ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TRIP | CRUISE 2016

A month later and I am finally sharing about our vacation back in November. We went on a cruise to Mexico the week after Thanksgiving and it was the best! I loved being able to get away with Matthew and having tons of one on one time without the distractions of everyday life/work. I decided not to take my camera and to just use our iPhones to take pictures. It was our first cruise so I wanted to feel everything out before I brought my nice camera. I will definitely be taking my nice camera on our next cruise!

We celebrated Thanksgiving and then the following Monday drove down to Mobile, Alabama to our port. It was about a 6 hour drive, which isn't bad at all and gave us plenty of time that day since our ship wasn't leaving until 5. We stopped for lunch at Ruby Tuesday's about an hour away from Mobile and then continued on until we were there. As soon as we got on the ship our room was ready so we went there and our luggage was already there waiting for us. We checked out our room and then quickly checked out the whole ship. One of the many things that made me extremely happy on this trip is that they decorated the ship for Christmas!! There were small Christmas trees with different themes and beautiful garland everywhere. They also played Christmas music the whole trip and it was perfect!

There was putt putt on the top deck 

Tuesday we were at sea all day, Wednesday we were in Cozumel, Thursday we were in Yucatan, and Friday we were at sea all day on the way back to Mobile. We were off the ship by around 8:30 Saturday morning and hit the road to go home and pick up Reagan! We loved the cruise and had a great time together, but we missed our sweet puppy something fierce. Reagan stayed with Matthew's parents while we were gone and they took great care of her and she loved spending the week with them! We didn't do any excursions, just because all we wanted to do on this trip was relax and take it easy. After the year we have had, that is literally all we wanted to do. And relax is what we did! We took at least one nap everyday, if not more. It was the best week and we felt completely refreshed and recharged once the week was over. Cruise's kinda force your to rest and relax...you are at sea for a couple of days and really there is only so much you can do on a ship, so whether your relaxing by the pools, up on one of the decks, in your room, our inside the ship somewhere on the comfy chairs your are bound to rest and relax. 

Our first stop was Cozumel! We got off the ship and did some shopping and then relaxed by the water until it was time to get back on the ship.

The water was so blue in Cozumel, it was beautiful!!

They were putting this tree together in Cozumel while we were there, I'm sad we didn't get to see it at night all lit up!

Thursday we were in Yucatan! Yucatan wasn't as pretty as Cozumel, and there weren't a lot of shops at the port so we really didn't stay off the boat terribly long, but it was still fun to explore the area!

 We laid out/napped and I read for a few hours

The warmest December 1st I've ever experienced and I loved it!!

We had a formal night and it was fun to get dressed up!

We went to a few shows and the comedy show just about every night, and we played bingo lol.

The Love & Marriage was the funniest show!!

Spent most evenings watching the sun go down 

Ate so, so much delicious food! And tried so many new things. The two crazy things we tried were Escargot and Alligator, and I am happy to report that I liked them both! Matthew didn't try the Escargot but liked the alligator lol. We also ordered room service some!

So pretty!!

My love!

We had a new towel animal waiting on us every night and I loved it. They actually had a towel folding class to teach you how to fold them like these animals but we accidentally slept through it and missed it!

One thing I didn't know about cruises...is that it is so WINDY. All the time!! There were a few times where they had the top deck completely closed off because it was too windy to be up there. 

Of course we had to get our girl something while we were on our trip...

 Unfortunately it was a little snug but she still looked adorable in it!!

We had the best time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! A huge thank you to Matthew's parents for keeping our favorite girly and taking such great care of her!!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY TRIP | CRUISE 2016

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DAY OF DINNER PARTY + TIPS

This is the last post in my series, The Young Wife's Guide To Hosting Dinner Parties. I've really enjoyed working on this series and sharing everything I have learned so far, but I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to hosting!

On the day of our dinner parties I always tend to wake up even earlier than I usually do...just ask Matthew lol. I wake up ready to get started on whatever it is I need to finish up before everyone gets there. I go ahead and get my shower out of the way and just throw my wet hair up in a messy bun so it's out of my face while I finish up stuff. I will get ready and style my hair a couple of hours before our guests arrive later in the day.

Morning: I usually pop in our guest bedrooms & bathroom to make sure one last time that everything is ready for our guests (beds are fully made, extra blanket on each bed, air fresheners are plugged in, towels are on the end table and ready for our guests, our basket of extra toiletries for our guests in the bathroom is filled up, etc.)

Then I head downstairs and get started in the kitchen. I usually start prepping any dishes that I didn't get to the night before, it's usually not many but there maybe one or two. After those are finished I will make sure the dishwasher and trashcan are emptied, again, if I didn't get to that the night before. I will probably make something quick and easy for breakfast for me and Matthew.

