5 on Friday

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It really is the most wonderful time of the year. Everyone just seems to have a little bit more pep in their step and a smile on their face. Sign me up! I wish it could be the holidays year-round. Ok, I could do without Christmas carols in September, but why don't we get just as excited for 4th of July? 

We have a super exciting weekend in town planned, compete with an Oyster Roast tonight, a gala Saturday night and prepping for my family to arrive on Monday! I couldn't be more exited and ready to get this show on the road, but first - my five on friday. 

{one} Our new Address stamp arrived this week and I couldn't be more excited to stamp our Christmas cards this year. I've been holding off on purchasing one until we got settled in our new home and since... have been begging the hubs to get one. He surprised me on Monday with this lil happy. He did so good! 

{two} When we moved into our new house, we upgraded to a king bed and put our queen in the guest room. Which was super exciting btw, a grown-up bed! I didn't realize that also meant  that our adorable christmas sheets I purchased last year no longer fit our bed. Many thanks to target for free shipping right now, I found those lovely holiday flannel sheets and a new set is en route to the Lyons' Den as I type. I can't wait to have those snuggly sheets on the bed! 

{three} My new plaid scarf. I was trying to wait and break-out the holiday plaid, but just couldn't resist with this chilly air. You may be seeing this bad boy a lot this season. I'm in love!

{four} Deck the Halls is a benefit gala that we are attending on Saturday night and I can't wait! It's been forever since we got all dolled up and went out. I'm looking forward to a fun night with lots of laughter, dancing and good memories.  All supporting a wonderful cause!

{five} Southern Pecan K-cups have been my go-to this week. Maybe it's because I can't wait to dive into a real slice on Thanksgiving day, but this is pretty darn close.

Linking up with the gals today for Five on Friday. Grab the button below, tell us about five things on your mind today and join the link-up!

Cheers to a great weekend!

Thanksgiving Traditions | Macy's Parade History

 

We are getting SO excited for next week! My brother and his family arrive on Monday and my parents arrive on Tuesday. Only one week until the Lyons' den is invaded with chaos... and I can't wait! We already starting prepping the house, shopping, and getting the kiddos room ready. I stopped by the library on my lunch break yesterday and picked up a pile of books for Emi and Lucas. They are going to be so excited!

Today I wanted to share some of our favorite Thanksgiving Traditions and some new ones as well.

Twas the night before Thanksgiving. This is a newer tradition, but so cute. Since we have the kiddos in town, we'll be sure to read on Wednesday.

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Bright and early on turkey day, we'll all bundle up and head to the Gobble Wobble 5K and Fun Run to start the morning off with a lil exercise. We'll be working the run, while the kids do the Fun Run and Rob and my Pops do the 5K. Karen will be helping out with face painting for the kiddos! It's always nice to get up and moving... and see how many others are out and about as well. I love it when families run together, it's such a fun tradition.

Next, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Recorded of course, so we don't miss any of it! I found this awesome history of the parade on Twitter yesterday and wanted to share.

Of course, there will be lots of Cooking by the ladies!

Quite a bit of Crafting! {You can find our crafting plans here.}

...and the Frying of Turkeys of course! We've been frying turkeys since I was so little I can't remember, but I always remember just how tasty they are. Those cajun spices, butter and OJ make that bird just so darn tasty. I can't wait to indulge! Of course, mom always bakes a turkey overnight, so we wake up to the smells of turkey. It's the best... as we are heading out the door to Wobble! What are some of your thanksgiving traditions?

My Favorite Things | Christmas List

Happy Tuesday!  Can you believe the holiday season is already here?  It's really beginning to feel a lot like the holidays around here, and the chilly weather certainly helps! Today I am linking up with April, Elise, Katie, and Zelle for the first of the series of My Favorite Things. 

A few things on my wish list this year. 

1. Gold Earrings with Tigers Eye  \  2. Gold Spoons  \  3. Gray Heels  \  4. The Southerner's Handbook  \  5. Farmhouse Pantry Butter Dish   \  6. Tassel Key Chain

Wanna join in the fun? Grab the button above, mark your calendars, and link up. You can find the announcement and details over at Katie's blog.

Happy Tuesday friends!

Home Sweet Home

There is nothing better than waking up in your own bed, with a day filled with nothing to do... well, except the ever-growing "to-do" list, but no work, no meetings, no calls... yay! After a four day work trip to Indy, it was great to finally be home on Sunday. Our trip was good - we did get to see some snow flurries, have dinner with some good friends we haven't seen in forever... and meet their adorable twins, and help our other friends finish their temporary move into a cute lil condo in Richmond. Caught this beautiful sunrise leaving Indy. {The perks of a 6am flight.}

After a long day of moving for the Hollomons and a long day of travel for us. 

