WIWW...37

Hello all! I won't write much today but I do want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to enjoy a nice meal and some family and or friend time. And if you are working tomorrow...especially in retail... I want to say Thank You! I don't agree with the fact Black Friday is beginning on Thursday and any non-essential profession would need to work. But it is what it is. We make do but I hope you are treated with the upmost respect during all the hustle and bustle!

Now back to the clothes...

Top-ATL

Pants- Ann Taylor 

Boots- Nordstrom Rack

Scarf- gift

Ann Taylor Loft

Ann Taylor Loft

Thank you all! Enjoy the holiday!

Wilson Creek Winery

Life has been so busy. We haven't had much time for adventures. I tend to get a little antsy when I don't get out and explore as much as I like. Luckily for me, a friend asked me to join her at a local winery for a trunk show. I didn't hesitate to say yes.

Now that we've moved from the Camp Pendleton military base, we are near the heart of wine country. Not quite Napa Valley status but we are getting there. Wineries are the place to be... girls' day, entertaining visitors, or local lunch dates. The setting really can't be beat.

The thing is I've kind of gotten stuck on South Coast Winery. Not sure if you remember my post about South Coast. Or our recent blogger meetup there. We even took my family during their recent visit.  South Coast Winery is about as pictureque as can be. However, there are quite a few wineries in town to be discovered. I just needed a little nudge to branch out.

Wilson Creek Winery is just a couple steps down the road from South Coast. Not as big or renowned as South Coast Winery but equally appealing. Wilson Creek is known locally for their Almond Champagne and sparkling wines. Prior to our visit, I was a fan of the almond champagne which I had tried at a birthday party. I sampled the Peach Bellini sparkling wine during the trunk show and loved it!

 There is a lot of discussion around these parts about which winery is best. South Coast is a favorite because it has pretty great wine across the board. White, Red, Sweet, Sparkling. You can't go wrong. But Wilson Creek takes a close second because of the property. It is pretty amazing out there as you can see!

The set up inside the tasting room gets a lot of good reviews. Apparently, there are a number of tasting bars which helps with crowd control. Super important on the weekend.

Another plus for Wilson Creek Winery is this amazing local military tribute wall. Marine Corps and Navy are heavily represented due to the area. San Diego is heavily concentrated with both branches and bases. Wine talk aside... how cool are all these pictures and plaques? I love to see the support for our military from our local businesses!

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Cara Box Exchange {November}

November brought another delivery of a Cara Box.  For the past few months, I had been paired with Merry from Each Little Bird That Sings and Rabia from The Lieber Family. I sent to Merry and Rabia sent to me. We had another successful exchange! I can not say enough about the Cara Box exchange. It is the one blogger/non-blogger "gift" exchange I stand behind consistently! My favorite part is having a pen pal and establishing friendships with others around the country. Rarely have I had a bad experience and even those were not so terrible. Stop by Wifessionals to learn more about the Cara Box Exchange.

Cara Box delivery day creates a lot of excitement around this house! The kids can't wait to see what is inside.

Beautifully wrapped individual gifts. Way better presentation than my Cara Boxes come!

All the goodies. You can see the all the wonderful things I made use of right away! 

Notebook and cute pens for work.

Candle and banner for the house. 

And chocolates and nail polish for me!

The Cara Box is always a nice way to end each exchange. 

Not only do you receive all these wonderful things but they are personalized based on months of email exchanges. Thank you Rabia for a beautiful gift. Thank you Merry for a such inspiration!

  

Thanks and Giving Project Recap

This week a group of bloggers joined together to complete a week of assigned Thanksgiving tasks. Today we come together to share those experiences. Please link up your post below!

Monday we Treated a Stranger. Random acts of kindness. There was no set way to carry out this task. I decided to buy a gift card and give to someone in need. However, I never did "find" that person to gift it to. I will be sure to be on the look out through this week.

Tuesday was Handwritten Note Day. I wrote my grandmother a note. I also wrote a quick thank you to my mail man. An random act of kindness idea I got from Pinterest. I will never know how that note was received but my hope is a simple 'thank you' went a long way!  My youngest wrote his own letter too. Such a sweet heart!

Wednesday we Treated A Neighbor, friend, or co-worker. I had big plans for delivering baked goodies on the doorstep of a neighbor's house early in the morning. Didn't happen! I went with Plan B: Treat a co-worker. When I stopped for my morning coffee, I picked up two packages of chocolates. A small gift. I placed each on their desks and went on with my day. Sometimes, it's the simple gestures. The ones you don't realize will matter. My favorite part of this whole week was the responses! This week has reminded me the importance of acknowledging others.

