2017 Weekly Blog Challenge and Resolutions

Hi again you guys

So, this is something I have been wanting to do to up my blogging game. And since my amazing husband gave me a new laptop for Christmas I will be able to do more blogging once the girls go to bed, because I like to go to my room once they go to bed since I don't get a lot of alone time with two littles running around.

So, searching around Pinterest and found this sweet challenge.

I'm going to be attempting to do one of these a week along with other cool tips, tricks, life stories, and stuff going on in my life. Which I'm going to go ahead and assume isn't much.

2017 is going to be great. I cannot wait until the new year.

Its always so fun and refreshing to me. I hope I can hold to my resolutions this year!

My resolution last year was to have more "me" time. And that happened like 4 times, maybe. Haha, but that's okay. I think I want me time but I end up just missing my kids and husband. Silly right?

2017 New Years Resolutions:

Lose 80 pounds.

May sound a bit extreme and probably insane to some people, but I would like to lose at least that much before we decide to start trying for a third baby. I really think if I put my nose to the pavement I can do it! And trust me when I say, I do have that much to lose, if not more.

Grow My Business.

Some of you may or may not know that I have a mobile hair and makeup business. I mostly do brides hair and makeup for their wedding day at their venue so that they don't have to travel around before one of the most important days of their life. If you want to follow my Instagram it's @ido_hairandmakeup or you can check out our Facebook!

Blog More!

I would love to be able to post weekly and that's why I would like to do the 52 week challenge. But maybe (hopefully) post even more than that!

These are all going to be challenging and, along with 2 little girlies and regular wife and mommy duties, will keep me very busy. I hope that I can keep up with everything. Should be interesting to see!

Follow along and see what else my sweet family has coming up in 2017.

I pray for all of you to have a wonderful New Years!

XOXO

Caitie B.

Christmas Traditions

Do you have any cool or unique Christmas traditions?

Ours are pretty laid back and normal for the most part. But I always like to hear peoples different yearly ritual.

Every year on

Christmas Eve Eve,

we make cookies and eat dinner together. Do some frantic last minute Christmas or food shopping. Then we just hang out at home. If football is on, count on it being on the TV.

 

Christmas Eve:

We go to my husbands grandmas house, lovingly known as "Magraw". Which is so fun!

We go and all have dinner and eat. Then just hang out and watch the kids open their presents from relatives. I got so lucky to marry into such an awesome family!

Then after we all have eaten we do white elephant!

If you don't know what White Elephant is, you have to start it with your family!! It's so funny.

Every family, or person, brings a random present, it can be something that's just sitting around your house, it can be something you go out and buy, it could be something you make. The more random and bizarre, the funnier. Then how ever many presents there are, that's how many numbers you give out (so if there are 10 presents, you give each of the 10 people who brought a present a number - randomly picked from a hat or something). Then everyone takes their turn either picking a present, or stealing a present someone already opened.

My husband now has the reputation for bringing the funniest gift, so someone brave opens his gift every year, lol.

And once we all say our goodbyes, we head home. Two tired little pookies with us, and get them baths and into bed before Santa comes!

Then Mommy and Daddy stay up wrapping last minute gifts. And we usually exchange one gift. Mostly because I have such a hard time not giving him a present or two before Christmas, but he may be worse than me!

Christmas Day:

I normally wake up, get my coffee made, and start a special Christmas morning breakfast and hot chocolate of course! I think last year I made french toast casserole.

Then we open presents. This year is the first time we will have two little sweeties opening presents, but I'm sure it'll be lots of fun. My mom usually comes over and sometimes my little sister, but this year I think she'll be in Boca with her boyfriends family. And my older sister is almost always in New York with my brother in law's family.

So the girls will open presents from Santa, us, and their Nannie (my mom). Then we have a separate Christmas, usually firs weekend of January, with my family when everyone is in town so we can exchange presents and eat again, haha. And of course, play some kind of game, because my husband loves playing board games, and card games. Talking about Cards Against Humanity, here!

