Tradition #3

Josh and I were sitting in church a couple of weeks ago and the pastor mentioned bringing in a shoebox filled with goodies for a child in the community. I immediately looked at Josh and decided we should do it this year. We are blessed beyond measure with having everything we need, plus a whole lot more--and this season is about giving--so a great idea.

My mom and I were in Starbucks a couple of weeks ago and they had just set up a Christmas tree where you pull a paper ornament that has something to buy for someone less fortunate. Well this year was for being a "Santa to a Senior"--and I thought this was even more perfect. Elderly are often forgotten about on holidays. My grandmother is in an assisted living home and so of course thinking of Seniors holds a special place in my heart. My mom (who visits her 4-5 times a week) says that it is so sad the amount of residents in the home that noone ever visits. I do think of how lonely they must be. I took an ornament home and Josh agreed that this was a great idea. If we could put just a little joy in one of these dear people's heart, it would be well worth it.

The lady that we chose wanted three things: body lotion, body wash, and body powder. We went to Target and hooked her up with ginormous bottles of all the above. We also went to Fresh Market and picked her up some goodies as well. Hopefully her little bag of treasures will help make her holiday more bright! This will certaintly be a tradition we will continue throughout the years!

Below is a picture of Della's (our senior citizen) gift...

Tradition #2

Since Clemson and USC now play the Saturday following Thanksgiving, could Clemson beating Carolina be a tradition??? We sure do hope so! Love Clemson, Love Dabo, Love the seniors, Love that the guys are playing with heart. It's an end to a great regular season...and now off to a bowl game. As I'm typing this, Dabo just got dunked with gatorade. He doesn't look like he minds. I was suppoed to go to the game, but it got a little iffy when I woke up this morning to doom and gloom outside with a drizzle. I decided to let Josh go without me--and I have gotten a lot done around the house that needed to be done while watching the game warm and snuggly with Gracie.

Now...onto Tradition #2!!!!!

Josh and I set up our nativiy scene in our foyer. This is the first year we've set it up, and I love it. It's a great reminder as to what Christmas is all about.

and onto some random pictures....

a family photo...with Gracie looking at the camera.

we like to terrorize Gracie. Doesn't she look so ashamed?

Gracie had too much wine at the Thanksgiving table :) (totally kidding)Go Tigers! Our first basketball game of the season--we had a great time at the game! and Clemson beat PC!

Here Comes Christmas...Tradition #1

This next month I will be blogging day after day of Christmas traditions that Josh and I are doing in anticipation for Santa! Today we started the morning early with embarking on Black Friday. This the first Friday I've had in many years to not have to work, so we celebrated by waking up semi-early and headed out to the malls, Target, and Shops at Greenridge. We got a huge chunk of our shopping completed and had a great time doing it! I can't exactly share with you what we bought...because it would ruin surprises but we got some good deals and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the start to Christmas.
Yesterday was a wonderful second (SECOND??...I can't believe that!) Thanksgiving together. We woke up, went to Batesburg to pick up my Granny, and headed to Lexington for lunch. My mom cooked her first turkey and it was delicous! Following lunch in Lexington we headed to Anderson for dinner with Josh's parents. Two big meals in one day equals a very full tummy! We were all (Gracie included) exhausted by the days end. We slept snug as a bug last night.
Tonight we are kicking off a Clemson weekend to go see the basketball team play PC. Hopefully this will be 1 out of 2 victories of the weekend! GO Tigers!!! (I will post pictures tomorrow from Thanksgiving!)

Day 26

Day 26...
I am thankful for lunch with my hubby!
Today I had the rare treat to drive to Spartanburg and eat lunch with Josh! Working in a school means that lunch is spent in the cafeteria surrounded by 2nd graders making a mess out of their lunch. Doesnt' that sound appetizing?? Well today since I didn't have school--I got to have a lunch date! We went to our usual spot in Spartanburg--Groucho's. I am on a diet so what I ate was not nearly as delicous as my usual Apollo. Josh had an STP that I stole a bite out of with some 45 sauce! Yum-O!Have a happy Turkey Day tomorrow, everybody!!!

Day 25

Day 25...

WE are thankful for Food Network.

Here are some of our favorite shows...

oh how we love Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. If only we could eat like Guy everyday! We want to travel around and go everywhere that Guy goes. He's got the best job!

