When all else fails, SMILE!: December 2011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

25 Questions: Holiday Style

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I saw this on someone else's blog and had to follow along, what a fun little questionnaire!

25 Questions: Holiday Style

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate (or even better, Peppermint Hot Chocolate!)

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa doesn't wrap presents and they're usually at both chimneys...although this year we've been informed that Santa is going to be presents under the tree (not too happy about that...)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like the white lights but I've grown up with colored lights under the tree...

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Nope.

5. When do you hang your decorations up? Usually we begin right after Thanksgiving...but it usually takes a few weeks to get everything together.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? We always have hominey for Christmas dinner which I love!

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Waking up Christmas morning and getting all excited to go downstairs and open presents, then jumping in the car and heading to the beach!

8. What is on your Christmas wish list? iPad, iPhone 4Gs, big longchamp bag...

9. Do you open a gifts on Christmas Eve? We used to, haven't done it in a few years though...

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Just put any ornaments we want on, we're very casual and laid back in our house!

11. Snow? Love it or dread it? I love it, except that I always get worried we won't be able to make it to the beach if it snows too much!

12. Real tree or fake tree? Oh my gosh, DEFINITELY real tree...this year I have my own personal tree named Fifi!

Isn't she presch!!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Hmm, when I was about 3 or 4 I got this horse that you rode back and forth, I loved it :)

14. What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you? Being with my family.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? My grandmother always makes a delicious chocolate mousse cake for Christmas dinner and I love peppermint bark and all of the yummy cookies...oh and fudge!!

16. What is your favorite tradition? I love reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, and I love going to the beach and spending the rest of the week with my whole extended family :)

17. What tops your tree? A cute star :)

18. Do you prefer giving or receiving? I love picking out good gifts for my family, we also do a white envelope every year and I love that too.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Joy to the World at the end of the midnight service.

20. Candy canes, yuck or yum? Mmm...they're ok.

21. Favorite Christmas movie? I love White Christmas, The Santa Clause, Miracle on 34th street...oh there are so many good ones!!

22. What do you leave for Santa? Well I always try to leave cookies and milk but the rest of my family think it is stupid!

23. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition? We usually get up and all go into my parents room. My dad checks to see if Santa came and then we go open our stockings. Then we used to go into the family room where our big presents from Santa were (we might not be doing that this year). My dad makes hot chocolate and waffles and then we open the presents under the tree.

24. Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall? Both, I like going into a few stores but I also do some shopping online.

25. Christmas letter or Christmas card? Definitely a card...we pride ourselves on our card in our family - this year we even did a YouTube to go along with it! My mom sends 400 cards out and then the ones we get she puts all over the family room so we can see them, it's really fun!

Merry Christmas everyone, love to you all!

The one and only...

Today is a very special day. Not only AM I DONE WITH EXAMS but it is my mom's Birthday!! So, to my very favorite mom in the WORLD:

To the rock,

the one and only,

the biggest fan,

the craziest dancer (and piano player),

to my favorite TV show partner,

most lovable,

huggable,

sleep in the middle of the show/party,

text maniac,

most precious mom in the world,

Love you SO much, happy Birthday to the best mom around :)

Source: beckyhiggins.com via Teri on Pinterest

Source: patinawhite.typepad.com via Kathy on Pinterest

Friday, December 9, 2011

I think I can!

Well I'm still in study/writing mode...only a week and a half to go!! I just keep telling myself, I think I can, I think I can - like The Little Engine that Could, did you ever read that book as a child? Whenever I'm feeling stressed I just always think about that...

In other news, check out Carolina On my Mind's giveaway, it is so cute, I hope I win!!

Hope you're holidays are going well...can't wait to have some time to really immerse myself back in the blog world soon!!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Soup kind of day...

Well I am busy writing away...how I am looking forward to 2 weeks from tomorrow when I will be DONE DONE DONE!!! Until then I'm afraid my posts will have to be short and sweet...unless I really get bad about procrastinating...

Anyway, today as I was busy writing about the effects on siblings when a child is hospitalized, I decided to stop and take a break for lunch. AND what better lunch recipe is there for a rainy day then tomato soup and grilled cheese?!?! I hadn't had one in a while and it was the PERFECT cure for my rainy day blues!

Mmm good!

We used to have grilled cheese and tomato soup every Wednesday in college...oh how I miss it! It is certainly a meal that puts a smile on my face and warms my belly, what about you?

Friday, December 2, 2011

Annie and Tyler's big day!

Well, one of the things I wanted to tell y'all about was one of my closest college friends wedding two weeks ago. It was SO much fun! It was really neat because I am so used to summer weddings this was a very nice change - fall weddings are lovely because you can use such pretty colors and the weather is a little crisper. Anyway, the weekend started off on Thursday with her bachelorette party. We went down to her family's lake house and did bachelorette games and fun girly stuff (including a special guest which I am not going to get into because it was horrifying!). Annie's sister, the MOH, did a magnificent job and put together bags and the whole evening - I think Annie really enjoyed it, here are a few pics:

the bride to be!

so excited to be back together!

the view from the house

I thought I had a picture of the bags but I don't - they were adorable scout bags with bridesmaid survival kit items - so cute!

Friday we woke up and got ready for the bridesmaids' luncheon in Greenville. I got to sit next to the flower girl, hehe, it was a lot of fun and Annie gave us beautiful blankets and pearl earrings.

the bride to be!

beautiful arrangement!

Friday afternoon we hung out and the rest of my Sewanee friends arrived which was lots of fun...we didn't have too much time though because we had to be at the church at 6 for the rehearsal and then on to the rehearsal dinner!

if only the bride to be had kept her eyes open!

all of my Sewanee friends and the bride and groom

last pic before their wedding day!

Friday night we went out with a bunch of friends and met up with some other old Sewanee friends that came down for the wedding...ending the night eating popcorn in my bathroom with 2 of my favorite buddies :)

Saturday was the big day! We all went out to breakfast which was great because it gave us a chance to catch up and just enjoy each others company. As we returned from breakfast though, we realized we needed to get moving! We went over and saw Annie getting her hair done:

And then headed back to the hotel to get ourselves ready. I didn't get my hair done professionally (although I regretted not making an appointment) but I did try a side ponytail...I think it looked ok, what do you think? We jumped in the car and went to the church to see Annie put on her dress, take pictures and get ready before the service! The whole evening went by in a blur but here are some of the pictures I snapped: