Deck the Halls

Today we drove home from Greenville, unpacked our things and jumped back in Pat's truck to get our Christmas tree!

I love this time of year so much that I rushed into it. I put up our mantel decorations a few weeks ago, I just couldn't wait!

Pat and I don't agree on television shows but we do agree on music so we spend a great deal of our time listening to our favorite songs. This time of year Christmas music is what we love! We have a tradition when it comes to trimming the tree, Christmas music plays in the background, candles burn the scents of the season and the yule log plays on the TV. I was worn out from our long weekend but I didn't let that compromise my beautiful tree. My Aunt Sandy has given me an ornament every year for as long as I can remember. She and my Mom have the most beautiful Christmas trees, it must run in the family.

I know that everyone puts up a tree and those of you that follow my blog have seen mine every year but they are so beautiful! When it comes to the tree I don't hang things here and there and everywhere. I am very strategic, I move things around for days before I feel like it is perfect (that means it's not perfect yet). This is when I feel like my house is the most warm and inviting. How could you not want to sit and gaze at the twinkling lights?! I love it and the holiday season is only beginning!!

It is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

I have Christmas music playing while I type...savoring every minute!

Gobble Gobble!

 This year could go down as the best Thanksgiving ever. We celebrated at Shelly's house along with Ryan and Haley and Jody and Amy.

We wanted to take a casual approach to the day. This meant no waking up at dawn, no dividing tasks, no unpacking china and no dinner time was been set. We were on the unplan plan and it worked out great!

Our matching aprons.

Thanks Mom for making it even more special!

The boys played golf while we prepared the meal. I loved it! No one ever asked, "When is dinner going to be ready?” By the time the guys made it home from the clubhouse they were staving and the last few dishes were finishing in the oven. At 7:00 the table was set and everyone was ready to dig in.

Cutting of the bird!

It doesn't look like much in the picture but we had more than enough food. Including: the obvious, turkey and ham, as well as corn and green bean casseroles, mac 'n' cheese, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, banana bread and  pumpkin pie! I don't usually feel the need to add the following word when referring to food, especially in reference to the holidays, but for those of you that are impressed by it, everything was...homemade (even the pie crust, done the way my Grama would)!

Seeing as this was our first year preparing everything by ourselves I think we did good. I definitely learned a few things but the turkey wasn't dry and that was my only concern!

A day full of cooking and dishes and cooking and cleaning and cooking and dishes had me thinking about how good we had it as children. We played while all of this ‘work’ was going on. We sat down at the table, enjoyed the wonderful meal and then went back to playing. I don’t think I ever thought about what the women were doing in the kitchen. Now that the day has passed and the fun weekend has come to an end I would love to do it all over again but I’m not going to lie, I recall myself saying, “I really enjoyed the day but I’m really glad it’s over!”

Anacapri had an outfit to match! Grandma B doesn't forget anyone.

I'm not sure if it was Thanksgiving we enjoyed the most or spending every minute of our long weekend together. The time reminded us of the many things we have to be thankful for; our parents, spouses, siblings, nieces/nephews, friends and much more!

Including this little girl...

Our littlest Gamecock!

My snuggly polar bear!

On the Road Again

This weekend was Anacapri's baptism. I am thankful we live close enough to be able to share in her special events. She looked adorable, as always, in Shelly's Grandmothers gown.

As for the remainder of the weekend....you guessed it, mountains again! But this time we had company, Ryan and Haley. We left the planning up to the boys and enjoyed chatting while taking in the scenery from the back seat. We started off with some easily accessible cascades leading to Bird Rock Falls.

Next we went for a short but frigid hike to the top of Balsam Knob. The mountain is bare; Pat told a story of how wooly mammoths were responsible for the lack of trees. I'm pretty sure he came across this information from a reputable source but I have learned never to trust (or repeat) his 'stories'. The openness made for a great view and Maggie loved the freedom to run.

I am always saying that I am in a perfect position geographically. I am equal distance from Haley on the coast and Shelly in the mountains. Thank goodness for great friends/family!