Paula Deen...of course! I have mentioned her plenty of times in previous posts. She has like a million different shows on Food Network so I can't even keep up with them anymore. If I could cook her recipes everynight and not weigh 300 lbs, I would definitely do it. Look how sassy she is...!!

I love Ace of Cakes...it's not Josh's favorite show--but I think it's fascinating. People pay big bucks to receive a cake from Charm City in Baltimore. I wonder if the cakes taste good...it's too much fondant to me, so I doubt I would like them--but they sure look incredible!

I also love Barefoot Contessa--Josh doesn't care for her. I like her recipes though and I really want to go to her shop up north!

Who knew tv on cooking food could be so entertaining?

I am also thankful for a five day "vacation" from school! Praise the Lord!!! We wrapped up turkey cookies today and made a royal mess, but it sure was fun! I have already made up the desserts for Thanksgiving that I am taking to my mom's. She is cooking her first turkey this year. Someone else in the family has always taken care of it the past 53 years of her life--and now the time has come and it is her turn. I will let you know how it turns out :)

And a random picture from a friend's wedding a couple of years ago that she just shared! Josh has contacts now and so it is funny for me to see pictures of him with his glasses on now--but he sure is cute either way!!

Day 24

Day 24...

I am thankful for my sweet kids at school.

I had a great day at school with my kids today! I decided to do a special treat--and they were all about it and on their best behavior. I don't think I could have taken it if they were bad, so I was lucky and they were all cute as buttons. I will probably be shooting myself in the head for bragging on them because tomorrow might be a different story.

We made turkeys out of cookies--they were so cute. I don't give the kids sugar too often (only on special occasions) so they get especially excited when they do something out of the ordinary. I tend to do therapy that is themed and holiday related--but it rarely involves food. I should do it more often--therapy was great today!

I forgot my camera and so these aren't exactly the ones we made today--ours were a lot messier. The kids couldn't figure out how to get the "feders" (feathers) to stay up. (God bless the child who cannot say their "th" sound!)

Hallelujah for one more day and then a five day weekend! We have lots of fun planned for the next couple of days together and I can't wait!!!

Here are some pictures from Amy's shower. How do you look this adorable and be 8 months pregnant?? (This picture does not do justice--you can't see how cute she is from the mid-belly down!)

I cannot take credit for this cutie patootie diaper cake. It sure is cute though, Stephanie!The yummmmmmy food table that I had nothing to do with! Everything was awesome!

Day 23

Day 23...

I am thankful for ice cream.

This is a semi-guest post from Josh. I asked him what he was thankful for today and he replied with me, his home, and then ice cream. Since I'm not writing about myself and Day 3 was our home...ice cream won for the day!

I can't believe I haven't already thought of this one. We both love ice cream. I try to control myself but Josh holds nothing back. We go through way more ice cream than a normal family of 2 should. We also love going to get ice cream from our favorite places.

Our most favorite place is Spill the Beans. We enjoy chocolate yogurt, banana pieces and peanut butter. It is the most delicous combination. The only problem is they don't give you enough!

Our second favorite place to buy ice cream is ColdStone Creamery. We get the founder's favorite. It is so rich--and we love every single bite we take!

We also should mention that we enjoy Marble Slab--but we don't go there too frequently. Only when we're at the movies since it is so close. We have also finally found TCBY in Greenville--and we have stopped by there several times to get a white chocolate mousse frozen yogurt!

As far as ice cream we eat at home--anything works. Most frequently we eat Publix Brand Premium Ice Cream. You still get a half of a gallon and it's yummy. Josh loves the moose tracks. I love cookie dough. No fear though...we still are willing to eat Edy's, Breyer's, and Blue Belle. Usually whatever is on sale works! YUMMMMMY!

Day 22

Day 22...
I am thankful for babies.

