Turkey Day is gone and Christmas has entered our household! This time of year is for Christmas movies (my favorites are White Christmas and Christmas Vacation), Christmas cookies, decorating, and ugly sweater parties. (I've already been listening to Christmas music since early November!) Should we see how many times I can say the word Christmas in this post?? Happy November!

What I'm Reading: I just finished The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I.LOVED.THIS.BOOK! It was so good. I stayed up late into the night reading it because I couldn't put it down.

Last Movie I Saw (and Loved!): Mark can't wait for the new Star Wars movie to come out so we are in the process of re-watching episodes 1-6. Not sure I love the movies, but something to watch I guess.

Baby Love: Livia is a jumping bean lately! She loves loves loves her Fisher-Price Rainforest Jumperoo. She's so stinking cute jumping away!

Podcast I'm Listening To: I did listen to Man Repeller (specifically episode 4 with Stacy London) and thought it was hilarious and incredibly intelligent. It felt like I was having drinks with them and have a smart conversation instead of just talking about the day's gossip (or maybe it was like were talking about the day's gossip but in a smart sort of way).

Eating: Thanksgiving went good...the turkey turned out great and the mashed potatoes spectacular. I'm working on my next two weeks of meal planning and will post that soon.

Creating: This weekend we decorated for Christmas. I adore vintage Christmas ornaments but don't really have a good place to display them. This weekend I made a ornament chandelier via a Pin I found on Pinterest and it looks great hanging in the entryway of our house.

Blog Love: I wish Jessica from How Sweet It Is was my best-y....

{Photo via Donna Boucher}

I love cooking and Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of cooking. The planning, the researching, the shopping - I LOVE it! Thanksgiving is Mark's favorite holiday (food, football and beer...what more could you want according to him) and so every year I have a little bit of pressure to make it awesome. This year we're hosting my parents and I can't wait!

Below are the links to the 2015 THANKSGIVING MENU! Gobble til you Wobble!

Sorry I've been gone. Major things have been happening in our household mostly involving me quitting my job. Yes, you read that right. I quit my 8-5 paralegal job and it.feels.AMAZING! Trust me, there have been some sleepless hours, stressful moments, and worry if this was the right decision. But I can honestly say I have never been happier! A weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I am so grateful I have this time to be at home, to hang out with Livia and to remember what is important.

The past couple of days I have been in such awe of being a mom. I just look at Livia and think how lucky I am to be her mom. I will never be able put into words what it feels like to be a mom. I wrote earlier how I struggled bonding with her right away, but that feeling is long gone. My love her for has taken over every molecule of my being. She is my heart and soul. I honestly miss her if she is gone at daycare. I hate missing bath time because I love seeing her little smile as she kicks water all over the place. She peed on me the other night while I filling up her bathtub and I thought it was hilarious. Is that odd? Yes, there have been moments of frustration and I've cried right along with her only because I want to so badly make her happy.

Last night I was reading in bed and I just felt this strong pull to go check on her (again) and when I did I just had to hold her. I was taking a huge risk lifting a sleeping baby from her warm cozy crib, but I just had to feel her weight on my chest. I just sat in her rocking chair with her curled up on me. All I could think was time is flying by too fast. She is about to be seven months, the downward turn towards one. Where did my newborn go? I just sat and savored the moment. Listened to her breathing and kept thanking God for all that I have.


I am so thankful for my family. My husband is beyond amazing. He didn't hesitate for a minute when I told him I wanted to quit my job. He said we will do whatever it takes to make things work and wanted only the best for me. (And yes, I will be looking for a new job, but I am taking my time and enjoying the holidays with my family.) My beautiful baby girl...the little girl who is so happy to see me. She instantly breaks out into a huge smile showing off those two little teeth every time I see her. I am so amazed Mark and I created her and she's ours. How did we pull that off? We are never that lucky! My little puppy who snuggles with me and knows when to give me a kiss. My fabulous friends who are always good for a glass of wine and a laugh. The puzzle pieces of life have clicked into place for the time being and I am savoring every moment.

This post kicks off Thanksgiving week and the start of the holidays in our house! Stay tuned for our Thanksgiving menu, holiday gift guides, and who knows what else. Happy Turkey Week!

