Adding Some Glam ...

What is it about New Years that makes me immediately think of sparkle and glam?  Is it the brand new year we are welcoming or is it that we are celebrating that we successfully (well maybe) made it through another year?  Either way I am all about a little sparkle and a whole lot of shimmer when it comes to the end of the year celebration!

We plan to watch a movie we haven't seen before which will be a new tradition since I usually twist the Hubs arm until he says yes to watching Sense & Sensibility for another year.  This year I am branching out and we will be picking something that will be a new memory for the four of us at home.  New year = new memory. Any great suggestions?

A Glam Gingerbread Party

 

Two weeks ago on a gloomy Sunday a happy Christmas elf appeared dressed in her best red and green to transform our kitchen into a magical party wonderland.  Each year I host something special for our youngest and her precious group of school best friends and this year she requested a gingerbread house decorating party. I invited the group of six girls for a few hours and enlisted the skills of the amazing Jennifer Witherington to help me pull off a party worthy of these precious teenage girls.

Christmas At Our House

I shared our dining room all dressed up for Christmas and then left you hanging with the rest of the house.  I didn't mean to let that happen, schedules got crazy and the photographer was booked and the next thing I knew it was a week before Christmas and we were all in the thick of the season.

Stuffing Those Stockings

Image by Kristen Hechler via Dress For Cocktails

I am excited today to share the last gift guide for Christmas today as the holiday break begins for our kids.  The youngest gets out today at lunch and the oldest has already been done for more than a week.  That means that Christmas is just 10 days away and if you are like me you struggle some with gift ideas for those closest to you. Just when I think I have it all managed then I realize I still have stockings and the stress for fun items begins once again.  This year I tackled the stocking stuffing yesterday so this is completely off my list ... and I am thrilled.  I sat down and came up with some fun ideas for each of the stockings hanging on my mantle and I am excited to share some great ideas with you.

Charleston In December

One of my favorite parts of visiting Charleston last weekend, other than the Jubilee, was truly getting to see it in its finest ... all decorated for Christmas.  I truly love Charleston and it has the same imprint on my heart as Savannah does since we visited both of them for the first time on our honeymoon.  I have been to Charleston many times since but I think seeing it in December might have been the best visit yet.  There is something about the magic of December paired with a favorite city and a favorite friend that just makes it incredibly special.

Hostess Gifts For All ...

It's a winter wonderland in Atlanta and Marietta received seven inches of snow this weekend.  It was a beautiful sight and so fun to watch the kids enjoy every second of the white gift they were given.  It was a sea of gloves, wet clothes, scarves, snowballs, snowmen and boots and I am thankful for every second.  

Christmas In The Dining Room

Happy Saturday!  I am excited to share our dining room all decorated for Christmas with you today as part of the 12 Days of Holiday Homes. I am starting with the dining room which has become the epicenter of our home for special occasions.  If we are all gathered in the dining room we are together as a family sharing a special moment.  What better time to make it all beautiful than to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  And with the weather currently happening in Atlanta we are treated to a white Christmas.

Insert squealing and pure joy here!

Plaid Cachepots For The Win

As we all know I love to use pink and green when I decorate for Christmas.  It is just me and I can't quit it, not that I am trying.  This year I vowed to take that same pink and green and add in multiple plaids to the mix.  I have purchased blankets, moved some pillows around and added in plaid ribbon to the decor and to the tree in the den.  I love the plaid mix with the pink and two colors of green I chose and to be honest, it may be my favorite mix so far.  I can't wait to show you the result ... and the peeks into our house start tomorrow with our dining room, so come back tomorrow and take the tour.

My Favorite Holidays Picks

Did anyone else shop til they collapsed on Cyber Monday?  The deals were so good that I ended up doing most of my shopping and scoring a few things for me as well.  I mean, when in Rome, right?  Now that the cyber dust is settling I have pulled together a list of my favorite things I bought and where to find them just in case you also need some ideas for the people in your life.  This year I started with the hardest person in my circle to buy for ... and when I had that person covered it was easy to knock out the rest.  I have some fun ideas for you and while I can't tell you what exactly I bought (peering eyes from the Hubs + kids) I can tell you all the stuff that caught my eye.  I found some amazing ideas that I am super excited to share with you today.  😍

Cyber Monday Deals ...

Image via Kristen Hechler

I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing, I know ours was fabulous and per usual I ate my body weight in turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes.  It happens, and I will be wearing leggings all week.  The only thing that would get me out of bed before the alarm on a Monday morning would be Cyber Monday sales and this year I was up before six shopping like crazy.  There are some incredible deals and sales happening today!!  I have linked all of them along with my favorites from each shop, which I also did for Black Friday, and they are still amazing picks!

