Friday Favorites

Well, it has been a bit! We have been trapped in a revolving door of sickness in our home over the past month. Hand foot and mouth one week, the stomach bug the next, rounded up with terrible respiratory infections for the boys. I have my fingers crossed that it is all finally out of our systems and we are good to go for the holidays! Needless to say, we have been pretty preoccupied with tending to sick kiddos lately, but with Christmas just a few days away (what?!) I couldn't help but stopping by to share a few of the things I have been loving most this season!

1. Babes and Bokeh

In the past year, I feel like I have really figured out how to use the camera. It has allowed us to do our own family portraits (with the help of my mom who I have taught to use the camera, too!), to capturing bright, quality photos of special family events, to just capturing those sweet, every day moments of our boys. One of my favorite items I have invested in is my 50mm lens. I know all people have their own preferences for photos, but I always have adored blurred backgrounds with sharp focus points. And that lens is also what gives you the cool bokeh effect with lights! Nothing in life has been more magical than watching my children explore and experience holidays. This is my fourth Christmas as a mama, and I can say with absolute certainly that every year has been better than the last. My boys just soak up every last bit of magic, from our moving elf, to the musical ornaments on our Christmas tree, to Jackson finally understanding the whole 'Santa' thing. My sweet boy will also tell everyone that it is baby Jesus' birthday, and naturally, he also thinks this means there will be cake ;-) But back to my main point, this lens and the bokeh effect with the lights on our Christmas tree is one of my absolute favorite things!

 

2. Santa Mugs

These are hardly new or a breakthrough finding, but I finally caved and picked up a few Santa mugs for us to drink out of. And it has been one of the best purchases ever. Jackson LOVES his mug so much, he has been drinking his milk and water out of it with fun paper straws, and it is just so much fun to watch him find so much joy in something so simple. They are ceramic, so of course I am absolutely paranoid he will try to carry it into the living room and break it, so he has learned quickly he can only have it at the kitchen table ;-) To this day he still isn't so sure about hot chocolate, but these mugs are perfect for the classic milk and cookies, too!

3. Latte Bowls

After having my eye on them forever, I finally pulled the trigger on these latte bowls from Anthropolie. They were 25% off and free shipping, so I just couldn't say no. I grabbed them in mint and white, but they have so many different colors, making them perfect to mix and match. They are so pretty that they make great decorative pieces, too! I already am planning to grab the pink ones for Valentine's Day. As a boy mom, you better believe I do whatever I can to take advantage of holidays that allow me to do all of the pink things!

4. Aria Diffuser

I decided to splurge and get myself an Aria diffuser a few months ago, and it may be one of my favorite purchases of all time. It is so pretty on our mantle, and I have been having so much fun diffusing different blends, especially with the holidays happening right now. Our favorite single oil to diffuse is without question Christmas Spirit, but I also love mixing pine and lemon to smell just like a Christmas tree farm! For those of you that use oils (or have thought about using them), this diffuser is truly worth the splurge!

5. The Perfect OTS Sweater

If you love soft, cozy sweaters, this one is absolute perfect. It is thick and super warm, and the foldover top truly stays off the shoulder without a struggle! It is so cozy, and pairs perfectly with leggings, because we all know none of us are planning to eat healthy over the next week. Express has been running such good sales lately, this ruffle sweater is so pretty, and I am obsessed with the vibrant pink color of this one!

I am still in disbelief that Christmas is only three days away. We have family functions going on every day this weekend, and I cannot wait! I don't think I have been this excited for a Christmas morning than the last year that Santa was real to me. Sometimes I just cannot help but be overwhelmed by the wonder and magic that having children has brought back into my life. Merry Christmas, my friends!

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Cookies and Cocoa Shower

This past weekend, my mom threw the most darling bridal shower for my cousin's fiancé. We wanted to keep it simple, so in lieu of a full menu of food, we served hot chocolate, coffee, and lots of desserts! I really have to give all of the credit to my mom for this one, she is such an amazing decorator and has great style. I have always been amazed at her ability to make everything she touches look absolutely perfect.

I hand drew this sign, which is a recycled item from Lincoln's first birthday party. It is just a birch slab that I purchased at Hobby Lobby, and then painted with black chalk paint. One of the best DIY projects ever; we have gotten so much use out of it already!

My mom had a lot of toppings for building your own hot chocolate. White chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, candy canes, and marshmallows! Everyone had so much fun loading up on toppings.

The two tier stand is from Sam's Club, and was filled with utentils, plates, and lots of coffee mugs.

For the hot chocolate, it was just a large tub of regular hot chocolate mix, added to boiling water in a pot on the stove. Once it was heated, it was added to a hot beverage dispenser.

The rest of the shower was simple and sweet; white cupcakes with shimmer sprinkles, homemade cookies brought by the aunts, cake pops, and for a little bit to hold people over some meatballs and a cheese and cracker tray. It was simple, but turned out so great and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. And BONUS-cleanup was so simple and easy, we basically just loaded twenty coffee mugs and a few trays into the dishwasher and called it good!

I couldn't resist adding in my letterboard, too. This is one of my absolute favorite bible verses, and was a perfect touch to add to the room.