My FAVORITES Moments from each Month of 2017

I hope you all have had a WONDERFUL Christmas with all your friends and family. We sure did... I am going to recap all of our Christmas fun over the next few weeks. I had intended to do those post earlier this week but Ben took the week off and we have so enjoyed our family time.

WOW...I can't believe Sunday evening we will be ringing in 2018. It is just CRAZY to me how fast this year has FLOWN by so before we say HELLO 2018, I wanted to highlight some of our FAVORITE moments from 2017.

FAVORITE moments from 2017

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FIVE THINGS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2017

Merry Christmas Weekend, Friends. I am so excited for today's FIVE things Friday, What's Bringing me JOY because I am one of the NEW Co-HOST!! Thank you Stephanie, Beth, and Crystal for letting me join you guys!

These are some of my FAVORITE post because it quickly reminds me to enJOY the little things in life. Because one day it will be the little things that matter the most.

So I hope you will join us and share 5 things that are bringing you JOY right now in your life.

What's Up Wednesday {December 2017}

Y'all, we are 5 days away from Christmas and 11 days until January 1st. WHERE HAS THIS YEAR GONE?? Seriously, I feel like it has flown by. Who's with me?

I am joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday!! 

Christmas Bar Cart + Cranberry Moscow Mule

Of all of my Christmas decorations, my bar cart is my absolute FAVORITE. I am so excited to share it with you guys today. It has been so much fun to decorate/change up for all the holidays and seasons. But I think Christmas might just be my FAVORITE. 

So without further ado...Here is my perfectly stocked Christmas Bar Cart plus my FAVORITE Cranberry Moscow Mule Recipe. 

Hello Monday

Hello Monday! I can't even believe it is ONE week until Christmas! The kids have school 2.5 days this week then our Christmas break officially starts. 

We had a fun and festive weekend. 

Friday Favorites

Y'all it's FRIDAY again. I feel like this week has FLOWN by! We have 3.5 more days of school then we are on Winter Break and we couldn't be happier! We are SO ready for a break!

Like most Friday's, I am sharing a few of our FAVORITES this week.

Surviving the Holidays

Last year my friend, Stephanie, looked at me and said "you are a bah humbug" this year and she was ABSOLUTELY right. #truthhurts. I overbooked myself, I didn't plan well, I couldn't say NO to anyone. I thought I could do it all and still enjoy the magic of the season and boy was I WRONG. I was just WAITING for Christmas to be over so I wouldn't be overstressed anymore. #wasitheonlyone

So this year, I promised myself that I would NOT repeat last year and so far, I have NOT! It has truly been a magical time so far.

I made sure to enjoy this holiday season and here are the 4 steps that I have followed to make sure I stay MERRY & BRIGHT this Christmas season.

Deck The Halls

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. I love everything about this time of year but I especially LOVE Christmas decorations. So today I am sharing how we "decked the halls" this year! 

I kept some of it the same as last year but I did change up some of it. I also went with "less is more" this year, as well. This is probably my FAVORITE post to write each year. 

Our Christmas Tree. 

Hello Monday {Great Aunt Edition}

Hello Monday and Hello Friends!! This weekend, I became a GREAT aunt...not because I am old but because I am FABOULOUS! I can't wait to share our newest bundle of JOY with y'all!! I hope you will join Johannah and me for Hello Monday! Remember anything goes...

Friday Favorites

Hello Friends & Hello Friday! I hope you have had a great week. We sure have so I am going to share a few of our FAVORITES!

Monthly Goals + November Book Review

If you have been a long time reader then you know that I love monthly goals! I love to see what I can accomplish and I love to share them here because it helps keep me accountable!

The first part of this post is going to be all about goals while the second part will be what I read this month.

Happy Birthday to our Ian Michael

I can't believe we have a TEENAGER in the house. I swear it feels like he was just 2. We are SO proud of the young man he is becoming. We celebrated this weekend with 8 of his buddies at our house. Then ended the weekend with dinner with my family. Tonight we are going to a local restaurant for .50 cent wings. Perfect for a growing boy.

Hello Monday {Birthday & Basketball}

Hello Monday! I hope you guys had an awesome weekend. We sure had a busy one. I hope you will grab our graphic and join myself and Johannah for Hello Monday! Remember anything goes...

