Week 46, Feeling Festive!

Well, we're coming up on the holiday season, and I must say I was feeling festive!  In the rush and madness that is Thanksgiving and Christmas, it can certainly be hard to relax!  I'm certainly in that boat--it is hard for me to not be going all the time during this part of the year :)  I'm sure I'll crash in a few weeks, but for now, I'm enjoying making my lists and checking them OFF!  We started the week off with a fun fall craft that the boys really enjoyed.

Mommy painted the tree for them :)

Ethan was Mr. Serious Artist the whole time...

Tommy liked making the "pretty leaves"

wonder if he knows he has a little Hitler-stache made of paint ??!

The finished trees!  Tommy's is on the left, and Ethan's on the right :)

Other than a new haircut and color which I LOVE, the rest of the "work week" was fairly boring.  We did have a little bit of fun of course, but the real fun was going to be happening on the weekend!

Ethan refusing to move and loving it!

Daddy's got you now!!

I just LOVE this picture of Davey and Ethan <3

Our Wolfpack let us down again--blown out by Clemson!  Thank goodness I had a blast eating lunch with Leslie and Sierra to keep my spirits high!  This was my first big cheat on Paleo.  I ain't gonna lie--it was really really tasty.  I shared some nachos topped with spicy barbecued pork, cheese, TONS of sour cream, and fresh jalepenos with Leslie while we waited for Sierra to arrive.  They. were. SO. GOOD!  Oh yeah, we were eating at the Aviator in Fuquay by the way, and if you haven't been there, you must go!!  The food was so delicious--like, shockingly so.  Then, we all had our own flavor of wings--super spicy for me thanks!  Again, I'm not one of those people to be like, "Ohhh, I tried such-and-such, and I didn't even like it anymore!"  I didn't like, I LOVED it!!  Now, for part 2 of the story.  I felt soooooooooooo terrible all night. Seriously, the entire day and night.  I thought it would go away after a few hours, but it didn't.  Laura came over, and I couldn't eat or drink with her--at all!  In fact, I didn't eat dinner that night OR breakfast the next day because my stomach felt so bad...but, it sure did taste good going down :)

Nice sweater Leslie--you must have a very fashionable best friend that helped you pick it out ;)

The carnage left behind....so yummy, so yummy!!

Welcome back to the Quay Sierra--glad to have you back in the ol' gang....Kelly Mac, where are you?!

Thankfully for me though, the next day I was co-hosting a baby shower for my good friend Megan Danaher! So, I just waited to eat until it was shower time!  I was fortunate to co-host with two of my other favorite people, Sara Stevens (Meg's sister) and Marcia Griffin (Meg's mom)!  They really outdid themselves with the decor--it was the most beautiful baby shower I've seen, and several other people were kind enough to make the same comment :)

The framed invitation--we went with a "Fall in Love" theme since it was a fall shower :)

Baby Danaher's cute little picture <3

Megan, Marcia, and Sara

The full spread :)

Just a cute banner hanging in the window

tons of delicious food for all!

The view as the guests walked in the room

Mini Apple Pies are always a favorite!

Pumpkin Dip with Cream Cheese

The table tu-tu was my favorite part I think--so girly and pretty!!

Cupcakes, pretzel rods, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

A teeny tiny banner to hang on the tree with baby pics of Mike and Meg on them.  Megan had a great idea to keep the little banner for her baby book <3

Aren't these the most adorable cupcake wrappers?!

The favor table--Sara did all of this!  Everyone got a cute little bag to fill with yummy treats to take home.

The guest of honor!

Gigi is getting some much needed practice in apparently--hahahaha <3

Megan in action!

Cutest little blue elephant stuffed animal I have ever seen...seriously!

Sara and Scotty got Baby Danaher a gift of their combined interests--a lego hair salon!!

Lauren to the rescue after Marcia's shoe got stuck in the vent :)

I cannot wait to see baby girl in this outfit--so stinkin' cute!!

It was a festive week indeed, and I enjoyed every bit of it!  I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends to share life with <3

Life Lesson:  Celebrate

I know I've eluded to this before, but I think it warrants its own specific life lesson!  Everyday life can be grueling, and it's hard not to get caught up in the minutia of it all.  I sometimes observe people (I like to people watch!), and I swear it's almost like they are robots.  They are constantly going and doing just to get to the next thing they have to go and do.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that it can be really difficult to live in the moment and appreciate the present.  There is beauty all around us--some small and not so noticeable, and some quite obvious.  I would say that most of us do take the time out to celebrate the big things--even if you only do so because you feel obliged--family birthdays, weddings, baby and bridal showers, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Super Bowl come to mind.  Those are wonderful and necessary, and there is beauty in all of them.  But, how many of us truly celebrate anything outside of these events?  It is my sincere belief that we were created to celebrate and that doing so sustains and refreshes our souls.  If you meet a goal at work or in your personal life, take the time to acknowledge that success. Even if you haven't met the final goal, celebrate your progress.  Be sure to celebrate your friends.  A great friend is hard to come by, and they should not be taken for granted.  Celebrate your marriage, and not just on your anniversary.  Celebrate your children, and not just on their birthdays.  They don't have to be time-consuming, expensive, or elaborate celebrations.  They only need to be intentional and sincere.  Look for the beauty that life has to offer in the midst of everything else.