A January Hello

Well, we are almost mid-January already & I thought it high time I pop in and say 

HELLO ... from the other side!

Ohhh ... 

is anyone else absolutely loving the new Adele project like I am?

She is an amazing singer!

The primary reason for this post, you ask?

It's just a random post with not much heavy duty anything ... just a hello & what've you been up too?

Keeping warm, I hope.

We have enjoyed mild weather up to last week, in which we had a couple of really cold days.

Even got a few inches of snow.

But then it jumped back up to the 40s & turned rainy.

I welcomed it completely cause it beat away the icky, dirty snow that was piled up here & there.

I'm not a fan of that.

And today, it's absolutely frigid ... in the single digits.

I have yet to de-Christmas.

Everything is still in place & honestly, it's not bothering me one bit.

It was pretty cozy the other day when the snow was falling & the tree lights were on, 

especially seeing as how we didn't have any snow around Christmas time.

I'll probably get to taking things down next week ...maybe.

And believe it or not, we just had our final Christmas get-together on Saturday!

The Smith side always meets in January.

We had a good time spending a few hours with family, 

some that we only see a time or two each year.

And the white elephant gift exchange is always fun too.

And speaking of gifts, that's where the rest of this post comes in.

 I kinda had a theme-type gift giving scenario going on this year.

I found something I liked & then built off of that.

I even coordinated some of the gift bags with the gifts ... not for any reason other than it was fun!

I love love giving gifts so I couldn't resist snapping a couple pictures of my favorite finds.

As I'm going through my phone to see what all I had taken pictures of,

I sure wish I could've taken pictures of it all!

This gold and black ensemble was for my sister.

It all started with the coffee cup!

I found this adorable hat for my dil Abigail.

She often wears hats & it reminded me of her.

I found it at the Covered Bridge Fest ... & then came the hunt for a scarf to coordinate.

I was glad to find this one at Forever 21 ... it was perfect. 

I wanted to buy my girlies rainboots last year but didn't find what I was looking for ...

so when I found these in late spring, I knew I had to make a very early Christmas purchase. 

These are Winnie's ... Abigail's were bigger checks in royal blue and black.

And what about these shoes?!!!!

I can't even express how fabulous these are!

I decided I wanted to make a gift card bouquet this year.

This little poinsettia was the perfect place to start & I loved how it turned out!

I hot glued the gift cards onto wooden skewers & tied a bow around the flower.

Cutie patootie.

This is a gift I received ... from James.

Isn't this over-the-top girlie?!

It smells fabulous!

He also fixed me up with some nice make up & new brushes!

 

This was part of a gift from a sweet friend ... and I think this may be my new favorite lotion!

It is just right ...  thick, non-greasy, and smells great.

 

Not only did I buy a few gifts that had a bicycle on them, I got a few in return!

I bought this one for a sweet friend who loves bicycles as much as I do.

I loved the saying ...NOTHING is worth more than this day.

Another sweet friend bought me this paper set.

There are all sizes of sticky notes inside & I just adore it.

(This is from another one of my friends who loves bikes!)

She also got me this notebook ... what an encouraging message on the front!

(Wish I would've snapped a pic of the coffee mug & apron that came with it ... so cute.)

 

And this gift right here ... well let me tell you, it made my day & them some!!

My sweet friend, who likes to buy coordinated gifts too, got me this gift all centered around the fact 

that I'm going to get my first grand baby in late spring!

This is a gift for me, otherwise now known as Henry's Gigi!

I have oohhhed and ahhhed over the gorgeous babies in this book,

all the while imagining what our sweet Henry will look like.

 

This is a picture that James took of me back in the fall at the Covered Bridge Fest.

I think my big smile says it all!

Speaking of Henry, James & I found this candy bar in an old-fashioned candy store

& had to buy it for Henry's mommy and daddy.

Love these two three SO much.

 Lastly, I didn't buy these songs ... or receive them, but they are SO cute that I had to post them!

Best socks ever, right?!

I hope the last half of your January is wonderful, that you stay warm, & keep smiling!

Depression rates are sky high in January & February, so make sure you are keeping yourself

encouraged & doing fun things.

Bundle up and get out into the sunshine, even if it's just a few minutes.

It'll do you good.

Before you know it, spring will be here.

I'm looking forward to it already.

I hope to chat with your more often this year ... even if it's just a post like this one

to pop in & say hello.

Hugs to everyone,

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           Amaze Me Monday     Coastal Charm    The Dedicated House
                     I Should Be Mopping the Floor     The Hankful House     The Modest Mom
Tuesday        A Delightsome Life    A Bowl Full of Lemons  
                                    Titus Tuesday  A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style      
                              The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch    Katherines Corner 3D Lessons for Life
           Hope in Every Season     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop   Flea Market Friday   Missional Women
 Best of the Nest  Anything Blue Friday   French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things   Simple Saturdays    Sew Many Ways

What?! A Huge Box of Produce Delivered to my Door?!

I love getting packages in the mail ... 

AND surprise packages are absolutely the best!!

When I pulled in the drive yesterday & saw this big box sitting on my front porch, I was curious.

I wasn't expecting a delivery.

And a box labeled PERISHABLE?

What could it be, I wondered?

It was quite heavy, but I hoisted it up & carried it into the house to excitedly tear into it.

Much to my surprise, I found a large cooler filled to the brim with fresh produce!

Remember the blog I wrote earlier in the week about making my own bagged salad?

Well, I got an email from Ashley at Tanimura & Antle.

She had seen my blog, loved it, & asked if she could share it on the company website 

AND she asked if she could send me some products to try.

I thought it was pretty neat that she had somehow seen my blog.

I had no idea, however, that the free products Tanimura & Antle would send would be all this!!

I thought maybe they'd send a coupon for a free item or two, not a cooler full of fresh vegetables!

How incredibly nice was this?

I cannot wait to make a delicious salad, roast the cauliflower & broccoli,

& slice up one of the sweet Italian onions for a juicy cheeseburger.

This is a company that I will continue to purchase from 

& I encourage all of you in blogland to do the same.

Thank you, again, Tanimura & Antle.

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           C.R.A.F.T    Amaze Me Monday  The Dedicated House
                     I Should Be Mopping the Floor     The Hankful House     The Modest Mom
Tuesday        A Delightsome Life   A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
               French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things  Sew Many Ways

More Than Just a Cup of Tea

I have the best of family & friends.
I mean, I really do.
Some of the sweetest things I own are not things I've bought for myself.
No, they are treasures that have been given to me from people that I love & hold dear.
And each & every time I see them or use them, my heart is full, all over again.

I was warmed from head to toe to heart tonight by a delicious cup of hot tea.
I could hardly wait to use this gorgeous tea pot.
Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea = amazing!
Especially after sweetening it with Winter White honey, straight from The Savannah Tea Company.
And how about the Charlie Brown cup?
On the back, it talks about being a friend.

Thank you, Stacy, for the tea pot, tea, & all the other goodies in the basket.
And to Jenny, our mutual love for Peanuts are the ties that bind ;)
Thank you much.
And lastly to Garrett & Winnie ...
they brought us back the honey when they honeymooned there in October.

All of these things came together tonight just like they were meant to be together from the start.

And that's how I think of us as family & friends ... we were just meant to be.


If I had a quarter for every time you've enriched my life, I'd indeed be wealthy.

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday           C.R.A.F.T    Amaze Me Monday  The Dedicated House
                     I Should Be Mopping the Floor     The Hankful House     The Modest Mom
Tuesday        A Delightsome Life   A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
               French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things  Sew Many Ways

The Gift of a Picnic!

We celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary in July!

The Saturday following, we were given such a sweet gift ...

we were sent on a picnic!

 Let me tell you, it was fabulous ALL the way around!

We are blessed with some great friends & it was one of those families who so generously gave us 

this fun memory ... a whole experience really.

It was a full afternoon of brand new things!

