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Pics from the Holiday Week

Happy Cyber Monday everyone!

I'm coming back from a very relaxing and laid-back Thanksgiving break. I'm hoping you're doing the same. My sister, her hubs and her two dogs drove up to spend a few days with us last week- which was inexplicably awesome.

Riley tolerated their dogs fairly well during the visit... but he definitely sounded like an old man most of the time. He would sigh and growl and give a few grumpy "humphs" to make sure we knew he did NOT approve of having visitors!

Here he is in a red fleece-lined hoodie Ryan picked up at Old Navy last week (pre-grooming session)...

 

And... here are Amber & Hyde. They are seriously the sweetest - but Riley just can't see it.

 

 

 
My sister has pics of the Thanksgiving spread, which I'll share later this week.

Other things we accomplished the past few days... we started decorating the hizzy for Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

A huge thank you to Lindsay for helping kick start our holiday decorating bonanza! I truly LOVE the wall words we picked up on sale last year at Target after the holidays. They were easy to put up - but unfortunately are only a one-use thing. Bummer.

I also picked up on my crochet and knitting projects (which sat unattended for way too long these past few months). I took advantage of having my crochet coach (aka my sister) being in town. I asked her all my questions and picked back up where I had left off. Gotta love that.

I was very very sad to say goodbye to my visiting family on Saturday - it seemed like they had come and gone before I knew it. But... we did kick off the holidays with a bang. Next stop? Christmas shopping... argh. I love getting things for other people... but I hate the process and the crowds.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts...

xxoo!

Flick Viewing

Watching Julie & Julia... And thoroughly enjoying it so far!!

Warm Fuzzies!

Nothing like waking up to your house alarm blaring. Ahhh... Mondays.

One of my sisters (and her hubs and dogs) are coming into town for Thanksgiving this year - and I'm uber excited! So we've been planning our Turkey Day menu, cleaning the house, preparing the guest room, and tying up loose ends on tasks and projects we started in recent weeks.

Three cheers for productivity!!!! :)

* * * * *

While doing some shopping this weekend, I found myself whistling holiday tunes without realizing it. And while I start to consciously prepare for the holidays, I can't help but think of all the simple things each of us can do to provide some relief and happiness to others. I believe that is truly what makes this time of year feel magical...

If you want to do something to warm someone's heart this year, there are a lot of options. I've included some ideas here for you...

ONE: Collect Plastic

Gather plastic bags from your house and your neighbors' houses to donate to your local food bank. They are always in need of plastic bags to package up all the food they give to those in need. If you have any food you can donate too, that would be great!

If you want to get your neighborhood involved, visit my previous post for an idea of small flyers you can distribute to get everyone to save their bags for you to pick up and donate. :)

TWO: Give Your Time

Give some of your time by finding a volunteer opportunity near you. There are soup kitchens, food banks, children's hospitals, hospices and more! The needs of all of these groups are so varied, you are bound to find something that will work for you. There are a lot of websites out there that will help you find an opportunity that you'll enjoy and that will make the most out of any special skills you may have. VolunteerMatch is one and Serve.gov is another.

 
THREE: Run for a Cause

Sign up for a charity walk or run! The money raised for these events go to really great causes. And event coordinators ensure participants have a really great time while they're there. AND... you always get a goodies bag to take home with you! Not a bad deal if you ask me. A simple Google search will find upcoming runs and walks in your area. :)

FOUR: Save a Life

No need to don your super-hero spandex for this one. Simply donate your blood or sign up to be a bone marrow donor! This is really giving the gift of life... and I can't think of a better way to help someone else. Visit www.givelife.org for more information... I really love the banner I saw when I recently visited the site... "Starve a Vampire. Donate Blood." Ha! Very cute, especially with all the vampire frenzy going on right now!

If you are interested in joining the bone marrow registry, visit the DKMS website for more information. The initial commitment is simply a cheek swab! They will even send the swab kit to you. If you ever match anyone who is looking for a donor and you still wish to donate, you can either donate your blood or your marrow itself. Really an amazing thing that could save someone's life.

 

FIVE: Gifts that Give

When purchasing gifts this year, consider gifts that automatically give when you make a purchase.

