Spread the Love!

Well I am officially one lucky girl! This year I not only had one amazing Valentine (the hubs) but I also was paired with the amazing Jessica for the amazing Spread the Love Valentine's Day Sawp.

I signed up for the swap hosted by Erin & Megan back in the middle of January and I couldn't be happier that I did. The idea behind it gave bloggers, like myself, the chance to meet other ladies and share in the fun of the holiday. 

Well I can HONESTLY say that I was spoiled and Jessica went waaaaaay above and beyond!

At first we had problems getting in touch with each other because her email went to my spam box. I usually check my email from my phone so I don't even glance at the spam box. One night I happened to login using my computer and realized she had reached out to me a few times. Of course I appoligized numerous times, but she said it was no big deal and responded like we had been friends for years! Really, this girl is awesome!

So even though I caused us to have a delayed start, she still managed to get me my package ahead of schedule. It wasn't just any package either...it had some of the coolest goodies in it ever. It put the package that I sent to Hannah to shame.

Here's what I received...

 I never bought this movie because I thought it looked corney but Michael & I watched this last night for Valentine's Day and it was actually really good! I am so glad she got me this!

Look at these colors. They are SOOOO my shades!

Such a pretty bracelet. LOVE it!

So like I said above; I am one lucky girl! Thank you Jessica!! XOXO

hello 2013...i've been waiting for you!

I hope you all had a wonderful & safe New Year! Ours was great. A friend of ours threw a little get together at her house since a bunch of us were pregnant this year and couldn't go out and partake like we normally do. To recap the night, there were 7 couples and 22 children running around. Oh yeah...we were one of the couples and baby Jackson doesn't count yet. Michael got a crash course in daycare that night. :) It was a blast though because I still got to get dressed up and ring in the New Year with some great friends.

So now that the Christmas decorations are coming down and the gifts have been handed out; I thought it was the perfect time to recap 2012 with my favorite and fail moments of the year.

My favorite moment, hands down, was finding out we were pregnant. We were able to celebrate it with friends & family and I will never forget the hub's face when he found out we were having a little boy. I still can't decide if it was pure excitement or fear because he knows what he was like as a kid. Haha.

My fail moment was realizing that I wasn't able to complete last years resolutions...and I wasn't even close. :(

I am not giving up on myself though, so I am going to log my 2013 resolutions in now. Hopefully I can change it to a favorite!

1. Loose the baby weight (after Jackson is born of course). There really shouldn't need to be any need to explain this one...
2. Get more organized. I figure if I put it down as a resolution enough times it has to stick eventually...right?
3. Document, Document, Document. My dream is to document Jackson's first year the way I've documented my pregnancy. The only problem is sometimes I've fallen behind and posted things late on here. While I know that shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things, my goal is to post updates on his life as they happen instead of weeks later. 
4. Be more productive. I've used this pregnancy to my advantage when it came to things that I didn't want to do. While I am sure I am not the only person who's done it, I still want to get off my bum these last few weeks and get stuff done!
5. Lay off the soda. I liked how Jessica @ LittleBabyGarvin ended her list with slowing down on a food item and figured my first resolution might benefit if I did the same. :)

Happy New Year Everyone!!

why christmas was meant to be in the winter...

Well Christmas is only a few days away so I thought I would post about what makes this time of year so much fun. I am not talking about spending time with family and friends. I am not even talking about decorating my house. Those are all givens to me. What I am talking about is all of those little things that just make the day a little more fun...more merry.

Philosophy Candy Cane Body Scrub- This is without a doubt the only reason why I shower in the morning instead of at night. The smell of this wakes me right up. Plus it makes my skin all nice and smooth for the day. Who can beat that?
Festive Holiday Socks- The hubs thinks I am crazy for the amount of Christmas socks I own, but I think I am just being festive. They are beyond cute and keep my always chilly feet warm.
Starbucks- Oh how I love thee. This time of the year has to be my favorite because it's when Starbucks brings back all of their fun holiday drinks. Man do I miss those throughout the year!
Hunter Rain Boots- It doesn't snow where I live, but it sure does rain. These things keep my feet dry and are so cute on. I honestly don't know what I did before I owned a pair of these puppies.
Deborah Lippmann Red & White Sparkle Nail Polish- Best glitter nail polish around. It's festive and the sparkles are so gorgeous. Love, love, love.
BBW Marshmallow Fireside Candle- Love this smell. 95% of the time this candle is burning in my house. I love to scent layer too so this scent works perfectly. It goes with just about anything else I would want to burn and is that perfect combo of sweet and Christmas-y.

What small, everyday things remind you of Christmas?

my little christmas corner

I am linking up again to the Christmas Cheer Party. This is the first year we have had an official dining room so I was very excited to decorate it. I went with a classic Christmas look. A little country, a little sparkle and a lot of red & green!

 The view from the living room.

 A closer view of the table. The red & green runner is accented by reindeer candle holders, snowflake candle holders and a sparkly pinecone & ornament centerpiece.

