Lately...

No better time than the almost-end of January to post my first blog of 2015!

Sorry for the hiatus, friends. If you weren't able to tell from my previous post, things were certainly not well for me at the end of 2014. However, I've put my big girl boots back on and am ready to move on from the experience. I hope one day I'll be ready to share what happened but that day is not today and that's okay. I'm movin' on, movin' up, pushing forward.

Our good friends Josiah and Kendal got married on New Year's Eve and their wedding was so much fun! Here are a few photos to recap:

Look at my handsome groomsman of a hub.

I also got to see my beautiful cousin Marisa during our Christmas-On-New-Years-Day extravaganza at my mamaw's house! It has been a few years since I've seen her. She just moved up north from Texas so it was great to see her and spend time with her. We were total bffs as kids. :)

Girly cousins

After all of the craziness of the holidays finally passed, it was refreshing to move on and get back into the swing of things. Last weekend, we celebrated my mama's birthday by taking her out to Smokey Bones for dinner, followed by some delicious cake. Other than that, Matt and I have just been working and hibernating this January, trying to get through winter and on to spring, which I'm already totally excited about. Lots of yard work and home improvement will be coming our way!

One of my goals for 2015 is to blog more often, so stay tuned for some more life, home, craft, etc. updates and such!

Goodbye, 2014

Lately, I've been reflecting a lot on the negative in my life, and trying so fiercely to combat that by focusing on the good, on the things I'm most thankful for. Let me tell you; it's no easy task trying to keep a positive mind when all you feel is negative, but I can at least say I've been trying.

This last month of 2014 has been a whirlwind of emotions, from contentment, to shock, to excitement, to bliss, to sadness, to disappointment, to anger, to hopefulness. I can honestly say I've experienced each of these emotions in just a matter of two short weeks, and then some. I'm not sure what 2015 will bring, but I know things have to be looking up from here, from this harsh ending to 2014, and I'm ready to leave it all behind and go forth.

Despite everything that's happened this month, this Christmas just didn't feel like Christmas. Matt and I spent Christmas eve at my parent's house with my brother and his wife, and we had a blast playing Uno and snacking on our favorite finger foods. It was a lot of fun, but different from the usual norm of going to Mamaw's house. We woke up Christmas day and ate breakfast before heading over to Matt's mom and dad's house for his side of the family's Christmas. We played Cards Against Humanity and let me tell you, laughter is certainly the best medicine. I can't think of a better group of people to play that with!

I guess this year just didn't really feel like Christmas to me, probably because we haven't even celebrated with my side of the family yet. Matt and I are going to the wedding of our dear friend, Jo, on New Year's Eve. Then, we'll be having our Christmas on New Year's Day and then going to Mamaw's on Friday night to celebrate. Maybe I'll be in  more of the Christmas mood this weekend after having spent some time with family. I already took down all my Christmas decorations besides my tree, of course. Who the heck am I?? I never do that. I'm always sad to take it all down! But this year I'm just over it all. I want to move on from this Christmas and not think about it for a while. I sure hope 2015 brings more joy than 2014 did.

So, now that I'm done being a negative Nancy, I truly hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and an even better upcoming New Year. :)

Christmas Cards 2015

Before the holiday season completely engulfs me and I end up with zero time for blogging, today I thought I'd share this year's Kley family Christmas cards!

Of course, these were crafted and created by the one and only Kenzie Phillips of Ivory House Creative. Who other than my lovely sis-in-law would I entrust with my freakin' Christmas cards?? ;) Seriously, GO check her out! She is an incredibly talented designer with so much to offer.

Photo courtesy of Ivory House Creative. :)

Now, not only did I get some fabulous custom Christmas cards, but I also got these amazing envelopes with liners to put the finishing touch on my cards. Yep, Kenzie does those, too! And, as another plus, my cards were double-sided this year to add to all the Christmas amazingness.

Front! Look at my girl.

And back!

Our photographs this year were taken by the fabulous Jessica Strong of Jessica Strong Photography at the Charleston Falls Reserve close to home. I LOVE how they turned out and was surprised she was able to even get a good shot with Bella acting like a wild child!

I love my little family, and am feeling more grateful than ever for them in my life (yep, including my dog baby).

