Birthdays and Comfort Zones

Happy Wednesday to all!

First and foremost, I want to wish the happiest of birthdays to my best friend, partner in crime, number one fan, and husband Charles! He is 27 years young today, and I hope he has a wonderful day! When I asked Charles what he wanted to do for his birthday, he said he wanted to rent a movie, pick up a Papa Murphy's pizza, and sit on the couch. Easy! I can do that, and I can certainly use a night of sitting on the couch after everything we have had going on as of late. I'm truly excited to give him his gift, he has no idea what I got for him and I'm sure he will be as shocked as I've ever seen him. In all honesty, I could probably write on here what I got for him, since he doesn't read this, but since everyone thinks I can can't keep a secret, {ok, this is true, I really can't keep a secret, I get way too excited and end up giving the surprise away...oops}, I'd better just wait and actually surprise him.

Secondly, I wanted so share a few photos from the Holiday Scarf Exchange I posted about on Monday. The ladies all had a great time getting to know each other on a more personal level outside of the office, and I really think it helped everyone to get rid of some stress and tension we have all been experiencing in the last couple of months with all of the changes our company underwent. What a lovely evening we had =)

 

 

Some punch I made for the occasion! I made a smaller batch of a frozen Merlot beverage, and I made a white wine spritzer with frozen raspberries!

 

"Have yourself a vintage little Christmas" is what comes to mind when I think about the look of our table and burlap runner. Here are some snacks that I prepared for the occasion: Meatballs, pasta salad, veggies and spinach dip, pretzels, some pretzel rods with chocolate, cookies, and a cream cheese block shaped like a Christmas tree with pepper jelly on it. 'tis the season, y'all!

 

I placed the Christmas themed paper plates and napkins over here, along with some cups for the guests. Most cups had an "A" on them {bought at kirklands for $2.99 a pack!}, and the adorable napkins say "You're the Jingle to my Bells!" I also threw out some of our wedding koozies for any guests that might have wanted a beer instead of wine {and YES, I did have non-alcoholic beverages for our guests who didn't want alcohol}

 

Here some of the ladies are in our living room, enjoying a nice fire and waiting for the scarf exchange! LOVE the look of our new home.

 

A few days back, Charles and I were walking through the mall, finishing up a little last minute shopping, when I pointed out a sweater that I liked. Charles responded by saying "that's so plain, there's no color there, it just looks like oatmeal. I don't really like it." I asked him to point out a sweater that he would like to see me in. Interestingly enough, he chose the same sweater I picked out, only in a peach color.  When I asked him why he liked that one more than the cream one, he said because he likes it when girls were a little color, not just creams all of the time. I was wearing a cream colored, plain top that day, and started thinking about what I typically wore: Creams. Taupes. Beiges. Blacks. Whites. Nothing with a lot of color or pattern. I like to think of myself as dressing very classic, but that one statement that he probably doesn't even remember saying about liking girls to wear color has really got me thinking.

I tend to stay away from brightly colored clothing because it draws attention. It makes me feel like people notice me more, and it makes me uncomfortable. I like what I like, and I like it for a reason. But my husband expressed to me that he liked me to wear more of a variety of colors. That's such a simple request that I can easily do to make him happy. Does that mean I'm throwing out every cream colored top I own? No. Not at all. {I love my creams and taupes!}

So here I am, sitting with my cup of coffee, at my desk in my bright colored shirt, outside the realm of my comfort zone. Who knows? Maybe getting outside of my comfort zone will be a good thing. Maybe it will even help me stop feeling so anxious about trying new things. It can't hurt to try and do something to please my husband.

This week, I encourage everyone to "get outside the realm of their comfort zone." Maybe you'll like it! Maybe you won't. But it never hurts to try. Bust out your bright colors every once in awhile and have some fun.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Relaxation comes to an end

Hello my friends! I’m back again in full force. I can’t believe the weeks are flying by so fast! This girl is in need of a massage and a mani/pedi, and maybe a day of lounging in my pajamas relaxing and catching up on my favorite television shows (Nashville, Revenge, Parenthood, Mistresses…..Just to name a few!) Unfortunately, after a nice, semi-relaxing weekend at home cleaning the house and working in the yard, I am back to busy every day and running around doing every day chores and wedding prep! We are down to the wire, we only have one month and counting until the big day (and only 9 days until HOG FOOTBALL!)

