Catching Up!

I am so behind on the blog. It seems impossible to catch up so I will just do a quick highlight of the last month.

We were thrilled for Carl to arrive back home after three weeks away!

We traveled to both families for Thanksgiving. It was so fun to see everyone but we decided it is a ton of work to visit two states during one break with two kids. We went to Carl's parents house first and enjoyed a boat ride, a fire, and a book signing. Wednesday, we left to see my parents. We enjoyed a trip to castle park, dinner at the fish camp and our first Thanksgiving at my Aunt Libby's house. Carl took Evie on a hike and I took Henry to pick out some fabric. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving with our families!

We picked out our tree and worked on Christmas cards. I love picking out our card and keep them all in a book. It is fun to take a trip down memory lane to years past. It is unbelievable to see how much our family has changed in just a few short years. 

We went to Breakfast with Santa, Henry's school program and The Nutcracker all in one day! That was a busy day but a fun day. It was Evie's third year going to The Nutcracker and it is one of my favorite memories with my sweet girl. We went with some friends this year which made it even more fun. Henry was hysterical in his Christmas program. He loved singing and dancing for the audience. Breakfast with Santa was a hit and we will definitely go back next year.  

We headed to Atlanta to see our nieces and to celebrate Lucy's 9th birthday. It was a fabulous weekend. We went to Henri's for lunch - lots of yummy choices and then went to Mary's basketball game. It was fun to see her in action. Mexican for dinner and lots of playtime for the kids. This morning, we went to Krispy Kreme and walked around Krog Street Market. I could spend the day there. Yummy food - BBQ, ice-cream, chocolate. I had a delicious lavender -lemon soda that was refreshing.

We have been super busy but having fun. Hoping things begin to slow down a bit so we can savor the season. Henry and Evie are at the perfect age to enjoy this magical time!

Weekend Wrap-up: Tea Party and Celebrating

We had a fantastic weekend! Not that exciting but still fantastic!

Friday: I had such a fun Friday morning with Evie! It was Breakfast with Mom at her school. Henry and I both went and had a ball. They had an amazing turnout and breakfast was delicious. Evie saw lots of people that she knows and it is so cute to see all these kids coming up to greet my sweet girl.  After breakfast, we hit the book fair and bought a few books for our house and a few for her teacher. You can never have too many books! After school, we all enjoyed some hot chocolate and banana bread - it was super cold and such a treat to spend the afternoon cuddled up together. We had a picnic for dinner and a movie.

Saturday: Evie and Henry were thrilled to see Carl when they woke up on Saturday. Carl was out of town all of last week and got home after they were already asleep on Friday. I headed out for a bit while Carl held down the fort. Evie and I snuck out for Leah's 6th birthday party! It was a tea party and so fun. Evie is already planning her own birthday party. She will be 6 years old two months from today. Time sure keeps ticking! I have mentioned this before but I love going to birthdays for the kids we have known forever. Evie and Leah have been friends since they were babies. They used to sit next to each other in their carriers. Now, they are BIG girls!  We celebrated five years in our house on Saturday night. That is a special occasion so I will try to whip up another post to document our celebration.

Sunday: Both kids were up before 6! YIKES! Evie was singing her repertoire of Annie songs and Henry was calling for his Daddy.  We normally do not start our day so early but decided we would just roll with it for today. It was a rainy, cold day perfect for a big breakfast of biscuits, eggs and fruit.  We just hung out at home spending time together! Carl made some yummy sausage spinach soup for lunch and we hunkered down since it was a yucky day. Evie had a friend come over to play. Victoria is in Evie's class and they played beautifully together! We have such a sweet class and teacher this year. 

That about sums up our weekend - lots of family time. Hope you had a terrific weekend too!

Weekend Wrap-up: Camping, Hiking and Annie!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend! We sure did! Henry has been feeling a bit under the weather. He even took two naps this weekend - very unusual for our little guy!

Saturday: We spent the day at home with the kids. Carl put up his tent in the backyard. That was a BIG hit! They had a ball playing in there, eating a snack and pretending to camp. Carl grilled some pork tenderloin for dinner and Henry thought he was being tortured because he had to eat three green beans! He decided three green beans was a small price to pay for 'smores by lantern light. YUMMY! Carl and I stayed up way too late working on a project for work. It was fun to do something out of the norm together and learn about how others view my amazing husband!

Sunday: Henry seemed okay so went on a hike. Let's use that term, hike, loosely though. Maybe we should call it a walk. It was a beautiful day at Radnor Lake. Evie loves hiking and even dresses the part. Henry prefers riding on his Daddy's shoulders. We went to Krispy Kreme after our hike. Have you tried their new apple fritter? It is good - really good! One of the local high schools put on the show Annie this afternoon. We met two other moms with their kids for a fun afternoon performance. It was LONG - three hours long but outstanding. It was a good reminder that we live in Nashville because high school plays where I come from do not come with a 12 piece orchestra and amazing talent like we saw this afternoon. Even the set design was above what we were expecting. Costumes were beyond phenomenal - they were perfect! Evie and I are big Annie fans. Henry did really well and took one for the team. He liked that there was a real dog playing Sandy and said "Hi Doggy" when she came on stage. Everyone thought that was pretty funny! He fell asleep towards the end on my lap and woke up during the standing ovation. What a delightful way to spend an afternoon with my two favorite kiddos! Evie is going to be so excited in the morning because I found my old Annie soundtrack. Cannot wait to see the movie when it comes out again in December. Cameron Diaz is playing Miss Hannigan. That should be an incredible movie!Everyone was sound asleep by 7 so that is surely a sign of a successful weekend. 

