Top 2 Christmas Memories

Christmas Eve Candlelight service at church, we've gone at the 11pm service for as long as I can remember, I love singing the traditional Christmas hymns and the Christmas story as well.

Opening presents Christmas morning as a family. We've always had Christmas morning at my parents house, never any place else. I still follow this tradition even though I have my own family. We divide out the gifts and everyone opens one at the same time until we're done, then we have breakfast.

a wee bit

I'm back! Even though we are on "Ryan Time" at least now I have a few minutes to blog :)






{one} did you buy a christmas tree this year?
yep :)

{two} what is your favorite holiday tradition?
making a gingerbread house and going to the Christmas Eve Candlelight service at 11pm at Church

{three} do you open your gifts on christmas eve or christmas day?
A little one on Christmas Eve, and the rest Christmas Day!

{four} at what age did you stop believing in santa claus?
I'm not sure, we still have gifts from 'santa' at my parent's :)

{five} do you fill stockings?
With little things. I also have a stocking at my parent's house

{six} handmade presents or store bought presents?
Store bought but home-made treats and goodies

{seven} do you have a favorite christmas meal?
Not really, I love the holiday snacks and desserts

{eight} is your christmas tree real or artificial?
Always real and at least 8ft tall, it's in the living room! We have a little 3ft artificial one in the kitchen though.

{nine} what is your favorite christmas song?
Carol of the Bells

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Carol Of The Bells @ Yahoo! Video

{ten} did you send out christmas cards this year?
Working on that now! :)

A Gift For Bloggers

With a new baby in the house things have been crazy! I'm finally starting have a routine and back to the normal schedule. But besides regular life it seems like the holidays have snuck up on me! I just finished decorating the tree and house for Christmas (I haven't finished the outside, yet) and I haven't bought one single gift. On top of that, Christmas cards have started to come in the mail and let's just say that our card is the last thing that's been on my mind. Thankfully I remembered an email I had received a week ago from Shutterfly about an offer they  have for bloggers... 50 FREE CHRISTMAS CARDS!


I mean, who can pass up that kinda offer!


Shutterfly is awesome for taking ordinary pictures and turning them into something fabulous! 


We usually go with the traditional Christmas Photo Cards but this year we might just go with something different since Ryan was born so close to the holidays.


Shutterfly has a great selection of Birth Announcements that are so easy to customize and even holiday ones. We may use something like this:





Shutterfly is also a great place to find photo gifts, we're going to take a picture of Ryan every month and make a custom calendar with them as a gift for my parents for next year.

P.S. Be sure to head over there and get started on your own Christmas cards!

introducing...

Baby R has graced us with his presence
Born November 10th at 7:56pm

7lbs and 19.5 inches long

Over-Due

Just a brief update...

As expected 'baby' has decided to be fashionably late. My due date came and went without any birth day celebrations. I'm kinda bummed but I would rather that 'baby' comes when he is ready. I'll let yall know if anything chances but as of now it's a waiting game. However, he does have an eviction date if he doesn't come on his own per the doc's orders.

Here's a glimse of what I'm looking like these days...

Thanks for all the emails and comments of concern, I really appreciate it!

Thanksgiving Dilemma

With the holidays coming there's nothing like family to make them complete. Right now we are determining who is hosting Thanksgiving. We currently have one dining area that has a round glass-top wrought iron table and I just can't picture having Thanksgiving around our table, it just doesn't have that holiday feeling. My parents have a nice drop leaf table that's plenty of room for all of us and just always feels like the perfect setting to have Thanksgiving at, a nice big table that's plenty of room for the turkey and all the fixings, as well as the family. I know that Thanksgiving isn't about the table but more about who is at the table but I can't help but want that traditional feeling... I mean who can't help but want a table that looks like this one:

What kinda table do you gather around for the holidays?

Picture from Country Living

It's November!

Wow! I can't believe it's November, this year has flown by!

Picture via here

November is jammed packed this year!

