brown paper packages tied up with strings

these are a few of my favorite things...

well sometimes i envision things and won't let those ideas go until they are finished

last night i envisioned wrapping my families presents in brown contact paper

similar to this

and tying it all together with red raffia

the problem was...

i went to hobby lobby and forgot why i was there and what i needed

i guess i am getting old

 the manager told me they dont have brown contact paper

and  i forgot the actual word 'raffia' and trying to explain raffia to a male was very difficult 

 if you know me

you will know i am not always the best at explaining things

anyways after an hour and a half

i put everything together and checked out with just brown contact paper

they were unfortunately out of red raffia

so my search continued into the craziness of people doing last minute shopping

i finally found the red raffia at world market

i bought every piece of red raffia that they had

so now everything is wrapped perfectly in my eyes

i also finished up christmas shopping yesterday

my dad was my last on my list

hes hard to shop for

but he eventually told me what he wanted and i was able to knock it out

just in time

im working today

the life of being a grown up is not all fun and games

but im heading home promptly at 5

marry christmas eve eve 

hope its great

oh by the way we took our family christmas picture this past weekend

and yet again it was a disaster

more on that later

this is what...

i need right now.

braces

i had braces three times growing up

yes i wore my retainer all the time

the reasoning behind 

being brace face three times

was 

because i grew late in the game

the first time i was in third grade

the second i was in ninth grade

and the third i was in my sophomore year of college

by the third time i did not want to get them off

i felt that people knew me as 

"the girl with braces"

thankfully i have them off and hopefully will not go through any crazy growth spurts that cause me to be

metal mouth, railroad tracks, brace face

and the list goes one

wish i had some pics but i think i will spare everyone

delightfully tacky

this past friday

was the 4th annual tacky christmas party

santa was present

as well as a live nativity scene

the place was covered from floor to ceiling with wrapping paper

they didnt even mind cutting around the tomahawk

go braves! 

or the broom

santa was excited to have all the girls there too

it was a fun filled night

already can't wait till next year!!

paying it forward

with it being advent season

this sunday at church

we talked about 

giving

i feel that i can totally get wrapped up 

getting, getting, getting

instead of giving

lately paying it forward has really been on my heart

not just the movie but the actual deed

about giving and not receiving anything in return

dont get me wrong i LOVE getting surprises on christmas morning

but simple acts of kindness to others or finding the perfect gift

is my all time favorite.

i am just about finished with everything for everyone in my family

and i can not wait for them to open them christmas morning!

lights

living in an apartment complex you dont always get the real vibe of christmas

at least i dont

but last night i was on my way to babysit some precious boys 

i ventured through homewood on my way

it was the first time that i actually felt like christmas

the lights and decorations were beautiful

i feel that lights are the final touch to the christmas spirit

there is nothing like a beautiful home lit up for everyone to enjoy

its usually a family tradition of ours to drive through all the neighborhoods and look at lights on christmas eve

but i had to get in the spirit sooner than christmas eve

i am a white light kind of girl and try to keep it simple

 i have seen some decorations that have been taken over the top

i prefer something more along these lines

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

online purchase

i made my first 

ever

online purchase the other day

it really made me nervous for some reason

but anyways it finally arrived!

i have started resorting to online shopping

or i guess its more online browsing because with work i don't have much time to shop after five

or maybe time isn't the thing but rather its been way too cold

anyways

i think from now on

i will do most of my shopping online

tonight i will be putting on lots of this

 to get ready for the annual tacky christmas party

pictures to come

i hope yall have a great weekend!

cold weather

there are days that i think i want to move to new york, chicago or maybe even denver 

to be around the snow

then days like this happen

its 43 degrees out right now

and then i remember how much i hate the cold

i ran from my office to my car

from my car to my apartment 

then cuddled up in my snuggie for my lunch break

i am not kidding

i mean seriously i am a wimp to say the least

tonight the low is 26

i will definitely not being making any trips out tonight

yikes!

last friday night i was determined to finish all my shopping

i failed

i got nothing

there is something wrong with me because i seem to be unable to pull the trigger and just buy the gift

its like i will be able to find something better

or something for a better price

on a good note i figured out what im going to get my mom

she is going to be so pumped

any ideas for dad's that say that dont want anything?

or your sister/best friend that is super cheap but wants the most expensive thing out there?

i need help.

thanks caroline for the shout out 

cards

for the longest time i mean i guess for the past 22 years 

my family has always and i mean always done a christmas card

usually by the end of the photo shoot someone is crying

or everyone was has gotten in a fight

it ridiculous

this reminds me of the way our pictures usually go

no one wants cooperate

one year my mom had us dressed up in USC 

(university of southern california) 

cheer leading outfits 

while we all sat in a tree

it was dumb but that was what was sent out

a couple years back we all dressed in under armour

with sporting goods draped around our us

looking back i am really embarrassed

this year we did not take one over

thanksgiving and i dont really know what we are going to do because i will not be home till christmas eve

maybe my family will just photo shop me in

looking back taking our family christmas picture brings back hilariously great memories

so all in all im thankful for those crazy family pictures

im sure that you would be able to find one of them on

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

do yall have any nightmarish family photo tradition? 

the ultimate question

so for the past weeks 

rumors have been flying

fingers have been pointed

and names have been called

i think this finally sums up

everything

http://www.iscameligible.com