Shop Till You Drop

Who enjoys a little Black Friday shopping? I know I do!! 

 

 

It all started few years back... after several glasses of wine... when my step-mom, step-sister and I decided to venture out before sunrise to hit-up the best deals. It sounded like a fantastic idea, until 4:00 a.m. rolled around and we had to get up & get going (disclaimer: I am not a morning person). After the initial shock and downing a pot of coffee, we hit the road! First stop: Wal-Mart.

This. Place. Was. Madness!

  

 

After looking around the store for a little bit we had our deals and were ready to check-out. Little did we know that all the people standing around were waiting in one long ass line! We put our items back - it's not like we had a whole bunch of stuff anyways, and we weren't on the hunt for anything specific - and left the store, never looking back!

 

That year we went to all the major stores, like Wal-Mart, Target, and even the Mall - which wasn't as bad as I had expected. We ended up with some pretty decent deals!



 

The first year was a spur of the moment type deal, but the years to follow we started getting more and more knowledgeable about what we wanted to purchase and for what price. Scoping out the Black Friday ads, which you can find here, totally helped! It seems each year the deals are being released sooner and sooner and the stores are opening earlier and earlier to make your shopping experience worth your while.

When I'm out shopping on Black Friday, I try to do most, if not all of my Christmas shopping. Now, I'm no professional Black Friday shopper - I mostly just participate because I enjoy shopping with my step-mom and step-sister, but I do try and think in advance of the items I know I want and check the store websites to see if there are any deals. Now you can find any in-store Black Friday deal online, which is super convenient (and also known as Cyber No-Work Monday).

We skipped out on Black Friday shopping last year, but plan to get out this year just for fun. My youngest brother is in town, so maybe we'll drag him along with us - he's quiet the comedian. We for sure will be hitting up Kohl's and Home Goods... and maybe Target, because who in their right mind can say "no" to Target?

If you're planning to get out and do some Black Friday shopping this Friday, what are some must-have items on your list and what are some of your favorite stores to stop at?

 

Good luck to everyone who decides gets out there Friday!! :)

 

Free Wall Art Printables for Baby & Kids' Rooms

As I've been looking at tons of baby nurseries to get art ideas for little man's nursery, I've come across some really great printable art to use in a baby or kids' room, and wanted to share them with you! Here are a few of my favorites:

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star | LostBumblebee

Adventure | I Rock So What

Custom Initial & Name Print | On to Baby

Dream Big | 733 Blog

Animal Alphabet Poster | Kind Over Matter

Love | Laura Winslow Photography

I Love You To The Moon & Back | Sweet Little Peanut

I just love the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Custom Initial & Name prints, so I print them out at home and used some frames that were laying around to display in the nursery.

Each of these printables are super fun & so sweet! Thanks to all these wonderfully talented artists who shared these printables for free personal use.

Thanksgiving Plans + Friday Favorites

I know I've been slacking on posting lately, but there's been entirely too much going on with both home life and work life - gotta love this time of year!

I cannot believe Thanksgiving day is less than a week away - where has November gone?! Our Thanksgiving plans have been pretty much the same for the past several years. We start off the morning by watching a little bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while sipping on some fresh coffee and eating a light breakfast (have to save room for allll the food to come throughout the day). I've already been looking for ideas to start fun little holiday traditions next year with our little one, and saw these cinnamon roll turkeys on Pinterest! Cute, right?! I know the baby won't be able to eat them just yet, but Brandon & I totally can. :)

Cinnamon Roll Turkeys

After breakfast and some sprucing up, we pack-up the dogs and take a trip to Kingwood to visit both sides of our families, where we'll eat (and eat, and eat), drink, watch football, and just spend some great time with family! I can't decide which dish I'm most looking forward to...

What are your Thanksgiving plans this year?

I've been doing a lot of Pinteresting - I think it's to fill the void of not doing anything super crafty lately - and stumbled across these Thanksgiving craft ideas and free printables.



A Beautiful Mess



A Cozy Kitchen



She Wears Many Hats

I'm also loving these soft sole high-tops in Herringbone from Old Navy for baby. And I couldn't help but purchase this top from PinkBlush (my new favorite clothing store)! Since Brandon and I don't do any of the cooking for Thanksgiving, I'm thinking about making these apple pie crescents! And finally, and really just because, I'm obsessed with this exposed brick & beams kitchen (I told you I've been the crazy-Pinterest-lady latey!).

That's all for now. I hope everyone has a delicious and wonderful Thanksgiving next week!

Pregnancy Update: 7 Months

Another month bites the dust and I'm now in my seventh month of pregnancy!

Little man weighs approximately two-and-a-half to three pounds and is about 15 inches long from head to heal (like a butternut squash).

He's still very active; it's like he's doing somersaults in there! I've started noticing movement when I speak loudly or shine a light on my belly, so I think he's beginning to hear my voice and recognize light. :) I also think he likes to press on the right side of my stomach, which is funny because he used to favor the left side. He also is quite the master at hiccuping.

Being in the third trimester is totally different from the second trimester, which felt like a breeze. Now, I'm only a few weeks into my third tri and have a ways to go, but I am already over the uncomfortableness, insane amount of acid reflux (which happens every day at 3PM and lasts for at least 3 hours -- maybe this means lots of hair for the little babe?!), and leg cramps. However, and strangely enough, I am getting better sleep, so I'll take being uncomfortable during the day if that means a good nights sleep! ;)

I'm missing enjoying a beer or glass of wine with my husband when we go on dates (or just out for that matter). So, I'm eagerly looking forward to our first date night out, which I've already started planning in my mind: pizza + (lots of) wine at our favorite spot. I'm also missing, and really appreciating, my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. While dressing "the bump" is fun, my wardrobe is so limited... However, this much cooler (we're talking 30s - 50s, baby!) weather we've had this week has been great, and calls for big shirts and cardigans (and these, because why not?!), which is totally my style.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I feel like time is just flying by. This is by far my favorite time of the year - I absolutely love spending time with both my family and the in-laws (not to mention, they're both excellent cooks). Next years holiday's will be a blast with the little babe - ah, can't wait! :)

With under 70 days to go until little man's arrival, we have started piecing together his nursery. Here's a sneak peak of the furniture we (the hubs) assembled:



We still have a ways to go, but it's finally starting to come together. I constantly find myself wandering into the nursery just to admire the space that will be our son's room. I'm on a mission to find some great classic books to fill his imagination, as well as pieces for putting the finishing touches on his room.