Collections

I'm not the type to have many collections. I despise clutter. I have no "pack rat" tendencies. I go through my closets at least 2x/year and donate clothes that I haven't worn in over a year (isn't that right, Jennifer?!). But.. there is one thing I do collect. What is it you ask? Appalachian Ornaments. I love them. Each year the Alumni Association sells a new ornament that in some way is connected to the University. You can see my collection as of last year here .

This was the 2009 ornament:

And here is the 2010 ornament

I received mine in the mail last week and I can't wait to hang it on our tree. I always look forward to seeing the new designs they come up with year after year.

Is there anything you collect? Are you a pack rat?

Festival of Trees

 As mentioned in this post, we took Mason to the Festival of Trees this year to see Santa. Sadly, he was asleep for most of the visit but Brian and I still a good time. We enjoyed walking around and looking at all the beautifully decorated trees and wreaths and listening to Christmas music. It was the perfect family outing and put us in the holiday mood.

Mason visiting Santa

 Chatting it up with Santa and Mrs. Clause

The UNC tree (Taken for Jen and Reagan - this shows how much we love you!)

We had a wonderful time supporting a terrific cause and we look forward to making this a yearly tradition.

Better late than never...

So a little over a year after we got married and we finally get around to getting our wedding album. This is completely my fault due to the fact that I thought I had sent our wedding picture selection to our photographer  only to find them still in the box, un-mailed, 5 months later. Oops! Oh well, like I always say, better late than never. Here are just a few of the pages from our amazing album.

The cover

 The church and our programs

Our wedding parties.. The sharp looking fellas and the beautiful ladies

I now pronounce you Mr and Mrs..

One of our favorite pictures

Mr. and Mrs!

Oh how we loved that car!!! Thanks Mr. Bradford (and Sarah!)

And finally.. just a few detailed shots!

This is one day that I will never forget. The day I married my soul mate. Aside from our engagement and the day Mason was born, this will forever be one of the greatest and happiest days of our lives. Love you, Brian!

A big thanks to our wonderful photographer, Critsey, for doing such an amazing job capturing our wedding day.

Happy Thanksgiving

Source

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Count your blessings and remember to thank God always. We are excited to celebrate Masons first Thanksgiving. Hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Wordless Wednesday: I love Baby Feet

Happy Anniversary Jessica & Sean!

HAPPY 4 YEARS Jessica and Sean! We hope you guys have a wonderful anniversary. We love you both and hope to see you soon. It sounds like the west coast is treating you well but we sure do miss you!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Exciting News!!!!

Guess who this belongs to?............

NO... Not Me!!! But my bestest, Colleen!!!!

I have been holding it in for so long that I am so happy to finally share the news! She is due April 18 and we couldn't be more happy for them!!! Colleen and Keith are such wonderful people and we know they will make amazing parents. So much so that we asked them to be Mason's Godparents and were so honored when they said yes! Mason loves his auntie Colleen! Mason will either have a best buddy or another girlfriend (talk about a ladies man!!). They have decided to be surprised and not find out the gender of their little bambino. I am so envious of them for being able to do that. My OCD would not allow us to be surprised.. sorry Brian!

Colleen sharing her big news when Mason was 2 days old.

Isn't she a natural?

We love you guys and couldn't be more thrilled for you!!!

Praying for you and sweet little Baby Belward!

Mason meets Santa

This weekend we are taking Mason to the Festival of Trees to meet Santa. This is a wonderful event that is held each year at the Dixie Classic Fairgrounds to benefit Brenner Childrens Hospital. Taken directly from the website:

Visitors stroll through a winter village full of decorated trees, magnificent gingerbread houses, an assortment of specialty shops, and an array of children's activities. There are celebrity ornaments and gingerbread houses sold through silent auction and wreaths and mini-trees to purchase. The main stage features continuous live entertainment and attracts people of all ages. This extraordinary event has become a tradition of the Triad's holiday season while raising much needed funds for Brenner Children's Hospital.

Now, let me back up and say that Mason has meet Santa one time before. My mom and I were shopping a Christmas Open House at her favorite store, Salem Creek, earlier this month and Santa happened to be there. This is the picture from his first meeting with Santa.

Talk about a happy baby! I was so proud of him and I can only hope and pray he does this well again this weekend! And isn't that one of the best looking Santa ever! I was impressed.

