Lindsay's Sweet World: Tuesday Talk

Showing posts with label Tuesday Talk. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Fall Bucket List 2017 - What We Accomplished

Well, I would say that we completely rocked fall, you guys! We did pretty much everything on our list and then some! Let’s get to recapping!

O N E – Decorate the House for Fall

CHECK! And this was my favorite year to date! Post here.

T W O – Go to a Georgia Football Game

CHECK! We ended up making it to two games this year, one that was away at Vandy in Nashville, and one that was at home… and it was Olivia’s first game! Posts here and here.

T H R E E – Install a TV on Our Back Porch and Watch Football Outside

CHECK! Well, we didn’t actually install a TV but we did install a projector. And we didn’t actually watch football on it, but we did watch Trolls! Does that count? I’m gonna go with yes… Post here.

F O U R – Attend a High School Football Game at My Alma Mater

CHECK! We typically attend the homecoming game and alumni social, but we missed that when we were in Nash, so instead we attended the kickoff home game and then we also attended our big rivalry game. A fun time was had by all! Posts here and here.

F I V E – Frolic in a Field of Sunflowers

CHECK! We did get to do this!! I was so thrilled! We visited about a week later than we should have because the flowers were all past their peak, but it was still a sight to behold! Next year I’m hoping we can time it better and see those gorgeous blooms when they are at their finest. Post here.

S I X – Nashville Trip

CHECK! YAAAASSSS!!!! My favorite thing we did all fall… a hubby and wifey trip to Nash! What a blast we had! We saw Ed Sheeran in the front row, we ate lots of delicious food, we saw lots of amazing things, and we pretty much partied it up! It was a trip that I will remember for always, that’s for sure. Recaps here, here, and here.

S E V E N – Take an Entire Day Off for Just Me

CHECK! A rare occurrence, I finally enjoyed a day off for just myself. We ended up being off for Columbus Day and the kids had to go to school and B had to work, so I took a whole day off to do whatever I wanted. Granted it was the day after we got back from Nashville so I pretty much spent the whole day unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for our mountain trip, but at least I was able to do it in peace and quiet! Post here.

E I G H T – Fall Weekend Getaway in the Mountains

CHECK! We had another amazing trip! Wine tasting, hiking, waterfall viewing, city touring, gem grubbing, apple picking… we did it all! Recaps here, here, and here.

N I N E – Go Apple Picking

CHECK! And what a haul we took away! Post here.

T E N – Go Wine-Tasting at a Vineyard

CHECK! Another one of my favorite things we did this fall. Oh how I wish we had more wineries close by. Post here.

E L E V E N – Visit a Pumpkin Patch

CHECK! We visited one at home with the kids, a new one this year, and B and I also visited an adorable little pop-up pumpkin patch when we were in Nash! Post here.

T W E L V E – Carve Pumpkins

NOPE! Well, we’ve reached our first no. We were so busy doing everything else that we never managed to carve a pumpkin.

T H I R T E E N – Go on a Date with the Mr.

CHECK! B and I went on several dinner dates when we were in Nash together. Our evening at Bartaco was by far my favorite. Post here.

F O U R T E E N – Trick-or-Treat

CHECK! Perfect weather and two adorable little babies all dressed up made for a perfect evening. Post here.

F I F T E E N – Watch Our Favorite Halloween Movies

CHECK! It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown was watched on Halloween night as always, and the kiddos managed to squeeze in a few viewings of Toy Story of Terror as well.

S I X T E E N – Read Our Favorite Fall Books

CHECK! We read lots of our faves – Five Little Pumpkins, Curious George Halloween, Little Blue Truck Halloween, and many more!

S E V E N T E E N – Hire a Professional Photographer for Fall Family Pictures

CHECK! Even though we didn’t hire a pro this year, I was still able to get some pretty great family shots using a tripod and a timer. I’ll be revealing them in the coming weeks, but here’s a little sneak peek to hold you over. ;o)

E I G H T E E N – All the PSLs

CHECK! And I even drank them in the cutest little mug wraps thanks to Danielle. :o)

N I N E T E E N – Play in the Leaves and Enjoy the Fall Foliage

CHECK! We honestly didn’t have much fall foliage this year but the kids did manage to do lots of playing on the UGA campus yesterday, so I’m going with yes! Post here.

