanks so much Sarah!

The rules are:
~Pass it along to 5 other fabulous blogs.

1. The Watermelon Tree

2. New Girl On Post

3. Adventures of A Southern Newlywed

4. Chapters

5. Blue-Eyed Bride

-List your 5 fabulous addictions

1. Ann Taylor Loft! Oh how I love their clothes!

2. Diet Coke! My caffeinated beverage of choice. It's even yummier if it is from a fountain instead of a can or plastic bottle.

3. Bookstores! I can spend all day and all my money in a good bookstore.

4. Tyler Candles! My favorite scent is High Maintenance!

5. My blog friends and all their wonderful blogs!

Instructions: On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them. When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well. To add the award to your post, simply right-click, save image, then "add image" it in your post as a picture so your winners can save it as well. To add it to your sidebar, add the "picture" gadget. Also, don't forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by emailing them or leaving a comment on their blog.