I honestly cannot believe it's gift guide time again. I know I probably say that every year but this year or I should say this fall has FLOWN by! I thought I'd kick off my Gift Guide series with the hostess gift guide. Whether you're headed to visit family or a Friendsgiving you can be prepared with a cute hostess gift. Hosting is a lot of work, so show them how much you appreciate their hospitality. Giving something personal with thought behind it doesn't have to be expensive. A little candle paired with a wick trimmer, or a pretty platter with your favorite cookies and you can't go wrong with a nice bottle of wine in these gorgeous personalized leather wine bags. These are all great gifts to stock up on for the holidays so you are prepared when those invites start rolling in. 

: 

Wreath // Plate // Candle // Wick Trimmer // This is Home Book // Cheese knives // Corksicle // Honey // Caramels // Marble Serving Board // Wine Bag // Condiment Server // Linen Napkins 

I think the number one request I get asked is "What to wear for family photos?" so I thought I'd create a couple styling guides to help assist you and some tips and tricks when I start planning our family photo outfits. When the kids were little, I wanted to make it a tradition to get family pictures taken every year. I just love having these pictures around my home and looking back at how little the boys were and how fast they've grown over the years. It's not an easy fete getting outfits coordinated, getting yourself dressed and getting kids to cooperate on photo shoots but in the end, you never regret having those pictures. We've used the same photographer for years because she always manages to capture my boys personalities every year even though I think to myself there is no way she captured one picture because they were goofing off and not listening. She also knows who my difficult one is and he did not disappoint this year. I set my expectations really low and hope for the best. If you're local we use Rebecca Deaton Photography. She is great and so easy to work with! 

Where to get started: 

Choose your photographer: 

If you don't have a photographer, ask for recommendations, look online at their galleries and find someone with a style that you like. All photographers have a different style, so choose one that you like best. A lot of photographers have mini sessions available this time of year. Kids only have so much patience so sometimes one of these mini sessions is all you need. 

Pick your photo shoot location: 

When thinking about pictures, think about the location, if the photographer hasn't already selected it (they know the best spots). We're into fall/winter pictures here but if you are fortunate enough to live somewhere where it's warm right now, the beach may be your location. Wherever it is, you will want to plan accordingly. For example, don't show up to a Christmas Tree farm in high heels. The location will also help you with the "outfit theme" you decide to use. 

Choose your theme:

Once your location is chosen, decide what look you want to go for. Casual, preppy, funny or dressy, what look you are going for choose a color theme. I will sometimes find an item that I love and go from there. This year I found the babies sweater and that decided our theme for this year. Previous years I wanted to do brighter preppier colors because we were at the beach, or muted fall tones because we were on a farm. In a snowy location, choose boots and cute hats and scarves. 

Choose your outfits:

Shopping for everyone and coordinating can be stressful, I get it. I will pull everything together and lay it out and this helps me visualize if the colors will coordinate. If you have to take everything to the store with you and do it there, that helps a lot too. H&M, Gap, J.Crew and Target are some of my favorites to shop for outfits. Target also has great shoes, don't forget the shoes! I have to plan around all boys so I always like to wear a skirt or dress to mix it up and I think it looks great in pictures when the girls have skirts or dresses on. I love a little boy in a blazer or vest! I think I enjoy planning family photos because it's one of the very few times a year I get to dress my kids. 

Below are a couple of our Family Photos over the years along with a Preppy, Trendy and Fancy style guide to help you out with choosing outfits for family photos, you can click on the picture to shop the look: 

Our Family Photos over the years:

*This post contains affiliate links

I'm not sure how I feel about the summer coming to an end. Fall is one of my favorite times of year but our summer's are so short here in New England that I'm never fully ready for summer to be over. When we lived in Pennsylvania, the summers were so hot I couldn't wait for the cooler temps to arrive but I think I need a couple more weekends of warmth before we hibernate for the next 7 months. 

We're having a low key weekend with the kids, soaking up the last couple pool days and enjoying our outside patio now that it's complete and I'll be browsing some sales because there are great deals out there so I thought I'd share what I found because there are some good deals to be had! 

Hope you enjoy the long weekend! 

Wow, it's been a hot minute since I've had a chance to write a blog post but I've had lots of requests for a Father's Day Gift Guide. What better way to jump back in then to give me the task of finding gifts for the hardest person to shop for on the planet, am I right? Guys are pretty simple and don't usually ask for much so when it comes time to find something for those men in your life, it's a daunting task but I think I can help you out with some gifts I know the Dad's would like. 

1. Functional Apron- whether grilling, gardening or deep frying turkeys, this apron provides a lot of pockets including one to hold his cell phone. It can also be personalized too. 

2. New Hat- My guys in my house love these Travis Mathew hats

3. Golf Watch- Have a big golfer in your life, then this watch was rated as the top for that

4. Yeti cooler- if he doesn't already have a Yeti cooler, then this is the gift to give. We have the large bag and a smaller cooler but I think the size of this one and the backpack feature makes it my favorite pick out of all the coolers. The big bag is nice for the beach, etc. but it can get heavy. 

5. Heated Razor- the world's first heated razor, I have no idea what that means but after reading that it feels like a hot towel on your face with every swipe, I'm starting to think I need one for my legs! 

6. Whiskey & Cigar glass- I'm not sure why no one thought of this sooner but this is a brilliant idea. Great for poker nights. Extra 20% off with code SUMMER

7. Travel bathroom bag- I love a personalized gift and Mark & Graham has the best gifts for that like this personalized travel bathroom bag which comes in 2 other colors as well. 20% off with code SUMMER

8. New Shoes- I got my husband these last year and he loved them. I had to slip them on to take out the trash and they are so comfortable and lightweight

9. Away suitcase- I put this on my gift guide before but it's for a reason...it's the best suitcase ever! 

10. Lightweight sunglasses- these are the lightest sunglasses and a versatile look that looks good on majority of people. Deciding between the black or navy blue is the hardest decision

11. Linen shirt- I love the color of this one because you could pair it with basically any color short. perfect summer shirt! 40% off with code WEEKEND

12. JBL Portable speaker- we recently got one of these and man can these little speakers put out. We were going to put speakers outside and decided against it because this is good enough. Great for the beach, bbq's, fishing on the boat. 

13. Traegar grill- this is a splurge gift but for those Dad's who love to grill this is the splurge gift to get

Hope everyone has a nice Memorial day weekend!