Why? Because it's a great reason to get together with my best friends that I haven't seen in forever!!! Amy is having her first baby boy in December (we think) and I--along with Hannah, Kelli, and Stephanie--are having a baby shower to celebrate the birth of Baby Noah. I cannot wait to see her sweet growing belly. (Her belly is ALL that has grown.) This baby shower has not gone quite as planned. It started with the invitations and me messing up the time. I have no idea why I went from 11 am to 2pm--but I did--and it was printed on the invites. So, 2pm the shower will be! I was also in charge of the ducky cookies. I practiced the icing on Wednesday night and it was beautiful! When I went to bake my "for real" ones last night, my icing was an utter disaster. So, no favors for guests. Sorry friends. (Please share a good royal icing recipe if you have one!) Kelli ordered petit fours with duckys on top. The bakery called to say they don't draw ducks! She also was going to make chocolate covered strawberries. We cannot find strawberries anywhere! So--while there have been some struggles--we will have a shower today and Amy is going to get great stuff for her new bundle of joy! I will post pictures when I return!
I love babies. I have always loved babies. When I was a little girl, it was my most favorite thing to play. Mrs. Susan is who kept me when I was a baby until I hit kindergarten age. She only kept teacher's babies, I guess because of the great hours. Well, she told me one afternoon that John David's mommy was having a baby. (John David was another little boy that went to Mrs. Susan's with me) I decided that I would ask for that baby for my birthday. Needless to say, I did not receive Rhett as a present--much to my dismay. I did, however, receive REAL baby stuff. Not the fake stuff you buy in the toy aisle at Target. It was real passies, real burp cloths, real bottles--I thought it was by far the coolest gift. I also had a baby doll that looked so real. I would tote that baby everywhere and people would look at my mom in horror that she would let me (an 8 year old) drag a poor infant around by her head. Mom quickly learned that it was easier to give me a more fake appearing doll to carry around. This all being said--I have loved babies since an early age and my heart just melts when I get to hold one now. With all my friends becoming pregnant, I get lots of practice now and I love it! I am thankful for the delight a baby brings a family, no matter the circumstance. (and just because I am thankful for babies and talk about all things baby...Josh and I are NOT having a baby anytime soon...to clarify to all you asking me) I should also comment that I am also thankful that I can give a baby back to their mommy's after I have loved on them! :)

Day 21

Day 21...

I am thankful for movies!

One of my most favorite things to do is going to the movies. I live for a lazy Sunday afternoon when it is especially cold and you can't be outside so you head to the movies. My second (or so) summer working at the Loft, many of the girls would get together after work on Sunday to hit up dinner and a movie. It was something I looked forward to weekly and I miss those times. We saw some especially good movies that summer--and some especially horrible ones as well!

Josh and I have many on our list to see right now. If we could stop being so busy on the weekends, it might present a time for us to go!

Tonight my mom and I are going to see Twilight. (I am sparing Josh the pain to sit through a movie on vampires.) I have read the series--and I must admit, it's close to Harry Potter good. Slightly hokey in parts, but a delightful read. I am equally excited about the movie. It too, looks hokey--but I'm hoping it will be as good or close to as good as the book.

On Josh's wish list for movies to see...#1 is James Bond's new movie. I'm not a huge fan of James Bond...I'll watch them, but they're not my favorite. He usually goes to see these with Matthew. I will say--I like this James Bond.

I have been wanting to see this movie for quite a long time. It will probably be out on DVD before we see it. Someone says it's scary. Seriously? It doesn't look scary. I don't like scary movies. Maybe we won't see it. It is starring Angelina Jolie. I don't know if I want my money to go to her films...she's not my favorite. We'll see. (Kelli--I tried to find a picture of her screaming, "I want MY son back" with no luck...sorry!)

Here is our Christmas Night movie. We always go to a movie on christmas--usually to a movie that opened on Christmas. Josh has already read the book. I am about 1/2 way through it. We love dogs, of course we would see this movie! (and it has Jennifer Aniston in it!)

Each year we also go to a movie that is Christmas Themed and about the upcoming holidays. To get us in the spirit, persay. This one looks funny...Four Christmases.

Day 20

Day 20...
I am thankful that Christmas is just around the corner!

YIPPEE!!!!! We have already worked on our Christmas cards (Jessica from Sugarlump Stationery is designing them!)--we just have to get a photo taken, I've started making shopping lists, I have started thinking about decorating and what I want to do differently this year, I have been listening to random Christmas songs on the radio and can't WAIT to pull out my cd's...the list goes on and on! I love Christmas!
Josh and I were discussing last night what traditions from last year we want to continue and which ones to nix. We have also been thinking about new traditions that we want to begin this year. I am trying not to get too stressed out thinking about the upcoming holidays...that is not the purpose of the celebration. We will see how that goes.

Day 19

Day 19...

I am thankful for our precious Gracie gurl.

The day Gracie came home with us...oh my goodness--is she just not the most snuggly, sweet baby??
And here's our girl today!!!

