Snowflakes & Shutterfly

With another Thanksgiving under our belts, the holiday season is officially upon us. When I start to think about Christmas, even before the decorating, I think about sending holiday cards to friends and family. It’s the one time of the year I actually enjoy checking the mailbox and sending out mail myself. It’s the perfect way to give and receive some holiday cheer.

This year I’ll be sending cards from Shutterfly in the form of holiday photo cards. I always like getting these in the mail and haven’t done them myself since the year Geof and I first started dating. They’re something special and personal, which I think is nice.

I was playing around with creating a few cards on the site and they make the design process simple. That is a huge bonus considering time is limited around this time of year.

There are so many adorable designs to choose from that it’s hard to pick just one. They have something to suit everyone’s taste and budget. Here are a few of my favorites:


I’m a sucker for anything monogrammed or initialed, so this is right up my alley. I also like that you can use multiple photos as well as a personal message.


This one stood out to me for the cute, girly factor. Polka dots and pink…sold!


This is a classic and I love the damask print at the bottom.


If I had the time, I’d love to throw a holiday soiree and use a cute party invitation like this.

Which one is your favorite? Help me choose!

FTC: I was given 50 free holiday cards in exchange for this post. Bloggers head here to claim your free cards too!

Thanksgiving weekend recap

Thanksgiving was spent at my Aunt and Uncle’s house with the rest of our family. My Aunt did a wonderful job preparing dinner like she always does and making everything nice for all of us. I was definitely counting the things I have to be thankful for and appreciating the time spent with loved ones. There is nothing in the world like it.


Ready for Thanksgiving dinner!


Mom by the fireplace...I seriously wish my uncle could build one just like this for me

Friday, I avoided Black Friday “doorbuster” shopping at all costs and headed out later on the afternoon to make a return. I picked up a few things and got some cute jewelry at New York & Company for 50% off. Target had a few DVDs on special and I really wanted to see Grown Ups when it was in the theater, so I picked that up.

Friday night, my mom and I went to her church to see a local production of the musical Hairspray. I loved both versions of the movie (one from the 80’s and the recent one) and was looking forward to seeing it played out live. For local theatre, it was fabulous. The actors had great voices, did a nice job performing and the crowd loved it. It was a lot more entertaining than I even expected.


Playbill for Hairspray

Saturday was another “mom and me” day. We went to a holiday craft fair at Willows Mansion. The estate is beautiful. When we walked in, it felt like we were transported to a Christmas wonderland. They had everything from country to whimsical decorations. After the craft fair, we went to Cupcakes Gourmet for a treat and then headed home. Once we got back in our area, we went to Applebee’s for dinner.


Willows Mansion


Pretty display outside the mansion at the craft fair

Sunday was spent relaxing at home and organizing. I did a ton of filing and getting rid of old catalogs and magazines. It’s amazing how that stuff accumulates. Later in the afternoon I watched Vanilla Sky and spent the evening curled up on the couch with some magazines and tea.

I hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you & weekend recap

First, I want to sincerely thank everyone for their sweet comments on my last post. I was feeling pretty horrible and your words made me smile. It’s nice to know that people care. If I could reach out and give all of you hug, I would. I’ve been feeling like a pretty bad blog friend lately and hope to catch up with all of you this week.

Last week didn’t shape up to be much better than the weekend before. Between computer and car drama, it was a mess. I took off on Friday and Monday and used that time to unwind and unplug. I’m trying to be positive and know that something good has to be around the corner. Now, onto my recap…

Friday, Geof and I stayed in and relaxed. We watched Candyman and it was very different watching it as an adult as opposed to when I was a teen. It’s still creepy though.

Saturday, we had some errands to run and then went to try a new place for lunch called Basin Bistro. It was fabulous and we will definitely go back. It's a bit out of the way, but completely worth it. The service we received was excellent and the restaurant itself was warm and cozy. It's also BYOB, so that’s a plus!


Basin Bistro

After lunch we went to the movies to see Due Date. It was hysterical and I really enjoyed it. It’s funny how a simple comedy can lift your mood.



Sunday, my mom and I went to a craft fair at and then to Linvilla Orchards to walk around and visit the Farmers Market. It was nice to visit Linvilla in November since they’re in transition between fall and Christmas. We made a quick Target run and then my mom came over. I made tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner while we caught up on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.


Pretty tree I spotted outside the craft fair


Linvilla still has pumpkins, but they're gearing up for Christmas too!

Monday, I stayed in and relaxed. I finally got to see the movie Valentine’s Day. I thought it was cute, but I’m glad I didn’t pay to see it in theater. It was nice how all of the stories tied together and kind of fun to see so many A-list celebrities in one film.

Weekend recap

Have you ever been tired of being tired? That’s how I feel right now and it’s not from my exciting weekend. This was a weekend spent working most of the time to the point where I think I’m now getting sick. I’m trying to fight it with hot tea and soup, as there is no time for being ill.



When you work like I’ve been you begin losing sight of what’s important. Geof went in for oral surgery last week and I couldn’t be there for him until he got home because I was bogged down with work. It’s a horrible feeling really. I try not to go too much into my job here because this blog is about my life outside of work. Unfortunately my life this weekend and for the past 2 weeks has been all work, all the time (at least I got to have some fun last weekend).

I need a break…a few days off to regroup. Hopefully I’ll be back with a happier post later this week.

Because I don’t want to be a complete downer, I will leave you with a pic I snapped this weekend of Chase & Mandy. They were waging war on their favorite toy and this made me smile. Chase has a complete “don’t mess with me” look on his face.

Weekend recap

Friday, I worked late and was finally able to break away for a quick trip to Target and dinner with my mom and Geof at Pinnochio’s. It was crowded with high school students after the football games. We couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

Saturday, we went to Deidre & Jason’s wedding in the city. The church was so pretty and the bride looked stunning. Deidre honestly looked like a little princess right out of a fairytale. After the ceremony, we headed to a bar in the city called Misconduct. It had a Nautical theme and they had a great selection of different beer on tap. We had a nice time and it was a fun way to get us in the party mood before cocktail hour. We went straight to the reception from the bar. The venue was gorgeous and overall it was a beautiful night.


Pretty church


Geof and Nick (and photobomber)


Colleen, me and Krystie


Coll, me and Deidre

Sunday, Geof and I went up to Horsham. There was a makeup palette from Urban Decay that has been impossible to find and Ulta was holding the last one for me. I have to give Geof credit for this. He was in Boston all week for work and tracked down one for me, but it was too far from his hotel. The nice lady in Boston found the one in our area and had them hold it for us. I love Geof, as not many men would be calling around to different beauty stores trying to find makeup. The colors are beautiful and this is so worth it. It is 12 full size shadows, a double ended 24/7 eyeliner and mini primer potion.


Urban Decay Naked Palette

After Ulta, we went to lunch at 99 and then to Regal to catch a horror double feature. We never get any trick-or-treaters, so we figured why not? We saw Paranormal Activity 2 and Saw 3D. I was on scare overload and can say that it was not easy to fall asleep last night. Both were good and Saw was the first movie I’ve seen in 3D (since the 80’s). It was pretty cool.


Scary movies on Halloween...perfect!