Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

Merry Christmas from The McAfees!





Merry Christmas from us and the pups! Such a big year, full of changes and new adventures; looking forward to 2018 already. 

Sharing our Christmas card here because I didn't order enough! In some ways, it's a blessing; I didn't realize just how many new friends we've made in the past year. We're so thankful for these new relationships, and all of our older friendships, too.

Lots of love! 


Christmas Kitchen




I love the slightly vintage vibe of our kitchen Christmas decor. Most of it is Dollar Spot finds from Target! Each year they have just a couple of cute dollar items that really end up all working together. Funny story about the Christmas Countdown on the stove: bought that three of four years ago from the T, and could not find chalk anywhere! Ended up finding some right before Christmas, and then have continually hid it from myself such that I find it throughout the year but never in December! So no Christmas Countdown for us...









Tartan & Buffalo Check Christmas





Two words: tree collar. With the recent inclusion of our newest addition, Miss Marble the Kitty, I have quickly learned how absolutely necessary this Christmas decor item is. While the one I really wanted sold out {Hearth & Hand problems, thanks Target}, after fishing the cat out of the tree on multiple occasions, I was half tempted to just go to Home Depot and buy a galvanized tub to sit the base of the tree in. Side note: while writing this, I had to pluck her out of the curtains. The curtains! 

I really didn't love how my main tree turned out last year; it never really felt complete. And this year, I decided I wanted to incorporate a traditional Christmas tartan ribbon in our main tree because it's extremely close to CJM's family's tartan. To somewhat mute the red {I love red and green, but not so much in my house}, I incorporated a beautiful, wide black and white buffalo check. Our tree topper? Big bows with a rack of deer antlers tucked into the top from CJM's first hunt of the season. I guess I'm officially a South Georgia girl now!

Mixing metallics is something I love doing with jewelry, so I incorporated that trend into the other decor throughout the living room, too. Gold balls in the garland with silver stockings hanging nearby, more ornaments in a silver Reed & Barton bowl on the coffee table, and a mix of silver, gold and white nativity and Christmas figurines on the sideboard as well. It's one of my favorite spaces to be this holiday season.












Pink & Gold Holiday Dining Room








It's been so fun decorating our first home for Christmas this year! We've grown to a full four Christmas trees: one in the living room, one on the front porch, one in the guest room, and one in the dining room. Last year, the dining room tree was the gold spray painted one featuring our wedding ornaments. This year, we have two new nine foot trees for the living and dining rooms, so I really decided to change things up.

I've put all of the unique ornaments on our main tree in the living room with a red tartan ribbon in an effort to tie in the McAfee family tartan, and decided to do just pink and gold ornaments in the dining room to coordinate with our funky multi-colored rug. The pink and gold ornaments are a mix of my great grandmother's hot pink Shiny Brights, newer gold Shiny Brights, and pink and gold shatter proof ornaments {thanks, animals}. 

Our centerpiece was an awesome Black Friday find from Kirklands! I thought the gold accented burlap ribbon would tie in nicely with the small bit of burlap on our main tree, and the pair of antlers from CJM's first deer of the season at the top of our main tree...pictures coming next!


2017 Girly Gift Guide













September 28, 2017: The first request for the birthday/Christmas list for the year. At that very moment, I couldn't think of anything I wanted and I was just two days away from birthday month! So I spent a few days trying to curate my annual list for the fam to help guide through the upcoming holiday season. Then I realized, I might be a grown up if I really want nice slippers for my birthday, and I can only think of house stuff and Christmas decor I'd like for my Christmas presents. So this truly is an "almost 26-year-old's birthday gift guide" through and through.

A few thoughts on the list: I love Will & Grace, and am so glad they're back! Last year, my grandmother sent me the first couple of seasons, so I'd love to finish out my collection of the original series. I love popping in a DVD before bed since I don't have a DVR in the bedroom; it's downstairs where I have almost 200 episodes of W&G recorded! Shoes are always a great gift for me because I really don't buy shoes for myself that often. I'm more of a clothes girl. I wear a size 8, and my monogram for the boots {and necklace!} are now pMd.

