bieber fever.

one week ago, the kids met justin bieber {thanks to my mom who won a contest!}.

he visited n.a.s. oceana {which is where the meeting took place}.

this reminds me of the time i met vern yip.  okay, maybe not.

the ladies.

in october 2009, i was fortunate enough to meet four of the most wonderful bloggers friends.  we got together over halloween weekend to celebrate the one year anniversary of our friendship. 

{from left to right:  me, whitney caroline, beach bum & baby, naturally caffeinated family & rachel}

we went out for dinner & drinks. 

{one of the special halloween themed cocktails at a bar we went to. not only did it "smoke" but it also bubbled & popped.  trust me, there is something to be said about a drink that "spits" at you...}

there was lots of girl talk & giggling. 
we had so much fun.

i'm telling y'all...i'm lucky & quite blessed to have these girls in my life. 

cocoa.

according to aidan, my 7 year old son.

this is where we catch up.

{via}

this once a week blogging thing has got to stop.  i have too much running through my head. 

i owe y'all photos & a recap of my g.n.o. with four fabulous {bloggin'} friends!

i should probably share the one & only {crappy} photo i have from halloween, too.

i spent most of last saturday with this gal & even had her a bit worried when a detour threw me off - slightly - while driving on some back roads in camden county, north carolina.  {who needs a gps when you've got a driver with a b.a. in geography?!}

speaking of last saturday, we drove by a car.  the car was overturned in a ditch & the engine was smoking.  the tire marks & mud that went across the two-lane road was bizarre.  we didn't stop {because another car did} and we don't know if there was anyone in the upside down car, but 911 was called.  of course, it reached authorities across the state line.  fortunately, police & fire arrived shortly after the botched phone call.

there is a funk going through our house.  this congestion, sore throat, coughing bullcrap can take a hike.  not sure if it's allergy related or if it's icky fall germ related, but whatever it is...it's gots ta go.

it's time for me to get crack-a-lackin' on some homemade goods for the holidays.  ornaments need to be painted.  a crafting idea needs to be created {instead of just concocted in my mind}.  i received a twenty-minute crash course in knitting last sunday {thanks, mom!} & i'm hard at work trying to knit a scarf for my sissy.  i've managed to botch up some of the stitches, but i think it's lovely nonetheless.  {i guess i owe y'all a picture of that, too, huh?}

i'm going to hobby lobby for the first time ever this weekend. {i'm sure there will be pictures...ha ha ha!}

looking forward to tappin' my toes to some newgrass bluegrass this weekend...adam & i are going to see jackass flats {who else?} at the otter house.

registration for the spring semester starts next week {thank goodness i just remembered that i am meeting with my advisor on wednesday morning!}.  if i have things my way, i plan on taking only one education class next semester...and knocking out a math & an economics class.  oh, boy.

what else...what else?

a blaze of color.

a close-up of one of two pineapple sage plants in our flower beds.  i love the glorious red flowers that sprout up this time of year.  the contrast of the red against all of that green is so beautiful.  and, yes, like the name suggests, this herb has a lovely pineapple-y aroma.

holiday snail mail.

i suppose there's no better time to start thinking about the upcoming winter holidays than now.  as you sit there eating leftover halloween candy, i'm sure you're thinking about who you're going to send holiday cards to, right?  no?  well, perhaps you should be because right now shutterfly is offering 20% off of all holiday cards. {and, no, i'm not asking you to send out your yearly family update to friends & family before thanksgiving...please, nobody likes an overachiever.}

instead, i want you to think about YOUR family's holiday card.  is it usually just some random folded card from the nearest discount chain?  is it impersonal & filled with some preprinted sentiment?  why not jazz things up a little this year? 

have you ever thought about ordering your holiday cards online?  there are many sites to choose from and we all have our favorites, but for the last four years i've exclusively used shutterfly for my holiday card needs.  the assortment of cards that shutterfly offers is amazing!  you can order folded cards, flat stationery cards or flat photo cards and even cards in spanish!  and, if that wasn't enough, shutterfly also offers personalized gift tags & address labels, too!

i love a personalized holiday card that shares photos of the past year with the recipient.  here are my family's holiday cards from the past four years:

{2006}

{2007}

{2008 - this particular "theme" has been discontinued}

{2009}

for the past two years, i've become quite a fan of the flat stationery cards.  they are a great size {i usually get the 5"x7" cards} and they are so sophisticated.  and, for the price, they are quite a steal compared to some of the other personalized photo card companies.  i think the hardest thing about creating a holiday card is choosing which one to use.  there are so many wonderful colors, themes & designs to choose from! 

here are some of my favorites from shutterfly's flat stationery line for the holidays: 

{family wall red}

{dotty holiday monogram}

{framed with love}

{2010 wishes}

oh, the decisions that i'll need to make...and soon!  remember, shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards for a limited time.  get started on your holiday card list now!!  and, if you want to participate in a promotion for 50 free holiday cards, please click here & share this promotion with your friends on twitter or facebook by simply sharing this message:

50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly http://bit.ly/sfly2010 #SFLY

now go...start sorting through your photos & get those creative juices flowing so you can get started on your holiday cards with shutterfly!

disclaimer:  shutterfly contacted me to write this post after responding to a request from the mom blogs.   these are my opinions.  i will receive 50 free holiday cards from shutterfly as compensation for my testimonial and time.  i blog with integrity.