White Christmas

We haven't had a white Christmas in St. Louis since 2005, so it was a pretty and special sight to see all of this snow on Christmas morning this year.

Christmas cookies

I'm started to think about what kinds of cookies to bake this year for Christmas. Now I am not much of a baker, but my friend Kati and I started the tradition last year of a Christmas cookie baking day. It was a lot of fun last year, and we had lots of cookies to hand out to family and friends. So the tradition will continue this year!
One cookies I know I will be baking? The traditional sugar cookie. I would love if my sugar cookies could be as pretty as these!

via noshwithme

Tis the season

The holidays are officially here!
Plans so far:
-Begin putting Christmas decorations up tomorrow
-Pulling out the Christmas DVDs and music
-Going to see St. Louis Ballet's production of The Nutcracker mid December
-Cookie baking day with my friend Kati close to Christmas

And I'm actually not minding the sudden drop in temperature this week. I'm happy to pull out the winter coats, scarves, and gloves. It's a welcome change.

photo via shannamurray

Flashback Friday

Missing my friends I just don't get to see enough,
StL Cardinals game, Summer 2009:

Reem Acra Spring 2011

My faves from Reem Acra's Spring 2011 collection.

via style.com

Boston!

My stepsister's dog, Boston.
She is quite the character!

Sunday Reflection

October is now here! My favorite month. :-)
This past week was a good one. My week was mostly filled with work, but the days were not too stressful, and my weekend was lovely.
Friday and Saturday evenings were family nights, spent with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and I am so thankful for that time we share together. We enjoyed each other's company as well as good food and drinks. Today I had an ACT tutoring session and enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner with my mom, stepdad, and stepbrother. And I got to sleep in both Saturday and Sunday, so I feel well rested for the work week ahead!

photo by Cindy Loughridge via rocoquirk

Contemporary Lakeside Villa

This awesome lakeside villa is located about 25 minutes from Stockholm, Sweden. The main house sits farther back from the water and the cottage next to the dock houses a sauna and spa area! I love boating and being near water, so this would be right up my alley. One can dream right?




via digsdigs

I must confess

My magazine addiction has gotten worse.
Everytime I go to the store I find myself wandering over to the magazine aisle. Do I still have magazines to look through at home? Yes. Do I still have books to read at home? Yes.
But I still keep leaving stores with more magazines! Those scented glossy pages have their grip on me. I must stop this madness and stop buying them. Or I must subscribe to more magazines to save myself a little money (cheaper than buying individually). Hmmmm.....the latter option sounds a little better. :-)


photos from deadmarch and fashion in my eyes

Fall is here

Happy first day of Fall!
This season makes me feel nostalgic for my college days.
Here are a few pics I took back in the Fall of 2006 at the University of Illinois.

A Pause

I've taken a little pause from here, as my mind has been elsewhere. This year has been a bad one for my family, as I've mentioned here before and since then it's only gotten worse.
I plan on returning here this week, but in the meantime I've been posting to my xanga site.
One thing that is brightening up my mood is the changing of seasons. My favorite season is Fall, and this past weekend the weather was absolutely beautiful :-) Looking forward to cooler days and leaves changing colors.

photo via we heart it

Greenberg

Watched Greenberg, Noah Baumbach's latest film this weekend. I've seen two of Noah's films now-The Squid and the Whale and Greenberg and I've really enjoyed both of them. The awkwardness in Greenberg had me chuckling and the offbeat characters really pull you in. I was impressed with Ben Stiller's acting skills and it was nice to see him take on a different role. Next I believe I will check out Baumbach's 2007 film, Margot at the Wedding. Anyone else a fan of Baumbach's films?

Stressful Week Ahead

I'm glad I got a chance to relax this weekend, because my week ahead is looking pretty stressful. I have two interviews tomorrow at two different school districts, and it should be a busy week at work. I hope work this week goes a lot better than last week! And I hope I'm not too nervous at the interviews. Looking forward to next weekend-it's a blank canvas so I'm hoping to plan some fun activities.

photo via we heart it

Hand blown glass terrariums

How cool are these hand blown glass terrariums? I love the white sand and brights colors!

Terrariums by Litill
via DigsDigs

The OC

I'm a little stressed out this weekend. And while the stress has induced sleeping binges and eating binges, it has also brought about an OC marathon. I've been netflixing The OC for awhile now, and I'm halfway through Season Two. I might be a little old to still like this show, but I followed it all the way through its 4 seasons, and watching it makes me feel nostalgic for younger days. I just might have to buy the seasons someday. :-)
Did anyone else follow this show? Season 1 was my favorite!

A Day at the Beach

Their style =perfection. How cute is Suri Cruise?

via Tumblr

Cults

On repeat (and repeat):
Cults-"Go Outside"
Love this band!




via stereogum

Hotel Boca Chica

I've been dreaming of a laid back beach vacation and Hotel Boca Chica in Acapulco looks like a great spot for some R&R. Beautiful ocean views, sweet pool, and comfy bright rooms to stay in. Imagining I'm there today. :-)

45 Best New Hotels 2010 via Travel and Leisure
and photos via Design Hotels

Movie Weekend

Lots of movies watched this weekend!
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Last Airbender
The Men Who Stare at Goats
The Last Station