If we get a good picture this weekend it might just appear on our Christmas cards!!

If you live in the area, be sure to check out the Festival of Trees this year. It is a wonderful event that supports a great place!

Happy Appy

I am one Happy Appy!!


With it's impressive 43-13 win over No. 4 Wofford, last Saturday at Kidd Brewer Stadium, No. 3 Appalachian State University cruised to a record sixth-consecutive Southern Conference championship.

Appalachian not only cliched at least a share of its sixth-straight conference title but also sealed the league’s automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship. ASU tied the SoCon record for consecutive conference crowns, set originally by Georgia Southern from 1997-2002.

 Congrats guys on your 6th SO CON Championship title!!! I couldn't be more proud to be a Happy Appy.

 

I SAID IT'S GREAT TO BE A MOUNTAINEER!!! And... Mason agrees...

Wordless Wednesday: Quote



Easy Cheesy Chicken

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 cups crushed cheese flavored butter crackers
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Roll the chicken breasts in melted butter or margarine, then in the crushed cracker crumbs. Cover in aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes. When 10 minutes is left, uncover the dish and sprinkle on the cheddar cheese and bake for the remaining 10 minutes.

Date Night

We are fortunate that my parents live close by and are always willing to watch Mason if we need them. We took advantage of this recently and had a date night. It was wonderful to spend time with each other, just the two of us, and get out of the house for awhile. Even though we talked about our little guy the majority of dinner, we still had a fantastic time. Brian had planned our date which involved dinner and a movie. I can't remember the last time either of us went to the movie theatre. We are a Red Box Family but alas we had a good time. Brian was nice enough to sit through our movie....

I LOVED IT!! I have never cried and laughed at the same time during a movie. I think part of my emotional state was that I am finally a mother and in some ways it just hit me.

We are looking forward to more date nights in the future as we think that are so important to our marriage and something we want to always continue no matter how many kids we have.

Puppy Love

We can't forget about our first two boys. They have been the best big brothers to Mason and... they like to bark.

Deacon is 100% a daddies boy

And these two, O'Malley and Mason, are mommies boys!

A few favorites...

When I was little one of my favorite things was making my Christmas list. No matter how bazaar some of my requests were, my parents just smiled and said if I had been a good little girl Santa would do his best to fulfill my wishes. More times than not, on Christmas morning my eyes lit up as I saw my wishes had certainly been fulfilled.

Even though there is nothing I really need this year for Christmas, it is still fun to make a Christmas list. These are a few of the things that I currently have my eye on.

Any of these pandora charms: the breast cancer awareness charm, the dog charm, the little boy charm, the bible charm

Le-Creuset 9" Square Dish in Cherry

Le-Creuset Stoneware 10.5" x 7" Baking Dish in Cherry  

Emile Henry Pie Dish in Cerise Red

Willow Tree Nativity Set

And lastly,  Old Navy gift cards (perfect for buying Mason cute clothes!)

That's it. That's all I could think of. Honestly, as long as my family is happy and healthy, I am a happy girl.

What's on your Christmas wish list?

Wordless Wednesday: Bumbo Buddies

Mason and his best friend/girlfriend Reagan

Shutterfly It!

I have mentioned in the past how much we use and love Shutterfly . It’s really the only website that we routinely use in our household to make our precious photo books. We used Shutterfly to make Mason’s birth announcement as well as our Christmas cards in the past. We have made at least 5 photo books in the past year.

The reason we use Shutterfly instead of other sites is because of the ease of use, fast shipping and superior customer service. I have emailed them in the past and within 2 hours I have received a response. That’s unheard of these days.

We love to send photo cards for our Christmas cards so our family and friends can see how our family has grown and of course this year, so they can see Mason! I have already started looking for our Christmas cards  this year. It’s never too early to plan, right?

These are a few that I am currently loving and don’t be surprised if one of them shows up in your mailbox this Christmas.

Also, Brian and I host an annual Christmas dinner for my family. Here are a few invitations that I am eyeing..

 *** Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are strictly my own. Yes, I love Shutterfly this much! For writing this post, I'll be receiving a promo code for 50 free holiday cards. I am not being compensated in any other way and this did not alter my personal opinion of the company. If you're interested in receiving 50 free holiday cards, click  here to enter! ***