What I'm Loving Wednesday

I'm linking up with Jamie again this week for ...

I'm LOVING.... that we had a great Thanksgiving and a few days with our families. Although we had to do quite a bit of traveling, (and we're still tired from it), I loved getting to spend time with friends and family.

My dad and stepmom, our Thanksgiving lunch chefs!

 I LOVE that I go to go black Friday shopping with my mom too. We really had a blast and shopped until we were ready to drop.

And of course, I LOVED that it was mine and the hubby's first thanksgiving together as The Hyatt's.

I'm LOVING that it is now officially Christmas season! We have our place decked out with decorations and presents are starting to pile under the tree. Shane and I will be hosting Christmas at our place for the Casey side of the family. We will have 11 people in our tiny place but we're so excited and as long as we're all together, that's all that matters.

I'm also LOVING that the cold weather is FINALLY back in SC. It just didn't feel normal having the weather being in the 70's the week of Thanksgiving. I'm sure i'll be sick of it come February, but I was perfectly happy with the dreary day yesterday and eating a bowl of hot soup for lunch! I even turned our heat on last night! :)

This year, more than ever, I'm LOVING Shutterfly. 2011 has been such a big year and what better way to remember it than lots of framed photos and photo gifts? I'm a frequent visitor on their website, and i've gotten some pretty great deals thanks to all of the promos they offer throughout the year. I also got our Christmas cards, which I can't wait to send out!!! My sister in law has been a frequent visitor too. She just made the twins "My Journey in the NICU" books that documented their first 8 weeks in this world. It was quite possibly the sweetest thing ever!

I'm just really LOVING this time of year! 

Happy Hump Day Y'all!

Addicted to Pinterest

Happy Monday Everyone! Hope you all had an awesome Thanksgiving and got to spend it with the ones you love. 

Now that the Christmas season is fast approaching and that means it's time for decorations and gifts!

I recently hosted a craft party with my boss where we had a few friends over to make some crafts and talk about ideas we had for the holidays. Not too many crafts were made at the actual party, but we got a lot of ideas from Pinterest and shared some GREAT tips with each other.

I wanted to share my first "crafts" of the season. They were all super easy but have added a great deal of flair to our holiday decor.

Seriously, if you aren't on Pinterest, get there! You will get some great ideas and waste all of your free time. (no really.)

Project 1:

The first project I did was wrapping a plain wooden letter (from Michael's) in twine. I had these really thin shelves for our guest bedroom and they don't hold much more than a frame or candle. This was a great idea I found that I knew would fit the shelf perfectly and add some personalization. It's super easy to make and there are a lot of variations that you can do to it. The key is hot glue. Especially if you're like me and have a letter that has a few curves to it. The hot glue will keep your twine from sliding and help you cover your letter. I did this in an hour and it cost about $4 to make (be sure to snag a 20% off coupon before you go...it will save you a few $).

Project 2

Our first holiday decoration of the season. This wreath was made entirely of ribbon I found at Michaels, a foam wreath, and some Christmas twigs. It was literally the easiest thing to make and looks great hanging in our living room. (our front door is red so I'll be making another for the front. But this looks great inside too!)

Project 3

This fun craft I made is now hanging in our kitchen and prepared to hold all of our Christmas cards and pictures we receive this holiday season. I took a plain plate charger (on sale at Michael's for $1) and hot glued clothes pins (that I painted green) all around the plate. I then painted red polka dots and "Happy Holidays" on the center. I hot glued 2 strands of ribbon on the back and hung it in our kitchen. Now, when we receive cards, I can just clip them around the plate so they can be easily displayed. A fun and unique way of displaying Christmas Cards! :)

Thankful

It's no secret that 2011 has been one of the most eventful and best years of my life. 

I've been reminded constantly this year just how many people love and support me and how many blessings i've been given in this special life. God has given me so much to be thankful for and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share some of the things I am thankful for this year.

