Holiday Smiles

Kylee and my mom

Over the holiday week spent with our families, there was never a shortage of smiles.  We were all delighted to be together for Christmas and the convivial spirit was infectious.  As adults, the holidays often bring chaos and stress, but that all seems to disappear the minute I see my nieces happy faces and the joy that Christmas brings them.  As usual, I feel a bit of the "post-holiday blues" this year, but looking at the pictures brings me back to a happy place. 

Sarah's baby Sophie

Vince (my brother), Kylee, and my dad

Gabe's parents, Dick and Ginger

my nieces, Kylee and Keshley

wearing our new sweatshirts with the family farm logo

my parents

Johnnie (my brother), Brooke, me, Gabe

Kylee likes to hold onto your ear when she's tired

Holiday Details

 freshly squeezed orange juice

 Christmas dinner

 Belgian waffles

Our Christmas week was exactly what we needed- family time, great food, homemade desserts, See's candy, walks, and games.  It always surprises me how quickly time goes by when I'm visiting my family.  We were thankful to have both our families together this year to celebrate the holidays and we all had a blast.  I'll post more pictures tomorrow.  How was your Holiday celebration?

Merry Christmas

{via}

It's almost Christmas and Gabe and I are delighted to be spending the week with both of our families.  Our Christmas week agenda includes lots of family time, fabulous food, holiday movies, board games, baking, and relaxing.  I'll be back on Monday to tell you more about it.  I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!  What are your plans?

See's Candy

I can't even imagine the holidays without dreaming of See's candy. I know it's available year round, but my family has countless boxes of See's milk chocolates around for Christmas every year and as we all know, this is the time to splurge. When I first met Gabe he was amazed at how I could tell him exactly what was in each piece, just by looking (since there isn't a See's candy "key"). I told him I had a "gift", but really it's just years of practice and biting into something unexpected that helped me create my list of See's Candy favorites. One year I went to the See's store and bought a 2 pound box of JUST my hand selected favorites. Can you imagine the danger involved in having that in your home? It was pure bliss. And while I'll eat almost any of them, these are at the top of my list.  What's your favorite See's candy?

1. Milk Chocolate Bordeaux
2. California Brittle
3. Scotchmallow
4. Milk Butterchew
5. Peanut Butter Patties
6. Butterscotch Square
7. Molasses Chips
8. P-Nut Crunch
9. Milk Pattie Vanilla Caramel

Christmas Movies

Home Alone {via}

How The Grinch Stole Christmas {via}

Four Christmases {via}

Love, Actually {via}

Elf {via}

Now that it's December, I'm in full holiday movie mode. I watch at least a couple different Christmas movies every week (or at least have them on in the background while I'm cooking, wrapping, etc) and I'm always adding to my "annual must watch" list. These are the movies I'll be watching this year during our many Christmas movie marathons. What are your favorite holiday movies?

Elf
Love, Actually
Home Alone (1&2)
The Holiday
A Charlie Brown Christmas
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the cartoon)
Four Christmases

TGIF

Wine and cheese party {via}

Sunday brunch {via}

yoga {via}

decorating for Christmas {via}

After a week filled with Christmas music, online shopping, holiday dates, and of course work, I'm excited the weekend is here. Mine will consist of a wine and cheese party, brunch with a girl friend, more Christmas shopping and movies, yoga, and a dinner date with Gabe. What do you have planned for the weekend? I hope it's a great one!

Holiday Traditions

holiday baking

Our gingerbread houses from a few years ago

ice skating in Santa Monica

Christmas shopping (via) holiday movies

Chicago trip

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for all the family, food, and overall sentimental feeling behind it. But I also love that it marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday season. Although I cheated a bit and started listening to Christmas music last week, I've held out on the movies, decorating, and gift wrapping until now in order to truly commence the festivities. Gabe and I have countless holiday traditions that we build on every year. These are some of our annual holiday activities, as well as a few new events that we're looking forward to this season. What are your holiday traditions?

-spending time with family and friends
-ice skating in Santa Monica
-holiday dress up dates
-spiked eggnog
-Christmas movie marathons
-holiday baking with my mom
-building gingerbread houses
-Christmas shopping with egg nog lattes
-a festive trip to Chicago with shopping on Michigan Avenue and ice skating at Millennium Park
-wrapping presents while singing along to Christmas music

J.Crew Holiday Wish List

Drapey Sequin Tank $69.50

Stripe Sequins Boat Neck Tee $72

Glitterati Party Clutch $59.50

Panne Velvet Bell Skirt $78

Sequin Pencil Skirt $118
Wide Calf Hair Belt $78

Thanks to the November Kickoff 25% off coupon code, I have a long list of items I'm eyeing over at J.Crew (code FALLSALE goes through tomorrow). I realize it's time to start shopping for other people, so I'm trying only to buy holiday gifts with this code. But it's really difficult, considering J.Crew showcases the best holiday attire every single year. As you can see, I associate the holidays with sparkles and sequins. These are the items I can't get enough of right now.