Last week, I spent trying to play catch up. We have had wedding showers, lake trips, friends weddings, family in town, family gatherings, etc. filling up our schedules since two weekends before Memorial Day! I had laundry I needed to get out of the way, a sink full of dishes, a messy room, carpets that needed to be steam cleaned and vacuumed, sheets that needed washing, wedding presents that needed to be organized and put away, thank you cards that needed to be written, and I still had to find time to work, sleep, shower, grocery shop, cook dinner, love on the puppies, and love on my fiancé. The point I am trying to get across to y’all is that I led an absolute bore of a week last week, but it was SO needed. Sometimes you just need to be a little boring (most of the time if you’re like me ;D.)

When the weekend finally came along things got interesting! Charles and I spent Friday night resting and not doing housework. We marinated some ribs on Friday night and stuck them in the fridge to wait for grilling the next afternoon. I really find that marinating meat for grilling the night before is a MUST if you want to lock in that good flavor. What can it hurt, right? Right. We then cooked a nice supper and rented “The Admission” which was absolutely hilarious. I did fall asleep in the last twenty minutes however because I was absolutely exhausted.

Delicious Ribs and grilled veggies that I made in my Pampered Chef grill pan!

 

Saturday morning I finished up some more chores around the house (guest bedroom cleaning, kitchen cleaning…the normal…) and went and saw my parents and had a nice visit at their house, which is about 10 minutes away. Afterwards, I went to Wal-Mart to get a few things to make the side dishes for the cookout we were having that afternoon and ran into this STUNNING Better Homes and Gardens rug that I have had my eye on for quite a long time. When I saw that it was the last one they had in store, I knew I had to snatch it up. I got 1 full size rug for our room that leads to the French doors out to the patio and one for the room leading to our bedrooms. I also snagged one for right by the sink in the kitchen (it’s so plush and comfy!) Nothing quite makes you feel like having a new, fresh home than having a new, fun rug! It also makes the house retain the good smell from my 50 scentsy warmers I have throughout the house.

Relaxing with my babe and one of the pups on a gorgeous Saturday (cute adirondack chairs from Home Depot)

The amazing rugs I scored from Wal-Mart..left is the big one for our area leading outside, top right is the new kitchen rug, and bottom left is the one for the entrance to the hallway.

 

Speaking of which, did you know that Febreeze and Glade now have the wax inserts for Scentsy? They also make their own warmers. I particularly like the Glade warmer because it does not require a lightbulb. Now, I will have to admit, the Scentsy warmers / wax are better quality. The smell lasts longer and they have more scents to choose from, but they are difficult to get your hands on. Once you find someone who is selling Scentsy products, you have to wait weeks for them to come in, which is just plain inconvenient. Plus, the light bulbs they run on can only be purchased through Scentsy, and they don’t last very long. I currently have about 3 Scentsy pots that I can’t use because the light bulbs are out. It’s a tad frustrating. I haven’t experimented as much with the Glade scents, but I have tried one that I love and it is called “Fall Hayride.” It smells heavenly, like a nice, crisp fall day! I pretty much like all of the Febreeze scents that I have tried, although I feel they don’t leave a strong enough scent and it doesn’t last too long. But it is well worth the $3 to go buy one when you need it instead of having to spend 3 weeks ordering Scentsy. I also obsess over Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles (especially around fall, my favorite season of all time) but I like to wait until they are having their 2 for $22 special. Normally they are $20 a piece, which in my mind is a tad outrageous.   

Well gang, it’s been so nice having a few days to play catch up and relax, but I’m afraid next week up until the wedding will be completely and utterly insane and crazy hectic. I am already booked with a commitment every single night! Not looking forward to that, but it is officially only ONE MONTH until the big day, and then my life can go back to its semi-normal state =) I hope you all are having a fabulous end of summer, and I hope everyone is looking forward to fall as much as I am! Let me know what your favorite season is! Tune in next time to see my newest project—the conversion of an old wood crate!

“No beauty shines brighter than that of a good heart”

Until Next Time,

Michele <3