Abby’s Saturday // Two Hundred And Eighty

It’s a new year! And it seemed like the perfect time to change up the format of my “Abby’s Saturday” posts. I’m still going to be taking weekly photos centered around our dog (I’ve taken two hundred and eighty photos after all, it’s too much of an ingrained habit to break at this point!), I just want to change up the formatting of what I write along with the photos! It’s still a work in progress, but I want it to be a bit more free-flowing – I want to share stories of our family-life & what we’re up to, but I’d also love to be able to share fun things I find online, blogs I’m reading, Podcasts I’m listening to, fun things on Amazon I’ve found, ideas I’m trying out – that kind of thing!

It’s just the tip of the iceberg around “here” (“here” being my “digital space” in the world) – I am super excited to be changing a whole bunch of things over the next few weeks & months! I’m working on a new website, new logo, new brand (basically a complete “facelift”), I’m revamping all of my copy, my “brochures”, my pricing – things have been pretty much the same around here for a long time (like 2+ years – which is an eternity in today’s age), so it’s time to freshen things up! I’ve been compiling ideas for months and I’m so excited to finally have the time to sit down & make them happen!

I know “goals” are the “in” topic right now, but with the fresh new calendar year, it just makes sense to sit down & really take a hard look at everything – budgets, dreams, plans – the whole nine yards. Derrick & I have some big ideas & dreams for our family, so it only makes sense to really hone in & narrow our focus to achieve those goals. So, over the next few months, I plan on implementing some (big & small) changes to my business & blog to more align with our dreams – and changing up the format of my “Abby’s Saturday” posts is just the very very beginning of that process.

Enough explanation: let me get into that “free-flowing” format I was talking about!

• Christmas is over. Anyone else feel slightly depressed over that fact? I feel like I needed at least another week or two to prep for & enjoy the anticipation of Christmas!
• We had an amazing holiday though – filled to the very brim with gifts, cookies, and time with family. We spent time with my family here and then traveled to spend time with Derrick’s family. The kids were literally showered with new toys & clothes & activities and we’ve had a ton of fun with all the new things (of course, it has been a fun challenge to figure out where everything is going to go).
• Speaking of Christmas & cookies, we only made one batch of cookies this Christmas – we made this recipe from a blog I’ve followed for years & it is literally the best sugar cookie recipe in the whole world! It does require a period of refrigeration – so it takes a little bit of planning to make them – but wow were they worth it! They were perfectly soft for the week-ish it took us to eat them all & they were just perfectly delicious.
• Leander received 2 new teeth for Christmas – one popping thru Christmas morning & the other showing up the next day!
• Leander also took his very first independent step the day after Christmas – to Braelynn! We were packing up the car to leave for the Abbey’s and as we were walking thru, we saw him go! He has taken a step here and a step there since then, but still no “official” walking! He’s so close though – he’s been walking along the walls & just lightly holding on to things – any day now!
• We rang in the New Year by having my parents over for dinner. Derrick & I managed to stay up until midnight & then promptly went to bed (because, our 2 children don’t believe in sleeping in).
• This week I published one of my favorite posts every year: the behind-the-scenes photos from the weddings & roller coasters we photographed in 2019! If you missed it, go check it out – there are some real “winners” in there!
• The hat Abby is wearing in this photo was knit by Kennedy’s Kreations! She’s actually running some New Year’s sales over on her Instagram this week – go check her out! This is Derrick’s “hat of the year” – every year he seems to have a new favorite hat! I’ve taken photos of some of them: #181, #129, #21
• One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was a set of birthstone rings from Made by Mary! Derrick got me one with Braelynn’s birthstone & one with Leander’s (along with another plain ring to stack) – and I’m obsessed! So many influencers I follow share about their jewelry from MBM & I’m so excited to report that (so far) the quality & craftsmanship is incredible.