merry christmas

Merry Christmas from our house to yours! We truly enjoyed our day spending time with family and friends. We are looking forward to a little 'r' and 'r' next week! Hope you get to enjoy some too!

jolie boutique

It's funny how when you get older you just want money for Christmas so you can get something that you really want. Well if that is you and you get money, then I know just the place where you can spend it. Jolie is the best boutique around. It's located in my hometown of Belmont, just 10 minutes from Charlotte. I promise you'll find something that you love. If you come, let me know and after we shop I'll get you a coffee from Caravan or a bottled Coke from the Belmont General Store.

Christmas is so close! I'll be back soon...

happy tape

Sorry if it seems like I've been on a blog vacation. It's that time of year and life is getting busy, but I did want to take a moment to introduce you to happy tape. You can find it here.

And just look at what you can do with it:

Gotta love the raffia! Have a great weekend!

fruit dip

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season! We are just 10 days away from the big day. Luckily I'm almost finished with my shopping. I just wanted to quickly drop in and give you an easy fruit dip recipe. This dip is great for parties, showers, and tailgates.

Only two ingredients:

Mix them together and tada!

great joy

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"Behold I bring you good news of great JOY that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

christmas books

Christmas is one of those holidays that brings me back to my childhood. I was so blessed to have parents that not only taught my sister and I the real meaning of Christmas, but they also created beautiful memories of the season for us too. One of my favorite memories is my dad reading Christmas stories to my sister and I before bedtime. Here are my favorites!

My dad gave me a copy of this book a couple years ago. Now Paul reads it to me on Christmas each year (cheesy, but so so sweet). This is my all time favorite.

Who doesn't love this one?

My dad reads this story every Christmas Eve. It's still one of my favorite traditions.

This book is sweet. I know my mom loves this one too.

What books do you remember reading at Christmastime?

All of these books can be purchased here

copy cat

I have wanted to put some curtains in my bathroom for a while now and I decided to go ahead and do it this weekend. I knew I wanted an ikat print, but I could not find a navy print any where. I finally found some at MaryJo's this weekend. I found this awesome tutorial and decided to copy it. I made it for only $15 (1 yard of fabric, foam board, batting, and duct tape - yes. i too duct taped the whole thing:). You'll need a staple gun too. Mine is not as cute as the one in the tutorial, but my print was so big. I needed every inch of space I could get. Try it and let me know how your's turns out!

ornamental

Paul and I don't collect really anything, but we did start a tradition on our honeymoon of collecting Christmas ornaments. We buy an ornament in every town that we visit. Typically, the ornament has something to do with the town. For example, the ornament from our honeymoon in Playa del Carmen is a little sombrero. It's a neat tradition and I look forward to putting them on the tree each year. I do like trees to have some matching/coordinating ornaments, but I like some sentimental ones mixed in there too. Here are some Christmas ornaments to get you in the spirit!

Love this.

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If I had a dog (maybe someday), then I would have this ornament.

breakfast pizzas

I cannot believe it's December already!

There aren't many dishes that you can have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but this is one of them even though they are called breakfast pizzas. You and your Christmas guests can enjoy them for breakfast and you and your family can enjoy them paired with a salad for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. I have also made the breakfast pizzas as appetizers for Christmas parties too. Oh, and you can also freeze these and save them for a later date. It just doesn't get any better than that.

What you need:

Brown the sausage, then drain. Put the sausage back in the skillet pan and add the cheese. Stir mixture until the cheese is melted.

Divide the english muffins and place them on a cookie sheet. Place the mixture on each muffin half (makes 12). If you are going to freeze them, go ahead and place the cookie sheet in the freezer and let freeze. When frozen, put in plastic bag for freezer storage.

If you are not going to freeze them, then set the oven to 400 and let bake for 10-12 minutes.

Everyone will love them, I promise!

if...

I know this is pretty random, but IF I ever have a little girl, I would like for her room to look like one of these. They just look so warm and cozy.

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no shopping madness for me today

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I enjoyed spending time with family and eating delicious food. Now that Thanksgiving is over, the shopping madness begins. I am always looking for a good bargain, but you won't see me out in the crowds today. Paul and I actually buy at least half of our Christmas gifts online. God bless you if you are out in the craziness today. Here are some online gift ideas for you!

I love all of these prints from Red Letter Words. What a great gift.

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These days, networking is crucial when looking for a job. Everyone needs a business card holder and this one is too cute.

Personalized gifts are always winners. Love this.

Don't forget about these calendars. These make great gifts too.

i like what i see

Lands'End has revamped itself and has a new line called canvas. I found out about it here. I like what I see and I think you will too. Check it out here!

citrus-cinnamon punch

This is the perfect punch for any holiday party. It's simple and delicious and it makes your house smell like Christmas! As I mentioned yesterday, I made it for my niece's first birthday party and it was a hit.

Orange reduction: (makes your house smell like Christmas)

2 1/4 cups fresh orange juice

strips of zest from 2 navel oranges

three 3 inch long cinnamon sticks broken into pieces (I used 5 sticks for more flavor)

Punch:

3 cups fresh orange juice

2 cups fresh red grapefruit juice

1 tbsp grenadine syrup

2 1/2 cups cold grapefruit soda (Fresca)

orange slices and ground cinnamon for garnish

1. Make the orange reduction: In a saucepan, boil the orange juice, zest and cinnamon sticks over moderately high heat until reduced to 1 cup. Strain and let cool.

2. Make the punch: In a large glass pitcher, combine the orange reduction with the orange and grapefruit juices and the grenadine syrup. Stir well and refrigerate until chilled (about 1 hr - I showered and got ready for the party while it chilled)

Just before serving, pour in the grapefruit soda. Dust the orange slices with cinnamon and serve in the punch.

For an adult party, it might taste good spiked with a little cognac:)

a little birdie told me...

that Leighton had a birthday party! I'm a very proud auntie and I love my niece dearly. We celebrated her birthday just a few days early and it was a wonderful first birthday party.

My sister, mom, and I began decorating and cooking Friday night. I must say, we (mainly my mom) made some scrumptious dishes (homemade pesto, baked brie, etc..). Ashley and I stayed up until 11:00 making four batches of this...

while Leighton read magazines (Southern Living - she knows the good ones:) in bed with Grammy and Grandaddy.

Saturday morning came quickly. I was in charge of making the punch. It was citrus-cinnamon punch. I'll share the recipe with you tomorrow. It was easy and quick. Thank goodness.

My sister had the most beautiful and tasty birthday cake made for the party. It was almond flavored and to die for!

Don't worry, she got Leighton a little cupcake to eat.

And boy did Leighton love that cupcake. These pictures say it all.

Watching Leighton open presents was so much fun. She gets really excited about everything. I loved watching her face. She got some great gifts. Some new toys,

some classics,

and some sentimental gifts.

The most sentimental gift was a poem written by grandaddy (my dad) and illustrated by Leighton's poppy. It was just beautiful. Below you see my dad reading it aloud for everyone. I'll share it with you soon.

The party turned out well and everyone enjoyed spending time with sweet, little Leighton.

I know that Leighton probably won't remember this day, but maybe one day when she gets a little older, she will look at these pictures and realize just how much she is loved. She has brought great joy to my life and I look forward to continue watching her grow. Happy Birthday Leighton Capri!

Love,

Auntie Am and Uncle Paul