A place we've never been, a basket full of goodies, & rest ... yes, rest.

Rest in a place surrounded by tranquil beauty.

This particular day followed 2 weeks of whirlwind activity.

We were thrilled {especially Gunnar} when Abigail got to come for a visit.

During this time, we had lots to fit in.

She & Gunnar had wedding planning, suit shopping {lots of shopping, actually}, 

gift registration, an engagement photo shoot, 2 wedding showers,

and a million other things in between.

It was such a fun time!

One of the showers was on our actual anniversary & we were delighted to share our special day

with what became one of their very special days.

So, after all the fun & excitement settled down, this picnic was the perfect, perfect anniversary gift.

The basket was delivered to our house by Tammy & Hannah.

{Tammy was the creative genius behind all this & you couldn't find someone more giving than she is.}

We could not wait to arrive at our destination & see what all was packed inside.

 

We couldn't believe all the yummy food she had packed!

Not only did we have quite the spread, look at our view!

I tell ya, we were feeling quite spoiled!!

 

 Not only did Tammy not forget one thing, 

she packed a lunch sensitive to the gluten intolerance that James has.

 These lettuce wraps were SO delicious!

And I totally giggled when I found these beets ... she knows my mad obsession with them ;)

 The cucumber ranch dip was very refreshing ...

& there was the cutest little cup of pickles.

 

One of Tammy's specialties is her delicious strawberry lemonade...

& we drank it to the very last drop.

 

Lastly, she included fresh berries ...

 

and yummy desserts in a jar for our sweet tooth.

 

I'm serious ... we were like kids at Christmas pulling all these goodies out of this basket!

After finishing our lunch, we stayed at the table for another 45 minutes or so

just relaxing, taking in all the scenery, talking, taking selfies, & listening to the LIVE music

that started just as we were unpacking our lunch.

We were delighted at that, for sure!

After 23 years, he still makes me giggle ...

 

And wherever he is, that's where my heart will feel at home.

 

 

We finally packed everything up & set off exploring the grounds.

Tammy had suggested that we picnic at Oliver Winery & Vineyards in Bloomington.

She said it was one of the prettiest places they'd visited ... and boy, was she right!

There's something so beautiful & earthy about rows and rows of grapes growing on the vines.

Now, I'm sure the majority of folks go to Oliver's for the wine {duh}, 

however since we don't drink wine, we were there to picnic & enjoy the property.

It did not disappoint.

 There are so many varieties of flowers & bushes.

 And several wooden benches here & there to sit and admire it all.

We loved the water features & stone structures throughout the gardens.

 

 The patio area was packed with people.

There was a bridal shower under the pergola & others were dining & listening to the band.

There lots of families, many picnicking just like we were ...

some at tables, some on blankets.

I'm sure it would be gorgeous at dusk, relaxing under these lights.

We hope to have something like this in our backyard when we move to the country.

There is also a large gift shop, full of food & trinkets.

It was really a neat place to visit.

To our sweet friends, The Walkers, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts 

for this perfectly delightful day.

We can't say enough how much we appreciated your thoughtfulness.

You helped us make a memory that we will treasure for always.

I included a short video, but be forewarned ...

you'll feel like you are on a roller coaster by the time it's finished!

Who doesn't love a good party?!
You can find me here linking up with these great blogs.
Monday          C.R.A.F.T      The Dedicated House  I Should Be Mopping the Floor
                  Between Naps on the Porch  The Modest Mom
Tuesday     A Delightsome Life   A Bowl Full of Lemons    Titus Tuesday      A Stroll Through Life
Wednesday   Raising Homemakers        Savvy Southern Style         Adorned From Above
                    The Thrifty Home   A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Thursday    Between Naps on the Porch   Serving Joyfully     Lamberts Lately
Friday      Rooted in Thyme  The Thrifty Groove   Farm Blog Hop  Best of the Nest
               French Country Cottage  The Girl Creative
Sunday    Nifty Thrifty Things    Suburbsmama    Sew Many Ways