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 ;) 

Weekending with Siena

We had such a fun weekend babysitting our niece overnight for the first time and I have to say, it was a great success! Before I get into things, I wanted to thank everyone who entered into my giveaway on Friday and let you know that if you still haven't entered, you have time! You can enter here.

Friday evening, we kept things low-key - I embroidered after work and then we watched The House which ended up not being very good at all.

Saturday, we were up early so we could pick our niece up and head to Animal Kingdom for the morning! We had a great time and saw lots of animals - her favorite ride was the safari. It was crazy crowded which kind of sucked so Stephen and I skipped lunch. Once Siena was done with her lunch, we stopped by the gift shop and let her pick out a stuffed animal - it was the cutest thing because she kept saying baby and picking up all of the baby stuffed animals her arms could carry. Thankfully, we agreed on a baby Elsa doll and headed back home for a much needed nap.

Ignore her stank face lol The sun was right in her eyes

Little mama's got her hands full

Loving on her babies

After Siena's nap (and our naps ;)) we headed to the park before the sun set, stopped by Old Navy to pick up a few things from their sale, had dinner, splashed around in the bath and finished up the night with Lady and the Tramp.

She was walking her baby around - her obsession with babies is the cutest thing ever!

Sunday, we were up bright and early so we made use of the open field and playground that was empty. She wanted to ride her scooter over to the park and it was the cutest thing ever. The rest of the day we played, had lunch and Siena took a great nap for us before mom and dad came home! 

Once we were relieved of our baby duties, we raced home to get our chores done and I did an embroidery order. It was such a fun weekend and we absolutely loved the one-on-one time with Siena but boy are we tired! Y'all, I am literally sore everywhere... like so pathetic lol I don't know how you mama's do it! Thankfully, Siena was an angel and did so well :)

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

Five on Friday + A Giveaway

One
I'm so excited because we had such a fun time at our #BasicFallParty that we decided to do a #BasicChristmasParty!! This time, we will be getting hot chocolate, driving around to see the local park Christmas light display, decorating sugar cookies and playing Christmas themed games!

Two
Along the lines of a Christmas party, our newlywed group is having an ugly Christmas sweater party! I'm going to sound like such a loser but I've never gotten to go to an ugly Christmas sweater party and can't wait! I'm on the hunt for the perfect outfit now ;)

                   Sweater                                               Sweater Dress 

Three
I saw this hysterical Taylor Swift parody about Joanna Gaines and had to share it!

Four
We are extra excited because we get to babysit our niece overnight for the first time :) Stephen and I are pretty pumped and have some fun things planned - let's hope on Monday I'll be telling y'all it was smooth sailing ;)

Five
I am so excited to share with y'all a super fun giveaway! I have teamed up with CaseApp for another fun collaboration and this time, instead of doing a custom phone case, I picked cases they already had designed. I've been dying to get a palm print phone case and they literally had the perfect palm print! I was so excited when I saw it - I love the way it looks on my phone and I've already gotten tons of compliments on it.

I also tried a new case this year with getting the extra tough case in the super adorable and trendy marble print. I was very impressed with how this case turned out - beyond the marble being absolutely gorgeous, the tough case didn't add bulk or weight at all which always worries me when you go for extra protection in a phone case.

With CaseApp, you can design your own phone case or chose from hundreds of already designed phone cases or laptop skins. I was so impressed with the pre-made designs and the quality of the two cases I received that I might stick with the adorable pre-made designs from here on out. CaseApp has graciously agreed to give away a custom phone case to one of my readers - be sure to enter below, the giveaway will run until Thursday 11/16 and the winner will be announced next Friday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ultimate 2017 Christmas Gift Guide: Kids

I'm joining Brittany and Owen today for the beginning of their 2017 Christmas gift guide! Today, we're covering gifts for kids and while I don't have any children of my own, hopefully this guide will at least give you some ideas :)

1. Bath Time Doll Set: Our niece is 2 and is obsessed with baby dolls right now. Someone got her a small baby doll bath set for her birthday this weekend and she loves playing with it!

2. Nerf Guns: These are definitely for the older kids but Stephen and I have these and they're so much fun! We love running around the house shooting each other with these (we are children lol)

3. LEGO Chain Reaction Kit: I saw this and thought it was the coolest thing! Chain reactions seem to be a big rage on the internet right now so why not use this to encourage your child's imagination - especially if they seem to be little engineers. I would've loved this gift as a kid!

4. Baby Doll Stroller: We got this for our niece's birthday and she loved it! Right away, she had her little babies in it and has taken them on walks

5. Foam Bath Letters: We had these as a kid and loved them. They're the perfect stocking stuffers and you can make learning letters and numbers into a fun bath time game

Weekending

We had the best weekend and let me just say, thank goodness we got that extra hour on Sunday ;)

Friday, some of our friends came over after work for a make-your-own pizza, make-your-own ice cream sundae and game night! We had such a fun time that they ended up staying till 1 am.

Saturday was so much fun! The whole family got together at Disney to celebrate our niece's 2nd birthday with a character breakfast. We loved watching Siena see the characters - even if she hated Goofy and got the biggest kick watching her tear into her gifts!

After Disney, the girls headed to the outlets while Siena took a nap then we went to see the new house my BIL & SIL are building and head to dinner at Red Robin. It was such a fun day but we were definitely ready to go to sleep. 

Sunday, we went to church where my friend, Logan, and I wore the exact same dress lol Naturally, we had to get a picture. After church, we had a nice, relaxing day and I got a lot of embroidery done.

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

Five on Friday

We've officially made it to our first weekend in November and I gotta say, I am quite looking forward to this month! We have so many fun things planned and this weekend we're kicking it off with my niece's 2nd birthday party tomorrow! I honestly can't believe she's already 2 and we can't wait to celebrate with her at a character breakfast at Disney :)

One
Stephen and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year so I wanted to have little pumpkins as the place cards on the table. I ran back to the local pumpkin patch after work on Tuesday and loaded up on pumpkins since they were all on super sale - all of this for $6! Now the tricky part is trying to keep them until Thanksgiving so I need all of your tips! I've already soaked them in bleach/water and put them in the fridge but please send any tips my way :)

Two

Also on Tuesday (Tuesday was filled with all sorts of activities), I got to meet one of my co-workers new baby girl! I loved getting to meet her and her mom was so sweet - she had Olivia in one of the onsies I made her :) 

This gets me all sorts of excited to meet our sweet nephew in 1 month!

Three

For Halloween, we kept things pretty low key. We didn't get out there and settled until a little bit later because I ran to the pumpkin patch, monogrammed a jacket real quick, made dinner and then a friend came to pick up the jacket. We enjoyed seeing all of the kids and their cute costumes and if you saw on Instagram stories, the fire truck came through with candy and some spooky tunes - that was so cool! Shockingly, there wasn't too many people this year... the whole Halloween on a weekday thing kid of kills the mood since our neighborhood seems to go wild when it's on a weekend.

Four
I had to share this photo of my friend's sweet baby in an outfit I monogrammed for his newborn pictures - so crazy how quickly babies grow because he was so tiny in this when he came home :)

Also, I can't handle how adorable the rolls are - I could eat him right up!

Five

I have officially caved and am listening to Christmas music... I just love this Pandora station so much and basically, 1 month isn't enough ;)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!