High Five for Friday #45 | The Most Normal Week

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // November 13, 2015 // 11 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, Della, and Caitlin! If you want to know more, read about it here!

This week’s featured blogger is Annie from All Things Big and Small! Her blog is full of all these lovely home DIY ideas, posts about surviving as a mom, and just chucked full of inspiration! You just HAVE to check out her DIY upholstered headboard (buffalo check!!) tutorial? Just amazing! Swing over and say hi!

Let’s get rolling!

1. This week felt like a good, normal week. But I swear, nothing happened! We’ve all been just so busy, that this was the first week that was a normal week. Normal activities, normal tasks, normal fun! And boy, it felt oh so good!

2. Monday I hosted our Bible study at the house, and it was such fun to have 10 ladies and kiddos running around! It was a bit of a trial keeping the kiddos in the playroom with the baby sitter while we mommas went to the sunroom, but once everyone was settled it was a great time. In fact, post-Bible study, as I was vacuuming up smooshed Cheerios, I was reminiscing over how much fun it was to have such chaos. I’ve learned to take joy in cleaning up after parties, because it gives you a chance to reflect on all the fun and be grateful for friends!

3. My husband has his massive board certification exam yesterday for his medical specialty. Phew! It’s over! We plan on celebrating by having a date night Saturday night. We’ve been doing really well at having date nights!

4. Did you catch this week’s blog posts? I launched a brand new series called The Everyday. I’ll be sharing all the little things that make the everyday just that more special. And this week I couldn’t resist starting with a video all about favorite lip colors.

And then Caitlin and I both shared our favorite mugs right now, just in time for the Tis the Season Mug Swap! Have you signed up yet?

5. Can I leave it off here? Seriously… such a normal week, which meant there was no extra falderal. 🙂

So what were you up to this week? Let me know! Or better yet, link up!

Fellow bloggers – ready to join in the link up? Just write a blog post about 5 things that made this week awesome! Add your link to your blog post down below (make sure it’s your blog post, not your blog home page!). And then grab the H54F button to add to your post! And go visit at least 3 fellow link uppers AND this week’s featured blogger! It’s just the nice thing to do.

And be sure to tag your posts/pics on social media with #H54F! We really do try to make the rounds and like, comment, retweet, etc! It’s so much fun to support one another, isn’t it?

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

Christmas Gift Guide | The Perfect Mug

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // November 11, 2015 // 23 Comments

Gold Monogram Mug | Green Chalkboard Mug Set | Home Alone Quote Mug
Merry Little Christmas Mug | Monogram Mug | Home State Mug

I can’t believe I’m talking about Christmas and gift ideas, BUT ’tis almost the season! And what better way to start talking gifts than with a really great one – MUGS!

It seemed appropriate with the upcoming ‘Tis the Season Mug Swap that we should discuss mugs. Plus it’s such a fun, inexpensive way to get a personalized gift for someone. And who doesn’t like a mug?

Etsy has become my go-to place for fun, personalized mugs. You can find almost anything you want. I really want that Home Alone mug! My second favorite Christmas movie, and I can just see in my head Kevin saying that with his curled up lip.

If you’re itching to buy something quickly, then Target has an adorable chalkboard-inspired set right now! And Anthropologie is a great option too. I splurge on an Anthro mug every year.

One of my current favorite themes for gifts right now are state pride items. Tee shirts, printables, and even mugs! There are so many great designs on Etsy, but I’m loving the Home State mug above. The vendor has one for every state!

The best part about a mug gift is that it’s easy to take it one step further! Stick in your fav hot cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Or pair it with a bag of a favorite coffee! Or even tuck in a Starbucks or Dunkin gift card! It’s a thoughtful but simple gift that works for so many people.

Need some more mug ideas? Swing over to Caitlin’s blog, Coffee with Caitlin, and see her top picks!!

What is your favorite mug? Do you ever buy mugs for people at Christmastime?

Linking up with Tuesday Talk

The Everyday | Easy Lip Colors

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // November 10, 2015 // 5 Comments

We’re kicking off a new series today – The Everyday! Each month I’ll share with you the things that make my everyday a little more special, or things that I just can’t live without every day. I’m really looking forward to this whole series!

And since we’re kicking the series off today, it seemed like the perfect day to talk about favorite Everyday lip colors. It’s a topic I’ve covered a tad before, but these are all of my go-to lip colors that I reach for every day. I love easy lip colors that I can just slap on without a mirror.

