Lovely Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are all safe and well.  We are getting excited for Christmas and I hope you are, too!  I can barely believe it's only five days away.  I made jam thumbprint cookies today and we are making gingerbread cookies later this week.  Christmas will be a bit different this year as we are all playing it safe and not gathering with family and friends and it makes me a little sad as I will miss our yearly Christmas Eve traditions.  It will just be the three of us and the puppy, of course.  We are planning to make filet mignon, fingerling potatoes, Cesar salad, and bread for Christmas Eve dinner.  My mom will be dropping off a cheesecake for dessert that she ordered from a little bakery in NY - I can't wait!  I do love a good cheesecake.  We are planning a nice and slow Christmas day with gifts to open, lots of coffee, and french toast for brunch!

What are your plans for Christmas this year?  I do hope it's a Merry one!!

All Things Christmassy

Happy December!  I absolutely love this time of year!  It's my very favorite, I think.  I am hoping and wishing for a cold winter and snow would make it extra special.  I especially love when we get snow around Christmas time, which is rare here, but delightful if so.  

We recently put our tree up and decorated the house for Christmas.  I'd still like to pick up a poinsettia or Christmas cactus for our dining table from Trader Joe's.  I've ordered new taper candles which should arrive tomorrow.  I love candles, especially at Christmas.  I made my very favorite white chocolate cranberry bars recently and let's just say they didn't last very long.  I'll be making another batch very soon!  I also want to bake Christmas cookies soon.  I'm thinking gingerbread and some sort of raspberry jam-filled cookies.  

So, what have you been up to?  Are you excited about Christmas?  Have you bought and decorated a tree yet?  Take care and stay safe!  Enjoy this wonderful time of year.  I hope it's filled with happiness and peace.✨

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Early October

Hello!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful time of year.  It really is my very favorite!  The weather has finally cooled off, the sky is bright blue, and the leaves are slowly beginning to change.  Oh, and we have pumpkins on the front porch!  Little Rosie is enjoying checking them out.

I recently made homemade overnight sourdough bread and I'm embarrassed to say I ate almost half the loaf the minute it came out of the oven.  I really cannot resist warm, freshly baked bread topped with butter.  I also made Ina Garten's pumpkin cupcakes with maple frosting and they were delicious!  Ina's new cookbook Modern Comfort Food is expected to arrive on Tuesday and I'm so excited to dive into it soon!

So, what are you up to?  Have you decorated for fall or been to a pumkin patch?  Anyway, I hope you are having a nice weekend.

Almost Autumn

Hello!  Just checking in to say hi!  The days are getting shorter and the evenings are getting longer which only means one thing - autumn is just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited about it!  I've begun turning on fairy lights and lighting more candles over dinner.  I also love being able to turn the lamps on earlier in the evenings.  We are promised cooler temperatures and lower humidity for the upcoming holiday weekend.  Yay!!  

We tried a new beer from Maine over the weekend and it was quite lovely.  I pulled out my felt autumn garland from last year and found it to be in a huge knot.  I'm still working on trying to get it out.  Unfortunately, I may have to order a new one from Paper Source.

I'm happy to say that little Rosie is beginning to enjoy car rides a bit more these days.  It will be nice to be able to bring her along on trips/day trips.

I hope you have a nice upcoming weekend!  

Mid-August

Hello everyone!  I hope you are enjoying the summer.  It's really hard to believe it's mid-August.  We've stayed close to home this summer with a few day trips here and there, but mostly home.  I'm definitely missing normal life and I hope that next year brings more normality our way.  I'm planning to homeschool our daughter for fifth grade.  We are going through an online classical Christian school program where she will have live classes throughout the week.  This will start up in September.  I'm excited for this new adventure.  We feel that it is the right choice for her and us for this upcoming school year.  

I made a strawberry cake which was just delicious!  I ordered a new busy bees lampshade and matching pillow cover from Peony and Sage.  I just love it!  Also, you will notice in the last photo that little Rosie had her first grooming appointment and got a nice summer haircut.  She's feeling much cooler now which is nice since it's 90 degrees almost every day.  

 

Take care and stay safe!

 

Happy Fourth of July Weekend

Happy fourth of July!!  I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful weekend.  The fourth looked a bit different this year, of course, but we still had a nice weekend at home.  I made a strawberry vanilla cake and we grilled hotdogs along with some yummy, traditional sides.  It was a nice and relaxing weekend.  Very hot I might add at 90 degrees.  We spent most of it indoors.  I started a new book "Little Cafe in Copenhagen" which I am just loving.  I love to read, especially in the summer.  

And our newest addition - sweet little puppy Rosie is adjusting to life with her new family.  She's just precious - even though she is biting and chewing on almost everything.

I hope you are enjoying summer wherever you might be.  Please comment and let me know what you are up to this summer - I'd love to know!