Our Most FAVORITE Time of Year.

Happy Friday Friends! This week has been straight up CRAZY! We have been SUPER busy. We traded my Expedition for a newer Expedition but it was still at the body shop (getting fixed AGAIN from hitting a deer) so I had to worry about getting it to the dealership where we traded it, Ben left for Arizona on Tuesday, I had my glass stove top replaced because I cracked the original, I have new couches being delivered today, I have a very busy Etsy Shop this time of year, and then with all the kids extracurricular activities this mama is EXHAUSTED!

With all of that being said, I wanted to be reminded of all the happy and FAVORITE moments that we are looking forward to this Christmas Season.

So let me share with you our Christmas Bucket List!!

Family Photos 2017

At the end of October, we had our family photos made. I have gotten them back, added several to the gallery wall and ordered our Christmas card. I LOVE how they turned out this year. My friend, Katie, has taken them for the past 4 years. She does a great job!

So much to be Thankful for during our Thanksgiving Break...

Happy Tuesday Friends. I hope you have all recovered and are easing back into reality. I know yesterday was crazy busy for me!

We had such an awesome Thanksgiving Break and I can't wait to show you our fun!

Hello Monday {Thanksgiving}

Happy Monday Friends. We had a really great but busy Thanksgiving week and I was unable to get my post ready for today!
But Johannah and I would love for you to still join us for Hello Monday! I will be back tomorrow!!

An InLinkz Link-up

What's Up Wednesday {November}

November you went by super quick but you brought along a lot of FUN! I have lots to recap today. 

Fall Bucket List- What We Accomplished

When the clock strikes midnight on Thanksgiving, I am in full on Christmas mode and Christmas means Winter, so I thought I would share our Fall Bucket List Update!

However, my house is already decorated for Christmas for a few different personal reasons. We generally do not put up any Christmas decorations until the day after Thanksgiving.

Fall Bucket List UPDATE 

Hello Monday

Hello Monday! Happy Thanksgiving Week! The kids are out of school all week and we are SO thankful!

I have been super busy lately so today I am going to share a little bit of life lately! Grab our graphic and join Johannah and me!! Remember anything goes...

My Favorite Amazon Purchases

We have 39 days until CHRISTMAS! I LOVE this time year. I love the hustle and bustle, I love the extra time with family, I love sipping a cup of coffee by the fireplace. Oh, my heart is just going pitter patter right now.
Usually, on Fridays, I share our FAVORITES from the week but since this week I have mainly been cleaning and glittering. I thought it would be fun to share my FAVORITE Amazon purchases.
I have been an Amazon Prime Member for 2 years now and I have no desire to ever NOT be a Prime Member! Generally, something from Amazon arrives on my doorstep daily! I know I need Prime Anonymous or at least put it on a wine glass! HA

Mexico Part Dos & Recipe Club Link Up!

It is the 3rd Wednesday of the month, so it recipe club day! Since this has been a crazy month for me I do not have a recipe to share I will still have the link up at the bottom of this post!

Today I am sharing part DOS of our AMAZING Mexico trip! If you missed part UNO, check it out here! 

      Mexico

Mexico Part UNO

Hola! We have been back from Mexico for a week now and I finally feel like I am back in the grove... why does 6 days out of reality totally mess me up?? Or is it just me?? I mean for 6 days I had people bring me food, drinks, make my bed, do my laundry, turn down my bed, you get the point! It was glorious! oh so glorious! Ben is in sales and every year their incentive is to sell x amount and if you do then you earn President's Trip. In the 14 years that Ben has worked for the company, he has only missed 2 trips! That is pretty impressive if you ask me. ;)

Let me share with you days 1-3 of our trip today.

Mexico

Hello Monday {Life Lately}

Hello Monday and Hello Friends! I am so sorry for my radio silence last week. I missed you guys! I am still trying to play blog catch up so bear with me. We got home from Mexico late last Tuesday night and it was a whirlwind of a week after that! Today I am going to share a little bit of life lately since arriving back to reality! Grab our graphic and link up below! Remember anything goes...

