Recently on the Blog

 

instagram happenings...

This husband of mine. He celebrated a milestone birthday this weekend and we still both can’t believe it. We met when I was 22 and he was 25, and now, we think we were such babies. 😂 Funny how time changes your perspective on things, because we thought our current ages would feel old back then, but we don’t really feel old today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This birthday had us both saying that famous quote, “grow old with me, the best is yet to be”. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So here’s to the future milestone birthdays, the memories made along the way, and every day in between. Cheers to starting to feel old, together. 💕 {📷: @annafilly}
Tonight, I am pretty excited as I have an evening date with Christmas movies, wrapping paper, and ribbon galore! . I saw a funny video yesterday sharing about the A type of gift wrapper who wraps everything neatly with perfectly cut paper or the B type of gift wrapper who tries, gets frustrated, and the gift goes into a gift bag instead 😂 .... which one are you? . I have to admit, I love wrapping beautifully when I have time, but can also “style” the tissue paper popping out of the top of gift bags with the best of them! 🤣💁‍♀️🎉
So, last night @pantone announced the 2019 color of the year and I have to admit, I’m kind of loving it! Knowing that we are going to start seeing some bright palettes and products this upcoming year (don’t say nay, it happens every time!) I have to admit I’m kind of excited about it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My sweet couple from February of this year may have inspired my love for this spunky color from creating their collection for them where this color was the star throughout each and every piece, because now it’s got even more of a sweet spot in my heart for it. Wedding designers, how are you feeling about coral being the 2019 color?? Are you thinking navy and coral or similar bold palettes are going to make a comeback to weddings again?? 💁‍♀️💕 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gsweddinglove #reminiscingtoday #coy2019
What’s your favorite Holiday song? Around here we know the holidays are fast approaching as soon as I get to blast Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" .... it never fails, I get the kids, raise the speaker level high, and we start dancing around the house while I sing it as amazingly awful as possible. No joke - just thinking of it makes me want to hear it right now. And let's be real ... for some reason, I almost always happen to hear it every single time when I'm shopping at @homegoods ... which happens to be one of my favorite spots to go too, so perhaps it's just, well, subliminal coincidence? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Let’s work together and do something fun, because I want to make a playlist from your suggestions of favorite holiday songs you tell me about ... soooo, what are one or a few of your favorite holiday tunes? Drop them below, my friends! 🎄 . #holidaytunes #jinglebells #abmholidayspirit #alliwantforchristmas #holidayplaylist
The past few years, we've had a fake Christmas tree. Simply because of "ease" overall, or so we said. It was easier to maintain, easier to put up and down within moments of deciding to make that the "let's do this, tree" day, but this year, both my husband and I looked at the box with the now five year-old tree in the attic, then looked at each other, and felt simply, well, meh. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ . It didn't have the smell, the branches always looked funky even after hours of "fluffing", and let's be real for a second. I mean, how often can you actually have the opportunity to have a LIVE TREE in the middle of your living room?? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So this year, after five years of a faux tree, we went and purchased a live one from a lot ... the same day it set their trees up. We had so much fun walking down the aisles and between the stands having the lot to ourselves momentarily and it's a tradition I think we're now going to start doing with our littles every year, especially since the days of putting our tree behind a kiddie gate or in a playpen to protect it from curious infant hands are now (sadly) behind us. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How about you? Are you team real tree? Or, do you have a faux beauty that you adorn with ornaments each year?
With the holiday season, it seems that the stress meter can quickly multiply, and our calendars get packed to the brim with school, family, and friend activities moreso than any other month, sometimes quicker than we realize. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As much as I love about everything that comes with the holiday season, I have found that in order to truly enjoy it, I still need quality time to have for myself each and every day too. .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For most of the days of this year, I have gotten up at least 2-3 hours before everyone else in my home awakes for the day, and it's a time in the day that now, I absolutely love. I now consider each of those mornings a gift to myself, as odd as that may sound. Each day starts with only the sounds of fresh coffee being brewed, the turning of pages in my devotional or a book, sometimes even completing a few tasks on my to-do list for the day before the rest of the house is even awake, and it. is. glorious. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The occasional days during the week that I don't wake up earlier than everyone and don't have that time to myself before everything else begins once the sun comes up, I find that I'm a little less patient, a little more stressed, and just feel "off" the whole day long. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you find yourself stressed this holiday season and just want to have a little bit of time to yourself, listen to that little whisper, as it might be just what you need. You can't pour into others well if your own cup is empty. You have to remember to take care of yourself too, and perhaps it looks like getting up earlier in the morning each day or making routine appointments for manicure, or a massage, or even an entire "me day" is just what you need to do. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, today I want to ask you this - what would be one of the most amazing gifts you could give to yourself, for the purpose of simply taking care of yourself well? Share with me what you would want!
 