Thursday the task was to Leave Messages of Kindness. I lacked creativity and carried out this task via Facebook. This day I switched from being a Liker to a commenter. I tend to overuse the thumbs up sign. I don't usually comment. Facebook is how I stay up to date with all my faraway friends. My thumbs up is like a check in. However, I think comments are so much more fun to receive. When you verbalize what you "Like" it becomes more personalized. I guess in my hurry or laziness, I just skip the comments. Thursday I made a point to let others know those thoughts I don't share. My little way to change the focus from me to others.

Friday ended the week with Treating Our Family. My plan was a special dinner and board games. Family Night! On a whim, we decided to ditch school and play tourist. The decision was a little easier to make because of our out-of-state visitors (Gma & Gpa). We went to LA to explore Griffith Observatory (a favorite) and Hollywood.

Five days of gratitude and giving. I loved it! It's so nice to make a point to change the focus. I feel refreshed. Ready to turn back to thinking of the holidays. Shopping. Decorating. Fighting crowds. I can barely contain my excitement!

Thank you for those who joined. I hope you will create a recap and link up with us below!

Thanks and Giving Project {Day 5 Treat Your Family}

Five days. Five days we have been spreading words of gratitude and giving to others. How did it go? Do you feel like you contributed something to the world? Did you falter a bit and not complete the whole week. That's ok! But you won't want to miss today's task.

I couldn't think of a better way to end this project and this week than spoiling my family. Today we treat our families. We act nice. We say nice. We do nice.

Yep, sometimes I need to be reminded. I need to stop and just let be. I need to smile and give the gift of whatever without holding it over anyone's head.

Tonight I get to spoil many. My normal family of 5 has multiplied to 9. My parents, sister, and her boyfriend are in town.  I haven't quite figured out how to spoil them but we will figure something out!

It's been a great week. I thank you all for joining me! I can't wait to see all your recaps! It's always fun to see how everyone completed their tasks and what reactions they received.

Thank you all for joining our group and the Thanks and Giving Project!

Here are the tasks we completed this week:

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family.

Enjoy your Friday all!

Thanks And Giving Project {Day 4 Leave Messages of Kindness}

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezey! Today's Thanks and Giving Project task is to leave messages of kindness. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, voicemail. A note tucked away in a lunch box or wallet. Spoken words of gratitude as you leave... wherever you've been!

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family

Today we will be kind. And observe. All the funny looks, reactions, and the kind words sent right back our way!

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Thanks and Giving Project {Day 3 Treat A Neighbor}

Half way through the Thanks and Giving Project! Are you picking up steam? I hope you are finding joy in this project!

Neighbor is a relative term here. Today we define neighbor as someone you encounter daily. Your co-worker, a fellow parent, or maybe just your neighbor. No BFF necklaces needed. Or BFF iphone cases which is probably more relevant these days. Today we treat someone we might encounter often but don't necessarily know all that well. Today is an 'I see you' gesture. The simple act you mean to do more often but just can't find the time to initiate. 

Maybe you will bring cookies or coffee. Maybe you will pick up the newspapers piling on their driveway or drag the trash bin up to the house. Maybe you will replenish the office candy dish or bring a package of much needed office supplies. The ones you tend to deplete. There are a million things you can do. I can't wait to see what you have decided in Saturday's recap!

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family

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Thanks and Giving Project {Day 2 Send Handwritten Notes}

I don't know how much time you need to scrounge up a stamp but in this house we are gonna start early! I know I have stamps. I just don't know where those things are!

Today we are sending out handwritten letters. Throwing it way back to the days of ink and paper.

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family

After we gripe a little and get to writing... think how good it feels to put those words on paper. The anticipation of the letter arriving all cozy in those mailboxes. Oh I can't wait!

Who receives my letters today? It's a hard decision. Partly because so many deserve a handwritten note. Partly because I don't have time to write many.

I know my grammy will get a letter. My grandma used to be so good at writing letters. A surprise note found in a mailbox. My mailbox. A distant relative's mailbox. A friend of a friend. My grandma always wrote letters. Things have slowly changed and letters don't come so freely anymore. I suppose it isn't so easy for her to do these days. It's my turn to write the letters.

My second note will go to a former colleague. Boy do I miss her! In my years of employment, I find it rare to come across someone who is incredibly joy-filled. Someone who loves life. Loves their job. Loves people. Let's make a pact... when in life we come across these people... let's hold them tight. Let them know how refreshing they are! And when they move on... or you move on... let them know when you miss them.

I am committing to two letters today. I suppose there could be more on a whim. But two is a good start.

Who gets your handwritten notes today? Remember to take a picture! I can't wait to see all you have done this week for our Thanks and Giving Project!