Hola Monday

Hello again from Mexico! I can't wait to recap this amazing trip for you guys! But while I'm still enjoying my vacation you guys go ahead and link up below! I'll be back later this week with a recap!

Talk to you guys soon! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Friday Favorites

Hola Friends! Ben and I are in Mexico till Tuesday. It's his President's Trip that he earned from work so we are without kids! If you need me, you will find me by the pool with a fruity drink and my nose in my Kindle! :)

As usual, I am sharing a few of our FAVORITES this week!

October Book Review

During the months of September and October, I read 5 books.  Last month, I shared Ella's Book Club, so today I will recap September and October's books. Disclaimer: I love my romance novels! 

November Monthly Goals

Happy Halloween! I hope you have so much fun today with your ghost or goblin!

Y'all all know how much I love setting monthly goals for myself and then sharing them here to help keep me accountable!
So I am going to share my November Monthly Goals!

Hello Monday

Hello Monday! We had a great weekend except last night didn't end so well. But we will get to that in a minute.
I hope you will join Johannah and myself for Hello Monday.

Friday Favorites {Joy}

Oh, Friday I am so happy to see you! I feel like this week was never going to end. We have another fun weekend planned! Like most Friday's, I am going to share a few of our FAVORITES from this week but also what is bringing me JOY! 

What's Up Wednesday {October}

Y'all it is ALMOST November. Before we know it it is going to be 2018! Crazy how fast this year has gone by but it's been a great one!
Since it's the last Wednesday of the month I am joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday!! 

Family Fun Halloween Night Traditions

As the years have passed, I have noticed that our little family has made lots of traditions. We generally do the same thing every year around Halloween. I thought it would be fun to share our Halloween traditions with y'all today! Because who knows you may want to start your own traditions this year.

Hello Monday {Lazy Weekend}

Hello Monday! Well, Friends, we had a great weekend with a mixture of fun and just being pure lazy that I took very few pictures. So I have no weekend recap for y'all today. Plus, Ben and I were out late last night at a dinner at Atlanta Athletic Club. #mamastired

But I wanted you to be able to still link up for Hello Monday! So grab our graphic and link up below!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Friends! This week has just been crazy, so today's list of FAVORITES is going to be short and sweet.

Daily Dime {October 2017}

If you are looking for our monthly Recipe Club, Don't Panic! You can still link up below!~ I was part of an amazing Fall Recipe Hop yesterday and I shared our FAVORITE Soups, Stews, and Chilis! So be sure to check it out! 

Just call me nosy because I love day in the life post. I love to see how people go about their normal day to day life. 

Soups, Stews, and Chilis

It has finally started to feel like fall here in Georgia (well just yesterday, haha). 

When I think of fall, I often time think of one-pot meals. That is why I love my slow cooker so much!  and FYI-It's 50% off. It's still pricey but oh so worth it! 

I thought it would be fun to put together a list of our FAVORITE Soups, Stews, and Chilis! 

Hello Monday {Back to Reality}

Hello Monday, Hello Reality.....Man after having 10 days off, reality is HARD! #thestruggleisreal

But we did have an AWESOME weekend that I will recap for you guys! We had a pretty low key Fall Break but ended it with a bang!! 

So grab our graphic and join us!! 

Friday Favorites {Fall Break Edition}

Happy Friday! Yay for the weekend, but BOO for the end of our Fall Break! We always enjoy our time off from reality! We are headed to Pigeon Forge today for an overnight adventure! Last night, Ben and I went to see Garth Brooks open up the Mercedes-Benz Stadium for concerts! Garth is a long time FAVORITE of Ben's! Be sure to check back here Monday for a recap of both fun events! 

So like most Friday's, I am sharing our FAVORITES from the week! 

5 Ways to Make your Home Feel Cozy

*this post contains affiliate links. Meaning if you purchase from my blog, I could earn a small commission at no extra charge to you.

One reason I love Fall & Winter is the feeling of coziness that those seasons bring. 

The definition of 

co·zy

Adjective: giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation. 

That is exactly how I want my home to feel. Wheather it is just my family of 4 or a big get together like our Bulldawg Bash! I want everyone to feel welcome and cozy! 

Today I am going to share with you 5 Ways that I make my Home feel Cozy. 

