This Unfamiliar Road

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! The whole season was magical to both kids, and we enjoyed several outings throughout the month.




Our Santa visit went quite well!



On Christmas morning, we woke at 4:00am. Yup. That's a childhood tradition of the husband's. The good thing about waking up so early is a 3 hour family nap!







And no 2015 Christmas is complete without a game of Pie Face!







I hope your Christmas season was filled with joy!

This August, my {truly} Great Aunt and Uncle will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary! As we are way overdue for a family reunion anyway, we decided it was a great opportunity to get together and throw them a party.
One of my favorite stories from my Aunt and Uncle was from their first year of marriage. During that year, they put all of their savings in a piggy bank and with the $100 saved, they took a vacation to Dauphin Island, AL. This hidden beach community has always held a dear place in their hearts and after vacationing there for many years, they decided to invest in a second home.
Naturally, it is the location of our upcoming soiree to celebrate this amazing couple!

And since I love any reason to throw a party, I am diving in head first. I have been busy collecting ideas for a casual, beach GOLDEN anniversary!

Happy 2016 everyone!
In an effort to make this a great year, I have spent a lot of time working on my goals (note: I did not say resolutions). In the past, I have had ideas in my head of what I would like to achieve in the upcoming year, but no real plan to get there. It was no surprise that I didn't succeed.

I realized that I am always busy but not always productive. I feel like I bounce around from one thing to the next just to maintain sanity (i.e. tidy house, meals for family, work) while other things that mean a lot to me are being pushed to the back burner.

This year, I'm making goals and a plan to reach them!

Here's where I started: PUSH Goal Worksheet
There are some great things about this workbook, but what I really love:

1) It's free. Duh.
2) The first step is a self-assessment of different areas in your life (like physical health, environment, and romance). By assessing these areas, you really get an idea of areas that need improvement.
3) You focus on one PUSH goal at a time so it's more achievable!
4) There is a section for 10 minute tasks on the daily worksheet. This is really nice because most of the time, I don't have 45 minutes to complete a task from start to finish!
 

Of course, remember to be SMART about setting goals


Happy goal setting!

Halloween is always a big deal at our house! This year, we really made it a neighborhood affair. We hosted a sort of "open house" and served chili, baked potatoes and all the toppings! Neighbors brought some "Mummy Dogs" and "Pumpkin Oranges" for the kiddos.


Some of the neighborhood kiddos! We joked that this was our preview of Prom someday ;)



We love dressing as a family!


Just a sample of what our neighborhood looks like! The streets are filled with trick-or-treaters.



It's hard to see, but Ben and Peyton had pull-strings as part of their costumes!



After trick-or-treating, we enjoyed sitting around the firepit watching our Tennessee VOLS!
It was a great time with lots of family and friends!

Things I'm loving this Friday!


{ONE} Family Photos.
We are way overdue for some family photos, and this time they will be BIG! All of husband's brothers and their kids will be in town for Thanksgiving (the first time the cousins will be together) so pictures are a must. Color scheme is planned, but I could use some help on how to distract and get good pictures of 9 kids (ages 1-7)!

{TWO} Monkey Joe's.
Y'all...I am thankful for jumpy places right now. The rain hasn't stopped for 2 weeks, and it looks like it's not letting up any time soon. Between the rain and the upcoming cold, I need this place to help my kids burn off some energy!


{THREE} Walking Dead.
I didn't want to start watching it, but husband convinced me. I didn't want to love it, but I couldn't help it. Somehow I've ended up halfway through season 5 (no, I'm not caught up so no spoilers please!) and I can't. stop.



{FOUR} Nutritional Cleansing.
As a follow up to this post, I have to tell you that my nutritional cleansing program has been better than I ever could have expected! I have lost weight, gained energy and feel great! I am learning so much about how important cellular cleansing is-everyone should do it. You will thank me.



{FIVE} Toddler.
Here she comes! Eliza has been building up the confidence to walk and pretty soon, she will take off! She's taking 5 steps and getting really brave. Growing girl :)


Until next time, friends! Enjoy your weekend!

For Eliza's first birthday, I wanted to incorporate a fall theme. We always have a fun time at the fair, so I knew this was the way to go. Honestly, this was my favorite party theme to date!
The rain was pouring down in buckets, but it was nothing that a giant tent over the driveway couldn't fix. Everyone really had a great time and didn't even notice the bad weather.
I will let the pictures tell the story... :)








I went to the local antique store and found lots of fun decor items for the party. My favorites were the old coke bottles and a large wooden coke crate.

We served Corn Dogs, Soft Pretzels, Popcorn, Fruit on a Stick, and Mini Pies (blueberry, cherry, apply, and peach). I loved this menu full of munchies! 
Instead of plates, I used boats and it was a perfect touch to this rustic affair.





We served lemonade, sweet tea and pink lemonade juice boxes. Oh, and adult beverages. Always adult beverages. I borrowed this stand, and it fit perfectly with the theme!



And the most important part of any party? Spending time with family and friends!








Cake time :)





Opening gifts lasted for about 30 seconds, but we are constantly overwhelmed at the generosity of our friends. Little Bean is one loved and spoiled baby!


Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Eliza's birthday!