Treat Yourself Tuesday: Holiday Edition

Today I am linking up with the lovely Becky to participate in my first ever ‘Treat Yourself Tuesday’! And with it being December, I thought it would be fun to highlight the ways I will be treating myself this holiday season! Let me pull up my Pandora Country Christmas station and we’ll get started.

This holiday season, I fully intend to enjoy my favorite Christmas treats, butter, sugar, and all.

On that note, I will also be treating myself to homemade hot cocoa by the Christmas tree. Most likely on the daily. There is something so therapeutic about curling up on the couch and enjoying a hot beverage each evening.

This season, I will take the time to drive and stroll through neighborhoods full of holiday lights. While of course, listening to even more holiday tunes. You can never have too much ‘I’ll be Home for Christmas’.

And most importantly, I will spend as much time as I can with the people I love. Whether it be by taking a yoga class or watching Hallmark movies with my mom or having an Ugly Sweater Christmas Party with friends, I will appreciate the season for the opportunity it provides to spend quality time with loved ones.

Tell me, how will you treat yourself this holiday season?!

Hello, December

After a weekend filled with delicious food, great company, post it note Pictionary, lots of Dunkin Donuts airport Dunkaccino runs, and of course, pulling all the Christmas decorations out of storage, we are back in Houston and happy to park it on the couch this afternoon. While a full 4 day weekend recap would most definitely turn into a novel length post, I did want to share a couple of my favorite scenes from Thanksgiving this year!

We decided to kick start Thursday with a quick run. And by quick, I mean, 2 steps out the door and 1 wind slap in the face, I was ready to jog my booty back inside. De, Connor, Dan and I managed to successfully complete a loop around the neighborhood and that was more than enough outdoor activity to fill my quota for the weekend. Living in Houston has absolutely made me soft. Props to all who brave the cold on the daily.

The majority of our time in New York was spent laughing at our own sophomoric jokes and discussing scholarly topics, ie: YouTube prank videos and favorite TV series. We also spent a great deal of time heating, eating, and reheating all the amazing holiday dishes.

Dan and I arrived back in Texas yesterday afternoon and were delighted to see that Nola was already in the holiday spirit with her Christmas collar on. Of all her wardrobe pieces, her Christmas collar is hands down my favorite.

As long as Nola was in the holiday spirit, we figured we might as well join her. Our place is officially decorated and I am loving the view as I type.

Your turn! What was the best part of your Thanksgiving weekend? Is anyone else as excited to decorate as I am?!

Virtual Hot Cocoa Date

I absolutely love to read virtual coffee date posts but have to admit that I am more of a hot cocoa kind of girl. So that’s what I will be sipping as I provide this little life update. Feel free to grab your coffee or a cocktail, it is after noon, and let’s chat.

If we were having hot cocoa today, I would tell you that I am officially a married lady! Dan and I said our ‘I Do’s’ on November 15, in case you missed the article in People. We truly had the best weekend of our lives celebrating with family and friends!

If we were having hot cocoa today, I would also tell you that after the wedding, I was happy to travel back home but ugly cry sad to send half my bridesmaids back to their home states of Massachusetts (which I still need auto correct to spell), Illinois, Ohio, and Virginia.

Over our second cup of hot cocoa, because we would obviously be having such a great time, I would tell you that I am so excited for the holidays. We will be kicking off Thanksgiving weekend tomorrow and flying out to New York to celebrate with Dan’s family. De makes the most amazing quiche in the world and I am already planning to pack my most comfortable sweatpants in anticipation of all the delicious food!

At this point, I would most likely be eating marshmallows straight from the bag and telling you that I have waited as long as I can to put the Christmas tree up at our place. The radio in my car is set on the Holiday Station and so is my Pandora. Cheesy Hallmark and Lifetime Holiday movies, here I come.

What is your favorite holiday dish?! Any Thanksgiving traditions?!

The Eve of Christmas Eve

My Christmas shopping is finally complete. Meaning that I can now move onto the other items on my ‘To Do List’. Aside from making a run to the liquor store, so festive, to pick up tequila for tomorrow evening’s margarita and taco night, I will be trading in my sweatpants, ponytail, and au naturel face and nails for a more publicly acceptable and sophisticated style.

Over Thanksgiving weekend my future sister-in-law, De *cookingfortheotherhalf.com*, gave me the most amazing box set of Sephora nail polish. With 25 bottles of essentially every color and shade of the rainbow, I am set for a very long time. Tonight I am planning to wear a light base coat, with a sparkling top coat.

In addition to my new nail polish, Danny Stevie’s parents just sent me the most deluxe make-up kit I have ever seen. I typically rotate between two eye shadows, so you can imagine my excitement when I opened the top compartment to find 16 different colors. Not to mention 4 shades of blush, and an assortment of lip gloss.

Aside from freshening up my look, I have spent the majority of my time in the kitchen,  cooking, cleaning, completing Christmas gifts and finally, organizing our fridge. I love to display holiday cards, pictures, thank you notes, and invitations on our door, but we had run out of magnets, and if I am being honest, I looked like a bit of a hoarder. This morning I took the time to arrange for a more coherent look. It still isn’t perfect, but progress is progress.

And now it is time to box up the remainder of chocolate and white chocolate pretzels and of course, watch Sunday football. Merry almost Christmas to all!

No Place Like Home

Today’s high temperatures only reached the 50s, and while I may normally grudgingly grab my winter coat and stomp my feet harder than necessary when chilly, I unexpectedly welcomed this week’s cooler weather. Somehow Christmas music, holiday lights, egg nog lattes, and wrapping Christmas presents feel more festive when a quasi-cold front runs through. And let’s be honest, temperatures in the 50s can hardly be categorized as cold.

Nevertheless, as the cool weather settles and Christmas nears, I appreciate the quiet nights spent at home lounging in my pajamas and plush bathrobe, reading my favorite blogs, as the football game that Dan watches serves as comforting and nostalgic background noise.

Other perks of being a seasonal homebody? Board Games, Magazines, and a chance to get in the kitchen to try to emulate my grandma’s amazing cooking. 

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.