Make it a terrific week! 

Five on Friday!

I have missed writing my Five on Friday! Thrilled to be back! It's been a wild week so a quick captioning of five tidbits of life is about the best I can do right now. Happy Friday, Y'all!

ONE - Smores' Dip: My friend and favorite Stella & Dot representative Kathy posted this recipe last week and I knew it would be perfect for my girls night. Evie and I had a little girls night on Monday. We made smores dip and watched an American Girl doll movie. Make.This.Dip.Now! It is amazing and simple. Put some chocolate chips in a ramekin and toss some marshmallows on top. Place in oven for 5 minutes at 450. Use graham crackers as your dippers. Evie and I devoured the dip - she barely said a word just kept dipping!  I was amazed that my oven could make marshmallows taste this good!

TWO - Shrimp and Grits: I adore Shrimp and Grits Kids! They have the cutest, most affordable clothes that are still Southern and sweet. I placed a large order last week and then received an email on Monday they were having a 33% off sale! YIKES! I was ready to return everything and start over. However, Jordan, their amazing customer service rep helped remedy the problem. Good customer service is hard to find but I am mighty impressed with Shrimp and Grits right now. So impressed, that I placed another order!

THREE - Pampered Chef: My amazing Carolina Girl friend Elizabeth just started as a Pampered Chef consultant and I love to support my friends with their business endeavors! I am looking forward to creating eight delicious dinners in Elizabeth's gorgeous kitchen this morning and bringing them home to my barren freezer. Lemon Basil meatballs, Pork sliders, lasagna and pesto tortellini are on the menu. I love killing two birds with one stone - fun time with friends while filling my freezer! What a terrific idea Pampered Chef!

FOUR - Rain Boots: It rains a lot in Nashville. A LOT! After soaking two pairs of shoes on Wednesday, I decided to order myself some rain boots. I love how they look on other people but at this point - I do not care how they look but they need to keep my feet dry. My kids rock their rain boots if even a sprinkle is in the forecast. I'll probably save my rain boots for the torrential rains that arrive here weekly! I'll report back if I really like them. Guess what color they are? PINK!!! Best part is Ebates was offering 9% cash back on Nordstorm purchases and my credit card is offering 5% back on department store purchases! Ta Da that saves some money but I am sure I will find something else to buy.

FIVE - Wine: Tennessee finally passed a referendum to sell wine in grocery stores. ALLELUIA! It is such a pain to take the time to visit two different stores when I am making dinner or want to have a Happy Hour. FINALLY! Wine is going to be sold in grocery stores but not until 2016. I have a new wine that is not bad at all considering it is $5! Yes, $5 - try a bottle of Crane Lake next time you are shopping for wine. Pretty delicious and it keeps your budget in check. 

Hope all of you have a lovely weekend! It feels like November is speeding by even faster than October. It will be Turkey Day soon! There is so much to be thankful for this year. 

    "Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
                     Ephesians 5:20

I am thankful for . . .

     My family both near and far.
     Amazing friends here in Nashville.
     Time to spend with my children.
     Wonderful books.
     Excellent schools that challenge my children.

Not a Typical Tuesday!

Things sure have changed since Evie started school this year! I was thrilled to have a day with her at home. It was a terrific day with my favorite little people on this not so typical Tuesday. Election Day might become one of my favorite days - I always vote in advance. Hope you had a chance to vote!

Morning Snuggles!

Center Time: Evie loves for me to create centers for her to complete!

Playdate Fun: We had two playdates today! Everything is more fun with friends.

Bedtime Snuggles: I love my kiddos clean and snuggly.

Spooktacular Halloween

It was a spooktacular Halloween here in Nashville! We had pizza and GiGi's cupcakes before heading out for the night. My kids love celebrating birthdays even when it is not their own. Evie told me Happy Birthday all day long. Sweet girl!

Evie and Henry were super excited to dress up and collect candy even in the freezing weather. It was the coldest Halloween that I can remember. Gloves and hats took away a bit from the costumes but my kids were cold. 

We made a quick loop of the neighborhood with our favorite boys. It was really cold so I was ready to call it a night. Henry came inside with me to pass out candy and Evie went to a few more houses with her Daddy.  

They really enjoyed passing out the candy! We did not have a ton of trick or treaters - maybe 50? They came in big groups for sure and then we would not have any for a bit. Henry and Evie used the lulls between knocks to devour some candy. Henry's favorite is a Kit Kat and Evie's favorite is a Hershey bar. Chocolate is my favorite too! Carl prefers the gummy, sour candies to chocolate.