This husband of mine. He celebrated a milestone birthday this weekend and we still both can’t believe it. We met when I was 22 and he was 25, and now, we think we were such babies. 😂 Funny how time changes your perspective on things, because we thought our current ages would feel old back then, but we don’t really feel old today. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This birthday had us both saying that famous quote, “grow old with me, the best is yet to be”. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So here’s to the future milestone birthdays, the memories made along the way, and every day in between. Cheers to starting to feel old, together. 💕 {📷: @annafilly}
Tonight, I am pretty excited as I have an evening date with Christmas movies, wrapping paper, and ribbon galore! . I saw a funny video yesterday sharing about the A type of gift wrapper who wraps everything neatly with perfectly cut paper or the B type of gift wrapper who tries, gets frustrated, and the gift goes into a gift bag instead 😂 .... which one are you? . I have to admit, I love wrapping beautifully when I have time, but can also “style” the tissue paper popping out of the top of gift bags with the best of them! 🤣💁‍♀️🎉
So, last night @pantone announced the 2019 color of the year and I have to admit, I’m kind of loving it! Knowing that we are going to start seeing some bright palettes and products this upcoming year (don’t say nay, it happens every time!) I have to admit I’m kind of excited about it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My sweet couple from February of this year may have inspired my love for this spunky color from creating their collection for them where this color was the star throughout each and every piece, because now it’s got even more of a sweet spot in my heart for it. Wedding designers, how are you feeling about coral being the 2019 color?? Are you thinking navy and coral or similar bold palettes are going to make a comeback to weddings again?? 💁‍♀️💕 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gsweddinglove #reminiscingtoday #coy2019
What’s your favorite Holiday song? Around here we know the holidays are fast approaching as soon as I get to blast Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" .... it never fails, I get the kids, raise the speaker level high, and we start dancing around the house while I sing it as amazingly awful as possible. No joke - just thinking of it makes me want to hear it right now. And let's be real ... for some reason, I almost always happen to hear it every single time when I'm shopping at @homegoods ... which happens to be one of my favorite spots to go too, so perhaps it's just, well, subliminal coincidence? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Let’s work together and do something fun, because I want to make a playlist from your suggestions of favorite holiday songs you tell me about ... soooo, what are one or a few of your favorite holiday tunes? Drop them below, my friends! 🎄 . #holidaytunes #jinglebells #abmholidayspirit #alliwantforchristmas #holidayplaylist
The past few years, we've had a fake Christmas tree. Simply because of "ease" overall, or so we said. It was easier to maintain, easier to put up and down within moments of deciding to make that the "let's do this, tree" day, but this year, both my husband and I looked at the box with the now five year-old tree in the attic, then looked at each other, and felt simply, well, meh. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ . It didn't have the smell, the branches always looked funky even after hours of "fluffing", and let's be real for a second. I mean, how often can you actually have the opportunity to have a LIVE TREE in the middle of your living room?? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So this year, after five years of a faux tree, we went and purchased a live one from a lot ... the same day it set their trees up. We had so much fun walking down the aisles and between the stands having the lot to ourselves momentarily and it's a tradition I think we're now going to start doing with our littles every year, especially since the days of putting our tree behind a kiddie gate or in a playpen to protect it from curious infant hands are now (sadly) behind us. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How about you? Are you team real tree? Or, do you have a faux beauty that you adorn with ornaments each year?
With the holiday season, it seems that the stress meter can quickly multiply, and our calendars get packed to the brim with school, family, and friend activities moreso than any other month, sometimes quicker than we realize. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ As much as I love about everything that comes with the holiday season, I have found that in order to truly enjoy it, I still need quality time to have for myself each and every day too. .⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ For most of the days of this year, I have gotten up at least 2-3 hours before everyone else in my home awakes for the day, and it's a time in the day that now, I absolutely love. I now consider each of those mornings a gift to myself, as odd as that may sound. Each day starts with only the sounds of fresh coffee being brewed, the turning of pages in my devotional or a book, sometimes even completing a few tasks on my to-do list for the day before the rest of the house is even awake, and it. is. glorious. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The occasional days during the week that I don't wake up earlier than everyone and don't have that time to myself before everything else begins once the sun comes up, I find that I'm a little less patient, a little more stressed, and just feel "off" the whole day long. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you find yourself stressed this holiday season and just want to have a little bit of time to yourself, listen to that little whisper, as it might be just what you need. You can't pour into others well if your own cup is empty. You have to remember to take care of yourself too, and perhaps it looks like getting up earlier in the morning each day or making routine appointments for manicure, or a massage, or even an entire "me day" is just what you need to do. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So, today I want to ask you this - what would be one of the most amazing gifts you could give to yourself, for the purpose of simply taking care of yourself well? Share with me what you would want!
I know that I'm throwing you sideways sharing an image of cotton (aka southern snow) into your feed in the midst of all of our pre-Christmas excitement happening in these squares, but it's still November for a few more days. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ SO. Right here, right now, share three things with me that you are grateful for, specifically that happened this month. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My three? 1) living in a place where I get to drive by beautiful cotton fields every day ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2) getting to see my daughters excitement when she gets to have another visit from the tooth fairy ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3) being able to support fellow small business owners AND do Christmas shopping at the same time! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Ok. Your turn! And, go! 👇
I snapped this selfie a few weeks ago when I was out at my happy place, aka our beautiful Pensacola Beach. For some reason, once the fall season comes, locals stop going to the beach and many times you are the only one out here. This day was one of those, and it was absolutely serene. I am one of the few who will be out there in January, rocking a beanie and bundled up with a blanket, with a hot cup of coffee in my hands looking out at the waves because the beach is the place where I continually feel called to be (perhaps Moana is my spirit animal?) and where I always do some of my best thinking. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When I need to take a breath, or sort through all of the thoughts happening in my head, when I want to think about what comes next, or even when I want to just soak in the beauty that is the calming scene of the waves mingling with the white sand, this is where I go. Even spending just a few minutes out here is so good for my soul, and I've driven out here on more than one occasion even if I have only a few minutes before needing to head back home. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Do you have a place like this that you can go to, every single time, where you feel instantly more connected to your purpose and your calling, a place that makes you feel like you can sort your thoughts and see clearly through all of the other noise that is constantly coming our way? If so, is it perhaps a beach just like this one, or a place in the mountains, or even a local shop you can just sit and enjoy your surroundings for hours?