<3

Thanksgiving 2014

Hey there, friends. :)

So I don't have any photos to show this year's Thanksgiving, but it was a nice time with family for sure. Matt had to work Thanksgiving so that was a huge bummer. :/ I hate waking up alone on holidays. Just doesn't seem right. It was nice having 5 straight days off of work, though!

I got up and headed over to Matt's parents house to drop off my broccoli casserole and deviled eggs for them to gobble up for their meal. Then, I shot over to Mamaw's for an hour or so just to visit since I hadn't seen her in a while! Finally, I got over to mom and dad's and enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal with the family. Turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, broccoli casserole, corn casserole, oh man...it was so delish.

My final stop for the day was back to Matt's mom and dad's house where I waited for Mattycakes to get off work (about 7:30). Ugh, nurse life. We had some more food (ugh) and of course dessert and just hung around in a food coma. Overall, it was a nice day. Wish the hub could have been there.

On Black Friday, I did a little shopping with Matt and my two sisses-in-law, then went to the Hara Arena Gift/Craft Show where I got a cute little ornament and a welcome lantern for my front porch. Love! The rest of the weekend, we just hung around and spent time with family.

Cute craft show find!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving! Let Christmas time begin! :)

New Toys

Happy November, friends!

It's hard to believe that in just 48 days (or whatever) Christmas will be here, which is obviously the best holiday ever. In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, and because I just had another birthday, Mattycakes and I made a recent purchase that has got me GIDDY.

It's a Nikon D3200 Camera and it is my new baby!

Let me tell you, I've thought for a long time about buying a camera, but honestly, forking over the chunk of change for a nice one always turned me off. But, it took a bit of research for a couple of weeks and waiting for the right time to nail one down. I'm happy to say I've found this nice bundle deal from Best Buy that included the camera body, two lenses (an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm), camera bag, and a bunch of little accessories. Perfect for a beginner like myself.

Yep, that's me in my crochet Hooded Cowl.

Get ready, family. I'm coming at ya (with my camera) especially around the holidays!! Yep, sure am. In fact, that's pretty much why I bought it. I don't intend to go pro or anything. Just wanted something to capture memories and help out my blog!

Next to-do on my list is to make a camera strap cover like this one (after learning my sewing machine, of course :/). Or, there are a few good ones I could order from Amazon. Can you tell I'm excited?

P.S. - Bella loves the new camera, too.

Happy Happy Day :)

Happy Valentine's Day, love birds!

Regardless of the cold weather we've been having, I can't help but be chipper today. These lovey-dovey days make me more grateful than ever for my life with Matt, and how wonderful he is. This morning before work, we surprised each other with cards. I made him his favorite cake (with my dorky design) and gave him some chocolatey sweets. Tonight we're having dinner at Thai 9 and I can't wait!

I also just realized I didn't even blog about last weekend's trip to Gatlinburg! It was a Kleypack old-fashioned family weekend. ;) All ten of us hopped in a huge 15-passenger van and drove down to Gatlinburg where we met up with Jen and the boys for a weekend getaway in the mountains. It was SO nice not to see any snow on the ground, and it was a decent 40 degrees there (sad, isn't it?). We enjoyed the time cooped up inside playing games and swimming in the indoor pool. Here's a few photos of the weekend:

Our porch overlooking the mountains!

Looking terrible but oh well.

It was a great weekend and a good time spent with family. So many memories made! Can't wait to do it again soon.

Hope everyone has a fantastic Valentine's Day! <3

Happy New Year!

I guess the 7th of January is the perfect day to finally write my first blog of 2014! :) I hope everyone had a great holiday season. For the first time in the history of ever, I was happy to see the end of the holidays and the beginning of a new year. What is wrong with me?

For New Year's eve, Matt and I headed over to his mom and dad's house for our annual NYE pajama party! As always, it was a fun-filled evening with drinks, finger foods, and a little dancing on the Kinect. Even my mom and dad came out for a bit. It was a good time with family! I can't believe I didn't take one single picture that night. I guess that's just part of my initiative to start living in the moment and stop worrying about documenting it so much.

