Whoot whoot! What a great email to wake up to that I received a blogger award!

Thank you, Brianna @ Adventures of a Southern Life!

The Rules for this award:

1-Nominate 15 fellow bloggers.

2-Inform the bloggers of their nomination.

3-Share 7 random things about yourself.

4-Thank the blogger who nominated you.

5-Add the Versatile Blog Award picture on your blog post.

Here are 15 of my favorite reads:

1. Callie @ The Good Life

2. Ryann @ {joy joy unspeakable joy}

3. Sarah @ Shorelines and Sunshine

4. Mrs S. @ Everything Girly & Beyond

5. Claire @ Life in the Sweet Virginia Breeze

6. Ashley @ Everyday AEM

7. Victoria @ Mine to live... with Faith, Hope, Love and Coffee

8. Beth @ Sweet Bef's Blog

9. Sarah @ Simply Sarah

10. Jackie @ York Avenue

11. Brittan @ A Babbling Brunette

12. Jaclyn @ A Day in the Life and Mind

13. Jenn @ Going the Distance

14. Taylor @ It's The Little Things

15. Michelle @ a little bit of this & that

Seven Things About Me:

1. My favorite color is turquoise

2. I have an unhealthy addiction to Law and Order SVU

3. My favorite movie is How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

4. I could eat Japanese hibachi everyday

5. My staple lunch is a peanut butter sandwich (no jelly), Special K bar, apple, and piece of chocolate

6. I'm deathly afraid of the dentist

7. I have really ugly feet (and they hurt a lot)-- so random, I know!

Thanks again for the award, Brianna!

I am starting to pack to go home for Christmas. I must say the weather will be a little different in SC than IL so I am having difficulty packing! I am so so so so so excited to get home!!!!!

Happy Tuesday!

Ta ta,

Tis the Season....

for giving!

This weekend I had a goal to make goodies for all of the people who have been so kind and helpful to both  Tyler and me! We have had a lot of people who have been looking out for us and sort of "taking us in," so I wanted to do something special for them. 

After a kitchen covered in flour and pumpkin splattered everywhere, I present you...

12 loaves of pumpkin bread

Love the cute wrapping I found at Meijer. If the South had a Meijer, I would be the happiest girl ever. It's a mix between Wal-Mart and Target.. Good prices like Wal-Mart, but cute things like Target. Obsessed! Someone in the South needs to make a move and build one!!!

12 bags of pretzel/rolo/m&m goodies

12 bags of pine bark

The pine bark was kind of a fail... I used too much butter and brown sugar so the saltines were very gooey. I kind of altered my mom's recipe to one I found on Pinterest. Should have stuck with Mom's..

This is what they were supposed to look like:

So, there you have it.. the goodies I slaved over all weekend BUT I feel so good about them and am excited to give them out. I truly feel like this Christmas is more about my giving than receiving. 

Tyler and I finished off our night of baking and cooking with a duck/shrimp/sausage/squirrel (ok maybe not but he told me so) gumbo with rice. I was super skeptical, but it was pretty delcious. Not going to post a picture because it does not compare to my pretty treats. It looked pretty.. well, ugly. But tasted good!

Can't believe the weekend is already over, but that means I only have 4 days of work before I can go home for Christmas. I CANNOT WAIT! My mom has been sending me pictures of my cat named Gray, yes, so original, who loves the Christmas tree. She was given the nickname Chris-mouse a couple of Christmases ago!

She now has her title as queen of our house, now that Lily is gone. Glad we still have her and her buddy Scruffy (whose name totally describes her perfectly) as pets without my sweet Lil.

Praying this week goes by quickly so I get GET HOME!

How was your weekend?

Ta ta,

The Green Babies

Today, Tyler and I went to visit our friends, Josh and Heather [Green], who recently had twin baby girls! Josh and Heather were Tyler's first friends when he came to Illinois a year and a half ago for his internship. They have been especially good to him and I am so thankful for that. Josh works with Tyler and Heather is a veterinarian; therefore, we call her a lot asking questions about Sarge!

I got to know Heather and Josh when we went on a couple's canoe trip in Indiana this summer with the rest of the 300 rednecks in the state. Something about rednecks + beer + canoeing + sun = a good time.

Anyways, in November, Josh and Heather had twin baby girls, Hailey and Lily. Tyler and I made a trip to Babies R Us today to get them a present (and oh my goodness that was a terrible decision... Toys R Us/Babies R Us the weekend before Christmas is INSANE!). Tyler was such a good sport... Definitely out of his comfort zone buying diapers (something I have never done before either)!

We had a great little visit with the babies and their parents and I even convinced Ty that we should take a pic!

He's thrilled.

What a special time in Josh and Heather's lives... So glad we could be a part of it!

Ta ta,

Favorite Christmas Things Link-Up

Happy Friday and Merry Almost Christmas!