Speaking of monograms, you may have noticed a theme. The longer I'm married, the more monogrammed stuff I really want! This necklace is the "blogger monogram" that you've seen all over Instagram. I bought an acrylic one from Marley Lilly during a flash sale as somewhat of a trial run, and loved it until it cracked down the thin part of the M. So I definitely want a "real" one now. I'd love the gold tone XL necklace specifically!

A new watch has been a staple on my gift lists the last few years, and I truly feel like it's time for a change. I've had my watch that I wear daily since my first year of college, and it's starting to look a little worn but has served me well. I'm not normally a Juicy fan, but I love the gold, mother of pearl, and tiniest hint of pink!

These Charleston Rice Beads are probably going to be my go-to girlfriend gift this year because they come in so many colors! I'd like one of each of the metal colors like in the graphic below--they can be worn together or with other pieces, which I love. Speaking of girlfriend gifts, this precious pink portable Bluetooth speaker will definitely be this year's stocking stuffer and quick gift for gals. Y'all, it's so cute and tiny, has a 15 hour playback time, over 60 foot Bluetooth range, and is such a great price! It comes in black, gold, and silver, making it a great gift for anyone on your list.

One other thing that's a portable present: the wristlet wallet. I have been carrying my Michael Kors Jet Set Tote all summer and love it! The perfect brown leather tote with great pockets, durable straps, and isn't too heavy. But sometimes you just want to grab your wallet and run into the store. While my $10 sparkle wallet from TJ Maxx gets a ton of compliments, I find my self dangerously sitting it down more and more frequently--scary! I need the strap to keep my wallet on my wrist, and I love all the card slots, and the zipper pockets for cash and coins. I'm betting I could also zip up a lip gloss or two in there as well. The "acorn" color will match my purse perfectly, and can often be found on sale for less than $100.

So there we go! Birthday/Christmas list for 2017 is complete, and with 15 days to go. I'm sure I'll need to figure out a couples gift list which is so fun, and I'm contemplating a major Christmas decor overhaul this year too which might require a list of it's own. What are some of your favorite gifts to give for birthdays?

Skinny Christmas Cranberry Mojito





This blog post is sponsored by Infinity Jars. All opinions are my own. 
I don't know about you, but I like a little Christmas cheer. With a few days of time off right around the holidays, it's the perfect time to kick back, relax, and celebrate with family and friends. I also like to save calories when and where I can, especially with a tray of lady fingers and other goodies covering my kitchen table. 


I'm trying to be better about stocking my bar and refrigerator with all the goodies that really make crafted cocktails pop. I love anything with mint, but absolutely despise how quickly they can deteriorate even in the coolest spots in the fridge. That's where Infinity Jars comes in. Infinity Jars are black, ultra-violet filtering jars of a variety of shapes and sizes that naturally preserve and rejuvenate freshness of any kitchen staple: herbs, teas, flour, just to name a few!


The secret to the jars' impressive preservation capability is found in the deep violet glass. This type of pigmented glass blocks out harmful visible light rays which quickly degrade organic matter, while still permitting two beneficial light rays proven to preserve and extend the shelf life of these temporary and temperamental ingredients.  

Infinity Jars graciously sent me a 250 ml apothecary jar {perfect for storing my mint leaves!}, a liter square oil bottle with spout, and a 5 ml screw top jar. I can't wait to use the mini jar as a travel container for some of my skincare. For my Christmas cranberry mojito, I used the apothecary jar and the oil bottle. 

To make these mojitos "skinny," I simmered water and stevia extract together to create the simple syrup instead of using granulated sugar! I would recommend ten packets of stevia per cup of water, which is the perfect amount for two cocktails for the hubs and me. Simmer together the stevia extract, water, and two handfuls of cranberries for about ten minutes, or until the cranberries begin to burst. 

While the simple syrup is sweetening, muddle roughly 15 mint leaves and the juice of half of a lime. After muddling, toss the lime and some ice cubes into the glass. Once the simple syrup has become a bright pink color, strain the cranberries from the syrup. I then poured the syrup into the liter oil bottle. This Infinity Jars pour spout has a tiny strainer at the tip, which helps keep the syrup even more fine as I pour about two ounces into the glass. 

Top with equal parts white rum and club soda, stir, and serve with a beautiful garnish of fresh cranberries, a slice of lime, and a fun holiday mixer and straw! 



