Christmas in July...

...well, August.

I don't know what it is, but I've been thinking a lot about Christmas lately!! I find myself getting excited at the thought of cooler weather, crispness of the air, decorating the house, seeing family, giving gifts - I haven't LOVED our Christmas decorations since we moved in our house 3 years ago, so in my free time I have begun scouring the internet for decorating ideas! Here are a few things that caught my eye:










This week has been an especially busy one for the Bakers as we prepared for Supper Club this weekend! We are serving up a true old fashioned summer BBQ equipped with all the 'fixins: BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches, ribs, potato salad, slaw, baked beans, pickles, & banana pudding for dessert! I hope our guests bring an appetite because they sure won't leave hungry :) The biggest project we did this week was painting our patio furniture! We were able to get a great deal on a 5 piece Hampton Beach patio set at the of last summer. I was happy with what we got, but I always thought everything looked kind of drab out there - everything was in the same color family. This week we painted all 5 pieces black & it has made a HUGE difference - I am so happy with the results! I do not have a "before" picture, but here is a shot of it now (sorry for the bad quality, it's from my phone):



This time next week we will be getting ready to head to Rosemary Beach with my parents for a few days! We are so excited about this trip as I have not been able to take a vacation with my parents since high school! Dad found a great place for us to stay - it's much larger than the 4 of us need, but the owners' parents live in Social Circle where my parents live, so we were able to get a great deal! JD & I will only be there for a 4-day weekend, but Mom & Dad are going to stay the rest of the week; actually, my Dad's siblings & spouses are going to join them after we leave - what a great opportunity for the family to get together at such a relaxing venue! Here is the place we're staying:

Well, I think that is about it for now - before I go I want to say a few words... earlier this week, JD's sister Katie had to say goodbye to her kitty, Ginger. Ginger had been a part of Katie's life for over 14 years. She followed her from her high school home down in Mobile, to Tuscaloosa for college, to Birmingham, to Auburn, & back to Birmingham. They had shared a lot of special moments together. It is never easy to say goodbye to a pet, especially when you have the kind of connection that Katie & Ginger had. We will all miss her.

Until next time...

peace & love.