Happy Birthday Ella!

I cannot BELIEVE that my Ella is 10 today! Two WHOLE hands, a full decade......and cue the tears! 

She reminded me earlier this year that I was going to have a double-digit daughter and a teenager as a  son! Thanks, Ella....NOT! 😢😢

Since we are on Fall Break, I asked Ella if she wanted to do anything special for her birthday! She said "I want to sleep in, have a movie marathon, and eat breakfast for dinner" Well her wish is my command.... today on the movie line up we have Harry Potter, Space Jam, and Hocus Pocus!! We had her friend birthday party 2 weekends ago with lots of red carpet fun! This past weekend, we spent the day at Jaemor Farms with some of my family and ended it with lunch with Ben's parents! So this sweet girl has had a full week of celebrating! 

Hello Monday {Fall Y'all}

Hello Monday! We are on Fall Break this week and we are SO excited! No schedules, No Homework! But both kids are getting their bottom braces today, so we have an afternoon of soup and movies ready!! 

Hope you guys had a GREAT weekend! We sure did, so like most Monday's, I am going to recap our FUN! 

Grab our graphic and join Johannah and me....

Friday Favorites

Well, Friends, We made it to FRIDAY and the kids are officially on FALL BREAK! We have a lot planned this weekend and next week! With a good mixture of fun and relaxation! We are also celebrating a certain little girl turning 10! 

As usual, I am sharing a few of our FAVORITES this week! 

Book Club for Girls {or Boys}

So one day Ella came to me and said: "Mom, I want to start a book club". You can only imagine my book-loving self-jumping for joy! I said: "Ella, you know that means you have to actually read a book" (she has a tendency to start something and not finish it). We decided on Wonder by RJ Palacio because they were reading it in class. Not to mention, she came home every day talking about the book. 

October Monthly Goals

Another Month, Another set of Goals!! I love setting goals and especially posting them on this little space of mine because I kinda feel like y'all help keep me accountable! 

Hello Monday {Red Carpet Edition}

Hello Monday! We had a great weekend celebrating a special "almost" 10-year-old.....

I hope you will join Johannah and me for Hello Monday! Anything goes....

Friday Favorites {Mug Edition}

*this post contains affiliate links. 

Happy Friday Friends. I hope you have had an awesome week! We have a fun weekend planned! We are celebrating Ella's birthday early. 

As usual, I am sharing a few of our FAVORITES this week. 

What's Up Wednesday {September}

WOW....Just WOW! I can't believe it is ALMOST October! Seriously, where has this year gone??

So here is a little bit of what we have been up to this month!! 

I am joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for What's Up Wednesday!! 

Fall Home Tour

Happy Tuesday, Y'all! Hope your week is off to a great start! Today I am sharing how I decorated my house for the FALL!! This past July, I really cleaned out my decorations, rearranged some furniture, and minimized a lot of my decorations that were on display! I was going with the "less is more" theory. I really wanted to go with the same theory for my Fall decorating. 

Hello Monday

Oh, Monday we meet again. After the crazy busy week, we had last week, you came rather quickly! 

Like most Monday's, I am recapping our weekend. So I hope you will join Johannah and me for Hello Monday! 

5 Things Friday {September 2017}

Happy Friday Friends!! Y'all know how much I LOVE Fridays but I really love this FRIDAY! 

Today I am the guest co-host along with Sarah for the second 5 Things Friday! I am going to share 5 things that are CURRENTLY bringing me JOY! 

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

I got a bread machine last year and I love it. But I only seem to make bread in it during the cooler months. I'm not sure why that happened. I guess I associate "baking" with Fall and Winter. Who knows... So today I am going to share a Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread recipe that I make in my bread machine. My co-host posted their favorite recipes yesterday but since it was my anniversary I had a special post up instead! If you are like me and just getting a recipe post up today or have one you would love to share, link up below! 

14 years and going strong.....

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week. Today is a special day in my life. On this day 14 years ago, I became a Mrs. So instead of my normal recipe club day post I am going to share 14 things that I have learned as a wife.
However, I do hope you join my co-host Johannah and Jenna for Recipe Club Day and tomorrow I will be sharing my yummy chocolate chip banana nut bread recipe...YUM!