Christmas Cards

Two years ago my sister Lauren surprised our family with a family picture Christmas card. We had gone to the beach in August for my uncles wedding so Lauren used a family photo from that weekend to make the card. It was a HIT!! Everyone commented on how cute the cards were and how much they loved them. Mom loved them too and even had the dilemma of picking who would receive the coveted few Lauren had ordered. See, my mom is not a card person. Not because she doesn’t care or doesn’t think they are fun, but she doesn’t see the point in spending all that money sending a card to people who already know what we look like, ha! We are working on her and she’s beginning to see how fun they are and how much people enjoy them. When I saw the news about FREE holiday cards on other blogs I knew this would be perfect for our family. I found a picture, of course from this summer at the beach, (we are a much prettier bunch with a tan) and set out to find the perfect card. I found a few that look great with the bright colors of our summer picture. Here are a few that we thought would be perfect.

The next family project we’ll be working on for the Holiday are photo books for our grandparents..

If you like these cards, visit http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery to make your own!

Merry Christmas

Merry Plaid Christmas Card

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What do you think?

Fa LaLa Christmas Card

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Perfect

Oh What Fun Christmas Card

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Long Time, No Blog!

I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. Things have been really busy recently, here is a little update on some of the things I have been doing...

Daddy turned 60!!!

This was his reaction when he walked into his surprise party- PRICELESS!

Dad's favorite restaurant is Morton's so we told him we were going to dinner as a family and then he was greeted by all his good friends. It was a great night.

Mom did a great job coordinating everything and keeping it a secret.

We added some special touches to the party as well. There were decorative easels around the room with pictures of dad from the past 60 years. My sisters are looking at the "guest book" which was a book we made online with pictures and notes from our immediate family. Guests signed it, what a great keepsake!

Rachael and Matt's Shower!

Lauren and I are bridemaids in Rachael and Matt's wedding. We wanted to do something special for the Bride and Groom, so here is a little preview of the shower we hosted.

It was a kitchen themed shower where everyone took a cooking class at Earth Fare, so much fun! We made fuirt tarts and dipped strawberries.

Matt and Rachael recieved monogrammed aprons from the hostesses. This ended up being a really good idea because things got a little messy. Matt said he smeared things on his apron to make it look like he worked hard. Take a look at the pictures to see how hard they worked!

It was histarical to watch Matt and Rachael try all the techniques in front of the whole group!

The chef was amazing and I wil be happy to give anyone her information, just ask :)

Funny new blog

I found this great new blog: http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

I have posted some of my favorite cakes from the blog but you really should take a look for yourself- ENJOY :)

...you use the words "camo" AND "army" while describing what you want:

Whew, thank goodness for fresh flowers! Too bad they didn't have enough to hide the fact that the cake is being served on a giant dry-erase board, though.

I also like the gentle placement of the topper. That took "finesse."

Seriously?

Delicious weekend in Charlotte

I had the most amazing weekend in Charlotte! Even though I was born and raised there I found three great new restaurants; Vivace, Soul and, Georgia's.

On Friday night we celebrated Lauren's 20-something birthday at Vivace. Normally, Italian food isn't my favorite but I loved the four cheese ravioli. The atmosphere is sleek and modern which provided the perfect backdrop for a girls night. One downside, it took a long time to get our food. Think 2 hours. Maybe it is all part of the European vibe?

Saturday night was spent with my best friend Natalie, her roommates, and a new friend. We went to Soul, a tapas bar near Central. WOW. What a great menu. We kept ordering and to be honest our bill was not out of control. After a cheese plate, calamari, ham plate, tomato salad, lamb skewers, two rolls of sushi, and some other goodies I was about to pop. Best part of the night: A lady came over to our table to tell us we were like the Charlotte Sex and the City :)

Finally on my last day I went with my family to George's. French cuisine is my favorite so I was a happy camper. We ordered beignets for the family. Of course, mom thought they were just ok but this is coming from the woman who has dreamed of starting a beignet shop. I had eggs benedict, LOVED IT. I wish I knew how to poach eggs. Actually, I wish I knew how to cook period.

What a delicious weekend in Charlotte!