Ok, so I have a confession. I told Josh I wasn't going to be as cheesy as to blog about how I am thankful for Gracie...but I cannot help it. She provides so much delight in my life. I love her to pieces and my heart just wants to explode when she looks up at me with her sweet eyes. (This is probably a terrible sign as to what motherhood is going to do to me!) She is such a little snuggle bunny--and she really does love me unconditionally.

I am such a dog lover. My heart breaks when I watch Oprah and she is running an episode on puppy mills. I cry uncontrollably on the couch while Gracie snuggles up to comfort me. Speaking of Oprah, she recently just lost one of her other baby doggies and showed a special segment on the life of the dog. Needless to say, I cried.

Who cannot love dogs? WHO??? It is crazy to me that some people don't love dogs. I guess the cat people think I'm crazy for not loving cats. (Because I realllllly don't!)

Anyway--back to Gracie. She is one smart cookie and she still learns tricks on a daily basis. We are trying to get her to differentiate her monkey toy from her shoe toy. She is working on it. She loves chewing on her bones and will gnaw away as long as we let her. It's a good way to keep her entertained. Josh taught her how to fetch when she was an itty bitty baby and that is her most favorite pasttime. She also loves running up the hill (which makes me an absolute nervous wreck) to say hi to our neighbors. Gracie is one of the friendliest dogs I've met. When we take her to the park, she will just run up to people and sit, like she is asking them "c'mon...pet me already!"

Yes friends, I am daily thankful for the love this little creature provides our family.

Day 18

Day 18...

I am thankful for a clean kitchen!!!

Who doesn't love a clean kitchen? I cannot stand dirty dishes and pots and pans just lying around with food stuck to the bottom. You rarely find those things in the Vickery's home! Josh himself is pretty OCD with cleanliness (thank goodness!). I especially love when the dishwasher is empty and all the clean dishes are put away in their correct place in the cabinets.

(excuse the overflowing "canoe" on the counter--it is a catchall...and trust me, it catches ALL!)

I love to cook and bake--it is one of my most favorite things to do. What I do hate about it is cleaning up, especially all of the measuring tools you use. Josh is very good about cleaning the dishes after dinner every night--I know I'm incredibly blessed :)

I have re-organized the tupperware cabinet (which is constantly a disaster) and the pots and pans cabinet (which grates my nerves to no end the way we have to stack them). I read in Martha Stewart to not stack your pots and pans because it's bad for their cooking bottoms. Oh well--for right now, it will have to do.

I am also thankful for my mom and Josh finally hanging this cornice board over the shower in the guest bathroom...a year later, our house is completely complete and finished! (Can you ever really say that, though?) I looove how the board covers up the silver shower rod--the silver rather stuck out like a sore thumb...this disguises it beautifully.

Speaking of all things home-related--I should also say I am incredibly thankful for Marshall's and TJ Maxx because nearly everything in our home (with the exception of some furniture) came from there. It saved us lots of money! I love shopping in their home department--there is always something I come across that I have to have. The Marshalls in Greenville is incredibly great--it is a home store--and so it is HUGE and plenty to look at! Love it!I found these awesome little hands--they were too cute to pass up. One hand holds a decorative soap and the other a hand towel. My dad thinks it is rediculous--but surely he is just a man and doesn't know what he's talking about!
All of the above from Marshalls!

And some more pictures for your delight...

note the date on this pictures--it was this time last week--NOW it is $1.79!!! How awesome is that?!?!?!

Holy Smokes!!! Look at all those Tiger fans supporting the Tiger Walk!

And here is our delightful Coach! Did anyone else see how he kissed the rock, ran down the hill first (not ran--he sprinted!) and then waited on the field until each of his players were on the sidelines. What a great role model for those young men.

Day 17

Day 17:

I am thankful for ginger ale, chicken noodle soup, Tylenol, Nausease, etc...

I had to stay home sick today from school. Last night I woke up around midnight with a stomach bug. Needless to say, it wasn't pleasant. I am still wiped out. I have done nothing all day but lay on the couch and sleep. Hopefully by tomorrow morning I will feel up to returning to school.

I am also thankful again for Josh and him being willing to serve on me hand and foot until my health returns!

We have six more days of school until Thanksgiving break. Really looking forward to a couple of days off from school (without being sick!).

On another note about the weekend--Mom and I had a great time in Charlotte yesterday seeing Chicago. I love Broadway. I wish NYC was closer to us so that we could see shows all the time. Chicago wasn't my favorite show, but regardless it was still great and we enjoyed the music and dancing. I now need to go rent the movie since I've never seen it. Josh can hardly wait :)

Day 16

Day 16...

