This week was a loooong one! BUT, it’s Friday and I’m really thankful for that!
One.Each year I get a gift for my co-workers. When I saw this picture (leave it to the Gaines’!) I had an idea to switch things up and create a homemade gift this year. Buy a mason jar, make my homemade granola, and simply put a gift tag on it with a sweet note! Done! 🙂 I can’t wait to hand these out!
Two.You could also make some of my Peppermint Bark. It’s definitely a crowd favorite!
Three.
Remember how I said here that we are redoing our guest room? It’s being turned into our nursery and the crib is being delivered on Saturday! 🙂 How could that not be a favorite?
Four.For our wedding, we received (a round version) of this bin. I love the style of it and the fact that it holds most (we have a lot) of our blankets! I saw this the other day and ordered one since it was on sale. I now love it equally as much that I plan on ordering a few more. I’m thinking in the bathroom closet as storage? To hold books next to our desk? I have a million ideas in my head. 🙂
Five.This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m today! Make sure you enter here! Happy weekend!
Seeing everyone’s Christmas home tours are always so fun! I put together a few things that I add throughout our home that really makes it feel like puts me in the mood for the holidays. Most of the items below, I’ve had for several years and some are new. If you click on any of the images below it will take you directly to the link!
Don’t forget about this giveaway! It’s perfect for your home during the holidays!
You can see the winner of the set of Lily & Val Recipe cards here! Thank you so much to everyone for entering! Don’t forget about this giveaway that is still going on! xo
First, my class and staff at school found out that I was pregnant and everyone was SO sweet! The e-mails and how excited the kids were meant the world! It was such a special moment. 🙂
Two.Telling everyone on here with our Christmas card was without a doubt, equally as fun and sweet! Thank you so much for all the kind comments. They mean more than you know! xo Also, how cute are these moccasins?! They say boy moccasins but I thought they seemed gender neutral. 🙂 We did hear the heartbeat this week and scheduled our appointment to find out the gender…so we’ll know soon enough!
Three.Want to know one of the easiest entertaining meals? Start off with a salad or cheese board, serve my Autumn Roast as the main meal, and my Blueberry Crisp with ice cream (or yogurt) for dessert. DONE!
I had some girls over last night and this was exactly what I served. The prep was all done before anyone arrived and I could enjoy spending time with everyone rather than running around in the kitchen. 🙂
Four.Today is THE LAST day to enter for your chance at winning this set of recipe cards! You can enter the giveaway here!
Five.These has easily become my favorite. The owner is the seriously the sweetest person and her candles smell amazing! The Christmas scents are some of my top favorites, so I figured one reader would like one too? Right? Thanks to Antique Candle Works you can enter the rafflecopter below to win! 🙂 a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you so much to Minted for sponsoring this post and creating beautiful cards. All opinions are 100% my own! It’s all a little surreal. No words can fully encompass what it feels like to find out something you’ve prayed for is coming true right before your eyes. When we ordered Christmas cards last year, I joked that maybe the following year we would have three people in the picture or have an announcement to make. Secretly and also not so secretly, I was really hoping that would be the case.
When Eric and I talked about having kids, we had no idea what this journey would look like. It was no secret that we wanted a family, but weren’t sure which road we would travel to get there. I wish I could understand the path God takes some couples on but I can’t. We know several couples who have had drastically different stories, all beautiful in their own way. We have friends who got pregnant instantly, some who waited years upon years to hear the exciting news that they were expecting, and others who looked into other options. We were prepared for a timeline we couldn’t write or plan because deep down, we knew that’s just not how it works. When we decided that we would try after our trip to Italy, fear was without a doubt an emotion that creeped into my mind. But we were really trying to trust His plan above all else.
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
It was a Wednesday night, and Eric was extremely antsy to find out if we were, in fact, pregnant. I, on the other hand, wasn’t quite ready. I had this fear that taking another test would give the same result it had before, informing us we’d have to try again next month. Eric repeatedly kept telling me he had a feeling and really wanted to find out that night.
I could tell Eric was so excited, and it was too sweet to resist. I put all fear aside and said we should go buy a test. We have a favorite ice cream stop in town that was about to close for the season. I suggested swinging by there one last time though before we bought a test. As we strolled through town, we talked about how this could be our last walk without knowing what could possibly change our lives forever. We were reminiscing about how much has changed in the last two years of being married and how we can’t wait to see what lies ahead.
1 Samuel 1:27: “I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.”
Shortly after we got home, Eric was completely right. We found out we were pregnant! We experienced so many emotions but above all else, we were overjoyed and thankful. So, so thankful.Just like time does, it flies and our secret was slowly shared with others. The holidays were rolling around and we tossed ideas back and forth about how we wanted to remember this time. Remember the joke I made about Christmas cards last year? Here we are, a year later, and sure enough, (and thanks to Minted) the package arrived with our Christmas card announcing we would be a family of three! Three. Three of us in one picture (little to most people’s knowledge) and a surprise on the back. We have prayed and prayed for this time in our lives to come and it was here.
It took me about two hours to find the perfect card because I loved so many options Minted provided. Keeping this surprise a secret was no easy task. I felt one big sigh of relief that some of the best news we have ever received will be shared with those near and far. The options were endless when I was customizing our card, which made it fun to truly add our own personal touch to such a meaningful announcement wrapped up into some holiday spirit.
Considering sleep is my best friend these days, the free addressing for all of the cards was the best! The customization didn’t just stop with just the cards either! The envelopes, stamps, and foil features to add a little sparkle (if that’s your sort of thing) were all available and easy to plug in! Minted made it so easy that I’ve already started dreaming up what next years card might look like with a babe in our arms. Shortly after the new year, we’ll be able to find out if the babe we’ll be holding is a boy or girl and I’m taking votes now! The holiday season has definitely been a little warmer, brighter, and our hearts sure as ever are getting fuller by the day! Happy Holidays everyone!
This week was a loooong one! BUT, it’s Friday and I’m really thankful for that!
Each year I get a gift for my co-workers. When I saw this picture (leave it to the Gaines’!) I had an idea to switch things up and create a homemade gift this year. Buy a mason jar
You could also make some of my Peppermint Bark. It’s definitely a crowd favorite!
For our wedding, we received (a round version) of this bin. I love the style of it and the fact that it holds most (we have a lot) of our blankets! I saw this the other day and ordered one since it was on sale. I now love it equally as much that I plan on ordering a few more. I’m thinking in the bathroom closet as storage? To hold books next to our desk? I have a million ideas in my head. 🙂
This giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m today! Make sure you enter here! Happy weekend!
You can see the winner of the set of Lily & Val Recipe cards 
Telling everyone on here with our 
Want to know one of the easiest entertaining meals? Start off with a 
Thank you so much to 
It’s all a little surreal. No words can fully encompass what it feels like to find out something you’ve prayed for is coming true right before your eyes. When we ordered Christmas cards last year, I joked that maybe the following year we would have three people in the picture or have an announcement to make. Secretly and also not so secretly, I was really hoping that would be the case.
Just like time does, it flies and our secret was slowly shared with others. The holidays were rolling around and we tossed ideas back and forth about how we wanted to remember this time. Remember the joke I made about Christmas cards last year? Here we are, a year later, and sure enough, (and thanks to