Tis the Season

We live in a small townhouse and I had a little fun this year with the decorations. One, so that I could save space and two, so that I could exercise my creative juices! (Thank you pinterest for some inspiration.) Here is a little taste of what I've been working on! Sorry the photos are kind of small :-/

 Advent gifts from Justin's parents arranged with a poinsettia given to me by a friend!

Little ornament decorations 

I know this was posted before but it fit the theme :) 

Little rustic wreath by the front door. (I like this so much, it might stay up year round)

I love seeing everything that people create for the holidays! Happy Christmas!

Links to these parties

Home MADE Christmas Tree!!

The inspiration for our Christmas tree came from pinterest, of course. We don't have a lot of room for a real tree and decided this would be the perfect compromise. So, here is the inspiration below...

And here is the process of making ours! Charlie did his best to help.

                                             

Our version!!!

Linking here

Surviving the Color Run!!!

The color run started at 43 degrees!! It was so cold, but needless to say by the first mile marker,  I was sweating a nice shade of purple. I was pretty much a lone ranger throughout the race. For someone who had not trained for the run, I was pretty proud of myself for only taking three, 30 second walking breaks throughout the whole thing! (Mind you, I am writing this post from my bed....probably should've taken more walking breaks.) 

The run was to raise support and awareness of Mental Health America of Greenville County, as they recognized that 1 in 4 Americans are affected by a mental illness, each year. This was their first color run and it was great to see so many volunteers giving their time on a cooold Saturday morning. Even though I grumbled all morning about having to run in the cold, I am so glad that I got out there and showed my support. As someone who works with mental illnesses everyday, it is encouraging to see others raising awareness about them. 

My sweet husband was my supportive cheerleader all morning. He cheered me out of bed, at the beginning, middle, and end of the race. Thanks to him, and his frozen hands, I have pictures and videos clips to show y'all!

Freeezing before the race started!

 Halfway there!! Had no idea he was even standing there.

Thank the Lord...the finish line!

Had so much fun! Cannot wait to do it again next year!!

Woofstock and then some...

This past week was full of puppy love! We had Halloween at The Barker Bar and then Greenville's Woofstock for the humane society.

The puppies wore prisoner shirts and Justin and I dressed as "dog snatchers" from the pound. They did a pretty good job of looking pitiful in their stripes.(Please disregard the fact that most of my pictures have a Carolina Blonde beer bottle in them.)

The Greenville Humane society did an awesome fundraiser on Saturday. The Woofstock had several bands, doggy goodies, and numerous beer sampling stations. There were dogs EVERYWHERE!! We had to leave our jailbirds at home. We were afraid their behavior would have landed them in real puppy jail.

 It was super groovy!

Enjoyed being "age verified".





They did such a great job! We are looking forward to next year...definitely bringing some chairs and maybe the puppies. If you are in the area next year you should check it out!!

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was so enjoyable! We woke up surprisingly early on Saturday and watched old movies.  After taking a run we headed to Main Street for Art on the Trail. It was quaint. Local artists had their crafts and things out for display. 

Of course, we made our way across the street to hang out at Barker Bar with Patti. The weather was perfect for drinking a Carolina Blonde on the sidewalk.

He is such a cutie. I just got Instagram and he was nice enough to pose with me. :)

This is Johnny and some other locals providing us with some awesome entertainment.

Johnny is a big John Prine fan and he willingly played my request of "In spite of Ourselves". As you can see, we both struggled to remember the words. It was still a great time! (That's Patti popping in.)

 Fun time posing with Johnny and the fellas.

 Patti's childhood friends came down to see her. She got to get from behind the bar and have some fun.

Lucky for us, Rich Mensik and his wife, Darcy strolled in with his homemade wine. I'll admit, I was pretty unsure about how this would taste, but oh my gosh it was delicious!! 

We had so much fun Saturday and an equally great Sunday relaxing at home.  Hope your weekend was great too!

Flat Rock, NC

                                                                                     

 This weekend we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and take a drive in the mountains to see the changing leaves. It was gorgeous! I think one more week and it will be perfect. This picture below is on the historic site where Carl Sandburg once lived. This picture was in one piece until I decided to edit a spot which turned into an even bigger spot right in the middle of the photo. This also happens to be the only photograph that Justin has shown an interest in. Did I mention that I deleted it from my camera? :( Oh well, you get the gist...it was really pretty.

                                                                                                     

His land seemed to go on forever! We only covered a small portion of it but decided to return another day with our hiking shoes on!

We ate lunch at Flat Rock Village Bakery which is behind this store. I am still totally baffled by the name "Wrinkled Egg". (It actually kind of creeps me out.) The food at the bakery was delicious!! We plan on going back and buying a few of their freshly baked loaves of bread.

This little guy just happened to catch my eye. Luckily he didn't mind posing while I took ten pictures trying to capture his cuteness.

These are just a few more shots of the grounds at Carl Sandburg's house. You wouldn't know it from the pictures but there were a lot of people roaming around. We decided we would be able to write some pretty amazing poetry too if this was our land.

I just love getting to explore new places with him :)

Colors 4 Hope Walk/Run

I have been talking about doing a color run for I don't know how long and was thrilled to see that Greenville was going to start their own AND it will be in my town, Travelers Rest! Not only is it a super happy event but it also serves a wonderful purpose.

 

Mental Health America of Greenville County (MHAGC), which is a non profit organization dedicated to promoting positive mental health, recognized that 1 in 4 Americans were directly affected by mental illness this year. MHAGC is organizign Colors 4 Hope to raise awareness of mental health issues and to make mental wellness more visible as a health priority in Greenville. All proceeds will benefit programs operated by MHAGC.

 

As a mental health therapist, I am very excited to see people raising awareness about mental illnesses and the effect it has not only on those diagnosed, but also their family and friends. Working in this field is rewarding but can be discouraging and tiresome. I love seeing such a lively and happy event being associated with this particular fundraiser. It definitely gives me a sense of hope!!

 

For more information of the event check out the aritcle in The Tribune or at MHAGC website. I hope to see you there!!!