Post Christmas Online Shopping

December 27, 2013February 7, 20171 Comment

Now that the holiday dust has settled, there are sales galore out there, and it’s a great time to stock up. If you’re anything like me and went a little crazy this Christmas and cannot afford to do anymore shopping, come with me down daydream road and do a little window shopping. It’s always fun to look because it can be inspiring–maybe you already own a piece and have forgotten about it, or perhaps something can be DIY’d. Keep your eyes and mind open, and let’s shop…first stop, H&M.

Long navy coat // Jeweled & Studded Beanie // Button Detail Skinnies // Gold Make-up Bag // Pillow // Logo Tank // Decorative Studs // Sweats // Burgundy Funnel Neck Coat

Happy Friday!
xo

Life in Photos: Snow Day!

December 26, 2013February 7, 20172 Comments

We don’t get much snow here in the burbs of Seattle, but it does grace us with its beauty every once in a while. Last Friday was a magical day, being so close to Christmas and seeing the snow fall. Although I was headed into the office like any other day, I took some time to snap a few pictures of the pups enjoying the snow.

Mia loves to run in the snow and try to eat it as she runs.

Dodger just loves being outside in the snow.

The snow day really set the stage for Christmas. As I drove through my neighborhood, I saw snowmen building and people going for walks, and I can only imagine that these activities were followed up with some hot cocoa. And the combination of snow and Christmas lights…gorgeous.

Have you had any snow in your hometown?

O Christmas Tree

December 21, 2013February 7, 2017Leave a comment

We had a full house this past weekend, and it really made it feel like the holidays, but we were missing an integral part of the Christmas experience…the tree. We saved the tree shopping for this family filled weekend, so our nephew could be a part of the fun adventure. We headed out to Farmer Brown’s Christmas Tree Farm to go choose a tree and then cut it down ourselves (and by ourselves I mean, my hubby, clearly).

The hunt…

The scenery…

The day was cold and soggy, like most days in the PNW in December, but we were excited and ready to find a tree. We loaded up the minivan with family, our truck with more family (told you we had a full house), and then met up with a friend and his adorable kids so we could caravan out to the tree farm. The tree farm was a good 45 minute drive, but it was really fun to point out all the horses to my nephew along the way and enjoy the scenery. Upon arrival, you are told where to park, which trees are available, the pricing, and then you are offered a saw, if needed. We showed up equipped and ready to cut down a tree, so we parked, put on our gloves and beanies, and then set out to find the “perfect” tree. There were plenty of shenanigans and photo taking along the way and we found a lovely tree, not perfect because that’s not how we roll, but beautiful nonetheless. We ended the day with some hot cocoa, hot cider, and kettle corn, while enjoying the Christmas carols and watching the kids play. We enjoyed a great adventure and it was made even better because we had our family here to share it.

Big moment…tiiiiiimberrrrr!

So happy!

I love Christmas tree shopping.

My SIL made this cute collage, complete with a road trip pic and a hot cider pic.

Do you have a Christmas tree tradition?

Happy Tuesday!
xo

4 Simple Goals: Check In Time

December 16, 2013February 7, 2017Leave a comment

It has been over a month since the start of 4 Simple Goals: Before 2014. I have deemed today, check in day. It’s a Monday and it feels right. The last month has been extraordinarily busy for us with the usual holiday hustle, a family visit under our belts, and for the cherry on top, my office has moved locations over the last week. First and foremost, I couldn’t be happier that these are the things keeping me busy, and these are not excuses…okay, maybe they are just a little. To refresh your memory, these are my 4 Simple Goals.

Number 1 // I have definitely been wearing more color, but most importantly, I have been more aware about what I am choosing to wear. Getting dressed with purpose ensures that I feel confident about my appearance, and that always gives me a boost to smile a little more and approach the day with some gusto. This is a totally personal thing and may not do the trick for you, but it’s working for me.

Number 2 // I gotta tell you…I don’t know that I’m doing any better with this. Pre 4SG, Coffee = 12-16 oz a day, Water = 60 oz a day. Deep into 4SG, Coffee = 12 oz a day, Water = 70 oz a day. I have a 20 oz water bottle and I can’t seem to drink that last 10 oz. Hooray for small improvements?

