Tag: holidays

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Family/Travel

Visiting the Parents

We enjoyed a great trip this past weekend to VA to visit my parents. We went up there to help celebrate my Dad’s 55th birthday & my parents 30th anniversary which was actually on the 22nd. My OIB grandparents were able to come up with Bocce the puppy also. It was so great to see everyone! Chubs (aka brother Steven) & his girlfriend Beth came over with their new addition~ puppy French Bulldog Quinn.

I didn’t take my camera but my Dad took a few fun pictures of the dogs getting to know each other. Bocce is older & bigger, but Quinn’s been around a lot more dogs. Bocce was very scared! After 5 hours, they finally kinda became buddies. I think it’ll take a weekend at OIB for them to really get along.

We celebrated together by cooking at home & making a few yummy drinks & playing Left Right Center. Jason & I got Dad a new cooler full of Diet Cheerwine (which he can’t get in VA). We went in with Beth & Steven & gave Mom & Dad flowers & a gift card to a local non-chain Italian place. Its their favorite take-out spot! Hope they enjoy!

Categories
Everything Else

Valentine’s Day 2010

Today’s been a pretty good Valentine’s day. Hope everyone’s had a happy one! Day started out great~ Jason let me sleep in til 10:45! Love it!! I then made blueberry pancakes with the TJ’s buttermilk mix I got for the $1.99 on Friday. They were very fluffy & yummy. I served them with cranberry/oj mimosas left over from Kelly’s kitchen shower yesterday (another post to come). I continued to enjoy mimosas the rest of the morning which made studying for my INS 21 test fun. 🙂
I’d been stalking RedBox all week to find Couples Retreat. Last night it popped up at the Kroger near our house! So Jason & I watched it this afternoon. Although a lot of the funny parts were in previews, I still really enjoyed it. I’m trying to keep up with my goal of watching more movies this year (I’m now looking to rent Time Traveler’s Wife next).
We decided to make dinner at home tonight to celebrate Valentine’s Day instead of fighting crowds & spending a lot of money out. I made my SiL’s chicken casserole & Jason helped me make garlic rice (from a box, were not that good!). Both turned out really well & we have yummy leftovers for lunch/dinner tomorrow!
I’m taking one of my hopefully last insurance tests in 11 hours so I better get off the computer & study. That & our last skinny cow strawberry ice cream sandwich is calling my name!

Categories
Everything Else

Favorite Ornaments

I’d forgotten I’d taken these (so I could make a post) until I just saw them when I downloaded the pictures from my camera. I thought I’d share a few of our favorite ornaments & their history.This owl ornament was a birthday gift this year from my parents. I love that it’s made of real feathers.This frame (the tassel says 2009) was given to Jason & I the Christmas after our Sept wedding.Jason says this is his favorite of our NCSU ornaments. Its a bell & the ringer is a lil NCSU football player.
I found the wedding cake ornamnet on sale day after Christmas 07. It makes me smile every time I see it.My friend Brooke gave me this tree ornament a couple of years ago. I think its fun & a lil funky.I got this ornament after we brought Moe into our family in 2005.
We bought this ornament on our honeymoon. There were iganas everywhere in Aruba!

Categories
Everything Else

Getting Ready…

For Christmas!
I think we’re about done. Decorations are out. Nothing but Christmas music playing on the radio. Christmas cards sent~ two years ago we sent super cute wedding photo ones; last year I found fun owl cards at Target. This years are a lil more boring but they work!
Cookies baked & exchanged. I’ll get around to posting my favorite recipes of ones I received soon.Gifts are purchased and most are wrapped. I need to pick up a few gift bags & bows but everything looks nice under the tree. I can’t put bows on until we get up to my parent’s~ due to Moe eating them &/or getting smashed on the car ride up. Oh and it might snow this weekend~ what a great way to get even more in the holiday spirit!The owl tree!

Our manger scene, along with a few wooden carolers.
This end table has all red & white items like snowmen & candy canes.
This end table has a tree theme. Just need to add a good picture of Jason & I in front of the tree to that frame.

Categories
Everything Else

Christmas Decorating!

I made an unexpected trip to Midlothian this past week to help my parents and grandparents decorate. I went after work and made it home in time for dinner with family including my brother & his girlfriend. We then decorated the living room & more formal Christmas tree.
The plan for Saturday was to decorate the stairs in the AM, then get a tree, decorate the outside then decorate the tree & rest of the inside. But that plan changed because of the rain & SNOW (it didnt stick but was still pretty to see)!! So instead we decorated the inside then Mom, Nana & I ran a few Christmas errands. I can’t wait for Christmas morning; I might just have pick out the Kitchenaid stand mixer I’ve dreamed about at Costco with Nana!!!!! I’ll update with pictures from my parent’s house and of my mixer Christmas morning. Until then look at it from the Amazon picture. 🙂I left Sunday morning and kept up the decorating spirit at our house. I put up the owl tree, decorated the tables & mantle. We got our tree from Lowe’s and I think we picked a good one! We finished decorating the tree late Sunday night.
My grandparents & Bocce then stopped by our house on the way home Monday. Jason & I left work and did a few projects. Nana & I made bows & hung pre-lit wreaths on the windows & front door.Jason & Pawpaw gave our mailbox a major makeover. They sanded off the peeling paint, repainted white primer, put on a new rubber box that won’t rust and redid the hanging numbers. It looks awesome!