Arriving in Time: For him and her!

I promised y'all some last minute gift guides and I do hope they help you out! I put these together that are all guaranteed to arrive by Christmas Eve! These are all fabulous finds too, the recipient will not be short changed with any of these wonderful items. Isn't is crazy how busy the UPS man is these days? 

live in leggings the best ever- every woman needs a pair! // roll tab tunic I've heard every woman needs this top as well...comes in so many colors! // circle cardigan perfect for Mom or the MIL that has everything. or yourself!  // cuff bracelet love my Kendra Scott bracelet. So pretty and a great quality piece // lighted iphone case  for the tech lover! this lights up for selfies :) // tassel drop earrings for your sister that loves jewelry- these are a great price!

lounge pant because he needs some comfies for the house too // classic plaid shirt  a man can never have enough shirts- am I right? // bootcut jeans my husband likes designer jeans too! these are on sale too. // bluetooth speaker we use our bluetooth speaker every.single.day. // slippers  these are a bargain- $21!! // beanie for cold workouts, sporting events or even every day wear

I hope you all are inching towards finishing up your shopping...I think I am almost done, thank goodness! Merry Christmas Week! xo.

Christmas for the Kids!

Good news y'all...plenty of things are still shipping in time for Christmas! Saturday morning while sitting in bed sipping on coffee and feeding the baby, I ran through my list of gifts in my head for the kids and did some more last minute ordering. It was all here by 12 pm Monday. Super quick! I also have picked out some toys locally which are probably my favorites but these are the ones that I am able to find online {once again, reminding you to shop your local stores!! :) }

Alongside toys, we also are asking for some super useful things the kids need for their rooms and what not! Weeks needs a pair of nightstands for his big boy room, which I am so excited about. Matching nightstands...yes please! I don't even have a pair of those! Frances Ann needs some new shades for her room and we are thinking about wooden mini blinds for her. I loved the look of the bamboo shades in our last house, but the wooden minis might work just fine here! She also has been using a wooden antique high chair which is fine but sometimes I would prefer her to be in a really up to date, sturdy chair with no wonky straps- I like this one! Just seems simpler that way even if the new ones aren't as appealing to the eye. Also needed- a new sleepsack for the the next size up. 

FA is obsessed with tags and so a taggies doll is very appropriate. Also, very into anything that might look like a phone or computer- hence the pink tablet. My, she has learned quick! We also think its a great time to go ahead with the pink trike that she can grow into. So cute.

Fun stuff- a power wheels jeep for my boy {they come with remote controls for parents!} although the one that we ordered is now showing up as $900 which we def did not pay! He also is getting an amazon fire from Mimi and Pop Pop. He has always loved vtech toys and we get a kick out of that cute voice on everything! This play doh set is a great deal too!

Christmas Apps

We had our little work party last night and we had just the perfect amount of food. I brought an appetizer tray, themed with a Christmas tree! I know you've probably seen the Christmas tree shaped veggie/cheese/meat tray, and I had too. I decided not to be "pinterest perfect" and just buy what I wanted on my tray and put it together on one of my large cutting boards!

My grocery list included: pre-sliced gouda cheese, pre-sliced sharp cheddar cheese, sliced sopressata, red grapes, 2 english cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, ranch seasoning packet and sour cream (for dipping). Sometimes it is such a relief to not have to be referring to a pinterest link to make something- am I right?

It was just the right amount of snacks and turned out pretty cute too. My tips: buy everything pre-sliced that you can! I cut my veggies around 4:00 and put them in ziploc baggies. When I arrived at the party all I had to do was arrange it on the cutting board, which took a few minutes. {Side note- this cutting board is very similar to mine, ours has a "C" on it to make it a little more personal. It would make a great last minute gift for someone that has everything! I also love this handled cutting board!}We love our veggies with a ranch dip, so I brought that as well. I bought an organic ranch packet and mixed it with the sour cream several hours ahead of time so it had time to blend the flavors ahead of serving.