Number 3 // Oh, tray table. I just can’t seem to catch a break on this project. I will finish it by the end of 4SG though! We did accomplish a lot last week, with the arrival of house guests comes cleaning, organizing and productivity. We hung photos down the hall, FINALLY. We also organized the magazine/office supplies/computer/printer bookshelf and it looks a million times better. So, progress is good for number 3.

Number 4 // I’m rocking it. The only time I dropped the ball as of late was on cookie day (my phone died and I forgot the big camera) and on the chocolate bark. Other than that, I’ve been all over it and loving it.

So, here it is, a little 4SG progress in collage format.

How is your 4SG challenge going?
Have a great night!
xo

Cookie Day Success!

December 8, 2013February 7, 2017Leave a comment

On Thursday night, I made one more batch of cookie dough, this time, oatmeal m&m cookies. Oatmeal and chocolate is a delicious combination, and the Christmas m&ms make them look so festive.

On Friday night, I decided to make some chocolate bark to take for the cookie exchange, and I’m definitely making more. IT’S.SO.EASY. I found the recipe on Pinterest here. I think my favorite part of the chocolate bark is being able to customize it. I used dried pomegranates and walnuts, peanut butter chips, and coconut with caramel sauce. Yum! Sorry, I totally dropped on the ball on the chocolate bark photos, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say that it is easy, it looks great, and it tastes delicious.

Okay, on to cookie day! It was a fabulous day. Saturday morning was cold and frosty but the sun was shining, and our friend’s home was being adorned with Christmas lights as we baked. Does it get any better? We laughed, baked, ate, drank, and walked away with a TON of cookies. We had the best variety, and I can’t wait to put my cookie platters together to share with everyone.

This was an Instagram pic taken by cookie day alum, Jamie.

Bubbly for baking // Pic courtesy of Jamie

Oatmeal m&m & Lemon Pecan Shortbread // Pic courtesy of Jamie

Gorgeous sugar cookies // Pic courtesy of Jamie

Lights & sparkle // Pic courtesy of Jamie

I whole heartedly recommend that you and your girls plan a cookie day. There’s still time! These would make a fabulous addition to any Christmas spread, they would make great, affordable gifts, or maybe…just let this marinate for a moment…they could be perfect to enjoy with a giant mug of hot cocoa in front of the fireplace for you and your loved ones.

This is an inexpensive way to spend quality time with the bakers in your life. A little planning goes a long way, so prepare your dough ahead of time, make sure you have cooling racks set up, and be sure to have plenty of cookie sheets and a roll of parchment paper on hand. Most importantly, take the time to bake at least 1 batch of sugar cookies ahead of time, and then put out some fun Christmas themed sprinkles, frosting, etc so you can decorate the sugar cookies and chat over some champagne. That’s the best.

Have a great night!
xo

Cookie Day Preparations

December 3, 2013February 7, 20174 Comments

Every year, a couple girlfriends and myself get together for a cookie day. It’s a glorious day filled with champagne, cookie making/baking/decorating and apron wearing. When all the cookies are completed, we do a little exchange and leave with a great variety of cookies to take home and share with family and other friends. These make great gifts, alongside a mug and yummy coffee or hot cocoa mix. In order to get the most out of this year’s cookie day, we have all decided that making our dough ahead of time would be most efficient. Now, we will have ample time to decorate our sugar cookies and sip champagne. Tonight, I’m whipping up some Lemon Pecan Shortbread, and I’m using this recipe.

I’ll be sure to post some pics of the finished cookies. But until then, please share…in the spirit of the holiday, what are you baking??

Thanksgiving Sure Was a Great Day

December 3, 2013February 7, 2017Leave a comment

We cooked, ate, drank, watched football, movies and basically had a really amazing day. Here are some snapshots from the day.

The humble beginning of crockpot cranberry apple butter. It smells and tastes like Christmas. Try it…found the recipe here.

I made this in the morning, and it was so easy and so yummy. I found the recipe here.

Cheeeeeeeese, and other yummy things.

Brussel sprouts. So gorgeous, right?

Just making homemade dinner rolls, NBD.

The dinner rolls came out beautifully.

Lobstah!

Crab!

Dodger dog, enjoying the holiday.

Pumpkin cheesecake, homemade whipped cream (thanks, Mel!) and a little drizzle of caramel sauce. SO.GOOD. I found the recipe here.

