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.

cold december nights

During this cold spell, we have been doing all the cozy things you are supposed to do.

We spent a lazy evening watching a movie and eating dessert in our fuzzy socks.weekend12.8.2

Found some new types of tea, and whipped up some decorations out of some fabric scraps.weekend12.8.1

Lost my husband in a mountain of stuffed animals.weekend12.8.4

Working towards ultimate cozy time with a new afghan.weekend12.8.3

gettin all christmasy up in here

We decided on (impulse bought) a tiny real tree this year. You can’t beat that Christmas tree smell. We used our plaid fabric ornaments and some gingerbread men to decorate it. christmas tree

Since the tree was just a little guy, we had some extra lights left over, so we put them around the house. The lighting makes the house look so cozy.

I also just finished up this cross stitch. Gotta have those festive dish towels.gb-man crossstitch