Weekending

We had such a fun weekend and with all our Christmas activities along with the cold weather, we are finally getting into the Christmas mood! Friday night, we hosted #BasicChristmasParty which was a lot of fun. Everyone came over and we ate dinner, drove around the neighborhood to look at lights, made gingerbread houses and played a game. It was a lot of fun and it was a great way to forget about the week's stress and enjoy time with friends.

Elyssa made the best Moscow Mules!

And we celebrated Jeanna's birthday

After dinner, we decided against driving 30 minutes to see the big Christmas light show and just drove around the neighborhood to see the lights. It was fun to see them and Stephen and I checked that one off our list ;)

After lights, it was time for gingerbread houses. Since each couple was going to do their own gingerbread house, Stephen and I decided to get a village kit so we could each have our own houses to do and wouldn't clash on design ideas. Thankfully, it worked out really well and we realized that the smaller houses held up structurally better because our friends' regular houses kept caving in. 

I had a lot of leftover herbs from our turkey brine so I used them to decorate the houses

After the houses, we played a new game called Fish Bowl. It was so much fun, even though the boys won ;)

Saturday, we were up bright and early to head to Orlando to attend my SIL's Grandfather's funeral. The mass was beautiful and we're all so sad to see him go.

After the funeral, we got dressed and headed over to Disney for our annual Christmas Disney date. We stopped in MK to get lunch and see the decorations. thankfully, that's all we wanted to see because it was packed.

After MK, we headed over to Epcot to check out their Christmas around the world which was a lot of fun. It was freezing and I underestimated how cold it would actually be - we could've used a few more layers but it definitely helped us get into the Christmas spirit. After walking around the countries, we watched the Candlelight Processional where Kurt Russel read the Christmas story. It was so pretty and they did such a great job.

After the show, we grabbed dinner then headed out. This was a new change of pace for us because we usually stay later in the night but it was so nice to get home, put on a Christmas movie, read in bed and it not be 11 pm. 

Sunday, we went to church then I got to work churning out orders. It feels so good to get things checked off my list - almost done for the year!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Only 2 weeks until Christmas (how is that possible!?) Linking up with Biana.

Thanksgiving 2017

This Thanksgiving was a little different this year - we hosted it for the first time! Since getting married, we've alternated Thanksgiving and Christmas with our families and this year it was a Hirst Thanksgiving. My BIL & SIL hosted 2 years ago when our niece was 3 weeks old so Stephen and I decided to step up our game and host before we had kids to deal with ;)

I was nervous about the turkey but thankfully, we borrowed our BIL & SIL's roaster which freed up the oven and Stephen attempted a smoked turkey - both turned out amazing!! I wanted to make sure everything was cooked on time and ready to eat shortly after everyone came over. Everyone laughed at me when I said I was going to make a cooking schedule utilizing a Gnatt chart but let me tell you, it worked like a charm and kept me on track! 

Getting my first turkey ready - we bought a brine kit from Publix and it worked so well for the roasted turkey and Stephen made a custom brine for his smoked turkey breast. Stephen also thinks I look like Tupac with that bandana ;)

Even though we ordered a fresh turkey, it was still frozen so I broke out the hair dryer to melt the inside so I could get the neck out

I was really happy with how the tablescape turned out. I had a thick, plastic table cloth and paper leaf placemats which worked great since our niece was 2 - I didn't have to worry with anything getting ruined. I picked up a bunch of pumpkins on Halloween for dirt cheap at the local patch and left them in the fridge after soaking them for a few minutes in a bleach/water solution. I was really happy that they stayed fresh and I was able to use the small pumpkins as place cards. 

We prepped everything the night before so that on Thanksgiving day, we had some time to sit on the couch, watch the parade and look through Black Friday ads - it was perfect. Everyone came over about an hour before we were supposed to eat so once everything was pulled out of the oven, we were good to go!

We didn't have any toys for Siena in the house so I grabbed her my old iPhone and she loved it!

When we pulled the turkey out and I saw the leg bones sticking out, I panicked thinking it was bad but thankfully, it was fine - just didn't look as pretty (and you can see my schedule on the counter on the right lol!!)

Stephen cutting his smoked turkey breast - next time, we'll get a full size!

Stephen's mom brought all of the pies!

After lunch, Siena took a nap while we cleaned up and watched some videos. It was a pretty rainy day but thankfully, it cleared up later in the afternoon so we went outside and played some football and corn hole. 

After corn hole, Stephen, Lauren and I loaded up and hit a few stores nearby - we didn't find too many deals. My BIL & SIL headed home that night while my in-laws and little BIL stayed the night. The next morning, we had cinnamon rolls and chatted until it was time for leftovers for lunch. 

After lunch, Stephen and I headed out to the outlets while my in-laws headed home. I found a ton of great things at J Crew as well as some other little items we had gone in for. If you didn't see on social media, we were stuck in the parking garage for 1 hour and 45 minutes... and there was no earthly reason why we were stuck!! It super sucked but let's be real, it could've been way worse - we could have a screaming baby in the back and have bad attitudes lol After getting home, we did another big house clean to get ready for Christmas decorations!