Get an extra large coffee and turn the Christmas music way up because here we go ... 

So Very Thankful

As I mentioned this year we are celebrating Thanksgiving with Lawyer's family in the mountains. I am very excited to dine and spend time with family and do so in the crisp, cool air.  We love to travel to Blue Ridge which is the perfect little mountain town just a little over an hour north.  I will be squeezing my blonde nieces and making funny videos and s'mores for two straight days.  We will head home on Saturday to celebrate our oldest and then a family dinner on Sunday in our set dining room.  I can not wait to sit down with their beautiful faces and just revisit the whole weekend.

Family + Food + Fun is my love language for sure. 

Chinoiserie Pumpkins

via

Anyone else completely obsessed with these incredible blue and white painted pumpkins?  I mean, give them all to me and back away quietly.  Am I right?  🙋🎃

Holiday Tables On The Brain

Can you believe we are about to enter the holiday season?  I can't be the only one in shock that tomorrow is November 1, can I?  How does the time go so fast?

As I was thinking about last year's Thanksgiving and the plans we are making for this year I immediately thought of the colors I want to use.  After finding some fabulous hedge apples at the Country Living fair last weekend I settled on a blue, green and white theme. I am really excited to use things we have mixed with a few new things and most of all to have people we love gathered around a table giving thanks.  First and foremost that is the most important thing to me. 

Front Door Decor

So the temps are cooling off just a bit and I am contemplating what to do for our front door for the new season.  I am seeing so many inspiring photos on social media with amazing pumpkins and wreaths and the wheels are beginning to turn in my head.  I am a girl who loves her Summer (as you well know because I haven't stopped going on about it) but the moment the air gets its first chill I am dressed head to toe in plaid and layers.  I get it ... enter eye roll here. 😳

Happy Memorial Day

It is very easy to get sucked into the family time and barbeques and the beginning of summer and forget all about why we get an extra day off this week and it would be completely wrong to do so.  So many people have served and continue to serve to ensure our freedom.  We sit by the pool relaxing thanks to many who have given their lives and served for our freedom.  Freedom isn't free and we all must remember why we celebrate. I am eternally grateful to a father who served in the Navy, a grandfather who served in the Korean war and a father in law who served in World War II.  Their example of service has made a huge imprint on my life. 

Easter at The Minear House

Happy Monday! I hope your holiday was amazing.  We had such a fabulous weekend starting with an incredible Good Friday service on Friday and ending with giggles and endless games of War last night.  It was the best weekend, my favorite kind spent with family and the dearest of friends.

My heart is very full today!

I have some photos of our Easter table from this weekend to share with you along with a few details from our Sunday.  It was a relaxing day and the best kind for this mama.  We made a last minute decision to scrap the dining room for the deck since the weather was ideal for alfresco dining.  I left it set and I will make some changes and use it for Mother's Day.  I call that a complete win, win.

Like I said we decided about 11 am on Sunday to eat outside so we grabbed another set of dishes and made it work.  It was the perfect weather and though a few of us need sunglasses it was perfect otherwise.

And the food was fabulous!  We will be having leftovers tonight and I could not be more excited for all these amazing foods again.  And yes, that is a big helping of Banana Pudding which I gave up my no sugar rule to completely enjoy!

Cheers cup || Straws (Target dollar spot)

To get the day started we had a few appetizers, way too many peanut butter eggs and some super yummy Bloody Marys.  The kids had bottled cokes and Arnold Palmers and everyone sat around giggling and catching up.  It was so fun.

Cheers cup || Straws (Target dollar spot)

Are you familiar with Coton Colors Happy Everything pieces?  I am completely in love with all of my pieces and I love how easily you can change them all up to fit your everyday life.  This platter was perfect for yesterday to be able to serve our Bloody Marys and the canister was all dressed with the cute bunny attachment to let the kids know I had hidden some treats in here for them.

Not that it takes my people five whole minutes to figure out I have treats in the house.

I love how simple these pieces are from the Happy Everything collection and how easy they are to mix into our blue and white pieces and into the kitchen.  I love using them, but who wouldn't?

I hope your Sunday was fabulous but most of all I hope you experience the peace and love set aside for all of us with the ultimate sacrifice.  We are all incredibly blessed!

Happy Monday~

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is one of my favorite days of the year!  Twenty four years ago after work a cute boy invited me out for a green beer and as they say, the rest is history.  Who knew one green beer would lead to a whole life together, but it did!

I would say I am lucky, but instead I am blessed!

The Pink Room for Christmas!

 The Pink Room is all dolled up for Christmas and is looking ah-mazing!!