Bits of Halloween Around the House

Have you heard me mourn the loss of my former mantle recently? 😂 Whenever I'm decorating for a holiday, I find myself missing my fireplace mantle so much! I've finally come to the realization that I can use my entryway table as I would a mantle. I WILL have a fireplace in my house again-- I have big plans for this, I'm just not quite there yet.

Anyway, here's a peek at some spooky things around our house! I'm getting to the point where I want to start decorating for every holiday, not just seasonally.

 
Do yourself a favor and buy some mini witch hats at your local craft store. You won't regret it! They are so cute on everything!

Do you decorate for Halloween? I didn't used to, but so many of my friends make their houses darling for Halloween and they've inspired me!

Leave me any links to fun Halloween decor in the comments! It can be your own home or just one you've seen around the internet! Happy Monday!

sources: Coraline doll 1, 2, 3, 4 // mini witch hats // glitter pumpkins // bison // silhouettes // entryway table (similar)

My Birthday Trip to Memphis

Hi, friends! I finally have a bit of time to sit down and blog about our trip to Memphis, TN. We traveled to Memphis over my birthday weekend. It was a very quick trip, but we did get to do a little bit of exploring. I fell in love with the city and I can't wait to go back. Here's a peek at some of the fun things we got to do, all squeezed into one day!

 

The first place we hit in Memphis was The Beauty Shop Restaurant. You know those places that make you grin from ear to ear as soon as you walk in? This place is SPECIAL. My eyes started tearing up when we sat down because it's just so magical. No joke.


The food and drinks were absolutely delicious. Definitely a great kick-off to my birthday!

 
After brunch, we made our way through some cute local shops, two of my favorites being Red Velvet and Stock & Belle. We didn't do a ton of shopping because it was pretty cold, but I did enjoy popping in a few local boutiques and antique shops, and then grabbing coffee before heading back to our hotel.


On the way back to our hotel the girls conned me into going to the giant Bass Pro pyramid. We come from a city with a huge Bass Pro, so I wasn't super eager to go all the way to Memphis and find myself there. It ended up being fun, though. We took the elevator to the top part of the pyramid and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset. (The first photo from this post was taken from up there as well.)


After I dropped my crew back at the hotel, I met my sweet friend, Natalie (of The Crybaby Club), at The Liquor Store for drinks and a snack. Let me tell you, the drinks and appetizers there are incredible.


How cute is their neon bathroom sign? In love.

It was wonderful getting to visit with her. We've been internet friends for quite a while now, so it was nice to finally meet up in the real world.

After I got back to our hotel, my sweet crew had birthday cake and presents waiting. They sang me "Happy Birthday" and we spent the remainder of the night just hanging out together. It was a lovely end to a special day.



(Find this pin here.)

Whew. Talk about squeezing everything we could into one day! It was a good trip and I'm so glad Hope's gymnastics competition took us there. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure I would have spent the day curled up under blankets, hiding from the cold. 😂

You have our hearts, Memphis! xo.

Christmas 2017

We had such a lovely Christmas at home with the girls this year.  Our typical Christmas tradition is basically travel-travel-travel, but these last two years we've changed things up so we can enjoy Christmas morning at home.  It's seriously so nice.  Sometimes it can be hard for us to switch up traditions with family members because of hurt feelings and whatnot, but I honestly wish we had proposed this change years ago.  Having Christmas as a relaxing and slow time instead of chaotic and stressful makes all the difference in fully taking it in.


You guys.  Poesy's face just kills me in this one.  Oh, to feel like that again.  Being a kid at Christmas is just the best.


Poesy lost her voice this year, so listening to her high-pitched shrieks was pretty entertaining.  She gets excited about EVERYTHING, so you can probably imagine all squeaking and honking. 

This is the first year Hope hasn't really wanted any toys.  I was nervous about navigating those waters, but it was actually the most fun year for me to shop for her.  She likes clothes and jewelry and games.  Her favorite gift was a pink Taco Bell hoodie that I found at Forever 21 earlier this year.  It was the very first Christmas gift I bought-- that kid LOVES Taco Bell.  Her big present was a Harry Potter overnight bag filled with gobs of smaller Harry Potter presents.  (Clothes, Pop figures, DVDs, jewelry, etc.)  It was also a win!

Poesy's school travels to a local church once a month to shop with points they've earned.  There are clothes, toys... well, quite a variety of things.  The church gifted the kids 20 extra points so they could shop for family members, and Poesy was thrilled to have her very own presents to give us.  She picked a Springfield Cardinals hat for Johnny and I got a three pack of dollar store eyeshadow. 😂 It was precious and so very thoughtful.


The last 4 pictures are some of my favorite gifts from this year.  Johnny's mom and dad braved auctions to find these beautiful head vases for me.  I mean, I'm now the proud owner of a Lucille
Ball head vase.  What?!  She will go perfectly next to my Elizabeth Taylor vase.

The swan measuring cups were a sweet gift from Hope.  She braved the mall days before Christmas and bought these with her own money.  I love to see this thoughtfulness shining through her.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday.  I know family stuff can be tough sometimes... I'm thankful for a year without any drama and a slow-paced, nap-filled Christmas.  xo.