TGIF! What’s on the calendar this weekend, ladies?
Tonight I have plans to meet up with my old work friends for drinks, and I cannot wait to see them! Other than that, Chris and I are looking forward to a lot of rest and relaxation. I also plan on putting in some serious time on Pinterest, scouring inspiration for my farmhouse Pinterest board (a HINT about our house hunting adventure…).
See ya on Monday!
PS – Chris and I were reminiscing about Gelly Roll Pens last night. Anyone else hoard them in middle school?
Hermes watching the snow / treat making / summer sausage & cheese / bedecked mantel / gourmet hot dogs / Chicago-style hot dog / weiner dog cuddling / OTR Cincinnati / Cincinnati / art exhibit / out to dinner
Christmas cookies / roaring fire / Pass the Pigs / Christmas lights / piano duets / sitting around in my wedding dress / table set for a feast / more lights / kitty + wrapping paper / Christmas with Chris / SNOW!
Merry Christmas, everyone! Did Santa bring you anything special?
In honor of my favorite holiday, here are some of my favorite Christmas memories.
The year my letter to Santa was answered…
Like lots of kids, I used to write a letter to Santa every year, extensively detailing everything I wanted to see wrapped under the tree. I always dropped my letter in our mailbox, addressed to the North Pole, hoping that he would receive my letter in time to fulfill all my wishes. One year, to my surprise and glee, Santa wrote back to me! Years later, I found out that our mail lady wrote handwritten responses to all the kids on her route. So nice!
The year I fainted during the Christmas pageant…
Growing up, one of the highlights of Christmastime was being in my church’s yearly Christmas pageant. It was fourth grade, and we were nearing the end of the pageant. The sanctuary was full of people and roasting hot. I had been standing, knees locked, in front of the church singing my little heart out. We were singing Angels We Have Heard on High, and during a chorus of Glo-o-o-o-o-ooo-o-o-o-o-ooo-o-o-o-o-oria, I started seeing stars and my vision blacked out. When I came to, I was laying on the sanctuary floor in a cold sweat with my mom and dad, our pastor, and a doctor hovering over me. To this day, I hate standing in front of groups of people, for fear I will faint!
The year I got a Barbie High Stepper Horse…
My mom talks about how she always lucked into getting the “hot” toys for me, without waiting in line or throwing elbows. It was 1996, and I really wanted the Barbie High Stepper Horse. I always wanted a horse when I was a kid, and I thought it was so cool that this horse for Barbie could walk on its own. You can imagine my glee when I unwrapped it on Christmas morning! Barbie always had a hard time sitting on the horse, and it was totally unproportional — but still awesome. PS – The commercial above takes me back!
The year of the big snow storm…
Growing up, my mom, dad, and I would take a road trip every year to visit both sides of our extended family. One year there was a BIG snow storm sweeping through the Midwest, so we had to cut our visit at my grandma and grandpa’s short and head home before we got snowed in. The drive that usually took four hours took much longer, but we made it home safely and in time for Christmas. I’m feeling so nostalgic for white Christmases right now; it’s been years since we’ve had one!
Last year was my first Christmas as a married lady. It was also the first year for Chris and me to not be at our respective parents’ houses for the day. We decided that once we got married, we would make it our tradition to spend Christmas day at our own home, rather than driving from place to place. We like for Christmas day to be totally relaxing and spent at home. Last year we spent the day opening gifts, watching Christmas movies, and making a delicious dinner of cornish hens and delectable side dishes.
Christmas break begins today, which means no more work until 2013. Yippee! Chris and I are hitting the road to visit our families for the holidays later today, and we are really looking forward to it!
As we’ll be traveling and enjoying a lot of R&R, my posts may be sporadic next week. I imagine most of you will be having too much fun to be on the computer, anyway.
What are you up to this weekend? Baking cookies, wrapping presents, and spending time with friends and loved ones?
It looks a lot like Christmas around our apartment these days. Even Hermes is getting into the fun by knocking our tiny tree over on a daily basis. I’m pretty sure this has turned into a game for him, because he gets a seriously mischievousness look on his face when he does it.