Skinny Christmas Cranberry Mojito {makes two cocktails} 
2 limes
Mint leaves
Fresh Cranberries
10 packets of stevia extract
1 cup water
White Rum
Club Soda 

Simmer 1 cup water, 10 packets of stevia extract, and two handfuls of fresh cranberries for ten minutes. Strain cranberries and set aside. Pour simple syrup into oil bottle for ease of pouring. While simple syrup is simmering, muddle 15 mint leaves per glass with the juice of half a lime. Once muddled, put ice cubes and lime in class. Pour two ounces of simple syrup into glass once cooled to room temperature. Top with equal parts white rum and club soda; stir, and serve with a lime and fresh cranberry garnish. 




Thank you, Infinity Jars, for sponsoring today's post full of Christmas cheer!

Pin it!





Ornament Review Round Two




In my dining room, I have a gold tree that I spray painted last year {you can read more about that experience, and the why, here} and decorate with white, gold, and silver ornaments. Also kind of known as my "marriage" tree, I have a lot of "M" ornaments, our engagement ornaments, and now first Christmas ornaments on display!



These gold mirrored personalized pet ornaments from Moon & Lola are my absolute favorite new additions. I gave them as gifts to a bunch of people for Christmas last year, and am doing it again this year! Almost everyone has a pet that they love, and you can pick from a variety of dog breeds, gold or silver, and script or block font to make it perfect for each person on your gift list. 



I spotted this Mud Pie "First Christmas" ornament at Walker Boutique a few months ago and had to buy it! Besides coordinating perfectly with my tree, it also coordinates with a lot of the look from our wedding and serves as a great token from the year. This is the perfect gift for the newlyweds on your list!


My mom gave me this ornament as a birthday gift because as she said, it's the most perfect shoe for me! 



One of my sweet Phi Mu friends spotted two boxes of Shiny Brites in a store last Christmas that were all silver and gold and graciously thought of me! I'm so glad to have such a classic addition to my themed tree. 

Ornament Review Round One





Keeping with tradition, I wanted to share with you a few of the new ornaments I've collected over the past year. Since I have two trees, and lots of ornaments, I'm going to break it up into two posts. Also, be on the lookout for an upcoming Christmas cocktail post with Infinity Jars, and check their site for any last minute gift needs!

 On our honeymoon, we picked up this beautiful pink and blue handpainted ornament from St. Thomas while we were shopping. I think that will have to be our "thing," purchasing ornaments from all of the different trips we take as a couple! Pink and blue {and glitter!} are two of my favorite colors, and this ornament represents the best week ever, so it's a new favorite for sure.

 I found this heart ornament at TJ Maxx last year and had to grab it because it's my family's china pattern. My Nana began collecting Old Country Roses years ago, and when I saw this ornament I had to grab one for her too!


My mom brought back this pharmacist ornament for Christopher for his birthday last month. It's so cute, and is the perfect reminder of the exciting year he's had!



My blogging and PR friend LeAnn who lives in Germany brought me this handcarved ornament from a German Christmas market, along with a good luck charm: a pink, gold polka dotted porcelain pig for my desk which is another German tradition!


 My mom brought this "Just Married" ornament back for us from a Christmas show in Charlotte, NC, just a few weeks ago. It's so cute! It reminds me of the ones we had growing up with my name and my brothers' names on it.

 This intricate Georgia Southern ornament is the one I gifted Christopher last year. Growing up, my brothers and I exchanged ornaments instead of gifts, which is how I have developed such an eclectic collection. I wanted to carry that tradition on to my family, and have been giving Christopher ornaments in his stocking ever since!

 The local Phi Mu alumni chapter does an ornament exchange every year, and I am always so lucky to bring home a beauty. I love this red and green plaid one!






I am transitioning our main tree this year--usually it's a lot more pink--but am waiting to do a major overhaul until next year. We really want to get a flocked tree, but since we might move houses in the next year, we wanted to wait to buy a tree not knowing what size we would need. As a happy medium, I rounded up a bunch of gold picks from Hobby Lobby to start my topper, and stuck a gold tiara from a bachelorette party last year up at the top! I love including little trinkets from the years in my trees; I've even included my bachelorette sombrero in this tree's branches!