Aside from the temperatures outside being in the negatives and our house being freezing, not much has been all that eventful so far in 2014. The past couple of nights I did some crafting. I worked on an old milk can that my father-in-law gave me! No paint or restoration needed! Bought a few things from Hobby Lobby to spruce it up a bit. I love the way it looks now! I also worked on a baby scarf and hat for my cousin Sophia (my cousin's daughter...so...my second cousin?)! Who knows. :) I'm pleased with the way they turned out!

The scarf kind of morphed out of a pattern I used a while ago. It's pretty simple actually. I used a baby pink yarn (purchased at Hobby Lobby) called "I Love This Yarn!" Chain 15-20 (this scarf is definitely based on your own judgment!), and then alternate single crochet, double crochet down the chain. Just be sure to end each row with a single crochet, even if that means doing two singles in a row. Chain one, then turn. Repeat alternating single crochet, then double crochet. You get a nice little puffy pattern. :) Continue on until you reach a desired length. I added a button for a little baby safety.

The hat I kind of cheated on....I used a loom! Which I love doing for baby hats. I made the pom pom by hand though. Just wrap some yarn around your hand or a fork, tie a knot around it, and then cut the loops. For more detailed instructions, check out the Pom Pom Flowers pattern on Ravelry. Just leave out the stem.

Big things coming up...stay tuned!

So Long, 2013

Today is the last day of 2013. Isn't that crazy? I've been thinking a lot lately about moments and memories, and how you can't ever get them back again. So right now, no matter how special you make today, you'll never live again in the year 2013. You'll never live this single day again. To me, that's kind of awing.

I am indifferent towards 2013. There were plenty of great and wonderful times, and others, not so much. I spent my last semester of college during the year 2013, and graduated in May. What an accomplishment. I feel proud of myself and I hope I made my family proud, too. A Bachelor's degree! The high-schooler in me is shocked and surprised that I'm already an adult living in the "real world."

Matt and I finally got to take our honeymoon in May, as well! Destin, Florida was where we went, but we stopped in Nashville along the way. Sure, we could have spent a few thousand dollars to fly out of the country and have a dreamy honeymoon, but that's not us. We wanted a beach. We wanted to relax. We wanted a nice place to stay. We wanted each other and no one else. So that's what we did, and we saved a few thousand dollars doing it. It was spectacular. :)

Along with a degree came time to say goodbye to a lot of things. For one, I left my job at the vet to start my new marketing job. I was a intern there for two and a half years, and leaving was such a hard thing to do. I'll never forget sobbing in the car all the way home that day! I'm such a baby. I loved the people I worked with and loved getting to take Miss Bell to work with me everyday. Working around animals is such a joy. I'm thankful, though, for the job that I have. I work with some great people and am lucky for the freedoms it has given me so far. I can't believe I've already been here for seven months!

I took up some new hobbies this year, too, including crocheting. I don't care if it makes me an old, boring lady. I enjoy it and am happy to have found a little hobby to keep myself busy!

My big brother got married in September to his high school sweetheart, and that makes three for three for the Phillips kids! It was such a fun wedding and I'm happy that I got to be a part of it. It was beautiful.

Matty and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in October. It's so hard to believe we got married last year. I wish we could go back and get married again. I loved everything about our wedding day. It was beyond perfect, and I am beyond blessed to share this life with this man.

Regardless of the struggles and stresses of 2013, I'm ready to take on 2014 in full swing. Who knows what the year will bring us. ;)

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2013

Mornin' :)

We had a great Christmas this year, though I kept complaining that it really didn't feel like Christmas. Who knows why! It was nice to spend time with family though, as always. Jack and Jordan were here this year for a couple of days. It was good to have them here this time! I miss my big brother.

On Christmas Eve, we had our annual gift exchange at Mamaw's where we all bring a $25 gift and play Dirty Santa. It was a lot of fun! I sacrificed for Matt this year and he was definitely the big winner! He walked away with a utility light and a fold-up dolly. He was pretty happy!

We are really thankful for all the great gifts we received this year. From clothes, to slippers, bags, games, and more! I loved getting a mini-sewing machine from mom and dad, and I can't wait to start playing around with it! I want to learn how to sew, so stay tuned! Matt is loving his new clothes and Kinect! Bella loved getting her Christmas bone from Uncle Tony and Aunt Kenzie. ;) She dressed up for the occasion.

