Another year, another FABULOUS Christmas bash

The second annual Taylor Christmas bash went off without a hitch again this year... This is literally one of my favorite times of the year. I spend hours finding the perfect invitations, themes, food ideas, decorating ideas and games for my pals to play.

This year, our theme was "Favorite Christmas move character." Sounds odd, yes. BUT, the pictures will blow your mind... I seriously think we have the most fun, creative and down to earth friends on the planet. This party would be nothing without each one of them!

Brace yourself.....

Yep, that is me and Preston as The Grinch and Cindy Lou Who... Do you die?!

Note: I will never dye my hair blonde

This years spread- I love to entertain!

The Gingerbread couple- and Remi, the Ginger-dog:)

Elf and the cutest little reindeer you ever did see!

My sister and Scrooge 

Would you believe me if I told you that he did this make-up on his own?! He is so talented in so many random ways..

What a beautiful reindeer!

All gathered 'round for a drinking game...

Gift exchange game ready to roll

HOW cute are these pals?! Pearl and Earl Sparkles- the cutest elf on the shelf couple that ever lived.

Taylor the Christmas Tree!

I don't think my friends could be more fun! 

There you have it.. a very small snippet into the 2nd Annual Taylor Christmas bash. All had fun, food  was devoured and I CAN'T wait to do it again next year.

 What should 2015's theme be?!

Love from my Love

I have to share because it is so beautiful AND a gift that my husband picked out on his own that means so much to me... Not only is he deliciously handsome, he has great taste!

The newest addition to my Engagement ring and wedding band is this dainty rose-gold diamond band! LOVE IT:)

What do you think?

There is an addition to the Taylor clan!

Okay, for anyone who knows me.. you know I am a die-hard animal lover. I get this obsessive trait from my mom, who like me, can not withstand the face of a four-legged angel!

Friday, I was on my way home from the airport after a LONG week away on business, in Atlantic City, NJ none-the-less (GAG) and received a text from my husband with a snippet from that days news paper showcasing 'Giant Schnoodle puppies for sale'--- IS THIS GUY NUTS SENDING ME THIS?!? I instantly tense up in sheer excitement, knowing that one of those little pals will soon be mine. WHY else would one send such an enticing ad to me when they know my heart-full-of-paws?

Quite possibly still drunk from the before mentioned way-to-long-conference-week and extremely jet-lagged and exhausted... we went, we saw and we brought home this little angel faced love, Remi!

Let me tell you, she is SUCH  a sweet girl. She loves to snuggle and play and quite honestly, is already a momma's girl. Now, don't get me wrong... this is hard work, man! I feel like we have a new born child and, yes, it is because I am obsessive and treat her like a legit human but DANG, this little pal has my number thats for sure.

WISH US LUCK! And, hope my sweet husband and angel faced Giant Schnauzer boy do not end up wanting to stick me in the eye for this one.... :)

Back at it... NEW MIRRORED PHOTO FRAMES!

Aright, I have taken a blog vacation for the last few months.. not that I REALLY think anyone follows this page and I have never actually 'shared' my site BUT, it's my personal sounding board and my decorating album..

SO- the latest and greatest.. as my home currently sits in mass chaos since we started our bedroom floor/master bath remodel...That will come to you soon!

Since our MASSIVE remodel almost two years ago, I am constantly looking for new additions to the walls and things that make this place our home. I LOVE the look of mirrored furniture and mirrored frames (I have yet to get Preston behind the mirrored furniture BUT eventually, it will happen).

I searched and searched for inexpensive mirrored frames. Some were OUTRAGEOUS, costing upwards of $400 per frame.. I THINK NOT!

Found these bad-boys at Target for 39.99 each and HAD to have them:

Again, I chose not to use the standard smiling, people pictures but rather, a wedding picture of our first look and photos of flowers we had on the big day. And, after much effort on Preston's' end, the wall was complete! 

LOVE IT!

Ah Monday, we meet again....

These are so great!

I find myself wandering through stores on the weekends, a lot of the time not buying anything but just wandering because its fun to me!

I "wandered" right into these bad boys while at Dillard's last weekend and I felt as though my heart had stopped... LOVE these and recommend them to anyone who wants to spruce up their next party table or just for little ice cream dishes!

I believe they come in yellow, turquoise and red as well

Made By: Certified International

Buy them here

Photo Hallway

I love photos and can't hardly wait for the day where I have tons of pictures of kids and kids artwork and all that fun stuff. Sometimes, I feel bad for hanging and arranging lots of photos of Preston and I around the house, but it works!

