Emily Ann- 3 months

Emily Ann, you are such a blessing to me and your Daddy. You are so sweet and happy- we are so lucky to be your parents. Each day I can't wait to spend time with you, watch you grow, and watch you interact more with us. From your sweet smile when I wake you up to your heavy eyes when we lay you down at night, I could never imagine a more precious little girl. We love you so so much.

Firsts: overnight trip, Thanksgiving, meeting Santa, first trip to Bass Pro, first Iron Bowl, first Black Friday shopping

Milestones: Growing like a weed, rolling onto your side

Measurements: A little over 13 pounds, about 23 inches, 3-6 month clothes, size 1 Pampers diapers.

Like Mommy: You love bath time.

Like Daddy: A definite morning person

Food: You are eating every 3 hours and eat between 5 oz. and 7 oz. every other meal. You are beginning to fight with your bottle a little more, so it makes the feedings last longer, but overall you are a fabulous eater!

Sleep: You sleep from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am every night. During the day you sleep for about an hour between every feeding. I usually lay you down for a longer nap between your 2 and 5 o'clock feedings.

Challenges:  Recently, you have started fighting with your bottle at the end of each feeding. You have also started to get fussy as it gets later in the day. But honestly, you are a great baby- you are very chill and just love to be around people!

Our Days: I wake you up at about 8:00 each morning. After eating, we play for a little while before you fall asleep again. You eat again at 11:00 and 2:00. We usually go out around those two feedings. You lay down for a nap after your 2:00 feeding and sleep for about an hour and a half to two hours. When you wake up, you spend time with Daddy, eat again, take a bath, then go to bed.

Favorite Moments

Mommy's Favorite: Watching you lay on Mommy and Daddy's bed and talk.

Daddy's Favorite: Watching you smile at him.

Nicknames: EA, Doodle Bug, Baby Girl


Photo ops:

First trip to meet Santa

Daddy's Hobby Lobby.

Hanging out with your second cousin Kaelyn who was the flower girl in Mommy and Daddy's wedding

Hanging out with your second cousins Ryan and Andrew and your Uncle Scott

Hanging out with Great-Mam-Maw Gaston

Happy Thanksgiving!

In the car for Black Friday shopping.

Precious smile.

You and Daddy in your matching rain gear.

Really, you are just precious and I love this picture of you cuddling with Daddy.

You have started biting your bottom lip. 

We love you baby girl!!

Favorite Things Party

This morning I was browsing through some of my favorite blogs and came upon this post at The Nesting Place.

Uh. Yes please.

In the post, she talks about a get together based on Oprah's Favorite Things episode, where everyone brings their favorite thing to share with the people at the party. The items do not have to be expensive or fancy, just fun! I *love* this idea and am dying to have a Favorite Things Party of my own!

In addition, The Nester is hosting a fun link party where we share some of our favorite things under $30-
Here are some of mine!

#1. Tyler Candles. These candles smell amazing and last forever! They have a ton of great smells, but my personal favorite is Fleur de Lis.


#2- Coffee-mate Sweet Italian Creme creamer. This creamer is so tasty! It reminds me of my dad making me coffee when I was little- I just add a little more coffee now!


#3- Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Extreme Wear: First Blush. This color simply adds a bit of gloss to the natural. It makes your nails really strong and is perfect for the every day!


#4- Nivea Chapstick. Basically, it feels like silk on your lips. Heavenly.


#5- The Cocomotion Hot Chocolate Maker. This is a smidge over the $30 max value, but is totally worth the price. With a mixture of milk, water, and hot chocolate powder, you will have the best cup of hot chocolate you have ever tasted. It mixes and warms at the same time to create the perfect temperature with the perfect flavor.

What are some of your favorite things? Head over and link up! 

Dare to... Bake Cookies!

This week's Dare to DIY challenge is dare to... bake cookies!

I adore baking... whether it is cookies, cupcakes, cakes, pies, or bread, I find it calming and enjoyable and love to taste the product :) 

My cookie recipe this week is Mexican Wedding Cookies. 

When I was in elementary school I took Spanish and each year we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a big fiesta. We had tacos for lunch, worked for weeks to make our own pinatas, and then had a blast. Since I went to a small private school, the parents baked cookies for the entire student body. My elementary self didn't realize what a commitment that was, so I volunteered my mom and thus got one of our favorite cookie recipes of all time.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Ingredients

1 c. soft butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

2 1/4 c. flour

1/4 t. salt

3/4 c. chopped nuts (We usually use pecans.)