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Thanks and Giving Project {Day 1 Treat A Stranger}

Today is the day. The start of this little thing we've put together called the Thanks and Giving Project.

This week before Thanksgiving, we want to encourage you to set aside time to complete each daily task. A task to spread some gratitude or share a gift. Today you will give to someone you don't know. Tomorrow someone you do know. And on it goes until we get to Friday when we end our week spoiling our families! Oh what fun that will be!

We signed up all last week HERE. Not a requirement. Just a great starting point for who to follow along and support this week as we delve into this project together. 

Here is the list of this week's Thanks and Giving Project, if you forgot.

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family.

Today we treat a stranger. What have you decided to do? Buy a coffee for the person behind you in line? Leave flowers on a car? A box of chocolates on the counter? Perhaps you will hand off a gift card to the homeless person hanging around at that certain corner.  

There is no right way to do this task. Today is a random act of kindness. Let your heart lead you.

My guess is today will make you squirm. It will make you uncomfortable.  You might even think... I'll just skip today and do double tomorrow. I hope you push yourself. I hope you decide Today is the day I am going to show someone there is good in this world.

I hope. 

As you do your tasks this week, please take pictures. I would love us all to come together on Saturday and recap our week of the Thanks and Giving Project. I would love to see what you have all done and how you carried out each task. I want to know how you felt and how you involved your families. I really do! So as you start your week and this project... remember to take pictures. Link those pictures up on Instagram or Twitter. We will be hashtagging photos #thanksandgiving. Can't wait to see the good you're spreading!

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Marine Corps Ball 2013

Of all the events we attend which are military related, the Marine Corps Ball is my favorite. The ball is a formal event held to celebrate the Marine Corps birthday on November 10. This year the Marine Corps celebrated 238 years. Now that is some history!

I love getting dressed up, eating a nice dinner, and dragging my Marine out on the dance floor. I love seeing everyone all dressed up, Marines and guests alike. And I love sharing this night with our Marine Corps family. It's always a night to let loose and have fun!

I think it is pretty standard that military units/squadrons/commands have a mascot. Can you guess what ours is? And can you guess what wildly popular song has become the theme song?

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I also wanted to extend a personal invite for you to join me and my bloggy friends for a special Thanksgiving Project we are hosting. The Thanks & Giving Project officially starts next week (Nov.18-23).

Check out the details HERE!

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WIWW...36

It's so nice when Monday is a holiday. Wednesday doesn't seem so bad! Nor Friday so far away! Here are my most recent What I Wore Wednesday outfits.

Dress- Mossimo

Blazer- Express

Top- Cynthia Rowley

Jeans- Banana Republic

Shoes- Merona

Blazer- ATL

Pants- Ann Taylor

Shoes- Calvin Klein

Dress- ML Monique Llhuillier 

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I also wanted to extend a personal invite for you to join me and my bloggy friends for a special Thanksgiving Project we are hosting. The Thanks & Giving Project officially starts next week (Nov.18-23).
Check out the details HERE!

Thanks And Giving Project

The Thanks and Giving Project. A week devoted to gratitude and giving. Inspired by this project.

Won’t you join us? Our group of SoCal military spouses, who just happen to be bloggers, are joining forces. Making a difference together. We want to stop and slow this month down.

Do you ever feel the same?

It’s almost Thanksgiving. Hanukkah. Kwanzaa. Christmas. The new year. Life is about to get busy. Real busy.

What if we took a whole week… well, almost a whole week… five days before Thanksgiving to give thanks and just plain, give.

Here is what we have cooked up:

Starting Monday, November 18 we will post a new Thanks and Giving task daily. A simple task. An Act of Kindness. The goal is to keep focused and complete each daily task. But if you can’t. It’s okay. I promise there are no blog police.

The Thanks and Giving Project isn’t about adding more stress to an already busy week. This project is about committing to good. Bringing joy to others. Expressing gratitude. Giving.

Let go of the countdowns and lists. Stop thinking about things and focus on people. Say ‘Thank You’. Say ‘Your Welcome’. Oh, and don’t forget to enlist the help of your kids!  They are gonna love this! And so are you!

Are you in? If yes, then link up your blog below. Join us on Instagram and Twitter with #thanksandgiving as you complete your tasks.

Here are your Thanks and Giving Week tasks:

Day 1 (Nov.18):  Treat a stranger.

Day 2 (Nov.19): Send Handwritten notes.

Day 3 (Nov. 20): Treat A Neighbor.

Day 4 (Nov. 21): Leave messages of kindness.

Day 5 (Nov. 22): Treat Your Family.