the old & lots of new

i LOVE traditions. & this year we are having to change & create a few of our own.

this is mine & M's first christmas together as husband & wife {i'll never get tired of saying that}. we had a long debate about what we wanted to do for christmas morning. do we want to spend it together with our girls in our little woodsy home. spend it at his folks house. or my parent's place.

at first the decision was easy. let's spend it at home, just us two & the pups. but then i realized i wasn't excited about christmas morning. the thought of spending it without more family or gifts under the tree made us rethink our decision.

fortunately we live close enough to both of our parents. i know many families aren't able to visit all of their families & loved one around the holidays. though we might complain about having to drive so much, we know how fortunate we are. that being said, we settled with spending christmas morning at my parents. i have two twelve year old sisters who still like waking everyone up at the crack of dawn. after a few cups of coffee & a shower, we will hop in the car & head over to the brotherton's for christmas number two.

M & i didn't buy each other much. we agreed we would just stuff each other's stockings. i'm all about trying to keep things exciting & different. i'd loved to know what all you do around christmas time to make it fun but on a budget. so please share!

merry christmas eve!

pictures are from our hike the other day in northern georgia. the weather was perfect. we had lunch midway through the hike. the girls had a blast exploring & playing. it was so nice.

lately {6}

lately it's been a whirlwind. i don't mind the hustle & bustle. the daily chaos. running around with my head cut off. cause christmas is right around the corner! tomorrow M & i are off of work for two weeks. two weeks we will get to spend days together without interruptions. whole days that we get to spend every minute with each other. these next two weeks are much needed. i've missed him so.

pictures from my phone

 

maggie our diva//our thrifted cookie jar//our date night in//her & that ball//she loves car rides//new favorite accessory//santa gorde//morning cup of green tea//seeing the hobbit//gifts are all wrapped//hugging my babies//like i said, they love car rides//little walk//pink rose//i spy kodi//farm animals//new fur vest yippee//feather christmas trees//the warmth of christmas...//group silly pictures//me & the sister-in-law//chessin//out on the water//drinking soaping bath water//ms. trouble//ornament reflection// 

what have you been up to lately?

silence & support

monday guest post: meet teressa

i'm really excited to share with you my first guest to post on this blog. teressa is the inspiring blogger behind newborn mama. she has so much love for her family of four {including bruce the dog}. not only does teressa love her family but she's clear about her love & passion for Christ. it's evident in her writing that faith is the foundation of her life & her marriage.

check her out. i hope you feel as inspired & touched as i do.

The Brotherton readers...

Meet the Mackeys! 

 I'm Teressa, and I blog over at Newborn Mama and my husband blogs at The Good Rev Mack.  

We are newlyweds! {even though we have a baby} 

Just 5 months after we were married we found out we were expecting! 

After shock, excitement, and the craze wore off we were ready for the arrival of our sweet baby boy. 

We then decided it was best for us to leave our current jobs and my husband to begin working for a church in the city, where he could also pursue a master of divinity.

Only one month after the birth of our son, we were moving away to a new house, job, and city.

 

To say the least my life has been "newborn".

Hence the name of my blog... plus I have a Newborn baby, just under 7 months old now. 

I currently get to blog and stay at home with baby H.

I'm also a Jesus lover, 'new' coffee lover, a runner, baker,Pinterest fanatic (but who isn't), ex-younglifer, deal seeker/thrifter, hot shower taker, and a DOG MAMA.

Meet our Goldendoodle BRUCE 

I started blogging to allow friends & family to have an update on our life, as well as seek out a community of other women.  When moving to a new city it isn't always easy to meet people just like you.  Finding friends in the blog community has been instantaneous and I am incredibly thankful for that! 

I would love to meet you and learn more about you and your life, come say Hello!   

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friday letters {4}

dear M, i think we are getting too old to go to midnight movie premiers. i know you have to be zonked. only getting 4 hours of sleep can't be good when you're teaching teenyboppers. good luck babe.
dear hair, as i'm typing this post i'm also browsing for a cute hair cut. i'm thinking tomorrow will be the big day. we might have a ceremonial good-bye & one last decent hair washing before you get chopped.
dear green tea, it's been wonderful getting reacquainted with you this past week. didn't realize how much i missed you. also didn't realize how much i needed you. who knew you'd be able to stop all my cravings while at the same time providing me with a boost a caffeine. thanks friend.
dear weekend, you will be one for the books. early christmas with some family tomorrow. early christmas with more family sunday. i can't help but imagine what great food there will be. the holidays know how to please a girl.