Mix the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together. Stir in the flour and salt. Add the chopped nuts. Chill dough for at least an hour to firm.

(I let my dough chill for a little too long, so it was too hard to form into balls- if this happens, just pop it in the microwave so the butter can re-soften.)

Rolls dough into 1 in. balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* until set, not brown. (This took about 13-15 min.) While warm, roll cookies in powdered sugar. Once they cool, roll in powderered sugar again.

Enjoy!

Etsy Sale!

Happy Monday!

Just a reminder- everything in my Etsy shop is 20% off through tomorrow! It's the perfect time to get a Christmas banner, a personalized banner for a birthday party or celebration, or a team banner for a bowl game! We also have wonderful stocking stuffers with earrings, ponytail holders, and bobby pins and fabulous fabric covered wreaths!

Coupon code Thankful!

Check it out!!

Dare to... Entertain!

This week's Dare to DIY challenge is Dare to Entertain!

Brian and I began hosting a friend's Thanksgiving potluck dinner our second year of marriage. It is nice because it gives us a chance to pull out our fine china, try out new recipes, and spend time with friends. We have been with different people and done different things each year, but we always try to make it part of our Thanksgiving celebration. 

This year's dinner is tonight and I am so excited! There will be 10 people eating, so we had to be creative with our chairs- I was just excited we were able to fit 10 chairs around our table!

I started with my burlap runner and topped it with a more narrow brown runner. I used my new wooden candle holder (a freebie from a sweet friend!) and alternated each votive with either a flower or a candle. I had a few extra tea lights, so I used them around the candle holder. I also sprinkled coffee beans all over the table for a little fall feel.

We pulled out our fine china and silverware, but went with mason jars for drinking glasses. I really like the mix of the formal and casual and can't wait to find more uses for the mason jars! I wrapped our silverware in brown napkins, then tied a strip of burlap over them. I attached homemade place cards to each napkin with a piece of twine.

Once I was done with the table, I added a bit of festivity to our buffet as well. I hung my Thankful banner over the buffet.  Next, I placed a piece of wrinkled burlap on the corner. I topped it with our pumpkins and our letter J. I also added the two extra mason jars with flowers and a few more coffee beans to add congruency. We will put our desserts on the buffet!

Thanks for checking out our Thanksgiving table!

It's not too late to join the party! Head to Newly Woodwards and link up!
Next week's theme is Dare to... Eat Cookies! Can't wait to find some new recipes and bake some cookies!

Don't forget! 20% off everything in my Etsy shop until Tues., Nov. 29th! Coupon code Thankful!

Etsy Shop Sale

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that there is a Thanksgiving sale going on in my Etsy Shop from now until Tuesday, November 29th- 20% off everything in the store!

Use coupon code Thankful when you are checking out!

Have a great Monday!

Football Friday- Spinach Dip

Happy Friday friends!

Today's Football Friday recipe is a fabulous spinach artichoke dip recipe I got from my good friend Ashley a year or two ago. It's delicious and is good for any football game or party.

Tomorrow Auburn is playing the Samford Bulldogs in our homecoming game! War Eagle!!

Choke the Bulldogs Spinach Dip

Ingredients

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese

2 pkgs. chopped, frozen spinach

1 can chopped artichoke hearts

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 stick of butter

8 oz. monterey jack cheese shredded

Dash of red pepper

Cook the spinach according to the directions. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Sauté onions in butter. Mix all the ingredients and put in a 9x13 dish. Bake at 350* for 20 min.

Wordless Wednesday

Dare to... Be Thankful!

This year, I am joining Kim at Newly Woodwards to take part in the Dare to DIY Blog Party!

This party is so much fun!

Each week Kim provides a holiday themed topic to create a DIY project for- after a little creating, we blog about it, then link up! This is the 3rd year she had hosted this party and I am looking forward to seeing everyone's creations.

This week's topic is Dare to... Be Thankful!
I have so SO much to be thankful for- an incredible Savior, a wonderful husband, an adorable little girl... the list could go on and on... so I wanted to take this project as an opportunity to let a few people know that I love them and am thankful for them.