 A side view of my hutch. Last year I had my village squished on the entry table, but this year I was able to spread it out a little. The top of the hutch is the new home to one of my village scenes. Above it are litlte ladders with berries running through red & white stars. To the left is the wine fridge, which holds some of the best wines we have...perfect to bring out for Christmas family dinners. To the left is the childhood Christmas tree that can be seen here.

The front of our hutch has my wine cork wreaths that I saw on Pinterest and just had to recreate. They turned our so well and are the perfect touch to the hutch. Some of our popular wines are shown in the center and of course you can't celebrate the holidays without some l-o-v-e. :) 

On top of the wine fridge I have our Christmas wine charm tree, a wine that was signed for me by Fess Parker is in my adorable snowman wine holder and the singed glass, with a mini Christmas wreath around the bottom is in the back. This area of our dining room makes me wish I could only enjoy a glass, or two, this year.

Hope you enjoyed the little peak into my Christmas dining room!

Who says you can only have 1 tree??

Normally we have a huge tree in the family room. This year, however, I am moving a little slower than normal, so I decided to give the hubs a break. Since we already had an abundance of fake smaller trees (have I mentioned I am a Christmas fanatic??) I just decided to put those up this year. According to the hubs Christmas came early this year because I didn't make him pull everything down and haul in a 10ft tree. Note to self... a 5ft tree and two 3 1/2 ft trees somehow translates to an early Christmas. :)

Below are a few pictures from each tree. You will notice that each tree come equipt with it's own theme. So cute!!

Tree One

These ornaments are ones from our childhood & ones that we've collected over the last 5 Christmases. :)

 My mom bought this for me one year in Vegas. It combined two of my favorite things in life. <3 Heels and snowmen. <3

 SF Giants baby!

Just because the hubs loves them... Sacramento Kings.

 This ornament was for my grandpa. He passed away when I was 6 (if my baby brain memory serves me correctly...). I was born on his birthday so even though I barely remember him, I still keep his memory going.

 The only ornament the hubs had from his childhood.  His dad isn't sure what happened to the rest. :( I hate it, but it will adorn our tree every year just because.

Tree Two

 Here is my third love in life...vintage Barbies. From about 12 years old on I started collecting vintage Barbies. I have the first barbie ever made, along with about a 1/2 dozen others, the original Ken doll and numerous outfits. I have so many ornaments that I couldn't even put them all on the tree. The hubs doesn't care if I put this tree up (anymore) as long as I keep it on the small tree and keep it tucked away. This tree sits on the side table that lines the wall going to our bedroom. Oh how I love this tree!

 I threw in some "country" snowmen for good measure. They go well with Barbie...don't you think?

Tree Three

 This would normall be where out big tree goes (the speaker and blanket basket would get moved obviously). It is a traditional red & silver tree with vintage/antiqued wrapping paper. The tree skirt is the tree skirt that my family used growing up and actually matches my stocking.

 Here are two doves and a snowflake.

 One of my favorite ornaments (on this tree) would have to be the red/zebra print ball. I think it gives the tree a little "somethin' somethin'."

 In my family the animals exchange gifts. This year I decided to buy cat/dog Christmas wrapping paper. You know you're jealous because it is just so stinking cute! :)

This was the hubs stocking at his grandma's house. When she passed away this year we took it and now it sits under the tree with a Santa boot that a family friend made for my mom years ago.

So there you have it. You have now taken a small tour of the trees that decorate our house. Could you believe this was me scaling back?

Oh how I love Christmas!!

our 2012 christmas mantel

Every year I change up our mantel just a little. Mostly because I am a perfectionist and I am never happy with how it turns out. Now that we have a little one on the way I have put a lot of pressure on myself to get it right. The hubs thinks I am crazy. I can't really disagree with him though because it took me 3 years to find the perfect stocking holder...did I mention I still need his and will need one for Jackson next year??

The last few years I have been snowman obsessed. I come by it naturally though since my mom is also snowman obsessed. For years that is all that adorned our house. The hubs joked that it looked like Frosty threw up all over and that's not very "Christmas-y" to him. Since I am such a wonderful wife great listener, I've decided to take his advice and ease up a little on the frosted accessories. After all, I don't want my home looking like someone threw up in it...even if it was only Frosty the Snowman. :)

So this year I decided to mix it up a little. I took a little of what I loved on Pinterest and a little of "me" and added it together. This is what I came up with.

Don't mind the episode of Prison Break on in the background. I love that show and watch it all the time. :)

What do you think?  Did I get it right or are there still too many snowmen?

Happy Halloween From The Powells!

Just wanted to stop by and wish you all a Happy Halloween!!

The hubs and I were Mario & Louisa this year for Halloween. We both are sicker than dogs, but that won't stop us from enjoying the holiday! Luckily Target had a blue maternity skirt that matched perfectly because even with purchasing the costume 2 sizes larger it still didn't fit. It was hilarious! It literally just covered my who-ha... so there was no way I was walking out of the house in it! Gotta love it.