I am thankful for all my blogging friends.

I am forever entertained with all the wonderful blogs I read on a daily basis. Some people I don't even know! I get ideas for around the house and also get a peek in other people's lives. It's a great way to keep up with friends and their adventures!

Here is Benson's blog. I love to watch the videos and listen to him talk! Did he not make the cutest elephant in the whole wide world??

and then Cameron's blog...she lives in Augusta now. Since I no longer run into her roaming the streets of Columbia, how else would I know how her grad school applying is going??? She wants to grow up to be an SLP!!

Anne's blog is a new one that she juuust started! I am so proud of her...I love looking at her sweet baby's pictures! Anne is my friend that is an SLP in our district. We took our smocking classes together...now I have to talk her into sewing!

Slightly addicted to Clark's blog...he was our photographer for our engagement/bridal/wedding. I love photography and I especially love his work. He is phenomonal and I highly recommend him if you're looking for someone to take your pictures! I love looking at all the recent weddings and finding people I know in the pics!

Mary Catherine is a genius when it comes to being crafty. I like to look on her site and copy all of her cute ideas! I don't have time to think of these things on my own...so I copy :) For example...she did all of this for a baby shower. Cute and inexpensive and practical! I love it all!

Remember, I'm obsessed with photography? This is the photographer that took Baby James' pictures in the hospital. She does beautiful work and is local in Greenville!

Speaking of Baby James...here is his blog! He is growing too quickly...have to keep up with him somehow!I will admit, I have never tried any ideas on this site...but they sure are cute and pleasing to the eye! How cute to have a crayon themed party!!!and remember Cameron from up top? Well here is her sister, Courtney who I love so dearly! I am thorougly enjoying reading all of her pregnancy thoughts!

Here is my sweet friend Amy's blog...Baby Noah is going to be here before we know it and we cannot WAIT! Doesn't she look so excited??

Ok...so no, this is not all that I read--but a good highlight of the ones that I do! This entry would be seventy pages long if I included all...thank you all friends for allowing me to read your lives.

Day 15

Day 15...
I am thankful for Dabo Swinney and CJ Spiller


Why you ask? Because we probably wouldn't beat Duke if we didn't have them!
You don't want to hear my rantings regarding Tommy Bowden, so I will spare you. I do love Dabo though--I love the energy that he has brought to this team and also his drive and motivation. We went to the Tiger Walk today before the game and this man had the biggest grin on his face and looked so gracious for all the fans being there. He's awesome.
and CJ Spiller? He just plain good. He is like a little speedy gonzalez! I got to shake his hand in the Tiger Walk!!! Remember that when he is famous soon. (famous, as in NFL, famous)

Day 14

Day 14:
I am thankful for music!
Josh and I both love music. I was reminded of this fact when we were watching the CMA's on Wednesday night. I love how music can take you to another place--remind you of something in the past or a memory. I love how it makes time go by so much more quickly at the gym or in the car when traveling. I, especially love Christian and Country. Josh loves a very wide range of music...from rap to country to rock to Christian to talk radio (I guess talk radio really isn't music is it?) He listens to a wide realm. Anyway...here are some of our favorite musicians...
Brad Paisley ...I love this guy. We've seen him in concert twice when he came to Greenville. The first time was kind of a fluke--we got tickets for like 2 dollars through Josh's company. We weren't huge fans of him, but it was a nearly free concert--so we went. He puts on the BEST show. The next year he came, we were willing to pay full price for his tickets. He hosted the CMAs this year with Carrie Underwood. Love his music. Also love his wife...(girl from Father of the Bride!)Carrie Underwood...betcha didn't know that was coming, did you? I am mildly (ok, REALLY) obsessed with American Idol--but I wasn't even watching the show when she won. When she did win, I started listening to her music and loved it and realized that I probably would like the show if I liked all the musician's music that win. She is a little too pretty though...if only my hair could look like that. (you know it's extentions though, right??) Taylor Swift...I've never seen her in concert but she is on my list of people I want to see! She is the cutest. Imagine doing what she has done by the age of 17! Meredith Andews...She is a Christian artist that I discovered this summer. I love her message and her voice. It is one of the purest voices I have ever heard. Rascal Flatts...I am not so fond of this group in concert. They don't put on the best show--but I do always love their cd's and music. I know there are so many more that we love--but time is ticking and I have too much to do today!