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Holiday Favorites

I love it when the Blended Blog posts a questionnaire!

Here’s a fun one about Holiday Favorites:

 

1. Real or Fake Tree?

Fake. Fake. Fake.

I have three of them!

No pics yet… the Christmas décor doesn’t come out until AFTER Amanda’s birthday (December 9th).

2. Favorite Christmas Cookie?

I LOVE these!These are officially on my Christmas Wish List!

3. Home on Christmas Morning or Travel?

NEVER have I had to travel to be with family at Christmas. My kids come to my house early on Christmas morning. After we exchange gifts at my house, we all walk next door to my Mama’s house. We will meet there with my sister and her family.  Most of the time my Grandpa will join us.  I am very blessed.

4. Clear or Colored Lights?

BOTH! With 3 trees, I can enjoy the white lights on 2 of my trees, and colored lights on the other.

5. Send Christmas Cards?

Sometimes… if I remember.

6. Favorite Christmas Present Received?

Every gift I receive is appreciated and enjoyed.

However there is one that comes to mind more quickly than any other…

Elvis.

You can barely see him hiding in the Christmas tree (yes, my tree is purple).

He was introduced in this post.

7. Favorite Christmas Present Given?

Along with Elvis, Aymie was introduced in this post.

It was a pleasure to hand the little fur-ball over to Stephanie on Christmas morning. 

There is nothing better than getting a little black kitten for Christmas!

8. Stockings or No Stockings?

YES STOCKINGS! Got to have the stockings!

9. Christmas PJ’s?

Nope.

Did it once, looked like an idiot in my pink reindeer onesie.

Then a picture appeared on FACEBOOK!

10. Favorite Christmas Carol?

All of the carols are beautiful to me.
Recently I heard 98° sing in at Christmas concert.  I left that concert with their new Christmas CD.  From that CD is their rendition of Mary Did You Know.
It is absolutely lovely.

11. Favorite Holiday Tradition?

There are two.

One is an old tradition; one is a new tradition.

It is tradition to meet with my family at Mama’s house for breakfast (English muffins with sausage and Velveeta) and gift exchange on Christmas morning.

LB and I have made a new tradition of seeing the Alhambra Christmas show every year. We have seen White Christmas, A Christmas Story, and the fabulous story of Scrooge… A Christmas Carol… multiple times.

12. Early Shopper or Last Minute?

Both. I started on Black Friday and will likely still be shopping for something on Christmas Eve.

13. Favorite Christmas Movie or Show?

It’s A Wonderful Life

My Daddy introduced me to this movie years ago.  I absolutely LOVE it!

14. Favorite Holiday Beverage?

All of them!

Here is a good Egg Nog recipe.

15. Cookies and Milk for Santa?

Of course!

A well fed Santa, is a happy Santa!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Happy December 1st

and

Happy Friday!

It has been a restful week as I enjoyed some time off to spend with my LB.  Aside from a trip to the dentist office and a short case of the stomach flu, this has been a wonderful week.  But whether you work Monday through Friday or have the weekday free, there is something about the weekend that makes everyone smile.

To celebrate the coming of Friday (and December), here are my favorites this week:

Favorite # ONE

This

Furry Vest

from Classy Crossroads.

LB bought it for me on our annual “Celebration of Fall” trip that you can read about here.

I enjoyed wearing it again Thursday night when LB surprised me with…

Favorite # TWO

98°

in concert…

The handsome 90’s boy band is touring and sharing songs from their new Christmas album.I was surprised at how much I enjoyed hearing this group and watching them interact with each other.LB may have been the only man in attendance at the concert, but I was happy to have him there with me.

Favorite # THREE

White House Black Market

This women’s clothing store is quickly becoming my favorite place to shop.

In case you missed my post, here are some of my favorites:

Blush Pullover Sweater  // Embroidered Jeans (somewhat similar) // Floral Top (similar) and Jeans

Burgundy Blouse (similar) // White Blouse (similar) // Ruffle Sleeve Blouse and Jeans

 

Favorite # FOUR

St. Augustine’s

Nights of Lights

Photo by LB

Mentioned in my Tuesday post, this event dazzles the city of St. Augustine as approximately three million lights adorn the Plaza de la Constitucion and other areas of the historic district.  You can see all of LB’s pics and read my post here.

Favorite # FIVE

The

Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

runs 14.5 miles from Imeson Road in Jacksonville to the Town of Baldwin.A 12’ wide paved trail currently exists for hikers, bikers and roller-bladers to enjoy.  An equestrian trail parallels the paved trail (source).   On Wednesday afternoon, LB and I loaded up our bikes and headed to the rail trail.

