NYC Recommendations?

Well, we are in Atlanta and couldn't be happier to be with our families. And after Christmas, my mom and I are headed to New York City for a few days! It's probably our favorite city in the world (well, it's tied with Charleston for me) and if you're gonna go, it needs to be at Christmas time. It's just magical, and I'm hoping to see a little snow!

This will be my 4th trip to the Big Apple, but I always go to the same places.
China Town
Serendipity
Ellen's Stardust Diner
Carnegie Deli
Little Italy
Rockefeller Center
And we'll of course do some window shopping at the beautifully decorated department stores

We are seeing two shows- The Lion King and Radio City Christmas Spectacular

But I wanted to see if y'all have any other things for us to do while we're there! We've done pretty much all of the 'sight-seeing' things like Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Ground Zero, etc. but would love any advice! Any cupcake bakeries that we just can't miss? :)

Source: bluepueblo.tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Ornament Swap Link-up!

Ladies, it's time to show us your beautiful new ornaments! I hope y'all had as much fun with this as Megan and I did. 

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I was paired up with Beth Ann and could not have been happier with what she sent me! (Also, it was love at first sight because she has a dog named Doug the Pug. Too cute.) Beth Ann was so sweet to send me such a thoughtful package! The ornament now has a picture of our fur babies in it, and how adorable is that card? Thank you SO MUCH, Beth Ann!! I absolutely loved swapping with you!

And just like last year, I lucked out. Debbie's partner flaked out, so I offered to swap with her as well! I'm so glad I did :) She sent me two beautiful, unique ornaments that look so perfect on our tree! Thank you so much, Debbie!!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Thoughts

I've been staring at this blank screen for quite a while, trying to find the right words. Really, no words will be enough. The tragedy in Newtown is truly horrific, and it has left me feeling disgusted, heartbroken, and scared. Scared of what this world is becoming, where these events are happening far too often. Scared that there are people out there that could do this sort of thing. Scared that this could happen again. 

After something like this occurs, we find ourselves wondering what we can do to change this. How we can prevent this from happening again. There have already been discussions of gun control, better treatment for the mentally ill, improved security in schools. And while all of those certainly need to be discussed, I find myself wondering what I can do. Right now. To make any kind of a difference. The only thing I could do all weekend was pray. For peace, comfort, safety, and hope. For those sweet babies who are now angels in Heaven and for their families who are grieving their loss.

There is way too much hate in this world. I'm constantly astonished to see the things that people say to one another on Facebook, Twitter, blogs. How did it get to this point where people don't think twice before verbally bashing someone online? How do they think it's okay to treat people this way? With the invention of all of these websites, bullying has become even more prevalent and nasty. I think this is a huge factor in tragedies like mass shootings. When these unstable, mentally ill people are bullied, it causes that person to become even more withdrawn and often times, makes them feel the need for power and revenge. (I am no expert whatsoever, this is just my view on it all. I'm not sure if they've determined whether the shooter in Newtown was bullied or not, but it has been the case in mass shootings before.)

Any changes the government may make will take time and can only do so much, but I believe this is something that each one of us can do to make a difference. In the wise words of Ellen DeGeneres, be kind to one another.

*Just as I was finishing this post, I found out that a friend from middle/high school, who is now a police officer, was shot twice in the head today and is in critical condition. Please pray for Sean. *Update: Sean passed away. Please pray.

The P&G eStore

Have y'all heard about the P&G eStore? Lots of your favorite brands, in one place, with great deals and discounts. Plus you can shop from the comfort of your own home!

The P&G eStore was "created to be a premier online retail site with new and better ways to shop online. The eStore strives to inspire confidence in purchasing household and beauty products online, with continual development of new services, features, and tools to help consumers through their online shopping journey." I was pretty excited to hear about this, considering I already use many of the brands and products offered through the eStore.

One product in the eStore that I absolutely love- Crest Whitestrips. I have been using these for years and will continue to be a loyal customer because of their low prices and high quality. Right now, there is a $15 mail-in rebate offered through the eStore that I think I'll take advantage of!

Covergirl is another brand offered in the eStore that I just love. I have been using their eyeliner and mascara since high school and right now, there is also a $15 mail-in rebate through the eStore plus $1 off any Covergirl product.

The P&G eStore also has goodies for the men in your lives. There is a Gillette promotion going on right now- if you buy one cartridge refill, you get $5 off of a ProGlide Razor. This would be the perfect stocking stuffer!

In addition to these products, the eStore sells laundry detergent, diapers, hair care products, medicine, cat/dog food, batteries, home care products, and much more. The fact that I can now shop for all of these necessities online and have them delivered straight to my front door (with free shipping, no less!) not only makes me happy, but Doug as well since I won't be tempted to buy a bunch of other random, unnecessary things like I tend to do in a certain store (ahem, Target). I can simply buy what I need and save lots of money at the same time! There are tons of deals and coupons available in the eStore, so I know I'll always be getting a great deal. Plus, they offer:

15% off on a first-time order from a new customer, using promo code: A9Z-MN5-KY3-ISA

Free Shipping on orders over $25

Free Samples with every order.

So what are you waiting for....go shop! :)

PS- Megan and I completely forgot to remind y'all about the link-up for our Ornament Swap that was supposed to be today, so we've decided to push it back to Thursday (12/20) so make sure to write about the ornament you received and link up with us then!

Glory, Glory

While in Atlanta for Thanksgiving, we ventured back to our beloved Athens to watch the Dawgs play. We caught the basketball game on Friday night, and then had the pleasure of watching Georgia whoop Tech on Saturday. 

Look how good Markus (my BIL) looks as a Georgia fan! ;)

Thanks Ken for letting me take a picture this close to your face :)

I also got to catch up with my sweet roomie from college, Lesley Anne! I miss LA and her husband Kyle so much...we had the best double dates throughout college!

Our bulldogs had a heckuva season this year. The SEC Championship was an incredibly well-played game by both teams, and even though I was sad devastated about the ending, it's still great to be a Georgia Bulldog! (I think even 'devastated' is an understatement...Doug and I were depressed for days after that game. If only there had been 5 more seconds on that clock...I need to stop thinking about it or I'll just get sad all over again!)

Maisy in her game day attire :)

Atlanta, I Love You

I'm finally writing about our wonderful trip home to Atlanta for Thanksgiving! I just love that city, and all of the people there.

A few of the things we did:

-I went to my high school's football game with my best friend Rachael.

-I took a big risk and got side bangs! 

-We went to the UGA basketball game and football game against Tech (post on that tomorrow)

-I had dinner with my girls Suzanne and Rachael (didn't take a picture, so here's one from last year)

-Had lots of quality time with our family. We're so lucky that both of our families live in the same town!

-We met our sweet new nephew Bo. LOVE him!

-And my mom and I decorated my parents' house for Christmas! 

Glitter.

It's my favorite time of the year, which means my house is covered in glitter. 

My new tree topper from Pier 1. Glitter and sequins. Perfection.

Our Christmas Card Scrapbook

Somebody wanted to keep all the wreaths to himself.

This is Diego's first Christmas, and I knew he would be TROUBLE with the tree. He waits until the moment we get in bed, then starts his attack. Usually he knocks off ornaments and chases them around the house, but lately he has targeted the tree skirt. We never know where it'll be when we wake up! I bought a spray bottle to try and teach him to BACK AWAY FROM THE TREE, and it has worked pretty well....until we go to bed. Good thing he's cute!

And here's the ridiculously cute animal photo of the day. Diego giving Maisy her daily bath!

I'm linking up with the Christmas Cheer party and Kelly's Korner!