Giveaway winners!

Holy Smokes, I completely forgot to announce the giveaway winners the other day. Please forgive me!
The winner of The Black + White Set: is Asma Hamid!      And the winner of The Crafty Girl Set: is Hannah Beth! If you are a winner be sure to send me an email at ahoynative@gmail.com so I can send these great prizes to you.

Thanks again for entering. I have some fun posts lined up this week sharing our Thanksgiving/Christmas adventures so far. Can't wait to share!
xo, Meghan

Emily Garrison Photography//A peek at our Christmas pictures!

These photos give me warm fuzzies! We took these pictures almost two weeks ago with a sweet lady at our church, Emily Garrison, and I'm so excited that we got to see the proofs last night. We also took Dakota's 'one year' photos on the same day (why did it take us so long?!) and they are equally as adorable! I'll be sharing more as soon as we purchase a disk and decide which ones we are going to send out for Christmas cards. I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorites. Have I mentioned how much I love the holiday season?
xo, Meghan

An Update

Well, hello! It feels like it's been ages since I've even cracked open a computer. It was super nice to take a little time off from everything and just enjoy family time. These past few days consisted of: cooking my own family Thanksgiving meal, Black Friday shopping (omg), putting up Christmas decorations at my moms house, listening to a very She + Him Christmas non stop, lots of Christmas shopping, making lists, drinking lots of coffee, running errands, getting the perfect Christmas tree for our home and getting an early Christmas present.... My mom got Dakota matching snow white kittens. They are so adorable! One girl and one boy. Names have yet to be determined. Everything feels so perfect, I couldn't ask for more!♥

I hope your holiday was just wonderful. I'll announce the giveaway winners tomorrow!
xo, Meghan

A week of Gratitude//Look back on Dakota's first Thanksgiving

 Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are/will be all elbows deep in a yummy pie and spending time with the ones you love. xo, M

A week of Gratitude//Thanksgiving turkey appreciation cards!

It's already 11 PM? What, how did this happen? I've been coking up a storm and cleaning a lot today. I probably look like a Tasmania devil going from room to room trying to get things done. This year, I'm cooking my first Thanksgiving meal and I'm equally excited as I am nervous. Even though it will just be us three + Jared, I still want everything to be perfect. I'm more so trying to clean to make sure the house is spotless for when we start setting up for Christmas! I'm so glad the day is finally, almost, here!

This little craft is something super simple, and something you can whip up minutes before heading out to your Thanksgiving festivities! We made these last year for Thanksgiving!

Materials Needed:
Colorful cardstock scrapbook paper (or construction paper)
Marker
Scissors
A willing kiddo (or in my case, a not so willing, which will make the task a little more daunting)

Basically you lay your kiddos hand flat and trace it, but when you're tracing it, keep in mind the body of a turkey. Moms, cut out the turkeys for your kids unless they are big enough to do so themselves. My favorite part about this is when you're done cutting out all your turkeys, make them personal! Write notes to each loved one you'll be spending Thanksgiving with. We did this last year and put Dakota's baby hand print on each one and I'm telling you, there wasn't a dry eye at the table! Give them a prompt to get them thinking: "We love you (insert relative) because (blank)"! It's fun to see what they will come up with!

*try finding pine cones to put your turkeys on!*

Hope you're having the Happiest of Thanksgiving Eve's, and not spending too much time in the kitchen! ;)
xo.

A week of Gratitude//Day Three

Hi and welcome to day three of 'A week of Gratitude'! I'm having a great time taking time to write out the things I'm thankful for. It makes me that much more aware of all I have to be thankful for and appreciate.

Today I am thankful for the ability to stay home with Dakota. In the back of my mind, I always liked the idea of being a stay at home mama, but I never ever thought it was in the cards. I'm so glad that it is though! It's been so fun to watch, and learn along side Dakota. I love teaching her new things, but even more so, I love that she teaches me new things daily. Now that I've done this with her, I couldn't imagine having ever put her in daycare. I also couldn't ever imagine leaving any future babies (um, 3 more to be exact!!!/) with someone else! I hope that I will be able to do this until she goes to school, but if not, I'm so extremely thankful for this time I've been able to stay home so far.

xo, Meghan

A week of Gratitude//Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe

This recipe is a favorite around our house! We've made them for both of the DS shows to sell, and they sell like hot cakes (my attempt to be funny, bare with me)! If you're really into pumpkin pie but don't have the time or want to try something new, these are for you. They are like tiny little individual slices of pumpkin pie heaven. I don't normally like pumpkin (aside from the latte) and even I like these!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies: makes 12-15 finished cakes. 

Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon*, 1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground allspice, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla*. 

For the icing: 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla, plenty of powdered sugar, and cinnamon*

Mix together all of your dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Cream together both the butter and brown sugar. Add the pumpkin, then the egg an vanilla. Add in the flour mixture a little at a time until you've finished. The batter will be very thick and hard to mix if you add all the flour at once. Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, drop 2 tablespoons of batter onto a baking sheet, repeating until it's full. Bake at 350 F for 11-15 minutes. Allow them to cool a bit before moving them. Once cool, add a big spoonful of your cream cheese icing to one whoopie pie and sandwich with another. Enjoy! xo. 

recipe adapted from this book

*I use a lot more cinnamon than this recipe calls for. I used probably 4 tablespoons. Totally your preference! * I also use a lot more vanilla, probably around 3 or 4 tablespoons. 