Big things are in store for this month in our house...
to start it off baby is due on the 4th!

We are so excited and can't wait to meet our little boy! :)

Many other people we know in person (including my cousin) and in the blog world are also expecting this month too! Yay for babies!

The cooler weather finally reaches Florida about this time and I can't wait to wear winter clothes. I bought 3 new pairs of boots on winter clearance last year that I'm dying to finally put on!

 Thanksgiving

I just love watching the Macy's Parade each year!

And the food, ohh the food! I love Thanksgiving-Christmas time because of all the delicious foods that are served. 

The last four football games of the regular season. 
Including the Florida State / Florida Game

 GO NOLES

What are you looking forward to this November?

It's been exactly a week...

....since I've blogged and I feel terrible. Things have been crazy here, this is my last week of work before maternity leave so I've been tying up all the loose ends and trying to get everything done before I leave so it will be easier on everyone while I'm gone. Over the weekend I will be catching up on your blogs/lives and promise to post some pictures of the baby's room since it's finally finished! Thanks for sticking around!

Be back soon,

PS be sure to watch my NOLES tonight, we're playing NC State at 7:30pm :)

Just Thursday

Outside my window.. is my lovely view of the parking garage

The time is.. 10:56AM

Today I feel.. exhausted and I still have at least 6 hours of work left

I am thinking.. of going to the Greek Festival or Stone Crab Festival this weekend

At the moment, I am thankful.. for my family, they are the best!

I am going.. crazy waiting for baby to make his arrival (just 14 days until due date)

I am wearing.. dress pants and cute shirt

I wish.. that time would fly by today!

I am reading.. just magazines these days

I am working on.. last minute work items I need to do before I take maternity leave

I am hoping.. to get a pumpkin over the weekend

I am hearing.. other people typing emails

I bet you didn't know.. that even though it's Fall, the temp here is high 80s!

One of my favorite.. things is sweet tea, I swear I need to go to sweet tea anonymous.
Weekend Plans.. none, it's a bye-week for my Seminoles so possibly hitting up those festivals I mentioned earlier.

Join the fun!

Copy, paste, and fill it out on your blog!

The link up with Murdock's Mama!

Giveaway!

Guess what! I'm having a giveaway, it's over on my other blog.

You can win a Pillsbury Sweet Moments Prize Pack!

It even includes a coupon for a free package of Pillsbury Sweet Moments Brownies, yum!

Be sure to head on over to my cooking/review blog to enter!

 

Formerly Known as Favorite Fridays

This fun blog party is hosted by the fabulous Jen feel free to join in and share the highlights of your week or plans for the weekend  :)

As for me, my week has been pretty average. We had some baby stuff happen: our last childbirth class, which included a tour of Labor and Delivery on Monday; the usual weekly appointment at the doctor's; and our crib arrived! Please excuse the glare, the overhead light is so harsh in there, we're working on a solution for that this weekend as well as finishing decorating the nursery! :)

I swear my life has become mostly baby focused these days, sorry guys...

In other news, my parents will be in town this weekend for the 'Noles game. But it happens to be Parents Weekend so they have tons of events to attend to with my brother and his fraternity (yep, my entire family either attends or graduated from FSU). Hopefully the weather will be nice and we can join them at the football game Saturday, I hate that we keep having noon games, it's just too hot!

This time last year, when I met up with them after work at the Downtown Getdown
(the city shuts down the streets downtown for a party on Friday when there's a home game).

Hope you have a great weekend 

& GO NOLES!

(Not-So-Much) Wordless Wednesday

Excuse my smirk but I was getting tired of pictures all day at my shower.

This is my travel-system and adorable diaper bag, my parent's gave me.

Now we're pretty much all set for Baby.

If only we could pick out a name :)

Happy Birthday Gracie!

My sweet little puppy is 2 years old today!

I remember going to pick her out and how teeny tiny she was. I didn't get to take her home until she was 4 months old because she was so small and fragile but I finally got my little puppy on Valentine's day. And she's had my heart ever since :)

Gracie's still my little puppy weighing in at 3lbs now but she thinks she's huge.