My amazing, perfect, most wonderful husband
I love waking up next to him every morning and kissing him good night every night. He's my rock and support and I love the fact that I still get butterflies when he sends me a sweet text just to let me know he misses me.
My Family
I have a pretty amazing (and quite large family) that has significantly grown this year. I'm so thankful for all the time I got to spend with most of them at my showers and wedding this past year.
And for the new addition of Shane's side of the family.
There is nothing like family. 
My job
I may complain about it sometimes, but in an economy where so many people are without work, i'm thankful to have a job. And my coworkers are amazing.
My part-time job
I love still getting to see my CLA family and working fun events with them. I am so very thankful for the couple of years I got to spend working there throughout college and all the opportunities I've had because of it.
My friends
Many of our friends no longer live in the same town as us, but I love knowing that they are just a phone call or trip away. And spending time with them is that much more special.
My Nieces
Being able to watch my nieces grow from just barely 1-2 lbs into normal, healthy sized babies has been a miracle. These babies have been a blessing to my brother, sis-in-law, and our entire family.  And the amount of people who continued to pray for their health every day (and still do) is so humbling.
Our home
It's mine and Shane's first official place together and i've absolutely LOVED getting to decorate it and make it feel like our own. I've enjoyed filling it with lots of new pictures from our wedding and our wedding gifts too.
My car
I've mentioned that a lot of friends and family don't live near us so we've done quite a bit of traveling when we want to go visit with everyone. We also live on the outskirts of our town, so nights out on the town take a little bit of commuting. My new car has really given me the freedom to travel without having to worry about any issues (something my old car was starting to do!)
Technology
I really don't know what I would do without all of my technology devices. It's a pain in the butt when they don't function properly, but I absolutely love being able to communicate with anyone any time of the day, browsing the internet, blogging (and the great people i've met through it), recipe hunting, and great ideas i've discovered along the way.
 Our obnoxious cat
Lilo is a snob and super crazy at times, but she's the perfect fit for us right now. Having a cat is way less demanding than having a dog (or a child for that matter hah) and we're still able to travel and leave home without worrying as much. And she has so much personality, she's just the right amount of entertainment.
The way I was raised
I am so thankful for the morals and values that both my parents and step-parents instilled in me. I was always taught to say "thank you" "yes ma'am" and "no ma'am" and my parents made sure that I was surrounded by good influences. They also taught me to be smart with money, to work hard and be thankful for what I have, and show respect. I see people every day who always have the attitude that something is "owed" to them, and i'm so glad my parents didn't raise me like that.

I have so much to be thankful for! Safe travels to everyone these next few days and 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Blended Families

Looking through my Erin Condren day planner the past few days, i've realized just how much traveling I will be doing over the next month and a half. I absolutely love the holidays and I love spending time with our families, so it's traveling well worth it to me. 

But I got to thinking about how each year as our siblings get older, and we expand in to families of our own, just how difficult it will be to continue spending so much time with everyone around the holidays. With two new additions to the Casey side of our family this year, we've already experienced some difficulty planning when and where we will celebrate Christmas together. With the twins being on monitors still and under "house arrest", they really can't make the trip from Florence all the way to my dad and step-mom's house in North Carolina. And it is extremely hard for my Grandma to travel in the car, especially lately with all of her hip problems. Then, there is my step-brother from California and his wife who have different sides of their families to visit in the short amount of time they will be on the east coast. (I could go on to explain just how difficult it is to accommodate everyone's schedules, but you get the drift.)

Having dealt with the fact that my parents are divorced and have both remarried to people who were married before (and had children) complicates things around the holidays. It's never been a problem to me, ever, because I LOVE having two sets of families. Both my mom and dad are as happy as they could be with my step-parents and these new additions have only made me feel even more loved.