What are you up to this weekend? Chris and I have plans to finish our Christmas shopping. We only have a couple more people to buy for, so hopefully we can knock that out with a one-stop shop at the mall! Most of the presents I have bought are prettily wrapped and waiting under the tree. Do you still have holiday shopping to do?
Other than that, it will be another weekend of R&R for us.
What a week this has been! Anticipation for the holidays and changes ahead are making time zoom by too quickly. Chris and I are getting serious about buying a house in 2013, and I think we both are ready for that moment to get here now. We have a pretty good idea of what we want, which includes land, a bit of seclusion, rooms for future little ones, and a perk would be a place to keep a horse. We started learning this week about everything that is involved in purchasing a house, and boy are we lucky to have family and friends who are experienced in such matters to help us along the way!
In other, less-serious news (but still just as important), I attended a Winter Hair, Makeup, and Fashion Inspiration event at Tricoci University last night. Oh, what fun it was! Local Indianapolis designers showed their holiday fashion inspirations. And I loved the winter wonderland hair and makeup trends that were demonstrated by the Tricoci University students (including how to achieve the perfect top knot!). I took lots of photos, so stay tuned!
What are you up to this weekend? I’m very excited because on Saturday I am headed back to Tricoci University to be a “Beauty School Drop-IN!” All I can picture in my head is Frenchy from Grease dying her hair pink. Luckily, I’ll have the experts at Tricoci helping me not make such blunders. I’m planning to take lots of photos of what I learn to share with you!
Have you crafted a perfect Christmas wish list yet? I’ve been extra good this year, so my wish list contains some special little splurges. I curated my list on Pinterest this year, which has turned out to be super convenient. I bookmarked it on Chris’ browser so he doesn’t lose track of it .
The picks above are a sampling of my list. It doesn’t hurt to wish, right?
Kate Spade Jewel-Print Dress — I’m loving all of Kate Spade’s jewel-printed items right now. The print is so bold and playful!
Thanksgiving break was one of those weekends I didn’t want to end. We spent time with both my family and Chris’, and it was so nice! On Thanksgiving day, we had two Thanksgiving meals — one with each of Chris’ grandmas. We then spent Friday and Saturday with my mom and dad and enjoyed a bonfire, a morning antiquing, and a long afternoon playing Monopoly.
Reading: My work friend, Sarah, invited me to join a book club with her, so I’ve been reading the club’s first book, Brooklyn. Set in the early ’50s, it’s about an Irish girl named Eilis who leaves her home behind to work in New York. I’m about halfway through the book, and so far it’s a good read that I recommend. I’ll report back when I finish it (hopefully this weekend).
Watching: Tuesday night we were glued to election coverage all night. But besides that, Chris and I recently watched the Vince Vaughn remake of the movie Psycho. It was the exact same scrip as the original 1960 version by Alfred Hitchcock, but the Vince Vaughn version was set in the ’90s. Although, many of the costumes looked very ’60s. It kind of seemed like they were trying to reinvent the wheel. Why try to remake such a classic movie?
Listening to: I spent about two weeks listening to The Pillars of the Earth on CD during my commutes to and from work. I loved it so much that I borrowed the novel (a whopping 971 pages) from my mom-in-law. Since finishing The Pillars of the Earth, I’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s new CD, Red.
Exercising: I’ve been pretty proud of myself lately for getting off the couch during the evenings and running. The worst part of running is always getting myself out the door and going. But by them time I get back home, I always feel great.
Sleeping: I’ve been in bed every night this week by 9 p.m. Is it possible to get jet-lagged from Daylight Savings Time? I’ve been exhausted this week!
Looking forward to: I am so looking forward to this weekend. We don’t have any definite plans, but we’ve tossed around the idea of visiting the Exit 76 Antique Mall. And there’s also a great outlet mall near there, too (with a JCrew outlet store!).
Frosted windowpanes.
Hermes window watching.
What a pretty kitty. 
Chamomile tea.
Monday’s scarf.
