wine {middle sister}

let me tell you about a cute little company called: middle sister wines

this is the wine that started it all... "drama queen" pinot grigio. matt was SO proud of himself for finding this marketing genius wine (he knows how i buy my wine...based on the label's cuteness quotient). at first, i was insulted that he seemed to think i was a drama queen. but since i specifically requested pinot grigio, i let him off the hook.

after seeing the brand "middle sister" and knowing i was going to visit my own *middle sister* that weekend, i HAD to make a trip to target. i surveyed the sister selection and settled on *goodie two-shoes*. it was a pinot noir. i had no idea if she even likes that type of wine, but i had to get it anyway! we shared some of the bottle while i was there...turns out she likes it :)

on their website, you can even take a quiz to see which sister you are...

turns out i'm a *mischief maker*...i don't think so :)

You're a Mischief Maker. You like to stir the pot. And because it's usually filled with one of your fabulous culinary creations, you have lots of friends. Maybe sometimes your schemes go a bit awry, like the time you tried to fix up your brother with Cameron Diaz. But whereas the rest of the world is gray, you are a brilliant, shining rainbow of bodaciousness. We toast your unquenchable spirit with Middle Sister Mischief Maker Cabernet Sauvignon.

photos {orioles season}

spencer played fall rec baseball from september through early november. with the season finally wrapping up (it was slightly extended, which i will detail in a separate post), i thought it'd be fun to do a recap post of the season.

you may remember, earlier in the year we were excited and proud that spencer was taking a leap into travel baseball. unfortunately, that experience didn't go quite as well as we were hoping, due to a less than stellar coach. it's a sad day when you have to tell a 12-year-old that every man he meets is an example in his life...some are examples of the man you should be, and some are examples of the man you shouldn't be.

spencer chose to quit that team, and we were supportive. we do not encourage quitting and walking away from a commitment, but in this case, it wasn't right for us, as parents, to allow him to continue. this all happened right around the time that fall rec ball was starting. spencer was drafted by a man that we would soon come to know as spencer's saving grace. this man single-handedly saved the game of baseball for this boy. and for that, we are eternally grateful.

this coach made the game fun again. he showed spencer that he is valued both as a player and as a person. he showed him how to work hard and get better, without losing a piece of yourself. he showed spencer what type of man he should strive to be in life.

i hate that spencer had to have a bad coaching experience. but, i know God has a plan...and he led spencer into the arms of coach vinnie izzo where he experienced healing and guidance. for the past three months, spencer has been right where he was supposed to be. i don't think any of us have regretted letting him walk away from that other team. not for a single second.

we have no idea what the future holds for spencer in terms of baseball. but we do know that he has found the passion again and he is willing to work his tail off this year to get results on the field. 

and this is *that* man. we are so grateful.

and a few snapshots from the season...

spencer's birthday was on a game night, so i made some team cupcakes

and brought baseball themed ritz crackers and oreos.

and they got the birthday boy...

coleman watching his big brother pitch

in his catcher's stance while watching the game

signing balls at the end-of-season team party.

as a side note...this was the first time i had ever served as "team mom" and i really enjoyed it.

music monday {glee christmas}

this month, my music monday posts will focus on christmas music (creative, i know). it probably comes as no surprise that i am now the proud owner of the glee christmas album. i purchased it yesterday (what took me so long???) and i'm already loving it. the album consists of 12 holiday favorites, jazzed up to glee-quality musical goodness. if you aren't sure whether you want to invest in this, i'd recommend listening to this preview that gives you a taste of each song.

i am super excited for the glee christmas episode, which apparently is named "sue the grinch" and will air next week (12/7). another report is that susan boyle will be appearing (as the school lunch lady). though i don't love her style of singing, i bet she'll be funny on the show. she seems to have a cute and quirky personality. the most exciting part is that rumors claim all 12 songs will be in the extended episode. it's like my very own christmas gift from fox!

side note: rachel's outfit in this picture makes me want to run out and buy it, grab some hot chocolate and go caroling in the snow. anyone want to join me?

it was hard to choose, but right now, i think last christmas is my favorite on the album (probably because it's one of my favorites anyway).

this week {11.22 to 11.28}

coleman at daycare

~ i watched a movie: when in rome ~

~ i watched a not-so-great chick flick. can't even remember the name. ~

~ my guest post at marta writes went live ~

~ i worked out the details of my holiday vacation time ~

coleman making a craft at daycare

~ i received my diaper order from amazon ~

~ i received my sock order from gilt ~

~ i had a big meeting at work. glad it's over ~

~ i took a vacation day on wednesday, but ended up working at home most of the morning ~

~ scott came over ~

~ i grocery shopped at harris teeter and bi-lo ~

~ i continued working on my photo process, trying to get caught up ~

~ coleman turned 21 months old ~

~ matt made us a nice steak dinner ~

~ we celebrated thanksgiving with matt's family ~

~ the four of us went to the carolina christmas light show at charlotte motor speedway ~

