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Friday, December 16, 2016

Five on Friday – Christmasy Events from This Week

This week has been so much better than last week, thank goodness, so I have nothing but love for you today!  Don’t you just love it when everything is sunshine and unicorns and rainbows?  Or in this case twinkle lights and Santas and Christmas cheer?  ;o)

A few of my favorites from this week…

O N E – A Very Special Gift

Brian and I celebrated our ninth anniversary back on December first, and part of my gift from him had not yet arrived by then.  It finally delivered on Monday, so it is one of my favorites for this week.  I don’t typically share much about what B and I give to one another for anniversaries and such, but this was extra special and I wanted to remember it.

For number nine, he picked out a necklace with a snowflake charm on it because he said that it reminded him of the snowflake ornaments that we gave out as favors at our wedding.  <3  And little did he even know that I have wanted a necklace with a snowflake charm for more than a decade!  This guy sure does know how to get to me.  I haven’t taken it off since Tuesday morning when I put it on! 



T W O – Another Visit with Santa

Tuesday evening we headed to the mall to see the Santa Clause that we have been going to since Jacob was born.  We have found that if you go on a weeknight in the late afternoon, there’s no line, so sure enough, we arrived at 5 and there were only two or three kids in front of us.  That gave me just enough time to fix Olivia’s hot mess school hair before sending them on their way.  Both of them walked right up to Santa and climbed up on his lap… no fear this year!  




T H R E E – A Kind Gesture

We followed the Santa visit with dinner at Chick-Fil-A in the mall, and I have to brag on their employees for a minute.  We all know how wonderful Chick-Fil-A employees are… they are all genuinely kind, patient, and extremely well-mannered, but one of their employees took it to a whole new level Tuesday evening. 

We had just gotten seated at our table, and I realized that Olivia’s juice box didn’t have a straw.  When I told Brian that it was missing, a Chick-Fil-A employee who just happened to be sitting at the table next to ours (he was either on his break or not even working that day) overheard me, and he immediately jumped up and said, “Your juice box is missing a straw?  I’ll go grab one for you!”  I thanked him and told him that I could get it myself since he was not on the clock, but he said, “I don’t mind at all!” and he ran to the back to grab one for us. 

That kind gesture really made my night.  It’s customer service and positive attitudes like that that makes me a Chick-Fil-A customer for life!  We love them!

F O U R – A Ride on the New Double-Decker Carousel

While at the mall Tuesday evening, we had to stop by and ride the new double-decker carousel that they just put in the mall.  It is so huge!  The kids were in awe, and of course, wanted to ride on the second story.




F I V E – 8th Annual Girls’ Scarf and Ornament Exchange

My girlfriends and I have been doing a dirty Santa scarf and ornament exchange every year since 2009 (you can read more about them here) and we held our ninth one Wednesday night.  Now that we all have babies running around, we’ve found that it’s easier to just go out somewhere instead of throwing it at someone’s house, so we had ours at Bonefish. 

The group varies from year to year as we always welcome friends of friends, and constantly have girls moving, and this year there were six of us – perfect for a large booth in the back corner! 

We started the evening with a round of Winter White Cosmos and this may have been the first time in years that all of us were able to drink together since someone in our group has pretty much always been pregnant for the last six years.  Haha.  After drinks and bread, the main courses came out – steak, garlic whipped potatoes, and a Caesar salad for me – and then we ordered another round of Cosmos before pulling out the numbers to play Dirty Santa.

We played for the ornaments first, and then we played a separate game for the scarves.  I was extremely pleased with both of my winnings!  So cute!



It was such a fun night with my favorite ladies… we were definitely way too loud and we definitely laughed a lot.  My stomach muscles even hurt the next day… that’s a sign of a good time, I’ll say!











Honorable Mention - Watching the Pentatonix Christmas Special

Did you guys see the Pentatonix Christmas special this week?  We recorded it and watched it Thursday evening with the kiddos, and it was just fabulous.  There is just so much talent in that group... Brian and I have followed and loved them since 2011 when they were on The Sing Off.  Do y'all remember that show?  Oh, how I miss it!  

But anyway, I could not love Pentatonix more!  And apparently the kids agree because they were both enamored.  We have all of their Christmas albums and this is the third Christmas that we have listened to them (aaaand sometimes we listen to them during the summer months, too), so the kids know all of the songs by heart.  Their very favorite is Mary, Did You Know? and they were pleased as punch when they sang that one on the Christmas special.  Olivia is completely obsessed with that song and she knows all the words, so she sang her heart out right along with them.  And every time the camera would pan away from the girl and focus on the guys, she would yell, "I wanna see the gell (girl) in the fparkly (sparkly) dress!!!!"  It was so flipping hilarious.  

Anyhoo, in addition to Mary, Did You Know?, Pentatonix also sang Hallelujah and That's Christmas to Me, so I was a happy "gell" too, as those are my three favorite songs by them.  ;o)  Anybody else tear up every single time they hear those?  Just me?