Late morning/early afternoon: I will start setting everything up for our dinner party. Whether its the labels and prints or setting up table and chairs. I will also make sure all the pillows are straightened up on the couch, probably go on and light a couple of candles, and then make sure everything is in it's place before I head back upstairs to finish getting ready.

Mid afternoon: We usually start all of our dinner parties in the afternoon. So a couple of hours before it starts I'll run back upstairs and do make hair and makeup and change into whatever I am wearing that afternoon. How I style my hair is dependent on the weather. If it's rainy or the humidity is bad I won't try to curl it because it will just fall out. If it's nice out, and I have the time I will more than likely curl it.

• As soon as your think of your event and have a date nailed down, start planning! Pick up something small here and there every week when you go to the grocery store so you don't have one large bill the week of your event.
• Look online for ideas. Pinterest is always my #1 go-to when planning an event.
• Take advantage of free things...free prints, free labels, free banners, etc. on Pinterest/internet.
• Create a Facebook event to invite all of your guests to. That way they have all the information right in their hands.
• Ask your guests to bring a dish! Make it a potluck and enjoy the easy work load AND new recipes! If you don't feel comfortable asking them to bring a side dish, maybe let your guests bring drinks and/or desserts.
• Use what you already have. Those cute vases you have on your entryway table will make an adorable addition to your dessert table. Those cute candle holders in your bedroom? Add them to the table to add a little more to your centerpiece! 
• I have one plugin air freshener in each guest bedroom and the guest bathroom. I only replace the refill when we have guests coming over. I do like to keep a couple extra handy in case someone comes over last minute and needs a place to crash for the night. I stick with a basic clean linen scent in each room and usually the bathroom. I usually add the refill 1-2 nights before our guests arrive. It smells great and helps get rid of that musky smell from having to keep the windows shut during the cold winter months and blazing summer months. 
• I have this automatic spray air freshener in our entryway. I keep it on the bottom shelf so it can't be seen but the scent is still very much present. I only turn this on when we have guests coming over.
• Light a candle or two about an hour before guests arrive, not only do they always smell so good but a candle lit is so cozy and inviting!
• Make sure your refrigerator is cleaned out before guests arrive. You will want a place to store leftovers and having a full refrigerator can be annoying during this time!
• Make sure your dishwasher and trashcan are empty before guests arrive. That way when it comes time to clean up you can just load the dishwasher and not have to worry about piling dishes in your sink. 
• I like to set our guest towels out in the guest bedrooms for them. I always hate going through someone's cabinet, even if it is just to get a bath towel. So I make sure to go on and place them in their rooms, but I always let them that if they need more they are under the sink
• Make sure the guest bathroom is completely stocked with toilet paper before guests arrive. 
• If you aren't in to decorating and you have a friend that is, let them help you! 

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DAY OF DINNER PARTY + TIPS

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: HOUSE PREP

I usually do a little bit of cleaning each day the week leading up to one of our dinner parties so I'm not running around like a crazy person the night before or day of. There are certain things that I want completely finished by the day before and some things that need to wait until the morning of. If I were a perfect human I would follow my cleaning list that I made, but sometimes life happens and we just can't get to everything like we would love to all the time. Making sure our house is clean and tidy when guests come over is a big deal to us. So below I have listed what I make sure is 100% done before our guests arrive. Matthew is always so great to help me get everything done in a timely manner. Teamwork gets the job done quicker! Here is a look at our usual checklist...

  Deep clean bathrooms 

   - Clean mirrors with Windex

   - Wipe down counters with Lysol wipes

   - Wipe down shower with disinfecting spray (with bleach.) I usually use something similar to this

   - Vacuum the floors and bath mats

   - Clean the toilet thoroughly

   - Empty trashcans and put new bag in

   - Make sure all guest towels are clean and folded

   - Make sure to add air freshener.

  Clean guest bedrooms

   - Vacuum the floors

   - Mop if needed

   - Dust all furniture

   - Make sure there are fresh sheets on the bed

   - Make sure there is an extra blanket on each bed

   - Make sure each guest bedroom has an air freshener in it

   

  Downstairs 

   - Dust all of the downstairs area (living room, study, dining room)

   - Vacuum/mop all of the downstairs area

   - Pick up/straighten up anything that needs it (fluff pillows, fold any blankets, put up any shoes)

   - Add air freshener in designated areas (entry way, hall way, kitchen, study, & dining room) 

   

  Kitchen

   - Sweep/mop floors

   - Wipe down appliances

   - Clean counter tops

   - Clean microwave

   - Clean our refrigerator

   - Get out any dishes that I will need for our meal

   - Make sure dishwasher is empty the morning of our dinner party

   - Make sure trash it empty on the morning of dinner party

That looks like a lot, but really it's not at all. We usually try our best to clean our whole house every week, but like I said, sometimes life happens and things just come up. Or in these cases, when we have a dinner party coming up I am usually working on some type of decoration or planning for it that I don't get to stick to my usual cleaning schedule so I make up for it another night.

