I'm loving... {MY Christmas List Edition}

If you're anything like me, you started thinking about what you wanted to get your kids for Christmas sometime back in July. Santa is already done by November 5th because this mama just likes to enjoy the holidays... and have you ever seen the line at Marshall's/Homegoods from mid November-Christmas Eve?!?! Insanity.

One thing I'm not so good at is thinking about what I want for Christmas. I end up just saying "oh don't get me anything" or "whatever you think is cute" and then I end up with $200 in Starbucks gift cards and a $50 Victoria Secret gift card from my 86 year old grandfather because nothing says Merry Christmas like a lace thong from your Poppop. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE those Starbucks gift cards... all 15 of them because they are gone by March every year and yes... I really do get a VS GC almost every year from my Poppop but it's meant for "jammies"...so I'm told ;) ... I decided this year to be more intentional with my list.

But here's the thing about being an adult. When I want something, and I have the $ to buy it... I do. And I certainly don't want it wrapped under the tree .... because those magical elves who wrap the kid's presents and build trampolines do actually intend to sleep at least a few hours Christmas Eve! The point is, Christmas shopping for adults, or even making a list for yourself can be HARD!

I'm a pretty sensible Christmas gift kinda gal. Daniel and I usually just pick something we want for the house and gift that to each other. This year, we gifted ourselves our present(s) early because we actually needed it sooner than later. Get excited.... 1st on my "I'm loving for Christmas list" is....

1. The Dyson Animal:

How I have lived my adult life without this vacuum, I'm just not sure. I loved my robot vacuum... all 3 of them but that's the problem... I had 3 in 2 years. They just didn't hold up well. The Dyson is a beast but it works.... so much so that I gagged the 1st time I cleaned it. It's pricey but worth every penny!

Next, was a surprise from Daniel. I told him we needed to call a carpet cleaner.... cause we have toddlers and dogs and our poor carpet had seen better days. He told me he'd do some research and I planned to ask him about it a few days later. 2 days later, thanks to Amazon Prime, came this:

2. Bissell Big Green Cleaning Machine

Apparently, I am the new carpet cleaning company around here. It was one of those moments where I wasn't sure whether or not to be mad or ecstatic. I gave it a go before explaining that I meant more along the lines of "Stanley Steamer" ... and much to my surprise, this thing is AMAZING! It's so powerful, that I ended up having to use a GFI outlet with an extension cord because I blew the circuit... twice. My carpets look just a good as they did the last time we hired a professional company! It's pretty big and storing it is proving to be an interesting task but if you have kids or dogs, you'll save so much $ over time just owning your own steam cleaner and I HIGHLY recommend this one!


The rest of my list isn't big items like the ones above and I don't actually have them (hint hint) but you NEEDED to be informed of the awesomeness of those carpet products.

3. Hillsong United Zion Album

Confession. I own an iPod and an iPhone and I haven't got a single song on either unless you count the ABC song app. I'm a lover of CDs, Pandora and YouTube and I stream the Hillsong channel most of the day. This CD would make a nice addition to the swagger wagon's collection. If you haven't heard "Oceans" yet from this album, you MUST. Right Now. Be blessed.

Hillsong is coming to Greenville SC next Tuesday and I'm trying to make it work out. I want to go SO badly!

4. Anne Taylor Loft Boyfriend Cardigan

I wore this cardigan in mustard for our family photos and I LOVE it! It fits really cute and is a great fall staple piece to have in your wardrobe. I like the length and the material seems like it will hold up nicely. Good news! It's on sale for $25 right now! SO... I'm thinking I need it in another color.... or 5.

5. Starbucks {You are Here} Mugs

I've decided to streamline my coffee mugs for stacking purposes... and because these are darling and make me happy. I have Charlotte and North Carolina. I've requested NYC from my sister who lives there and Atlanta from my grandparents but since my parents are flight attendants, I think they need to start buying me Sbux mugs from cool cities, don't you?

6. Canvas Flats

I bought these Steve Madden camo Tom like shoes about 2 months ago. I wasn't sure what I would wear these with because I am NOT a country girl and would never wear camo but these have proved to be more of a neutral that jazz up jeans and a solid shirt. They're like butter on my feet and have become a "go to" preschool drop off/errand running shoe. I'd love another pair... that SPARKLE or have polka dots or are crocheted. I like a fun shoe.

7. Gift Cards
You really can't beat a gift card. I know it isn't as fun to gift but it sure is fun to receive! There are lots of cute Pinteresty ways to give a gift card. I personally like the mason jar of candy with the card hidden in it idea! :)

Here is my list of fun, not as common gift cards that I'd love and I bet you might too!
a. Hobby Lobby - this place is my weakness... I go in for $2.99 worth of grosgrain ribbon and $127 later, I have new mantle decor, a cake plate, polka dot fabric, glitter, wrapping paper and a sparkly singing Santa.
b. Canvas on Demand (or any other canvas place)
c. Groupon/Living Social - this is like cheating because you're getting a gift card for a discount site which means you're getting a more expensive gift than they would have given you in the 1st place!
d. Amazon - you can buy anything... and I mean anything on Amazon.
e. Etsy- Don't buy me an etsy gift card... I WILL spend it on hair bows for Avery... but you may like one for some handmade jewelry or a crocheted sweater for a pig... they probably sell one... that site has some wacky things
f. Nail salon gift card but for 2 people... it's way more fun to go with a friend and treat her too!