~ we ate at a texas steakhouse that we'd never tried before ~

~ christina + johnathan came by for a visit while they were in town ~

~ i did some black friday shopping online: home depot, wal-mart and kohl's ~

~ spencer came up with a workout plan for the winter ~

~ spencer and i put together two of his baseball training aids ~

~ i got some of the christmas decorations out of the attic ~

~ i hung wreaths on the windows and helped spencer put the tree up in his room ~

~ i created a shopping list for sunday ~

~ on saturday, coleman and i went to hibbett sports to do an exchange and the college shoppe ~

~ USC beat Clemson for the second year in a row. Gamecocks wrapped up the season 9-3 ~

~ i posted spencer's old bedroom furniture on craigs list ~

~ sherry watched coleman while i did some christmas shopping ~

~ i shopped at target, best buy, dick's and michael's ~

~ i wasted a ton of time trying to fix the dvd-rom on my laptop. it didn't work. ~

~ i bought the glee christmas cd ~

~ i finished reading the book of ezekiel ~

~ coleman learned how to take pictures on my iphone (sort of) ~

gamecocks {we did it!}

last night, the gamecocks beat their rival - the clemson tigers. this makes two years in a row that we've successfully earned bragging rights. it's been 40+ years since we've beaten them in back-to-back years.

the win also means we wrapped up our regular season with a 9-3 record...something that's only happened three times in the school's history.

GO COCKS!!!

i'm so excited for next weekend!!!!!!!!!!!

one set of tigers down (clemson), one more to go (auburn)

photos {trip to conway}

last month, coleman and i took a road trip down to conway (where my mom and sister live). every year, my sister hosts a pumpkin carving event but this is the first year we've been able to go down for it. we had a nice, relaxing weekend with family!

swaying to the music on the drive down

little sister sharing middle sister wine with her middle sister

maggie + coleman

we saw this random mystery machine outside of a store...couldn't resist the photo op.

coleman, after his bath, with his mommy

he had a bad runny nose that weekend. he figured out how to do the nasal bulb on his own.

it was hilarious.

getting ready for the pumpkin carving

let the festivities begin

coleman painting his pumpkin. fun!

photos {pumpkin patches}

last month, we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patches. we are lucky to have several nearby and we usually hit a couple. this year, we visited two. one included lots of great activities, while the second is our favorite for actually choosing our pumpkins.

a nice lady on the hayride took this photo of the four of us. i love it because it's so "everyday us".

i had a blast editing this fanastic photo of the old tractor that pulled us on the hayride. i created several different versions of it...i can't even choose a favorite.

coleman had a good time climbing on hay bales. it was super fun this year since he was old enough to do things and really enjoy himself.

oh...what a story here! for some reason, the pigs took quite a liking to spencer. he showed them a little attention and the next thing we knew, one of them had put his front legs on spencer (like a dog) and was liking his shirt. spencer was filthy afterwards, but he thought it was the coolest thing. i'm pretty sure, given the option, he would've brought them home as pets!

nothing like driving a tractor made of hay...

spencer's modeling shot.

fun in the hay...it was everywhere (even in coleman's diaper).

"bubba...please don't squeeze my brains out my ears."

my favorite part of this photo is spencer's shadow.

{happy thanksgiving}

happy. happy. happy thanksgiving!

yesterday, matt and i were both not feeling very well. so, this morning, we are thankful for feeling better and being in better spirits. i'm thankful that coleman is napping right now (before we head out) and that we have family with which we will celebrate this day. i am thankful for our plans for this evening and looking forward to welcoming the christmas season officially.

in honor of this day, here is the final installment of my gratitude list...

if you missed the first two, you can find one through fifty here and fifty-one through one hundred here.

(101) glue

(102) umbrellas

(103) books borrowed from my sister

(104) harris teeter

(105) matt's recliner

(106) white wine cake

(107) flash drives

(108) deviled eggs

(109) antique stores

(110) macy's thanksgiving day parade

(111) guest posting

(112) mucinex-d

(113) writing prompts

(114) calendars

(115) highlights

(116) spencer being old enough to watch "adult" shows with us

(117) spencer liking the same types of shows as us

(118) being able to return things you've bought

(119) journals

(120) hygeine products

(121) flashcard app on my iphone

(122) evernote

(123) good doctors

(124) throw blankets

(125) lady antebellum

(126) fleece

(127) awards shows

(128) christmas music

(130) baby wipes

(131) gloves

(132) insurance

(133) ziploc bags

(134) dried cranberries

(135) steak

(136) cell phone chargers for your car

(137) chapstick

(138) horses

(139) cuddleduds

(140) christmas lights

(141) cameras and photographs

(142) fantastic photographers

(143) game shows

(144) pretty jackets

(145) airplanes

(146) country music

(147) free desktop wallpapers

(148) you tube

(149) sunflowers

(150) all things cowboy/western

i apologize if any are repeats. i tried not to, but didn't check the first lists to be sure. and i could definitely keep going. so blessed. so much for which to be grateful.

i hope you and your family are celebrating your blessings and gratitude today.

happy thanksgiving.