Simply on Sunday

I hope you’re having a great Sunday so far.  I’m writing from a hotel on the boardwalk in Virginia Beach, and this is my view:

My daughter and I are here with her dance team for a competition (think “Dance Moms” but without the drama and botox, just the dancing!).  The girls competed Friday night and placed first in their category, and yesterday and today they are taking a combined sixteen hours of class–I’m exhausted just thinking about it.  They even gave up Halloween and trick or treating to be here–that’s dedication!

We lived here in Virginia Beach for a year, before we started blogging, and so we still have some great friends in town.  I’m meeting some of them for church and a visit before we hit the road for home this afternoon.

| Source: Housepitality Designs |

If you follow us on Instagram, you might have seen a few photos of this stunning fall table set by the incomparable Shirley of Housepitality Designs.   She was kind enough to host a welcome -to-North Carolina brunch for me and invited several other local bloggers.  It was so fun to talk shop with these ladies–some I already knew and a few are new friends–and Shirley’s menu (all homemade, of course) was outstanding.  I rolled all the way home and wished I had worn an elastic waist!

Thank you, Shirley!

Left to right: | Me |  Susan- This Makes That  |  Richella- Imparting Grace  |  Kristen – Sophia’s Decor  |  Shirley (in front) Housepitality Designs |  Lauren – The Endearing Home |  Brittany – Pretty Handy Girl

I also want to share two quick shopping ideas as we head into the holidays.

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First, maybe you saw my post on Facebook where I was regretting that I gave away my mom’s blue willow dishes, because I’ve been wanting a set for awhile now.  I found some online for a great deal and wanted to share:

| Johnson Brothers Blue Willow 20 piece set |

These are actually really handy to have for decorating a holiday table; look no further than Heather at Southern State of Mind and her beautiful Thanksgiving table:

 

|  Details here  |

Or her equally beautiful Christmas table:

| Details here |

Heather is a pro at mixing colors and patterns; I’m not quite that good, but she inspires me to give it a try with my new blue willow plates!

My next share is a great deal on personalized or monogrammed Christmas stockings.  I love matching stockings, but they’re usually so expensive…these are only $9.99 each, so you can buy one for everyone in the family for what you’d normally pay for one!  I love the natural ones with the white stitching, but there’s really something for everyone.

|  Personalized Stockings |

OK, I’m off to make a bun and shellac it into place.  Have a great Sunday, and thanks for stopping by!