With Christmas upon us, I can’t help but feel blessed.  Sure, I could sit here and lament about how my life certainly isn’t where I thought it would be at 31 but I have so much to be thankful for.  I hope you do too.

I have been so grateful at how this blog has continued to grow, not as fast as others and it may never be at the top of most Google Reader lists; but it’s mine and the way it’s evolved since it’s birth is something I am very proud of.  If 2011 marks anything in my blog’s history, it’s the year that people I know in person discovered that I had a blog and further thought it was great.  It made me feel more comfortable about the whole thing so we will see what 2012 brings for my humble home on the world wide web.

Meanwhile, I plan to spend the weekend and most of next week away from it so I can enjoy the people who are right in front of me.  I’ll be back soon, maybe in 2012.

The rest of my family rolls in to town tomorrow and I am so excited to see them.  Merry Christmas!  I hope this weekend brings you much joy and great time with those you love.  Eat, drink and be merry.  Most of all be kind and spread cheer for all those to hear!

Blessings,

I am blessed.

I am not fine.  I am not okay.  I am not getting along.

I am blessed.

We are asked the question of, “How are you?” on a daily basis and I would be remiss if I didn’t confess that one of the following standard answeres crosses my lips, “I am fine., I am okay., I am getting along.”  And we all know most of the time that’s the safe answer, not the most honest answer but the safe answer.

We have a lot to be thankful for, to feel blessed about, so going forward I am answering that question with the following:

I am blessed.

I challenge you all to do the same thing.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Friday…err Friday night!  I cannot believe we are a mear week away from Christmas Eve.  Or maybe I can after an impromtu trip tonight to Target to get the rest of my Christmas cards.   The place was packed!  Luckly I know my Target store like the back of my hand and wizzed right in, grabbed my cards and got out in 10 minutes.  After looking at my watch phone, I realized it was too late to run to the post office to grab stamps…why doesn’t Target sell stamps?  Anyways, besdies the tradition of sending Christmas cards, I love to decorate.

I love the idea of adding to existing pieces in the home and reusing decorations.

You’ll see that we inserted a lot of decoration in an antique wine bottle and ceramic olive oil pots which usually aren’t filled the rest of the year.  I also reused the glass Christmas Tree candy holder (a gift from a student last year that was full of Hershey kisses) and inserted a bead garland.

Our tree is amazing and was selected from our local Fresh Market.  Oh and how I love how the lights look on it!  Do I love putting lights on?  Not so much but the end result is so gratifying!  Our wreaths are great t0o, we purchase two new ones every year and reuse the one with the fake snow but make a new bow for it.

The final day of this amazing blog link up is being hosted by Erin of Blue-Eyed Bride.  Head on over there and join in the fun.  And be sure to visit back here soon!  I’ve enjoyed meeting so many new bloggers!  Looking forward to engaging more!

Have a beautiful weekend!

Hello!  This week has been amazing and so very happy with life and feeling so blessed in so many ways.  Today’s link up is being curated by AP over at I Love You More Than Carrots.  I just discovered her blog and since my nickname to some is AP, I just had to link up to share my own holiday memories.

So many traditions have passed through our family and even though our dynamic has changed, we have managed to keep some the same and adopt new ones.

1.  No Christmas Presents on Christmas Eve:  Some families do this and I understand that but even though we are older, we anticipate waiting until Christmas Day to exchange gifts and many memories.

2.  Toberone Bars in every stocking.  I can’t remember that this has never happened.  They are the best and I tend to finish mine in one day.  I like chocolate what can I say?!

3.  Ham & Turkey for Christmas Day dinner.  We are a meat eating family, go big or go home!

4.  Christmas Cards:  I started writing my own Christmas cards to friends when I was 16, at 31 and single the tradition for me remains.  I look forward to the day when I can share this tradition with my future husband and children.  A girl can dream.

5.   Life is Good.  A new tradition we are starting this year, everyone gets a new Life is Good t-shirt to wear to bed and on Christmas morning.

6.   Because I know new traditions will be created this year and I can’t wait to post about them!

Happy Wednesday!

I am having so much fun with the Oh What Fun it is to… Holiday Link Up!  If you haven’t joined in the fun, there is still time!

Today I am linking up with Meredith from The Tichenor Family for fantastic crafting ideas that can make the holidays a bit more unique for your and your family.

I have always been known as the present wrapper in my family.  I have been asked on many occasion to wrap gifts that I wasn’t even giving and sometimes my sneaky brothers would have me wrap my own gifts!  Anyways, I love wrapping presents especially at Christmas.  In years past I have just wrapped gifts with whatever wrapping paper my mom and I picked out and then did the typical curling ribbon and stick on bow.  While these packages were wonderful and well received, I felt I could do something a bit different.  I started catching wind of having a “wrapping theme” this time last year and I fell in love with the idea.  Basically you or your whole family creates a theme and that way all the packages you give have a similar look or style.  I have seen many themes over the years that I loved but I knew this was the year to create my own.  I didn’t get any ideas until I stumbled upon the ginormous roll of red wrapping paper with snowflakes that my mom and I had purchased at Target.  I had a few presents that  I needed to go ahead and wrap so I began with the found wrapping paper.  We also keep all our ribbon in one box and I realized I still had two very full spools of baker’s twine from The Twinery in our collection.  I ended up cutting a large piece of twine and wrapped it continuously around the width of the package until it formed a “ribbon” of it’s own.  I knew I needed a bow but didn’t want to go with a stick on.  I found some gold wire ribbon in the box and after a quick tutorial via Pinterest, I made a bow.