Just read a brilliant article about thank you notes. Thank you notes are such a simple thing, but can also cause me agony. As soon as I could write, I wrote thank you notes to anyone that gave me a gift. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. My mom made sure a thank you note in the proper format went out (Dear____, Thank you for the gift. This is why I like and/or what I'll be using it for. Thank you again. Love, me). Thank you notes are still something I do today. No ifs ands or buts about it. When Mark and I were dating and my parents would send Mark a gift I would hint that he should send a thank you. He didn't grow up with the thank you note rule and he usually grumbled a little bit. However, he is now 'trained' pretty well to send a thank you note out to people that send him gifts or treat him/us to something special (i.e. football tickets to a big game).

But what do you do now in the digital world? I feel silly sending my friends thank yous sometimes when it's simpler to text quick and say 'thanks!'. But, I still can't get my mom out of my head saying 'you need to write a thank you for that birthday gift.' In We Need a New Etiquette for Thank-You Notes, Ruth Graham asks Lizzie Post (great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post) what to do. And the best advice is given: Go ahead and text an acknowledgment right away "Your gift just arrived!" or "Thanks for thinking of me!" and then send a proper note later expressing your gratitude. Works for me!

And who doesn't love getting something in the mail that isn't a bill or junk mail? And yes, Livia will be writing thank you notes the second she knows how to write.

{image via here}

I just read this article on how to host a soup swap and I'm dying to do one! It would be fun, somewhat easy, and I would have dinner in the freezer ready to go! I think the Swap Card Bid option sounds fun but also just making enough for everyone to be able to take one of each kind home sounds kind of fun.

If I were to host one or have to cook for a swap I'm debating what I would make:

• Italian Orzo Spinach Soup {Gimme Some Oven}
• Asian Chicken Noodle Soup {Cooking Classy}
• Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup {Carlsbad Cravings}
• Roasted Tomato Basil Soup {Food Network via Ina Garten}  

I just listened to Episode 4 of the podcast Oh Boy by Man Repeller featuring Stacy London. I haven't listened to this podcast before but wanted to because I've adored Stacy London ever since her What Not to Wear days.  The podcast as probably one of the greatest ones I've listened to. It was honest, entertaining, and made me think.

This post started out as a post about how I am struggling with my closet lately. We are at war. Every morning I wake up and dread walking into my closet to find something to wear. I love my clothes. I buy things that I gravitate to when I'm shopping. But lately I just want to have a big bonfire and torch all of it. I blame a few factors: one, I'm a mom now; two, I recently decided to quit my job and have mentally 'checked out' of my job during the last few days I'm working before I gain the title of 'unemployed', therefore, nothing seems to 'speak to me'; and three, I am starting to feel like what worked for me at 29 no longer works for me at 31, for some reason 30 was the bridge of no return. I can't go back to wearing what I did when I was 25 (and I don't want to).

[What Not to Wear] had nothing to do with fashion, it had to do with psychology. It had nothing to do with what you were wearing, but why you were wearing it. - Stacy London

During the podcast Stacy London and host Leandra Medine discuss fashion, society's view on the single lady, and being your authentic self. I was jotting down so many phrases and notes into my Day Designer while I was listening because I didn't want to forget the message. And the message I took away after listening was that a person is always evolving, always changing and to succeed at this you need to be very self aware and become your most authentic self. I don't mean be self absorbed, but be self aware. I want to become the best version of myself I can.

I have been reading articles about creating closet capsule wardrobe (the idea that you work on eliminating what you don’t need and then figure out what you do need, then only shop for the remaining key pieces). I suppose the point is to eliminate from your life the unnecessary items and stress. Streamlining your morning routine. Which sounds lovely, but a little sad. I adore my closet and the things in there, I'm just at war with it at the moment. I like my animal print shoes, chunky sweaters, pencil skirts, leather leggings, and duster sweaters. But, what happens when what's in my closet no longer feels like it fits me. And by fits me, I mean fits where I am in life.

I have gone through major life changes the past year and when I say I have NOTHING wear, maybe it means I don't have a piece of clothing that matches my emotional state (stated so perfectly by Yasmine Ganley).

So my goal for the remaining part of 2015: creating a personal style that fits who I am as a person.

Let's make this happen!



{via Scary Mommy}