Archives for December 2011

christmas party time

Zan and I threw our very first party on Saturday! We invited his whole family; aunts, uncles, and cousins too. Saturday morning and afternoon were super jam packed as we diligently planned out all the party essentials. Throwing a party is not an easy task. We were moving all day long right up until the very last minute. I felt a lot like my mom as I feverishly rolled out the cookie dough just seconds before the guests were supposed to arrive. HA! Like mother, like daughter I guess.

We made my Grammy Jean’s homemade chicken noodle soup (noodles and all!), finished putting up the final decorations, and of course, I made my mom’s best sugar cookies for dessert.

It was such a fun time and it went off without a hitch!

Me with our adorable little tree.

Bing Crosby all the way!

Zan made shrimp wrapped in bacon for appetizers. The guy has skills.

Bowls ready for the soup!

So incredibly tasty. We done good.

Me and my true love, Rue. She just leaned in so close and fell asleep on me. I died! It was so cute.

The cookies came out PERFECT. Butter and sugary goodness. Like a little piece of heaven that melts in your mouth.

And if the cookies weren’t enough, we had enough after dinner treats to last for weeks and weeks (only they were all gone by the end of the night).

Happy Nell.

And we ended the evening with a new game called Charoodles. Think Charades with a twist. It was hilariously fun and silly. Just the way a good game should be and it was the perfect way to finish off the party.

After everyone went home we cozied up on the couch for Home Alone. That movie is TOO funny. Have you watched it lately? We were laughing out loud so much of the time. Macaulay Culkin’s facial expressions are priceless. That kid was gold for that roll.

Hope you had a nice weekend too!

1st vlog evaa:

Here it is. My very first video blog.

I’ve been debating it for awhile. And finally decided to just go for it.

The beginning is MAJORLY awkward, but it gets better (I think).

Hope you like it!

Show notes:

Here’s my top favorites all written out, with extra commentary for good measure.

Top 5 Actresses

Claire Daines– besides everything I said, I just remembered one of my ultimate movies with her. Little Women! DREAM! How good was she in that movie?! My heart aches for her every time I watch and once again the tears are flowing like water. Claire Daines is the BEST.

Hillary Swank– P.S I Love You, Million Dollar Baby, The Next Karate Kid! Awesome actress. And I’m so excited for New Years Eve to come out. SO excited.

Julia Roberts– she’s just so darn good at making me love her. Pretty Woman and My Best Friend’s Wedding are among my most favorite. But I’ll be hard pressed to find a movie I don’t like that she’s been in.

Rachel McAdams– yeah, all I have to say is The Notebook and my head and heart go all dizzy on me.

Dakota Fanning– I Am Sam… broke my heart and I have never been the same. Cutest little thing ever and now she is so beautiful. I look forward to seeing in her in more films in the future cause dang, that girl can act.

Top 6 Actors

Matt Damon– The Departed?! TOO good for words.

Tom Hanks– this guy is just the best. Sleepless in Seatle, You’ve Got Mail, Forest Gump, the list goes on and on…

Denzel Washington– it WAS Man on Fire that I was remembering. I went and looked it up. Now THAT was a darn good movie. SO good!

Leonardo DiCaprio– #1. Foreva and EVA.

Eric Dane– Steamy hot McSteamy. MMMmmm!

Robert Pattinson– yeah, so he just really did it for me in Water for Elephants. He did and I’m good with that.

Top 2 (3) TV peeps

Ellen Degeneres– Fave. Hil-ar-ious. It’s on my bucket list to visit her show one day. And dance down front in front of everyone and get shown on one of the outtakes clips. How awesome would that be? So awesome.

Ann Curry– my little j.crew-loving newscaster friend. Love this lady.

Brian Williams– Heyyyooo. This one goes out to you, LJ.

Top 6 TV Shows

Grey’s Anatomy– Addicted. Best show ever. That is all.

Party of Five– the memories! LOVE!

LOST– a couple of years later, and I still haven’t figured it out. That show was good, though. Real good.

Felicity– you can see my post about my love for this show here.

24– Jack Bauer. Need I say more?

Dawson’s Creek– Pacey + Joey = True Love.

Top 5 Musicians

Dave Matthews– yes, it’s true about all those concerts. Used to be quite the fanatic. But he’s just SO good, right?

Joshua Radin– this one gets my heart pit-pattering. Those words. That voice.

Ingrid Michaelson– she’s just cool. And she’s got the words to touch my heart, too.

James Taylor– just comforting. Like an old friend.

Crystal Gayle– here’s the link to the song I was talking about: Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue. This was my most favorite song EVER when I was 10 years old. For reals.

Top 5 Movies

A Little Princess– hope you all enjoyed that little singing segment I busted out. Girl just couldn’t help herself.

This is the version I am referring to. And Liesel Matthews plays Sara Crew. SO good.

“I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags. Even if they aren’t pretty, or smart, or young. They’re still princesses. All of us.”

My Girl– “Don’t pee on the hydrant!”