My suggestion would be to visit on the weekend as there are more people there biking and running.  You may feel a little less paranoid and not have to be packing heat.

(hee hee)

Its a City of Jacksonville favorite that you can read about here.

Favorite # SIX

 A suggestion to

Live Your Best Holiday Life for Less

by The Blended Blog

I will revisit these suggestions throughout the month in an effort to see how many I can check off the list.  I’ve already completed half of #5…

lets see if I can stick to it as I continue my Christmas shopping!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

Nighttime Browsing

While waiting for the sun to set, and Nights of Lights to begin, I perused through a few of the shops on Saint George Street.

As I’ve mentioned before, H.W. Davis Clothing and Shoes never disappoints.  I can always find something pretty at this shop.

On this particular trip, I discovered a few places that may not be new, but are new to me.

Colonial Oaks Music Park mentioned in yesterday’s post.

A performance and event venue, with an oak in the center of the park, and a nice place to relax and enjoy a band or a show.  The old live oak’s branches are spread over the the park offering shade in the summer and a place to hang lanterns and lights.

29 Olives

There were several pretty blouses and a wall of jewelry.

And this store has a website you can find here.

After the sun set, and I had enjoyed the holiday display, LB and I took a walk on King Street, along the Plaza de la Constitucion.  Just past the Ale House is a cute little shop called

Mod Mari

The window display made it impossible to pass by without further investigation.I wandered through the shop examining all of the accessories and potential gift items.Some of the items in Mod Mari:

LB mentioned that my daughters would probably like this store.  I believe they would.

At last I found the dress in the display window.

And LB encouraged me to try it on.

I look like a PEASANT!

Uh… yeah…

No

LB and I left St. Augustine with no shopping bags (for LB to hide from me until Christmas).  However we both took home sweet memories of the evening that will remain with us forever.

Nights of Lights

LB and I headed to St. Augustine yesterday afternoon in hope of seeing the city lit up with holiday lights later that evening.    As I’ve mentioned time and time again, St. Augustine is a favorite place I frequently visit.  Beginning November 18th and continuing through January 31st it is an especially lovely place to visit.

  The 24th Annual

Nights of Lights

dazzles the city of St. Augustine as approximately three million lights adorn the Plaza de la Constitucion and other areas of the historic district.

However, until the sun goes down, it is nice to find something to do to pass the time.

Did someone say SHOPPING?

If I have already passed the St. Augustine Premium Outlet, the shops on Saint George Street are my next choice.  There aren’t as many stores to chose from, but H.W. Davis Clothing and Shoes never disappoints.  Recently a few other shops have become worth exploring as well.

On this particular trip, there was less shopping, and more sightseeing.  I discovered a couple of buildings under construction in the Saint George street vicinity that are likely new restaurants or shops coming to the area.  In addition, I discovered a few places that may not be new, but are new to me.  For example the

Colonial Oaks Music Park

a rustic performance and event venue complete with a stage and picnic tables.  There is an oak, as the name suggests, in the center of the park.  Its branches are spread over the picnic tables offering shade in the summer and a place to hang lanterns and lights.

 Obviously there is no one on stage, but it looks to be a nice place to relax and enjoy a band or a show.  I’m sure LB and I will be back.

Once the sun set, it was time to check out the holiday display.

The Plaza de la ConstitucionFlagler CollegeThe Discoverer of Florida…

Juan Ponce de Leon landed near this spot 1513. This festive fellow…And a photo op in Santa’s sleigh…

Nights of Lights is a great opportunity to grab a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the dazzling display with someone you love.

Thank you for the holiday cheer LB!

I’m looking forward to another Christmas season with you (on your left arm).

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

St. Simons Shopping

LB and I enjoyed our Saturday visit to Jekyll Island’s Merry Shrimpmas.

We visit the island often, but will typically stay at the Hampton on St. Simons Island.  Sunday morning started with a quick Hampton breakfast.

Mixed fruit.

  Then onto a quick shopping trip.

Last spring I published a post about how a shopping excursion in the Golden Isles ended with a stop at

White House Black Market

This time it began with a shopping excursion at White House Black Market…

which turned out to be a good idea!Thanks LB!

This pretty sweater caught my eye before I walked through the door.

So I headed straight for it; and Yes, it is very pretty.  An on trend blush colored, at-the-shoulder sweater featuring a  velvet bow in the back.