To start, I used my Cricut to create a fun card just to let them know I was thinking about them. The base was a fall-toned plaid, layered with a sparkle orange, then topped with a short note.

I attached the card to a pumpkin...

and plan to make a few special deliveries later in the week!

Next week's challenge is Dare to... Entertain! Think about your Thanksgiving table, set it up, and show it off! Link up and join the party!!

Have a fabulous week!

And the winner is....

According to random number generator, the winner of my giveaway is.....

Comment #3- Rebecca at Tales from the Taffs!

Rebecca, I will put your package in the mail in the next day or so!!

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Have a fabulous week!

Tour of North Alabama

Yesterday, Brian and I decided to take advantage of his day off and the incredible weather to head up to north Alabama. The foliage has been so pretty so we knew that no matter what the day brought, it would be fun.

 We have been looking for a new coffee table for quite some time... our current table was a hand-me-down from my parents and though it is still in good shape, it is topped with glass, which makes me nervous. Our good friends Rob and Ginny have gotten great deals from Akins "Dogtown" Furniture near Ft. Payne, so we decided to check it out. The prices were incredible and they had amazing furniture for every room in the house. They charge significantly less if you are paying cash, which we didn't know, but will definitely come more prepared the next time. We found a coffee table we really liked but with EA and the carseat, it didn't fit in the back of the Highlander :( We plan to order it sometime soon and have it delivered to Dogtown's sister store in Calera, which is much closer to our house. 

This cage was sitting right outside the furniture store. I found it ironic that there was a cat outside of "Dogtown." It was really cute... not sure why it was hanging out outside.

 After we left the furniture store, we drove to Little River Canyon. It was pretty cool outside, so we had to get EA wrapped up.

The view was absolutely gorgeous. As you can see in the pic, we missed the leaves by a week or two, but it was still so pretty. The best thing was that this was only 2 hours from our house- much closer than the 4-5 hours it takes to get to Gatlinburg.

 Finally, we stopped by the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro. I have been wanting to go there for ages, but the opportunity had never really presented itself. Once baggage has been unclaimed for a certain amount of time, airlines send the items in the bags to this store to sell. As far as I know, this is the only store like this in the country.

Inside, it was pretty stressful. There were racks and racks and racks and racks of clothes- for men, women, and children. They also had electronics, books, DVDs, purses, shoes, and lots of other things. I found that I wasn't really in the digging through clothes to find a jewel mood, but we did end up with a few good deals- Brian got a nice Tommy Hilfiger belt that flips from black to brown as needed, and EA got two new pairs of footie pjs with the Carter's tags still on them. They weren't super cheap, but were still less expensive than they would have been in a store.

The day was so much fun. We saw a lot of Alabama we have never seen before and really enjoyed our time together. Even better, we were home by 7:30 and were able to relax in the evening- the joys of a day trip!

Football Friday- Saltine Toffee

It's Football Friday everyone!

Last week was Auburn's bye week, so I took a week off as well, but I am back today with a scrumptious sweet treat!

I got this recipe from last year's Gifted event. Part of the event included a desserts section where women within the ministry provided a favorite recipe and shared it at the event. Because I was running around like a crazy person, I was only able to try a tiny bit, but grabbed the recipe and have been itching to make it ever since. It is the perfect sweet snack for watching a football game, but would also be great to wrap in a cute box or jar and give for a Christmas gift. It is really easy and only takes about 10 min. to prepare which makes it even better!

Auburn plays the Georgia Bulldogs tomorrow at 2:30! We will be enjoying this treat and hopefully cheering our team to victory!

Tousle the Bulldogs Saltine Toffee

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 sleeves saltine crackers

2 sticks butter

1 c. brown sugar

16 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and spray with Pam. Cover pan completely with Saltine crackers in a single layer. Break crackers if needed to fill in around the edges of the pan. Simmer butter and brown sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat for 5-7 min, stirring constantly. Mixture should be foamy. Drizzle the sugar mixture over saltines, covering well, and bake at 350* for 10 min. Remove from oven. Pour chocolate chips evenly on top and spread while they melt. Sprinkle with pecans. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to sign up for my giveaway! I will be drawing a winner on Monday and would love for you to win! :)

50 Followers and a Giveaway!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Last week hit a fun milestone here at Johnson & Johnson- 50 (actually 51!) followers!
To celebrate, I am hosting a fall giveaway!

