Cheers to the Weekend, Hello December Edition

Ho! Ho! Ho! Holidays are now officially in full swing over here! A quick peek at what we're saying CHEERS to as we welcome in December tomorrow (sign it's Friday? It took a good 60 seconds to decide whether it was "peek" or "peak." Come on, brain. Kick in to gear already!) : 

AR Workshop. A neighbor of ours is co-owner of AR Workshop, which now has locations all over the country! If you've never been to an AR Workshop, you must go! They host different "workshops" different nights of the week, including making the cutest, personalized plank signs (we have one on our entry way table!), stamped pillows, lazy Susans, Advent calendars, etc. It is THE place to go to make personalized, adorable home decor. Why am I saying CHEERS to AR Workshop this week? Because Raleigh and I headed there on Wednesday night to create a special Christmas gift for someone we love. And that's all I'll say about that...for now. Will share more soon! :) 

Favorite Things. Last night, I attended one of my favorite parties of the year - the "My Favorite Things" party! My friend Brittany hosted in her beautifully decorated home, Jenn made the most gorgeous charcuterie board (she has such natural skills - threw it together in minutes and we just oohed and aahed!), and it was just an awesome night filled with friends and fun gifts (so fun, I only have two pics as evidence - ha!). It is seriously so.much.fun., and I could not recommend doing it with your favorite group of girlfriends any more highly! I wrote all about how to host this shindig in this post from three years ago. Check it out, gather your girls, and let the gifting begin! :) 

Preschool fun. Earlier this week, Harrison had to miss his school field trip to a Christmas tree farm after coming down with an ear infection. :( The good news is, we got his antibiotic started right away and now he is a good as new. He was able to head back to school the next day and participate in hat day yesterday. Now, we just hope all those holiday germs stay away! 

And that's all I've got for this week - short and sweet! I am looking forward to date night  with my hub tonight <3, basketball and flag football games for two of my kiddos tomorrow, Clemson football tomorrow night as our Tigers take on Pitt in the ACC Championship right here in Charlotte, and then a little something special on Sunday. <3 

I also heard a certain elf will be making his debut for the seventh year in a row tomorrow morning, December 1st! Bring it on, Gold E. Locks #Goldy. We are ready for you (and as always, all of his shenanigans will be shared daily on my Instagram for anyone looking for some elf-tastic inspiration the next few weeks #TeamworkMakesTheDreamWork). Additional ideas can also be found from my Goldy posts from 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012. Hope that helps! ;)

Have an awesome weekend, friends! See y'all next week! 

What I Wore Wednesday - Supporting Local Ladies!

Fashion blogger, I am not. But supporter of hard workin' women, now THAT I am!

Truth be told, I feel most like me when I am dressed in something cozy and sporty, have my hair in a top knot, and have on tennis shoes (or even better, slippers - ha!). I like to be active and I think my preferred "style" probably reflects that. BUT I wanted to do something different this holiday season and support a few of my favorite local shops, ALL of which also have websites for my friends and family who are looking for cute, very reasonably priced clothing and accessories but don't live in my neck of the woods. :) 

That being said, I snapped a few photos of a few outfits I've worn over the last few weeks and thought I'd share them here, along with the names of the boutiques where I bought them. At the bottom of the post, I'll share links to their websites for any of you lovely ladies (or your hubbies, wink, wink!) who are looking for a great place to find some great Christmas gifts in the form of clothes, shoes, and accessories. I hope this helps! I love, love, love each of the three shops I am showcasing here, not only because of the beautiful merchandise they sell at awesome prices, but also because the owners and employees are some of the kindest, sweetest, hard-working ladies around! (there are a few items pictured that are not from these shops, but I'll let you know where those are from, too, in case you're interesting in hunting them down...). 

Whew. Alright. Let's do this: 

First up: I wore this on Halloween, hence the orange and black combo. BUT I love this sweater because it is the perfect top to wear when cheering on my Clemson Tigers! I included the second photo so you could see the fun detailing on the sleeve. Excuse the awkward selfie (insert eye roll) - this is the only full-on face shot I'll bother y'all with - ha! The top is from Page 6 Boutique. (The bracelets and necklace are Twine and Twig; fleece black leggings are from another local boutique I loved but has gone out of business; shoes are Steve Madden from Nordstrom Rack). 

Second: I obviously wore this outfit when it was a little warmer outside, seeing as how the high is in the 40s around here today. The top is from Red Dress Boutique (look them up online! I first learned about them when they were on Shark Tank and they have so many super cute clothes! I have bought two dresses and a purse from them in the past, along with this knotted shirt and have loved them all!). The bracelet stack is from Katyloo Boutique. I have written about my love of Katyloo before and was so excited earlier this Fall when I became their 1000th customer and was treated to an awesome swag bag! You'll see more of their attire and accessories below. Skinny jeans are from Page 6 Boutique. 

Third: Although this top (which is super soft and cozy!) is from Old Navy, the necklace is from Page 6 Boutique and the hunter green, distressed jeans (which are SO soft they feel like pajamas!) are from Katyloo Boutique. I wear this necklace all.the.time. - it goes with everything! - and I wear the jeans (which were something like $40, I think?!) at least once a week, if not more!

Fourth: I have already worn this top, from Broadcloth Boutique, a few times, and the color just screams "Fall!" to me. I also love the fun sleeves and the fact that it can look completely different depending on the accessories worn with it. On this day, I wore it with this beaded necklace I bought from Page 6 Boutique last year. Oh, the distressed jeans are another repeat offender that, again, are from Katyloo Boutique, and again, feel like pajamas. I'm not even kidding. 