Sunday, we started the day with an early breakfast at none other than Berky's! Nothing better than greasy bacon and piles of Texas toast french toast. Gotta love their new branding update too.

After breakfast we braved a trip to Wally world... and found out that going at 9 a.m. on Sunday is quite amazing. After a laundry-list of thanksgiving goodies, we got outta there before the sunday pre-thanksgiving craziness begun. 

The rest of the day involved unpacking, laundry, a long afternoon nap, and a few house projects. We finally hung our beautiful stained glass above the yet-to-be-finished built-in shelves in the living room. Now to figure out what should go on top of the shelves. Any ideas? 

Sunday supper was taco night at the Lyons Den. Shrimp Tacos with a side of black beans and rice. 

Tasty!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!! 

Five on Friday

Hooray for another weekend ahead! It's been a busy week, but so thankful for the pretty weather. Here are my 5 on Friday for the week.

{one} I finally got around to sending out our "We've Moved!" cards today. {better 5 months late, than never, right?} We decided to use e-cards, since Christmas cards are right around the corner, and hello postage! Paperless Post has some really card options and best part - most of their designs are FREE!

{two} I started a new yoga class on Monday nights at Halestone Loft. One week down and I'm feeling pretty good. I'm a terrible stretcher, so I think this is going to help my muscles tremendously. All my runner friends swear by yoga, so I'm convinced!  It's a short 5-week class that will be perfect to have leading up to the holidays.

{three} I'm loving all the deer alter decor out lately. It's so rustic!  I came across this fun antler print on GroopDealz for just $3.99. The perfect way to add dome dazzle to any room or shelf for the holidays! 

{four} Zazzle has a great deal going on right now via Groupon for Holiday cards. I got 110 cards for $44.99 - a steal! Saved over $160. I'm excited to have actually jumped on the band wagon early and got a deal for once... now I just need to find a time to take pictures and order.

{five} Love Shack. Does everyone else remember this great hit? It was my very first tape that I ever bought. {yes, I did say tape - as in cassette tape} I heard it on the radio this morning on my way into work - such a great way to start a Friday, don't ya think? Enjoy! 

Linking up with the gals today for 5 on Friday. Grab the button below and join in!

Have a wonderful weekend friends! 

Italian Wedding Soup

Hello November and Soup Season! Last night I made this amazing soup with the hubs for supper and it was delicious.  Defiantly a repeat. Many thanks to Sydo for the recipe too!

For the meatballs:
1 pound ground chicken
2/3 cup fresh panko bread crumbs 

2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves) 

3 tablespoons italian seasoning 

¼ cup freshly grated Pecorino Asiago cheese, plus extra for serving

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 


For the soup: 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup minced onion 

1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots (3 carrots) 

¾ cup (¼-inch diced celery (2 stalks) 

8 cups low-sodium chicken broth (2-32 oz. cartons)

½ cup dry white wine

1 cup small pasta (we used veggie)

2 tablespoons minced fresh dill 

8 onces spinach

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, bread crumbs, garlic, italian seasoning, Asiago, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1- to 1¼-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. {You should have about 35 meatballs. They don’t have to be perfectly round.} Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside. 

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra  cheese. Enjoy! 

Modified from Barefoot Contessa. 

Hope everyone had a Happy Thursday! It's almost the weekend friends!

Go Vote!

Happy Election Day friends!! I'm working the polls today, so it was an early morning. How do you 5 a.m.'ers do it every day??  I had to be up, dressed and at the polls at five. {they casually forgot to mention that piece when I said yes.}  Early morning, but I am looking forward to a fun day ahead serving Lex!

Hope you get out today and let your voice be heard. Go VOTE!

Turkey Day Crafts

Happy November friends!! We had a wonderful weekend in Lex with family. Jesse's parents came to visit and we soaked up the fall air, and the last of the beautiful trees! I was hoping they would hold off another couple weeks for Thanksgiving, but it's looking a little more bare on the tree limbs every day.

Part of me can't believe October is over, but part of me is super excited for November!  My family is coming to visit for Thanksgiving, and I am so excited to have them in Lexington! We have a few toddlers traveling along for the trip... and since Aunt T's house isn't packed with toys, we will have to get creative. Here are a few ideas I thought we would try out.

Pinecone Bird Feeders

Toilet Paper Roll Turkeys 

Turkey Oreos

Mod Mayflower

Gratitude Rolls

What are you favorite thanksgiving crafts to do with the kiddos?  Please share.  We will have lots of time for crafting... since they will be here almost a full week. Only 3 weeks to go!

Happy Monday friends!