Stephen's now having fun and making faces in my mirror pictures

Blazer / Sweater / Button Down / Boots

It was a great Thanksgiving and I'm so glad we were able to have Stephen's family over (and it went really well lol). Although, I don't think we'll be hosting for quite some time haha! Linking up with Annie

Ultimate 2017 Christmas Gift Guide: Women

I'm excited to be linking up with some fabulous ladies again this week for our women's Christmas gift guide! This one was a lot easier for me - all of these items I either already have, I want for Christmas this year or I just think they're super cute :)

1. L.L. Bean Boots: This is one item I've always wanted but since we live in Florida, doesn't make sense to buy. You better believe if I ever live in an area where it snows, you better believe I'll be buying a pair! They're so classic and adorable

2. Kate Spade Wallet: I actually got this wallet a few years ago for Christmas and it still looks brand new! And to make things even better, the outlet stores usually have amazing sales during black Friday weekend. 

3. Longchamp Le Pliage Tote: Stephen got this for me 5 or 6 years ago and it's still going strong! Seriously, I'm so glad I got this purse - it has held up so well and I've never heard anyone say anything negative about Longchamps.

4. Kate Spade Crossbody: This is the most precious crossbody. So classic and feminine - I love the light blue color for a pop of fun

5. Hunter Boot Socks: Since Hunter Boots aren't very well insulated, you need a good paid of warm socks and I've heard great things about their socks. I also love how they go on top of the boot and still have the cute tag.

6. Hunter Boots: I got these Hunter Boots in hunter green 2 years ago and I absolutely love them. I wish I could wear them more often but they're so adorable and versatile. I love the green color because it matches perfectly with blues, blacks and browns without being too in your face.

7. Ginger Jars: I absolutely love the look of ginger jars and have questioned multiple times why I didn't do a blue and white scheme in our house... Fortunately, our master bed room has a blue and white look to it so I'm thinking I need to add some ginger jars to my lonely 1 jar that I already have. Love this one and this one.

8. Old Navy Cardigan: I got this cardigan on sale at the end of summer and love it. The fit is amazing and so flattering - I was so upset when I washed it per the directions and it shrank. Thankfully, they replaced it so I only handwash it now to ensure it won't shrink because I love it so much. Don't forget everything will be 50% off at Old Navy on black Friday ;)

9. Makeup Brush Cleaning Mat: I really need to wash my makeup brushes more and this looks like just the tool! I've seen the Sigma mats which can be upwards of $30 easily and with this one under $10, it's the perfect stocking stuffer! 

10. Jack Rogers: I received my first pair of Jacks for Christmas about 6 years ago and they are the best sandals I've owned. Even though you might not be able to wear the sandals for a few months because of cold weather, they're worth it. Oh, and be warned that they do have a break in period but once they're broken in, you're good to go and you'll never want to get rid of them.

11. Monogram Necklace: I've got this on my list this year - I love how delicate the necklace is and I can never pass down a good monogram ;) I'm still trying to figure out if I want the Nordstrom one or the Bauble Bar one - definitely let me know if you have an opinion on that!

12. Portable Waterproof Speaker: Stephen got me this speaker last year for my birthday and I love it! It's small, yet has amazing sound quality and won't break the bank. I use it every morning while I get ready which totally beats the phone speaker.

13. Old Navy Vest: I love Old Navy vests, especially with an adorable monogram. I also happen to know someone who can monogram your vests ;) 

Labor Day Weekending

We were so thankful for the long weekend and even though we only had plans on Saturday, we were able to get a ton of things done the rest of the weekend - definitely a labor day on Monday ;) Needless to say, there were a lot of things to get done and we're glad we were at home and able to get them done.

Friday, I worked on some PPE after work, we ate Pub subs for dinner and then watched Baywatch before bed - it ended up being just okay, it was pretty silly.

Saturday, we slept in and before heading to Disney, we stopped by our friends' house to support their kids' lemonade stand to benefit Houston. It was such a cute stand and we loved being able to pop in to see them :) Afterwards, we were off to Epcot for our first Food and Wine Festival visit of the year. It was crowded but we loved getting to try some of the new foods they had this year!

These guys were so good and fun to watch!

I seriously don't know how I grew up in Florida and yet every year, I get weaker and weaker in the heat lol I felt so bad until it got overcast then I was like a whole new person!

Loaded Mac N Cheese

Ahi Tuna

Pot stickers and duck bao bun

Charcuterie in a cone

Salmon BLT sushi

Almost the minute after we got our last dish, it started raining. Thankfully, it wasn't a hard rain so we decided to head over to Magic Kingdom to finish out our evening. We really only wanted to see the fall decorations (okay, that was me), use our 1 fastpass and get a dole whip but once it stopped raining, we decided to hang around for the fireworks. We watched them from the back of the park so we were able to scoot as soon as they were over and not wait in the longest lines ever. 

We made a pit stop to the dance party before watching the fireworks ;)

Sunday we went to church and then one of our friends' came by to advice us on my business and the next steps we should take. We were so thankful for his advice and hopefully within the next year, we'll be doing some big things! The rest of the day we worked on getting things done around the house and then started Despicable Me 3 but we didn't get very far before Stephen fell asleep.

Monday, we slept in and then I got to work on a bunch of embroidery items while Stephen did a lot of car work. I finally tried out Sheaffer's recommendation on how to cut a blanket scarf and it worked!! I love how my scarf turned out and wanted to add a monogram that wasn't super prominent... it ended up being hidden because the blacks blended so well lol

Later that afternoon, we scotch-guarded all of our kitchen chairs and then ran out to shoot some pictures for an upcoming milestone for PPE :) Overall, it was a really productive weekend! Now, we're lying in wait to see what this new hurricane is going to do... pray that it goes back into the Atlantic and no one is affected!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend as well!! Linking up with Biana