Happy weekend, friends!

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.


27 comments:

  1. Love the Santa photo!! Adorable!! And your night with girlfriends looks like a blast! Ummm I watched Pentatonix Christmas Special and I had chills, tears, and such huge smiles. I'm obsessed with them.

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  2. I love your CFA story. They really have the best employees ever! And I love all of the Christmas activities y'all have been doing :) Happy Friday!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  3. What a beautiful necklace! Unfortunately, we only caught the last two songs of the Pentatonix. However, what we saw was fabulous! Have a great weekend!

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  4. I missed that special but I have to say that Pentatonix singing Hallelujah has been my favorite song this season. We listen to it so much that my son (4) is now like, "Mom! It's my favorite song! Hallelujah!" Have a great weekend!

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  5. I would have loved to watch that special. I love the necklace your husband got you, it's absolutely beautiful.

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  6. Your necklace! SO sweet :) Major points for husby on that one. I remember seeing that Santa pic on Insta and thinking how pretty that open mall was! The photos came out darling. Also, lol about the preggers ladies and not drinking! Cheers to y'all this year. Excellent idea photographing the drinks menu - I always like to recreate cocktails at home - especially nightcaps :)

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  7. I love this festive post!! Ok, so Brian went out all on his own and bought that beautiful necklace!? Can he give some pointers to Rick :) Really, it is gorgeous and I think as a little girl I wanted a snowflake necklace too, they are so pretty and I LOVE the snow, so makes sense :)

    I love the kids Santa pic and what an awesome double decker carousel! The night with the girls looked so fun!!

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  8. Love your beautiful new necklace and the special meaning behind it!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  9. Your necklace is so pretty and what a thoughtful gift. We have a double decker carousel at one of the malls near us but haven't taken the boys yet. Now I think we need to. That scarf party sounds like such a fun time! Have a great weekend! Beautifully Candid

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  10. That necklace and the meaning behind it...LOVE! Such a sweet gift that you will treasure forever.
    Love that you guys do a scarf and ornament exchange...and that you guys are still so close!
    xo, Lily
    Beauty With Lily

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  11. Your kiddos killed it with Santa! That wine cork ornament you got is so cute! And that necklace is so special and perfect. Those thoughtful and unexpected gifts are always the best.

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  12. The Santa picture is precious!! And that drink you guys had at your scarf exchange sounds so good! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Girl, if you've never tried one, you need to! I think I'm going to try to make one at home sometime!

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  13. The snowflake necklace is so pretty & I love the thought behind it! Love the Santa photos :) Chick-fil-a is the best for so many reasons including their super helpful employees!
    Kelsey
    www.thepeacockroost.com

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  14. A double decker carousel? How much fun! And that snowflake necklace is gorgeous! Happy Friday gurlie <3
    Green Fashionista

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  15. Wow so much fun this year. I love that snowflake necklace. He did a great job!!! And what a great Santa photo! I would love to do a scarf/ornament exchange with my friends. Might have to suggest it. Have a great weekend Lindsay!

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  16. That martini looks very festive and delicious! That is so sweet your husband found you the perfect gift for your anniversary and it is a beautiful necklace. My husband's name is Brian, too! :)

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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  17. Love that your sweet hubby got you that Snowflake necklace - we were married in December too (minus snow unfortunately!) and it's so special to have that to remember it! Your gift exchange sounds so fun - I might need to add that to my cookie exchange next year!

    happilyevergriedlscom.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! And yes, you totally should! We always have so much fun!

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  18. Well, you're right, this post sure made me happy! Love it! That necklace is so special. What a good husband! Hope you guys have an awesome weekend.

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  19. I love your anniversary necklace. That CFA story is so sweet. That cosmo looks amazing, I'm glad you and your friends were able to get together amidstthe holiday rush. Jess at Just Jess

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  20. I'm just going to do this in list form ;)
    1. LOVE your snowflake necklace!
    2. The Santa picture is perfect, I love how they are both smiling!
    3. Awesome idea with the scarf/ornament party.

    Jen
    jpabstfitness.com

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    1. Thank you so much! You should totally try the ornament/scarf party... it's so much fun! You could even change it up and do a Favorite Things party or something like that.

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  21. I am going to steal the scarf/ornament exchange idea for my girlfriends next year.

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  22. What an awesome week you have had! That necklace is GORGEOUS! What a lovely present. You got a killer santa pic this year - the kids have such great smiles. Chick Fil A workers are seriously the best. It's amazing. I just watched the Pentatonix special last night. Those are some of my favorite songs, too, although we were a little late to the show so missed Mary Did You Know!

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  23. This weeks 5 is perfection. That snowflake necklace was so thoughtful and the perfect present. Good job Brian! I am loving your scarf from the exchange too. It looks like such a fun night out. Hope y'all have are having a great weekend.

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