After leaving mom and dad's, we ventured over to Matt's mom and dad's house where we got together with the whole family. Last year, we started a gift exchange that is sort of like the one we do at Mamaw's, but with a twist! We do a $25 gift, and also a $10 silly gift that starts with a particular letter we choose. Last year was F. This year was S. We ended up with a Babycakes Cupcake maker (eek!) and a bottle of Bailey's with two gift cards. As far as the S gift, we ended up with a 2014 'Stache Calendar from Jeff and a Super Mario pillow from Mike, which we ended up giving to Mason anyway. Then....I got an AMAZING gift from mama Cindy. She had mine and Christina's wedding dresses preserved!! I was SO happy and just touched...it truly meant a lot to me. So much that I cried, HA. It was so nice.

All in all, Christmas was great. I love spending the time with family. Next, we have New Year's Eve coming up (tomorrow), which of course we will be attending the annual Kleypack PJ party! We always have so much fun. Updates on that to come. :)

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Cards!

This will be mine and Matt's second Christmas as a married couple, but our first time actually sending Christmas cards! This year, we had some photos done by a friend of mine (see Photo Time!) and then I had my lovely sister-in-law Kenzie create some cards for us. She is an outstanding graphic designer and just started her business, Ivory House Creative. Check them out! They're also on Facebook!

I am absolutely in love with them. Matt and I spent our Friday night stuffing them and addressing them (while also making Christmas sugar cookies and watching Christmas movies), and I can't wait to send them out this week! I think we've definitely found a new tradition to carry on.

These cards are the "It's a Wrap" holiday card from Ivory House Creative, but they also do wedding and shower invites, planning, the whole nine yards! Any event you're planning, I promise you not one detail would be missed. Kenzie is awesome!

Besides that, not much happened this weekend. We helped Matt's brother begin the process of moving this weekend, and tried a pizza from Trish's Cafe in Union, which we've been wanting to try. I give it an A+! Definitely a good pizza. Kind of a cross between Hoagies and Marion's. Yum! We also wrapped most of the Christmas presents, and spent all day Sunday lounging around the house. We took Bella outside to play in all the snow we got Friday, too. She absolutely loved it! Crazy girl.

It was a nice, relaxing weekend. :)

Thanksgiving Weekend Madness

WHEW! I survived yet another great holiday weekend with family. A lot has happened since last Tuesday, but I think I'm somewhat prepared with updates. Wednesday was my final day of work before Thanksgiving, and I had so much to do that night that I thought my mind would EXPLODE just thinking about it all day. I had to run to mom's to help clean/cook/whatever, and run to Kroger to get some final fixins, and finally get home in time to bake a cheesecake, little smokies, and ham dip.

I was doing well.....until we got home to find that a little mouse had been rummaging through the pans under my oven. :(

This irritates me to no end. I knew that moving to our little old house (built in the 1940s) would come with quirks, but the mouse thing? I can't handle. This lead me to throwing everything on the floor to be cleaned whenever I had time (which didn't happen until Saturday), and bitching about wanting a new house. I got the cheesecake together and in the oven, and finally was finished around 11:30pm. Phew. I got the recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook! This little cutie has recipes dating back to the 1930s--an awesome little find and bridal shower gift from my mama.

I'm happy to report that the Kleypack loved the cheesecake. It was the first one I've ever made. :D

Holidays are always tough, especially being young and married. I'm sure it'll get worse with kids. Matt and I always try to fit in equal amounts of time with both sides of the family, and feelings get hurt here and there, and it's just difficult. This year's Thanksgiving wasn't too horrible, though. Mom ended up having hers yesterday to make up for all the madness on turkey day. I persuaded her not to go all out since she just had hip surgery not too long ago. We went to Mamaw's for a bit, then John and Cindy's. Not too shabby.

Of course, I wrapped up the week with a little Black Friday shopping, but I won't bore you too much with those details, other than apparently people don't get up early and go anymore. Matt, Kaitlyn, and I were up and at it at about 5:30am, and the malls were DEAD. Them crazies out shopping on Thanksgiving night......*smh.* I got some killer deals though!

Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Miss Bella surely did.