It's been a whirlwind!

It's been a whirlwind of a week! Shortly after we enjoyed Thanksgiving and had a 17 hour day of black Friday shopping things went south. My Dad ended up in the hospital AND my brother is in Italy with mono and is in need of surgery but they cannot operate until he gets well.  I'm thankful it is nothing too serious but it sure has been a wild weekend.  The saying, "when it rains, it pours" comes to mind.

In a matter of hours, Billy & I begin our vacation and I have not even packed one thing. This is maddening to the organization/planner in me!  So, with everything going on I have no time to do all the posts I had planned.  I want to leave you with our photo session from a couple weeks ago.  My friend, Kaci, took these for us and we had the best time hanging out together in the park.  Go to her blog to see the rest of our session or visit Kathryn Brown Photography for more information on her photography.

Hope you all are having a great week!

Give Thanks

I'm Thankful...

Thankful for having a relationship with my heavenly father, Jesus.

Thankful for Billy because he’s the kindest, funniest, most loving, gentle spirit I know and I’m thankful he chose to spend his life with me.

Thankful for my Pop because he is a wonderful Dad, hardest worker and so funny – always a joy to be around.

Thankful for my Mom because she’s the heartbeat of our family. She works countless hours to make each holiday and event special and is so generous. The most generous person I know. Thankful she is so wise and a good listener when I need advice.

Thankful for my brother, Jordan. I’m thankful that God made him so unique in spirit. I’m glad he is my brother and I didn’t have to share him growing up {Selfish but true!}Thankful for his brotherly love and pep talks when needed.

Thankful for my sister, Oana. I’m so thankful God gave her to our family and picked her to love my brother. She’s such a free spirit, fun loving and caring soul. I’m thankful we have Carlo and thankful he was such a light in her day when Jordan was away at war.

Thankful for my in-laws, Mom and Dad Bird. I’m thankful for their love and support. Thankful they raised such a wonderful son. Thankful they instilled the importance of loving God in their children. I see Christ in Billy today because of their teachings years ago.

Thankful for all my brother & sister-in-laws. There are a lot of us Birds and I’m thankful to God for giving me such a big family to love.

Thankful for my extended family. I’m a better woman today for knowing my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. I love each and everyone for the unique qualities they posses.

Thankful for my Oliver boy – what a fun addition to our home. Oliver is a great warm-up for future little Birds. Thankful he is a fast learner and always has a happy face when I walk in the door from work.

Thankful for my health, praise God for giving me a clean bill of health. I don’t take my movement, eye-sight, hearing, sense of smell or anything at all for granted.

Thankful for my house. I’m thankful for a warm place to sleep, a place with Billy that we can call home.

Thankful for Jordan coming home from war safely (twice). I do not take that blessing for granted and praise God for it. I’m thankful for his service in the Army and very proud of his purple heart. His sacrifice at war was big however, small in the scheme of things; he was able to walk home to his wife.

Thankful for friends who keep me laughing. Laughter truly is the medicine of the soul.

And I have sooo much more to be thankful for, too many to name.  I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving and don’t forget to Praise the Lord for the blessings bestowed upon you and yours!

Psalm 106:1

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD,

for he is good; his love endures forever.

Good Music {with a side of chicken & waffles}

Have you ever been to a concert and wanted more, just didn’t want it to end?  Billy & I saw Gary Allan last week in Atlanta and couldn’t get enough.  We are big Gary Allan fans and were impressed with his stage presence.  He did not need the flashy lights, rotating stage and a truck hanging from the ceiling – his music was that good. He is just so talented! I hope he comes to Jacksonville so we can see him again soon.

We really enjoyed our date in the city and were sure to take the opportunity to try Gladys Knights Chicken & Waffles restaurant.  We saw it on the Food network a few months ago and thought it was worth a try. Yep, good ole’ southern fried chicken served with a waffle called “the midnight train”.  I won’t say it was my favorite meal (& certainly not the healthiest) but if you’re ever downtown ATL, try it.  It’s an experience.

Christmas Cheer {pep talk}

I've been working on a lot of fun Christmas items for clients the past few weeks. If you haven't thought about your Christmas cards yet, nows the time! Thanksgiving is only two weeks away and then cards hit the mailboxes. Eekkk, where is time going? Here's a few samples:

Don't forget about the Christmas tags and Stamps - they'll come in handy during the holiday season. 

Also, a BIG Thank you to the fabulous Lyndsay of Pink Coffee Photo for featuring me on her blog today. Be sure to visit her site and check out all the goodies.

Email me to place a order or for more details on a product.

trendyinkdesigns@yahoo.com

Baby Garb & Western Wear

What a busy weekend. I really enjoy keeping busy when there is a big event or trip to look forward too. Billy and I have a lot of exciting things around the bend so I welcome this busy month. This past weekend was a lot of fun. Saturday morning I joined a lot of great girls at Lyndsay’s baby shower. It was so fun to see her (one the most adorable pregnant girls ever) and see all the goodies for baby A. I can’t wait to meet him and know he’ll be one cool baby if he’s even half as cool as his parents. :)

Another family friend invited us to their country club fall western wear party. When I first received the invitation I was really excited to attend but became overwhelmingly nervous about the attire. I definitely don’t have a closet full of plaid shirts and cowgirl garb. Luckily, last fall season I had a splurge spend on a pair of cute Justin cowgirl boots – vintage wash of course. So, I ran into Old Navy and purchased a white top and sported my jean jacket and accessorized appropriately. It was so much fun watching (yes, watching as I am definitely the least coordinated line dancer, ever) everyone two-step. My mom impressed me with her moves while Pops and I enjoyed watching and singing along to country’s greatest hits. Unfortunately for me, my most handsome husband had to work that night but it was great quality time with the parents and friends. We laughed, partook in good southern BBQ and had a blast! I hope this becomes an annual event because I’ll be looking for another invitation come next Fall (hint, hint Beasley’s).  :-) 

 Pops & I

 Aren't they so cute?

Billy & I on our way to Sunday lunch.

 

Hope you all are having a great week!

Lesson Learned {Halloween Recap}

Billy, Oliver and I had the best time with our trick-or-treaters this past weekend. The kids were just too cute in their costumes. My favorite was a baby dressed in his Mickey Mouse costume. What a doll! We actually ran out of candy and had to hide just past 8:00! Last year we ran out of candy too - I've finally learned my lesson. MUST BUY MORE CANDY. :)  I thought 3 large bags of candy was plenty, guess not.

We ended up not "torturing" Oliver as much as I had hoped. Oliver sported his Army tee given to him from his Aunt Oana. He "said" he wanted to be Uncle Jordan for Halloween, ha! He had lots of fun hanging out barking at all the trick-or-treaters. He wanted to come out and play soo badly. Can you imagine the looks mommies would have given me if my baby was jumping on theirs!? Not good. 

I'm in Christmas preparation full swing.  Already have gifts purchased and keeping my eye out for my hot items to go on sale - maybe black Friday will have a few goodies for us this year? I enjoy the hunt. Anyway, don't forget about the Christmas tags. I filled lots of orders last night and have ordered many stamps. Let me know if you need one of these items for your holiday preparation!