T W E N T Y – Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

CHECK! Oh wait, not technically yet, but we will be checking this off of our list in two days! Eek!

And now for a few things that were not on the list that we also enjoyed…

T W E N T Y – O N E – Rock Ranch

CHECK! This is a place in GA that was founded by Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-Fil-A. There is SO much to do there – train rides, playgrounds, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, zip-lining, a jumping pillow, potato sack slides… y’all! So much fun! We had a whole day with our friends and their babies and it was a blast… we will definitely be going again next year! Post here.

T W E N T Y – T W O – School Fall Carnival

CHECK! I totally forgot to put this on the list this year, so I had to mention it here. They had loads of rides and games, a haunted house, and so much more… the kids LOVED it.

T W E N T Y – T H R E E – Corn Maze

CHECK! I've always wanted to do one and we managed to get through one with the kids in under 30 minutes! Post here.

T W E N T Y – F O U R – Thanksgiving Lunch with Jacob

CHECK! Jacob’s school puts on a Thanksgiving lunch each year for the lower grades and Brian and I were able to have lunch with him last week. They served turkey and dressing and all of the fixings. I love hanging out with my sweet boy!

Well, looks like the only things we didn’t do was carve a pumpking!

So did we FALL SO HARD?!

I think we did!

And now it's time for the Tuesday Talk Link Up!

Hosted by:

Beth at Our Pretty Little Girls | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Crystal at Hall Around Texas | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Stephanie at Wife Mommy Me | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Tina at Go Big or Go Home | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

Whitney at Polka-Dotty Place | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram

An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Things to do in New York City at Christmas

Brian and I have done a lot of traveling in our day, but my all-time favorite trip that we have ever taken was our trip to New York City in December. It had always been a dream of mine to visit the city during Christmastime, and we made that happen for our five-year wedding anniversary back in 2012. If you’ve been reading for a while, you may remember my recaps about it last year, but if you are relatively new to the blog, you can see the recaps here, here, and here.

I enjoyed recapping this trip so much that I thought I would put together a complete list of all of the fun, festive things that we did while we were there, along with a few things that were on our list that we didn’t have time to do.

O N E – Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

Well, this is probably the number one thing people think of when they think of Christmas in New York, so this may be obvious, but it is the one thing that you definitely must do. The sheer size will blow you away. It’s definitely worth fighting the crowds to see!

T W O – Wollman Ice Skating Rink

One of my favorite Christmas movies of all-time, Serendipity, was partially filmed at Wollman Ice Skating Rink. When standing along the ledge, you are treated to one of my favorite views in the entire city. The day we went it was cold and cloudy and we were all bundled up for the blustery day. It was NYC in winter perfection.

T H R E E – Dessert at Serendipity

Are you sensing a theme here? Serendipity is the little restaurant where Sarah and Jonathan stop to have dessert the night they first meet. In real life, this place is teeny tiny, extremely quirky, and the Frozen Hot Chocolate is totally worth the wait. Do plan to stand in line for a while to get in, though.

F O U R – Shop at FAO Schwarz

It wouldn’t be Christmas without toys!! FAO Schwarz in NYC is the oldest toy store in the entire country and it is also where Tom Hanks danced on the big piano in Big. Classic and a must-see.

F I V E – Santa Land at Macy’s

This was one of the things on our to-do list that we never accomplished. We did make our way to the top floor at Macy’s to see him, but we thought it would be open for all to see, and it was not. We would have had to wait in line for a couple of hours just to get in and at that moment it wasn’t worth the wait for us. If you do go, just be sure to schedule your visit ahead of time and you should be fine.