If you just break it up over the week of your dinner party then you should be good! So here is a tentative schedule at what the week of our dinner party would look like for me, cleaning wise:

Monday night : Clean bathrooms & wash towels

Tuesday night : Clean guest bedrooms

Wednesday night : We have church on Wednesday nights so I usually don't do too much, I might fold the towels and/or start washing the guest sheets, if not that gets rolled over to Thursday night.

Thursday night : Wash guest sheets and put back on the beds, Clean downstairs areas.

Friday night : Clean kitchen, make sure everything else is done and then add air fresheners to each guest bedroom and designated area. Friday night I will also do as much food prep as I can Wash/cut/mix anything that needs it. Sometimes I can go on and make a dish and then put it in the refrigerator until Saturday when it needs to be thrown in the oven a couple of hours before our guests arrive.

Saturday morning : Clean kitchen after I have all or most of food prepped/ready. Make sure dishwasher and trash are emptied. Start setting up anything that needs to be up for our dinner party (printables added to frames, any decorations, washi tape put on plastic cups, etc.)

So there is our usual week before a dinner party, We usually have our dinner parties on Saturday afternoons. Occasionally a few friends will come over on Friday night and stay the whole weekend. We love it and it doesn't phase my schedule much at all! Like I said, we love having people over and get excited planning for it! Just like in this post, planning ahead is always a game changer for me. If I don't plan ahead and make to-do lists then things won't get done in a timely manner.

To see all posts in this series so far, go here. 

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: HOUSE PREP

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DECORATING

I really enjoy decorating for our parties, but I also know that it is not completely necessary. You can have a successful dinner party without decorations. I also know that you can spend a lot of money on decorations or you can search the internet for free printables and use what you already have, and your party will turn out just as nice. It is all up to you and with what fits in your budget! 

I try to keep our decorations very reasonable, if we're spending money it's usually on the food. So how do I do that? I search the internet/Pinterest for free prinatbles, or if I can't find any that I like then I make my own, and I use some stuff we already have. Like these hot dog bar printables that I made...I couldn't find anything that I liked online so I went to PicMonkey and created my own. It took a little bit of time, but actually ended up not being too bad. You will never find me spending money on invitations, labels, banners, signs or prints. It just doesn't make sense when it doesn't take much time to make them on my own (& I really enjoy it!!) So here are the decorations I usually have out for our dinner parties...

Labels: I like making labels for each dish and for our drinks. I also have a label for each section of our kitchen (depending on where the food/drinks are.) I usually have a Drinks label, Appetizers label, whatever our main course is (Hot Dog Bar, BBQ, Tacos, etc.) Sides label, and Desserts label. I will stick those in the middle of the counter or table in the designated area. 

Free Prints: I also like finding free printables that I can just throw into a frame that we already own to go along with our dinner party. There are hundreds of free ones on Pinterest...and if any of those don't catch your eye, make your own on PicMonkey! You can find some free printables here!

These free printables add so much to an empty counter or area. Sometimes I will add one to our entryway table for people to see as soon as they enter our house. I think that kind of sets the theme for when they first arrive!

Banners: I love a good banner, and just like prints, I think it can add a lot. Whether I have one on our mantel or hanging in the kitchen, or even hanging on a table. I love them. Again, there are a ton of free ones on Pinterest or you can just make you own!

Flowers: 98% of the time I have artificial flowers out somewhere in our home. Every now and then when we have guests coming over for a dinner party I will stop by Kroger and pick up a few small bouquets, usually the managers special. I like to keep this pitcher on our island in our kitchen with seasonal flowers in it. It's also really easy to move this pitcher to another part of our counter when we have our dinner spread on our island. I also like to put flowers in my favorite vases on our mantel/end table. This is such an easy and inexpensive way to add color/decor for each season or dinner party we host! Hobby Lobby's artificial flowers are beautiful and there is always a coupon!

Other things to think about:

- Washi tape 

We use washi tape on our plastic cups for people to write their names on. This helps guests keep up with their cup as well as adds a little pop of color!

- Paper straws

I don't always have these for our dinner parties, but occasionally I'll run across some cute ones at the Dollar Tree and pick them up.

- Napkins & Utensils

If I am using plastic utensils or colored paper napkins I always pick these up at the Dollar Tree. They are over priced at Wal-Mart/Party City/Target, cute, but over priced!

Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest

THE YOUNG WIFE'S GUIDE TO HOSTING DINNER PARTIES: DECORATING