christmas cookies

 

a couple weeks ago, we had several friends over for a holiday party to decorate sugar cookies. it was such a blast and i loved how much everyone got into it. the best surprise, for me, was that aside from myself, no one had gotten to do this as a kiddo! which made it all the more fun to see what they came up with.

plus, i love any excuse to snack on sweets with great company..especially that guy there :)

happy holidays!

cositas

 

[sugar cookies for a holiday fiesta]

 

christmas is almost here, can you believe it?! i'm so thrilled for the family time to come and for T and i's third christmas together. seems like it wasn't too long ago that i was fretting over what would be a cool 'new girlfriend' gift to get him (star wars pop art poster definitely sealed the deal that i a cool girlfriend :) ). and now, it's our third holiday! how time flies!! to celebrate, we started a new tradition of hosting a holiday party - post to come - at our place and boy, was it a hit!

 

and, i have changed up the title of these posts to be known as cositas - "little things". partly because of my ties to spanish culture but, also, because of my pure enjoyment of the little things in life. because, in my opinion, life is a series of little moments and little things bound together. they give great insight into who a person is and what they value :)  

[winter fruits in colorful bowls. a simple centerpiece]

 

[T and i's new habit of impromtu cocktail hour. i love any excuse to share martinis with him]

 

[decorating with santas]

 

[christmas tree hunting. a tradition i've loved since i was little]

 

[impromptu holiday brunch with pom mimosas...mmm]

the wooden spoon: homemade bread

 

did you ever bake bread in school when you were little? i'm not sure how exactly it came up but, i had gotten the desire to bake bread like i did when i was in elementary school. when i brought up the memory to T, he had no idea what i was talking about since he never had that experience! truth be told, i'm not sure why we even made bread in school but, what i can remember, is the delicious smell of it baking and the overwhelming anticipation of waiting for it to cool to eat it! so there i was, armed to take on the task of baking bread and looking for a recipe that was easy enough for me (to not mess up since they can be kinda fickle) and didn't use a bread maker.

fortunately, i found this recipe that was easy peasy and extra delicious! (i've never enjoyed butter so much ;) ) now, normally i would take you through the steps, photos and all, but, sadly bread making doesn't make for great photos. (i mainly relied on the recipe directions as i had a hard time seeing if my dough was at the right stages)

so i leave you with delicious photos of your bread-to-be...mmm!
happy baking!

adelaide

a little wine and a little paint

 

last week i made my way to an art gallery in the city to meet up with laun for a wine and palette class. now, if you don't know or haven't heard of it, please check out their website wineandpalette.com. for the basic gist, it's a flashback to intro art class but, this time, you get to enjoy wine while you do it. say what! if you haven't tried it or are thinking you love wine but, hate painting, please try it. you will suddenly find a new love for painting, i promise. (the wine helps ;) )

 

how cute is she?!

can't wait for the next class!

pup diaries

 

 

sometimes our humans are strange. they got us a new water bowl but put a tree in it. we don't know why the tree is there but, it has the best tasting water so, it's okay.

it's just hard to reach!

boba and solo

the christmas waltz

 

"It's that time of year, when the world falls in love.

 Every song you hear, seems to say, "Merry Christmas, may your New Years dreams come true."

-Frank Sinatra "The Christmas Waltz"

 

i just love this time of year, don't you? everyone is all a buzz with magical cheer and excitement no matter the age and, with all the decorations, music and festivities to come, my only wish is that this season could last a little longer! to help me get into the holiday mood, i like to mix up my holiday tunes with a little old, a little new and a little off the beaten path. :)

 

a christmas mix:

 

nat king cole "the christmas song"

matt pond "holiday pond"

she & him "baby, it's cold outside"

frank sinatra "the christmas waltz"

vince guaraldi trio "christmas time is here (instrumental)"

johnny martins "sleigh ride"

the drifters "white christmas"

snow angels "snowed in with you"

mindy smith "new years eve"

ray charles "santa's coming to town"

gene autry "rudolph the red-nosed reindeer"

harry connick jr "santa claus"

andy williams "happy holidays"

ella fitzgerald "winter wonderland"

 

happy holidays!

 

 

 

 

'round these parts

 

[wine tasting with some of the prettiest gals around]

 

sorry for the break in posts everyone! there was so much to do between turkey day, friendsgiving followed by food coma, bedlam, crazy busy work week and getting into the christmas spirit. it felt like there wasn't enough time to get everything in! but we sure did love it and the pups did too.

 

so, here's a few snapshots of those moments missed....

 

the gorgeous color change in our trees..each day it's completely new. i love it. the pups love the opportunity to mark the fallen leaves. (hence, no leaf pile this year)

 

tailgating the away game at a friend's house where i nearly went hoarse i was so into the game.

 

whipping up one of T's favorites..so classically italian. yum!

 

making caramel (from scratch. what!) to then turn into the most sweet and savory icing i've made yet...

 

turkey carving....

followed by the infamous turkey craft-off! obviously i think turkeys have curly hair.

 

friendsgiving - which always segways into an intense game of jenga..

 

christmas in the corporate world means crafty gals like myself have to help wrap gifts for clients. but, it's not too terrible when i get to do it while snacking on cupcakes ;)

 

lots of quality time with the pups...

 

girl time goofing around with caroline.

and decorating the house for christmas..

adelaide