But, can we take a moment to giggle about this video? I filmed it, and put each color on my lips as I went. And the first 2 just really don’t show up. HA! Silly camera. But trust me – those first two, for a tinted lip balm, are fantastic!

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment – Coral

Korres Lip Butter – Pomegranant

Revlon Color Stay Balm Stain – Crush

Revlon Color Stay Balm Stain – Honey

Revlon Color Stay Moisture Stain – India Intrigue

For the record – none of these links are affiliate or sponsored links. I’m just not that cool.
I just love talking about the things I love!

Linking up with Tuesday Talk

High Five for Friday #44 | The Week of Fun Announcements!

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // November 6, 2015 // 27 Comments

Welcome to High Five for Friday – hosted by me, Tif, Della, and Caitlin! If you want to know more, read about it here!

This week absolutely flew by! Did it for anyone else? Or was I the only oddball?

1. This week was the week of fun announcements, and if you missed them, let me catch you up!

First off, Caitlin and I are excited to announce the 2nd Annual Tis the Season Mug Swap!! It was such fun last year pairing folks up and seeing what kinds of mugs were sent back and forth. If you’re curious about it, you can learn more here and sign up!! Deadline to sign up is November 23.

2. The second excitement of the week was an AMAZING giveaway in honor of Tif’s birthday! It’s a pair of beautiful earrings from Kendra Scott as well as a $105 gift card to Sephora! Up for a splurge for the holidays? You can enter to win now!

3. One final “on the blog” piece (because there really wasn’t much else all that exciting this week) was a favorites video for October! It was a humorous one. I always manage to crack myself up.

4. My husband has been gone most of the week, and I’m looking forward to him coming back tomorrow! We don’t spend a ton of time apart, but when we do, you definitely understand “absence makes the heart grow fonder”. The house seems really quiet, even with a toddler running around.

5. Our church building volunteers are all headed home today! All that’s left on my plate is running a few folks to the airport and then getting everything put away at the site on Sunday. I just can’t believe it! In a matter of weeks, 60 volunteers came and put up walls, a roof, installed windows and doors, put up interior walls, and put up rafters. All while contending with constant rain and sloppy mud. They saved us GOBS of money in labor, and paid us in cheer and encouragement! I’m just in awe at the compassion and love that people can give to one another. I’m excited for the next phase!

So what were you up to this week? Let me know! Or better yet, link up!

And be sure to tag your posts/pics on social media with #H54F! We really do try to make the rounds and like, comment, retweet, etc! It’s so much fun to support one another, isn’t it?

I’m also linking up with Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre, 5 on Friday & Diary of a Real Housewife

Tis the Season Mug Swap – 2015

by Katie @ Cup of Tea // November 5, 2015 // 8 Comments

I cannot believe that a year has gone by and we’re ready for our 2nd Annual ‘Tis the Season Mug Swap!!! Yowzers! Where has the time gone? Caitlin at Coffee with Caitlin and I are so excited to kick off this fun, festive Mug Swap!

Haven’t heard of a Mug Swap before? It’s a grown up version of a pen pal! Basically, you sign up. We give you a partner to swap with. Get to know one another via email. Shop for the perfect mug, and mail!

Here are the details:

1. Sign up using this link by November 23.

2. Follow Katie and Caitlin so we can keep up with your mug swap pics!

Follow Katie on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Follow Caitlin on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

3. We’ll email you your partner’s email information by November 25. Send each other an email, and get to know one another so you can find the perfect mug!

4. Be sure to mail your mug to your partner by December 11, whether that’s buying one locally and packing up/mailing OR shipping from online. Either way!

5. Be sure to stick to the timeline. You want to make sure your partner gets a mug!! If you can’t get a hold of your partner, let us know ASAP so we can help out. Or if you’re unable to participate, let us know too so we can reassign your partner.

6. We want to see your mugs after the swap! Snap a pic, and tag it with #tistheseasonmug15. Be sure to tag your partner who sent it to you, if you can, and tag Caitlin and me!

NOTE: If you’re outside of the USA, sign up and we’ll try our best to pair you up with someone, but we may not be able to. If you’re in the US and are willing to have an international partner, please let us know when you sign up!

If you have any other questions, PLEASE let us know! I’m already dreaming of yummy tea for a new mug. 🙂

Deadlines Recap:

1. Sign Up by November 23

2. Receive partner contact info from us by November 25

3. Get to know your partner and buy a mug

4. Ship new mug to partner by December 11

5. Use the hashtag #tistheseasonmug15 so we can see your mugs!

*NOTE: Not JUST for bloggers! Anyone can sign up!!

Have you participated in a swap before? What did you think?

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