Holidaze

I want to tell you all about my holiday. About the two lovely services we attended on Christmas Eve that book-ended a Christmas karaoke session. About the amazing homemade egg nog I conjured up for Christmas morning. (Thanks, Laura!) About the sparkly diamond earrings that my husband surprised me with. But I think I'll let a few photos speak for themselves. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Christmas morning

New Year's Eve

My pants say, "Merry Christmas!"

I know what you're thinking: "Pants can't talk!"

And you might be right. But I still stand my my holiday-esque assessment of these pants.

I went to Old Navy the other day to pick up a replacement pair of black Rock Star jeans. I wear mine so often that they're getting a bit thin. When the store didn't have a pair in black, I decided to hit up the Gap. 

I realize these jeggings aren't black, but I couldn't resist they're cranberry color or cozy fit. I'll be getting another pair, for sure. Maybe this time in black.

These photos are from Saturday (you know I only get myself together enough to take pictures outside on the weekend), when the hubs and I were out and about shopping and helping a friend of his get a whole new wardrobe. Let me tell you, helping someone else spend their money is fun. Especially when your opinion is wanted.

I carried around this fun San Francisco tote all day. Hubs got it from his secret Santa at work, but since he doesn't carry tote bags (surprise!), he passed it on to me. Thanks, Santa!

Gap jeggings, gifted top, belt, bag & scarf, Banana Republic shoes, F21 bangle

I'm so ready for the holidays, despite being a couple of gifts behind in my shopping. The husband keeps bragging about how awesome his gift for me is, so I'm dying to know what he's come up with.

I hope it's not a San Francisco tote. I already have one of those.

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

Wish List

My birthday is tomorrow and Christmas is just a few weeks away, so I put together a list of things I'm currently craving. At the very least, I have something to save for.

Accessorize & Apparel-ize:

* Some boots to replace these cowboy-style boots that have served me well for the past 3ish years. I'm drooling over the Steven Intyce boots, but there might be others out there better suited to my aesthetic.

* A satchel bag. Something quirky like this fluorescent one from Bohemia or a calmer, more classic style like this one from Modcloth.

* Colored denim. Digging this red legging jean from Gap.

* Black pumps. My neutral Banana Republic pumps have been one of the best shoe investments I've made. 

Beautify:

* A bright or deep red lipstick, like one of the last two pictured here. And the guts to wear it.

* A gift certificate to Sephora. I'd love an opportunity to go crazy in there and not freak out at the prices. 

* Bare Escentuals eye makeup brushes. Yeah, I've been using a concealer brush to apply my eye shadow. Whatevs.

Digitize:

* An iPad. A girl can dream can't she?

* A digital SLR camera. It'll be either this or the iPad that comes from my SmartyPig savings.

Kitchenize:

* New oven mitts. (How practical of me!)

* An immersion blender.

* A Le Creuset dutch oven. Those things are fancy!

* A Vitamix. (Ha!)

* A new set of knives.

(Basically, I just want to upgrade all of my kitchen stuff. Except for my dishes. Hubs and I have awesome dishes.)

Banana Republic sweater, Old Navy scarf and coat, Steven boots, F21 bag

Not enough

Four-day weekend is almost over. And I'm not nearly as far along in NaNoWriMo as I wanted to be. It's because my holiday laziness took over. (Blame it on the turkey.)

I got some writing done today, and I think I know basically how I need to build the story and then wrap it up, but I'm still lots of thousands of words behind where I need to be.

Can I complete my novel in time? Only time will tell. But it will take some major writing sessions.

In other news, Thanksgiving was great! As is tradition, our friend provided the turkey (he gets it from work for free), and I roasted it. 17.61 pounds of roasted meat and lots of side dishes later, 20 of us were stuffed full around my neighbor's makeshift banquet table. Yes, 20 people around a table in a one-bedroom apartment. It can be done, folks!

After the big meal and several hours of chatting, hubs and I went to our second, and more non-traditional, dinner at his coworker's place. It was a Puerto Rican feast of deliciousness and much smaller, with just six of us in attendance. All in all, Thanksgiving was great.

I'm super grateful for my SF friends, wonderful neighbors and awesome husband. I'm also grateful for my family near and far (but mostly far), even though I wasn't able to be with them this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful to have seen my in-laws just recently and that my parents will be here in just a month.

What are you thankful for?

Old Navy top and vest, Gap jeans, Madden boots