Fifth: More local love coming at ya! Please excuse the awkward second photo BUT I just had to show y'all the back of this one. Local friends, you'll be seeing me wear this throughout the holiday season - the plaid just says Christmas to me! The top is from Katyloo Boutique, the jeans are from Page 6 Boutique, and the earrings, which I am obsessed with, are from Broadcloth Boutique. Y'all, these earrings are light as a feather, and I just love the bold color so much! And they were only $20...but really, less than that, thanks to one of the many awesome sales Broadcloth has been having throughout this holiday season!

Six: Okay, the brown sweater I am wearing here is basically like wearing the warmest, coziest, comfiest cloud. I am OBSESSED with this thing and wear it multiple days a week, every week. I actually bought it last year on Black Friday, but they still have this sweater in so.many.colors. at Page 6 Boutique. In fact, I just recently bought a second one in the prettiest purple so that I can rock it to a Clemson game or two. Done and done! The tassel necklace is also from Page 6 and those favorite distressed jeans are the ones from Katyloo Boutique. 

Seven and Eight: Are y'all ready for some more weirdo close-up pics of my ears? Sorry about that, but I just really want to show y'all these two pair of cute, tortoise shell earrings (first pair is from Page 6 Boutique; second pair is from Katyloo Boutique, which I just purchased on Black Friday for $10!) : 

Nine. Lastly, I love this cute lil' striped top and wear it all the time (this girl loves a stripe!). It's from Broadcloth Boutique, and I just love the girlie tie on the sleeves! I also wear this necklace at least once a week - it goes with so much! - and love that it is sold in a local boutique (Katyloo) and was made by a local sister team! The jeans are those old favorites from Page 6 Boutique, which is also where I got my brown, suede TOMS wedges. I got these things two years ago, I think?, and wear them multiple times a week once the temperatures start to drop. 

So, if it isn't obvious, I love, love, love supporting local and am so thrilled to live in our sweet town that is home to three boutiques that I just love for so many reasons. The items above are just a few of the things I have purchased from them, but my closet houses many more of their pieces. I love the price points, I love the pieces, I love the employees, AND  I LOVE the sales these shops have been having in anticipation of the holidays! If you don't already, be sure to follow each of them on Instagram and check out their websites:

Katyloo Boutique: Website, Instagram
Page 6 Boutique: Website, Instagram
Broadcloth Boutique: Website, Instagram


Also, please know that this post is in no way sponsored. I just love these places, love supporting local, and thought you may, too. <3 Happy shopping, friends! 

Pre-, During, and Post-Thanksgiving 2018

Helloooooo, friends! And Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had the loveliest of Thanksgiving weeks, filled with family and friends and food and football and fun! I thought I'd kick off this post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas post with a look at our Lu Crew life lately. ;) 

First things first: just over a week ago, our Banks was baptized. It was a beautiful morning of celebration, and we are SO proud of him for making this choice to boldly and brightly live his life as a Christian. We were so thankful to have both sets of his grandparents in attendance for the occasion as well as his aunt, uncle, and cousins and some dear friends. We celebrated his Baptism with brunch at a favorite local restaurant and so enjoyed our special extra time with Bammy and Digby and Nana and Pop. It was a special day, indeed. 

Last week was fun for my sweet lil' preschoolers, both of whom enjoyed (kids-only; no parents allowed!) feasts in their classrooms. 

After the school feasting fun had ended, we headed out of town on Tuesday for our first family feast with my "in law's" "side" of the family on Wednesday. We so enjoyed our time with our Nana and Pop and then loved seeing aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents. It was a wonderful trip for all! 

Before we left to head back to the Mill on Thanksgiving morning, my hub and I completed the Aiken Turkey Trot together. And then, it was time to hit the road!

We arrived home, freshened up, and immediately joined the rest of my "side" of the family at the home of one of my sisters. It was a full, fun day of playing and cooking and chatting and laughing, and we loved every minute! When we were stuffed to the brim, we headed back home to get a little shut eye...

...before us ladies enjoyed our annual Family Black Friday shopping excursion together! We've been doing this for as long as I can remember, and I just LOVE it. We hit up several of my favorite local stores and ended with our traditional lunch with Bloody Marys, always G. Gram's treat for the rest of us. AND this year we let Raleigh, and her bff/cousin, Cameron, join us big girls for the fun, which made it that much more special. Four generations of women I adore. <3  

And then, we rested! We basically spent the next two days in our jammies, with a fire burning, homemade soup stewing on the stove, wings cooking on the Big Green Egg,  and tailgate apps cooking in the oven. We watched football and online Christmas shopped and enjoyed each other's company, just the six of us. :) AND we cheered on our Clemson Tigers as they took on the Gamecocks...and won! Go Tigers! 

We ended our Thanksgiving break as we always do, going to Penland Tree Farm in York, South Carolina, to find, cut down, and bring home our Christmas tree. Unfortunately, we couldn't find that perfect tree we were a huntin' there; so, we then headed to another local spot and were more successful at finding a real beaut. ;) 

We headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon decorating it and our home, sipping hot chocolate, eating daddy's homemade veggie soup, and watching the Grinch. 

It truly was a wonderful week with our family, and we are counting our blessings for all the Good Lord has given us. <3 I hope yours was a great week with loved ones as well. And now? Full steam ahead toward Christmas. All aboard!!