*Oh and I add a little buttermilk to my batter. About 1/4 cup. 

*You don't have to add cinnamon to your icing, but if it wasn't obvious....I like cinnamon!

Hint!: If you are a perfectionist, or want all of your whoopies to be uniformed and look the same, I suggest getting this pan. I got mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I don't use it much, because the pies turn out super big and it almost cuts the recipe in half. Plus, hand spooned ones have charm, don't you think? :)

A week of Gratitude//Day Two

 

Today I am thankful for Bean and Dakota. My two babes. I am thankful for the love that I share with both of them. 

So thankful that I share a love with Bean so great, that we grew a child together. That we are wading the waters of parenthood together. So glad that we are in this forever. I know that I can count on him to be the best father that he can be. I know that I can depend on him. I'm so thankful that he provides. It's hard to remember life without him. And for that, I am truly thankful.

For Dakota, the light of my life. So thankful that she is alive and healthy. So glad that each morning I'm greeted by smiles and arms stretched out for me. Thankful for the sweet kisses and hugs she showers me with throughout the day. Thankful for the energetic, curious, yet gentle spirit that she posses. Thankful that she only the best parts of Bean and I. Thankful that she is mine.

I love these two, very much. xo, Meghan

A week of Gratitude//Day One

I feel like first and foremost, I should be thankful for Jesus. Thankful for my relationship with God. Without my foundation in Him, I would not be who I am. "It is in Christ that we find out who we are and who we are living for"-Ephesians 1:11. I wouldn't be able to be the best mother I can be. The best girlfriend, friend, daughter, sister, I can be. My faith is renewed daily in the sweetness that life has to offer, only because of Jesus. I know that He has to exist and be on my side when I look at Dakota and look at Bean, and see what I have been immensely blessed with. I am so far from perfect and do not deserve this perfect love that He has bestowed upon me, and for that I am so extremely thankful. 

A week of Gratitude//Thanksgiving flower crown D.I.Y

Hi and welcome to A Week of Gratitude! Today I have a super easy, fun little D.I.Y you can whip up in minutes! You only four supplies, a few minutes, and 3 steps! You'll find the instructions below! If you make one, send me a link, I'd love to see! xo. 

Hot glue gun//scissors//a headband (skinny or thick, your preference)//fake flowers in fall colors

Step One//Cut (or pull if you can) off all of your flowers. Make sure to trim the back of each flower so they are relatively flat. For my headband I used 10 flowers. 

Step Two//Lay out your flowers and arrange them in the way you want them to be on your headband. It will be easier to reach down and get exactly the one you need instead of trying to pick through all of them!

Step Three//Starting in the middle, put some hot glue onto the headband and place the flower flat on the glue. If you want the front of the flower to be seen, try laying it at an angle. If you want the sides of the flowers to be seen, lay it flat on the headband. Press down on the center of the flower to secure it, then start gluing the rest of your flowers on. Be sure not to place your flowers too close together or else it will look crowded.

Giveaway//Craft Supplies!

Crafty Girl Giveaway: packet of scrapbook paper//cute monkey stickers//canvas frame wall hanging//chipboard letters//baby shower cutouts//vellum paper in rainbow colors//multi color fabric (not pictured)//chipboard album//alphabet stickers//woodgrain paper scraps and hearts//iron on patches//vintage sheet square//multi colored snowflakes

Black + White Giveaway: two thick packs of scrapbooking paper (one patterned one plain)//Look Closely journal//Marie Antoinette type stamp (previously used)// Black and white foam letter sets//250 photo corners (never used)//10 glass gems to make magnets like these. Black satin ribbon//White ribbon//3 silver ornaments

How can I win?

-You must be a follower of AhoyNative on gfc to gain an initial entry. Tell me which of these two groups you'd like to win. 

Additional Entries: 

-Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @AhoyNative in your tweet!

-post on Tumblr

-post on Facebook.

Be sure to leave a separate comment and link for each action you take! I really want someone to win these things, so tell your friends! You can enter to win both of these sets, so just leave a different comment if you're trying to win both! 

xo, Meghan

A week of gratitude!

That's right! This week is full of thankfulness. This entire month, had I actually thought about it, should have been for thankfulness. I know that I could come up with something everyday for a month that I am thankful for. This time I'll just be doing a week. I encourage you to make a list of things you're appreciative of. I have a fun recipe you can whip up in no time for Thanksgiving, lots of things I'm thankful for, and maybe a few back stories to go with them. Also, a super easy DIY you can do with your kiddos. I hope you'll join us!

ps, if you're interested in participating, shoot me an email so I can include you. If you have a yummy recipe to share, I'd super love that! 

xo, Meghan

Songbird Saturday #10

How about a bunch of songs that just make you feel good? Or make you want to dance, make you want to sing. Remind you of a super special time.With no real relevance? That's what the playlist is! Just a bunch of songs that I really enjoy. If you know these songs, sing along! If you have no idea, give them a chance and let me know what you think!