That's my list of things this mama's loving for Christmas present ideas. Next up... Christmas List Toy Edition!

Disney, Company and Crib Climbing

I've got a lot to catch up on! Tabitha, Dean and Makenna spent Wednesday-Sunday with us while they picked out everything for their new home 2 doors down from me! I'm so excited I just grin at the thought of being neighbors.... and dropping the kids off so I can grocery shop alone... or better yet visit the dreaded post office alone! Seeing them pick out all the fun things like granite, hardwoods and brick makes me want to demolish our spec home and rebuild the same floor plan with my own taste... alas... I love my home and that will never happen but a girl can dream of dark hardwoods, vintage white cabinets and sparkly, new granite, right?

Parker has fall school pictures tomorrow and I'm excited to jump up and down behind the photographer to make the kids smile for 4 hours volunteer. I love helping out at Parker's school and I am happy to help capture precious toddler smiles even at the expense of looking silly! Of course school pictures = HAIR CUT! Parker used to totally meltdown and no amount of bribery helped... even the cupcake store next door. Tell me that wasn't the smartest location ever?! Thankfully, we've now gone from tears to this:

His facial expressions are classic.

Friday was such a fun day! I took Parker to Disney on Ice with Jonathan and his mom, Nicola. We took the train to uptown and the boys had the BEST time!

Parker insisted he wear his Buzz Lightyear costume and I have to admit, I thought it was the CUTEST THING EVER!!!!!!!!!! The show was wonderful! I was very impressed and really enjoyed it myself! What I saw of The Little Mermaid was my favorite. Parker needed a potty break and it's quite an endeavor to take him potty in that costume so we missed a bit of TLM. Parker's favorite was definitely Toy Story.  I know this is going to sound terrible but I REALLY wanted to see someone fall... like bad...  Tinkerbell bobbled and I thought that might be the extent of it but by the end of the show my wish came true and I got to see 2 falls and a missed partner connection.... I was sadly pleased. It's like NASCAR... you wanna see a wreck... I wanted to see an ice skater fall.... SO successful morning for everyone.

Avery stayed with Tabitha and they had a great morning playing with Makenna and Makenna's cousin, Chase. That night, Tabitha and I went out for a drink, appetizers and shopping while the men stayed home with the kids. It was SO fun and I FINALLY finished figuring out what our family will wear for our fall pictures in 2 weeks. I've literally lost sleep over this. Sad but true. I've got a groupon for a BIG canvas and I want that elusive family photo so the attire has gotta be right! Other than finding Avery some gold flats and a hair piece, we're set. Huzzah!

Saturday we went to Daniel's company family picnic in Greenville, SC. It started out FR-EE-Z-ING. I was miserable but after it warmed up a bit and I defrosted I had a nice time. Parker enjoyed the playground and Avie enjoyed being held while her daddy played kick ball. We decided it was time to go when Parker refused to potty in the GROSS bathroom and pooped in his pants in panic... I was OK with it though because I was ready to hit the road. We stopped at Sonic for happy hour slushies. A certain little miss enjoyed her 1st Sonic experience!

That night at bed time Avery was fighting going to sleep. She was crying and then we heard THUD and a lounder scream followed by a knock at her door. Girlfriend climbed out of her crib. It's on the toddler bed setting so I had no idea how she did it until I put her back in bed and turned all the lights off. I sat in the dark watching her cry then sure enough with only her little arm strength she pulled herself up and over the crib head first before I could stop her. That perfect little noggin in the above picture is now adorned with a large blue egg :/  I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It's on the lowest setting already and we're not ready for a toddler bed and sorry mama's who use them but I just don't think I can use that net thing. Tonight I tried putting her to bed with some toys in attempts to get her to play herself to sleep and forget trying to climb out again. It worked so we'll roll with that for a few days. Man, motherhood can be complicated....

Finally, today was glorious. We hung out as a family of 4 all day. We watched football, snuggled, ate junk food and played trains. The only downer was that my computer DIED. It's OLD and it's been on it's last leg for a while. My techie hubby has now assured me it's a goner. He may be able to salvage some pictures which is all I really care about but I know that's time consuming and free time is something he doesn't have a ton of. On the plus, I can only imagine how many cool gadgets a new computer has and how fast it would run compared to my old netbook.... on the down side... I'm pretty sure this now counts as my Christmas present.

Overall, a wonderful week filled with lots of fun activities, family time and friends! Looking forward to another busy but wonderful week at the Wise's!