Good morning! Are you ready for Monday? I woke up so excited because our painter is here. After a repipe you need to do a ton of painting. He will tackle that as well are our new spaces upstairs. What would take me two weeks will take him three days. So it’s a very happy start to the week over here. The weekend was all about family. It was another emotional one. Here is our Monday Morning Wrap-Up.
Date Night In
We kicked off the end of the week with a date night in. We were supposed to go out but that fell apart so my husband offered to cook dinner. It was fantastic. With Pandora playing and him cooking, it was such a treat. Plus I didn’t even need to get ready. Win-win.
He made glazed pork chops and they were delicious. I will post his recipe soon.
WALK TO END ALZ
This weekend was the big Walk to End Alzheimer’s. This event is so near and dear to our hearts. I am always so touched by the people who work tirelessly to put it on and all of the darling volunteers who cheer for the walkers. It’s one of the most inspirational days of the year for us.
We love these faces so much. They all survived a random downpour and endured being wet and cold. They showed up and walked beside us and for that we are so grateful.
THE PURPLE FLOWER
This year I represented the purple flower. That signifies having lost someone to Alzheimer’s. I thought I was going to be able to keep it together but I cried throughout the entire presentation. Soon after this photo was snapped, a darling couple stood next to me. The husband holding a yellow flower (as the caretaker) and the wife holding a blue flower ( currently living with Alzheimer’s). She looked at me and said, “Isn’t this nice?” My heart. That is something my mom would have said. We long for the time when someone holds a white flower symbolizing the first survivor of this horrendous disease. I want to be there.
SWEET FRIENDSHIP
This cutie is the most loving and supportive and cries right along with me. So honored to know her friendship. Thank you, Steph.
Thank you to everyone who donated, prayed and walked. We love you all.
OUR REASON
And a reminder of why we do this. I adore this photo of my mom. She was so excited to see me and was clapping her hands. Such an infectious joy.
NEW PILLOWS
If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen these beautiful pillow covers I ordered from my girl, Danielle Oakey. I am in love with them and can’t wait to add them to our space.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD
Today is my dad’s birthday. I am sure he is so happy to have the love of his life with him this year. Dad, we hope you have the best celebration ever. We love you.
*Read about our superhero here.
This is one of my all time favorite photos of my parents with the grandchildren. They hosted a gingerbread house making night every year. Sure miss these times but we are happy to carry on the tradition.
CAN YOU HELP?
Don’t worry. Our tree is not up. This was a throwback to our holiday tour because suddenly it dawned on us that we need a new tree this year. This one served us so well for over 8 years. We LOVE this tree. But the last couple of years we have been fighting lights going out. And not just here and there. We know how to fix that with that light gun. But we literally had to wrap new strands of lights on it and we started to worry about the safety of it all.
I think we may have to buy a new one and I’m wondering if you have any great sources. We looked at the major spot last year (Home Depot, Lowes, Target) and they all looked so fake. This one happens to look pretty darn real so we have been spoiled. If you have a secret spot to purchase a good looking faux tree, please let me know.
Seeing photos of our house decorated for Christmas instantly gives me all of the feels. It’s a time to lounge and enjoy the family. These soft pants were a late addition to my Saturday Shopping post so in case you missed them I wanted to share that they are 50% off plus free shipping. They are INCREDIBLE. Softest pants I’ve every worn.
Wishing you the best week. I hope your Monday is a smooth one. Thank you for taking a moment to stop in. xo
The Christmas tree…. we are in need too, so I will be following along to see what you find. When I looked last year, I was not impressed.
And love the pictures of your parents – you miss them, but your love for them shines so brightly.
I love the artificial trees from QVC. We have gotten several from them and have always been happy.
What a precious heartwarming memories!
We had a Costco tree for almost 12 years, its was a good one. Two years ago it died and we purchased a new one from Frontgate. The quality is very good, it stores really well, its up and ready to decorate in a matter of minutes. It’s a little pricey but worth the investment. And in our opinion does not look fake. Good luck with the tree search and have a wonderful week, xo!
P.S. your post has inspired me to have a “date in” this coming weekend!
Balsam HIll has lots of fake trees. You can order a sample box of their stems to see if you like any of them.
We have a fake tree from a previous pool/patio store and we also need a new one. Admittedly, I have struggled to find one that is as real looking as our fake one we need to replace. I’m bummed. Our fake tree has this coating on the outer branches that just make it look and feel real. So many people ask us if it’s real.
Please keep us in the loop if you find something as I am hopign to do the same. Remington Avenue has one of the balsam ones and I might go that route, but I am hesitant as I keep my trees for many many years and I wanted it to be like our old one.
Earlier this year I ordered a 7.5 foot Green Spruce Artificial Christmas tree with warm white lights from Wayfair , it’s made by Beachcrest Home and it is a beautiful tree! When we unpacked it we spent some time fluffing the branches out, but it has a great shape and it’s very nice and full.
Hi Courtney:
After seeing Michael ‘s Balsam Hill Tree on Inspired by Charm I had to have one! Then I happened to see a country music Christmas special sponsored by Balsam Hill and the stage was decorated with the most glorious trees from their line. I was definitely sold. It’s fortunate that I waited until this year though, because they had a September special of 30% off. The sale is actually on until Midnight tonight. I know they run other sales so keep an eye out. And if you’re in doubt, have some samples sent. My tree is so beautiful I’d like to put it up right now! Good luck.
We got a great one from Costco. I was really happy with how the branches look. A great tree without having to spend a fortune!
Another recommendation for Balsam Hill. We love our tree from there! They’re not a cheap source, but they are quality!
Home Depot or Costco seem to have some great ones! We bought ours right off the floor at Home Depot. I’ve also got some friends who have bought some gorgeous trees from QVC.
We got a nice tree at Hobby Lobby a couple years ago.
We bought our tree from Balsam Hill last year and love it! We looked at Costco, Michaels and a few other spots but felt they all looked to fake. The Balsam Hill tree was more expensive but it was worth it. Great customer service too – the first one we ordered was too small so we returned//exchanged for a larger tree. They were very understanding and waived the shipping fee.
Balsam Hill. Everyone who sees it thinks it’s real!