It's a Pie Party!

Monday, November 30, 2015
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheJoyOfPie #CollectiveBias



I love having friends over and making memories together.
I especially love when they come over to our home because we can just put Oaklyn down to bed for the night and not have to worry about leaving too early and missing out on the fun our friends are having!
Therefore, I'm always looking for ideas and reasons to have our friends over.
This year I thought about doing a Thanksgiving party but then decided a full on Thanksgiving party and a Christmas party would be a bit much for me to take on.
So, the idea of doing something small, but still tons of fun came to mind.
We all went out to see Christmas lights and met up at our place after.
I wanted to have a treat for everyone and in the spirit of Thanksgiving decided that a pie would be the perfect dessert.
I got to planning and decided to put together a fall themed tablescape and two different pies with ice cream and whipped cream.




I haven't found a pie recipe I absolutely love and I wasn't really wanting to make a homemade pie late at night so I was very excited to find out that Marie Callender's frozen pies are at our local Wal-Mart!
You literally pre-heat the oven, take off the packing, stick them on a baking sheet, then let the oven do the magic.
It was ridiculously simple and everyone loved them!



I decided to go with one fruit pie and the other a sweeter, more traditional pumpkin.
My eye was quickly drawn to the razzleberry so I grabbed that one right away! I was about to grab regular pumpkin until I saw a pumpkin pecan streusel! All of them looked amazing but I am so happy I chose these two!



We all talked, caught up on our lives, and enjoyed each other's company while the pies baked.
Quickly my little home was filled with the sweetest aroma and we could all hardly wait to try the pies!
Each of us tried some of each pie and all agreed they were both amazing.
We then laughed over youtube videos and talked a little more before everyone headed home.
I loved that it was so casual yet still such a fun concept!
I mean, who doesn't love pie?
I'm excited to carry on the tradition of having a pie party every year!




The day after the party, Hunter and I ended up with tons of extra pie!
We picked at it and snacked on it throughout the day but were trying to figure out some way to use it up and not let it go to waste.
Since I already had whipped cream and ice cream from the party, we decided to make pie shakes!
It was SO simple and I'm so glad we made these!

What you'll need:
1) a slice or two of Marie Callender's pie
2) 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
3) 1/2 cup milk
4) 1 tsp vanilla
4) Reddi-Wip Whipped topping
5) crust crumbles

What you do:
1) Add the pie to your blender first so that it gets mixed really well
2) Add your ice cream, milk, and vanilla.
3) Blend on high until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed together
4) Add a hearty amount of Reddi-Wip Whipped topping
5) Sprinkle with crust cumbles




These shakes turned out so yummy that I want to include them in our pie party next year!
Want to host a pie party of your own but don't know where to start?
No worries!
Right here is a printable check list of what you need to get and right here is a printable (or downloadable for e-vites) invite for your friends!
This should make party planning a breeze!
What would you add to make your pie party extra special??
Let me know in the comments!

All my love,
Aleigh Joy
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Christmas With a Baby | Little Head to Toe


Aren't you just dying at that cute little face?
Gosh, I love that child of mine so very much!
She's at such a fun age where she's curious about everything and just wants to explore all the time.
Of course, everything always goes straight to her mouth too ;)
I've been having so much fun experiencing her first Christmas with her.
I'm actually probably loving it much more than she is ;)
It's just so fun to see her reaction to all the lights, holiday music, sparkly decor, and fun events to attend.


"No worries mom, I'm just gonna make sure these decorations taste okay!"
Oaklyn "helped" me do a little extra decorating the other day and I couldn't help but stop and laugh at the fact that it was taking much longer than it did last year with this little girl tearing everything apart!
Her favorite decoration has definitely been these jingle bells that are made for a door but have made their way into Oaklyn's toy box ha.
She's also loving the big ornaments on the tree, even though she's pretty afraid of the tree itself ha! (thank goodness)


Oaks has figured out how to crawl just about anywhere so she constantly has red knees.
Her little toesies are always getting cold because she will not keep shoes on, ever, and her socks just make her slip all over the floor.
I'm so excited about these cute baby shoes from Little Head to Toe that keep her feet warm as she's exploring and during this Holiday season that also actually stay on her feet.
I LOVE the cute plaid design and the neutral color that goes with several outfits.

Oaklyn isn't a huge fan of dresses but all I want to put her in this Christmas season is cute holiday dresses for every picture!
Wearing a skirt is just as cute, and in my opinion, much more functional!
I'm able to keep her in a onesie so she can't rip her diaper off or expose everyone but she still has the adorable feminine look of a dress. 
It's perfect!
This is skirt from Little Head to Toe is hands down my favorite skirt she owns and you better believe you'll be seeing it in several holiday photos!
I'm loving everything about the print and colors and the fit is the cutest!
I fits just right with the elastic waist band and has just the right amount of fit and flair.
It is just SO cute!