The giveaway includes a $5 Starbucks giftcard, a pink/ brown flower rosette hairclip, a black/white  button ponytail holder with matching earrings, and a Thankful banner!

Similar banners and ponytail holders can be found at my Etsy shop!

To enter, be sure you are a follower of Johnson & Johnson and leave a comment telling about your favorite Thanksgiving tradition! For additional entries, tweet or blog about the giveaway and leave a comment letting me know!
The winner will be chosen on Monday November 14th!

Gifted 2011

Last Thursday was our second Gifted women's ministry event at my church. It went fabulously!

Just as I did last year, I worked with my wonderful friend Beth to plan the event. This year, the event included a ton of hard work, but not near the frustration or confusion that last year's provoked. In the end, we had about 175 women, 22 vendors, 5 delicious desserts, 5 cute crafts, 2 huge containers of coffee, and 1 incredible speaker. God taught me so much about the opportunities He gives us to serve in the church and how we should follow through until completion. He taught me about adjusting my attitude toward women and how expectations of people almost always hinders the potential of a relationship. He also revealed to me the necessity of prayer when considering each aspect of the planning- I think this was something that I lacked last year and contributed to a lot of my aggravation. Once again, He provided wonderful friendships through this event- He strengthened my friendship with Beth and also introduced new friends that I haven't spent much time with up until this point. I am blessed to have been part of planning for this event- God used it to work in me and I hope, to work in the hearts of the ladies who attended. It was a excellent night of fellowship.

In addition to the planning, I was also a vendor at the event- check out my booth!

By the end of the night I was about ready to yank those banners down because they kept falling down, but overall I think it turned out pretty cute! I worked long hours to create some new banners for Thanksgiving and Christmas and was really pleased with the results. Some of them are up in my Etsy shop so check it out!

Have a wonderful Monday my friends!

Emily Ann- 2 months

*I started this post last Tuesday when EA actually turned 2 months old, but that was two days from Gifted, so needless to say it didn't get done in time.... Maybe I should say 2 months and 6 days :) *

Emily Ann, it seems like just yesterday I was anxiously awaiting your arrival- you are such a wonderful blessing to me and your Daddy. You have such a sweet disposition and are so much fun to watch. You are continuing to grow in your interactions with us and we adore it. Seeing your precious smile makes my day every time. I love hearing your little giggle and can't wait for that sweet sound to become more frequent. Emily Ann, we are so thankful to have you for a daughter. We love you and are praying for you. You mean the world to us!

Firsts: Smile, giggle, Halloween, trip to the pumpkin patch, road trip, trip to Auburn

Milestones: Sleeping through the night

Measurements: A little over 11 pounds, about 22 inches, 3-6 month clothes, size 1 Pampers diapers.

Like Mommy: Loves her daddy!!

Like Daddy: Likes to smile and have a good time :)

Food: You are eating between 5-6 ounces every 3 hours. 

Sleep: You are a great sleeper! Most of the time, you are sleeping between 7 and 8 hours a night. You nap off and on through the day, but lay down for a nap in your crib after your lunchtime feeding. You love to sleep in your pumpkin seat and love the "shocks" on the jogging stroller when Daddy and I go running. 

Challenges: You developed some stomach issues earlier this month, so we had to adjust your eating a little bit- but all's well now!

Our Days: You usually wake up at about 5 each morning. You eat breakfast, then go back to sleep for some time while Mommy gets things done around the house. When you wake up, you eat again then spend some time hanging out with Mommy- sometimes we go out and see people and sometimes we just hang around the house. After your lunch time feeding, I lay your down in the crib for the afternoon nap. You usually nap for the entire 3 hours. Once Daddy gets home, we go for a jog then come back and enjoy our time together. You go to bed between 8:30-9:30 each night.

Favorite Moments

Mommy's Favorite: Seeing you smile.

Daddy's Favorite: Seeing you smile.

Nicknames: EA, Doodle Bug, Baby Girl

Photo ops:
Our trip to Auburn

Our trip to the pumpkin patch

LOVE that smile.

You and Annie on your first Halloween!

You and Grandpa hanging out in the car in Auburn.

Senior Treats with the Preschool Ministry at our church. Clearly you were having a blast.