Tonight I am linking up with Katelyn for My Favorite Things of Christmas!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate... I just got a recipe from Rebecca's mom for the best homemade hot chocolate! Yum!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was a kid they were all placed out in our den.. My side is on the left, my brother's is on the right. Now Santa wraps them and puts them under the tree.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?  We used to alternate big fat old timey lights but now I think we use white? Our tree here has white lights. We'll see what my parent's looks like when I get home!

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Usually my mom makes my brother shoot down some real mistletoe out of the trees in our backyard. I'm sure when Tyler and I go home she'll have some.

5. When do you put your decorations up? We put up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving here!

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Shrimp & grits + bacon wrapped dove/quail on Christmas Eve.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? One year we were on the way home from my aunt and uncle's house my brother screamed really loudly that he saw Santa in the sky... He immediately called my cousin to brag about it as we all laughed at him. You had to be there ;)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Right before my Grandmother (Cha Cha) died when I was in the 6th grade, I asked for a keyboard. After I got it from Santa on Christmas morning, we got to her house and she told me how my parents searched and searched everywhere for it. As upset as I was, I am so happy that she was the one who told me! She passed away that March. I'm named after her :)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I don't think so?

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lights, an angel on top (my parents), a bow on top (mine and Tyler's), and lots of ornaments collected over the years!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Used to love it. Now that I live in Illinois I am DREADING driving in it!!

12. Can you ice skate? Yes! Went a couple of times  (inside) as a kid. In January, Tyler and I went in DC outside and it was so so so so fun!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A golf cart and a basketball goal one Christmas!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? It used to be time off of school to rest, but this year it is about being home with my family!

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Oh geez, so many. Caramel cake, my grandmothers fudge, chocolate roll, etc. I love sweets!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?  The layout of Christmas... Christmas morning = my house, Christmas lunch = mom's side at my grandaddys, Christmas dinner = my dad's side at his parents or his aunt and uncle's (it alternates between Thanksgiving and Christmas), and then the day after Christmas we go back to his parents for a big Christmas after! Mimi LOVES Christmas.

See? And this is only for 11 people.. Insane.. She's so generous!

17. What tops your tree? An angel at home, a bow at Tylers!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? As a kid I loved receiving, duh. But now that I have my own cash flow and have understood the meaning of giving, I would say giving!

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum?  Have to be in the mood!

20. Favorite Christmas show? A Boyfriend for Christmas on Hallmark (dad and I always watch it hehe) and ELF!

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Um I'm not sure the name but it makes Leah (one of my best friends) cry... Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire? 

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? All I Want for Christmas is You! Duh! Fav Church Christmas song is probably Joy to the World

Loved this linkup! What are your favorite Christmas things? Merry Christmas!

Ta ta,

Work Travels

In lieu of blogging, I have been traveling for work! I am home now and will fill you in on my adventures...

Trip #1:

Last week I was in Kansas City for a little bit of training for work. It was SO cold!Because I was able to drive down to KC, I was deemed the "DD" into the city one night. Remember: I am from the country, live in the country, and have never driven in a "big city" before. I successfully made it into the city with my tahoe FULL of people! Success.

Country Club Plaza

We went to Country Club Plaza, which is a cute little area of shopping, bars, and restaurants. Lucky for me, most of the stores were closed so I was only able to window shop. We went to the bar at Houston's for a quick drink before dinner at Tomfooleries where a guy in my group's friend and his band were playing. I was really hungry by 9 and was up for eating anything...

This is what I ordered:

Peanut Butter Chicken Salad

Yes, you are reading that correctly. I HAD to try it. I must say, it wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't ever recommend it to anyone. Peanut butter + honey mustard dressing = strange combo. I also took off the onions and tomatoes, don't worry. Anyways, interesting choice. Learned my lesson. Peanut butter should only go on sandwiches, not chicken.


Trip #2:

Chicago! I can't believe I have been living in Illinois for almost 6 weeks and last weekend was my FIRST trip to the Windy City! It wasn't as awesome as I had hoped, only because I was cooped up in the Marriott with no internet and stuck talking to old men at the National Grain and Feed Association County Elevator Conference and Trade Show. Exciting, right? Sure. Except for the fact that our hotel was on the corner of Michigan Ave and Ohio St = PERFECT SHOPPING!

The first thing I saw when we drove in was Bloomingdales.... and then Nordstrom... and I was stuck wearing my eggplant work buttonup and danskos and feeling oh-so-not-cute!! My boss finally gave me permission to sneak out for the afternoon to do some shopping. I was so happy to get out and feel like a female! I only ended up with one purchase: a feathery belt for my dress for Rebecca's rehearsal dinner in.. umm.. 2 WEEKS! Can't believe it.

Anyways, I survived my travels and am glad to have a normal weekend. Taking away two of my Sundays two weeks in a row was cruel! I have plans this weekend to do Christmas baking, watch movies, and pack because I AM GOING HOME A WEEK FROM TOMORROW! Can you tell I'm excited?

Happy Almost Friday!

Ta ta,