I also brought one of my favorite dips- Cheesy Hearts of Palm Dip from Laura at the Reedy Review. I can't sing the praises of this dip enough and I can assure you it was devoured. For some reason, I think it makes a great Christmas app. This is the second time I have made it around the holidays and it has been a hit both times! If you are a fan of artichoke dip {raising my hand} then you will love this one!

What are your easy go-to apps for holiday parties?

What's on my Christmas List?

Holy moly! How is Christmas next week? I knew the month of December would fly but I didn't think it would go at such lightning speed. We are finally settling down into the house {bless!}, have decorated a tree, I am able to locate my hair dryer and straightener on a daily basis {when I even need those two items, ha!} and have even cooked a few pretty good meals. There was about a week there where it was pretty crazy and I could not wait for a sense of normalcy. I know this move in phase is short lived and I'm trying to get past the clutter and craziness by embracing sweet moments with these kiddos, even if they are simple and in reality, just the way they should be!

I definitely promised y'all some gift guides. Well here I am. I am your last minute girl. I am pulling together things that are currently in stock {as I post!} to help with any last minute purchases. We do still have a solid 7 days of business day shipping before the big day, afterall! Any requests? Leave them in the comments.

For today, I thought I would round up the items that I have asked for. My family, husband, siblings etc all have circulating lists throughout the holidays and these are some of the items that made my list this year. If you are like me you want everything {of course} but when it comes down to it, it's really hard to "ask" for something. Well these made my list, maybe they will make your last minute list too!

Triple Lantern Earrings with Pearl

Everyone's favorite earring style this year. I'm not totally sold on most of the colorways I have seen but I totally love this one! It is elegant but fun. Could see it daytime to work or night time for a party!

Finch Silk Open Shoulder Top

I love being able to branch out of winter colors via Lilly Pulitzer. This turquoise silk is perfect and I love the fun touch with the shoulders!

Striped Boatneck T-Shirt

Basically, this is the type of shirt I live in so of course I could use another. I asked for the navy, but the red is adorable! 

Ugg Cluggette Slipper

I sing praises of Ugg slippers every year! I'm due for a new pair and I'm asking for this style to try something new. I live in Ugg slippers and boots while I am around the house in the winter! You can find me cooking dinner, walking the dogs, doing laundry...anything and everything.

Marble Copper Wine Chiller

Love this pretty cooler to keep your wine cold! My parents have a marble one they use all the time and I realized we don't have anything like it.

Joovy Scooter X2

Call me crazy, but I want to add another stroller to our list! I need a double jogger and this one fits budgets and in doorways, ha! Anyone have any feedback on it?

It's Fleecing Cold Jacket

A winter staple that I can see myself wearing as much as my Uggs! 

Dream Closet

We gutted our master closet and Stephen installed hanging rods and shelves for our clothing. We have yet to do anything for shoes, bags, accessories and I would love to go the professional route. In our last house we transformed our closet with Ikea systems and I LOVED it. Only problem is, we aren't making a trip to Ikea anytime soon. Instead, I am happy to take advantage of this solution! Any tips are welcome!

What made your list this year?

Thanksgiving Sales!

Nordstrom's sale selection is not disappointing, and the prices are crazy good! I don't remember them offering these prices ever before so it's a little exciting! I could browse and browse for hours but I rounded up a few items that caught my eye between yesterday and this morning:

live in legging- ordering these // ugg slipper - a Christmas must!! // crop skinny jean - one of my favorite brands of jeans // petty chelsea boot - perfect booties //

  slim signature shirt -I would love an equipment shirt // britten convertible clutch - crazy good price!

J.Crew is offering 40% off everything...what?! I could totally go overboard as they are easily my favorite store but I'm trying not to. I did purchase this sweater below...I think it is perfect for the holidays and since we are NC State fans, it will be great next fall too!

How cute are these socks?

