'Tis the season

It's my favorite time of year! Cheers!

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Merry Christmas & happy holidays

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Holiday traditions

Every year since my dad passed away, I've made a Christmas eve feast of horseradish crusted prime beef rib, mashed potatoes, green beans and some dessert like bread pudding or french silk pie (sounds simple, but it's a party in your tummy). We stuff ourselves into a food coma, then watch a Christmas movie and drink hot chocolate. I started this tradition to remember my dad and the thing he loved to do most: eat. He clearly passed this trait on to his children, so every year, his children gather and silently celebrate him and remember all our joyous family memories that feel like they're slowly fading, but the love still forever ingrained in our hearts.

*Christmas 2009 and my very pregnant belly in the background! 

And here is last year's post from Christmas morning brunch at my mom's house which is an equally ridiculous (and delicious) food fest. If your holidays aren't all about eating, all day long, then you didn't grow up in my family!

What are some of your family traditions?

{DIY} Modern Advent Calendar

We receive at least one store bought traditional Advent calendar each year with the chocolates inside each day's Bible verse. (Sweets and scripture, it doesn't get much more Southern than that.) We never open it and the entire thing gets tossed sometime around  Jan 1.

I love this modern take on an Advent calendar and definitely plan to do some twist on it as part of our family's Christmas tradition.

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It's so simple: mini kraft envelopes, cardstock, and tape or pins. You could tape it onto your wall or pin the envelopes on a board (as shown here). My favorite part is the daily activity that we can enjoy as a family. Something as simple as making hot chocolate with extra marshmallows or watching a Christmas movie. Maybe I'll also throw in *extra fun* things like, "folding laundry" or "mopping floors". This calendar idea may stick around all year...

Stocking Stuffers: in the bedroom

Have you finished all of your Christmas shopping? I'm a last minute person, so I still have another 6 days to frantically rush through the mall looking for the *perfect* gift for those near and dear. (Who wouldn't want a Nettie Pot?) Since everyone else in my household (all two of them: husband and toddler) also likes the thrill of last minute gift giving, I'm making their week a little easier with a few more ideas to fill my stockings. You're welcome.

1. My old college sweats with a hole in the knee could use a replacement - pajama pants (was 14.99, now 8.90)
2. A striped pajama top (6.80) cute enough to wear out for an early morning coffee run. 
3. Over-the-knee socks (12.50) to wear with my tall boots and dresses.
4. These little Hanky Panky (29.00) treats make any ol' dress feel more special.

Stocking stuffers: Beautify

I know you've seen a million different gift guides by now to help you navigate the never-ending seas of gifting ideas. So this isn't a gift guide for you. It's a gift guide for you to give to me. You know, in case you're taking this last weekend before Christmas to do some shopping (ahem, Husband. Mom. Toddler child of mine.)

1. This eye liner palette 12.99 has all the colors I never knew I wanted.
2. An eye shadow palette 16.99  for the dramatic smoky eye, should I ever go out at night again.
3. I've never used concealer 22.00 before, but having a child seems to bring under eye circles (and extra pounds) that beg to be hidden.
4. I bought some foundation primer 16.00 last year and love how it keeps my make-up set all day. At least I think it does.
5. I've used this mineral foundation 26.00 for a bajillion years because I don't like the feel of heavy foundation. And because I am too apathetic don't know enough about make-up to find a new one that could work better for me.

See, nothing fancy here, people. Every day items that I need to replenish. I'm a boring reasonable gift-asker. What's wrong with wanting socks for Christmas???

Cozying up

Click on links to view or purchase:

sweater 187 ||  scarf 14.94 ||  corduroy 180 ||  hat 19.99 ||  boots 178 || mittens 40

I've been sick for about a month (fine, a week and a half, but it feels like at least 6 weeks), which is a real downer during my favorite time of the year. Now that it's December (When did that happen?! Oh yes, while I was sick...) and temps have dropped below 70, I'm ready to put on a cozy sweater and my favorite old cords and head out to Christmas tree lightings, enjoy all the holiday festivities, and snuggle by the fire at night. It's the Bean's second holiday season, but the first one he's old enough to enjoy, which makes it extra special for us.

What are your favorite things about the holidays? 

fireplace image via

Happy Friday

Source: credit
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Labor Day weekend reminds me of stripes, boats, water, and s'mores. (Random fact: I had my first s'mores ever two years ago on Labor Day.  At the harbor.  I feel so American now.) This weekend, there will be no boats or harbor, but I'm hoping for much needed downtime and maybe some homemade s'mores and striped tees.  

Here's hoping that we're back here this time next year:

What are you doing this long weekend?

PS - only three more days to enter this giveaway!  
Enter for you or a friend!

Happy Fourth

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and this year didn't disappoint.  Visits to the museums, brunch, bar-b-ques, parade, pool party, we were worn out by the time fireworks started.   How was your weekend?

image credit 1 2 3

Red, white, and blue

Just a little patriotic color to start off the Fourth of July weekend.