Below is my finished wrapping theme.  Once I saw all the presents to gether, I knew I had made the best decision.

How do you go about wrapping your presents?  Do you choose a theme?  Please share!

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all are having an amazing week so far!  I cannot believe the holidays are so close!  As I spoke of yesterday, my family is in the second year of a newer tradition of hosting a “Taco Night” on Christmas Eve.  Our more traditional meal happens on Christmas Day and be sure to check back after December 25th for a wrap up on that meal which tentatively includes mashed sweet potatoes with bacon.   Yep you read that right:  sweet potatoes + bacon.  Stay tuned.

Anyhow, today, I am linking up from Molly from Duchess of Fork  to bring you the recipies that I will be using for Christmas Eve  ”Taco Night”.

My make up for the perfect Taco Night is as follows:

Soft or Hard Tacos with the guest choice of fillings:

Tomatoes

Scallions

Lettuce

Cheese

Ground Beef

Red and Green Peppers

Additional Sides:

Sour Cream

Re fried Beans

Guacamole

Beverages:

What ever your taste buds desire but we’ll probably mix up a pitcher of margaritas.

Today, I decided to feature a guacamole and margarita recipe that I will be debuting Christmas Eve.

 Guacamole-Alton Brown Food Network

Ingredients

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

Today, I am linking up from Nina from According to Nina and  I am thrilled to be participating! Scurry over to her post and link up your great ideas for entertaining!

We have never had a strong tradition of hosting a party every year in our family and on the years that we have had, it’s been very impromptu and low key. This year because of our whole immediate family coming into town, I decided to focus on our family gathering that will take place on Christmas Eve.  We’ve always done our big family dinner on Christmas Day and not really much of anything on Christmas Eve.  Last year we started a tradition of having a “Taco Night” to celebrate being together and the impending arrival of Santa Claus.  Because this is a very casual event and most of the people attending are staying in our house, we don’t feel a need to send invitations;)

Now that Thanksgiving has passed it’s time for one of my favorite holiday traditions…sending Holiday cards to family and friends! I always browse numerous shops and websites before choosing the perfect set of cards, but for the second year in a row I have chosenTiny Prints. I wish I had found them sooner!

A new twist on the Holiday card is Tiny Print’s Ornament cards, which are great for family and friends because the card doubles as a Christmas ornament!

Not only can you browse through a variety of unique cards, but Laura Ching the founder of Tiny Prints and design guru joins in on the Holiday cheer and chooses her favorite seasonal cards with Laura’s Picks.

Tiny Prints is even perfect for families on a budget because you can find adorable and personal Holiday Cards with the Studio Basic Line starting at $.79.

Do you already know exactly what you want your holiday card to look? Use Tiny Prints’ new DIY Holiday Card tool to build your card and customize to your heart’s content. Want something unique, but not quite DIY? Check out Rounded Corner Cards, Cards with Back Designs andCards with Unique Formats for a custom look without starting from scratch. Don’t forget that this year gray, gold, and neutral are the trending Colors. Here’s one of my favorites.

What makes Tiny Prints different and so amazing is that before each order is shipped it is hand reviewed (by a human!) for any issues, so you’re guaranteed to receive high-quality cards. Shop Tiny Prints Holiday cards today. These cards are sure to amaze family and friends. Make sure to check out all of the latest coupons from Tiny Prints. Happy shopping!

Also, Tiny Prints is offering the following:

Free Shipping + 15% Off Orders of $75+ or 20% Off $175+ with code: HOLSAVE20 expires tomorrow, 12/3/2011

15% Off $49+ & 20% off $149+ Plus Free Shipping (Starts 12/3) with code: DECFS20 expires 12/6/2011

Happy Shopping!

Hello!

Happy almost Friday, just quick note that Layla Grace is offering 10% of their Cozy and Cuddly items! Perfect for the little on your Santa list!

Layla Grayce is offering 10% off all cozy and cuddly gifts with coupon code COZYGIFTS valid through 12/25! Find a gift for everyone on your list. While I certainly love all things Layla Grayce, below are a few of my absolute favorite gift ideas:

Give the gift of warmth with the Barefoot Dreams Throw Blanket. Not only do I love this throw but Oprah selected it as one of her items for her “Favorite Things Show.” The Little Plush Giraffe makes the best animal friend. “Little G” is so soft and cuddly and is sure to make bedtime so much fun! Looking to treat yourself to a nice gift? I love the Charlotte Tarantola Monroe Camel Cardigan! It is designed with such an elegance it makes it the perfect choice for any occasion. Happy Shopping!