This top is adorable for holiday parties:

I wore this skirt for family pictures last week, it's also available in black and 

emerald which are so pretty! 

Other great deals going on today:

Gap is offering 50% off

Banana Republic is offering 50% off 5 items

Anthropologie has everything 30% off!! 

Serena and Lily has 20% off everything

Loft has 50% off  as well 

Crazy good deals! Don't forget to check your local shops for great deals as well {some of my faves!}

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...we had the best day! So much fun with these 2 sweet kiddos!! 

Shopping Small Favorites

Every year I make it a point to buy locally sourced gifts, which always end up being some of my favorites. My family owns a gift shop that has been open over 80 years, which I work at...so obviously shopping small is important to us! We just have a tiny sampling of what we sell online, so it's hard for me to point you in our direction if it isn't available for purchase at your fingertips. You can follow along on our instagram as well, where we frequently post new arrivals, special sales and so on. I think it is important in the midst of gift guides and all that to reach out to your local stores and support them. After all, if we all just shop on Amazon, those little stores will not exist one day- and that truly makes me sad! So take my ideas and run with them, buy them from your local stores and keep that economy going! 

These are a few items found from small companies that I love. I mentioned this on instagram yesterday, but my sister has started a printing business with the cutest little gift tags you've ever seen. I'm mentioning the gift tags especially since we are in that season, but she does much more than that too. She has been trained in calligraphy, doing wedding invitation addressing, menus, table cards etc. I remember when we planned my wedding it was hard to find someone that did it well, on time and was reliable. So boom, there ya go ladies! If you are interested in purchasing these printed tags, simply email me or leave a message below with your color choice. We are doing paypal for these to keep things simple while she gets her etsy shop going. $12 for a pack of ten, they come as seen so you can decide how you want to attach them to your gifts. Bonus- they are not all strictly for Christmas, but can go that way for sure!

Golden Script Designs

If you are looking for a gift for someone with a new house or someone that doesn't own an address stamp...how cute are these? I'm ordering one this week so it will be here for my Christmas cards going out.

Erin Haines Design Co.

When I was in Charleston at the end of the summer, a really sweet local introduced herself in the Lilly store and recognized me from my blog {how fun is that?!}, and I later found out she had this adorable shop. These are gifts that are not only beautiful, but personalized. I would love a set of dinner napkins for special occasions, or to just have set out looking nice and pretty. 

South of Libbie

Another linen company I have had my eye on...I can't get enough of these towels with the applique monogram! They make shams that have a similar monogram that I would love, love, love for our bed! How gorgeous!

Southern Linen Co. 

What are some of your favorite small shops? Please don't forget to shop small not only this coming Saturday, but all weekend. I've found most shops run specials just like others do all weekend long! Happy Shopping! 

Christmas Inspiration - Colonial Style

I know, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week and I will celebrate rightfully so. But, you can't deny that we are headed full throttle for Christmas. I want everyone to take a deep breath because no matter what, y'all are way ahead of the game than me. I have a kitchen and living room to unpack first, THEN I can unpack some Christmas decor. No, it's not that I have done everything else and those are the last two rooms. I just decided thats all we need {minus bedroom setups} in order to be set for Christmas. It is my very realistic approach to the holidays this year :)

So, to catch you up to speed...our new house is a white colonial with black shutters {actually they are a hint of that Williamsburg green but read black} with traditional landscaping. The inside has gorgeous pine floors throughout most of the house. We are fixing up the kitchen to a modernized white, clean kitchen with traditional elements like a brick floor, soft brass accents. The living room is right off the kitchen, along with a little dinette. Not sure if it is my mother wearing off on me but I swear I am leaning so far towards the traditional spectrum about 80% of the time, but then I add my touch to keep it perfectly modern. Everything that is old is new again, that is the saying right? Anyway, my house may not be decorated for Christmas until late December...so maybe I will just post on here the inspiration I come across!

All images via Midwest Living