Credit: 1 2 3

Happy Father's Day

This morning, I woke early and surprised the Hubs with delicious, homemade buttermilk waffles that were so light and airy with a crispy, light-brown crust.  It was my first attempt at making homemade waffles and for a while, I had him convinced that he will never eat a store-bought frozen waffle again.  That is, until, an hour later the slight bit of food poisoning kicked in and we're now sitting on our couch with arms crossed over our stomachs, moaning.

Hoping it's just a little bug that will pass (hee hee) before dinner tonight.

Now, enjoy a couple of my favorite father's day posts:

The Sartorialist father's day shoot.  

Is there anything sweeter than a man taking care of his child?

Here's to all the wonderful stay-at-home dads!

Now this is what dad's are for.
I cringe thinking of my own children playing
in the mud like this some day,
but when I see the smiles on these kids,
I know it's something I'm going to have to let them do.
With their dad.

See more great pictures of this dads+mud post here.

Memorial Day

In honor of all of those who choose to 

selflessly serve for our freedom and to preserve this nation,

THANK YOU.

Happy Mother's Day

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If you are a mother reading this, you will understand when I say, "I had no idea."  I had no idea how utterly exhausting it would be and yet I still find the energy to keep going.  How some days can't be over soon enough and how I'd wish some days - most days - would never end.  How I could possibly love so much and then wake up the next day and love him even more.  How my happiness and sadness and joy and pain would be wrapped up in such a little person.  How every day is an entirely new day with new opportunities to laugh and learn.  How much more I'd love my spouse when I see him with our child.  I had no idea.

So if you are a mother reading this, I'm honored to be part of your secret society. 

{mini} spring style

To celebrate Easter weekend, I just had to outfit the little Bitties off to hunt eggs and fill their baskets with sweets.  Since it will be 90 degrees and rain-forest-humidity this weekend, my little one will not be donning a proper Easter jacket, but I have enjoyed playing virtual dress up.

For the boys:

 For the girls:

all pieces from Zara

Happy Easter!  What will you be doing this weekend?

Happy Valentine's Day

(Warning: the following story has excessive cheesiness)

When I was dating the hubby, for our first Valentine, I made him a big match book out of card stock that read: "You're my perfect match" and on each little 'match' inside, I wrote something I liked about him.

Did you just throw up a little? 

This little idea reminds me of that gift, except so much cuter:

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And while I don't really care one way or the other about getting roses
as a Valentine present, a little rose gold would be nice:

 

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What are your plans for Valentine's Day?

mini Valentine's Day

I'm not much a Valentine's person (isn't a grown man in a diaper shooting people with a bow-and-arrow kind of creepy?), but with a new little Bitty, I want to celebrate all of the cheesy holidays that Hallmark tells us to.  So here are a few gift ideas for all of your bitties...

An owl pillow for your darling little girl

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A robot for the little mister

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Stripes two mini sweethearts

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And a custom-made family for the whole fam

 

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Happy Chinese New Year

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It's the first day of the Chinese lunar new year celebration.  In honor of my people's holiday, I'm making pasta for dinner tonight (we're supposed to eat noodles for "long life" so an Italian pasta dish counts, right?), put the baby in red (it's the luckiest color and believed to ward off evil spirits), and handed out the red money envelopes (yes, we get money on new years!).  I'm also posting super-fantastic-cool Chinese things.  Other than myself of course.

Super-fantastic-Chinese-good-ah-duh-duh-duh number 1:

Chinese stools  (but really, I die for these windows)

Source: netvibes.com via Juannan on Pinterest

Super-fantastic-Chinese-good-ah-duh-duh-duh number 2:

Chinese food (and I don't mean Panda Express)

Source: via Audrey on Pinterest

Super-fantastic-Chinese-good-ah-duh-duh-duh number 3:

Chinese gardens

Source: flickr.com via Mia on Pinterest

Super-fantastic-Chinese-good-ah-duh-duh-duh number 4:

Shiny things

Source: google.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Super-fantastic-Chinese-good-ah-duh-duh-duh number 5:

Chinese babies

Source: news.cultural-china.com via Erin on Pinterest

Christmas brunch

 

Homemade almond orange rolls +

Smoked salmon, sliced pears, cream cheese with chives +

Sausage and cream cheese filled crescent rolls +

Pecan crusted bacon +

Buttermilk biscuits +

Mimosas =

Food coma

Out of Office: will not return until...

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Don't you just love turning on your "Out of Office" response and knowing that you won't have to check an email, answer a call, or go to another long meeting for a while?

You would think with all this free time one would pay a little more attention to one's blog.  You would think wrong.  Instead, one has successfully hosted two delicious Christmas Eve Eve and Christmas Eve dinners (yes, two eves, two dinners) and enjoyed an over-the-top Christmas brunch with the family.

One of the dinners consisted of horseradish crusted prime rib, prosciutto green beans, garlic mashed potato, french silk pie and sopapilla cheesecake.  That's about 3,298 calories in one meal.  And worth every. single. one.

How were your holidays?

Happy Holidays

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Dear lovelies:
I haven't fallen off the edge of the blogosphere.  I am merely stressing enjoying the holidays, the celebrations, soaking in the last few days of the year, and looking forward to all the hope and blessings for the next year.

I hope you all are doing the same.  Happy holidays to everyone!
xoxo