It's beginning to look a lot like...

Black Friday!

If you've ever wondered what the inside of a newspaper facility looks like 10 days before Black Friday (and 9 days before all those ads appear), here you go:

And trust me, by this time next week, there will be very little floor space in this enormous room.

Do you shop insanely early (or late, as the case may be!) on Black Friday?

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

Halloween has come and gone, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you're planning on sending out Christmas cards, it's time to start thinking about it! This year, like last year, Shutterfly is hoping to make the Christmas card process easier on us!

Photo cards are my favorites, and here are a few of Shutterfly's designs that I just love:

Flat Photo Card - Merry & Bright

Holiday Cards - Holly Jolly

Christmas Cards - Big Cheers

Shutterfly's site is really user-friendly, and you have the ability to personalize your cards however you'd like! My mother-in-law ordered her cards from Shutterfly last year, and they turned out really beautifully.

I think sending real, paper Christmas Cards is one of the best parts of the season. I love it when cards from friends and family members start showing up in my mailbox. And Shutterfly makes the process so easy, even if you're crazy busy like we are, you have time to send out beautiful cards to commemorate the year.

So, excuses are now out the window, head over to Shutterfly.com to get started on your 2011 Christmas cards!

{I received a code for 25 free cards from Shutterfly in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed are my own. Are you a blogger? Want free cards, too? Sign up here through November 11th!}

Spooky

Source: brothersoft.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And a very Happy Birthday to my Momma!

Happy Hearts Day

Hubs and I aren't the type of couple to go out to a fancy restaurant on Valentine's Day. Last year we actually weren't home for V-day, so we went out a few weeks before, using a gift card we had gotten as a wedding gift.

This year? We're headed to my parents' house to enjoy some lasagna. See, my parents ALWAYS have lasagna on Valentine's Day. In 1975, my mom invited my dad over to her apartment to have lasagna. They had dated the summer after high school, broken up for two years, and this was their second-first date. They've been together ever since. (You can read more about my dad and my parents' relationship here.)

{aren't they precious? from my wedding}

We also got to have lunch yesterday with Hubs' parents and little brother. AND, I got to hang out with three of my BFFs last night, playing Just Dance and watching the Grammys! I love getting to spend this holiday with so many people that I love, not just one :)

As for gifts? Well, we decided to forgo gifts this year, and I'm totally at peace with this. But when Hubs got home from work last night (at around 11:30), he had these for me.

I'm one happy - and blessed - girl.

What's your favorite way to celebrate - or not! - Valentine's Day?

Cozied Up

{our cat, Chesney, loves a good fire!}

I've been taking a bit of an unintentional break around here. It's been COLD in my neck of the woods, and snowier than I can remember. Today's high is a balmy 46 degrees, and as such, I've finally left my "big heavy coat" at home for a day.

{via my momma. this is her back deck!}

So, I've spent the first part of this year cozied up. I've been working, of course, but when I haven't been at work, you're pretty much guaranteed to find me wrapped up under my husband's new quilt, watching the West Wing.

{my momma is one talented lady! she made this quilt for hubs for Christmas}

Hubs got the complete West Wing series for Christmas. We've made our way through two full seasons and are a handful of episodes into season 3. It's safe to say I've developed a new obsession!

{i love you, i love you, i love you!!!}

How have the first few weeks of 2011 treated you? Do you have any new obsessions after opening your gifts?

In which we did not get a ticket for setting off fireworks

Why yes, setting off fireworks is illegal in my county. Why do you ask?

As per tradition, after the parade, Hubs, Brother-in-Law, Dad & I piled in the car and headed to the county line to buy contraband. After spending more money than I'll tell you about, we had our stash for the evening.

First experiment of the day: Would bottle rockets taped to a balsa wood airplane make it fly?

Not so much.

Boys setting up for their next blow-up.

This is the proper technique for setting off more than one bottle rocket at a time. Improper technique? Leaving the plastic wrapping on the 12 bottle rockets that are packaged together. I repeat: BAD IDEA.

A few hours pass, and then folks start to show up for the real party. 

Tennessee Caviar

I don't remember what these were called...But they were tortillas, cream cheese and green chilies. Plus salsa.

L

Lots of soft drinks

Desserts! I'll have to share the recipe for the dish on the bottom right. Key Lime Poke Cake. Delish!

Corn hole!

Bug control

Viewing area

Explosives

Blown-up vegetables

The piece of lemon that hit me mid-explosion. And yes, I was a "safe" distance away from the launch site.

And, of course, the main event! 

Hope you all had a very happy 4th!

Better late than never...

Never better late....We sang this song on a mission trip one year whenever someone showed up to a group meeting late. It went like this...

"Better late than never
 Never better late
 Better late than never
 Never better late
 You're late!
 You're late!
 You're late!
 And you're ugly"

It was obnoxious...and a lot of fun to sing.

Hopefully you won't call me "ugly" for just now posting my 4th of July weekend recap. Pretty please?

We had a great weekend (and OH how I love a long weekend!) full of parades, bbq and explosives--my favorite kind of 4th of July!

The town I grew up in (a suburb of Knoxville) puts on a parade every July 4th, and it's so small-town-Americana I can't help but love it. They close the main drag for a couple of miles through town, folks bring their lawn chairs and blankets and set up shop on the sidewalks. Then just about everyone you can imagine makes their way down the street: Politicians, the high school band, local businesses and radio stations, old car clubs, Boy & Girl Scouts, church groups...you name it!

My parents' Sunday school class always meets in the same spot. They bring a tent and some tables and more breakfast food than you can usually eat on a hot summer morning. We chow down and park our behinds on the curb to watch the festivities together. This year it was blessedly overcast. It was hot, for sure, but totally bearable. Also, since the 4th was on a Sunday, the town hosted the parade on Saturday. It felt like "The 4th" all day, even though it was really the 3rd. Oh well!

Chick-fil-A is always a popular parade entry.

 This man IS Barney Fife. He's also a regular in the parade.This is the Andy Griffith rerun watchers club. Really.

 Girl Scouts represent! 

 

Do you see how glittery this horse is? AWESOME. 

 Y'all know how much I love Bath Junkie, right? This was their float. That's my mom's friend Jill driving the car, and her husband Dale dressed as bath bubbles. How awesome is that?? The duck was my favorite "float" in the parade, and that's all bias aside, really! Also, if you're in the Knoxville area, check out FlutterToday's Bath Junkie deal! AH-MAZ-ING! (Deal is only good on Monday, 7/12/10) 

 From Sir Goony's, a mini golf place in our small town. 

 This was not actually a Delorean...but I also don't remember what it was...

 There were all sorts of characters like these. I think the Shampoo was  my favorite, though I gotta give props to my favorite animal, the Penguin. 

 They may have been a little confused as to the holiday...it's a Haunted Farm that will be open in October. It was a little creepy though. 

 It's not a parade without a marching band! 

That's enough pictures for the moment. I'll have another 4th weekend recap with pictures from the barbecue and explosives part of the weekend. 

Happy Monday!