Not only was dinner a total success, but we were able to FaceTime with my mom and whole family back home in the Bay Area, and I had a nice chat with my dad that evening. Thanksgiving was such a great day.

And just like that, we switch gears from Thanksgiving to full on Christmas mode.

Have a great evening!
xo

Thanksgiving Feast: A Little Different, Just Like Us

November 27, 2013February 7, 20171 Comment

This is the 5th thanksgiving in our home. Year number 1 was pretty traditional, and we were so happy to host my in-laws and our dear friend, Mel. Year number 2 was just us and Mel (aka, one of our most favorite people in the world), and we deep fried a turkey. Year number 3 was just the three of us again, and we deep fried Cornish game hens, along with anything/everything that seemed like a good idea. The year number 4 guest list remained unchanged, but we decided to mix things up a bit and have a seafood thanksgiving feast. This made total sense to us since I’m a pescetarian and my husband prefers seafood over meat. We went all out–lobster, crab, king crab legs, Mel’s homemade clam chowder, lobster brie dip, and the list goes on, and on, and on. We went a little crazy and could barely dig into the main entree because we overdid it with appetizers and clam chowder (in bread bowls, I know, so stupid). This year, year number 5, we have decided to take a step back. Last year we made so many rookie mistakes, so we are all committed to do this seafood thanksgiving feast right. Here’s what our menu looks like.

one. Cheese Plate // two. Kale, Wild Rice, Pomegranate Salad with Walnuts & Feta // three. Potatoes Au Gratin with Gruyere // four. Brussel Sprouts with Panko Bread Crumbs (we are leaving out pomegranates) // five. Dinner Rolls ~ all images are from my board on Pinterest.com

six. Crab // seven. Lobster // eight. Pumpkin Cheesecake ~ Photos from my board on Pinterest.com, except the crab photo, courtesy of Mel

Please know that a big part of our thanksgiving celebration is being ridiculously casual, so that means that we will all don pajama pants, and combined with the seafood, I realize that our thanksgiving may not look like yours. It may be a little different, but the sentiment is the same.

I hope that you, your family and friends have a wonderful thanksgiving, and that you make some great memories.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!
xo

Thanksgiving Surprise for the Fam

November 25, 2013February 7, 2017Leave a comment

As a little treat, I’ve mailed off a Thanksgiving care package to my family. I included pumpkin spice chai tea, caramel wafers, and a Mexican Pumpkin candle to set the holiday mood. This time of year it’s extra hard to live far away from my family, but little things like this warm my heart and put a smile on their faces. I just wanted to remind them that we are thankful for them, so that’s exactly what the enclosed note said, that’s it — “We are thankful for you.”

Everything here is from Cost Plus World Market

I was totally inspired by this pin and am so glad I did it. Now…I die from anticipation. Giving gifts is the best, but they probably won’t get it until tomorrow.

Have you sent any care packages recently?

Happy Tuesday!
xo

Thankful for Skype

November 25, 2013February 7, 20171 Comment

Tis the season to be thankful, and today, I’m thankful for Skype because it allowed my husband and I to have a wonderful visit with family half way around the world. My brother-in-law and his wife have embarked upon the adventure of a lifetime, a trip around the world. They have been traveling for 379 days and are currently in South Africa, where they have encountered beautiful locals and landscape. We had a fantastic time catching up and listening to stories of their travels, learning about the history of places they have visited and getting a crash course in some interesting language tidbits–street lights are called robots in South Africa. Who knew?! Silliness aside, they are truly making the most of this life. My husband and I talk about how incredibly brave we think they are, for leaving the life they know behind to travel to places that many would hesitate to visit, and to be okay with starting over again when this is all done. They have seen gorgeous places, but most importantly, they have not stayed at 4 star hotels but rather participated in WWOOF (learn more here) and have really immersed themselves in the culture of the places they are visiting. They are seeing the world from a different point of view and really understanding what it means to be grateful. Their stories inspire me and although we miss them, we are thankful for Skype to reunite us. Please read up on their travels at Our First World Trip. Understandably, this sort of travel may not be for everyone (myself included) but a friend once told me that there is a job for everyone, so today, my job is to spread the word about the amazing things that Sal & Maria are doing.

Maria & Sal on their wedding day

Maria & Sal after 379 days of travel

What are you thankful for today?