S I X – Department Store Front Tour

Many of the department stores in NYC create very elaborate holiday storefronts. Fortunately, the majority of them are on Fifth Avenue, so you can do a storefront tour pretty easily. Some to see on the list:

Lord & Taylor

Saks Fifth Avenue (be sure to stay for their light show!)

Bergdorf Goodman

Barneys

Bloomingdales

Harry Winston

Cartier

Macy’s (you must see the Believe sign!)

S E V E N – The Nutcracker by The New York City Ballet

The Nutcracker is the quintessential Christmas play and you just cannot beat seeing it performed by the New York City Ballet. Brian and I went when we were there and it was absolutely breathtaking. It took me straight back to Christmas during my childhood and it was worth every penny.

E I G H T – Radio City Christmas Spectacular

This was another item on our list that we didn’t have time to do. However, I hear it that it lives up to its name – spectacular – and apparently it is a must-see. It’s already on my list for next time!

N I N E – Plaza Hotel

Christmas and Home Alone 2 go hand-in-hand just like fall and pumpkin spice. I think I speak for everyone when I say that one of the greatest lines from that movie is “This is Peter McCallister, THE FAAAATHER.” Well, you can see where it all began right there at the Plaza Hotel! Now someone book a room and order a lovely cheese pizza… just for me! (Another Home Alone quote for all you non-Home Alone fans)

T E N – Carriage Ride Through Central Park

Yes, it’s the ultimate in cheese, but this has always been on my bucket list. We never had a chance to do it, but it’s definitely on the list for next time. And if you don’t take the time to do the carriage ride, at least make some time to stroll through Central Park. It is stunning this time of year.

E L E V E N – Winter Village at Bryant Park

Y’all, I have no earthly idea how we didn’t make it there on our last trip, but the pictures online make it look like the ultimate place to go during Christmastime in NYC. Ice skating, plenty of quaint little shops, and loads of Christmas lights? Well, sign me right up!

T W E L V E – Christmas Decorations on Sixth Avenue

Sixth Avenue is known for all of its elaborate Christmas decorations. We had the privilege of seeing several of these while we were there in 2012, but there are some others we missed:

Giant nutcrackers (UBS Building between 52^nd and 53^rd Streets)

Giant Christmas balls (1251 Sixth Avenue between 49^th and 50^th Streets)

Toy train of Rockefeller Center Station (1271 Sixth Avenue)

Radio City Music Hall Christmas trees (across the street from the toy train)

Giant Christmas lights (McGraw-Hill Building between 48^th and 49^th Streets)

Reindeer (News Corp. Building)

T H I R T E E N – Dinner at Rolf’s

This is one of the things that I just found out about fairly recently, but if I had known about it in 2012 you can bet we would have enjoyed dinner there. Rolf’s is a German restaurant that is known for their insanely elaborate Christmas decorations. You are literally surrounded by thousands of lights and decorations everywhere you turn. If you don’t believe me, just check out Google images. It, too, is already on my list for my next NYC trip!

F O U R T E E N – Top of the Rock

This isn’t necessarily a Christmas activity per se, but it is one of the things we did on our trip that year, and it was one of my favorite things we’ve ever done in the city. My advice to you? Head up late in the afternoon before dusk. This will give you the opportunity to see the city in the daylight, at dusk, and at night. Once it’s dark, you can take in all of the Christmas lights from up above and it is pure magic.

F I F T E E N – Dyker Heights

This is yet another item on our list that we didn’t have a chance to do. Dyker Heights is a neighborhood in Brooklyn that is known to go all out with the Christmas décor. Apparently it’s a whole neighborhood of Griswolds all trying to outdo each other to have the best decorated house. That sounds like something you can’t go wrong with!

S I X T E E N – St. Patrick’s Cathedral

I saved the most magical for last. Nothing says Christmas like celebrating the birth of baby Jesus, and nothing says celebrating the birth of baby Jesus like celebrating it in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. While we have never stayed for mass, we did drop in one cold night on our trip, and it was absolutely breathtaking. You will never look at a church the same once you’ve been there.