Foot Loose

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE to dance. A few problems: I have two left feet, no rhythm, and I can never find the beat. My sister Sumner always asks why I am snapping at inappropriate parts in a song. I am good at one thing: choreographing. As soon as I hear a hip hop song my mind clears and I picture myself in an MTV music video. I start moving and I feel like I look GREAT. That is when everything stops and my straight laced boyfriend says things like…

“That does Not look nice”

“There is no in between with you; it’s either off or all out of control.”

“Do you have to dance like that?”

This confuses me; I think I look like one of Jay Z’s back up dancers. Maybe even J Lo? Not to Derek. Sometimes he laughs and sometimes he says things like “can you just tone it down?” I respond with “well maybe I should just stop dancing”? To my surprise, he said “I think that would be best!” How rude…

To all my fans: I will never stop dancing. There is someone special who loves to watch me dance, we even slow dance together.

On On PC

Dear College,

Can I please come back?

Love Always,

Natalie

I graduated from PC over a year ago and I still wish I was a student there! My college experience was everything I could have imagined. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about my Freshman year roommate. Her name was Lauren; she was beautiful, smart, unbelievably kind, and a bit too perfect for my tastes. I selfishly thought to myself...PC will ruin my self esteem at this pace. I didn't know if I could live with the girl who was always dressed to a T, couldn't put her makeup on with her heavy duty make up mirror, and had to sleep with a noise maker. How was I going to be able to keep up with Barbie?

Believe it or not, she became my best friend and we lived together all four years of college. I now have a heavy duty make up mirror and can't sleep without a noise maker. Along with Lauren, I met many amazing girls that will be my friends forever (shout out to Jordan and Erin, just to name a few).

What I miss about college:

• Crazy nights at those nasty fraternity house
  
• Living with my best friends


• GDH food (I know what you're thinking)


• Professors that helped me become the person I am today


• ADPi


• Having about 20 closets


• Being involved in a variety of organizations


• Providing me with the tools and opportunities needed to excel, thanks to the faculty and staff!


• This list could go on forever...
  
  
  
  Thank heavens for nights like this...

Like Nick said at our graduation, "on, on PC will go." His thought provoking speech reminded the graduates that contrary to our common belief, PC will go on without us. Sadly, he was right. PC has gone on without me. Now one question remains: can I go on without PC?

*Leave your comments about what PC/college meant to you*

How NOT to apply sunscreen

My family and I have been enjoying a wonderful vacation in Isle of Palms. It has been beyond hot and my mom has provided the whole family with SPF 100 sunscreen. My sisters and I were hoping to come home tanner than we left so we have been using 30 SPF. I don't have too much color yet and my sister Sumner is tanning nicely.

Then there is Lauren. Year after year we run into this same problem. Lauren truly believes that she applies her sunscreen to the best of her ability. What do you think

I have never in my life met someone who has this many issues with sunscreen. To be honest, the picture doesn't do her burn justice, it is about 10 times worse than it looks.

I suppose I shouldn't be talking because I often have the same issue but she wins for worst sunscreen application EVER.

Bless her burnt self...

This is what I like to call "a hot mess"

My new blog

I have to say, I was a little hesitant to start a blog. I kept asking myself "does anyone want to hear what you have to say?" Never the less, here I am writing my first post!

Work has been stressful recently and I couldn't be more excited that this is my vacation week. I am in Isle of Palms with my family and loving it. This is such a magical place, I enjoy being near the beach and only about 15 minutes from Charleston. Though we have only been here a night guests have already starting visiting us. My dad has a business partner staying for the night, my sister's boyfriend came by, one of my best friends Natalie and her boyfriend Durning came, today a friend brought by her 4 month old baby, and right now I am waiting on Lauren and Brittany to come visit me. It has been great to see all these people but I wonder if I will get all the R &R I need if we keep going at this pace.

Wondering why I need the vacation? I work with Special Needs children from birth to five and they certainly give me a run for my money. My case load is high right now as we are currently looking to hire. My 21 beautiful children bring me so much joy. I am able to go into the child's home, teach the families ways to foster their child's development, and coordinate any special services they may need. It isn't always easy and sometimes I get discouraged. I live for the days when a child does something remarkable (clap their hands, crawl, talk, you name it!) I enjoy working with all the children but when I am working with a baby, I am all smiles. I feel blessed to have this job and I learn something new everyday. I strive to make each child's day better than the one before and that is what keeps me going.