I'm so excited to put Oaklyn in some tights and put this skirt on as well. 
I can just picture it already!
Her chubby little leg rolls look so darling in tights!
This little girl may have one of the biggest jocks for a daddy, but her mommy will make sure she's always dressed in a skirt and bow ;)


We've had so much fun reading Oaklyn her Christmas books.
Our favorite so far is "Olive the Other Reindeer"
The play on words is hilarious and even though Oaklyn could probably care less, she enjoyed staring at all the pictures :)
We already bought our Christmas jammies and we are finalizing dates to go home for the holidays.
Oaklyn gets to meet Santa soon, our Christmas party is coming up, the stocking are hung and the tree is decorated, I've been constantly sipping hot cocoa, and the chill in the air is making me so happy. 
Christmas has always been my favorite, but Christmas with a baby girl is just that much more magical :)


"What?! Did you Say a Giveaway?"
You sure bet I did!
Little Head to Toe is giving away one lucky Instagram follower one item of their choice!
Yay!
Head on over to my instagram account to enter and go ahead and check out Little Head to Toe for all your Holiday must haves :)

All my love,
Aleigh Joy
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A Thankful Heart Link Up | Week 4

Sunday, November 29, 2015
As happy as I am that it's officially the Christmas season, I'm so sad that this series has come to an end. I really love doing these posts and writing out what I'm thankful for. It helps me reflect on all there is to be thankful for throughout the week and makes me feel like a generally more happy person! This is my last thankful heart post of the year and I'm already looking forward to next year ;) Thanksgiving is wonderful and I look forward to it every year but I am so ready to bring on Christmas! 
And of course a huge thank you to everyone who participated! Especially all my wonderful co-host's that wrote such beautiful posts! I have enjoyed reading every one of them :)


1) Holidays
 Christmas is hands down my favorite holiday. It's just so magical and beautiful and I love everything about it. But, every single other holiday brings me so much joy too! Of course there are generally significant meanings behind each holiday that I love but I'm thankful that each holiday is an excuse for families to get together. We only get to travel to California twice a year usually. We love coming at least once over the summer and then we come for Christmas. Christmas is so fun because of the meaning, the sparkly lights, the movies, the sweets, the music and all the commercial stuff, but what I really look forward to every Christmas is being with family and creating memories.



2) Love
And more specifically, true love. So far, the second year of marriage has been ten times harder than the first. Not like terrible or anything... Just more stress and more adult decisions that can create differences. Also, we have a child now and that is obviously a whole lot more stress to add. I'm so incredibly thankful for the love Hunter and I share and found so early on. I'm thankful that our memories come back to us at the very moment we need to remember them and for the fire that burns just when it feels like it's running low. I'm thankful that love heals all and a simple "I love you" can change the mood in a heartbeat. I'm thankful that I have been blessed to feel love as a wife, as a mother, as a sister, a daughter, and a friend. I'm so incredibly thankful that I am able to feel my Savior's love each and every day and for the incredible sacrifice He made for each of us. Because, he really truly loves us. Love is so powerful and it is one of the best gifts to be given.


3) My Health
I've had my fair share of health "scares" but I'm so thankful that I really am for the most part, in good health. I don't mean this in the sense of me being a health freak that only eats nutritious foods because let's be honest... I just can't give up ice cream. However, I mean this in the sense that I had a healthy pregnancy and was able to deliver a healthy baby girl, the minor surgeries I have had I have always recovered from well, I feel sore often from carrying Oaks around but my body works and for the most part feels good. I'm so very thankful that my Heavenly Father gave me this body and that I'm able to use it for exercise, feeding and growing babies, and talents that I'm beginning to develop. 




For the Joy of Life





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Gobble 'Til You Wobble | Thanksgiving 2015

Saturday, November 28, 2015

This year's Thanksgiving beat last year's by a landslide!
Not hard to do considering I had the stomach flu last year but still... It was quite fun!
We spent Turkey day this year up in Bountiful, UT with some of Hunter's family.
We spent a whole lot of time in the kitchen, the boys deep friend the turkey, we caught up on each other's lives, played games with the kids, and took tons of pictures!

This year's spread of food was delicious and there sure was a ton of it!
I have never had a deep fried turkey but it is a tradition in the Moore family.
I must say, it was quite delish!
Also, have you ever had french fries on Thanksgiving? Didn't think so...
When you have a deep fried turkey though, might as well!

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

All my love,
Aleigh Joy































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