Author Archives: Chelsea

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About Chelsea

I am a small town girl. I came to Austin to study at The University of Texas, and a very handsome boy sat behind me in class. I love baking, sewing, watching movies, laughing, and willing my plants to grow.

road trip, part two

On our way to sunny California! The guy goes to San Jose for work a lot, but I don’t really remember the last time I set foot in California, besides an airport. I guess when I was like 11?? Anyway, I was pretty excited about it, and we spent the first part of our drive there talking like this.

It started out a little cloudy, but it quickly turned into the sunny sky you might imagine floats above California.cali5 cali4 cali2 cali1 cali3

One of our goal stops was Monterey. We emerged from days of desert driving to find the ocean.monterey2 monterey4 monterey1

We stopped for lunch at a little touristy place by the water. He ordered some soup in a bread bowl, and was so pleased with himself. Seriously, SO happy.monterey5

things I am jazzed about this week

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1. This guy. He is really the best, and I am so lucky to do another year with him.

2. We are finally getting a new dishwasher! How domestic that we are so excited for new appliances.

3. I got a new planner for Christmas, and I already filled up a whole week.

4. Its so chilly out, perfect for snuggling together with hot tea in the evenings.

5. Books. I just finished The Goldfinch, and now I’m reading Burial Rites, and this is up next.

6. Working on happy new year cards, since we didn’t get Christmas ones sent out in time.

7. Starting some new sewing projects.

all done

How does it look? After about 4 months, my first afghan is done! I finished all the granny squares about a month ago, and I decided on Friday afternoon to binge finish sewing it all together. So I settled in on the couch and weaved in all those pesky ends all night.grannysquareafghan2

So far, its been a very helpful, cozy extra layer of warmth during the cold nights. It was made for serious snuggling.grannysquareafghan1

Now time to start another one!

road trip, part one

I love going through all these pictures. Such good memories.

The idea of the holiday road trip to the northwest first popped into our heads a little after Thanksgiving. Basically, it was a “why not” type of thing. Driving is definitely slower than flying, but we decided that it would be an adventure. If we did it, we probably wouldn’t look back and think it was awful to spend a couple weeks together exploring.

So a week or so before Christmas, we jumped in the car, stopped at the store for some snacks, and began our journey. We had the basic route map, and some goal stops along the way, but we mostly just went day by day, just the two of us.roadtrip.part1.14 roadtrip.part1.13

West Texas is mostly flat. There was a lot of this on our first driving day.roadtrip.part1.12

This bakery is apparently the “thumbprint cookie capital of the world.” I would raise them my house at Christmastime.roadtrip.part1.11

There are some pretty epic sunsets out there though. Gotta give it that.

We spent the night with the guy’s family in a cabin in New Mexico, and woke up to snow!roadtrip.part1.10

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Talk about a cozy little cabin. Full of pups pretending to be people.newmex2 newmex1

Onward through New Mexico and Arizona. Hashtag skyroadtrip.part1.7

Its like all those pictures of Arizona you see of the striped mountains are true.roadtrip.part1.6

This picture looks incredibly moody. No filter. I love it.roadtrip.part1.5

I was in charge of taking pictures of scenery whilst in the car, in case the driver missed something epic.roadtrip.part1.3 roadtrip.part1.4

So close to the Grand Canyon, but we would have had to wait another day to see it. Next time we are coming for you, canyon.roadtrip.part1.1 roadtrip.part1.2

And another gorgeous sunset. Next stop, California!

pretty pretty princesses

My sister needed a present to give to a little girl, and these are what she wanted to make. Sometimes, people say that they want to make something, and then somehow, I end up doing a lot of it. And you might not be able to tell from the picture, but these things are tiny, wee, little dolls.

I may have complained the entire way through making these, but really inside, I was not mad at all. Because look at their little faces, and their hair. You can’t be angry at that.

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There are tutorials all over the internet of how to make these, in case you need some of your own.

home for the holidays

We’re baaack! We’ve been practically everywhere, since we took a road trip to the northwest for the holidays. And now there is a short week, which is the best. Every vacation should be followed by a short week. Mandatory.

We got lots of road trip pictures, but I wanted to record our holiday ones first. Christmas is good stuff. We had like 5 Christmases this year, and we loved every single one.christmas2014.1

It was basically cookie cookie cookie all day long.christmas2013.2 christmas2013.3 christmas2013.4

The tree was epic this year. So full and fluffy. Layers of ornaments. We almost had to start making more.christmas2013.5

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Our first Christmas morning together. My best present.christmas2013.8

gift idea: tiny plants

How cute are these little plants? I found them at a local plant store. For a simple gift, I wrapped each container in a bit of fabric and ribbon I already had.

I gave these little guys out at work to brighten up desk spaces, and I think they would also be fun for party favors or hostess gifts! tinyplants1 tinyplants3

While I was packaging them up, I found this guy just hanging around. Like so tiny, y’all. Teeny tiny.tinyplants2

warming the house

We finally had a little housewarming party. I spent a couple days organizing, emptying out those last boxes, and making a list of those little things we have been meaning to get. Even though it was a bit of work to get everything fully presentable, now every room in the house has reached ultimate cozy level, so we are pretty stoked about that.

In addition to cleaning, I made some cookies for the party. Just a couple.cookieparty1

It was basically the cookie wonderland I have always dreamed of.cookieparty2

time for mistletoe and holly

We went to the guy’s work party last night. So fun. Holiday parties always make me feel so festive. We listened to Christmas music while we got all dressed up. It was chilly outside, and we looked at Christmas lights on our way downtown. We took pictures of all the Christmas trees. It was just a really nice evening to celebrate and learn how to gamble with pretend money.

And I am also deeply happy that my date for every event for the rest of my life is so charming and handsome. christmasparty1 Screen shot 2013-12-13 at 6.42.29 AM

stop, its cookie time

We are planning a little cookie party this weekend. So far, I have a dozen recipes picked out, with a careful rationale behind the choice of each one. But I think making a dozen kinds of cookies seems a little crazy, right?

Here are a couple of things on my list (click photo or link to go to recipe): pecan biscotti (texture, crunch, pecans), peanut butter cookie (looks festive, also has no flour, so its good for the gluten-freers), peppermint marshmallows (not a cookie, but you have to put something in your hot chocolate), and chocolate chip (a cookie staple, thin and chewy)

biscotti peanut butter peppermint marsh choc chip

What is your go-to holiday cookie? I love collecting new recipes.

PS- I have a very comprehensive cookie pinboard here.