You can see it online here.  It is officially on my wish list along with a perfectly matching pair of jeans that look like this…

Sadly, they aren’t to be found online in my size, but if you wear a 16W + check them out… they are so cute!  I’m not a fan of destructed jeans, but these have rose gold sequins peeking through.  I’ll probably be heading to WHBM to find my size soon.  While I’m there I’ll be looking for this blouse.

It was on the sale rack… a lonely size ZERO.  As you can see, it is too tight.  I’m hoping another store will have one in a more comfortable size.

There were many treasures to be found in the sale section.  One of my favorites was this pretty little outfit…The jeans that were paired with the floral top were not quite as cute as another pair I came across.

These floral embroidered cuffed jeans…

And I thought this blouse would also pair nicely with those jeans..

This one is a keeper!

Unfortunately it is not to be found online…

but this Ruffle-Sleeve blouse can be found here.

(Can’t help myself, I have to touch everything)

This St. Simons shopping trip ended well for me.  I walked out with a pretty little package.And I was a happy girl!

Until LB took that pretty little package away from me and told me we were saving it for Christmas.

 

 

Here’s looking forward to Christmas!

 

 

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

 

 

An Eventful Thanksgiving Weekend

It may have started slowly, but it turned out to be an eventful Thanksgiving weekend.

When I left the office on Wednesday night, I drove straight home, closed the door behind me, and didn’t go out again until

Black Friday

Since there were plenty of leftovers from my Sunday before Thanksgiving Dinner, which we had been enjoying ALL week, we stayed in on Thanksgiving Day.  After 48 hours, cabin fever had set in and we were ready to get out of the house.

I could barely stand the light.

LB and I went to Whiskey Jax Beaches location to hear Sidewalk 65 and enjoy something besides turkey and dressing.

Shrimpmas Saturday

In September 2017, due to hurricane Irma, the 12th annual Shrimp & Grits Festival was cancelled.  In an effort to bring the festival to their community before year end, Jekyll Island merged the Shrimp & Grits Festival and the Tree Lighting celebration into a new, two-day event they called Merry Shrimpmas.  On Saturday afternoon, LB and I packed up and headed to the Golden Isles to spend the remainder of our weekend.

And it was cool enough to wear my new furry vest!

We arrived at the airport just before sunset then set out to walk the 1.5 miles to the festival.  My FitBit loved it!  We ended the day with 22,745 steps.

It was a beautiful evening for a walk.  I enjoyed it.  LB enjoyed it.  The gnats enjoyed it.

Despite the insect assault, we stopped to enjoy the sunset.

My cameraman likes to capture every moment.


There were many potential souvenirs and possible Christmas gifts in the artists’ market.

And everything was lit up and decorated beautifully for the Merry Shrimpmas festival.

It was a lovely ending to an eventful Thanksgiving weekend.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Kim

 

 

 

 

Date Night Outfit :: Blouse (similar), Faux Leather Leggings, Shoes (similar)

Festival Outfit :: Furry Vest (similar), Knit Top, Jeans, Shoes

 

Sunday Thanksgiving Dinner

Each year since 2012 I have been preparing a traditional thanksgiving dinner at my house on the Sunday before Thanksgiving Day.

I call it

“Sunday before Thanksgiving Dinner”

Which I mentioned briefly in my recent Pecan Pie Bars post here.
As I mentioned in that post, when I was growing up my family would visit either my maternal grandparents (Mema and Papa Duck’s house)
or paternal grandparents (Mema and Grandpa Reid’s house) each year.

In an effort to have the undivided attention of those closest to me

I began my own tradition of hosting Thanksgiving dinner ahead of time.

At this family event, I take responsibility for providing the dinner

so I can enjoy the holiday early with my Mama and my kids.

In 2015 a new member joined us

She likes the idea of the turkey, but has yet to try it.

This year our menu included turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato soufflé, Brussels sprouts wrapped in bacon, green bean casserole, English pea salad, cranberry/orange salad…
pumpkin roll, pecan pie bars, and, of course, pumpkin pie.

And I wouldn’t be able to do it without LB!

It was delicious, if I do say so myself!

After dinner chillin’ early on would typically resemble this…But nowadays resembles this…And chocolate milk is the main entree while entertainment is watching The Little Mermaid all cozy on the vintage Beauty and the Beast sleeping bags.

Whatever makes that baby happy is just fine with Glammy.

Let the Holiday Festivities BEGIN!

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