Weekend Rewind {November 25, 2013}

Happy Monday/Thursday! It was so nice at work today because it felt like Thursday all day. I hope y'all had a happy weekend before Thanksgiving. This will probably be the last somewhat laid-back weekend until January!

We had a great weekend here, one that I know I'll want to remember. :) Daniel and I rented a movie from Redbox and stayed home on Friday night. There's just something I love so much about watching a movie next to the Christmas tree. We also broke out our Whirley Pop and made some homemade popcorn. I was feeling sweets {as usual}, so I added some M&Ms to mine. Is there a way to keep those darn things from sinking to the bottom?! Seriously. It's a problem.

Saturday morning, we made our weekly grocery trip and went out for donuts. Let's keep those sweets coming...it means I'll have a super sweet baby, right?! That afternoon, my sister and brother-in-law brought Vanna over for a sleepover! We ended up taking her to Chuck E. Cheese's. Last time we went, the place was almost empty. This time, oh my goodness, it was so packed that we hardly got any pictures at all.

Ticket muncher!

She picked out a sparkly purple wand, Chuck E. Cheese tattoos, and a blinged out dollar sign ring. We all got a laugh from that one!

Picking out prizes!

After dinner at Superior Grill, we headed home to make pumpkin bread and Oreo turkeys!

Vanna is such a good helper in the kitchen!!

She even cracked the eggs!

When the pumpkin bread was in the oven, we started on our Oreo turkeys!

If you know me at all, you know I can't resist Oreos...especially Double Stuf. Oh, and Oreo people, why spell "stuff" with only one "f"? Just why?

Then it was time for Vanna to teach Uncle D how to make the Oreo turkeys. He's such a sweet uncle. I can't wait to see him be a daddy. Love.

Once the turkeys were all assembled, Vanna decided that the candy corn feathers needed a little embellishment. She added a dot of orange frosting to the tip of each feather and made us both die laughing when she said that the turkeys were going to the "feather salon".

Our little turkey family!

We spent the rest of the night playing letter sounds bingo {the teacher in me was super impressed with her skills! :)} and Sofia's Magical Tea Time game.

Sunday morning we went out for donuts! Umm, yes, that did make two days in a row for Daniel and me, thankyouverymuch.

We definitely congratulated ourselves for making it to church on time with a child. We can do this! :) Vanna did make it pretty easy on us, though.

After church, I did what will most likely be the extent of my Black Friday shopping. We went to CVS and got a few totally random things. You can check out the CVS Black Friday ad on Southern Savers here. It only took me a few minutes to get ready for the trip. If you don't shop at CVS, you're missing out. It seriously is a thrill every time I shop there! I paid $2.84 {that includes tax} for all of this stuff and left with $14.97 to spend next time!!

After a quick Sunday afternoon nap, we headed back to church to serve at the Thanksgiving dinner. I ended up assigning myself to the least popular item on the menu...cranberry sauce. I can't blame anyone, though. I don't like it, either! :)

I'm so thankful that I got to spend another weekend with the people I love the most.

Happy Thanksgiving week!

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I Thessalonians 5:18

  

Five on Friday {November 22, 2013}

It's the Friday before Thanksgiving!! How can this be?? November 2013 will be over before we know it! This is my favorite time of year, though, and I'm determined to not let it fly by without enjoying every bit of it! I'm planning to start working on a Christmas tradition to do list this weekend. Makes me giddy just thinking about it! :) Whatever you end up doing this weekend, I hope it's wonderful! Happy Friday!! :)

 

One.
After today, only *two* more school days until Thanksgiving break! I am so, so ready! I actually look forward to going to work on days right before holidays because we get to do so much more fun stuff!! I'm going to make these Oreo turkeys with my class on Tuesday. I know they'll probably be wild, but they'll love it!! {I don't know where the idea came from. A teacher friend shared it with me.}

Two.
I can't believe it, but it's time to pick out Christmas cards! I *love* Christmas cards, but honestly, I get so overwhelmed when I look at the pages and pages of choices on Shutterfly! Having that many choices is a problem for indecisive people like me. There are a ton of Christmas card deals out right now, too. My favorite savings website, Southern Savers, recently did a post with a list of coupon codes for different websites where you can get free or almost free Christmas cards. You can check out the post here. I noticed I was drawn to the ones that say "Joy" because that's how I feel this year! Of course, I feel joy every Christmas, but even more this year! :) I am just so excited and happy about all the fun things to come in the next few months! Picking out a Christmas card next year will be *so* much fun. We'll have pictures of our sweet baby girl to share!! :) Here are some of my favorites on Shutterfly.

Joy Stripes

Scribbly Greetings

Humble Birth

Peace Cut Out

Snowy Window

Three.
I made these Italian beef sandwiches for dinner a couple of weeks ago and they were so, so good. I sometimes shy away from slow cooker meals because I feel like it sometimes makes things mushy, but it was perfect for this meal. This recipe could not be any easier, either. Just a few ingredients {I skipped the Giardiniera}, shred the meat, and you're good to go. I thought about doing a blog post just for the recipe, but there's no way I could even come close to taking a picture as good as Kristen's. This is a must try, for sure!

{Photo via Iowa Girl Eats}

Four.
One of my favorite {commercial} things about Christmas is ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. The countdown has already started! I just love snuggling up on the couch by the Christmas tree with Christmas candles burning, and watching a Christmas movie while drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas treats. You can't get much cozier than that! My favorite one on the list? Without a doubt, Christmas Vacation. I guess we'll have to catch another favorite, Elf, on a different channel. "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!"

Five.
So...Black Friday shopping. I'm just not sure I can get into it. It's just so confusing this year! All the stores are opening earlier and earlier, and some are doing pre-Black Friday sales before actual Black Friday, which pretty much starts on Thanksgiving Day this year, if not earlier! Maybe I'll get some energy this weekend and check out all the ads. I do love the excitement of it all and it definitely puts me in the Christmas shopping spirit! I'm dying to get some presents under our Christmas tree!!

Oh, and one more thing...I *can't wait* for Thanksgiving dinner! That is all.

Happy weekend, everyone!! :)