So of course I wanted to put our wedding photos to good use. I mean, what is the point of paying for photos and putting them in a file-- they are meant to be seen and are so important to me because it was such an awesome day that took months and months of planning and just flew by within what felt like seconds! Every time I walk down the hall, I am reminded of how great that day was and how blessed I am.

So,  I found a photo wall on Pinterest that I loved and wanted to attempt a copy-cat edition in our bare hallway (that had been driving me bananas for months).

Frames can be expensive but I found these 11x14 Threshold Studio Frames from Target that were perfect. I believe I got them on sale for around $26 (Originally $35) and they are good quality, we have not had any issues.

Again, my stud of a husband did all of the heavy lifting but I did the leg work (finding the perfect photos, ordering the frames and giving my opinions of course).

I didn't go for classic head shots, I wanted some that were a little different and I wanted them all in black and white: our first look on the golf course, Preston hitting a long drive in his suite, my grandmothers hands sewing my dress before catching the trolley, a shot of us at the alter  our entire wedding party, etc.. 

We spaced them about 2.5 inches apart width wise and 1 inch apart horizontally and I think they turned out great! What do you think? 

First Annual Christmas Party

This year, being that it was Preston and I's first year as a married couple, we decided (I probably decided) to throw our first annual Christmas bash! Let me tell you, if the first annual bash has any indication on what the next 20 years is going to be like, we all are in some trouble. SO MUCH FUN.

We have a pretty tight knit group of pals who we love dearly. There just does not seem to be a lot of limitations when it comes to the whole slew of us getting together and I like that. We know what to expect when it comes down to it and we don't accept anything else.. Otherwise, your going to get a lot of grief!

This year, I wanted to do it big since it was our first annual event, so, I decided we would have a Christmas Costume party. WHO does not want to attend a Christmas costume party? You have food, adult beverages, a white elephant gift exchange, old school beer pong, costumes and a PRIZE for overall best costume that you vow to bring back the following year for the next years winner.

I am not naive to think this party will always be this rowdy and creep into the wee hours of the night (5AM to be exact) BUT, we all embrace it while we can!

I was pretty enthused about my food display, sandwiches, dips, cheese assortments, crab-puffs meatballs, lil smokies, candies, popcorn-- you name it! This is my favorite part:)

Gus is ready to party in his brand-new Christmas sweater purchase by his dad!

The Nut-Cracker award for best costume.

Me and my Santa!

Elf on the Shelf-- by far the funniest costume of the evening.

The Griswalds

YUUUM!

Me and my SIL. Such a cute snow-woman:)

28 people playing beer pong- too fun!

Elf on the fridge?! This was well into the evening, you can imagine.

My MIL- Best costume winner. A very creative and festive naughty and nice list that lit up... She is too much! Note: Gus is on the top of the nice list. She loves her fur-grand baby.

Kissin' Santa:)

Love this!

TO DIE FOR!

Ah, I know it is not summer yet but this is not a milk-shake. This is a delicious and healthy strawberry smoothie from Panera. I have indulged in two of these bad boys within the past 24 hours and likely will pick one up on the way to the office tomorrow.. I am not even mad about any of that!

And yes, I was driving and taking photos.. I didn't want to take a photo half finished with the drink!

It was a BIG year!

2012/2013 Was the year of change within the Taylor household! Home remodel, our engagement  AND wedding-could it be any busier?! Thank God for handy husbands.

We started a HUGE project last December that I thought was a fun little weekend project-- that shows you how skewed my perception is on things like this and also probably makes you feel a little sorry for my husband (who is just fabulous, might I add). He, my brother-in-law and another great friend did the work from floor to ceiling. New floors, took out walls, redid cabinets, new counters, sinks, plumbing, appliances, door knobs, hinges, fixtures, windows added beautiful crown molding, painted walls, brick, book cases, paneling, the whole nine.

The interior prior to this MASSIVE renovation was terrifying. I mean, so old school you would walk in and almost think you had found yourself inside the Brady Bunch establishment. The thought kills my soul...

So, it began. It was a mind numbing, labor intensive (for the fellas), patience testing (for me), daunting task but well beyond worth it in the end. We really enjoy our space and I love entertaining our pals! I really do not think I would have changed one thing.

A short while into renovation

Hideous dark paneling

New real wood floors laid, brick and walls painted- progress is being made!

My husband staining the floors- LOVE the dark wood HATE keeping it clean. Literally shows everything.

Right after first chandelier installed.

Side View (that rug did not make it through the day and life of Gus)

Who doesn't need a TV in their kitchen?

Before and after of the kitchen.. I will get some of the living room soon!