She likes to 'guard' the house from strangers.

She loves taking road trips and won't leave your side until you put her in the car.

She will always be spotted in her Florida State outfit on Gameday.

  

This is her last birthday before her world changes and she's not center of attention anymore.

We have a special night planned for her of a trip to the park with a few of her favorite dog friends and a trip to Petsmart :)

Quick Weekend Recap!

Friday was my office baby shower/dinner. I met the girls at Little Italy, it's a cute little family run Italian restaurant. We had a great time hanging out and enjoying our food. I received some wonderful gifts and a beautiful flower arrangement that is in a crystal baby block keepsake, so precious! We also had some delicious cupcakes, seriously amazing and just so happen to be my favorite. An older lady makes them just for friends now and it just so happens a lady in my office is friends with her. They melt in your mouth and are so tasty. Oh and wouldn't you know all of us forgot our cameras, there's one picture of me at the actual shower :(  

(I seriously have to find the charger for mine before baby comes. I have no idea where it is, it's been missing for over a month, eek!)

These are all from my phone, but I wanted to share them with yall.

Saturday we stayed home, cooked out, and watched the FSU/Miami Game. Did you miss it? Well my Noles dominated!! We are now ranked #16! I think it's safe to say my boys are back! It also happened to be Head Coach Jimbo Fisher's birthday so I think they gave him an awesome present by winning 45-17! We play Boston College at home this week, hopefully it will be nice and cool here, so I can go cheer them on.

(image via Rivals.com)

Sunday was our day of rest and relaxation. We just hungout around the house, worked on organizing the nursery, and got caught up on laundry :)

Hope your had a great weekend and have a wonderful monday!
Tonight's plans: touring labor & delivery at our last childbirth class! yay!

5 Question Friday

It's been a hot minute since I've participated in Five Question Friday, here's this week's questions

1. What do you listen to while driving?
On the way to and from work it's, K-Love. I love this radio station, it's awesome and perfect way to have some worship time with God on the way to work. Trips out of town are reserved for CDS and ipods. I have a variety, everything from country to techno and everything in between, haha. On my last trip I listened to some old CDs from highschool that had some lovely 90s hits. I swear they used to make music better back then.
2. What is your least favorite thing about Fall?
Cooler weather and football season. That's about it, we don't get much of a fall here in Florida.
3. What does your dream house look like, inside and out?
Outside, something like this:

Inside looks like it belongs in Southern Living
4. Would you ever own a minivan?
No thanks, I would love an SUV though.
5. Do you wash new clothes before wearing them?
Not usually unless the look a tad too big.

I have a confession

My name is Sammy and I've been a bad blogger.


I haven't posted in over a week!! Eek! I'm sorry guys but I promise I will get back into the swing of things soon. I have lots to blog about but just don't feel up to it at the moment or really up to doing anything, ahh the joys of the last few weeks of pregnancy.


But here's a quick update on what's been going on..


Baby news:
-I had my baby shower last weekend with friends and family, it was at the Church parlor and just lovely. Great food and great fellowship with friends. We've almost received everything for the baby. I'll post pictures as soon as my mom sends them my way, since I forgot my camera :)

-I have a small shower/dinner with work friends tomorrow night. We're going to an Italian restaurant, hopefully I won't go into labor... I've known many people who swear Italian is the thing to eat if your past your due date and want to go into labor, my mother was one of them and that's probably why I have a love of Italian food lol

-36 weeks pregnant today

Total weight gain: getting close to 30lbs
Stretch marks: None! :)
Sleep: In 2 hours intervals, I think he's training me for when he's here
Movement: Yep, gotta love the kicks and jabs!
Food cravings: Sweet Tea and sweets like chocolate, which is weird for me since I'm a vanilla kinda gal
What I miss: The ability to jump in and out of my car, and my BRAIN! i swear I'm losing my mind lol
Anything making you queasy or sick: nope
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: random cramping throughout the day, backache
Belly Button in or out: Innie
Happy or Moody: Happy, I'm excited!
Maternity Leave?:  Still working, it's uncomfortable to sit at my desk all day but it's not unbearable yet
Milestones: Weekly appointments start next week and our last childbirth class is on Monday and we get a tour of labor and delivery :)