For example, Feed Projects offers a variety of merchandise that, when purchased, will help feed the hungry. All of the money goes towards this cause... and you get some really nice merch in exchange! A pretty good deal if you ask me!

The purchase of the original feed bag feeds one child for an ENTIRE YEAR! Wow. 

 

Another cool one is the Kenya bag (which I LOVE). It feeds 2 children for a year:

 

 And for those of you who have or know kiddles, they now have this adorable bear...

 

I love it all. Please consider these as options to give to friends... and their bags make great gifts for "green" friends who who are avoiding plastic bags.

Another great company under this "umbrella" is Tom's Shoes.

Every time a pair of Tom's Shoes are purchased, a pair is donated to a child in need. Incredible. And if you don't dig any of their shoesies, they have other merch that you can purchase... and a pair of shoes will still be donated! LOVE IT!

 

AND MORE...

There are, of course, countless things you could do - these are just a few ideas. If any of you live in the Columbia area, the Salvation Army is doing Angel Trees in a few local malls again this year. You select the name of a child from the tree, purchase the gift they are asking for, and return both to the tree. It's a really neat way to make this Christmas a special one for a child in need.

I really hope you all are doing well - and are able to spend quality time with friends and family this week. Ciao for now!

Sniffles

I've spent the good part of the last three days in bed resting, trying to get over this bug that I caught. Yesterday I was sure that I was on the mend, picturing myself springing out of bed this morning, singing in the shower and attacking the day with gusto.

But... I'm still sitting here in bed, staying hydrated, and sucking down some strange orange liquid every 4 hours, thankful that my tastebuds don't seem to be working properly.

 

There is so much that needs to get done and so much that I want to get done. And Thanksgiving is just a week or so away! I can't wait to get over this cold...

I've spent some of my bed-ridden time checking some of my favorite wedding-related blogs. My current fav? Brooklyn Bride Online.

 

 

It is a really great blog for brides-to-be and anyone else looking for great wedding ideas, cute engagement photo shoots, and adorable save-the-dates and invitations.

You'll really want to check it out.

OK... Back to my bed and my icky orange medicine.

All my best,

-h-

xxoo

Pictures from Magnolia Plantation's Conservatory

Went to the Magnolia Plantation & Gardens in Charleston yesterday...

 

It was stunning... even in the rain.

My favorite was the conservatory deck that overlooked a pond. It felt secluded, quiet and was surrounded by plants in every nook and cranny...

 

 

 

Loved it.

We're going to have to go back one day when we can take it all in in the warm sunshine!

:)

 

Last week, this week...

Things I did this past week:

 

1. Looked at wedding gowns online.

2. Got excited about planning our wedding.

3. Built a raised veggie garden.

4. Worked.

5. Watched a few flicks.

6. Visited the an-er-mals at the Riverbanks Zoo.

7. Bought children's books.

Things I plan to do this week:

- Finish veggie garden.

- Clean the house.

- Plan a trip to Charleston.

- Watch some more flicks.

- Countdown to Thanksgiving.

- Post fav wedding ideas on blog.

(I have a feeling I'll be sharing some of my favorite wedding ideas here over the next year or so... because I've already stumbled across some incredible ideas and concepts!)

Happy, happy Mondays to the flock.

xxoo!!

Hot diggity dog!

So, our first Halloween in the house was pretty fun!

We had a BUNCH of trick-or-treat'ers... I was really surprised! And there were some really cute costumes. My favorite costume of the evening was a very vibrant and colorful Rainbow Brite - a girl after my own heart!

 I ended up getting dressed up in a simple costume, since we were staying at home. I painted a large yellow circle on a white shirt, wore white shorts, devil horns and red eye makeup.

Can you guess what I went as? A DEVILED EGG!! :)

We also let Riley dress up for fifteen minutes or so. I took it off of him as soon as he started to sulk. But it was cute while it lasted!

 

 
 

After we turned out the porch lights and had a bite to eat, we settled in to watch The Orphan. It was... well... not as scary as I'd expected... and the acting was top notch! I ended up enjoying it, which is surprising for me - I'm usually not one for horror movies.

  

I hope you all had excellent Halloween weekends and enjoyed the "extra" hour!

 

xxoo!

-h-