A Relaxing Start to 2012!

Michael and I spent New Year’s weekend in Calistoga thanks to the gift that my work got us for the wedding. We spent 2 nights in a bed and breakfast in the heart of their downtown. It was so much fun and I realized how much I love bed and breakfasts. Michael, however, was another story. He kept saying he missed having a tv in the room and hated missing football Sunday morning. Lol. He did really like the location, and appreciated the weekend away. It was the first vacation we’ve been on that he came home relaxed and not needing a vacation from his vacation. I told him it was the lack of a tv and the homey feel of the B&B. ;-)

So dinner on NYE was so yummy. I had lobster and Michael had a filet mignon. It was definitely a “treat” meal…and we savored every minute of it.

We ended up going on the Wine Train for the NYE Party and had a blast. We met some fun people and some very drunk people! We were able to count down to the New Year in style and it was one for the books.

Sunday morning I woke up and went into the spa for my mineral bath/foot massage. If only every weekend could be so nice!

It was a great way to start of 2012 and I hope that this year continues to be stress/drama free, full of good food/wine and the surrounded by the best company in the world!

Top 11 in '11

So I was bad about posting while on vacation. I was enjoying Christmas and New Years with friends and family. I also managed to break my phone, so I was out of contact with the “real world” for a bit, but now I’m back!

In honor of missing a 10 Loves Friday, and it now being 2012, I’ve decided to do Top 11 of ’11. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were things about 2011 that I loved. For the most part though, I’m glad it’s over. I am looking forward to 2012 and all that it has to offer!

11.  Finding a stable, fun job that I love.

10.  Meeting all of the photographers, models & brides through my makeup business. Oh yeah…and I’ve been published TWICE now! :)

9.      Deciding to go back to school.

8.      Getting to travel as much as I did. It felt like I was constantly on a plane sometimes & I loved it!

7.      Starting this blog. It’s nice to be able to look back, even if it’s only been a few short months.

6.      Getting rid of the truck and getting a more gas efficient car.

5.      Getting more organized & staying organized.

4.      Meeting new friends & maintaining the friendships that were important to me.

3.      Planning for the future. This was a biggie for Michael and I & so far it is working out nicely.

2.      Spending a lot of time with family. Even though we are spread out now, it seemed like I was constantly surrounded by family. It truly was a blessing.

1.      Getting Married! (twice)

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to stop by really fast to wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Love,
Michael, Amanda
Chico, Scrappy Rocky & Jagger

Weekend Recap

So this weekend was a good one. It is the first one in a while that I have been able to get things done and felt somewhat refreshed come Monday morning. Friday night I worked on Thank You cards…and thankfully I am almost done with them! Our Christmas cards finally came in, so that will be my next project to tackle…

Saturday morning Michael and I got up early and ran errands for Friendsgiving. We picked up the turkey, all of the yummy sides and then came home and I got to work on cooking. Because I had been sick most of last week I decided to cheat and we ordered a HoneyBaked turkey. All would have been good if they hadn’t lost our order and then given me the wrong directions. After cooking it one hour past what they said to cook if for it was still frozen! Thankfully there were enough sides and part of the turkey was cooked that we all left full. At the end of the night everyone got a good laugh out of it…but it will be the last time I cheat with a store bought turkey again.

Here's a picture of us after my hubby figured out he likes my Sangria... :)

After we were done eating we gathered around our fold out tables and played some poker. Oh how do we love our poker!!

Sunday morning came around and I finally got to sleep in! It was only until 8:30…but I will take what I can get these days. Lol. Then my sister, Nick, Michael and I packed up and headed out to finish my dad’s Christmas present. It turned out really well and I can’t wait for him to see it!

If only all of our weekends were as nice as this one!

30 Days of Thankful...

Well it is a few days into November and I keep seeing people post one thing a day that they are thankful for. Since I won’t be on here every day I figured I would post 30 things that I am thankful for in today’s blog instead of my 10 favorites… It was actually really hard only listing 30 because there are about 100 more that I could put down. I hope you all enjoy. J

The special people in my life…

<3 My hubby 

ho

<3  My family

<3 Our animals

<3  My incredible friends

*Just to show a few. :)

<3  My guardian angels

<3  The people who read this blog

The random things in my life…
<3  Our home

<3  My job

<3  My health

<3  Our lifestyle

<3  My faith

<3  My values

<3  Being an American

<3  Holidays

<3  The changing of the seasons

<3  Italian food- yuuuuum

<3  Fireplaces and a good book

<3  SPCA and other animal rescues

<3  Country music

<3  Random weekend trips

<3  New Years- allowing myself to start fresh

What I’ve been able to do and accomplish…

<3  The ability to go back to school for another degree

<3  Traveling to foreign countries

<3  Planning a destination wedding that went off without a hitch

Things I like about me…

<3  Being a nice and caring person

<3  Being a decent writer

<3  The ability to forgive those who have wronged me

<3  Knowing when to walk away from things

<3  Being ambitious

<3  Never settling when I know I can do better