Life Away From The Office Chair

What girl can resist a chance to go shopping on an all day shopping spree with her best friend? Surely not me. So when I had the opportunity this past weekend, I took it. My friend Robin and I headed up to Gaffney South Carolina for some retail therapy .

The fun began when we were so excited about going together that she missed the exit to take us there and we ended up about 10 miles out of the way into Shelby. We could have went another 74 miles and ended up in Asheville but we had no use for that destination. So we pulled over at a car lot along the way to find out where to get on the interstate. I mean, really, where do people get on the interstate in Shelby? A sales lady at the car lot asked us if we needed any help and her instructions were precise but meanwhile Robin used the navigation on her "smart phone" and she got us there.

We arrived at the Gaffney outlet Mall in no time. This was my first time here. It was huge! There were so many stores to shop in. It took us nearly all day to get through them all. We had more fun than just shopping. We could not resist the temptation of acting like kids.

I found my chance at modeling

And Robin found Snookie

It was a fun day. We didn't buy to much stuff . The winter clothes did not appeal to us because we are all about summer clothes and cant wait until spring.

But spending some time with my friend, getting out of town, and belly laughs that would make a six pack was way worth the trip.

I put my Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. It used to be a tradition growing up that we would put the tree up on Thanksgiving night and then daddy would drive us down town to see the Christmas lights down main street. They would be stretched from one side of the road to the other and riding through them was like a Christmas Tunnel. My Husband still takes me for a ride downtown to see the Christmas decorations they have gleaming. I love it and it brings back a little bit of my childhood.

But have you ever wondered what the meaning is for all decorations at Christmas? Well, here is what I found to be a cute explanation behind some of them.

Red Symbolizes the blood of Jesus.

Green is the color of evergreens such as fir and holly. Pine trees, with there needles pointing up to heaven, representing everlasting life.
The Star represents the star followed by the 3 wise men.
Bells both call us to worship, and remind us of the Joyous angelic announcement of Christ's birth to the shepherds.
The Candy Cane represents the Shepherd's crook.
The peppermint flavor of most candy canes tastes like hyssop, a plant in the mint family. It was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice.
Lit Candles remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.
The Wreath reminds us of the crown of thorns and never ending love of God.

Now here are a few of my favorite ornaments I put out. Me and my sister give each other an ornament every year and this means alot to me and then I usually will buy one that represents something from that year.