Then we'll either make enchiladas or lasagna or something to eat for dinner. Not very traditional. But it's fun and yummy!

 

Now, this year the day after Christmas we will be doing another Christmas at my in-law's house. They're normally in Tennessee for Christmas, but this year they decided to stay home! So, we'll all be hanging out at their house the day after Christmas, opening presents, eating food, and just hanging out.

 

It's kind of cool, because every year the traditions vary in some way.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! It's my very favorite time of year, and I look forward to it almost all year long. (I definitely prepare for it, finance wise!) And as the girls get older and understand more, the more fun it gets. I cannot wait for it every year. And a little part of me gets really sad the day after Christmas.

 

Although, after Christmas comes New Years. And there's always something very refreshing about New Years, and kind of starting fresh. I have big plans and big resolutions for this year! But that's for another blog post. Probably next week!

 

If I don't see you before then, have a very Merry Christmas!!

 

XOXO

Caitie B

Christmas/Family Pictures

My husband HATES taking pictures.
If there was a word stronger than hate, he would feel that way about pictures.
Which, I'm not sure why, because he is amazingly handsome.

For my birthday I told him I want pictures done.
Family/Christmas pictures. And I want them yearly!...damnit

I did my research, which I didn't have to do much, and found Mary.
She is a professional from my home town, Brooksville, who I've known for a long time.
To say she's talented is an understatement, and almost an insult, because she. is. so. good!!
Mary Ketchum in Brooksville, Florida.
She took and edited all these pictures of my family.
I cried and cried and cried when I got them because they're so beautiful!

So, enough with the anticipation. Here they are.

 Model girl. She's so gorgeous.

 That smirk!

 See?! MODEL MATERIAL (hubby) *drools*

Ugh. Told ya'll these are to die for.
Love them so much. Glad I'll have these to keep forever.

XOXO

Caitie B.

Ending: 30 Days of Gratitude.

So, at the beginning of November I decided I would try to post something I was grateful for everyday in November.

Sounds easy right?

It was not.

I was surprised how much time and effort I had to put into finding what I was thankful for.
I made a picture and a template to go by, so each day had something to write about, and post a picture of.
But, even still. It was pretty difficult.

All in all, I do feel like I got a lot more happiness, and gratitude from it.

Mission accomplished, right?

RIGHT!

..kinda.

So, I'm going to continue it into next year. I'm not going to post everyday, but I will try my hardest to write a weekly gratitude post.

If you are following along via Instagram, I'll make sure you guys know whats going on.

Maybe you can join me!

What was your favorite thing about November?

30 Days of Gratitude

Happy November guys!!

This is by far the best time of the year, these next two months. I absolutely love everything that goes along with November and December (including the bus' & I's birthday).

But, the reason I'm posting this is starting the 1st I am going to be doing a 30 day gratitude challenge. 30 days will take us past Thanksgiving by almost a week. I have seen friends do it every year, because of Thanksgiving so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it out. I will be posting from a picture I found on Pinterest. So, I will post the picture I found that has the list of things I should be grateful on November 1st on Instagram along with the accompanying picture.

(if that doesn't make sense, head over to my Instagram @caitie_x3 on the 1st and check it out, hopefully it'll make more sense then!)

This is going to be a personal challenge to make sure I'm staying humble and appreciating every little thing I have. I hope you'll join me in doing this! And if you do let's use the hashtag #caitiebs30daysofgratitude. Yea, it's kind of long, but whatever. I hope you'll find it and give a different perspective on things! I love seeing other people appreciate what they have and spread positivity.

I will be doing a much bigger appreciation challenge at the beginning of the year. It'll be a 52 week challenge! A new topic each week, I'll blog one each week and maybe make a video here and there (if I can figure that out! haha). So be on the look out for those posts coming up.

This is a short and sweet post, but I hope you enjoy it and think about joining me!