christmas time is come (and gone...)

I can't believe Christmas is over... after all the time spent preparing and anticipating the holiday, it's always over far too fast. Luckily it was wonderful, and I got to spread it out over three long, lovely days. It's hard to have a bad holiday when everyone in your life is so great :) On Friday night I met my family at the White Rock for pizza and a long, rowdy discussion about life and the ways we're meant to live it, and then we went home and watched "It's a Wonderful Life" (because it is, and that movie is awesome).

I spent the morning of Christmas Eve making an apple pie (per my father's request), playing Bananagrams, and generally being lazy, until it was time to get dolled up and await the arrival of our guests!

(Getting the party started...)

I found my Christmas dress at Goodwill again this year, and after some serious hemming (and shoulder-pad removal surgury), I thought it was quite adorable with its little green bow...

(Here's what I wore last year)

The party started with some friends and drinks and lots and lots of food. Things got a little wilder as the night wore on (especially once the caroling began...):

On Christmas morning, it snowed:

We ate (and drank...):

And opened presents:

And ate (and drank), again:

(salad, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, rolls, applesauce--Thanksgiving redux for me, but everyone else also enjoyed a roast)

Last night, my longtime (think: since birth) girlfriends and I had our annual gift exchange at my friends' house, where we had more delicious food (and drink) and stayed up wayyyyy too late (for someone with work in the AM, an hour away) chatting about everything under the sun:

Cheers! (and Merry Christmas :)

feast or fashion

I had a lovely Thanksgiving :) These photos were taken just before we turned onto the road to my parents' house--it's just there, in the hills at my back.

(dress: h&m; shoes: seychelles; feather fastener: gift from k)

We arrived around 11 and immediately started eating--cheeses and crackers, shrimp (for those who eat shellfish), and veggies with dip. Oh, and eggnog. Because it was too early for wine? My grandmother and uncle (mom's side) came up from Connecticut, as is tradition, and we hung out and chatted and made merry until it was time to eat.

(clockwise from 12 o'clock: candied carrots and string beans [cooked in maple syrup]; mashed potatoes; creamed onions; butternut squash; cranberry sauce; applesauce; also: salad, bread)

I don't eat turkey, but I never go hungry on this holiday. All but the onions and cranberry sauce came directly off our property, and the turkey was a local free-range bird from Misty Knoll Farm.

After dinner we played a little music, watched The King's Speech, and (finally) dug into the pie. Yet another wonderful Thanksgiving come and gone... and it just keeps getting better and better. My parents and brothers went down to Connecticut this morning to put the roof on the cottage, so K and I are housesitting (aka taking care of the dear old dog)--we're currently sitting in front of a roaring fire. What a life :)

bonjour rouge!

O la la! I'm feeling kind of French today.

Mmm French Toast. I want some.

K and I may have found an apartment! At first I was kind of iffy about it (it's not exactly what our little hearts desire, but we can make it work), but last night I was so excited (and, more specifically, dreaming of ways to decorate it) that I couldn't sleep!

I think that's a good sign.

I won't say more because I don't want to jinx it.

(hat: UO: shirt: Old Navy; scarf: Anne Klein: skirt: vintage, hemmed; tights: Goodwill; boots: ALDO; gold cuff: F21)

I must say, this whole process has really made me appreciate the little hole in the wall we currently call home. It may be tiny (450 sq ft!) but we've made it as cozy as can be, and I might even miss it a little! Probably not. But maybe!