Today consists of making cake pops, a trip to Target, and cleaning out my self proclaimed, dining room actually turned, craft room. We've got to make room for our Christmas tree! Still not getting it until at least Friday, but it's nice to be prepared. I've cleaned out a lot of my craft stuff in preparation for moving it to a new space, and I've come across a lot of stuff I no longer use, or have never used. I'm thinking I want to give it to someone! If you'd be interested in some new to you craft supplies, leave a comment and I'll see what I can do! Happy Saturday

xo, Meghan

Fridays are for:

via pinterest + tumblr

After honoring Harry Potter, I think it would be a sin not to talk about Breaking Dawn on this Friday's are for:. Aside from a little too much drama, and a few completely unnecessary scenes, it was well worth the wait.  Not a disappointment at all, and now we wait for part two!

Happy Friday! If any of you guys went to see it, go take a nap asap! That is on my to do list for today.

xo, Meghan

It's the end, part 1

I may or may not be getting ready to head to the theater with Angela to see Breaking Dawn part 1. I may or may not be slightly obsessed with the entire Twilight saga. I may or may not have stay up all night long reading the books, in awe of Bella and Edward's love. I may or may not have stayed home a time or two, just to watch twilight. I may or may not have bought a shirt for this premier and insisted I get the Bella + Edward wedding invitation (okay, I didnt do that last part!) I think you see where I'm going with this. I just have one thing to say......

Team Edward, y'all!   xo, Twihard (not really!)

5 Random Facts

Okay, so there has been this '5 random facts you may not know about me' going around on Instagram and I thought it would be fun if I shared some! No they aren't secrets, per say, but they are things you might not know. If you have an Instagram or blog, I pass this on for you to do too!

1. I am seriously, super duper, like omg, can I has? obsessed with pugs! I've wanted one for years and now that Dakota's a little older, I'm thinking it's the perfect time to get a puppy. If you were curious, I'd name a girl pug Isabella and call her Bella. If I had a boy I'd name him Kingston! You know I've got it bad if I've already picked out their names.....Help a girl out!
2. I detest milk, with a passion. I only remember once in my life trying to drink milk and it was in first grade. I haven't tried since then and I don't really have any plans to. *Thinks can change!* The only thing I can tolerate milk on/with is cereal, but only enough to actually get the cereal wet. 
3.  The first tattoo I got was for my grandma. I was 16 and my grandma died 7 months before. When my birthday rolled around, my mom surprised me with a trip to get a tattoo (what a cool mom!) and I chose to get one for her. It's an owl wearing glasses (she liked owls and wore glasses) and says ma'amaw underneath it. 
4. After having Dakota, the only thing I ate was fizzy skittles. This is so strange to me, but it's true. I've never really shared anything about Dakota's birth because I started this blog after she was a year old. But when I was in the hospital and even for a few weeks after she was born, I just couldn't stomach eating any real food. The only things I ate were the fizzy skittles and yogurt. And for everyone who brought me bags and bags of those per my request, you saved me! 
5. I almost always read the last page of a book first. I've read a lot of books in my life, but for some reason, I have such a hard time finishing them. No matter how much I love the book. I think it's because I don't want the story to end, I kind of get wrapped up in a book when I'm reading it. And so for years now, whenever I start a new book, I read the last page/pages first just in case I don't ever finish it. I'd feel awful if I never knew how a book ended.

Well, there you go! 5 completely random facts that I'm sure you didn't know! Maybe didn't want to know ;) Whats something I don't know about you?

xo, MB 

Adventures in Atlanta! Day Two + Three

I shared our adventures in Atlanta in this post and I thought it was time I followed up! Day two consisted of even colder temperatures and an even earlier morning. My mom bought Bean and I Pemberton Place Passes for his birthday. That included our entrance to both the World of Coke and the Georgia Aquarium. Bean and I went a few years ago for spring break and we had a great time! I could get lost for hours in the aquarium.

Last time we went I didn't think we spent near enough time at either place even though we spent close to all day visiting both. This time was no different! My favorite flavors of coke came from the Africa station. They were sweet and fruity and super yummy! We spent hours at the aquarium, taking in all they had to offer, but I still felt like I could have spent a few more hours there! We spent the rest of our day roaming around Atlanta making stops at: a Barnes 'n' Nobles so I could charge my phone, the Varsity, the CNN center (where I hoped to catch a glimpse of Anderson Cooper♥) the Olympic Field (where they held the '96 Olympics!), downtown, Atlantic Station, a MASSIVE Target and a H+M, and the Hard Rock Cafe. It was a super fun day!

Day three was mainly a travel day. The boys did a little fishing and I went to Urban Outfitters one last time, but after that we headed home. Bean apparently had the camera more than I did this day because I only came across pictures of me! I apologize....

random photo of Bean + the founder of Chickfila!

I still have two more posts about Atlanta I can't wait to share! One on how I made my adventure book, and the other with all the instax from our trip. Maybe I'll even share our collection of Aquarium photos? Thanks for coming along with us so far! :)

xo, Meghan