Shane also comes from a family with divorced parents, which adds on to the number of places we will go for the holidays. Instead of going from one family to visit to two, we're going from two families to spend time with to four. Now i'm all about some Thanksgiving meals, but I just don't know if my stomach can handle FOUR thanksgiving meals. (Shane, on the other hand, said Challenge Accepted)

With all this being said, I thoroughly enjoy the holidays and the number of family members I get to see every year. My only wish is that we get to continue to spend time with our families, even after it keeps expanding. 

I want my children to one day feel the abundance of love from all sides of our families just as I have felt all  these years.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I haven't done this in a while, so I thought today would be a good day to link up with Jamie again for...

I'm loving the fact that even though work is super busy this week, we're having our office Thanksgiving lunch tomorrow...catered by Cracker Barrel. I have a feeling that it will be a good idea to get most of my work done tomorrow morning before I stuff my face with turkey. :)

I'm loving the fact that this weekend, I get to make a trip down to Florence! My sis-in-law has a party to go to Saturday during the day, so i'll be helping my brother take care of the twins. I am SO excited to get some more baby lovin' and to help my brother out for the day.

I'm also loving that while i'm in Florence, my FAVORITE cousin will be doing my hair. I've finally decided what I want to do with it, so stay tuned to see pics after I get it done... I can't wait!!!

I'm loving the fact that this past weekend I got to see some faces I haven't seen in a while, including my brother and sister in law from California. It all started Friday night at the Homecoming Alumni Party for our school and didn't end until Sunday when I got to go to our friends Sarah and Andy's couples shower. It was so nice getting to hang out with friends and family all weekend.

At the Alumni Party w/ our school's Mascot!

Bowling with my brother, Dan and sis in law, Melissa

I'm loving that my first BirchBox sample box came in the mail this week. It had some GREAT samples, including Kate Spade perfume, some lip volumizer, nail polish, and hand and body lotion. I've used them all, except the nail polish (it's a blue/green, so I think i'll save it for my toes). I'm definitely thinking that i'll be ordering another sample box again next month.

And, as always, I'm loving the support and love that my husband always shows me. I'm truly the luckiest girl alive. 

Happy Hump Day Everyone!!!

Lilo

Call us crazy cat people all you want, but our "child" is no ordinary cat. 

It's time you formally met Lindsay Lohan Fancywhiskers Jacobs Casey Hyatt (aka "Lilo") and saw just how normal she really is. 

Below she explains why she fits in so well in the Hyatt household.

 I like naps

I warm the bed up for mommy

I stay clean

I'm an excellent helper around the house

I show you affection

I protect you

I like to tailgate

I fit, therefore, I must go.

I prefer Merlot, but I take whatever mommy gives me.

My best friend

During our wedding planning process, when it came to picking a song for our first dance, Shane and I realized that in the seven years we had been dating, we didn't have a song that we called our own. So instead, we tried to think of a song that had a lot of meaning to us and what our relationship stood for.

The song, "My Best Friend" by Tim McGraw seemed to be one that we both felt describe us perfectly. We are literally each other's BEST friend and soul mate and nothing can ever truly describe our feelings for each other... but this song came pretty close. 

 Shane and I met at a very young age. We both have some experience dating other people, but it's obvious that we were each others first true loves. We have grown up together and grown into this amazing relationship that nothing could ever take away.

For quite a few years now, when I've pictured what my life would be like years down the road, I've had different dreams of where I would be, what I would be doing, but one thing has always remained constant....Shane is always in the picture. He is my rock, he's my soulmate, and he's the one person I can be completely open and honest with about everything...

Shane and I have always faced negativity for our relationship. Our difference in age, or the fact that we've been together since we were in high school has always brought up question in other people's mind but our own. Yes, we've had tough times as a couple, but we've always made it out stronger and wiser. Shane and I fit each other perfectly and that is why I know our relationship is meant to last. 

And, yes, he spoils me rotten, but not a day goes by that we don't let each other know how appreciative we are for what the other one does.

I am so very grateful for the life I've built with Shane. And I'm thankful that we also have so many people supporting us and who celebrated our special day with us and the vows we took to always be each other's best friend.