It’s a Wonderful Life– “Look, Daddy. Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Father of the Bride– THAT house. For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to live in that house. And Frank Egglehoffer? That guys kills me. “Armani don’t also make “polyaster.” HA!

Harry Potter– love the books, love the movies. Love everything, everything about it all.

(And if I could just add a number 6 here, it would be Little Women. Because that movie is too good not to add. And I’m pinching myself for not adding it originally. The March sisters ROCK.)

 

Welp, there ya have it. A 16-minute look at little ol’ me.

Happy Monday, all!

 

(**Want more vlogging goodness? Here’s my dear blog friend Claire’s vlog which I mentioned and watched so many months ago. It makes me miss her! Aaaaand if that’s not enough, one of my newer friends in this internet world, Jodi, did her very first vlog just a few short weeks ago. I love being able to know how bloggers sound in real life. You read their words every day and see into their thoughts, but sometimes it’s just nice to put a voice with those words. Glad to be jumping on the bandwagon!)

gift giving guide {5}: things i saw, things i love

So today, I bring you my favorite gift guides from the internets far and wide. Making a gift guide is HARD work. You have to do research, and make the layout look pretty, and insert links upon links upon links. Here are some of my very favorite bloggers and their wonderful gift guides for you to view and appreciate and soak up awesome ideas on.

And because, I just can’t think of it all…

Here’s a link to Design*Sponge’s 2011 gift guides. They have TONS of ideas all of which are original and lovely.

Grace Bonney also posted this post, about skipping the stores and using your hands: gift that will create great memories. I absolutely love this idea and think it’s really about what’s from your heart that counts the most during the holiday season.

Oh Joy! also has quite the incredible spread of gift ideas.

For the collected naturalist

For the sweet treat lover 

For the California girl living in NY

For the girly utilitarian

For the host

For the silly sophisticate

Oh so amazing! And fun! Visit this link for even more gift ideas from Oh, Joy!

Poppytalk is another one of my favorite reads. There is so much inspiration over there it’s like stepping into one of the best hidden shops in Boston. You know those ones you discover by chance? Poppytalk is one of those places.

Here is their Holiday Gift Guide 2011

Dear Santa gift guides via E-Tells-Tales:

So far she’s got a ladies and babies guide etsy-style. And the newest: Her favorite Amazon picks {for all the people on your list}. I love all of her ideas– I feel like we have very similar taste in things (clothes, products) so these guides are ideal for me.

Also, a few weeks ago she posted about this awesome company, which I have already purchased for my sister for Christmas. What a great idea! I’ve been really wanting to share this, but feared that because my sister reads this little blog, that the gift would no longer be as fun.

SO, If your name is Meg Kathleen Burns DO NOT click on that link up there. You will spoil the surprise and that’s no fun at all. So, don’t! Don’t do it!

Joanna Goddard over at A CUP of JO has got her annual gift guide in the works! I love her blog and was pleasantly pleased to find we had some of the same ideas. Beer of the month club? Yeah, I knew that was a cool one.

A CUP OF JO’s Gift Guide 2011

There’s so many ideas you’re head will start spinning! (in a good way)

Another blog that I love is Oh Happy Day, written by Jordan Ferney over in Paris, France. Can we say DREAM?! I think so.

She has 2 gift-giving posts that are worth taking a look at:

10 Things to Give

10 Experiences to Give — again, I love this idea. To give an experience that will make a memory is the best gift of all!

And lastly, the Bloesem Kids gift guide is absolutely incredible for kiddos under 10. Here are some ideas for those tiny people in your life. The ones who make you see things through a whole new set of eyes and the ones who make snuggling just that much better. And to a certain extent, looking at this array of goodies makes me want to be little again!

(Does anyone remember Little People? Dang, I LOVED those. I could play for HOURS with my little people and their little cars and little houses in their little little town. Nostaaaaaalgia.)

Good luck with the gift giving, everyone!! And Happy Holidays to you and yours!! ♥♥

 

P.S. I’m linking up with E Tells Tales today!

gift giving guide {4}

Okay, dear readers. This is IT. Today is the last day of aeb.’s gift giving guide 2011. I hope you found it interesting and helpful, and above all, entertaining. Tomorrow I will be providing links to some other favorite blogs that have been posting holiday guides– just so you don’t miss any ideas for your gift-giving needs!

So without further ado, I present to you my last two ideas for Her and for Him:

Genius present:

Anthropologie gift card

This will likely be the most appreciated gift card of all time. I don’t know any lady that doesn’t swoon at the mention of Anthropologie, so with this idea, you can’t go wrong.

If I got one of these, I’d squeal with delight.

Just sayin’.

And for the young at heart (and game lovers):

Vintage Scrabble

Vintage Monopoly 

And because we don’t all have hundreds of dollars to spend on board games, here’s a link to these games Amazon-style:

Scrabble

Monopoly

I don’t know about you, but I love game nights. A gathering of friends with wine and a little charades? A happenin’ night in my humble opinion. And with this gift, you’ll always have options on hand when the food turns cold but the guests want to stay. All you need after that is a ski house in Vermont with a roaring fireplace. Ahhh, one can DREAM.

Happy gift shopping!