 In non-baby related news:
-It's finally chilly out, it's been in the 50s in the morning/night but gets to the low 80s during the day. So, it's not quite time to dig out the winter clothes from the back of the closet. But I hope it happens soon... come on Fall weather!


That's all for now! I promise to not disappear again, but my post may be more sporadic then normal lol. Thanks for sticking around! :)

Just Thursday

Outside my window.. it's finally fall weather, well sorta it's still in the 80s but there's a breeze

The time is.. 3:55 pm (late as usual)

Today I feel.. relaxed

I am thinking.. of all the things I need to get done

At the moment, I am thankful.. for my brother, he just sent me a little note that brightened my day!

I am going..to my parent's this weekend

I am wearing..a work pants and a cute new maternity top

I wish.. that it was Friday,  but at least it's only one more day

I am reading.. nothing at the moment, I need to start a new book (any suggestions?!)

I am working on.. office work, gotta get things ready for when I'm gone

I am hoping.. that things start falling into place with Adam's work

I am hearing.. clients walk in, oops I didn't realize the time!

I bet you didn't know.. I drink sweet tea everyday at lunch :)

One of my favorite.. things about fall is the weather, nothing like opening all the windows and enjoying the breeze!

Weekend Plans..  heading to the hometown for my baby shower!

Join the fun!

Copy, paste, & fill it out on your blog!

*Make sure to link up with Murdock's Mama!

Bloggy Blog Designz September Giveaway

Hey ladies! I know this is last minute but...

Bloggy Blog Designz is having a Giveaway!!!

They are giving away all kinds of goodies. Plus ALL entrants will receive 20% off any purchase through the end of the month! Be sure to check out their website for more information, or to enter yourself. Take a look at their portfolio and packages to see what's right for you.

Here's what you can win:
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One Month Advertising

The giveaway will close on September 30th, so be sure head over here to enter.

Good Luck to everyone!

miscellany monday: complete randomness

rain.

it's been raining since yesterday, it makes the perfect nap weather and i've gladly welcomed it. i swear nothing is more relaxing then a spending a rainy day curled up on the couch watching movies and drifting in and out of sleep. yesterday i took a nap for 4 hours! haha, evidently i needed it. i hope this rainy weather brings us some nice cool temperatures. i would really enjoy some fall weather now that it is officially fall :)

nursery.

never in my life have i been so indecisive on something until we started looking for cribs. seriously, the reviews, the recalls, the ratings, i'm lost. i still can't decide, i keep going between the mainstream brands and specialty stores. anyone have a good recommendations?

over the weekend.

my noles played an awesome game of football... did you miss it? well we shut out the demon deacon's on our home turf, 31-0! i think it's safe to say florida state is back on their way to becoming the football team i grew up with :) 

oh and we won't talk about my saints and what happened in overtime...

Sort of a Bucket List

I borrowed this from Jennifer over at 3 men and a 'lil lady.
Feel free to borrow it from me!

Here is the deal:
Bold the ones you’ve done.
Italicize the ones you plan on doing.
(And my comments are in parentheses.)

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins (it was in a lagoon in the keys, so cool)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (my old roommate, Jess had one as a pet)
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre (there still is one in my hometown, it's so cool)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (do cheerleading competitions count?)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (my cousin had a music studio in his house, however I can't sing lol)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking with the windows open
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show (I want to be on the Wheel so badly)
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse (I'm from Horse Country)
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (it's my favorite)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (one crawled on me the other night, gross)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (Adam's grandma)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life by not hitting them with my car

Let me see your answers!